bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cerebriform plantar hyperplasia: the major cutaneous feature of Proteus syndrome
Authors: Schepis Carmelo , Greco Donatella , Siragusa Maddalena , Romano Corrado
Published: March 2008

A 6‐year‐old girl was referred for clinical evaluation. Her phenotype was characterized by an asymmetric face, dysmorphic skull with frontal‐parietal hyperostosis, hypertelorism, strabismus, long neck, and low‐set antiverted ears (Fig. 1). Her thorax was also dysmorphic with dropped shoulders because of the abnormal orientation of the scapulae and scoliosis. Moreover, the following features were evident: multiple abdominal lipomatous formations, muscle hypotonia and hypotrophia, lower limb heterometria, severe limitation of spinal articulation movements, congenital papular‐nodular nevus over the posterior axillary line, macrodactyly of the third and fourth right fingers, left hand smaller than the right, and thickening of the cutaneous tissues of the plantar surface of the foot with a gyrate and cerebriform aspect (Fig. 2). In addition, simple hypermetropic astigmatism of both eyes, exotropia and hypertrophy of the left eye, and dental caries were found.

Cranial and facial asymmetry with fronto‐parietal exostosis on the right side

image

Cerebriform bilateral plantar hyperplasia

image

 All routine blood examinations were within normal limits; electromyography disclosed a primary muscle disease. Thyroid ultrasound showed a dyshomogeneous structure with normal dimensions. Abdominal ultrasound showed a normal liver, gall bladder, and spleen; however, the pyelic cavities of the kidney were enlarged. Finally, molecular genetic analysis of the PTEN gene was negative.

 The clinical and instrumental features and the presence of significant cerebriform plantar hyperplasia allowed us to propose a diagnosis of Proteus syndrome.
Specific cutaneous manifestations in adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma
Authors: Pezeshkpoor Fakhralzaman , Yazdanpanah Mohammad Javad , Shirdel Abbas
Published: March 2008

Background  Adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive malignancy which may occur in individuals infected with human T‐cell lymphotropic virus type‐I (HTLV‐I). HTLV‐I is endemic in Khorasan, with a frequency of 2.3% in the general population. As specific cutaneous manifestations of lymphoma may occur in a significant number of patients, we studied these manifestations in ATLL patients admitted to the Hematology and Dermatology Departments of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, during 1995–2004.

Methods  In this descriptive study, demographic and clinical information was obtained from 23 patients suffering from ATLL with specific cutaneous lesions (atypical lymphocytes on histopathology of cutaneous lesions), and was analyzed statistically.

Results  Of the 23 patients, 11 were male and 12 were female. The mean age was 48.17 ± 14.1 years. The birth place in over 85% of cases was the north of Khorasan. The most common type of specific skin lesion was a maculopapular eruption (11 cases; 47.8%); papular lesions were seen in four cases (17.4%). Other lesions included plaques, ichthyosis‐like lesions, erythroderma, tumors, papules, and nodular lesions. In most patients (56.5%), the skin lesions were generalized.

Conclusion  The most common type of specific skin lesion in ATLL was maculopapular eruption, especially with a generalized distribution. Other types of specific skin lesion, in order of frequency, were papules, plaques, ichthyosis‐like skin lesions, nodules, tumors, and erythroderma.
Sporotrichosis in Uttarakhand (India): a report of nine cases
Authors: Agarwal Saurabh , Gopal Krishna , Umesh, MD  , Kumar Binay
Published: March 2008

Background  Sporotrichosis is a chronic granulomatous infection caused by Sporothrichum schenckii. The disease has worldwide distribution. Majority of cases from India are reported from North‐eastern states.

Methods  The demographic, clinico‐investigative profile and therapeutic results of nine patients with cutaneous sporotrichosis attending the Dermatology Outdoor Department between January 2005 and June 2006 have been compiled.

Results  Out of nine (male‐4, female‐5) patients, five had lymphocutaneous‐type sporotrichosis while four had fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis. The average age of these patients was 40.8 years. The duration of complaints ranged from 1 month to 15 months (average 8.6 months). Two patients were able to recall traumatic injury. Six patients had lesions over lower extremities, two over face and one over upper extremity. Histopathologically, all cases showed granulomatous process with mixed inflammatory infiltrate comprising of lymphocytes, plasma cells, histiocytes and small neutrophil abscesses. Two cases were positive for fungal cells on PAS staining. Fungal culture on skin tissue was positive in all cases. Eight patients were treated with saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI) and they responded very well to SSKI in 12–16 weeks. One patient was pregnant and therefore was advised thermotherapy.

Conclusion  Sporotrichosis is also present in north‐western region of India as it is reported from north‐eastern part. This is the first series of cutaneous sporotrichosis being reported from Uttarakhand, a state situated in the north‐western region of India.
Clinicopathologic challenge: a solitary submucosal mass of the oral cavity
Authors: Stoopler Eric T. , Alawi Faizan
Published: March 2008

What is your diagnosis?
Moving to mate: the evolution of separate and combined sexes in multicellular organisms
Authors: EPPLEY S. M. , JESSON L. K.
Published: March 2008

Which conditions favour the evolution of hermaphroditism or separate sexes? One classical hypothesis states that an organism’s mode of locomotion (if any) when searching for a mate should influence breeding system evolution. We used published phylogenies to reconstruct evolutionary changes in adult mate‐search efficiency and breeding systems among multicellular organisms. Employing maximum‐likelihood analyses, we found that changes in adult mate‐search efficiency are significantly correlated with changes in breeding system, and this result is robust to uncertainties in the phylogenies. These data provide the first statistical support, across a broad range of taxa, for the hypothesis that breeding systems and mate‐search efficiency did not evolve independently. We discuss our results in context with other causal factors, such as inbreeding avoidance and sexual specialization, likely to affect breeding system evolution.
Bayesian approaches in evolutionary quantitative genetics
Authors: O’HARA R. B. , CANO J. M. , OVASKAINEN O. , TEPLITSKY C. , ALHO J. S.
Published: March 2008

The study of evolutionary quantitative genetics has been advanced by the use of methods developed in animal and plant breeding. These methods have proved to be very useful, but they have some shortcomings when used in the study of wild populations and evolutionary questions. Problems arise from the small size of data sets typical of evolutionary studies, and the additional complexity of the questions asked by evolutionary biologists. Here, we advocate the use of Bayesian methods to overcome these and related problems. Bayesian methods naturally allow errors in parameter estimates to propagate through a model and can also be written as a graphical model, giving them an inherent flexibility. As packages for fitting Bayesian animal models are developed, we expect the application of Bayesian methods to evolutionary quantitative genetics to grow, particularly as genomic information becomes more and more associated with environmental data.
Pertussis in infants: Preventing deaths and hospitalisations in the very young
Authors: Wood Nicholas , Quinn Helen E. , McIntyre Peter , Elliott Elizabeth
Published: March 2008

Abstract:  Pertussis is a particular concern in infants under 6 months of age. They have the highest rates and severity of disease resulting in hospitalisation or death but are too young to be protected by current vaccination schedules. We outline the current epidemiology of pertussis in Australia and four potential strategies to prevent pertussis in the very young. First, universal adult and or adolescent vaccination; second, indirect protection of infants by immunisation of parents and possibly others in close contact with the newborn, such as grandparents and health‐care workers; third, newborn and early infant vaccination (from birth to 1 month of age) and fourth maternal vaccination.
Aetiology of recurrent abdominal pain in a cohort of Sri Lankan children
Authors: Devanarayana Niranga M , De Silva DG Harendra , De Silva H Janaka
Published: March 2008

Aims:  Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) has a multifactorial aetiology with many affected children having no evidence of organic pathology. This study assessed the functional and organic causes for RAP in a cohort of Sri Lankan children.

Methods:  Fifty‐five Sri Lankan children (45.5% males, aged 5–15 years) having RAP were screened for organic diseases. RAP was defined using Apley criteria. Children without clinical or laboratory evidence of organic diseases were classified into functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGD) using Rome II and III criteria. Thirty‐nine patients with functional RAP and 20 healthy children (50% males, age 5–15 years) from same area were tested for Helicobacter pylori using a stool antigen test.

Results:  Thirteen (23.6%) children had organic RAP. According to Rome II, 33 (60%), and according to Rome III, 39 (71%) (functional abdominal pain 19, irritable bowel syndrome nine, functional dyspepsia nine, abdominal migraine one, aerophagia one) children had FGD. Two (5.1%) patients and one (5%) control tested were positive for Helicobacter pylori (P > 0.05). Except for constipation, pain characteristics and associated symptoms were not significantly different between organic and functional RAP.

Conclusions:  Organic pathology accounted for symptoms in less than a quarter of Sri Lankan children with RAP. The majority had functional bowel diseases, of which the commonest was functional abdominal pain. Rome III criteria were more effective than Rome II criteria in identifying FGD. Helicobacter pylori infection did not appear to be associated with RAP.
Infiltration of Epstein‐Barr virus‐harboring lymphocytes occurs in a large subset of bladder cancers
Authors: Abe Takashige , Shinohara Nobuo , Tada Mitsuhiro , Harabayashi Toru , Sazawa Ataru , Maruyama Satoru , Moriuchi Tetsuya , Takada Kenzo , Nonomura Katsuya
Published: March 2008

Objective:  Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in the genesis of a variety of human cancers. We aimed to confirm the presence and define the role of EBV in bladder cancer.

Methods:  A total of 39 bladder cancer specimens were analyzed. Ten urinary bladder tissues obtained at autopsy were used as a normal control. EBV‐encoded RNA (EBER) was evaluated by in situ hybridization (ISH). Frozen material available from 18 EBER‐positive cases was analyzed by using reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction for BZLF1, an early lytic gene product. The expression of CD20, CD3, ZEBRA (BZLF1 product) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ‐1) was assessed using an immunohistochemical technique.

Results:  Infiltration of EBER‐expressing lymphocytes was detected in 26 of 39 bladder cancer cases (66.7%). A small fraction of the tumor cells as well as the infiltrating lymphocytes were positive in two cases. All normal urinary bladder specimens showed negative results. The incidence of EBV‐positive lymphocyte infiltration was significantly higher for advanced stage cancers than those in earlier stages (Ta‐152% vs T2‐4 93%, P = 0.013). The presence of BZLF1 mRNA was demonstrated in seven out of the 18 EBER‐positive cases.

Conclusions:  Infiltration of EBV‐harboring lymphocytes occurs in a large subset of bladder cancers cases. It is more frequently associated with advanced stages. EBV infection in tumor cells is very limited. Our findings suggest that EBV‐positive lymphocytes might play a role in bladder cancer progression.
Clustered disturbances lead to bias in large‐scale estimates based on forest sample plots
Authors: Fisher Jeremy I. , Hurtt George C. , Thomas R. Quinn , Chambers Jeffrey Q.
Published: March 2008

Assessments from field plots steer much of our current understanding of global change impacts on forest ecosystem structure and function. Recent widespread observations of net carbon accumulation in field plots have suggested that terrestrial ecosystems may be a carbon sink, possibly resulting from climate change and/or CO2 fertilization. We hypothesize that field plots may inadequately sample inherently rare mortality events, leading to bias when plot level measurements are scaled up to larger domains. In this study, we constructed a simple computer simulation model of forest dynamics to investigate the effects of disturbance patterns on landscape‐scale carbon balance estimates. The model was constructed to be a balanced biosphere at the landscape‐scale with a uniform spatial pattern of forest growth rates. Disturbance gap‐size distributions across the landscape were modelled with a power‐law distribution. Small and frequent disturbances result in a well‐mixed heterogeneous forest where even small sample plots represented domain‐wide behaviour. However, with disturbances dominated by large and rare events, sample plots as large as 50 ha displayed significant bias towards growth. We suggest that the accuracy of domain level estimates of carbon balance from sample plots are highly sensitive to the distribution of disturbance events across the landscape, and to the number, size and distribution of field plots that comprise the estimate. Assumptions that small clusters of field plots may be representative of domain‐wide conditions should only be made very cautiously, and warrant further investigation for verification.
Microbial community composition in soils of Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica
Authors: Niederberger Thomas D. , McDonald Ian R. , Hacker Amy L. , Soo Rochelle M. , Barrett John E. , Wall Diana H. , Cary S. Craig
Published: March 2008

Biotic communities and ecosystem dynamics in terrestrial Antarctica are limited by an array of extreme conditions including low temperatures, moisture and organic matter availability, high salinity, and a paucity of biodiversity to facilitate key ecological processes. Recent studies have discovered that the prokaryotic communities in these extreme systems are highly diverse with patchy distributions. Investigating the physical and biological controls over the distribution and activity of microbial biodiversity in Victoria Land is essential to understanding ecological functioning in this region. Currently, little information on the distribution, structure and activity of soil communities anywhere in Victoria Land are available, and their sensitivity to potential climate change remains largely unknown. We investigated soil microbial communities from low‐ and high‐productivity habitats in an isolated Antarctic location to determine how the soil environment impacts microbial community composition and structure. The microbial communities in Luther Vale, Northern Victoria Land were analysed using bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and were related to soil geochemical parameters and classical morphological analysis of soil metazoan invertebrate communities. A total of 323 16S rRNA gene sequences analysed from four soils spanning a productivity gradient indicated a high diversity (Shannon–Weaver values > 3) of phylotypes within the clone libraries and distinct differences in community structure between the two soil productivity habitats linked to water and nutrient availability. In particular, members of theDeinococcus/Thermuslineage were found exclusively in the drier, low‐productivity soils, whileGammaproteobacteriaof the genusXanthomonaswere found exclusively in high‐productivity soils. However, rarefaction curves indicated that these microbial habitats remain under‐sampled. Our results add to the recent literature suggesting that there is a higher biodiversity within Antarctic soils than previously expected.
ExPEC‐typical virulence‐associated genes correlate with successful colonization by intestinal E. coli in a small piglet group
Authors: Schierack Peter , Walk Nicole , Ewers Christa , Wilking Hendrik , Steinrück Hartmut , Filter Matthias , Wieler Lothar H.
Published: March 2008

Upon studying the transmission of Escherichia coli from a sow to five of her piglets, we observed domination of the coliform flora in piglets by a single E. coli clone, especially after weaning. This haemolytic cloneH1 did not harbour any virulence determinants typical for intestinal pathogenic E. coli isolates from swine but had a virulence gene profile very similar to extraintestinal E. coli (ExPEC), including genes coding for P fimbriae and several iron acquisition systems, besides having an affiliation to the phylogenetic B2 group. Overall, we show that the presence of higher numbers of ExPEC‐typical virulence‐associated genes (VAGs) in clones correlate with their successful colonization ability in piglets. We conclude that VAGs typical for ExPEC also support intestinal colonization in healthy pigs. Faeces of healthy domestic pigs can harbour high numbers of ExPEC‐similar E. coli and are suggested to be a potential risk for the transmission of such bacteria to other hosts.
Creating a High‐Trust Organization: An Exploration into Organizational Policies that Stimulate Interpersonal Trust Building
Authors: Six Frédérique , Sorge Arndt
Published: March 2008

abstract We examine empirically how an organization that deliberately enhances interpersonal trust to become a significant organizational phenomenon, is different from a similar organization without explicit trust enhancement policies. The point of departure is relational signalling theory, which says that trust is a function of consistently giving off signals that indicate credible concern, to potential trustors. A matched pair of two consulting organizations, with different trust policies but otherwise similar characteristics, were studied intensively, using survey research, participant observation and half‐open interviewing, focused on the generation of trust and the handling of trouble when trust was threatened or destroyed. A higher stage of trust can be reached by an inter‐related set of policies: promoting a relationship‐oriented culture, facilitation of unambiguous signalling, consistent induction training, creating opportunities for meeting informally, and the day‐to‐day management of competencies. Such policies are in principle independent of recognized contextual contingencies.
The art of visual anthropology: An interview with André Singer
Authors: Thakur Gail S.
Published: March 2008

André Singer ‐ anthropologist, filmmaker, and CEO and Creative Director of West Park Pictures ‐ talks about challenges faced by anthropologists working in visual media and discusses his own career, including his work on Khyber, the Disappearing World series, Tribe and his recent collaborations with Werner Herzog and Stephen Fry.
HOW MUCH DO VOTERS KNOW? AN ANALYSIS OF MOTIVATION AND POLITICAL AWARENESS
Authors: Jones Philip , Dawson Peter
Published: March 2008

Downs argued that instrumental individuals have no incentive to incur costs to turn out to vote. High turnout rates are explained in terms of intrinsic value derived from action. But if it is important to individuals that they participate, surely it matters how they participate? This paper tests the proposition that voters acquire more political information than those who abstain because they believe they have a duty to participate in collective decision‐making processes. It also considers the relevance of civic duty when explaining systematic differences between preferences expressed by those who vote and by those who abstain. Choice expressed at the ballot box is not the same as demand revealed in markets.
CONSUMPTION AND LEISURE EXTERNALITIES, ECONOMIC GROWTH AND EQUILIBRIUM EFFICIENCY
Authors: Gómez Manuel A.
Published: March 2008

This paper analyzes the effects of consumption and leisure externalities on growth and welfare in a two‐sector endogenous growth model with human capital accumulation. Both types of externalities are shown to affect the long‐run equilibrium and optimal growth rates in a rather different way. The relationship between the steady state of the market and the centrally planned economy is also analyzed. The optimal growth path can be decentralized by resorting to consumption or labor income taxation, whereas capital income should be untaxed. Numerical simulations suggest that growth and welfare effects of mild consumption and leisure externalities may be quantitatively important.
Good Item or bad—can Latent Class Analysis Tell?: The Utility of Latent Class Analysis for the Evaluation of Survey Questions
Authors: Kreuter Frauke , Yan Ting , Tourangeau Roger
Published: March 2008

Latent class analysis has been used to model measurement error, to identify flawed survey questions and to estimate mode effects. Using data from a survey of University of Maryland alumni together with alumni records, we evaluate this technique to determine its usefulness for detecting bad questions in the survey context. Two sets of latent class analysis models are applied in this evaluation: latent class models with three indicators and latent class models with two indicators under different assumptions about prevalence and error rates. Our results indicated that the latent class analysis approach produced good qualitative results for the latent class models—the item that the model deemed the worst was the worst according to the true scores. However, the approach yielded weaker quantitative estimates of the error rates for a given item.
Household Debt and Financial Assets: Evidence from Germany, Great Britain and the USA
Authors: Brown Sarah , Taylor Karl
Published: March 2008

We explore the determinants of debt, financial assets and net worth at the household level by using survey data for Germany, Great Britain and the USA. To identify which households are potentially vulnerable to adverse changes in the economic environment, we also explore the determinants of a range of measures of financial pressure: the probability that a household has negative net worth; the debt-to-income ratio; mortgage income gearing; the saving-to-income ratio. Our empirical findings suggest that the poorest and the youngest households are the most vulnerable to adverse changes in their financial circumstances.
High Wage Workers and Low Wage Firms: Negative Assortative Matching or Limited Mobility Bias?
Authors: Andrews M. J. , Gill L. , Schank T. , Upward R.
Published: March 2008

In the empirical literature on assortative matching using linked employer–employee data, unobserved worker quality appears to be negatively correlated with unobserved firm quality. We show that this can be caused by standard estimation error. We develop formulae that show that the estimated correlation is biased downwards if there is true positive assortative matching and when any conditioning covariates are uncorrelated with the firm and worker fixed effects. We show that this bias is bigger the fewer movers there are in the data, which is ‘limited mobility bias’. This result applies to any two-way (or higher) error components model that is estimated by fixed effects methods. We apply these bias corrections to a large German linked employer–employee data set. We find that, although the biases can be considerable, they are not sufficiently large to remove the negative correlation entirely.
Y‐Chromosome Analysis of Ancient Hungarian and Two Modern Hungarian‐Speaking Populations from the Carpathian Basin
Authors: Csányi B. , Bogácsi‐Szabó E. , Tömöry Gy. , Czibula Á. , Priskin K. , Csõsz A. , Mende B. , Langó P. , Csete K. , Zsolnai A. , Conant E. K. , Downes C. S. , Raskó I.
Published: March 2008

The Hungarian population belongs linguistically to the Finno‐Ugric branch of the Uralic family. The Tat C allele is an interesting marker in the Finno‐Ugric context, distributed in all the Finno‐Ugric‐speaking populations, except for Hungarians. This question arises whether the ancestral Hungarians, who settled in the Carpathian Basin, harbored this polymorphism or not. 100 men from modern Hungary, 97 Szeklers (a Hungarian‐speaking population from Transylvania), and 4 archaeologically Hungarian bone samples from the 10thcentury were studied for this polymorphism. Among the modern individuals, only one Szekler carries the Tat C allele, whereas out of the four skeletal remains, two possess the allele. The latter finding, even allowing for the low sample number, appears to indicate a Siberian lineage of the invading Hungarians, which later has largely disappeared.

The two modern Hungarian‐speaking populations, based on 22 Y‐chromosomal binary markers, share similar components described for other Europeans, except for the presence of the haplogroup P*(xM173) in Szekler samples, which may reflect a Central Asian connection, and high frequency of haplogroup J in both Szeklers and Hungarians. MDS analysis based on haplogroup frequency values, confirms that modern Hungarian and Szekler populations are genetically closely related, and similar to populations from Central Europe and the Balkans.
Applying modelling experiences from the past to shape crop systems biology: the need to converge crop physiology and functional genomics
Authors: Yin Xinyou , Struik Paul C.
Published: March 2008

Functional genomics has been driven greatly by emerging experimental technologies. Its development as a scientific discipline will be enhanced by systems biology, which generates novel, quantitative hypotheses via modelling. However, in order to better assist crop improvement, the impact of developing functional genomics needs to be assessed at the crop level, given a projected diminishing effect of genetic alteration on phenotypes from the molecule to crop levels. This review illustrates a recently proposed research field, crop systems biology, which is located at the crossroads of crop physiology and functional genomics, and intends to promote communications between the two. Past experiences with modelling whole‐crop physiology indicate that the layered structure of biological systems should be taken into account. Moreover, modelling not only plays a role in data synthesis and quantitative prediction, but certainly also in heuristics and system design. These roles of modelling can be applied to crop systems biology to enhance its contribution to our understanding of complex crop phenotypes and subsequently to crop improvement. The success of crop systems biology needs commitments from scientists along the entire knowledge chain of plant biology, from molecule or gene to crop and agro‐ecosystem.
Guard‐cell signalling for hydrogen peroxide and abscisic acid
Authors: Wang Pengtao , Song Chun‐Peng
Published: March 2008

Contents

Summary
1

I.
Introduction
1

II.
H2O2 generation and signalling in guard cells
2

III.
Gene expression regulated by H2O2 and ABA
4

IV.
Points of connection between ABA and H2O2‐signalling cascade in guard cells
5

V.
Future challenges
11

Acknowledgements
12

References
12
GPS tracking of the foraging movements of Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus breeding on Skomer Island, Wales
Authors: GUILFORD T. C. , MEADE J. , FREEMAN R. , BIRO D. , EVANS T. , BONADONNA F. , BOYLE D. , ROBERTS S. , PERRINS C. M.
Published: March 2008

We report the first successful use of miniature Global Positioning System loggers to track the ocean‐going behaviour of a c. 400 g seabird, the Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus. Breeding birds were tracked over three field seasons during the incubation and chick‐rearing periods on their foraging excursions from the large colony on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, UK. Foraging effort was concentrated in the Irish Sea. Likely foraging areas were identified to the north, and more diffusely to the west of the colony. No foraging excursions were recorded significantly to the south of the colony, conflicting with the conclusions of earlier studies based on ringing recoveries and observations. We discuss several explanations including the hypothesis that foraging may have shifted substantially northwards in recent decades. We found no obvious relationship between birds’ positions and water depth, although there was a suggestion that observations at night were in shallower water than those during the day. We also found that, despite the fact that Shearwaters can be observed rafting off‐shore from their colonies in the hours prior to making landfall at night, breeding birds are usually located much further from the colony in the last 8 h before arrival, a finding that has significance for the likely effectiveness of marine protection areas if they are only local to the colony. Short sequences of precise second‐by‐second fixes showed that movement speeds were bimodal, corresponding to sitting on the water (most common at night and around midday) and flying (most common in the morning and evening), with flight behaviour separable into erratic (indicative of searching for food) and directional (indicative of travelling). We also provide a first direct measurement of mean flight speed during directional flight (c. 40 km/h), slower than a Shearwater's predicted maximum range velocity, suggesting that birds are exploiting wave or dynamic soaring during long‐distance travel.
Do Family Firms Provide More or Less Voluntary Disclosure?
Authors: CHEN SHUPING , CHEN XIA , CHENG QIANG
Published: March 2008

We examine the voluntary disclosure practices of family firms. We find that, compared to nonfamily firms, family firms provide fewer earnings forecasts and conference calls, but more earnings warnings. Whereas the former is consistent with family owners having a longer investment horizon, better monitoring of management, and lower information asymmetry between owners and managers, the higher likelihood of earnings warnings is consistent with family owners having greater litigation and reputation cost concerns. We also document that family ownership dominates nonfamily insider ownership and concentrated institutional ownership in explaining the likelihood of voluntary disclosure. Using alternative proxies for the founding family's presence in the firm leads to similar results.
Managerial Empire Building and Firm Disclosure
Authors: HOPE OLE‐KRISTIAN , THOMAS WAYNE B.
Published: March 2008

This study tests the agency cost hypothesis in the context of geographic earnings disclosures. The agency cost hypothesis predicts that managers, when not monitored by shareholders, make self‐maximizing decisions that may not necessarily be in the best interest of shareholders. These decisions include aggressively growing the firm, which reduces profitability and destroys firm value. Geographic earnings disclosures provide an interesting context to examine this issue. Beginning with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 131 (SFAS 131), most U.S. multinational firms are no longer required to disclose earnings by geographic area (e.g., net income in Mexico or net income in East Asia). Such nondisclosure potentially reduces the ability of shareholders to monitor managers' decisions related to foreign operations. Using a sample of U.S. multinationals with substantial foreign operations, we find that nondisclosing firms, relative to firms that continue to disclose geographic earnings, experience greater expansion of foreign sales, produce lower foreign profit margins, and have lower firm value in the post–SFAS 131 period. Our conclusions are strengthened by the fact that these differences do not exist in the pre–SFAS 131 period and do not relate to domestic operations. We find differences in the predicted direction only for foreign operations and only after adoption of SFAS 131. Our results are robust to the inclusion of an extensive set of control variables related to alternative corporate governance mechanisms, operating performance, and the firm's information environment. Overall, the results are consistent with the agency cost hypothesis and the important role of financial disclosures in monitoring managers.
Lactate: physiology and clinical utility
Authors: Allen Sarah E. , Holm Jennifer L.
Published: March 2008

Objective:To review the physiology of lactate production and metabolism, the causes of lactic acidosis, and the current applications of lactate monitoring in humans and animals.

Data sources:Human and veterinary studies.

Summary:Lactate production is the result of anaerobic metabolism. Tissue hypoxia due to hypoperfusion is the most common cause of lactic acidosis. Studies in critically ill humans have shown that serial lactate monitoring can be used to assess the severity of illness and response to therapy. Several veterinary studies have also shown lactate as a useful tool to assess severity of illness.

Conclusions:Lactate measurement in critically ill veterinary patients is practical and can provide information to assess severity of illness. Further veterinary studies are needed to establish the value of serial lactate measurements for prognostic and therapeutic purposes. Information regarding lactate measurement in cats is limited, and further studies are warranted.
Left atrial rupture in dogs: 14 cases (1990–2005)
Authors: Reineke Erica L. , Burkett Dennis E. , Drobatz Kenneth J.
Published: March 2008

Objective:To describe the clinical parameters, treatment, and prognosis of dogs with left atrial rupture secondary to chronic mitral valve insufficiency.

Design:Retrospective study.

Setting:University referral hospital.

Animals:14 dogs with left atrial rupture.

Interventions:None.

Measurements and main results:Mixed breed dogs (n=6, 43%) and Shetland Sheepdogs (n=3, 21%) were most commonly affected. The median age was 12 years (range 5.8–18 y). The median weight was 11 kg (range 4–30 kg). Eight dogs had been previously diagnosed with chronic valvular disease. The most common presenting complaints included collapse (13/14), cough (9/14), and dyspnea (8/14). Four dogs were presented in either respiratory or cardiac arrest. Pericardial effusion was present in 13 dogs. The median left atrium:aortic outflow ratio was 2.66 (range 1.66:1–5.52:1). Pericardiocentesis was performed to alleviate tamponade in 3 dogs. Five dogs were discharged from the hospital, 3 of which were euthanized within 35 days of initial diagnosis for recurrence of clinical signs (n=2) and for hematochezia and lethargy (n=1). Five dogs were euthanized while in the hospital for a variety of reasons including DIC, progressive azotemia, collapse and recurrence of pericardial effusion, or possible seizure episode.

Conclusions:Although rare, left atrial rupture resulting in pericardial effusion should be considered in older small‐ to medium‐sized dogs presenting with collapse, cough, and dyspnea. The overall prognosis appears poor.
Pharmacokinetics of single‐dose intravenous levetiracetam administration in normal dogs
Authors: Dewey Curtis W. , Bailey Kerry S. , Boothe Dawn M. , Badgley Britton L. , Cruz‐Espindola Crisanta
Published: March 2008

Objective: To determine plasma pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam after a single intravenous dose (60 mg/kg) in normal dogs using a high‐performance liquid chromatography assay validated for canine plasma.

Design: Pharmacokinetic study.

Setting: A university‐based canine research facility.

Animals: Six healthy adult dogs.

Interventions: Intravenous drug administration, multiple blood sample procurement.

Measurements and main results: There were no obvious adverse effects associated with the intravenous (IV) bolus administration of levetiracetam in any of the dogs. Plasma levetiracetam concentrations remained above or within the reported therapeutic range for humans (5–45 μg/mL) for all dogs, for all time periods evaluated. Mean and median (in parentheses) values for pharmacokinetic parameters included the following: maximum plasma concentration, 254 μg/mL (254 μg/mL); half‐life, 4.0 hours (4.0 hours); volume of distribution at steady state, 0.48 L/kg (0.48 L/kg); clearance, 1.4 mL/kg/min (1.5 mL/kg/min); and median residence time, 6.0 hours (6.0 hours).

Conclusions: In normal dogs, a 60 mg/kg IV bolus dose of levetiracetam is well tolerated and achieves plasma drug concentrations within or above the therapeutic range reported for humans for at least 8 hours after administration. Based on the favorable pharmacokinetics and tolerability demonstrated for IV levetiracetam in this study, in addition to previously demonstrated efficacy of oral levetiracetam, IV levetiracetam may be a useful treatment option for emergency management of canine seizure activity.
The Iron Age World‐System
Authors: Stremlin Boris
Published: March 2008

This article aims to construct an overview of the Near Eastern Iron Age world‐system (1150–200bce). Utilizing Giovanni Arrighi's conceptualization of the modern world‐system, it argues that in contrast to civilizational empires and loosely integrated ecumenes, the Iron Age system exhibited many of the same features – a long‐term transformational logic, alternating cycles of hegemony, anarchy and chaos, and the increasing size of the containers of power. To this end, it examines the organization of the Iron Age system by commercially and maritime‐oriented Phoenician city‐states; its consolidation as a system of territorial states under the hegemony of the Neo‐Assyrian Empire; its apex under the Achaemenid Empire, which constructed a territorial empire that covered the entire Near Eastern heartland of this system; its final phase in the form of a Hellenistic condominium of kingdoms that were linked by knowledge networks; and its ultimate dissolution with the rise of a Eurasian trading ecumene, and of new durable civilizations that formed in the Mediterranean and on the Iranian Plateau and effected a core‐shift away from the Near East.
Local and National Identities in the Politics of Consumption: The Anti‐Chain Store Movement Reconsidered
Authors: Scroop Daniel
Published: March 2008

Using the anti‐chain store movement as a case study, this article explores the relationship between the local and the national in the twentieth‐century politics of consumption. It shows that independent merchants in the 1920s and 1930s articulated a potent form of localist politics. They believed that this politics was crucial both to the nation and to national well‐being. Historians who work on the relationship between the state and consumption, it argues, have not paid sufficient attention to this mode of localist politcs, in which the local was embedded in the national. Localist attachments, identities and movements are too often ignored, or treated as if they are not related to national level developments. This tendency can at least in part be explained by the surprising persistence in current historiography of a cosmopolitan form of liberalism deeply (and perhaps unduly) suspicious of ‘the local’.
Trigeminal Neuralgia as the Sole Manifestation of an Arnold‐Chiari Type I Malformation: Case Report
Authors: Caranci Giovanni , Mercurio Alessio , Altieri Marta , Di Piero Vittorio
Published: March 2008

Arnold‐Chiari type I malformations usually manifest clinically with short‐lasting headaches typically involving the occipital‐nuchal region and precipitated by the Valsalva maneuver, coughing, sudden postural change, or physical exertion. We describe the case of an adult patient who presented with symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia caused by an Arnold‐Chiari type I malformation. Unlike previous cases, the malformation involved the trigeminal ophthalmic division alone.
Neuromodulators for Migraine Prevention
Authors: Kaniecki Robert
Published: March 2008

Migraine is a debilitating condition characterized by a cycle of painful headaches and headache‐related symptoms interspersed with periods of worry, distress, and apprehension. The negative impact of migraine on patient functioning, workplace productivity, and other daily activities has been demonstrated through the use of a variety of clinician‐ and patient‐reported assessment tools, including the Migraine‐Specific Questionnaire and the Migraine Disability Assessment questionnaire. In addition to considering the frequency and severity of migraine, clinicians need to encourage more open dialogue with their patients about the impact of this disorder on daily activities and productivity. Only then can the most appropriate course of treatment be determined. Appropriately prescribed acute and preventive therapies should break the cycle of migraine and improve the daily activities of patients with this chronic condition. Divalproex sodium and topiramate are neuromodulators that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prophylaxis (prevention) of migraine headache in adults. Non‐FDA‐approved neuromodulators sometimes used in the management of migraine headache include gabapentin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, and zonisamide. All medications need to be titrated, and treatment‐related adverse events need to be managed appropriately. Preventive medications should be taken for at least 2‐3 months to ascertain their therapeutic effect.
Trigemino‐Cervical Reflex Abnormalities in Patients With Migraine and Cluster Headache
Authors: Nardone Raffaele , Ausserer Harald , Bratti Arianna , Covi Markus , Lochner Piergiorgio , Marth Roland , Florio Igor , Tezzon Frediano
Published: March 2008

Background.— Head pain arises within the trigeminal nociceptive system. Current theories propose that the trigeminal system is intimately involved in the pathogenesis of migraine. Short‐latency responses can be recorded in sternocleidomastoid muscles after stimulation of the trigeminal nerve (trigemino‐cervical reflex). This brainstem reflex could be a suitable method to evaluate the trigeminal system in migraine and CH.

Objective.— The aim of the present study was to further elucidate the pathophysiology of migraine and cluster headache (CH) with special reference to the involvement of the central trigeminal system in the different forms of primary headache.

Methods.— The trigemino‐cervical reflex was investigated in 15 healthy subjects, in 15 patients having migraine with aura, in 15 patients with migraine without aura, and in 10 patients with CH.

Results.— Significant abnormalities were observed in a great number of patients with both types of migraine and CH during the headache attacks, but only in migraine patients during the interictal period. The alterations are bilateral in migraine, unilateral in CH.

Conclusions.— Our results further support the relevance of brainstem mechanisms in the pathogenesis of migraine rather than of CH. These data, taken together with that from experimental head pain and functional imaging studies, demonstrate that primary headache syndromes may be distinguished on a functional basis by areas of activation specific to the clinical syndrome.
Predictors of Disability in Migraineurs Referred to a Tertiary Clinic: Neck Pain, Headache Characteristics, and Coping Behaviors
Authors: Ford Sutapa , Calhoun Anne , Kahn Kevin , Mann John , Finkel Alan
Published: March 2008

Objective.— The aim of this retrospective study was to determine if neck pain, select headache characteristics, and migraine‐related coping response predicted disability in migraineurs referred to a tertiary headache clinic.

Methods.— Patients seeking treatment at a neurology‐based headache clinicwere included if they met diagnostic criteria for migraine with or without aura according to the International Headache Society (1.1, 1.2). Subjects completed a self‐report headache history form and a detailed headache and neurologic examination. The headache history form assessed: 1)weekly headache frequency; 2) number ofweekly severe headaches; 3) presence of migrainerelated neck pain; 4) photophobia; 5) phonophobia; 6) headache duration; 7) vomiting; 8) monthly headache‐free days; and 9) behavioral coping style. Disability was assessed using a self‐report inventory (HIT‐6).

Results.— Self‐reported headache severity, frequency, and headache‐free days were strongly associated with disability. The presence of neck pain during migraine and one's coping response to migraine significantly predicted disability independent of headache characteristics.

Conclusions.— These data suggest the need for prospective research exploring the causal mechanisms by which neck pain and coping response influence disability and underscores the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to headache management.
Examining the Essence of Migraine—Is it the Blood Vessel or the Brain? A Debate
Authors: Dodick David W.
Published: March 2008

A debate is presented that examines whether it is the blood vessel or the brain that determines the essence of migraine.
Monetary Policy Choices in Emerging Market Economies: The Case of High Productivity Growth
Authors: RAVENNA FEDERICO , NATALUCCI FABIO M.
Published: March 2008

We develop a general equilibrium model of an emerging market economy where productivity growth differentials between tradable and non‐tradable sectors result in an equilibrium appreciation of the real exchange rate—the so‐called Balassa‐Samuelson effect. The paper explores the dynamic properties of this economy and the welfare implications of alternative policy rules. We show that the real exchange rate appreciation limits the range of policy rules that, with a given probability, keep inflation and exchange rate within predetermined numerical targets. We also find that the B–S effect raises by an order of magnitude the welfare loss associated with policy rules that prescribe active exchange rate management.
Discipline and Liquidity in the Interbank Market
Authors: KING THOMAS B.
Published: March 2008

Using 20 years of panel data, I demonstrate that high‐risk banks have consistently paid more than safe banks for interbank loans and have been less likely to use these loans as a source of liquidity. The economic importance of this effect was relatively small until the mid‐1990s, when regulatory and institutional changes began to impose more of the costs of bank failure on uninsured creditors. Subsequently, interbank‐market price discipline roughly doubled, and risk‐based rationing effects increased by a factor of six. In imposing this discipline, lenders seem to care most about credit risk at borrowing institutions.
Data Revisions Are Not Well Behaved
Authors: ARUOBA S. BORAĞAN
Published: March 2008

We document the empirical properties of revisions to major macroeconomic variables in the United States. Our findings suggest that they do not satisfy simple desirable statistical properties. In particular, we find that these revisions do not have a zero mean, which indicates that the initial announcements by statistical agencies are biased. We also find that the revisions are quite large compared to the original variables and they are predictable using the information set at the time of the initial announcement, which means that the initial announcements of statistical agencies are not rational forecasts.