bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Task support in an office system
Authors: Croft W. Bruce , Lefkowitz Lawrence S. 
Published: June 2007

The tools in current office systems are designed to carry out simple tasks that are common to most offices. For example, tasks such as communication, time management and document production are supported by the electronic mail, calendar and text editor tools. It has been pointed out that this level of task support is only of limited effectiveness in addressing the problem of office productivity [HAMM79,HAMM80]. A more effective system would support higher-level tasks that are directly related to the goals or functions of the office. This type of task often involves decision-making, complex sequences of actions, and interaction with a number of other people. The crucial feature of these tasks is that, unlike the simple tasks mentioned previously, tasks that more closely implement a particular office's functions must be very office-specific. It will not be possible to provide a generic set of tools to directly support all office tasks. However, it should be possible to “customize” an office system by providing a means of describing the high-level tasks and how they can be supported with the existing set of tools.
Descriptions of office tasks are usually called office procedures. Although the name implies that the activities described are very routine and structured, office procedures can also be used to describe more unstructured, management-level tasks. Office procedure formalisms have been used to define and analyse offices [ELLI80,BAIL83], and to automate office tasks [ZISM77]. A description of a task using a procedure formalism is subject to change and represents only a standard or typical way of carrying out that task. A system that uses office procedures to support tasks must provide mechanisms to deal with these limitations of procedures [FIKE80].
Office automation
Authors: Sumner Mary 
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this study is to describe the process of office technology growth within sixteen companies. This growth process involves not only the expansion of office technologies and applications but also the process of organizational learning. In this study, the evolution of office automation is depicted using an analysis of technology benchmarks, applications portfolio, organizational strategies for systems development and operations support, and planning and control activities.
The analysis of firms experiencing office technology growth reveals certain stage characteristics similar to those reported in previous research by Nolan and Zisman. Office technologies, initially introduced to mechanize tasks, rapidly proliferate and drive a process of experimentation monitored by analysts representing a central MIS organization. At initial phases the role of data processing is in establishing guidelines for technology acquisition and in establishing standards for an information technology architecture which will support office applications on both centralized and decentralized systems. After gaining experience in designing office applications, organizations in more mature stages of development decentralize the responsibility for systems development, while maintaining centralized control over hardware operations and systems support.
The Qualyop Project 1: Monitoring the Dismantlement of Italian Public Psychiatric Hospitals Characteristics of Patients Scheduled for Discharge
Authors: D'Avanzo Barbara , Frattura Lucilla , Barbui Corrado , Civenti Graziella , Saraceno Benedetto 
Published: June 2007

Objectives Monitoring and evaluating the Italian psychiatric hospitals closure process, stated by the law to be concluded by 31 December 1996, and then postponed to 31 March 1998, identifying characteristics related to the possibility of discharge in 4493 patients living in twentytwo public psychiatric hospitals. Method Sociodemographic and clinical data, information on impairment and functioning and plans for discharge in the subsequent twelve months of all patients were collected at baseline using a standard questionnaire. Results Discharge was planned within twelve months for 11 % of the patients: 4% to other psychiatric or non-psychiatric institutions and 7% to community settings. Severely disabled patients and patients with some behavioural problems were more frequently scheduled to go to institutional settings. For both types of discharge, an adequate network of social relationships was an important determinant. Patients were more frequently planned for discharge if they resided in hospitals with a higher care providers/patients ratio, and in Emilia Romagna and Rome, than in Lombardy and Liguria. Conclusion Frequency of planned discharge depended partly on the patients' personal characteristics related to independence and functioning, but the effect of these factors on frequency of planned discharge was influenced by characteristics of the hospitals where the patients lived.
The realm of the visual: Agency and modern civil society
Authors: Freitag Sandria B. 
Published: June 2007

Everyday acts of seeing and knowing enable persons as actors and consumers to constitute their identities and construct meaning from their world. Taken in the aggregate, these individual acts harness the agency of participants in shaping their societies and scrutinising their nation-states. The argument implicit in these two statements is that the study of popular culture points us to modern acts of discernment, identity-formation, and passionate activism. Aggregation matters, for it brings together individual and (various) collective interests. Working through the familiar and the new, the local and the global, popular culture refracts and mediates these interactions and their aggregation. It is through popular cultural artifacts that historians may trace evidence of the ways in which the agency of viewers/consumers impels a civil society to grapple with change, to process change through indigenous sociologies of knowledge so that it can be naturalised and accommodated. I would argue that the visual realm is an absolutely critical component in this process in South Asia. Here we look, therefore, at both the consumption of popular culture (mass-produced and mass-consumed visual materials) and the production of it (especially the intentions of entrepreneurs to serve a market) to delineate how acts of seeing became acts of knowing in 20th century India.
Successful tourism policies in the European Union
Authors: Akehurst Gary , Bland Nigel , Nevin Michael 
Published: June 2007

This paper outlines some of the findings of a recent survey of national tourism policies in each of the Member States of the European Union (EU) undertaken between 1991 and 1993 for the British Department of Employment. This is the first and most comprehensive study of tourism policies ever undertaken within the European Union. The study has found that policy objectives tend to concentrate on attracting more higher-spending tourists, improvements in product quality and a reduction in seasonality. The most important instrument in the implementation of tourism policy is the national tourist organisation (NTO). Successful tourism policies (measured in terms of visitor arrivals, receipts and trade balance) appear to be linked to there being a clear, coherent central government strategy for developing tourism, where government helps to finance directly or indirectly tourism investment; the central tourism budget is concentrated on a few key areas and tourism policy is clearly co-ordinated with other policies (especially those of transport, environment, culture and regional action).
Reflexivity: A comment on feminist ethnography
Authors: Allan Helen 
Published: June 2007

This paper comments on feminist research and in particular the use of reflexivity in feminist ethnography. Reflexivity in ethnography is the use of self as an instrument of the data collection and the researcher's own awareness of reactions to the research data. Ethnography requires that the researchers immerse themselves in the field and act reflexively while collecting data. I will discuss how using myself reflexively as a researcher during data collection in an assisted-conception unit led me to reconsider an assumption about the methodology underpinning feminist research approaches. It has been argued that feminist research approaches are women-centred and that debates on reproductive technologies are based on the premise that males control assisted conception. My experience of undertaking a feminist ethnography has challenged these two assumptions. Reflection during and after the data collection has led me to question the aims of women-centred research in a field in which men are participants as doctors and patients. By discussing data from field work, I argue that including men in feminist research offers the potential for the emergence of a new type of research.
Highly asymmetric rice genomes
Authors: Ding Jing , Araki Hitoshi , Wang Qiang , Zhang Pengfei , Yang Sihai , Chen Jian-Qun , Tian Dacheng 
Published: June 2007

Abstract

Background
Individuals in the same species are assumed to share the same genomic set. However, it is not unusual to find an orthologous gene only in small subset of the species, and recent genomic studies suggest that structural rearrangements are very frequent between genomes in the same species. Two recently sequenced rice genomes Oryza sativa L. var. Nipponbare and O. sativa L. var. 93-11 provide an opportunity to systematically investigate the extent of the gene repertoire polymorphism, even though the genomic data of 93-11 derived from whole-short-gun sequencing is not yet as complete as that of Nipponbare.

Results
We compared gene contents and the genomic locations between two rice genomes. Our conservative estimates suggest that at least 10% of the genes in the genomes were either under presence/absence polymorphism (5.2%) or asymmetrically located between genomes (4.7%). The proportion of these "asymmetric genes" varied largely among gene groups, in which disease resistance (R) genes and the RLK kinase gene group had 11.6 and 7.8 times higher proportion of asymmetric genes than housekeeping genes (Myb and MADS). The significant difference in the proportion of asymmetric genes among gene groups suggests that natural selection is responsible for maintaining genomic asymmetry. On the other hand, the nucleotide diversity in 17 R genes under presence/absence polymorphism was generally low (average nucleotide diversity = 0.0051).

Conclusion
The genomic symmetry was disrupted by 10% of asymmetric genes, which could cause genetic variation through more unequal crossing over, because these genes had no allelic counterparts to pair and then they were free to pair with homologues at non-allelic loci, during meiosis in heterozygotes. It might be a consequence of diversifying selection that increased the structural divergence among genomes, and of purifying selection that decreased nucleotide divergence in each R gene locus.
Increased standardized incidence ratio of breast cancer in female electronics workers
Authors: Sung Tzu-I , Chen Pau-Chung , Jyuhn-Hsiarn Lee Lukas , Lin Yi-Ping , Hsieh Gong-Yih , Wang Jung-Der 
Published: June 2007

Abstract

Background
In 1994, a hazardous waste site, polluted by the dumping of solvents from a former electronics factory, was discovered in Taoyuan, Taiwan. This subsequently emerged as a serious case of contamination through chlorinated hydrocarbons with suspected occupational cancer. The objective of this study was to determine if there was any increased risk of breast cancer among female workers in a 23-year follow-up period.

Methods
A total of 63,982 female workers were retrospectively recruited from the database of the Bureau of Labor Insurance (BLI) covering the period 1973–1997; the data were then linked with data, up to 2001, from the National Cancer Registry at the Taiwanese Department of Health, from which standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for different types of cancer were calculated as compared to the general population.

Results
There were a total of 286 cases of breast cancer, and after adjustment for calendar year and age, the SIR was close to 1. When stratified by the year 1974 (the year in which the regulations on solvent use were promulgated), the SIR of the cohort of workers who were first employed prior to 1974 increased to 1.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.11–1.70). No such trend was discernible for workers employed after 1974. When 10 years of employment was considered, there was a further increase in the SIR for breast cancer, to 1.62. Those workers with breast cancer who were first employed prior to 1974 were employed at a younger age and for a longer period. Previous qualitative studies of interviews with the workers, corroborated by inspection records, showed a short-term high exposure to chlorinated alkanes and alkenes, particularly trichloroethylene before 1974. There were no similar findings on other types of cancer.

Conclusion
Female workers with exposure to trichloroethylene and/or mixture of solvents, first employed prior to 1974, may have an excess risk of breast cancer.
Alefacept (anti-CD2) causes a selective reduction in circulating effector memory T cells (Tem) and relative preservation of central memory T cells (Tcm) in psoriasis
Authors: Chamian Francesca , Lin Shao-Lee , Lee Edmund , Kikuchi Toyoko , Gilleaudeau Patricia , Sullivan-Whalen Mary , Cardinale Irma , Khatcherian Artemis , Novitskaya Inna , Wittkowski Knut M , Krueger James G , Lowes Michelle A 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackgroundAlefacept (anti-CD2) biological therapy selectively targets effector memory T cells (Tem) in psoriasis vulgaris, a model Type 1 autoimmune disease.MethodsCirculating leukocytes were phenotyped in patients receiving alefacept for moderate to severe psoriasis.ResultsIn all patients, this treatment caused a preferential decrease in effector memory T cells (CCR7-CD45RA-) (mean 63% reduction) for both CD4+and CD8+Tem, while central memory T cells (Tcm) (CCR7+CD45RA-) were less affected, and naïve T cells (CCR7+CD45RA+) were relatively spared. Circulating CD8+effector T cells and Type 1 T cells (IFN-γ-producing) were also significantly reduced.ConclusionAlefacept causes a selective reduction in circulating effector memory T cells (Tem) and relative preservation of central memory T cells (Tcm) in psoriasis.
Utilization of routinely collected administrative data in monitoring the incidence of aging dependent hip fracture
Authors: Sund Reijo 
Published: June 2007

AbstractSocieties are facing challenges as the public health burden increases in tandem with population aging. Local information systems are needed that would allow a continuous monitoring of the incidence and effectiveness of treatments. This study investigates the possibilities of routinely collected administrative data as a data source for hip fracture incidence monitoring in Finland.The study demonstrates that a straightforward use of register data results in biased estimates for the numbers of hip fractures. An interpretation of hip fractures from the population aging point of view offers an alternative perspective for hip fracture incidence calculation. This enables development of a generalizable method for probabilistic detection of starting points of hip fracture care episodes. Several risk factor and risk population extraction techniques required in register-based data analyses are also demonstrated. Finally, it is shown that empirical evidence suggests that hip fracture incidence is proportional to population level disability prevalence.In conclusion, Finnish administrative data makes it possible to derive data for rather detailed population level risk factor stratification. Certain limitations of register-based data can be partly avoided by synthesizing data-sensitive methodological solutions during the analysis process.
Relationship between redox activity and chemical speciation of size-fractionated particulate matter
Authors: Ntziachristos Leonidas , Froines John R , Cho Arthur K , Sioutas Constantinos 
Published: June 2007

Abstract

Background
Although the mechanisms of airborne particulate matter (PM) related health effects remain incompletely understood, one emerging hypothesis is that these adverse effects derive from oxidative stress, initiated by the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within affected cells. Typically, ROS are formed in cells through the reduction of oxygen by biological reducing agents, with the catalytic assistance of electron transfer enzymes and redox active chemical species such as redox active organic chemicals and metals. The purpose of this study was to relate the electron transfer ability, or redox activity, of the PM samples to their content in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and various inorganic species. The redox activity of the samples has been shown to correlate with the induction of the stress protein, hemeoxygenase-1.

Results
Size-fractionated (i.e. < 0.15; < 2.5 and 2.5 – 10 μm in diameter) ambient PM samples were collected from four different locations in the period from June 2003 to July 2005, and were chemically analyzed for elemental and organic carbon, ions, elements and trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The redox activity of the samples was evaluated by means of the dithiothreitol activity assay and was related to their chemical speciation by means of correlation analysis. Our analysis indicated a higher redox activity on a per PM mass basis for ultrafine (< 0.15 μm) particles compared to those of larger sizes. The PM redox activity was highly correlated with the organic carbon (OC) content of PM as well as the mass fractions of species such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and selected metals.

Conclusion
The results of this work demonstrate the utility of the dithiothreitol assay for quantitatively assessing the redox potential of airborne particulate matter from a wide range of sources. Studies to characterize the redox activity of PM from various sources throughout the Los Angeles basin are currently underway.
A quantitative RT-PCR platform for high-throughput expression profiling of 2500 rice transcription factors
Authors: Caldana Camila , Scheible Wolf-Rüdiger , Mueller-Roeber Bernd , Ruzicic Slobodan 
Published: June 2007

Abstract

Background
Quantitative reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) has been demonstrated to be particularly suitable for the analysis of weakly expressed genes, such as those encoding transcription factors. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important crop and the most advanced model for monocotyledonous species; its nuclear genome has been sequenced and molecular tools are being developed for functional analyses. However, high-throughput methods for rice research are still limited and a large-scale qRT-PCR platform for gene expression analyses has not been reported.

Results
We established a qRT-PCR platform enabling the multi-parallel determination of the expression levels of more than 2500 rice transcription factor genes. Additionally, using different rice cultivars, tissues and physiological conditions, we evaluated the expression stability of seven reference genes. We demonstrate this resource allows specific and reliable detection of the expression of transcription factor genes in rice.

Conclusion
Multi-parallel qRT-PCR allows the versatile and sensitive transcriptome profiling of large numbers of rice transcription factor genes. The new platform complements existing microarray-based expression profiling techniques, by allowing the analysis of lowly expressed transcription factor genes to determine their involvement in developmental or physiological processes. We expect that this resource will be of broad utility to the scientific community in the further development of rice as an important model for plant science.
Exceptionally high incidence of symptomatic grade 2–5 radiation pneumonitis after stereotactic radiation therapy for lung tumors
Authors: Yamashita Hideomi , Nakagawa Keiichi , Nakamura Naoki , Koyanagi Hiroki , Tago Masao , Igaki Hiroshi , Shiraishi Kenshiro , Sasano Nakashi , Ohtomo Kuni 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
Background
To determine the usefulness of dose volume histogram (DVH) factors for predicting the occurrence of radiation pneumonitis (RP) after application of stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) for lung tumors, DVH factors were measured before irradiation.

Methods
From May 2004 to April 2006, 25 patients were treated with SRT at the University of Tokyo Hospital. Eighteen patients had primary lung cancer and seven had metastatic lung cancer. SRT was given in 6–7 fields with an isocenter dose of 48 Gy in four fractions over 5–8 days by linear accelerator.

Results
Seven of the 25 patients suffered from RP of symptomatic grade 2–5 according to the NCI-CTC version 3.0. The overall incidence rate of RP grade2 or more was 29% at 18 months after completing SRT and three patients died from RP. RP occurred at significantly increased frequencies in patients with higher conformity index (CI) (p = 0.0394). Mean lung dose (MLD) showed a significant correlation with V5–V20 (irradiated lung volume) (p < 0.001) but showed no correlation with CI. RP did not statistically correlate with MLD. MLD had the strongest correlation with V5.

Conclusion
Even in SRT, when large volumes of lung parenchyma are irradiated to such high doses as the minimum dose within planning target volume, the incidence of lung toxicity can become high.
Quantification of Hemoglobin A2 by Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Daniel Yvonne A , Turner Charles , Haynes Roberta M , Hunt Beverley J , Dalton R Neil 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackground: Peptide-based analysis of whole blood using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (MSMS) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode enables rapid detection and sequence confirmation of clinically significant hemoglobin (Hb) variants. We applied a similar, quantitative approach to the measurement of δ:β-globin peptide ratios as potential surrogate markers of HbA2, a biomarker used in population screening for β-thalassemia trait.Methods: We studied 163 blood samples with normal HbA2 (%), 105 with increased HbA2, 43 with δ-chain variants, and 8 with Hb Lepore. All were tested by HPLC. The samples were also incubated with trypsin for 30 min at 37 °C for MSMS with flow injection analysis. MRMs for the δ- (T2, T3, and T14) and β- (T2, T3, and T13) globin tryptic peptides were acquired for 1 min, and δ:β peptide ratios were calculated. We used HPLC and MSMS to analyze 26 paired whole blood and dried blood spot samples after storage for 1, 8, and 29 days.Results: Within- and between-assay imprecision values (CVs) were &lt;6.1% and &lt;8.4%, respectively, for the δ:β peptide ratios. Digests were stable at 10 °C for 6 days. Significant correlations (P &lt;0.0001) between MSMS δ:β-globin peptide ratios and HPLC HbA2 allowed differentiation between increased HbA2 concentrations and concentrations within the reference interval and identification of Hb Lepore. This differentiation was repeatable by MSMS, but not by HPLC, after blood spot samples had been stored for 1 month.Conclusion: This study validates the quantitative δ:β-globin peptide ratio as a surrogate marker of HbA2 and demonstrates the potential of rapid peptide-based MSMS for multiplexed, high-throughput protein biomarker characterization and quantification.