bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Left Ventricular Function by Pressure‐Volume Loop Analysis before and after Percutaneous Repair of Large Atrial Septal Defects
Authors: LIM D. S. , GUTGESELL HOWARD P. , ROCCHINI ALBERT P. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAimThe intent of the present study was to evaluate changes in ventricular function with percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect (ASD), as it is associated with alterations in ventricular loading and function. Transcatheter occlusion of ASD imparts acute changes in volume loading of the left ventricle (LV) that obscures measurement of ventricular function by load‐dependent indices. To differentiate between changes in ventricular loading and function, load‐independent indices of ventricular function must be utilized.MethodsDuring transcatheter occlusion of ASD, subjects underwent measurement of LV pressure and volume by the conductance catheter method. Load‐dependent indices of ventricular function included: systolic and diastolic pressures, +dP/dtmax, and −dP/dtmax. Load‐independent indices included: elastance and tau, the preload‐independent time constant ofisovolumic relaxation. To obtain elastance, afterload was augmented by phenylephrine bolus pre‐ and post‐device occlusion.ResultsIn total, 29 patients (age 2–79 years) underwent ASD device occlusion (device size 12–38 mm, median 28 mm). Load‐dependent indices were obtained in all, and satisfactory pressure‐volume loops in 11. At baseline, LV end‐diastolic pressure was 5–23 mmHg (13 ± 5 mmHg) and tau was 31 ± 6 ms. Postclosure of the ASD, LV systolic and diastolic pressures rose by 10 ± 11 mmHg and 5 ± 3 mmHg, respectively (P < 0.05), and +dP/dtmax rose from 1,288 ± 313 mmHg/sec to 1,415 ± 465 mmHg/sec (P < 0.05), but −dP/dtmax was unchanged. Elastance significantly improved (9.4 ± 8.3 mmHg/mL vs. 13.0 ± 7.3 mmHg/mL, P < 0.05) and tau was unchanged.ConclusionsTranscatheter occlusion of ASD is associated with acute improvement in load‐independent indices of systolic function in this cohort, without significant worsening of the preload‐independent index of diastolic function. (J Interven Cardiol 2014;27:204–211)
Invasion biology and host specificity of the grapevine yellows disease vector Hyalesthes obsoletus in Europe
Authors: Johannesen Jes , Lux Benjamin , Michel Kristina , Seitz Alfred , Maixner Michael 
Published: January 2008

AbstractWithin the past 10 years, the yellows disease ‘bois noir’ (BN) has become one of the commercially most important diseases of grapevine [Vitis vinifera L. (Vitaceae)] in Europe. Infection pressure is caused by phytoplasmas of the stolbur 16SrXII‐A group that are transmitted by a planthopper vector, Hyalesthes obsoletus Signoret (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha). Infestation happens as an accidental side‐effect of the feeding behaviour of the vector, as vector and pathogen proliferation is dependent on other plants. In Germany, the increase of BN is correlated with the use of a new host plant by the vector, increase in abundance of the vector on the new host plant, and dissemination of host plant‐specific pathogen strains. In this article, we investigate geographic and host‐associated range expansion of the vector. We test whether host‐plant utilization in Germany, hence the increase in BN, is related to genetic host races of the vector and, if so, whether these have evolved locally or have immigrated from southern populations that traditionally use the new host plant. The genetic population analysis demonstrates a recent expansion and circum‐alpine invasion of H. obsoletus into German and northern French wine‐growing regions, which coincides with the emergence of BN. No H. obsoletus mitochondrial DNA haplotype host‐plant affiliation was found, implying that the ability to use alternative host plants is genetically intrinsic to H. obsoletus. However, subtle yet significant random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) genetic differentiation was found among host plant populations. When combined, these results suggest that a geographic range expansion of H. obsoletus only partly explains the increase of BN, and that interactions with host plants also occur. Further possible beneficial factors to H. obsoletus, such as temperature increase and phytoplasma interactions, are discussed.
A Conceptual Framework for Modeling Automated Negotiations in Multiagent Systems
Authors: Ayatollahzadeh Shirazi Mohammad Reza , Barfouroush Ahmad Abdollahzadeh 
Published: January 2008

In fully automated e‐negotiation all involved parties are software agents, so negotiation takes place in a multiagent system between software agents that have been developed as a computer system for automating tasks in a specific application domain. A multiagent system is a group of agents that interact and cooperate with each other to fulfill their objectives or to improve their performance. How do these agents negotiate with each other to manage their task interdependencies? What negotiation mechanisms are needed? These are important questions.In this article, we present a conceptual framework for modeling and developing automated negotiation systems. This framework represents and specifies all the necessary concepts and entities for developing a negotiation system as well as the relationships among these concepts. This framework can also be used to model human negotiations scenarios for analyzing these types of negotiations and simulating them with multiagent systems. The work reported in this article is the first unified framework that represents all the needed elements for modeling and developing automated negotiation systems and existing relationships between them.
New Technology Meets an Old Teaching Challenge: Using Digital Video Recordings, Annotation Software, and Deliberate Practice Techniques to Improve Student Negotiation Skills
Authors: Williams Gerald R. , Farmer Larry C. , Manwaring Melissa 
Published: January 2008

There is a world of difference between teaching negotiation theory, which pertains to conceptual understanding, and teaching negotiation skills, which pertain to actual behavior in real‐world situations. The principle of reflective practice is widely used for theoretical instruction. Deliberate practice, however, is a more powerful model for skills training. Cognitive scientists have discovered that subjects will learn skills best when they perform well‐defined tasks at appropriate levels of difficulty, and when they are given immediate feedback, an opportunity to correct their errors, and an opportunity to practice until the tasks become routine.To satisfy the deliberate practice conditions for large graduate‐level negotiation courses (some as large as seventy students), students were assigned to use webcams with their laptop computers to video record their negotiation exercises. Before each exercise, students were assigned to prepare for and to concentrate on performing two or three well‐defined tasks. Students reviewed these recordings and commented on their performances in a journal before uploading the videos and journals to an assigned network folder. The instructor and teaching assistants then reviewed the journals and specified portions of the videos and provided individual written feedback to the students.The instructors found that student negotiating skills have improved significantly using this new system. In comparison with earlier semesters, students also felt they were involved in a more intense and personal learning experience. A majority of students reported they intend to apply the principles of deliberate practice in their professional lives after graduation. The authors have found this method continues to challenge their ability to identify and describe the skills used by expert negotiators.As an addition to this new methodology, two of the authors have spearheaded the development of video annotation software, known as “MediaNotes,” to help students and instructors review, comment upon, and learn from video recordings of negotiations. Based on their experiences using the software to support deliberate practice, the authors expect this tool to initiate a significant advance in our ability to recognize and describe expert negotiation behavior and in students’ ability to improve their negotiating skills.
Reduced subjective quality of life in persons at risk for psychosis
Authors: Ruhrmann S. , Paruch J. , Bechdolf A. , Pukrop R. , Wagner M. , Berning J. , Schultze‐Lutter F. , Janssen B. , Gaebel W. , Möller H.‐J. , Maier W. , Klosterkötter J. 
Published: January 2008

Objective:  Subjective quality of life (sQoL) and potentially contributing factors were investigated in individuals putatively in an early (EIPS) or late initial prodromal state (LIPS) and healthy controls (HC).Method:  Participants comprised 58 EIPS individuals, 157 LIPS individuals and 87 HC individuals. sQoL was assessed together with locus of control (LoC), coping, demography and psychopathology.Results:  Putatively prodromal groups exhibited markedly lower sQoL than HC (all domains P < 0.00001). EIPS and LIPS individuals did not differ significantly. Depression was the most consistent explaining variable of sQoL in EIPS and LIPS individuals. In EIPS individuals, LoC emerged as an additional predictor.Conclusion:  Individuals at risk for psychosis experienced a marked impairment of sQoL across all domains. This was evident even in the early state, showed no significant further deterioration during the late state and was predominantly explained by non‐specific symptoms.
Maturational tempo differences in relation to the timing of the onset of puberty in girls
Authors: Pantsiotou S , Papadimitriou A , Douros K , Priftis K , Nicolaidou P , Fretzayas A 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAim: To determine maturational tempo differences related to the timing of pubertal onset in girls.Methods: We studied longitudinally 307 prepubertal Greek schoolgirls. Age at onset of puberty (B2), peak height velocity (PHV) and age at menarche were recorded. Age at onset of puberty quartiles were determined in order to define girls as early maturers (<9.2 years) and late maturers (>10.6 years). Due to dropout from the study, results for menarche are reported for 182 girls.Results: Median (1st–3rd quartile) time span from B2 to PHV was longer for early maturers than for average and late maturers, 1.6 (1.0–2.2) years, 1.1 (0.7–1.7) years and 0.9 (0.3–1.1) years, respectively, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in PHV, in the time interval from PHV to menarche and in adult height (for 75 girls) with respect to whether girls matured early, average or late.Conclusion: A compensatory delay in the maturational tempo in early‐maturing girls and a catch‐up mechanism in late‐maturing girls was shown. The maturational differences manifest as differences in the time span from the onset of puberty to PHV. Early pubertal maturation in girls does not compromise adult height and is not always followed by early menarche.
Adverse reactions to milk in infants
Authors: Kvenshagen Bente , Halvorsen Ragnhild , Jacobsen Morten 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAim: To study the age when symptoms of adverse reactions to milk occur, in premature and term children, the debut of various symptoms, immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐ and non‐IgE‐mediated reactions and the frequency of tolerance at 1 year.Methods: Six hundred and eight children, 193 premature and 416 term infants, were followed. Symptomatic children were invited to a clinical examination. The criteria for the diagnosis were: histories of suspected cow's milk allergy (CMA) and proven IgE‐mediated reactions to cow's milk or positive elimination/challenge tests.Results: Twenty‐seven out of 555 (4.9%) were diagnosed with adverse reactions to cow's milk. All had symptoms before 6 months of age. The main symptoms were: pain behaviour (13), gastrointestinal symptoms (7), respiratory symptoms, (6) and atopic dermatitis (1). One child had proven IgE to cow's milk. Premature and term infants displayed the same symptoms and age of debut. Thirteen children were tolerant to cow's milk at 1 year.Conclusion: Adverse reactions to milk start early in life, with pain behaviour, gastrointestinal, and respiratory symptoms being the most common, and rarely atopic dermatitis. Non‐IgE‐mediated reactions were the most frequent. Symptoms and age of debut were the same in premature and term infants. Half of the children tolerated cow's milk at age 1.
Follow‐up after paediatric intensive care treatment: parental posttraumatic stress
Authors: Bronner Madelon B , Knoester Hennie , Bos Albert P , Last Bob F , Grootenhuis Martha A 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAim: To study the prevalence of posttraumatic stress in parents after an acute admission to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and to determine risk factors for the development of posttraumatic stress.Methods: Parents completed posttraumatic stress questionnaires three months after their child's discharge. This questionnaire measures both symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and enables determination of the full psychiatric diagnosis of PTSD. Medical and demographic data concerning their child were gathered from physical evaluations three months after discharge. Of 250 eligible families, 144 (57.6%) participated in this study. The questionnaires were completed by 140 mothers and 107 fathers.Results: More than three‐quarters of the parents experienced persistent symptoms of PTSD. In 21 mothers (15.0%) and 10 fathers (9.3%), the full psychiatric diagnosis of PTSD was determined. In six families, both parents had PTSD. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found between symptoms of PTSD of the mothers and the fathers. No obvious medical risk factors could be distinguished.Conclusion: The unexpected admission of a child to a PICU is a stressful event associated with parental posttraumatic stress. Treatment should not end after discharge. Follow‐up care is warranted and research should be focused on prevention of these symptoms.
Noradrenaline for management of septic shock refractory to fluid loading and dopamine or dobutamine in full‐term newborn infants
Authors: Tourneux Pierre , Rakza Thameur , Abazine Abdel , Krim Gérard , Storme Laurent 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAim: To determine the effects of noradrenaline in full‐term newborns with refractory septic shock.Methods: Newborns of >35 weeks' gestation with persistent septic shock, despite adequate fluid resuscitation and high dose of dopamine/dobutamine were eligible. In this prospective observational study, we recorded respiratory and hemodynamic parameters prior to and 3 h after starting noradrenaline infusion.Results: Twenty‐two newborns were included (gestational age [GA] 39 ± 1.7 weeks, birth weight (BW) 3110 ± 780 g). Before starting noradrenaline, the infants received a mean volume expansion of 31 ± 15 mL/kg and a mean infusion rate of dopamine of 14 ± 5 μg/kg/min or dobutamine of 12 ± 6 μg/kg/min. Three hours after starting noradrenaline (rate 0.5 ± 0.4 μg/kg/min), the mean arterial blood pressure rose from 36 ± 5 to 51 ± 7 mmHg (p < 0.001). Urine output increased from 1 ± 0.5 to 1.7 ± 0.4 mL/kg/h (p < 0.05). Blood lactate concentration decreased from 4.8 ± 2.3 to 3.3 ± 1.8 mmol/L (p < 0.01). Despite an initial correction of hypotension, four infants died later.Conclusion: Noradrenaline was effective in increasing systemic blood pressure. An increase in urine output and a decrease in blood lactate concentration suggest that noradrenaline may have improved cardiac function and tissue perfusion.
Persistent neonatal mortality despite improved under‐five survival: a retrospective cohort study in northern Vietnam
Authors: Hoa Dinh P , Nga Nguyen T , Målqvist Mats , Persson Lars Åke 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAim: To examine trends in neonatal, infant and under‐five mortality rates in a northern Vietnamese district during 1970–2000, and to analyze socioeconomic differences in child survival over time.Methods: Retrospective interviews with all women aged 15–54 years in Bavi district in Northern Vietnam (n = 14 329) were conducted. Of these women, 13 943 had been pregnant, giving birth to 26 796 children during 1970–2000.Results: There was a dramatic reduction in infant and under‐five mortality rate (47%) over time. However, the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) showed a very small reduction, thus causing its proportion of the total child mortality to increase. Mortality trends followed the political and socioeconomic development of Vietnam over war, peace and periods of reforms. There were no differences in under‐five and neonatal mortalities associated with family economy, while differentials related to mothers' education and ethnicity were increasing.Conclusion: Interventions to reduce child mortality should be focused on improving neonatal care. In settings with a rapid economic growth and consequent social change, like in Vietnam, it is important that such interventions are targeted at vulnerable groups, in this case, families with low level of education and belonging to ethnic minorities.
Neurobehavioural assessment of skin‐to‐skin effects on reaction to pain in preterm infants: a randomized, controlled within‐subject trial
Authors: Ferber Sari Goldstein , Makhoul Imad R 
Published: January 2008

AbstractObjective: To assess the immediate and sustained effects of Kangaroo Care on reaction to pain of premature infants.Patients and methods: A controlled, within‐subject randomized study, performed in a large neonatal intensive care unit. Thirty premature infants were observed with blood test stick (BT) or without the blood test stick (W) procedure, either during Kangaroo care (K) or during standard within‐crib care (C). Each of the four conditions (BTK, WK, BTC, WC) was observed in four separate sessions: baseline session – 10 min; intervention (BT or W) – 2 min; posttest – 10 min and follow‐up – 20 min, in crib (starting 1 h after treatment). For neurobehavioural assessment, the naturalistic observation method was adopted from the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP).Results: During the BTK session (blood test stick with K‐care), we observed a decrease in motor disorganization and extension movements and an increase in attention signs, both negative and positive. Significant neurobehavioural changes were sustained in the follow‐up period after K‐care in comparison to the within‐crib‐care intervention sessions.Conclusions: K‐care, as compared to within‐crib condition, led to a decrease in stressful neurobehavioural signs after BT procedures in premature infants. Painful procedures such as the BT procedure in premature infants should be performed while the infants are being held in K‐care position.
Analysis of an Unconfined Aquifer Subject to Asynchronous Dual‐Tide Propagation
Authors: Rotzoll Kolja , El‐Kadi Aly I. , Gingerich Stephen B. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractMost published solutions for aquifer responses to ocean tides focus on the one‐sided attenuation of the signal as it propagates inland. However, island aquifers experience periodic forcing from the entire coast, which can lead to integrated effects of different tidal signals, especially on narrow high‐permeability islands. In general, studies disregard a potential time lag as the tidal wave sweeps around the island. We present a one‐dimensional analytical solution to the ground water flow equation subject to asynchronous and asymmetric oscillating head conditions on opposite boundaries and test it on data from an unconfined volcanic aquifer in Maui. The solution considers sediment‐damping effects at the coastline. The response of Maui Aquifers indicate that water table elevations near the center of the aquifer are influenced by a combination of tides from opposite coasts. A better match between the observed ground water head and the theoretical response can be obtained with the proposed dual‐tide solution than with single‐sided solutions. Hydraulic diffusivity was estimated to be 2.3 × 107 m2/d. This translates into a hydraulic conductivity of 500 m/d, assuming a specific yield of 0.04 and an aquifer thickness of 1.8 km. A numerical experiment confirmed the hydraulic diffusivity value and showed that the y‐intercepts of the modal attenuation and phase differences estimated by regression can approximate damping factors caused by low‐permeability units at the boundary.
Comparison of the prevalence of enteric viruses in healthy dogs and those with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea by electron microscopy
Authors: Schulz B. S. , Strauch C. , Mueller R. S. , Eichhorn W. , Hartmann K. 
Published: January 2008

Objectives:  To evaluate prevalence of enteric viruses in healthy dogs and to compare it with prevalences in dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea. Methods:  Faecal samples were collected from 200 healthy dogs and examined by electron microscopy for presence of viral particles. Data were compared with viral prevalences that had been determined retrospectively by electron microscopy for 936 dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea. Results:  There were significantly more negative faecal samples among the healthy dogs (82·0 per cent) compared with 55·8 per cent in dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea (P<0·001). With a prevalence of 17·5 per cent, significantly more healthy dogs were shedding coronavirus compared with 11·6 per cent in dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea (P=0·034). Parvovirus was only detected in one healthy dog (0·5 per cent), thus with a prevalence that was significantly lower than 16·0 per cent detected in the dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea (P<0·001). Paramyxovirus was not found in any of the healthy dogs but was found in 9·3 per cent of dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea (P<0·001). Clinical Significance:  Results suggest that shedding of parvovirus and paramyxovirus is strongly associated with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea. However, coronavirus seems to be even more prevalent among healthy dogs, raising the need for further studies to investigate the strain‐associated pathogenicity of this virus.
Clinical photography and patient rights: the need for orthopraxy
Authors: Berle I 
Published: January 2008

The increasing use of digital image recording devices, whether they are digital cameras or mobile phone cameras, has democratised clinical photography in the UK. However, when non-professional clinical photographers take photographs of patients the issues of consent and confidentiality are either ignored or given scant attention.Whatever the status of the clinician, the taking of clinical photographs must be practised within the context of a professional etiquette. Best practice recognises the need for informed consent and the constraints associated with confidentiality. Against the background of the poverty of the current discourse of these issues, as presented during the Valentine GMC Fitness to Practice1 hearing, the paper considers the need for orthopraxy in the use of clinical photography.
Medical education and patients’ responsibilities: back to the future?
Authors: Draper H , Ives J , Parle J , Ross N 
Published: January 2008

Medical student learning is dependent on an unwritten agreement between patients and the medical profession, in which students “practise” upon real patients in order that, when they are doctors, those same patients will benefit from the doctors’ skills. Given the increasing propensity for patients to refuse to take part in such learning, there is a danger that doctors will qualify without being truly competent. As patients, we must all ask ourselves, when asked to take part in medical teaching: if this student/trainee doesn’t learn now, on me and under supervision, how will the person be truly competent next time, when this is for real, and the patient might be me or my loved one?We argue that a new and more explicit agreement is needed, in which the default should be thatallpatients are willing to help in the education of medical students, while we ensure that all such students are already competent in simulation before first practising upon real patients.