bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Independent predictors of metachronous bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) after nephroureterectomy for TCC of the upper urinary tract
Authors: Novara Giacomo , De Marco Vincenzo , Dalpiaz Orietta , Gottardo Fedra , Bouygues Vianney , Galfano Antonio , Martignoni Guido , Patard Jean Jacques , Artibani Walter , Ficarra Vincenzo
Published: January 2008

OBJECTIVE

To identify the prognostic factors predictive of metachronous bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in a multi‐institutional dataset of patients who had undergone nephroureterectomy (NU) for nonmetastatic upper urinary tract (UUT) TCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The clinical and pathological data of 231 patients who had had NU for UUT‐TCC from 1989 to 2005 in three European centres were collected retrospectively, and analysed for clinical and pathological variables.

RESULTS

The median follow‐up was 38 months; during the follow‐up, bladder TCC was detected in 109 patients (47.2%), and was significantly more common in patients who had UUT‐TCC after previous bladder TCC (P < 0.001), in those with ureteric cancer (P = 0.022), and in those with pT2 UUT‐TCC (P = 0.017). On multivariate analysis, a previous history of bladder TCC was the only independent predictor of metachronous bladder TCC (hazard ratio 2.825; P < 0.001). The 5‐year probability of being free from metachronous bladder TCC was 45.5%. A history of bladder TCC (P < 0.001) and UUT tumour site (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with the probability of bladder recurrence‐free survival. On multivariate analyses, a previous history of bladder TCC (hazard ratio 2.226; P < 0.001) and the presence of ureteric TCC (1.562; P = 0.036) were independent predictors of the probabilities of being free from metachronous bladder TCC.

CONCLUSION

In this multi‐institutional study of patients who had had NU for UUT‐TCC, a history of bladder TCC was the only independent predictor of metachronous bladder TCC, while both a history of bladder TCC and the presence of ureteric tumours were predictive of the probabilities of being free from metachronous bladder TCC.
Challenging the maximum flow rate: a new index of voiding dysfunction in men with benign prostatic enlargement
Authors: Valentini Françoise A. , Nelson Pierre P. , Besson Gilbert R. , Zimmern Philippe E.
Published: January 2008

OBJECTIVES

To present the theoretical development and clinical relevance of a new index of voiding dysfunction (D) based purely on free uroflow (FF), to assist in the management of patients with benign prostatic enlargement (BPE), and to compare its merits against the maximum flow rate (Qmax).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In the Valentini‐Besson‐Nelson (VBN) micturition model for men, two variables characterize urethral obstruction, i.e. the prostatic urethral counter‐pressure pucp and the detrusor force coefficient k. D can be obtained from a FF assuming a normal detrusor (k = 1). Clinically, multiple FF from patients entered in a double‐blind pharmacological trial provided variations of D over time. D values were also compared before and after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

RESULTS

In 137 patients with BPE from several institutions, D was more precise than Qmax because D is independent of volume and of perturbations of short duration during the flow. The change in D was proportionate to the invasiveness of treatment; the mean (sd) decrease after TURP was 14.6 (8.7) cmH2O, vs 8.1 (5.4) cmH2O after 90 days of α‐blocker intake. Retrospectively, the range of D fitted with the clinician’s decision, i.e. pharmacological trial (16–31 cmH2O) vs TURP (27–46 cmH2O; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The new index (D), deduced from the VBN analysis of only FF, is responsive to treatment. This simple calculation offers an insight into the voiding status of a patient with BPE beyond that obtained by Qmax alone.
Metastatic non‐clear cell renal cell carcinoma: current therapeutic options
Authors: Schrader Andres J. , Olbert Peter J. , Hegele Axel , Varga Zoltan , Hofmann Rainer
Published: January 2008

Non‐clear cell (ncc) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for ≈25% of all patients with metastatic RCC. It is refractory to standard immuno(chemo)therapy and, to date, no specific trials have been reported to evaluate the efficacy of novel targeted drugs in the different subtypes of metastatic nccRCC. We review all available data from subgroup analyses of the global sorafenib and sunitinib expanded access programmes, current phase‐III trials, and smaller multi‐ and single‐centre studies focusing on the activity of targeted agents in these specific and rare RCC subtypes. Both sorafenib and sunitinib have significant activity in metastatic nccRCC, but the efficacy of each agent seems to vary between different nccRCC forms. Preliminary clinical data for temsirolimus appear to be promising but more extensive and long‐term data are awaited. With the advent of novel therapeutic options, specific controlled multicentre trials are urgently needed to define their exact value and efficacy for treating the historically resistant nccRCC forms. The medium‐term aim should be to tailor the most advantageous therapy for each patient with respect to his/her individual RCC subtype and physical condition.
MIND THE GAP: UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE NEW EU REGIONS
Authors: Ferragina Anna Maria , Pastore Francesco
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe paper surveys the theoretical and empirical literature on regional unemployment during transition in Central and Eastern Europe. The focus is on optimal speed of transition (OST) models and on comparison of them with the neo‐classical tradition. In the typical neo‐classical models, spatial differences essentially arise as a consequence of supply side constraints and institutional rigidities. Slow‐growth, high‐unemployment regions are those with backward economic structures and constraints on factors mobility contribute to making differences persistent. However, such explanations leave the question unanswered of how unemployment differences arise in the first place. Economic transition provides an excellent testing ground to answer this question. Pre‐figuring an empirical law, the OST literature finds that the high degree of labour turnover of high unemployment regions is associated with a high rate of industrial restructuring and, consequently, that low unemployment may be achieved by implementing transition more gradually. Moreover, international trade, foreign direct investment and various agglomeration factors help explain the success of capital cities compared to peripheral towns and rural areas in achieving low unemployment. The evidence of the empirical literature on supply side factors suggests that wage flexibility in Central and Eastern Europe is not lower than in other EU countries, while labour mobility seems to reinforce rather than change the spatial pattern of unemployment.
Crop Input Response Functions with Stochastic Plateaus
Authors: Tembo Gelson , Brorsen B. Wade , Epplin Francis M. , Tostão Emílio
Published: January 2008

Agronomic research on crop response to nitrogen fertilizer suggests that a plateau function may be appropriate, but the plateau varies across fields and years. Available models that treat the plateau as a stochastic variable are not readily extendable to handle field or year random effects as seems to be appropriate based on the agronomic data. This article develops a method of estimating a response function with a stochastic plateau that can capture random effects. The method is then used to determine economically optimal levels of nitrogen fertilizer for wheat (Triticum aestivum).
What Causes Spatial Variations in Economic Development in the United States?
Authors: Wu JunJie , Gopinath Munisamy
Published: January 2008

This article examines the causes of spatial disparities in economic development in the United States. A theoretical model is developed to analyze the location decisions of firms and households. An empirical model is estimated to quantify the contribution of alternative factors to spatial variations in wage, employment density, housing price, and land development density. Results suggest that remoteness is a primary cause of spatial disparities in economic development, while natural amenities are a major determinant of housing prices. Despite the dominant role of geography, public investments in infrastructure and human capital development could contribute to economic development in remote areas.
An Empirical Examination of the Timing of Land Conversions in the Presence of Farmland Preservation Programs
Authors: Towe Charles A. , Nickerson Cynthia J. , Bockstael Nancy
Published: January 2008

Using a panel of parcel‐level data we estimate a hazard model and find strong evidence that the mere existence of an option to preserve farmland delays decisions to convert farmland to developed uses by about six years, a reduction in median conversion time of 12 to 43% depending on parcel size. Where such delays allow local governments to improve infrastructure or implement stricter growth control measures, benefits of a preservation option may be even more long term. Also, increases in the variance of returns to development tended to slow conversion for parcels with all but the highest lot capacities.
A Structural Econometric Model of Joint Consumption of Goods and Recreational Time: An Application to Pick‐Your‐Own Fruit
Authors: Carpio Carlos E. , Wohlgenant Michael K. , Safley Charles D.
Published: January 2008

This article develops a structural econometric consumer demand model for goods, which have time and monetary costs, and where time spent obtaining the goods also enters into the utility function. The model is used to analyze customers' decision to buy pick‐your‐own versus preharvested strawberries at North Carolina pick‐your‐own fruit operations. The analysis distinguishes the effect of time as a resource constraint and time that provides utility. Demand for strawberries sold at the operations is price elastic, and demand for pick‐your‐own strawberries is less price elastic than demand for preharvested strawberries.
‘Human terrain’
Authors: González Roberto J.
Published: February 2008

Between July 2005 and August 2006, the US Army put together an experimental counterinsurgency programme called‘Human Terrain System’(HTS). The programme's building blocks are five‐person teams (‘Human Terrain Teams’ or HTTs) assigned to brigade combat team headquarters in Iraq and Afghanistan, comprising regional studies experts and social scientists, some of whom are armed. This article looks at the roots of the human terrain concept, which appears to have originated in domestic counterinsurgency efforts connected with US government efforts to suppress political dissent in the 1960s. Of special concern were militant groups such as the Black Panthers. The article then explores the genesis and development of HTS, as it moved from concept to reality. As the programme was being implemented, some of those involved with its creation referred to it as a ‘CORDS for the 21st Century’, in reference to a Vietnam War‐era initiative that gave birth to the infamous Phoenix Program. The latter was a‘neutralization’campaign that led to the assassination of some 26,000 Vietnamese. The article also reviews the potential future uses of the data collected by HTTs, which has been of great interest to several research groups involved in creating‘modelling and simulation’computer programmes designed to provide insight into the motivations of terrorists and their networks. The article concludes with a discussion of the ethical dilemmas surrounding human terrain for anthropologists and other social scientists.
CLONING AND ADOPTION: A REPLY TO LEVY AND LOTZ
Authors: STRONG CARSON
Published: January 2008

In previous articles I discussed the ethics of human reproductive cloning, focusing on a possible future scenario in which reproductive cloning can be accomplished without an elevated risk of anomalies to the children who are created. I argued that in such a scenario it would be ethically permissible for infertile couples to use cloning as a way to have genetically related children and that such use should not be prohibited. In ‘Reproductive Cloning and a (Kind of) Genetic Fallacy’, Neil Levy and Mianna Lotz raise objections to my conclusions. They disagree with the view, for which I argued, that some couples can have defensible reasons for desiring genetically related children. They also offer several new arguments against reproductive cloning, including an argument that it would diminish the number of adoptions, thereby adversely affecting the welfare of children who need to be adopted. In this paper I point out that Levy and Lotz's criticisms misconstrue my arguments and that there are serious problems with their arguments for prohibiting infertile couples from using cloning, including their argument from adoption.
WHEN GOOD ORGANS GO TO BAD PEOPLE
Authors: HO DIEN
Published: January 2008

A number of philosophers have argued that alcoholics should receive lower priority for liver transplantations because they are morally responsible for their medical conditions. In this paper, I argue that this conclusion is false. Moral responsibility should not be used as a criterion for the allocation of medical resources. The reason I advance goes further than the technical problem of assessing moral responsibility. The deeper problem is that using moral responsibility as an allocation criterion undermines the functioning of medicine.
COERCIVE TREATMENT AND AUTONOMY IN PSYCHIATRY
Authors: SJÖSTRAND MANNE , HELGESSON GERT
Published: January 2008

There are three lines of argument in defence of coercive treatment of patients with mental disorders: arguments regarding (1) societal interests to protect others, (2) the patients' own health interests, and (3) patient autonomy. In this paper, we analyse these arguments in relation to an idealized case, where a person with a mental disorder claims not to want medical treatment for religious reasons. We also discuss who should decide what in situations where patients with mental disorders deny treatment on seemingly rational grounds.

We conclude that, in principle, coercive treatment cannot be defended for the sake of protecting others. While coercive actions can be acceptable in order to protect close family and others, medical treatment is not justified for such reasons but should be given only in the interest of patients. Coercive treatment may be required in order to promote the patient's health interests, but health interests have to waive if they go against the autonomous interests of the patient. We argue that non‐autonomous patients can have reasons, rooted in their deeply‐set values, to renounce compulsory institutional treatment, and that such reasons should be respected unless it can be assumed that their new predicaments have caused them to change their views.
International Diversification, Business Group Affiliation and Firm Performance: Empirical Evidence from India*
Authors: Gaur Ajai S. , Kumar Vikas
Published: January 2008

We investigate the impact of business group affiliation on the relationship between international diversification and firm performance for emerging economy firms. We develop the theoretical arguments based on an integration of the literature on international diversification with the institutional theory perspective. We argue for a U‐shaped relationship between international diversification and firm performance, and suggest that a firm's affiliation to a business group moderates the relationship between international diversification and firm performance. Based on a sample of Indian firms, we find that firm performance is positively related to the degree of internationalization, while business group affiliation reduces the positive effect of internationalization on firm performance.
Partial Comparative Messages in Competition
Authors: Teng Ching‐I , Chang Chung‐Chau , Lai Jeng‐Yu
Published: January 2008

Partial comparative messages comprise a mixture of comparative and non‐comparative claims. This study demonstrates how the extent to which non‐comparative (NC), partial comparative (PC) and complete comparative (CC) messages influence consumer preference depends on the comparisons (i.e. NC, PC or CC) made by the messages promoting the two competing brands. A 3 (brand A used NC, PC or CC message) × 3 (brand B used NC, PC or CC message) design was used. Two studies (n=284, 283, respectively) show that participants preferred (1) the first brand they saw when both brands were promoted by NC messages, (2) neither brand when both brands were promoted by messages containing comparative claims, (3) the brand promoted by a PC message when the other brand was promoted by an NC message, and (4) the brand promoted by an NC message when the other brand was promoted by a CC message.
The Element of Play in Innovation Work: The Case of New Drug Development
Authors: Styhre Alexander
Published: January 2008

The innovation literature offers limited social‐psychological explanation for why co‐workers in organizations are dedicated to innovation work. Instead, innovation work is often portrayed in linear and instrumental terms wherein procedures are structured in accordance with pre‐defined project models. In opposition to this view, innovation work is here examined as a specific form of play. The French social thinker Roger Caillois' analysis of forms of playing in human culture is introduced as a perspective on innovation work little explored to date. The empirical part of the paper reports a study of the work of laboratory scientists in new drug development activities in a major multinational pharmaceutical company. In the analysis, innovation work is examined as a highly specialized and idiosyncratic form of playing wherein the scientists are practising their skills while simultaneously being exposed to serendipity and other residual factors (e.g., luck, chance) outside their full control. The paper concludes that broadening the theoretical and conceptual perspective on innovation may enrich the innovation literature.
Runaway Bureaucracy? Exploring the Role of Nordic Regulatory Agencies in the European Union
Authors: Martens Maria
Published: January 2008

This article reports a comparative study of the Environmental Regulatory Agencies in Norway, Denmark and Finland. Increasingly and relatively independently these agencies are taking part in transnational networks in the European Union involving the European Commission. An informal penetration, fuelled by faster electronic technology, is taking place between the European Commission and the regulatory agencies, largely outside the control of the domestic politico‐administrative leadership. Changes in the character of the states’ public administrations serve as an important background for these developments, a distinctive feature being the ‘agencification’ of the administrative apparatus during the last decades. Due to their relative autonomy, the national regulatory agencies are well placed to work ‘double‐hatted’ in the sense that they interact directly with the European Commission at the same time as they perform traditional tasks as agents of national ministries. This development may challenge the image of integrated administrative apparatus and the notion of transparent and democratic governance.
Private Schools and the Parents that Choose Them: Empirical Evidence from the Danish School Voucher System
Authors: Andersen Simon Calmar
Published: January 2008

Research on the effect of school choice on student performance has generally been based on small‐scale experiments or comparisons of Catholic and public schools in the United States. Recent studies indicate, however, that the market competition stemming from school vouchers does not affect all private schools equally. This study makes use of individual‐level register data on the performance of more than 30,000 students in Denmark, where private schools have been voucher‐financed for more than 100 years, while public schools are governed and financed by the politico‐administrative system. Using an instrumental variable model to exclude selection effects, the results show no significant average effect of private schooling on final examination scores. However, a multilevel model shows that private schools of high socio‐economic status perform better than similar public schools, while private schools of low socio‐economic status under‐perform – even for individual students with high socio‐economic status. This indicates that the institutional setting of a voucher system is not enough to raise educational performance in general, arguably because some parents choose schools on the basis of non‐academic criteria.
Election News Coverage in Democratic Corporatist Countries: A Comparative Study of Sweden and Norway
Authors: Strömbäck Jesper , Aalberg Toril
Published: January 2008

The study of political communication and election research has been closely intertwined ever since the end of the Second World War. However, there is still a troubling lack of comparative research with regard to election news coverage in different countries. Thus, the purpose of this article is to compare election news coverage in Sweden and Norway. More specifically, this study focuses on the use of different frames, such as game versus issue framing, episodic versus thematic framing, the journalistic style and the origins of the news stories in the two countries. As Sweden and Norway are very similar, and both belong to the democratic corporatist model of media and politics, this study follows the most similar systems design. Thus, the main hypothesis is that similar political and media systems will produce similar news coverage. The results, however, show that although the election news coverage was rather similar in Swedish and Norwegian newspapers, some significant differences were found. The article discusses these results using the concepts of structural and contextual biases.
Evaluating the Contribution of Exporting to UK Productivity Growth: Some Microeconomic Evidence
Authors: Harris Richard , Li Qian Cher
Published: January 2008

This study assesses the contribution of exporting activities to aggregate productivity growth in the UK for all market‐based sectors for the period 1996–2004, using a weighted FAME dataset. Based on decompositions of productivity growth, our findings suggest that, overall, exporting firms experience faster productivity growth than non‐exporting firms and therefore contribute more to national productivity growth. In addition, aggregate productivity for exporters benefits from a large contribution from ‘continuing’ firms improving their productivity, as well as exporters that have been taken‐over/merged or started‐up as new firms. In contrast, most of the TFP improvement for non‐exporters is attributable to lower productivity firms exiting, rather than from internal improvements or the productivity‐enhancing impact of new firms.
Ranking Journals Following a Matching Model Approach: An Application to Public Economics Journals
Authors: PUJOL FRANCESC
Published: January 2008

Journal rankings based on citation indexes are widely used in the economics field. This paper proposes an alternative way to rank journals based on the publishing behavior of top‐ranked authors. I justify this approach by depicting the scientific publishing market as following a matching process. Compared with the citation approach, the methodology that we propose has advantages in terms of time effort to produce national and subdiscipline rankings. It also corrects the impact underestimation that the citation approach tends to produce in new and re‐founded journals. This paper proposes an empirical application to the case of public economics journals.
Tragedy of the Commons in a Stochastic Game of a Stock Externality
Authors: WIRL FRANZ
Published: January 2008

This paper investigates a tragedy of the commons where an Ito‐process traces the accumulation of pollution and differentiates between reversible (i.e., clean up is feasible) and irreversible emissions (past pollution cannot be undone). The reversible case allows for an explicit analytical solution, while other means are necessary to characterize irreversible outcomes. More precisely, a different characterization of equilibria (in Markov strategies) as smooth connections between an initial and a stopping manifold is suggested.
Progressive Taxation, Tax Exemption, and Irreversible Investment under Uncertainty
Authors: ALVAREZ LUIS H. R. , KOSKELA ERKKI
Published: January 2008

We analyze the impact of progressive taxation on irreversible investment under uncertainty. We show that if tax exemption is lower than sunk cost, higher tax rate will decelerate optimal investment by increasing the optimal investment threshold, while if tax exemption exceeds sunk cost, three different regimes arise. For “small” volatilities the optimal investment threshold is a positive function of volatility, but independent of tax rate. For “medium” volatilities it is independent of both tax rate and volatility. Finally, for “high” volatilities the optimal investment threshold depends positively on volatility, but negatively on tax rate so that we have “tax paradox”.
Sex similarities and differences in stance in informal American conversation1
Authors: Precht Kristen
Published: January 2008

This study compares men's and women's use of stance: the expression of attitude, emotion, certainty, doubt and commitment. A corpus of nearly 900,000 words of informal conversation in social and work contexts was examined with a computer program that measured stance. The main categories, subcategories and the 180 most frequent stance expressions were analyzed with multiple ANOVAs. The main stance categories of affect, evidentials, and quantifiers showed no significant differences between men and women. In terms of subcategories, general affect, boulomaic verbs, general evidentials, mental verbs, hedges and emphatics had no significant differences between men and women; only expletives had a significant difference between men and women. Of the individual stance expressions, only 35 showed a significant difference between men and women. Examples from actual conversations are given to compare men's and women's speech. Cooperative work between qualitative and quantitative researchers is recommended.
Influence of First Language Orthographic Experience on Second Language Decoding and Word Learning
Authors: Hamada Megumi , Koda Keiko
Published: January 2008

This study examined the influence of first language (L1) orthographic experiences on decoding and semantic information retention of new words in a second language (L2). Hypotheses were that congruity in L1 and L2 orthographic experiences determines L2 decoding efficiency, which, in turn, affects semantic information encoding and retention. College‐level English L2 learners with typologically similar (Korean) and dissimilar (Chinese) L1 backgrounds were participants. Their decoding efficiency was measured by a pseudoword naming task with phonologically regular and irregular conditions. They learned the meaning of the pseudowords paired with pictures. Subsequent recall tasks showed that the Korean group had better overall retention but greater impairment with the irregular pseudowords. These findings suggest that L1 orthographic distance influences L2 word learning processes.
EFL Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention: Reading Plus Vocabulary Enhancement Activities and Narrow Reading
Authors: Min Hui‐Tzu
Published: January 2008

The purpose of this quasi‐experimental study was to compare the effectiveness of reading plus vocabulary‐enhancement activities (RV) and narrow reading (NR)— repeated reading thematically related articles—on vocabulary acquisition and retention among English as a foreign language (EFL) secondary school students. Twenty‐five third‐year male students with intermediate‐level English proficiency participated in each instructional treatment 2 hr per week for five weeks. The RV group read selected texts and practiced various vocabulary exercises. The NR group read thematically related supplemental materials besides the selected texts. A Chinese version of the modified Vocabulary Knowledge Scale was employed to assess students' knowledge of 50 vocabulary items. The results show that the RV group demonstrated significantly more knowledge about the target vocabulary than the NR group on the acquisition and retention tests. The researcher concludes that reading plus focused vocabulary exercises are more effective and efficient than the narrow reading approach in enhancing target vocabulary acquisition and retention among EFL secondary students.
Age Effects on the Process of L2 Acquisition? Evidence From the Acquisition of Negation and Finiteness in L2 German
Authors: Dimroth Christine
Published: January 2008

It is widely assumed that ultimate attainment in adult second language (L2) learners often differs quite radically from ultimate attainment in child L2 learners. This article addresses the question of whether learners at different ages also show qualitative differences in the process of L2 acquisition. Longitudinal production data from two untutored Russian beginners (ages 8 and 14) acquiring German under roughly similar conditions are compared to published results on the acquisition of German by adult immigrants. The study focuses on the acquisition of negation and finiteness as core domains of German sentence grammar. Adult learners have been shown to produce an early nonfinite learner variety in which utterance organization relies on principles of information structure rather than on target language grammar. They then go through a couple of intermediate steps in which, first, semantically empty verbs (auxiliaries) serve as isolated carriers of finiteness before lexical verbs become finite. Whereas the 14‐year‐old learner of this case study basically shows a developmental pattern similar to that of adults, the 8‐year‐old child produces a different order of acquisition: Not only is the development of finite morphology faster, but finite lexical verbs are acquired before auxiliary constructions (Perfekt). Results suggest a stronger tendency for young learners to incrementally assimilate input patterns without relying on analytic steps guided by principles of information organization to the same extent as older learners.
Learners' Perceptions of How Anxiety Interacts With Personal and Instructional Factors to Influence Their Achievement in English: A Qualitative Analysis of EFL Learners in China
Authors: Yan Jackie Xiu , Horwitz Elaine Kolker
Published: January 2008

Although many researchers have examined the effects of anxiety on second language learning in recent years, the specific sources and effects of language anxiety have not yet been clearly established. Moreover, few studies have specifically examined anxiety from the learner's perspective. Although previous interview and diary studies have pointed to a number of interesting relationships between anxiety and other variables, conclusions have been based on the researchers' personal interpretations of learner statements. The present study examines learners' perceptions of how students' anxiety works together with other variables in influencing language learning. Twenty‐one students with varying levels of anxiety were interviewed for this study, a theoretical model was generated, and a sequential order of influence among the major affinities was indicated.
Basel II – Observations from Down Under
Authors: Laker John
Published: January 2008

In this paper Laker discusses issues related to the implementation of Basel II in Australia.
Governance of the Regulatory Decision Making Process
Authors: Quinn Brian
Published: January 2008

The author looks at how regulatory decisions are taken, and implemented, at national as well as international level and discusses issues such as independence of regulatory and supervisory authorities, regulatory capture and the rivalry in decision taking between Basel, Brussels and Washington.
On the Role of Regulatory Banking Capital
Authors: Benink Harald , Daníelsson Jón , Jónsson Ásgeir
Published: January 2008

In this paper the authors study the role of regulatory banking capital and analyze the incentive effects of the Basel II Accord. They argue that Basel II may become a source of systemic risk due to endogenous risk and the risk sensitivity of the capital requirements. In this context they note that financial instability may enter via the asset side of the banks' balance sheets when banks are forced to sell assets in order to maintain the capital buffer prescribed by Basel II.
Understanding Basel II Operational and Strategic Implications
Authors: Krall Markus
Published: January 2008

In 2004/05 McKinsey and Company conducted a major international research project to understand the operational and strategic implications of Basel II for credit institutions and capital markets. In this paper, which is a condensed summary of the findings of this effort, Krall foresees a number of interacting developments influencing banks operational and strategic choices as well as the overall level of systemic risk in the global credit markets.
Financial Reforms and Emerging Markets
Authors: Vatnick Silvina
Published: January 2008

In this discussion chapter, the author summarizes the main features of recent financial developments in emerging markets, including market development, governance and regulatory issues. In light of the financial crises that have taken place in those markets, emphasis is made on the actual path of reforms, main policy lessons and issues of concern from the country cases presented in the panel.
Regulation of Securities Trading (MiFID) and The Evolution of Exchanges, Clearing & Settlement
Authors: Ridley Sir Adam
Published: January 2008

In this paper the author reflects on two major families of market development and regulatory change, both of which lie at the heart of our capital markets: the creation of an integrated securities trading market through MiFID; and the swift evolution in exchanges and post‐trade institutions which set in around the beginning of the new millennium.
Design, National Imaginaries, and the Home Furnishings Commodity Chain
Authors: REIMER SUZANNE , LESLIE DEBORAH
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT  This paper introduces the concept of national imaginaries as a means of foregrounding the continuing influence of ideas about the nation on understandings of commodity production and circulation. National imaginaries are of crucial importance to the home furnishings commodity network, flowing across sites of consumption, retailing, design, and production. Drawing upon the findings of a larger cross‐national research project, the paper discusses three cases in which the characterisation of distinctive national design identities was particularly prominent. These include the representation of designers in the UK and Canada as “national heroes,” and the tendency to measure British and Canadian design against a third national imaginary: that of Italy. A final case considers discursive constructions of national economic trajectories—of “success” or “failure”—within accounts of the British and Canadian furniture industries. It is argued that future work on the differentiating advantages, which may accrue to creative or cultural industries in particular localities, also should be attentive to the ways in which the place of the nation is used to construct imaginative geographies.
Partnership or Palming Off? Involvement in Partnership Initiatives on Domestic Violence
Authors: WELSH KIRSTY
Published: January 2008

Abstract:One of the most striking features of government policy on domestic violence in the last decade has been the promotion of a partnership approach to the problem and, in particular, of partnership initiatives as the means to deliver the approach. Drawing on doctoral research, I suggest that these initiatives are largely attended by voluntary sector organisations and that, although some State agencies show a real commitment to attending, attendance from many State agencies is disappointing at best and is often mediated through the attendance of those with an interest in, and commitment to, the issue. I reflect on what this suggests about who, exactly, carries the burden of partnership responses to domestic violence and, moreover, what this suggests about the effectiveness and efficacy of such responses and their entitlement to such significance in government policy around the problem.
Effects of Topiramate on Migraine Frequency and Cortical Excitability in Patients with Frequent Migraine
Authors: Artemenko AR , Kurenkov AL , Filatova EG , Nikitin SS , Kaube H , Katsarava Z
Published: January 2008

We studied the excitability of the visual and motor cortex in 36 patients with frequent migraine without aura (30 women, mean age 38.6 ± 10.0 years) before and after treatment with topiramate (100 mg/day) using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Treatment with topiramate resulted in reduction of both headache frequency (12.0 ± 1.3 to 5.8 ± 3.2 migraine days per month; P = 0.004) and cortical excitability: motor cortex thresholds increased on the right side from 43.8 ± 7.5% to 47.7 ± 9.2% ( P = 0.049) and on the left side from 43.4 ± 7.0% to 47.2 ± 9.6% ( P = 0.047), and phosphene thresholds increased from 58.9 ± 11.1% to 71.2 ± 11.2% ( P = 0.0001). Reduction of headache frequency correlated inversely with an increase of visual thresholds and did not correlate with motor thresholds. The effect of topiramate in migraine prevention is complex and can not be explained simply by inhibition of cortical excitability.
The ACR Classification Criteria for Headache Disorders in SLE Fail to Classify Certain Prevalent Headache Types
Authors: Davey R , Bamford J , Emery P
Published: January 2008

Headache is a common symptom described by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is uncertain whether both the prevalence and phenotype of headache disorders seen in patients with SLE are similar to those in the general population. The current American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification of headache disorders includes only five categories, included ‘Intractable headache, non-specific’, which is not further defined. The International Headache Society (IHS) has produced a classification which aims to include all recognized headache disorders. We compared the performance of the IHS and ACR criteria in 61 subjects with SLE. Whereas reference to the IHS criteria enabled classification of all headache disorders seen in the cohort, use of the ACR criteria resulted in failure to classify 22% of headache disorders. We suggest that the ACR criteria require revision. Until this is done, IHS criteria should be used in all future studies of headache in SLE.
Intravenous Valproate Aborts Glyceryl Trinitrate-Induced Migraine Attacks: a Clinical and Quantitative EEG Study
Authors: Thomaides T , Karapanayiotides T , Kerezoudi E , Avramidis T , Haeropoulos C , Zoukos Y , Spantideas A
Published: January 2008

We evaluated EEG changes and pain relief in migraineurs with glyceryl trinitrate (GTN)-induced attacks treated with intravenous sodium valproate (iSVP). EEG frequency analysis was performed in 45 migraineurs without aura and in 19 controls at baseline, at the time of maximum GTN-induced headache, and 30 min after 300 mg iSVP. Nineteen migraineurs presented early specific headache (migraine identical to spontaneous attacks; MSp) and 26 presented early nonspecific headache (MnSp). During attacks in MSp there was an increase of theta [16.6% (14.8-19.3) to 19.4% (17.4-22.1), P = 0.02] and delta activity [3.6% (3.1-4.4) to 5.4% (3.9-6.5), P = 0.009], whereas there was no decrease in alpha [41.4% (36.2-45.1) to 39.7% (34.7-44.8)] or beta activity [37.6% (34.7-40.3) to 35.1% (33.5-38.8)]. iSVP reduced migraine from severe/moderate to mild/no pain in 17 (90%) MSp patients, and was associated with reversion of the slow rhythmic activity to baseline levels [theta 16.9% (14.6-18.9); delta 3.2% (3-4.1)]. There was no change in EEG frequency activity after administration of GTN or iSVP in controls and in MnSp. iSVP is well tolerated and effective in treating GTN-induced migraine in migraineurs without aura, and appears to restore the disturbances of cortical electrogenesis associated with these attacks.
Predictor Variables for Identifying Patients with Chronic Tension-Type Headache Who are Likely to Achieve Short-Term Success with Muscle Trigger Point Therapy
Authors: Fernández-de-las-Peñas C , Cleland JA , Cuadrado ML , Pareja JA
Published: January 2008

To date, no studies have investigated the predictive validity of variables from the initial examination to identify patients with tension-type headache pain who are likely to benefit from muscle trigger point (TrP) therapy. The purpose of this study was to develop a preliminary clinical prediction rule (CPR) to identify chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) patients who are likely to experience a successful response from TrP therapy. Consecutive patients with CTTH underwent a standardized examination and then received six sessions of TrP therapy over 3 weeks (two sessions per week). They were classified as having experienced a successful outcome at short-term (1 week after discharge) and 1-month follow-up based on a 50% reduction on at least one headache parameter (intensity, frequency or duration) and self-report perceived recovery. Potential predictor variables were entered into a stepwise logistic regression model to determine the most accurate set of variables for identifying treatment success. Data from 35 patients were included, of which 19 (55%) experienced a successful outcome. A CPR with four variables for short-term (headache duration < 8.5 h/ day, headache frequency < 5.5 days/week, bodily pain < 47 and vitality < 47.5) and a CPR with two variables for 1-month (headache frequency < 5.5 days/week and bodily pain < 47) follow-up were identified. At short-term follow-up, if three of four variables [positive likelihood ratio (LR) 3.4] were present, the chance of experiencing a successful outcome improved from 54% to 80%, and if all the variables (positive LR 5.9) were present, the probability of success was 87.4%. At 1-month follow-up, if one of two variables (positive LR 2.2) was present, the probability of success increased from 54% to 72%, and if both variables (positive LR 4.6) were present, the probability of success was 84.4%. The present CPR provides the potential to identify CTTH patients who are likely to experience short-term and 1-month follow-up success with a muscle TrP therapy approach. Future studies are necessary to validate the CPR.
Feral cat diet and impact on sooty terns at Juan de Nova Island, Mozambique Channel
Authors: Peck D. R. , Faulquier L. , Pinet P. , Jaquemet S. , Le Corre M.
Published: January 2008

Feral catFelis catuspredation on seabirds has been well documented; however, details regarding shifts in feral cat diet in relation to seabird availability, seabird predation rate and impact on seabird population dynamics are scarce. Here, we present data documenting a seasonal shift in feral cat diet at Juan de Nova Island, Mozambique Channel. We also quantify sooty ternSterna fuscatapredation by feral cats and examine the impact on sooty terns over both the short term (by removing individual cats from sub‐colonies) and over the longer term by highlighting their influence on population growth rate (λ) using a deterministic matrix model. Cat diet shifted dramatically from insects, rats and mice outside the tern breeding season to primarily terns when terns were breeding. The predation rate of sooty terns at Juan de Nova was estimated at 5.94 terns cat−1 day−1, with a proportion of these (22%) being killed without being consumed (‘surplus kills’). When only one cat was removed from each sub‐colony, tern predation declined tenfold in the short term. From our matrix model, the annual growth rate for sooty terns was 1.01 in the absence of cat predation. It remained above one until a predation impact equivalent to approximately three times the estimated cat density (12.04 per km2) was incorporated. Our results demonstrate that cats preferentially predate and have an impact on breeding sooty terns at Juan de Nova, and that an increase in cat density could lead to negative effects on population growth, despite the large breeding tern population.
Anatomic distribution of apoptosis in medulla oblongata of infants and adults
Authors: Porzionato A. , Macchi V. , Guidolin D. , Sarasin G. , Parenti A. , Caro R. De
Published: January 2008

The aim of the study was to evaluate the distribution of apoptosis in the medullary nuclei of infants and adults who died of hypoxic‐ischaemic injury. Apoptosis was studied by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick end‐labelling (TUNEL) in brainstems from 22 adults (7 subjects who died of opiate intoxication, 15 who died of other hypoxic‐ischaemic injury) and 10 infants. The nuclei examined included the hypoglossal, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, nucleus tractus solitarii, nucleus of the spinal trigeminal tract, cuneate, vestibular and inferior olivary nuclei. A morphometric analysis with the optical disector method was performed to calculate the mean percentages (± standard deviation) of TUNEL‐positive neuronal and glial cells for the sample populations. Opiate deaths did not have higher apoptotic indices than other adult hypoxic‐ischaemic deaths. Statistically significant differences between adults and infants were found in the neuronal apoptotic indices of the cuneate (28.2 ± 16.3% vs. 6.9 ± 8.7%), vestibular (24.7 ± 15.0% vs. 11.3 ± 11.4%), nucleus tractus solitarii (11.2 ± 11.2% vs. 2.3 ± 2.4%), dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (6.8 ± 8.5% vs. 0.1 ± 0.2%) and hypoglossal (6.6 ± 5.7% vs. 0.1 ± 0.2%), indicating higher resistance of the neuronal populations of these infant medullary nuclei to terminal hypoxic‐ischaemic injury or post‐mortem changes. Differences in neuronal apoptotic index were also statistically significant among nuclei, suggesting differential characteristics of survival. Nuclei with higher neuronal apoptotic indices were the cuneate, vestibular and nucleus of the spinal trigeminal tract, which are located in the lateral medullary tegmentum and share the same vascular supply from the posterior inferior cerebellar artery.
In vitroculture of peri‐gastrulation embryos of a macropodid marsupial
Authors: Hickford Danielle , Shaw Geoff , Renfree Marilyn B.
Published: January 2008

Peri‐gastrulation stage tammar wallaby embryos were cultured for up to 78 h in either Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium or Medium 199, in air/6% CO2or 95% O2/5% CO2, and with added fetal calf or wallaby serum. There was little difference between the two media or sera sources, but development was markedly superior for embryos cultured in 95% O2/5% CO2. Many embryos survived even prolonged culture periods up to and over 70 h, and although development continued throughout the culture period, the embryos as a whole became increasingly abnormal. Embryos explanted at the primitive streak/ regressing node stages performed betterin vitrothan embryos explanted at earlier or later stages. The embryo that developed the furthest had a newly formed node at the initiation of culture and after 64 hin vitroit had developed forelimb ridges, fused, beating heart tubes and mesonephric ducts. Thus high oxygen appears to be the critical component of the culture system for optimal development of primitive streak stage tammar embryos. These results provide a basis for developing culture conditions for longer term development of marsupial embryosin vitro.