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Variety Of Reasons (variety + of_reason)
Selected AbstractsTHE IMPORTANCE OF NEUTRAL EXAMPLES FOR LEARNING SENTIMENTCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 2 2006Moshe Koppel Most research on learning to identify sentiment ignores "neutral" examples, learning only from examples of significant (positive or negative) polarity. We show that it is crucial to use neutral examples in learning polarity for a variety of reasons. Learning from negative and positive examples alone will not permit accurate classification of neutral examples. Moreover, the use of neutral training examples in learning facilitates better distinction between positive and negative examples. [source] The impact of operational characteristics on firms' EMS decisions: strategic adoption of ISO 14001 certificationsCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010Takuya Takahashi Abstract Firms choose to seek environmental management system (EMS) certifications such as ISO 14001 for a variety of reasons. In this paper we put forward a hypothesis that firms seek ISO 14001 certifications for their establishments when their operations involve low degrees of complexity. Another hypothesis we consider is that firms facing more uncertainty in their operations (and hence more risk) seek ISO 14001 certifications. These hypotheses have not been yet addressed in the literature and are of particular interest to business managers and policymakers. We empirically test these hypotheses using probit and duration models using matched establishment,firm,industry data for large Japanese manufacturers. Our findings support the first as well as the second hypotheses. This suggests that firms tend to certify more routine and less complex operations first, and that firms use ISO 14001 certifications as an insurance scheme. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] The Construction and Presentation of Performance Indicators in executive Agency External ReportsFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2000Brian A. Rutherford For a variety of reasons, factors affecting the understandability and comparability of performance indicators, and perceptions of their status, may differ from those applying in the case of profit-seeking sector financial statements. This study examines the construction and presentation of performance indicators from the perspective of understandability, comparability and perceived importance. It identifies a number of aspects of reporting practice which may undermine these qualities. [source] Doing Gender unto the Other: Fiction as a Mode of Studying Gender Discrimination in OrganizationsGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 3 2006Barbara Czarniawska Although ,doing gender' has been recently defined as an accomplishment, an element of social practice, this understanding of the concept needs to be extended to coercive action such as subtle workplace discrimination. Even though great effort has been invested in revealing the dynamic of such social practices, the researcher's task is not easy for a variety of reasons. This type of study is difficult to conduct by following traditional research design and many alternative approaches have been tried. This article presents the possibility of using fiction as one possible and relatively unexploited venue of research. [source] BRAZILIAN IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES AND THE GEOGRAPHICAL IMAGINATION,GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW, Issue 4 2009ALAN P. MARCUS ABSTRACT. In the late 1980s more than 1 million Brazilians left Brazil without returning. Today an estimated 2 million Brazilians live abroad, 1.2 million of them in the United States. In this article I show that Brazilians migrate for a variety of reasons, including the geographical imagination. Why are so many Brazilians leaving for the United States? What are their geographical imaginations, and how are they described in their migration process? Using primary and secondary data and multiple methods, I address these questions by providing insights into Brazilian migrants' place perceptions, experiences, and reasons for migrating, focusing on the geographical imagination. Those migrants who end up returning to Brazil are more likely to cite financial and curiosity reasons for having migrated. A web of transnational religious and social networks sustains those immigrants who remain in the United States. Reasons for migrating are not economic alone; rather, they are based on interrelated and complex factors that range from adventure to curiosity, the cultural influence of the United States, family members, education, and escape. [source] An Incenter Nocturnal Hemodialysis Program,Three Years ExperienceHEMODIALYSIS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2003M. Gene Radford We report our experience with a program of long, slow, overnight hemodialysis (HD) performed 3 times a week in an existing dialysis facility. Beginning in April 1999, 14 chairs in one bay of our facility were replaced with beds, subdued lighting was installed, and machine alarms were decreased to minimum volume. Fresenius F60 dialyzers were selected with a QB of 220,300 ml/min and a QD of 400,500 ml/min. Patients dialyze for 7,8 hrs overnight. Staffing is with 1 nurse and 1 PCT for 10 patients. Standard dialysate is used, and heparin is dosed 100 U/kg at treatment initiation and again at mid-treatment. All access types are utilized. The program is open to all patients in our area. A total of 65 patients have participated, with a current census of 20 patients. Participants have tried nocturnal dialysis for a variety of reasons including work/school schedules, excessive interdialytic weight gains, inadequate dialysis (due to poor access function or large body mass), and hemodynamic instability with standard daytime HD. Blood pressure control has improved among the participants in the program, perhaps due to more gentle ultrafiltration and improvement in maintenance of dry weight. Among 31 patients who remained on nocturnal dialysis for over 6 months, 21 started the program on an average of 2.5 antihypertensive agents (AHA). After 6 months, 9 patients no longer needed AHA while 12 patients remain on an average of 1.3 AHA. URR also improved by an average of 4.35 among 13 patients who transferred from standard incenter HD to the nocturnal program. In all, 45 patients have left the program, for reasons which include insomnia/social (15), death (9), transfer to home HD (8), renal transplantation (6), noncompliance (3), moved away (2), and other (2). In conclusion, long overnight HD can be performed in an existing dialysis facility, providing patients with another HD option. Patients who may benefit from this modality include those with daytime jobs, patients with inadequate clearance on standard HD, patients with excessive interdialytic weight gains, and those who poorly tolerate standard HD. [source] WHO SUFFERED FROM THE CRISIS OF HISTORICISM?HISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 2 2010A DUTCH EXAMPLE ABSTRACT Was the crisis of historicism an exclusively German affair? Or was it a "narrowly academic crisis," as is sometimes assumed? Answering both questions in the negative, this paper argues that crises of historicism affected not merely intellectual elites, but even working-class people, not only in Germany, but also in the Netherlands. With an elaborated case study, the article shows that Dutch "neo-Calvinist" Protestants from the 1930s onward experienced their own crisis of historicism. For a variety of reasons, this religious subgroup came to experience a collapse of its "historicist" worldview. Following recent German scholarship, the paper argues that this historicism was not a matter of Rankean historical methods, but of "historical identifications," or modes of identity formation in which historical narratives played crucial roles. Based on this Dutch case study, then, the article develops two arguments. In a quantitative mode, it argues that more and different people suffered from the crisis of historicism than is usually assumed. In addition, it offers a qualitative argument: that the crisis was located especially among groups that derived their identity from "historical identifications." Those who suffered most from the crisis of historicism were those who understood themselves as embedded in narratives that connected past, present, and future in such a way as to offer identity in historical terms. [source] Invited reaction: The effects of alternative reports of human resource development results on managerial supportHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2003Wayne F. Cascio Mattson's article is an important contribution to the literature in HRD and program evaluation for a variety of reasons. It addresses an area that sorely needs rigorous research, it uses a theory-based model that is relevant to managers' evaluations of HRD programs, it provides valuable insights on how best to present HRD evaluation results to managers, and it demonstrates that HRD program evaluations that are expressed in terms of results do influence the decisions of operating managers. The ongoing challenge will be to articulate linkages between HRD programs, employees' behavior, and outcomes that are important to managers. Doing so will lead to even greater impact on managers' decisions about the future uses of HRD interventions. [source] Workplace performance: a comparison of subjective and objective measures in the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations SurveyINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008John Forth ABSTRACT Understanding what determines workplace performance is important for a variety of reasons. In the first place, it can inform the debate about the UK's low productivity growth. It also enables researchers to determine the efficacy of different organisational practices, policies and payment systems. In this article, we examine not the determinants of performance but how it is measured. Specifically, we assess the alternative measures of productivity and profitability that are available in the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS). Previous WERS have been an important source of data in research into workplace performance. However, the subjective nature of the performance measures available in WERS prior to 2004 has attracted criticism. In the 2004 WERS, data were again collected on the subjective measure but, in addition, objective data on profitability and productivity were also collected. This allows a comparison to be made between the two types of measures. A number of validity tests are undertaken and the main conclusion is that subjective and objective measures of performance are weakly equivalent but that differences are also evident. Our findings suggest that it would be prudent to give most weight to results supported by both types of measure. [source] Recent accumulation variability and change on the Antarctic Peninsula from the ERA40 reanalysisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2008Georgina M. Miles Abstract The Antarctic Peninsula has displayed significant climate change over recent decades. Understanding contemporaneous changes in accumulation is made difficult because the region's complex orography means that ice-core data are not necessarily representative of a wider area. In this paper, the patterns of regional spatial accumulation variability across the Antarctic Peninsula region are presented, based on an Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis of European Centre for Medium Range Forecasts Reanalysis (ERA40) data over the 23-year period from 1979 through 2001. Annual and seasonal trends in the sign and strength of these patterns are identified, as is their relationship with mean sea level pressure, temperature and indices of large-scale circulation variability. The results reveal that the first pattern of accumulation variability on the Peninsula is primarily related to pressure in the circumpolar trough and the second pattern to temperature: together the two EOFs explain ,45,65% of the annual/seasonal accumulation. The strongest positive trend in an EOF occurs with EOF2 in the austral autumn March-April-May (MAM). This is highly correlated with the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) in this season, suggesting stronger westerly winds have caused an increase in orographic precipitation along the west Antarctic Peninsula. A significant correlation with ENSO occurs only in the winter EOF1, associated with blocking in the Bellingshausen Sea. Inter-annual ERA40 accumulation is shown to compare favourably with an ice core in the south of the Peninsula, but, for a variety of reasons, correlates poorly with accumulation as measured in an ice core from the northern tip. Opposite trends in accumulation at these two sites can be explained by the spatial pattern and trend of EOF2 in MAM and thus by recent changes in the SAM. The results of this study will aid in the understanding of temporal accumulation changes observed in the regional ice-core record. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Do older adults presenting with memory complaints wish to be told if later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 5 2006Paul Elson Abstract Background Many patients with Alzheimer's disease are not told their diagnosis. Studies have shown that relatives possess mixed views regarding whether or not patients should be told while elderly peers favour disclosure. Recent studies have shown that patients with diagnosed dementia also favour being told. The present study sought the views of patients prior to diagnosis. Method Participants were a consecutive sample of patients aged 65 and over suffering from memory complaints. They were asked what they considered to be causing their memory problems and whether or not they would want to know the cause. They were then specifically asked if they would want to know if diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and what were their reasons for this. Results Two-thirds of patients were uncertain regarding the cause of their memory difficulties although the remainder did offer some valid explanations. Eighty-six per cent wanted to know the cause while 69% wanted to know if diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and a variety of reasons were offered to support their preference. Conclusion The majority of older adults presenting to services with memory complaints had little understanding of the potential cause of their problems. Most were nevertheless keen to know the cause, even if this transpired to be Alzheimer's disease. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions made for future research. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Related factors in using a free breastfeeding hotline service in TaiwanJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7 2008IBCLC, Shu-Fang Wang RN Aims., This study aimed to examine the use of a free hotline service for breastfeeding mothers in Taiwan. Specific attention was given to the accumulated consultation time and to investigate the trends and reasons that prompted people to contact the service. Background., Breastfeeding can be a difficult time for mothers, especially during the first two weeks after birth. It has been suggested that a telephone hotline service may be helpful for breastfeeding mothers. Design., In this quantitative study data, including the demographic data and the problems of consultations, were gathered from callers during August 2003 to August 2005. Results., Of the 2445 callers, 935 made subsequent calls (38·2%). Approximately 25·25 calls were answered each day by two specially-trained staff according to an answering book. The mean consultation time for single first-call was 21·82 minutes and for one subsequent-call was 15·87 minutes. Perceived insufficient milk supply (30%) and returning to work (21%) were the top two reasons for a first-call. If callers' problems were about babies' sickness, perceived insufficient milk supply, babies' body weight gain and supplement issues, the accumulated consultation time would last longer. More than half (53·3%; 1303/2445) of callers made the first-call during the first month after birth, followed by 23·2% (566/2445) during babies' age between one and three months old. Conclusion., The telephone hotline service for breastfeeding mothers in Taiwan was well used during the two year period of this study. Many mothers used the service repeatedly for a variety of reasons. Relevance to clinical practice., Recommendations for breastfeeding support strategies for the professionals include category of common breastfeeding problems by different stages after birth. This study supports the establishment of free hotline services may encourage greater empowerment in breastfeeding mothers. Future studies are required to examine client satisfaction of the telephone service. [source] LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES AND ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 INHIBITION IN VITRO BY LIPOSOME-ENCAPSULATED NISIN AND ETHYLENE DIAMINETETRAACETIC ACIDJOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY, Issue 2 2008T. MATTHEW TAYLOR ABSTRACT Encapsulation technologies that effectively reduce antimicrobial interaction with food components or protect antimicrobial compounds from food processing measures have the potential to improve the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat foods. Recent application of liposomes for the preservation of cheese has spurred research into their utility in other food matrices. To ascertain the feasibility of encapsulated antimicrobial for the control of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 growth in a model system, nisin (5.0 and 10.0 µg/mL) and the chelator ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid were entrapped in phospholipid liposomes. While phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes did not produce significant inhibition of target pathogens, PC/phosphatidylglycerol 8/2 and 6/4 (mol%) produced significant inhibition of pathogens. Near-complete inhibition of E. coli O157:H7 with liposomal antimicrobials at concentrations below those reported necessary for unencapsulated antimicrobial and chelator suggests that liposomes may represent a powerful technology for the encapsulation of antimicrobials and the control of foodborne pathogens. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The activity of many antimicrobials is abolished in many food products for a variety of reasons. Interference and cross-reactions of the antimicrobial and various food constituents, such as protein and fat, are difficult to overcome and often require large amounts of antimicrobial in order to gain significant reductions in the pathogen load in a product. Loss of solubility of some antimicrobials based on pH or ionic strength will negatively affect the antimicrobial potential of a compound like nisin. Liposome encapsulation technologies, such as that reported here, may allow for the maintenance of antimicrobial activity by protecting the antimicrobial against cross-reactions with food components. Additionally, the liposome core represents a microenvironment which can be manipulated by the manufacturer in order to preserve optimal antimicrobial solubility and stability conditions until the time of release. [source] Computational assessment of the effect of polyethylene wear rate, mantle thickness, and porosity on the mechanical failure of the acetabular cement mantleJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 5 2010Oliver J. Coultrup Abstract Clinical studies have revealed that aseptic loosening is the dominant cause of failure in total hip arthroplasty, particularly for the acetabular component. For a cemented polyethylene cup, failure is generally accompanied by the formation of fibrous tissue at the cement,bone interface. A variety of reasons for the formation of this tissue have been suggested, including osteolysis and mechanical overload at the cement,bone interface. In this study, a computational cement damage accumulation method was used to investigate the effect of polyethylene cup penetration, cement mantle thickness, and cement porosity on the number of cycles required to achieve mechanical fatigue failure of the cement mantle. Cup penetration was found to increase cement mantle stresses, resulting in a reduction in cement mantle fatigue life of 9% to 11% for a high cup penetration rate. The effect of using a thin (2 mm) over a thick (4 mm) cement mantle also reduced cement mantle fatigue life between 9% and 11%, and greatly raised cancellous bone stresses. Cement porosity was found to have very little effect on cement mantle fatigue life. Failure modes and cement stresses involved suggest that only extreme combinations of a thin cement mantle and high cup penetration may lead to mechanical failure of the cement mantle, thereby allowing wear debris access to the cement,bone interface. A thin cement mantle may also lead to the mechanical overload of the cement,bone interface. In this manner, the authors suggest that the mechanical factors may contribute to the failure mode of cemented polyethylene cups. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:565,570, 2010 [source] In situ chemical analysis of modern organic tattooing inks and pigments by micro-Raman spectroscopyJOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 9 2008Kelvin W. C. Poon Abstract The chemical composition of tattooing pigments has varied greatly over time according to available technologies and materials. Beginning with naturally derived plant and animal extracts, to coloured inorganic oxides and salts, through to the modern industrial organic pigments favoured in today's tattooing studios. The demand for tattooing is steadily growing as it gains cultural popularity and acceptance in today's society, but ironically, increasing numbers of individuals are seeking laser removal of their tattoos for a variety of reasons. Organic pigments are favoured for tattooing because of their high tinting strength, light fastness, enzymatic resistance, dispersion and relatively inexpensive production costs. Adverse reactions have been reported for some organic inks, as well as potential complications, during laser removal procedures stemming from the unintentional creation of toxic by-products. Currently, regulatory bodies such as the US Food and Drug Administration have not approved any coloured inks to be injected into the skin, and tattoo ink manufacturers often do not disclose the ingredients in their products to maintain proprietary knowledge of their creations. A methodology was established using micro-Raman spectroscopy on an animal model to correctly identify the constituents of a selection of modern, organic tattoo inks in situ or post procedure, within the skin. This may serve as a preliminary tool prior to engaging in Q-switched laser removals to assess the risks of producing potentially hazardous compounds. Likewise, the pigments responsible for causing adverse reactions in some patients may be quickly identified to hasten any corresponding treatment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Assessing the trade-offs between crossover and parallel group designs in sleep researchJOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006CHARLES C. BERRY Summary Sleep researchers invariably struggle with decisions regarding the optimal design for their studies. Whether such studies involve treatment for insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, or any other sleep disorder, questions arise regarding the respective trade-offs between a parallel group and a crossover design. This study analyzed the variance structure of commonly measured polysomnographic variables in an effort to describe the statistical impact of these alternate designs. The study examined the effects of opioids on sleep and employed multiple crossovers between placebo, MS-contin, and methadone using a double-blind, randomized crossover design. Thirty-seven healthy subjects were studied. Four of the subjects were unable to complete the protocol for a variety of reasons, and polysomnogram data was unavailable for one subject. Data from 37 subjects provide the basis for this analysis. Despite dropouts, the crossover study was approximately four times as efficient as the parallel group design in terms of being able to recognize differences in deep sleep across these conditions. Other polysomnographic variables also favored the crossover design to varying extents. Despite the operational complexity of a crossover design, the statistical efficiency of this approach makes it a preferable approach for designing intervention studies in sleep research. [source] Community knowledge in an emerging online professional community: the case of Sigchi.dkKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 1 2005Torkil Clemmensen This paper focuses on community knowledge in an emerging online professional community. Members of a Danish human,computer interaction community, 120 usability professionals, designers and researchers, described in an online survey their interest in theory and familiarity with methods. The results are reported in detail, and show a unanimous interest in theory, with a variety of reasons behind. Furthermore, the results indicate that the community's body of theoretical knowledge is divided into clear-cut faculties, with only general usability and human,computer interaction concepts available for communication and cooperation. This implies that a view of the Danish usability professionals as sharing a special discipline is wrong, and that attempts to create a special common language or general theoretical framework (e.g. Kuutti and Bannon, 1991) will be unfruitful. Rather, an online professional community should be interpreted as a community of interest (Fischer, 2001), and we should use tools developed for these kinds of communities as support tools. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Short-term postliver transplant survival after the introduction of MELD scores for organ allocation in the United StatesLIVER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2005Hwan Y. Yoo Abstract Background: It has been suggested that the introduction of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) for organ allocation may reduce overall graft and patient survival since elevated serum creatinine is an important predictor of poor outcome after liver transplantation. Objective: In this study, we determined the outcomes of liver transplantation before (PreMELD group, 1998,February, 2002) and after (MELD group, March,December, 2002, n=4642) the introduction of MELD score, and examined the impact of MELD scores on the outcome in the United States (US). Patients & methods: After excluding patients for a variety of reasons (children, live-donor, fulminant liver failure, patients with hepatoma and others who received extra MELD points, multiple organ transplantation, re-transplantation, incomplete data), there were 3227 patients in the MELD group. These patients were compared with 14 593 patients in the preMELD group after applying similar exclusion criteria. The survival was compared using Kaplan,Meier survival analysis and Cox regression survival analysis. Results: There was no difference in short-term (up to 10 months) graft and patient survival between MELD and preMELD groups. However, graft and patient survival was lower in patients with MELD score ,30 when compared with those with MELD score <30 after adjusting for the confounding variables. Conclusion: Introduction of MELD score for organ prioritization has not reduced the short-term survival of patients, but patients with MELD score of 30 or higher had a relatively poor outcome. [source] Cholestatic liver disease: pathophysiology and therapeutic optionsLIVER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2002AF. Hofmann Abstract: Cholestasis results from defective canalicular secretion of bile or obstruction to bile flow distal to the canaliculus. In early primary biliary cirrhosis, bile secretion continues, because of the secretory pressure of bile or because some ductules are not obstructed. With complete cholestasis, a bile acid deficiency occurs in the small intestinal lumen leading to lipid maldigestion and fat-soluble vitamin malabsorption. Bacterial proliferation, bacterial translocation to lymph nodes and endotoxemia may also occur leading to an acute phase reaction. Retention of bile acids in the hepatocyte leads to apoptosis. Accumulation of bile acids in the systemic circulation leads to pruritus, and may contribute to endothelial injury in the lungs and kidney. Early attempts to mimic hepatic excretory function by hemoperfusion over adsorbent columns were unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. Extracorporeal dialysis against albumin offers promise of a realistic albeit partial simulation of hepatic excretory function. [source] Long-term efficacy of botulinum toxin A in treatment of various movement disorders over a 10-year periodMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 6 2002G-Y.R. Hsiung MD Abstract Although botulinum toxin A (BTX) has been licensed in Canada for treatment of various movement disorders since 1990, few clinical studies regarding its long-term efficacy and side effects have been reported. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 235 patients who received BTX from our movement disorders clinic over a 10-year period (January 1990 to December 1999). A total of 2,616 treatment cycles (multiple injections) were administered to 235 patients with cervical dystonia (CD), hemifacial spasm (HS), blepharospasm (BP), and other movement disorders. Substantial benefit at 5 years was seen in most patients (90% in BP, 88% in HS, 63% in CD, 100% in jaw closing and lower limb dystonia, and 56% in writer's cramp). Benefit was maintained for up to 10 years in CD, HS, and BP data, with a 75.8% benefit reported. Twenty-eight percent of patients discontinued treatment during the follow-up period due to a variety of reasons. Of these, 9.1% of patients developed primary resistance, and 7.5% of patients secondary resistance. Adverse effects, mostly minor, developed in 27% of patients at any one time, occurring over 4.5% of treatment cycles. These were most frequently reported in blepharospasm (22 of 36 patients in 40 cycles), followed by hemifacial spasm (21 of 70 patients in 46 cycles), and cervical dystonia (17 of 106 in 28 cycles). Only 1.3% of patients discontinued therapy due intolerable adverse effects. The results show that BTX is a safe and effective treatment of various types of movement disorders, and most side effects are well tolerated. Discontinuation for any reason was also low after 5 years. Efficacy was maintained after long periods of treatment with high degree of patient satisfaction. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society [source] Review article: Hepatitis B and dialysisNEPHROLOGY, Issue 2 2010MATTHEW EDEY ABSTRACT: The incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in dialysis populations has declined over recent decades, largely because of improvements in infection control and widespread implementation of HBV vaccination. Regardless, outbreaks of infection continue to occur in dialysis units, and prevalence rates remain unacceptably high. For a variety of reasons, dialysis patients are at increased risk of acquiring HBV. They also demonstrate different disease manifestations compared with healthy individuals and are more likely to progress to chronic carriage. This paper will review the epidemiology, modes of transmission and diagnosis of HBV in this population. Prevention and treatment will be discussed, with a specific focus on strategies to improve vaccination response, new therapeutic options and selection of patients for therapy. [source] Raised intracranial pressure in a neonate presenting as stridorPEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA, Issue 8 2006KATE SOLAN FRCA Summary Neonatal stridor is an important sign of upper airway obstruction. This is most commonly secondary to laryngeal pathology and investigated by otolaryngologists. However neurological causes of stridor, secondary to vocal cord paralysis also occur for a variety of reasons (1). In cases of meningomyelocele up to 20% of infants may develop stridor (2). Respiratory distress may be severe and require prompt surgical and medical intervention. We describe a neonate born with a meningomyelocele, who developed stridor secondary to evolving hydrocephalus after surgical repair of the meningomyelocele. This was treated acutely by direct tapping of cerebrospinal fluid from the right coronal horn via the coronal suture with immediate symptomatic improvement prior to a definitive shunt procedure. [source] Origins and treatment of airway inflammation in childhood asthmaPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue S21 2001Robert F. Lemanske Jr. MD Abstract Several early events and risk factors are associated with the development of childhood asthma. Two significant risk factors are viral lower respiratory tract infections and atopy. Studies suggest that imbalances in TH1/TH2 cytokine responses in relationship to viral infections may play a role in the development of the childhood asthmatic phenotype. Airway inflammation is now recognized to contribute to the inception, persistence, and severity of asthmatic symptoms. The majority of information pertaining to airway inflammation in asthma has been derived from adult studies, but recent evaluations have been done in children. Available data are inconclusive as to the right medication to be used at the inception and during the evolution of the asthmatic phenotype in children. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS( are not consistently effective in young children for a variety of reasons, including underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms that are unresponsive to the pharmacologic properties of ICS. The leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs), recently approved for children as young as 2 years of age, address the relationship between leukotriene production and airway inflammation or remodeling in asthma. Therapeutic trials using LTRAs in children should prove beneficial. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2001; Supplement 21:17,25. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Non-attendance at a diabetes transitional clinic and glycaemic controlPRACTICAL DIABETES INTERNATIONAL (INCORPORATING CARDIABETES), Issue 3 2010FRCP, MG Masding MB BS Abstract Young patients with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to long-term complications, and require a carefully planned transition to adult diabetes care. As clinic non-attendance has been identified as an issue for transitional clinics, we audited our well established clinic to look at non-attendance rates, and to examine the characteristics of those who miss transitional clinic appointments. We conducted a retrospective analysis of audit data from the diabetes transitional clinic in January to December 2004, and September 2007 to September 2008. The results showed that 40/53 patients missed at least one appointment in 2004, compared to 19/61 in 2007,8 (p<0.0001). There was no reduction in HbA1c in this group (2004: median HbA1c 9.4% [range 6.8,13.2%]; 2007,8: median HbA1c 9.7% [range 5.7,14.0%[). In 2007,8, the non-attender group had higher HbA1c (full attenders: median [range] HbA1c 8.9% [5.7,12.7%]; those who missed at least one appointment: HbA1c 10.3% [7.7,14.0%]; p<0.001), and were older (non-attenders mean [SD] 18.0 [1.10] years, full attenders 17.3 [1.17] years). Sex and type of diabetes did not affect ,did not attend' rates. Those who miss diabetes transitional clinic appointments have poorer glycaemic control, although non-attendance is complex and may be due to a variety of reasons. New strategies to help young people deal with their diabetes are needed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons. [source] Minimally invasive fetal postmortem examination using magnetic resonance imaging and computerised tomography: current evidence and practical issuesPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 8 2010S. Thayyil Abstract For a variety of reasons, acceptance of traditional postmortem examination following foetal or neonatal death has declined significantly in recent years in the UK. Here, we review the case for the development of less invasive autopsy using combined investigations including imaging techniques, in particular, magnetic resonance imaging and computerised tomography. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Building Public Support from the Grassroots Up: The Impact of Presidential Travel on State-Level ApprovalPRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2005JEFFREY E. COHEN Presidential travel around the nation has become commonplace, yet very little research exists on its impact on public opinion. Although presidents "go public" for a variety of reasons, such as building and maintaining public support, existing research has been limited to examining the effects of going public on national-level support for the president. In this study, we argue that presidents target state publics (and other sub-national publics) when they travel around the nation. To test this possible linkage between travel and approval, we utilize data on presidential travel and newly available data on state-level presidential approval ratings. After controlling for various factors that affect the level of presidential approval at the state level, we find that a presidential visit results in a modest, statistically significant increase in the president's state-level job approval rating. Our analysis indicates that this effect is present only in non-election periods and in large states, suggesting that presidents are more likely to stimulate public support when appearing presidential rather than as candidates for office or as partisan leaders. [source] Inflation- Plus Targeting at the Reserve Bank of AustraliaTHE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 4 2004Stephen Bell This article first outlines the dynamics of what appear to be increasingly prevalent cycles of asset price inflation in liberalised financial systems, as well as the difficulties entailed in successful monetary policy responses. The article then analyses the Reserve Bank of Australia's policy responses to recent rises in credit growth and asset price inflation in the property sector. The Bank's responses are characterized in terms of an inflation- plus targeting framework which has subtly redefined the Bank's approach to inflation targeting to include vaguely defined factors such as mediumterm,risks', as well as extending the time frame of such risk assessment. The article explains why, for a variety of reasons, the Bank has been reticent to fully declare its hand. [source] Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer SurvivorsTHE BREAST JOURNAL, Issue 5 2003Daanish Hoda MD Abstract: Hot flashes can be a major problem for patients with a history of breast cancer. The precipitation of menopause in premenopausal women who undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer can lead to the rapid onset of hot flash symptoms that are more frequent and more severe than those associated with natural menopause. In addition, tamoxifen, historically the most commonly prescribed pharmacologic agent for the treatment of breast cancer, is associated with hot flashes in more than 50% of its users. Although estrogen relieves hot flashes in 80,90% of women who initiate treatment, its use in women with a history of breast cancer is controversial, and most physicians in the community will not use this treatment modality. In addition, the results of the long-awaited Women's Health Initiative study and other recent studies suggest that long-term estrogen therapy should not be recommended for most women for a variety of reasons. However, hot flashes in breast cancer survivors should no longer be considered untreatable, as there are many pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments that can help alleviate this problem. This article reviews the current strategies for the management of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors and the evidence supporting their use. [source] The compactness of federal electoral districts in Canada in the 1980s and 1990s: an exploratory analysisTHE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 4 2001PAUL BÉLANGER Considerations of the compactness and aesthetics of electoral districts have loomed large in the litigation surrounding the last round of US redistricting. For a variety of reasons, we expect that there will be increasing pressure on Canadian electoral cartographers to provide opportunities for protected minorities to be represented in the country's federal legislature. As a result, we expect that future electoral maps may well embody a tradeoff between compactness and other representational and cartographic desiderata. We look for evidence of this in an exploratory analysis of the last two federal electoral maps (adopted in 1987 and 1996) and in so doing we offer the first country-wide assessment of the compactness of Canadian federal electoral districts (FEDs). The results demonstrate the importance of natural boundaries in the achievement of district compactness. Strong evidence of a decline in the compactness of FEDs between the two maps is not forthcoming, however. Thus there is relatively little sign that Canadian electoral districts will be open to the kind of aesthetically-based legal challenges that American Congressional Districts faced in the 1990s. However, the analyses we report establish an important baseline against which the next electoral map, to be produced following the 2001 census, can be compared. [source] Using reflective learning to improve the impact of short courses and workshopsTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 1 2004Dr. Jennifer Moon BSc, MPhil Abstract For a variety of reasons, short courses and workshops often have no impact on workplace practice and are, therefore, a waste of money. The notion of "impact" on work practice is introduced, and it provides a focus toward which all elements on a short course should contribute (including the administrative processes). This article discusses the distinction between teaching and learning and some variables about the quality of the learning process that should be taken into account: the approach the learner takes and the learner's stage of conception of the structure of knowledge. The support of good-quality learning is a principal attribute of good teaching, and the nature of good teaching is discussed on this basis. Teaching and learning in a short course can usefully be structured by a framework to improve the impact of short courses and workshops. This also provides a structure for reflective activities. This article briefly discusses the definition of refiection and considers how it might be implemented. Finally, as another tactic in the focusing on impact, the components of short courses are analyzed on the basis that every component needs to work toward the improvement of the impact of the course. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||