bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review Article: The past, present and future of organization development: Taking the long view
Authors: Burnes Bernard , Cooke Bill
Published: July 2012

Organization development has been, and arguably still is, the major approach to organizational change across the Western world, and increasingly globally. Despite this, there appears to be a great deal of confusion as to its origins, nature, purpose and durability. This article reviews the ‘long’ history of organization development from its origins in the work of Kurt Lewin in the late 1930s to its current state and future prospects. It chronicles and analyses the major stages, disjunctures and controversies in its history and allows these to be seen in a wider context. The article closes by arguing that, although organization development remains the dominant approach to organizational change, there are significant issues that it must address if it is to achieve the ambitious and progressive social and organizational aims of its founders.
Diagnostic Approach to Childhood-Onset Cerebellar Atrophy
Authors: Al-Maawali Almundher , Blaser Susan , Yoon Grace
Published: July 2012

Hereditary ataxias associated with cerebellar atrophy are a heterogeneous group of disorders. Selection of appropriate clinical and genetic tests for patients with cerebellar atrophy poses a diagnostic challenge. Neuroimaging is a crucial initial investigation in the diagnostic evaluation of ataxia in childhood, and the presence of cerebellar atrophy helps guide further investigations. We performed a detailed review of 300 patients with confirmed cerebellar atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging over a 10-year period. A diagnosis was established in 47% of patients: Mitochondrial disorders were most common, followed by neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, ataxia telangiectasia, and late-onset GM2 gangliosidosis. We review the common causes of cerebellar atrophy in childhood and propose a diagnostic approach based on correlating specific neuroimaging patterns with clinical and genetic diagnoses.
Violent Behavior in Cancer Patients—A Rarely Addressed Phenomenon in Oncological Treatment
Authors: Grube Michael
Published: July 2012

Dealing with violent cancer patients can be particularly challenging. The purpose of this study was to collect data on the frequency, quality, and underlying variables affecting violent behavior as well as to examine the role played by this behavior in the premature interruption of treatment. A total of 388 cancer inpatients were examined by liaison psychiatrists. The data were assessed using the Staff Observation Aggression Scale (SOAS-R) and Psycho-Oncological Basic Documentation (PO-BADO); the quality of psychiatric disturbances was measured with a three-level rating according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) criteria. Nineteen of 388 patients (4.9%) displayed violent behavior. The variable “cognitive limitations” was clearly associated with aggressive behavior. The interaction factor “constantly bedfast, nonterminal phase, and strong feelings of helplessness or subjection,” was associated with aggressive behavior as a trend statistically. Eight of 19 inpatients showing aggressive behavior were prematurely released from the treatment facility. In a multivariate model the association of the variable “aggressive behavior” to premature interruption of treatment with unfinished diagnosis and therapy was weighted rather strong. Despite their methodological limitations, these results suggest that members of oncological teams should be able to identify violent behavior and its precursors at an early stage as important factors, which may decrease patient cooperation.
Analysis of volume-average relations in continuum mechanics
Authors: Ahadi Aylin , Lidström Per
Published: July 2012

In this paper, volume-average relations related to the multilevel modelling process in continuum mechanics are analysed and the concept of average consistency is investigated both analytically and numerically. These volume averages are used in the computational homogenization technique, where a transition of the mechanical properties from the local, microscopic, to the global, macroscopic, length scale is obtained. The representative volume element (RVE) is used as a reference placement and the solution, in terms of volume-averaged stress, will depend on which boundary conditions are chosen for the RVE. Three types of boundary conditions – periodic, affine and anti-periodic – are analysed with respect to the average consistence for the kinematical and stress relations used in continuum mechanics. The inconsistence is quantified by introducing the inconsistence ratio. It is shown analytically that some average stress relations are fulfilled, assuming the periodic boundary condition and anti-periodic traction vector, whereas the average relations connected to the deformation are in general not average consistent. The inconsistence is investigated in a plane model using the finite element technique. The numerical investigation has shown that the inconsistence ratios related to the deformation are also average consistent in the examples considered.
Troubling stoicism: Sociocultural influences and applications to health and illness behaviour
Authors: Moore Andrew , Grime Janet , Campbell Paul , Richardson Jane
Published: July 2012

In light of the ambiguity of meanings attributed to the concept of stoicism we critically explore its use as a label to explain and describe health and illness behaviour, juxtaposing the often negative portrayals of contemporary stoicism against its classical and philosophical origins. By reflecting critically on the term ‘stoicism’, its application and dimensionality, we show how the term has evolved from classical to contemporary times in relation to changing context, and explore different understandings of the term across medical and health literature. We attend to sociocultural factors that are seen to influence the conceptualization of stoicism such as generational influences, gender and geographies. We make the assertion that by applying the label of ‘stoicism’ as it is known today, there is a danger of too readily accepting a term that masks particular health behaviours while missing an array of sociological factors that are important to how people deal with adversity arising from chronic health problems. We therefore encourage further questioning of this term.
‘I just want to be normal’: An analysis of discourses of normality among recovering heroin users
Authors: Nettleton Sarah , Neale Joanne , Pickering Lucy
Published: July 2012

Research that has explored the lives of men and women recovering from heroin addiction has reported that users often claim that they ‘just want to be normal’. Working within a Foucauldian tradition, we argue in this article that the notions of ‘governmentality’ and the ‘norm’ are especially apposite to understanding the ubiquity of this aspiration. Here we focus not on the formal institutions of governance that encourage individuals to adhere to social, cultural and political norms, but rather seek to explore recovering users’ accounts of normality as they are envisaged and expressed. The reported empirical data were generated from interviews with 40 men and women in England at various stages of recovery from heroin use. The analytic focus is upon the accounts of normality articulated during the interviews in order to identify the ways in which being normal is presented by the participants. In keeping with the methodological tradition of discourse analysis we identify six discursive repertoires of ‘normality talk’ that transcend the accounts. It is concluded that the negotiation of normality is a precarious route for this social group. Articulations of a desire to be normal are replete with tensions; there are expressions of both resistance and resignation. Despite claims by some contemporary social theorists that diversity is the ‘new normality’, the accepted bounds of ‘difference’ are limited for those who have been addicted to heroin.
Talcott Parsons and the enigma of secularization
Authors: Vanderstraeten Raf
Published: July 2012

During the last ten or fifteen years of his life, Talcott Parsons (1902–79) discussed religion and secularization in a number of papers and essays. This work was left unfinished; in the last book that he saw into print, Parsons depicted these papers and essays as work-in-progress. This article focuses on Parsons’ approach to secularization in this late work. Building upon his AGIL-scheme, Parsons analyzed the relation between processes of inclusion and increasing differentiation, on the one hand, and secularization at the value-oriented level, on the other. This article presents a reconstruction and an immanent critique of Parsons’ approach, which highlights both its possibilities and its limitations in order to contribute to the development of a contemporary social theory of secularization and religious change.
Effects of composition and density of nonwoven fabric on a soil-free growing medium
Authors: Hsieh Jing-Chzi , Lou Ching-Wen , Lin Ching-Wen , Chen Jin-Mao , Lin Jia-Horng
Published: July 2012

The practice of covering the roof of a building with a layer of living vegetation has many benefits. However, soil is heavy and most soil substitutes present special problems such as a tendency to block drains. Previous studies utilized a lightweight, soil-free growing medium that replaced actual soil to lessen the mechanical load on the roof. This study used a lightweight nonwoven fabric as a growing medium for living roofs. Two types of polyester fibers were blended at various ratios and then thermally dried into various densities. A desirable growing medium must resist moisture deformation and encourage root implantation. The results indicated that 0.030 g/cm3 was the optimum density and that the weight of low-melting-point polyester fibers had to be in excess of 20 wt%. It was anticipated that the manufacturer who adjusts factory parameters to benefit from this research will reduce the production cost.
Tracing collective memory: Chilean truth commissions and memorial sites
Authors: Klep Katrien
Published: July 2012

This article takes a closer look at the master narratives of the Chilean truth commissions and how these are contested and negotiated by social actors demanding truth and justice. Over time these actors have created new spaces for their narratives about the military dictatorship (1973–1990), broadening the perspectives on the past in the public space. The process of contestation and negotiation can be traced on the local level in the creation of a memorial site on the grounds of a former detention and torture centre, Villa Grimaldi, which led to fierce debates on what should be remembered, and how. Through the ongoing process of negotiation and contestation and social action the collective memory of the dictatorship in Chilean society has become ‘thicker’.
From dirty war to genocide: Argentina’s resistance to national reconciliation
Authors: Robben Antonius C.G.M.
Published: July 2012

Three decades of political, legal and discursive contestation about the violence, military repression and disappearances that troubled Argentina during the 1970s have repeatedly changed the multidirectional memories of adversarial groups and undercut attempts at national reconciliation. The representation of past violence as dirty war, state terrorism or genocide singled out different perpetrators, evoked other remembrances, and called for distinct ways to reconcile Argentine society. These interpretive frameworks succeeded one another in public debates about the past, and generated conflicting collective memories among political opponents. The recent comparison of disappearances with the Holocaust convinced the human rights movement, and certain judicial and academic circles, that genocide had occurred in Argentina. Individual culpability became transformed into collective responsibility, and further complicated national reconciliation. This article demonstrates that the memorialization and continuous narration of past massive violence in Argentina did not advance the coexistence of adversarial groups but intensified their enmity and revived certain repressive practices.
The paradoxes of colonial reparation: Foreclosing memory and the 2008 Italy–Libya Friendship Treaty
Authors: De Cesari Chiara
Published: July 2012

This article explores a paradox relating to the highly contested project of compensating for mass crimes perpetrated during the colonial period. It analyses the only postcolonial reparation treaty to be signed to date: the Italy–Libya Friendship Treaty of 2008. While all other former colonial powers have consistently refused to apologize and pay compensations for their colonial crimes, this has not been the case with Italy, which agreed to pay over US$5 billion as reparation for the harm done to Libyans by the ruthless Italian colonial rule between 1911 and 1943. By analysing the text of the Italy–Libya Treaty as well as its immediate consequences and the transnational dynamics of remembrance it engendered, I argue that the agreement short-circuits the production of social memory and actually leads to systematic violations of human rights against migrants and refugees. Moreover, I contend that looking at ‘cynical’ apologies and reparations can yield interesting insights into the politics of regret. Most importantly, the Treaty shows how the problem with such a politics is that it ‘forgets’ colonialism, or rather, building on Ann Stoler’s notion of ‘colonial aphasia’, fails to speak it.
Triphala (PADMA) extract alleviates bronchial hyperreactivity in a mouse model through liver and spleen immune modulation and increased anti-oxidative effects
Authors: Horani Amjad , Shoseyov David , Ginsburg Isaac , Mruwat Rufayda , Doron Sarit , Amer Johnny , Safadi Rifaat
Published: July 2012

Objectives:

Triphala (TRP), a herbal extract from Tibetan medicine, has been shown to affect lymphocytes and natural killer T (NKT) cell function. We hypothesize that TRP could ameliorate bronchial hyperreactivity through immune-cell modulations.

Methods:

Asthma mouse models were generated through intraperitoneal (IP) injections of ovalbumin (OVA)/2 weeks followed by repeated intranasal OVA challenges. Mice were then treated with normal saline (OVA/NS) or Triphala (OVA/TRP). Data were compared with mice treated with inhaled budesonide. All groups were assessed for allergen-induced hyperreactivity; lymphocytes from lungs, livers and spleens were analyzed for OVA-induced proliferation and their alterations were determined by flow cytometry. Oxidative reactivity using chemiluminescence, serum anti-OVA antibodies level and lung histology were assessed.

Results:

Both TRP and budesonide significantly ameliorated functional and histological OVA-induced bronchial hyperreactivity. TRP had no effect on serum anti-OVA antibodies as compared with decreased levels following budesonide treatment. Furthermore, a significant increase in lung and spleen CD4 counts and a decrease in the liver were noted after TRP treatments. Bronchoalveolar fluid from TRP-treated animals but not from the budesonide-treated animals showed anti-oxidative effects.

Conclusion:

TRP and budesonide caused a significant decrease in bronchial reactivity. TRP treatment altered immune-cell distributions and showed anti-oxidative properties. These findings suggest that immune-cell modulation with TRP can ameliorate lung injury.
Increased plasma mannose binding lectin levels are associated with bronchiolitis obliterans after lung transplantation
Authors: Budd Steven J , Aris Robert M , Medaiyese Ayorinde A , Tilley Stephen L , Neuringer Isabel P
Published: July 2012

Background

Long-term lung allograft survival is limited by bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). Mannose binding lectin (MBL) belongs to the innate immune system, participates in complement activation, and may predispose to graft rejection. We investigated mannose binding (MBL) during cold ischemia and in tissue samples from explanted lungs with BOS, and assessed MBL and complement proteins in plasma post-lung transplantation relative to BOS staging.

Methods

MBL was detected by immunohistochemistry lung tissue at the time of cold ischemia and in samples with BOS. MBL was assayed in the peripheral blood of 66 lung transplant patients transplanted between 1990–2007.

Results

MBL localized to vasculature and basement membrane during cold ischemia and BOS. Patients further out post-lung transplant > 5 years (n = 33), had significantly lower levels of MBL in the blood compared to lung transplant patients < 5 years with BOS Op-3 (n = 17), 1738 ± 250 ng/ml vs 3198 ± 370 ng/ml, p = 0.027, and similar levels to lung transplant patients < 5 years with BOS 0 (n = 16), 1738 ± 250 ng/ml vs 1808 ± 345 ng/ml. MBL levels in all BOS 0 (n = 30) vs. all BOS Op-3 (n = 36) were 1378 ± 275 ng/ml vs. 2578 ± 390 ng/ml, p = 0.001, respectively. C3 plasma levels in BOS 0 (n = 30) vs. BOS Op-3 (n = 36) were 101 ± 19.8 mg/ml vs. 114 ± 25.2 mg/ml, p = 0.024, respectively.

Conclusions

MBL localizes within the lung during graft ischemia and BOS, higher levels of plasma MBL are associated with BOS Op-3 and < 5 years post-transplant, and higher level of plasma complement protein C3 was associated with BOS Op-3 clinical status. MBL may serve as a biomarker for poorer outcome post-lung transplantation.
Complications and nutrient deficiencies two years after sleeve gastrectomy
Authors: Pech Nicole , Meyer Frank , Lippert Hans , Manger Thomas , Stroh Christine
Published: July 2012

Background

The aim of this systematic study was to investigate patient outcomes and nutritional deficiencies following sleeve gastrectomy (SG) during a median follow-up of two years.

Methods

Over a period of 56 months, all consecutive patients who underwent SG were documented in this prospective, single-center, observational study. The study endpoints included complication rates, nutritional deficiencies and percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL).

Results

From September 26, 2005 to May 28, 2009, 100 patients (female: male = 59:41) with a mean age of 43.6 years (range: 22–64) and a preoperative BMI of 52.3 kg/² (range: 36–77) underwent SG. The mean operative time was 86.4 min (range: 35–275). Major complications were observed in 8.0 % of the patients. During the follow-up period, 25 patients (25.0 %) underwent a second bariatric intervention (22 DS and 3 RYGBP). Out of the total 100 patients, 48 % were supplemented with iron, 33 % with zinc, 34 % with a combination of calcium carbonate and cholecalciferol, 24 % with vitamin D, 42 % with vitamin B12 and 40 % with folic acid. The patients who received only a SG (n = 75) had %EWL of 53.6, 65.8 and 62.6 % after 6, 12 and 24 months, respectively.

Conclusions

SG is a highly effective bariatric intervention for morbidly obese patients. Nutritional deficiencies resulting from the procedure can be detected by routine nutritional screening. Results of the study show that Vitamin B12 supplementation should suggested routinely.
The effects of berberine on hyperhomocysteinemia and hyperlipidemia in rats fed with a long-term high-fat diet
Authors: Chang Xin-xia , Yan Hong-mei , Xu Qiong , Xia Ming-feng , Bian Hua , Zhu Teng-fang , Gao Xin
Published: July 2012

Background

The study was undertaken to examine the effects of berberine (BBR) on serum homocysteine, lipids and the aortic lesion in Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats fed with a long-term high-fat diet (HFD).

Methods

Healthy male SD rats weighing 190-210 g received randomly standard diet or a high-fat diet for 24 weeks. After 8 weeks of feeding, rats fed with HFD were randomized to receive berberine (200 mg · kg-1· day-1) or vehicle by gavage for 16 weeks. After overnight fasting, all rats were sacrificed and total blood samples were also collected for determinant of fasting serum homocysteine (Hcy), total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels. The aorta was stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Sudan Ш to evaluate aortic lesion. The livers were dissected out and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for hepatic TC content and molecular analysis. 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), Lipoprotein receptors and apolipoproteins gene expression in the liver were determined by real-time PCR.

Results

Intragastrical administration with berberine for 16 weeks lowered serum Hcy in rats fed with a high-fat diet. In parallel, it also decreased body weight and improved serum TC and LDL-c. Berberine also tended to decrease hepatic cholesterol. Consistently, berberine also upregulated LDL receptor (LDLR) mRNA level and suppressed HMGR gene expression. Meanwhile, upon berberine-treated rats, there was a significant increase in apolipoprotein E (apoE) mRNA, but no change in apoAI and scavenger receptor (SR) mRNA in the liver. Further, no atherosclerotic lesions were developed in berberine-treated rats for 16 weeks.

Conclusion

Berberine can counteract HFD-elicited hyperhomocysteinemia and hyperlipidemia partially via upregulating LDLR and apoE mRNA levels and suppressing HMGR gene expression.
Oncocytic-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN)-derived invasive oncocytic pancreatic carcinoma with brain metastasis - a case report
Authors: Chiang Kun-Chun , Yu Chi-Chang , Chen Jim-Ray , Huang Yu-Ting , Huang Cheng-Cheng , Yeh Chun-Nan , Tsai Chien-Sheng , Chen Li-Wei , Chen Hsien-Cin , Hsu Jun-Te , Wang Cheng-Hsu , Chen Huang-Yang
Published: July 2012

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease without effective treatments at present. It ranks as s as 4th and 5th in cancer-related mortality in the western countries and worldwide. Locally advanced pancreatic duct carcinoma (PDAC) and metastatic PDAC, usually found the metastases over liver, peritoneum, or lung, have been shown to be with dismal prognosis. Brain metastasis is a rare entity and most cases reported before were found post-mortem. Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas (IPMN) has been deemed as a precursor of PDAC with very slow progression rate. Here we reported a case diagnosed with IPMN-derived PDAC with brain metastasis. After surgeries for PDAC and brain metastasis, subsequent chemotherapy and radiotherapy were also given. One and half year after surgery, this patient is still living with good performance status, which may warrant individualization of therapeutic strategy for PDAC with only brain metastasis.
Predictors of adverse events after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: A meta-analysis of case reports
Authors: Schlösser Felix JV , JMG van der Heijden Geert , van der Graaf Yolanda , Moll Frans L , Verhagen Hence JM
Published: July 2012

Introduction

Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair is a life-saving intervention. Nevertheless, complications have a major impact. We review the evidence from case reports for risk factors of complications after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Case presentation

We selected case reports from PubMed reporting original data on adverse events after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Extracted risk factors were: age, sex, aneurysm diameter, comorbidities, re-interventions, at least one follow-up visit being missed or refusal of a re-intervention by the patient. Extracted outcomes were: death, rupture and (non-)device-related complications.

In total 113 relevant articles were selected. These reported on 173 patients. A fatal outcome was reported in 15% (N = 26) of which 50% came after an aneurysm rupture (N = 13). Non-fatal aneurysm rupture occurred in 15% (N = 25). Endoleaks were reported in 52% of the patients (N = 90). In half of the patients with a rupture no prior endoleak was discovered during follow-up. In 83% of the patients one or more re-interventions were performed (N = 143). Mortality was higher among women (risk ratio 2.9; 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 6.0), while the presence of comorbidities was strongly associated with both ruptures (risk ratio 1.6; 95% confidence interval 0.9 to 2.9) and mortality (risk ratio 2.1; 95% confidence interval 1.0 to 4.7). Missing one or more follow-up visits (≥1) or refusal of a re-intervention by the patient was strongly related to both ruptures (risk ratio 4.7; 95% confidence interval 3.1 to 7.0) and mortality (risk ratio 3.8; 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 8.3).

Conclusion

Female gender, the presence of comorbidities and at least one follow-up visit being missed or refusal of a re-intervention by the patient appear to increase the risk for mortality after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Larger aneurysm diameter, higher age and multimorbidity at the time of surgery appear to increase the risk for rupture and other complications after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. These risk factors deserve further attention in future studies.
Particle embolization to control life-threatening hemorrhage from a fungating locally advanced breast carcinoma: a case report
Authors: Moriarty John M. , Xing Minzhi , Loh Christopher T.
Published: July 2012

Introduction

Sudden severe hemorrhage from locally advanced fungating breast carcinoma and its associated cutaneous lesions is rarely reported. Transcatheter arterial embolization has been used widely in the setting of intractable neoplastic hemorrhage arising from primary and metastatic tumors of the lung, liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract. Here, we detail the use of transcatheter arterial embolization in controlling torrential hemorrhage in a patient with advanced invasive breast cancer and multiple comorbidities.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 28-year-old African-American woman who presented with acute torrential hemorrhage from a high-grade invasive ductal breast carcinoma. A computed tomography scan demonstrated a 14cm mass with extensive muscle, fascial, and cutaneous invasion. Owing to the extent of invasion and multiple comorbidities, she was deemed to be unsuitable for surgical management. Selective angiography of the left internal mammary artery revealed no tumoral blush, extravasation, or pseudoaneurysm. Transcatheter arterial embolization was undertaken, and complete occlusion of the vessel was demonstrated. No further episodes of hemorrhage occurred.

Conclusions

Though rare, sudden severe hemorrhage from advanced breast cancer may be definitively managed by embolization alone and thus surgery may be avoided.
Use of a static progressive stretch orthosis to treat post-traumatic ankle stiffness
Authors: Costa Christopher R , McElroy Mark J , Johnson Aaron J , Lamm Bradley M , Mont Michael A
Published: July 2012

Background

Chronic ankle stiffness can develop for numerous reasons after traumatic injury, and may adversely affect patient gait, mobility, and function. Although standard physical therapeutic techniques typically resolve this stiffness, some cases may be recalcitrant to these measures, making it difficult to restore range-of-motion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a static progressive stretch orthosis for the treatment of chronic ankle stiffness.

Methods

Twenty-six patients (26 ankles) who had chronic post-traumatic ankle stiffness were studied. The patients began treatment at a mean of 47 weeks (range, 6 to 272 weeks) following their initial injury using a static progressive stretch orthosis. A patient-directed protocol was used for 30 minutes per day, 1 to 3 times per day, until the range-of-motion was considered to have plateaued. Mean treatment time was 10 weeks (range, 3 to 19 weeks). Treatment duration, range-of-motion, and complications with the device were assessed.

Results

The overall mean improvement in motion (combined dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) was 17 degrees (range, 2 to 44 degrees). There was a mean improvement in dorsiflexion of 9 degrees (range, -2 to 20 degrees), and a mean improvement of 8 degrees of plantar flexion (range, -10 to 35 degrees). There were no reports of numbness or skin problems.

Conclusions

The outcomes of this study suggest that a patient-directed treatment protocol using a static progressive stretch orthosis was an effective ancillary method for the treatment of chronic post-traumatic ankle stiffness that was refractory to standard physical therapy techniques.
Von Hippel-Lindau Disease
Authors: Hes Frederik J , Höppener Jo WM , Luijt Rob B van der , Lips Cornelis JM
Published: July 2012

A germline mutation in the Von-Hippel Lindau (VHL) gene predisposes carriers to development of abundantly vascularised tumours in the retina, cerebellum, spine, kidney, adrenal gland and pancreas. Most VHL patients die from the consequences of cerebellar haemangioblastoma or renal cell carcinoma. The VHL gene is a tumour suppressor gene and is involved in angiogenesis by regulation of the activity of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α (HIF1-α). Clinical diagnosis of VHL can be confirmed by molecular genetic analysis of the VHL gene, which is informative in virtually all VHL families. A patient with (suspicion for) VHL is an indication for genetic counselling and periodical examination.
Aqueous Solution Behavior of Cationic Surfactant Modulated by the Presence of Glycols and Their Ethers
Authors: Chavda Suresh , Singh Kulbir , Marangoni D Gerrard , Bahadur Pratap
Published: July 2012

The effect of ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG) and their monoalkyl (C1–C6) ethers (cellosolves and carbitols) and dimethyl ethers (glymes and diglymes) on the micellar behavior of a cationic surfactant tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) in aqueous solution was examined from electrical conductivity measurements. The effect of these additives on critical micelle concentration (CMC) and degree of counter ion dissociation (α) is evaluated. While both EG, DEG, their monomethyl/monoethyl ethers and dimethyl ethers increased CMC and α, for monobutyl and monohexyl ethers a decrease in CMC was noticed at studied concentration. For all ethers, the α values increased with concentration. NOESY experiments confirmed the location of glycol ethers in micellar solution. The results are discussed in terms of effect of ethers on water structure and solvent properties.
Observation of Adsorbed Schiff-Base Copper(II) Complexes Substituted with N-Alkyl Chains of Various Lengths by STM
Authors: Urano Kazuki , Tomono Kazuaki , Miyamura Kazuo
Published: July 2012

A series of nonionic alkyl-substituted bissalicylaldehydato copper(II) (alkyl: octyl) complexes were prepared, and their two-dimensional (2D) self-assemblies at liquid/solid (highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, HOPG) interface were imaged by scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The ligands of the complexes were Schiff-base which was functionalized octyl (Ph-octyl) and a series of N-alkyl Cn. STM images were compared with the molecular structure and the crystal packing of C3 obtained by X-ray crystallography. Depending on their varying N-alkyl chain length, aggregation structure could be classified into two different self-assembled nanopatterns (C1–C3; short region and C4–C7; longer region) and the parity effect was observed in longer region. It was considered that the parity effect was originated from N-alkyl chain length.
The Economic Benefits of Pharmaceutical Innovations: The Case of Cox-2 Inhibitors
Authors: Garthwaite Craig L
Published: July 2012

Despite dramatic improvements in medical technology, little attention has been paid to the role of these innovations in improving economic outcomes. This study estimates the labor supply effects of Cox-2 inhibitors, a widely prescribed class of pharmaceuticals used for the treatment of chronic pain and inflammation and primarily marketed under the brand names Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra. This paper exploits the removal of Vioxx from the market in 2004 as an exogenous change in drug use. This removal was associated with a 0.35 percentage point decrease in overall labor force participation and $19 billion in lost wages. (JEL I12, J22, L65, O31).
Expansions in Maternity Leave Coverage and Children's Long-Term Outcomes
Authors: Dustmann Christian , Schönberg Uta
Published: July 2012

This paper evaluates the impact of three major expansions in maternity leave coverage in Germany on children's long-run outcomes. To identify the causal impact of the reforms, we use a difference-indifference design that compares outcomes of children born shortly before and shortly after a change in maternity leave legislation in years of policy changes, and in years when no changes have taken place. We find no support for the hypothesis that the expansions in leave coverage improved children's outcomes, despite a strong impact on mothers' return to work behavior after childbirth. (JEL J13, J16, J22, J32)
The Opt-In Revolution? Contraception and the Gender Gap in Wages
Authors: Bailey Martha J , Hershbein Brad , Miller Amalia R
Published: July 2012

Decades of research on the US gender gap in wages describes its correlates, but little is known about why women changed their career paths in the 1960s and 1970s. This paper explores the role of “the Pill” in altering women's human capital investments and its ultimate implications for life-cycle wages. Using state-by-birth-cohort variation in legal access, we show that younger access to the Pill conferred an 8 percent hourly wage premium by age 50. Our estimates imply that the Pill can account for 10 percent of the convergence of the gender gap in the 1980s and 30 percent in the 1990s. (JEL J13, J16, J31, J71, J24)
Male infertility: the role of imaging in diagnosis and management
Authors: Ammar T , Sidhu P S , Wilkins C J
Published: July 2012

The investigation of male infertility is assuming greater importance, with male factors implicated as a causal factor in up to half of infertile couples. Following routine history, examination and blood tests, imaging is frequently utilised in order to assess the scrotal contents for testicular volume and morphology. Additionally, this may give indirect evidence of the presence of possible reversible pathology in the form of obstructive azoospermia. Further imaging in the form of transrectal ultrasound and MRI is then often able to categorise the level of obstruction and facilitate treatment planning without resort to more invasive imaging such as vasography. Ultrasound guidance of therapy such as sperm or cyst aspiration and vasal cannulation may also be performed. This article reviews the imaging modalities used in the investigation of male infertility, and illustrates normal and abnormal findings that may be demonstrated.
Ulrich Redux: Musil’s Design for His Man Without Qualities
Authors: Rising Catharine
Published: July 2012

Critics have widely held that the Austrian novelist Robert Musil (1880–1942) would never have chosen an ending for his magnum opus The Man Without Qualities if he had lived. This paper argues that, on the contrary, he had a passion for one ending, the oedipal victory of his protagonist Ulrich von R— over a pair of possible fathers, but that Musil’s own oedipal conflict worked against any such resolution. The attempt to depict either a sexual or a nonsexual triumph for the fictional son resulted in superego censure and work blockages. Musil clung nevertheless to the idea of a nonsexual coup, which had a powerfully topical resonance. The fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 ushered in a republican government with universal male suffrage; the change would have enabled his thirtyish hero to achieve a political career for which an older generation had run out of time. Sons, not fathers, were left to exemplify to the fullest the dictum of Cornelius Castoriadis that participation in democracy is essential to personal maturation. Musil died in the midst of a Sisyphean labor to bring his novel to this ripening.
A Verse-Scrap on a kylix by Epiktetos
Authors: Anderson Peter
Published: July 2012

The tondo scene on a kylix by Epiktetos in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu (Malibu 86.AE.279 ex Bareiss), portrays a balding, bearded, satyr-like symposiast reclining on a kline. Head thrown back in song, he is accompanying himself on the barbitos. A dipinto inscription, which has been thought nonsense or a misspelled epoiesen, travels an arc from the singer's head. Iconography and several possibilities for a sensible, if elliptical, reading lead Anderson to argue that the dipinto inscription may be a scrap of verse; it seems to preserve the earliest example of the Dionysiac shout ευοι.
Augustinian Intrusions in the Queste del Saint Graal: Converting ‘Pagan Gold’ to Christian Currency
Authors: Frese Dolores Warwick
Published: July 2012

Galahad’s literary debut in the Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal displays ley-lines extrapolated from Augustine’s biography, theology, semiotic theory, and polemical controversies, suggesting that this retro-fitted prose fiction can be read productively as a specifically Augustinian confection. (DWF)
Illustration beyond the Ordinary
Authors: Schroeder Binette
Published: July 2012

This article takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of glee, amusement, astonishment and awe through the colourful (in both senses) career of one of Germany's most acclaimed illustrators of children's books, and possibly that country's most imaginative and original illustrator in the field. As if this is not enough, she then goes on to introduce us to her favourite international illustrators…
Mapping Australia’s Past In Picture Books
Authors: Morrow Robin
Published: July 2012

This paper examines four influential Australian picture books that provide narratives from different perspectives, representing the white men’s (and especially military) history, white women’s (settler) history, Aboriginal history (from traditional life to colonial and then post-colonial), and finally everybody’s history, especially giving voice to children.
Understanding the Other: Alterity in Contemporary Greek Fiction for Young Adults
Authors: Lalagianni Vassiliki
Published: July 2012

The author considers the depiction of alterity, or the “Other,” in contemporary Greek fiction for young people to analyze the image of the expanding multicultural reality of Neo-Hellenic society.
Bringing Books and Children Together: Croatian War Experiences
Authors: Stričević Ivanka
Published: July 2012

In this article, Stričević reports on the valuable role libraries played during the difficult war years in Croatia. She shares details and insights on how libraries helped children, families, and communities cope with the most difficult of circumstances.
The "Severed Gate": Staging the Versatility and (Im)Permeability of the Reja
Authors: Vidler Laura L.
Published: July 2012

The comedia 's tendency towards scenic minimalism is evident in the frequent use of staging techniques that preclude the need to visually establish changes in locale. Hearsay, for example, allows a character to report off-stage events without the need for set changes. Thus, a character may enter the stage with bloodied hands or sword to report an offstage murder as in Lope's El castigo sin venganza . Laurencia in Fuenteovejuna famously enters the stage "desmelenada," as evidence of her off-stage tousle with the Comendador. Nevertheless, while certain types of indeterminate locations required no scenery, specific locations were sometimes suggested through identifying set pieces. The reja was an actual set piece common to the indumentaria of theater companies of the period. The reja served a variety of scenic functions to indicate not only garden gates, but also prison cells, balconies, windows and even chapel grilles. Indeed, it is precisely the reliance of playwrights on an imprecise scenic space that allows for the versatility of the reja as a set piece—a versatility which is, in part, related to the development of modern novelistic discourse. (LLV)
A Pro-feminine Golden-Age Adaptation of the Classic Female Creation Myth: Calderón's La estatua de Prometeo and the Construction of Female Identity
Authors: Meixell Amanda S.
Published: July 2012

This paper offers a pro-feminine reading of Calderón's La
estatua de Prometeo by focusing on how the playwright uses the
gloomy classic tale of the creation of women to explore female
identity. In La estatua , Prometeo, a man of reason dedicated to
learning, builds a statue of a goddess (Minerva) and then brings it to
life as a living female being (Pandora). Although at first Prometeo
cannot accept the materiality of the woman he claims to love and
worship, he ultimately marries his living statue, providing what has
generally been considered a favorable resolution to the play.
Looking deeper, this paper finds that Calderón modifies the classic
myth in ways that draw attention to seventeenth-century women's
lack of a sense of self-determination and cast doubt on the happily-ever-
after union between man and his statue. The perplexing subplot
between Merlin—the medieval Arthurian enchanter—and Libia, a
male/female relationship story that also ends in marriage, plays a
particularly important role in throwing into question the apparently
happy conclusion. Calderón actually uses the two love couples—Prometeo/Pandora
and Merlin/Libia—to explore the age-old division
in Western thought between an intellectual/spiritual love of the
mind/soul and a physical type of love rooted in desire and lust. In
the final analysis, this play reveals that neither the neoplatonic love
tradition nor the courtly love ethic rooted in male desire provides
harmony and wholeness for the women or even for the men. (ASM)
"Este es mi cuerpo": El ritual del rey sacramentado en dos fiestas de Calderón y Bances Candamo
Authors: Marchante-Aragón Lucas A.
Published: July 2012

Las loas para Hado y divisa de Leónida y Marfisa (1680), de
Calderón, y Duelos de Ingenio y Fortuna (1687), de Bances
Candamo, culminan la tradición espectacular cortesana de divinización
de la figura del monarca en la España de los Austrias. Esta
tradición se condensa de manera visual en la particularidad de mostrar
la efigie del soberano sobre el escenario, la cual se sitúa en el
punto de fuga de la perspectiva escénica, Este tipo de "performativi\dad,"
construida sobre el lenguaje genealógico de los Habsburgo,
expresa la legitimidad del derecho de la dinastía a ocupar el trono
del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico y llevar a cabo su objetivo
providencial. Tras la consolidación de la corte madrileña del seiscientos
como "estado teatral," según la terminología de Clifford
Geertz, cada performance cortesana se convierte en un ritual en el
que se demuestran los misterios del poder monárquico absoluto. La
construcción de un rey divino por medio de la consagración teatral
muestra como hecho la posición del monarca como vinculo entre el
mundo de Dios y el mundo de los hombres. (LAM-A)
Michael Tomasky
Authors: Tomasky Michael
Published: July 2012

Internet, film, television, and popular music are rather broad categories, each containing nutritious wheat and faddish
chaff. By “television,” do we mean The Wire or Dancing with the Stars? By “Internet,” do we mean amazon.com or
pornography? But without wasting space on a virtually endless inventory of such distinctions, I say, Embrace! On
balance, these are overwhelmingly liberating and progressive forces. At this point in history, I can’t imagine that
there’s even any argument about this. In fact, I thought it was more or less settled by the 1990s, let’s say, that the
antique left-intellectual disdain for popular culture had been rather embarrassing. Go back and read, as I once did, the
initial grudging and snobbish assessments of The Beatles in the highbrow journals (“No Soul in Beatlesville,” ran the
Nation’s headline in March 1964).
Feeling Dirty: Touched by the Post-War Erotic
Authors: Schehr Lawrence R
Published: July 2012

This article is a theorization of the decline of the erotic in literature. Late modernist works by Klossowski and Réage are the vanguard of this decline, as they signal the post-modern, in which categories collapse. Criss-crossed by interplays of meaning and desire, the post-modern body both inside and outside literature is glimpsed in these works in statu nascendi.
The Pharmaceutical Industry and Health Care Reform
Authors: Lucas William L.
Published: July 2012

While the goals of President Clinton's health care reform plan—to expand access to health care by the underserved and reduce the unacceptably high cost of care—are important, his proposed mechanisms for doing so include provisions that are counterproductive. Blacklisting certain drugs from the Medicare program, imposing red tape on physicians who participate in Medicare, and establishing a Medicare rebate tax will hurt the pharmaceutical industry's ability to conduct research on new medications. In the end, the Administration's plan will injure the very population—the elderly, the poor, and minorities—that needs health care reform the most.
Managed Care: Implications for Underrepresented Physicians
Authors: Horn Ronald
Published: July 2012

The advent of health care reform has brought uncertainty to the lives of underrepresented physicians and their patients. Managed care promises increased numbers of primary care physicians and fewer specialists; increased numbers of group practices and health maintenance organizations (HMOs); and combinations of health care plans and insurance plans. Solo practice fee-for-service physicians will find it more difficult to compete. Many physicians will retire or change careers; some will be left out of managed care plans altogether. To cope, underrepresented physicians must encourage the enrollment of more minorities in medical schools and residency training programs. They must become involved in the management and administration of managed care programs. They must become involved in politics. Finally, they must combine forces to become competitive in the changing health care market.
Standards for Assessment of Lung Function and Respiratory Health in Minority Populations: Some Challenges Linger Into the New Millennium
Authors: Young Roscoe C. , Ford Jean G.
Published: July 2012

Results of pulmonary function tests (as an indicator of respiratory health) are from 11 to 13 percent lower in African Americans and other racial ethnic populations than in Caucasians when controlled for gender, age, and height. Environmental factors influencing these indices are circadian variation, altitude, air pollutants, technology, state of nutrition, smoking history, and other indicators of lifestyle. A combination of subtle, genetically determined anthropometric variants may also be operative, the extent of which is controversial. Population-based, population-specific standards are required to avoid erroneous diagnosis of cardio-respiratory disease, erroneous assessment of operative risk, unfair hiring practices when lung function tests are used for preemployment evaluation in dusty occupations, and unfair labeling when workers apply for disability compensation. Tailoring of statistical prediction standards from simple linear to more complex polynomial regression models will increase the accuracy of population prediction standards for pulmonary function variables into the 21st century.