bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The anatomy and systematic position of the theropod dinosaurChilantaisaurus tashuikouensisHu, 1964 from the Early Cretaceous of Alanshan, People's Republic of China
Authors: BENSON ROGER B. J. , XING XU 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThere is little consensus on the systematic position of the colossal theropod dinosaurChilantaisaurus tashuikouensisfrom the Cretaceous (Aptian–?Albian or Upper Cretaceous) Ulansuhai Formation of Inner Mongolia, which has been recovered as a derived member of both Allosauroidea and Spinosauroidea by numerical phylogenetic analyses. Redescription of the type material ofC. tashuikouensisreveals an unusual combination of morphological features that render determination of its systematic position problematic. It possesses anatomical features that have been proposed as synapomorphies of Neotetanurae: a preacetabular fossa on the ilium, and a wedge-shaped cross-section of the shaft of the third metatarsal. It also shares some features with specific allosauroid taxa: a pronounced ulnar epicondyle on the humerus, and a prominent medial shelf bounding the preacetabular fossa on the ilium (also present in tyrannosauroids). However, it lacks some features that are present in all other allosauroids: a marked depression on the anterior surface of the distal humerus adjacent to the ulnar condyle, and a humerus that is less than 0.4 times the length of the femur; it furthermore possesses a tibial astragalar facet that is approximately 10% of the tibial length, which suggests a more basal position within Tetanurae.Chilantaisaurusshares certain features with some spinosauroids: an enlarged and elongated first manual ungual, and a suprastragalar buttress that has been modified to a vertical ridge, but these characters are not unique to spinosauroids. A highly reduced fourth trochanter may be an autapomorphy ofChilantaisaurus, as has previously been suggested, or unite the taxon with Coelurosauria in an entirely novel grouping. On the basis of these observations it is likely thatChilantaisaurusis a neotetanuran, but unlikely that it is an allosauroid.Chilantaisaurusmay belong to an alternative lineage of very large theropods that continued into the Cretaceous from the diversification of basal neotetanurans during the Middle Jurassic.
In vitro study investigating post neck surgery haematoma airway obstruction
Authors: Carr E R M , Benjamin E 
Published: September 2008

AbstractObjectives:To investigate whether the possible pressure produced by a haematoma in the neck would be sufficient to directly compress the trachea to the point of airway obstruction.Study design:In vitro study.Methods:Varying pressures were applied over the second and third cartilaginous rings of 10 pig tracheas in vitro and the anterior–posterior compression was measured.Results:At pressures of 257 mmHg, equivalent to the maximum possible pressure in the neck (i.e. systolic blood pressure), there was an average compression of 20.8 per cent of the original anterior–posterior tracheal diameter.Conclusions:This study suggests that the pressures in haematomas observed after neck surgery would not be sufficient to cause airway obstruction due to direct pressure on the trachea. Therefore, the most likely cause of airway obstruction would be supraglottic oedema secondary to venous obstruction.
Allergic fungal sinusitis with extensive bone erosion of the clivus presenting with diplopia
Authors: Reitzen S D , Lebowitz R A , Jacobs J B 
Published: September 2008

AbstractObjective:We report a case of allergic fungal sinusitis causing bone erosion and diplopia.Case report:A 43-year-old man presented with a four-month history of increased nasal congestion and progressive diplopia. Clinical examination revealed bilateral nasal polyposis and a right lateral gaze deficit, consistent with a VIth cranial nerve palsy. Computed tomography of the paranasal sinuses demonstrated a large sellar mass with extensive bony erosion and both supra- and infra-sellar extension. An endoscopic approach to the sphenoid sinus, clivus and posterior cranial fossa with image guidance was performed, enabling surgical treatment involving nasal polypectomy, wide marsupialisation of the sphenoid sinus and removal of the extensive allergic fungal mucin. The patient awoke from anaesthesia with complete resolution of his diplopia.Conclusion:Otolaryngologists should be aware that approximately 20 per cent of patients with allergic fungal sinusitis demonstrate paranasal sinus expansion and bone erosion involving surrounding anatomical structures. Such patients may have clinical findings involving the orbit and cranial vault.
Retrospective study of 116 patients with non-organic voice disorders: efficacy of mental imagery and laryngeal shaking
Authors: Voerman M S , Langeveld A P M , van Rossum M A 
Published: September 2008

AbstractObjective:To report the short- and long-term results of two techniques (mental imagery and manual shaking of the larynx) in patients with non-organic dysphonia or aphonia.Design:Retrospective review of patient records, plus follow-up survey (questionnaire).Setting:Academic teaching hospital.Patients:One hundred and sixteen patients with moderate to severe non-organic dysphonia or aphonia.Outcome:Cure (i.e. normal voice) and improved voice quality, judged by clinicians and patients.Results:One hundred (86 per cent) of the 116 patients were cured. Ninety-four (81 per cent) patients regained their normal voice within one therapy session. The follow-up survey revealed that 43 of the 87 (49 per cent) patients who responded had not had a relapse since therapy ended. Of those patients suffering relapse, 15 successfully applied mental imagery in order to retrieve their voice, compared with three patients who applied shaking of the larynx.Conclusion:Mental imagery, combined if necessary with manual therapy, is an effective therapeutic technique in patients with non-organic voice disorders.
A cluster randomized controlled trial of cognitive behaviour therapy for common mental disorders in patients with advanced cancer
Authors: Moorey S. , Cort E. , Kapari M. , Monroe B. , Hansford P. , Mannix K. , Henderson M. , Fisher L. , Hotopf M. 
Published: September 2008

BackgroundCognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has been shown to reduce psychological morbidity in people with cancer, but no randomized controlled trial (RCT) exists in palliative care. We aimed to determine whether home care nurses could be taught to deliver basic cognitive behavioural techniques and so reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.MethodClinical nurse specialists (CNSs) at St Christopher's Hospice were randomly allocated to receive training in CBT or continue their usual practice. At the end of the trial, nurses were rated on the Cognitive Therapy First Aid Rating Scale (CTFARS) for CBT competence. Home care patients who scored as possible cases on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) entered the trial. Participants received home care nursing visits. Assessments were carried out at baseline, 6, 10 and 16 weeks.ResultsEight nurses received CBT training and seven continued practice as usual. The mean CTFARS scores were 35.9 for the CBT nurses and 19.0 for the controls (p=0.02). A total of 328 patients (54%) were possible cases and 80 entered the trial; most of those excluded were too ill to participate. There was an interaction between group and time: individuals receiving CBT had lower anxiety scores over time [coefficient −0.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.35 to −0.05, p=0.01]. No effect of the training was found for depression.ConclusionsIt is possible to conduct a randomized trial of psychological interventions in palliative care but there is considerable attrition from physical morbidity and mortality. Nurses can learn to integrate basic CBT methods into their clinical practice. This training may be associated with better outcomes for symptoms of anxiety.
Delaying dispreferred responses in English: From a Japanese perspective
Authors: TANAKA HIROKO 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTThis article employs conversation analysis to explore the interpenetration of grammar and preference organization in English conversation in comparison with a previous study for Japanese. Whereas varying the word order of major syntactic elements is a vital grammatical resource in Japanese for accomplishing the potentially universal task of delaying dispreferred responses to a range of first actions, it is found to have limited utility in English. A search for alternative operations and devices that conversationalists deploy for this objective in English points to several grammatical constructions that can be tailored to maximize the delay of dispreferred responses. These include the fronting of relatively mobile, syntactically “non-obligatory” elements of clause structure and the employment of various copular constructions. A close interdependence is observed between the rudimentary grammatical resources available in the two languages and the types of operations that are respectively enlisted for the implementation of the organization of preference.
The poetics of stance: Text-metricality, epistemicity, interaction
Authors: LEMPERT MICHAEL 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTThis article examines the text-metrical (“poetic”) organization of epistemic stance-taking in discourse, focusing on epistemic stance in a form of argumentation, Tibetan Buddhist ‘debate’ (rtsod pa) at Sera Monastery in India. Emergent text-metrical structures in discourse are shown to reflexively map utterance-level propositional stance into larger-scale, fractionally congruent models of interactional stance. In charting the movement from epistemic stance to interactional stance by way of poetic structure, the article argues for and clarifies the place of poetics in the study of stance.
Coherent discourse solves the pronoun interpretation problem
Authors: SPENADER JENNIFER , SMITS ERIK-JAN , HENDRIKS PETRA 
Published: September 2008

ABSTRACTMany comprehension studies have shown that children as late as age 6 ; 6 misinterpret object pronouns as co-referring with the referential subject about half the time. A recent review of earlier experiments testing children's interpretation of object pronouns in sentences with quantified subjects (Elbourne, 2005) also suggests that there is a ‘Pronoun Interpretation Problem’. In contrast, two experiments addressing English children's pronoun production (Bloom, Barss, Nicol & Conway, 1994; de Villiers, Cahillane & Altreuter, 2006) show almost perfect usage. The aim of this study is to verify this asymmetry between pronoun production and pronoun comprehension for Dutch, and to investigate the effects of coherent discourse and topicality on pronoun production and comprehension. Employing a truth-value judgment task and an elicited production task, this study indeed finds such an asymmetry in 83 Dutch children (age range 4 ; 5–6 ; 6). When object pronouns were clearly established as the topic of the target sentence, the Pronoun Interpretation Problem dissolved entirely. These results are compatible with the asymmetrical grammar hypothesis of Hendriks & Spenader (2005/2006) and suggest, contrary to many previous claims, that children are highly proficient at using pragmatic clues in interpretation.
Synaptic vesicle dynamics in mouse rod bipolar cells
Authors: WAN QUN-FANG , VILA ALEJANDRO , ZHOU ZHEN-YU , HEIDELBERGER RUTH 
Published: September 2008

AbstractTo better understand synaptic signaling at the mammalian rod bipolar cell terminal and pave the way for applying genetic approaches to the study of visual information processing in the mammalian retina, synaptic vesicle dynamics and intraterminal calcium were monitored in terminals of acutely isolated mouse rod bipolar cells and the number of ribbon-style active zones quantified. We identified a releasable pool, corresponding to a maximum of ≈35 vesicles/ribbon-style active zone. Following depletion, this pool was refilled with a time constant of ≈7 s. The presence of a smaller, rapidly releasing pool and a small, fast component of refilling was also suggested. Following calcium channel closure, membrane surface area was restored to baseline with a time constant that ranged from 2 to 21 s depending on the magnitude of the preceding Ca2+ transient. In addition, a brief, calcium-dependent delay often preceded the start of onset of membrane recovery. Thus, several aspects of synaptic vesicle dynamics appear to be conserved between rod-dominant bipolar cells of fish and mammalian rod bipolar cells. A major difference is that the number of vesicles available for release is significantly smaller in the mouse rod bipolar cell, both as a function of the total number per neuron and on a per active zone basis.
Dosimetric changes induced by positional uncertainty of cutout in electron radiotherapy
Authors: Chow James C.L. , Grigorov Grigor N. , Ross Kathryn 
Published: August 2008

AbstractDosimetric changes caused by the positional uncertainty of centring a small electron cutout to the machine central beam axis (CAX) of the linear accelerator (linac) were investigated. First, six circular cutouts with 4 cm diameter were made with their centres shifted off from the machine CAX for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 mm using the 6 × 6 cm2 applicator. Then, the percentage depth doses (PDDs) at the machine CAX and cutout centre were measured using the 4, 9 and 16 MeV clinical electron beams produced by a Varian 21 EX linac. The cross- and in-line axis beam profiles were measured at depth of maximum dose (dm) and source-to-surface distance equal to 100 cm using a scanning water tank system and diode detector. When the cutout centre was shifted away from machine CAX for the electron beam with low energy of 4 MeV, the dm, depths of the 80 (R80) and 90% (R90) depth dose at the machine CAX had no significant change (<0.1 mm). For higher energies of 9 and 16 MeV beams, the dm were reduced with 0.45 and 1.63 mm per mm off-axis shift between the cutout centre and the machine CAX, respectively. The R80 and R90 were reduced with 0.7 mm per mm off-axis shift for both energies. When there was a 4 mm off-axis shift, the relative output factors for the 4, 9 and 16 MeV beams were reduced with 0.8, 1.6 and 0.5%, respectively. The isodose coverage of the in-line axis beam profile was reduced when the cutout centre was shifted away from machine CAX. It is important for radiation oncologists, dosimetrists, therapists and physicists to note such dosimetric changes in the electron radiotherapy to the patient, because such positional uncertainty is unavoidable in fabricating an electron cutout in the mould room.
A randomized crossover study evaluating two immobilization devices for prostate cancer treatment
Authors: Sexton T. , Rodrigues G. , Bauman G. , Harriman-Duke J. , Kron T. , Yartsev S. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractPurpose: To compare the Combifix® immobilization device with a conventional double-leg cushion in terms of patient comfort, therapist feedback and systematic/random error outcomes.Materials and Methods: This prospective block-randomised crossover study enrolled 18 high-risk prostate cancer patients who received whole pelvic plus prostate radiotherapy. Treatment consisted of a prostate boost with one immobilization device followed by whole pelvic radiation using the other device. Our primary endpoints were device ease-of-use and patient comfort. Secondary endpoints included treatment time and systematic/random error assessments.Results: While our patients found both devices equally comfortable and easy to use, the therapists preferred the leg cushion for ease of set-up (p = 0.04). Patient treatment time was similar for the two devices. In terms of electronic portal imaging (EPID)-based isocentre shifts, statistically, but not clinically, significant differences in systematic and random errors between the two devices exist in the superior–inferior directions (p ≤ 0.05).Conclusions: No clinically important advantage was seen with the Combifix® device versus our standard double-leg cushion in terms of patient/therapist preference, patient comfort, and bony pelvic immobilization. However, this research project confirmed the feasibility of mounting a small single-institution randomised crossover technology assessment related to a practical radiotherapy issue.
Porcine circoviruses: a minuscule yet mammoth paradox
Authors: Ramamoorthy Sheela , Meng Xiang-Jin 
Published: September 2008

AbstractPorcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent for porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD). PCVAD has been the cause of considerable economic losses to the pork industry worldwide. The disease is primarily characterized by wasting, enlarged lymph nodes, jaundice and weight loss in affected weanling pigs. Several other complex syndromes involving reproductive failure, enteritis, pneumonia and necrotizing dermatitis have also been associated with PCV2 infection. Lymphoid depletion, which is the hallmark lesion of PCVAD, predisposes the host to immunosuppression. Disease progression is further complicated by co-infections with other bacterial and viral pathogens. Despite the availability of effective vaccines for the last 2 years, newly emerging strains of the virus have been reported to cause more severe outbreaks in parts of the USA and Canada. While knowledge of the biology and pathogenesis of PCV2 has progressed considerably over the last 12 years since the disease was recognized, many questions still remain to be answered.
Reform of the tax on reversions of excess pension assets
Authors: PANG GAOBO , WARSHAWSKY MARK 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis study quantifies the possible consequences to stakeholders of reforms to the excise tax on reversions of excess pension assets. Under the US Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006, funding in defined benefit (DB) plans is likely to improve significantly. Many plans may become overfunded over time, owing to the shortfall amortizations mandated by the PPA, as well as to precautionary contributions by sponsors and to plan investment returns. This analysis shows that a more moderate excise tax rate together with a reasonable funding threshold for asset reversions would not only enable sponsors to spend the excess funds on other corporate needs, thereby lowering the cost of sponsorship of DB plans, but also would open a considerable revenue source for the government, with only a small increase in bankruptcy cost for the PBGC. Plan participants could also gain in an alternative reform, which would require a partial transfer of excess assets to them along with a still-lower reversion tax rate. These findings also hold for plan sponsors with various degrees of risk tolerance or only making the PPA-required minimum contributions.
Footnotes aren't enough: the impact of pension accounting on stock values
Authors: CORONADO JULIA , MITCHELL OLIVIA S. , SHARPE STEVEN A. , BLAKE NESBITT S. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractRecent research has suggested that companies with defined benefit (DB) pensions are sometimes significantly misvalued by the market. This is because the measures of pension cost and pension net liabilities embedded in financial statements can provide a very misleading picture of pension finances, if taken at face value. The more pertinent information on pension finances is relegated to footnotes, which may not receive much attention from portfolio managers. Dramatic swings in the financial conditions of large DB plans around the turn of the decade focused attention on pension accounting practices, and growing dissatisfaction with current accounting standards has prompted the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) to launch a project revamping DB pension accounting. Arguably, the increased attention should have made investors wise to the informational problems, thereby eliminating systematic mispricing in recent years. We test this proposition and conclude that investors continued to misvalue DB pensions, inducing sizable valuation errors in the stock of many companies. Our findings suggest that FASB's current reform efforts could substantially aid the market's ability to value firms with DB pensions.
Predicting Protein-Disease Relationships Using Sequence, Physicochemical Properties, and Molecular Function Information
Authors: Radivojac Predrag , Peng Kang , Clark Wyatt , Peters Brandon , Mohan Amrita , Boyle Sean , Mooney Sean 
Published: August 2008

AbstractOne of the most important tasks of modern bioinformatics is the development of computational tools that can be used to understand and treat human disease. To date, a variety of methods have been explored and algorithms for predicting whether a protein is involved in disease are gaining in their utility. Here, we describe an algorithm for detecting protein-disease associations based on the human protein-protein interaction network, known gene-disease associations, protein sequence, and protein functional information at the molecular level. Our method, PhenoPred ("www.phenopred.org":www.phenopred.org), is supervised: first, we map each protein onto the spaces of disease and functional terms based on distance to all annotated proteins in the protein interaction network. We also encode sequence, function, physicochemical, and predicted structural properties, such as secondary structure and flexibility. We then train support vector machines to detect a protein’s disease function for a number of terms in Disease Ontology (DO). We provided evidence that, despite the noise/incompleteness of experimental data and unfinished ontology of diseases, identification of candidate genes and proteins can be successful even when a large number of candidate disease terms are predicted on simultaneously.
Hurricane Katrina Deaths, Louisiana, 2005
Authors: Brunkard Joan , Namulanda Gonza , Ratard Raoult 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTObjective: Hurricane Katrina struck the US Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, causing unprecedented damage to numerous communities in Louisiana and Mississippi. Our objectives were to verify, document, and characterize Katrina-related mortality in Louisiana and help identify strategies to reduce mortality in future disasters.Methods: We assessed Hurricane Katrina mortality data sources received in 2007, including Louisiana and out-of-state death certificates for deaths occurring from August 27 to October 31, 2005, and the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team's confirmed victims' database. We calculated age-, race-, and sex-specific mortality rates for Orleans, St Bernard, and Jefferson Parishes, where 95% of Katrina victims resided and conducted stratified analyses by parish of residence to compare differences between observed proportions of victim demographic characteristics and expected values based on 2000 US Census data, using Pearson chi square and Fisher exact tests.Results: We identified 971 Katrina-related deaths in Louisiana and 15 deaths among Katrina evacuees in other states. Drowning (40%), injury and trauma (25%), and heart conditions (11%) were the major causes of death among Louisiana victims. Forty-nine percent of victims were people 75 years old and older. Fifty-three percent of victims were men; 51% were black; and 42% were white. In Orleans Parish, the mortality rate among blacks was 1.7 to 4 times higher than that among whites for all people 18 years old and older. People 75 years old and older were significantly more likely to be storm victims (P < .0001).Conclusions: Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest hurricane to strike the US Gulf Coast since 1928. Drowning was the major cause of death and people 75 years old and older were the most affected population cohort. Future disaster preparedness efforts must focus on evacuating and caring for vulnerable populations, including those in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and personal residences. Improving mortality reporting timeliness will enable response teams to provide appropriate interventions to these populations and to prepare and implement preventive measures before the next disaster. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2:215–223)