bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Surgical margin status of open versus laparoscopic radical prostatectomy specimens
Authors: Terakawa Tomoaki , Miyake Hideaki , Tanaka Kazushi , Takenaka Atsushi , Inoue Taka‐Aki , Fujisawa Masato 
Published: May 2008

Objectives:  To compare the surgical margin (SM) status between open and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RRP and LRP, respectively) specimens.Methods:  Surgical specimens from 137 patients undergoing LRP and 220 patients undergoing RRP for clinically localized prostate cancer were included in the analysis. SM status in each resected specimen, including the number of positive SM as well as their location, was examined.Results:  The incidence of positive SM in the LRP group was significantly greater than that in the RRP group. Despite the lack of significant difference in the proportion of solitary positive SM between these two groups, the proportion of multiple positive SM in the LRP group was significantly greater than that in the RRP group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of anterior positive SM between the two groups, while the incidences of positive SM at the apex, posterior site and bladder neck in the LRP group were significantly greater than those in the RRP group. Furthermore, there were no significant preoperative parameters predicting positive SM in the LRP group. On the other hand, the biopsy Gleason score and clinical T stage were identified as significant predictors of positive SM in the RRP group, of which the biopsy Gleason score was independently related to the presence of positive SM.Conclusions:  Clinical T stage and Gleason score could be useful predictors of SM status following RRP, while positive SM in LRP specimens were detected irrespective of preoperative parameters, suggesting the need for an effort for further refining the LRP procedure.
Emergency surgery for complicated acute diverticulitis
Authors: Issa N. , Dreznik Z. , Dueck D. S. , Arish A. , Ram E. , Kraus M. , Gutman M. , Neufeld D. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractAim  Antecedent attacks of diverticulitis are thought to increase the risk of complicated diverticulitis, and unless elective surgery is performed, a high proportion of patients with recurrent symptoms will require emergency operations for complicated diverticulitis with its associated morbidity. In this multicentre study, we aim to assess impact of previous attacks of diverticulitis on patients requiring an emergency surgical intervention.Method  All patients operated on as an emergency for complicated diverticulitis were retrospectively analysed. Patients were separated into two groups: group A included patients without previous history of diverticular disease, and group B those with previous attacks of diverticulitis.Results  A total of 96 patients were included in the study. Group A included 68 (70.8%) patients, and group B 28 (29.2%) patients. Generalized peritonitis was the reason for operation in 50 (73.5%) patients in‐group A and only four (14%) patients in group B. Perforated diverticulitis occurred more often in group A, whereas pericolonic abscess and phlegmon formation occurred more commonly in group B. Resection was performed in all patients in group B; 50% had a Hartmann’s procedure, and the other 50% patients had primary anastomosis. Hartmann’s procedure was performed in 52 patients (76.5%) in group A, and 8 patients (11.7%) had resection and primary anastomosis. No difference in postoperative complications was identified between the groups.Conclusion  Multiple attacks of diverticulitis are not associated with an increased risk of complicated diverticulitis. Recurrent episodes of diverticulitis are not associated with a less favourable outcome or an increased risk of fatality if complications ensue.
‘Fast‐track’ colonic surgery in Austria and Germany – results from the survey on patterns in current perioperative practice
Authors: Hasenberg T. , Keese M. , Längle F. , Reibenwein B. , Schindler K. , Herold A. , Beck G. , Post S. , Jauch K. W. , Spies C. , Schwenk W. , Shang E. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractObjective ‘Fast‐track’ rehabilitation has been shown to accelerate recovery, reduce general morbidity and decrease hospital stay after elective colonic surgery. Despite this evidence, there is no information on the acceptance and utilization of these concepts among the entirety of Austrian and German surgeons.Method In 2006, a questionnaire concerning perioperative routines in elective, open colonic resection was sent to the chief surgeons of 1270 German and 120 Austrian surgical centres.Results The response rate was 63% in Austria (76 centres) and 30% in Germany (385 centres). Mechanical bowel preparation is used by the majority (Austria, 91%; Germany, 94%); the vertical incision is the standard method of approach to the abdomen in Austria (79%) and Germany (83%), nasogastric decompression tubes are rarely used, one‐third of the questioned surgeons in both countries use intra‐abdominal drains. Half of the surgical centres allow the intake of clear fluids on the day of surgery and one‐fifth offer solid food on that day. Epidural analgesia is used in three‐fourths of the institutions.Conclusion Although there is an evident benefit of fast‐track management, the survey shows that they are not yet widely used as a routine in Austria and Germany.
Chemo‐radiotherapy: an alternative to surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum – report of six patients and literature review
Authors: Rasheed S. , Yap T. , Zia A. , McDonald P. J. , Glynne‐Jones R. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractPurpose  Since 1943 [1], only 45 patients of squamous cancer of the rectum have been reported in the published reports and the largest series to date consists of 12 patients. Reports suggest that the primary treatment is surgical resection but, in the light of nonsurgical advances in the treatment of anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), we present a review of the literature and report six patients treated by chemoradiation therapy (CRT).Method  A literature search was undertaken using the keywords squamous cell, epidermoid, basaloid and cloacagenic and cancer of rectum and colon to provide evidence for this discussion from studies of surgery, radiation therapy and CRT in rectal SCC. A prospective database of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, UK was searched from 1995 to 2005 for patients diagnosed with pure SCC of the rectum.Results  Six patients with histologically confirmed primary SCC of the rectum were treated with primary combination chemo‐radiotherapy according to protocols used for SCC of the anal canal over a 15‐year period. Surgery was avoided in four, and they remain disease‐free on follow‐up.Conclusions  Primary CRT, as currently utilized in anal cancer, can be extended to primary SCC of the rectum.
Rights Issues in the Chinese Stock Market: Evidence of Earnings Management
Authors: Fung Hung‐Gay , Leung Wai K. , Zhu Jiang 
Published: May 2008

AbstractUsing 665 rights offerings of Chinese firms, we demonstrate positive but diminishing price effects of successive announcements at the board meeting, the shareholders' meeting, the prospectus release date, and the ex‐rights date, but negative abnormal returns before the ex‐rights date. Public investors value the participation from shareholders of state and legal‐person shares in the rights offerings, which seem to be linked to the future firm performance. The results overall supports the hypothesis that Chinese company earnings are considerably manipulated in the rights issue process.
Auditors' Ability to Resist Client Pressure and Culture: Perceptions in China and the United Kingdom
Authors: Lin Kenny Z. , Fraser Ian A.M. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractOngoing corporate scandal and audit failure raise serious concerns about the ability of auditors to resist client pressure. Based on a sample of 93 auditors from China and the United Kingdom (U.K.), we analyze the effect of specificity of accounting standard, level of auditor tenure, provision of management advisory services (MAS) and degree of audit market competition on perceptions of auditors' ability to withstand client pressure in audit conflict situations. We draw on cultural differences to explain differences in auditors' perceptions in the respective countries. Our findings are consistent with national cultural characteristics identified in the research literature. We find that U.K. auditors perceive specificity of accounting standards, auditor tenure, MAS and competition as less likely to affect decisions as to whether or not to accept clients' preferred accounting treatments than do their Chinese counterparts. Additionally while Chinese auditors perceive MAS and competition to be significant factors, they perceive accounting standard specificity and auditor tenure to be insignificant. For U.K. auditors, these results are reversed. The results may be relevant to international audit firms operating cross‐culturally and seeking to apply common audit procedures or codes of professional conduct in different national settings.
RATIOCINATION: AN EMPIRICAL ACCOUNT
Authors: Sommers Fred 
Published: May 2008

AbstractModern thinkers regard logic as a purely formal discipline like number theory, and not to be confused with any empirical discipline such as cognitive psychology, which may seek to characterize how people actually reason. Opposed to this is the traditional view that even a formal logic can be cognitively veridical – descriptive of procedures people actually follow in arriving at their deductive judgments (logic as Laws of Thought). In a cognitively veridical logic, any formal proof that a deductive judgment, intuitively arrived at, is valid should ideally conform to the method the reasoning subject has used to arrive at that judgment. More specifically, it should reveal the actual reckoning process that the reasoning subject more or less consciously carries out when they make a deductive inference. That the common logical words used in everyday reasoning – words such as ‘and’, ‘if,’‘some’, ‘is’‘not,’ and ‘all’– have fixed positive and negative charges has escaped the notice of modern logic. The present paper shows how, by unconsciously recognizing ‘not’ and ‘all’ as ‘minus‐words’, while recognizing ‘and’, ‘some’, and ‘is’ as ‘plus words’, a child can intuitively reckon, for example, ‘not (−) all (−) dogs are (+) friendly’ as equivalent to ‘some (+) dogs aren't (−) friendly’: −(−D+F) = +D−F.
PERSONS AND RELICS
Authors: Breeur Roland , Burms Arnold 
Published: May 2008

AbstractWe describe a number of puzzling phenomena and use them as evidence for a hypothesis about why bodily continuity matters for personal identity. The phenomena all belong to a particular kind of symbolisation: each of them illustrates how an entity (object or person) sometimes acquires symbolic significance in virtue of a material link with the symbolised entity. Relics are the most obvious example of what happens here: they are cherished, desired or respected, not because of their intrinsic features, but because of their material link with some significant individual person. Crucial for the hypothesis we wish to defend, is the fact that a human being can in some cases and for some others function as a relic of what she used to be; in these cases a human individual has a specific significance in virtue of a material link (bodily continuity) with her own past. We argue that this phenomenon can be extended and that the importance of bodily continuity for personal identity is constituted by the kind of symbolisation upon which the existence of relics is based.1
DOOMSDAY, BISHOP USSHER AND SIMULATED WORLDS
Authors: Richmond Alasdair M. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis paper attempts three tasks in relation to Carter and Leslie's Doomsday Argument. First, it criticises Timothy Chambers' ‘Ussherian Corollary’, a striking but unsuccessful objection to standard Doomsday arguments. Second, it reformulates the Ussherian Corollary as an objection to Bradley Monton's variant Doomsday and Nick Bostrom's Simulation Argument. Finally, it tries to diagnose the epistemic/metaphysical problems facing Doomsday‐related arguments.1
Modelling Positional Uncertainty of Line Features by Accounting for Stochastic Deviations from Straight Line Segments
Authors: De Bruin Sytze 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe assessment of positional uncertainty in line and area features is often based on uncertainty in the coordinates of their elementary vertices which are assumed to be connected by straight lines. Such an approach disregards uncertainty caused by sampling and approximation of a curvilinear feature by a sequence of straight line segments. In this article, a method is proposed that also allows for the latter type of uncertainty by modelling random rectangular deviations from the conventional straight line segments. Using the model on a dense network of sub‐vertices, the contribution of uncertainty due to approximation is emphasised; the sampling effect can be assessed by applying it on a small set of randomly inserted sub‐vertices. A case study demonstrates a feasible way of parameterisation based on assumptions of joint normal distributions for positional errors of the vertices and the rectangular deviations and a uniform distribution of missed sub‐vertices along line segments. Depending on the magnitudes of the different sources of uncertainty, not accounting for potential deviations from straight line segments may drastically underestimate the positional uncertainty of line features.
ON THE RECURSIVE FITTING OF SUBSET AUTOREGRESSIONS
Authors: Penm Jack H. W. , Terrell R. D. 
Published: May 2008

Abstract.In fitting a vector autoregressive process which may include lags up to and including lagK, we may wish to search for the subset vector autoregressive process of sizek(wherekis the number of lags with non‐zero coefficient matrices,k= 1, 2,K) which has the minimum generalized residual variance. This paper provides a recursive procedure, which is initialized by evaluatingall‘forwardand’‘backward’ autoregressions in whichk= 1. The recursion then allows one to develop successively all subsets of sizek= 2,k= 3 up tok=K.The optimum subset vector autoregression is found by employing the proposed recursive procedures in conjunction with model selection criteria. This approach is used on simulated data to assess its performance and to re‐examine the annual trappings of the Canadian lynx investigated by Tong (1977).
MARGINALS OF MULTIVARIATE FIRST‐ORDER AUTOREGRESSIVE TIME SERIES MODELS
Authors: Stam Antonie , Hillmer Steven C. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis paper is concerned with the marginal models associated with a given multivariate first‐order autoregressive model. A general theory is developed to determine when reductions in the known orders of the marginal models will occur. When the auto‐regressive coefficient matrix has repeated eigenvalues, there may be global reductions in the marginal models. Zeros in the eigenvectors and generalized eigenvectors of the auto‐regressive coefficient matrix lead to local reductions in the marginal models. The case when the autoregressive parameter matrix has systematic zeros is also investigated.
SPECTRAL RADIUS, KRONECKER PRODUCTS AND STATIONARITY
Authors: Liu Jian 
Published: May 2008

Abstract. We provide a stochastic proof of the inequality ρ(A⊗A+B⊗B) ≥ρ(A⊗A), where ρ(M) denotes the spectral radius of any square matrix M, i.e. max{|eigenvalues| of M}, and M⊗N denotes the Kronecker product of any two matrices M and N. The inequality is then used to show that stationarity of the bilinear model
image
will imply stationarity of the linear part, i.e. the linear ARMA model
image
for r= 1 and q= 1. Furthermore, it is shown that stationarity of the subdiagonal model, i.e. the bilinear model with bij=0 for i< j, again implies stationarity of its linear part, provided that the stationarity condition given by Bhaskara Rao and his colleagues is met. Interestingly, the conclusion that stationarity of the subdiagonal models, implies that the linear component models cannot be extended to the general non‐subdiagonal bilinear models. The last observation is demonstrated via a simple example with p=m= 1, r= 0 and q= 2.
BIAS‐CORRECTED NONPARAMETRIC SPECTRAL ESTIMATION
Authors: Politis Dimitris N. , Romano Joseph P. 
Published: May 2008

Abstract.The theory of nonparametric spectral density estimation based on an observed stretchX1,…,XNfrom a stationary time series has been studied extensively in recent years. However, the most popular spectral estimators, such as the ones proposed by Bartlett, Daniell, Parzen, Priestley and Tukey, are plagued by the problem of bias, which effectively prohibits ✓N‐convergence of the estimator. This is trueevenin the case where the data are known to bem‐dependent, in which case ✓N‐consistent estimation is possible by a simple plug‐in method.In this report, an intuitive method for the reduction in the bias of a nonparametric spectral estimator is presented. In fact, applying the proposed methodology to Bartlett's estimator results in bias‐corrected estimators that are related to kernel estimators with lag‐windows of trapezoidal shape. The asymptotic performance (bias, variance, rate of convergence) of the proposed estimators is investigated; in particular, it is found that the trapezoidal lag‐window spectral estimator is ✓N‐consistent in the case of moving‐average processes, and ✓(N/log/N)‐consistent in the case of autoregressive moving‐average processes. The finite‐sample performance of the trapezoidal lag‐window estimator is also assessed by means of a numerical simulation.
Impacts of Prime‐age Adult Mortality on Labour Supply: Evidence from Adolescents and Women in South Africa*
Authors: Yamauchi Futoshi , Buthelezi Thabani , Velia Myriam 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of prime‐age adult mortality on the transition made by adolescents from school to the labour market and on female adult labour force participation decisions in South Africa. We find, first, that deaths of prime‐age adults significantly increase both male and female adolescents’ labour force participation as they stop their schooling. Secondly, the death of prime‐age adults in general also decreases school enrolment ex ante. Thirdly, female adults tend to join the labour force following the death of prime‐age adult males. These findings imply that prime‐age adult mortality increases labour supply and disrupts human capital formation.
Turning Unemployment into Self‐Employment: Effectiveness of Two Start‐Up Programmes*
Authors: Baumgartner Hans J. , Caliendo Marco 
Published: May 2008

AbstractTurning unemployment into self‐employment has become a major focus of German active labour market policy (ALMP) in recent years. If effective, this would not only reduce Germany's persistently high unemployment rate, but also increase its notoriously low self‐employment rate. Empirical evidence on the effectiveness of such programmes is scarce. We evaluate the effectiveness of two start‐up programmes for the unemployed, where we include the probability of being employed, the probability of being unemployed and personal income as outcome variables. Our results show that at the end of the observation period, both programmes are effective. The considerable positive effects present a stark contrast to findings from evaluations of other German ALMP programmes in recent years. Hence, ALMP programmes aimed at moving the unemployed into self‐employment may prove to be among the most effective, both in Germany and elsewhere.
Seroprevalence of schistosomiasis in African patients infected with HIV
Authors: Smith C , Smith H , Seaton RA , Fox R 
Published: May 2008

BackgroundSchistosomiasis is a highly prevalent parasitic infection causing significant morbidity and mortality in sub‐Saharan Africa. Infection is asymptomatic for many years. Long‐term complications such as portal hypertension and bladder cancer can be prevented by treatment with praziquantel.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of schistosomiasis in HIV‐infected African patients attending our department.MethodsFrom March 2005, all patients of African origin attending our HIV clinics were tested for schistosomal antibodies using a peroxidase enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Stool and urine specimens from seropositive patients were examined for ova. All seropositive patients were offered treatment with praziquantel.ResultsOf 122 patients tested, 21 (17%) were ELISA positive for schistosomiasis. Ova were found in stools from four patients and on a cervical smear in one patient. There were no significant differences between infected and uninfected patients other than the presence of eosinophilia (48 vs. 6%; P<0.001), and 17 seropositive patients were treated with praziquantel.ConclusionsThe seroprevalence of schistosomiasis in HIV‐infected patients of African origin in the UK is high. We recommend that screening for schistosomiasis should be offered to these patients and those found to be positive treated with praziquantel.
University Patenting in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: a Comparative Analysis
Authors: Beale Andrew , Blackaby David , Mainwaring Lynn 
Published: May 2008

AbstractUsing data on the patent portfolios of UK universities, the paper compares the levels of patenting activity (filings), success (grants) and quality (patents with commercial co‐assignees and patent citations) at Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish institutions. Patent activity, per researcher, in Wales is on a par with that in Scotland and about twice the rate in Northern Ireland, but the numbers of researchers relative to population in Wales and Northern Ireland are around half of the number in Scotland. Patent quality indicators are less favourable to Wales, while both activity levels and conversion of applications into grants are poor in Northern Ireland. It is suggested that greater cross‐university collaboration in Wales and Northern Ireland would help improve performance.
Horizontal and Vertical Differentiation within Higher Education – Gender and Class Perspectives
Authors: Berggren Caroline 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe study outline differences among classes and genders within higher education. Because of the expansion of places of study, higher education has lost some of its former selectivity. The matriculation of one full birth cohort into Swedish higher education was studied. The results showed that the enrolment of working‐ and intermediate‐class women had increased, while women from the upper‐middle class, also previously enrolled in higher education, had expanded their educational options becoming involved in prestigious and previously male‐dominated programmes.
Affiliate Stigma Among Caregivers of People with Intellectual Disability or Mental Illness
Authors: Mak Winnie W. S. , Cheung Rebecca Y. M. 
Published: May 2008

Background Affiliate stigma refers to the extent of self‐stigmatization among associates of the targeted minorities. Given previous studies on caregiver stigma were mostly qualitative in nature, a conceptually based, unified, quantitative instrument to measure affiliate stigma is still lacking.Materials and Methods Two hundred and ten caregivers of people with intellectual disability (CPID) and 108 caregivers of people with mental illness (CPMI) were recruited to validate the 22‐item Affiliate Stigma Scale with caregiving stress, subjective burden and positive perceptions.Results Exploratory factor analysis suggested that the scale was unidimensional, with excellent internal consistencies for both CPID and CPMI. It showed good predictive validity on subjective burden, after the extent of caregiving involvement and caregiving stress were controlled for.Conclusion Implications on psychoeducation and stigma reduction were discussed. The newly developed scale provided a quantitative instrument with which affiliate stigma can be compared across different conditions.