bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of Luteinizing Hormone in Primiparous Sow Responses to Split Weaning
Authors: Zak L , Foxcroft GR , Aherne FX , Kirkwood RN 
Published: July 2008

ContentsIn 45 primiparous sows, we examined endocrine, ovarian and reproductive responses to split‐weaning or five injections per day of 800 ng GnRH from 18 to 21 days of lactation. There was no effect of treatment on absolute or changes in sow weight or backfat depth during lactation. Average piglet growth rates were similar among treatments except that piglets suckling split‐weaned sows grew faster (p < 0.05) during days 18–21. On day 18, mean plasma LH concentrations and LH pulse frequency remained relatively stable in conventionally weaned sows but increased (p < 0.01) in response to split‐weaning and GnRH. Prior to weaning on day 21, mean plasma LH concentrations remained elevated in GnRH‐treated sows but had returned to control levels in split weaned sows. There was no treatment effect on preweaning LH pulse frequency noted on day 21. Weaning was associated with an increase in plasma LH concentrations in all the treatment groups. Mean plasma IGF‐I remained relatively constant in conventionally weaned and GnRH sows, decreased in response to split weaning on day 18 (p < 0.02), but were elevated (p < 0.03) in split wean sows on day 21. On the day after weaning, split wean sows had more (p < 0.04) ovarian follicles ≥3 mm than conventionally weaned sows, with GnRH sows being intermediate. The wean‐to‐oestrus interval was reduced in split‐wean sows compared with those conventionally weaned (p < 0.01), with GnRH sows being intermediate. There was no effect of treatment on ovulation rates, numbers of embryos, or embryonic survival rates. These data indicate that split‐weaning of litters results in a more rapid return to oestrus after weaning and that this effect is associated with a transient acute increase in circulating gonadotrophins and earlier resumption of ovarian follicular development.
Massage therapy in outpatient pediatric chronic pain patients: do they facilitate significant reductions in levels of distress, pain, tension, discomfort, and mood alterations?
Authors: SURESH SANTHANAM , WANG SHEILA , PORFYRIS SUZANNE , KAMASINSKI‐SOL RICHARD , STEINHORN DAVID M. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryBackground and objectives:  This study was designed to look at the efficacy of adjuvant massage therapy in children and adolescents who presented to a chronic pediatric pain clinic for management.Methods:  After Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent and assent was obtained, all pediatric patients who presented to the outpatient chronic pain clinic at Children’s Memorial Hospital from July 2006 to May 2007 were invited to participate in a study that offered massage therapy as an adjunct to conventional pain treatment. Patients (n = 80 sessions, 57 patients) were asked to rate their levels of distress, pain, tension, discomfort, and degree of upset mood on a scale of 1–5 (e.g. for distress 1 = very calm; 5 = very distressed) before and after massage therapy. Paired t‐tests were used to compare pre‐ and postmassage ratings and probability values were corrected for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni procedure.Results:  After massage therapy, patients reported highly significant improvement in their levels of distress, pain, tension, discomfort, and mood compared with their premassage ratings (all t‐values >6.1, ****P < 1 × 10−8. To control for the possible effects of patients reporting improvements simply as a result of rating their symptoms, we collected control ratings before and after a comparable ‘no intervention’ time period in a subset of 25 patients. The ‘no intervention’ time period typically took place in the treatment room with the therapist present. Approximately 60% of the control ratings were obtained before the intervention and 40% were obtained after the massage therapy. None of the differences between the pre‐ and postratings associated with the ‘no intervention’ control time period were significant. In these same patients, the difference between the pre‐ and postmassage ratings were significant, all t‐values >3.8, **P < 0.001.
A randomized, controlled trial of aprotinin in neonates undergoing open‐heart surgery
Authors: WILLIAMS GLYN D. , RAMAMOORTHY CHANDRA , PENTCHEVA KRASSIMIRA , BOLTZ M. GAIL , KAMRA KOMAL , REDDY V. MOHAN 
Published: July 2008

SummaryBackground:  Neonates undergoing open‐heart surgery are especially at risk for massive bleeding and pronounced inflammation. The efficacy of aprotinin, a serine protease inhibitor, at ameliorating these adverse effects of cardiopulmonary bypass has not been clearly demonstrated in neonates.Methods:  Term neonates were enrolled and randomly assigned in a blinded fashion to receive saline (group P, placebo) or high‐dose aprotinin (group A). Intraoperative management was standardized: surgeon, anesthesia, cardiopulmonary bypass and hemostasis therapy. Patients were admitted postoperatively to a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Primary outcome measure of efficacy was duration of the postoperative mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcome measures were total volume and units of blood products transfused intraoperatively and for 24 h after surgery, duration of chest tube in situ, and intensive care and hospital stays after surgery.Results:  Twenty‐six neonates were enrolled; 13 received aprotinin and 13 received placebo. The study was halted prematurely because of US Food and Drug Administation’s concerns about aprotinin’s safety. Baseline patient, surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass characteristics were similar between groups. No outcome variables differed between groups (P > 0.05). Duration of postoperative ventilation was 115 ± 139 h (group A); 126 ± 82 h (group P); P = 0.29, and total blood product exposure was 8.2 ± 2.6 U (group A); 8.8 ± 1.4 U (group P); P = 0.1. Postoperative blood creatinine values did not differ between groups. In‐hospital mortality rate was 4%.Conclusions:  Aprotinin was not shown to be efficacious in neonates undergoing open‐heart surgery. It is unclear whether adult aprotinin safety data are relevant to neonates undergoing open‐heart surgery.
Skin capillary permeability in the diabetic foot with critical limb ischaemia: the effects of a phVEGF165 gene product
Authors: De Leeuw K. , Kusumanto Y. , Smit A. J. , Oomen P. , Van Der Hoeven J. H. , Mulder N. H. , Hospers G. A. P. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractAims   To measure capillary permeability, assessed by skin capillary sodium fluorescein (NaF) leakage, in patients with diabetes mellitus with critical limb ischaemia (DM‐CLI) and to compare the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with those of placebo.Methods   NaF leakage was assessed in 17 patients with DM‐CLI, in 24 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients without clinical signs of macrovascular disease or neuropathy (DM‐C) and in 22 healthy control subjects. The 17 DM‐CLI patients were randomized to receive phVEGF165 gene product (n = 11) or placebo (n = 6). Measurements were repeated after 28 days.Results   DM‐CLI patients had a longer dye arrival time (DAT), but NaF leakage was similar to control subjects, while capillary permeability was increased in DM‐C compared with control subjects. Leakage curve rose in patients receiving VEGF and fell in those receiving placebo, 28 days after administration. The decrease in DAT in the VEGF group was not significant, whilst DAT rose in the placebo group. Perfusion pressures were similar in the two groups.Conclusion   No increase in capillary leakage in DM‐CLI was found, probably because an increased capillary filtration coefficient is counterbalanced by a marked fall in perfusion pressures. Increased capillary leakage may be one explanation for oedema formation after VEGF treatment.
Choice Modeler: A Web‐based Spatial Multiple Criteria Evaluation Tool
Authors: Jankowski Piotr , Zielinska Arika‐Ligmann , Swobodzinski Martin 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThis article presents a concept of a Web‐based spatial multiple criteria evaluation tool for individual and group use called Choice Modeler (CM). CM was originally conceived as part of a larger Participatory Geographic Information System for Transportation project (PGIST; http://www.pgist.org) aimed at developing and evaluating Internet‐hosted capabilities to support participatory decision processes. CM is designed to be either a part of a larger information system such as PGIST or a standalone tool used for evaluation of decision variants. The decision support functions provided by CM aid in reducing the cognitive complexity of the decision space characterized by multiple decision options, evaluation criteria, and criterion weights. This is achieved by incorporating in CM the sensitivity analysis functions for the identification of criteria that do not influence the decision option ranking. Users can remove such criteria from further consideration and thus lessen the cognitive burden of evaluation, which may be essential in multi‐stakeholder participatory decision processes. The additional capabilities of CM include a vote aggregation function to collate individual option rankings into a group ranking, and measures of agreement/disagreement to inform the participants about a group‐derived desirability of specific decision options. The design of CM was implemented using Web‐service architecture. In the article we describe the design of CM and discuss its advantages and limitations.
GIS Development in China's Urban Governance: A Case Study of Shenzhen
Authors: Lin Wen 
Published: July 2008

AbstractGovernment agencies have been an important actor in using GIS and other information technologies across the world. However, contextual examinations of government GIS practices over time within non‐Western contexts remain sparse in the existing GIScience literature. In particular, little is known with respect to China's significant growth of using GIS in its urban government amidst its rapid urbanization and enormous transformation. This article presents an in‐depth investigation of the case of Shenzhen city, one of the China's leading cities in urban government GIS development. Drawing upon critical GIS research and GIS implementation studies, a synthesized theoretical framework is developed to interrogate the nature and evolutionary process of Shenzhen's government GIS practices. The analysis is focused on examining the role of broader social conditions, local contextual factors and organizational characteristics in shaping GIS development in Shenzhen's urban governance. Situated in this contextual analysis, this article also illustrates the three major transformations of GIS development in Shenzhen's planning agency over the past decade. The findings show that GIS development in Chinese urban governance has been influenced not only by the instrumental functions of GIS, but also by the interactions and relationships among different actors and institutions with various vested interests in the process of structuring and governing the urban spaces. This study will contribute to the ongoing discussion of understanding the interwoven relationship between GIS and society in GIScience research.
A New GIS Approach for Estimating Shallow Groundwater Recharge and Discharge
Authors: Lin Yu‐Feng , Wang Jihua , Valocchi Albert J 
Published: July 2008

AbstractGroundwater recharge and discharge define the relationships among groundwater storage, precipitation, evapotranspiration, and surface water. Understanding and quantifying groundwater recharge and discharge is crucial for developing effective management options for water supply. Traditional recharge and discharge studies usually require time‐consuming (months or years) and labor‐intensive field characterization. Therefore, a fast initial recharge and discharge estimation will help scientists and decision makers design more accurate and cost‐effective research plans and management strategies. A new GIS based methodology along with an ArcMap plug‐in package, PRO‐GRADE, was developed to help hydrogeologists estimate recharge and discharge in a more efficient way than conventional methods. The Groundwater Recharge And Discharge Estimator (GRADE‐GIS) in the PRO‐GRADE package uses a mass balance approach for steady state two‐dimensional unconfined aquifers. GRADE‐GIS only requires relatively short preparation time (hours) using readily available data for water table and bedrock elevations, and hydraulic conductivities. The Pattern Recognition Organizer (PRO‐GIS) in the PRO‐GRADE package uses multiple image processing algorithms to estimate and visualize shallow recharge and discharge patterns and rates with GIS. The output of PRO‐GRADE can be used as an initial guideline for conventional field study planning and decision making, or an initial condition for numerical simulations.
Impersonals in Polish: an LFG perspective
Authors: Kibort Anna 
Published: July 2008

AbstractPolish has a large number of constructions which have been referred to as impersonal because they lack a canonical subject. I discuss syntactic, morphological and lexical properties of these constructions in turn and argue that they can be classified into four distinct types: constructions with optionally unexpressed pronominal subjects, morpholexically derived constructions with obligatorily unexpressed syntactic subjects, genuinely subjectless constructions formed with defective verbs and passivised intransitive predicates, and constructions with overt non‐agreeing subjects. I offer LFG‐type analyses of the first three categories of construction. I identify subjects for two of them at the argument structure and functional structure levels of representation, and confirm only one type of construction as truly subjectless at all levels of syntactic representation of the predicate.
Interactions between seabirds and deep‐water hake trawl gear: an assessment of impacts in South African waters
Authors: Watkins B. P. , Petersen S. L. , Ryan P. G. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractMany seabirds are killed or injured by fishing gear, contributing to the high proportion of threatened seabirds. This study estimates the impact of the South African deep‐water hake Merluccius spp. trawl fishery on seabirds. At least 30 birds were killed in 190 h of dedicated observations of trawl warps during 2004 and 2005. Most were killed when their wings were entangled around the trawl warp and they were dragged under by the force of the water passing over the warp. Albatrosses were killed most frequently: shy albatrosses Thalassarche cauta (43% of all birds killed) and black‐browed albatrosses Thalassarche melanophrys (37%), with smaller numbers of white‐chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis (10%), Cape gannets Morus capensis (7%) and sooty shearwaters Puffinus griseus (3%). Mortalities occurred mainly during dumping of fishery wastes, and were more frequent in winter, when more birds attended fishing vessels. Average mortality rates were 0.56 (95% confidence interval 0.32–0.82) birds killed per hour during dumping in winter, 0.21 (0.07–0.38) during dumping in summer and 0.09 (0.02–0.19) when not dumping in winter. No birds were killed in the absence of dumping in summer. Albatrosses suffered a disproportionately high mortality rate, with 15% of birds dragged under drowning, compared with 4% of all other species. Deaths resulting from entanglement in fishing nets mainly affected Cape gannets M. capensis, and occurred at an average rate of 3.0 (0.9–5.4) birds per 100 trawls (n=331 trawls). Serious warp incidents were independent of age among albatrosses, but there was a tendency for immature gannets to have a higher interaction rate than adults. Crude extrapolation suggests that total mortality is c. 18 000 (8000–31 000) birds per year, of which 85% are killed on warps and 15% entangled in nets. These estimates are of the same order of magnitude as estimates of long‐line bycatch in South African waters. Mitigation measures have been implemented to reduce mortality in this fishery.
Adolescent borderline symptoms in the community: prognosis for functioning over 20 years
Authors: Winograd Greta , Cohen Patricia , Chen Henian 
Published: July 2008

Background:  The long‐term prognosis associated with adolescent symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in the general population is virtually unknown. In this study, the relationship of early borderline symptoms to subsequent psychosocial functioning and attainment was investigated based on data from the Children in the Community cohort.Method:  Using multilevel linear regression, symptoms of BPD at mean age 14 were employed as predictors of work/school/homemaker role function, social function (social support, relationship quality), and life satisfaction over the subsequent 20 years. Borderline symptoms were also employed as predictors of attainment at 20‐year follow‐up.Results:  On average, those with higher levels of early adolescent borderline symptoms scored consistently lower in role function, social function, and life satisfaction from mid‐adolescence through mid‐adulthood. Borderline symptoms predicted lower academic and occupational attainment, less partner involvement, and fewer attained adult developmental milestones. Adolescent borderline symptoms were also associated with adult borderline symptoms, borderline diagnosis, general impairment, and need for services at mean age 33. These effects were evident despite symptom decline with age and were independent of adolescent Axis I disorders.Conclusions:  Adverse prognosis associated with youth symptoms of BPD appeared early and persisted in important and interrelated life domains. These findings lend support to the utility of DSM‐IV BPD symptoms assessed by self‐report in early adolescence.
Early childhood aetiology of mental health problems: a longitudinal population‐based study
Authors: Bayer Jordana K. , Hiscock Harriet , Ukoumunne Obioha C. , Price Anna , Wake Melissa 
Published: July 2008

Background:  Mental health problems comprise an international public health issue affecting up to 20% of children and show considerable stability. We aimed to identify child, parenting, and family predictors from infancy in the development of externalising and internalising behaviour problems by age 3 years.Methods:  Design Longitudinal, population‐based survey completed by primary caregivers when children were 7, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months old. Participants 733 children sequentially recruited at 6–7 months from routine well‐child appointments (August–September 2004) across six socio‐economically and culturally diverse government areas in Victoria, Australia; 589 (80%) retained at 3 years. Measures 7 months: sociodemographic characteristics, maternal mental health (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)), substance misuse, home violence, social isolation, infant temperament; 12 months: partner relationship, parenting (Parent Behavior Checklist (PBC)); 18, 24 and 36 months: child behaviour (Child Behavior Checklist 1½–5 (CBCL)), PBC, DASS.Results:  Sixty‐nine percent of all families attending well‐child clinics took part. The consistent and cumulative predictors of externalising behaviours were parent stress and harsh discipline. Predictors of internalising behaviours included small family size, parent distress, and parenting. Twenty‐five percent of variation in early externalising behaviour and 17% of variation in early internalising behaviour was explained.Conclusions:  Effective and cost‐efficient population approaches to preventing mental health problems early in childhood are urgently needed. Programmes must support parents in reducing personal stress as well as negative parenting practices.
ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN ACUTE EPIDEMICS: THE PFIZER MENINGITIS STUDY IN NIGERIA AS AN ILLUSTRATION
Authors: EZEOME EMMANUEL R. , SIMON CHRISTIAN 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTThe ethics of conducting research in epidemic situations have yet to account fully for differences in the proportion and acuteness of epidemics, among other factors. While epidemics most often arise from infectious diseases, not all infectious diseases are of epidemic proportions, and not all epidemics occur acutely. These and other variations constrain the generalization of ethical decision‐making and impose ethical demands on the individual researcher in a way not previously highlighted. This paper discusses a number of such constraints and impositions. It applies the ethical principles enunciated by Emmanuel et al.1 to the controversial Pfizer study in Nigeria in order to highlight the particular ethical concerns of acute epidemic research, and suggest ways of meeting such challenges.The paper recommends that research during epidemics should be partly evaluated on its own merits in order to determine its ethical appropriateness to the specific situation. Snap decisions to conduct research during acute epidemics should be resisted. Community engagement, public notification and good information management are needed to promote the ethics of conducting research during acute epidemics. Individual consent is most at risk of being compromised, and every effort should be made to ensure that it is maintained and valid. Use of data safety management boards should be routine. Acute epidemics also present opportunities to enhance the social value of research and maximize its benefits to communities.Ethical research is possible in acute epidemics, if the potential challenges are thought of ahead of time and appropriate precautions taken.
The fertilizer equivalence of phosphorus and potassium in organic manures applied to arable soils
Authors: Heming S. D. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractPrevious papers [Soil Use and Management (2004) vol. 20, 410; (2007) vol. 23, 162] derived relationships for different soil types in south England of change in topsoil K (ΔKex) or P (ΔPres) against K or P balance over 3–5 years for fields in commercial farms given variable rates of fertilizer but no manure. Shown here is how ΔKex or ΔPres on manured fields can be converted to a fertilizer equivalent (fertilizer substitute) K or P value of the manure (FEK or FEP). There were significant increases in Pres and Kex when animal manures were applied, and in Pres using sewage sludge cake or liquid. Median FEP and FEK values for one application were – cattle farm yard manure (FYM) 36 kg P per hectare and 153 kg K per hectare, pig manure 70 and 149, digested sludge cake 62 P and digested liquid 31 P. Poultry manures and slurries also showed a significant benefit. When <12 months (only one cultivation) elapsed between application and soil sampling, FEP was much lower than in the second year and further increased over 4 years, whereas the maximum FEK was attained within a year of manure application. Release of P is slow compared with K. After 2–4 years FEP and FEK per tonne of FYM calculated as 0.95 kg P and 4.5 kg K, but farmer‐reported application rates may be inaccurate. For biosolids <60% of the total P showed as FEP within 4 years. Even single manure applications register a large benefit in soil P and K supply (currently worth >£225 per hectare as fertilizer), but are variable in effect, which must be evaluated by soil analysis: at least one season and two cultivations should elapse before sampling; ideally more than a 2‐year interval.