bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediction of severe hyperbilirubinaemia using the Bilicheck transcutaneous bilirubinometer
Authors: Boo Nem‐Yun , Ishak Shareena 
Published: April 2007

Objectives:  To determine the sensitivity and specificity of different levels of bilirubin measured by the transcutaneous bilirubinometer Bilicheck on forehead and sternum for predicting severe hyperbilirubinaemia of total serum bilirubin (TSB) ≥ 300 µmol/L in Malay, Chinese and Indian infants.Design:  A prospective observational study.Setting:  A tertiary care University hospital.Methods:  A total of 345 healthy jaundiced term infants were recruited prior to commencement of phototherapy or exchange transfusion. Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) level was measured with the Bilicheck from infants’ foreheads (TcBh) and sternums (TcBs) within 30 min of serum bilirubin measurement by the diazo method in the hospital laboratory.Results:  The median serum TSB level of these infants was 233.0 µmol/L (range: 108.0–589.0). Ninety‐five (27.5%) infants had TSB ≥ 300 µmol/L. There was good correlation between log10TSB and TcB measured from the forehead (r = 0.80, P < 0.0001) and the sternum (r = 0.86, P < 0.0001). At TcBh cut‐off of 250 µmol/L, the Bilicheck detected TSB ≥ 300 µmol/L with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 39.2%, the area under the receiver operative characteristic curve being 0.89 (95% confidence interval 0.85, 0.92). At TcBs cut‐off of 200 µmol/L, the Bilicheck detected TSB ≥ 300 µmol/L with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 33.6%, the area under receiver operative characteristic curve being 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.90, 0.96).Conclusion:  The Bilicheck is not a substitute for measuring serum bilirubin. However, using predetermined TcB cut‐off values with reasonable sensitivity and specificity, it is a useful screening tool to identify infants with TSB ≥ 300 µmol/L requiring blood sampling, hospital admission and treatment.
Antenatal dexamethasone and renal vascular resistance in preterm infants
Authors: Amador‐Licona Norma , Guízar‐Mendoza Juan Manuel , Maciel‐Miranda Jesús Alejandro , Romero‐Gutiérrez Gustavo 
Published: April 2007

Objective:  To compare vascular resistance, renal volume and insulin levels in preterm infants with and without antenatal steroids.Methods:  We studied 61 preterm infants (37 with (group A) and 24 without antecedent of antenatal steroids (group B)). We measured insulin levels at birth in cord blood samples. Ultrasound measurements to evaluate renal arteries resistance index and renal volume were performed during the first 72 h of birth.Results:  Preterm infants from group A tended to have lower weight and gestational age than those from group B. Resistance index in renal arteries was lower in preterm infants with steroid therapy compared with group B (right renal artery 0.73 vs. 0.80; P = 0.001, and left renal artery 0.75 vs. 0.79; P = 0.01, respectively). Renal volume and insulin levels were not different between the groups. In the multiple regression analysis for factors associated with resistance index of renal arteries, only antenatal steroids use was included in the model (R2 = 0.13; P = 0.003 and R2 = 0.10; P = 0.01 for left and right renal arteries, respectively).Conclusion:  Antenatal dexamethasone in preterm infants during the first 72 h of birth seems to decrease resistance index in renal arteries without affecting renal volume and insulin levels.
Long‐term aspects of nodular gastritis in children
Authors: AKCAM MUSTAFA , ARTAN REHA , GELEN TEKINALP , YILMAZ AYGEN , EREN ERDAL , UYGUN VEDAT , CIG HIKMET 
Published: April 2007

AbstractBackground: Close association of nodular gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection has been initially proved by various studies. There have been some studies reporting microscopic and histologic recovery in a short time after eradication therapy. But there is not enough data about the long‐term course of this condition. The aim of this study is to document current clinical conditions, presence of H. pylori and results of endoscopic and histologic examination, after a long‐term period, in children with endoscopically diagnosed antral nodularity.Methods: A total of 35 patients diagnosed as nodular antral gastritis by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during a 2 year period, were invited for re‐evaluation and re‐endoscopy after 3 years. Histopathologically, H. pylori detected ones had been treated with standard triple eradication therapy. In total, 27 patients were accepted for enrollment in the study. Repeated endoscopy could be performed in all 27 patients.Results: The persistence of antral nodularity was detected in 18 of 27 patients. Decrease in symptoms, absence of symptoms and presence of H. pylori infection were detected in 6, 8 and 16 (89%) of them, respectively. There was no statistical significance between the first and last endoscopic biopsies when activity, atrophy, intestinal metaplasia and presence of follicles were regarded. Malt lymphoma could not be detected in any of the patients.Conclusion: There is a strong association between nodular gastritis and H. pylori. Presence of antral nodularity in the long‐term period may be related to H. pylori re‐infection. New therapeutic approaches are required for treatment and management of the patients diagnosed as nodular gastritis and living in areas endemic for H. pylori infection.
THE CASE FOR PAY‐AS‐YOU‐GO PENSIONS IN A SERVICE ECONOMY
Authors: Van Groezen Bas , Meijdam Lex , Verbon Harrie A. A. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACTThe elderly consume more labour‐intensive services than young individuals. This makes them vulnerable to rising costs of services due to higher wages, which can be caused by increased capital accumulation. This paper shows that in a model with a service sector, the golden‐rule capital stock is lower and dynamic inefficiency is more likely to occur than in the conventional one‐sector model. This implies that in many cases, a positive Pay‐As‐You‐Go tax maximises long‐run welfare in a service economy. Calculations based on data from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands show that the long‐run optimal degree of funding coincides with the current situation in these countries.
France's North African Crisis, 1945–1955: Cold War and Colonial Imperatives
Authors: THOMAS MARTIN 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe collapse of Europe's colonial empires after 1945 is not easily assimilated into the grand strategies of the cold war. Nevertheless, decolonization and east–west conflict were closely linked. This was certainly the case in the three territories of French North Africa – Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia – each of which emerged from the Second World War under continuing French imperial rule. Ten years later a vicious colonial war had erupted in Algeria, while in neighbouring Morocco and Tunisia the strength of popular nationalism precipitated French withdrawal from both countries in 1956. This article highlights some of the links between France's actions in post‐war North Africa, its changing strategic priorities in Europe, and French ambivalence about creeping American influence along the southern Mediterranean littoral. Although the determinants of French colonial policy are not reducible to any single cause, the developing crisis in French North Africa in the decade after 1945 is better understood when placed in the context of the developing cold war.
A Diagnosis of Thickness Fluxes in an Eddy-Resolving Model
Authors: Eden Carsten , Greatbatch Richard J. , Willebrand Jürgen 
Published: April 2007

Abstract
Output from an eddy-resolving model of the North Atlantic Ocean is used to estimate values for the thickness diffusivity κ appropriate to the Gent and McWilliams parameterization. The effect of different choices of rotational eddy fluxes on the estimated κ is discussed. Using the raw fluxes (no rotational flux removed), large negative values (exceeding −5000 m2 s−1) of κ are diagnosed locally, particularly in the Gulf Stream region and in the equatorial Atlantic. Removing a rotational flux based either on the suggestion of Marshall and Shutts or the more general theory of Medvedev and Greatbatch leads to a reduction of the negative values, but they are still present. The regions where κ &lt; 0 correspond to regions where eddies are acting to increase, rather than decrease (as in baroclinic instability) the mean available potential energy. In the subtropical gyre, κ ranges between 500 and 2000 m2 s−1, rapidly decreasing to zero below the thermocline in all cases. Rotational fluxes and κ are also estimated using an optimization technique. In this case, |κ| can be reduced or increased by construction, but the regions where κ &lt; 0 are still present and the optimized rotational fluxes also remain similar to a priori values given by the theoretical considerations. A previously neglected component (ν) of the bolus velocity is associated with the horizontal flux of buoyancy along, rather than across, the mean buoyancy contours. The ν component of the bolus velocity is interpreted as a streamfunction for eddy-induced advection, rather than diffusion, of mean isopycnal layer thickness, showing up when the lateral eddy fluxes cannot be described by isotropic diffusion only. All estimates show a similar large-scale pattern for ν, implying westward advection of isopycnal thickness over much of the subtropical gyre. Comparing ν with a mean streamfunction shows that it is about 10% of the mean in midlatitudes and even larger than the mean in the Tropics.
Temporal Characteristics of Abyssal Finescale Motions above Rough Bathymetry
Authors: Toole John M. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractCurrent-meter data from a two-year mooring within a fracture zone on the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the South Atlantic Ocean are reported. The mooring, deployed in conjunction with the Brazil Basin Tracer Release Experiment, was placed in the general area where enhanced diapycnal mixing had previously been inferred. The current-meter data characterize the velocity, temperature, shear, and temperature gradient variability as a function of frequency. Energetic velocities and shears were observed at the mooring at a variety of frequencies. In addition to semidiurnal flows, a significant amount of shear variance derived from near-inertial motions, as has been seen in a recent numerical modeling study of tidal-frequency internal wave radiation and wave–wave interaction. At times, a fortnightly modulation of the total superinertial shear variance was indicated in the data, but this signal did not dominate the records. Wave ray tracing indicates that the deeper current meters may have been placed in a shadow zone for locally generated internal tides. At shallower levels, it is suggested that dispersion, wave–wave interaction, and wave breaking effectively obscured the sources of the finescale energy. Average diapycnal diffusivity estimates inferred from a Richardson-number-based parameterization and from observations of temperature inversions at 4648 m were of the same order of magnitude as those derived from turbulent dissipation estimates and from the rate of diapycnal tracer dispersion. The mooring data thus add additional support to the idea that energetic finescale motions above rough bathymetry support enhanced turbulent diapycnal mixing in these regions.
Climatology of Ocean Features in the Gulf of Mexico Using Satellite Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Vukovich Fred M. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractA climatology of various ocean features in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was developed using the combination of satellite remote sensing and in situ data that spanned periods as long as 32 years. Twelve separate statistics were created, some of which described characteristics of the Loop Current, while others are involved with warm core rings that separate from the Loop Current and cold core rings. These statistics examined the frequency with which the Loop Current was found in the GOM, the orientation of the Loop Current, the frequency of intrusion of Loop Current water onto the west Florida shelf and into the GOM common water region, ring separation period from the Loop Current, ring dissipation, ring speed, ring path, frequency of ring water in the western GOM, and the frequency of warm and cold core rings (WCRs and CCRs, respectively) in the GOM. The results indicate that CCRs were principally responsible for mass and heat redistribution in the eastern GOM (EGOM) and WCRs are responsible for mass and heat redistribution in the western GOM (WGOM). The average period for WCR separation from the Loop Current was 11 months and the range from 5 to 19 months. WCRs moved through the WGOM most often using the central path (i.e., their trajectory was found between 24° and 26°N latitude) and they decreased to about 55% of their initial size when they reach the western wall of the GOM. CCRs were most often found in the EGOM, and their frequency of occurrence in the EGOM surpassed that of WCRs anywhere in the GOM.
Internal Tide Generation at the Continental Shelf Modeled Using a Modal Decomposition: Two-Dimensional Results
Authors: Griffiths Stephen D. , Grimshaw R. H. J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractStratified flow over topography is studied, with oceanic applications in mind. A model is developed for a fluid with arbitrary vertical stratification and a free surface, flowing over three-dimensional topography of arbitrary size and steepness, with background rotation, in the linear hydrostatic regime. The model uses an expansion of the flow fields in terms of a set of basis functions, which efficiently capture the vertical dependence of the flow. The horizontal structure may then be found by solving a set of coupled partial differential equations in two horizontal directions and time, subject to simple boundary conditions. In some cases, these equations may be solved analytically, but, in general, simple numerical procedures are required. Using this formulation, the internal tide generated by a time-periodic barotropic tidal flow over a continental shelf and slope is calculated in various idealized configurations. The topography and fluid motion are taken to be independent of one coordinate direction and the fluid to be either two-layer or uniformly stratified. For the two-layer case, expressions for the shoreward and oceanward energy fluxes associated with the internal tide are derived. For the uniformly stratified case, it is studied numerically how the accuracy of the solutions depends upon the number of basis functions used, and it is shown that good solutions and energy flux estimates can often be obtained with only a few basis functions. In both cases, the results show that the position of the coastline, through its effect on the form of the barotropic tide, significantly influences the strength of the internal tide generation.
Effects of Storage, RNA Extraction, Genechip Type, and Donor Sex on Gene Expression Profiling of Human Whole Blood
Authors: Kim Sung Jae , Dix David J , Thompson Kary E , Murrell Rachel N , Schmid Judith E , Gallagher Jane E , Rockett John C 
Published: April 2007

Abstract
Background: Gene expression profiling of whole blood may be useful for monitoring toxicological exposure and for diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases. Several methods are available that can be used to transport, store, and extract RNA from whole blood, but it is not clear which procedures alter results. In addition, characterization of interindividual and sex-based variation in gene expression is needed to understand sources and extent of variability.
Methods: Whole blood was obtained from adult male and female volunteers (n = 42) and stored at various temperatures for various lengths of time. RNA was isolated and RNA quality analyzed. Affymetrix GeneChips (n = 23) were used to characterize gene expression profiles (GEPs) and to determine the effects on GEP of storage conditions, extraction techniques, types of GeneChip, or donor sex. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis were used to assess interindividual differences. Regression analysis was used to assess the relative impact of the studied variables.
Results: Storage of blood samples for &gt;1 week at 4 °C diminished subsequent RNA quality. Interindividual GEP differences were seen, but larger effects were observed related to RNA extraction technique, GeneChip, and donor sex. The relative importance of the variables was as follows: storage &lt; genechip &lt; extraction technique &lt; donor sex.
Conclusion: Sample storage and extraction methods and interindividual differences, particularly donor sex, affect GEP of human whole blood.
Mutual respect: working towards a modern review model
Authors: Chadwick Simon , Crotch Joanna 
Published: April 2007

The starting point of this piece of research is that the review, as a learning and teaching tool, is a fundamental component of architectural education. We also recognize that the traditional review that is part of our current practice is educationally flawed. All too often, the perception,
and unfortunately the reality, of the review is one of conflict, an event that is intimidating and unnecessarily gruelling, and can lead to students feeling demoralized and humiliated. Attendance can be poor and participation non-existent. Hardly a positive event and questionably one in which
effective learning can take place. However, we recognize that what verbal dialogue and analysis offer in learning and teaching in architecture are essential.
Currently, our research in progress aims to identify the main problems that inhibit learning, and to design and test mechanisms of
resolving them. The study aims to conclude with an educational model for a general review situation, where effective learning and positive teaching can occur, in a fair, productive and positive environment.
Richtlinie Molekulare Erregerdiagnostik – Update 2007 / Guideline Molecular Diagnostics of Pathogens – Update 2007
Authors: Kessler Harald H. , Halbmayer Walter-Michael , Stelzl Evelyn , Haushofer Alexander C. 
Published: April 2007

Zusammenfassung
Die Arbeitsgruppe „Molekulare Erregerdiagnostik“ der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Gute Analysen- und Laborpraxis hat erstmals im Jahr 1998 eine Richtlinie zur molekularen Erregerdiagnostik erstellt, die im Jahr 2001 aktualisiert wurde. Sowohl durch den medizinischen Fortschritt im Allgemeinen als auch durch die Implementierung der In-vitro-Diagnostika-Richtlinie (98/79 EG) im Dezember 2003 erschien eine weitere Aktualisierung dringend notwendig. Durch die nun vorliegende Richtlinie soll die sachgerechte molekulare Diagnostik entsprechend dem gegenwärtigen Stand des Wissens in qualifizierten Laboratorien gewährleistet werden.
Molten solvent extraction behavior of palladium with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-5-pyrazolone at 60 °C
Authors: Peng Bo , Guo Xiaojun , Mao Xuefen , Gao Jinzhang 
Published: April 2007

Abstract
The solvent extraction behavior of precious metal palladium with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-5-pyrazone (PMBP) into molten paraffin wax has been studied in the temperature range from 55 to 75 °C. The complex consisting of PMBP and palladium was extracted into molten wax phase in the pH range from 1.0 to 3.5 at 60 °C. The extraction efficiency was up to 97% at the experimental pH. The stoichiometry of the extracted species of palladium was determined on the basis of slope analysis method. The effects of time to achieve equilibrium, temperature, and extractant concentration on the extraction were discussed. The thermodynamic data indicate that the extraction is an endothermic reaction and the increase of temperature promotes the extraction of palladium into molten paraffin wax and the extraction of palladium with PMBP is entropy controlled at high temperatures.
Optimizing donor selection in order to establish a cord blood banking facility: maternal and obstetric factors impact
Authors: Chivu Mihaela , Nastasia Serban , Sultana Camelia , Bleotu Coralia , Alexiu Irina , Hudita Decebal 
Published: April 2007

Abstract
In this study, we analyzed the obstetric factors affecting total nucleated cells (TNC) content of cord blood units to establish the criteria for umbilical cord blood (UCB) donor selection in our geographic area.
UCB was collected from normal uncomplicated pregnancies. In every case, following data were recorded: (1) gestation length; (2) type of delivery (cesarean or vaginal); and (3) newborn characteristics: weight and sex. For each sample, TNC content, percentage and number of CD34+ cells, and viability were analyzed.
The results showed that TNC content increases with cord blood volume, gestational length and newborn weight. The mean blood volume and the mean TNC per unit were 42.37 ± 13.5 ml and 55.49 ± 19.4 × 107, respectively. Stepwise regression analysis revealed a positive and significant correlation (r= 0.89) between these two variables. Meanwhile the CD34+ cell content remains unchanged in deliveries at 32–40 weeks of gestation. The mean CD34+ percentage obtained was 0.37 ± 0.06, and the total number of CD34+ cells was 4.827 ± 0.8204 × 104 / mL UCB.
Concluding, the maternal and obstetric factors have a significant impact on UCB cell quantity and quality. The main criteria for UCB collection and storage resulted to be: a gestational age higher than 36–40 weeks and newborn weight > 3200g; gestation number ≤ 2 and placental weight > 700g can be added to the standard criteria to improve the bank efficiency. Our results have also become helpful in evaluating stored UCB units to establish the adequacy for clinical transplant utilization.
A structural design of clinical decision support system for chronic diseases risk management
Authors: Chang Chi-Chang , Cheng Chuen-Sheng 
Published: April 2007

Abstract
In clinical decision making, the event of primary interest is recurrent, so that for a given unit the event could be observed more than once during the study. In general, the successive times between failures of human physiological systems are not necessarily identically distributed. However, if any critical deterioration is detected, then the decision of when to take thei ntervention, given the costs of diagnosis and therapeutics, is of fundamental importance This paper develops a possible structural design of clinical decision support system (CDSS) by considering the sensitivity analysis as well as the optimal prior and posterior decisions for chronic diseases risk management. Indeed, Bayesian inference of a nonhomogeneous Poisson process with three different failure models (linear, exponential, and power law) were considered, and the effects of the scale factor and the aging rate of these models were investigated. In addition, we illustrate our method with an analysis of data from a trial of immunotherapy in the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease. The proposed structural design of CDSS facilitates the effective use of the computing capability of computers and provides a systematic way to integrate the expert’s opinions and the sampling information which will furnish decision makers with valuable support for quality clinical decision making.