bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decision Aids and Breast Cancer: Do They Influence Choice for Surgery and Knowledge of Treatment Options?
Authors: Waljee Jennifer F. , Rogers Mary A.M. , Alderman Amy K.
Published: March 2007

Purpose

To describe the effect of decision aids on the choice for surgery and knowledge of surgical therapy among women with early-stage breast cancer.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted between years 1966 to 2006 of all studies designed to assess the effect of decision aids on surgical therapy. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), the Cochrane Network, HAPI databases, and bibliographies were searched. Of the 123 studies screened, 11 studies met criteria. Meta-analyses were performed to assess the pooled relative risk for surgical choice and the pooled mean difference in patient knowledge.

Results

Results from randomized controlled trials indicated that women who used a decision aid were 25% more likely to choose breast-conserving surgery over mastectomy (risk ratio, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.40). Decision aids significantly increased patient knowledge by 24% (P = .024). The data also suggested that decision aids decreased decisional conflict and increased satisfaction with the decision-making process. Decision aids were well received by surgeons and patients, facilitated patients’ desire for shared decision making, and were feasible to implement into practice.

Conclusion

Decision aids are important adjuncts for counseling women with early-stage breast cancer. Their use increases the likelihood that women will choose breast-conserving surgery, and enhances patient knowledge of treatment options.
Phase II Study on the Effect of Disease Sites, Age, and Prior Therapy on Response to Iodine-131-Metaiodobenzylguanidine Therapy in Refractory Neuroblastoma
Authors: Matthay Katherine K. , Yanik Gregory , Messina Julia , Quach Alekist , Huberty John , Cheng Su-Chun , Veatch Janet , Goldsby Robert , Brophy Patricia , Kersun Leslie S. , Hawkins Randall A. , Maris John M.
Published: March 2007

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of disease sites and prior therapy on response and toxicity after iodine-131-metaiodobenzylguanidine (131I-MIBG) treatment of patients with resistant neuroblastoma.

Patients and Methods

One hundred sixty-four patients with progressive, refractory or relapsed high-risk neuroblastoma, age 2 to 30 years, were treated in a limited institution phase II study. Patients with cryopreserved hematopoietic stem cells (n = 148) were treated with 18 mCi/kg of 131I-MIBG. Those without hematopoietic stem cells (n = 16) received 12 mCi/kg. Patients were stratified according to prior myeloablative therapy and whether they had measurable soft tissue involvement or only bone and/or bone marrow disease.

Results

Hematologic toxicity was common, with 33% of patients receiving autologous hematopoietic stem cell support. Nonhematologic grade 3 or 4 toxicity was rare, with 5% of patients experiencing hepatic, 3.6% pulmonary, 10.9% infectious toxicity, and 9.7% with febrile neutropenia. The overall complete plus partial response rate was 36%. The response rate was significantly higher for patients with disease limited either to bone and bone marrow, or to soft tissue (compared with patients with both) for patients with fewer than three prior treatment regimens and for patients older than 12 years. The event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) times were significantly longer for patients achieving response, for those older than 12 years and with fewer than three prior treatment regimens. The OS was 49% at 1 year and 29% at 2 years; EFS was 18% at 1 year.

Conclusion

The high response rate and low nonhematologic toxicity with 131I-MIBG suggest incorporation of this agent into initial multimodal therapy of neuroblastoma.
Carotenoid availability does not limit the capability of nestling kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) to cope with oxidative stress
Authors: Costantini David , Fanfani Alberto , Dell'Omo Giacomo
Published: March 2007

It is recognized that carotenoids are useful anti-oxidants in embryo and hatchling avian models. However, recent evidence suggests that the anti-oxidant role of carotenoids in nestling or adult birds may not be as important as previously thought. The aim of the present work was to investigate if supplemental carotenoids decreased the level of oxidative damage (by reactive oxygen metabolites, ROMs) and increased the serum anti-oxidant capacity (OXY) in nestling Eurasian kestrels Falco tinnunculus. Circulating carotenoids in supplemented nestlings increased about 1.5-fold compared to the control and pre-treatment levels at the end of the supplementation period. There was no effect on ROMs, OXY or the level of oxidative stress (ratio between ROMs and OXY), however, or on body mass or body condition of nestlings. ROMs and OXY decreased with age, but this pattern varied across the nests. Our results show that (i) in general, younger nestlings actually have to cope with a high free radical production, and (ii)the ability of wild nestling kestrels to cope with oxidative stress is not affected by carotenoid availability.
Methods of Analysis for Imaging and Detecting Ions and Molecules
Authors: Umezawa Yoshio
Published: March 2007

For imaging molecular processes in living cells, we developed novel intracellular fluorescent and bioluminescent indicators for second messengers, protein phosphorylation, protein/protein interactions, and protein localizations that work in single living cells. Key molecules and steps of cellular signaling pathways were visualized in target live cells under fluorescent microscopy using developed fluorescent indicators. A second new approach to molecular imaging is also described. Chemically modified STM tips (molecular tips) were developed for molecular imaging at the interfaces. The molecule-specific imaging is based on an increase in a tunneling current due to the overlap of electronic wave functions induced by the chemical interactions between tip and sample molecules. Chemically selective imaging using STM molecular tips can be described as intermolecular tunneling microscopy.
In Situ Observation of Laser-Induced Convection of Water in High Magnetic Fields Using a Photochromic Reaction
Authors: Tanimoto Yoshifumi , Sueda Kazutaka , Irie Masahiro
Published: March 2007

The effects of vertical magnetic fields on laser-induced convection of water were studied using a photochromic reaction of a water-soluble 1,2-diarylethene (WSD). A thin blue disk of its photoisomer (PI) solution was formed on the bottom surface; it moved upward when the WSD aqueous solution was irradiated using a 355 nm laser from the bottom of the vessel. The lift speeds of the PI solution were about 2.5 (11 T, +1200 T2 m−1), 1.2 (11 T, −1500 T2 m−1), and 1.6 mm min−1 (15 T, −100 T2 m−1). All results are described in terms of the magnetic force acting on the PI solution.
Chemical Speciation of Arsenic Species in Human Blood Serum by Liquid Chromatography Using a Phosphatidylcholine-Coated ODS Column with Detection by ICP-MS
Authors: Hasegawa Takuya , Ishise Jotaro , Fukumoto Yasuharu , Matsuura Hirotaka , Zhu Yanbei , Umemura Tomonari , Haraguchi Hiroki , Yamamoto Kazuhito , Naoe Tomoki
Published: March 2007

Chemical speciation of arsenic species in human blood serum was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS) with direct sample injection, where an octadecylsilyl silica (ODS) column coated with phosphatidylcholine (PC) (hereafter known as “PC-coated ODS column”) was used as the separation column. In arsenic species analysis, a citrate buffer solution (pH 4.0) was used as the mobile phase, in which the following reagents were added: sodium 1-dodecanesulfonate (SDS), tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), which are ion-pair reagents to separate inorganic and organic arsenic species, and 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulfonate (CHAPS), which is a protein-solubilizing agent to prevent adsorption of proteins on the column. As a result of optimization, five representative arsenic species spiked in human blood serum reference material could be separated from each other within 5 min on the PC-coated ODS column by elution with a 5 mM citrate buffer (pH 4.0) containing 5 mM SDS, 5 mM THAH, and 0.2 mM CHAPS. The detection limits obtained by ICP-MS were 3.1, 2.7, 4.5, 2.5, and 2.5 ng of As g−1 for arsenate (iAsV), arsenite (iAsIII), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsenic acid (DMA), and arsenobetaine (AB), respectively, when the injection volume was 20 μL. The present separation system was also applied to speciation analysis of arsenic species in human blood serum collected from a leukemia patient after therapeutic treatment with arsenic.
Characteristics of Mononuclear Ruthenium–Oxo Complexes Adjusted by Axial Ligand for the Catalysis of Oxygen-Transfer Reactions
Authors: Okumura Takeshi , Morishima Yuji , Shiozaki Hiroyoshi , Yagyu Takeyoshi , Funahashi Yasuhiro , Ozawa Tomohiro , Jitsukawa Koichiro , Masuda Hideki
Published: March 2007

Ruthenium(II) complexes, [Ru(babp)(dmso)L], consisting of tetradentate square-planar ligand (babp = 6,6′-bis(benzoylamino)-2,2′-bipyridinato) and two monodentate axial ones, DMSO and L (L = dmso or heterocycles), were synthesized and structurally characterized using UV–vis, NMR, ESI-MS, and IR spectroscopies and X-ray crystallography. These complexes showed catalytic activity toward the oxygen-atom-transfer reactions, such as epoxidation, allylic oxidation, cleavage reaction of olefins, and sulfoxidation of thioethers, in the presence of oxidant, PhIO. The relationship between the coordination structure and the catalytic activities of [Ru(babp)(dmso)L] was investigated. The active species for the reaction was assigned to be a high valent RuV=O or RuVI=O species. The oxo ligand was generated from the ligand-exchange reaction involving the dmso attached to [Ru(babp)(dmso)L]. Some complexes having a labile ligand at an axial position gave a RuVI=O species as an active intermediate, and others having moderate coordinating one gave a RuV=O one. The oxidation activities of these complexes were affected by the axial ligand, L, through the trans-influence.
Synthesis and Magnetic Property of Copper(II)–Lanthanide(III) Complexes [{CuIILLnIII(o-van)(CH3COO)(MeOH)}2]·2H2O (LnIII = GdIII, TbIII, and DyIII; H3L = 1-(2-Hydroxybenzamido)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylideneamino)ethane; o-van = 3-Methoxysalicylaldehydato)
Authors: Hamamatsu Takefumi , Yabe Kazuya , Towatari Masaaki , Matsumoto Naohide , Re Nazzareno , Pochaba Andrzej , Mrozinski Jerzy
Published: March 2007

Three tetranuclear copper(II)–lanthanide(III) complexes, [{CuIILLnIII(o-van)(CH3COO)(MeOH)}2]·2H2O (LnIII = GdIII, TbIII, and DyIII), were synthesized and characterized, where H3L is 1-(2-hydroxybenzamido)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylideneamino)ethane and o-van is 3-methoxysalicylaldehydato. These compounds are isomorphous to each other and consist of a cyclic tetranuclear CuII2LnIII2 structure, in which the CuII and LnIII ions are alternately arrayed and the CuII component complex. [CuIIL]− unit functions as a “bridging ligand-complex” between two adjacent LnIII ions through the phenolato and methoxy oxygen atoms at one side and the amido oxygen atom at the another side. The temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities from 2.0 to 300.0 K and the field-dependent magnetizations at 2.0 K from 0 to 5 T showed that the magnetic interaction between CuII and each of the lanthanide ions is ferromagnetic. The magnetic susceptibilities of [{CuIILGdIII(o-van)(CH3COO)(MeOH)}2]·2H2O were analyzed by using a spin-only Hamiltonian H = −2J1(SCu1SGd1 + SCu2SGd2) − 2J2(SCu1SGd2 + SCu2SGd1) based on a cyclic tetranuclear structure and gave the best-fit parameters of g = 1.97, J1 = +3.8 cm−1, J2 = +0.7 cm−1, and zJ′ = −0.01 cm−1. The magnetization data at 2.0 K of [{CuIILGdIII(o-van)(CH3COO)(MeOH)}2]·2H2O were well reproduced by using a Brillouin function with an S = 8 spin ground state due to the ferromagnetic interactions between CuII and GdIII ions and g = 1.97. The ac magnetic susceptibilities of [{CuIILLnIII(o-van)(CH3COO)(MeOH)}2]·2H2O (LnIII = TbIII and DyIII) in the temperature range 1.8–10.0 K with a 3 G ac field oscillating in the range 1–1000 Hz showed a frequency dependence characteristic of SMMs.
Structure–Activity Relationship of Insulinomimetic Activity of Zinc(II) Complexes with Pyridine-2-sulfonic Acid Derivatives
Authors: Yoshikawa Yutaka , Morishita Mika , Nishide Midori , Yoshikawa Eriko U , Kinoshita Isamu , Okada Keiji , Kajiwara Naemi M , Sakurai Hiromu , Kojima Yoshitane
Published: March 2007

We prepared zinc(II) complexes with a series of mono-methyl-substituted pyridine-2-sulfonic acid derivatives to clarify the relationship between the structure and insulinomimetic activity. Towards in vitro insulinomimetic activity, bis(3-methylpyridine-2-sulfonato)zinc(II) gave the best result among the zinc(II) complexes with methylpyridine-2-sulfonates.
Characterization of Magnesium Porphyrins and Aggregation of Porphyrins in Organic Solvent
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyong , Sasaki Ken , Kuroda Yasuhisa
Published: March 2007

Magnesium tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin complex was synthesized and purified. MgTPPS (tetrasodium salt) and MgTPPSC8 (tetraoctylammonium salt) showed unique spectroscopic behaviors in an aqueous buffer and CH3OH respectively, indicating solvent ligation on the Mg ion. In pure CH2Cl2, the MgTPPSC8 formed unique J-type oligomers, in which the sulfonato groups mutually coordinate to the vicinal Mg ion. In binary solvent systems of CH2Cl2 and CH3OH, MgTPPSC8 formed H-aggregates as well as other TPPS derivatives, and aggregation was controlled by changing the ratio of the solvents. The geometrical structure of J-type oligomers was estimated by using the exciton point-dipole coupling theory.
Dehydroabietic Acid Esters as Chiral Dopants for Nematic Liquid Crystals
Authors: Shitara Hiroaki , Aruga Marie , Odagiri Emi , Taniguchi Kayoko , Yasutake Mikio , Hirose Takuji
Published: March 2007

Dehydroabietic acid esters were prepared as new chiral dopants for the nematic liquid crystals. The magnitude of the helical twisting power (HTP) was good due to simple but rigid three-ring structure and two axial methyl groups. The relationship between the HTP or MHTP (molar helical twisting power) values and the terminal structures was studied. Considering the synthetic accessibility and their miscibility with liquid crystals, the acid was shown to be a good candidate as the scaffold of chiral dopants for the nematic liquid crystals.
Uniform Submicro Spherical Morphology of Ionic Palladium(II) Complexes
Authors: Chun In Sung , Lee Kil Sun , Hong Jongki , Do Youngkyu , Jung Ok-Sang
Published: March 2007

Spherical morphology with diameters of 300–500 nm is easily formed by a reaction of palladium(II) species in water with bis(nicotinoyl)-4,4′-thiophenolate in acetone and followed by evaporation of acetone. The surface hydrophilicity of the spheres is strongly dependent on the counter anions of the complexes.
Residual Income-Based Compensation Plans for Controlling Investment Decisions Under Sequential Private Information
Authors: Pfeiffer Thomas , Schneider Georg
Published: March 2007

Earlier literature has pointed to the effectiveness of residual income-type measures based on particular accrual accounting rules such as the relative benefit allocation rule. These performance metrics have been shown to generate desirable managerial incentives when investment decisions are delegated. This paper further attests to the robustness of these measures by extending the result to a sequential adverse selection model with an inherent real option (an option to abandon). In other words, as long as the residual income measures are judiciously constructed, neither private information nor the requirement to selectively exercise an option derails their use in this setting.
Pushing Quality Improvement Along Supply Chains
Authors: Zhu Kaijie , Zhang Rachel Q. , Tsung Fugee
Published: March 2007

In this paper, we consider a buyer who designs a product and owns the brand, yet outsources the production to a supplier. Both the buyer and the supplier incur quality-related costs, e.g., costs of customer goodwill and future market share loss by the buyer and warranty-related costs shared by both the buyer and the supplier whenever a nonconforming item is sold to a customer. Therefore, both parties have an incentive to invest in quality-improvement efforts. This paper explores the roles of different parties in a supply chain in quality improvement. We show that the buyer’s involvement can have a significant impact on the profits of both parties and of the supply chain as a whole, and he cannot cede the responsibility of quality improvement to the supplier in many cases. We also investigate how quality-improvement decisions interact with operational decisions such as the buyer’s order quantity and the supplier’s production lot size.
Method and Psychological Effects on Learning Behaviors and Knowledge Creation in Quality Improvement Projects
Authors: Choo Adrian S. , Linderman Kevin W. , Schroeder Roger G.
Published: March 2007

This study investigates two mechanisms of knowledge creation—one that is method driven and the other that is psychologically driven. Results show that the two mechanisms have different effects on the learning behaviors and knowledge created in Six Sigma projects. The method mechanism directly influences learning behaviors, while the psychological mechanism directly affects knowledge creation. The effects of both mechanisms on knowledge creation are complementary, yet independent. Findings suggest that the value of adhering to a method may lie in modifying the learning behaviors that subsequently create knowledge. When a firm adopts a quality program such as Six Sigma, the method and the degree of its adherence can shape how the firm innovates and creates knowledge.
Obtaining Fast Service in a Queueing System via Performance-Based Allocation of Demand
Authors: Cachon Gérard P. , Zhang Fuqiang
Published: March 2007

Any buyer that depends on suppliers for the delivery of a service or the production of a make-to-order component should pay close attention to the suppliers’ service or delivery lead times. This paper studies a queueing model in which two strategic servers choose their capacities/processing rates and faster service is costly. The buyer allocates demand to the servers based on their performance; the faster a server works, the more demand the server is allocated. The buyer’s objective is to minimize the average lead time received from the servers. There are two important attributes to consider in the design of an allocation policy: the degree to which the allocation policy effectively utilizes the servers’ capacities and the strength of the incentives the allocation policy provides for the servers to work quickly. Previous research suggests that there exists a trade-off between efficiency and incentives, i.e., in the choice between two allocation policies a buyer may prefer the less efficient one because it provides stronger incentives. We find considerable variation in the performance of allocation policies: Some intuitively reasonable policies generate essentially no competition among servers to work quickly, whereas others generate too much competition, thereby causing some servers to refuse to work with the buyer. Nevertheless, the trade-off between efficiency and incentives need not exist: It is possible to design an allocation policy that is efficient and also induces the servers to work quickly. We conclude that performance-based allocation can be an effective procurement strategy for a buyer as long as the buyer explicitly accounts for the servers’ strategic behavior.
Resolving Inconsistencies in Utility Measurement Under Risk: Tests of Generalizations of Expected Utility
Authors: Bleichrodt Han , Abellan-Perpiñan Jose Maria , Pinto-Prades Jose Luis , Mendez-Martinez Ildefonso
Published: March 2007

This paper explores inconsistencies that occur in utility measurement under risk when expected utility theory is assumed and the contribution that prospect theory and some other generalizations of expected utility can make to the resolution of these inconsistencies. We used five methods to measure utilities under risk and found clear violations of expected utility. Of the theories studied, prospect theory was the most consistent with our data. The main improvement of prospect theory over expected utility was in comparisons between a riskless and a risky prospect (riskless-risk methods). We observed no improvement over expected utility in comparisons between two risky prospects (risk-risk methods). An explanation for the latter observation may be that there was less distortion in probability weighting in the interval [0.10, 0.20] than has commonly been observed.
Research Note—Determinants of Country-Level Investment in Information Technology
Authors: Shih Eric , Kraemer Kenneth L. , Dedrick Jason
Published: March 2007

Investment in information technology (IT) is an important driver of economic growth and productivity in the United States and other developed countries, but as yet it is not shown to be a significant driver in developing countries. Previous research suggests that IT investment and complementary assets are insufficient for developing countries to realize economic benefits. This research note examines the factors that influence IT investment in developed and developing countries to determine how greater investment might be stimulated to achieve productivity gains. We use the flexible accelerator model of investment and find that it is a good predictor of country-level IT investment. We also extend the model to include country-level variables, and find a negative relationship between IT investment and interest rates, but positive and significant relationships between investment, openness to trade, and telecommunications infrastructure. When we include interaction effects between national income levels and country variables, we find that the impacts of interest rates, size of the financial sector, teledensity, and intellectual property rights are strongest in shaping IT investment for developed countries. In contrast, we find that the impact of openness to trade is greater for developing countries, as is the size of government and education levels.
Perioperative Activin A Concentrations as a Predictive Marker of Neurologic Abnormalities in Children after Open Heart Surgery
Authors: Florio Pasquale , Felipe Abella Raul , de la Torre Teresa , Giamberti Alessandro , Luisi Stefano , Butera Gianfranco , Cazzaniga Alessandro , Frigiola Alessandro , Petraglia Felice , Gazzolo Diego
Published: March 2007

Background: Ischemic-reperfusion injury of the brain is a major adverse event after cardiac surgery, especially when extracorporeal circuits are used. Because brain injury induces local overproduction of activin A, we measured plasma concentrations in children after open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to investigate the potential of measuring activin A for early identification of infants at risk for brain damage.

Methods: We evaluated 45 infants (age <1 year) with congenital heart defects: 36 without overt neurologic injury, and 9 with neurologic injury on day 7 after the surgical procedure. Blood samples were taken before surgery, during surgery before CPB, at the end of CPB, at the end of surgery, and at 12 h after surgery. Neurologic development was assessed before surgery and on postoperative day 7.

Results: Activin A concentrations increased significantly during surgery (P <0.0001) to a maximum at the end of CPB. Infants who developed abnormal neurologic sequelae had concentrations significantly higher (P <0.0001, all comparisons) than patients with normal neurologic outcome at all evaluated times, but not before surgery. Activin A had a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI, 66%–100%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 90%–100%) as a single marker for predicting neurologic abnormalities (area under the ROC curve, 1.0).

Conclusions: Activin A increases in children who experience poor neurologic outcomes after open heart surgery, and its assay may help in early identification of infants at risk for brain damage.
Quantification of Proteolytically Active Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A with an Assay Based on Quenched Fluorescence
Authors: Gyrup Claus , Christiansen Michael , Oxvig Claus
Published: March 2007

Background: Maternal serum concentrations of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A, pappalysin-1, EC 3.4.24.79) are used to predict the occurrence of Down syndrome. In pregnancy, PAPP-A primarily circulates as a covalent 2:2 complex with the proform of eosinophil major basic protein (proMBP), which inhibits the proteolytic activity of PAPP-A. At term, however, ∼1% of PAPP-A exists as an active, uncomplexed dimer with proteolytic activity directed specifically toward insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-4 and IGFBP-5. No assays have been developed that allow quantification of PAPP-A proteolytic activity.

Methods: We developed a sensitive and specific immunocapture assay for PAPP-A activity based on intramolecular quenched fluorescence. We used a 26-residue synthetic peptide derived from IGFBP-4 in which specific positions on each side of the PAPP-A cleavage site were substituted with 3-nitrotyrosine and o-aminobenzoic acid.

Results: The assay detected the activity of recombinant PAPP-A as well as PAPP-A in serum samples from pregnant women. The limit of detection (mean signal of blank plus 3 SD) of the active PAPP-A subunit was 13 pmol/L, and the intra- and interassay CVs were <10% and <15%, respectively. Interestingly, the fraction of active PAPP-A decreased gradually from week 7 to week 19 of pregnancy.

Conclusions: This method allows the measurement of PAPP-A enzymatic activity and because of its specificity it is relevant to the study of the biological function of PAPP-A. The method may also be useful in the diagnosis of pregnancy disorders.
Muscle Dissatisfaction and Muscle-Enhancing Substance Use: A Population-Based Twin Study in Young Adult Men
Authors: Raevuori Anu , Keski-Rahkonen Anna , Rose Richard J. , Rissanen Aila , Kaprio Jaakko
Published: March 2007

In the population-based FinnTwin16 study, proportions of genetic and environmental factors contributing to muscle dissatisfaction and muscle-enhancing substance use were assessed in 319 pairs of twin brothers: 141 monozygotic (MZ) and 178 dizygotic (DZ) pairs. In addition there were 86 twin individuals from pairs in which only one co-twin responded. Of all respondents, 30% experienced high muscle dissatisfaction. The corresponding proportion of muscle-enhancing substance use was 10%. The subjects were similar in age (23.8 years, 95% confidence interval [CI] 23.76–23.84), body mass index (23.7, 95% CI 23.5–23.9), and waist circumference (84.5 cm, 95% CI 83.7–85.2), independent of their muscle dissatisfaction or muscle-enhancing substance use status and independent of their zygosity. The MZ polychoric correlation for muscle dissatisfaction was .39 (95% CI .17–.58) and .27 for DZ pairs (95% CI .07–.46). The MZ tetrachoric correlation for muscle-enhancing substance use was .65 (95% CI .28–.87) and .56 for DZ pairs (95% CI .26–.78). The AE model, where additive genetic factors (A) accounted for 42% (95% CI .23–.59) and unique environmental factors (E) 58% (95% CI .41–.77) of the liability, provided the best fit for muscle dissatisfaction. The CE model, where common environmental factors (C) accounted for 60% (95% CI .37–.77) and unique environmental factors (E) 40% (95% CI .23–.63) of the liability, provided the best fit for muscle-enhancing substance use. Both genetic and unique (nonfamilial) environmental factors are involved in muscle dissatisfaction in the population. Nongenetic factors (both familial and non-familial) appear to best explain the use of muscle-enhancing substances.
Perinatal Outcomes With Laser Surgery for Twin–Twin Transfusion Syndrome
Authors: Gray Peter H. , Cincotta Robert , Chan Fung Yee , Soong Barbara
Published: March 2007

The aim of this tertiary hospital–based cohort study was to determine and compare perinatal outcome and neonatal morbidities of pregnancies with twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) before and after the introduction of a treatment program with laser ablation of placental communicating vessels. Twenty-seven pregnancies with Stage II–IV TTTS treated with amnioreduction were identified (amnioreduction group). The data were compared with that obtained from the first 31 pregnancies with Stage II–IV TTTS managed with laser ablation of placental communicating vessels (laser group). Comparisons were made for perinatal survival and neonatal morbidities including abnormalities on brain imaging. The median gestation at therapy was similar between the two groups (20 vs. 21 weeks,p= .24), while the median gestation at delivery was significantly greater in the laser treated group (34 vs. 28 weeks,p= .002). The perinatal survival rate was higher in the laser group (77.4% vs. 59.3%,p= .03). Neonatal morbidities including acute respiratory distress, chronic lung disease, requirement for ventilatory assistance, patent ductus arteriosus, hypotension, and oliguric renal failure had a lower incidence in the laser group. On brain imaging, ischemic brain injury was seen in 12% of the amnioreduction group and none of the laser group of infants (p= .01). In conclusion, these findings indicate that perinatal outcomes are improved with less neonatal morbidity for monochorionic pregnancies with severe TTTS treated by laser ablation of communicating placental vessels when compared to treatment by amnioreduction.
Intrauterine Growth and Cerebral Palsy in Twins: A European Multicenter Study
Authors: Glinianaia Svetlana V. , Jarvis Stephen , Topp Monica , Guillem Pascale , Platt Mary J. , Pearce Mark S. , Parker Louise ,   on behalf of the SCPE collaboration of European Cerebral Palsy Registers
Published: March 2007

Population-based studies in twins have been of insufficient size to explore the relationship between risk of cerebral palsy and intrauterine growth. Earlier studies in singletons have suggested an optimum size at birth for minimum cerebral palsy risk between the 75th and 90th percentiles of weight for gestational age. We aggregated data from nine European cerebral palsy registers for 1976 to 1990. Using sex-specific fetal growth standards for twins, a z score of weight-for-gestation was derived for each of the 373 twin cases. The rates of cerebral palsy in each z-score band were compared to the rate in the a priori reference band of 0.67 to less than 1.28 (equivalent to the 75th to less than 90th percentiles). In twins born at 32 weeks' gestation or more (92% of all twins), cerebral palsy rates were higher for both light and heavy-forgestation babies compared to an optimum (i.e., minimum risk) in the reference band. However, the rate ratio for heavy babies (90th percentile or greater) did not reach conventional (95% confidence intervals [CI]) statistical significance (rate ratios = 1.76; 90% CI 1.02–3.03). For twins born at less than 32 weeks, the significantly higher risk for cerebral palsy was observed consistently in all z-score bands less than average compared to the reference band. This multi-center study demonstrates that for twins born at 32 weeks' gestation or more, an increased risk of cerebral palsy is associated with deviations from optimal intrauterine growth at about 1 standard deviation above mean weight, as was earlier reported for singletons. For twins born at less than 32 weeks' gestation, this pattern is only demonstrable for babies weighing below the optimum weight-for-gestation.
Researching ritual as content for Angolan art education
Authors: Gumbe Jorge
Published: March 2007

This article describes and interprets an ancient Angolan cultural tradition calledKkl(Kyandaritual) and explains why researching it was important. Whereas Angola has embarked on school reform policies aimed at ensuring art curricula reflect the culture of the local communities, primary school teachers do not have a working knowledge of local indigenous knowledge systems. In addition, there are very few published materials available. The discussion is based on the belief that ritual could be a rich resource for the Angolan art curriculum and the ethnographic method used for the research could be adapted for this purpose also.
Swiss Trash: l'Autre Suisse de Dunia Miralles
Authors: Migraine-George Thrse
Published: March 2007

Swiss Trash, Dunia Miralles's first novel, became a best-seller in French-speaking Switzerland after it was published in 2000. By showing the feelings of alienation and dereliction experienced by abused women, isolated immigrants, and marginalized drug addicts, Dunia Miralles
calls into question the myth of a prosperous and healthy Switzerland and reveals the deep anxiety pervading a society that struggles to acknowledge its internal divisions and differences. This article aims to highlight not only an other Switzerland divided by various social, economic, sexual,
and cultural fractures, but also some exoticizing tendencies of Francophone studies which, by privileging a multicultural approach, sometimes fail to examine the margins and peripheries created by the violence of social, economic, political, and ideological practices in European Francophone
countries.
Situating Haiti: on some early nineteenth-century representations of Toussaint Louverture
Authors: Forsdick Charles
Published: March 2007

Until recent years and with several notable exceptions, there appears to have been relatively little interest in Haiti among scholars in the field of francophone studies. The article takes this apparent absence as its starting point, and explores the possible ramifications of a renewed attention to Haitian history and culture for studies of francophone postcoloniality. Central to the discussion is a series of French and British representations of the Haitian revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture, dating from around the time of their subject's death in 1803, that have received only rare critical attention. The article suggests that any study of a postcolonial Toussaint, evident in the work of authors such as Aim Csaire, Bernard Dadi, Ren Depestre, Edouard Glissant and Jean Mtellus, should take these earlier representations into account in order to elaborate a more complex account of francophone history and culture. The conclusion develops this reflection on the association of the colonial and postcolonial by suggesting the ways in which a renewed awareness of the implications of the Haitian Revolution might impact on postcolonial analyses of France itself.
Language maintenance and spread: French in Algeria
Authors: Benrabah Mohamed
Published: March 2007

The present article studies the survival of French in Algeria despite an assertive policy of linguistic Arabization designed, among other things, to displace French. This language has been maintained and the number of its users has increased substantially since independence. Four major
factors affecting language maintenance are considered here against a background of social change: economic change, demographic growth, institutional support and language status. In addition to these measurable predictors of language survival, the attitudes of senior secondary school students
towards French and other languages were investigated via a large survey. All four social factors proved important for explaining the maintenance of French. The results of the survey revealed that respondents were attached to the ex-colonizers' language. The study concludes with a number of
implications for language planning in Algeria.
Genre and the self: some reflections on the poetics and politics of the fils de Csaire
Authors: Gallagher Mary
Published: March 2007

Amongst the contemporary French-Caribbean writers who appear to see themselves as heirs to the Martiniquan poet/politician Aim Csaire, certain writers of the younger generation Patrick Chamoiseau and Raphal Confiant in particular tend to base their reservations, if not their outright hostility towards the figure of Csaire on a negative view of the political tenor of Csaire's poetics. Whereas douard Glissant seems to hold to the middle ground, expressing respectful distance from his precursor's vision, the writers of the crolit movement reject Csaire's poetics, no less than his politics. Their negative perspective on Csaire's writing is based not just on a certain view of the French language as inherently exclusive and oppressive, but also on a certain conceptualization of poetry as a genre. More specifically, their representation (and rejection) of poetry, and of Csaire's poetry in particular, is motivated by a commitment to the Creole language and to oraliture, and above all by their determination to give voice to the highly differentiated collective Caribbean experience. However, the question concerning the different way that Csaire's poetry (as opposed to Glissant's, or Confiant's or Chamoiseau's novels) mediates the relation between the singular self and the collective voice is a highly complex one, as is the question concerning the political value of that mediation and, indeed, of that relation. At the heart of that difficult question, which is partly a question of genre, lies the politically and ethically sensitive matter of the relation between writing and the subject.
Domestic matters: representations of home in the writings of Mariama B, Calixthe Beyala and Aminata Sow Fall
Authors: Mortimer Mildred
Published: March 2007

Beginning with Mariama B'sUne si longue lettre [So long a letter], this article examines representations of domestic space in francophone African women's fiction. In B's text, woman's subjectivity is inextricably linked to domestic space and domesticity is valued as both a refuge and a site of rebellion. The study continues with an analysis of two texts that are bolder and more aggressive in their struggle against patriarchy than B's novel: Calixthe Beyala'sC'est le soleil qui m'a brle [The Sun hath looked upon me]and Aminata Sow Fall'sDouceurs du bercail [Comforts of the fold]. Beyala counters B's nurturing mother figure and warm hearth with a cold house and no maternal presence. Sow Fall depicts a female protagonist who, refusing the limitations imposed upon the housewife, devotes her energies to a social project that will aid her community in Senegal. If home space functions as refuge (B), haunted house (Beyala), transitional space (Sow Fall), it is above all a subversive space where rebellion begins and often explodes. Thus, domestic space plays a crucial role in the female protagonist's empowerment.
Reviews
Authors: Beauquis Corinne , Charnley Joy , Chemain Arlette , Majumdar Margaret A , Mouralis Bernard , Munro Martin , Rollet Brigitte
Published: March 2007

Lieux propices, dir. Adelaide Russo et Simon Harel, (2005) Qubec: Presses de l'Universit Laval, 355 pp., ISBN 2-7637-8250-7 (pbk), 35
The Transparent Girl and Other Stories, S. Corinna Bille, selected and translated by Monika Giacoppe and Christiane P. Makward
(2006) Lanham: Lexington Books, xxii, 183 pp., ISBN 0-7391-1295-3 (pbk), 19.95
Roman africain et idologie: Tchicaya U tam'si et la rcriture de l'histoire, Lat Lawson Hellu, (2004) Qubec: Les presses de l'Universit de Laval, 244 pp., ISBN 2-7637-8125-X (pbk), 30
Der
maghrebinische Roman. Eine Einfhrung, Susanne Heiler (2005) Tbingen: Gunter Narr Verlag, 284 pp., ISBN 3-8233-6121-X (pbk), 23.90
V.Y. Mudimbe et la r-invention de l'Afrique. Potique et politique de la dcolonisation des sciences humaines, Kasereka Kavwahirehi (2006)
Amsterdam-New York: Rodopi, coll. Francopolyphonies, 421 pp., ISBN 90-420-1839-9 (pbk), 85 110
Le mtissage dans la literature des Antilles franaises: Le complexe d'Ariel, Chantal Maignan-Claverie (2005) Paris: Karthala, 444 pp., ISBN 2-84586-711-5 (pbk), 28
French-Speaking
Doumentarians. A Guide, Janis L. Pallister and Ruth A. Hottell, (2005) New York: Pete Lang, 279 pp., ISBN 0-8204-7614-5, hardback
Translating difference: Gabrielle Roy's Inuit stories in French and English
Authors: Chapman Rosemary
Published: March 2007

This article will consider the ways in which translation both in its broadest and in its more literal sense can be seen as the site of contact, conflict, transparency and opacity between languages and cultures. The particular instance of Roy's writing of the North inLa Rivire sans reposcan be seen as an engagement with questions of translatability and of the transparency and non-transparency of language. The first part of the article examines Roy's complex relationship to language and the relevance of work in the field of Translation Studies (Berman, Mezei, Godard) to questions of linguistic and cultural difference in the Canadian context. The article then turns to discuss two of the shorter stories as examples of writing as translation. Finally the English translation of the longest story,La Rivire sans repos, will be analysed to assess the extent to which specificities of linguistic and cultural difference are lost in the process of translating this text in French into English.
Mujeres y revolucin en tres pelculas espaolas de los noventa
Authors: Domnguez Carmen
Published: March 2007

This article analyses three Spanish films made during the 1990's by three male filmmakers: Ay, Carmela (1990) by Carlos Saura, Land and Freedom, (1995) by Ken Loach and Libertarias, (1996) by Vicente Aranda. The three films are set during the Spanish Civil War and
are concerned with the rewriting of recent Spanish history. The article focuses on the representation of female characters in these films. The three films echo the rapidly changing roles of women in Republican Spain in 193738 and they attempt to portray female characters as subjects and not
objects. Nonetheless, this article argues that not all three films succeed in depicting women as discourse-mastering subjects: while Loach only uses the female characters as an instrument to document Spanish history, Aranda further places gender issues at the heart of his film. However, it
is Saura who actually manages to represent a strong and independent female character as a subject with a discourse of her own.
Die porphyrische Schrift ad Gaurum als
Authors: Risch Franz Xaver
Published: March 2007

In the little investigated, pseudo-epigraphically transmitted publication Ad Gaurum, the platonian philosopher Porphyrios defends the idea that the animation of the foetus is taking place only after birth and outside of nature. Accordingly he interprets the development of the fruit of the womb according to a both metaphysically and physically valid law of creation, in that the created can only create inferior beings than itself. Therefore, it is the mothers power of cognition that regulates the development of the embryo. The philosopher looks at the animation of a natural body as paradoxical event that is, however, in accordance with reason describable within a theological context.
Spätantike Bildungstraditionen im Umkreis des Klosters von Lerinum. Die Kompendienwerke des Eucherius von Lyon
Authors: Greschat Katharina
Published: March 2007

This article tries to contextualize the often neglected exegetical handbooks of Eucherius of Lyons in the late antique christian debates on pagan culture and education within a monastic context. It is intended to show that Eucherius and his short manuals represent the point of view of the famous aristocratic monastery of Lerinum in southern Gaul which was orientated towards the keeping of ecclesiastical tradition. Together with other writings they imparted to younger aristocrats the necessary knowledge to become a bishop or to take on an ecclesiastical function.
Book Reviews
Authors: Whittington Stephen L.
Published: March 2007

Heritage of Power: Ancient Sculpture from West Mexico, The Andrall E. Pearson Family Collection by Kristi Butterwick. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004. 96 pp. (Co‐published with Yale University Press.)

Stephen L. Whittington has been Director of the Museum of Anthropology and Adjunct Associate Professor of Anthropology at Wake Forest University since 2002. His areas of interest include museum programming, curatorship, and Mesoamerican archaeology and human osteology.
Rhetoric, Philosophy and Politics: Isocrates and the homologoumene arete
Authors: Alexiou Evangelos
Published: March 2007

Abstract With the notion of homologoumene arete Isocrates shows himself to be an exponent of popular ethics, or “common sense”. Isocrates integrates established concepts of everyday ethics with his idea of education, which at all levels he brings into association with public affirmation. This is not a notion of education concerned only with inner values—Platonic education, viewed from this perspective, has to appear reductionist—but with a conception of homologoumene arete that manifests itself as publicly effective, in the sense of traditional polis-ethics. Isocrates proclaims the unity of appearance and reality and remains, even in the face of failures, such as the case of his pupil Timotheos, an optimist. He justifies aspirations for influence and success, which are a consideration for all mankind, as long as these are aroused within the frame of justice, but unjust Realpolitik can not be absolutely avoided.
Academic Knowledge and Expert Authority in American Economics
Authors: Reay Mike
Published: March 2007

Connection to academic knowledge is a defining feature of modern expertise, and it is often treated as the key to maintaining professional authority. It is unclear, however, just where and when it has to be made and how it might fail. Interviews with economists working in a variety of different settings in the United States suggest that most of their academic knowledge is too abstract to be of much substantive use, and their academic standards of scientific rigor may play only a minor role in legitimizing their day-to-day authority. This does not threaten their status, however, because economists have become entrenched in a variety of organizational settings as possessors of a craft-like “core” of valuable skills. The momentum of this basic institutionalization suggests that although connection to elite academic knowledge is a defining characteristic of modern expertise, it may not always be central to explaining ongoing expert authority.
Locals Only! The Impact of Modernity on a Local Surfing Context
Authors: Daskalos Christopher T.
Published: March 2007

This article is a qualitative examination of the effects of modernity on the lives and identities of a group of surfers in Southern California. The men studied feel that newcomers are changing the nature of the surfing in their area. The surfers attribute the negative changes in surfing to the gentrification of their community and the importation of new values by newcomers. Using the theoretical approach of modernity as discussed by Giddens, the act of surfing is conceptualized as being “disembedded” from the traditional local context established and maintained by the surfers for more than two decades. It is being figuratively transplanted into a more generic context reflecting the competitive, materialistic, and individual-orientated order typifying postindustrial American society.