bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Angola 2025: The Future of the “World's Richest Poor Country” as Seen through a Chinese Rear‐View Mirror
Authors: Power Marcus
Published: May 2011

Abstract:  As Africa's foremost “emerging market” Angola is receiving increasing recognition for its oil wealth, leading to attempts to engage it as a strategic partner, especially amongst the “rising powers”. In particular, there has been considerable escalation in development cooperation between Angola and China recently, though relatively little is known about the precise terms of this “partnership” despite China's key role in Angola's post‐conflict reconstruction. The growing importance of Chinese credit lines and increasing presence of Chinese corporate agencies across Angolan territory raise important questions about development, poverty reduction and inequality; governance and labour relations; and Angola's institutional capacity and the social structure of its cities. This paper critically examines the specific outcomes of Angola's “partnership” with China along with the hybrid conceptions and tangled geographies of “development” produced as a result. In particular, it seeks to interrogate the visions of Angola's future articulated by the Angolan state and the reference points and “models” of development that they draw upon.
POLICY CHANGE AND SOFT EUROPEANIZATION: THE TRANSFER OF THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION TO GREECE, CYPRUS AND MALTA
Authors: LADI STELLA
Published: May 2011

The paper adopts a historical institutionalist approach to Europeanization and argues that policy change is facilitated by three factors. First, it is driven by ‘soft’ mechanisms of Europeanization such as policy transfer. The EU provides the framework for reform and functions as a platform of best practices. Policy transfer mechanisms are implemented in order for member states to pick and choose institutions. Second, domestic mediating factors such as policy preferences are as important as EU obligations. The introduction of the Ombudsman to Greece, Cyprus and Malta demonstrates that hard mechanisms of Europeanization (for example, directives) are not always necessary for change to occur. Soft mechanisms can be equally effective, as long as the political leadership prioritizes the reform. Third, policy change depends on time. Member states adjust their policies and institutions over time. The most common outcome of this adjustment is inertia or incremental change rather than convergence.
ONE‐STOP SHOPS FOR SOCIAL WELFARE: THE ADAPTATION OF AN ORGANIZATIONAL FORM IN THREE COUNTRIES
Authors: ASKIM JOSTEIN , FIMREITE ANNE LISE , MOSELEY ALICE , PEDERSEN LENE HOLM
Published: May 2011

In recent years welfare services in Western Europe have been criticized for poor coordination. In response, ‘seamlessness’ has emerged as a vision for public administration with ‘one‐stop shops' viewed as means to reach this. This article conceptualizes the one‐stop shop and presents a three country case study to examine its drivers and its adaptation. In all countries the reforms meant mergers driven by hopes for a single entrance to services as well as proximity to citizens. However, the analysis of task portfolios, participant structure, instruments and autonomy reveal important variations in the adaptations. The specific configurations of one‐stop shops that emerged were partially a product of compromises and negotiations influenced by the political and performance priorities of central government. The classical trade‐off between specialization and coordination persists, but by offering users ICT‐based services one can to some extent maintain specialization behind the frontline and still provide services that are coordinated from a user perspective.
Infliximab partially impairs the anti‐Mycobacterium tuberculosis immune responses of severe psoriasis patients with positive tuberculin skin‐test
Authors: Silva L.C.R. , Geluk A. , Arnone M. , Romiti R. , Franken K.C.L.M. , Duarte A.J.S. , Takahashi M.D.F. , Benard G.
Published: May 2011

Background  Infliximab and etarnecept are now widely used for treating severe psoriasis. However, these drugs, especially infliximab, increased the risk of tuberculosis reactivation. Surprisingly, epidemiological data suggest that the tuberculosis rate in patients taking infliximab in São Paulo State, Brazil, is similar to that of some developed, non‐endemic countries.

Objective  The aim of this study was to better understand the effect of infliximab on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) immune responses of psoriasis patients in an endemic setting (Brazil).

Methods  We evaluated the tuberculosis‐specific immune responses of severe psoriasis patients and healthy individuals, both tuberculin skin test (TST) positive, in the presence/absence of infliximab. Patients had untreated severe psoriasis, no co‐morbidities affecting the immune responses and a TST >10 mm. Healthy TST+ (>10 mm) individuals were evaluated in parallel. PBMC cultures from both groups were stimulated with different Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) antigens (ESAT‐6, 85B and Mtb lysate) and phytohemagglutinin, with or without infliximab (5 μg/mL). Parameters evaluated were TNF‐α, IFN‐γ and IL‐10 secretion by ELISA, overnight IFN‐γ ELISpot and lymphocyte proliferative response (LPR).

Results  Infliximab almost abolished TNF‐α detection in PBMC supernatants of both groups. It also significantly reduced the LPR to phytohemagglutinin and the Mtb antigens as well as the IFN‐γ levels secreted into day 5 supernatants in both groups. There was no concomitant exaggerated IL‐10 secretion that could account for the decreases in these responses. ELISpot showed that, contrasting with the central‐memory responses above, infliximab did not affect effector‐memory INF‐γ‐releasing T‐cell numbers.

Conclusions  Infliximab affected some, but not all aspects of the in vitro antituberculosis immune responses tested. The preserved effector‐memory responses, putatively related to exposure to environmental mycobacteria, may help to explain the lower than expected susceptibility to tuberculosis reactivation in our setting.
Finger retronychias detected early by 3D ultrasound examination
Authors: Wortsman X. , Calderon P. , Baran R.
Published: May 2011

Background  A new pattern of ingrown nail, called retronychia is involved in the posterior translation of the whole nail unit producing paronychia.

Objective  To demonstrate an unusual case of paronychia that affected three of the fingers on the right hand.

Methods  We used 3D ultrasound to study the whole nail unit in the fingers of both the affected (right) and non affected (left) hand.

Results  Backward motion of the nail unit with decreased distance between the origin of the nail plates and the distal interphalangeal joint was clearly demonstrated by 3D ultrasound in the affected fingers.

Conclusion  3D ultrasound provides non invasive and more understandable information about the physiopathological changes in retronychia.
Natural options for the management of hyperpigmentation
Authors: Leyden J.J. , Shergill B. , Micali G. , Downie J. , Wallo W.
Published: May 2011

Facial hyperpigmented disorders are a common complaint in the adult population of all races. First‐line topical treatments are usually hydroquinone or topical retinoids, which can cause irritant reactions. The need for better tolerated, yet effective, skin lightening agents that could be utilized by a wider population has led to the investigation of several potential botanical/natural compounds. There are currently many topical cosmetic formulations claiming skin depigmenting effects. A few of the ingredients (e.g. soy) are supported not only by in vitro results but also by a body of controlled clinical efficacy studies; other ingredients, instead, are backed mostly by in vitro data and a few small uncontrolled clinical studies. In this review, we describe the most common natural ingredients used for skin depigmentation and their major published studies: soy, licorice extracts, kojic acid, arbutin, niacinamide, N‐acetylglucosamine, COFFEEBERRY™ and green tea.
Differences between familial and sporadic cases of vitiligo
Authors: Karelson M. , Silm H. , Salum T. , Kõks S. , Kingo K.
Published: May 2011

Background  Most cases of vitiligo are sporadic, but about 10–36% of the patients have positive family history.

Objective  The aim of our study was to describe differences between familial and sporadic cases of vitiligo.

Methods  A total of 186 adult vitiligo patients were examined, in 173 of whom the level of thyroid peroxidase antibodies, gastric parietal cell antibodies (PCA), antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti‐adrenal cortex antibodies and rheumatoid factor in blood was measured. All patients were divided in two groups: the cases with positive family history of vitiligo (51) and the sporadic cases (135).

Results  The risk of onset of the disease up to 20 years of age was higher in the familial group (P = 0.008). Patients in familial group showed more widespread depigmentation compared with sporadic cases [body surface area (BSA) over 10%: P = 0.004; BSA over 50%: P = 0.001]. In familial group, patients had darker skin phototype (P = 0.045) and the disease had started more often as a vulgar vitiligo (P = 0.008). In sporadic vitiligo group, female gender was a risk factor for more widespread depigmentation (BSA over 10%, P = 0.001). Extensive depigmentation was associated with reported triggering factors and mucosal involvement in both groups and with leukotrichia only in familial group. Widespread depigmentation related to the risk of presence of autoantibodies (P = 0.03) in sporadic cases of vitiligo (especially of PCA: P = 0.04 and ANA: P = 0.0002).

Conclusions  In this study, we demonstrated first time that patients with familial vitiligo have a higher risk for vulgar type at the beginning of the disease and female gender increases the risk for more extensive depigmentation in sporadic cases.
Consumer needs and requirements for food and ingredient traceability information
Authors: Van Rijswijk Wendy , Frewer Lynn J.
Published: May 2011

The introduction of improved food traceability systems has aimed to restore consumer confidence in food safety and quality, in part by being able to provide consumers with more information about the origins of foods and food ingredients. However, little is known about consumers' opinions and beliefs associated with traceability, nor their preferences for information provision. In the current paper, consumer information needs and requirements regarding traceability are investigated. Semi‐structured interviews with consumers in four European countries focused on the need for traceability, the preferred means of communication, labelling and bodies held responsible for traceability and dealing with fraud. Results show that there is a clear consumer need for varied information about food and the production processes involved. Rigorous and accountable traceability systems may assist in making such information available to consumers.
Children's understanding of food and meals in the foodscape at school
Authors: Osowski Christine Persson , Göranzon Helen , Fjellström Christina
Published: May 2011

Children come into contact with food in different places and contexts, i.e. ‘foodscapes’. The aim of the paper was to study what knowledge children construct regarding food and meals in the foodscape at school and how they do so, focusing on the school meal context. Observations, interviews and focus group interviews were used. The children appropriated ideas and understandings from the adult world and society as a whole and used it among their peers in the school meal situation. This included the adoption of institutional commensality, the telling of stories about food, and the classification of foods in dichotomies.
Sex‐role conflict at work: its impact on consumption practices of working women in Turkey
Authors: Atik Deniz , Şahin Dicle Yurdakul
Published: May 2011

Changing social norms regarding the role of women in society is fostered by women's participation in the workforce. Hence, changing role of working women in business life leads the transformation of gender stereotypes and roles. Women alter their gender role orientation according to the requirements of male‐dominated business life; however, the unchanged role in private life leads to sex‐role conflict. This study investigates the role of consumption as a key component of identity in the process of managing sex‐role conflict in a non‐Western cultural context. In‐depth interviews were conducted with working women with various cultural and educational backgrounds. According to the findings of the study, women are forming compatible identities, which reduce the perceived sex‐role conflict and consumption patterns are changing to suit the requirements of their new ways of living.
Consumer clothing disposal behaviour: a comparative study
Authors: Bianchi Constanza , Birtwistle Grete
Published: May 2011

Fast fashion retailing is leading consumers towards an increased rate of purchasing and the trend to keep clothing for an ever shorter time with the resulting rise in clothing disposal. The aim of this paper is to empirically explore antecedents of two methods of sustainable clothing disposal behaviour in two countries: donating to charities and giving away to family and friends. Using data from females located in Australia and Chile, the authors test the proposed model with structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of this study show that consumer recycling behaviour is a strong and direct driver of donating to charity. In addition, results find that consumer awareness of the environment and consumer age affect donating behaviour. The findings have value for fast fashion retailers, marketers, environmental activists, ecological researchers, charity institutions and public policy makers.
Positive interaction between lapatinib and capecitabine in human breast cancer models: study of molecular determinants
Authors: Chefrour Mohamed , Milano Gérard , Formento Patricia , Giacometti Sarah , Denden Amine , Renée Nicole , Iliadis Athanassios , Fischel Jean‐Louis , Ciccolini Joseph
Published: May 2011

The combination of lapatinib and capecitabine is approved in Her2+ metastatic breast cancer. However, the pharmacological mechanisms for this association have not been fully elucidated. In this non‐clinical study, we evaluated the efficacy of this association on a panel of six human breast cancer cell lines as a means to identify the molecular determinants of response to this combination. Cell viability was evaluated after concomitant/sequential exposure, and response/resistance determinants for each drug such as dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), thymidylate synthase (TS), thymidine phosphorylase, Bax, Bcl2, P21 levels, and phospho p42/44 and HER1/2 signaling pathway were studied. Lapatinib proved to markedly downregulate TS activity, thus suggesting a subsequent better efficacy of capecitabine. Capecitabine optimized the downregulation of p‐AKT and p‐P42/44 expression by lapatinib. Consequently, we observed an increase in the Bax/Bcl2 ratio and p21 protein expression in cells exposed to the combination. Overall, our data showed that whatever the schedule and the cell line were, additive to synergistic interaction was achieved in our models. The optimal in vitro combination was finally tested in tumor‐bearing mice. Our results fully confirmed that associating both drugs led to a 77% reduction in tumor growth as compared with control animals in BT474‐xenografted models. Taken together, this non‐clinical study shows that lapatinib and capecitabine modulate each other’s molecular determinants of response and that concomitant dosing seems to be the optimal way to combine these drugs. Besides, modulation of TS expression by lapatinib makes its association with capecitabine a promising way to overcome breast cancers resistant in relation with TS overexpression.
Mitochondrial DNA copy number and function decrease with age in the short‐lived fish Nothobranchius furzeri
Authors: Hartmann Nils , Reichwald Kathrin , Wittig Ilka , Dröse Stefan , Schmeisser Sebastian , Lück Claudia , Hahn Christin , Graf Michael , Gausmann Ulrike , Terzibasi Eva , Cellerino Alessandro , Ristow Michael , Brandt Ulrich , Platzer Matthias , Englert Christoph
Published: May 2011

Among vertebrates that can be kept in captivity, the annual fish Nothobranchius furzeri possesses the shortest known lifespan. It also shows typical signs of aging and is therefore an ideal model to assess the role of different physiological and environmental parameters on aging and lifespan determination. Here, we used Nothobranchius furzeri to study whether aging is associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) alterations and changes in mitochondrial function. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of N. furzeri and found an extended control region. Large‐scale mtDNA deletions have been frequently described to accumulate in other organisms with age, but there was no evidence for the presence of detectable age‐related mtDNA deletions in N. furzeri. However, mtDNA copy number significantly decreased with age in skeletal muscle, brain, liver, skin and dorsal fin. Consistent with this finding, expression of Pgc‐1α that encodes a transcriptional coactivator of mitochondrial biogenesis and expression of Tfam and mtSsbp both encoding mtDNA binding factors was downregulated with age. The investigation of possible changes in mitochondrial function revealed that the content of respiratory chain complexes III and IV was reduced in skeletal muscle with age. In addition, ADP‐stimulated and succinate‐dependent respiration was decreased in mitochondria of old fish. These findings suggest that despite the short lifespan, aging in N. furzeri is associated with a decline in mtDNA copy number, the downregulation of mtDNA‐associated genes and an impairment of mitochondrial function.
Insulin‐activated Akt rescues Aβ oxidative stress‐induced cell death by orchestrating molecular trafficking
Authors: Picone Pasquale , Giacomazza Daniela , Vetri Valeria , Carrotta Rita , Militello Valeria , Biagio Pier L. San , Di Carlo Marta
Published: May 2011

Increasing evidence indicates that Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most diffused aging pathologies, and diabetes may be related. Here, we demonstrate that insulin signalling protects LAN5 cells by amyloid‐β42 (Aβ)‐induced toxicity. Aβ affects both activation of insulin receptors and the levels of phospho‐Akt, a critical signalling molecule in this pathway. In contrast, oxidative stress induced by Aβ can be antagonized by active Akt that, in turn, inhibits Foxo3a, a pro‐apoptotic transcription factor activated by reactive oxygen species generation. Insulin cascade protects against mitochondrial damage caused by Aβ treatment, restoring the mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, we show that the recovery of the organelle integrity recruits active Akt translocation to the mitochondrion. Here, it plays a role both by maintaining unimpaired the permeability transition pore through increase in HK‐II levels and by blocking apoptosis through phosphorylation of Bad, coming from cytoplasm after Aβ stimulus. Together, these results indicate that the Akt survival signal antagonizes the Aβ cell death process by balancing the presence and modifications of common molecules in specific cellular environments.
Implementation quality of whole‐school mental health promotion and students’ academic performance
Authors: Dix Katherine L. , Slee Phillip T. , Lawson Michael J. , Keeves John P.
Published: May 2011

Background:  This paper argues for giving explicit attention to the quality of implementation of school‐wide mental health promotions and examines the impact of implementation quality on academic performance in a major Australian mental health initiative.

Method:  Hierarchical linear modelling was used to investigate change in standardised academic performance across the 2‐year implementation of a mental health initiative in 96 Australian primary (or elementary) schools that was focused on improving student social‐emotional competencies.

Results:  After controlling for differences in socioeconomic background, a significant positive relationship existed between quality of implementation and academic performance. The difference between students in high‐ and low‐implementing schools was equivalent to a difference in academic performance of up to 6 months of schooling.
One moor night: emergencies, training and rural space
Authors: Yarwood Richard
Published: May 2011

Drawing on an ethnographic account of a Mountain Rescue training exercise, this paper uses Halfacree's threefold model of rurality in an effort to reconcile structural and experiential research on the outdoors. It highlights the importance of understanding the diverse emotional, physical and technical ways that agencies engage with outdoor space and how these engagements are influenced by ways that rural localities are structured and represented.
New concepts in calcium‐sensing receptor pharmacology and signalling
Authors: Ward Donald T , Riccardi Daniela
Published: May 2011

The calcium‐sensing receptor (CaR) is the key controller of extracellular calcium (Ca2+o) homeostasis via its regulation of parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion and renal Ca2+ reabsorption. The CaR‐selective calcimimetic drug Cinacalcet stimulates the CaR to suppress PTH secretion in chronic kidney disease and represents the world's first clinically available receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM). Negative CaR allosteric modulators (NAMs), known as calcilytics, can increase PTH secretion and are being investigated as possible bone anabolic treatments against age‐related osteoporosis. Here we address the current state of development and clinical use of a series of positive and negative CaR modulators. In addition, clinical CaR mutations and transgenic mice carrying tissue‐specific CaR deletions have provided a novel understanding of the relative functional importance of CaR in both calciotropic tissues and those elsewhere in the body. The development of CaR‐selective modulators and signalling reagents have provided us with a more detailed appreciation of how the CaR signals in vivo. Thus, both of these areas of CaR research will be reviewed.
Opioids and the immune system: what is their mechanism of action?
Authors: Eisenstein Toby K
Published: May 2011

There is a significant amount of literature showing that morphine and other opioids modulate immune responses. The findings support many mechanisms by which this may occur. In vitro experiments provide evidence for direct actions of opioids on immune cells using a variety of functional end points. When these drugs are given in vivo, a plethora of immune parameters are also altered. The paper in this issue of the journal by Zhang et al. provides new information on morphine alteration of immune cell subsets in the spleen and thymus of mice and the potential role of glucocorticoids in these observed phenomena. This Commentary reviews the in vitro activities of morphine on leucocytes, as well as other documented mechanisms by which morphine can alter immune function in vivo.

LINKED ARTICLE This article is a commentary on Zhang et al., pp. 1829–1844 of this issue. To view this paper visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476‐5381.2011.01475.x
Antiparkinsonian potential of targeting group III metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes in the rodent substantia nigra pars reticulata
Authors: Broadstock M , Austin PJ , Betts MJ , Duty S
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Increased firing of the glutamatergic pathway between the subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) contributes to the abnormal firing of motor circuits and subsequent motor deficits seen in Parkinson's disease. Broad spectrum agonist‐induced activation of presynaptic group III metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors within the SNpr reduced glutamate release and reversed akinesia in the reserpine‐treated rat model of Parkinson's disease. Here, we have sought to identify which subtypes of group III mGlu receptor in the SNpr were responsible for these beneficial effects.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

The ability of the mGlu4 positive allosteric modulator, N‐phenyl‐7‐(hydroxyminocyclopropa[b]chromen‐1a‐carboxamide) (PHCCC), the mGlu7 allosteric agonist, N,N′‐dibenzhydrylethane‐1,2‐diamine dihydrochloride (AMN082) and the mGlu8‐selective agonist (S)‐3,4‐dicarboxyphenylglycine [(S)‐3,4‐DCPG] to inhibit KCl‐evoked [3H]‐D‐aspartate release was examined in vitro in rat nigral prisms. Reversal of akinesia in reserpine‐treated rats was also assessed following intranigral injection of these agents.

KEY RESULTS

PHCCC and AMN082 inhibited [3H]‐D‐aspartate release by 42% and 53%, respectively when given alongside a sub‐threshold concentration of the broad spectrum group III agonist, L‐2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutyrate (L‐AP4; 1 µM). In contrast (S)‐3,4‐DCPG failed to inhibit [3H]‐D‐aspartate release. All three agents also reversed reserpine‐induced akinesia although only the effects of PHCCC and AMN082 were inhibited by pre‐treatment with the group III antagonist (RS)‐α‐cyclopropyl‐4‐phosphonophenylglycine (CPPG).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

These findings reveal that targeting SNpr mGlu4 or mGlu7 receptors, but not mGlu8 receptors, provided relief from akinesia in the reserpine‐treated rat model of Parkinson's disease, most likely reflecting inhibition of excess glutamate release in this region.
Experimental High‐Volume Hemofiltration With Predilutional Tris‐Hydroxymethylaminomethane for Correction of Low Tidal Volume Ventilation‐Induced Acidosis
Authors: Russ Martin , Deja Maria , Ott Sascha , Bedarf Janis , Keckel Tobias , Hiebl Bernhard , Wagner Johanna J. , Unger Juliane K.
Published: May 2011

The most common method of controlling acidemia during lung‐protective ventilation is CO2 removal with an extracorporeal lung assist (ECLA) system. Another possibility to prevent acidemia is based on intravenous (i.v.) application of tris‐hydroxymethyl‐aminomethane (3 mol/L, THAM) buffer, which can bind hydrogen protons and which can be removed from the body via renal replacement therapy (RRT). We investigated whether RRT combined with predilutional (prefilter) THAM‐application provides an alternative to ECLA for a rescue situation. For this, anesthetized pigs, 40 kg of body weight, six animals per group, underwent 5 h of acidemia (pH 7.19–7.24) induced by acid infusion and permissive hypercapnia (low tidal volume ventilation, PaCO2 80–90 mm Hg). Isovolemic, high‐volume hemofiltration (HVHF) was operated with predilutional THAM‐infusion for treatment. To evaluate adverse effects of this approach, we set up further groups: HVHF with postdilutional (post‐filter) THAM‐application; i.v.‐THAM without HVHF; normal pH homeostasis with HVHF. Acid‐base parameters, hemodynamics, renal function, and lung morphology were investigated. HVHF with predilutional THAM‐infusion of 8 mmol/kg/h allowed fast pH normalization, significant reduction in PaCO2 to 56 mm Hg and tolerable hemodynamics. HVHF alone or lower dose i.v. THAM (2 mmol/kg/h) failed to produce a comparable result. A postdilutional THAM infusion reduced hemodynamic tolerability and increased lung edema formation. HVHF in pigs with normal acid‐base status resulted in a decreased base excess and urine acidification. In conclusion, predilutional THAM‐application and HVHF corrected the acid‐base disorder and improved pulmonary hemodynamics. Further studies are necessary to optimize the protocol including the dosage.
Ictal head turning in frontal and temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Rémi Jan , Wagner Philipp , O’Dwyer Rebecca , Silva Cunha João P. , Vollmar Christian , Krotofil Isabella , Noachtar Soheyl
Published: May 2011

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate the difference of ictal head turning movements between patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE).

Methods: We investigated 38 seizures of 31 patients with unilateral TLE and 22 seizures of 14 patients with unilateral FLE where head turning occurred in the seizure evolution. The head movements were defined as ipsilateral or contralateral in reference to the lateralization of the patient’s focal epilepsy syndrome. Head movements were quantified by either referencing the head position with manually placed markers or by automatic detection of infrared marked reference points. The time of onset, duration, and angular speed of the head movements were computed, and interindividual and intraindividual analyses were performed.

Key Findings: All of the TLE seizures had both contralateral and ipsilateral head turning, whereas all FLE had contralateral head turning; only 6 of 22 seizures were associated with ipsilateral head turning. Ipsilateral head turning always preceded contralateral head turning in both TLE and FLE. The head turning occurred significantly sooner after clinical seizure onset in FLE than in TLE patients (ipsilateral 0.5 vs. 16.0 s, contralateral: 4.5 vs. 21.3 s; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the duration of head turning was shorter in FLE for contralateral head turning (4.1 s) than in TLE (contralateral 6.0 s, p < 0.01); the ipsilateral head turning in the two groups did not differ (3.0 vs. 2.9 s) in duration. The angular speed of head turning did not differ for ipsilateral and for contralateral head turning in FLE and TLE.

Significance: Quantitative analysis of head turning demonstrates significant differences between patients with FLE and TLE. These differences likely represent differences in spread of epileptic activity. This information may be useful in the seizure evaluation of patients considered for resective epilepsy surgery.
Aphasic status epilepticus: Electroclinical correlation
Authors: Ericson Eric J. , Gerard Elizabeth E. , Macken Michael P. , Schuele Stephan U.
Published: May 2011

Purpose:  Aphasic status epilepticus (ASE) in otherwise awake patients is a rare phenomenon. We present a series of nine consecutive patients with ASE to characterize clinical, electrophysiologic, and imaging findings.

Methods:  Nine patients in ASE were identified between July 2006 and December 2009 at our institution. Each was evaluated by the neurology service and monitored with video‐electroencephalography (EEG) for at least 24 h. Thorough, repeated language testing was correlated with EEG findings.

Key Findings:  All nine patients were right‐handed with subacute or chronic left hemispheric lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All patients had mixed aphasia, three presenting with persistent aphasia from onset and six with episodic speech impairment, which became persistent in five of the six. The initial 30‐min EEG demonstrated electrographic seizure in only five patients (56%), despite the presence of aphasia during the recording. Left hemispheric periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDS) were seen in two patients, and left hemispheric slowing in two patients. Continuous video‐EEG monitoring confirmed electrographic seizure activity in all nine patients. Peak electrographic seizure frequency varied from continuous to once every 2 h and was not associated with fluctuations in the speech deficit. EEG seizures resolved abruptly in three patients and gradually over up to 4 days in six patients. Clinical improvement was delayed in eight of the nine patients, and four patients retained some aphasia at discharge, 2–4 days after EEG seizure resolution.

Significance:  Standard EEG is sensitive for detection of abnormalities in the dominant hemisphere in patients with ASE. However, continuous EEG is necessary to confirm the diagnosis and monitor treatment, since clinical symptoms do not correlate with electrographic seizure activity and do not provide sufficient information to guide treatment decisions.
Understanding the differences in prevalence of epilepsy in tropical regions
Authors: Yemadje Luce‐Perrine , Houinato Dismand , Quet Fabrice , Druet‐Cabanac Michel , Preux Pierre‐Marie
Published: May 2011

Epilepsy is a frequent chronic neurologic disorder that affects nearly 70 million people worldwide. The majority of people with epilepsy live in developing countries, where epilepsy remains a major public health problem. Wide prevalence differences exist among various populations across sub‐Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia. In particular, prevalence is lower in Southeast Asia than in sub‐Saharan Africa and Latin America. Methodologic problems alone do not seem to explain these differences shown in recent review papers. The distribution of numerous risk or etiologic factors such as infectious diseases with neurologic sequel, head injuries, or genetic factors could explain these differences. Stigmatization of people with epilepsy could lead to underestimating the prevalence of epilepsy, even in well‐conducted studies. It is important to standardize the process of epidemiologic monitoring of epilepsy in order to improve the reliability in data comparison. Understanding the reasons for these differences is a crucial issue for eventually raising new hypotheses or prevention strategies.
Estimating the National Public Health Burden Associated with Exposure to Ambient PM2.5 and Ozone
Authors: Fann Neal , Lamson Amy D. , Anenberg Susan C. , Wesson Karen , Risley David , Hubbell Bryan J.
Published: May 2011

Ground‐level ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are associated with increased risk of mortality. We quantify the burden of modeled 2005 concentrations of O3 and PM2.5 on health in the United States. We use the photochemical Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model in conjunction with ambient monitored data to create fused surfaces of summer season average 8‐hour ozone and annual mean PM2.5 levels at a 12 km grid resolution across the continental United States. Employing spatially resolved demographic and concentration data, we assess the spatial and age distribution of air‐pollution‐related mortality and morbidity. For both PM2.5 and O3 we also estimate: the percentage of total deaths due to each pollutant; the reduction in life years and life expectancy; and the deaths avoided according to hypothetical air quality improvements. Using PM2.5 and O3 mortality risk coefficients drawn from the long‐term American Cancer Society (ACS) cohort study and National Mortality and Morbidity Air Pollution Study (NMMAPS), respectively, we estimate 130,000 PM2.5‐related deaths and 4,700 ozone‐related deaths to result from 2005 air quality levels. Among populations aged 65–99, we estimate nearly 1.1 million life years lost from PM2.5 exposure and approximately 36,000 life years lost from ozone exposure. Among the 10 most populous counties, the percentage of deaths attributable to PM2.5 and ozone ranges from 3.5% in San Jose to 10% in Los Angeles. These results show that despite significant improvements in air quality in recent decades, recent levels of PM2.5 and ozone still pose a nontrivial risk to public health.
Exploring the Limits of the Judicialization of Urban Land Disputes in Vietnam
Authors: Gillespie John
Published: May 2011

Economic and legal reforms have triggered waves of conflict over property rights and access to urban land in Vietnam. In this article I develop four epistemic case studies to explore the main precepts and practices that courts must negotiate to extend their authority over land disputes. Courts face a dilemma: Do they apply state laws that disregard community regulatory practices and risk losing social relevance, or apply community notions of situational justice that undermine rule formalism? I conclude that reforms designed to increase rule formalism in the courts may have the unintended consequence of reducing the capacity for judges to find lasting solutions to land disputes.
Legal Consciousness of Undocumented Latinos: Fear and Stigma as Barriers to Claims-Making for First- and 1.5-Generation Immigrants
Authors: Abrego Leisy J.
Published: May 2011

This article examines the legal consciousness and incorporation experiences of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Although this population may be disaggregated along several axes, one central distinction among them is their age at migration. Those who migrated as adults live out their daily lives in different social contexts than those who migrated as children. Therefore, although all undocumented immigrants are legally banned, their identities, sense of belonging, and interpretation of their status vary. Based on ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews of Latino undocumented immigrants from 2001 to 2010, I examine how illegality is experienced differently by social position. The findings suggest that the role of life-stage at migration and work-versus-school contexts importantly inform immigrants' legal consciousness. Fear predominates in the legal consciousness of first-generation undocumented immigrants, while the legal consciousness of the 1.5 generation is more heavily infused with stigma. Fear and stigma are both barriers to claims-making, but they may affect undocumented immigrants' potential for collective mobilization in different ways.
Does the Controversy Matter? Comparing the Causal Determinants of the Adoption of Controversial and Noncontroversial Rape Law Reforms
Authors: McMahon-Howard Jennifer
Published: May 2011

Do the causal determinants of legal change differ for controversial and noncontroversial laws? Using rape law reforms as an example of legal change, I answer this question via a longitudinal examination of the intrastate characteristics and interstate processes that affect the adoption of both controversial and noncontroversial rape law reforms. The results show that the adoption of partial reforms significantly decreases a state's likelihood of passing a stronger version of the reform only for controversial rape law reforms. Other factors, such as women's economic power and the interstate process of diffusion similarly affect both controversial and noncontroversial reforms. Thus, contrary to the idea that the process of diffusion operates differently for controversial reforms, the results indicate that spatial proximity negatively affects the adoption of both controversial and noncontroversial rape law reforms. These findings have important implications for theoretical explanations of legal change, research on rape law reforms, and social movement research and activism.
Socially Responsible Private Regulation: World-Culture or World-Capitalism?
Authors: Shamir Ronen
Published: May 2011

This article analyzes the phenomenon of “corporate social responsibility” (CSR; specifically: social private regulation) in light of two sociological paradigms of globalization: “world-culture” and “world-capitalism.” The study treats three analytically distinct features of CSR: the political contestation over its meaning, the role of business studies in transforming it into a managerial model, and its consolidation as a market of authorities. The study finds that (1) while CSR may be theorized as a emergent “world cultural” model, the culture paradigm does not take sufficient account of the role of corporations in shaping it, and (2) while both paradigms recognize the transition from political contestations over the character of CSR to its deployment by means of private regulation, the world-capitalism paradigm offers stronger tools for theorizing the mechanisms of change that mediate between political agency and institutionalized regulatory outcomes.
Seeing Like a City: The Dialectic of Modern and Premodern Ways of Seeing in Urban Governance
Authors: Valverde Mariana
Published: May 2011

Studies of urban governance, as well as the overlapping literature on law and space, have been heavily influenced by critical analyses of how spatial techniques helped constitute modern disciplinary powers and knowledges. The rise of land-use control and land-use planning seem at first sight to be perfect examples of the disciplining of populations through space by the kind of governmental gaze dubbed by Scott (1998) as “seeing like a state.” But a detailed genealogical study that puts the emergence of the notion of “land use” in the broader context of urban governance technologies reveals that modernist techniques of land use planning, such as North American zoning, are more flexible, contradictory, and fragile than critical urbanists assume. Legal tools of premodern origin that target nonquantifiable offensiveness and thus construct an embodied and relational form of urban subjectivity keep reappearing in the present day. When cities attempt to govern conflicts about the use of space through objective rules, these rules often undermine themselves in a dialectical process that results in the return to older notions of offensiveness. This article argues that the dialectical process by which modernist “seeing like a state” techniques give way to older ways of seeing (e.g., the logic of nuisance) plays a central role in the epistemologically hybrid approach to governing space that is here called “seeing like a city.”
Noninvasive Risk Stratification Techniques in Pediatric Patients with Ventricular Preexcitation
Authors: CZOSEK RICHARD J. , ANDERSON JEFFREY B. , MARINO BRADLEY S. , MELLION KATELYN , KNILANS TIMOTHY K.
Published: May 2011

Background: Individuals with ventricular preexcitation (VP) are known to have an increased risk of sudden death. This risk has been associated with conduction properties of the accessory pathway.

Methods: Patients with VP underwent risk stratification through the use of exercise and transesophageal testing. All patients were initially screened with exercise testing and those with preexcitation throughout exercise went on to have transesophageal testing. Patients who demonstrated high‐risk pathway characteristics by transesophageal testing or developed clinical indications for an electrophysiology (EP) study underwent ablation. This stepwise risk stratification technique was evaluated for the ability to avoid the need for intracardiac EP study. Patients stratified as low risk were contacted for follow‐up.

Results: One hundred and twenty‐nine exercise studies were performed in 127 patients. Thirty‐five of 129 exercise studies demonstrated accessory pathway block during exercise. Twenty‐seven of 35 underwent no additional testing. Sixty‐six patients underwent transesophageal testing. Forty‐nine of 66 patients demonstrated low‐risk pathway characteristics and 40 of 49 underwent no further testing. In total, 68 of 129 (53%) patients avoided the need for intracardiac EP study and ablation. A noncardiac indication for the initial diagnostic electrocardiogram was associated with lower likelihood of intracardiac EP study. None of the patients stratified as low risk had additional invasive procedures or life‐threatening arrhythmias upon follow‐up.

Conclusions: Successful risk stratification of pediatric patients with VP is possible through the use of exercise and transesophageal testing. In this patient population, half of the patients were able to avoid an intracardiac EP study. (PACE 2011; 34:555–562)
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy and Obstructive Sleep‐Related Breathing Disorder in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure
Authors: SHALABY ALAA , ATWOOD CHARLES W. , SELZER FAITH , SUFFOLETTO MATTHEW , GORCSAN III JOHN , STROLLO PATRICK
Published: May 2011

Objectives:
 To assess the impact of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with or without atrial overdrive pacing, on sleep‐related breathing disorder (SRBD).

Introduction:
 CRT may have a positive influence on SRBD in patients who qualify for the therapy. Data are inconclusive in patients with obstructive SRBD.

Methods:
 Consenting patients eligible for CRT underwent a baseline polysomnography (PSG) 2 weeks after implantation during which pacing was withheld. Patients with an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥15 but <50 were enrolled and randomized to atrial overdrive pacing (DDD) versus atrial synchronous pacing (VDD) with biventricular pacing in both arms. Patients underwent two further PSGs 12 weeks apart.

Results:
 Nineteen men with New York Heart Association class III congestive heart failure participated in the study (age 67.2 ± 7.5, Caucasian 78.9%, ischemic 73.7%). The score on Epworth Sleepiness Score was 7.3 ± 4.0, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index 7.4 ± 3.1, and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire 36.9 ± 21.9. There were no differences between the groups. At baseline, patients exhibited poor sleep efficiency (65.3 ± 16.6%) with nadir oxygen saturation of 83.5 ± 5.3% and moderate to severe SRBD (AHI 21.5 ± 15.3) that was mainly obstructive (central apnea index 3.3 ± 6.7/hour). On both follow‐up assessments, there was no improvement in indices of SRBD (sleep efficiency [68.3 ± 17.9%], nadir oxygen saturation of 82.8 ± 4.6%, and AHI 24.9 ± 21.9).

Conclusion:
 In a cohort of elderly male CHF patients receiving CRT, CRT had no impact on obstructive SRBD burden with or without atrial overdrive pacing. (PACE 2011; 34:593–603)
Angiogenesis in Mesenteric Microvascular Networks from Spontaneously Hypertensive Versus Normotensive Rats
Authors: YANG MING , ARAGON MARIO , MURFEE WALTER L.
Published: May 2011

Please cite this paper as: Yang, Aragon and Murfee (2011). Angiogenesis in Mesenteric Microvascular Networks from Spontaneously Hypertensive Versus Normotensive Rats. Microcirculation 18(7), 574–582.

Objective:  Elevated blood pressure during hypertension has been associated with microvascular rarefaction, defined as a loss of microvessels. However, whether rarefaction is a result of impaired angiogenesis remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare angiogenesis across the time course of mesenteric microvascular network remodeling in adult spontaneously hypertensive versus normotensive rats.

Methods:  Angiogenic responses in 15‐ to 16‐week‐old SHR and Wistar rats at 0, 3, 5, 10 or 25 days post 20‐minute exteriorization of the mesentery were quantified.

Results:  Consistent with the phenomenon of rarefaction, vascularized area in unstimulated SHR was decreased compared to Wistar. By 25 days, SHR vascular area had increased to the Wistar level and vascular length density and capillary sprouting were comparable. At 3 and 5 days, SHR and Wistar tissues displayed an increase in the capillary sprouting and vascular density relative to their unstimulated controls. At 10 days, capillary sprouting in the SHR remained elevated. The percent change in vascular density was elevated in the SHR compared to the Wistar group at 3 and 5 days and by 25 days the rate of change was more negative.

Conclusions:  Our results suggest that SHR networks undergo an increased rate of growth followed by an increased rate of pruning.
Identification and Effect of Secondary Phase in MnO2‐Doped 0.8Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3–0.2Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 Piezoelectric Ceramics
Authors: Yan Yongke , Cho Kyung‐Hoon , Priya Shashank
Published: May 2011

0.8 Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3–0.2 Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PZT–PZN) and 2 mol% Mn‐doped PZT–PZN ceramics were investigated to deterministically identify the presence and effect of the secondary phase in controlling electrical properties. On the basis of the X‐ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis, we show that secondary phase in Mn‐doped PZT–PZN is not MnO2 precipitate, but it is related to the formation of ZnO. This result was found to be consistent with the grain growth observed in the Mn‐doped sintered ceramics and changes in ferroelectric behavior. We propose that Mn3+ substitution on Ti and Zr site induces hardening effect, whereas Mn2+ substitution on Zn‐site stabilizes the perovskite phase in synthesis of PZT–PZN.