bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Work performance, affective commitment, and work motivation: the roles of pay administration and pay level
Authors: Kuvaas Bård
Published: March 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate employee attitudes and behaviors among knowledge workers under different forms of pay administration and pay levels. To examine these issues, I collected data from two business units in a large Norwegian multinational company with pay plans combining individual and collective performance and behaviors as the foundations for individual bonuses; one with two collective components (profit and behavior of the unit and the organization) and one with an individual component in addition to the two collective components. After controlling for organizational tenure, education, gender, perceived unit support, perceptions of distributive and procedural justice, and type of pay plan, the key findings are that base pay level, but not bonus level, was positively related to both self‐reported work performance and affective unit commitment, and that these relationships were partly mediated by intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, moderation analyses revealed that the relationships between bonus level and the outcome variables were not affected by type of pay plan. Implications and directions for future research on pay in knowledge intensive organizations are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evidence for influence of anthropogenic surface processes on lower tropospheric and surface temperature trends
Authors: De Laat A. T. J. , Maurellis A. N.
Published: March 2006

In de Laat and Maurellis (2004), a new framework was introduced in the form of a spatial‐thresholding trend technique for analyzing the correlation between anthropogenic surface processes (e.g. changes in land use, albedo, soil moisture, groundwater levels, solar absorption by soot or energy consumption) and lower tropospheric and surface temperature trends for the period 1979–2001. In situ measured surface and satellite‐measured lower tropospheric temperature trends were shown to be higher in the vicinity of industrialized regions, while such higher trends were not found in enhanced greenhouse gas (GHG) climate model simulations of temperature. It was suggested that surface and lower tropospheric temperature trends appeared to be influenced by anthropogenic non‐GHG processes on the earth's surface.

In this paper, we verify the robustness of the thresholding technique and confirm our earlier conclusions on the basis of an extended analysis and two additional data sets. We confirm the presence of a temperature change–industrialization correlation by analyzing the data with an additional statistical method and further confirm the absence of the above correlation in climate model simulations of enhanced GHG warming. Our findings thus provide an important test of climate model performance on regional scales.

These findings suggest that over the last two decades non‐GHG anthropogenic processes have also contributed significantly to surface temperature changes. We identify one process that potentially could contribute to the observed temperature patterns, although there certainly may be other processes involved. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society.
Impact of the Kuroshio Current on the South China Sea based on a 115 000 year diatom record
Authors: Jiang Hui , Björck Svante , Ran Lihua , Huang Yue , Li Jiayin
Published: March 2006

We used the tropical oceanic planktonic diatom species Nitzschia marina, Rhizosolenia bergonii and Azpeitia africana/Azpeitia neocrenulata, most commonly found in the surface sediments of the northeasternmost South China Sea (SCS) where the Kuroshio Current enters the SCS through the Bashi Strait north of Luzon, to analyse the influence of the the Kuroshio Current on the SCS. The impact of the Kuroshio Current seems to be relatively strong during major warm periods and, to a lesser degree, in minor warm periods during the last 115 000 years. The strongest influence took place during the main part of the Holocene and during the very late phase of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e. It is possible to distinguish two magnitudes of change in the impact of the Kuroshio Current on the SCS: large changes occurred at shifts between glacial and interglacial conditions, while smaller changes seem to have recurred in both glacial and interglacial episodes as well as during the Holocene. Climatic/oceanographic changes and sea‐level variations were possibly the two most important mechanisms for the varying influences of the Kuroshio Current on the SCS. The interaction between the Kuroshio Current and monsoon‐related processes may also have played a role. However, because of restricted knowledge of the present‐day Kuroshio Current and the absence of a modern analogue to the ancient SCS due to the marked changes in palaeogeography, this relationship is difficult to establish. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
‘First, kill all the economists…’ : the insufficiency of microeconomics and the need for evolutionary psychology in the study of management
Authors: Kanazawa Satoshi
Published: March 2006

Microeconomics and its model of the singular and unitary actor can no longer adequately explain organizational behavior now that there are men and women in corporations. Evolutionary psychology, with its premise of fundamental and inherent sex differences, is necessary to replace microeconomics as the predominant theoretical perspective in business and management schools. The recent Safeway fiasco illustrates the danger of continuing to use microeconomics in the study of management in the 21st century. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Explaining clustering in social networks: towards an evolutionary theory of cascading benefits
Authors: Levine Sheen S. , Kurzban Robert
Published: March 2006

Individual and organizational actors enter into a large number of relationships that include benefiting others without ensuring the equality of reciprocal benefits. We suggest that actors have evolved mechanisms that guide them in the choice of exchange partners, even without conscious calculation or bookkeeping of gain and loss. One such mechanism directs actors to membership in clusters, which are homogenous groups of actors densely connected among themselves and only loosely connected to other groups. We suggest that clusters offer network externalities, which are not possible in sparse networks, thus conferring cascading benefits on the actors contained in those clusters. Using this logic, one can understand the omnipresence of clustering in social networks of individuals and firms. We review the benefits and challenges associated with clustering and use the logic of cascading benefits to derive empirical predictions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A cross‐national analysis of affirmative action: an evolutionary psychological perspective
Authors: Yang Chulguen , D'Souza Geeta C. , Bapat Ashwini S. , Colarelli Stephen M.
Published: March 2006

Affirmative action (AA) is a government policy permitting employers and universities to give preferential treatment to applicants from specific (e.g. racial) groups. We present a comparative analysis of AA in six countries (India, USA, Malaysia, Canada, South Africa, and Brazil) and explain similarities among these programs according to universal psychological mechanisms and variation according to cultural–historical contexts. It appears that similarities in contextual conditions (e.g. democratic government, multi‐ethnic states) interact with ancient psychological mechanisms (e.g. fairness, cheater detection, alliance tracking) to provide at least part of the motivation for the development and expansion of AA, despite its problematic consequences. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Balancing cooperation and competition in human groups: the role of emotional algorithms and evolution
Authors: Loch Christoph H. , Galunic D. Charles , Schneider Susan
Published: March 2006

We examineemotional algorithmsand their role in a fundamental dilemma that confronts human groups—whether actors should take care of ‘me’ (compete) or take care of ‘we’ (cooperate). We argue that human emotions, triggered in algorithmic fashion through four common, although culturally specified, mechanisms, powerfully direct humans to compete or cooperate. Drawing on evolutionary psychology, we first define and characterize these hard‐wired emotional algorithms, presenting evidence for their independent influence. Their regulatory influence on human groups, however, can only be appreciated once we examine them as a system. We show how, as a system, these algorithms help explain the dynamic balance that members of human groups can (and often must) achieve between competition and cooperation. We derive three propositions regarding how these algorithms play out in groups. We suggest that understanding these dynamics can help leaders better manage cooperation and competition in organizational groups. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prenatal phenotypic overlap of Costello syndrome and severe Noonan syndrome by tri‐dimensional ultrasonography
Authors: Levaillant Jean‐Marc , Gérard‐Blanluet Marion , Holder‐Espinasse Muriel , Valat‐Rigot Anne‐Sylvie , Devisme Louise , Cavé Hélène , Manouvrier‐Hanu Sylvie
Published: March 2006

Background

Prenatal diagnosis of multiple congenital anomalies is difficult, and usually molecular biology cannot immediately confirm the suspected syndrome. Fetal dysmorphology is useful tool in the diagnosis process, with limitations.

Methods

We report the thorough prenatal investigation by 2D and 3D ultrasonography in a case of suspected Costello syndrome.

Results

Prenatal abnormalities were: increased nuchal translucency, polyhydramnios, bilateral pyelectasis and ventriculomegaly. Ultrasonographic morphological fetal face analysis found abnormal thickness of the skin in the prefrontal area, thick dysplastic ears, thick lips and deep‐set creases in the hands and feet. As Costello and Noonan syndromes overlap, a PTPN11 analysis was done, with presence of a mutation (T854C).

Conclusion

Prenatal overlap of feature of severe Noonan syndrome and Costello syndrome is confirmed, with dysmorphological similarities, due to edema of fetal skin in face and extremities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Noninvasive genotyping of 9 Y‐chromosome specific STR loci using circulatory fetal DNA in maternal plasma by multiplex PCR
Authors: Deng ZhiHui , Wu GuoGuang , Li Qian , Zhang Xuan , Liang YanLian , Li DaCheng , Gao SuQing , Lan YuXiao
Published: March 2006

Background

Human Y‐Chromosome specific STR (Y‐STR) has now become a useful loci in casework. However, noninvasive genotyping of multiple Y‐STR loci and its application in prenatal genetic diagnosis haven't been reported. The purpose of this study is to develop a Y‐STR multiplex PCR amplification system that is suitable for the amplification of short‐sized templates of circulatory male fetal DNA and use the established multiplex in noninvasive prenatal genetic diagnosis and its further applications in forensic casework.

Methods

On the basis of the characteristic of circulatory fetal DNA in maternal plasma, we selected 9 Y‐STR loci in which the allele size was less than 180 bp in length and developed two multiplexes that allowed fluorescent genotyping of 9 Y‐STR loci simultaneously. These Y‐STR loci include two trinucleotide repeats (DYS426 and DYS388) and seven tetranucleotide repeats (DYS393, DYS460, H4; DYS391, DYS389 I, DYS456 and DYS458). Sixty‐four pairs of plasma DNA samples from pregnant women and genomic DNA samples from their husbands were detected by our method.

Results

As a result, an average of 7.3 Y‐STR specific alleles was detected in each of the 30 plasma DNA samples from pregnancies with male fetuses. However, none of these 9 Y‐STR specific alleles was detected in 34 plasma samples from pregnant women carrying female babies. The chances of detecting Y‐STR alleles ranged from 66.7 to 93.3%. Fifty‐eight haplotypes were detected in 64 unrelated Chinese male individuals; haplotype diversity was 0.9966. This highly polymorphic Y‐STR multiplex has greatly improved the chances of detecting the Y‐STR allele.

Conclusions

This assay provides a sensitive, accurate and efficient method for noninvasive prenatal genetic diagnosis and forensic casework. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Emotional labour: listening to the patient's story
Authors: Barrett Catherine , Borthwick Angela , Bugeja Sue , Parker Annette , Vis Rachel , Hurworth Rosalind
Published: March 2006

This paper describes the use of an empowerment evaluation approach to evaluate a practice development programme in an acute hospital ward. This self‐evaluation approach included inviting clinicians to hear the patient's story. The engagement of clinicians in self‐evaluation resulted in increased clinician ownership of the evaluation findings and commitment to practice change. An additional outcome was that the emotional labour of health care was made explicit and clinicians acknowledged that they ‘turned off’ from the patient's story to protect themselves from burnout. Benner's model of ‘novice to expert’ is used to explore the capacity of clinicians to hear the patient's story and to explore the reasons why even expert clinicians may at times be unreceptive to this story. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Developing specialist practice for older people in England: responses to policy initiatives
Authors: Reed Jan , Watson Bill , Cook Margaret , Clark Charlotte , Cook Glenda , Inglis Pamela
Published: March 2006

Practice development can be a local initiative, or it can be shaped by ‘top‐down’ policy agendas. Following the launch of a National Service Framework for Older People (NSF‐OP) in England, a study was commissioned to examine the development of specialist services and staff for older people, one of the key recommendations of this policy.

A two stage study was conducted, the first stage being a questionnaire in three parts to identify practice developments across a range of agencies, and the second to carry out case studies to identify processes in more detail. This paper reports on some of the findings from the first stage of the study, focusing on the data from National Health Services. This suggested that definitions of specialism are unclear and roles are ambiguous, which has implications for training and practice development. Other data, however, suggested that the development of services for older people was not simply a response to the NSF‐OP, but had been in progress for variable lengths of time before this. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A model for developing, implementing, and evaluating a strategy to improve nursing and midwifery care
Authors: O'Halloran Peter , Martin Garrett , Connolly Dawn
Published: March 2006

Background: Health care organizations world wide are faced with the need to develop and implement strategic organizational plans to meet the challenges of modern health care. There is a need for models for developing, implementing and evaluating strategic plans that engage practitioners, and make a measurable difference to the patients that they serve. This article describes the development of such a model to underpin a strategy for nursing and midwifery in an acute hospital trust.

An integrated model: The processes for strategy development (values clarification, critical companionship and focus groups) are discussed, together with the development of processes for implementation, based upon a modification of the PARIHS (Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services) conceptual framework. Finally, the methods for evaluating the strategy (a pre‐test–post‐test approach measuring the quality of nursing care, the degree to which the organization supports professional nursing care, the leadership styles of ward managers, and patient satisfaction with care) are described.

Conclusion: The model is offered as one that may be of use to others who wish to develop an integrated approach to strategic change – an approach in which the development, implementation and evaluation of strategic plans are informed by the core values of nurses and midwives. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long‐range effects of chirality in aromatic poly(isocyanide)s
Authors: Amabilino David B. , Serrano José‐Luis , Sierra Teresa , Veciana Jaume
Published: March 2006

The preparation of optically active atropoisomeric polymers which present chiral backbones, thanks to induction during their synthesis from stereogenic centers, located far away from the skeleton is possible, thanks principally to semirigid conformations of the promesogenic spacers between them. The result is that chiral “information” can be passed as far as 21 Å from the asymmetric center to the carbon atom that forms the polymeric chain in poly(isocyanide)s. The sense of chiral induction in these conformationally rigid polymers parallels the helical sense of the cholesteric phases, as well as to the helical senses of chiral smectic C phases, induced by the monomers in nematic and smectic C phases, respectively. All these phenomena obey the odd–even rules proposed for chiral sense changes in these liquid crystalline phases. Noncovalent interactions play an important part in the induction process, in which steric arguments can be used to justify the inductions observed. The methodology can be used to prepare macromolecules, which display switching behavior upon thermal or electrochemical stimulus. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3161–3174, 2006
Cyclopolymerization of perfluoroisopropenyl vinylacetate
Authors: Fujiwara Hirotada , Narita Tadashi , Hamana Hiroshi
Published: March 2006

To develop the polymerization exploiting the interconversion of fluorinated carbon radical to hydrocarbon radical, the radical cyclopolymerization of perfluoroisopropenyl vinylacetate [CF2C(CF3)OCOCH2CHCH2] (FIA) was investigated to afford a polymer possessing mainly five‐membered ring structure with bimodal molecular weight distribution having 1 × 105 as the higher molecular weight. This may be the first example wherein the cyclopolymerization between usual allyl group and fluorinated vinyl group is performed. The degree of cyclization was between 70 and 80% determined by 19F NMR of as‐polymerized products. The polymer preparation from perfluoroisopropenyl group, which shows scarce homopolymerization reactivity was accomplished. The mechanism that the addition of hydrocarbon radical to perfluoroisopropenyl group to produce fluorinated carbon radical followed by the intramolecular addition reaction onto allyl group to form five‐membered ring is proposed. The hydrolysis of the FIA polymer afforded a polymer possessing hydrophobic fluoroalkyl group with hydrophilic hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3220–3232, 2006
Ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone via the bismuth‐2‐mercaptoethanol complex
Authors: Kricheldorf Hans R. , Behnken Gesa , Schwarz Gert
Published: March 2006

A complex consisting of one Bi3+ ion and two 2‐mercaptoethanol units (BiME2) was used as initiator for the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone in bulk. A kinetic comparison showed that BiME2 is as reactive as initiator as Sn‐octanoate and more reactive than Bi‐hexanoate. The difference to BiHex3 decreased at higher temperatures and upon addition of an alcohol as coinitiator. When tetra(ethylene glycol) was used as coinitiator, it was completely incorporated into the poly(εCL) chain, so that telechelic polylactones having two OH‐endgroups were formed. In the absence of a coinitiator, 2‐mercaptoethanol or its disulfide were incorporated in the form of ester groups. Furthermore, it was found by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry that small amounts of cyclic oligolactones (detected up to a degree of polymerization of 17) were formed under all reaction conditions. Higher temperatures and longer times favored a higher content of cycles. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3175–3183, 2006
Energy spectrum and thermodynamics of anisotropic spin‐1/2 two‐leg ladder
Authors: Cheranovskii V. O. , Chovpan A. A. , Ezerskaya E. V. , Özkan I.
Published: March 2006

We studied the energy spectrum and some finite temperature properties of two‐leg spin‐1/2 ladder with XXZ interactions in legs and rungs. It is shown that for a strong ferromagnetic interchain interaction, there is a first‐order transition between ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic phases. The anisotropic ladder in the magnetic field may have up to four low‐temperature maxima in the temperature dependence of specific heat. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
Achieving science literacy through transformation of multimodal textual resources
Authors: Knain Erik
Published: March 2006

In her article “Framing New Research in Science Literacy and Language Use: Authenticity, Multiple Discourses, and the ‘Third Space’,” Carolyn S. Wallace presented a model of science literacy that frames language in science to teaching principles in a powerful way. The model would however be enhanced if two additional concepts are made explicit, that of multimodality and transformation. Multimodality should be part of the model both as an aspect of science literacy and as a tool for developing science literacy, by enabling transformations across different modes of representation and different contextual presuppositions, in particular between everyday and scientific contextual frames. Transformations furthermore connect multimodality to the origin of conceptual knowledge in action and culture. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 90:656–659, 2006
XPS characterisation of carbon‐coated alumina support
Authors: Plyuto Igor V. , Shpak Anatoliy P. , Stoch Jerzy , Sharanda Lyudmila F. , Plyuto Yuri V. , Babich Igor V. , Makkee Michiel , Moulijn Jacob A.
Published: March 2006

Hybrid carbon–alumina supports, synthesised by pyrolysis of grafted 4,4′‐methylenebis‐(phenylisocyanate) moiety on the alumina surface, were characterised by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The recorded Al 2p and C 1s envelopes showed asymmetry that decreased with an increase in carbon loading. In all experimental Al 2p envelopes, the high‐energy individual components at 75.3–75.9 eV were present along with the low‐energy component at 74.0 eV typical for Al2O3. In the case of the C 1s envelope, the component around 284.3–284.4 eV and three high‐energy individual components at 285.9–286.0, 288.0–288.3 and 290.1–290.6 eV were observed. The presence of the high‐energy Al 2p components can be explained considering the occurrence of a steady‐state charging of the different parts of insulating alumina supports. The component around 284.3–284.4 eV in C 1s envelopes can be attributed to carbon, which constitutes the coating and, hence, ensures surface conductivity. The component around 285.9–286.0 eV is connected with carbon in carbonaceous surface species, which do not form the conducting layer on the alumina support. Carbonaceous surface species associated with CO, CO and OCO groups in carbon coating can be also identified due to the presence of corresponding components in XPS spectra at 285.9–286.0, 288.0–288.3 and 290.1–290.6 eV. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
XPS and XAES analysis of copper, arsenic and sulfur chemical state in enargites
Authors: Fantauzzi M. , Atzei D. , Elsener B. , Lattanzi P. , Rossi A.
Published: March 2006

Enargite, a copper arsenic sulfide with the formula Cu3AsS4 is of environmental concern due to its potential to release toxic arsenic species. The oxidation and dissolution of enargite are governed by the composition and chemical state of the outermost surface layer. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the enargite surface can be initially obtained on the basis of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) binding energy and intensity data. However, a more precise determination of the chemical state of the principal elements of enargite (copper, arsenic and sulfur) in the altered surface layer and in the bulk of the mineral requires a combined analysis based on XPS photoelectron lines and the corresponding X‐ray excited Auger lines.

On the basis of results obtained on natural and synthetic enargite samples and on standards of sulfides and oxides, the Auger parameter α′ of different compounds was calculated and the Wagner chemical state plots were drawn for arsenic, copper and sulfur. Arsenic in enargite is found to be in a chemical environment similar to that of arsenides or elemental arsenic, whereas copper in enargite is in a chemical state that corresponds to copper sulfide, Cu2S, for all samples irrespective of surface treatment (natural or freshly cleaved). Only sulfur changed from a chemical state similar to that of copper or iron sulfide in freshly cleaved samples to another state in natural enargite in the as‐received state. Thus, it is the sulfur atom at the surface of enargite that is most susceptible to changes in the enargite surface state and composition. A more detailed interpretation of this behavior, based on differences in the initial and final state effects, is proposed here. The concept of Auger parameter and chemical state plot, used here for the first time for investigating enargite, has proved to be a method to unambiguously assign the chemical state of the principal elements copper, arsenic and sulfur in these minerals. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nondestructive in‐depth composition profile of oxy‐hydroxide nanolayers on iron surfaces from ARXPS measurement
Authors: Olla Maurizio , Navarra Gabriele , Elsener Bernhard , Rossi Antonella
Published: March 2006

In this work the maximum entropy method (MEM) is applied, for the first time, to angle‐resolved X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) data from oxy‐hydroxide films on iron surfaces. This nondestructively derives information on the in‐depth distribution of the composition and chemical state. An MEM algorithm was created and first tested on the simulated data. The reconstructed composition depth profiles agreed very well with the theoretical ones up to 5% Gaussian noise added to the data. The same algorithm was then applied to ARXPS data from iron samples to investigate the in‐depth variations in the composition and chemical state of the nanosized oxy‐hydroxide film naturally grown on the iron surface. The resulting surface film presents a complex multilayer structure with concentration gradients. The effect of air exposure on the structure was also investigated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Controlled Arrangement of Nanoparticle Arrays in Block‐Copolymer Domains
Authors: Haryono Agus , Binder Wolfgang H.
Published: March 2006

This Review describes recent results on the precise spatial distribution control of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles into domains of microphase‐separated block copolymers. Specific focus is directed towards selective incorporation into a specific microphase of a block copolymer. Details on theoretical aspects concerning nanoparticle incorporation as well as practical examples are given. Furthermore, examples on applications and technological aspects of the resulting nanoparticle/polymer nanocomposites are provided.
Indication of Hepatopancreatoduodenectomy for Biliary Tract Cancer
Authors: Hirono Seiko , Tani Masaji , Kawai Manabu , Ina Shinomi , Uchiyama Kazuhisa , Yamaue Hiroki
Published: March 2006

Background

The indication for a hepatopancreatoduodenectomy (HPD) in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer is still controversial, because this aggressive surgery might be associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. In this study, we review our experience with HPD for advanced biliary tract cancer, and seek to define the indication for HPD.

Methods

Eleven patients with biliary tract cancer underwent HPD at Wakayama Medical University Hospital between 1986 and 2004. Univariate analysis was used to assess independent variables of the mortality and morbidity associated with HPD.

Results

The rates of mortality and morbidity were 18% and 82%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the total serum bilirubin level before surgery and the hepatic parenchymal resection of more than two Healey’s segments correlated significantly with an increased risk of severe complications (P = 0.044, 0.0152, respectively). The 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐year survival rates were 44%, 33%, and 11%, respectively.

Conclusions

Hepatopancreatoduodenectomy might offer a chance of long survival by yielding a tumor‐free margin in selected patients who are able to tolerate such an aggressive operation, but the indication for this aggressive surgery should be carefully considered.
Sequential Preoperative Ipsilateral Portal and Arterial Embolization in Patients with Colorectal Liver Metastases
Authors: Gruttadauria Salvatore , Luca Angelo , Mandala’ Lucio , Miraglia Roberto , Gridelli Bruno
Published: March 2006

Background

Preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE) induces ipsilateral atrophy of the hepatic parenchyma to be resected, as well as contralateral compensatory hypertrophy of the residual liver. However, there are two potential problems with this technique: inadequate contralateral hypertrophy and tumor progression while waiting for the non‐embolized liver to hypertrophy. We devised a strategy to deal with these two problems by performing an ipsilateral hepatic artery embolization 6 weeks after an unsatisfactory PVE in an effort to accelerate the hypertrophy of the remnant liver.

Materials and Methods

Two patients with colorectal liver metastases underwent to this sequential preoperative treatment in order to achieve resectability of their metastatic disease.

Results

Both patients successfully underwent major hepatic resection.

Conclusions

In our experience sequential ipsilateral portal vein and hepatic artery embolization extended the indications for liver resection for metastatic colorectal cancer.
Outcomes of Surgery for Mid and Distal Rectal Cancer in the Elderly
Authors: Law Wai Lun , Choi Hok Kwok , Ho Judy WC , Lee Yee Man , Seto Chi Leung
Published: March 2006

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the surgical strategies, operative results, and oncological outcomes of elderly patients who underwent curative resection for mid and distal rectal cancer. Comparison was made with patients of younger age.

Study Design

Of the 612 patients who underwent curative resection for rectal cancer, 133 were older than 75 years of age. Comparisons were made between the young and elderly patients in the aspects of operative strategies, operative results, and long‐term outcomes.

Results

Resection resulting in a permanent end colostomy was performed in 96 patients (15.7%), and there was no difference between young and elderly patients. There was a female predominance in the elderly group. Elderly patients also had a higher incidence of comorbid medical diseases, especially cardiovascular and neurological diseases. The operative time, blood loss, and incidence of intraoperative complications did not differ in the two groups. However, significantly fewer elderly patients underwent adjuvant radiation and/or chemotherapy. The overall 30‐day mortality was 1.14%. There was no difference between the elderly patients and younger patients in hospital mortality (P = 0.178). The complication rates of the elderly and young patients were 36.8% and 30.1%, respectively (P = 0.141). Comparison between the individual complications in the elderly and young patients revealed significantly more cardiovascular complications in the elderly patients. With the median follow up of the surviving patients of 45.1 months, the overall 5‐year survival of the elderly and younger groups was 47.7% and 70.1%, respectively (P < 0.001). The 5‐year cancer‐specific survival was 75.4% and 67.5% in the young and elderly patients, respectively (P = 0.061).

Conclusions

Curative resection for mid and distal rectal cancer for the elderly can be performed safely with the same strategies of sphincter preservation used for younger patients. The postoperative complications and the 5‐year cancer‐specific survival rates were similar to those of younger patients.
Effects of State Dissociation on Objectively and Subjectively assessed Memory Disturbances
Authors: Buck Nicole , Kindt Merel , van den Hout Marcel
Published: March 2006

Dissociation often occurs after a traumatic experience and has detrimental effects on memory. If these supposed detrimental effects are the result of disturbances in information processing, not only subjectively assessed but also objectively assessed memory disturbances should be observed. Most studies assessing dissociation and memory in the context of trauma have studied trauma victims. However, this study takes a new approach in that the impact of experimentally induced state dissociation on memory is investigated in people with spider phobia. Note that the aim of the present study was not to test the effect of trauma on memory disturbances. We found indeed significant relations between state dissociation and subjectively assessed memory disturbances: intrusions and self-rated memory fragmentation. Moreover, although no relation was found between state dissociation and experimenter-rated memory fragmentation, we observed a relation between state dissociation and experimenter-rated perceptual memory representations. These results show that state dissociation indeed has detrimental effects on the processing of aversive events.
Households and communities in the central Anatolian Neolithic
Authors: Düring Bleda S. , Marciniak Arkadiusz
Published: March 2006

The neolithic communities of central Anatolia are generally reconstructed as being constituted by relatively autonomous and homologous households occupying discrete residences and performing most domestic activities in the house. In this reconstruction households are seen as the uniform and unproblematic basic component of society. This paper aims to problematize this modular conception of central Anatolian Neolithic societies, and wants to draw attention to the multiple forms in which households occurred and the manner in which they were embedded in larger social associations. It is argued that different levels of social association can only be understood in relation to each other. Further, the manner in which social configurations in central Anatolia changed over time is explored. This will be done by presenting evidence from two central Anatolian Neolithic sites: Aşıklı Höyük and Çatalhöyük. In particular, we argue that households became autonomous and clearly bounded entities only towards the end of the central Anatolian Neolithic, and that too little consideration has been given to the neighbourhood and the local community encompassing individual households.
Cattle, community and corrals
Authors: Creighton John
Published: March 2006

Jean and John Comaroff's paper provides an elegant narrative describing the processes at work behind the adoption of coinage amongst the Tswana of southern Africa under the influence of European missionaries and colonists. My own particular interests are set back two thousand years earlier with the adoption of coin in France and Britain. At this time Rome was the up-and-coming imperial power engaged in trade, and then conquest, stretching its area of influence and dominions from the Mediterranean littoral into temperate Europe. As such I envy the Comaroff's ability to use a rich array of source material that is unavailable to me with my much poorer archaeological remains and fragmentary literary sources. None the less, many of the themes have echoes of processes that must have taken place many years before in this other time and place.
Crossing boundaries. Regimes of value in intercultural colonial contexts. Reflections on Jean and John Comaroff's ‘Beasts, banknotes and the colour of money’
Authors: Turgeon Laurier
Published: March 2006

This thought-provoking essay strives to theorize the concept of ‘regimes of value’ and, more specifically, the role of material objects in the convertibility of different orders of value in the making of modern economies and societies. Put forth by Arjun Appadurai in his edited volume The social life of things (1986), the notion of regime of value originally referred to the use of categories of material objects in the construction of value within a specific cultural context. Appadurai was more concerned with the way value is invested in objects than in theories of exchange and currency, consequently the notion remained relatively untheorized. Jean and John Comaroff break new theoretical ground in at least two ways. First, they take into consideration and juxtapose different regimes of value – primarily cattle for the southern Tswana peoples and currency for the European colonizers – to see how they are constructed and become the focus of complex mediations between these groups in the colonial context of South Africa. Cattle, like currency (in the form of coins or paper money), come to objectify value because they have the power to make or break social relations, to build new social hierarchies or overturn old ones, to do or undo moral economies. They show that different regimes of value can coexist in the same social space and be played out against one another. Second, Jean and John Comaroff interrogate the role of conversion, or ‘commensuration’, as they say, of regimes of value, that is, their power to make objects from different cultural contexts universally objectifiable, comparable and negotiable. Instead of making difference, as is usually thought, it is the capacity to negate difference and make all things equal that expresses the effectiveness of a regime of value. It is also these processes of commensuration and conversion that give material objects their magical qualities, through which they become fetishized and ‘seem to have a power all of their own’ (p. 131). More than the written word or oral discourse, it is material objects that become the preferred tools and means of colonial domination. The authors contribute then to a better understanding of the workings of political economies as well as to the materialities of colonialism.
Masculine = Competent? Physical Appearance and Sex as Sources of Gender-Stereotypic Attributions
Authors: Sczesny Sabine , Spreemann Sandra , Stahlberg Dagmar
Published: March 2006

In two experiments, the influence of physical appearance and sex on the attribution of leadership competence was analyzed. Participants (male/female) reacted to stimulus persons from one of four groups varying in terms of sex (male/female) and physical appearance (feminine/masculine). The stimulus persons were introduced via photographs. Dependent measures referred to the attribution of leadership characteristics and were measured either directly via ratings or indirectly via a recognition test. In both experiments, participants attributed higher degrees of leadership competence to persons with typically masculine appearance than to persons with typically feminine appearance, regardless of the person’s sex. Only in the experiment with indirect measurement were male persons attributed a higher degree of leadership competence than female persons.
Distinction between Visuo-Spatial Short-Term-Memory and Working Memory Span Tasks
Authors: Lecerf Thierry , Roulin Jean-Luc
Published: March 2006

Six experiments are presented that examined the constraints underlying performance in two visuo-spatial span tasks. In the Location Span Test (LST), participants have to memorize the cells of a 5×5 matrix containing arrows, while in the Direction Span Test (DST) they have to memorize the cells pointed at by arrows. The main objective was to assess whether both tasks were similarly influenced by experimental factors. Results showed that performance improved with longer encoding time (1-s. vs. 3-s) only for the DST. Maintenance interval (0-s vs. 5-s) and order of item difficulty (ascending vs. descending) have no effect either on the LST or on the DST. Another experiment indicated that the DST is a better predictor of fluid intelligence. These results seem to provide evidence that the LST and the DST relate to different constructs. Implications of these findings for the distinction between short-term and working memory span tasks are discussed.
Marital Satisfaction: Psychometric Properties of the PFB and Comparison with the DAS
Authors: Rossier Jérôme , Rigozzi Christine , Charvoz Linda , Bodenmann Guy
Published: March 2006

This study examines the psychometric properties of the French-version of the Partnership Questionnaire (PFB) and compares this questionnaire with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). 225 couples, married or living together for at least 3 years, participated in this research and each partner responded individually to the PFB or to both scales. The results indicate that the structure of the PFB replicates the theoretical three-factor structure for both women and men. Moreover, the cross-language replicability of the structure was high. The correlation between the DAS and the PFB was also high (r = .79) and the three canonical correlation variates explained 58% or more of the variance of both scales. The PFB is sensitive to couple characteristics and the agreement within couples is high. The French-version of the PFB has good psychometric properties and seems well suited for measuring marital satisfaction for clinical and research purposes.
Rock magnetic signatures in diagenetically altered sediments from the Niger deep‐sea fan
Authors: Dillon Melanie , Bleil Ulrich
Published: March 2006

Diagenesis has extensively affected the magnetic mineral inventory of organic‐rich late Quaternary sediments in the Niger deep‐sea fan. Changes in concentration, grain size, and coercivity document modifications of the primary magnetic mineral assemblages at two horizons. The first front, the modern iron redox boundary, is characterized by a drastic decline in magnetic mineral content, coarsening of the grain size spectrum, and reduction in coercivity. Beneath a second front, the transition from the suboxic to the sulfidic anoxic domain, a further but less pronounced decrease in concentration and bulk grain size occurs. Finer grains and higher coercive magnetic constituents substantially increase in the anoxic environment. Low‐ and high‐temperature experiments were performed on bulk sediments and on extracts which have also been examined by X‐ray diffraction. Thermomagnetic analyses proved ferrimagnetic titanomagnetites of terrigenous provenance as the principal primary magnetic mineral components. Their broad range of titanium contents reflects the volcanogenic traits of the Niger River drainage areas. Diagenetic alteration is not only a grain size selective process but also critically depends on titanomagnetite composition. Low‐titanium compounds are less resistant to diagenetic dissolution. Intermediate titanium content titanomagnetite thus persists as the predominant magnetic mineral fraction in the sulfidic anoxic sediments. At the Fe redox boundary, precipitation of authigenic, possibly bacterial, magnetite is documented. The presence of hydrogen sulfide in the pore water suggests a formation of secondary magnetic iron sulfides in the anoxic domain. Grain size–specific data argue for a gradual development of a superparamagnetic and single‐domain iron sulfide phase in this milieu, most likely greigite.
Sensitivity of channel profiles to precipitation properties in mountain ranges
Authors: Wu Shiliang , Bras Rafael L. , Barros Ana P.
Published: March 2006

The stream power erosion law, which describes the erosion rate as a function of channel discharge and gradient, has often been used for modeling landscape evolution in regions dominated by fluvial processes. However, most previous studies utilizing the stream power erosion law simply use drainage area as a surrogate for channel discharge. Despite its convenience this simplification has important shortcomings. Specifically, it ignores the effects of precipitation properties on channel discharge and hence erosion rate, and it ignores the interactions between mountain ranges and precipitation properties. By using the stream power erosion law together with the geomorphoclimatic instantaneous unit hydrograph we provide a method for linking the landscape evolution and precipitation properties directly. Our results demonstrate that the channel profile is sensitive not only to the total precipitation but also to precipitation properties like the rainfall frequency, intensity, duration, and their distribution in space. The channel profile is most sensitive to the variation of rainfall intensity and less sensitive to rainfall frequency and duration. Shorter and more intense rainfall could lead to significantly higher erosion rate and flatter channel profiles compared to longer and less intense rainfall. The spatial variation of precipitation can also influence the evolution of channel profile. Even if the total precipitation remains spatially homogeneous, different spatial behavior of rainfall intensity and rainfall duration may lead to different steady state river profiles. The channel profile tends to be flatter under the conditions of increasing rainfall intensity and decreasing rainfall duration with elevation and vice versa.
Impact of backstop thickness lateral variations on the tectonic architecture of orogens: Insights from sandbox analogue modeling and application to the Pyrenees
Authors: Soto Ruth , Storti Fabrizio , Casas‐Sainz Antonio M.
Published: March 2006

We performed sandbox analogue models to investigate the influence of along‐strike tapering of the backstop on the three‐dimensional architecture of natural doubly vergent thrust‐fold belts, applying the results to a natural example as the Pyrenees. Available geological and geophysical data indicate that the European crust, which provided the backstop in the Pyrenean orogen, has a westward tapering on both the upper (westward thickening of the Mesozoic cover rocks) and the lower (westward rising of the Moho) envelope surfaces. Accordingly, we performed laboratory models characterized by backstops with an along‐strike tapering of either the upper or the lower surface. Our results indicate a significant impact of backstop lateral tapering in thrust wedge architecture in terms of the outward propagation of the deformation fronts, the width and elevation of the axial zone, and the timing of thrust polarity reversal along strike. When compared to the Pyrenees, our results support the inferred westward tapering of the European basement and its commonly accepted backstop role in the Pyrenean orogen. Moreover, comparison between the map pattern of the Pyrenees and of laboratory experiments suggests that the along‐strike tapering of the bottom envelope surface of the backstop played a most important role on the three‐dimensional thrust wedge architecture than the tapering of the upper envelope surface.
Stratospheric water vapor trends in a coupled chemistry‐climate model
Authors: Tian Wenshou , Chipperfield Martyn P.
Published: March 2006

Stratospheric H2O trends are examined in a detailed, coupled chemistry‐climate model (CCM). The modeled H2O trend in the upper stratosphere (US) is mainly caused by CH4 oxidation while the trend in the lower stratosphere (LS) is largely related to changes in temperature and transport near the tropopause. Incomplete CH4 oxidation leads to a maximum upward H2O trend in the US of about 1.4× the imposed tropospheric CH4 trend. Cross‐tropopause exchange of water vapor gives rise to much larger trends (∼+50 ppbv/yr) in the LS. A trend of +0.44 K/decade in the 100 hPa temperature (T) contributes up to 70% (+35 ppbv/yr) of the model LS H2O trend while the remainder (around 30%) can be caused by changes in transport processes near the tropopause. In the LS the maximum modeled trend is close to observations although the globally averaged value is smaller than observed. Given an observed decrease in tropopause temperatures, our results suggest that the observed LS water vapor increases would require a significant change in transport.