bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cross‐sectional Tests of Conditional Asset Pricing Models: Evidence from the German Stock Market
Authors: Schrimpf Andreas , Schröder Michael , Stehle Richard 
Published: October 2007

Abstract We study the performance of conditional asset pricing models and multifactor models in explaining the German cross‐section of stock returns. We focus on several variables, which (according to previous research) are associated with market expectations on future market excess returns or business cycle conditions. Our results suggest that the empirical performance of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) can be improved when allowing for time‐varying parameters of the stochastic discount factor. A conditional CAPM using the term spread explains the returns on our size and book‐to‐market sorted portfolios about as well as the Fama‐French three‐factor model and performs best in terms of the Hansen‐Jagannathan distance. Structural break tests do not necessarily indicate parameter instability of conditional model specifications. Another major finding of the paper is that the Fama‐French model – despite its generally good cross‐sectional performance – is subject to model instability. Unconditional models, however, do a better job than conditional ones at capturing time‐series predictability of the test portfolio returns.
Efficacy of panoramic radiographs in the preoperative planning of posterior mandibular implants: a prospective clinical study of 1527 consecutively treated patients
Authors: Vazquez Lydia , Saulacic Nikola , Belser Urs , Bernard Jean‐Pierre 
Published: October 2007

AbstractObjectives: Various imaging techniques, including conventional radiography and computed tomography, are proposed to localize the mandibular canal prior to implant surgery. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of altered mental nerve sensation after implant placement in the posterior segment of the mandible when a panoramic radiograph is the only preoperative imaging technique used.Material and methods: The study included 1527 partially and totally edentulous patients who had consecutively received 2584 implants in the posterior segment of the mandible. Preoperative bone height was evaluated from the top of the alveolar crest to the superior border of the mandibular canal on a standard panoramic radiograph. A graduated implant scale from the implant manufacturer was used and 2 mm were subtracted as a safety margin to determine the length of the implant to be inserted.Results: No permanent sensory disturbances of the inferior alveolar nerve were observed. There were two cases of postoperative paresthesia, representing 2/2584 (0.08%) of implants inserted in the posterior segment of the mandible or 2/1527 (0.13%) of patients. These sensory disturbances were minor, lasted for 3 and 6 weeks and resolved spontaneously.Conclusions: Panoramic examination can be considered a safe preoperative evaluation procedure for routine posterior mandibular implant placement. Panoramic radiography is a quick, simple, low‐cost and low‐dose presurgical diagnostic tool. When a safety margin of at least 2 mm above the mandibular canal is respected, panoramic radiography appears to be sufficient to evaluate available bone height prior to insertion of posterior mandibular implants; cross‐sectional imaging techniques may not be necessary.
Radiographic changes in alveolar bone height on overdenture abutments: a longitudinal study
Authors: Brkovic‐Popovic Snezana , Stanisic‐Sinobad Darinka , Postic Srdjan D. , Djukanovic Dragoslav 
Published: October 2007

Objective:  Stabilisation of partial dentures is an important part of prosthodontic treatment, particularly in patients with an excessive reduction in alveolar bone supporting their abutment teeth. In these cases, overdenture prostheses are one possible treatment choice.Background:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of overdentures on the condition of alveolar bone of the remaining teeth, and to evaluate the overdenture concept in the prosthetic treatment of partially edentulous patients.Materials and methods:  The investigation was conducted on 22 patients during observation periods of 6 and 10 years. After preparation, all abutment teeth were provided with either amalgam restorations or gold copings. An overdenture in the lower jaw was fabricated for every patient. A special film holder was used to repeat the X‐ray procedure in every patient in the same manner. The radiographs were evaluated using the grid scale. The alveolar bone level of all remaining teeth was evaluated on dental films by measuring the distance between the root apex and coronal border of the alveolar bone.Results:  A statistically significant difference (p < 0.01) was calculated 6 years after delivery stage between distal alveolar bone levels of experimental abutments under overdentures and the remaining teeth of the control group. Alveolar bone of abutment teeth was considerably preserved, particularly in seven patients observed 10 years after provision of their dentures.Conclusion:  Within the limitation of this study, the validity of the overdenture treatment in partially edentulous patients is concluded. Good oral hygiene was crucial for the success of treatment with overdentures.
Suggesting the use of integrated methods for vole population management in alfalfa fields
Authors: HAIM Abraham , SHANAS Uri , BRANDES Ora , GILBOA Abraham 
Published: October 2007

AbstractHuman‐made agro‐ecosystems lack negative feedback controls, which may result in rodent population explosions, causing considerable economic loss and thus increasing human‐wildlife conflicts. The traditional solution is the extensive use of rodenticides, which have a negative impact on the environment. In Beit‐Sheaan Valley, Israel, which is located on a major route for migrating birds, poisoning of voles may result in the death of birds that prey on the dead voles (e.g. storks and herons). In the present essay we discuss some integrated methods, based on the implementation of ecological principles in agro‐ecosystems, that could be used to decrease the use of rodenticides. The first method is light interference during winter (long scotophase), which can result in the death of the social vole Microtus socialis kept in enclosures under natural conditions. Under laboratory conditions such interference causes a decrease in thermoregulatory ability in the cold. As light interference is a source of pollution, only active vole burrows should be illuminated. The second method involves using the mobile irrigation pipelines to flood the vole burrows and force them to escape into the open, where diurnal birds such as storks and herons will prey on them. The third method involves the use of nesting boxes for barn owls and stands for diurnal raptors, both of which prey on voles. The great advantage of using an integrated approach is that voles cannot become adapted to any one of the methods. Such integrated methods, together with appropriate treatment of alfalfa fields by farmers, can provide an efficient and sustainable pest control approach.
Relationship between increase rate of human plague in China and global climate index as revealed by cross‐spectral and cross‐wavelet analyses
Authors: ZHANG Zhibin , LI Zhenqing , TAO Yi , CHEN Min , WEN Xinyu , XU Lei , TIAN Huidong , STENSETH Nils Chr. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractPlague has caused the death of hundreds of millions of people throughout the human history. Today this disease is again re‐emerging and hence is again becoming an increasing threat to human health in several parts of the world. However, impacts of global climate variation (e.g. El Nino and Southern Oscillation [ENSO]) and global warming on plagues are largely unknown. Using cross‐spectral analysis and cross‐wavelet analysis, we have analyzed the relationship between increase rate of human plague in China during 1871–2003 and the following climate factors (as measured by the Southern Oscillation Index [SOI], Sea Surface Temperature of east Pacific equator [SST] and air Temperature of the Northern Hemisphere [NHT]). We found in the frequency domain that increase rate of human plague was closely associated with SOI and SST. Cross‐spectral analysis reveals that significant coherencies between increase rate of human plague and ENSO were found over short periods (2‐3 years), medium periods (6‐7 years) and long periods (11‐12 years, 30–40 years). Cross‐wavelet analysis reveals that increase rate of human plague oscillates in phase with SOI, but in anti‐phase with SST over periods of 2–4 years and approximately 8 years (6‐10 years). These results indicate that ENSO‐driven climate variation may be important for occurrences of human plague in China. However, there is a need for a further analysis of the underlying mechanism between human plague in China and ENSO.
Compact Weighted Composition Operators and Fixed Points in Convex Domains
Authors: Clahane Dana D 
Published: October 2007

AbstractLet "Equation missing" be a bounded, convex domain in "Equation missing", and suppose that "Equation missing" is holomorphic. Assume that "Equation missing" is analytic, bounded away from zero toward the boundary of "Equation missing", and not identically zero on the fixed point set of "Equation missing". Suppose also that the weighted composition operator "Equation missing" given by "Equation missing" is compact on a holomorphic, functional Hilbert space (containing the polynomial functions densely) on "Equation missing" with reproducing kernel "Equation missing" satisfying "Equation missing" as "Equation missing". We extend the results of J. Caughran/H. Schwartz for unweighted composition operators on the Hardy space of the unit disk and B. MacCluer on the ball by showing that "Equation missing" has a unique fixed point in "Equation missing". We apply this result by making a reasonable conjecture about the spectrum of "Equation missing" based on previous results.
Prevention of the Hypercontractile Response to Thrombin by Proteinase-Activated Receptor-1 Antagonist in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Kai Yasutoshi , Hirano Katsuya , Maeda Yoshihisa , Nishimura Junji , Sasaki Tomio , Kanaide Hideo 
Published: October 2007

Background and Purpose—Cerebral vasospasm is one of the major complications of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Its pathogenesis still remains elusive, and effective therapeutic strategies are yet to be established. We investigated the role of proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR1) in the hypercontractile state in SAH.Methods—Rabbit double hemorrhage model was used as a model of SAH. The contractile response to thrombin and the PAR1 expression were evaluated in the isolated rings of basilar artery.Results—Thrombin exhibited only a minor contractile effect in the control, whereas it induced augmented contractions in SAH. The expression of PAR1 was upregulated in SAH. Intracisternal injection of PAR1 antagonist E5555 prevented the enhancement of the contractile responses to thrombin in SAH. The maximal prevention was obtained with 2 μg/kg weight/injection. The contractile responses to K+depolarization or endothelin-1 remained unaffected. The upregulation of PAR1 was also prevented by E5555 (2 μg/kg weight/injection) to a level similar to that seen in the control. Ex vivo treatment with E5555 (1 μmol/L) inhibited the contraction induced by thrombin, whereas it had little effect on the contraction induced by K+depolarization or endothelin-1, in the basilar artery of SAH. E5555 also inhibited the [Ca2+]ielevation induced by thrombin, but not trypsin, in cultured smooth muscle cells.Conclusions—PAR1 plays a critical role in upregulating PAR1 itself, thereby enhancing the contractile response to thrombin in SAH. PAR1 could thus be a therapeutic target. However, the usefulness of PAR1 antagonist remains to be investigated in vivo.
Fractionating the Cognitive Control Required to Bring About a Change in Task: A Dense-sensor Event-related Potential Study
Authors: Astle Duncan E. , Jackson G. M. , Swainson R. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe ability to change our behavior is one that we frequently exert, although determining the mechanisms by which we do so is far from trivial. Task switching is a useful experimental paradigm for studying cognitive control functions. Switching between tasks is associated with a decrement in performance, or “switch-cost,” relative to repeating the same task. We have previously demonstrated that this cost is dependent on switching from performing one task to performing another; changing only our intended performance does not elicit the same performance deficit. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we dissociated two electrophysiological indices mirroring this behavioral distinction [Astle, D. E., Jackson, G. M., & Swainson, R. Dissociating neural indices of dynamic cognitive control in advance task-set preparation: An ERP study of task switching. Brain Res, 1125, 94–103, 2006]. However, what was unclear were the specific aspects of performance that were critical for triggering the neural mechanisms associated specifically with switching from a previously performed task. Two candidate aspects were: (i) that performance required a physical response and (ii) that the two tasks shared their responses (they had bivalent response mappings). The present study therefore compared three separate groups to explore the effects of these different aspects of performance. Each group completed the same basic task-switching paradigm, but with either an overt response or covert response, and either switching between tasks that shared their responses (bivalent response mappings) or had separate responses (univalent response mappings). When comparing precue-locked ERPs, we observed three separable components: one common to all three groups, one which primarily dissociated overt from covert responding, and one which primarily dissociated bivalent from univalent responding. We therefore concluded that changing our behavior engages at least three dissociable mechanisms. Interestingly, in the overt conditions, residual switch-costs were absent; in addition, therefore, we concluded that it is possible to engage cognitive control in advance, such that the new behavior is as efficient as were the subject to have repeated the old behavior.
Moving on Time: Brain Network for Auditory-Motor Synchronization is Modulated by Rhythm Complexity and Musical Training
Authors: Chen Joyce L. , Penhune Virginia B. , Zatorre Robert J. 
Published: October 2007

Abstract
Much is known about the motor system and its role in simple movement execution. However, little is understood about the neural systems underlying auditory-motor integration in the context of musical rhythm, or the enhanced ability of musicians to execute precisely timed sequences. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated how performance and neural activity were modulated as musicians and nonmusicians tapped in synchrony with progressively more complex and less metrically structured auditory rhythms. A functionally connected network was implicated in extracting higher-order features of a rhythm's temporal structure, with the dorsal premotor cortex mediating these auditory-motor interactions. In contrast to past studies, musicians recruited the prefrontal cortex to a greater degree than nonmusicians, whereas secondary motor regions were recruited to the same extent. We argue that the superior ability of musicians to deconstruct and organize a rhythm's temporal structure relates to the greater involvement of the prefrontal cortex mediating working memory.
Reduction in White Matter Connectivity, Revealed by Diffusion Tensor Imaging, May Account for Age-related Changes in Face Perception
Authors: Thomas Cibu , Moya Linda , Avidan Galia , Humphreys Kate , Jung Kwan Jin , Peterson Mary A. , Behrmann Marlene 
Published: October 2007

Abstract
An age-related decline in face processing, even under conditions in which learning and memory are not implicated, has been well documented, but the mechanism underlying this perceptual alteration remains unknown. Here, we examine whether this behavioral change may be accounted for by a reduction in white matter connectivity with age. To this end, we acquired diffusion tensor imaging data from 28 individuals aged 18 to 86 years and quantified the number of fibers, voxels, and fractional anisotropy of the two major tracts that pass through the fusiform gyrus, the pre-eminent face processing region in the ventral temporal cortex. We also measured the ability of a subset of these individuals to make fine-grained discriminations between pairs of faces and between pairs of cars. There was a significant reduction in the structural integrity of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) in the right hemisphere as a function of age on all dependent measures and there were also some changes in the left hemisphere, albeit to a lesser extent. There was also a clear age-related decrement in accuracy of perceptual discrimination, especially for more challenging perceptual discriminations, and this held to a greater degree for faces than for cars. Of greatest relevance, there was a robust association between the reduction of IFOF integrity in the right hemisphere and the decline in face perception, suggesting that the alteration in structural connectivity between the right ventral temporal and frontal cortices may account for the age-related difficulties in face processing.
Plato's Rejection of Thoughtless and Pleasureless Lives
Authors: Evans Matthew 
Published: October 2007

AbstractIn the Philebus Plato argues that every rational human being, given the choice, will prefer a life that is moderately thoughtful and moderately pleasant to a life that is utterly thoughtless or utterly pleasureless. This is true, he thinks, even if the thoughtless life at issue is intensely pleasant and the pleasureless life at issue is intensely thoughtful. Evidently Plato wants this argument to show that neither pleasure nor thought, taken by itself, is sufficient to make a life choiceworthy for us. But there is some disagreement among commentators about whether or not he also wants the argument to show why. Is the argument designed to establish that we should reject thoughtless and pleasureless lives because some pleasures and some thoughts are goods? Or is it silent on this issue? Many interpreters take the first option, claiming that Plato uses the argument to attack both the hedonist view that only pleasures are goods and the intellectualist view that only thoughts are goods. My aim in this paper is to show that the second option is at least as attractive as the first, both exegetically and philosophically.
'Papua, the Land of Peace': The Interfaith Vision and Commitment for West Papua
Authors: Tebay Neles 
Published: October 2007

AbstractIt is possible for all religions to work together for lasting peace. This possibility of interfaith collaboration for peace in the midst of violent has been demonstrated in West Papua, the Western half of the Island of New Guinea. The territory has been a land of violent conflict both under the Dutch and Indonesian rules. The collaboration among the religions, including Islam, Christianity (Catholic and Protestant Churches), Hinduism, and Buddhism, for peace in West Papua was formally begun in 2000. Led by the religious leaders, the interfaith commitment for peace is manifested through the joint statements and activities. All the peace-related activities are now conducted under the motto 'Papua, the Land of Peace', which is also the shared vision of West Papua. This article explores the concept of peace, describes the threats to peace under Indonesian rule, introduces the concept of 'Papua, the Land of Peace' and its underlying values, and looks into interfaith commitment and activities for peace.
Highly Educated Mission: The University of Leuven, the Missionary Congregations and Congo, 1885-1960
Authors: Tollebeek Jo , Mantels Ruben 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis article discusses the relationship between the Catholic University of Leuven and the missionary congregations during the period when they were involved in the Belgian colony of the Congo. Their relationship was successful and longstanding, thanks to local networks and interaction between the two institutions, as well as to their shared values and complementary strengths. The forms of cooperation in which they engaged ranged widely, from setting up student missionary movements and teaching programmes for missionaries to providing agricultural and medical university support at the mission stations; and from studying the colonial language experience of the missionary to large-scale cooperation as was the case with Lovanium. These examples indicate that the partnership was active both in Leuven and in the Congo. The missionary archives, however, reveal that the colonial reality could differ from the image that was created in official language and propaganda. From 1955 onwards, as the movement for independence was gaining strength, the process of decolonization set in and the cooperation collapsed.
Phase 1 study of the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid [SAHA]) in patients with advanced leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Garcia-Manero Guillermo , Yang Hui , Bueso-Ramos Carlos , Ferrajoli Alessandra , Cortes Jorge , Wierda William G. , Faderl Stefan , Koller Charles , Morris Gail , Rosner Gary , Loboda Andrey , Fantin Valeria R. , Randolph Sophia S. , Hardwick James S. , Reilly John F. , Chen Cong , Ricker Justin L. , Secrist J. Paul , Richon Victoria M. , Frankel Stanley R. , Kantarjian Hagop M. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractVorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, SAHA) is a histone deacetylase inhibitor active clinically in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and preclinically in leukemia. A phase 1 study was conducted to evaluate the safety and activity of oral vorinostat 100 to 300 mg twice or thrice daily for 14 days followed by 1-week rest. Patients with relapsed or refractory leukemias or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and untreated patients who were not candidates for chemotherapy were eligible. Of 41 patients, 31 had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 4 chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 3 MDS, 2 acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and 1 chronic myelocytic leukemia. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was 200 mg twice daily or 250 mg thrice daily. Dose-limiting toxicities were fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Common drug-related adverse experiences were diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, and anorexia and were mild/moderate in severity. Grade 3/4 drug–related adverse experiences included fatigue (27%), thrombocytopenia (12%), and diarrhea (10%). There were no drug-related deaths; 7 patients had hematologic improvement response, including 2 complete responses and 2 complete responses with incomplete blood count recovery (all with AML treated at/below MTD). Increased histone acetylation was observed at all doses. Antioxidant gene expression may confer vorinostat resistance. Further evaluation of vorinostat in AML/MDS is warranted.