bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neurolinguistics and Linguistic Aphasiology
Authors: Caplan David
Published: March 2010

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the emerging fields of neurolinguistics and linguistic aphasiology. Reflecting the dramatic changes that have taken place in the study of language disorders over the last decade, David Caplan's approach is firmly interdisciplinary. He introduces concepts from the main contributing disciplines - neurology, linguistics, psychology and speech pathology - in such a way that they will be clearly understood by all students, whatever their particular background. The topics covered have been carefully selected to demonstrate how the more sophisticated topical neurolinguistic approaches have developed from traditional clinical models. The critical and detailed discussion of all the main theoretical issues in the fields makes this a fundamental work not only for students but also for specialists.
Principles of Japanese Discourse
Authors: Maynard Senko K.
Published: March 2010

Principles of Japanese Discourse offers the first detailed description in English of the structure and rhetorical effects observed in various genres of Japanese discourse. Drawing on Japanese bunshooron and incorporating results of Western discourse studies, the book covers principles of overall rhetorical organisation including ki-shoo-ten-ketsu, topic structure, danraku, and sentence chaining, and presents a variety of rhetorical strategies frequently used in contemporary Japanese texts. After presenting these principles in thirty compact entries, Professor Maynard invites the reader to apply the knowledge gained to the comprehension of contemporary authentic Japanese text. Seven selected readings are presented with vocabulary lists, discourse notes, and other tasks. Translations are provided in the appendix. In this book Professor Maynard has created a new category in the area of Japanese language learning and provided an excellent reference source not only for students but for instructors of the Japanese language worldwide.
Topics in Microeconomics
Authors: Wolfstetter Elmar
Published: March 2010

This text in microeconomics focuses on the strategic analysis of markets under imperfect competition, incomplete information, and incentives. Part I of the book covers imperfect competition, from monopoly and regulation to the strategic analysis of oligopolistic markets. Part II explains the analytics of risk, stochastic dominance, and risk aversion, supplemented with a variety of applications from different areas in economics. Part III focuses on markets and incentives under incomplete information, including a comprehensive introduction to the theory of auctions, which plays an important role in modern economics. Each chapter introduces the core issues in an accessible yet rigorous fashion, and then investigates specialized themes. Each also offers self-contained explanations and proofs. The only prerequisites are a basic knowledge of calculus and probability, and familiarity with intermediate undergraduate microeconomics. The text can be used as a textbook in different courses for senior undergraduate or first-year graduate students.
Theory of the Firm for Strategic Management
Authors: Becerra Manuel
Published: March 2010

Strategic decisions deal with the long-term direction of the firm and its main activities, usually the responsibility of the top managers in an organization. Because the firm is the critical unit of analysis in strategy, we need to define what firms are, how they create value, and what their organizational boundaries are in order to understand their overall performance. However, this must be done in a manner that is most useful for strategic analysis and decision making. In other words, we need a theory of the firm for business strategy. Theory of the Firm for Strategic Management integrates and expands key existing theories, like transaction costs economics and the resource-based view, to develop a value-based theory of the firm. This provides a framework to show how firms can create value for customers and, at the same time, capture economic profits for their owners through business, corporate, international, and social strategies.
The Rock Physics Handbook
Authors: Mavko Gary , Mukerji Tapan , Dvorkin Jack
Published: March 2010

The Rock Physics Handbook addresses the relationships between geophysical observations and the underlying physical properties of rocks. It distills a vast quantity of background theory and laboratory results into a series of concise chapters that provide practical solutions to problems in geophysical data interpretation. This expanded second edition presents major new chapters on statistical rock physics and velocity-porosity-clay models for clastic sediments. Other new and expanded topics include anisotropic seismic signatures, borehole waves, models for fractured media, poroelastic models, and attenuation models. This new edition also provides an enhanced set of appendices with key empirical results, data tables, and an atlas of reservoir rock properties – extended to include carbonates, clays, gas hydrates, and heavy oils. Supported by a website hosting MATLAB routines for implementing the various rock physics formulas, this book is a vital resource for advanced students and university faculty, as well as petroleum industry geophysicists and engineers.
The Forensics of Election Fraud
Authors: Myagkov Mikhail , Ordeshook Peter C. , Shakin Dimitri
Published: March 2010

This volume offers a number of forensic indicators of election fraud applied to official election returns, and tests and illustrates their application in Russia and Ukraine. Included are the methodology's econometric details and theoretical assumptions. The applications to Russia include the analysis of all federal elections between 1996 and 2007 and, for Ukraine, between 2004 and 2007. Generally, we find that fraud has metastasized within the Russian polity during Putin's administration with upwards of 10 million or more suspect votes in both the 2004 and 2007 balloting, whereas in Ukraine, fraud has diminished considerably since the second round of its 2004 presidential election where between 1.5 and 3 million votes were falsified. The volume concludes with a consideration of data from the United States to illustrate the dangers of the application of our methods without due consideration of an election's substantive context and the characteristics of the data at hand.
Urban Labor Economics
Authors: Zenou Yves
Published: March 2010

This book studies the links between urban economics and labor economics. Different models of urban labor economic theory are examined in the initial two parts of this book: first urban search-matching models and then urban efficiency wages. These models are then used to analyze urban ghettos and their consequences for ethnic minorities in the labor market. Professor Zenou first provides different mechanisms for the so-called spatial mismatch hypothesis, which postulates that housing discrimination introduces a key frictional factor that prevents minorities from improving access to job opportunities by relocating their residences closer to jobs. He then explores social networks, which tend to be affected by spatial factors, as workers who are physically close to jobs can be socially far away from them. Based on these models, the author offers different policies aiming at fighting high unemployment rates experienced by ethnic minorities residing in segregated areas.
The Economic Psychology of Tax Behaviour
Authors: Kirchler Erich , Braithwaite Valerie
Published: March 2010

Tax evasion is a complex phenomenon which is influenced not just by economic motives but by psychological factors as well. Economic-psychological research focuses on individual and social representations of taxation as well as decision-making. In this 2007 book, Erich Kirchler assembles research on tax compliance, with a focus on tax evasion, and integrates the findings into a model based on the interaction climate between tax authorities and taxpayers. The interaction climate is defined by citizens' trust in authorities and the power of authorities to control taxpayers effectively; depending on trust and power, either voluntary compliance, enforced compliance or no compliance are likely outcomes. Featuring chapters on the social representations of taxation, decision-making and self-employed income tax behaviour, this book will appeal to researchers in economic psychology, behavioural economics and public administration.
Jordan, the United States and the Middle East Peace Process, 1974–1991
Authors: Madfai Madiha Rashid al
Published: March 2010

On 31 July 1988 King Hussain of Jordan renounced all administrative and legal ties with the Israeli-occupied West Bank of the River Jordan, initiating a turning point in the Middle East peace process. In this study, Madiha Madfai explores Jordan's role in the USA's peacemaking efforts during the Carter, Reagan and Bush administrations. She examines the events culminating in the action of 1988 and convincingly demonstrates a history of anger, anguish and frustration with the Middle East peace process that lay behind the Jordanian decision. Dr Madfai also assesses the effects the American-Jordanian relationship had on stability in the Middle East.
Quantum Groups in Two-Dimensional Physics
Authors: Gómez Cisar , Ruiz-Altaba Martm , Sierra German
Published: March 2010

This 1996 book is an introduction to integrability and conformal field theory in two dimensions using quantum groups. The book begins with a brief introduction to S-matrices, spin chains and vertex models as a prelude to the study of Yang–Baxter algebras and the Bethe ansatz. The basic ideas of integrable systems are then introduced, giving particular emphasis to vertex and face models. Special attention is given to explaining the underlying mathematical tools, including braid groups, knot invariants and towers of algebra. The book then goes on to give a detailed introduction to quantum groups as a prelude to chapters on integrable models, two-dimensional conformal field theories and superconformal field theories. The book contains many diagrams and exercises to illustrate key points in the text.
The Theme of Jewish Persecution of Christians in the Gospel According to St Matthew
Authors: Hare Douglas R. A.
Published: March 2010

It has long been recognized that in the Gospel according to St Matthew the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees has been intensified and it has often been suggested that this intensification reflects the continued struggle between the Church and the synagogue. The theme of Jewish persecution of Christians in the Gospel according to St Matthew is examined in this book with two questions in mind: 1. Has Matthew exaggerated the severity of the persecution? 2. How has the persecution influenced Matthew's theology? Professor Hare examines the historical data relating to the suffering imposed upon the Christians and refers to Rabbinic literature and Christian sources other than Matthew in order to evaluate Matthew's portrayal of the persecutions. He concludes that persecution was directed primarily against Christian missionaries, not against rank-and-file Christians.
The Economic Status of Australian Aborigines
Authors: Altman Jon C. , Nieuwenhuysen John
Published: March 2010

In recent years there has been a substantial growth in the literature of Australian Aboriginal Studies. While much of this has touched on past and present economic issues from a historical, political or social viewpoint, its result has been to emphasize the need for a synthesis of the available information on the economic status of Aborigines in Australia. This book provides a survey of studies so far made on various aspects of current Aboriginal economic life in different environments in Australia, and raises questions of economic policy which follow from their results. In this the authors break new ground in the breadth of their canvass and by their extension of issues previously limited to the realm of social welfare to that of economic policy. This book is prefaced by a brief description of the historical background to the Aboriginal 'economy', and introduced by an overview of the relatively unequal economic status of Aborigines in the Australian economy today.
Understanding Physician-Pharmaceutical Industry Interactions
Authors: Jain Shaili
Published: March 2010

Physician-pharmaceutical industry interactions continue to generate heated debate in academic and public domains, both in the United States and abroad. Despite this, recent research suggests that physicians and physicians-in-training remain uninformed of the core issues and are ill-prepared to understand pharmaceutical industry promotion. Furthermore, few medical curricula address this issue, despite warnings of the imperative need to address this gap in the education of tomorrow's physicians. There is a vast medical literature on this topic, but no single, concise resource. This book aims to fill that gap by providing a resource that explains the essential elements of this subject. The text makes the reader more aware of the key ethical issues and allows the reader to be a more savvy interpreter of industry promotion, have a heightened awareness of the public and medical legal consequences of some physician-pharmaceutical industry interactions, and be better equipped to handle real-life encounters with industry.
Medieval Trinitarian Thought from Aquinas to Ockham
Authors: Friedman Russell L.
Published: March 2010

How can the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be distinct and yet identical? Prompted by the doctrine of the divine Trinity, this question sparked centuries of lively debate. In the current context of renewed interest in Trinitarian theology, Russell L. Friedman provides the first survey of the scholastic discussion of the Trinity in the 100-year period stretching from Thomas Aquinas' earliest works to William Ockham's death. Tracing two central issues - the attempt to explain how the three persons are distinct from each other but identical as God, and the application to the Trinity of a 'psychological model', on which the Son is a mental word or concept, and the Holy Spirit is love - this volume offers a broad overview of Trinitarian thought in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, along with focused studies of the Trinitarian ideas of many of the period's most important theologians.
The Spirit of Hindu Law
Authors: Davis, Jr Donald R.
Published: March 2010

Law is too often perceived solely as state-based rules and institutions that provide a rational alternative to religious rites and ancestral customs. The Spirit of Hindu Law uses the Hindu legal tradition as a heuristic tool to question this view and reveal the close linkage between law and religion. Emphasizing the household, the family, and everyday relationships as additional social locations of law, it contends that law itself can be understood as a theology of ordinary life. An introduction to traditional Hindu law and jurisprudence, this book is structured around key legal concepts such as the sources of law and authority, the laws of persons and things, procedure, punishment and legal practice. It combines investigation of key themes from Sanskrit legal texts with discussion of Hindu theology and ethics, as well as thorough examination of broader comparative issues in law and religion.
Tartaglia's ragioni: A maestro d'abaco's mixed approach to the bombardier's problem
Authors: EKHOLM KARIN J.
Published: March 2010

In La nova scientia (1537), Niccolò Tartaglia analyses trajectories of cannonballs by means of different forms of reasoning, including ‘physical and geometrical reasoning’, ‘demonstrative geometrical reasoning’, ‘Archimedean reasoning’, and ‘algebraic reasoning’. I consider what he understood by each of these methods and how he used them to render the quick succession of a projectile's positions into a single entity that he could explore and explain. I argue that our understanding of his methods and style is greatly enriched by considering the abacus tradition in which he worked. As a maestro d'abaco in sixteenth-century Venice he had access to a great variety of mathematical and natural-philosophical works. This paper traces how Tartaglia drew elements from a vast spectrum of sources and combined them in an innovative manner. I examine his use of algebra and geometry, consider what he knew about Archimedes and suggest a reading of his enigmatic phrase ‘Archimedean reasoning’, which has eluded satisfactory interpretation.
Regulatory Diversity as Key to the “Myth” of Drug Patenting in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Adusei Poku
Published: March 2010

This article critiques the subject of patent protection of drugs in the light of the threat posed by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. It contends that the basis for sustaining the prevailing international patent system in developing countries is a “myth”: one of deception. This “myth” is validated by highlighting the dysfunctions associated with the prevailing international patent system. The article proposes the adoption of diverse patent systems that would suit the cultural and human development needs of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Such diversity implies a drug patent model that meets human needs and shows respect for communal interests, a model that permits differences and is amenable to change in the light of socio-economic needs, a model that confronts “unfreedoms” which constrain human development, and a model that ensures respect and protection for the fundamental right to health care.
Traditional Courts and the Struggle against State Impunity for Civil Wartime Offences in Mozambique
Authors: Igreja Victor
Published: March 2010

In the Mozambican context of the state amnesty for civil war crimes, war survivors have used their local ethics of reciprocity to create justice. This article analyses how survivors have attempted to persuade judges in traditional courts to adjudicate in serious wartime disputes. These judges, who have no official mandate to redress wartime offences, tried to preserve the conflicting interests of the litigants and the state. This positioning, coupled with the fact that the local ethics of reciprocity are embedded in uneven power and gender relations, resulted in some cases being adjudicated and others not, and in some disputes receiving no gender justice. Nevertheless, some of the interventions indicate that national and international institutions of justice are not the only ones engaged in the struggle against impunity for wartime crimes. In Mozambique, specific attention must be paid to the study of traditional justice mechanisms as fonts of redress for wartime crimes and for the long-term contribution they can make.
Economic potential of individual variation in milk yield response to concentrate intake of dairy cows
Authors: ANDRÉ G. , BERENTSEN P. B. M. , VAN DUINKERKEN G. , ENGEL B. , LANSINK A. G. J. M. OUDE
Published: March 2010

The objectives of the current study were to quantify the individual variation in daily milk yield response to concentrate intake during early lactation and to assess the economic prospects of exploiting the individual variation in milk yield response to concentrate intake. In an observational study, data from 299 cows on four farms in the first 3 weeks of the lactation were collected. Individual response in daily milk yield to concentrate intake was analysed by a random coefficient model. Marked variation in individual milk yield response to concentrate intake was found on all four farms. An economic simulation was carried out, based on the estimated parameter values in the observational study. Individual optimization of concentrate supply is compared with conventional strategies for concentrate supply based on averaged population response parameters. Applying individual economic optimal settings for concentrate supply during early lactation, potential economic gain ranges from €0·20 to €2·03/cow/day.
… κτρϕϵτϵ αὐτὰ ν παιδϵίᾳ καὶ νουθϵσίᾳ κυρίου (Eph 6.4): Kinder in der Welt des frühen Christentums
Authors: Lindemann Andreas
Published: March 2010

This paper inquires into the situation of small children during the Hellenistic-Roman era, including NT texts and later Christian writings in the first two or three centuries. There was an early form of ‘Christian education’, and probably, children of baptized parents belonged to the Christian communities. In 1 Cor 7.14, Paul indirectly argues in favour of a ‘Christian influence’ on the ‘holy children’ by the ‘believing’ father or mother. In Eph 6.4, the author, speaking about παιδϵία καὶ νουθϵσία κυρίου, argues that in a Christian household children should have instruction in the Christian faith. The question of the baptism of small children might be answered by the interpretation of 1 Cor 1.14–16, where Paul precisely distinguishes between baptism of individuals (1.14) and baptism of the ‘house of Stephanas’. Mark 10.13–16 is a mirror of a discussion between those who ‘rebuke’ people for bringing children to Jesus, and Jesus himself who interprets their action as a ‘prevention’, thus escalating the conflict to a fundamental one, which probably refers to the question of baptism of children. During the last century, we have learned (again?) to see childhood not only as a transitional period of human life but one to be protected by society. Possibly similar ideas existed during the times when our texts were written.
Hymnus, Enkomion oder Psalm? Schattengefechte in der neutestamentlichen Wissenschaft
Authors: Vollenweider Samuel
Published: March 2010

For much of the twentieth century scholars tried to reconstruct various cultic hymns beneath the surface of NT texts. With the rise of rhetorical criticism the focus of research has shifted to the properties of epideictic rhetoric. Exegetes, therefore, often tend to contrast ‘encomia’ with ‘hymns’ or ‘psalms’. To avoid any shadow boxing one has to consider whichdescriptive languagewould fit best the texts. A brief examination of ancient hymnic traditions and their treatment in rhetoric demonstrates that while encomia interact strongly with hymns each genre has its own characteristics; hymns, whether in poetry or prose, consist especially of praiseofdivinities and are addressedtodivinities. Futureformgeschichtlicheanalysis has to distinguish carefully between ‘hymn’ (in a narrow sense), ‘hymnic praise’ and ‘encomion’ (which does not refer particularly to divine beings). In early Christian literature, as far as it relates to the textual surface, we find beside hymns to God only a few hymns directed to Christ. Nevertheless Christ's divine status is praised with rich hymnic rhetorical devices. This amazing tension corresponds exactly with what we call ‘Christological monotheism’.
Judaizing the Nations: The Ritual Demands of Paul's Gospel
Authors: Fredriksen Paula
Published: March 2010

Much current NT scholarship holds that Paul conducted a ‘Law-free’ mission to Gentiles. In this view, Paul fundamentally repudiated the ethnic boundaries created and maintained by Jewish practices. The present essay argues the contrary: Paul's principled resistance to circumcising Gentiles precisely preserves these distinctions ‘according to the flesh’, which were native to Jewish restoration eschatology even in its Pauline iterations. Paul required his pagans not to worship their native gods—aritualand a Judaizing demand. Jerusalem's temple, traditionally conceived, gave Paul his chief terms for conceptualizing the Gentiles' inclusion in Israel's redemption. Paul's was not a ‘Law-free’ mission.
Accuracy and stiffness analysis of a 3-RRP spherical parallel manipulator
Authors: Enferadi Javad , Tootoonchi Alireza Akbarzadeh
Published: March 2010

In this paper, accuracy and stiffness analysis of a 3-RRP spherical parallel manipulator (SPM) (Enferadi and Tootoonchi, A novel spherical parallel manipulator: Forward position problem, singularity analysis and isotropy design, Robotica, vol. 27, 2009, pp. 663–676) with symmetrical geometry is investigated. At first, the 3-RRP SPM is introduced and its inverse kinematics analysis is performed. Isotropic design, because of its design superiority, is selected and workspace of the manipulator is obtained. The kinematics conditioning index (KCI) is evaluated on the workspace. Global conditioning index (GCI) of the manipulator is calculated and compared with another SPM. Unlike traditional stiffness analysis, the moving platform is assumed to be flexible. A continuous method is used for obtaining mathematical model of the manipulator stiffness matrix. This method is based on strain energy and Castigliano's theorem. The mathematical model is verified by finite element model. Finally, using mathematical model, kinematics stiffness index (KSI), and global stiffness index (GSI) are evaluated.
Of the Family Tree: Congruence on Filial Obligation between Older Parents and Adult Children in Japanese Canadian Families
Authors: Kobayashi Karen M. , Funk Laura
Published: March 2010

S’inspirant de l’hypothèse d’enjeu intergénérationelle (Bengtson and Kuypers, 1971), cet’article étudie la congruence et l’in-congruence entre les générations sur l’obligation filiale, et les implications pour l’assistance sociale, entre les parents anciens nisei (la seconde génération) et les enfants adultes de sansei (la troisième génération) dans les familles canadiennes japonaises. À l’aide des données des entretiens semi-structurés avec 100 dyads parent-enfant en la Colombie Britannique, la congruence sur des réponses fermées aux déclarations de valeur (la congruence de degré) et la congruence de contenu des réponses ouvertes sont examinés. Les conclusions montrent que la majorité des dyads parent-enfant indique congruence globale (degré et contenu) en ligne directe d’obligation, surtout lorsqu’un parent est féminin, veuf, ou dont l’état de santé est mauvaise ou passable. Nous concluons que, malgré des expériences sensiblement différentes dans le cours de la vie et des processus d’acculturation différents, les deux générations continuent de considérer l’obligation filiale comme importante. Ces conclusions sont discutées quant aux implications pour les échanges de soutien social, étant donné une évaluation continue de l’obligation filiale en Asie post-immigrant (né en Amérique du Nord) et familles immigrantes.
Relations between Immigrant Care Workers and Older Persons in Home and Long-Term Care
Authors: Bourgeault Ivy Lynn , Atanackovic Jelena , Rashid Ahmed , Parpia Rishma
Published: March 2010

Les aidants immigrés jouent un rôle de plus en plus important dans les soins de domicile et les soins de longue durée au Canada, mais l’ampleur totale de leurs relations avec les personnes âgées dans ces cadres est relativement inconnue. Cet article examine le rôle des aidants immigrés dans les deux secteurs de domicile et de soins de longue durée, mettant l’accent sur les relations avec les anciens et les implications pour la qualité des soins. Les données proviennent des entrevues avec les travailleurs, les employeurs et les clients anciens menées dans divers services d’accueil et de soins de longue durée pour personnes âgées dans trois provinces canadiennes: l’Ontario, la Colombie-Britannique et le Québec. Les facteurs qui découlent des origines ethniques ou raciales des aidants immigrés, barrières linguistiques et facteurs contextuels tels que la pénurie de personnel en soins de différents paramètres pour les personnes âgées compliquent la relation entre les aidants immigrés et leurs clients. Dans certains cas, ces facteurs diminuent la qualité des soins. Nous indiquons quelques politiques alternatives que nos conclusions suggèrent devraient être considérées.
Fibrillin-1 gene intron 56 polymorphism in Turkish children with mitral valve prolapse
Authors: Ozdemir Osman , Olgunturk Rana , Karaer Kadri , Ergun Mehmet Ali , Tunaoglu Fatma Sedef , Kula Serdar , Percin Ferda Emriye
Published: March 2010

Objective

Mitral valvar prolapse is the most common anomaly of the mitral valve apparatus throughout childhood. Fibrillin is one of the structural components of the elastin-associated microfibrils found in the mitral valve. A case-controlled study has performed to investigate the relationship between fibrillin 1 gene intron 56 polymorphism and risk of mitral valvar prolapse in Turkish children.

Patients and methods

A total of 77 patients with mitral valvar prolapse diagnosed by clinical evaluation and echocardiography and 89 normal children of same age and sex were studied. The fibrillin-1 gene intron 56 polymorphism was identified by the polymerase chain reaction-based restriction analysis.

Results

There was a significant difference in the distribution of fibrillin-1 gene intron 56 genotypes (p = 0.0001) and allelic frequency (p = 0.0001) between the cases and the controls.

Conclusions

Patients with mitral valvar prolapse have higher frequencies of fibrillin-1 gene intron 56 GC genotypes. Healthy children have higher frequencies of fibrillin-1 gene intron 56 CC genotypes. We speculate that the higher frequency of fibrillin-1 gene intron 56 G-allele increases the risk of mitral valvar prolapse.
Direct non-medical and indirect costs for families with children with congenital cardiac defects in Germany: a survey from a university centre
Authors: Gerber Andreas U. , Hompanera Torre Agnieszka , Büscher Guido , Stock Stephanie A.K. , Graf Christine , Schickendantz Sabine , Brockmeier Konrad , Lüngen Markus
Published: March 2010

Introduction

Parents of children with congenital cardiac disease suffer from psychological stress and financial burdens. These costs have not yet been quantified.

Materials and methods

In cooperation with paediatricians, social workers, and parents, a questionnaire was devised to calculate direct non-medical and indirect costs. Direct non-medical costs include all costs not directly related to medical services such as transportation. Indirect costs include lost productivity measured in lost income from wages. Parents were retrospectively queried on costs and refunds incurred during the child’s first and sixth year of life. The questionnaire was sent out to 198 families with children born between 1980 and 2000. Costs were adjusted for inflation to the year 2006. Children were stratified into five groups according to the severity of their current health status.

Results

Fifty-four families responded and could be included into the analysis (27.7%). Depending on severity, total direct non-medical and indirect costs in the first year of life ranged between an average of €1654 in children with no or mild (remaining) cardiac defects and an average €2881 in children with clinically significant (residual/remaining) findings. Mean expenses in the sixth year of life were as low as €562 (no or mild (remaining) cardiac defects) and as high as €5213 (potentially life-threatening findings). At both points in time, the highest costs were lost income and transportation; and day care/ babysitting for siblings was third.

Discussion

Families of children with congenital cardiac disease and major sequelae face direct non-medical and indirect costs adding up to €3000 per year on average. We should consider compensating families from low socioeconomic backgrounds to minimise under-use of non-medical services of assistance for their children.
Chaotic atrial tachycardia-related ventricular fibrillation in a 2-month-old baby with Wolff-Pakinson-White syndrome
Authors: Ko Jae K. , Kim Young H. , Park In S.
Published: March 2010

A 2-month-old baby was resuscitated from ventricular fibrillation attributed to a concurrent chaotic atrial tachycardia with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. He underwent successful radiofrequency catheter ablation of an accessory pathway. Throughout the 4-year follow-up after the procedure, the boy remained free of any drugs, was in sinus rhythm without ventricular pre-excitation and his growth and development were normal.
Pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy occurring in a young patient with nephropathic cystinosis
Authors: Ramappa Arun J. , Pyatt Jason R.
Published: March 2010

Cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder characterised by an intracellular accumulation of cystine leading to severe organ dysfunction. It affects renal function, has extra-renal complications but has rarely been associated with cardiac disease. Renal transplantation and cysteamine have dramatically improved the prognosis in the nephropathic form. We present the case of a young adult Caucasian female diagnosed with nephropathic cystinosis and receiving haemodialysis who subsequently developed dilated cardiomyopathy. She presented with acute cardiac failure occurring early after stillbirth following an unplanned pregnancy when her cysteamine had been stopped. Transthoracic echocardiography showed typical features of dilated cardiomyopathy which was absent on pre-pregnancy scans. Investigations failed to identify an underlying cause for her cardiomyopathy. She responded to conventional treatment and currently has had full recovery of her cardiac function confirmed on follow-up echocardiography. As cardiomyopathy rarely co-exists with cystinosis, we believe that this case represents pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy rather than direct involvement by her cystinosis, particularly as a minority of pregnant patients with associated cardiomyopathy develop heart failure early before the conventional period for peripartum cardiomyopathy. Patient characteristics and maternal outcomes are similar, albeit with higher risk of premature delivery suggesting the same underlying pathological process.
HUMAN CAPITAL, AGGREGATION, AND GROWTH
Authors: Growiec Jakub
Published: March 2010

Human capital is embodied in people of different generations whose lifetimes are finite. We show that the finiteness of people's lives precludes human capital accumulation from driving long-run aggregate economic growth unless sufficiently strong externalities from aggregate human capital are introduced. Two possible channels for carrying forward such externalities are (i) knowledge spillovers and (ii) public education spending. Our findings shed new light on the foundations of the Uzawa–Lucas growth model. We also show that the cross-sectional Mincer equation, generated by a linear human capital accumulation equation at the individual level, does not carry forward to aggregate data.
Testing and improving OMI DOMINO tropospheric NO2 using observations from the DANDELIONS and INTEX‐B validation campaigns
Authors: Hains Jennifer C. , Boersma K. Folkert , Kroon Mark , Dirksen Ruud J. , Cohen Ronald C. , Perring Anne E. , Bucsela Eric , Volten Hester , Swart Daan P. J. , Richter Andreas , Wittrock Folkard , Schoenhardt Anja , Wagner Thomas , Ibrahim Ossama W. , van Roozendael Michel , Pinardi Gaia , Gleason James F. , Veefkind J. Pepijn , Levelt Pieternel
Published: March 2010

We present a sensitivity analysis of the tropospheric NO2 retrieval from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) using measurements from the Dutch Aerosol and Nitrogen Dioxide Experiments for Validation of OMI and SCIAMACHY (DANDELIONS) and Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment‐B (INTEX‐B) campaigns held in 2006. These unique campaigns covered a wide range of pollution conditions and provided detailed information on the vertical distribution of NO2. During the DANDELIONS campaign, tropospheric NO2 profiles were measured with a lidar in a highly polluted region of the Netherlands. During the INTEX‐B campaign, NO2 profiles were measured using laser‐induced fluorescence onboard an aircraft in a range of meteorological and polluted conditions over the Gulf of Mexico and the east Pacific. We present a comparison of measured profiles with a priori profiles used in the OMI tropospheric NO2 retrieval algorithm. We examine how improvements in surface albedo estimates improve the OMI NO2 retrieval. From these comparisons we find that the absolute average change in tropospheric columns retrieved with measured profiles and improved surface albedos is 23% with a standard deviation of 27% and no trend in the improved being larger or smaller than the original. We show that these changes occur in case studies related to pollution in the southeastern United States and pollution outflow in the Gulf of Mexico. We also examine the effects of using improved Mexico City terrain heights on the OMI NO2 product.
Evaluation of methods for estimating the effects of vegetation change and climate variability on streamflow
Authors: Zhao Fangfang , Zhang Lu , Xu Zongxue , Scott David F.
Published: March 2010

Changes in vegetation cover can significantly affect streamflow. Two common methods for estimating vegetation effects on streamflow are the paired catchment method and the time trend analysis technique. In this study, the performance of these methods is evaluated using data from paired catchments in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Results show that these methods generally yield consistent estimates of the vegetation effect, and most of the observed streamflow changes are attributable to vegetation change. These estimates are realistic and are supported by the vegetation history. The accuracy of the estimates, however, largely depends on the length of calibration periods or pretreatment periods. For catchments with short or no pretreatment periods, we find that statistically identified prechange periods can be used as calibration periods. Because streamflow also responds to climate variability, in assessing streamflow changes it is necessary to consider the effect of climate in addition to the effect of vegetation. Here, the climate effect on streamflow was estimated using a sensitivity‐based method that calculates changes in rainfall and potential evaporation. A unifying conceptual framework, based on the assumption that climate and vegetation are the only drivers for streamflow changes, enables comparison of all three methods. It is shown that these methods provide consistent estimates of vegetation and climate effects on streamflow for the catchments considered. An advantage of the time trend analysis and sensitivity‐based methods is that they are applicable to nonpaired catchments, making them potentially useful in large catchments undergoing vegetation change.
On seeding equatorial spread F during solstices
Authors: Tsunoda Roland T.
Published: March 2010

Interpretation of the morphology of equatorial spread F (ESF) is usually given in terms of factors that modulate the growth rate of the Rayleigh‐Taylor instability. That interpretation is, however, incomplete because only one means for growth‐rate enhancement has been included; that is, the strength of the post‐sunset rise of the F layer could become enhanced, when the solar terminator aligns with geomagnetic field lines. Maxima in ESF occurrence observed near equinoxes seem accountable by this means, but maxima observed near solstices require another source of enhancement. Seasonal migration and latitudinal alignment of the inter‐tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) with the magnetic dip equator is suggested as the missing source, and shown able to fill that void.
Dating the cyanobacterial ancestor of the chloroplast
Authors: Falcón Luisa I , Magallón Susana , Castillo Amanda
Published: March 2010

Cyanobacteria have had a pivotal role in the history of life on Earth being the first organisms to perform oxygenic photosynthesis, which changed the atmospheric chemistry and allowed the evolution of aerobic Eukarya. Chloroplasts are the cellular organelles of photoautotrophic eukaryotes in which most portions of photosynthesis occur. Although the initial suggestion that cyanobacteria are the ancestors of chloroplasts was greeted with skepticism, the idea is now widely accepted. Here we attempt to resolve and date the cyanobacterial ancestry of the chloroplast using phylogenetic analysis and molecular clocks. We found that chloroplasts form a monophyletic lineage, are most closely related to subsection-I, N2-fixing unicellular cyanobacteria (Order Chroococcales), and heterocyst-forming Order Nostocales cyanobacteria are their sister group. Nostocales and Chroococcales appeared during the Paleoproterozoic and chloroplasts appeared in the mid-Proterozoic. The capability of N2 fixation in cyanobacteria may have appeared only once during the late Archaean and early Proterozoic eons. Furthermore, we found that oxygen-evolving cyanobacteria could have appeared in the Archaean. Our results suggest that a free-living cyanobacterium with the capacity to store starch through oxygenic CO2 fixation, and to fix atmospheric N2, would be a very important intracellular acquisition, which, as can be recounted today from several lines of evidence, would have become the chloroplast by endosymbiosis.
Generation of a Dominant‐Negative Glycogen Targeting Subunit for Protein Phosphatase‐1
Authors: Jurczak Michael J. , Zapater Joseph L. , Greenberg Cynthia C. , Brady Matthew J.
Published: March 2010

Modulation of the expression of the protein phosphatase‐1 (PP1) glycogen‐targeting subunit PTG exerts profound effects on cellular glycogen metabolism in vitro and in vivo. PTG contains three distinct binding domains for glycogen, PP1, and a common site for glycogen synthase and phosphorylase. The impact of disrupting the PP1‐binding domain on PTG function was examined in 3T3–L1 adipocytes. A full‐length PTG mutant was generated as an adenoviral construct in which the valine and phenylalanine residues in the conserved PP1‐binding domain were mutated to alanine (PTG‐VF). Infection of fully differentiated 3T3–L1 adipocytes with the PTG‐VF adenovirus reduced glycogen stores by over 50%. In vitro, PTG‐VF competitively interfered with wild‐type PTG action, suggesting that the mutant construct acted as a dominant‐negative molecule. The reduction in cellular glycogen storage was due to a significantly increased rate of glycogen turnover. Interestingly, acute basal and insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis rates were enhanced in PTG‐VF expressing cells vs. control 3T3–L1 adipocytes, likely as a compensatory response to the loss of glycogen stores. These results indicate that the mutation of the PP1‐binding domain on PTG resulted in the generation of a dominant‐negative molecule that impeded endogenous PTG action and reduced cellular glycogen levels, through enhancement of glycogenolysis rather than impairment of glycogen synthesis.
Dietary Calcium Intake Is Associated With Less Gain in Intra‐Abdominal Adipose Tissue Over 1 Year
Authors: Bush Nikki C. , Alvarez Jessica A. , Choquette Suzanne S. , Hunter Gary R. , Oster Robert A. , Darnell Betty E. , Gower Barbara A.
Published: March 2010

Calcium intake is reported to enhance weight loss with a preferential loss in trunk fat. Discrepant findings exist as to the effects of calcium intake on longitudinal changes in total fat mass and central fat deposition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine associations between dietary calcium intake and 1‐year change in body composition and fat distribution, specifically intra‐abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT). A total of 119 healthy, premenopausal women were evaluated at baseline and 1 year later. Average dietary calcium was determinedvia4‐day food records. Total fat was determined by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) and IAAT by computed tomography. Over the study period, participants' reported daily calcium and energy intakes were 610.0 ± 229.9 mg and 1,623.1 ± 348.5 kcal, respectively. The mean change in weight, total fat, IAAT, and SAAT was 4.9 ± 4.4 kg, 5.3 ± 4.0 kg, 7.7 ± 19.5 cm2, and 49.3 ± 81.1 cm2, respectively. Average calcium intake was significantly, inversely associated with 1‐year change in IAAT (standardized β: −0.23,P< 0.05) after adjusting for confounding variables. For every 100 mg/day of calcium consumed, gain in IAAT was reduced by 2.7 cm2. No significant associations were observed for average calcium intake with change in weight, total fat, or SAAT. In conclusion, dietary calcium intake was significantly associated with less gain in IAAT over 1 year in premenopausal women. Further investigation is needed to verify these findings and determine the calcium intake needed to exert beneficial effects on fat distribution.
Obesity and Receipt of Clinical Preventive Services in Veterans
Authors: Yancy William S. , McDuffie Jennifer R. , Stechuchak Karen M. , Olsen Maren K. , Oddone Eugene Z. , Kinsinger Linda S. , Datta Santanu K. , Fisher Deborah A. , Krause Katrina M. , Østbye Truls
Published: March 2010

Although obese individuals utilize health care at higher rates than their normal weight counterparts, they may be less likely to receive certain preventive services. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of veterans with visits to 136 national Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinics in the United States in the year 2000. The cohort included 1,699,219 patients: 94% men, 48% white, and 76% overweight or obese. Overweight and obese patients had higher adjusted odds of receiving each of the targeted clinical preventive services as recommended over 5 years compared with normal weight patients. The odds for receiving vaccinations increased linearly with BMI category: influenza (men: odds ratio (OR) = 1.13 for overweight to OR = 1.42 for obese class 3; women: OR = 1.15 for overweight to OR = 1.61 for obese class 3) and pneumococcus (men: OR = 1.02 for overweight to OR = 1.15 for obese class 3; women: OR = 1.08 for overweight to OR = 1.28 for obese class 3). The odds for receiving the cancer screening services typically peaked in the mild‐moderately obese categories. The highest OR for prostate cancer screening was in obese class 2 (OR = 1.29); for colorectal cancer, obese class 1 (men: OR = 1.15; women OR = 1.10); for breast cancer screening, obese class 2 (OR = 1.19); and for cervical cancer screening, obese class 2 (OR = 1.06). In a large national sample, obese patients received preventive services at higher, not lower, rates than their normal weight peers. This may be due to the VA health service coverage and performance directives, a more homogeneous patient demographic profile, and/or unmeasured factors related to service receipt.
Synthesis and structures of novel 1-methylcytosinato-bridged (ethylenediamine)platinum(ii) and platinum(iii) dinuclear complexes
Authors: Djinovic Vesna M. , Galanski Mathea S. , Arion Vladimir B. , Keppler Bernhard K.
Published: March 2010

Oxidation of the 1-methylcytosinato-bridged (ethylenediamine)platinum(ii) dimer, [(en)Pt(MetCyt-H)2Pt(en)](NO3)2 with K2S2O8 in the presence of HClO4 yielded the unsymmetrically capped Pt(iii) dimer ht-[H2O(en)Pt(MetCyt-H)2Pt(en)OH](ClO4)3 with a Pt–Pt distance of 2.5569(3) Å.