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Omission
Terms modified by Omission Selected AbstractsTHE OMISSION OF CONFLICTING EVIDENCE FROM THE PAPER BY GOLLEDGE ET AL. (2008)GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2009DEREK FLINN ABSTRACT. In their paper on the last glaciation of Shetland, Golledge et al. (2008) concluded on the basis of a remote sensing study that during that period Shetland had been overrun by ice from Scandinavia. Since the method of study they used does not reveal the sense of the direction in which the ice flowed and since they ignored earlier ground-based work involving striations which do reveal the sense of direction of ice flow their conclusions have no scientific basis. [source] Phosphorylation of phosphodiesterase-5 by cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase alters its catalytic and allosteric cGMP-binding activitiesFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 9 2000Jackie D. Corbin In addition to its cGMP-selective catalytic site, cGMP-binding cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE5) contains two allosteric cGMP-binding sites and at least one phosphorylation site (Ser92) on each subunit [Thomas, M.K., Francis, S.H. & Corbin, J.D. (1990) J. Biol. Chem.265, 14971,14978]. In the present study, prior incubation of recombinant bovine PDE5 with a phosphorylation reaction mixture [cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) or catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), MgATP, cGMP, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine], shown earlier to produce Ser92 phosphorylation, caused a 50,70% increase in enzyme activity and also increased the affinity of cGMP binding to the allosteric cGMP-binding sites. Both effects were associated with increases in its phosphate content up to 0.6 mol per PDE5 subunit. Omission of any one of the preincubation components caused loss of stimulation of catalytic activity. Addition of the phosphorylation reaction mixture to a crude bovine lung extract, which contains PDE5, also produced a significant increase in cGMP PDE catalytic activity. The increase in recombinant PDE5 catalytic activity brought about by phosphorylation was time-dependent and was obtained with 0.2,0.5 ,m PKG subunit, which is approximately the cellular level of this enzyme in vascular smooth muscle. Significantly greater stimulation was observed using cGMP substrate concentrations below the Km value for PDE5, although stimulation was also seen at high cGMP concentrations. Considerably higher concentration of the catalytic subunit of PKA than of PKG was required for activation. There was no detectable difference between phosphorylated and unphosphorylated PDE5 in median inhibitory concentration for the PDE5 inhibitors, sildenafil, or zaprinast 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Phosphorylation reduced the cGMP concentration required for half-maximum binding to the allosteric cGMP-binding sites from 0.13 to 0.03 ,m. The mechanism by which phosphorylation of PDE5 by PKG could be involved in physiological negative-feedback regulation of cGMP levels is discussed. [source] Response to intraarterial induction chemotherapy: A prognostic parameter in oral and oropharyngeal cancerHEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 8 2006Adorján F. Kovács MD Abstract Background. Patients with head and neck cancer and good pathologic response to neoadjuvant systemic induction chemotherapy have a better prognosis for survival than do those with stable or progressive disease. Thus, induction chemotherapy could theoretically help in stratifying further treatment, but toxicity is much too high. The prognostic implication of superselective intraarterial high-dose cisplatin administered by a femoral approach, which has much less toxicity, is not yet known. Methods. One hundred eighty-seven unselected consecutive patients with previously untreated oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma received intraarterial high-dose cisplatin for induction and were assessed for response by visual examination and palpation. This treatment was followed by surgery and adjuvant radiation with concomitant systemic chemotherapy. Omission of a modality depended on individual contraindications and not on preselection. The consequence of omissions has been the constitution of several treatment arms. The overall and disease-free survival in relation to clinical local response after intraarterial induction chemotherapy was calculated using the Kaplan,Meier method. Additional analysis excluded bias caused by stages and treatment arms. Results. Explorative statistics using the log-rank and chi-square tests demonstrated a strong prognostic relevance of response to intraarterial chemotherapy irrespective of stage and treatment. Conclusions. Our results are encouraging for prospective randomized studies and molecular genetic investigations with intraarterial chemotherapy. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2006 [source] DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CREAMY STYLE PEANUT BUTTERS,JOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 5 2002KAY L. McNEILL ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to establish category and product descriptive characteristics of commercial creamy style peanut butters for use in subsequent modeling of consumer response. An established descriptive lexicon for peanut flavor was modified with additional appearance and texture terminology to describe these samples. To determine the full category space for the appearance, flavor and texture characteristics for commercial creamy style peanut butters, a highly trained descriptive panel screened 42 brands. A subset of 22 peanut butters was identified which represented the available range of appearance, flavor and texture variations and determined the product category. These 22 commercial creamy style peanut butters were subsequently evaluated and quantitatively described using 4 appearance, 19 flavor and 12 texture descriptors. Using both hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis, 4 logical associative groupings of products were identified: store and name brands, natural brands, reduced fat brands, and some store or name brands with unique or unusual appearance, flavor or texture characteristics. Omission of products with redundant characteristics within a factor grouping enabled further reduction to 15 products for subsequent quantitative consumer testing to establish a model for descriptive analysis as a predictor of consumer research responses. [source] Successful treatment of a leg ulcer occurring in a rheumatoid arthritis patient under leflunomide therapyJOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 2 2005J Knab ABSTRACT Objective, We report the case of a leg ulcer in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient under treatment with leflunomide, discuss the influence of the drug on the aetiopathogenesis of the ulcer and describe its successful treatment. Case summary, A 68-year-old woman with a 12-year history of RA developed a leg ulcer after 4 months of leflunomide treatment. Other ulcerogenic factors were ruled out. There were some clinical hints for rheumatoid vasculitis. The ulcer was resistant to ambulant conservative phase adapted wound bed preparation and a split skin transplantation failed. After omission of leflunomide and washout procedure with cholestyramine a second split skin transplantation resulted in complete healing. Discussion, Leflunomide inhibits the division of activated T cells and thus inhibits among others the production of proinflammatory cytokines and the adhesion of cells to the endothelium. These mechanisms may partly explain the possible influence of leflunomide on the perpetuation of the ulcer. Until now, occurrence of vasculitis and leg ulcers has been described in one case each for the novel immunomodulator leflunomide. No successful treatment of a leg ulcer under leflunomide has been described yet. Omission of leflunomide and a washout treatment in our case led to a complete healing. This may indicate a critical role of leflunomide in the maintenance of this slow healing ulcer. Conclusions, An association between leflunomide intake, occurrence of leg ulcers in RA patients and delayed wound healing should be considered. [source] Inorganic phosphate has a crucial effect on Cry3Aa , -endotoxin productionLETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2005A. Kurt Abstract Aims:, The study aimed at increasing Cry3Aa , -endotoxin production by a local isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t. strain Mm2). To this end, different nutritional conditions were tested for their effects on Cry3Aa yields. Methods and Results:,Bacillus thuringiensis Mm2 was grown by shaking at 30°C in different media. Samples were taken from the cultures at intervals and used for protein extraction. SDS-PAGE was performed for toxin analysis. Inclusion of inorganic phosphate (Pi) into the Difco's sporulation medium at an increased level of 200 mmol l,1 caused a fivefold increase (from 3 to 15·6 ,g ml,1) in toxin production. Omission of FeSO4 from the medium decreased this yield by half. Resuspension experiments suggested catabolite repression of toxin biosynthesis by glucose. The inclusion of high Pi invariably increased toxin synthesis, even in the absence of sugars. Conclusions:, Inorganic phosphate had the most striking effect on toxin biosynthesis. Iron effect was found to be unique to our isolate whereas Pi effect seemed to be common to the biosynthesis of Cry3Aa-type toxins. Stimulation of toxin synthesis by Pi did not seem to represent a relief from glucose repression. Significance and Impact of the Study:,Bacillus thuringiensis is the most versatile biopesticide for use in pest management. Regarding cost-effectiveness of related fermentations, high Pi supplement drastically increases Coleoptera-specific toxin synthesis. [source] A cost effectiveness analysis of omitting radiography in diagnosis of acute bronchiolitis,PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Jean Hai Ein Yong MASc Abstract Objective To carry out a cost-effectiveness analysis of omitting chest radiography in the diagnosis of infant bronchiolitis. Hypothesis Omitting chest radiographs in the diagnosis of typical bronchiolitis was expected to reduce costs without adversely affecting the detection rate of alternate diseases. Study Design An economic evaluation was conducted using clinical and health resources. Emergency department (ED) physicians provided diagnoses pre- and post-radiography as well as a management plan. The primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy (false-negative rate) of alternate diagnoses with and without X-ray. The incremental costs of omitting radiography in comparison to routine radiography per patient were assessed from a health system perspective. Patient Selection We studied 265 infants, 2,23 months old, presenting at the ED with typical bronchiolitis. Patients with pre-existing conditions or radiographs were omitted from the study. Methodology Expected costs to the health care system of including and excluding chest radiographs were compared, including costs associated with misdiagnosis. Results All alternate diagnoses (two cases) were missed by ED physicians pre- and post-radiography, resulting in a 100% false negative rate. The specificity in detecting alternate diseases was 96.6% pre-radiography and 88.6% post-radiography. Of the 17 cases of coexistent pneumonia, 88% were missed pre-radiography and 59% post-radiography, with respective false positive rates of 10.5% and 16.1%. Omission of routine chest radiograph saved CDN $59 per patient, primarily due to savings in radiography and hospitalization costs. The economic benefit persisted after the inpatient length of stay, ED overhead and radiograph costs were varied. Conclusion For infants with typical bronchiolitis, omitting radiography is cost saving without compromising diagnostic accuracy of alternate diagnoses and of associated pneumonia. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:122,127. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Weaknesses of goodness-of-fit tests for evaluating propensity score models: the case of the omitted confounder,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 4 2005Sherry Weitzen PhD Abstract Purpose Propensity scores are used in observational studies to adjust for confounding, although they do not provide control for confounders omitted from the propensity score model. We sought to determine if tests used to evaluate logistic model fit and discrimination would be helpful in detecting the omission of an important confounder in the propensity score. Methods Using simulated data, we estimated propensity scores under two scenarios: (1) including all confounders and (2) omitting the binary confounder. We compared the propensity score model fit and discrimination under each scenario, using the Hosmer,Lemeshow goodness-of-fit (GOF) test and the c-statistic. We measured residual confounding in treatment effect estimates adjusted by the propensity score omitting the confounder. Results The GOF statistic and discrimination of propensity score models were the same for models excluding an important predictor of treatment compared to the full propensity score model. The GOF test failed to detect poor model fit for the propensity score model omitting the confounder. C-statistics under both scenarios were similar. Residual confounding was observed from using the propensity score excluding the confounder (range: 1,30%). Conclusions Omission of important confounders from the propensity score leads to residual confounding in estimates of treatment effect. However, tests of GOF and discrimination do not provide information to detect missing confounders in propensity score models. Our findings suggest that it may not be necessary to compute GOF statistics or model discrimination when developing propensity score models. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Radiation exposure from work-related medical X-rays at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2005Robert D. Daniels BS Abstract Background Previous analyses suggest that worker radiation dose may be significantly increased by routine occupational X-ray examinations. Medical exposures are investigated for 570 civilian workers employed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) at Kittery, Maine. The research objective was to determine the radiation exposure contribution of work-related chest X-rays (WRX) relative to conventional workplace radiation sources. Methods Methods were developed to estimate absorbed doses to the active (hematopoietic) bone marrow from X-ray examinations and workplace exposures using data extracted from worker dosimetry records (8,468) and health records (2,453). Dose distributions were examined for radiation and non-radiation workers. Results Photofluorographic chest examinations resulted in 82% of the dose from medical sources. Radiation workers received 26% of their collective dose from WRX and received 66% more WRX exposure than non-radiation workers. Conclusions WRX can result in a significant fraction of the total dose, especially for radiation workers who were more likely to be subjected to routine medical monitoring. Omission of WRX from the total dose is a likely source of bias that can lead to dose category misclassification and may skew the epidemiologic dose,response assessment for cancers induced by the workplace. Am. J. Ind. Med. 47:206,216, 2005. Published 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Measurement of development of cognitive and attention functions in children using continuous performance testPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 2 2008Noriko Kanaka ba Aim:, The development of attention function in children is still not sufficiently clear. Although it is difficult to objectively assess attention function, continuous performance tests (CPT) can be used to objectively assess cognitive function along with attention. The development of cognitive and attention functions was examined in children using a CPT. Methods:, A total of 541 healthy girls aged 5,12 years participated. Ten parameters were calculated: numbers of cancellations for either target stimuli (T-cancel) or non-target stimuli (N-cancel), numbers of omission errors (Omission) and commission errors (Commission), hit rate (Hit), false alarm rate (False), mean reaction time for correct response (RT), coefficient of variance for mean reaction time (CVRT), sensitivity index (d,), and ln,. Results:, The parameters were divided into three types based on pattern of change. T-cancel, False, and Commission, which are related to inhibition of response, N-cancel, Hit, and Omission, which are related to inattention to stimuli, and CVRT, which is related to stability of processing time, exhibited significant change until 5 or 6 years of age. d,, which is related to ability to discriminate between target or non-target, exhibited significant change until 8 years of age. RT, which is related to processing time, exhibited significant change until 11 years of age. ln, exhibited no significant differences among age groups. Conclusions:, These findings indicate that inhibition function, inattention to stimuli, and stability of processing time develop first. Discrimination ability subsequently increases based on these developments, and finally processing time is reduced. [source] Supplementary oxygen and temperature management during live transportation of greenlip abalone, Haliotis laevigata (Donovan, 1808)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 7 2009Erin J Bubner Abstract Live greenlip abalone, Haliotis laevigata, are highly valued in Australian export markets with demand increasingly being met with cultured stock. Live transportation of abalone requires the maintenance of favourable conditions within transport containers for periods exceeding 35 h. We examined the combined effects of temperature regulation (ice provision) and of supplemental oxygen (60% and 100% concentrations) on mortality rates of abalone over 7 days following a 35-h simulated live-transport experiment. We also examined the physiological condition of greenlip abalone (oxygen consumption rate, haemolymph pH and weight) during the simulation experiment. The provision of ice and supplementary oxygen reduced abalone mortalities. Omission of ice and supplementary oxygen during the transport simulation resulted in mortality rates ranging from 70% to 100%. The addition of ice to containers with ambient oxygen concentrations decreased average mortality rates by 50%. While supplementary oxygen further reduced these rates, the provision of both ice and 100% oxygen was by far the most effective combination, reducing mortalities to between 2% and 6%. Supplementary oxygen increased oxygen consumption rates of abalone above those transported at ambient oxygen concentrations. Live-transport decreased haemolymph pH in all treatments but was most pronounced in treatments without ice or supplementary oxygen. On average, abalone lost 7,13% of their weight during the simulation but this loss was independent of transport treatment. [source] Late follow-up of a randomized trial of surgery plus tamoxifen versus tamoxifen alone in women aged over 70 years with operable breast cancerBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 6 2004M. Fennessy Background: Breast cancer has been considered a more indolent disease in the elderly, who are less tolerant of aggressive therapy. This trial tested the hypothesis that tamoxifen without surgery would provide adequate control of breast cancer for the remainder of life in elderly women, thereby sparing them surgery. Method: Women aged over 70 years with operable, invasive breast cancer were randomized to receive either tamoxifen alone or surgery plus tamoxifen. Time to treatment failure (TTF), indicating initial primary treatment failure, was the primary endpoint. Overall mortality, and death from breast cancer were also compared between the two groups. Results: Between 1984 and 1991, 455 patients were included in the trial. The analysis was based on a median follow-up of 12·7 years. The TTF was significantly shorter in the tamoxifen alone group: hazard ratio (HR) 4·41 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 3·31 to 5·88). Ninety-three (40·4 per cent) of 230 patients randomized to tamoxifen alone underwent surgery for the management of their disease. Both overall mortality and mortality from breast cancer were significantly increased in the tamoxifen alone group, although the survival curves did not diverge for the first 3 three years: HR 1·29 (95 per cent c.i. 1·04 to 1·59) and 1·68 (95 per cent c.i. 1·15 to 2·47) respectively. Conclusion: Omission of primary surgery in unselected elderly women with operable breast cancer who were fit for the procedure resulted in an increased rate of progression, therapeutic intervention and mortality. Copyright © 2004 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Study Finds Omission of Axillary Lymph Node Dissection Safe for Patients with Sentinel Node MicrometastasesCA: A CANCER JOURNAL FOR CLINICIANS, Issue 1 2010John Henry Dreyfuss No abstract is available for this article. [source] Errors of Omission in English-Speaking Children's Production of Plurals and the Past Tense: The Effects of Frequency, Phonology, and CompetitionCOGNITIVE SCIENCE - A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, Issue 6 2006Danielle E. Matthews Abstract How do English-speaking children inflect nouns for plurality and verbs for the past tense? We assess theoretical answers to this question by considering errors of omission, which occur when children produce a stem in place of its inflected counterpart (e.g., saying "dress" to refer to 5 dresses). A total of 307 children (aged 3;11,9;9) participated in 3 inflection studies. In Study 1, we show that errors of omission occur until the age of 7 and are more likely with both sibilant regular nouns (e.g., dress) and irregular nouns (e.g., man) than regular nouns (e.g., dog). Sibilant nouns are more likely to be inflected if they are high frequency. In Studies 2 and 3, we show that similar effects apply to the inflection of verbs and that there is an advantage for "regular-like" irregulars whose inflected form, but not stem form, ends in d/t. The results imply that (a) stems and inflected forms compete for production and (b) children generalize both product-oriented and source-oriented schemas when learning about inflectional morphology. [source] 2006 Presidential Address: Errors and Omissions: Some Illustrations From Unpublished ResearchEDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2007James C. Impara First page of article [source] A New Asymmetry Between Actions And Omissions*NOUS, Issue 3 2005Carolina Sartorio First page of article [source] Loudness summation and the mismatch negativity event-related brain potential in humansPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Attila Oceák Abstract Infrequently omitting a sound from a repetitive sequence elicits the mismatch negativity (MMN) ERP response when the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) is less than 200 ms. We contrasted two alternative explanations of omission MMN. (1) Each sound starts a separate temporal integration process. Omissions violate the constancy of the temporal structure within the integration window. (2) Sounds preceding an omission are perceived to be louder than those followed by a sound within the integration period, because omissions allow the full stimulus aftereffect to be included in perceived loudness. We varied the SOA between 117 and 217 ms. For this case, the temporal structure explanation predicts that no MMN will be elicited, whereas the loudness summation explanation predicts that MMN will be elicited. MMN was elicited by tone omissions with random SOA, suggesting that loudness summation plays an important role in the elicitation of omission MMN. [source] Severe personality disorder emerging in childhood: a proposal for a new developmental disorderCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2004Eileen Vizard Background The concept of ,severe personality disorder' is currently applied to adults with a history of serious antisocial and offending behaviour. There is, however, no similar classification that can be applied to the sub-group of children and adolescents who display persistent and serious offending from an early age. This omission from diagnostic nomenclature prevents the appropriate early identification, assessment and management of these young people. Method This paper therefore proposes a new developmental disorder: ,severe personality disorder emerging in childhood'. The existing evidence base strongly supports the presence of a developmental trajectory from childhood to adult life for the small number of children who show early signs of severe personality disorder (SPD). Based on a review of the literature and the experience of working in a specialist, forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), a multi-factorial model is proposed that outlines the developmental trajectory of SPD. This model includes neurobiological, psychosocial, environmental and systemic factors, within a developmental framework, and contributes to a more developmentally appropriate understanding of the genesis of severe personality disorder. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] False memory and obsessive,compulsive symptomsDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 5 2009Heide Klumpp Ph.D Abstract Background: The memory deficit hypothesis has been used to explain the maintenance of repetitive behavior in individuals with obsessive,compulsive disorder, yet the majority of studies focusing on verbal memory show mixed results. These studies primarily evaluated memory accuracy via the inclusion or omission of previously encountered material, as opposed to false recognition (i.e., the inclusion of erroneous material). We evaluated false memories and memory processes in individuals with obsessive,compulsive washing symptoms (OC), individuals matched on depression and anxiety without OC symptoms (D/A), and in nonanxious individuals (NAC). Methods: Twenty-eight OC, 28 D/A, and 29 NAC individuals read OC-threat relevant, positive, and neutral scenarios and then performed a recognition test. Erroneous recognition of words associated to encoded, but not previously viewed, scenarios were classified as false memories. To evaluate processes underlying memory, participants completed a modified remember/know task to examine whether the OC individuals differed from the other individuals in recollective clarity for false memories of OC-relevant (e.g., germs), positive (e.g., lottery), and neutral (e.g., bread) material. Results: The OC individuals used "know" more than the D/A and NAC individuals for false memories of threat. For veridical memories, the OC individuals used "know" more than the NAC, but not, D/A individuals. Conclusions: The greater reliance on "know" (i.e., feelings of familiarity) in general and false threat memories in particular in individuals with OC symptoms may add to feelings of uncertainty for threat-relevant material, which may contribute to compulsive behavior. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. ©2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Present and potential distribution of invasive garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) in North AmericaDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 4 2002Erik Welk Abstract. This paper demonstrates the use of a bioclimatic model mapped over geographical regions as a tool for spatially refined risk assessment for the establishment of non-indigenous plants with invasive behaviour. Drawing on the relationship between plant distribution and climate, the approach uses gridded spatial interpolated monthly means of temperature and precipitation linked with accurate maps of general native distribution ranges to predict the long-term potential of a plant species to invade a certain region. The ascertained potential for establishment is illustrated by the example of garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata[M. Bieb.] Cavara & Grande) in North America. The first step is to calculate and visualize the number of populated grid cells along climatic gradients in frequency diagrams for the general native distribution range. Interpretations of the response curves recorded are used for assessing apparent climatic range boundaries. Modelling was gradually optimized based on the results of experience-based interpretations and by examining omission and over-representation errors. The obtained climatic model of the range of A. petiolata shows considerable congruencies with its mapped, native Eurasian range. Degrees of climatic similarity between North America and the native range of A. petiolata were calculated with the help of GIS methodology and were used to assess the regionally different likelihood of establishment in North America of the invasive species under consideration. [source] Entrepreneurial Geographies: Support Networks in Three High-Technology IndustriesECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2005Martin Kenney Abstract: Using a unique database derived from prospectuses for U.S. initial public stock offerings, we examine the location of four actors (the firm's lawyers, the venture capitalists on the board of directors, the other members of the board of directors, and the lead investment banker) of the entrepreneurial support network for startup firms in three high-technology industries: semiconductors, telecommunications equipment, and biotechnology. We demonstrate that the economic geography of the biotechnology support network differs significantly from the networks in semiconductors and telecommunications equipment. Biotechnology has a far-more-dispersed entrepreneurial support network structure than do the two electronics-related industries. The case of biotechnology indicates that if the source of seeds for new firms is highly dispersed, then an industry may not experience the path-dependent clustering suggested by geographers. We argue that contrary to common belief, biotechnology and its support network do not exhibit as great a clustering as do semiconductors and telecommunications equipment and their support networks. This argument leads to an epistemological issue, namely, the lack of interindustry comparative work. This is an odd omission, since nearly all authors agree that industries are based on particular knowledge bases, yet few consider that the knowledge and the sources of it may have an impact on spatial distributions. [source] Capital quality improvement and the sources of economic growth in the euro areaECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 42 2005Plutarchos Sakellaris SUMMARY Capital quality improvement and Euroland growth Sources of growth Europe's growth slowed in the 1990s, reinforcing the overall impression of a need to catch up with the US regarding standards of living. In reaction, EU leaders adopted the famous Lisbon Agenda in 2000. The Agenda is now under review, the aim being to determine why progress on its pro-growth goals has been unsatisfactory and what can be done about it. The first crucial step in this process is to understand the true sources of the European growth slowdown. Sources-of-growth calculations have always been imprecise, but evidence from the US suggests that ,quality upgrading', especially in capital goods , has substantially worsened the precision problem since the 1990s. Unfortunately, quality adjusted sources-of-growth calculations, however, have not performed satisfactorily for Europe, so Europe's leaders are working with potentially misleading accounts of Europe's growth slowdown. Redressing this omission is the goal of this paper. Failure to account properly for capital quality improvements leads to two mistakes. First, overall GDP is underestimated. Our calculations, for example, show that euro area GDP growth was underestimated on average by 0.7 percentage points annually in the late 1990s. However, similar quality-adjustment figures raise US growth figures in the same period by even more, so quality-adjusting suggests that the US,EU growth gap was even more pronounced than previously believed. Secondly, the sources-of-growth calculations used to prioritize Europe's pro-growth policies are skewed. Our calculations show that the contribution of the slowdown in disembodied technical progress to the overall slowdown is more pronounced after quality adjustment. Our findings point to the need for adoption of microeconomic measures aimed at enhancing overall efficiency and boosting innovation activity. Such measures would aim at a better business environment, e.g. by easing regulatory and administrative burden and liberalizing energy and telecommunications markets. , Plutarchos Sakellaris and Focco Vijselaar [source] Experience in adverse events detection in an emergency department: Nature of eventsEMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA, Issue 1 2007James Hendrie Abstract Objective:, The study was performed to determine the nature of adverse events in an ED. Methods:, The methodology has been described in the accompanying paper. Two by two tables were analysed using the two-tailed Fisher's exact test. A P -value of ,0.05 was considered significant. Statistical analysis was performed using MINITAB. Results:, One hundred and ninety-four events were detected, from a sample of 3222 patients. Except where specified, events with management causation ,3 were excluded. This excluded 24 events (12.4%) leaving 170 for analysis. Errors of commission occurred in 55% and omission in 45%. Errors of commission were significantly associated with prior events, errors of omission with ED events (P , 0.0001, respectively). The most common cause of events was drug reactions. 1.35% had a Naranjo score , 1, 0.54% , 4. Prior events were significantly associated with adverse drug reactions (P , 0.0001). Drug reactions were associated with a lower preventability score (P , 0.0001). Diagnostic issues were present in 1.2%. All three categories, that is diagnosis not considered, diagnosis within the differential and seriousness not appreciated were associated preventability ,4 (P , 0.0001, P , 0.02 and P , 0.004, respectively). Diagnostic problems were significantly associated with ED events (P , 0.0001). Conclusion:, In conclusion, the data demonstrate that events fall into two sets: prior events which are associated with errors of commission, drug reactions and lower preventability; and ED events which are associated with errors of omission, diagnostic issues and high preventability. [source] Bonding Form Analysis of Metals and Sulfur Fractionation in Methanol-Grown Anaerobic Granular SludgeENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2007A. van der Veen Abstract This study investigates the metal and sulfur bonding form distribution in mesophilic (30,°C, pH 7) methanol-grown anaerobic granular sludge from upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactors operating at an organic loading rate of 3.8,g CH3OH-COD/L d. This was achieved by applying a modified Tessier sequential extraction scheme to investigate the metal bonding forms and a sequential extraction scheme for sulfur and simultaneously extracted metals to granular sludge samples of the reactors after 0, 22, 35 and 43 days of operation. Metals were also determined in the sulfur extracts. Co and Ni predominated in their oxidizable bonding forms, which increased together with the pseudo-total content during reactor operation. An omission of Co and Ni from the influent led to only a minor decline of the pseudo-total content in the sludge, mainly from the acid-soluble fraction. The ratio of simultaneously extracted metals (Co, Fe, Mn, Ni) to acid-volatile sulfides was lower than 1, indicating that the sludge contained sufficient sulfide to bind the metals as metal monosulfides. The bioavailability of metals in the methanol-grown anaerobic granular sludge investigated is therefore mainly controlled by sulfide formation/dissolution. [source] A new approach to influence diagnostics in superpopulationsENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 4 2005J. M. Fernández-Ponce Abstract Influence analysis on a model is one of the most studied topics from a frequentist viewpoint. Basically, disturbances are introduced into the model in order to measure the influence that one or a set of observations has on statistical analysis. The most common disturbance pattern is that of the omission of the observations whose influence is to be studied. In our model, we assume that there are only one or a few outliers because they may often be detected by deletion methods associated with regression diagnostics. However, these methods may fail in the presence of multiple outliers. In this case, the forward search can be used to avoid the masking and swamping problems. This article presents a Bayes approach for the influence analysis on a model in finite populations. Particularly, we develop a new approach to the study of influence in prediction theory, based on the given data rather than on the sampling design for data collection. We propose that the influence analysis on the superpopulation normal regression model and a measure based on the conditional bias from a Bayesian viewpoint is analyzed. Forward deletion formulae based on our influence measure can be defined, but this topic is beyond the scope of this article. Finally, we apply our proposed influence measure in a classic example for water contents of soil specimens. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Leaf Processing by Wild Chimpanzees: Physically Defended Leaves Reveal Complex Manual SkillsETHOLOGY, Issue 8 2002Nadia Corp The manual processing of eight species of leaf was investigated in the M-group chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania. Leaf species varied in the extent to which physical defences made consumption difficult. In all, 96 distinct techniques for leaf processing were identified, but two species with defended leaves (Ficus asperifolia and F. exasperata) required 2.5 as many techniques as did any of the six undefended species. Moreover, chimpanzees made more multiple leaf detachments, and made more subsequent modifications of the leaves, when dealing with the leaves of these two Ficus species, compared with the undefended leaf species. This greater complexity was associated with evidence of flexible, hierarchical organization of the process: iteration of modules consisting of several processing elements, facultative omission of modules, or substitutions of alternative modules. Comparison with data from mountain gorillas is made, and is consistent with similar cognitive architecture in the two species. We consider that, not only is hierarchical organization currently associated with mechanical difficulty in food processing, but that over evolutionary time-scales difficulties in food processing may have selected for cognitive advance. [source] Tonically active neurons in the striatum differentiate between delivery and omission of expected reward in a probabilistic task contextEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2009Paul Apicella Abstract Tonically active neurons (TANs) in the primate striatum are responsive to rewarding stimuli and they are thought to be involved in the storage of stimulus,reward associations or habits. However, it is unclear whether these neurons may signal the difference between the prediction of reward and its actual outcome as a possible neuronal correlate of reward prediction errors at the striatal level. To address this question, we studied the activity of TANs from three monkeys trained in a classical conditioning task in which a liquid reward was preceded by a visual stimulus and reward probability was systematically varied between blocks of trials. The monkeys' ability to discriminate the conditions according to probability was assessed by monitoring their mouth movements during the stimulus,reward interval. We found that the typical TAN pause responses to the delivery of reward were markedly enhanced as the probability of reward decreased, whereas responses to the predictive stimulus were somewhat stronger for high reward probability. In addition, TAN responses to the omission of reward consisted of either decreases or increases in activity that became stronger with increasing reward probability. It therefore appears that one group of neurons differentially responded to reward delivery and reward omission with changes in activity into opposite directions, while another group responded in the same direction. These data indicate that only a subset of TANs could detect the extent to which reward occurs differently than predicted, thus contributing to the encoding of positive and negative reward prediction errors that is relevant to reinforcement learning. [source] Lesions to the subthalamic nucleus decrease impulsive choice but impair autoshaping in rats: the importance of the basal ganglia in Pavlovian conditioning and impulse controlEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 11 2005Catharine A. Winstanley Abstract Although the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is involved in regulating motor function, and inactivation of this structure relieves the motor symptoms in Parkinsonian patients, recent data indicate that corticosubthalamic connections are involved in both the regulation of attention and the ability to withhold from responding. Considerable evidence suggests that the neural circuitry underlying such behavioural disinhibition or impulsive action can be at least partially dissociated from that implicated in impulsive decision-making and it has been suggested that the tendency to choose impulsively is related to the ability to form and use Pavlovian associations. To explore these hypotheses further, STN-lesioned rats were tested on the delay-discounting model of impulsive choice, where impulsivity is defined as the selection of a small immediate over a larger delayed reward, as well as in a rodent autoshaping paradigm. In contrast to previous reports of increased impulsive action, STN lesions decreased impulsive choice but dramatically impaired the acquisition of the autoshaping response. When the STN was lesioned after the establishment of autoshaping behaviour, lesioned subjects were more sensitive to the omission of reward, indicative of a reduction in the use of Pavlovian associations to control autoshaping performance. These results emphasize the importance of the STN in permitting conditioned stimulus,unconditioned stimulus associations to regulate goal-seeking, a function which may relate to the alterations in impulsive choice observed in the delay-discounting task. These data bear a striking similarity to those observed after lesions of the orbitofrontal cortex and are suggestive of an important role for corticosubthalamic connections in complex cognitive behaviour. [source] Utility of an Initial D-dimer Assay in Screening for Traumatic or Spontaneous Intracranial HemorrhageACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2001Mark E. Hoffmann MD Abstract Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity of a D-dimer assay as a screening tool for possible traumatic or spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage. If adequately sensitive, the D-dimer assay may potentially permit omission of a more expensive computed tomography (CT) scan of the head when such hemorrhage is clinically suspected. Methods: Prospective, consecutive, blinded study of patients (age > 16 years) requiring a CT scan of the head for suspected intracranial hemorrhage over a five-month period at a university, Level I trauma center. All study patients had a serum D-dimer assay obtained prior to their CT scans. Sensitivity and specificity, with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) D-dimer assay for the detection of intracranial hemorrhage were calculated. Results: Of the 319 patients entered in the study, 25 (7.8%) had a CT scan positive for intracranial hemorrhage. Patients with intracranial hemorrhage were more likely to have a positive D-dimer assay (chi-square ? 13.075, p < 0.001). The D-dimer assay had 21 true-positive and four false-negative tests, resulting in a sensitivity of 84.0% (95% CI ? 63.7% to 95.5%) and a specificity of 55.8% (95% CI ? 55.5% to 55.9%). The four false-negative cases included one small intraparenchymal hemorrhage, one small subarachnoid hemorrhage, one moderate-sized intraparenchymal hemorrhage with mid-line shift, and one large subdural hematoma requiring emergent surgery. Conclusions: Due to the catastrophic nature of missing an intracranial hemorrhage in the emergency department, the D-dimer assay is not adequately sensitive or predictive to use as a screening tool to allow routine omission of head CT scanning. [source] Using fishers' anecdotes, naturalists' observations and grey literature to reassess marine species at risk: the case of the Gulf grouper in the Gulf of California, MexicoFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 2 2005Andrea Sáenz, Arroyo Abstract Designing fishing policies without knowledge of past levels of target species abundance is a dangerous omission for fisheries management. However, as fisheries monitoring started long after exploitation of many species began, this is a difficult issue to address. Here we show how the ,shifting baseline' syndrome can affect the stock assessment of a vulnerable species by masking real population trends and thereby put marine animals at serious risk. Current fishery data suggest that landings of the large Gulf grouper (Mycteroperca jordani, Serranidae) are increasing in the Gulf of California. However, reviews of historical evidence, naturalists' observations and a systematic documentation of fishers' perceptions of trends in the abundance of this species indicate that it has dramatically declined. The heyday for the Gulf grouper fishery occurred prior to the 1970s, after which abundance dropped rapidly, probably falling to a few percent of former numbers. This decline happened long before fishery statistics were formally developed. We use the case of the Gulf grouper to illustrate how other vulnerable tropical and semi-tropical fish and shellfish species around the world may be facing the same fate as the Gulf grouper. In accordance with other recent studies, we recommend using historical tools as part of a broad data-gathering approach to assess the conservation status of marine species that are vulnerable to over-exploitation. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||