bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A systematic stapling defect – a potential cause of ‘anastomotic’ leak after restorative proctocolectomy
Authors: Byrne C. M. , Uraiqat A. A. , Phillips R. K. S. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractObjective  When constructing ileal‐anal pouches with staples, a novel potential cause of anastomotic leak was recently identified at the apex of the pouch. This study was performed to assess this stapling defect.Method  Careful inspection of the ileal pouch staple lines was made in eight consecutive pouch constructions. Pouch construction was further evaluated using pig small bowel.Results  When constructing ileal‐anal pouches with staples, a novel potential cause of anastomotic leak was recently identified at the apex of the pouch. This defect was present in seven of eight consecutive ileo‐anal J‐pouches. It was repaired by direct suturing and no clinical or radiological leaks were identified in these patients. In the pig model, the same defect was found in five of five stapled constructions. It was avoiding in five of five cases by limiting the amount of bowel placed into the stapler on the initial firing.Conclusion  This defect may be related to stapler design. It can be avoided by using less than the full staple line on the initial firing of the stapler or by using an alternative device. Surgeons creating ileal pouches using staplers, or indeed any use of this particular stapler, need to be aware of this potential for a defect in the staple line and should take steps to avoid the defect or repair it depending on the circumstances.
A Theoretical Reexamination of Privatization: Assessing its Welfare Impacts
Authors: Ang Alvin , Yamada Masatoshi 
Published: October 2007

AbstractPrivatization has been one of the significant public policies adopted in the last two decades. Previous studies have focussed on efficacy gains at the firm and industry levels. This paper intends to reconsider the distributive impacts of privatization on the economy as a whole from a theoretical perspective. Specifically, it supposes an economy with two goods, two producers and two consumers, in which it is assumed that one of the consumers is not able to obtain one good that is regarded as a necessity. Since one basis of government intervention is to provide necessity to people who would not otherwise be able to obtain it, government intervention into production is assumed to satisfy this purpose. Using comparative statics, the paper analyzes how the welfare of two consumers is affected by this intervention, and shows that intervention can increase the welfare of some consumers and social welfare in general.
Factor Price Equality and Biased Technical Change in a Two‐Cone Trade Model
Authors: Becker Daniel , Gundlach Erich 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe reconsider the effects of long‐run economic growth on relative factor prices across cones of specialization. We model economic growth as exogenous technical change. Allowing for capital biased technical change with a sector bias and for endogenous commodity prices, we find that economic growth may increase or decrease factor price differences across cones. For a neutral demand side and capital biased growth in the most capital intensive sector, we find that economic growth encourages less factor price diversity across cones.
Partial Free Trade Agreements and Economic Welfare: Reconsidering GATT Article 24
Authors: Ohyama Michihiro 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis paper generalizes the Kemp–Wan theorem on the customs union to cover partial and incomplete free trade agreements emerging all over the world and elucidates the conditions which ensure that they are potentially conducive to the economic welfare of member countries without harming the rest of the world. In the light of this generalization, it also reconsiders two well‐known conditions stipulated in Article 24 of the GATT required for the formation of FTAs.
Trade Policies as Signals of Private Political Pressure
Authors: Sawaki Hisashi 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe situation of a home government facing political pressure from an exporting industry within its jurisdiction is considered. If a foreign government cannot directly observe such pressure, the home government has an incentive to understate it to induce foreign tariff reductions. In equilibrium, the home government will distort its first‐period trade policy in a direction that the industry does not prefer (i.e. raising the export tax or reducing the export subsidy) in order to reveal the true pressure, as compared with a policy selected under complete information.
Current Account Adjustment and Capital Flows*
Authors: Debelle Guy , Galati Gabriele 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe examine episodes of current account adjustment in industrial countries over the past 30 years. We find that they were typically associated with a sizable growth slowdown and a large exchange rate depreciation. There was no discernible change in the nature of capital flows just prior to an adjustment. Hence, adjustments may be responding to the resolution of domestic imbalances rather than being an exogenous event. We show that global developments triggered the adjustment, possibly by triggering the unwinding of the domestic imbalances. Most of the ex post adjustment of the financial account was in private sector flows, primarily by foreign investors.
Neoclassical Growth, Manufacturing Agglomeration, and Terms of Trade
Authors: Urban Dieter M. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis study reverses the prediction of geography and growth models that trade integration may cause income divergence. Moreover, a new dynamic welfare gain of trade openness is identified. These results are obtained from embedding a new economic geography model into a neoclassical growth model. Starting from symmetric countries, a country that accumulates more capital than the other increases its home market size, improves its terms of trade, and lowers its relative consumption price index, because trade costs drive a wedge in between relative producer and consumption price indices. Both effects in turn tend to increase its marginal revenue product of capital relative to the other country (divergence forces), while factor substitution diminishes its marginal revenue product of capital (convergence force). Reducing trade costs decreases the wedge and weakens the divergence forces, while the convergence force is unaffected. Hence, divergence is more likely with higher rather than lower trade costs.
An Exploration of Issues around Menstruation for Women with Down Syndrome and their Carers
Authors: Mason Linda , Cunningham Cliff 
Published: October 2007

Background  There is little research on issues related to menstruation for women with Down syndrome, yet they may experience menstruation in a qualitatively different way from normal women, which impacts on their quality of life and that of their families and carers. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore issues with the women and/or their carers.Method  Face‐to‐face or telephonic interviews were carried out with six women with Down syndrome, and 53 mothers of women with Down syndrome.Results  The range in age and pattern of menses was similar to that of the general population. Around two‐thirds of the women were coping with the self‐care aspects with limited help. Heavy periods were an issue for around one‐third. Use of tampons was rare, yet several women had problems with pads. Some mothers were unaware how much their daughter knew about the menstrual cycle; others deliberately withheld information.Conclusions  Lack of information and preparation, heavier periods for some and reluctance to use tampons, all indicated specific issues for these women. Establishing routines was helpful and could have been applied to more of the women. Further research is suggested into heavy periods and other possible interventions.
Needs of Persons with Severe Intellectual Disabilities: a Q‐Methodological Study of Clients with Severe Behavioural Disorders and Severe Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Kreuger Linda , Van Exel Job , Nieboer Anna 
Published: October 2007

Background  A demand‐oriented approach is becoming increasingly important in care provision. The purpose of this study was to identify the primary needs of clients with Severe Behavioural Disorders and Severe Intellectual Disabilities.Materials and Methods  We used the theory of Social Production Function and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to operationalize different types of needs of clients with Severe Behavioural Disorders and Severe Intellectual Disabilities. A Q‐methodological study enabled us to distinguish the needs of 23 clients.Results  Two needs prioritizations were found. Physical well‐being ultimately weighs most heavily for all clients, but in one of the two groups affection and behavioural confirmation (i.e. social needs) were also found to be important. There were no significant differences in needs between clients whose main behavioural difficulty was aggression and clients whose main behavioural difficulty was self‐harm.Conclusions  A demand‐oriented policy for clients with Severe Behavioural Disorders and Severe Intellectual Disabilities should be targeted at groups with different needs prioritizations, rather than groups with different behavioural problems. That does not mean that the same needs of different clients can be met in exactly the same way. It takes creativity and a person‐centred approach to find ways to enable clients to realize their social and physical needs.
Variation of coat color in house mice throughout Asia
Authors: Lai Y. ‐C. , Shiroishi T. , Moriwaki K. , Motokawa M. , Yu H. ‐T. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractCoat color variation due to melanin pigment synthesis in house miceMus musculusin Asia is described and found to be consistent with Gloger's rule, which states that individuals of endothermic animals are darker in humid habitats than those in drier habitats. Three properties of coat color (hue, value and chroma) were measured, and a lightness variable was derived from a principal components analysis using 428 skin specimens representing three subspecies from 85 localities. Dorsal coat color ranged from yellow through brown to black, whereas ventral coat color ranged from white to black. Dorsal coat color varied less than the ventral color. In our samples, the variation in coat color in natural populations was far less than that observed in the laboratory. We found a significant correlation between the lightness variable of dorsal coat color and precipitation. Dark coat color was observed in more humid and closed habitats (darker background color), and pale coat color in drier, more open habitats (lighter background color). This result might imply the role of concealment as a selective force affecting dorsal coat color that was observed in house mice. We also discussed other selective forces that could affect the coat color variation in house mice, such as resistance to bacterial degradation and thermoregulation. In addition, the color spectra of the dorsal pelage among the three subspecies were different, the major distinction being the environmental background color of the habitats in which they are distributed.
c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase regulates mitochondrial bioenergetics by modulating pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in primary cortical neurons
Authors: Zhou Qiongqiong , Lam Philip Y. , Han Derick , Cadenas Enrique 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis study examines the role of c‐jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) in mitochondrial signaling and bioenergetics in primary cortical neurons and isolated rat brain mitochondria. Exposure of neurons to either anisomycin (an activator of JNK/p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinases) or H2O2 resulted in activation (phosphorylation) of JNK (mostly p46JNK1) and its translocation to mitochondria. Experiments with mitochondria isolated from either rat brain or primary cortical neurons and incubated with proteinase K revealed that phosphorylated JNK was associated with the outer mitochondrial membrane; this association resulted in the phosphorylation of the E1α subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme that catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate and that links two major metabolic pathways: glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. JNK‐mediated phosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase was not observed in experiments carried out with mitoplasts, thus suggesting the requirement of intact, functional mitochondria for this effect. JNK‐mediated phosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase was associated with a decline in its activity and, consequently, a shift to anaerobic pyruvate metabolism: the latter was confirmed by increased accumulation of lactic acid and decreased overall energy production (ATP levels). Pyruvate dehydrogenase appears to be a specific phosphorylation target for JNK, for other kinases, such as protein kinase A and protein kinase C did not elicit pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphorylation and did not decrease the activity of the complex. These results suggest that JNK mediates a signaling pathway that regulates metabolic functions in mitochondria as part of a network that coordinates cytosolic and mitochondrial processes relevant for cell function.
Duane’s retraction syndrome: its sensory features
Authors: Tomaç Suhan , Mutlu Fatih Mehmet , Altınsoy Halil İbrahim 
Published: October 2007

AbstractPurpose:  To investigate binocularity in Duane’s retraction syndrome (DRS) and to evaluate whether or not there is a relationship between the sensory and clinical features of the syndrome.Methods:  Clinical and sensory findings of 29 patients with DRS were recorded. Binocularity was tested with the Bagolini glasses (BG), Worth four‐dot (W4D), TNO and the stereo‐fly plate of the Titmus test.Results:  Twenty‐four (83%) patients showed fusion with the BG at near and 23 (79%) had fusion at distance. With the W4D, 23 (79%) patients had fusion at near and 19 (65%) had fusion at distance. Seven (24%) patients demonstrated normal stereoacuity, 15 (52%) had reduced stereoacuity and the remaining seven (24%) patients had no measurable stereoacuity. In patients without stereoacuity, amblyopia (p < 0.001), type 2 and 3 DRS (p = 0.031) and exotropia (p = 0.003) in primary position were more common than in those with reduced or with normal stereoacuity. Restriction of ocular ductions was also more severe in patients without stereoacuity than in those with reduced or normal stereoacuity (p = 0.019, p = 0.016). Patients with type 2 and 3 DRS were significantly more likely to have amblyopia (p = 0.037), large‐angle heterotropia (p = 0.005) in primary position, upshoot or downshoot (p = 0.010) than those with type 1 DRS.Conclusions:  Although approximately 75% of DRS patients had fusion and measurable stereoacuity, only 25% demonstrated normal binocularity. This report provides new data on the relationship of sensory features to most of the clinical findings of this syndrome. Sensory features, as well as most clinical features of the syndrome, are better in patients with type 1 DRS.
The changing visual profile of children attending a regional specialist school for the visually impaired in Northern Ireland
Authors: McClelland Julie , Saunders Kathryn J. , Hill Nan , Magee Anne , Shannon Myrtle , Jackson A. Jonathan 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAim:  To investigate the changing profile of children attending a special school for visually impaired children over a 30‐year period.Methods:  Between 1975 and 2004, 266 children were identified as having been students in the introductory years to secondary education at Jordanstown School. School records and records from the Regional Paediatric Low Vision Clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast were examined to obtain data regarding age, primary ophthalmic diagnosis, visual acuity and any additional impairment.Results:  There was no statistically significant change in mean visual acuity of the children entering the secondary school over this period (p > 0.1). Albinism was the most common single condition (20.3%). Notable also was the reduction in incidence of visual impairment following congenital glaucoma and cataract and the corresponding increase in cortical visual impairment (CVI) during this period.Conclusion:ensp; During the last 30 years medical/surgical treatment has reduced the impact of treatable conditions (e.g. cataract) on visual impairment to the extent that their prevalence within this school has decreased. Consequently, children with non‐treatable conditions (e.g. albinism) constitute a larger proportion of the school population. An increase in the proportion of children with CVI and learning disability in the school was noted.
The Dundee University Scottish Keratoconus Study II: a prospective study of optical and surgical correction
Authors: Weed K. H. , MacEwen C. J. , McGhee C. N. J. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAim:  To investigate and correlate optical correction, and progression to penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), with the corneal, refractive, topographic and familial characteristics of subjects with keratoconus, within the Tayside region of Scotland.Method:  Prospective, observational, longitudinal study design. Two hundred subjects with keratoconus were enrolled into the Dundee University Scottish Keratoconus Study (DUSKS) and were assessed during a 4‐year period using standardised clinical assessment, computerised corneal topography and questionnaires.Results:  Keratoconic subjects in this study wore rigid contact lenses (90.6%) for longer than 12 hours per day (81%), 7 days a week (91%) and achieved a very good level of Snellen visual acuity (97%, ≥6/9). Corneal staining was observed in the majority of corneas (71%), although only a small percentage of subjects reported major problems of: discomfort (18%), hyperaemia (16%), or the lens falling out (4%). Poor visual acuity was the main reason (79%) for undergoing PKP usually in the latter part of the third decade of life, approximately a decade after diagnosis. During the study period 4% of eyes progressed to PKP. Only a small percentage of eyes (9.5%) required no visual correction postoperatively.Conclusion:  The main mode of visual rehabilitation for keratoconus was rigid contact lenses, which were mostly worn successfully with good visual acuity. During the study period a small minority of keratoconics progressed to corneal graft surgery. It is advisable to emphasise that postoperatively refractive correction will be required in the majority of these cases.
Coping with Prescription Drug Cost Sharing: Knowledge, Adherence, and Financial Burden
Authors: Reed Mary , Brand Richard , Newhouse Joseph P. , Selby Joe V. , Hsu John 
Published: October 2007

Objective. Assess patient knowledge of and response to drug cost sharing.Study Setting. Adult members of a large prepaid, integrated delivery system.Study Design/Data Collection. Telephone interviews with 932 participants (72 percent response rate) who reported knowledge of the structures and amounts of their prescription drug cost sharing. Participants reported cost‐related changes in their drug adherence, any financial burden, and other cost‐coping behaviors. Actual cost sharing amounts came from administrative databases.Principal Findings. Overall, 27 percent of patients knew all of their drug cost sharing structures and amounts. After adjustment for individual characteristics, additional patient cost sharing structures (tiers and caps), and higher copayment amounts were associated with reporting decreased adherence, financial burden, or other cost‐coping behaviors.Conclusions. Patient knowledge of their drug benefits is limited, especially for more complex cost sharing structures. Patients also report a range of responses to greater cost sharing, including decreasing adherence.
Has the Medicare Prospective Payment System Led to Increased Nursing Home Efficiency?
Authors: Zhang Ning Jackie , Unruh Lynn , Wan Thomas T. H. 
Published: October 2007

Research Objective. To assess the impact of recent Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) changes on efficiency in skilled nursing homes.Data Source/Study Setting. Medicare Cost Reports (MCR), On‐line Survey Certification and Reporting System (OSCAR), Area Resource Files (ARF), a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital wage index website, a Consumer Price Index (CPI) database, and a survey of state Medicaid reimbursement rates. The sample was 8,361 nursing homes in the Medicare Cost Report databases from the years 1997 to 2003.Study Design. Data‐envelopment analyses (DEA) calculated efficiency scores for three separate DEA models: unadjusted, acuity‐adjusted, and acuity‐and‐quality‐adjusted efficiency. The efficiency scores from these models were regressed on the Medicare PPS changes (the Balanced Budget Act [BBA], the Balanced Budget Refinement Act [BBRA] and the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act) and other organizational and market explanatory variables using a panel‐data truncated regression.Principal Findings. Mean values for all efficiency measures decreased over time, the acuity‐quality‐adjusted efficiency measures decreasing the most. All policy variables were significantly negatively related to all efficiency measures. Higher nurse staffing was negatively related to efficiency in all but the acuity‐quality‐adjusted model. Other explanatory variables varied in their relationships to the efficiency variables.Conclusions. The results suggest that the reimbursement policy changes had a significantly negative impact on efficiency. Higher nurse staffing contributed to lower efficiency only when efficiency was not adjusted for quality. Various organizational and market factors also played significant roles in all efficiency models.
Role of Stress in Acquisition of Alcohol‐Conditioned Place Preference in Adolescent and Adult Mice
Authors: Song Mei , Wang Xue‐Yi , Zhao Mei , Wang Xiao‐Yi , Zhai Hai‐Feng , Lu Lin 
Published: October 2007

Background:  Both clinical evidence and findings from animal models demonstrate that there are differences between adolescents and adults in alcohol dependence. As stress plays a critical role in processes of alcohol addiction, we tested whether stress is involved in alcohol vulnerability differently during adolescence and adulthood in mice.Methods:  To determine whether age differences exist in the acquisition of alcohol‐conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice, adolescent and adult mice were trained for CPP with different doses of alcohol (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 g/kg, i.p.). To explore the effects of stress (footshock) on acquisition of alcohol CPP in mice of different ages, adolescent and adult mice underwent acute (1 day) or chronic (1 week) stress before CPP training. Acquisition of CPP was examined after the CPP training.Results:  Under nonstress conditions, adult mice acquired alcohol CPP when trained with 2 g/kg alcohol, while adolescent mice did not acquire alcohol CPP. After chronic but not acute stress exposure, adolescent mice acquired significant CPP trained with 2 g/kg alcohol that did not produce CPP under nonstress conditions. However, stress did not have significant effect on acquisition of CPP in adult mice trained CPP with 1 g/kg alcohol.Conclusions:  These results indicate that there is an age difference in acquiring alcohol CPP and adolescent mice are more sensitive than adults to stress.