bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Do hospital mergers increase hospital efficiency? Evidence from a National Health Service country
Authors: Kjekshus Lars , Hagen Terje 
Published: October 2007

Objectives: To analyse the effects on technical and cost efficiency of seven hospital mergers over the period 1992–2000 in Norway. The mergers involved 17 hospitals. Methods: First, efficiency scores were generated using Data Envelopment Analysis for 53 merged and non-merged hospitals over the nine years. Second, the effect of mergers was estimated through panel data analysis. Results: In general, the mergers showed no significant effect on technical efficiency and a significant negative effect of 2–2.8% on cost efficiency. However, positive effects on both cost and technical efficiency were found in one merger where more hospitals were involved, and where administration and acute services were centralized. Conclusion: The findings indicate that large mergers involving radical restructuring of the treatment process may improve efficiency as intended, but most mergers do not.
Patients' attitudes to co-payments for general practitioner services: do they reflect the prevailing system?
Authors: O'Reilly Dermot , O'Neill Ciaran , O'Dowd Tom , Galway Karen , Gilliland Andrew , Kelly Alan , Murphy Andrew , Shryane Ethna , Steele Keith , Bury Gerry 
Published: October 2007

Objectives: Most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries have introduced cost-sharing. This study compares the views of patients who are used to a service that is free at the point of delivery with those who are used to a system where 70% of patients pay for consultations. Methods: Secondary analysis of survey data from a random sample of 11,870 patients in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Results: A 52% response rate was achieved, though respondents were representative of the two populations. Attitudes generally reflected the national status quo with little support for co-payments where there was currently no charging, but broad support where charging was established. Charging for missed appointments would be supported where there were delays in getting an appointment. Conclusions: More research is needed to understand what underlies support for, or opposition to, charges. However, it is apparent that patients' opinions need to be considered when formulating health care policy.
Is longer waiting time associated with health and social services utilization before treatment? A randomized study
Authors: Hirvonen Johanna , Blom Marja , Tuominen Ulla , Seitsalo Seppo , Lehto Matti , Paavolainen Pekka , Hietaniemi Kalevi , Rissanen Pekka , Sintonen Harri 
Published: October 2007

Objective: To determine whether longer waiting time for major joint replacement is associated with health and social services utilization before treatment. Methods: When placed on the waiting list, patients were randomized to short (≤3 months) or a non-fixed waiting time. Utilization measures were the use of home health care, rehabilitation and social services before treatment. Results: A total of 833 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee joint were recruited into the study. Six hundred and twenty-two patients were included in the analysis. The majority of patients were not using any services before hospital admission for joint replacement surgery. The most commonly used service was unpaid home help provided by relatives, neighbours, friends and volunteers (informal care). In both groups, private support services were utilized more often than public ones. Patients with a short waiting time were more likely than those with a non-fixed waiting time to use rehabilitation (13.5% versus 8.2%, P = 0.032) and visiting care services (7.5% versus 3.9%, P = 0.054). Conclusions: Only a few patients used professional care. They were more likely to require informal care during the waiting time. A longer waiting time did not result in a higher utilization rate before admission for treatment.
Care management in mental health services in England and Northern Ireland: do integrated organizations promote integrated practice?
Authors: Reilly Siobhan , Challis David , Donnelly Michael , Hughes Jane , Stewart Karen 
Published: October 2007

Objective: To explore whether integrated structures are associated with more integrated and differentiated forms of care management in mental health services. Method: Cross-sectional postal survey of care management arrangements in local authority social services departments in England ( n = 101) and health and social services Trusts in Northern Ireland (NI) ( n = 11). Results: Some, but not all, indicators showed more evidence of integrated practice in NI mental health and social services. This included: greater involvement of health care staff in care management; greater multidisciplinary working and a more integrated approach to assessment and care planning processes; a more differentiated approach to care management, including greater targeting of care management resources; a closer link between care management and specialist provision; and overall more integrated practice. Conclusions: This study concurs with previous research showing that structurally integrated health and social services in NI are more conducive towards, although insufficient to secure, integrated working. As the nature, type of services and ways of working appear to be broadly similar in England and NI, this may imply that greater structural integration per se may not lead to better service outcomes.
Review essay: The tenacity of enchanted things
Authors: COLLOREDO‐MANSFELD RUDI 
Published: October 2007

The Secret of the Totem: Religion and Society from McLennan to Freud. Robert Alun Jones. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. 347 pp., notes, bibliography, index.Things. Bill Brown, ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. 471 pp., illustrations, notes, index.Making Things Public: Atmospheres of Democracy. Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel, eds. Cambridge, MA:: MIT Press and ZKM: Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, 2005. 1,072 pp., illustrations, appendix.
Review essay: Anthropology and the materiality of architecture
Authors: VELLINGA MARCEL 
Published: October 2007

The House in Southeast Asia: A Changing Social, Economic and Political Domain. Stephen Sparkes and Signe Howell, eds. Hardcover, London: Routledge Curzon, 2003. xiv + 271 pp., notes, bibliography, index.The Material Culture Reader. Victor Buchli, ed. Oxford: Berg, 2002. xi + 274 pp., notes, bibliography, index.Materiality. Daniel Miller, ed. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005. 294 pp., notes, bibliography, index.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Xanthochromia in Newborns Is Related to Maternal Labor Before Delivery
Authors: Nigrovic Lise E. , Trivedi Michelle , Edlow Jonathan A. , Neuman Mark I. 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to investigate whether xanthochromia in newborns is related to maternal labor before delivery.
METHODS. We reviewed the medical charts of all of the infants ≤30 days of age who had a lumbar puncture performed in a single pediatric emergency department between 2003 and 2005. Xanthochromia was detected by the hospital laboratory using the qualitative visual inspection method. We used logistic regression to determine the relationship between maternal labor before birth and the presence of cerebrospinal fluid xanthochromia, adjusting for factors known to be associated with xanthochromia.
RESULTS. Of the 478 newborns who had a lumbar puncture performed during the study period, 134 (28%) had xanthochromia. Of the 449 infants with delivery method recorded in the medical chart, 332 (74%) were born via vaginal delivery, 24 (5%) via cesarean section after maternal labor, and 93 (21%) via cesarean section without maternal labor. After excluding patients with hyperbilirubinemia (total bilirubin ≥15 mg/dL) and adjusting for factors known to be associated with xanthochromia (cerebrospinal fluid red blood cells ≥20000 cells per mL and cerebrospinal fluid protein ≥150 mg/dL), infants born after maternal labor had a higher rate of cerebrospinal fluid xanthochromia than infants born without any labor.
CONCLUSIONS. Xanthochromia is a common finding in the cerebrospinal fluid of newborns and is associated with maternal labor preceding delivery.
The pragmatic use of gender in Latina women's legal narratives of abuse
Authors: Trinch Shonna 
Published: October 2007

This paper examines the way in which gender is constructed in narratives of abuse by U.S. Latina women and legal professionals within the U.S. legal context of the protective order application interview. Though traditional gender roles can be oppressive for men and women, the analysis undertaken here illustrates how Latina women pragmatically and linguistically utilize their language resources to perform some roles of traditional womanhood in order to free themselves from abusive relationships. Through their strategic use of referential and non-referential linguistic devices, these Latinas speak up about the violence in their lives. They also manage to speak against the strict victim-identity the U.S. legal system tries to impose on them by performing as good mothers, good wives and good citizens.
Electrocatalysis on Surfaces Modified by Metal Monolayers Deposited at Underpotentials
Authors: Adžić Radoslav 
Published: October 2007

Abstract
The sections in this article are

Introduction

Structural and Electronic Properties of Electrode Surfaces with Metal Adlayers

Electrocatalysis on Surfaces Modified with Metal Adlayers

Redox Reactions

Oxidation of Organic Molecules

Formic Acid

Methanol

Carbon Monoxide

Other Organic Molecules

Electroorganic Synthesis

Hydrogen Evolution

Oxygen Reduction

Alkaline Solutions

Acid Solutions

Hydrogen Peroxide Reduction

Mechanisms of Catalytic Effects

Electrodeposition of Metals

Acknowledgment
Excitonic and Vibrational Properties of Single‐Walled Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Kilina S. , Tretiak S. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWe review quantum‐chemical studies of the excited‐state electronic structure of finite‐size semiconducting single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using methodologies previously successfully applied to describe conjugated polymers and other organic molecular materials. The results of our simulations are in quantitative agreement with available spectroscopic data and show intricate details of excited‐state properties and photoinduced vibrational dynamics in carbon nanotubes. We analyze in detail the nature of strongly bound first and second excitons in SWCNTs for a number of different tubes, emphasizing emerging size‐scaling laws. Characteristic delocalization properties of excited states are identified by the underlying photoinduced changes in charge densities and bond orders. Due to the rigid structure, exciton–phonon coupling is much weaker in SWCNTs compared to typical molecular materials. Yet we find that, in the ground state, a SWCNT's surface experiences the corrugation associated with electron–phonon interactions. Vibrational relaxation following photoexcitation reduces this corrugation, leading to a local distortion of the tube surface, which is similar to the formation of self‐trapped excitons in conjugated polymers. The calculated associated Stokes shift increases with enlargement of the tube diameters. Such exciton vibrational phenomena are possible to detect experimentally, allowing for better understanding of photoinduced electronic dynamics in nanotube materials.
Synthesis of New RuO2@SiO2 Composite Nanomaterials and their Application as Catalytic Filters for Selective Gas Detection
Authors: Jansat S. , Pelzer K. , García‐Antón J. , Raucoules R. , Philippot K. , Maisonnat A. , Chaudret B. , Guari Y. , Mehdi A. , Reyé C. , Corriu R. J. P. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractRuO2@SiO2 nanomaterials are prepared using hybrid mesostructured silica (EtO)2P(O)(CH2)3SiO1.5/x SiO2 (x = 9, 16) by anchoring the metal precursor [Ru(COD)(COT)] (COD is 1,3‐cyclooctadiene, COT is 1,3,5‐cyclooctatriene) inside the pores of the organized silica matrix through the phosphonate moieties. Following this task, the nanoparticles are fabricated by i) decomposing the metal precursor with hydrogen at room temperature in tetrahydrofuran to achieve ruthenium nanoparticles and ii) thermally treating the ruthenium particles in silica at 450 °C in air to fabricate RuO2. The materials containing Ru and RuO2 nanoparticles are characterized by elemental analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption measurements, and 31P and 13C NMR. The obtained RuO2@SiO2 nanomaterials are evaluated as catalytic filters when deposited onto gas sensors for the preferential detection of propane in the multicomponent gas mixture propane/carbon monoxide/nitrogen dioxide.
Testing for recombinant erythropoietin
Authors: Delanghe Joris R. , Bollen Mathieu , Beullens Monique 
Published: October 2007

AbstractErythropoietin (Epo) is a glycoprotein hormone that promotes the production of red blood cells. Recombinant human Epo (rhEpo) is illicitly used to improve performance in endurance sports. Doping in sports is discouraged by the screening of athletes for rhEpo. Both direct tests (indicating the presence of exogeneous Epo isoforms) and indirect tests (indicating hematological changes induced by exogenous Epo administration) can be used for Epo detection. At present, the test adopted by the World Anti Doping Agency is based on a combination of isoelectric focusing and double immunoblotting, and distinguishes between endogenous and rhEpo. However, the adopted monoclonal anti‐Epo antibodies are not monospecific. Therefore, the test can occasionally lead to the false‐positive detection of rhEpo (epoetin‐β) in post‐exercise, protein‐rich urine, or in case of contamination of the sample with microorganisms. An improved preanalytical care may counteract a lot of these problems. Adaptation of the criteria may be helpful to further refine direct Epo testing. Indirect tests have the disadvantage that they require blood instead of urine samples, but they can be applied to detect a broader range of performance improving techniques which are illicitly used in sports. Am. J. Hematol., 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
On the job illness and injury resulting in lost work time among a national cohort of emergency medical services professionals
Authors: Studnek Jonathan R. , Ferketich Amy , Crawford J. Mac 
Published: October 2007

AbstractBackgroundThe objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and incidence of job‐related illness or injury resulting in lost work time among a national cohort of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals. Also, it was hypothesized that individual and work life characteristics were associated with the occurrence of illnesses or injury.MethodsData for this analysis were obtained from the Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS), a prospective study of EMS professionals. The outcome variable of interest was self‐reported absence from their EMS job due to an EMS work related illness or injury. The prevalence and incidence of injury with lost work time was estimated using cross‐sectional and follow‐up data. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine if individual and work life characteristics were associated with occupational injury.ResultsThe prevalence of job‐related illness or injury with time away from work was estimated at 9.4%, while the 1‐year incidence was estimated at 8.1 per 100 EMS providers. The results from the logistic regression model fit to follow‐up data indicate that increasing call volume (OR = 3.12 for very high vs. moderate, 95% CI 1.40–6.97), an urban work environment (OR = 2.79, 95% CI 1.65–4.72) and a history of back problems (OR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.06–2.78) were associated with reporting job‐related illness or injury.ConclusionsResults from this analysis provide estimates of the prevalence and incidence of on the job illness and injury resulting in lost work time among a national cohort of EMS professionals. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:921–931, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
22q13.3 deletion syndrome: A recognizable malformation syndrome associated with marked speech and language delay
Authors: Cusmano‐Ozog Kristina , Manning Melanie A. , Hoyme H. Eugene 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe 22q13.3 deletion syndrome is a recognizable malformation syndrome associated with developmental delay, hypotonia, delayed or absent speech, autistic‐like behavior, normal to accelerated growth and dysmorphic facies. The prevalence of this disorder is unknown, but it is likely under‐diagnosed. Age at diagnosis has varied widely, from cases diagnosed prenatally to 46 years. Males and females are equally affected. The distal 22q deletion can be detected occasionally by routine or high resolution chromosome analysis; however, the majority of cases are detected by FISH analysis, associated with deletion of the ARSA (control) probe when performing a FISH analysis for the velocardiofacial syndrome (del 22q11.2). The 22q13.3 deletion syndrome can accompany a simple chromosome deletion, an unbalanced translocation, or a ring chromosome. Primary care physicians, in addition to numerous specialists, play an important role in caring for patients with this disorder. Although the dysmorphic features observed in this condition are nonspecific, it is an important consideration in the differential diagnosis of children with developmental delay, hypotonia, marked speech and language disability, autistic‐like features, multiple minor anomalies, and normal growth and head circumference. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Dal Bianco Assunta , Bradl Monika , Frischer Josa , Kutzelnigg Alexandra , Jellinger Kurt , Lassmann Hans 
Published: October 2007

AbstractObjectiveChronic inflammation with microglia activation is thought to play a major role in the formation or clearance of Alzheimer's disease (AD) lesions, as well as in the induction of demyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS). In MS, the cortex is severely affected by chronic, long‐lasting inflammation, microglia activation, and demyelination. To what extent chronic inflammation in the cortex of MS patients influences the development of AD lesions is so far unresolved.MethodsThe study was performed on autopsy tissue of 45 MS cases, 9 AD cases, and 15 control subjects. We analyzed lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltration in relation to microglia activation, to the presence of β‐amyloid plaques and (AT8+) neurofibrillary tangles, and to myelin pathology.ResultsProfound microglia activation, determined by a broad spectrum of markers, was found in both MS and AD cortices, and the patterns of microglia activation were closely similar. Microglia activation in MS cortex, in contrast with that in AD and control cortex, correlated with lymphocyte and plasma‐cell infiltrates in the meninges. MS cases older than 64 years experienced development of AD pathology in comparable incidence as seen in the course of normal aging. The density of β‐amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles did not differ between demyelinated and nondemyelinated cortical areas.ConclusionsOur data suggest that microglia activation in the MS cortex alone has little or no influence on the development of cortical AD pathology. Ann Neurol 2007
Aqueous phase carbon dioxide and bicarbonate hydrogenation catalyzed by cyclopentadienyl ruthenium complexes
Authors: Bosquain Sylvain S. , Dorcier Antoine , Dyson Paul J. , Erlandsson Mikael , Gonsalvi Luca , Laurenczy Gábor , Peruzzini Maurizio 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe water‐soluble ruthenium(II) complexes [Cp′RuX(PTA)2]Y and [CpRuCl(PPh3)(mPTA)]OTf (Cp′ = Cp, Cp*, X = Cl and Y = nil; or X = MeCN and Y = PF6; PTA = 1,3,5‐triaza‐7‐phosphaadamantane; mPTA = 1‐methyl‐1,3,5‐triaza‐7‐phosphaadamantane) were used as catalyst precursors for the hydrogenation of CO2 and bicarbonate in aqueous solutions, in the absence of amines or other additives, under relatively mild conditions (100 bar H2, 30–80 °C), with moderate activities. Kinetic studies showed that the hydrogenation of HCO3− proceeds without an induction period, and that the rate strongly depends on the pH of the reaction medium. High‐pressure multinuclear NMR spectroscopy revealed that the ruthenium(II) chloride precursors are quantitatively converted into the corresponding hydrides under H2 pressure. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HDPE chelate membranes prepared by preirradiation grafting for adsorption of heavy metal ions
Authors: Zu Jianhua , Tong Long , Liu Xinwen , Sun Guisheng 
Published: October 2007

AbstractA new chelate membrane was prepared by grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto high‐density polyethylene membranes and subsequent amination of poly‐GMA graft chains. The effects of grafting conditions such as radiation dose and temperature on grafting yield were studied. Effects of various parameters such as grafting yield, pH, and adsorption time on the metal uptake were investigated. The results show that the maximum metal uptake followed as given in the order Cr (III)>Fe (III)>Cu (II)>Cd (II). The metal uptake increased with grafting yield, adsorption time, pH of the medium, and initial concentration. The chelated metal ions are easily desorbed with 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid at room temperature. The results obtained from the chelate membrane showed a promising application in extraction of heavy metal ions from industrial effluents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Pulsed electrical stimulation for control of vasculature: Temporary vasoconstriction and permanent thrombosis
Authors: Palanker Daniel , Vankov Alexander , Freyvert Yev , Huie Philip 
Published: October 2007

AbstractA variety of medical procedures is aimed to selectively compromise or destroy vascular function. Such procedures include cancer therapies, treatments of cutaneous vascular disorders, and temporary hemostasis during surgery. Currently, technologies such as lasers, cryosurgery and radio frequency coagulation, produce significant collateral damage due to the thermal nature of these interactions and corresponding heat exchange with surrounding tissues. We describe a non‐thermal method of inducing temporary vasoconstriction and permanent thrombosis using short pulse (microseconds) electrical stimulation. The current density required for vasoconstriction increases with decreasing pulse duration approximately as t−0.25. The threshold of electroporation has a steeper dependence on pulse duration—exceeding t−0.5. At pulse durations shorter than 5 µs, damage threshold exceeds the vasoconstriction threshold, thus allowing for temporary hemostasis without direct damage to surrounding tissue. With a pulse repetition rate of 0.1 Hz, vasoconstriction is achieved approximately 1 min after the beginning of treatment in both arteries and veins. Thrombosis occurs at higher electric fields, and its threshold increases with vessel diameter. Histology demonstrated a lack of tissue damage during vasoconstriction, but vascular endothelium was damaged during thrombosis. The temperature increase does not exceed 0.1 °C during these treatments. Bioelectromagnetics 29:100–107, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.