bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systems Analysis of Failures as a Quality Management Tool
Authors: Fortune Joyce , Peters Geoff 
Published: August 2005

SUMMARYManagers and quality practitioners are familiar with the linkage of the words quality and systems to denote a systematic approach to quality, as in BS5750 Quality Systems, say. There is, however, a more specialized use of the word systems that indicates the application of systems thinking and which gives rise to the adjective systemic (of, or pertaining to a system) rather than systematic (carrying out in a planned and orderly fashion). This paper examines the potential for applying systems thinking to the management of quality with particular reference to one branch of systems work: the study of failures. The paper draws comparisons between quality and systems analysis of failures and points out that some failures could equally well be described as quality problems and vice versa. The paper argues that problems at the system level are frequently overlooked or avoided by those undertaking quality improvement programmes, partly because individuals within an organization may experience only different, smaller aspects of a systemic problem and partly because the problem solvers may lack the means or motivation to tackle complex, poorly defined problem messes. It then goes on to suggest that use of a meta–method for problem analysis would enable such problems to be addressed. One such method that has been widely applied in the study of failures, the failures method, is described in detail and its application to a failure/quality problem is outlined.
Literature review
Authors: Hay R 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACTOnychomycoses have been divided into several categories depending on the site of nail penetration by the fungus. However, not all cases entirely fit with this classification, such as potentially the deep spread of superficial fungi, suggesting alternative penetration routes.A recent European study showed that the prevalence of onychomycosis may be as high as 26.9%. The main causative agent varies according to climate; dermatophyte infections are common worldwide (70% in Europe).Mycological examination is currently the preferred diagnostic method, despite a false‐negative rate of 30%. A clinical diagnostic aid that can be used alongside mycological tests is currently being developed. Newer diagnostic approaches include calcofluor, which stains fungi in nails, and molecular genetic techniques for species recognition (e.g. RFLP). Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) can also distinguish between failed treatment and reinfection.Onychomycosis can be treated with numerous oral and topical agents alone or in combination. In some studies, combination therapy appears more effective than monotherapy.
The development and process evaluation of an information‐based intervention for pregnant women aimed at addressing rates of caesarean section
Authors: Walker Ruth , Turnbull Deborah , Pratt Nicole , Wilkinson Chris 
Published: August 2005

Objective  Few strategies aimed at addressing rising rates of caesarean section have explicitly involved information‐based approaches for pregnant women. This study describes the development and evaluation of such an intervention for pregnant women, encompassing pamphlets and a peer support network (PSN).Design  Process evaluation.Setting  The study was undertaken at a metropolitan teaching hospital in Adelaide, South Australia.Population  A consecutive sample of pregnant women attending the ultrasound clinic over a two‐month period, recruited at 18 weeks of gestation.Methods  Participants received two pamphlets at 18 weeks of gestation and information on a PSN at around 28 weeks of gestation. A questionnaire was sent to women at seven weeks postnatal, asking them to evaluate the intervention.Main outcome measures  The extent to which the intervention resources were used and participants were satisfied with the resources they received.Results  Ninety‐two women returned questionnaires (response rate of 62%). Women generally resisted engaging with the informational resources, citing irrelevance to their situation, for example, 53% (49/92) read all of the pamphlets. None of the women used the PSN. Women who had experienced childbirth previously and those of higher education were significantly more likely to read the pamphlets. While generally satisfied with pamphlet content, one in five women reported feeling distressed by some of the information.Conclusions  This exploratory study casts doubt on the notion of information provision for pregnant women as a panacea for addressing rising rates of caesarean section.
Prevalence ofLeucocytozoon marchouxiin the endangered Pink PigeonColumba mayeri
Authors: SWINNERTON K. J. , PEIRCE M. A. , GREENWOOD A. , CHAPMAN R. E. , JONES C. G. 
Published: August 2005

The prevalence and density of infection with the haematozoan parasiteLeucocytozoon marchouxiwas studied in captive and free‐living Pink PigeonsColumba mayerion Mauritius between 1994 and 2002. Blood smears from adults, juveniles and squabs were screened. Overall prevalence ofL. marchouxiwas 30% and there were age class and year differences. Younger birds (≤ 1 year) were more often infected and had a higher density of infection than did older birds. High parasite levels were found in 6% of birds, all but one of which were less than 1 year old. Leucocytozoonosis has been recorded elsewhere in 20 out of 45 Pink Pigeons post‐mortem and was the primary cause of death in 15 birds. However, we detected no significant difference in the survival of infected and uninfected birds examined in this study, suggesting that only subclinical infections were detected and any mortality was probably due to additional contributing factors such as concurrent disease and food shortages. A smaller sample of smears from other columbid species was collected to examine their role as reservoir hosts. The parasite was probably introduced to Mauritius with exotic columbids, which may be partially resistant, but the Pink Pigeon has acquired sufficient immunity now to be a maintenance host for the parasite.
Mad tales from Bollywood: the impact of social, political, and economic climate on the portrayal of mental illness in Hindi films
Authors: Bhugra D. 
Published: August 2005

Objective:  To study the portrayal of mental illness (especially psychosis) in Hindi films since 1950 and to study the influence of prevalent social, political and economic factors on each portrayal.Method:  Using two encyclopaedias and one source book, films that had mental illness affecting one of the protagonists were identified. The social, economic and political factors were identified using history texts.Results:  In the 1960s after India became a Republic, the political climate was one of idealism and as a result the portrayal of mental illness was gentle, more international in its outlook, and used psychoanalytic techniques. In the 1970s and 1980s, as a result of increased political and bureaucratic corruption and an unstable political climate, the portrayals became harder and psychopaths were portrayed more often. In the 1980s, the trend continued with female psychopaths, and avenging women emerged as a major force because the political and judicial systems were seen as impotent in delivering justice. In the 1990s, following economic liberalization, the women were seen and used as possessions in society and the cinema, and portrayals of stalking and morbid jealousy increased.Conclusion:  Hindi films since the 1950s appear to have been influenced by changing cultural norms which in turn affected the way mental illness is portrayed.
Labour force activity by people with depression and anxiety disorders: a population‐level second‐order analysis
Authors: Waghorn G. , Chant D. 
Published: August 2005

Objective: To identify the population‐level first‐ and second‐order effects among candidate correlates of labour force activity by people with ICD‐10 depression and anxiety disorders.Method: Australian Bureau of Statistics multistage sampling strategies obtained a household sample of 37,580 individuals. Analyses were conducted using multiple binary logistic regression.Results: The impact of depression and anxiety on labour force activity depended on the extent of employment restrictions, age and country of birth. Background second‐order effects help explain labour force participation and employment in the wider and predominantly healthy community. A significantly greater proportion of those receiving mental health treatment for anxiety and depression were not in the labour force.Conclusion: These second‐order effects reveal the substantial impact of depression and anxiety disorders on labour force activity across the working life. Those with more severe employment restrictions appear to need more intensive and continuous forms of assistance.
Identifying the Potential Loss of Monitoring Wells Using an Uncertainty Analysis
Authors: Freedman Vicky L. , Waichler Scott R. , Cole Charles R. , Vermeul Vince R. , Bergeron Marcel P. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractFrom the mid‐1940s through the 1980s, large volumes of waste water were discharged at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State, causing a large‐scale rise (>20 m) in the water table. When waste water discharges ceased in 1988, ground water mounds began to dissipate. This caused a large number of wells to go dry and has made it difficult to monitor contaminant plume migration. To identify monitoring wells that will need replacement, a methodology has been developed using a first‐order uncertainty analysis with UCODE, a nonlinear parameter estimation code. Using a three‐dimensional, finite‐element ground water flow code, key parameters were identified by calibrating to historical hydraulic head data. Results from the calibration period were then used to check model predictions by comparing monitoring wells’ wet/dry status with field data. This status was analyzed using a methodology that incorporated the 0.3 cumulative probability derived from the confidence and prediction intervals. For comparison, a nonphysically based trend model was also used as a predictor of wells’ wet/dry status. Although the numerical model outperformed the trend model, for both models, the central value of the intervals was a better predictor of a wet well status. The prediction interval, however, was more successful at identifying dry wells. Predictions made through the year 2048 indicated that 46% of the wells in the monitoring well network are likely to go dry in areas near the river and where the ground water mound is dissipating.
Delineating Alluvial Aquifer Heterogeneity Using Resistivity and GPR Data
Authors: Bowling Jerry C. , Rodriguez Antonio B. , Harry Dennis L. , Zheng Chunmiao 
Published: August 2005

AbstractConceptual geological models based on geophysical data can elucidate aquifer architecture and heterogeneity at meter and smaller scales, which can lead to better predictions of preferential flow pathways. The macrodispersion experiment (MADE) site, with >2000 measurements of hydraulic conductivity obtained and three tracer tests conducted, serves as an ideal natural laboratory for examining relationships between subsurface flow characteristics and geophysical attributes in fluvial aquifers. The spatial variation of hydraulic conductivity measurements indicates a large degree of site heterogeneity. To evaluate the usefulness of geophysical methods for better delineating fluvial aquifer heterogeneities and distribution of preferential flow paths, a surface grid of two‐dimensional ground penetrating radar (GPR) and direct current (DC) resistivity data were collected. A geological model was developed from these data that delineate four stratigraphic units with distinct electrical and radar properties including (from top to bottom) (1) a meandering fluvial system (MFS); (2) a braided fluvial system (BFS); (3) fine‐grained sands; and (4) a clay‐rich interval. A paleochannel, inferred by other authors to affect flow, was mapped in the MFS with both DC resistivity and GPR data. The channel is 2 to 4 m deep and, based on resistivity values, is predominantly filled with clay and silt. Comparing previously collected hydraulic conductivity measurements and tracer‐plume migration patterns to the geological model indicates that flow primarily occurs in the BFS and that the channel mapped in the MFS has no influence on plume migration patterns.
Column Studies of Anaerobic Carbon Tetrachloride Biotransformation with Hanford Aquifer Material
Authors: Niemet Michael R. , Semprini Lewis 
Published: August 2005

AbstractContinuous‐flow and batch experiments were conducted using a column reactor system containing Hanford Aquifer material in order to assess the potential of in situ bioremediation of carbon tetrachloride (CT) at the Hanford site in south‐central Washington state. Benzoate and acetate were evaluated as primary substrates both in the presence and absence of nitrate as a potential electron acceptor. Each of the four resulting test conditions was first run under continuous‐flow mode until a pseudo–steady state was achieved and then switched to batch mode. The longer residence time of the batch portion of the test resulted in more complete transformations and helped elucidate zones of variable activity within the column. Reductions in CT concentration and chloroform (CF) production were observed in all test conditions. Benzoate generally supported faster and more complete CT transformations than acetate, even though substrate use and denitrification was more rapid for acetate. Sulfate was present in all cases; yet, sulfate reduction was never observed, even during extended absences of nitrate and nitrite. CT transformation was most rapid near the point of injection, with rates decreasing toward the effluent end of the column. These results indicate that the microbial population at Hanford is capable of transforming CT in the subsurface. However, methods to control the production of CF may be necessary before this technology can be successfully implemented in the field.
Evaluation of the Total Design Method in a survey of Japanese dentists
Authors: Nakai Yukie , Milgrom Peter , Yoshida Toshiko , Ishihara Chikako , Shimono Tsutomu 
Published: August 2005

Abstract

Background
This study assessed the application of the Total Design Method (TDM) in a mail survey of Japanese dentists. The TDM was chosen because survey response rates in Japan are unacceptably low and the TDM had previously been used in a general population survey.

Methods
Four hundred and seventy eight dentist members of the Okayama Medical and Dental Practitioner's Association were surveyed. The nine-page, 27-item questionnaire covered dentist job satisfaction, physical practice, and dentist and patient characteristics. Respondents to the first mailing or the one-week follow-up postcard were defined as early responders; others who responded were late responders. Responder bias was assessed by examining age, gender and training.

Results
The overall response rate was 46.7% (223/478). The response rates by follow-up mailing were, 18% after the first mailing, 35.4% after the follow-up postcard, 42.3% after the second mailing, and 46.7% after the third mailing. Respondents did not differ from non-respondents in age or gender, nor were there differences between early and late responders.

Conclusion
The application of TDM in this survey of Japanese dentists produced lower rates of response than expected from previous Japanese and US studies.
Hodgkin's disease as unusual presentation of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation for malignant glioma
Authors: Zambelli Alberto , Lilleri Daniele , Baldanti Fausto , Scelsi Mario , Villani Laura , Da Prada Gian Antonio 
Published: August 2005

Abstract

Background
Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a complication of solid organ and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT); following autologous HSCT only rare cases of PTLD have been reported.
Here, a case of Hodgkin's disease (HD), as unusual presentation of PTLD after autologous HSCT for malignant glioma is described.

Case presentation
60-years old man affected by cerebral anaplastic astrocytoma underwent subtotal neurosurgical excision and subsequent high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous HSCT. During the post HSCT course, cranial irradiation and corticosteroids were administered as completion of therapeutic program.
At day +105 after HSCT, the patient developed HD, nodular sclerosis type, with polymorphic HD-like skin infiltration.

Conclusion
The clinical and pathological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of PTLD.
Effectiveness of different methods of health education: A comparative assessment in a scientific conference
Authors: Saha Asim , Poddar Era , Mankad Minal 
Published: August 2005

Abstract

Background
Every individual mode of health education has its own merits, drawbacks as well as their own sphere of effectiveness. A specific mode of communication is more useful in a specific setting on a specific group than others. To search for optimum mode of communication for a specific audience is a major area of research in health education. The issue of imparting health education to a gathering of educated people, representing different fields of knowledge has remained a relatively less lighted aspect of health education research. In this backdrop this study was initiated for making a comparative assessment of different methods of dissemination of health education among educated people.

Methods
A cross-sectional interviewer administered questionnaire survey was conducted involving 142 randomly selected subjects during the last session of a five-day conference having health as main theme when the opinion of the delegates regarding different communication methods was asked for. Collected data was analyzed not only to find out the optimum mode of education dissemination in such a setting but also to find the contribution of different factors in the preferences of the study subjects.

Results
The participants opted more (60%) for focused programs of smaller audience (sectional program). In both broad area (main program) and focused area programs (sectional), the participants preferred lectures (62% and 65.7% respectively). Specific topics were preferred both in lectures (67.6%) and symposia (57.7%). In the exhibition, exhibits seemed to be more attractive (62%) than the posters. Qualification has emerged to be a contributing factor in peoples' choice towards sectional programme and also in their affinity to symposia. Increased age was a significant contributor in participants' preference towards specific topics. Physical barriers of communication appeared to be a problem in the main program as well as in the exhibition. Lack of coherence among the speakers was reported (69%) to be a major reason for which symposia was not preferred.

Conclusion
This study concluded that while planning for health education dissemination in an educated group a focused programme should be formulated in small groups preferably in the form of lectures on specific topics, more so while dealing with participants of higher age group having higher educational qualification.
Replicative homeostasis II: Influence of polymerase fidelity on RNA virus quasispecies biology: Implications for immune recognition, viral autoimmunity and other "virus receptor" diseases
Authors: Sallie Richard 
Published: August 2005

AbstractMuch of the worlds' population is in active or imminent danger from established infectious pathogens, while sporadic and pandemic infections by these and emerging agents threaten everyone. RNA polymerases (RNApol) generate enormous genetic and consequent antigenic heterogeneity permitting both viruses and cellular pathogens to evade host defences. Thus, RNApolcauses more morbidity and premature mortality than any other molecule. The extraordinary genetic heterogeneity defining viral quasispecies results from RNApolinfidelity causing rapid cumulative genomic RNA mutation a process that, if uncontrolled, would cause catastrophic loss of sequence integrity and inexorable quasispecies extinction. Selective replication and replicative homeostasis, an epicyclical regulatory mechanism dynamically linking RNApol fidelity and processivity with quasispecies phenotypic diversity, modulating polymerase fidelity and, hence, controlling quasispecies behaviour, prevents this happening and also mediates immune escape. Perhaps more importantly, ineluctable generation of broad phenotypic diversity after viral RNA is translated to protein quasispecies suggests a mechanism of disease that specifically targets, and functionally disrupts, the host cell surface molecules – including hormone, lipid, cell signalling or neurotransmitter receptors – that viruses co-opt for cell entry. This mechanism – "Viral Receptor Disease (VRD)" – may explain so-called "viral autoimmunity", some classical autoimmune disorders and other diseases, including type II diabetes mellitus, and some forms of obesity. Viral receptor disease is a unifying hypothesis that may also explain some diseases with well-established, but multi-factorial and apparently unrelated aetiologies – like coronary artery and other vascular diseases – in addition to diseases like schizophrenia that are poorly understood and lack plausible, coherent, pathogenic explanations.
Evidence for selection on synonymous mutations affecting stability of mRNA secondary structure in mammals
Authors: Chamary JV , Hurst Laurence D 
Published: August 2005

Abstract
Background
In mammals, contrary to what is usually assumed, recent evidence suggests that synonymous mutations may not be selectively neutral. This position has proven contentious, not least because of the absence of a viable mechanism. Here we test whether synonymous mutations might be under selection owing to their effects on the thermodynamic stability of mRNA, mediated by changes in secondary structure.

Results
We provide numerous lines of evidence that are all consistent with the above hypothesis. Most notably, by simulating evolution and reallocating the substitutions observed in the mouse lineage, we show that the location of synonymous mutations is non-random with respect to stability. Importantly, the preference for cytosine at 4-fold degenerate sites, diagnostic of selection, can be explained by its effect on mRNA stability. Likewise, by interchanging synonymous codons, we find naturally occurring mRNAs to be more stable than simulant transcripts. Housekeeping genes, whose proteins are under strong purifying selection, are also under the greatest pressure to maintain stability.

Conclusion
Taken together, our results provide evidence that, in mammals, synonymous sites do not evolve neutrally, at least in part owing to selection on mRNA stability. This has implications for the application of synonymous divergence in estimating the mutation rate.