bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medium‐term changes in coastal bird communities in the Western Cape, South Africa
Authors: RYAN PETER G.
Published: May 2012

There are few studies of medium‐term, quantitative changes in faunal communities in the southern hemisphere. The linear nature of coastlines makes populations of coastal birds easy to count. Repeat surveys of 278 km of coastline in three regions of the Western Cape, South Africa show marked differences in coastal bird community structure over the last 30 years, despite limited human impacts on coastal habitats (mainly increased human disturbance). The total number of birds has not changed, but species richness increased following colonization of the coast by Egyptian geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca, Anatidae) and three species of ibises (Threskiornithidae). Biomass also increased due to greater numbers of large‐bodied birds. Contrary to the prediction that large birds are more susceptible to human disturbance, most small birds decreased in abundance. Among waders that breed along the coastline, numbers of African oystercatchers (Haematopus moquini, Haematopodidae) doubled, linked to increased food availability following invasions by alien mussels (Mytilidae). By comparison, numbers of white‐fronted plovers (Charadrius marginatus, Charadriidae) decreased by 37% (59% close to Cape Town), at least in part as a result of increasing human disturbance. The greatest decreases occurred among migrant waders (Scolopacidae and Charadriidae), with numbers of the four most abundant species falling by >50%, and both common Calidris species by >90%. Migrant wader populations decreased in all three regions, irrespective of whether surveys were in protected areas or not, suggesting that factors outside the region are driving these trends. Some species may have decreased due to changes in their preferred wintering areas, but others probably reflect population decreases, confirming the generally poor conservation status of migrant waterbirds worldwide.
Leukopenia as a risk factor for osteonecrosis of the jaw in metastatic prostate cancer treated using zoledronic acid and docetaxel
Authors: Miyazaki Hideyo , Nishimatsu Hiroaki , Kume Haruki , Suzuki Motofumi , Fujimura Tetsuya , Fukuhara Hiroshi , Enomoto Yutaka , Ishikawa Akira , Igawa Yasuhiko , Hirano Yoshikazu , Homma Yukio
Published: May 2012

Study Type – Harm (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

The common clinical practice for advanced prostatic adenocarcinoma is combination therapy of zoledronic acid (ZA) and docetaxel (TAX). Little is known about the consequences of this combination therapy with regard to osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ).

This study shows that the combination therapy of ZA and TAX increases the risk of ONJ and that tooth extraction and leukopenia induced by TAX are the risk factors.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether docetaxel (TAX) can increase the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma (PC) receiving zoledronic acid (ZA), a bisphosphonate (BP) used in the treatment of patients with cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The medical records of 111 patients with PC who received ZA between September 2006 and March 2011 at our institutions were reviewed to assess the incidence and risk factors for ONJ.

RESULTS

Nine patients (8.1%) developed ONJ during a median follow‐up of 14.5 months.

Using univariate analysis we found that TAX chemotherapy (P = 0.037, hazard ratio [HR] 6.611), tooth extraction during ZA therapy (P < 0.001, HR 11.254), and high prostate‐specific antigen level (P = 0.019, HR 8.008) at the start of ZA were predictive factors.

Using multivariate analysis we found that TAX chemotherapy (P = 0.011, HR 56.35), steroid use (P = 0.044, HR = 17.795), and tooth extraction (P = 0.039, HR 7.471) were independent predictors.

Among those receiving TAX chemotherapy, multivariate analysis identified tooth extraction (P = 0.009) and nadir WBC counts <1000/µL during TAX chemotherapy (P = 0.030) as independent risk factors.

CONCLUSION

Tooth extraction and nadir WBC counts <1000/µL were found to be risk factors for ONJ in metastatic prostate cancer treated with ZA and TAX combination therapy, showing that leukopenia is an important factor in the development of ONJ.
Ureteric stent placement with extraction string: no strings attached?
Authors: Bockholt Nathan A. , Wild Trevor T. , Gupta Amit , Tracy Chad R.
Published: May 2012

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Of patients treated with an indwelling ureteric stent 80–90% experience lower urinary tract symptoms that are a hindrance to health‐related quality of life. The prevalence of the extraction/retrieval string after ureteroscopy for stone disease and stent placement varies significantly between surgeons and published series, but the benefits of eliminating the need for a secondary procedure such as cystoscopy and stent removal, as well as the decrease in cost to the patient are well established.

Published reports have not addressed the prevalence of post‐procedure related events (PREs) in patients who have received an indwelling ureteric stent with the extraction/retrieval string still intact after ureteroscopy for stone disease. By analysing PREs (Emergency Room visits, unscheduled clinic visits, and telephone calls) related to their stent or procedure for patients with and without an extraction/retrieval string, the feasibility of the extraction string can be validated and the misconceptions about their use can be alleviated.

OBJECTIVE

To review a retrospective ureteric stent cohort with and without extraction string to compare post‐procedure related events (PRE), as ureteric stent placement after endoscopic management of urolithiasis is common, but data regarding the potential benefits or disadvantages of ureteric stent placement with extraction string are sparse.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between June 2009 and June 2010, 293 patients underwent ureteroscopy with or without lithotripsy for stone disease.

In all, 181 patients had a unilateral procedure and underwent stent placement postoperatively.

Records were retrospectively reviewed for operative data and PRE occurring within the first 6 weeks after surgery, defined as unscheduled clinic or Emergency Room visits, or adverse event telephone calls.

RESULTS

Of 181 patients who underwent ureteric stent placement, 43 (23.8%) included an extraction string.

In all, 34.3% of all patients had a PRE, including 37.2% and 33.3% of patients with and without extraction string, respectively (P= 0.64).

PRE occurred in men with or without an extraction string (27.8 vs 32.4%, respectively; P= 0.71) and women with or without an extraction string (44.0 vs 34.3%, respectively, P= 0.39).

PRE occurred with relatively equal frequency between men and women (P= 0.28).

Only two women (4.7%) reported removing their stent prematurely, on postoperative days 2 and 6.

CONCLUSIONS

Ureteric stent placement with extraction string after ureteroscopy for stone disease does not seem to result in more PRE, regardless of gender.

Prospective randomised trials are needed to determine the benefits and disadvantages of ureteric stents with extraction string.
A new prognostic model for cancer‐specific survival after radical cystectomy including pretreatment thrombocytosis and standard pathological risk factors
Authors: Todenhöfer Tilman , Renninger Markus , Schwentner Christian , Stenzl Arnulf , Gakis Georgios
Published: May 2012

Study Type – Prognosis (cohort series)

Level of Evidence 2a

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Preoperative thrombocytosis has been identified as a predictor of poor outcome in various cancer types. However, the prognostic role of platelet count in patients with invasive bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy is unknown.

The present study demonstrates that preoperative thrombocytosis is an independent risk factor for decreased cancer‐specific survival after radical treatment of invasive bladder cancer. We developed a new prognostic scoring model for cancer‐specific outcomes after radical cystectomy including platelet count and established pathological risk factors. Consideration of platelet count in the final model increased its predictive accuracy significantly. Thrombocytosis may be a useful parameter to include within established international bladder cancer nomograms.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the oncological significance of preoperative thrombocytosis in patients with invasive bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy, as it has been reported as a marker for aggressive tumour biology in a variety of solid tumours.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The series comprised 258 patients undergoing radical cystectomy between 1999 and 2010 in whom different clinical and histopathological parameters were assessed.

Elevated platelet count was defined as >450 × 109/L.

Based on regression estimates of significant parameters in multivariable analysis a new weighted scoring model was developed to predict cancer‐specific outcomes.

RESULTS

The median follow‐up was 30 months (6–116).

Of the 258 patients, 26 (10.1%) had elevated and 232 (89.9%) had normal platelet count. The 3‐year cancer‐specific survival in patients with normal and elevated platelet count was 61.5% and 32.7%, respectively (P < 0.001).

In multivariable analysis, cancer‐specific survival was significantly lower in patients with locally advanced disease (≥pT3a) (relative risk 2.91, 1.54–5.65; P= 0.001), positive soft tissue surgical margins (4.03, 1.99–7.92; P= 0.001) and thrombocytosis (2.68, 1.26–5.14; P= 0.011).

The 3‐year cancer‐specific survival in patients with a score 0 (low risk), 1–2 (intermediate risk) and 3–5 (high risk) was 81.0%, 54.8% and 8.2%, respectively (P < 0.001).

Consideration of preoperative platelet count in the final model increased its predictive accuracy by 1.8% with a concordance index of 0.745 (P= 0.040).

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of thrombocytosis at radical cystectomy portends unfavourable prognosis.

We constructed a simple weighted prognostic model for cancer‐specific outcomes after radical cystectomy based on pretreatment platelet count and established pathological risk factors.

These data warrant external validation and may allow for tailored monitoring and selection of appropriate patients for neoadjuvant and adjuvant trials.
Late recurrence of renal cell carcinoma >5 years after surgery: clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis
Authors: Park Yong Hyun , Baik Kyung Don , Lee Young Ju , Ku Ja Hyeon , Kim Hyeon Hoe , Kwak Cheol
Published: May 2012

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Late recurrence more than five years after the initial treatment is one of the biological behaviours specific for RCC. In our study, late recurrence was observed in 8.8% of the patients. Also, patients with late recurrence had more favorable clinicopathological features and better prognosis with long cancer‐specific survival after recurrence. Age and preoperative hs‐CRP levels may be independent predictive factors for late recurrence of RCC.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of late recurrence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 747 patients who had undergone curative surgery for RCC with follow‐up of >5 years or recurrence within 5 years were included in the study.

The patients were stratified into four groups based on cancer‐free intervals: no recurrence (no recurrence >5 years after surgery, n= 425), synchronous metastasis (n= 138), early recurrence (recurrence within 5 years, n= 143), and late recurrence (recurrence after 5 years, n= 41).

Multivariate analysis was performed to identify the clinicopathological factors affecting late recurrence and its clinical outcome.

RESULTS

The subgroups were significantly different in clinicopathological variables, including age, preoperative haemoglobin, platelet count, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) levels, pT stage and nuclear grade.

In multiple logistic regression analysis, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.085, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.012–1.163, P= 0.022), and preoperative hs‐CRP levels (OR 6.211, 95% CI 1.590–24.270, P= 0.009) were independent predictive factors for late recurrence.

In patients with synchronous metastasis, early recurrence and late recurrence, 5‐year cancer‐specific survival rates after recurrence were 27.0%, 41.1% and 73.7%, respectively (P < 0.001).

Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that cancer‐free interval, as well as body mass index, initial symptoms, Fuhrman's nuclear grade, sarcomatoid differentiation, lymphovascular invasion and metastasectomy, were independent predictive factors for cancer‐related death.

CONCLUSIONS

Late recurrence of RCC is not a rare event.

Patients with late recurrence had more favourable clinicopathological features and better prognosis with long cancer‐specific survival after recurrence.

Age and preoperative hs‐CRP levels may be independent predictive factors for late recurrence of RCC.
The IGD report ‘Energy density and its role in helping consumers make healthy choices’: a resource for food businesses
Authors: Hackett R.
Published: May 2012

Energy density is the energy (calorie) content per unit weight of a food, meal or diet. It is important in terms of its impact on an individual's energy intake and overall energy balance. With obesity as a major public health issue in the UK and many other countries, encouraging intake of foods that are lower in energy density could help consumers to reduce their energy intake and eat a healthy, balanced diet.

The food industry has a role in helping consumers achieve a healthy, balanced diet. Incorporating energy density as an element of the design or development of their products is one way through which food businesses might support this aim.

The Institute of Grocery Distribution's (IGD) Industry Nutrition Strategy Group has produced a report for food businesses to help them to consider energy density as part of new product development or product reformulation. ‘The role of energy density in helping consumers make healthy choices’ provides information on energy density and its role in energy balance, techniques to adjust the energy density of foods, with guidance on using this concept in consumer communications.
Financial penalties on foods: the fat tax in Denmark
Authors: Smed S.
Published: May 2012

This paper summarises the recently introduced fat tax in Denmark, which came into force on 1 October 2012, and discusses some of the consequences of introducing the tax. Furthermore, this paper discusses the theoretical background and reasoning for imposing a fat tax as well as some of the problems and concerns stated, especially by the food industry. The fat tax is a tax paid per kilogram of saturated fat in the following foods if the content of saturated fat exceeds 2.3 g/100 g. These include meat, dairy products and animal fats that are rendered or are extracted in other ways, edible oils and fats, margarine and spreadable blended spreads. The declared aim of the tax is to reduce the consumption of saturated fat among the Danish population in order to decrease the prevalence of diet‐related illnesses. The tax is part of a larger reform of the Danish tax system with the general aim of decreasing the income taxation pressure and financing it by, among other things, increased environmental and energy taxes, as well as increased ‘health’ taxes. Pre‐tax simulations predict that the health tax on saturated fat will give rise to a reduction in the consumption of saturated fat of approximately 8%.
Can physical activity improve the health of the overweight without weight loss?
Authors: Gibson‐Moore H.
Published: May 2012

The prevalence of obesity continues to rise, with over one quarter of the UK adult population in 2010 being classified as obese. Obesity has a severe impact on health and is associated with an array of serious health conditions. Physical inactivity is another major contributor to the global burden of disease and is also associated with a range of negative health outcomes. Research suggests that maintaining or improving fitness through physical activity is associated with a lower risk of developing obesity‐related conditions regardless of weight change. Therefore, healthcare professionals should place an emphasis on advising their patients to increase their physical activity levels to meet UK guidelines, as well as on eating a healthy, balanced diet and maintaining a healthy bodyweight.
An overview of the NUTRIMENTHE project
Authors: Horton C.
Published: May 2012

The NUTRIMENTHE project is in receipt of €5.9 million from the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme to study the effect of diet on the mental performance of children. The project is especially interested in the effect of B‐vitamins, protein (in breast and formula milk), minerals and long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids on the six main domains of mental performance. NUTRIMENTHE is also researching consumer perceptions of how diet affects mental performance and the economic consequence of improving mental performance. This article provides an insight into the results and progress made to date by the project.
On the Social Construction of Hellenism Cold War Narratives of Modernity, Development and Democracy for Greece
Authors: LALAKI DESPINA
Published: May 2012

Hellenism is one of those overarching, ever‐changing narratives always subject to historical circumstances, intellectual fashions and political needs. Conversely, it is fraught with meaning and conditioning powers, enabling and constraining imagination and practical life. In this essay I tease out the hold that the idea of Hellas has had on post‐war Greece and I explore the ways in which the American anti‐communist rhetoric and discussions about political and economic stabilization appropriated and rearticulated Hellenism. Central to this history of transformations are the archaeologists; the archaeologists as intellectuals, as producers of culture who, while stepping in and out of their disciplinary boundaries, rewrote and legitimized the new ideological properties of Hellenism while tapping into the resources of their profession.
The Context of Innovation Journeys
Authors: Rip Arie
Published: May 2012

While the innovation literature offers many insights about the dynamics of innovations and to some extent their embedding in society, the contexts in which this happens are often treated as specific and/or contingent. After a brief theoretical discussion of co‐evolutionary and actor‐network theories, I show that there are general patterns (‘layers’) in the context, in particular, niches, regimes and socio‐technical landscapes. A new ‘layer’ of institutionalized anticipatory co‐ordination is emerging, stimulated by the challenge of handling emerging technologies like nanotechnology. The analysis in terms of ‘layers’ raises questions about what the scope of agency can be.
Exploring Networks of Activism on Corporate Social Responsibility: Suggestions for a Research Agenda
Authors: de Bakker Frank G.A.
Published: May 2012

One increasingly important development for which firms need to find innovative solutions is the growing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The shaping of CSR can be seen as a process in which firms and a variety of other actors are involved. This paper highlights the role of activists, and especially the role of networks of activism, in the process of (re‐)defining, and sometimes innovating, the role of firms in issues of CSR. This can be seen as a process of institutional change in which norms are changed. Therefore, this paper contains a short theoretical examination of three relevant literatures (social movements, institutional theory and social network analysis) to flesh out some of their commonalities in order to develop proposals for a further research agenda for understanding how networks of activist groups (and firms) operate in shaping corporate social responsibility – an issue highly relevant in understanding the changing role of business in society. In addition, such insights can also contribute to understanding the role of activists in influencing innovation trajectories.
‘… A 40-Year-Old Black Man Made the Point to Me’: Everyday Knowledge and the Performance of Leadership in Contemporary British Politics
Authors: Atkins Judi , Finlayson Alan
Published: May 2012

In this article we demonstrate the application of rhetorical political analysis in the study of political communication and political ideas and ideologies. Taking the rhetorical use of anecdotes as a case study, we find that their use by mainstream party leaders in Britain has proliferated markedly since the mid-1990s. Drawing on examples from speeches by leaders of all three main parties, we show how these stories are employed as a form of argumentative proof that relies significantly on the elevation of ‘everyday’ experience and knowledge above expert or technical knowledge. We argue that this reflects a more general ‘valorisation of lay knowledge’ and, moreover, that it is indicative of a form of populist ideology.
Likelihood inference for discriminating between long‐memory and change‐point models
Authors: Yau Chun Yip , Davis Richard A.
Published: May 2012

We develop a likelihood ratio (LR) test procedure for discriminating between a short‐memory time series with a change‐point (CP) and a long‐memory (LM) time series. Under the null hypothesis, the time series consists of two segments of short‐memory time series with different means and possibly different covariance functions. The location of the shift in the mean is unknown. Under the alternative, the time series has no shift in mean but rather is LM. The LR statistic is defined as the normalized log‐ratio of the Whittle likelihood between the CP model and the LM model, which is asymptotically normally distributed under the null. The LR test provides a parametric alternative to the CUSUM test proposed by Berkes et al. (2006). Moreover, the LR test is more general than the CUSUM test in the sense that it is applicable to changes in other marginal or dependence features other than a change‐in‐mean. We show its good performance in simulations and apply it to two data examples.
Local elections and consumption insurance
Authors: Gan Li , Xu Lixin Colin , Yao Yang
Published: May 2012

During our sample period from 1987 to 2002, Chinese villages completed the transition from government‐appointed village leaders to elected ones. This article examines if and how much democratic elections of the village leaders affected consumption insurance by Chinese village residents. Exploring a panel dataset of 1,400 households from this period, we find that consumption insurance is around 20 percent more complete with elected village leaders. Furthermore, local elections improve consumption insurance only for the poor and middle‐income farmers, but not for the rich. The results are robust when we allow for pretrending, potential endogeneity of elections, and higher measurement errors for rich residents. We also find that the effects on consumption insurance are stronger when closer to the upcoming election year and when the village committees consist largely of non‐Communist Party members. These findings suggest that the election effects on consumption insurance partly come from increasing accountability to local constituents.
Bank loans vs. trade credit
Authors: Du Julan , Lu Yi , Tao Zhigang
Published: May 2012

Using a World Bank dataset of Chinese firms, we investigate the relative importance of bank loans and trade credit in promoting firm performance. To deal with possible endogeneity issues, we employ distinct and separable instrumental variables for bank loans and trade credit. We find that access to bank loans is central to improving firm performance and growth, while the availability of trade credit is much less important. Our results suggest that trade credit cannot effectively substitute for bank loans. Overall, our findings suggest the need for further development of China's formal financial institutions, which would enable the non‐state sector to grow much faster than it has grown in recent decades.
Consumption smoothing in Russia1
Authors: Notten Geranda , Crombrugghe Denis de
Published: May 2012

Using a panel from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (1994–2004), this paper investigates to what extent Russian households have been able to maintain their living standards while suffering income shocks. Consumption smoothing is modelled by means of an equilibrium correction mechanism, which disentangles short‐run dynamics and long‐run equilibrium adjustments. GMM estimation is used to control for individual household effects in the presence of dynamics. Additionally, we differentiate between food and non‐food consumption, positive and negative shocks, rural and urban areas, and several levels of poverty risk. We find that dynamics are important in the consumption equation, and that estimates are sensitive to imputation errors in home food production. No strong claims can be made regarding heterogeneity in smoothing behaviour.
HIV‐2 infection in Providence, Rhode Island from 2002 to 2011
Authors: Hollenbeck BL , Beckwith CG
Published: May 2012

Objectives

In contrast to HIV‐1 infection, little is known about the natural disease course of HIV‐2 and its response to antiretrovirals (ARVs). We describe a cohort of HIV‐2‐infected patients, focusing on the method of diagnosis, ARV treatment and complications.

Methods

Through a retrospective review of medical records at our centre, we identified 12 patients with HIV‐2 infection in our clinic population (1400 active patients) who received care between 2002 and 2011. We summarized clinical characteristics, ARV treatment and outcomes.

Results

Seven of the patients were male and five were female. All patients were born in West African countries. The mode of transmission was heterosexual intercourse in 11 patients, and injecting drug use in one patient. The median CD4 count at the time of diagnosis was 668 cells/μL (range 23 to 1546 cells/μL). HIV‐2 quantitative viral load measurements were not uniformly available to clinicians. Four patients were treated with protease inhibitor‐based regimens, with a mean increase in CD4 count of 183 cells/μL (range 43 to 341 cells/μL). The other eight patients have been observed off ARVs. Two patients experienced complications from HIV, one patient had HIV encephalopathy and molluscom contagiosum, and another had microsporidiosis infection in the setting of AIDS.

Conclusion

Our results support those of previous studies indicating that HIV‐2 has a more indolent disease course than HIV‐1, with a spectrum of disease ranging from asymptomatic to AIDS. Development of a reliable quantitative HIV‐2 viral load assay to guide management is needed. Further research studies are needed to establish the best time to start ARV treatment in HIV‐2‐infected patients.
Dominance of non‐native species increases over time in a historically invaded strandline community
Authors: Heard Matthew J. , Sax Dov F. , Bruno John F.
Published: May 2012

Aim

We lack a robust understanding of whether exotic species, in addition to causing changes immediately after establishing, might continue to increase in dominance long after invasion events occur. To address this, we resurveyed strandline plant communities, which are likely to have been invaded for over two centuries.

Location

Northeastern USA.

Methods

We resurveyed the richness and cover of native and exotic plants in 2008 and 2009 at 18 sites, which had originally been surveyed in 1998. We examined whether native and exotic dominance had changed, whether native‐rich sites were less likely to be impacted by exotics over time, whether changes in dominance were driven by large changes in a small number of outlier species or by small, incremental changes among many species and whether disturbance mediated any of these relationships.

Results

Exotic dominance increased across sites. Initial native diversity was unrelated to patterns of exotic dominance during resurveys. The identity of species that were outliers with respect to changes in distribution or cover varied between resurvey years. Significant changes in exotic‐to‐native richness ratios at sites were detectible with or without the inclusion of outlier species, but changes in abundance ratios were only significant when outlier species were included. Disturbance across sites was not correlated with species richness, cover, or changes in dominance.

Main conclusions

In this historically invaded community, exotics have increased in dominance over the last decade. This change is not due solely to the success of a few hyper‐dominant species, but also to the cumulative effect of small changes in distribution among many species. It remains unclear whether patterns observed are due to invasion processes that are playing out very slowly through time or to some other explanation. Our findings highlight the need for a more robust understanding of the long‐term dynamics of species invasions.
Updating the global‐local disorder concept (revisiting Peck and Tickell)
Authors: Wilson David
Published: May 2012

This essay updates and refines Peck and Tickell's important notion of global‐local disorder that is identified as the centrepiece of their classic thesis ‘Jungle law breaks out’. Three points are offered to nuance this concept in today's complex political‐economic times. First, we need to identify local governances as more vibrant and active in engaging capital. Whereas Peck and Tickell present a constricted, moribund local governance, I posit this formation as surprisingly active (i.e. it accepts and spurns fractions of capital). Second, we need to recognise the importance of the national scale in structuring governance‐driven economic development. While Peck and Tickell posit an essentially ‘hollowed out’, unimportant national scale, I suggest that this scale continues to house an important resource routinely tapped by local economic development actors: nationalist ideologies. Third, we need to identify the most recent survivalist strategy used by local governances: the deploying of the ‘economy of fear’ generally and the ‘global trope’ in particular. Peck and Tickell provide little specificity about this governance's ability to negotiate turbulence and contradiction. These points are meant as refinements of a thesis that I suggest is still important in guiding our understanding of contemporary economic development policy in the UK and US.
The lore of the jungle: neoliberalism and statecraft in the global‐local disorder (revisiting Peck and Tickell)
Authors: MacLeavy Julie
Published: May 2012

In 1994, Jamie Peck and Adam Tickell published ‘Jungle law breaks out: neoliberalism and global‐local disorder’. In this paper, Peck and Tickell proposed that the dramatic acceleration of place‐based competition was the result of political‐economic disorder at the global scale and that neoliberalism was critical to the understanding of this shift in scale of political and economic governance practices. Moreover, they argued that rather than restoring and sustaining economic growth, local strategies were the product of continuing regulatory crisis. Peck and Tickell's insights helped inspire and initiate one of the most influential and growing areas of political economic geography: the theorisation and research of neoliberalism. This body of work presents neoliberalism as the regulatory expression of capitalism's unstable, contradictory and crisis‐ridden dynamic to highlight the ongoing search for a new institutional fix. This commentary traces Peck and Tickell's original insights in relation to the persistent framing of neoliberalism as an inevitable response to the breakdown of Keynesian‐Welfarism. Drawing on research on welfare state restructuring, it further outlines how the ‘lore’ of neoliberalism as regulatory solution inhibits discussion of alternative regulatory forms.
Taxonomical and biostratigraphical significance of the North African radiolitid rudist bivalve Praeradiolites biskraensis (Coquand, 1880)
Authors: PONS JOSE MARIA , VICENS ENRIC , CHIKHI‐AOUIMEUR FETTOUMA , ABDALLAH HASSEN
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  The revision of the radiolitid rudist bivalve Praeradiolites biskraensis (Coquand), including shell morphology and structure, taxonomical status, and palaeogeographical and stratigraphical distribution, was undertaken. We studied Coquand’s collection, other specimens from the type locality, Col de Sfa, and other Algerian fossil localities, as well as recently collected material from the Gafsa region in Tunisia. A neotype from Col de Sfa is proposed. The stratigraphical distribution of the species is bracketed in the Upper Cenomanian, using the distribution of co‐occurring ammonites in Tunisia and microfossils in Algeria. The palaeogeographical distribution is verified for Algeria and Tunisia based on all records in North Africa. Survey of the taxonomical status and problems of related radiolitid genera has resulted in revised diagnoses of Praeradiolites Douvillé, Eoradiolites Douvillé, Sphaerulites Lamarck and Radiolites Lamarck and revealed problems with Radiolites fleuriaui d’Orbigny, which is being the type species of Praeradiolites. Maghrebites gen. nov. is proposed for the North African radiolitid rudist Praeradiolites biskraensis (Coquand).
New birkeniid anaspid from the Lower Devonian of Scotland and its phylogenetic implications
Authors: BLOM HENNING
Published: May 2012

Abstract: A new possible stem gnathostome,Kerreralepis carinatagen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of a single specimen from the Lower Devonian of the island of Kerrera in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. It is recognized as an anaspid by the chevron‐like arranged rod‐shaped scales on the trunk, gill openings extending behind the orbits in a slanting row and a series of median dorsal ridge scales. This specimen also has a series of median ventral plates, indicating the presence of a preanal fin‐fold, which in turn has consequences for interpretations of other problematic stem gnathostomes and their phylogenetic context. A cladistic analysis supports a monophyletic Anaspida including the scale‐covered birkeniids but excludingLasaniusas well as anaspid‐like forms such asEuphaneropsandJamoytius. The establishment of a new genus and species increases the diversity of anaspids and allows for a more detailed study of anaspid interrelationships. An ingroup analysis usingLasaniusas an outgroup resolvesBirkeniaas a rather basal anaspid, sister to all other anaspids, alternatively sister to a clade represented by the taxa from Ringerike, Norway, and the closely associated taxon from Saaremaa Island, Estonia. These topologies agree rather well with the present fossil record of anaspids.
Spore assemblages from the Lower Devonian Xujiachong Formation from Qujing, Yunnan, China
Authors: WELLMAN CHARLES H. , ZHU HUAICHENG , MARSHALL JOHN E. A. , WANG YI , BERRY CHRISTOPHER M. , XU HONGHE
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  The Lower Devonian Xujiachong Formation from the vicinity of Qujing City, Yunnan, China is interpreted as a terrestrial‐fluviatile‐lacustrine sequence. It contains important nonmarine biotas including plants, fish and invertebrates. The plants are particularly interesting as they include many endemic taxa. Dispersed spore assemblages have been recovered from the upper part of this formation. The spores are well preserved and of moderate thermal maturity. They are systematically described and four new species erected: Aneurospora xujiachongensis sp. nov., Chelinospora ouyangii sp. nov., Camptozonotriletes? luii sp. nov. and Leiozonospora xichongensis sp. nov. One new combination is proposed: Aneurospora conica (Ouyang and Lu) comb. nov. This is a rare report of a Lower Devonian dispersed spore assemblage from the South China Plate. Indeed, few dispersed spore assemblages of this age are known outside of Euramerica and Northern Gondwana. It is suggested that the Xujiachong Formation spore assemblages can all be equated to the polygonalis‐emsiensis Spore Assemblages Biozone (PE SAB) of Richardson and McGregor (1986) indicating an early (but not earliest) Pragian to ?earliest Emsian age. However, caution is urged, because biostratigraphical interpretation is difficult owing to distinct differences between dispersed spore assemblages from South China and Euramerica/Northern Gondwana. This almost certainly reflects palaeophytogeographical variation and regional endemism among early land plant floras on widely separated land masses. Palynofacies analysis supports a nonmarine origin for the deposits of the Xujiachong Formation, with the very rare marine palynomorphs that were encountered interpreted as reworked.
Fossil amoebae (Hemiarcherellidae fam. nov.) from Albian (Cretaceous) amber of France
Authors: VINCENT GIRARD
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  Two extraordinarily well‐preserved testate amoebae are described from Late Albian age amber from south‐western France. The specimens are attributed to a new family, the Hemiarcherellidae fam. nov., and are described as Hemiarcherella christellae gen. et sp. nov. The amoebae described herein originate from highly fossiliferous amber pieces. Based on syninclusions, Hemiarcherella christellae was a soil‐dwelling organism, probably an active bacterivore. This taxon represents the third species of testate amoebae described from mid‐Cretaceous French amber. Analysis of this fossil amoeba fauna illustrates the uniqueness of mid‐Cretaceous French amber deposits. Indeed, most amoebae found in amber have been assigned to modern species, corroborating the hypothesis of morphological stasis in different microbial lineages. However, the well‐preserved amoebae fauna found in French amber can be distinguished clearly from modern species and help us to better understand the fossil record of these organisms.
The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Medicare Advantage Plan Availability and Enrollment
Authors: Afendulis Christopher C. , Landrum Mary Beth , Chernew Michael E.
Published: May 2012

Objective

To assess the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (ACA) changes in Medicare Advantage (MA) payment rates on the availability of and enrollment in MA plans.

Data Sources

Secondary data on MA plan offerings, contract offerings, and enrollment by state and county, in 2010–2011.

Study Design

We estimated regression models of the change in the number of plans, the number of contracts, and enrollment as a function of quartiles of FFS spending and pre‐ACA MA payment generosity. Counties in the lowest quartile of spending are treated most generously by the ACA.

Principal Findings

Relative to counties in the highest quartile of spending, the number of plans in counties in the first, second, and third quartiles rose by 12 percent, 7.6 percent, and 5.4 percent, respectively. Counties with more generous MA payment rates before the ACA lost significantly more plans. We did not find a similar impact on the change in contracts or enrollment.

Conclusions

The ACA‐induced MA payment changes reduced the number of plan choices available for Medicare beneficiaries, but they have yet affected enrollment patterns.
Reassessment of the pharmacology of Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate S1P3 receptor ligands using the DiscoveRx PathHunter™ and Ca2+ release functional assays
Authors: Riddy DM , Stamp C , Sykes DA , Charlton SJ , Dowling MR
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE DiscoverRx's PathHunter™ assay measures GPCR agonist potency, via the recruitment of β‐arrestin, independent of the subtype of Gα protein activated. This assay is frequently used in drug discovery although little is known about the agonist pharmacology generated. Here we have compared agonist potency, efficacy and affinity values obtained in PathHunter™ assays with those from more established radioligand binding and functional techniques.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Using cells expressing the human sphingosine‐1‐phosphate S1P3 receptor at four different densities, we compared pharmacological affinity and efficacy values of four structurally distinct ligands – FTY720‐P, VPC24191, CYM5442 and the endogenous agonist S1P – obtained from competition binding, functional Ca2+ release and PathHunter™ assays.

KEY RESULTS The pKi values for S1P were significantly different (9.34 ± 0.10 and 8.92 ± 0.15) in clones expressing different receptor levels using the binding assay. In the PathHunter™ and Ca2+ assays, S1P and CYM5442 were full agonists, FTY720‐P was a partial agonist, while the efficacy of VPC24191 could not be detected in PathHunter™ assays. VPC23019, previously described as a S1P1/3 receptor antagonist, behaved as an S1P3 receptor partial agonist in the Ca2+ release assay.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Comparison of data from the PathHunter™ assay with binding and functional Ca2+ assays suggest that PathHunter™ assays measured a different agonist‐bound receptor conformation. While this assay has great utility in drug discovery, care must be taken as high‐efficacy, low‐affinity agonist compounds would not be detected. Therefore highly amplified, more traditional assays are necessary to identify agonists with low efficacy.
Electroclinical pattern in MECP2 duplication syndrome: Eight new reported cases and review of literature
Authors: Vignoli Aglaia , Borgatti Renato , Peron Angela , Zucca Claudio , Ballarati Lucia , Bonaglia Clara , Bellini Melissa , Giordano Lucio , Romaniello Romina , Bedeschi Maria Francesca , Epifanio Roberta , Russo Silvia , Caselli Rossella , Giardino Daniela , Darra Francesca , La Briola Francesca , Banderali Giuseppe , Canevini Maria Paola
Published: May 2012

Purpose:  Duplications encompassing the MECP2 gene on the Xq28 region have been described in male patients with moderate to severe mental retardation, absent speech, neonatal hypotonia, progressive spasticity and/or ataxia, recurrent severe respiratory infections, gastrointestinal problems, mild facial dysmorphisms (midface hypoplasia, depressed nasal bridge, large ears) and epilepsy. Epilepsy can occur in >50% of cases, but the types of seizures and the electroclinical findings in affected male individuals have been poorly investigated up to the present. Herein we describe eight patients with MECP2 duplication syndrome and a specific clinical and electroencephalographic pattern.

Methods:  Array CGH of genomic DNA from the probands was performed, and an Xq28 duplication ranging from 209 kb to 6.36 Mb was found in each patient. Electroencephalography studies and clinical and seizure features of all the patients were analyzed.

Key findings:  We found that epilepsy tended to occur between late childhood and adolescence. Episodes of loss of tone of the head and/or the trunk were the most represented seizure types. Generalized tonic–clonic seizures were rarely observed. The typical interictal EEG pattern showed abnormal background activity, with generalized slow spike and wave asynchronous discharge with frontotemporal predominance. Sleep electroencephalography studies also demonstrated abnormal background activity; spindles and K complex were often abnormal in morphology and amplitude. Response to therapy was generally poor and drug resistance was a significant feature.

Significance:  Although these cases and a review of the literature indicate that epilepsy associated with MECP2 duplication syndrome cannot be considered a useful marker for early diagnosis, epilepsy is present in >90% of adolescent patients and shows a peculiar electroclinical pattern. Consequently, it should be considered a significant sign of the syndrome, and an EEG follow‐up of these patients should be encouraged from early childhood. Moreover, the definition of a more specific epileptic phenotype could be useful in order to suspect MECP2 duplication syndrome in older undiagnosed patients.
Distinctive polysomnographic traits in nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Parrino Liborio , De Paolis Fernando , Milioli Giulia , Gioi Gioia , Grassi Andrea , Riccardi Silvia , Colizzi Elena , Terzano Mario Giovanni
Published: May 2012

Purpose:  To describe the polysomnographic features and distribution of epileptic motor events, in relation to conventional sleep measures and cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) parameters, in 40 untreated patients with nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE).

Methods:  We analyzed the basal polysomnographic recordings of 40 patients (20 male and 20 female; mean age: 31 ± 10 years) with a diagnosis of nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. Conventional sleep measures and CAP parameters were assessed. Polysomnographic recordings were subdivided in sleep cycles. The distribution of the epileptic motor events (including minor motor events, paroxysmal arousals, tonic‐dystonic, or hyperkinetic seizures and epileptic nocturnal wandering) was analyzed throughout: total sleep time, non–rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep, light sleep (S1 + S2), slow wave sleep (SWS), each sleep cycle, CAP or non‐CAP sleep, phase A and phase B of CAP. Only clear epileptic motor events supported by video–polysomnographic evidence were taken into consideration. Polysomnographic findings of patients with NFLE were compared with those of 24 age‐ and gender‐balanced healthy subjects without sleep complaints.

Key Findings:  Compared to controls, patients with NFLE showed a significant increase in wake after sleep onset, SWS duration, and REM latency, whereas REM sleep duration was significantly lower in NFLE patients. The patients with NFLE showed a significant increase of CAP time, CAP rate (72% vs. 32% in control group), CAP cycles, and mean duration of a CAP sequence. These findings were associated with a significant enhancement of all subtypes of the A phases of CAP (mainly subtype A1). A total of 139 epileptic motor events supported by video‐polysomnographic evidence were counted: 98% of all seizures occurred in NREM sleep and 72% of NREM seizures emerged from SWS, the latter being particularly collected in the first sleep cycles and decreasing in frequency together with the progressive decline of deep sleep. Ninety percent of total NREM seizures occurred during a CAP sequence, and CAP‐related seizures occurred in association with a phase A.

Significance:  Significant polysomnographic alterations seem to emerge in patients with NFLE (increased REM latency, epileptic fragmentation of SWS, and increase of CAP rate). The analysis of seizure distribution showed that most epileptic events occurred in SWS, with predominance in the first sleep cycle and decreasing in frequency together with the homeostatic decline of SWS across the night. Within the NREM sleep, CAP is a manifestation of unstable sleep and represents a powerful predisposing condition for the occurrence of nocturnal motor seizures, which arise in concomitance with a phase A.
The Effects of Distraction on Cognitive Task Performance During Toddlerhood
Authors: Wyss Nancy M. , Kannass Kathleen N. , Haden Catherine A.
Published: May 2012

We investigated the effects of distraction on attention and task performance during toddlerhood. Thirty toddlers (24‐ to 26‐month‐olds) completed different tasks (2 of each: categorization, problem solving, memory, free play) in one of two conditions: No Distraction or Distraction. The results revealed that the distractor had varying effects on performance scores depending on the task: The problem solving and memory tasks were more susceptible to distraction. In addition, the two conditions showed different patterns of attention over time. Toddlers in the No Distraction condition were more attentive, and their attention remained consistently high across the session. Toddlers in the Distraction condition increased their attention to the task and decreased their attention to the distractor in the second half of the session. This study demonstrates how the presence of distraction influences toddlers’ performance on individual cognitive tasks and contributes to our understanding of distractibility and endogenous attention during toddlerhood. This work also has implications for how environmental noise, such as background television, may influence cognitive development.