bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Swelling After Laparoscopic Total Extraperitoneal Repair of Inguinal Hernias: Review of One Surgeon’s Experience in 1,065 Cases
Authors: Choi Yoon Young , Kim Zisun , Hur Kyung Yul
Published: November 2010

Background

It is often difficult to assess the clinical significance of scrotal or operative site swelling after a laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) repair of an inguinal hernia. Specifically, surgeons are often faced with the dilemma of determining whether such a swelling is a recurrent hernia or just a swelling only.

Materials and Methods

A total of 1,065 laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repairs were performed on 944 patients by a single surgeon between December 2000 and December 2008, and we reviewed these data.

Results

The overall incidence of swelling formation was 6.5% (70 of 1,065 cases). Swellings were more frequent in males, and in association with the following diagnoses: indirect inguinal hernias, larger hernia defects, scrotal hernias, omental incarcerations, and the presence of residual distal sacs. Fifty‐eight (83%) of 70 patients who had swelling after laparoscopic TEP did not need any intervention for swelling and the swelling resolved spontaneously.

Conclusions

Although postoperative swellings are a common complication after laparoscopic TEP repairs of inguinal hernias, swellings are minor complications, are not associated with hernia recurrence, and generally subside spontaneously.
Clinical Outcome of Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinomas ≤2 cm
Authors: Sawada Tokihiko , Kubota Keiichi , Kita Junji , Kato Masato , Shiraki Takayuki , Park KyungHwa , Shimoda Mitsugi
Published: November 2010

Background

The treatment strategy for hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) ≤2 cm (HCC2−) is still controversial. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed clinicopathological data for HCC2− and HCCs >2 cm (HCC2+) to establish the treatment strategy for HCC2−.

Methods

Between April 2000 and December 2008, 206 patients with single HCC, who underwent hepatectomy for the first time, and whose outcomes could be tracked, were included in the study. There were 46 HCC2− and 160 HCC2+ patients. Survival and disease‐free survival rates were compared between the two groups, in relation to various clinicopathological data.

Results

The 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival rates were 100%, 92.6%, and 72.8% for HCC2− and 93.3%, 72.4%, and 57% for HCC2+, respectively (P = 0.0098). The 1, 3, and 5‐year disease‐free survival rates were 86%, 42.6%, and 31% for HCC2−, and 64.7%, 35.9%, and 12.5% for HCC2+, respectively (P = 0.0642). Survival rates were better for HCC2− than for HCC2+ in terms of abnormal serum des‐gamma‐carboxy prothrombin, Child‐Pugh Class A, single infection with HBV or HCV, and operative method used for anatomical resection, irrespective of ICG R15. Disease‐free survival rates were better for HCC2‐ than for HCC2+ in terms of Child‐Pugh Class A, and operative method used for anatomical resection.

Conclusions

HCC2− has a better clinical outcome than HCC2+ after hepatic resection. Especially, HCC2− with an abnormal DCP value, Child‐Pugh Class A, single infection with HBV or HCV, and anatomical resection, yields better outcomes. Even for HCC2− in patients with good liver function, anatomical resection is recommended.
Neighborhood Protective Effects on Depression in Latinos
Authors: Vega William A. , Ang Alfonso , Rodriguez Michael A. , Finch Brian K.
Published: November 2010

Neighborhood social ecologies may have protective effects on depression in Latinos, after adjusting for demographic risk factors, such as nativity and length of stay in the US. This study examines the effects of neighborhood collective efficacy and linguistic isolation on depression in a heterogeneous urban Latino population from 1,468 adult respondents in Los Angeles County. We used multilevel models to analyze how major depression is associated with socioeconomic background, length of stay in the U.S., neighborhood collective efficacy and linguistic isolation among Latinos. A significant cross‐level interaction effect was found between collective efficacy and foreign‐born Latinos who resided in the US ≥ 15 years. We report cross‐level interaction effects between linguistic isolation and nativity for U.S.‐born and nativity and duration of residence for foreign‐born Latinos who had lived in the U.S. at least 15 years. The moderating effects reported in this study suggest that the benefits of neighborhood collective efficacy and linguistic isolation vary by Latino subgroup and are conceptually discrete forms of social capital and offer insights for community based interventions.
Proximal Outcomes Matter: A Multilevel Examination of the Processes by Which Coordinating Councils Produce Change
Authors: Javdani Shabnam , Allen Nicole E.
Published: November 2010

Communities are engaged in efforts to create a coordinated response to intimate partner violence. Though coordinating councils are commonly employed vehicles for such efforts, research provides only equivocal support regarding their effectiveness. These mixed findings may reflect methodological and conceptual challenges. Specifically, there is an over‐reliance on conceptualizing council effectiveness in terms of distal outcomes (e.g., behavior change), rather than the intermediary processes by which councils affect change. A direct assessment of councils' proximal outcomes may highlight change mechanisms. To that end, this study investigates the extent to which councils impact proximal outcomes and examines the processes through which proximal outcomes are interrelated and linked to distal community change. Study findings suggest that perceived proximal outcomes do significantly predict variability in perceived distal community change across councils. Specifically, promotion of social capital and institutionalized change predict achievement of distal community change, and promotion of social capital also predicts achievement of institutionalized change.
Nondeep simple morphophysiological dormancy in seeds of Ilex maximowicziana from northern (subtropical) and southern (tropical) Taiwan
Authors: Chien Ching‐Te , Chen Shun‐Ying , Chien Ta‐Yuan , Baskin Jerry M. , Baskin Carol C.
Published: November 2010

In this study, we show that seeds of Ilex maximowicziana collected from northern and southern Taiwan differ in germination responses to temperature. Seeds produced by plants growing in the tropical environment of southern Taiwan were more responsive (in a positive way) to higher incubation temperatures than those produced by plants growing in the subtropical environment of northern Taiwan. On the other hand, seeds produced in northern Taiwan were more responsive (in a positive way) to low incubation temperatures and to cold stratification than those from southern Taiwan. Germination percentages and rates of seeds from northern Taiwan were higher at 20/10°C than at 30/20°C, reaching a plateau of >80% germination after 12 weeks incubation, whereas germination of seeds from southern Taiwan reached >80% at 30/20 and 25°C but not at 20/10°C. Gibberellic acid (GA3) increased germination rate but not germination percentage of seeds from both southern and northern Taiwan. Freshly matured seeds of I. maximowicziana have rudimentary embryos. During dormancy break, embryo length increased 11.5‐ and 8.0‐fold in northern and southern seeds, respectively, before radicle emergence. Thus, seeds of Ilex maximowicziana have nondeep simple morphophysiological dormancy. This is the first detailed study of the germination requirements of a subtropical/tropical species of the large cosmopolitan genus Ilex.
mTORC1 Inhibition via Rapamycin Promotes Triacylglycerol Lipolysis and Release of Free Fatty Acids in 3T3‐L1 Adipocytes
Authors: Soliman Ghada A. , Acosta‐Jaquez Hugo A. , Fingar Diane C.
Published: November 2010

Signaling by mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) promotes anabolic cellular processes in response to growth factors, nutrients, and hormonal cues. Numerous clinical trials employing the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin (aka sirolimus) to immuno‐suppress patients following organ transplantation have documented the development of hypertriglyceridemia and elevated serum free fatty acids (FFA). We therefore investigated the cellular role of mTORC1 in control of triacylglycerol (TAG) metabolism using cultured murine 3T3‐L1 adipocytes. We found that treatment of adipocytes with rapamycin reduced insulin‐stimulated TAG storage ~50%. To determine whether rapamycin reduces TAG storage by upregulating lipolytic rate, we treated adipocytes in the absence and presence of rapamycin and isoproterenol, a β2‐adrenergic agonist that activates the cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway to promote lipolysis. We found that rapamycin augmented isoproterenol‐induced lipolysis without altering cAMP levels. Rapamycin enhanced the isoproterenol‐stimulated phosphorylation of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) on Ser‐563 (a PKA site), but had no effect on the phosphorylation of HSL S565 (an AMPK site). Additionally, rapamycin did not affect the isoproterenol‐mediated phosphorylation of perilipin, a protein that coats the lipid droplet to initiate lipolysis upon phosphorylation by PKA. These data demonstrate that inhibition of mTORC1 signaling synergizes with the β‐adrenergic‐cAMP/PKA pathway to augment phosphorylation of HSL to promote hormone‐induced lipolysis. Moreover, they reveal a novel metabolic function for mTORC1; mTORC1 signaling suppresses lipolysis, thus augmenting TAG storage.
A High Omega‐3 Fatty Acid Diet has Different Effects on Early and Late Stage Myeloid Progenitors
Authors: Varney Melinda E. , Buchanan James T. , Dementieva Yulia , Elaine Hardman W. , Sollars Vincent E.
Published: November 2010

The effects of the polyunsaturated omega‐3 (n‐3) and omega‐6 (n‐6) fatty acids (FA) on hematopoiesis are complex in that both FA forms are processed into leukotrienes, eicosanoids, and prostaglandins, which can have independent effects. These FA have antagonistic effects in that n‐6 FA prostaglandins tend to be pro‐proliferative and pro‐inflammatory, while the effects of n‐3 FA prostaglandins are the opposite. We have previously shown that diets high in n‐3 FA reduce the size of the middle to later stage myeloid progenitor compartment in FVB X sv129 F1hybrid mice. To assay the effects of high n‐3 FA diets on earlier stages of myelopoiesis, we fed C57BL/6J mice diets high in n‐3 FA or levels of n‐3/n‐6 FA similar to western diets and assayed the effects on myelopoiesis with flow cytometry and colony forming cell assays. Results indicate an expansion of the common myeloid progenitor cell compartment in high n‐3 FA diets, which does not persist into later stages where the number of progenitor cells is actually lower in high n‐3 FA fed animals. Investigations in vitro with the hematopoietic stem cell line EML‐clone 1 indicate that cells cultured with eicosapentaenoic acid (n‐3 FA) or arachidonic acid (n‐6 FA) have no differences in cell viability but that arachidonic acid more rapidly produces progenitors with low levels of the macrophage developmental marker, F4/80.
The diagnostic value of the facial features of Marfan syndrome
Authors: Ting Beverlie L. , Mathur Deepti , Loeys Bart L. , Dietz Harry C. , Sponseller Paul D.
Published: November 2010

Purpose

We examined the prevalence of known facial features of Marfan syndrome (MFS)—dolicocephaly, malar hypoplasia, enophthalmos, retrognathia, and down-slanting palpebral fissures—and the diagnostic utility (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, predictive values, and likelihood ratios) of using them for screening and diagnosis.

Methods

Frontal and lateral photographs of 76 subjects with MFS (average age 18.3 years) and of 76 age- and gender-matched controls were obtained, randomized, and compiled into an online survey. Three physicians experienced with MFS rated each photograph for the presence of each feature and indicated whether each photograph triggered a suspicion for MFS. Eight non-expert orthopaedic surgeons reviewed a subset of those photographs and indicated if each triggered a suspicion for MFS. Half of the non-experts then received a brief diagnosis instructional sheet, and all non-experts were retested. The results were compared using Chi-square tests and t-tests with a significance level of P < 0.05.

Results

Using facial features alone, the accuracy of experienced physicians in identifying individuals with MFS was 73%. Facial features had a 54% sensitivity, a 91% specificity, an 86% positive predictive value (PPV), a 67% negative predictive value (NPV), a 6.9% positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and a 50% negative likelihood ratio (NLR) for MFS. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy between non-experts receiving and not receiving instructions.

Conclusions

Facial features are more specific than sensitive for MFS. Therefore, the recognition of facial features of MFS can be used as an initial screening tool, but facial features do not have a high sensitivity for MFS.
Modified Chrisman–Snook repair for the treatment of chronic ankle ligamentous instability in children and adolescents
Authors: Yang Jeffrey , Morscher Melanie A. , Weiner Dennis S.
Published: November 2010

Purpose

Chronic ankle ligamentous instability is not uncommonly encountered in children and adolescents. A number of operative procedures have been developed and described in the literature, including variations on the original Chrisman–Snook (CS) repair. The purpose of this study is to describe a modification of the CS repair and report the outcomes of this surgery for the treatment of chronic ankle ligamentous instability in children and adolescents.

Methods

A retrospective review was conducted of 100 consecutive surgeries in 66 children performed by a single surgeon who modified the CS repair using a split peroneus brevis tendon to reinforce the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments in chronic ligamentously lax patients. All charts were reviewed for complications. Fifty-three cases had at least a 2-year follow-up and were evaluated for the following outcomes: return to activity, ligamentous laxity, pain, and subsequent sprains.

Results

Of the 100 surgeries performed, no patient required repeat ligamentous repair. There were no deep wound infections. There were 10 cases of minor wound healing problems and two cases of temporary nerve dysfunction, one of which resolved without surgical intervention and the other is resolving with no plans for surgical intervention. There were two cases of sural nerve branch entrapment which required subsequent surgery due to neuroma formation. Of the 53 cases with at least a 2-year follow-up, the following outcomes were obtained: all patients returned to full activities of their choice; all but one case maintained ≤45° of ankle inversion postoperatively; all patients were pain free or had only occasional discomfort; and 23% of the ankles experienced subsequent minor sprains, but all were minor and resolved without consequence.

Conclusions

A modification of the CS repair where the split peroneus brevis tendon is used to create ankle stability has been routinely successful in 100 consecutive cases of chronic ligamentous instability in children and adolescents with very few complications.
Crime, Incarceration, and Employment in Light of the Great Recession
Authors: Cox Robynn
Published: November 2010

This paper analyzes the impact of the 2007 recession on the incarceration of African–Americans. It begins with a brief examination of incarceration, followed by a look at the literature on the relationship between work, crime, and incarceration. Finally, it concludes with the implications of these findings for African-Americans as it relates to the current economic crisis.
Impact de la varicocélectomie chez les patients ayant une azoospermie non obstructive ou une oligozoospermie sévère
Authors: Fall B. , Diao B. , Sow Y. , Sarr A. , Fall P.A. , Ndoye A.K. , Ba M. , Diagne B.A.
Published: November 2010

But

Évaluer les résultats de la ligature haute rétropéritonéale des veines spermatiques chez les hommes infertiles ayant une azoospermie non obstructive ou une oligozoospermie sévère.

Patients et méthodes

Étude rétrospective colligeant 61 cas de varicocèle dont 46 (75,4 %) ayant une oligozoospermie sévère (groupe I) et 15 (24,6 %) ayant une azoospermie non obstructive (groupe II).

Résultats

Dans le groupe I (oligozoospermie sévère), l’âge moyen des patients était de 35,5 ± 6,4 ans (23–47 ans). La durée moyenne de l’infertilité était de 4,9 ± 3,4 ans (1–13 ans). La varicocèle était bilatérale chez 41 patients (89,1 %) et unilatérale gauche chez cinq patients (10,9 %). Cette varicocèle a été classée de grade I dans deux cas (4,3 %), de grade II dans 39 cas (84,7 %) et de grade III dans cinq cas (10,9 %). En préopératoire, la concentration moyenne des spermatozoïdes était de 1,85 ± 1,4 millions/ml. La mobilité normale à la première heure des spermatozoïdes était en moyenne de 43,3 ± 21,5 %. Les spermatozoïdes de morphologie anormale représentaient 65,05 ± 21,6 % en moyenne. Après varicocélectomie, la concentration moyenne des spermatozoïdes était de 8,3 ± 10,3 millions/ml. La mobilité normale était en moyenne de 47,6 ± 29,2 %, et les spermatozoïdes de morphologie anormale de 50,08 ± 26,9 %. Après un recul moyen de 26,2 ± 11,6 mois, 12 couples (26,1 %) avaient rapporté des grossesses spontanées. Dans le groupe II (azoospermie), l’âge moyen des patients était de 40,8 ± 7,2 ans (27–47 ans). La durée moyenne de l’infertilité était de 6 ± 3,1 ans (3–15 ans). Après varicocélectomie, une induction de la spermatogenèse avec présence de spermatozoïdes mobiles dans l’éjaculat a été observée chez trois patients (20 %). Dans ce groupe, un seul couple avait rapporté une grossesse qui s’est terminée par une fausse couche.

Conclusion

La varicocélectomie chez les hommes infertiles ayant une azoospermie non obstructive peut entraîner une apparition dans l’éjaculat de spermatozoïdes mobiles utilisables dans le cadre d’une assistance médicale à la procréation (AMP). Elle entraîne une amélioration significative de la qualité de la spermatogenèse et de la fertilité en cas d’oligozoospermie sévère. La réalisation de cette intervention chez de tels hommes est donc une option raisonnable.
Educational aspiration–expectation discrepancies: Relation to socioeconomic and academic risk‐related factors
Authors: Boxer Paul , Goldstein Sara E. , DeLorenzo Tahlia , Savoy Sarah , Mercado Ignacio
Published: October 2010

This study examines whether disconnection between educational aspirations and expectations is associated with socioeconomic status, academic performance, academic risk‐related behaviors and related psychosocial factors in an ethnically and economically diverse sample of early adolescents from a public middle school (N = 761). Results suggest that students who aspire to achieve more than they expect to achieve also are likely to have more economically disadvantaged backgrounds and poorer academic performance. These students also show a variety of academic and social risks. Specifically, students whose aspirations exceeded their expectations reported lower levels of school bonding, higher levels of test/performance anxiety, and elevated behavioral/emotional difficulties. Results are discussed in terms of social‐cognitive theory as well as applications for promoting student social and academic success.
Institutional Vicarious Liability for Physicians: Have We Reached the Tipping Point?
Authors: Hardcastle Lorian
Published: November 2010

Historically, physicians were solely responsible for patient care, whereas hospitals merely provided equipment and nursing staff. Despite significant changes in the doctor-hospital relationship, Canadian courts maintain that physicians are independent contractors. This article explores whether proposals to tie remuneration to performance, increased board or management involvement in privileging, and shared accountability for quality between physicians, boards, and other providers will prompt the courts to shift to hospital vicarious liability for physician negligence.
L'importance stratégique des relations et des outils pour la prise de décision
Authors: Davey Tracey L.
Published: November 2010

Le présent article présente un commentaire sur l'importance des relations entre les membres du conseil d'administration d'un hôpital et le personnel lors de la prise de décision éthique de la part du conseil. Au moyen d'une étude de cas, l'auteur présente une série d'idées et d'attentes raisonnables à l'intention des organisations de santé, de même qu'un dialogue relatif au sujet de la participation des principaux intervenants et des outils utilisés dans le processus de prise de décision des conseils d'administration.
CAMEROONIAN NATIONALISTS GO GLOBAL: FROM FOREST MAQUIS TO A PAN-AFRICAN ACCRA
Authors: TERRETTA MEREDITH
Published: November 2010

This article reassesses the political alternatives imagined by African nationalists in the ‘first wave’ of Africa's decolonization through the lens of Cameroonian nationalism. After the proscription of Cameroon's popular nationalist movement, the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), in the mid-1950s, thousands of Cameroonian nationalists went into exile, most to Accra, where they gained the support of Kwame Nkrumah's Pan-African Bureau for African Affairs. The UPC's external support fed Cameroon's internal maquis (as UPC members called the underground resistance camps within the territories), rooted in culturally particular conceptions of freedom and sovereignty. With such deeply local and broadly international foundations, the political future that Cameroonian nationalists envisaged seemed achievable: even after the Cameroon territories' official independence, UPC nationalists kept fighting. But, by the mid-1960s, postcolonial states prioritized territorial sovereignty over ‘African unity’ and Ghana's support of the UPC became unsustainable, leading to the movement's disintegration.
BRITISH PETROLEUM VS. THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT: THE CAPITAL GAINS TAX DISPUTE, 1972–9
Authors: UCHE CHIBUIKE
Published: November 2010

This article documents a landmark dispute between British Petroleum (BP) and the Nigerian tax authorities that occurred over a N130 million (£100 million) capital gains tax assessment arising from an intra BP Group transfer of its 50 per cent shareholding in Shell/BP Nigeria. This was necessitated by a BP transaction in Abu Dhabi. This tax assessment, which was more than twice the yearly cash flow of BP's Nigerian operations at the time, ignited a chain of events and schemes that saw the British government covertly and overtly providing support to BP, with the primary goal of influencing the outcome of the dispute in order to protect the interests of both the British government and BP. Evidence in this article highlights the complexities of postcolonial relationships between centre countries and African ex-colonies.
Occurrence of abnormal sexual dimorphic structures in the gonochoristic crustacean, Upogebia major (Thalassinidea: Decapoda), inhabiting mud tidal flats in Japan
Authors: Nanri Takahiro , Fukushige Mayuko , Ubaldo Jonathan P. , Kang Bong-Jung , Masunari Nobufumi , Takada Yoshitake , Hatakeyama Masatsugu , Saigusa Masayuki
Published: November 2010

Normal females of the mud shrimp, Upogebia major, have a pair of pleopods on the first abdominal segment, while normal males do not. We have investigated nine populations in the Seto-Inland Sea, Japan, and found morphological disorders on the first abdominal segments of both males and females. In males, the first pleopods occurred. Morphology and arrangement of these additional pleopods were classified into four types. The pleopods of Types M-1 and M-2 were similar in structure to those of normal females. These males could be considered as de-masculinized individuals, and the occurrence of males with these morphological disorders showed local variation: while their frequency was high in two specific sites in Kasaoka Inlet (11.5% in Site 6 and 5.5% in Site 7), it was less than 3.5% in other sites. Other types had abnormal additional appendages similar to the walking legs (pereiopods) (Type M-3) or biramous leaf-like pleopods (Type M-4), but their frequency was extremely low (only 3 out of 1558 males inspected). Morphological disorders in males (Types M-1 and M-2) occurred independently of gonadal development, and did not affect the sexual characteristics as revealed by analyses of allometric growth and gonadal index. In females, morphological disorders were classified into five types: incomplete first pleopods (Type F-1); lack of the first pleopods (Type F-2 and F-3); transformation into the pereiopod-like pleopods (Type F-4); and biramous leaf-like pleopods (Type F-5). The frequency of Types 1–3 was especially high in Site 6 in Kasaoka Inlet (24.4%), but was less than 9.4% in other sites. A feature was that cuticular lesions often co-occurred with the morphological disorders. Possible causal factors of these abnormalities are discussed.
Allometric growth of a common Nassariidae (Gastropoda) in south-east Brazil
Authors: Yokoyama Leonardo Q. , Amaral Antonia Cecília Z.
Published: November 2010

The allometric growth of two groups of Nassarius vibex on beds of the bivalve Mytella charruana on the northern coast of the State of São Paulo, was evaluated between September 2006 and February 2007 in the bed on Camaroeiro Beach, and from March 2007 to June 2007 at Cidade Beach. The shells from Camaroeiro were longer and wider and had a smaller shell aperture than those from Cidade; a principal components analysis also confirmed different morphometric patterns between the areas. The allometric growth of the two groups showed great variation in the development of individuals. The increase of shell width and height in relation to shell length did not differ between the two areas. Shell aperture showed a contrasting growth pattern, with individuals from Camaroeiro having smaller apertures. The methodology based on Kullback–Leibler information theory and the multi-model inference showed, for N. vibex, that the classic linear allometric growth was not the most suitable explanation for the observed morphometric relationships. The patterns of relative growth observed in the two groups of N. vibex may be a consequence of different growth and variation rates, which modifies the development of the individuals. Other factors such as food resource availability and environmental parameters, which might also differ between the two areas, should also be considered.
Effects of deep-sea bottom longlining on the Hatton Bank fish communities and benthic ecosystem, north-east Atlantic
Authors: Durán Muñoz P. , Murillo F.J. , Sayago-Gil M. , Serrano A. , Laporta M. , Otero I. , Gómez C.
Published: November 2010

The effects of deep-sea bottom longlining on fish communities and the benthic ecosystem, as well as the interactions between fishing and seabirds, were studied based on data collected from a joint collaboration between the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and a longliner, carried out on the Hatton Bank area (north-east Atlantic) in 2008. A total of 38 longline sets were distributed mainly along the rugged bottom of the rocky outcrop at depths ranging from 750 to 1500 m. Deep-water sharks and lotids were predominant in the catches contributing respectively 80.4% and 13.1% in terms of weight. Deep-water sharks were predominant in the discards. By-catch of cold-water corals and small glass sponges occurred along the western flank of the Hatton Bank, while large hexactinellids were found along the eastern flank. Longlines fished the adult fraction of vulnerable deep-water sharks and lotids. High catches per unit effort values for these species were obtained in coral areas. A combination of seabird-scaring streamer lines and other measures of preventing seabird by-catch were used. Only one fulmar was captured and it survived. Data on distribution of marine litter and derelict deep-sea gillnets are also presented.
Colonization dynamics of periphytic ciliate communities across taxonomic levels using an artificial substrate for monitoring water quality in coastal waters
Authors: Xu Henglong , Choi Joon-Ki , Min Gi-Sik , Zhu Qinglin
Published: November 2010

Taxonomic diversity and temporal patterns in abundance of periphytic ciliate communities across taxonomic levels were studied to monitor water quality in Korean coastal waters during April 2007. Specifically we compared two methods based on an artificial substrate (glass slide): the polyurethane foam enveloped slide (PFES) and the conventional slide (CS) systems. The results demonstrated that: (1) the colonization patterns of the ciliate communities at all taxonomic levels showed a lower variability in the PFES system than those of the CS system; (2) The taxonomic diversity (Δ) and taxonomic distinctness (Δ*) were significantly higher in the PFES system than those in the CS system; and (3) all four taxonomic diversity/distinctness indices represented lower variability in the PFES system than those of the CS samples. These findings suggest that the PFES system is more effective than the CS system for measuring the colonization patterns and taxonomic distinctness parameters that are increasingly used as potential indicators of water quality. This conclusion supports our previous suggestion that the PFES system is a better tool than the CS system for monitoring water quality in the marine ecosystem, using periphytic ciliates.
Risk of human infection with Giardia duodenalis from cats in Japan and genotyping of the isolates to assess the route of infection in cats
Authors: SUZUKI J. , MURATA R. , KOBAYASHI S. , SADAMASU K. , KAI A. , TAKEUCHI T.
Published: November 2010

The number of facilities in which customers make contact with cats before eating and drinking, called ‘cat cafés’, has recently increased in Tokyo, Japan. In a survey to clarify the possibility of zoonotic transmission in Giardia duodenalis, the infection rates of G. duodenalis in 321 stool samples of cats from 16 cat cafés, 31 pet shops, and the Animal Care and Consultation Center of Tokyo were 19·1% (22/115), 1·2% (1/85), and 2·5% (3/121), respectively. In the molecular analysis of 26 G. duodenalis isolates, 6 samples from 2 cat cafés belonged to the zoonotic genotype assemblage A I, and 20 other samples were of assemblage F. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) genes of the 20 assemblage F isolates revealed 2 major lineages. The 6 assemblage A isolates belonged to the same cluster with regard to the GDH gene; however, 2 of the 6 isolates belonged to a different cluster from the other 4 isolates with regard to the TPI gene. Therefore, a risk of transmission from cats to humans is suggested because of the detection of zoonotic Giardia genotypes in cat cafés.
Factors which enhance or inhibit social support: a mixed-methods analysis of social networks in older women
Authors: McLAUGHLIN DEIRDRE , ADAMS JON , VAGENAS DIMITRIOS , DOBSON ANNETTE
Published: November 2010

Evidence suggests that people with strong social support have lower mortality and morbidity and better self-rated health in later life, but few studies have used longitudinal data to examine the factors that inhibit or enhance social support. This study used both quantitative data and qualitative texts to explore older women's social networks. The mixed-methods design drew participants from the 1921–26 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). Regression modelling for repeated measures was used to analyse the longitudinal data. The qualitative data was content analysed by the themes identified from the quantitative analyses. The quantitative analyses revealed that larger social networks associated with better mental health, widowhood, illness or death of a family member, and no mobility problems. Women who were not Australian-born, had sight problems or who had moved house were more likely to have smaller social networks. The qualitative data provided insight into the lived experiences of this group of women. The use of a mixed methodology enabled the longitudinal quantitative results to be enriched by the women's own words. The findings highlight the importance to older women of being able to access their social network members to gain the psychological and emotional benefits.
Post-disaster quality of life among older survivors five years after the Bam earthquake: implications for recovery policy
Authors: ARDALAN A. , MAZAHERI M. , VANROOYEN M. , MOWAFI H. , NEDJAT S. , NAIENI K. HOLAKOUIE , RUSSEL M.
Published: November 2010

Older people are among the most vulnerable in major disasters. In their aftermath, it is crucial to institute efforts that will maintain a high level of elders' quality of life (QoL). This paper presents QoL assessments of elderly survivors five years after the Bam earthquake in Iran, and evaluates the determinants. A cross-sectional analysis of 210 randomly-selected survivors was carried out in 2008 using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. A comparison of the results with data on the general population showed that experiencing the earthquake may adversely affect psychological dimensions of QoL even five years after, but paradoxically the earthquake resulted in better social relationships in affected communities than in the general population. Lower QoL associated with female gender, higher age, living alone, severe earthquake-related injury, poor quality of living conditions, increased dependency in the activities of daily living, living in an urban area, and being temporarily housed. Recovery experts and donors should carry out long-term monitoring of health status and QoL in disaster-affected communities, with a focus on psychological wellbeing. Intervention programmes that emphasise post-disaster quality of care and satisfactory housing may lead to better QoL of the victims and may shorten the recovery phase.
TRAFFIC GENERATED BY A SEMI-MARKOV ADDITIVE PROCESS
Authors: Blom Joke , Mandjes Michel
Published: November 2010

We consider a semi-Markov additive process A(·)—that is, a Markov additive process for which the sojourn times in the various states have general (rather than exponential) distributions. Letting the Lévy processes Xi(·), which describe the evolution of A(·) while the background process is in state i, be increasing, it is shown how double transforms of the type $\vint_{0}^{\infty} e^{-qt}\, {\open E} \lsqb e^{-\alpha A(t)}\, {d}t \rsqb$ can be computed. It turns out that these follow, for given nonnegative α and q, from a system of linear equations, which has a unique positive solution. Several extensions are considered as well.
UTILITY MAXIMIZATION IN A PURE JUMP MODEL WITH PARTIAL OBSERVATION
Authors: Tardelli Paola
Published: November 2010

This article considers the asset price movements in a financial market when risky asset prices are modeled by marked point processes. Their dynamics depend on an underlying event arrivals process—a marked point process having common jump times with the risky asset price process. The problem of utility maximization of terminal wealth is dealt with when the underlying event arrivals process is assumed to be unobserved by the market agents using, as the main tool, backward stochastic differential equations. The dual problem is studied. Explicit solutions in a particular case are given.
SOME NEW RELIABILITY BOUNDS FOR SUMS OF NBUE RANDOM VARIABLES
Authors: From Steven G.
Published: November 2010

In this article, we discuss some new upper and lower bounds for the survivor function of the sum ofnindependent random variables each of which has an NBUE (new better than used in expectation) distribution. In some cases, only the means of the random variables are assumed known. These bounds are compared to the sharp bounds given in Cheng and Lam [6], which requires both means and variances known. Although the new bounds are not sharp, they often produce better upper bounds for the survivor function in the extreme right tail of many NBUE lifetime distributions, an important special case in applications. Moreover, a lower bound exists in one case not handled by the lower bounds of Theorem 3 in Cheng and Lam [6]. Numerical studies are presented along with theoretical discussions.
TWO-PERSON RED-AND-BLACK GAME WITH LOWER LIMIT
Authors: Chen May-Ru
Published: November 2010

In this article we consider a two-person red-and-black game with lower limit. More precisely, assume each player holds an integral amount of chips. At each stage, each player can bet an integral amount between a fixed positive integer ℓ and his possession x if x ≥ ℓ; otherwise, he bets all of his own fortune. He might win his opponent's stakes with a probability that is a function of the ratio of his bet to the sum of both players' bets and is called a win probability function. The goal of each player is to maximize the probability of winning the entire fortune of his opponent by gambling repeatedly with suitably chosen stakes. We will give some suitable conditions on the win probability function such that it is a Nash equilibrium for the subfair player to play boldly and for the superfair player to play timidly.
The role of working memory and contextual constraints in children's processing of relative clauses
Authors: WEIGHALL ANNA R. , ALTMANN GERRY T. M.
Published: November 2010

An auditory sentence comprehension task investigated the extent to which the integration of contextual and structural cues was mediated by verbal memory span with 32 English-speaking six- to eight-year-old children. Spoken relative clause sentences were accompanied by visual context pictures which fully (depicting the actions described within the relative clause) or partially (depicting several referents) met the pragmatic assumptions of relativization. Comprehension of the main and relative clauses of centre-embedded and right-branching structures was compared for each context. Pragmatically appropriate contexts exerted a positive effect on relative clause comprehension, but children with higher memory spans demonstrated a further benefit for main clauses. Comprehension for centre-embedded main clauses was found to be very poor, independently of either context or memory span. The results suggest that children have access to adult-like linguistic processing mechanisms, and that sensitivity to extralinguistic cues is evident in young children and develops as cognitive capacity increases.
Why history matters in ecology: an interdisciplinary perspective
Authors: SZABÓ PÉTER
Published: November 2010

In recent decades, the interconnectedness of history and ecology has received increasing attention. Although necessarily interdisciplinary, efforts to study this interconnectedness had their roots either in the humanities and social sciences or in the natural sciences: scholars have tried either to understand more about nature with the help of history, or, about human history with the help of natural phenomena. As a result, theoretical studies about the integration of ecology and history try to answer two relatively distinct questions: ‘why ecology matters in history’ and ‘why history matters in ecology’. This paper sets out to systematize current knowledge on the latter question and to highlight those issues that have so far received less attention. The arguments can be grouped into three major themes. First, history matters in ecology because it aids understanding of current patterns and processes in nature. Second, because it fosters better informed management and policy decisions; and third, because it places ecology and conservation in a wider interdisciplinary context. Besides dealing with the perspectives of ecologists and conservationists, this paper also includes material from historians, anthropologists and archaeologists, that is, from scholars whose primary interest does not lie in ecological investigations, but who have, nonetheless, embraced the need for the integration of ecology and history.
David Hume as a Social Theorist
Authors: BARRY BRIAN
Published: November 2010

This article examines Russell Hardin's interpretation of Hume's argument that great social order depends on coordination convention. The main argument shows that despite an apparent move in that direction Hume's main argument is that justice and the other convention-based virtues rest on a cooperative convention which solves a prisoner's dilemma problem and that states are required when a society exceeds some small size because only states can solve the large number prisoner's dilemma problems that constitute the ‘problem of social order’. In this Hume's argument is indebted to the original form of this argument found in Hobbes'sLeviathan.
Financial development and environmental performance: evidence from China
Authors: YUXIANG KARL , CHEN ZHONGCHANG
Published: November 2010

This paper extends the debate on the environmental performance of developing countries by focusing on a new factor. Theoretically, financial development has capitalization, technology, income, and regulation effects on the environment. Using the provincial panel data of China, the econometric analysis provides some evidence of a linkage between financial development and industrial pollution discharges. In recent years, the environmental performance of China has been significantly improved by financial development and some environmental protection schemes. This relationship offers new implications for policy makers in developing countries.
CONTROLLING THE RECOURSE TO WAR BY MODIFYING JUS IN BELLO
Authors: Goodman Ryan
Published: November 2010

According to a bedrock principle of international law, the rules regulating the recourse to war and the rules regulating conduct during war must be kept conceptually and legally distinct. The purported independence of the two domains – the ‘separation principle’ – remains unstable despite its historic pedigree. This essay explores recent developments that threaten to erode the separation. The author analyzes, in particular, doctrinal innovations that result in the regulation of the recourse to war through alterations of jus in bello. International and national institutions have incentivized states to pursue particular paths to war by tailoring the rules that regulate conduct in armed conflict. Some warpaths are accordingly rewarded, and others are penalized. The article then explores potential consequences, first, on state behavior involving the use of force and, second, on state behavior involving the conduct of warfare. One significant conclusion is that these recent developments channel state behavior and justifications for using force toward security-based and strategic rationales. These efforts – whether intended or not – risk suppressing ‘desirable wars’ and inspiring ‘undesirable wars.’ These recent developments also undercut humanitarian protections by undermining the mechanisms for compliance with legal norms on the battlefield.
BLURRING THE LINES: THE INTERPRETATION, DISCOURSE AND APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT
Authors: Stephens Dale
Published: November 2010

Despite the high density and sheer volume of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), there is considerable indeterminacy within its structure. Understanding the interpretive space generated through the rules/standards dichotomy as well as through the policy/law interface resident within this indeterminacy permits greater appreciation of how LOAC is used to advance strategic goals. The purpose of this article is to examine various interpretive approaches to LOAC and to reveal the significance of such approaches to questions of both legal validity and broader considerations of legitimacy. Positivism remains the dominant interpretive idiom, but it contains vulnerabilities in its assumptions, not least is the wide malleability of language. In the current operating environment, within the counter-insurgency (COIN) context in particular, it is becoming evident that standard canons of LOAC interpretation may not be sufficient to achieve the desired military and political goals sought. Indeed recent COIN guidance concerning interpretation of LOAC reflects an approach reminiscent of the US legal realist style of the early to mid 20th century. This results in a more overt demand for greater social and political appreciation of the use of law to modulate violence.
THE RENDULIC ‘RULE’: MILITARY NECESSITY, COMMANDER'S KNOWLEDGE, AND METHODS OF WARFARE
Authors: Bill Brian J.
Published: November 2010

Unlike most other areas of international law which address only State responsibilities, the law of war assigns to individuals the responsibility to observe positive rules. The threat of being charged with a war crime, with all the attached opprobrium, is the chief means by which observance of the law of war is ensured. No one could rightly argue that war crimes prosecutions, even if they were always effectively prosecuted – and they are not – ensure perfect compliance with the law, but they are the best mechanism devised to date. Although war crimes trials has earlier antecedents, the prosecutions following World War II marked the beginning of the modern war crimes model.

World War II prosecutions were notable for the scale of atrocities alleged in the various indictments. Once the crimes were defined, and the architecture put in place to establish the various tribunals, proof of wrongdoing was rarely in doubt. There were expected legal issues to be sure: claims ofex post factocrimes, immunities for acts of state, and the defense of superior orders, among many others; but in general prosecutors fully expected convictions across the board. And many convictions did result, though there were several exceptions that resulted in full or partial acquittals.
TERRITORY, BOUNDARIES AND THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT
Authors: Arimatsu Louise
Published: November 2010

Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip from 27 December 2008 until 18 January 2009 raised a host of legal questions on status and the conduct of hostilities, many of which have been subjected to intense scrutiny. But perhaps the two most troubling questions that remain unresolved concern the appropriate legal regime that governed the conflict and the geographical reach of the law. Was this an international armed conflict? If so, who were the ‘contracting parties’ and what was the territorial scope of the conflict? Alternatively, was the armed conflict one between a state, Israel, and a non-state actor, Hamas, and thus subject to the rules that apply in non-international armed conflict? This latter position jars with our intuition not least because the codified law assumes non-international armed conflict takes placewithinthe territory of a contracting state. The disquiet is apparent in the Israeli Supreme Court judgment of 2009,Physicians for Human Rights v. Prime Minister, in which the Court had to determine the legal regime governing the armed conflict between Israel and ‘the Hamas organization’. Describing the normative ‘arrangements’ as ‘complex’, it noted that ‘the classification of the armed conflict between the state of Israel and the Hamas organization as an international conflict raises several difficulties’.
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Authors: Breau Susan C.
Published: November 2010

This year in review will first discuss the major developments that contributed towards the formation or enforcement of international humanitarian law. Despite the many positive developments in the elucidation of international humanitarian law, 2009 witnessed the continuation of violent armed conflict around the world, not least in Sri Lanka where the long standing armed conflict came to a bloody conclusion amidst allegations of summary executions and other serious violations of international humanitarian law. Two other conflicts involving Israel/Gaza and Russia/Georgia which took place in 2008 and early 2009, resulted in the release of two influential international investigative reports, each of which alleged serious violations of international humanitarian law and called for the enforcement of criminal accountability. The election of Barack Obama marked a significant shift in the attitude of the United States to terrorism and detention with the new President immediately announcing on taking office, the closure of Guantánamo Bay.