bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Industrial Policy
Authors: Williams Dominic
Published: December 2010

This article looks at the economic and political history of industrial policy under the Labour government of 1997–2010. The theoretical debate over industrial policy goes back to the 19th century, but the Labour government used neo-classical economic theory to justify state intervention in the market. It was also heavily influenced by European policy, including the Lisbon Agenda. While New Labour continued to favour some industries, there was no industrial policy as such. Instead, the government used tax revenues to create public jobs and jobs dependent on public sector spending. While the economic crisis and the change of administration will remove many of the distortions of this policy, the challenge is to create a new approach to economic revival in less prosperous regions of the UK.
Repression of Sudanese civil society under the National Islamic Front/National Congress Party
Authors: Ali Bashir
Published: December 2010

Political change in Sudan gathered momentum after 1989, with the government introducing policies of control and restriction on the one hand, and an increasing number of civil society organisations seeking to establish and legitimise their (autonomous) identity and secure their continued existence on the other. This article concentrates uniquely on Sudanese non-governmental organisations and civil society (notably community-based organisations), focusing on the regime's institutions and social organisation and social and political opposition to the regime. It shows how the Islamic movement uses religion and power to sustain and protect a political system which has lost its credibility and legitimacy among many Sudanese. The article focuses on the rise of the National Islamic Front from a small political party, through a period as the third political force after the election of 1986, to a ruling party in the wake of the military coup of 1989. It discusses structures and processes of rule under the National Islamic Front, as well as the causes leading to the failure of its own Islamic project in the country. It suggests that the rise of an Islamic movement in Sudan is itself a reflection of a decline in local or grassroots initiatives for social change, and summarises relations between the National Islamic Front and non-governmental/citizen-based organisations. It concludes that even in the absence of democracy, and under a brutal authoritarian regime, non-governmental organisations can engage effectively and contribute to social and economic change, particularly those affecting the marginalised poor, by raising issues of concern about, and promoting alternatives to, political Islam.
India's rise to power: where does East Africa fit in?
Authors: Narlikar Amrita
Published: December 2010

Considerable uncertainty surrounds the intentions and aspirations of rising powers, particularly the extent to which they are status quo or revisionist. How a new power behaves with some of the weakest members of the international system provides a useful indicator of how it will go on to behave as it emerges as a Great Power. In this paper, India's engagement with East Africa is analysed. East Africa offers a particularly rich ground for conducting such an analysis: it comprises some of the world's poorest countries with which India has had a long history of foreign relations, and has also attracted considerable involvement in recent years by China (another major power on the rise). While the central focus of the paper is on India's East Africa foreign policy, China's presence in the region offers an important point of comparison that helps us identify some of the unique features of India's pathway to power. The analysis generates several interesting findings on India's negotiation strategy as a rising power, its willingness to provide leadership, and a set of development ideas that it offers as a potential alternative to not just the Washington Consensus but also the Beijing Consensus.
The Vibe: A Versatile Vision‐to‐Audition Sensory Substitution Device
Authors: Hanneton Sylvain , Auvray Malika , Durette Barthélemy
Published: December 2010

We describe a sensory substitution scheme that converts a video stream into an audio stream in real‐time. It was initially developed as a research tool for studying human ability to learn new ways of perceiving the world: the Vibe can give us the ability to learn a kind of ‘vision’ by audition. It converts a video stream into a continuous stereophonic audio signal that conveys information coded from the video stream. The conversion from the video stream to the audio stream uses a kind of retina with receptive fields. Each receptive field controls a sound source and the user listens to a sound that is a mixture of all these sound sources. Compared to other existing vision‐to‐audition sensory substitution devices, the Vibe is highly versatile in particular because it uses a set of configurable units working in parallel. In order to demonstrate the validity and interest of this method of vision to audition conversion, we give the results of an experiment involving a pointing task to targets memorised through visual perception or through their auditory conversion by the Vibe. This article is also an opportunity to precisely draw the general specifications of this scheme in order to prepare its implementation on an autonomous/mobile hardware.
Quantifying Age‐Related Differences in Human Reaching while Interacting with a Rehabilitation Robotic Device
Authors: Yadav Vivek , Schmiedeler James P. , McDowell Sharon , Worthen-Chaudhari Lise
Published: December 2010

New movement assessment and data analysis methods are developed to quantify human arm motion patterns during physical interaction with robotic devices for rehabilitation. These methods provide metrics for future use in diagnosis, assessment and rehabilitation of subjects with affected arm movements. Specifically, the current study uses existing pattern recognition methods to evaluate the effect of age on performance of a specific motion, reaching to a target by moving the end‐effector of a robot (an X‐Y table). Differences in the arm motion patterns of younger and older subjects are evaluated using two measures: the principal component analysis similarity factor (SPCA) to compare path shape and the number of Fourier modes representing 98% of the path ‘energy’ to compare the smoothness of movement, a particularly important variable for assessment of pathologic movement. Both measures are less sensitive to noise than others previously reported in the literature and preserve information that is often lost through other analysis techniques. Data from the SPCA analysis indicate that age is a significant factor affecting the shapes of target reaching paths, followed by reaching movement type (crossing body midline/not crossing) and reaching side (left/right); hand dominance and trial repetition are not significant factors. Data from the Fourier‐based analysis likewise indicate that age is a significant factor affecting smoothness of movement, and movements become smoother with increasing trial number in both younger and older subjects, although more rapidly so in younger subjects. These results using the proposed data analysis methods confirm current practice that age‐matched subjects should be used for comparison to quantify recovery of arm movement during rehabilitation. The results also highlight the advantages that these methods offer relative to other reported measures.
Nobody Dares: Freedom, Dissent, Self-Knowing, and Other Possibilities in Sebald Beham'sImpossible*
Authors: Merback Mitchell B.
Published: December 2010

Featuring the image of an athlete tugging at a rooted sapling, Impossible is the most enigmatic of the many small-scale engravings produced by Hans Sebald Beham. Juxtaposed with the adage “Nobody should dare great things that are impossible for him to do,” the image not only challenges the astute viewer to a game of wits: the resulting paradox also unleashes a cascade of ethical questions concerning the boundedness of the will, Christian freedom, human perfectibility, and the paradoxical conditions of self-knowledge. These issues came to the fore in the sixteenth-century debate over free will, which pitted humanists, magisterial, and radical reformers against one another. Beham's documented experience as a religious and political dissident during the 1520s raises the possibility that the print, made later in life, embeds still another allegorical layer: the conflicted situation of the artist in an era of reform and iconoclasm, Renaissance and revolution, hope and disillusionment.
The Study of Nature, Philosophy, and the Royal Library of San Lorenzo of the Escorial*
Authors: Portuondo María M.
Published: December 2010

Interpretations of the iconography of the Royal Library of the Escorial have fostered many assessments of the intellectual panorama of late sixteenth-century Spain. This study advances the thesis that once the Royal Library was established in its permanent premises attempts were made to define its intellectual agenda, and in particular to redirect the study of nature undertaken there in a rather distinct and novel direction. To identify this agenda, this study shuns iconographic interpretation to focus instead on Friar José de Sigüenza's description of the library's frescoes. Once this discourse by the librarian of the Escorial is read independently of meanings that might have been inscribed in the library's iconography and is complemented with insights gleaned from other works by its author and his mentor, Benito Arias Montano, the librarian's description reveals itself to be a manifesto of how the friar thought the study of nature should be undertaken at the Escorial. It entailed a reorientation away from Aristotelian and empiricist approaches and toward the elaboration of a radically new biblist metaphysics.
Toward Quantitative “In Vivo Biochemistry” with Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy
Authors: Slaughter Brian D. , Li Rong
Published: December 2010

Quantitative description of protein dynamics and interactions in vivo with temporal and spatial resolution is a key step in dissecting molecular mechanisms in cell biology. Fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy (FFS) has recently emerged as a powerful in vivo tool for assessing molecular concentration and movement and formation of hetero- and homo-oligomeric complexes. This article discusses point FFS-based analysis methods that have proven useful to cell biologists, focusing on the kinds of information they provide, their pros and cons, and the basic instrumentation required. Along the way, we describe briefly a few recent examples where these analyses have helped address important biological questions.
European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Association Standards for delivering heart failure care
Authors: McDonagh Theresa A. , Blue Lynda , Clark Andrew L. , Dahlström Ulf , Ekman Inger , Lainscak Mitja , McDonald Kenneth , Ryder Mary , Strömberg Anna , Jaarsma Tiny ,   on behalf of Heart Failure Association Committee on Patient Care
Published: December 2010

The management of heart failure (HF) is complex. As a consequence, most cardiology society guidelines now state that HF care should be delivered in a multiprofessional manner. The evidence base for this approach now means that the establishment of HF management programmes is a priority. This document aims to summarize the key elements which should be involved in, as well as some more desirable features which can improve the delivery of care in a HF management programme, while bearing in mind that the specifics of the service may vary from site to site. We envisage a situation whereby all patients have access to the best possible care, including improved access to palliative care services, informed by and responsive to advances in diagnosis management and treatment. The goal should be to provide a ‘seamless' system of care across primary and hospital care so that the management of every patient is optimal, no matter where they begin or continue their health‐care journey.
Prmt5 is essential for early mouse development and acts in the cytoplasm to maintain ES cell pluripotency
Authors: Tee Wee-Wei , Pardo Mercedes , Theunissen Thorold W. , Yu Lu , Choudhary Jyoti S. , Hajkova Petra , Surani M. Azim
Published: December 2010

Prmt5, an arginine methyltransferase, has multiple roles in germ cells, and possibly in pluripotency. Here we show that loss of Prmt5 function is early embryonic-lethal due to the abrogation of pluripotent cells in blastocysts. Prmt5 is also up-regulated in the cytoplasm during the derivation of embryonic stem (ES) cells together with Stat3, where they persist to maintain pluripotency. Prmt5 in association with Mep50 methylates cytosolic histone H2A (H2AR3me2s) to repress differentiation genes in ES cells. Loss of Prmt5 or Mep50 results in derepression of differentiation genes, indicating the significance of the Prmt5/Mep50 complex for pluripotency, which may occur in conjunction with the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)/Stat3 pathway.
Deepened extinction following compound stimulus presentation: Noradrenergic modulation
Authors: Janak Patricia H. , Corbit Laura H.
Published: December 2010

Behavioral extinction is an active form of new learning involving the prediction of nonreward where reward has previously been present. The expression of extinction learning can be disrupted by the presentation of reward itself or reward-predictive stimuli (reinstatement) as well as the passage of time (spontaneous recovery) or contextual changes (renewal). The following experiments replicated the demonstration that presenting multiple previously rewarded stimuli in compound during extinction enhances extinction learning. To explore the pharmacological basis for this we next examined the effects of pharmacological treatments that either facilitated or blocked noradrenergic activity to test the hypothesis that increased noradrenergic activity at the time of extinction training would improve, whereas blockade of noradrenergic activity would impair the extinction of appetitive stimulus–reward memories. Different groups of rats were trained in a discriminative stimulus paradigm to lever-press for food reward. Once stable responding was achieved, responding was extinguished for 2 d. Prior to a third extinction session, rats received systemic administration of either saline, yohimbine (α2 antagonist), atomoxetine (norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor), or propranolol (β-receptor antagonist). Spontaneous recovery of responding to the stimuli was tested 4 wk later. Our results indicate that increasing noradrenergic activity during extinction augments extinction learning resulting in less recovery of responding at test. These results have important implications for models of relapse to drug seeking and the development of extinction-based therapies.
EZH2 regulates expression of p57 and contributes to progression of ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Guo Jianfeng , Cai Jing , Yu Lili , Tang Huijuan , Chen Chunyan , Wang Zehua
Published: December 2010

In order to determine the expression pattern of EZH2 in ovarian neoplasms and assess the functions and mechanism of EZH2 in tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo, we detected the protein and mRNA expression of EZH2 and p57 in normal, benign and malignant ovarian tissues, used shRNA to knock down EZH2 expression in ovarian cancer cells and established a nude mouse xenograft model. We found EZH2 was overexpressed in ovarian tumor with the highest level expression in malignant ovarian tissues, and the variation of EZH2 expression at different pathological type/grade and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages was statistically significant. Furthermore, the EZH2 expression was inversely correlated with the p57 mRNA level in ovarian tissues. Moreover, inhibition of endogenous EZH2 increased the expression of p57 and reduced proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer cells. Loss of EZH2 suppresses ovarian tumor formation in vivo. Our results indicate that the EZH2 gene acts as an oncogene in tumorigenesis of ovarian cancer with the possible mechanism to suppress the anti‐oncogene p57. EZH2 is a potential therapeutic target for treatment of ovarian cancer. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 530–539)
Clinical features of heart failure hospitalization in younger and elderly patients in Taiwan
Authors: Tseng Chin‐Hsiao
Published: December 2010

Eur J Clin Invest 2011; 41 (6): 597–604

Background  This study compared the comorbidities, drugs, expenses and in‐hospital mortality between younger and elderly patients hospitalized with heart failure.

Methods  A random sample of 1 000 000 insurants of the National Health Insurance program of Taiwan in 2005 was used. Comparisons were made between younger (20–64 years) and elderly (≥ 65 years) patients.

Results  Heart failure hospitalization was identified in 2692 patients. Ageing, female sex, diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, nephropathy, infection and ischaemic heart disease were significantly associated with heart failure hospitalization. The incidence was 88 and 2181 per 100 000 population, in younger and elderly people, respectively. The most common comorbidity in the elderly was hypertension (38·3%), followed by infection (32·0%) and ischaemic heart disease (31·9%). In younger patients, hypertension (41·3%), diabetes (35·5%) and ischaemic heart disease (29·8%) were the most common comorbidity. Diuretics were the most common drugs for both the younger (74·4%) and the elderly (76·9%) patients, followed by angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers and aspirin. The length of stay was longer (17·1 vs. 11·0 days, P < 0·0001), total expense higher (105 290·5 vs. 85 473·6 New Taiwan Dollars, P < 0·05) and in‐hospital mortality higher (4·2% vs. 2·7%, P = 0·0823) in the elderly. Length of stay, nephropathy, infection, ischaemic heart disease and peripheral arterial disease were associated with expenses. In‐hospital mortality was associated with age, length of stay, cancer, infection and peripheral arterial disease.

Conclusions  The elderly have a 25‐fold higher risk of heart failure hospitalization, longer length of in‐hospital stay, higher total medical expense and higher in‐hospital mortality.
Pharmacokinetics of high‐dose etoposide administered in combination with fractionated total‐body irradiation as conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Chrzanowska Maria , Sobiak Joanna , Grund Grzegorz , Wachowiak Jacek
Published: December 2010

Chrzanowska M, Sobiak J, Grund G, Wachowiak J. Pharmacokinetics of high‐dose etoposide administered in combination with fractionated total‐body irradiation as conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15:96–102. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  Etoposide (VP‐16) is one of the most widely used antitumor agents in pediatric oncology as well as chemotherapeutic agents used in conditioning regimen prior to allo‐HSCT for childhood ALL. This study included 21 children with ALL who underwent allo‐HSCT after conditioning with FTBI and high‐dose of VP‐16 (60 mg/kg) given intravenously as single four‐h infusion on day −3 (n = 2) or day −4 (n = 19) prior to allo‐HSCT. Blood samples were collected at defined time intervals until 120 h elapsed from the end of infusion. VP‐16 plasma concentrations were determined using validated HPLC method. Three‐compartment model was assumed for assessing PK parameters of VP‐16. The median value of VP‐16 Cmax measured at the end of infusion was 188.0 μg/mL (range 148.0–407.0 μg/mL). Out of 21 studied children, VP‐16 was still detectable in 17 patients 72 h (median concentration 0.31 μg/mL) and in eight patients 96 h (median concentration 0.31 μg/mL) after the end of infusion. VP‐16 concentration 96 h after the end of infusion was positively correlated with VP‐16 AUC and negatively correlated with VP‐16 CL normalized to body weight.
Effect of ascorbic acid or increasing metabolizable energy level with or without supplementation of some essential amino acids on productive and physiological traits of slow‐growing chicks exposed to chronic heat stress
Authors: Attia Y. A. , Hassan R. A. , Tag El‐Din A. E. , Abou‐Shehema B. M.
Published: December 2010

Four hundred and twenty, 21‐day‐old slow‐growing chicks were divided randomly into seven treatments, each containing five replicates. Each replicate was kept in a 1 × 1‐m floor pen. One treatment was kept under thermo‐neutral conditions in a semi‐open house and fed a corn–soybean meal diet (positive control). The other six groups were kept under chronic heat stress (CHS) at 38 °C and 60% RH for 4 h from 12:00 to 16:00 pm for three successive days per week. Chicks in CHS treatments were fed a corn‐soybean meal diet without (negative control) or with increasing metabolizable energy (ME) level by oil supplementation alone, or also with increasing some essential amino acids (EAA) such as methionine (Met), methionine and lysine (Met+Lys) or methionine, lysine and arginine (Met+Lys+Arg) or supplemented with 250 mg of ascorbic acid (AA)/kg.

CHS impaired (p < 0.05) growth performance, increased plasma triglycerides and total serum Ca while decreasing (p < 0.05) plasma glucose and total serum protein. Meanwhile 250 mg AA/kg diet or an increasing ME without or with some EAA partially alleviated (p < 0.0001) the negative effect of CHS on growth while increasing (p < 0.05) feed intake and improving (p < 0.05) feed:gain ratio (F:G) and crude protein (CP) digestibility (p < 0.05). AA or increasing ME with or without EAA increased (p < 0.05) percentage dressing, liver and giblets to those of the positive control. AA or increasing ME with or without EAA partially alleviated the negative effect of CHS on blood pH, packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hgb), total serum protein and total Ca, plasma glucose and triglyceride, rectal temperature and respiration rate.

Increasing ME level improved chickens’ tolerance to CHS without a significant difference from those supplemented with AA. However, increasing Met, Lys and Arg concentration did not improve performance over that recorded with increasing ME level alone. Under CHS, 250 mg AA/kg diet or increasing ME level by addition of 3% vegetable oil could be an useful approach to improve productive and physiological traits of slow‐growing chicks, which may be applicable also to fast‐growing one.
Effect of Chilling Temperature on the Long‐Term Survival of Rabbit Spermatozoa held Either in a Tris‐Based or a Jellified Extender
Authors: Rosato MP , Iaffaldano N
Published: December 2010

Contents

As the preservation of the fertilizing capacity of rabbit spermatozoa for several days after semen collection remains a major target for the artificial insemination programs of rabbit breeding, a study was conducted to compare the efficacy of 5 or 15°C as holding temperature in lengthening the preservability of rabbit semen quality during 192 h of storage both in a solid (Cunigel) and a liquid (Tris‐Citric acid‐Glucose; TCG) extender. Six pooled semen samples (two ejaculates/male; two–three males/pool) were taken and made four aliquots: two aliquots were tenfold diluted with the TCG extender, whereas the other two were tenfold diluted with the Cunigel extender. One aliquot per diluent was stored at 5°C and the second one at 15°C. Sperm motility (light microscope), viability (SyBr‐PI staining), plasma membrane functional integrity (Hypo‐osmotic swelling test) and acrosome integrity (PSA–FITC staining) were recorded at 0, 48, 120 and 192 h of storage. In liquid‐stored spermatozoa, mass motility and viability were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in samples stored at 5°C than at 15°C at all the storage times; at 5°C resulted also higher (p ≤ 0.05) the percentages of both forward motility at 48 h and sperm functional integrity at 120 and 192 h of storage, whereas chilling temperature did not affect acrosome integrity. With the Cunigel extender, all the semen qualitative parameters were significantly higher in sample stored at 5 than 15°C over storage time (p ≤ 0.05); only acrosome integrity at 192 h was not different according to the chilling temperatures. In conclusion, 5°C were better than 15°C for the long‐term storage of rabbit semen both in the TCG and Cunigel extender.
Optimal level of 25‐(OH)D in children in Nanjing (32°N Lat) during winter
Authors: Liang Guan‐Yu , Qin Rui , Li Jing , Liang Guan‐Xiang , Guan Yong‐Juan , Gao Zhan‐Hui
Published: December 2010

Background:  The optimal serum level of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐(OH)D) for bone health is still unclear, especially in children. Hypovitaminosis D is also re‐emerging in developed and developing countries. The purpose of the present study was therefore to determine optimal serum 25‐(OH)D level and preliminarily identify the vitamin D nutritional status in Nanjing children.

Methods:  All subjects (76 healthy, 66 suffering from infectious diseases) aged 0–10 years were recruited during the period December 2007–March 2008. Venous blood samples were collected before breakfast and the levels of serum 25‐(OH)D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) were determined. The optimal level of serum 25‐(OH)D was explored using the three response curves of 25‐(OH)D versus PTH, 25‐(OH)D versus BAP, and 25‐(OH)D versus Ca×P product.

Results:  For 25‐(OH)D ≤ 50 nmol/L, PTH and BAP were both inversely correlated with 25‐(OH)D (PTH, r=−0.864, P < 0.01; BAP, r=−0.856, P < 0.01). For 25‐(OH)D > 50–60 nmol/L, levels of PTH and BAP remained steady. With regard to the Ca×P product, for 25‐(OH)D ≤ 50 nmol/L, Ca×P product increased as 25‐(OH)D increased (r= 0.037, P > 0.05). For 25‐(OH)D > 50–60 nmol/L, Ca×P product remained steady. The mean serum level of 25‐(OH)D was 80.5 ± 29.3 nmol/L (mean ± SD) in the healthy children, and 65.7 ± 32.3 nmol/L in the sick children.

Conclusion:  The optimal 25‐(OH)D level may be 50–60 nmol/L for bone health in Nanjing children. The vitamin D nutritional status of Nanjing children is relatively good in winter.
Might asphyxia cause respiratory inhibition after crying in mature infants?
Authors: Minowa Hideki , Bando Yuka , Yasuhara Hajime , Ohgitani Ayako
Published: December 2010

Background:  To clarify the timing of injury in utero causing respiratory inhibition after crying (RIAC), the relationship between asphyxia and RIAC was investigated in infants whose gestational age was ≥36 weeks.

Methods:  RIAC and cranial ultrasound abnormalities were examined for retrospectively in infants treated in the neonatal intensive care unit from April 2004 through March 2009. All included infants were gestational age ≥36 weeks and had an Apgar score <4 points at 1 min. The relationship between RIAC and perinatal factors was also examined.

Results:  Twenty‐six infants were included. Three infants had RIAC, seven infants had poor prognosis, and nine infants had ultrasound abnormalities in the ganglionic eminence (GE). There was a significant relationship between RIAC and ultrasound abnormalities in the GE (P= 0.032). Poor prognosis was significantly associated with low Apgar score at 5 min (P≤ 0.001), disseminated intravascular coagulation (P= 0.047), hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (P= 0.028), and brain hypothermia therapy (P= 0.028). There was no significant relationship between RIAC and poor prognosis. All infants had ultrasound abnormalities in the GE on the day of birth.

Conclusion:  Damage occurring in utero prior to 36 weeks gestation might cause increased echogenicity or cyst formation in the GE, potentially disturbing maturation of the respiratory center with the development of RIAC.
Recurrent impetigo herpetiformis successfully treated with methotrexate: A case report
Authors: Luewan Suchaya , Sirichotiyakul Supatra , Tongsong Theera
Published: December 2010

Impetigo herpetiformis is a rare disease and its occurrence is specific for pregnancy. The lesions are characterized by sterile, pustular eruptions. The disorder is usually seen in the third trimester, but cases of impetigo herpetiformis appearing in the first trimester have also been reported. The lesions are expected to disappear after birth, but the disorder may recur during subsequent pregnancies. In this case report we discuss a 28‐year‐old pregnant woman, G3P1011, with a history of impetigo herpetiformis in the first pregnancy, who presented with generalized pustular lesions at 30 weeks' gestation. Her disease responded poorly to corticosteroids and was more severe than in the previous pregnancy. She delivered prematurely at 34 weeks' gestation and then received aggressive postpartum treatment with methotrexate, resulting in a dramatic response. This case supports the current understanding that recurrent impetigo herpetiformis in subsequent pregnancy tends to be more severe and to have an earlier onset. Additionally, it provides additional evidence that methotrexate may be used as an alternative treatment for impetigo herpetiformis in the case of a poor response to corticosteroids.
Intra‐ and inter‐observer reliability using a noninvasive ultrasound cardiac output monitor in healthy anesthetized children
Authors: Dhanani Sonny , Barrowman Nick J. , Ward Roxanne E. , Murto Kimmo T.
Published: December 2010

Background:  Accurate and reliable evaluation of cardiac index (CI) in critically ill pediatric patients can optimize their management. Although validated, noninvasive ultrasound measurement techniques have been previously shown to be unreliable because of observer variability.

Objective:  To confirm intra‐ and inter‐observer reliability when using the noninvasive USCOM® in healthy anesthetized children.

Methods:  Prospective observational study at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, included newborns to 12 years of age undergoing elective surgery or magnetic resonance imaging. The USCOM® was used to assess CI via aortic flow with a trans‐sternal approach. Two trained observers were responsible for taking two measurements of CI each at steady state in randomized succession after stable depth of anesthesia was achieved.

Results:  Fifty‐nine patients were included. Forty‐seven (80%) were between 3 and 7 years old, with 57% male. The mean difference ± sd for repeat CI measurements by each of two observers was 0.11 ± 0.47 and 0.05 ± 0.65 l·min−1·m−2, respectively. Intra‐observer reliability for these repeat measurements by each observer determined by Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was 0.92 and 0.85, respectively. The mean difference ± sd between observers was 0.16 ± 0.59 l·min−1·m−2, and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was 0.87. The two observers subjectively rated measurements as ‘Difficult’ or ‘Very difficult’ only 14% (16/118) and 3% (4/118) of the time, respectively. No adverse events were reported.

Conclusion:  This study confirms that the USCOM® is relatively easy to use and reliable in healthy children when operated by trained users.
CALIFORNIA'S EXPORTS AND THE 2004 OVERSEAS OFFICE CLOSURES
Authors: CASSEY ANDREW J.
Published: December 2010

Estimating the impact of state import promotion programs on exports is difficult because of a simultaneity program. The 2003 California budget crisis provides a natural experiment allowing for an unbiased estimate. Due to the crisis, California closed all 12 overseas offices on 1 January 2004. Applying the differences‐in‐differences estimator to a sample of 44 countries over eight years yields an estimated 2%–3% increase in exports if the offices remained open. But this estimate is not statistically significant. Therefore, I find no statistical evidence that California's overseas offices increased exports. (JEL F13, H76, O24)
WHO BENEFITS FROM CHILD BENEFIT?
Authors: BLOW LAURA , WALKER IAN , ZHU YU
Published: December 2010

Governments, over much of the developed world, make significant financial transfers to parents with dependent children. For example, in the United States the recently introduced Child Tax Credit (CTC), which goes to almost all children, costs almost $1 billion each week, or about 0.4% of GNP. The United Kingdom has even more generous transfers and spends an average of about $30 a week on each of about 8 million children—about 1% of GNP. The typical rationale given for these transfers is that they are good for our children and here we investigate the effect of such transfers on household spending patterns. In the United Kingdom such transfers, known as Child Benefit (CB), have been simple lump sum universal payments for a continuous period of more than 20 years. We do indeed find that CB is spent differently from other income—paradoxically, it appears to be spent disproportionately on adult‐assignable goods. In fact, we estimate that as much as half of a marginal dollar of CB is spent on alcohol. We resolve this puzzle by showing that the effect is confined to unanticipated variation in CB so we infer that parents are sufficiently altruistic toward their children that they completely insure them against shocks. (JEL I38, D79, D12)
IMPORTED CAPITAL INPUT, ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY, AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM FIRM‐LEVEL DATA
Authors: YASAR MAHMUT
Published: December 2010

Importing capital inputs has been recognized as a critical channel for technology transfer across countries. We examine whether and to what extent the productive impact of imported capital varies with firms' abilities to absorb new technologies using ordinary least squares, instrumental variable, and threshold regression estimators. We find that firms with higher absorptive capacity gain significantly more from importing foreign capital. Our results also suggest a threshold for such benefits. Furthermore, the productive contribution of skilled labor is significantly higher in firms that import foreign capital. Developing policies to augment absorptive capacity will help firms in developing countries to realize benefits associated with imported capital. (JEL F14, D24, L24, O33)
U.S. COMMERCIAL BANK LENDING THROUGH 2008:Q4: NEW EVIDENCE FROM GROSS CREDIT FLOWS
Authors: CONTESSI SILVIO , FRANCIS JOHANNA L.
Published: December 2010

What was hiding behind the aggregate commercial bank loans through the end of 2008? We use balance sheet data for every insured U.S. commercial bank from 1999:Q1 to 2008:Q4 to construct credit expansion and credit contraction series and provide new evidence on changes in lending. Until 2008:Q3 net credit growth was not dissimilar to the 1980 and 2001 recessions. However, between the third and fourth quarter credit contraction grew larger than credit expansion across all types of loans and for the largest banks. With the inclusion of 2008:Q4 data our series most resemble the intensification of the Savings and Loan crisis. (JEL E44, E51, G21)
The European Union as a Small Power
Authors: TOJE ASLE
Published: December 2010

With the creation of a common foreign and security policy (CFSP), the EU has entered the realm of power politics. Although the ambition to become a great power has been frequently reiterated, the EU has often failed to deliver stated policy objectives. This article has two broad goals. One is to outline the strategic behavioural patterns of small powers. The lack of scholarly attention to these states – the largest group in the international system – is a major omission from the International Relations canon. The other is to see how EU patterns of behaviour, exemplified in attempts to build up capacities for military intervention, overlap with those of a small power. The article argues that the concept of a small power best captures the reality of the EU as a strategic actor. Consequently, the EU is more comparable to other small powers such as Sweden or Argentina rather than to great powers such as China or Russia.
Towards a Social Theory of EU Foreign and Security Policy
Authors: BICKERTON CHRIS J.
Published: December 2010

This article argues that the study of EU foreign and security policy has been hampered by its conceptualization of the sovereign state. Realist and constructivist scholars share Stanley Hoffmann's formulation of states as either ‘obstinate or obsolete’. EU foreign and security policy is puzzling in this respect as it corresponds to neither. Drawing on two examples – the EC's role in the Conference on Security and Co‐operation in Europe (CSCE) in 1973–75 and the contemporary workings of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) – this article suggests that we think of EU foreign and security policy as driven not by the obstinacy or the obsolescence of the nation‐state but rather by its transformation. In line with this claim, the article proposes a social theory of EU foreign and security policy with democracy and bureaucracy as two competing political forms within the framework of the modern state. It is the changing balance between these two political forms that drives forward closer foreign and security co‐operation in Europe.
Moulting, ontogeny and sexual dimorphism in the Cambrian ptychopariid trilobite Strenuaeva inflata from the northern Swedish Caledonides
Authors: CEDERSTRÖM PETER , AHLBERG PER , NILSSON CARIN H. , AHLGREN JOHN , ERIKSSON MATS E.
Published: December 2010

Abstract:  Three thousand seven hundred disarticulated remains together with several articulated specimens of the Cambrian Series 2 ptychopariid trilobite Strenuaeva inflata Ahlberg and Bergström, 1978 have been collected from the Torneträsk area, northern Sweden. The material provides significant new data on the morphology, ontogeny, moulting and enrolment of the species. Two distinct morphotypes, possibly an expression of sexual dimorphism, are recognized. The morph with a pair of bulbs in the frontal area, interpreted as brood pouches, is considered to represent females. Statistical treatment of the length/width ratio in cranidia reveals isometric growth during ontogeny for both morphotypes. The transition from the meraspid to holaspid ontogenetic period has been established through recognition of the successive development of the number of thoracic segments in articulated late meraspides. Throughout its life cycle, S. inflata went through 11 meraspid degrees and at least 17 holaspid growth stages. Inferred moult ensembles and exuviae reveal the successive opening of cephalic sutures and the function of the rostral plate during exuviation. As in other ellipsocephalid trilobites in which enrolment is known, the pygidium and two or three thoracic segments of S. inflata are concealed beneath the cephalon (spiral enrolment) during complete enrolment.
Valuing the Longevity Insurance Acquired by Delayed Claiming of Social Security
Authors: Sun Wei , Webb Anthony
Published: December 2010

Abstract

Individuals can claim Social Security at any age from 62 to 70, although most claim at 62. We show that expected present value calculations substantially understate both the optimal claim age and the losses resulting from early claiming because they ignore the value of the additional longevity insurance acquired because of delay. Using numerical optimization techniques, we illustrate that the optimal claim age is between 67 and 70. We calculate that the amount by which benefits payable at suboptimal ages must be increased so that a household is indifferent between claiming at those ages and the optimal combination of ages can be as high as 19.0 percent.
Longevity Risk Management in Singapore's National Pension System
Authors: Fong Joelle H. Y. , Mitchell Olivia S. , Koh Benedict S. K.
Published: December 2010

Abstract

Although annuities are a theoretically appealing way to manage longevity risk, in the real world relatively few consumers purchase them at retirement. To counteract the possibility of retirees outliving their assets, Singapore's Central Provident Fund, a national defined contribution pension scheme, has recently mandated annuitization of workers’ retirement assets. More significantly, the government has entered the insurance market as a public‐sector provider for such annuities. This article evaluates the money's worth of life annuities and discusses the impact of the government mandate and its role as an annuity provider on the insurance market.
Systemic transplantation of human adipose‐derived stem cells stimulates bone repair by promoting osteoblast and osteoclast function
Authors: Lee Kyunghee , Kim Hyunsoo , Kim Jin‐Man , Kim Jae‐Ryong , Kim Keuk‐Jun , Kim Yong‐Jin , Park Se‐Il , Jeong Jae‐Ho , Moon Young‐mi , Lim Hyun‐Sook , Bae Dong‐Won , Kwon Joseph , Ko Chang‐Yong , Kim Han‐Sung , Shin Hong‐In , Jeong Daewon
Published: December 2010

Systemic transplantation of adipose‐derived stem cells (ASCs) is emerging as a novel therapeutic option for functional recovery of diverse damaged tissues. This study investigated the effects of systemic transplantation of human ASCs (hASCs) on bone repair. We found that hASCs secrete various bone cell‐activating factors, including hepatocyte growth factor and extracellular matrix proteins. Systemic transplantation of hASCs into ovariectomized mice induced an increased number of both osteoblasts and osteoclasts in bone tissue and thereby prevented bone loss. We also observed that conditioned medium from hASCs is capable of stimulating proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts via Smad/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)/JNK (c‐jun NH2‐terminal kinase) activation as well as survival and differentiation of osteoclasts via ERK/JNK/p38 activation in vitro. Overall, our findings suggest that paracrine factors secreted from hASCs improve bone repair and that hASCs can be a valuable tool for use in osteoporosis therapy.
Ectopic pregnancy: using the hCG ratio to select women for expectant or medical management
Authors: KIRK EMMA , VAN CALSTER BEN , CONDOUS GEORGE , PAPAGEORGHIOU ARIS T. , GEVAERT OLIVIER , VAN HUFFEL SABINE , DE MOOR BART , TIMMERMAN DIRK , BOURNE TOM
Published: December 2010

Objective. To identify variables that can be used to select women with an ectopic pregnancy for expectant or medical management with systemic methotrexate. Design. Cohort study. Setting. Early Pregnancy Unit of a London teaching hospital. Population. Women with a tubal ectopic pregnancy managed non‐surgically. Methods. The diagnosis of tubal ectopic pregnancy was made using transvaginal sonography. Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) levels had to be taken at 0 hour and 48 hours pre‐treatment. Other recorded variables include presenting complaints, gestational age, progesterone levels, size of the ectopic mass and appearance of the ectopic on transvaginal sonography. Women were followed up until the outcome (success or failure) of management was known. Main outcome measures. Univariable analysis was performed to identify the variables associated with successful management using area under curves and relative risks. Results. Thirty‐nine women underwent expectant management (overall success rate 71.8%) and 42 had medical management (overall success rate 76.2%). The pre‐treatment hCG ratio (hCG 48 hours/hCG 0 hour) was related to the failure of both expectant (area under curve 0.86, 95% CI 0.67–0.94) and medical (area under curve 0.79, 95% CI 0.58–0.90) management. History of ectopic pregnancy was related to failure of expectant management only (relative risk 0.46, 95% CI 0.16–0.92). Conclusions. The most important variable for predicting the likelihood of successful non‐surgical management was the pre‐treatment hCG ratio. New studies are required to validate the use of this variable and of history of ectopic pregnancy to predict the likelihood of successful non‐surgical management in clinical practice.
Multicystic bone disease (Gorham–Stout Syndrome) in a spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi )
Authors: Wimsatt Jeffrey , Withrow Stephen J. , Danner Daniel , Powers Barbara , Hagler Tyler , Pritzker Kenneth P.H.
Published: December 2010

Background In April 2000, a 2.5‐year‐old pet female Geoffroyi’s spider monkey presented for reduced activity, a subdued demeanor, and boney enlargement involving both radii.

Methods On further examination, polyostotic bone cysts were identified involving many of the tubular bones and were identified radiographically. Microscopic examination of a bone biopsy revealed hemorrhage and other characteristics typical of an aneurysmal bone cyst. In addition, excessive osteoclasia was noted, in association with fibrotic areas rather than with Howship’s lacunae as expected from a growing animal.

Results These findings were consistent with Gorham–Stout syndrome, a rare condition reported previously in ∼175 human cases and in a dog at necropsy. The diet history and further testing suggested a negative calcium balance. Treatment included the administration of bis‐phosphonates, which appeared to bring about marked improvement. Almost 8 years later (November 2008), radiographs were again taken and suggested some resolution of bone cysts, primarily those in the legs.

Conclusions This represents the first reported case and a potential therapy for this rare condition in a non‐human primate.
Comparing energetic and dynamic descriptions of a single food web linkage
Authors: Solomon Christopher T. , Roth Brian M. , Hrabik Thomas R. , Vander Zanden M. Jake
Published: December 2010

Food webs are a unifying concept that spans population, community, and ecosystem ecology. Yet there is a fundamental dissonance between dynamic food webs, which derive from community ecology and characterize the effect of one species upon another, and energetic‐based food webs, which have their roots in ecosystem ecology and characterize the flow of energy and matter among species and trophic levels. Here, we present a framework that explicitly defines food web linkage strength in terms of two key factors: the type of data (energetic vs dynamic), and the trophic perspective (whether the interaction is viewed from the perspective of the consumer or the resource). As a case study, we applied this framework to the well‐studied trophic interaction between rainbow smeltOsmerus mordaxand ciscoCoregonus artediiin Sparkling Lake, Wisconsin, USA. Energetic and dynamic metrics gave different descriptions of the linkage strength from the perspective of either species. This was particularly true from the cisco perspective: the dynamic metric indicated a strong linkage because smelt extirpated cisco, but the energetic metric indicated a weak linkage because smelt prey on cisco larvae and the flux from cisco to smelt was therefore a small fraction of cisco production. Our approach highlights the need for more careful consideration of how food web linkages and their importance are characterized. Furthermore, it can provide the basis for translating energetic data to an understanding of food web dynamics.
Seed predators limit plant recruitment in Neotropical savannas
Authors: Vaz Ferreira Alana , Bruna Emilio M. , Vasconcelos Heraldo L.
Published: December 2010

Despite the well‐documented impacts of consumers on seed abundance the link between seed predation and plant population dynamics remains poorly understood because experimental studies linking patterns of predation with seedling establishment are rare. We used experimental manipulations with six woody plant species to elucidate the effects of seed predator type, habitat, and plant species identity on rates of seed predation and seedling recruitment in the Neotropical savannas known as the Cerrado. We found that seed predation rates are consistently high across a diversity of local habitat types, with important inter‐habitat variation in seed predation for three of the six species used in our experiments. We also found that seed predation has a clear demographic signal – experimentally excluding predators resulted in higher rates of seedling establishment over the course of two seasons. Because the intensity of seed predation varied between species and habitats, it may play a role in structuring local patterns of plant abundance and community composition. Finally, our results lend support to the recent hypothesis that herbivores have major and underappreciated impacts in Neotropical savannas, and that top–down factors can influence the demography of plants in this extensive and biodiversity‐rich biome in previously unexplored ways.