bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantitative evaluation of elderly skin based on digital image analysis
Authors: Tanaka Hiromasa , Nakagami Gojiro , Sanada Hiromi , Sari Yunita , Kobayashi Hiroshi , Kishi Kazuo , Konya Chizuko , Tadaka Etsuko 
Published: August 2007

Background: The evaluation of the skin state when it is healthy at the time of examination, but predisposed to disease, is based solely on the subjective assessment of clinicians. This assessment may vary from moment to moment and from rater to rater.Purpose: We focused on skin texture and aimed to develop a new method to evaluate skin integrity of the elderly using a digital skin image, by verifying the reliability of the clinical evaluation of elderly skin image by specialists to create a ‘gold standard,’ and by analyzing a digital skin image to identify the indices that explain the skin condition as evaluated by specialists.Methods: A total of 208 skin images were collected from 34 subjects. And then we processed and analyzed images. Modified Kobayashi's method and texture analysis method were used in image analysis. Kobayashi's method included the process of density transformation, cross binarization, short straight line matching and extraction of main sulcus, and calculation of each index. Texture analysis was performed on cross‐binarized images for quantification of uniformity. On the other hand, skin textures in images were scored by six plastic surgeons, using a 10‐point Likert scale, where 1 represented ‘very bad regularity’ and 10 represented ‘very good regularity.’ The inter‐rater reliability was verified by means of the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Finally, stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to extract useful indices; where the clinical evaluation of the physicians (gold standard) was considered to be a dependent variable, and indices obtained from digital skin image analysis to be independent variables.Results: The ICC of raters was 0.92 (95% confidence interval; 0.91–0.94) when including all raters, therefore the score of all raters was used. As a result of stepwise multiple regression, the index of interval (L), thickness (Tave), energy 0°, and entropy 45° independently explained the clinician evaluation. R2 in multiple regression equation was 0.59.Conclusions: It is shown that quantitative evaluation using skin images and their analysis is one method of determining skin integrity in the elderly. The indices to explain the clinical evaluation of specialists were defined and these indices were obtained simply by using a skin image.
Identification of melanoma with a gas sensor array
Authors: D'Amico A. , Bono R. , Pennazza G. , Santonico M. , Mantini G. , Bernabei M. , Zarlenga M. , Roscioni C. , Martinelli E. , Paolesse R. , Di Natale C. 
Published: August 2007

Background/purpose: The relationship between diseases and alterations of the airborne chemicals emitted from the body has been found in many different pathologies and in particular for various forms of cancer. Metabolism of cancer cells is greatly altered during their lifetime; then, modification of chemicals is supposed to be large around cancer tissues. Positive hints in this direction were provided, as an example, on studying the breath composition of lung cancer‐affected subjects. Besides the conventional analytical approaches, in recent years sensor arrays were also applied to these researches considering the chemical composition changes as those occurring in other applications such as for instance, those dealing with food quality measurements.Methods: In this paper, the first application of sensor arrays to study the differentiation between melanomas and nevi, namely malignant and benign affection of melanocytary cells, respectively, is presented and discussed. The localization of lesions on the skin surface made possible the utilization of differential measurements aimed at capturing the differences between two adjacent skin regions. This approach strongly reduces the influence of skin headspace variability due to the peculiar subjective odour background and the skin odour variability. The measurement campaign involved 40 cases; 10 of these were diagnosed melanomas referred to surgical intervention. Nine of these diagnoses were further confirmed by histological examinations of the removed tissue and one was a false positive.Results: The differences in the chemical composition of headspace were verified with a gas‐chromatographic investigation, and the classification of electronic nose data provided an estimated cross‐validated accuracy of the same order of magnitude as the currently used diagnostic instruments.Conclusion: Electronic nose sensors have been shown to have good sensitivity towards volatile organic compounds emitted by skin lesions, and the method seems to be effective for malign lesions identification. The results presented in this paper encourage a second experimental campaign with a larger number of participants and a systematic use of gas chromatography mass spectrometer technology in order to identify some possible melanoma biomarkers.
Serial serum ferritin measurements in untreated HFE C282Y homozygotes in the Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study
Authors: ADAMS P. C. , REBOUSSIN D. M. , BARTON J. C. , ACTON R. T. , SPEECHLEY M. , LEIENDECKER‐FOSTER C. , MEENAN R. , PASSMORE L. , MCLAREN C. E. , MCLAREN G. D. , GORDEUK V. , DAWKINS F. , ECKFELDT J. H. 
Published: August 2007

SummaryHemochromatosis has often been associated with progressive iron overload, but the natural history of iron accumulation in untreated C282Y homozygotes has been reported infrequently. The Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening (HEIRS) Study screened 101 168 primary care participants for iron overload using transferrin saturation, unbound iron‐binding capacity, Serum ferritin (SF), and HFE C282Y and H63D genotyping. SF was measured at initial screening (IS) and again when selected participants returned for a clinical examination (CE). The change in SF over the observation period (defined as ferritin rate of change) was analyzed according to age, gender, initial SF, initial SF/age, transferrin saturation, and iron removed by phlebotomy in C282Y homozygotes. Seventy‐four male and 133 female untreated C282Y homozygotes were observed over a median of 112 days (34–924 days) between IS and CE. In men, SF increased in 54% and decreased in 46%. In women, SF increased in 50% and decreased in 50%. The significant variables affecting the SF rate were initial log SF (P = 0.0027) and transferrin saturation (P < 0.0001). Male C282Y homozygotes with higher SF rates (n = 27, upper 50th percentile) had significantly greater iron removed by phlebotomy (mean 4.93 g, range 1.0–17 g) than those with lower SF rates (n = 26, lower 50th percentile) (mean 2.6 g, 0.42–7.1, P < 0.05). SF was as likely to decrease as increase in untreated C282Y homozygotes over this relatively brief observation period. Incremental increases in SF are not inevitable in untreated C282Y homozygotes.
Resale of recalled children’s products online: an examination of the world’s largest yard sale: Table 1
Authors: Brown Kirschman Keri , Smith Gary A 
Published: August 2007

Objective:To examine an online auction site for the presence and sale of children’s products and toys previously recalled because of safety concerns.Methods:Targeted items were randomly selected from US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) press releases of recalled children’s products dated 1992–2004. Auction listings from eBay were searched for the 150 targeted recalled items for 30 days. Item, seller, and buyer information were recorded from the auction listings.Results:190 auctions contained or were suspected to contain a recalled children’s item from the target list. Most of the recalled items were listed for sale from addresses within the United States, with sellers from Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and Ireland also represented. On average, six bids were placed on each recalled item, with 70% of auctions eventuating in a sale.Conclusions:Recalled children’s products were found to be available for sale online and were sold most of the time, presenting a risk of injury to children. Although the CPSC is charged with notifying the public of recalled items, these results suggest that potentially hazardous products are recirculating online. A multi-front initiative to decrease the presence of hazards in online auctions is needed. This initiative should include increased manufacturer efforts to improve recall return rates, a requirement by online auction sites that sellers verify non-recall status before item posting, and parental checks of government recall websites before item purchase. Investigation of parental understanding and awareness of recalls and the potential risks associated with recall announcements is needed.
Female rock sparrows (Petronia petronia), not males, respond differently to simulations of different courtship interaction outcomes
Authors: Dabelsteen Torben , Peake Tom , Matessi Giuliano , McGregor Peter 
Published: August 2007

AbstractAnimals communicate in networks which spread beyond the classic sender-receiver dyad. Researchers have often concentrated on networks of signalling males, but the network-level effects of male-female signalling interactions are largely unexplored, even though these can contain information when individuals of both sexes have access to a range of mating strategies. We tested whether rock sparrows (Petronia petronia) behave differently after hearing playbacks of vocal interactions simulating a successful courtship as opposed to playback of an unsuccessful courtship. We found no support for our prediction that males which heard a successful courtship simulation would increase the frequency of sexual behaviours compared with those which heard the unsuccessful courtship. Females which heard the successful courtship simulation stayed longer at the nest site and inside the nest box compared with those which heard the unsuccessful courtship simulation. Therefore, females responded to the treatments as if these represented different degrees of competition for either mates or nest sites. This is, to the best of our knowledge, among the first experimental demonstrations that female birds intercept signalling interactions between males and females and suggests that information available through communication networks can be relevant for an animal's choice of breeding strategy.
Can redirected aggression explain interspecific attacks by Australian magpies on other birds?
Authors: Waas Joseph , Innes John , Morgan Dai 
Published: August 2007

AbstractAttacks by participants of conflicts against a third party are referred to as redirected aggression. Usually the third party is a conspecific — few documented cases of redirected aggression against other species exist. The Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen), however, often attacks other species; the reasons for attacks are largely unknown. Some attacks occur after territorial disputes with conspecifics, suggesting that attacks are the result of redirected aggression. We subjected eight Australian magpie groups to simulated territorial intrusions. In one treatment an Australian magpie and rock dove (Columba livia) were presented in cages next to one another (5 m apart) on the territory for 30 min; the Australian magpie decoy was then covered and aggressive responses toward the rock dove by residents were recorded for a further 30 min (Treatment 1). Two additional treatments were presented in an identical manner on each territory where both decoys were either Australian magpies (Treatment 2) or rock doves (Treatment 3). We predicted that if Australian magpies regularly redirect aggression onto benign species after conspecific territorial intrusions, attack rates on the rock dove decoy in Treatment 1 would be higher than attack rates on the rock dove decoy in Treatment 3. Residents were seldom recorded close (<1 m) and not seen attacking rock dove decoys during tests. In contrast, Australian magpie decoys were often approached and attacked by residents. After a decoy was covered (following the first 30 min phase), residents spent little time in close proximity (on cage, <0.3 m, or 0.3-1 m) to the rock dove decoy in either Treatment 1 or Treatment 3; in contrast, residents were often recorded close to the Australian magpie decoy in Treatment 2. We found no evidence that Australian magpies redirect aggression onto other birds after territorial intrusions. The true proportion of territorial disputes leading to redirected attacks may be small, or only occur under highly specific contexts.
Female preference for a male sexual trait uncorrelated with male body size in the Palmate newt (Triturus helveticus)
Authors: Gentilhomme  , Haerty  , Secondi  
Published: August 2007

AbstractMate choice is often based on the assessment of multiple traits. Depending on whether traits provide redundant or different information about male characteristics, correlation between traits is expected to arise or not. In species where size increases with age, body size can be a reliable indicator of adult survival whereas secondary sexual traits advertise other qualities like the ability to exploit local resources. However, because of correlations between morphological traits it is often difficult to determine whether females base their preference on the absolute or the relative size of secondary sexual traits. We addressed this issue in the palmate newt, Triturus helveticus. We selected the two most variable traits, body size and filament length, whose weak correlation suggested that they could signal different aspects of male condition or quality. We tested female preference for both traits in two experiments in which we controlled either for body size or filament length. Females preferred males with long filament in experiment 1 and males with small body sizes in experiment 2. The preference for an exaggerated trait like the caudal filament is not unexpected in a context of inter-sexual selection. In contrast, the preference for small males contrasts with usual findings on mate choice. However, body size might not be a reliable quality indicator because males of different cohorts can experience different conditions throughout their life. The caudal filament, grown each breeding period, likely reflects male condition. By assessing such a character, females might evaluate the performance of a potential partner in the current environment regardless of its age.
The Dignity of the Human Person: On the Integrity of the Body and the Struggle for Recognition
Authors: Boni Tanella 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe author states that the very idea of human dignity lies in human relationships in the form of mutual recognition of one another. She emphasizes the ‘daily’ commitment to dignity as an essential feature of intersubjectivity and insists on the bodily dimension as the fundamental mode of relationships to the other. Thus human dignity is first of all the dignity of the body.
The Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici: A Liberal Transversal Institution
Authors: Ricœur Paul 
Published: August 2007

AbstractOne of Paul Ricoeur’s last conferences, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Italian Institute of Philosophical Studies, was pronounced at Unesco in November 2002. He presents the intellectual model represented by the Institute as being both liberal and transversal, and considers these two features as summarizing the task of philosophy.
Safeguarding Children: Exploring the Interfaces Between Policy, Pedagogy, Psychology and Practice
Authors: Humphrey Caroline 
Published: August 2007

• Summary: This article explores the predicaments involved in educating the next generation of social workers in Britain in child protection work. It draws upon research with students taking a Safeguarding Children module. • Findings: Although the management of risk is central to the role of qualified social workers and the rationale for recruiting more students onto the new degree programmes, only a small minority of students are seriously committed to child protection work, and rather more students are planning to avoid it. Opportunities to test out student's aptitudes in the field are vital, but there is a dearth of statutory placements and some students emerge even more disheartened from their placements. Pedagogic strategies which promote an integration of therapeutic and statutory interventions can enhance student's interest, but lack credibility if these approaches are not integrated in practice. • Applications: The relevance of these findings to universities, community-based agencies and central government is considered in the final section.
Sad Not Bad
Authors: Henderson Lesley , Franklin Bob 
Published: August 2007

• Summary: The social work profession has a negative profile in news media but how is it presented in television drama? We report on a study of social workers and social care professionals in UK television drama between March and May 2003. Using detailed quantitative content analysis and qualitative thematic analysis we examine how characters are positioned within the fictional community (their role in storylines, personal and professional attributes, relationship with other characters). • Findings: Social care workers and social workers are largely synonymous in television drama and tend to feature in storylines concerning children (access disputes, fostering, adoption). However, our findings reveal an unexpected paradox. Television drama is apparently more likely to portray these characters in positive terms, as friendly, sympathetic and `good listeners'. At the same time, social care characters are represented as highly bureaucratic, isolated, sad individuals rather than an integral part of the — largely working class — community that they serve. • Applications: Television drama represents an important cultural resourcewhere stereotypes associated with news media may be challenged. If we are to gain a better understanding of why the profession is marginalized in television fiction it is important to explore the process of production with those who make the programmes.
An Enquiry into Students' Motivations to Train as Social Workers in England
Authors: Furness Sheila 
Published: August 2007

• Summary: In 2003, the British Government introduced a bursary to support and attract more recruits to social work. This study is based on 497 questionnaires completed by prospective students to one social work undergraduate programme over a four-year period, from 2002 to 2006. The first aim of this study was to find out the extent of participants' knowledge of the social work bursary, in order to determine whether this had been a successful strategy to attract greater numbers of people to train as social workers. The second aim was to identify the factors that attracted them to train as social workers. • Findings: Only 52% of the respondents had been aware of the bursary and, significantly, only 3% indicated that this had definitely influenced their choice of career. Prospective students' knowledge of the bursary has not increased since its introduction and the findings suggest that other factors act as primary incentives and motivate students to apply for social work. • Applications : It is important to consider the factors that motivate students to train as social workers in order to better inform recruitment policies and ensure that the profession attracts people who are representative of the diverse population of England.
Experts, Practitioners, and Practical Judgement
Authors: O'Neill Onora 
Published: August 2007

AbstractIn Theory and Practice Kant challenges the well-worn view that practitioners do not need to rely on theory. He acknowledges that experts with a deep knowledge of theory may fail as practitioners both in technical matters, and in matters of morality and justice. However, since action-guiding theories are intended to shape rather than to fit the world, practitioners have no point of reference other than the theories or principles that they seek to enact. If theories of duty appear to offer too little guidance for action, they should look for more rather than fewer principles, which will enable them to guide their practical judgement with greater, if still incomplete, specificity.
Time-Relative Interests and Abortion
Authors: Liao S. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe concept of a time-relative interest is introduced by Jeff McMahan to solve certain puzzles about the badness of death. Some people (e.g. McMahan and David DeGrazia) believe that this concept can also be used to show that abortion is permissible. In this paper, I first argue that if the Time-Relative Interest Account permits abortion, then it would also permit infanticide. I next reject the suggestion that the Time-Relative Interest Account can at least explain the permissibility of early abortion, even if it cannot explain the permissibility of late abortion. Given this, early and late abortions have to be justified on other grounds.
Clay mineral genesis and chemical evolution in the Miocene sediments of Somosaguas, Madrid Basin, Spain
Authors: Fesharaki O. , García-Romero E. , Cuevas-González J. , López-Martínez N. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractA mineralogical and microtextural study of Somosaguas Miocene deposits, located in the Madrid Basin (western Madrid, Spain), was carried out using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and optical microscopy, whereas crystal chemistry data were obtained by analytical electron microscopy-transmission electron microscopy and electron icroprobe analysis. Four stratigraphic sections were studied, compising detrital rocks representing intermediate and distal facies from alluvial fan deposits. The predominant source area of these sediments was the granitic rocks of the Spanish Central System with a lesser contribution of metamorphic rocks. Clayey arkoses are the most abundant rocks of these sections, typical of granite alteration under warm, semi-arid climates. The mineralogy is characterized by phyllosilicates, followed by feldspars and quartz. The data obtained reveal mineral mixtures of detrital (quartz, feldspars, kaolinite, micas and chlorite), transformed (illite and beidellite) and neoformed (montmorillonite) origin. Clay minerals resulted from interactions between detrital minerals and meteoric waters. Two trends of degradation of micas are detected. The first shows a transition from muscovites and dioctahedral illites, to beidellites. The other trend is defined by the biotite degradation to beidellites with different layer charge and octahedral Fe content. Montmorillonites were neoformed from the hydrolysis and weathering of primary minerals (feldspars and muscovite). Magnesian clay minerals such as sepiolite, palygorskite and trioctahedral smectites, extremely abundant in the centre of the basin, were not detected in Somosaguas sediments.
Synthesis of ZSM-5 on kaolin microspheres in the absence of an organic amine template
Authors: Sun S.-H. , Ma J.-T. , Gao X.-H. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractZeolite ZSM-5 was synthesized successfully, in situ, on pyrokaolin microspheres (PKM) under hydrothermal conditions, without the use of an organic amine template. The utility of alkali-modified pyrokaolin microspheres (AMKM) was also evaluated. The resulting products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N2-adsorption isotherm data. The material containing ZSM-5 synthesized from the system PKM-additional silica-water had a large surface area and pore volume with significant enhancements in the micropore surface area and micropore volume. The SEM images show that the synthesis of zeolite ZSM-5 from pyrokaolin microspheres (PKM) led to the formation of polycrystalline aggregates <2 μm in size. The purity of the zeolite ZSM-5 produced was affected by both the pH value of the reactant system and the reaction temperature. In the system containing AMKM-additional silica-water, very little of the synthesized zeolite resided on the kaolin microspheres.