bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An overview of a natural analogue study of the Tono Uranium Deposit, central Japan
Authors: Sasao Eiji , Ota Kunio , Iwatsuki Teruki , Niizato Tadafumi , Arthur Randolph C. , Stenhouse Michael J. , Zhou Wei , Metcalfe Richard , Takase Hiroyasu , Mackenzie Angus B. 
Published: February 2006

The basic concept of deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste is to isolate the waste from the human environment for the long term. Because the Japanese islands are located in a geologically active area, geological phenomena such as exhumation and fault activity must be considered by any safety assessment connected with deep geological disposal. The Tono Uranium Deposit, central Japan, has been affected by such geological phenomena during the interval since its formation, and so it is a suitable analogue for evaluating how this might be done.
The present natural analogue study of the Tono Uranium Deposit (Tono Natural Analogue Project) was started in 2001 with the main aim of studying a so-called ‘worst-case scenario’ for performance assessment (PA). The project involved characterizing the geology, hydrogeology, geochemistry and microbiology of the deposit and obtaining quantitative information about specific times in the past, as a means for developing, and building confidence in, conceptual and numerical models.
This project applied systems analysis, which has been widely undertaken in PAs of deep geological isolation. Systems analysis involves a systematic identification, classification and screening of features, events and process (FEPs) that occur or have occurred in and around the deposit. Based on the site data, important FEPs were identified.
Parallel Encoding of Focus and Interrogative Meaning in Mandarin Intonation
Authors: Liu F. , Xu Y. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractDespite much research, disagreements abound regarding the detailed charac-teristicsof question intonation in different languages or even in the same language.The present study investigates question intonation in Mandarin by also consideringthe role of focus that is frequently ignored in previous research. In experiment 1,native speakers of Mandarin produced statements, yes/no questions, particle ques-tions,wh-questions, rhetorical questions and confirmation questions with narrowfocus on the initial, medial or final word of the sentence, or on none of the words.Detailed F0 contour analyses showed that focus generated the same pitch rangemodification in questions as in statements, i.e., expanding the pitch range of thefocused word, suppressing (compressing and lowering) that of the post-focuswords, but leaving that of the pre-focus words largely unaffected. When the effects offocus (as well as other functions also potentially present) were controlled by sub-tractingstatement F0 contours from those of the corresponding yes/no questions,the resulting difference curves resembled exponential or even double-exponentialfunctions. Further F0 analyses also revealed an interaction between focus andinterrogative meaning in the form of a boost to the pitch raising by the question start-ingfrom the focused word. Finally, subtle differences in the amount of pitch raisingwere also observed among different types of questions, especially at the sentence-finalposition. Experiment 2 investigated whether listeners could detect both focusand question in the same utterance. Results showed that listeners could identifyboth in most cases, indicating that F0 variations related to the two functions could besimultaneously transmitted. Meanwhile, the lowest identification rates were foundfor neutral focus in questions and for statements with final focus. In both cases, theconfusions seemed to arise from the competing F0 adjustments by interrogativemeaning and focus at the sentence-final position. These findings are consistent withthe functional view of intonation, according to which components of intonation aredefined and organized by individual communicative functions that are independentof each other but are encoded in parallel.
Methodological Imperatives for Investigating the Phonetic Organization and Phonological Structures of Spontaneous Speech
Authors: Local J. , Walker G. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractWe describe and exemplify a methodology for providing an integratedaccount of the communicative function of parametric phonetic detail and its rela-tionshipwith interactional organization. We exemplify our analytic approach bydocumenting two different phonetic designs of stand-alone ‘so’ in a corpus ofrecorded American English telephone conversations. These two designs - whichencompass particular loudness, pitch and laryngeal characteristics - correlate withdifferent communicative functions and have different consequences for the inter-actional-sequential organization of the talk. We argue that if phonology is to betruly concerned with function and linguistic contrast, we need to induce thosefunctions and domains of contrast from a thoroughgoing phonetic and sequentialanalysis of talk-in-interaction.
Articulatory Planning Is Continuous and Sensitive to Informational Redundancy
Authors: Pluymaekers M. , Ernestus M. , Baayen R. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between word repetition, predictabil-ityfrom neighbouring words, and articulatory reduction in Dutch. For the sevenmost frequent words ending in the adjectival suffix -lijk, 40 occurrences were ran-domlyselected from a large database of face-to-face conversations. Analysis ofthe selected tokens showed that the degree of articulatory reduction (as measuredby duration and number of realized segments) was affected by repetition, pre-dictabilityfrom the previous word and predictability from the following word.Interestingly, not all of these effects were significant across morphemes and tar-getwords. Repetition effects were limited to suffixes, while effects of predictabil-ityfrom the previous word were restricted to the stems of two of the seven targetwords. Predictability from the following word affected the stems of all targetwords equally, but not all suffixes. The implications of these findings for models ofspeech production are discussed.
The Communicative Functions of Final Rises in Finnish Intonation
Authors: Ogden R. , Routarinne S. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
This paper considers the communicative function of final rises in Finnishconversational talk between pairs of teenage girls. Final rises are fairly common,occurring approximately twice a minute, predominantly on declaratives and in nar-rativesequences. We briefly consider the interplay between voice quality (known tobe a marker of transition relevance) and rising intonation in Finnish. We argue that innarrative sequences, rising terminals manage two main interactional tasks: they pro-videa place for a coparticipant to mark recipiency, and they project more talk by thecurrent speaker. Using a methodology which combines phonetic observation withconversation analysis, we demonstrate participants’ orientation to these functions.
Between Fall and Fall-Rise: Substance-Function Relations in German Phrase-Final Intonation Contours
Authors: Ambrazaitis G. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThis study investigates an intonation contour of German whose status has notbeen established yet: a globally falling contour with a slight rise at the very end ofthe phrase (FSR). The contour may be said to lie on a phonetic continuum betweenfalling (F) and falling-rising (FR) contours. It is hypothesized that F, FR and FSR dif-ferwith respect to their communicative functions: F is terminal, FR is non-terminal,and FSR is pseudo-terminal, respectively. The hypotheses were tested in two steps.First, measurements in a labelled corpus of spontaneous speech provided the nec-essarybackground information on the phonetics of the contours. In the secondstep, the general hypothesis was approached in a perceptual experiment using theparadigm of a semantic differential: 49 listeners judged 17 systematically gener-atedstimuli on nine semantic scales, such as ‘impolite/polite’. The hypotheses weregenerally confirmed. Both F and FSR were associated with a conclusive statement,while FR was more likely to be judged as marking a question. FSR differs from F inthat it does not express features such as categoricalness, dominance or impolite-ness.The results are interpreted as an instance of the frequency code: the additionof a slight rise means avoidance of extremely low F0 ; the functional consequence isa reduction of communicated dominance.
Consumer involvement in consent document development: a multicenter cluster randomized trial to assess study participants' understanding
Authors: Guarino Peter , Elbourne Diana , Carpenter James , Peduzzi Peter 
Published: February 2006

Background Despite widespread agreement on the importance of informed consent in clinical research, uncertainty remains about the adequacy of current consent procedures and documentation. Methods The objective of the study was to compare an informed consent document developed by a consumer group of potential study participants to one developed by the study investigators. The study was a cluster randomized, controlled study embedded in a ‘parent’ randomized controlled trial of 1092 participants with Gulf War veterans’ illnesses recruited in 1999–2000 at 20 US medical centers. Centers were randomized to the investigator-developed or participant-developed consent document. The primary outcome measure was an Informed Consent Questionnaire-4 (ICQ-4), a validated four-item scale measuring self-reported participant understanding scored from 0 to 1. Secondary outcomes included the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 and measures of study refusal and adherence to the parent trial protocol. Results There were no significant differences between consent documents on the ICQ-4 score overall or at any of the time points. Mean (95% CI) treatment differences ranged from 0.020 (0.015, 0.055) (better understanding) at entry to 0.021 (0.054, 0.012) (worse understanding) at three-months for the participant versus the investigator document group. There were also no significant differences in satisfaction, adherence to the protocol, or in the proportion of patients who refused to participate in the trial. Limitations The consumer group may not have been representative of the study participants and they did not suggest dramatic changes to the consent document. The outcome assessment questionnaire was not validated prior to the trial's initiation. Conclusions Consumer modification of the consent document did not lead to either benefit or harm in understanding, satisfaction, or study refusal and adherence rates. This study did demonstrate, however, that embedding consent studies in a clinical trial is feasible and can address important questions about informed consent without disrupting the primary study.
Estimation of the average causal effect among subgroups defined by post-treatment variables
Authors: Matsuyama Yutaka , Morita Satoshi 
Published: February 2006

Background In clinical trials, when comparing treatments in a subgroup of patients defined by an event that occurred after randomization is required, the standard estimator that adjusts for the post-treatment variable does not have a causal interpretation. Purpose To address this problem, we formulate clinically relevant causal estimands using the principal stratification framework developed by Frangakis and Rubin [3], and propose a new estimation method for the principal causal effect. Methods We consider the comparison of the duration of response among patients who responded to chemotherapy in a cancer clinical trial. Our goal is to estimate the local average treatment effect, that is, the treatment difference among patients who would have responded to either treatment. In order to identify this estimand, we make the assumption that the value of the counterfactual indicator of response is independent of both the actual response status and the outcome variable of interest conditional on the covariates. The proposed estimator is a weighted average of the standard estimators for responders where weights are the probability that the response would have occurred had the patient received the other treatment. Results The proposed method is applied to data from a randomized phase III clinical trial in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. The average difference for the duration of response among responders estimated by the proposed method and the standard one was 16.1 (days) and 9.5 (days), respectively. We also evaluate the performance of the proposed method through simulation studies, which showed that the proposed estimator was unbiased, while the standard one was largely biased. Conclusions We have developed an estimation method for the local average treatment effect. For any type of outcome variables, our estimator can be easily constructed and can be interpreted as the treatment effect among patients who would have had the event in either treatment group.
Nonmelanoma Skin and Mucosal Cancers After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Authors: Leisenring Wendy , Friedman Debra L. , Flowers Mary E.D. , Schwartz Jeffrey L. , Deeg H. Joachim 
Published: February 2006

Purpose To evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Patients and Methods The impact of patient-, disease-, treatment-, and toxicity-related factors on risk of BCC and SCC was determined in a retrospective cohort study of 4,810 patients who received allogeneic HCT and who survived for at least 100 days. Results Among allogeneic HCT recipients, 237 developed at least one skin or mucosal cancer (BCC, n = 158; SCC, n = 95). Twenty-year cumulative incidences of BCC and SCC were 6.5% and 3.4%, respectively. Total-body irradiation was a significant risk factor for BCC (P = .003), most strongly among patients younger than 18 years old at HCT (P = .02, interaction). Light-skinned patients had an increased risk of BCC (P = .01). Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) increased the risk of SCC (P = .02), whereas chronic GVHD increased the risk of both BCC (P = .01) and SCC (P < .001). Conclusion This analysis suggests that immutable factors, such as age and complexion, have a significant impact on BCC and SCC. However, specific treatment (radiotherapy) and transplantation complications (GVHD) may modify that risk. These additional risk factors suggest the contribution of immunologic mechanism DNA and tissue repair in the development of BCC and SCC. We confirm previous reports that exposure to ionizing radiation increases the risk of BCC but not SCC. Survivors of HCT should be monitored for the development of BCC and SCC and use preventive strategies.
Prospective Study of Wide Excision Alone for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ of the Breast
Authors: Wong Julia S. , Kaelin Carolyn M. , Troyan Susan L. , Gadd Michele A. , Gelman Rebecca , Lester Susan C. , Schnitt Stuart J. , Sgroi Dennis C. , Silver Barbara J. , Harris Jay R. , Smith Barbara L. 
Published: February 2006

Purpose It has been hypothesized that wide excision alone with margins ≥ 1 cm may be adequate treatment for small, grade 1 or 2 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). To test this hypothesis, we conducted a prospective, single-arm trial. Methods Entry criteria included DCIS of predominant grade 1 or 2 with a mammographic extent of ≤ 2.5 cm treated with wide excision with final margins of ≥ 1 cm or a re-excision without residual DCIS. Tamoxifen was not permitted. The accrual goal was 200 patients. Results In July 2002, the study closed to accrual at 158 patients because the number of local recurrences met the predetermined stopping rules. The median age was 51 and the median follow-up time was 40 months. Thirteen patients developed local recurrence as the first site of treatment failure 7 to 63 months after study entry. The rate of ipsilateral local recurrence as first site of treatment failure was 2.4% per patient-year, corresponding to a 5-year rate of 12%. Nine patients (69%) experienced recurrence of DCIS and four (31%) experienced recurrence with invasive disease. Twelve recurrences were detected mammographically and one was palpable. Ten were in the same quadrant as the initial DCIS and three were elsewhere within the ipsilateral breast. No patient had positive axillary nodes at recurrence or subsequent metastatic disease. Conclusion Despite margins of ≥ 1 cm, the local recurrence rate is substantial when patients with small, grade 1 or 2 DCIS are treated with wide excision alone. This risk should be considered in assessing the possible use of radiation therapy with or without tamoxifen in these patients.
Long-Term Corticosteroid Replacement and Bone Mineral Density in Adult Women with Classical Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Authors: King Jeremy A. , Wisniewski Amy B. , Bankowski Brandon J. , Carson Kathryn A. , Zacur Howard A. , Migeon Claude J. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Context: Concern has been raised regarding the potential impact of chronic glucocorticoid therapy on the bone mineral density (BMD) of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).
Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to assess the impact of chronic glucocorticoid replacement in adult women with classical CAH.
Patients and Design: We used dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to evaluate lumbar spine and whole body BMD in 11 women with salt-losing (SL) CAH and 15 with the simple virilizing form. Physical characteristics and serum hormone concentrations were also measured. Results were compared with those of unaffected sisters of CAH patients (n = 9).
Main Outcome Measure: BMD was the main outcome measure.
Results: Osteopenia was noted in 45% of SL CAH patients, 13% of patients with the simple virilizing form, and 11% of controls. Lumbar spine and whole body BMDs of CAH subjects were lower than those of controls (P &lt; 0.05). Compared with CAH subjects with normal BMD, those with osteopenia had reduced serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and dehydroepiandrosterone. Adrenal androgen levels were particularly suppressed among postmenopausal women receiving glucocorticoid replacement.
Conclusions: Adult women with classical CAH treated with long-term glucocorticoids are at risk for decreased BMD, especially those with the SL form. Oversuppression of adrenal androgens is associated with increased risk for bone loss in this population.
Low Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin, Total Testosterone, and Symptomatic Androgen Deficiency Are Associated with Development of the Metabolic Syndrome in Nonobese Men
Authors: Kupelian Varant , Page Stephanie T. , Araujo Andre B. , Travison Thomas G. , Bremner William J. , McKinlay John B. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by central obesity, lipid and insulin dysregulation, and hypertension, is a precursor state for cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this analysis was to determine whether low serum sex hormone levels or clinical androgen deficiency (AD) predict the development of MetS.
Methods: Data were obtained from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, a population-based prospective cohort of 1709 men observed at three time points (T1, 1987–1989; T2, 1995–1997; T3, 2002–2004). MetS was defined using a modification of the ATP III guidelines. Clinical AD was defined using a combination of testosterone levels and clinical signs and symptoms. The association between MetS and sex hormone levels or clinical AD was assessed using relative risks (RR), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using Poisson regression models.
Results: Analysis was conducted in 950 men without MetS at T1. Lower levels of total testosterone and SHBG were predictive of MetS, particularly among men with a body mass index (BMI) below 25 kg/m2 with adjusted RRs for a decrease in 1 sd of 1.41 (95% CI, 1.06–1.87) and 1.65 (95% CI, 1.12–2.42). Results were similar for the AD and MetS association, with RRs of 2.51 (95% CI, 1.12–5.65) among men with a BMI less than 25 compared with an RR of 1.22 (95% CI, 0.66–2.24) in men with a BMI of 25 or greater.
Conclusions: Low serum SHBG, low total testosterone, and clinical AD are associated with increased risk of developing MetS over time, particularly in nonoverweight, middle-aged men (BMI, &lt;25). Together, these results suggest that low SHBG and/or AD may provide early warning signs for cardiovascular risk and an opportunity for early intervention in nonobese men.
Aromatase Inhibitors for Ovulation Induction
Authors: Casper Robert F. , Mitwally Mohamed F. M. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Context: For the last 40 yr, the first line of treatment for anovulation in infertile women has been clomiphene citrate (CC). CC is a safe, effective oral agent but is known to have relatively common antiestrogenic endometrial and cervical mucous side effects that could prevent pregnancy in the face of successful ovulation. In addition, there is a significant risk of multiple pregnancy with CC, compared with natural cycles. Because of these problems, we proposed the concept of aromatase inhibition as a new method of ovulation induction that could avoid many of the adverse effects of CC. The objective of this review was to describe the different physiological mechanisms of action for CC and aromatase inhibitors (AIs) and compare studies of efficacy for both agents for ovulation induction.
Evidence Acquisition: We conducted a systematic review of all the published studies, both controlled and noncontrolled, comparing CC and AI treatment, either alone or in combination with gonadotropins, for ovulation induction or augmentation, identified through the Entrez-PubMed search engine.
Evidence Synthesis: Because of the recent acceptance of the concept of using AIs for ovulation induction, few controlled studies were identified, and the rest of the studies were pilot or preliminary comparisons. Based on these studies, it appears that AIs are as effective as CC in inducing ovulation, are devoid of any antiestrogenic side effects, result in lower serum estrogen concentrations, and are associated with good pregnancy rates with a lower incidence of multiple pregnancy than CC. When combined with gonadotropins for assisted reproductive technologies, AIs reduce the dose of FSH required for optimal follicle recruitment and improve the response to FSH in poor responders.
Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that AIs may replace CC in the future because of similar efficacy with a reduced side effect profile. Although worldwide experience with AIs for ovulation induction is increasing, at present, definitive studies in the form of randomized controlled trials comparing CC with AIs are lacking.