bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of diclofenac in reducing post‐endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis
Authors: Khoshbaten Manouchehr , Khorram Homayoun , Madad Leili , Ehsani Ardakani Mohammad Javad , Farzin Haleh , Zali Mohammmad Reza 
Published: August 2007

AbstractBackground and Aims:  Acute pancreatitis following endoscopic retrograde cholangiography presents a unique opportunity for prophylaxis and early modification of the disease process because the initial triggering event is temporally well defined and takes place in the hospital. We report a prospective, single‐center, randomized, double‐blind controlled trial to determine if rectal diclofenac reduces the incidence of pancreatitis following cholangiopancreatography.Methods:  Entry to the trial was restricted to patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. Immediately after endoscopy, patients were given a suppository containing either 100 mg diclofenac or placebo. Estimation of serum amylase level and clinical evaluation were performed in all patients.Results:  One hundred patients entered the trial, and 50 received rectal diclofenac. Fifteen patients developed pancreatitis (15%), of whom two received rectal diclofenac and 13 received placebo (P < 0.01).Conclusions:  This trial shows that rectal diclofenac given immediately after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography can reduce the incidence of acute pancreatitis.
Lamivudine/pegylated interferon alfa‐2b sequential combination therapy compared with lamivudine monotherapy in HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Vassiliadis Themistoklis , Tziomalos Konstantinos , Patsiaoura Kalliopi , Zagris Thomas , Giouleme Olga , Soufleris Konstantinos , Grammatikos Nikolaos , Theodoropoulos Konstantinos , Mpoumponaris Alexandros , Dona Konstantina , Zezos Petros , Nikolaidis Nikolaos , Orfanou‐Koumerkeridou Eleni , Balaska Aikaterini , Eugenidis Nikolaos 
Published: August 2007

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Monotherapy has been proven insufficient in achieving sustained control of chronic hepatitis B. We aimed to assess the efficacy of combined sequential administration of lamivudine and pegylated interferon alfa‐2b in patients with hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)‐negative chronic hepatitis B.Methods:  Eighteen patients were given sequential combination treatment starting with 3 months of lamivudine monotherapy followed by 9 months of pegylated interferon alfa‐2b (after a 3‐month period of concomitant administration of the two drugs) and 24 patients received lamivudine monotherapy.Results:  At the end of treatment, 88.9% of the patients who received sequential combination treatment and 70.8% of those who received lamivudine monotherapy had hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels below 400 copies/mL (P = not significant). At the end of treatment, 72.2% of the patients who received sequential combination treatment and 70.8% of those who received lamivudine monotherapy achieved alanine aminotransferase normalization (P = not significant). After 12 months of follow up, 33.3% of the patients who received sequential combination treatment and 16.7% of those who received lamivudine monotherapy had HBV‐DNA levels below 400 copies/mL (P = 0.4). After 12 months of follow up, 72.2% of the patients who received sequential combination treatment and 25.0% of those who received lamivudine monotherapy had normal alanine aminotransferase levels (P < 0.01). Twenty‐five percent of the patients in the lamivudine monotherapy group had virological breakthrough compared to none in the sequential combination treatment group (P = 0.06).Conclusions:  Sequential combination treatment is able to improve sustained biochemical response rates and prevent the emergence of lamivudine‐resistant mutants in patients with HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B.
Molecular analysis of the distribution and phylogeny of the soxB gene among sulfur‐oxidizing bacteria – evolution of the Sox sulfur oxidation enzyme system
Authors: Meyer Birte , Imhoff Johannes F. , Kuever Jan 
Published: August 2007

SummaryThe soxB gene encodes the SoxB component of the periplasmic thiosulfate‐oxidizing Sox enzyme complex, which has been proposed to be widespread among the various phylogenetic groups of sulfur‐oxidizing bacteria (SOB) that convert thiosulfate to sulfate with and without the formation of sulfur globules as intermediate. Indeed, the comprehensive genetic and genomic analyses presented in the present study identified the soxB gene in 121 phylogenetically and physiologically divergent SOB, including several species for which thiosulfate utilization has not been reported yet. In first support of the previously postulated general involvement of components of the Sox enzyme complex in the thiosulfate oxidation process of sulfur‐storing SOB, the soxB gene was detected in all investigated photo‐ and chemotrophic species that form sulfur globules during thiosulfate oxidation (Chromatiaceae, Chlorobiaceae, Ectothiorhodospiraceae, Thiothrix, Beggiatoa, Thiobacillus, invertebrate symbionts and free‐living relatives). The SoxB phylogeny reflected the major 16S rRNA gene‐based phylogenetic lineages of the investigated SOB, although topological discrepancies indicated several events of lateral soxB gene transfer among the SOB, e.g. its independent acquisition by the anaerobic anoxygenic phototrophic lineages from different chemotrophic donor lineages. A putative scenario for the proteobacterial origin and evolution of the Sox enzyme system in SOB is presented considering the phylogenetic, genomic (sox gene cluster composition) and geochemical data.
Self‐Esteem and Extrinsic Career Success: Test of a Dynamic Model
Authors: Kammeyer‐Mueller John D. , Judge Timothy A. , Piccolo Ronald F. 
Published: August 2007

It has been proposed that one's self‐esteem is both a cause and a consequence of one's extrinsic career success, but empirical research examining the direction of these effects is lacking. We tested a model which examines the relationships among self‐esteem, education, occupational prestige, and income over a span of seven years during early careers. We use social identity theory to propose that self‐esteem will be affected by extrinsic career success, and self‐consistency theory to propose that extrinsic career success will be affected by self‐esteem. Our results, based on a cross‐lagged regression design, suggest that self‐esteem increases occupational prestige (β= .22), and income (β= .22), but career outcomes did not alter self‐esteem. Implications of these results for the study of self‐esteem and careers are explored.Que l’estime de soi d’une personne soit à la fois une cause et une conséquence de son succès externe en termes de carrière est établi, mais les recherches empiriques examinant la direction de ces effets manquent. Nous testons un modèle examinant les relations entre l’estime de soi, l’éducation, le prestige professionnel et le revenu sur une durée de 7 ans à partir du début de carrière. Nous nous référons à la théorie de l’identité sociale pour montrer que l’estime de soi est affectée par un succès externe intervenant dans la carrière, et la théorie de consistance de soi pour montrer que ce succès externe est affecté par l’estime de soi. Nos résultats, basés sur une analyse de régression croisée, montrent que l’estime de soi accroît le prestige professionnel (b = .22) et les revenus (b = .22), mais les résultats relatifs à la carrière n’affectent pas l’estime de soi. Les implications de ces résultats pour l’étude de l’estime de soi et de la carrière sont explorées.
Palliative and supportive needs of older adults with heart failure
Authors: Cortis J. D. , Williams A. 
Published: August 2007

Background:  Chronic heart failure (CHF) affects older people and carries a heavy burden in terms of poor prognosis and quality of life. Palliative and supportive care services are being advocated in the UK to relieve that burden but older people’s needs require further understanding to ensure effective service models.Aim:  To explore the experiences of older adults with CHF to gain a deeper understanding of their palliative and supportive needs and the value of possible interventions.Methods:  This qualitative study collected data from ten patients with CHF in New York Heart Association Classes II to IV, aged 80–90 years, attending a support programme. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted and transcripts were analysed using constant comparative analysis.Findings:  The narratives revealed the consequences of living with heart failure in terms of physical symptoms and disability, psychological sequalae, social isolation and existential concerns. The variety of ways in which participants adjusted to and coped with these consequences was revealed in terms of their approach to their illness, and utilizing the resources available to them, including the support programme. Needs were conceptualized in terms of requirements to supplement deficits in coping resources.Conclusions:  Services designed to meet palliative and supportive needs of older people should aim to identify individual coping strategies and resources and highlight deficits in order to target appropriate interventions.
Accounting losses and earnings conservatism: evidence from Australian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
Authors: Balkrishna Harishankar , Coulton Jeffrey J. , Taylor Stephen L. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractWe provide evidence on three important aspects of Australian financial reporting; namely, the characteristics of losses, the extent to which Australian firms’ earnings are conditionally conservative (i.e. bad news is reflected in earnings more quickly than good news) and the extent to which losses reflect incrementally greater conditional conservatism. We find evidence that loss incidence in Australia is frequent, with around 40 per cent of the sample firm‐years from 1993 to 2003 being losses. Losses are also surprisingly persistent, and the probability of loss reversal declines monotonically as the history of losses extends. Although conditional conservatism is also shown to be a pervasive aspect of Australian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, we demonstrate that it is more evident among loss observations. This result is robust across different methods of capturing conditional conservatism, and supports the conclusion that the relatively high frequency of losses is, at least in part, a reflection of conservative reporting.
Estimating the Effect of Treatment in a Proportional Hazards Model in the Presence of Non-Compliance and Contamination
Authors: Cuzick Jack , Sasieni Peter , Myles Jonathan , Tyrer Jonathan 
Published: August 2007

SummaryMethods for adjusting for non-compliance and contamination, which respect the randomization, are extended from binary outcomes to time-to-event analyses by using a proportional hazards model. A simple non-iterative method is developed when there are no covariates, which is a generalization of the Mantel–Haenszel estimator. More generally, a ‘partial likelihood’ is developed which accommodates covariates under the assumption that they are independent of compliance. A key feature is that the proportion of contaminators and non-compliers in the risk set is updated at each failure time. When covariates are not independent of compliance, a full likelihood is developed and explored, but this leads to a complex estimator. Estimating equations and information matrices are derived for these estimators and they are evaluated by simulation studies.
On-Line Inference for Multiple Changepoint Problems
Authors: Fearnhead Paul , Liu Zhen 
Published: August 2007

SummaryWe propose an on-line algorithm for exact filtering of multiple changepoint problems. This algorithm enables simulation from the true joint posterior distribution of the number and position of the changepoints for a class of changepoint models. The computational cost of this exact algorithm is quadratic in the number of observations. We further show how resampling ideas from particle filters can be used to reduce the computational cost to linear in the number of observations, at the expense of introducing small errors, and we propose two new, optimum resampling algorithms for this problem. One, a version of rejection control, allows the particle filter to choose the number of particles that are required at each time step automatically. The new resampling algorithms substantially outperform standard resampling algorithms on examples that we consider; and we demonstrate how the resulting particle filter is practicable for segmentation of human G+C content.
Continuous Time Modelling of Dynamical Spatial Lattice Data Observed at Sparsely Distributed Times
Authors: Rasmussen Jakob G. , Møller Jesper , Aukema Brian H. , Raffa Kenneth F. , Zhu Jun 
Published: August 2007

SummaryWe consider statistical and computational aspects of simulation-based Bayesian inference for a spatial–temporal model based on a multivariate point process which is only observed at sparsely distributed times. The point processes are indexed by the sites of a spatial lattice, and they exhibit spatial interaction. For specificity we consider a particular dynamical spatial lattice data set which has previously been analysed by a discrete time model involving unknown normalizing constants. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using continuous time processes compared with discrete time processes in the setting of the present paper as well as other spatial–temporal situations.
Use of Psychoactive Medications in Hong Kong Institutions for Adults with Severe to Profound Learning Disabilities: A Retrospective Study (1988–2003) and Economic Analysis
Authors: Lim Winston Woon Chu 
Published: August 2007

Background  Little information is available about prescribing patterns for patients with severe learning disabilities in Asian institutions.Materials and methods  Prescription audits were performed at Siu Lam Hospital (SLH) and Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH), Hong Kong, between 1988 and 2003.Results  About 65% of patients were receiving psychoactive medication. Male patients at TMH (but not at SLH) were more likely to receive psychoactive drugs than female (74% versus 58%). Polypharmacy occurred in around 30%. The proportions receiving anticonvulsants, lithium or benzodiazepines increased, while those receiving anticholinergics decreased. The most common indication for antipsychotic use was ‘acute psychomotor agitation’ but 14–22% had no recorded indication. About 20–27% of prescriptions fell outside recommended daily dosages. Drug spending as a proportion of the total fell from 9% to 5%. Daily drug costs per patient were about HK$4.Conclusions  Changes in prescribing have occurred since 1988. Drug audits can improve prescribing for this vulnerable population.
Care Management Arrangements in Services for People with Intellectual Disabilities: Results of a National Study
Authors: Xie Chengqiu , Hughes Jane , Challis David , Stewart Karen , Cambridge Paul 
Published: August 2007

Background  Care management is the formal mechanism for linking people with intellectual disabilities with public services but little is known about these arrangements. This paper present findings from a national survey.Materials and Methods  The questionnaire covered aspects of care management arrangements and was specific to services for people with intellectual disabilities. They were sent to all social services departments in England.Results  The response rate was 81%. Variations were found in organizational arrangements, the performance of key care management tasks, and the degree of differentiation in approach according to need. Local authorities also differed in arrangements for person centred planning.Conclusions  Further review of the relative efficiency and effectiveness of different care management approaches is needed to inform policy development and promote consistency in services for people with intellectual disabilities.
Effects of forest fragmentation on the physiological stress response of black howler monkeys
Authors: Martínez‐Mota R. , Valdespino C. , Sánchez‐Ramos M. A. , Serio‐Silva J. C. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractHabitat loss and fragmentation can create severe environmental problems for forest species, and may ultimately lead to local population extinction. One mechanism that might play a role in this process is the physiological stress response of individuals, because animals that experience chronic stress might show reduced rates of reproduction and survival. In this study, we investigated whether black howler monkeys Alouatta pigra inhabiting forest fragments experienced greater physiological stress than those in continuous forest. Faecal cortisol metabolite levels were compared between monkeys inhabiting fragmented and continuous forests in Southern Mexico. The sex of the animals was taken into consideration, while activity patterns and aggressive events were also recorded to examine differences in behaviour and sociality. A chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay was utilized to determine faecal cortisol metabolite levels. Our results showed that cortisol metabolite levels were higher in howler monkeys from forest fragments, and that they vary through time. Patterns of locomotion also differed between forest types, as monkeys from fragments travelled at higher frequencies, while monkeys from continuous forests performed more of their movements within tree crowns. There was no difference in the frequency of feeding, resting and social interactions between fragmented and continuous forest monkeys. Higher faecal cortisol metabolite levels in fragmented areas are likely the result of suboptimal environments and could have long‐term adverse effects on monkey health, fertility and survival. We propose that faecal cortisol metabolite measurements can be a useful conservation tool for monitoring populations of long‐lived species subsisting under suboptimal conditions.
Application of photographic capture–recapture modelling to estimate demographic parameters for male Asian elephants
Authors: Goswami Varun R. , Madhusudan M. D. , Karanth K. Ullas 
Published: August 2007

AbstractIn addition to the threats of habitat loss and degradation, adult males of the Asian elephantElephas maximusalso face greater threats from ivory poaching and conflict with humans. To understand the impact of these threats, conservationists need robust estimates of abundance and vital rates specifically for the adult male segment of elephant populations. By integrating the identification of individual male elephants in a population from distinct morphology and natural markings, with modern capture–recapture (CR) sampling designs, it is possible to estimate various demographic parameters that are otherwise difficult to obtain from this long‐lived and wide‐ranging megaherbivore. In this study, we developed systematic individual identification protocols and integrated them into CR sampling designs to obtain capture histories and thereby estimate the abundance of adult bull elephants in a globally important population in southern India. We validated these estimates against those obtained from an independent method combining line‐transect density estimates with age–sex composition data for elephants. The sampled population was open to gains and losses between sampling occasions. The abundance of adult males in the 176 km2study area was&#x004e;̂(SÊ&#x004e;̂) = 134(14.20) and they comprised 14% (±1%) of the total elephant population. Time‐specific abundance estimates for each sampling occasion showed a distinct increase in adult male numbers over the sampling period, explained by seasonal patterns of local migration. CR‐based estimates for adult male abundance closely matched estimates from distance‐based methods. Thus, while providing abundance data of comparable rigour and precision, photographic CR methods permit estimation of demographic parameters for the Asian elephant that are both urgently needed and difficult to obtain.
Ecological exchangeability versus neutral molecular markers: the case of the great tit
Authors: Zink R. M. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractNeutral genetic markers, such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, are commonly used to discover independently evolving groups of populations in nature. These groups are often considered to be units of conservation because they preserve distinct organismal histories. However, because of the time lag between the isolation of populations and the evolution of diagnostic neutral markers, adaptive traits could be unrepresented by units defined by neutral markers. The concept of ecological exchangeability potentially provides a way to preserve populations possessing local adaptations that lack diagnostic neutral markers. Populations are surveyed for differences in fitness traits, either directly, or by examining morphological or genetic traits that could indirectly serve as proxies for them. The purpose of this paper is to compare the nature of units of conservation defined by neutral gene surveys and ecological exchangeability, using data recently available for the great tit Parus major, a wide‐ranging Palearctic species. mtDNA surveys reveal a lack of differentiation across thousands of kilometer. In contrast, studies of body size and clutch size show locally adapted differences between populations separated by a few kilometer, meaning that these populations could be classified as ecologically in exchangeable. These two types of markers have dramatically different consequences for the geographic and evolutionary scale of conservation units. The concept of ecological exchangeability might be an inappropriate way to diagnose units of conservation in birds owing to the time required to document local adaptations and their potential ubiquity. Neutral genetic markers continue to provide a theoretically sound way of identifying units of conservation, and these units ought to be integrated into conservation plans without delay.
Habituation and habitat changes can moderate the impacts of human disturbance on shorebird breeding performance
Authors: Baudains T. P. , Lloyd P. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractDisturbance by humans is widely expected to reduce the reproductive fitness of nesting birds if disturbance reduces nest attentiveness, and unattended eggs experience increased risk of predation or exposure to potentially lethal temperature extremes. Yet, relatively few studies have examined the physiological or behavioural mechanisms whereby disturbance influences reproductive fitness, or the extent to which the costs of disturbance may be reduced through habituation. We compared the behavioural responses, egg temperatures and reproductive success of shore‐nesting white‐fronted plovers Charadrius marginatus to disturbance at two breeding sites experiencing low versus high human recreational activity, respectively. Daytime nest attentiveness decreased with increasing experimental disturbance at both sites, but this relationship differed between sites; for any given level of disturbance, incubating birds at the more disturbed site had greater nest attentiveness. They achieved this through habituation, allowing a closer human approach before leaving the nest, and returning to the nest faster after a disturbance event. Despite lower average daytime nest attentiveness at the more disturbed site, incubation temperatures did not differ significantly between sites. Nest mortality, mostly by natural mammalian and corvid predators, was significantly lower at the site experiencing high recreational activity. However, chick mortality was significantly greater at the more disturbed site, most likely because of predation by domestic dogs. Chick mortality may have been increased by the habitation of chicks, whose escape responses were much reduced at the more disturbed site. Nonetheless, annual fecundity was substantially higher at the more disturbed site, showing that the overall reproductive fitness of wild birds is not always compromised by human disturbance and urbanization.