bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Validation of the current prognostic models for nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma after nephrectomy in Chinese population: A 15‐year single center experience
Authors: Liu Zheng , Lv Jiaju , Ding Kejia , Fu Qiang , Cao Qingwei , Wang Facheng 
Published: December 2008

Objectives:  To explore the applicability of the current prognostic models for nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma in the Chinese population based on a single center experience.Methods:  Clinical and pathological variables of 653 nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma patients were retrospectively reviewed. Seven models were used to predict the prognosis, including the Yaycioglu model, the Cindolo model, the University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System model, the stage, size, grade, and necrosis model, the Kattan nomogram, the Sorbellini nomogram and the Karakiewicz nomogram. Three different end‐points were used for validation, including overall survival, cancer‐specific survival, and recurrence‐free survival. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Discriminating ability was assessed using the Harrell's concordance‐index.Results:  At the last follow up, 159 patients had died due to various causes, and disease recurrence occurred in 156 patients. The discriminating ability of all models was confirmed in the Chinese population. Nomograms discriminate better than algorithms, regardless of end‐points. The Kattan nomogram was the most accurate, with the highest concordance‐indexes of 0.752, 0.793 and 0.841 for overall survival, cancer‐specific survival, and recurrence‐free survival, respectively.Conclusions:  The current prognostic models were developed and validated entirely based on Caucasian populations. This study defines the general applicability of the models for Chinese patients with nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with nephrectomy. The Kattan model was found to be the most accurate. The Cindolo model performed well in some situations, although only including clinical presentation and size of tumor. Therefore, models should be chosen according to different environments and purposes.
Crack tip opening angle measurement through a girth weld in an X100 steel pipeline section*
Authors: DARCIS PH. P. , MCCOWAN C. N. , MCCOLSKEY J. D. , FIELDS R. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTCrack tip opening angle (CTOA) is becoming one of the most accepted methods for characterizing fully plastic fracture. It provides a measure of the resistance to fracture for a material in cases where there is a large degree of stable‐tearing crack extension during the fracture process. Our current pipeline research uses the CTOA test as an alternative, or addition, to the CTOD (crack tip opening displacement) and the fracture energy characterization provided by the J‐integral approach. A test technique was developed for measurement of CTOA that uses a modified double cantilever beam (MDCB) specimen. A digital camera and image analysis software were used to record the progression of the crack tip and to estimate the CTOA. In this article, CTOA data on crack growth orientations perpendicular to pipeline girth welds are presented. The CTOA for X100 high strength bainitic gas pipeline steel is reported. Two different specimen gauge sections, 3 mm and 8 mm, were used and the effect of the specimen thickness on the CTOA is discussed. The results show a change in the CTOA as the crack grows into the heat affected zone (HAZ). A slight improvement in the fracture resistance is measured, and through the weld, a slight decrease in fracture resistance is observed.
Neuronal activity in the subthalamic nucleus modulates the release of dopamine in the monkey striatum
Authors: Shimo Yasushi , Wichmann Thomas 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe primate subthalamic nucleus (STN) is commonly seen as a relay nucleus between the external and internal pallidal segments, and as an input station for cortical and thalamic information into the basal ganglia. In rodents, STN activity is also known to influence neuronal activity in the dopaminergic substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) through inhibitory and excitatory mono‐ and polysynaptic pathways. Although the anatomical connections between STN and SNc are not entirely the same in primates as in rodents, the electrophysiologic and microdialysis experiments presented here show directly that this functional interaction can also be demonstrated in primates. In three Rhesus monkeys, extracellular recordings from SNc during microinjections into the STN revealed that transient pharmacologic activation of the STN by the acetylcholine receptor agonist carbachol substantially increased burst firing of single nigral neurons. Transient inactivation of the STN with microinjections of the GABA‐A receptor agonist muscimol had the opposite effect. While the firing rates of individual SNc neurons changed in response to the activation or inactivation of the STN, these changes were not consistent across the entire population of SNc cells. Permanent lesions of the STN, produced in two animals with the fiber‐sparing neurotoxin ibotenic acid, reduced burst firing and firing rates of SNc neurons, and substantially decreased dopamine levels in the primary recipient area of SNc projections, the striatum, as measured with microdialysis. These results suggest that activity in the primate SNc is prominently influenced by neuronal discharge in the STN, which may thus alter dopamine release in the striatum.
Insulin resistance is an independent correlate of increased urine albumin excretion: a cross‐sectional study in Iranian Type 2 diabetic patients
Authors: Esteghamati A. , Ashraf H. , Nakhjavani M. , Najafian B. , Hamidi S. , Abbasi M. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAims  To assess the association of insulin resistance with increased urinary albumin excretion (UAE) in a cohort of Iranian Type 2 diabetic patients.Methods  Three hundred and sixty‐one men and 472 women with Type 2 diabetes were enrolled from three different outpatient clinics (Tehran, Iran) during the period 2005–2008. Patients with obstructive uropathy, severe heart failure, liver disease, cancer, autoimmune disease and macroalbuminuria were not included. Microalbuminuria (MA; defined as UAE ≥ 30 mg/day) was found in 242 (29.1%) patients; 591 (70.9%) subjects had normoalbuminuria (UAE < 30 mg/day). Insulin resistance was assessed using homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR).Results  HOMA‐IR index values were higher in subjects with MA than those with normoalbuminuria (P < 0.00001). Adjusted values (for age, sex and duration of diabetes) of UAE and HOMA‐IR were 11.81 ± 7.51 (mg/day) and 3.30 ± 2.21 in normoalbuminuric and 75.36 ± 55.57 (mg/day) and 4.98 ± 3.22 in the MA group, respectively (P < 0.00001 for all). Multiple regression analysis showed that UAE was predicted by HOMA‐IR, independently of age, duration of diagnosed diabetes, triglycerides, waist circumference, metabolic control, blood pressure and related treatments (P < 0.00001). When patients were categorized into quartiles of HOMA‐IR, those of the fourth quartile (i.e. the most insulin resistant) were at a higher risk of increased UAE than other quartiles [odds ratio (OR) 3.7 (95% confidence intervals 2.7–6.2)].Conclusions  In Iranian Type 2 diabetic patients, albuminuria was strongly associated with insulin resistance. HOMA‐IR is an independent predictor of UAE.
Communication Supports in Congregate Residential Care Settings in Ohio
Authors: Mitchell Pamela R. 
Published: December 2008

Background  Communication skills are important to the pursuit of increased self‐determination in individuals with disabilities. The aim of this investigation was to gather information about communication supports in state‐run residential care facilities in Ohio, and to compare findings with a previous investigation on this topic examining such perceptions in group home environments.Methods  An online survey was adapted from DeSimone & Cascella [Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 17, 2005, 1] to examine perceptions of habilitation managers regarding the quality of communication supports in their settings. Perceptions of communication supports by program manager‐level staff in larger group residential facilities had not been previously investigated.Results  Respondents reported a generally high quality of communication supports provided in their settings. Despite this general level of perceived quality, certain quality indicators related to supports for communication were relatively lower across respondents and were consistent with DeSimone & Cascella.
Qualitative analysis by interviews and video recordings to establish the components of a skilled low‐cavity non‐rotational vacuum delivery
Authors: Bahl R , Murphy DJ , Strachan B 
Published: December 2008

Objectives  The objectives of this study were to define the components of a skilled low‐cavity non‐rotational vacuum delivery (occiput anterior, vertex at station +2 or below and less than 45‐degree rotation from midline) and to facilitate the transfer of skills from expert to trainee obstetricians.Design  Qualitative study using interviews and video recordings.Setting  Two university teaching hospitals (St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol, and Ninewell’s Hospital, Dundee).Participants  Ten obstetricians and eight midwives identified as experts in conducting or supporting operative vaginal deliveries.Methods  Semi‐structured interviews were carried out using routine clinical scenarios. The experts were also video recorded conducting low‐cavity vacuum deliveries in a simulation setting. The interviews and video recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic coding. The anonymised data were independently coded by three researchers and compared for consistency of interpretation. The experts reviewed the coded interviews and video data for respondent validation and clarification. The themes that emerged following the final coding were used to formulate a list of skills.Main outcome measures  Key technical skills of a low‐cavity non‐rotational delivery.Results  The final list included detailed technical skills required for conducting a low‐cavity vacuum delivery. The combination of semi‐structured interviews and simulation videos allowed the formulation of a comprehensive skills tool for future evaluation.Conclusion  This explicitly defined skills list could aid trainees understanding of the technique of low‐cavity vacuum delivery. This is an important first step in evaluating clinical competence in intrapartum procedures.
Prevention of further weight gain in overweight school children, a pilot study
Authors: Melin Anna , Lenner Ragnhild Arvidsson 
Published: December 2008

Background:  Involving school nurses in weight gain prevention activities in already overweight children may be a means to address childhood obesity prevention.Objective:  To describe and evaluate a treatment method aimed for implementation in school care centres.Methods:  Twenty families (20 overweight children aged 7 years) were interviewed at baseline with standardized questionnaires, received simple dietary and lifestyle advice. Weight was measured and advice/support by school nurses was available monthly during the 1‐year period. A follow‐up was made after 1 year. Changes in wellbeing, life style and body mass index (BMI) z‐score were recorded and analysed. Experiences from parents and nurses were also examined.Results:  A good (91%) or fair (54%) adherence to dietary advice was found in children who decreased or maintained their z‐score respectively. Mean BMI z‐score reduced [−0.16 (p = 0.03)] during the intervention period. Generally, parents and school nurses were satisfied with the programme, helping them to set limits and be more self‐confident in their role as ‘health adviser’ respectively.Conclusions:  Overweight progression in younger children is possible to modify by increased awareness of the problem, of their food habits and lifestyle practices. Providing school nurses with the knowledge to address the problem and working in collaboration with dieticians and a healthcare team can be an effective means to prevent further weight gain in overweight school‐age children. Possibility of stigmatization was expressed thus efforts will need to be made to carry out such a programme to preserve the children’s integrity and run activities in a discrete manner in the school environment.
Affective temperament in stroke patients
Authors: Kurt Erhan , Karacan Ilhan , Ozaras Nihal , Alatas Gazi 
Published: December 2008

Objective:The aims of this study were to determine the dominant affective temperament changes in stroke survivors and whether temperament affects the disability.Methods:A total of 63 stroke patients were included in this study. Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire was used to determine the dominant affective temperament (depressive, hyperthymic, cyclothymic, irritable or anxious). The disability level was measured with the Barthel index (BI).Results:Depressive temperament (17.5%) and anxious temperament (12.7%) were the most common dominant affective temperaments. The frequencies of irritable, cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperaments were 4.8, 3.2 and 0%, respectively. The mean BI score was 78.1 ± 18.3 in patients with depressive temperament and 67.4 ± 28.4 in patients without depressive temperament (p = 0.403). The mean BI score was 78.1 ± 15.3 in patients with anxious temperament and 68.0 ± 28.3 in patients without anxious temperament (p = 0.541). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that BI score was not associated with affective temperament changes.Conclusion:The results of the current study suggest that depressive and anxious temperaments are the most common affective temperaments and that there appears to be no association between disability level and dominant affective temperament in stroke survivors.
Editing Robert Southey's Letters
Authors: Speck W. A. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe scholarly edition of Robert Southey's letters currently being prepared by co‐editors Lynda Pratt and Timothy Fulford for publication by Romantic Circles is a major desideratum. Although 7000 of his letters have survived, some 1500 remain entirely unpublished while most of those which have appeared in print were poorly edited. This has led scholars seriously astray, as an examination of Thackeray's use of Southey's correspondence demonstrates.
British Romanticism and Animals
Authors: Kenyon Jones Christine 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis paper reflects on representations of animals within the context of ‘Nature’ in the written culture of Romantic‐period Britain, focusing on William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats, with some discussion of the work of William Blake, Edmund Burke, Robert Burns, John Clare and Jeremy Bentham. Also explored are some non‐literary discussions about animals in this period: in particular the debates in the British Parliament between 1800 and 1809 on bull‐baiting and on the prevention of cruelty to animals. The questions raised and the values espoused by Romantic art are related to twenty‐first‐century environmentalism and to other ethical questions concerning the relationship between human and non‐human animals.
Philosophical Issues in Electromagnetism
Authors: Frisch Mathias 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis paper provides a survey of several philosophical issues arising in classical electrodynamics arguing that there is a philosophically rich set of problems in theories of classical physics that have not yet received the attention by philosophers that they deserve. One issue, which is connected to the philosophy of causation, concerns the temporal asymmetry exhibited by radiation fields in the presence of wave sources. Physicists and philosophers disagree on whether this asymmetry reflects a fundamental causal asymmetry or is due to statistical or thermodynamic considerations. I suggest that an explanation appealing to the asymmetry of causation is more promising. Another issue concerns the conceptual structure of the theory. Despite its empirical success, classical electrodynamics faces serious foundational problems. Models of charged particles involve what by the theory's own lights are idealizations, I maintain, and this is a feature that is not readily captured by traditional philosophical accounts of scientific theories. Other issues I discuss concern (i) the relation between Lorentz's theory of the electron and Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity; (ii) the notion of the domain of a theory, the question of theory reduction, and the relation between classical and more fundamental quantum theories; and (iii) the role of locality constraints, their relation to the concept of causation; and the status of locality conditions in the semi‐classical theory of the Aharanov‐Bohm effect.
Effects of Thermal Treatment on Mitochondria of Brain, Liver and Ascites Cells
Authors: Christiansen E. N. , Kvamme E. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe oxidative phosphorylation and respiratory control of mouse brain, liver and Ehrlich ascites tumour cells have been studied after preincubating the mitochondria in vitro at temperatures up to 45o. Respiration, phosphorylation and respiratory control were measured with malate plus pyruvate or succinate as substrates. In addition antimycin‐sensitive ferricyanide reduction by succinate (with rotenone and KCN present) as well as ascorbate oxidation (with N, N, N’, N’,‐tetramethyl‐1.4‐phenylenediamine (TMPD), rotenone and antimycin present) and coupled phosphorylation were determined. The results indicate that electron transport in the succinate‐cytochrome c‐region is more heat‐sensitive than that of the cytochrome c‐oxygen region. Moreover, both this inhibition of electron transport, loss of respiratory control and uncoupling of phosphorylation are likely to be primary effects of heat treatment. Leakage of endogenous cytochrome c to the surrounding medium has been demonstrated, indicating membrane damage as an early effect of heat treatment. The investigated tissues show considerable variations in heat sensitivity of oxidative phosphorylation, brain mitochondria being the most heat resistant. Oxidative phosphorylation of mitochondria prepared from heat‐treated intact ascites cells is more heat resistant than that of in vitro heat‐treated mitochondria, as higher temperatures are required to produce similar effects.
An evaluation of the quality of impact assessment in the European Union with lessons for the US and the EU
Authors: Cecot Caroline , Hahn Robert , Renda Andrea , Schrefler Lorna 
Published: December 2008

AbstractGovernments throughout the world are requiring greater use of economic analysis as a way of informing policy decisions. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the use of impact assessment in the European Union, using US assessments as a benchmark. We find that recent EU impact assessments include more economic information than they did in the past, although important items are still missing. We also provide evidence that the quality of EU impact assessment increases with the expected cost of a proposal. Furthermore, we find that the quality of EU assessments that report high total costs is similar to that of US assessments.
An integrated Assessment of a group with complex systematics: the Iberomaghrebian lizard genus Podarcis (Squamata, Lacertidae)
Authors: CARRETERO Miguel A. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA critical review of the evolutionary biology of Iberian and North African lizard members of the genus Podarcis (Lacertidae) based on phylogeny, phylogeography, morphometrics, behavior, ecology and physiology is presented. The Iberomaghrebian region is inhabited by at least 12 different evolutionary lineages that group into a monophyletic clade (except Podarcis muralis). In contrast to the current taxonomy, the saxicolous ‘Podarcis hispanica’ is paraphyletic with respect to Podarcis bocagei and Podarcis carbonelli, two currently recognized species. Nodes in the phylogenetic tree are deep, resulting from old divergences, clearly preceding the Pleistocene. Nevertheless, more recent range changes as a result of glaciations are also evident. The most plausible evolutionary scenario for this group indicates both vicariant and dispersal events. Although parapatry between lineages is the rule, sympatry and even syntopy are frequent, but usually between ground‐dwelling and saxicolous forms. Contacts between forms with similar habitat use are rare and local. Morphological distinctiveness between lineages has been demonstrated, indicating historical constraints. However, other characters have repeatedly evolved under similar environmental pressures independently of the evolutionary lineage. Strong sexual dimorphism derives from sexual selection and is attained before sexual maturity, although developmental restrictions exist. Variation between populations is also important and derives from local variation in both natural (habitat, climate) and sexual (density) selective pressures. Evidence for short‐term changes has already been found, particularly in insular populations. Reproductive isolation between syntopic forms and partner recognition are based on male—male competition and on visual and chemical recognition of females by conspecific males. Despite this ancient diversification, most forms maintain a degree of reproductive compatibility. Hybridisation may occur, but is limited, and there is evidence of selection against hybrids. The ecological analysis presented here does not support exploitative competition, but rather behavioral interference between forms. Ecomorph classification of lineages suggests character displacement between those with extensive range overlap. Finally, a critical assessment of the specific status of all lineages is provided and directions for further research are suggested.
The validity of different zokor species and the genus Eospalax inferred from mitochondrial gene sequences
Authors: ZHOU Caiquan , ZHOU Kaiya 
Published: December 2008

AbstractTo help resolve the systematic position of Myospalacine (zokors) and to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among zokor species, complete mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome b gene sequences were determined for seven zokor species from China. Phylogenetic relationships among all extant zokors, except the Siberian zokor (Myospalax myospalax) and Smith's zokor (Eospalax smithi), were reconstructed with the Chinese bamboo rat (Rhizomys sinensis) as an outgroup. Our results support the generic status of Eospalax and also support the validity of the specific status of Eospalax cansus, Eospalax baileyi and Eospalax rufescens.
Syntactic Judgment Experiments
Authors: Myers James 
Published: December 2008

AbstractInformal judgments of sentence acceptability have long been the primary source of evidence about grammaticality in syntax, and have been controversial just as long. In the past decade, there has been growing interest in collecting and analyzing acceptability judgments according to the formal protocols of experimental psycholinguistics, an approach sometimes called experimental syntax. This article reviews the major issues relevant to this approach, namely, the relative reliability, validity, sensitivity, and convenience of formal vs. informal methods.