bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TOWARD A DEFINITION OF POPULAR CULTURE
Authors: PARKER HOLT N.
Published: April 2011

The most common definitions of popular culture suffer from a presentist bias and cannot be applied to pre‐industrial and pre‐capitalist societies. A survey reveals serious conceptual difficulties as well. We may, however, gain insight in two ways. 1) By moving from a Marxist model (economic/class/production) to a more Weberian approach (societal/status/consumption). 2) By looking to Bourdieu's “cultural capital” and Danto's and Dickie's “Institutional Theory of Art,” and defining popular culture as “unauthorized culture.”
2. STORYTELLING
Authors: SCOTT JOAN W.
Published: April 2011

Natalie Davis is a quintessential storyteller in the way theorized by Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, and Michel de Certeau. Her work decenters history not simply because it grants agency and so historical visibility to those who have been hidden from history or left on its margins, but also because her stories reveal the complexities of human experience and so challenge the received categories with which we are accustomed to thinking about the world.
3. DECENTERED IDENTITIES: THE CASE OF THE ROMANTICS
Authors: SMITH BONNIE G.
Published: April 2011

Natalie Zemon Davis's work has decentered the identities of her subjects as part of seeing their complexity. This essay, inspired by Davis's rich thought and scholarship, looks at the ways in which the Romantics in the arts decentered their thought and practices away from the West. Their decentering involved serious study of non‐Western thought and its incorporation into their art, and the regular use of opium to shape their creative works. One borrowed theme was transcendence to a higher mode of existence, often through sexual union with a woman. So influential did Romantic tropes, themes, and images derived from outside the West become that they persisted in Western culture long after the Romantics themselves had lost interest in the body of non‐Western culture from which they drew. Examples include the work of Samuel Coleridge, Walter Scott, Hector Berlioz, the Schlegel brothers, Caroline Günderode, Sidney Owenson, and others.
2. ONCE AGAIN, WITH MORE FEELING
Authors: Pomper Philip
Published: April 2011

This book summarizes in a compact volume Runciman's arguments to comparative sociologists that their discipline belongs under the theoretical umbrella of neo‐Darwinian selectionism. In his view, heritable variation and competitive selection govern cultural and social as well as biological evolution. Runciman makes a strong case for the usefulness of selectionism, but two of the theory's central features are problematic: his choice of units of selection; and the notion that culture can be distinguished from society historically as well as analytically. No one friendly to the basic project would argue against the need for hypotheses about units that undergo selection, but arguments can be made, also on pragmatic grounds, that he has chosen the wrong kinds of units. Runciman's learning and wisdom show to good effect in the book's fundamental approach: in the overall human story, the biological, cultural, and social coevolve. The quickly accumulating evidence of evolutionary psychology, anthropology, sociology, and neuroscience strongly supports the hypothesis that there is a biological basis for a great deal of human behavior, and also that sociocultural evolution modifies genes. History, in this way of thinking, is like a “braided stream” of unpredictably mutating, blending, and coevolving biological, cultural, and social processes. The old Darwinian image of branching fails to capture the complexity of evolutionary processes in biology, culture, and society. Runciman outlines a unified bio‐social science relying upon information theory. If his program were carried out consistently it would relegate to a non‐scientific level the traditional historical narratives about “carriers” or “vehicles”. The scientific‐explanatory level would instead feature replicators. Gametheory strategies play a prominent role in the selectionist picture. The emphasis on units of information stored in human brains or in exosomatic brain prostheses pushes neuroscience and information theory to the fore. An argument for the analytic‐heuristic value of “memes” and “practices” should be weighed against the value of other hypothetical units undergoing selection in a sociocultural evolutionary approach.
THE TIME OF THE SELF AND THE TIME OF THE OTHER
Authors: Bambach Charles
Published: April 2011

What is time? This essay offers an attempt to think again about this oldest of philosophical questions by engaging David Hoy's recent book, The Time of Our Lives: A Critical History of Temporality, which proposes a “history of time‐consciousness” in twentieth‐century European philosophy. Hoy's book traces the turn‐of‐the‐century debate between Husserl and Bergson about the different senses of time across the various configurations of hermeneutics, deconstruction, poststructuralism, and feminist theory. For him, what is at stake in such a project is to distinguish between the scientific‐objective “time of the universe” and the phenomenology of human temporality, “the time of our lives.” Hoy's approach is to organize his book around the three tenses of time—past/present/future—and to view objective‐scientific time as derived from the more primordial forms of temporalizing lived experience that occur in our interpretation of time. In my reading of Hoy's work, I attempt to explore how “time” (lived, experiential, phenomenological) can be read not in terms of “consciousness” (Hoy's thematic), but in terms of the self's relationship with an Other. That is, my aim is less to establish a continental tradition about time‐consciousness, understood through the methods of genealogy, phenomenology, or critical theory, than it is to situate the problem of time in terms of an ethics of the Other. In simple terms, I read Hoy's project as too bound up with an egological interpretation of consciousness. By reflecting on time through the relationship to the Other rather than as a mode of the self's own “time‐consciousness,” I attempt to think through the ethical consequences for understanding temporality and its connection to justice.
THE TREND IN RETIREMENT*
Authors: Kopecky Karen A.
Published: April 2011

A model with leisure production and endogenous retirement is used to explain declining labor force participation rates of elderly males. The model is calibrated to cross‐sectional data on labor force participation rates of U.S. males by age, their drop in consumption, and leisure good expenditure share in 2000. Running the calibrated model for the period 1850–2000, a prediction of the evolution of the cross‐section is obtained. The model accounts for more than 87% of the increase in retirement of men over 65. The increase in retirement is driven by rising wages and falling prices of leisure goods.
EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE OF A SUNK‐COST PARADOX: A STUDY OF PRICING BEHAVIOR IN BERTRAND–EDGEWORTH DUOPOLY*
Authors: Buchheit Steve , Feltovich Nick
Published: April 2011

We experimentally test the effect of sunk costs on decision making. In the experiment, subjects play the role of price‐setting duopolists. Both firms have identical costs, including an exogenous sunk cost that varies across sessions over six different values. We observe that the sunk cost has a U‐shaped effect: From low to medium levels, average prices decrease, but from medium to high levels, average prices increase. This effect, which is consistent with loss avoidance, develops quickly and persists throughout the game. A follow‐up experiment confirms the main results of the original experiment.
THE SPATIAL ORIGIN OF COMMERCE*
Authors: Tse Chung‐Yi
Published: April 2011

Although dispersion raises productivity by relieving crowding, concentration promotes trade. The participation of specialist middlemen, who tend to cluster around the regional center, in the trading process would mitigate such tensions, for it becomes less urgent for others to scramble for central locations then from the increase in the density of economic activities around such locations. A city, populated by a cluster of middlemen, that serves as a platform for intermediate trade among producers in surrounding areas can exist without any increasing returns in production, transportation, and exchange. Indirect trade and pure commerce may, thus, have a spatial origin.
SKILL REQUIREMENTS, SEARCH FRICTIONS, AND WAGE INEQUALITY*
Authors: Uren Lawrence , Virag Gabor
Published: April 2011

We analyze wage inequality, extending the Burdett and Mortensen (International Economic Review 39 (1998), 257–73) model by incorporating worker heterogeneity through skill requirements. We provide sufficient conditions for existence of an equilibrium where more productive firms offer higher wages. The unique such equilibrium is characterized in a closed form solution. Both within‐ and between‐group inequality are explicitly calculated. We then calibrate the model to explain the joint movement of both within‐ and between‐group inequality in the late 1980s and 1990s, an explanation that has been elusive in the literature so far.
MONEY HOLDINGS, INFLATION, AND WELFARE IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET*
Authors: Dressler Scott J.
Published: April 2011

This article examines an environment where money is essential and agents exchange in perfectly competitive, Walrasian markets. Agents consume and produce a homogeneous good, but hold money to purchase consumption in the event of a relatively low productivity shock. A Walrasian market delivers a nondegenerate distribution of money holdings across agents and avoids some of the computational difficulties associated with the market assumption of bilateral bargaining common to search‐theoretic environments. The model is calibrated to long‐run U.S. velocity, and the welfare costs of inflation are assessed for variable buyer–seller ratios and persistent states of buying and selling.
ESTIMATION AND INFERENCE BY THE METHOD OF PROJECTION MINIMUM DISTANCE: AN APPLICATION TO THE NEW KEYNESIAN HYBRID PHILLIPS CURVE*
Authors: Jordà Òscar , Kozicki Sharon
Published: April 2011

The stability of the solution path in a macroeconomic model implies that it admits a Wold representation. This Wold representation can be estimated semi‐parametrically by local projections and used to estimate the model's parameters by minimum distance techniques even when the stochastic process for the solution path is unknown or unconventional. We name this two‐step estimation procedure “projection minimum distance” and investigate its statistical properties for the broad class of models where the mapping between Wold coefficients and parameters is linear. This includes many situations with likelihood score functions nonlinear in the parameters that would otherwise require numerical optimization routines.
TRANSPORTATION COSTS, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, AND CROSS‐COUNTRY INCOME DIFFERENCES*
Authors: Adamopoulos Tasso
Published: April 2011

I study the role of transportation for development by introducing regional trade and a transportation sector into the standard two‐sector model of agriculture–nonagriculture. Low transport productivity can distort the allocation of resources across geographically dispersed production units within sectors and between agriculture and nonagriculture. I infer cross‐country transport productivity disparities from observed domestic transport costs and transport infrastructure stocks. “Endowing” rich countries with the transport productivity of poor countries would reduce their income by 10%. Combining transport productivity disparities with disparities in nonagricultural productivity and arable land the model yields a 50% higher rich–poor income ratio than the two‐sector model.
INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF ABILITIES AND SELF‐SELECTION OF MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS*
Authors: Caponi Vincenzo
Published: April 2011

This article presents an intergenerational self‐selection model of migration and education that is capable of explaining the evolution of earnings and education across three generations of immigrants. By structurally estimating the model, it is possible to quantify the sacrifices made by the first generation of Mexican immigrants for the benefits of future generations. In particular, the estimation results suggest that there is a significant one time loss of human capital of immigrants upon migration, that migrants are positively selected from the ability distribution, and that they transmit substantial human capital to their children. Finally, the model is used to evaluate the effects of social policies designed to reduce the “brain drain” from Mexico to the United States.
The life and death of great hotels: a building biography of Sydney’s ‘The Australia’
Authors: McNeill Donald , McNamara Kim
Published: April 2011

This paper develops the idea of the ‘building biography’ in order to examine the ontology of large city hotels as they undergo redevelopment. The paper draws on archival research on one of Sydney’s most famed hotels, The Australia, exploring how it was periodically repositioned by management and shareholders within the changing time‐spaces of Sydney’s urban economy between its opening in 1891 and its demolition in 1971. We highlight the importance of American hotel management principles, standards and techniques, and internal debates surrounding maintenance and refurbishment. We consider the importance of ‘demolition narratives’ and their links to the collective memory of guests, Sydney residents and hotel workers, and stress the importance of local property markets in the construction of the hotel as an anachronism.
Differential effect of opioid and cannabinoid receptor blockade on heroin‐seeking reinstatement and cannabinoid substitution in heroin‐abstinent rats
Authors: Fattore L , Spano MS , Melis V , Fadda P , Fratta W
Published: April 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Opioids and cannabinoids interact in drug addiction and relapse. We investigated the effect of the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone and/or the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant on cannabinoid‐induced reinstatement of heroin seeking and on cannabinoid substitution in heroin‐abstinent rats.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Rats were trained to self‐administer heroin (30 µg·kg−1 per infusion) under a fixed‐ratio 1 reinforcement schedule. After extinction of self‐administration (SA) behaviour, we confirmed the effect of naloxone (0.1–1 mg·kg−1) and rimonabant (0.3–3 mg·kg−1) on the reinstatement of heroin seeking induced by priming with the CB1 receptor agonist WIN55,212‐2 (WIN, 0.15–0.3 mg·kg−1). Then, in a parallel set of heroin‐trained rats, we evaluated whether WIN (12.5 µg·kg−1 per infusion) SA substituted for heroin SA after different periods of extinction. In groups of rats in which substitution occurred, we studied the effect of both antagonists on cannabinoid intake.

KEY RESULTS Cannabinoid‐induced reinstatement of heroin seeking was significantly attenuated by naloxone (1 mg·kg−1) and rimonabant (3 mg·kg−1) and fully blocked by co‐administration of sub‐threshold doses of the two antagonists. Moreover, contrary to immediate (1 day) or delayed (90 days) drug substitution, rats readily self‐administered WIN when access was given after 7, 14 or 21 days of extinction from heroin, and showed a response rate that was positively correlated with the extinction period. In these animals, cannabinoid intake was increased by naloxone (1 mg·kg−1) and decreased by rimonabant (3 mg·kg−1).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Our findings extend previous research on the crosstalk between cannabinoid and opioid receptors in relapse mechanisms, which suggests a differential role in heroin‐seeking reinstatement and cannabinoid substitution in heroin‐abstinent rats.

LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed issue on Cannabinoids in Biology and Medicine. To view the other articles in this issue visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2011.163.issue‐7
Low‐Efficiency Acute Renal Replacement Therapy: Role in Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Marshall Mark R. , Golper Thomas A.
Published: April 2011

The methodology, prescription, and delivery of acute renal replacement therapy are rapidly evolving areas. Recent clinical trials have provided clearer guidance around dosing targets for both therapy prescription and delivery. In this article, we discuss dialysis efficiency which is an area that subserves dialysis dose and pertains to manner in which a given dose is delivered. Dialysis efficiency directly effects the measurement and calculation of dose, and the occurrence of dialysis disequilibrium and hemodynamic instability. We provide recommendations around selecting the most appropriate clinical scenario and patients for higher‐efficiency versus lower‐efficiency therapy, and the implementation of therapy to achieve a given efficiency.
Nutritional Assessment and Delivery in Renal Replacement Therapy Patients
Authors: Fiaccadori Enrico , Cremaschi Elena , Regolisti Giuseppe
Published: April 2011

The present review is aimed at illustrating and discussing literature data and recent guidelines concerning artificial nutrition in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) on renal replacement therapy (RRT). Protein‐energy wasting often complicates the clinical course of AKI in critically ill patients, increasing their morbidity and mortality risk. The most severe forms of the syndrome – those observed in ICU patients – are characterized by hypercatabolism with relevant lean body mass loss. In this clinical condition, artificial nutrition (enteral and/or parenteral nutrition) is considered an integral part of the complex therapeutic approach. Even though many issues concerning nutrition in AKI are common to other critically ill patients, the presence of AKI with the ensuing impairment of the kidney homeostatic function introduces specific problems and can make more difficult to give the patient an adequate nutrient provision. Thus, peculiarities of the syndrome – and of RRT itself – must be taken into account in nutritional planning for these patients. Recent guidelines have suggested that the enteral route should be the preferred one, even though parenteral nutrition is often required to target nutritional needs (25–30 kcal/kg body weight/day, and 1.5 + 0.2 g/kg/day to compensate for amino acid losses during RRT). Special attention should be paid to the impact of different forms of RRT on the possible loss of both macro‐ and micronutrients and vitamins, as well as to the risk of metabolic complications. Finally, close integration between nutritional support and RRT is required, aiming at carefully tailoring both therapies on patient’s changing needs.
Withholding and Withdrawing Renal Support in Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Claure‐Del Granado Rolando , Mehta Ravindra L.
Published: April 2011

Management of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) is mainly limited to supportive therapy, with dialysis as one of the main components. Whether or not to offer dialysis and when to withdraw dialysis is a one of the many choices physicians face in daily clinical practice. Withholding or withdrawing renal replacement therapy is a complex decision and depends on many interacting factors, which are unique for each patient and their families and for the care team. An evidence‐based guideline with nine specific recommendations for managing patients has been available however is infrequently employed to help clinical decision making. In this review, we discuss the important issues affecting decisions to withhold or withdraw dialysis in AKI patients and provide an approach for making these decisions for patient management.
Assessing and Delivering Dialysis Dose in Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Claure‐Del Granado Rolando , Mehta Ravindra L.
Published: April 2011

Assessing and delivering dialysis dose in acute kidney injury (AKI) has emerged as an important issue in the management of critically ill patients. There is ongoing debate on how dose of dialysis should be expressed and measured. Most studies have focused on clearance of small molecules (blood urea nitrogen) as a marker of delivered dose and for establishing dose–outcome relationships. Recent evidence has shown that other markers may also be important to consider, as acid–base balance and fluid overload have emerged as important factors contributing to outcomes. In this review, we provide an evaluation of current approaches to prescribing and delivering dialysis dose in AKI, identify gaps in practice and propose an integrated approach to optimize dose delivery in dialysis with a goal to improve outcomes.
Nursing Issues in Renal Replacement Therapy: Organization, Manpower Assessment, Competency Evaluation and Quality Improvement Processes
Authors: Graham Patricia , Lischer Eileen
Published: April 2011

For the patient with acute kidney injury, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a treatment option that has application for the hemodynamically unstable critically ill patient. The decision to initiate a continuous renal replacement modality depends not only on the physician, either the nephrologist or intensivist, but also on the availability of specially trained nursing resources. This article will explore the nursing collaborative model of care at a large university‐based research and teaching Medical Center in Southern California. The focus will be on nursing issues in CRRT including organization of educational programs, manpower assessment, competency evaluation, and quality improvement processes.
Financial Aspects of Renal Replacement Therapy in Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: James Matthew T. , Tonelli Marcello ,   for the Alberta Kidney Disease Network
Published: April 2011

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality and consumes substantial health‐care resources, particularly when renal replacement therapy is required. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not identified the optimal mode of renal replacement for AKI in terms of clinically relevant endpoints such as patient survival or recovery of renal function. As for other complex health interventions, the costs and consequences of AKI treatment are relevant to health‐care providers and decision makers aiming to maximize health outcomes despite fixed health resources. Studies from several different centers suggest that continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is more costly than intermittent hemodialysis and less economically attractive than even intensive intermittent dialysis. On the other hand, while the incremental costs of providing CRRT are significant, they remain relatively small compared with the projected costs of providing chronic dialysis to survivors who do not recover renal function. Even small differences in the risk of chronic dialysis in survivors are likely to determine the economic attractiveness of the different types of renal replacement therapies. To clarify the true incremental cost‐effectiveness of these therapies, future RCTs should collect data on long‐term survival, the need for chronic dialysis, and detailed information on costs.
Microbial Control in Renal Support for Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Luo Yang , Kanagasundaram Nigel S.
Published: April 2011

Renal support offers a lifeline for our patients with acute kidney injury but the decision to start it requires a careful evaluation of both its benefits and its risks. Among the latter must be included the threat from microorganisms. The hazards associated with vascular access are real, accepted but also reducible. We discuss the nature of the problem and measures that might reduce the risk. We also discuss a different potential hazard—that of bacterial contamination of the fluids used in our renal therapies. Although a well‐established fact of chronic hemodialysis practice, its scale and relevance in acute renal support has only just started to be defined.
Defining a Significant Stenosis in an Autologous Radio‐Cephalic Arteriovenous Fistula for Hemodialysis
Authors: Fahrtash Farzan , Kairaitis Lukas , Gruenewald Simon , Spicer Tim , Sidrak Hannah , Fletcher John , Allen Richard , Swinnen Jan
Published: April 2011

The current definition of a significant stenosis in an autologous arteriovenous fistula (aAVF), the percentage narrowing compared with the adjacent “normal” vessel, is inaccurate. We believe a significant stenosis in the aAVF is an absolute minimal luminal diameter determined by the requirements of the hemodialysis pump. To determine what absolute diameter constitutes a hemodynamically significant stenosis in a radio‐cephalic autologous arteriovenous fistula (RC aAVF), the minimal luminal diameter of dysfunctional RC aAVF was compared to that of functional RC aAVF using grayscale and color ultrasound. There were 93 fistulas in study group and 77 in control group. The mean minimum luminal diameter in study group was significantly lower than in control group (2.19 vs. 4.71 mm, p 0.001). With a cutoff value of 2.7 mm, there was 90% sensitivity and 80% specificity in distinguishing functional fistula from dysfunctional fistula. The area under the receiver–operator curve was 90% (CI 84–94%), indicating that a 2.7 mm diameter is accurate in discriminating functional from dysfunctional fistulas. An absolute minimal luminal diameter of 2.7 mm, as determined with grayscale and color ultrasound, is a useful cutoff for defining significant stenosis in a RC aAVF.
Peritoneal Dialysis in Acute Kidney Injury: Lessons Learned and Applied
Authors: Burdmann Emmanuel A. , Chakravarthi Rajasekara
Published: April 2011

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a simple, safe, gentle, and efficient renal replacement therapy (RRT) method. It is able to correct acute kidney injury (AKI)‐induced metabolic, electrolytic, and acid–base disorders and volume overload both in and out the intensive care unit setting. Some PD modalities, such as high‐volume PD and continuous flow PD, can provide RRT doses and efficiency comparable to extracorporeal blood purification methods. PD is particularly suitable for children, patients with refractory heart failure or hemodynamically instable, conditions where systemic anticoagulation should be avoided, patients with difficulty for vascular access and hypo‐ and hyperthermia conditions. In the following manuscript, PD technical aspects and the possible advantages and limitations of this RRT method will be discussed, and the more recent literature on clinical experience with PD for treatment of AKI will be reviewed.
Renal Replacement Therapy in Special Situations: Heart Failure and Neurological Injury
Authors: Mathew Roy O. , Cerdá Jorge
Published: April 2011

The cardiorenal syndrome is a complicated and increasingly prevalent entity requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the form of slow ultrafiltration (UF) demonstrates promise for the treatment of acutely decompensated heart failure. Despite the lack of evidence for decreased mortality, there is considerable short‐term benefit in decreased rehospitalizations and a restoration of diuretic responsiveness. Given the potential for improvement in quality of life and cost if hospitalizations are minimized, slow UF should be considered in patients with repeated hospitalization for decompensated heart failure. Acute neurologic injury is a highly unstable state requiring strict adherence to evidence‐based guidelines to achieve the best possible functional outcomes. With improved short‐term survival, a greater burden of non‐neurologic injury may hinder long‐term functional recovery. Acute kidney injury is among such important considerations that can lead to worsened neurological injury. Careful application of continuous modalities of therapy, probably early in the course of illness to avoid intradialytic osmolar shifts and provide hemodynamic stability, will allow for unimpeded neurologic recovery. Newer evidence on dose and RRT modality on patients with acute and chronic brain injury will certainly add important knowledge to this field.
Persistent Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Plastic Toilet Seats
Authors: HEILIG SARA , ADAMS DAVID R. , ZAENGLEIN ANDREA L.
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  Allergic contact dermatitis to various components of toilet seats is being recognized and reported with increasing frequency. This report details the case of an young girl who was found to be allergic to plastic found in both a toilet seat and a school chair. It highlights particular problems with patch testing young children and the difficulty in confirming allergy to plastics.
A Retrospective Review of Streptococcal Infections in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Sugarman Jeffrey L. , Hersh Adam L. , Okamura Tessie , Howard Renee , Frieden Ilona J.
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  In order to assess the clinical characteristics and impact of group A streptococcal infection in children with atopic dermatitis, a retrospective review was performed in children diagnosed with atopic dermatitis who had a skin culture. Culture results and clinical characteristics of those with group A streptococcus were compared with those with Staphlococcus aureus. Infection with group A streptococcus was present in 16%; infection with Staphlococcus aureus was present in 72%, and 14% had mixed cultures. Patients infected with group A streptococcus were more likely to be febrile, to have facial and periorbital involvement, and to be hospitalized compared with those infected with Staphlococcus aureus alone (p ≤ 0.01 for all comparisons). Bacteremia and cellulitis were significantly more common in those infected with group A streptococcus than in those infected with Staphlococcus aureus. Retrospective design and review of only those patients receiving bacterial cultures may select for greater severity than in the general atopic dermatitis population. Group A streptococcus appears to be a significant skin pathogen infecting children with atopic dermatitis. Children with atopic dermatitis and group A streptococcal infection are more likely to have invasive disease and complications than those infected with Staphlococcus aureus alone.
Update: Treatment of Cutaneous Viral Warts in Children
Authors: Boull Christina , Groth David
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  Warts remain one of the most common reasons for dermatology and primary care visits, yet no definitive therapy is available. Treatment of pediatric patients adds additional challenges, as the adept provider must effectively manage parents’ expectations and patients’ fears. This article provides an update on research in the field of viral cutaneous wart therapies with a focus on pediatric patients. Safety issues and potential complications of therapy are also addressed.
The Influence of Hemodialysis Membrane Permeability on Serum Paraoxonase‐1 Activity and Oxidative Status Parameters
Authors: Horoz Mehmet , Kiykim Ahmet A. , Cimen Burak , Erdem Abdullah
Published: April 2011

We aimed to measure oxidative stress parameters and paraoxonase‐1 (PON‐1) enzyme activities in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients and to investigate whether HD membrane permeability has any influence on those measures. Forty‐seven HD patients and 24 controls were enrolled. At the first step of the study, all HD patients had undergone HD treatment via “low‐flux” membranes for 4 weeks. At the second step of the study, the membranes were switched to “high‐flux” membranes and HD treatments were also performed via “high‐flux” membranes for 4 weeks. Blood samples were withdrawn after completion of 4 weeks treatment for each membrane. Total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), and paraoxonase and arylesterase activities were measured in blood samples of the patients and the controls. TOS and oxidative stress index (OSI) of both membranes were higher than controls (all, P < 0.05), while TAS and paraoxonase and arylesterase activities were lower (all P < 0.05). Paraoxonase (P < 0.05, r = −0.437 and P < 0.05, r = −0.453, respectively) and arylesterase (P < 0.05, r = −0.333 and P < 0.05, r = −0.371, respectively) activities of “low‐flux” and “high‐flux” membranes were inversely correlated with OSI. There were no significant differences between “low‐flux” and “high‐flux” membranes in regard to oxidative stress parameters or PON‐1 enzyme activities (all, P > 0.05). HD patients have increased oxidative stress and decreased serum PON‐1 activities inversely correlated with oxidative stress. Membrane permeability seems to have no influence on oxidative stress parameters and PON‐1 enzyme activities.
Alteration and Recovery of Slash Pile Burn Sites in the Restoration of a Fire‐Maintained Ecosystem
Authors: Creech Michelle N. , Katherine Kirkman L. , Morris Lawrence A.
Published: April 2011

Restoration practices incorporating timber harvest (e.g. to remove undesirable species or reduce tree densities) may generate unmerchantable wood debris that is piled and burned for fuel reduction. Slash pile burns are common in longleaf pine ecosystem restoration that involves hardwood removal before reintroduction of frequent prescribed fire. In this context, long‐lasting effects of slash pile burns may complicate restoration outcomes due to unintended alterations to vegetation, soils, and the soil seed bank. In this study, our objectives were to (1) examine alterations to the soil seed bank, soil physical and chemical characteristics, and initial vegetation recolonization following burn and (2) determine the rate of return of soil and vegetation characteristics to pre‐burn conditions. We found that burning of slash piles (composed of scores of whole trees) results in elevated nutrient levels and significant impacts on vegetation and the soil seed bank, which remain evident for at least 6 years following burn. In this ecosystem, formerly weakly acidic soils become neutral to basic and levels of P remain significantly higher. Following an initial decrease after burn, total soil N increases with time since burn. These changes suggest that not only does pile burning create a fire scar initially devoid of biota, but it also produces an altered soil chemical environment, with possible consequences for long‐term ecosystem restoration efforts in landscapes including numerous fire scars. To facilitate restoration trajectories, further adaptive management to incorporate native plant propagules or suppress encroaching hardwoods within fire scars may be warranted in fire‐dependent ecosystems.
Quick Target Vegetation Recovery after Restorative Shrub Removal and Mowing in a Calcareous Fen
Authors: Sundberg Sebastian
Published: April 2011

Removal of shrubs and trees is an important management and restoration practice to promote openness and light‐dependent vegetation in fens, especially as tree cover is increasing in previously open wetlands. The effects of woody vegetation removal on target species have been poorly documented in wetlands up to now. In this study, I investigated the effect of tree and shrub removal (especially of Juniperus communis) on the target vegetation in a partly overgrown and degraded grazed rich fen after 6 years. I also tested whether additional intensified management by mowing could promote initial recovery. Shrub removal resulted in a rapid recovery of species‐rich fen vegetation such that after 6 years brown moss cover more than tripled and target species richness doubled and became similar to values of a reference area in a favorable conservation status. Additional mowing resulted in a much higher abundance of the target rich fen vascular plants. The reasons for the success at this site may be the proximity to well‐developed rich fen vegetation, presence of cattle that dispersed diaspores, and presence of bare, colonizable substrate. Thus, it may be more beneficial to restore and expand already existing sites in a partly favorable status than to restore severely deteriorated sites. Extensive management by woody vegetation removal may be an alternative method to maintain high conservation values of open mires and other wetlands, where grazing or mowing is not necessary or feasible to meet future needs in response to overgrowth caused by global warming.
The Use of Seedbed Modifications and Wood Chips to Accelerate Restoration of Well Pad Sites in Western Colorado, U.S.A.
Authors: Eldridge Joshua D. , Redente Edward F. , Paschke Mark
Published: April 2011

Semiarid ecosystems of Western North America are experiencing a boom in natural gas development. However, these systems are slow to recover from the disturbances created. The purpose of this study was to develop improved restoration techniques on natural gas well pads in Western Colorado. This study examined effects and interactions of seedbed modifications, soil amendments, seed mixtures, and seeding methods. The experiment was conducted in pinyon‐juniper and semidesert shrub plant communities on five natural gas well pads beginning in 2006. Soil and plant cover data were collected to assess the effectiveness of 16 different treatment combinations. After two growing seasons, we found that patches of soil salinity (>4 dS/m) reduced plant cover to less than 20% on 55 of our 240 experimental plots. These patches of salinity, such as where reserve pits were buried, may need to be treated to completely restore cover on the total gas pad area, although causes of salinity patches needs further investigation. After removing the 55 saline plots from our data analyses, we found that wood chips (WC) as a soil amendment increased organic matter content and reduced non‐native species. Rough seedbed modifications increased the establishment of native species, especially during years of below average precipitation. Island broadcasting resulted in an increase of noxious plant cover during the second growing season. From these findings we recommend that disturbed well pads in a similar environment be restored by seeding native species on sites that are amended with WC and physically modified to create a roughened seedbed.
The Role of Propagule Banks from Drainage Ditches Dominated by Free‐Floating or Submerged Plants in Vegetation Restoration
Authors: van Zuidam Jeroen P. , Raaphorst Ernst P. , Peeters Edwin T.H.M.
Published: April 2011

Dominance by free‐floating plants results in a loss of plant species in many waters. An important source for re‐establishment of non‐floating aquatic plants can be the propagule bank. This study focuses on whether the propagule bank of free‐floating plant–dominated ditch sediments can serve as potential source for recovery of a diverse plant community. The first objective was to determine differences in propagule germination from sediments of ditches in the Netherlands that differ in vegetation composition through a seedling‐emergence experiment. The second objective was to analyze the effect of sediment disturbance on the number of germinating propagules. The results show that, compared to sediments from ditches with submerged vegetation, sediments from free‐floating plant–dominated ditches produced significantly lower numbers of individuals and species of submerged and emergent plants, while numbers of individuals and species of free‐floating plants were higher. These results suggest that sediments from free‐floating plant–dominated ditches have lower potential to recover a diverse plant community probably resulting from positive feedback mechanisms caused by the vegetation present, maintaining the free‐floating plant–dominated state. Sediment disturbance strongly favors the germination of free‐floating plant propagules, especially from free‐floating plant–dominated ditch sediments. Ditch maintenance activities such as mowing and dredging will therefore likely favor persistence of the free‐floating plant–dominated state. To shift from dominance by free‐floating plants to a more diverse plant community, alternative maintenance methods should be considered that cause less sediment disturbance together with measures that promote colonization such as temporary drawdown or re‐introduction of species.
Investing in Natural Capital: Using Economic Incentives to Overcome Barriers to Forest Restoration
Authors: Wu Tong , Kim Yeon‐Su , Hurteau Matthew D.
Published: April 2011

A legacy of fire suppression and the impacts of climate change have induced a worsening pattern of large and severe forest fires across the western United States. This has spurred action to jump‐start wildfire risk mitigation initiatives. Despite an increase in resources and attention, the persistence of economic impediments has forestalled the successful expansion of forest restoration to a landscape level. The failure to properly account for the full range of costs and benefits from restoration treatments has contributed to the asymmetry between needed action and actual implementation. The valuation of non‐market ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, along with the ability of ecological restoration to act as an agent of economic stimulus, should be incorporated into the policymaking process. We demonstrate how institutionalizing the economic benefits from both the process and products of forest restoration can strengthen policies for advancing long‐term forest health.
Restoring Intertidal Boulder‐Fields as Habitat for “Specialist” and “Generalist” Animals
Authors: Chapman M. Gee
Published: April 2011

Restoration is important in urban areas where habitat destruction is greatest. It incorporates many levels of intervention, with creation of new habitat the most extreme form. Most research on habitat creation has been terrestrial, or in marine habitats dominated by large structuring biota, such as mangroves. Intertidal boulder‐fields in urban areas are vulnerable to disturbances and habitat loss, which adversely affect numerous habitat specialists. This study describes experiments in which quarried stones were used to create new habitat outside natural boulder‐fields as a practical approach to restoring habitat. Colonization by specialist fauna and by common algae and invertebrates was measured for a year after deployment. Despite sessile assemblages on new boulders differing from those on natural boulders, common and rare animals rapidly colonized the new habitat. There was no clear succession, but colonization was variable and patchy at all scales examined, although diversities and abundances of some species in this novel habitat matched those of natural boulders within a few months. Rare and common animals generally colonized the new habitat as adults moving in from surrounding areas. Creating new boulder‐fields using quarried rocks is a successful approach to restoration and conservation of fauna where natural boulder‐fields are threatened.
Impaired Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Migraine With Aura? Evidence by an Input–Output Curves Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study
Authors: Cosentino Giuseppe , Fierro Brigida , Vigneri Simone , Talamanca Simona , Palermo Antonio , Puma Angela , Brighina Filippo
Published: April 2011

(Headache 2011;51:726‐733)

Objective.— An imbalance between activity of inhibitory and facilitatory intracortical circuits could play a central role in migraine etiology. We used input–output curves to achieve further information about intracortical excitability of motor cortex in migraine with aura.

Methods.— Input–output curves were measured in the right abductor pollicis brevis muscle at rest in 12 patients suffering from migraine with aura and 8 healthy subjects. Stimuli were delivered at intensity ranging from 100% to 160% of resting motor threshold with 10‐second inter‐stimulus intervals. Seven patients were studied before and during treatment with levetiracetam.

Results.— Results showed a greater motor‐evoked potential amplitude in response to increasing intensity of stimuli in patients compared to controls (P < .02). This increased facilitatory effect was abolished by levetiracetam (P < .005).

Conclusions.— Our findings support the hypothesis of an interictal cortical hyper‐responsivity in migraine patients that appears to be normalized by levetiracetam. This effect could support the potential therapeutic role of levetiracetam in migraine with aura prevention.
Sumatriptan–Naproxen Sodium for Menstrual Migraine and Dysmenorrhea: Satisfaction, Productivity, and Functional Disability Outcomes
Authors: Cady Roger K. , Diamond Merle L. , Diamond Michael P. , Ballard Jeanne E. , Lener Michelle E. , Dorner Deborah P. , Derosier Frederick J. , McDonald Susan A. , White Jonathan , Runken M. Chris
Published: April 2011

(Headache 2011;51:664‐673)

Objective.— To evaluate the impact of a sumatriptan/naproxen sodium combination tablet on patient satisfaction, productivity, and functional disability in menstrual migraine treated during the mild pain phase of a single menstrual migraine attack associated with dysmenorrhea.

Background.— Menstrual migraineurs with dysmenorrhea represent a unique patient population not previously studied. When health outcomes end points are analyzed alongside traditional efficacy end points in migraine studies, a more comprehensive and robust understanding of the many factors that may influence patients' choice of and adherence to pharmacological treatments for migraine is observed.

Methods.— In 2 replicate, multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials, participants with menstrual migraine and dysmenorrhea treated a single menstrual migraine attack with a single fixed‐dose tablet of sumatriptan 85 mg formulated with RT Technology™ and naproxen sodium 500 mg (sumatriptan–naproxen sodium) or placebo.

Results.— Participants randomized to sumatriptan–naproxen sodium were significantly more satisfied than those randomized to placebo at 24 hours post dose, as demonstrated by higher satisfaction subscale scores for efficacy (P < .001 for both studies), functionality (P = .003 for study 1; P < .001 for study 2), and ease of use (P = .027 for study 1; P = .011 for study 2). There was little bothersomeness of side effects associated with either treatment. Use of sumatriptan–naproxen sodium was also associated with lower reported “lost‐time equivalents” in work and leisure time (pooled analysis, P = .003) and lower rates of functional disability (P = .05, study 1; P < .001, study 2) compared with placebo.

Conclusion.— A fixed‐dose combination tablet containing sumatriptan and naproxen sodium significantly improved patient satisfaction, productivity, and restoration of normal functioning in menstrual migraineurs with dysmenorrhea.
Hybrid Cemented/Cementless Total Hip Replacement in Dogs: Seventy‐Eight Consecutive Joint Replacements
Authors: Gemmill Toby J. , Pink Jonathan , Renwick Alasdair , Oxley Bill , Downes Ciara , Roch Simon , McKee W. Malcolm
Published: April 2011

Objective:To evaluate the use of hybrid total hip replacement (THR), using a cementless acetabular component and a cemented femoral component.

Study Design:Prospective case series.

Sample Population:Client‐owned dogs (n=71).

Materials and Methods:Consecutive clinical cases that had hybrid THR were studied. Radiographic features, pain scores, and lameness scores were recorded pre‐ and postoperatively. Longer term outcome was assessed by owner questionnaire.

Results:Hybrid THRs (n=78) were performed in 71 dogs. Four cases (5%) had major postoperative complications; 3 were resolved after revision surgery, and 1 owner requested an explantation. No other major complications were identified on follow‐up radiographs (67 THR) at 12 weeks. On clinical follow up (77 THR) at 4 weeks, lameness had improved in 68, was unchanged in 8, and was worse in 1. Pain had decreased in 72, was unchanged in 4, and was worse in 1. At 12 weeks (69 THR) compared with preoperative status, lameness had improved in 67 and was unchanged in 2. Pain had improved in 68 and was unchanged in 1. Longer term follow‐up (mean, 16 months) was available for all hips. No further complications were reported. Owner satisfaction was good for 76 THRs and reasonable for 2.

Conclusions:Hybrid THR can be performed successfully with a low complication rate and represents an alternative to either entirely cemented or cementless implantation.