bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgical treatment for large hepatocellular carcinoma: does size matter?
Authors: Tsoulfas Georgios , Mekras Alexandros , Agorastou Polyxeni , Kiskinis Dimitrios
Published: May 2012

Despite significant progress in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), patients with large HCC (defined as >10 cm) continue to present a significant challenge. The goal of this paper is to review the existing literature regarding large HCC, with emphasis on identifying the issues and challenges involved in approaching these tumours surgically. A computerized search was made of the Medline database from January 1992 to December 2010. The MESH heading ‘large’ or ‘huge’ in combination with the keyword ‘hepatocellular carcinoma’ was used. After excluding further studies that identified ‘large’ HCC as less than 10 cm and/or sequential publications with overlapping patient populations, the search produced a study population of 22 non‐duplicated papers, reporting on a total of 5223 patients with HCC tumours >10 cm. Regarding resection for large HCC, the overall 5‐year survival in these studies ranged from 25% to 45%, with few outliers on both sides, whereas in most studies, the 5‐year disease‐free survival ranged between 15% and 35%, with the only exception being studies with patients with single lesions and no cirrhosis showing disease‐free survival of 41% and 56%, respectively. Risk factors identified included vascular invasion, cirrhosis, high level of alpha‐fetoprotein and the presence of multiple lesions. Finally, liver transplantation, although an attractive concept, did not appear to offer a survival benefit in any of the studies. In conclusion, identifying the risk factors that affect the outcome in patients undergoing surgery for large HCC is critical. The reason is that surgical resection can have excellent outcomes in carefully selected patients.
Newly defined fracture pattern specific to Mason III radial head fractures: fracture description, management and outcomes using screw fixation
Authors: Duckworth David Gordon , Avakian Zorik , Chien Calvin
Published: May 2012

Background:  Radial head fractures are the most common type of elbow fracture and are universally classified under the Mason classification system. Mason type III fractures are comminuted and are the most difficult to treat, generally requiring plating if possible, or more commonly arthroplasty or excision, which gives a variable outcome. We hypothesized that a new and specific fracture pattern of the radial head (Mason III) can be treated successfully with screw fixation.

Methods:  Six patients presented to the senior surgeon's clinic with this unusual Mason III fracture pattern. In these patients, the fracture was acute, requiring an open reduction and internal fixation with the use of three headless compression screws. Average follow‐up time was 21 months. Using serial X‐rays and the Broberg–Morrey elbow score, the six acute fractures were evaluated radiologically and functionally.

Results:  All six patients had good to excellent results using the Broberg–Morrey scoring system. All patients showed radiological and clinical union within 3 months of injury. No patient required revision surgery or excision at a later date.

Discussion:  We have recognized a specific type of comminuted and displaced Mason III radial head fracture that has not previously been described in the literature. This type of fracture is amenable to open reduction internal fixation with buried compression screws giving a good to excellent outcome, while avoiding the common consequences seen with a radial head excision, arthroplasty or plate fixation.
Phylogenetic community ecology and the role of social dominance in sponge‐dwelling shrimp
Authors: Hultgren Kristin M. , Duffy J. Emmett
Published: May 2012

When functional traits are evolutionarily conserved, phylogenetic relatedness can serve as a proxy for ecological similarity to examine whether functional differences among species mediate community assembly. Using phylogenetic‐ and trait‐based analyses, we demonstrate that sponge‐dwelling shrimp (Synalpheus) assemblages are structured by size‐based habitat filtering, interacting with competitive exclusion mediated by social system. Most shrimp communities were more closely related and/or more similar in size than randomized communities, consistent with habitat filtering facilitated by phylogenetically conserved body size. Those sponges with greater space heterogeneity hosted shrimp communities with greater size diversity, corroborating the importance of size in niche use. However, communities containing eusocial shrimp – which cooperatively defend territories – were less phylogenetically related and less similar in size, suggesting that eusociality enhances competitive ability and drives competitive exclusion. Our analyses demonstrate that community assembly in this diverse system occurs via traits mediating niche use and differential competitive ability.
Plant traits affecting herbivory on tree recruits in highly diverse subtropical forests
Authors: Schuldt Andreas , Bruelheide Helge , Durka Walter , Eichenberg David , Fischer Markus , Kröber Wenzel , Härdtle Werner , Ma Keping , Michalski Stefan G. , Palm Wolf‐Ulrich , Schmid Bernhard , Welk Erik , Zhou Hongzhang , Assmann Thorsten
Published: May 2012

Differences in herbivory among woody species can greatly affect the functioning of forest ecosystems, particularly in species‐rich (sub)tropical regions. However, the relative importance of the different plant traits which determine herbivore damage remains unclear. Defence traits can have strong effects on herbivory, but rarely studied geographical range characteristics could complement these effects through evolutionary associations with herbivores. Herein, we use a large number of morphological, chemical, phylogenetic and biogeographical characteristics to analyse interspecific differences in herbivory on tree saplings in subtropical China. Unexpectedly, we found no significant effects of chemical defence traits. Rather, herbivory was related to the plants' leaf morphology, local abundance and climatic niche characteristics, which together explained 70% of the interspecific variation in herbivory in phylogenetic regression. Our study indicates that besides defence traits and apparency to herbivores, previously neglected measures of large‐scale geographical host distribution are important factors influencing local herbivory patterns among plant species.
THE DURATION OF FIRM‐DESTINATION EXPORT RELATIONSHIPS: EVIDENCE FROM SPAIN, 1997–2006
Authors: ESTEVE‐PÉREZ SILVIANO , REQUENA‐SILVENTE FRANCISCO , PALLARDÓ‐LOPEZ VICENTE J.
Published: May 2012

This article uses survival analysis to investigate the duration of Spanish firms' trade relationships by destination over 1997–2006. Whereas firm export status is highly persistent, firms' destination portfolio is very dynamic: a typical firm‐country exporting relationship has a median duration of 2 years. Yet, if a firm manages to export to a country beyond 2 years the risk of exiting that market sharply falls afterwards. The results indicate that not only firm heterogeneity but also destination heterogeneity are crucial to explain survival in export markets. In particular, country (political) risk heavily shapes the effect of firm, product, and other destination characteristics on the length of trade relationships. Whereas firm productivity, comparative advantage, partners' GDP, and proximity enhance duration of trade with low‐risk countries, they have no effect on trade survival with high‐risk countries. On the contrary, information spillovers are particularly relevant to enhance survival of trade relationships with high‐risk countries. (JEL C41, F10, F14)
Valuing Australian botanic collections: a combined travel‐cost and contingent valuation study*
Authors: Mwebaze Paul , Bennett Jeff
Published: May 2012

Economic values of biological collections in three Australian botanic gardens in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney were estimated using the travel‐cost method (TCM) and the contingent valuation method (CVM). The TCM component of the study produced average per‐trip consumer surplus (CS) values of $39 and $18 for single‐ and multiple‐site visitors, respectively, for each botanic garden, resulting in an estimate of approximately $194 million for the total social welfare generated by trips to the three sites. Marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for access to botanic gardens was also investigated through payment vehicles of entry fees or higher parking charges using the CVM component. The analysis revealed a positive mean WTP of between $3 and $5 per trip per person. The difference between the CVM and TCM results reflect the different underlying concepts of value under investigation: average CS per visit for the TCM and the utility arising from a marginal visit for the CVM. Marginal changes in CS from the TCM were derived. The confidence intervals from the TCM marginal values overlap the WTP estimates from the CVM. These findings will be useful for resource management decisions in the botanic gardens collection in Australia.
Unionists as ‘Court Sceptics’: Exploring Elite-Level Unionist Discourses about a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights
Authors: Munce Peter
Published: May 2012

One of the most significant characteristics of the peace process in Northern Ireland has been the profound importance attached by a range of academic, political and non-governmental actors to the concept of human rights. However, unionists, more so than other elite-level political actors in Northern Ireland, have expressed scepticism about proposals from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) for a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights. This article explores how unionists relied on a ‘court sceptic’ narrative to argue against the Bill of Rights proposals. It argues that at one level unionist reliance on ‘court sceptic’ arguments can be conceived of as instrumental in the sense that it was a mere tactical response to, as unionists argue, the inflation by the NIHRC of their mandate contained in the Good Friday Agreement to devise a Bill of Rights. However, at another level unionists reliance on ‘court sceptic’ arguments can also be traced to their constitutional experience within the British polity.
Dreams from Elsewhere: Muslim subjectivities beyond the trope of self‐cultivation
Authors: MITTERMAIER AMIRA
Published: May 2012

Drawing on dream stories from a Sufi community in Egypt, this article probes the limits of the paradigm of self‐cultivation which has come to be widely employed in the anthropology of Islam. While the concept of self‐cultivation has complicated the equation of agency and resistance, its emphasis on intentionality and deliberate action obscures other modes of religiosity that centre neither on acting within nor on acting against but on being acted upon. Far from reaffirming a self‐cultivating subject, narratives of visitational and divinely inspired dreams are profound reminders of the unpredictability of divine interventions and the contingency of life itself. Through an analysis of Egyptian dream narratives and in conversation with anthropological literatures on an ethics of passion, this article traces a relational understanding of subjectivity which poses an even more radical challenge to the liberal model of the autonomous self than do practices of self‐cultivation.

À partir des récits de rêves d'une communauté soufie égyptienne, le présent article explore les limites du paradigme du développement personnel que l'on rencontre largement aujourd'hui dans l'anthropologie de l'islam. En même temps que ce concept de culture de soi compliquait l'équation de l'agencyet de la résistance, l'accent mis sur l'intentionnalité et l'action délibérée a occulté d'autres modes de religiosité qui ne sont centrés ni sur l'action « dans », ni sur l'action « contre » mais sur le fait de subir une action. Au lieu de corroborer l'idée d'un sujet qui se cultiverait lui‐même, les récits de rêves de visitation et d'inspiration divine rappellent fortement l'imprévisibilité des interventions divines et la contingence de la vie humaine. Par l'analyse de ces récits de rêves recueillis en Égypte et en dialogue avec la littérature anthropologique consacrée à l'éthique de la passion, cet article retrace une appréhension relationnelle de la subjectivité qui remet en question le modèle libéral du soi autonome, encore plus radicalement que ne le font les pratiques de développement personnel.
Horse versus machine: battles in the betting shop
Authors: CASSIDY REBECCA
Published: May 2012

Changes in regulation and taxation during the past decade have had a profound effect on the experience of betting in dedicated shops in the United Kingdom. This article explores how betting shop customers and staff in London have responded to the introduction of gambling machines depicting roulette and other casino‐type games in an environment that was traditionally dedicated to betting on horse and dog racing. The rise of machine gambling has been presented as a transition from ‘social’ to ‘asocial’ forms of gambling by researchers working in the UK, Las Vegas, and Australia. Traditional bettors and betting shop staff also present betting and machine play as discrete and value them differently. I show that while some of the experiential qualities of machine play observed elsewhere have been replicated in shops, the differences between traditional betting and machine play are overstated, for structural reasons. Traditional bettors and staff are interested in distinguishing their activities from those of newcomers. Responses to new gambling media in betting shops are socially, as well as experientially, mediated, a crucial insight for the wider study of gambling and gambling regulation.

L'évolution de la réglementation et de la taxation des paris a eu depuis une dizaine d'année de profonds effets sur l'expérience des parieurs dans les officines du Royaume‐Uni. Le présent article étudie la réaction des clients et du personnel de bureaux de paris londoniens à l'apparition des machines proposant des jeux de roulette et autres jeux de casino dans un environnement traditionnellement dévolu aux paris sur les courses de chevaux et de chiens. Au Royaume‐Uni, à Las Vegas et en Australie, des chercheurs ont présenté l'essor des machines de jeux comme le passage de formes de jeu « sociales »à d'autres « asociales ». Les parieurs traditionnels et les employés des bureaux de paris considèrent eux aussi les paris et les jeux sur machines comme deux activités distinctes et de valeur différente. L'auteure montre ici qu'une partie des qualités de l'expérience du jeu sur machines observées ailleurs se retrouvent dans les bureaux de paris, mais que les auteurs ont exagéré les différences entre paris traditionnels et jeux sur machines, pour des raisons structurelles. Les parieurs traditionnels et les employés ont intérêt à distinguer leurs activités de celles des nouveaux venus. La réponse aux nouveaux modes de jeu dans les bureaux de paris, médiée socialement mais aussi par l'expérience, est très instructive pour l'étude plus large des jeux de paris et de leur réglementation.
Negotiating impartial indicators: putting transparency into practice in the EU
Authors: THEDVALL RENITA
Published: May 2012

Over the last twenty years, statistics and indicators have come to be closely associated with the notion of transparency. The argument is based on a view that indicators make policy outcomes transparent, as objectively revealed in statistical diagrams and tables. Indicators are, however, politically and culturally loaded. This becomes especially evident in an international organization such as the European Union (EU). The article shows that the production of EU statistics is characterized by a practice of transparency wherein EU bureaucrats must handle two seemingly incompatible logics. There is bureaucratic logic, which refers to the indicators that are seen as representing reality – objective and politically neutral. Running parallel is the logic of cultural intimacy, in which the material that is made transparent is based upon what an EU member state wants to keep to itself and not reveal to the entire EU. This practice enables the quest for politically neutral indicators to live on, while at the same time providing room for politically and culturally negotiated indicators.

Depuis une vingtaine d'années, statistiques et indicateurs sont intimement liés à la notion de transparence. L'idée est que les indicateurs rendraient les résultats des politiques transparents en les révélant objectivement par le biais de graphiques et de tableaux statistiques. Pourtant, les indicateurs sont eux‐mêmes porteurs d'une charge politique et culturelle, comme on le constate notamment dans les organisations internationales telles que l'Union européenne (UE). Le présent article montre que la production des statistiques européennes est caractérisée par une pratique de la transparence qui oblige les « eurocrates »à concilier deux logiques apparemment incompatibles. D'une part, la logique bureaucratique veut que les indicateurs observés représentent une réalité objective et politiquement neutre. D'autre part, parallèlement, la logique de l'intimité culturelle veut que les informations rendues transparentes soient issues de ce qu'un État membre veut garder par‐devers soi et non révéler à l'UE toute entière. Cette pratique permet la poursuite de la quête d'indicateurs politiquement neutres tout en laissant un espace pour des indicateurs négociés au niveau politique et culturel.
Disjunctive comparison: citizenship and trade unionism in Bolivia and Argentina
Authors: LAZAR SIAN
Published: May 2012

In this essay I undertake an ethnographic analysis of the notion of comparison through a discussion of comparative research on the role of trade unions in the constitution of citizenship in El Alto, Bolivia, and in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Based on fieldwork with street traders in El Alto and public‐sector workers in Buenos Aires, the essay introduces the notion of ‘disjunctive comparison’ as an intrinsically anthropological mode of comparison. The article then puts into play my propositions about the specificity and validity of disjunctive comparison, by way of an ethnographic exploration of union membership as a creation of self and political agency. I conclude by connecting that analysis of self and political agency to citizenship in my two fieldwork sites.

Le présent essai constitue une analyse ethnographique de la notion de comparaison à travers l'examen d'une recherche comparative sur le rôle des syndicats dans la constitution de la citoyennetéà El Alto, en Bolivie, et à Buenos Aires en Argentine. À partir d'un travail de terrain mené auprès des marchands de rue à El Alto et des employés du secteur public à Buenos Aires, l'auteure introduit la notion de « comparaison disjonctive » comme mode de comparaison intrinsèquement anthropologique. L'article met ensuite en application ses propositions sur la spécificité et la validité de la comparaison disjonctive, par le biais d'une exploration ethnographique de l'appartenance syndicale comme mode de création du soi et de l'agencéité politique. L'auteure conclut en reliant cette analyse du soi et de l'agencyà la citoyenneté sur ses deux sites de terrain.
Occupy economic anthropology
Authors: MAURER BILL
Published: May 2012

What does it mean to ‘do’ economic anthropology, now, in the wake of the financial crisis and the re‐energizing of public discussion over the nature of debt, credit, speculation, and inequality? Two recent books offer signal insights. This essay suggests they also point towards a specific kind of lingering that may be politically and analytically useful: an occupation of a uniquely anthropological kind.

Que signifie « faire » de l'anthropologie économique aujourd'hui, dans le sillage de la crise financière et de la reprise du débat public sur la nature de la dette, du crédit, de la spéculation et des inégalités ? Deux ouvrages récents donnent un éclairage sur cette question. Le présent essai suggère qu'ils pointent en outre une manière particulière de « s'indigner » qui pourrait être utile du point de vue politique aussi bien qu'analytique : une indignation d'un genre spécifiquement anthropologique.
Analysing Censored Longitudinal Data with Non-Ignorable Missing Values: Depression in Older Age
Authors: Falcaro Milena , Pendleton Neil , Pickles Andrew
Published: May 2012

Missing values are common in cohort studies of the elderly. As part of a study of cognition in older age, we implemented a model for the analysis of longitudinal depression data complicated by the presence of non-ignorable missing values, censored measurements and individually varying times of observation. The repeated measures and non-response mechanisms are jointly modelled by assuming that they depend on a common underlying process. The results of our analysis suggest that both depression and non-response increase with age and that women have systematically higher depression scores than men but do not have higher levels of study non-participation.
Assessing the Accuracy of Non-Random Business Conditions Surveys: A Novel Approach
Authors: de Munnik Daniel , Illing Mark , Dupuis David
Published: May 2012

A number of central banks and other institutions publish their own business conditions surveys that rely on complex non-probability sampling methods. The results of these surveys influence policy decisions and affect expectations in financial markets. To date, no one has assessed the accuracy of these surveys because their complex (and often unique) sampling method renders this assessment non-trivial. The paper describes a novel approach for modelling unique sampling methods when many constraints (including quota sampling and clustering) are imposed. When no closed form solution exists, we show how to compute the selection probabilities from each firm in the known population and the dispersion of the sampling distribution by using Monte Carlo techniques. This method can also be used to assess the appropriateness of a survey sample size. Our approach is applicable to many major surveys conducted by various central banks and institutes across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, we apply it to the Bank of Canada’s ‘Business outlook survey’. Although the survey’s coverage is significantly limited, we find, under certain assumptions, no evidence that the Bank of Canada’s firm selection process results in a wider dispersion in the sampling distribution than the stratified random sample.
Professionalization as a Branding Activity: Occupational Identity and the Dialectic of Inclusivity‐Exclusivity
Authors: Ashcraft Karen Lee , Muhr Sara Louise , Rennstam Jens , Sullivan Katie
Published: May 2012

The current literature yields contrasting diagnoses of the diversity problem in the professions: (a) a dominant ‘absence’ view, which explains the exclusion of certain people as a lack to be rectified and (b) an alternative ‘presence’ view, which explains exclusion as a consequence of tacit inclusion. Although the latter challenges the former by exposing the historical interdependence of exclusion and inclusion, it fails to illuminate a path towards contemporary inclusion. This article develops a third, dialectical, view, which theorizes the inclusivity‐exclusivity relation as a contemporary crisis of representation managed through occupational branding. The proposed stance mediates between the optimism of the absence view and the scepticism of the presence view by placing historical formations in undetermined tension with contemporary exigencies. By analysing how specific inclusivity‐exclusivity tensions are confronted through strategic interventions in the marketplace of occupational identity, the dialectical view stands to generate novel possibilities for social change.
AGAINST PERIODIZATION: KOSELLECK'S THEORY OF MULTIPLE TEMPORALITIES
Authors: JORDHEIM HELGE
Published: May 2012

In this essay I intend to flesh out and discuss what I consider to be the groundbreaking contribution by the German historian and theorist of history Reinhart Koselleck to postwar historiography: his theory of historical times. I begin by discussing the view, so prominent in the Anglophone context, that Koselleck's idea of the plurality of historical times can be grasped only in terms of a plurality of historical periods in chronological succession, and hence, that Koselleck's theory of historical times is in reality a theory of periodization. Against this interpretation, to be found in works by Kathleen Davis, Peter Osborne, and Lynn Hunt, among others, I will argue that not only is Koselleck's theory of historical times, or, with a more phenomenlogical turn of phrase, his theory of multiple temporalities, not a theory of periodization, it is, furthermore, a theory developed to defy periodization. Hence, at the core of Koselleck's work is the attempt to replace the idea of linear, homogeneous time with a more complex, heterogeneous, and multilayered notion of temporality. In this essay I will demonstrate how this shift is achieved by means of three dichotomies: between natural and historical, extralinguistic and intralinguistic, and diachronic and synchronic time.
Dissolved gases in brackish thermal waters: an improved analytical method
Authors: LIOTTA M. , MARTELLI M.
Published: May 2012

An improved method based on equilibrium partitioning between water samples and an inert host gas, introduced after sampling, is proposed for determining multiple species of dissolved gases in brackish water. The method itself, and the most convenient equations for describing gas solubilities in brackish waters, is described in detail. The method allows the rapid characterization of several sites and represents a useful tool for geochemical surveys. A comparison between replicate samples analyzed using different procedures demonstrates the efficiency of the method and indicates that the abundances of the main dissolved gases can be obtained, which can then be used to determine underlying geochemical processes. A Microsoft Excel worksheet is provided to easily calculate the concentration of dissolved gas species.
Intersexual differences in body shape and locomotor performance in the aquatic frog, Xenopus tropicalis
Authors: Herrel A. , Gonwouo L. N. , Fokam E. B. , Ngundu W. I. , Bonneaud C.
Published: May 2012

Dimorphisms between the sexes are common in vertebrates and may reflect the divergent selective pressures operating on each sex. For example, in species where males do not show territory defense or pronounced male–male combat, females are typically larger than males as fecundity selection will favor large female body size. This is often the case in frogs where male–male competition is limited to calling behavior. Yet, whether differences in reproductive strategies between the two sexes are reflected in shape dimorphisms, and how those differences in shape may affect relevant whole‐organism performance traits, remains poorly studied. Here we use Xenopus tropicalis frogs to test for intersexual differences in body size, body shape and locomotor performance traits. Our results show that females are larger than males, but that males have relatively longer limbs and heads than females. In absolute terms, males and females perform equally well at different locomotor tasks (burst performance and maximal exertion capacity). Yet, for a given body size, males have a higher exertion capacity than females. Increased exertion capacity in males is likely the consequence of their relatively longer limbs and may reflect selection on locomotor capacity in males to compensate for their smaller absolute body size.
Dietary intake of unsaturated fatty acids modulates physiological properties of entorhinal cortex neurons in mice
Authors: Arsenault Dany , Julien Carl , Chen Chuck T. , Bazinet Richard P. , Calon Frédéric
Published: May 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 122, 427–443.

Dietary lipids modify brain fatty acid profile, but evidence of their direct effect on neuronal function is sparse. The enthorinal cortex (EC) neurons connecting to the hippocampus play a critical role in learning and memory. Here, we have exposed mice to diets based on canola:soybean oils (40 : 10, g/kg) or safflower : corn oils (25 : 25, g/kg) to investigate the relationship between the lipid profile of brain fatty acids and the intrinsic properties of EC neurons. Consumption of canola : soybean oil‐enriched diet led to the increase of the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid and to a decrease of arachidonic acid in ethanolamine glycerophospholipids of the white matter. We also found an important rise in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) within ethanolamine glycerophospholipids and phosphatidylserine of gray matter. The canola:soybean oil treatment led to a shorter duration of action potential (−21%), a reduction in the duration of postsynaptic response (−21%) and increased firing activity (+43%). Data from additional experiments with animals fed DHA alone or DHA with canola oil suggested that dietary monounsaturated fatty acid may have contributed to these effects on EC neuron physiology. Since neuronal function within the enthorhinal‐hippocampal loop is critical to learning and memory processes, the present data may provide a functional basis for the beneficial cognitive effects of canola oil‐based diets.
Wnt‐4 potently inhibits capillary outgrowth from rat aorta in 3D culture
Authors: Jover Bernard , Girardot Daphné , de Courtois Roy de Vacquières Françoise , Casellas Daniel , Molès Jean‐Pierre
Published: May 2012

Regulation of angiogenesis involves tight cell‐to‐cell and cell‐to‐extracellular‐matrix interactions. Various reports demonstrate that the Wnt signaling pathways participate in this regulation. Using a three‐dimensional aortic ring culture combined with an ex vivo retroviral infection approach, we evaluated the effects of two Wnt growth factors, Wnt‐1 and Wnt‐4, on the formation and growth of new capillaries. Our results show that Wnt‐1 had no effect, whereas Wnt‐4 was a potent inhibitor of capillary outgrowth in vitro.
Evaluation of a 15‐weekCHOPprotocol for the treatment of canine multicentric lymphoma
Authors: Burton J. H. , Garrett‐Mayer E. , Thamm D. H.
Published: May 2012

Dose intenseCHOPprotocols have been shown to improve outcome for people with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma, but evaluation of dose intenseCHOPprotocols for canine lymphoma is currently limited. The hypothesis of this retrospective study was that a 15‐week dose intenseCHOPprotocol would have shorter treatment duration with similar efficacy to other doxorubicin‐based multidrug protocols. Thirty‐one client owned dogs with multicentric lymphoma were treated with a 15‐weekCHOPchemotherapy protocol with an overall response rate of 100% and a median progression‐free interval (PFI) of 140 days [95% confidence interval (CI) 91–335 days]. Dogs that had two or more treatment delays had significantly prolongedPFIand overall survival in multivariate analysis. Dose intensity did not correlate with patient outcome. Dogs experiencing multiple treatment delays secondary to adverse events may receive their individual maximally tolerated dose while dogs with no adverse events may be underdosed. Future studies should focus on individual patient dose optimization.
“Writing History in the Digital Age”: The New Qing History Project and the Digitization of Qing Archives
Authors: Mao Liping , Ma Zhao
Published: May 2012

Since 2003, the Qing History Committee has been allocating huge funds to digitize a total number of 34 archival holdings and to build a password‐protected archival database of over 1.5 million files. Because the database is currently only open to researchers who are affiliated with the Qing history project, international scholars might not be aware of its existence. This article intends to offer an overview of the scope and progress of the digitization works funded by the Qing History Committee and the structure and content of the database. We would also like to share our experience of using this database to organize archival files.
The Empire’s Long Goodbye: Heroes, Crowds and the First Stage of Independence in Argentina
Authors: Johnson Lyman L.
Published: May 2012

An examination of the role of the plebe and the appearance of populist politics in Buenos Aires on the eve of independence.
Interglacial insects and their possible survival inGreenland during the last glacial stage
Authors: Böcher Jens
Published: May 2012

Sediments from the last interglacial (Eemian) inJamesonLand,East Greenland, and theThule area, NWGreenland, have revealed a number of insect fragments of both arctic and more or less warmth‐demanding species. Altogether, the interglacial fauna ofColeoptera (beetles) indicates boreal conditions. Undoubtedly, a large fraction of the insect fauna succumbed when the mild Eemian climate cooled drastically during the last glacial stage. However, a group of hardy species now found far north into theHighArctic might be glacial survivors. It is, however, still puzzling why well‐adapted arctic beetle species such asAmara alpinaandIsochnus arcticusdid not survive the last glacial stage inGreenland. Two factors that have not been sufficiently considered when discussing survival contra extinction are the importance of microclimate and the number of sun‐hours during the Arctic summer. Even among theColeoptera, which as a group fares quite badly in the Arctic, there might be survivors, at least among those found both during the interglacial and as fossils during the early Holocene. First of all, glacial survival applies to the seed bugNysius groenlandicus, which was widespread during the Eemian, was found soon after the last deglaciation, and is now almost omnipresent inGreenland.
A new palaeoenvironmental model for the evolution of the Byzovaya Palaeolithic site, northern Russia
Authors: Heggen Herbjørn Presthus , Svendsen John Inge , Mangerud Jan , Lohne Øystein S.
Published: May 2012

Recently, the sediment stratigraphy and geochronology of the well‐known Palaeolithic site Byzovaya in northern Russia were investigated. New technological analyses of the artefacts suggest a Middle Palaeolithic Mousterian culture, and occupation by Neanderthals, not Modern humans as previously thought. We present here a new and detailed documentation of the stratigraphy, including the geological context of the artefacts and faunal remains. From sedimentological criteria we confidently interpret the find‐bearing strata as debris‐flow deposits, covered by aeolian sediments. The chronology is based on radiocarbon and luminescence (OSL) dates from the find‐bearing and overlying strata. The results are utilized to reconstruct the geological history at the excavation area. The stratigraphy varies considerably across the excavation area. The most intact and undisturbed part of the sequence was found inside the most recent Excavation II. In this part the artefacts and bones appear to have been permanently sealed and protected by aeolian sand. The older Excavation I shows a more complicated stratigraphy, as the finds may have been temporarily exposed during the early Holocene owing to ravine incision and slumping activity. The individual radiocarbon dates that were collected from different parts of the site and from various stratigraphic positions are re‐investigated in this study. By using Bayesian statistics the conclusion is that the site was occupied during a restricted period around 30.6–34.7 ka. A series of partly unpublished OSL dates of coversand from different sites demonstrates a regional aeolian signal during the Lateglacial in northern Russia, 15–14 ka.
Toward a Postcolonial, Posthumanist Feminist Theory: Centralizing Race and Culture in Feminist Work on Nonhuman Animals
Authors: Deckha Maneesha
Published: May 2012

Posthumanist feminist theory has been instrumental in demonstrating the salience of gender and sexism in structuring human–animal relationships and in revealing the connections between the oppression of women and of nonhuman animals. Despite the richness of feminist posthumanist theorizations it has been suggested that their influence in contemporary animal ethics has been muted. This marginalization of feminist work—here, in its posthumanist version—is a systemic issue within theory and needs to be remedied. At the same time, the limits of posthumanist feminist theory must also be addressed. Although posthumanist feminist theory has generated a sophisticated body of work analyzing how gendered and sexist discourses and practices subordinate women and animals alike, its imprint in producing intersectional analyses of animal issues is considerably weaker. This leaves theorists vulnerable to charges of essentialism, ethnocentrism, and elitism despite best intentions to avoid such effects and despite commitments to uproot all forms of oppression. Gender‐focused accounts also preclude understanding of the importance of race and culture in structuring species‐based oppression. To counter these undesirable pragmatic and conceptual developments, posthumanist feminist theory needs to engender feminist accounts that centralize the structural axes of race and culture.
Enthusiastic Improvement: Mary Astell and Damaris Masham on Sociability
Authors: Myers Joanne E.
Published: May 2012

Many commentators have contrasted the way that sociability is theorized in the writings of Mary Astell and Damaris Masham, emphasizing the extent to which Masham is more interested in embodied, worldly existence. I argue, by contrast, that Astell's own interest in imagining a constitutively relational individual emerges once we pay attention to her use of religious texts and tropes. To explore the relevance of Astell's Christianity, I emphasize both how Astell's Christianity shapes her view of the individual's relation to society and how Masham's contrasting views can be analyzed through the lens of her charge that Astell is an “enthusiast.” In late seventeenth‐century England, “enthusiasm” was a term of abuse that, commentators have recently argued, could function polemically to dismiss those deemed either excessively social or antisocial. By accusing Astell of enthusiasm, I claim, Masham seeks to marginalize the relational self that Astell imagines and to promote a more instrumental view of social ties. I suggest some aspects of Astell's thought that may have struck contemporaries as “enthusiastic” and contrast her vision of the self with Masham's more hedonistic subject. I conclude that, although each woman differently configures the relation between self and society, they share a desire to imagine autonomy within a relational framework.
Current issues in peripheral neuropathy
Authors: Brannagan III Thomas H.
Published: May 2012

Twenty million people in the United States are estimated to have peripheral neuropathy. However, many patients are not aware of their diagnosis, are not given the diagnosis or being treated, or the diagnosis is delayed. Currently, the only treatments available for neuropathy are aimed at treating the underlying medical conditions that cause the neuropathy or treating symptoms such as pain. Neither treats the actual nerve fiber dysfunction or fiber loss, or helps nerve fibers regenerate. Idiopathic neuropathy, that is neuropathy for which a cause is not identified, is common, accounting in referral series for 25% in all neuropathy patients and 50% or more of patients with small fiber neuropathy. Currently, there is only one FDA‐approved medication for a specific neuropathy (chronic inflammatory demylinating polyneuropathy) while there are two FDA approved medications for diabetic neuropathy pain and four that are approved for post‐herpetic neuralgia pain. For many patients with painful neuropathy, these medications are ineffective or not tolerated. Continued research into the underlying mechanisms of neuropathy and an increased understanding of nerve regeneration and neuropathic pain are needed to address this unmet medical need among patients with neuropathy.
Treatments for diabetic neuropathy
Authors: Bril Vera
Published: May 2012

Diabetic neuropathy comprises disorders of peripheral nerve in diabetes patients after exclusion of other disorders and can be focal or diffuse. The focal diabetic neuropathies tend to resolve spontaneously and are treated by reassurance, physiotherapy and analgesia for painful symptoms. Diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSP) is the most frequent form of diabetic neuropathy and effective disease‐modifying treatment is not available beyond the interventions of optimal glycemic control, and possibly lifestyle and risk factor modification. In contrast, a recent evidence‐based guideline shows that effective treatments for painful DSP include: pregabalin, amitriptyline, duloxetine, venlafaxine, gabapentin, opioids, nitrate sprays, capsaicin, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. The choice of treatment is guided by the clinical status of the individual patient.
Clinical trials in CIDP and chronic autoimmune demyelinating polyneuropathies
Authors: Dalakas Marinos C.
Published: May 2012

The main chronic autoimmune neuropathies include chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), and anti‐myelin‐associated glycoprotein (MAG) demyelinating neuropathy. On the basis of randomized controlled studies, corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), and plasmapheresis provide short‐term benefits in CIDP. MMN responds only to IVIg. Because in MMN and CIDP, IVIg infusions are required every 3–6 weeks to sustain benefits or long‐term remissions, there is a need for “IVIg‐sparing” agents. In CIDP, immunosuppressive drugs, such as azathioprine, cyclosporine, methotrexate, mycophenolate, and cyclophosphamide, are used, but controlled trials have not shown that they are effective. Controlled trials have also not shown benefit to any agents in anti‐MAG neuropathy. However, clinicians use many immunosuppressive drugs in both settings, but all have potentially serious side effects and are only effective in some patients. Thus, there is a need for new therapies in the inflammatory and paraproteinemic neuropathies. New agents targeting T cells, B cells, and transmigration and transduction molecules are discussed as potential treatment options for new trials. The need for biomarkers that predict therapeutic responses or identify patients with active disease is emphasized, and the search for better scoring tools that capture meaningful changes after response to therapies is highlighted.
Clinical research for neuropathies
Authors: Kaufmann Petra
Published: May 2012

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a long‐standing commitment to neuropathy research. From 2005–2009, the NIH has committed US $115 million each year. A collaborative effort between researchers and patients can accelerate the translation of pre‐clinical discoveries into better treatments for neuropathy patients. Clinical trials are needed to test these new treatments, but they can only be implemented in a timely fashion if patients with neuropathies are willing to participate. This perspective focuses on the value of having various outlets for informing both the patients and the physicians about existing clinical research opportunities and on the potential benefit of establishing patient registries to help with trial recruitment. Once data have been collected, there is a need to broadly share the data in order to inform future trials, and a first step would be to harmonize data collection by using Common Data Elements (CDEs).
Idiopathic neuropathy: new paradigms, new promise
Authors: Singer Mike A. , Vernino Steven A. , Wolfe Gil I.
Published: May 2012

Idiopathic neuropathy, now designated as chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP), is a major public health problem in the United States. The disorder affects an estimated 5–8 million Americans, comprising about one‐third of patients with neuropathy, based on data from referral centers. Typically, patients develop symptoms in the sixth decade or older. The onset is insidious, with numbness, paresthesias, and pain appearing over months to years. Although strength is generally preserved, the sensory loss and pain can be disabling. The clinical approach to this condition has evolved in important ways over the years, enabling improved diagnosis and characterization of this population. Current work has focused on identifying modifiable risk factors that may be associated with idiopathic neuropathy. The results may suggest that an underlying mechanism such as oxidative stress contributes to the development of CIAP.
Autophagy in Alcohol‐Induced Liver Diseases
Authors: Dolganiuc Angela , Thomes Paul G. , Ding Wen‐Xing , Lemasters John J. , Donohue Terrence M.
Published: May 2012

Alcohol is the most abused substance worldwide and a significant source of liver injury; the mechanisms of alcohol‐induced liver disease are not fully understood. Significant cellular toxicity and impairment of protein synthesis and degradation occur in alcohol‐exposed liver cells, along with changes in energy balance and modified responses to pathogens. Autophagy is the process of cellular catabolism through the lysosomal‐dependent machinery, which maintains a balance among protein synthesis, degradation, and recycling of self. Autophagy is part of normal homeostasis and it can be triggered by multiple factors that threaten cell integrity, including starvation, toxins, or pathogens. Multiple factors regulate autophagy; survival and preservation of cellular integrity at the expense of inadequately folded proteins and damaged high‐energy generating intracellular organelles are prominent targets of autophagy in pathological conditions. Coincidentally, inadequately folded proteins accumulate and high‐energy generating intracellular organelles, such as mitochondria, are damaged by alcohol abuse; these alcohol‐induced pathological findings prompted investigation of the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of alcohol‐induced liver damage. Our review summarizes the current knowledge about the role and implications of autophagy in alcohol‐induced liver disease.
Caudate Volume Predicts Neurocognitive Performance in Youth with Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Authors: Fryer Susanna L. , Mattson Sarah N. , Jernigan Terry L. , Archibald Sarah L. , Jones Kenneth Lyons , Riley Edward P.
Published: May 2012

Background

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders result from heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and are characterized, in some cases, by central nervous system anomalies and cognitive impairment. Regional patterns of neuroanatomical abnormalities suggest that alcohol exerts selective damage on the developing fetal brain. This study assessed brain–behavior relationships in a sample of youth with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. The aim was to characterize how structural brain alterations observed in our previous studies relate to cognitive deficits commonly reported in individuals with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure.

Methods

Twenty‐one youth (mean age 13 years) with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and 7 nonexposed healthy comparison subjects underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and neurobehavioral testing. Regional brain volumes within the alcohol‐exposed group were correlated with neuropsychological measures of cognitive control and verbal learning/recall, as these aspects of cognition have previously been shown to be vulnerable to alcohol teratogenesis.

Results

Between‐group effect sizes revealed moderate to large cognitive performance and brain volume decrements in alcohol‐exposed subjects, compared with typically developing peers. Within the alcohol‐exposed group, volume of the caudate nuclei was the most consistent predictor of neuropsychological performance, after controlling for potentially confounding variables including total brain volume, IQ, and age.

Conclusions

These data are consistent with previous research associating gestational alcohol exposure with structural and functional changes of the caudate nucleus. Our findings extend this previous work by demonstrating that volume reductions of the caudate have behavioral relevance for this population, in relation to cognitive control and verbal learning and recall abilities.