bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations and Dissociations Between Psychoacoustic Abilities and Speech Perception in Adolescents With Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss
Authors: Kishon-Rabin Liat , Segal Osnat , Algom Daniel 
Published: December 2008

Purpose
To clarify the relationship between psychoacoustic capabilities and speech perception in adolescents with severe-to-profound hearing loss (SPHL).

Method
Twenty-four adolescents with SPHL and young adults with normal hearing were assessed with psychoacoustic and speech perception tests. The psychoacoustic tests included gap detection (GD), difference limen for frequency, and psychoacoustic-tuning curves. To assess the perception of words that differ in spectral and temporal cues, the speech tests included the Hebrew Early Speech Perception test and the Hebrew Speech Pattern Contrast test (L. Kishon-Rabin et al., 2002). All tests were conducted for the listeners with normal hearing at low and high presentation levels and for the participants with SPHL at 20 dB SL.

Results
Only GD thresholds were comparable across the 2 groups at similar presentation levels. Psychoacoustic performance was poorer in the group with SPHL, but only selected tests were correlated with speech perception. Poor GD was associated with pattern perception, 1-syllable word identification, and final voicing subtests.

Conclusions
Speech perception performance in adolescents with SPHL could not be predicted solely on the basis of spectral and temporal capabilities of the auditory system. However, when the GD threshold was greater than 40 ms, speech perception skills were predictable by psychoacoustic abilities.
Factors Affecting Hospital-based Nurses' Willingness to Respond to a Radiation Emergency
Authors: Veenema Tener Goodwin , Walden Bonnie , Feinstein Nancy , Williams Jacqueline P. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTBackground: Despite increased government and public awareness of the threat of a radiological emergency resulting from a terrorist attack or industrial accident, limited emphasis has been placed on preparing the US health care workforce for such an event. The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a rapid survey to evaluate hospital-based nurses' baseline knowledge, self-assessed clinical competence, perception of personal safety, and willingness to respond in the event of a radiological emergency.Methods: The study was conducted in 2 phases, the first targeting nursing units likely to respond in the event of a radiological emergency and the second focusing more generally on members of the New York State Emergency Nurses Association currently employed as hospital-based nurses.Results: Among the 668 nurses surveyed, baseline knowledge was found to be inadequate. Although baseline knowledge, clinical competence, and perception of personal safety were all positively associated with willingness to respond, perception of safety appeared to be the primary determinant. Furthermore, baseline knowledge did not appear to be strongly associated with perception of personal safety.Conclusions: Based on these results, the investigators recommend further clinical training to enhance preparedness and a more detailed exploration of the determinants of perceived personal safety. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2:224–229)
Implementation of Evidence-based Humanitarian Programs in Military-led Missions: Part I. Qualitative Gap Analysis of Current Military and International Aid Programs
Authors: Reaves Erik J. , Schor Kenneth W. , Burkle Frederick M. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTBackground:A recent Department of Defense instruction mandates country-specific assessments, identification of interventions, and development of guidance for Department of Defense to plan, train, and prepare for the provision of humanitarian assistance in stability operations. It also directs the use of outcome-based measures of effectiveness and the establishment of processes facilitating transparency of information. Whereas this would align military-led projects closer to the standards of the international aid community, how this process will be developed and implemented within the military has not yet been determined.Methods:To begin developing an evidence-based program for military-led humanitarian aid, we conducted a qualitative gap analysis comparing information from a Web search of Department of Defense medical after-action reports, lessons learned, and expert interviews with the internationally accepted standards in humanitarian assistance impact assessment.Results:There is a major gap in the ability of the Department of Defense to assess the impact of humanitarian assistance in stability operations compared with international development standards. Of the 1000 Department of Defense after-action reports and lessons learned reviewed, only 7 (0.7%) reports refer to, but do not discuss, impact assessment or outcome-based measures of effectiveness.Conclusions:This investigation shows that the Department of Defense humanitarian assistance operations are, historically, recorded without documentation using quantifiable health data identifying which aid activities contributed directly to desired outcomes or favorable public opinion, and rarely are analyzed for effectiveness. As humanitarian assistance operations assume an ever greater role in US military strategy, it is imperative that we investigate useful impact assessment models to meet mission directives and, more important, to maximize coordination in a necessarily integrated and cooperative development environment. These findings provide baseline knowledge for the implementation of an evidence-based impact assessment process to validate future Department of Defense humanitarian assistance operations. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2:230–236)
An update on the assessment and management of the risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease by blood and plasma products
Authors: Turner Marc L. , Ludlam Christopher A. 
Published: December 2008

SummaryThere have been four highly probable instances of variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (vCJD) transmission by non‐leucocyte depleted red cell concentrates and it is now clear that the infectious agent is transmissible by blood components. To date there in no reported evidence that the infectious agent has been transmitted by fractionated plasma products, e.g. factor VIII concentrate. This review outlines current and potential risk management strategies including donor deferral criteria, the potential for donor screening, blood component processing and prion reduction filters, plasma product manufacture and the difficulties in identification and notification of those considered ‘at risk of vCJD for public health purposes’.
Scanning laser polarimetry – a review
Authors: Da Pozzo Stefano , Marchesan Roberta , Ravalico Giuseppe 
Published: December 2008

AbstractGlaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Retinal ganglion cells and their axons represent the selective target of the disease. When visual function is still intact on standard automated perimetry and optic disc appearance is suspicious, an early diagnosis may be supported by the identification of a retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) defect in the peripapillary area. At present days, computer‐based, real‐time imaging of the peripapillary RNFL is available through instruments of easy use and with high levels of accuracy and reproducibility. Scanning laser polarimetry is performed by a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope with an integrated polarimeter (GDx‐VCC). There is a considerable amount of scientific evidence about the role of this imaging technique for glaucoma diagnosis. The aim of this review is to describe the principles of operation, the examination procedure, the clinical role, the results of main diagnostic studies and the future development of the software for the scanning laser polarimetry.
High‐resolution ultrasound imaging of the eye – a review
Authors: Silverman Ronald H 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis report summarizes the physics, technology and clinical application of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) of the eye, in which frequencies of 35 MHz and above provide over a threefold improvement in resolution compared with conventional ophthalmic ultrasound systems. UBM allows imaging of anatomy and pathology involving the anterior segment, including regions obscured by overlying optically opaque anatomic or pathologic structures. UBM provides diagnostically significant information in conditions such as glaucoma, cysts and neoplasms, trauma and foreign bodies. UBM also can provide crucial biometric information regarding anterior segment structures, including the cornea and its constituent layers and the anterior and posterior chambers. Although UBM has now been in use for over 15 years, new technologies, including transducer arrays, pulse encoding and combination of ultrasound with light, offer the potential for significant advances in high‐resolution diagnostic imaging of the eye.
Radiographic surveillance of minimally and moderately complex renal cysts
Authors: Gabr Ahmed H. , Gdor Yehoshua , Roberts William W. , Wolf Jr J. Stuart 
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVETo assess the effectiveness of radiographic surveillance for managing minimally and moderately complex renal cysts.PATIENTS AND METHODSForty‐three patients with 50 minimally or moderately complex renal cysts underwent radiographic surveillance at our institution. Study inclusion criteria were surveillance for >2 years (36 patients, mean follow‐up 3.0 years) or surveillance for >6 months with subsequent surgical excision (seven patients, mean follow‐up 3.3 years).RESULTSThe complexity of the renal cysts was in the form of high attenuation before contrast‐enhanced imaging (‘hyperdense’) in 29 patients, thin septations in nine, borderline enhancement in six, thin calcifications in five, and a thick wall in one. The mean initial largest dimension was 2.9 cm and the mean final dimension was 3.0 cm, with the size increased in 29 cysts, decreased in 14 and with no change in seven. The cyst character worsened in seven patients, improved in four and did not change in 39. Eventually seven patients had surgery (laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in five and laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in two), which revealed renal cancer in five. Surgical intervention was prompted by growth alone in two patients, growth and worsening of cyst characteristics in two, new onset of flank pain in one, and appearance of an enhancing nodule in the wall or septa in two.CONCLUSIONRadiographic surveillance is an effective method for managing patients with minimally or moderately complex renal cysts. Malignant lesions can be identified and removed while still of low grade and contained, and surgery can be avoided in most patients.
Lymphovascular invasion predicts poor outcome of urothelial carcinoma of renal pelvis after nephroureterectomy
Authors: Chung Shiu‐Dong , Wang Shuo‐Meng , Lai Ming‐Kuen , Huang Chao‐Yuan , Liao Chun‐Hou , Huang Kuo‐How , Pu Yeong‐Shiau , Chueh Shih‐Chieh , Yu Hong‐Jeng 
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the significance of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) to predict cancer‐specific survival (CSS) in patients with renal pelvic urothelial carcinoma (UC).PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 76 patients with primary renal pelvic UC were treated by nephroureterectomy (NU). Inclusion criteria included nonmetastatic renal pelvic UC with no previous history of bladder cancer, concomitant ureteric lesion, or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Age, gender, adrenalectomized or not, pathological T stage, grade, and LVI were examined by univariate and multivariate analyses to determine which were independent risk factors.RESULTSIn all, 38 men and 38 women were included with a mean (range) age of 66 (41–93) years. The median (range) follow‐up was 48  (15–88) months. At follow‐up, eight cancer‐related deaths (10.5%) were censored, and 66 patients (85.9%) were alive and disease‐free. LVI was the only significant predictor of CSS in the univariate and multivariate analyses.CONCLUSIONSAdrenal metastases from primary renal pelvic UCs were rare. The present results suggest that ipsilateral adrenalectomy is not necessary during radical NU for treating patients with renal pelvic UCs. LVI appears to be a better prognostic factor for predicting poor outcome of renal pelvic UC than pT stage or tumour grade when using the current tumour‐nodes‐metastases staging system.
ON AN APPROXIMATE OPTIMALITY CRITERION FOR THE DESIGN OF FIELD EXPERIMENTS UNDER SPATIAL DEPENDENCE
Authors: Butler David G. , Eccleston John A. , Cullis Brian R. 
Published: December 2008

SummaryThe design of large‐scale field trials where the residuals are correlated has been of recent interest, in large part because of advances in statistical and computational methods of analysis. The construction of designs for correlated data has typically used A‐optimality and is computationally intensive. This involves calculating the inverse of the information matrix for treatments under the supervision of an optimization strategy that explores the design space. We propose an approximation to A‐optimality, using nearest‐neighbour balance, that is less computationally demanding and can achieve at least 95% efficiency relative to A‐optimality in many practical situations.
EXACT P‐VALUES FOR DISCRETE MODELS OBTAINED BY ESTIMATION AND MAXIMIZATION
Authors: Lloyd Chris J. 
Published: December 2008

SummaryIn constructing exact tests from discrete data, one must deal with the possible dependence of the P‐value on nuisance parameter(s) ψ as well as the discreteness of the sample space. A classical but heavy‐handed approach is to maximize over ψ. We prove what has previously been understood informally, namely that maximization produces the unique and smallest possible P‐value subject to the ordering induced by the underlying test statistic and test validity. On the other hand, allowing for the worst case will be more attractive when the P‐value is less dependent on ψ. We investigate the extent to which estimating ψ under the null reduces this dependence. An approach somewhere between full maximization and estimation is partial maximization, with appropriate penalty, as introduced by Berger & Boos (1994, P values maximized over a confidence set for the nuisance parameter. J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 89, 1012–1016). It is argued that estimation followed by maximization is an attractive, but computationally more demanding, alternative to partial maximization. We illustrate the ideas on a range of low‐dimensional but important examples for which the alternative methods can be investigated completely numerically.
A Statistical Model For Natural Gas Standardized Load Profiles
Authors: Brabec Marek , Konár Ondřej , Malý Marek , Pelikán Emil , Vondráček Jiří 
Published: December 2008

Summary
We present a statistical model for construction and application of standardized load profiles. Standardized load profile curves give a typical natural gas consumption pattern throughout a year in various time resolutions. Our semiparametric regression model uses three types of information, constant characteristics of an individual customer, individual historical consumption and time varying explanatory variables, both to describe typical trend and to correct for departure of current conditions from normal. The model’s multiplicative structure allows for convenient separation of individual-specific and common time varying parts. Although corrections are parametric, no substantial information about the typical consumption trend is available, so it is modelled non-parametrically. Corrections for temperature effects are non-linear; hence we deal with them through an obvious extension of the generalized additive model framework.
Social Representations Theory: A Progressive Research Programme for Social Psychology
Authors: BAUER MARTIN W. , GASKELL GEORGE 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTThe study “Psychoanalysis—its image and its public” intimates that common sense is increasingly informed by science. But common sense asserts its autonomy and, in turn, may affect the trajectory of science. This is a process that leads to many differentiations—in common sense, in scientific innovation and in political and regulatory structures. Bauer and Gaskell's toblerone model of triangles of mediation provided a distillation of their reading of “La Psychanalyse.” Here it was argued that representations are multi‐modal phenomena necessitating the use of multiple methodologies (comparative and longitudinal; qualitative and quantitative).In this paper we briefly summarise these arguments and elaborate ways in which social representation theory can be considered a progressive research programme. “Progressive” because as the theory has developed it has extended the range and depth of its conceptual basis; it provides a new synthesis for the social scientific understanding of the phenomena of common sense and of representation; it acts as an antidote to the reductionism of public opinion and, finally, it is a stimulus to depart from disciplinary silos. However, there remain unresolved issues: how to segment the relevant social milieus and how to close the feedback loop from common sense to science?
Constraints on the early metamorphic evolution of Broken Hill, Australia, from in situ U‐Pb dating and REE geochemistry of monazite
Authors: McFARLANE C. R. M. , FROST B. R. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe Broken Hill Pb‐Zn deposit, New South Wales Australia, is hosted in granulite facies gneisses of the Southern Curnamona Province (SCP) that have long been known to record a polydeformational and polymetamorphic history. The details of this potentially prolonged tectonothermal history have remained poorly understood because of a historical emphasis on conventional (i.e. grain mount) U‐Pb zircon geochronology to reveal details of the sedimentary, magmatic and metamorphic history of the rock that crops out in the vicinity of the city of Broken Hill. An alternative approach to unravelling the metamorphic history of the granulite facies gneisses in and around Broken Hill is to date accessory minerals, such as monazite, that participate in sub‐solidus metamorphic reactions. We have taken advantage of the high spatial resolution and high sensitivity afforded by SHRIMP monazite geochronology to reconstruct the early history of the metamorphic rocks at Broken Hill. In contrast to previous studies, in situ analysis of monazite grains preserved in their original textural context in polished thin sections is used. Guided by electron microprobe X‐ray maps, SHRIMP U‐Pb dates for three distinct monazite compositional domains record pulses of monazite growth at c. 1657 Ma, c.1630 Ma and c.1602 Ma. It is demonstrated that these ages correspond to monazite growth during lower amphibolite facies, upper amphibolite facies and granulite facies metamorphism, respectively. It is speculated that this progressive heating of the SCP crust may have been driven by inversion of the upper crust during the Olarian Orogeny that was pre‐heated by magmatic underplating at c.1657 Ma.
The New Pyrenees: Contemporary Conflicts around Patrimony, Resources and Urbanization
Authors: Vaccaro I. , Beltran O. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractIn the last twenty years the Pyrenean social landscape has experienced a significant change associated with shifts on the uses of its natural resources. Communities previously characterized by their high rates of depopulation are now in a process of relative demographic recovery. This change is associated to a shift from primary economic activities such as ranching, timber extraction or agriculture to an economic model based on leisure and services. In other words, the current Pyrenees are not dominated by agro‐ranching practices. Nowadays the range is increasingly occupied by economic and social initiatives devoted to foster tourism and to cover the needs of visitors. In Spain this change has connected areas of the periphery of the countryside with its urban markets. It has moved the area from a set of marginal and unprofitable economic activities to a highly profitable market based on seasonal tourism and territorial speculation. The economic and symbolic reconstruction of the mountains from pastures into ski runs, for instance, has revealed all their economic potential in this globalized era of ours. This paper is focused in the Pallars Sobirà, a Western district of the Catalan Pyrenees. It explores the consequences of this reconfiguration of the natural resources of an area. Nature becomes patrimony: it is either protected through conservation policies designed by the state, or exploited by local or external corporations. In any case, these recent changes are having significant impacts on settlement patterns, community identity, and public policies.
Choosing and Planning in a Climate of Insecurity: Balancing Professional Work and Family Life in Poland
Authors: Galbraith Marysia 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe article examines the strategies Poles use to reconcile their economic expectations, work and childcare opportunities, and family goals. Based on longitudinal research, it documents a shift in Poles' sense of self as they orient themselves toward personal values associated with neoliberal ideology—in particular choosing and planning among expanded material goods and life options. These changes in personal orientations are viewed against the backdrop of structural changes that have accompanied capitalist reforms and contribute to a climate of insecurity characterized by weakening social supports and the threat of unemployment. The article explains how conflicts between cultural values that prioritize family and the neoliberal values that have reshaped the workplace actually constrain choices and lead Polish citizens to make plans for the future and life choices that contribute to declining birthrates in Poland.
Beliefs about medications: measurement and relationship to adherence in patients with severe mental disorders
Authors: Jónsdóttir H. , Friis S. , Horne R. , Pettersen K. I. , Reikvam Å. , Andreassen O. A. 
Published: December 2008

Objective:  To determine if the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) has satisfactory psychometric properties in patients with severe mental disorders and if their scores differ from those of patients with severe medical disorders. To investigate if the scores are related to medication adherence.Method:  Two hundred and eighty psychiatric patients completed the BMQ and reported how much of their medication they had taken the past week. Serum concentrations of medications were analyzed. BMQ scores were compared with those of patients with chronic medical disorders.Results:  Cronbach’s alpha was satisfactory for all subscales. The psychiatric group scored lower on the necessity of taking medication than the medical group. Non‐adherent patients felt medication to be less necessary and were more concerned about it than adherent patients. The necessity subscale predicted adherence fairly well.Conclusion:  The BMQ has satisfactory psychometric properties for use in patients with severe mental disorders. The constructs measured by the BMQ are related to adherence in these patients.