bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of shift work on emotional exhaustion in firefighters
Authors: Halbesleben Jonathon R.B.
Published: June 2009

Purpose

With the demand for continuous services increasing, organizations have relied more upon shift work to adapt to the needs of consumers. However, relatively little research has adequately explored the effects of different types of shifts on emotional exhaustion, particularly as they relate to work‐family conflict and social support. In this paper based on the conservation of resources (COR) model of stress, a mediated model where shifts that demand more resources related to the work‐family interface will be more likely to lead to emotional exhaustion is argued. The paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

A study of 168 fire service personnel from departments working on three different shift systems is conducted. The participants complete survey measures of emotional exhaustion, work‐family conflict, support, and demographic controls.

Findings

The paper suggests that more demanding shifts, those that lead to less time spent off the job in continuous blocks, are associated with higher work‐family conflict. Moreover, family support can make up for the lost resources of demanding shifts and is negatively associated with work‐family conflict. Finally, higher work‐family conflict is associated with emotional exhaustion.

Practical implications

The paper has important implications for the scheduling of shifts and employee well‐being. Specifically, it suggests that scheduling shifts with larger continuous blocks of time with family will be associated with lower work‐family conflict and less strain on employees.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to use a COR‐based framework to understand how shift scheduling leads to decrements in employee well‐being. Given the common use of shift work in practice, such findings may be critical in effective shift work design such that shifts have less negative impact on family life and less longer term impact on employee strain.
Does the “happy‐productive worker” thesis apply to managers?
Authors: Hosie Peter J. , Sevastos Peter
Published: June 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to emanate from an enduring stream of research into individual performance and organisational productivity where happy employees are believed to perform better. Decades of research have been unable to establish a strong link between workplace happiness and performance. A variation on the enduring employee happiness‐productivity debate is evolving the “happy‐performing managers” proposition.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical investigation reports on the impact of two important aspects of job happiness – self‐rated affective wellbeing and intrinsic job satisfaction – on superiors' ratings of managers' contextual and task performance. An ancillary methodological objective of the study is to establish the structure of managers' performance.

Findings

A partial model of managers' affective wellbeing, intrinsic job satisfaction and performance contributed an understanding to how specific indicators of affective wellbeing and intrinsic job satisfaction predict certain dimensions of managers' performance.

Practical implications

Changes in the workplace emphasises are needed to ensure managers can retain and improve their positive affective wellbeing by working smarter and faster, rather than harder and longer.

Originality/value

A contribution of this paper is to provide qualified support for the “happy‐performing managers” proposition by linking the conceptual bases relating to managers' affective wellbeing, intrinsic job satisfaction and to their performance. These findings progress the debate as to how work might be structured to improve managers' affective wellbeing and consequently their performance. Perhaps, it is timely to consider moving away from the negative forms of psychology and affirm managers' future by embracing the “happy‐performing managers” proposition.
Waiting in a queue with strangers and acquaintances
Authors: Zourrig Haithem , Chebat Jean‐Charles
Published: June 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effect of social exchanges between customers that may occur in a queue, on the waiting experience's evaluation and its implication for the customer service management.

Design/methodology/approach

Extant literature on social exchanges between customers within consumption environment is reviewed pertaining to the interrelationships between customer‐to‐customer interactions, atmospherics' perception and waiting time evaluation. A conceptual model is built upon the reviewed literature illustrating the relationships between main concepts of the study.

Findings

The insights from this work suggest that making interactions between customers more enjoyable may reduce waiting time perception. In contrast, if the customer‐to‐customer interaction is perceived as negative, this may increase the waiting time evaluation.

Research limitations/implications

Albeit conceptual and exploratory in nature, this paper is intended as a beginning for further empirical validation of the effect of customer‐to‐customer interaction on the waiting experience.

Originality/value

Few studies have investigated explicitly the impact of customer‐to‐customer interactions on waiting time evaluation. This paper suggests that social exchanges that may occur in the queue may affect the customer's waiting experience.
A standardised approach to the world? IKEA in China
Authors: Johansson Ulf , Thelander Åsa
Published: June 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the marketing strategy in China of the furnishing retailer IKEA in the context of standardisation and adaptation of marketing activities. IKEA's strategy in China is compared to its corporate strategy throughout the rest of the world.

Design/methodology/approach

The four P classifications are used as a framework to compare the central marketing strategies of IKEA with marketing strategies used in China. The paper builds on both primary and secondary data. Interviews with senior managers at IKEA are conducted and studies on business and retailing in China are used.

Findings

The marketing strategies used by IKEA in China are found to be different from the standardised strategies it uses throughout the rest of the world. Several of the changed strategies are central to the business concept of IKEA.

Research limitations/implications

The present paper shows the challenges for a standardised marketing concept and its implications.

Originality/value

The paper provides, in the context of the standardisation and adaptation of marketing activities, a more nuanced and up‐to‐date picture of the strategies used by IKEA compared to previous studies.
Characteristics of institutional investors and discretionary accruals
Authors: Agnes Cheng C.S. , Reitenga Austin
Published: June 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the differential effects of institutional non‐blockholders (NONB) and active institutional blockholders (ACTB) on earnings management behavior, as measured by discretionary accruals.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper also proposes that the hypothesized influence of NONB and ACTB on earnings management behavior is affected by earnings pressure (EP) (i.e. the gap between target earnings and pre‐managed earnings). In particular, it believes that the stimulating effect of NONB on earnings management may not manifest when the stimulating effect of EPs is already strong and the mitigating effect of ACTB may manifest only when the stimulating effect of EP is there. The sample into three EP conditions: pressure to increase earnings, neutral pressure and pressure to decrease earnings is grouped. Consistent with the expectations, the paper finds that NONB stimulates earnings management, but only when EP is not strong and that ACTB mitigates earnings management, but only when there is pressure to increase earnings.

Findings

This paper also predicts that ACTB will need to exercise their monitoring power only when EP is strong. The results confirm this prediction, but only when there is strong pressure to increase earnings. When there is strong pressure to decrease earnings, inconclusive evidence regarding the effect of ACTB is found. This may imply that ACTB are conservative since they appear to be more likely to limit income‐increasing accruals than they are to limit income‐decreasing accruals.

Originality/value

This paper's contributions to the literature are twofold: the paper shows that the characteristics of institutional investors (INSTs) should be considered when examining the relationship between INSTs and earnings management; the paper shows that the direction and level of EP should be considered when evaluating the relationship between INSTs and earnings management.
The design and implementation of activity‐based costing
Authors: Duh Rong‐Ruey , Lin Thomas W. , Wang Wen‐Ying , Huang Chao‐Hsin
Published: June 2009

Purpose

This paper describes the design and implementation of an activity‐based costing (ABC) system for a textile company in Taiwan.

Design/methodology/approach

An in‐depth field investigation by collecting and analyzing 39 months of field data, gathering information from files and archives, direct observation, interviews, and statistical analyses was conducted.

Findings

First, the company's existing cost system adopted a volume‐based cost driver to allocate overhead costs to products. While the company devised an “equivalent factor” to take production‐complexity into account, the weakness of the metric led to product cost distortions. Second, the existing volume‐based cost system ignores the impact of rework processes on product costs. Third, adding complexity‐related cost drivers to the volume‐based cost driver increases the ability to explain variations in overhead costs. Fourth, the newly designed ABC system incorporates both volume‐based and non‐volume based drivers, which considers the effect of rework on product costs. Fifth, the existing volume‐based cost system overestimates the costs of high‐volume products and underestimates the costs of products with high production‐complexity. Finally, the company still stays at the analysis phase of the ABC system implementation, possibly due to revision of strategy, no linkage to incentives, lack of MIS support, and inadequate inventory control.

Practical implications

The above findings have implications for companies attempting to implement ABC.

Originality/value

This paper extends prior research in the following. First, it reports on the entire process of ABC implementation for a given company, as well as facilitators/impediments in the process. Second, while most prior research tends to focus on success cases, our study presents a failure case, which has implications for practitioners trying to avoid the same mistakes.
The impact of Sarbanes‐Oxley on internal control remediation
Authors: Chan Kam , Kleinman Gary , Lee Picheng
Published: June 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of internal control weakness remediation revealed under Sarbanes‐Oxley (SOX) section 404 reporting requirements.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on firms that reported internal control weaknesses for fiscal year 2004 are collected, and determined whether these weaknesses still existed in their 2005 filings. Logistic regression is used to examine the impact of corporate governance, resource, impediments (e.g. severity of weakness), and Big 4 auditor status on remediation completion.

Findings

Resources (e.g. size, ROA) were positively associated with remediation. Use of Big 4 auditor, more audit committee meetings, more business segments, and filing lag were negatively associated with remediation, as were number and type of internal control weaknesses.

Research limitations/implications

First, the paper sheds light on the individual firm factors that influence corporate response to the legal and social (e.g. public pressure) environment facing firms. Understanding this should better enable policy makers and regulators to foresee where potential lags in firm implementation of regulations may occur, and why. Second, it believes that the paper also sheds light on the relative value of different corporate governance structures in meeting investor concerns for proper stewardship of their investments. Finally, this paper provides information of use to other corporate governance researchers in that the results suggest the overwhelming importance of the legal and social environment in influencing corporate behavior. However, this paper does not address the contribution of national culture, financial and audit‐related reporting requirements, and differences in firm resources, to corporate behavior.

Originality/value

The paper deepens the field's understanding of the determinants of internal control weakness remediation, furthering regulators' understanding of SOX's impact.
Medication errors: definitions and classification
Authors: Aronson Jeffrey K.
Published: June 2009

1. To understand medication errors and to identify preventive strategies, we need to classify them and define the terms that describe them.

2. The four main approaches to defining technical terms consider etymology, usage, previous definitions, and the Ramsey–Lewis method (based on an understanding of theory and practice).

3. A medication error is ‘a failure in the treatment process that leads to, or has the potential to lead to, harm to the patient’.

4. Prescribing faults, a subset of medication errors, should be distinguished from prescription errors. A prescribing fault is ‘a failure in the prescribing [decision‐making] process that leads to, or has the potential to lead to, harm to the patient’. The converse of this, ‘balanced prescribing’ is ‘the use of a medicine that is appropriate to the patient's condition and, within the limits created by the uncertainty that attends therapeutic decisions, in a dosage regimen that optimizes the balance of benefit to harm’. This excludes all forms of prescribing faults, such as irrational, inappropriate, and ineffective prescribing, underprescribing and overprescribing.

5. A prescription error is ‘a failure in the prescription writing process that results in a wrong instruction about one or more of the normal features of a prescription’. The ‘normal features’ include the identity of the recipient, the identity of the drug, the formulation, dose, route, timing, frequency, and duration of administration.

6. Medication errors can be classified, invoking psychological theory, as knowledge‐based mistakes, rule‐based mistakes, action‐based slips, and memory‐based lapses. This classification informs preventive strategies.
The epidemiology of medication errors: the methodological difficulties
Authors: Ferner Robin E.
Published: June 2009

1. Medication errors should be amenable to epidemiological analysis, giving insights into the causes of error and the effects of interventions to prevent them or reduce harm from them.

2. There are formidable difficulties in establishing the rates of medication errors.

3. There is no agreement on a clear operational definition of the condition.

4. The methods used to enumerate cases so far have been unreliable or incomplete or both.

5. There is disagreement about whether cases of error that do not cause harm should be included in calculations of error rates.

6. When harm occurs in association with drug therapy, it is often unclear whether the harm might have been prevented, and its occurrence should therefore be considered to result from error.

7. The denominator for calculating the rate of error is both ill‐defined and inconsistently measured.

Better definitions, more complete evaluation, and more thorough impact assessment may improve matters.
The epidemiology of medication errors: how many, how serious?
Authors: Schachter Michael
Published: June 2009

1. Errors will always occur in any system, but it is essential to identify causes and attempt to minimize risks.

2. Although it is difficult to quantify precisely the extent of medication errors, they are clearly frequent and often avoidable, representing a major threat to patient safety.

3. Many of the consequences of these errors can be prevented by the intervention of pharmacists.

4. Some errors are due to the conditions under which prescribers work; where possible these should be improved (for example, low staffing levels).

5. Computerized prescribing can help but can also generate its own inherent errors.

6. Improved training of prescribers at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels is vital, a fact that is now being belatedly recognized.
Medication errors: the importance of safe dispensing
Authors: Cheung Ka‐Chun , Bouvy Marcel L. , De Smet Peter A. G. M.
Published: June 2009

1. Although rates of dispensing errors are generally low, further improvements in pharmacy distribution systems are still important because pharmacies dispense such high volumes of medications that even a low error rate can translate into a large number of errors.

2. From the perspective of pharmacy organization and quality assurance, pharmacists should intensify their checking of prescriptions, in order to reduce prescription errors, and should implement strategies to communicate adequately with patients, in order to prevent administration errors. More and better studies are still needed in these areas.

3. More research is also required into: dispensing errors in out‐patient health‐care settings, such as community pharmacies in the USA and Europe; dispensing errors in hospitals and out‐patient health‐care settings in middle‐ and low‐income countries; and the underlying causes of dispensing errors.
Vaccines modulating lipoprotein autoimmunity as a possible future therapy for cardiovascular disease
Authors: Nilsson J. , Fredrikson G. N. , Björkbacka H. , Chyu K.‐Y. , Shah P. K.
Published: June 2009

Current strategies for prevention of cardiovascular disease focus on risk factor intervention. Although these have been proven both safe and effective results from randomized clinical trials suggest that it is difficult to achieve relative risk reductions exceeding 40% with this approach. To further improve efficacy future therapies must aim at targeting the actual disease process in the arterial wall. Emerging evidence have identified an important role of the immune system in atherosclerosis and suggest that modulation of autoimmune responses against oxidized LDL and other antigens in the atherosclerotic plaque represent one possible new approach to disease prevention. Oxidized LDL is targeted by both antibody‐mediated and cellular immune responses and as much as 10% of the T cells in atherosclerotic plaques are oxidized LDL‐specific. Immune activation in the atherosclerotic plaque is primarily of the pro‐inflammatory Th1‐type and inhibition Th1 immunity reduces atherosclerosis in experimental animals. Atherosclerosis vaccines based on antigens derived from LDL have been developed to modulate these processes. Their mechanisms of action remain to be full characterized but may involve expression of protective antibodies that facilitate the removal of oxidized LDL and antigen‐specific regulatory T cells that counteract Th1 autoimmunity against oxidized LDL. In this review we will discuss the possibilities and challenges encountering the translation of immune‐modulatory therapy for atherosclerosis from the experimental stage into the clinic.
Maternal IgM anti‐D, borderline foetal Doppler middle cerebral artery velocities and absent neonatal haemolysis
Authors: Badami K. G. , Vanhecke C. , Bingham J.
Published: June 2009

summary.

Anti‐D was detected for the first time at 36 weeks gestation in a group A RhD‐negative primigravida without prior sensitizing events or anti‐D administration. Simultaneously, foetal ultrasound showed middle cerebral artery maximum velocity (MCA Vmax) at the 95th centile but no hydrops. Labour was induced at 37 weeks. Although neonatal anaemia was anticipated, the baby, who was group O RhD‐positive, was born with a normal haemoglobin and negative direct antiglobulin test and antibody screen. Retrospectively, the maternal anti‐D proved to be exclusively immunoglobulin M (IgM), which does not cross the placenta. Foetal Doppler MCA Vmax measurements can give false positive results especially late in the third trimester. Thus, antibody class, especially in first pregnancies without prior sensitizing events, and the timing of foetal Doppler MCA velocity measurements should be considered when evaluating the likelihood and severity of haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn.
Coral assemblages and reef growth in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Western Pacific Ocean)
Authors: Houk Peter , Van Woesik Robert
Published: June 2009

Reef development varies considerably around the high, raised‐limestone islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Here we examine the modern assemblages at 30 sites for coral composition, colony density, colony size, and fidelity. We defined four reef types and hypothesize the presence of environmentally driven ecological stasis, whereby the environment continuously selects for coral species membership, defines colony sizes, and over time creates the noted reef types. Our results show that constructional spur‐and‐groove reefs supported significantly larger coral‐colony sizes and higher coral species richness compared with high‐relief interstitial framework, low‐relief incipient, and non‐constructional coral assemblages. Non‐constructional reefs supported much smaller coral colony sizes, despite similar population densities, and were consistently found in association with high wave exposure. The distinct coral assemblages found on interstitial framework and low‐relief incipient reefs were not affiliated with any wave exposure regime, but were located adjacent to large watersheds and on islands with unique geological history. These assemblages were nested within the spur‐and‐groove species pool. Overall, modern coral cover was well predicted by bathymetric slope and watershed size, while species richness was additively influenced by two proxies of pollution, suggesting the latter is better suited for establishing management targets. In contrast with previous studies that suggested modern assemblages were biologically controlled in the CNMI, we show reef assemblages and reef development are highly influenced by long‐term environmental forcing.
Lineage analysis of quiescent regenerative stem cells in the adult brain by genetic labelling reveals spatially restricted neurogenic niches in the olfactory bulb
Authors: Giachino Claudio , Taylor Verdon
Published: June 2009

The subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles is the major neurogenic region in the adult mammalian brain, harbouring neural stem cells within defined niches. The identity of these stem cells and the factors regulating their fate are poorly understood. We have genetically mapped a population of Nestin‐expressing cells during postnatal development to study their potential and fate in vivo. Taking advantage of the recombination characteristics of a nestin::CreERT2 allele, we followed a subpopulation of neural stem cells and traced their fate in a largely unrecombined neurogenic niche. Perinatal nestin::CreERT2‐expressing cells give rise to multiple glial cell types and neurons, as well as to stem cells of the adult SVZ. In the adult SVZ nestin::CreERT2‐expressing neural stem cells give rise to several neuronal subtypes in the olfactory bulb (OB). We addressed whether the same population of neural stem cells play a role in SVZ regeneration. Following anti‐mitotic treatment to eliminate rapidly dividing progenitors, relatively quiescent nestin::CreERT2‐targeted cells are spared and contribute to SVZ regeneration, generating new proliferating precursors and neuroblasts. Finally, we have identified neurogenic progenitors clustered in ependymal‐like niches within the rostral migratory stream (RMS) of the OB. These OB‐RMS progenitors generate neuroblasts that, upon transplantation, graft, migrate and differentiate into granule and glomerular neurons. In summary, using conditional lineage tracing we have identified neonatal cells that are the source of neurogenic and regenerative neural stem cells in the adult SVZ and occupy a novel neurogenic niche in the OB.
Priority effects in experimental populations of the cyanobacterium Microcystis
Authors: Van Gremberghe Ineke , Vanormelingen Pieter , Van der Gucht Katleen , Souffreau Caroline , Vyverman Wim , De Meester Luc
Published: June 2009

The arrival order of colonists in developing populations can have a lasting influence on community and population structure, a phenomenon referred to as priority effects. To explore whether such priority effects are important in determining strain composition of populations of the cyanobacterium Microcystis, four Microcystis strains, isolated from a single lake and differing in functional traits, were grown during 4 weeks in the laboratory in all possible pairwise combinations, with the two strains either inoculated at the same time or with a time lag of 1 week, in the presence or absence of grazing Daphnia magna. The relative abundance of strains in the mixtures was assessed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and the growth rate of each strain in the mixtures was determined for the last 2 weeks of the experiment. We observed strong effects of inoculation order on the final population structure, and these effects were influenced by grazing Daphnia. The priority effects were strain‐specific and occurred in two directions: some of the strains grew slower while others grew faster when inoculated second compared with when inoculated first. Our results indicate that priority effects may have a profound impact on strain composition of Microcystis populations.
“Proto–Tantric” Elements in The Gandavyuha‐sutra*
Authors: OSTO DOUGLAS
Published: June 2009

Although a Māhāyana sūtra, the clearly contains a number of elements that seem to presage the “tantric” phase in Indian Buddhism. In particular, the sūtra contains four components worthy of note: elaborate scenes detailing what can best be understood as , a soteriology based on absolute faith in the spiritual guides, a strong insinuation of organisational esotericism, and the hint of sexual yoga. After briefly summarising some recent scholarship on the , the author addresses each of the four “proto‐tantric” components in detail. Following this, the author concludes with the suggestion that despite the inherent difficulties in developing a relative chronology of Indian Buddhist literature, close readings such as provided in this article may be useful in generating data sets, which can then be used to relate Indian Buddhist texts to each other.
Louis de La Vallée Poussin, Theodore Stcherbatsky, and Tibetan Tradition on the Place of the Absolute in Yogācāra Buddhism
Authors: CHILTON LEE , OLDMEADOW PETER
Published: June 2009

This paper examines the contrasting approaches to the study of Buddhism of two great early twentieth‐century Buddhologists, Louis de La Vallée Poussin and Theodore Stcherbatsky. La Vallée Poussin understood Buddhism primarily as ‘religion’ and saw philosophic methods as subsumed in the religious experience of salvation; Stcherbatsky, coming from the Russian school, which had direct contact with Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism, saw Buddhism primarily as ‘philosophy’ and emphasised critical enquiry and logical consistency. The paper explores how this influenced their understanding of the place of the absolute in Buddhism generally and in Yogācāra Buddhism in particular. It compares their disagreement to differences at the heart of Tibetan scholasticism evident in the writings of Dolpopa (1292–1361) and Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) over the proper interpretation of Yogācāra. The paper also explores implications of the legacy of these two scholars for recent Western scholarship and for the understanding of Yogācāra.
Rethinking Fundamental Principles of Global Governance: How to Represent States and Populations in Multilateral Institutions
Authors: RAMACHANDRAN VIJAYA , RUEDA‐SABATER ENRIQUE J. , KRAFT ROBIN
Published: June 2009

International politics are undoubtedly in transition along recognizable lines. The resulting disruptive effects on the international institutions founded after World War II are no less evident. Such times demand a principled basis to guide the politics of structural choice for global governance. This article provides a heuristic argument about the most general issues of structural choice, focusing on how to designate the constituencies of the global governance system and the mode of their representation. A concrete illustration of this heuristic argument is provided to demonstrate its plausibility as a starting point for deliberation about the structure of a global governance system.
Higher Education Policies in Central and Eastern Europe: Convergence toward a Common Model?
Authors: DOBBINS MICHAEL , KNILL CHRISTOPH
Published: June 2009

Contrary to many other areas, international and, in particular, European influences on national policymaking in higher education (HE) have remained limited. This picture, however, changed fundamentally from the late 1990s onward. In 1999, 29 countries signed the Bologna Declaration, denoting the start of the so‐called Bologna Process. Thus, a collective supranational platform was developed to confront problem pressure, which has in turn fostered considerable domestic reforms. However, we still have limited knowledge on whether the Bologna Process has actually led to the convergence of national HE policies toward a common model. This article analyzes these questions by focusing on Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. Because of its tumultuous and inconsistent path of development and the sheer magnitude of the current reform processes, CEE HE stands out as a particularly worthwhile object of analysis for scholars interested in policy convergence as well as policy legacies and path dependencies.
Karol Wojtyla and Emmanuel Levinas on the Embodied Self: the Forming of the Other as Moral Self‐disclosure
Authors: Zimmermann Nigel K.
Published: June 2009

The ‘other’ has taken on an increased theological significance for the Church in the advent of post‐modern reflection, resulting in a myriad of possibilities for those who would reflect on the significance of the other in relation to the ‘self’, largely in connection with various theories of embodiment. Following Karol Wojtyla's (John Paul II) emphasis on the given‐ness of the body I wish to illustrate a way in which the other might be understood theologically, informed by the insights of the continental philosophical tradition, specifically Emmanuel Levinas' phenomenological outline of the other as a key locus of ethical reflection. Bringing Levinas' continental philosophy into dialogue with Wojtyla's philosophical theology, it will be argued that the other must be re‐approached in terms of their subjective self‐disclosure, centring upon the en‐fleshed and bodily form of the human person, who confronts us as a reflection of both that which is most other to ourselves (the divine) and paradoxically that which most resembles ourselves (the human). The other is always an en‐fleshed subject and in their action, their subjective identity is disclosed on the relational level.
Role of ATP and related purines in inhibitory neurotransmission to the pig urinary bladder neck
Authors: Hernández Medardo , Knight Gillian E , Wildman Scott SP , Burnstock Geoffrey
Published: June 2009

Background and purpose: As adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) is one of the inhibitory mediators of the bladder outflow region, this study investigates the possible release of ATP or related purines in response to electrical field stimulation (EFS) and the purinoceptor(s) involved in nerve‐mediated relaxations of the pig urinary bladder neck.

Experimental approach: Urothelium‐denuded and intact phenylephrine‐precontracted strips were mounted in organ baths containing physiological saline solution at 37°C and gassed with 95% O2and 5% CO2for isometric force recordings.

Key results: EFS, in the presence of atropine, guanethidine and NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine, and exogenous purines, produced frequency‐ and concentration‐dependent relaxations respectively. Adenosine 5′‐diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine were more potent than ATP in producing relaxation, while uridine 5′‐triphosphate, uridine 5′‐diphosphate and α,β‐methylene ATP were less effective. The non‐selective P2 antagonist suramin, and the P2Y1and P1 receptor blockers 2′‐deoxy‐N6‐methyladenosine 3′,5′‐bisphosphate tetrasodium and 8‐(p‐sulphophenyl)theophylline, respectively, inhibited the responses to EFS and ATP. The P1 agonist's potency was: 5′‐N‐ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA)>4‐2[[6‐amino‐9‐(N‐ethyl‐b‐D‐ribofuranuronamidosyl)‐9H‐purin‐2‐yl]amino]ethyl]benzene propanoic acid hydrochloride>2‐chloro‐N6‐cyclopentyladenosine>‐2‐chloro‐6‐[[(3‐iodophenyl)methyl]amino]‐9H‐purin‐9‐yl]‐1‐deoxy‐N‐methyl‐b‐D‐ribofuranuronamide = adenosine. 4‐(‐[7‐amino‐2‐(2‐furyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[2,3‐a][1,3,5]triazin‐5‐ylamino]ethyl) phenol, an A2Aantagonist, reduced the relaxations to EFS, adenosine and NECA. In urothelium‐intact samples, relaxations to EFS and purines were smaller than in urothelium‐denuded preparations. Neuronal voltage‐gated Na+channels blockade failed to modify ATP relaxations. At basal tension, EFS‐ and ATP‐induced contractions were resistant to desensitization or blockade of P2X1and P2X3receptors.

Conclusions and implications: ATP is involved in the non‐adrenergic, non‐cholinergic, non‐nitrergic inhibitory neurotransmission in the pig bladder neck, producing relaxation largely through muscle A2Areceptors after breakdown to adenosine, and P2Y1receptors after breakdown to ADP. Antagonists of these receptors may be useful for urinary incontinence treatment produced by intrinsic sphincteric deficiency.
On the Phenomenology of the Perforating Vein of the Elbow
Authors: Lomonte Carlo , Basile Carlo
Published: June 2009

The perforating veins, as the name suggests, are the veins that perforate the muscular aponeuroses ensuring communication between the superficial and the deep veins. Located at the bend of the elbow, almost constantly, there is a vein, named perforating vein of the elbow, which is of great interest to the nephrologist who is responsible for the management of vascular access for hemodialysis (HD). It represents, in fact, because of its intrinsic characteristics and topographical reasons, a valuable resource for the creation of a vascular access for HD, especially in obese patients, elderly patients, diabetics, and patients affected by peripheral vasculopathy. Arterio‐venous fistulae (AVF) constructed with the perforating vein of the elbow are relatively easy to perform, have an excellent patency rate, a low incidence of early thrombosis, adequate flows, and a low incidence of the steal syndrome. In other types of AVFs, the perforating vein of the elbow subtracts flow to the superficial veins slowing or preventing their full maturation, and can become a problem in measuring the blood flow of the AVF. But still, its presence can maintain patent a fistula in case of poor compliance of the superficial veins, while awaiting for interventional procedures able to accelerate a subsequent maturation. This review intends to explore the role that the perforating vein of the elbow plays in the physiology and pathology of the AVF, in relation to the issues that most frequently occur in clinical practice.
Can Advances in Hemodialysis Machine Technology Prevent Intradialytic Hypotension?
Authors: Davenport Andrew
Published: June 2009

Intradialytic hypotension remains a frequent problem in routine outpatient hemodialysis. Although hypotension can be reduced by more frequent dialysis sessions and longer session duration, these options are not available for many patients. Advances in hemodialysis machine technology have led to the development of relative blood volume monitoring. However, multicenter trials seeking to document a reduction in the frequency of intradialytic hypotension have been disappointing. Further technological advances using “fuzzy” logic systems have been introduced; they track the fall in relative blood volume and then adjust either or both the ultrafiltration rate and dialyzate sodium concentration to maintain a preprogrammed fall in relative blood volume that is likely to be hemodynamically uneventful. Although these systems have been reported to reduce the frequency of serious intradialytic hypotensive episodes, they have not been successful in preventing them probably due to underlying issues with the use of relative blood volume monitoring. More attention needs to be focused on reducing ultrafiltration rates by reducing interdialytic weight gains. Successfully improving patient motivation and education, emphasizing dietary sodium restriction, lowering dialyzate sodium concentrations will all go a long way toward this goal. Technology has much to offer but will not solve this persistent problem.
Effect of Age on Survival Benefit of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Stage III Colon Cancer
Authors: Zuckerman Ilene H. , Rapp Thomas , Onukwugha Ebere , Davidoff Amy , Choti Michael A. , Gardner James , Seal Brian , Mullins C. Daniel
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the modifying effect of age on the survival benefit associated with adjuvant chemotherapy receipt in elderly patients with a diagnosis of Stage III colon cancer.

DESIGN: Observational, retrospective cohort study using two samples: an overall sample of 7,182 patients to provide externally valid analyses and a propensity score–matched sample of 3,016 patients to provide more internally valid analyses by reducing the presence of treatment endogeneity. An interval‐censored survival model with a complementary log‐log link was used. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were obtained for all regressions.

SETTINGS: Data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database and the linked Medicare enrollment and claims database were used.

PARTICIPANTS: Selected patients were aged 66 and older and had a diagnosis of Stage III colon cancer. Patients were followed from surgery to time of death or censorship.

MEASUREMENTS: The outcome was colon cancer–specific death during the follow‐up period. Receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy was measured according to the presence of a claim for 5‐fluorouracil or leucovorin within 6 months after surgery.

RESULTS: All elderly patients had a significant survival benefit associated with adjuvant chemotherapy receipt, although the survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy was not uniform across all age groups.

CONCLUSION: These findings have important clinical and policy implications for the risk–benefit calculation induced by treatment in older patients with Stage III colon cancer. The results suggest that there is a benefit from chemotherapy, but the benefit is lower with older age.
Crise mondiale, emplois et protection sociale
Authors: STIGLITZ Joseph
Published: June 2009

Les intérêts nationaux conditionnent les réactions à la crise financière mondiale et aggravent l'effondrement de la demande. La résurgence du protectionnisme, le renflouement des banques et les plans nationaux de relance distordent la concurrence et les incitations au détriment des pays en développement, de l'indispensable protection sociale et d'une reprise rapide. Mettant en garde contre la sous‐estimation du potentiel de destruction d'emplois de la crise, l'auteur plaide pour un plan de relance mondial, une révision des paradigmes économiques et des politiques réglementaires, l'aide aux pays en développement, un FMI moins intrusif et plus de protection sociale, stabilisateur automatique de l'économie.
L'«externalisation» du droit du travail
Authors: OJEDA AVILÉS Antonio
Published: June 2009

L'intense réajustement du droit du travail qui, pendant trois décennies, a consisté aux yeux des spécialistes en une fragmentation et, pire encore, une désagrégation en domaines de plus en plus éloignés les uns des autres commence à devenir une tendance générale qui pourrait prendre sous peu une dimension structurelle. Un mouvement d'expansion le conduit à gagner des territoires étrangers, ce qui semble mettre en péril son identité et ses délimitations traditionnelles, en échange néanmoins d'une symbiose qui découle d'influences réciproques. Sont analysées ici six lignes d'expansion observées en Europe mais aussi dans certains pays d'Amérique et d'Asie.
A comparative study of migratory behaviour and body mass as determinants of moult duration in passerines
Authors: De La Hera Iván , Díaz José A. , Pérez‐Tris Javier , Luis Tellería José
Published: June 2009

Birds moult to maintain plumage function through life, but the factors that determine moult duration are poorly understood. In temperate areas, variation in moult duration could be largely associated with between‐species differences in migratory behaviour (migrants have less time for moulting after breeding), and body mass (because the aerodynamic cost of rapid moult increases allometrically with body size). Moreover, if the energetic cost of transport favours a smaller body size in migratory species, then the effects of migratory behaviour and body mass on moult duration could be confounded. We conducted a comparative study of the duration of adult complete moult in 48 European passerine species, in relation to body mass and migratory behaviour (sedentary, short‐distance migrants and long‐distance migrants). Lighter and more migratory species moulted faster than heavier and more sedentary species, but migration was not associated with body mass. If accelerated moult compromises the success of migration, changes in the physiology or phenology of moult in migratory birds are better interpreted as adaptive responses to compensate for such costs.
Effects of habitat and internal prey subsidies on juvenile coho salmon growth: implications for stream productive capacity
Authors: Rosenfeld J. S. , Raeburn E.
Published: June 2009

Abstract –  To evaluate the effects of habitat, foraging strategy (drift vs. limnetic feeding) and internal prey subsidies (downstream transport of invertebrate drift between habitats) on fish production, we measured the growth of juvenile coho salmon confined to enclosures in flowing (pond inlets and outlets) or standing water (centre of pond) habitats in a constructed river side‐channel. The effects of habitat and foraging strategy on fish growth were mediated primarily through habitat effects on prey abundance. Invertebrate drift biomass was nearly an order of magnitude higher at pond inlets relative to outlets. Drift‐feeding coho in inlet enclosures grew 50% faster than drift‐feeding coho at pond outlets or limnetic feeding coho in the centre of ponds, suggesting that elevated drift at inlets was sufficient to account for higher inlet growth rates. Forty per cent of prey biomass in stomachs was terrestrial in origin. These results indicate that, in addition to dependence on external terrestrial subsidies, streams with alternating slow and fast water (i.e., pool‐riffle) sequences are also characterised by internal prey subsidies based on transport of drifting invertebrates from refuge habitats (high velocity riffles) to habitats more suitable for drift‐feeding predators (e.g., pools), which may result in higher maximum fish growth in systems where internal subsidises are large. Restoration of small streams to maximise productive capacity for pool‐rearing salmonids will require a better understanding of the length and interspersion of habitats that maximises both internal prey subsidies and available rearing habitat for juvenile salmon.
The influence of thyroid hormones on periodontitis‐related bone loss and tooth‐supporting alveolar bone: a histological study in rats
Authors: Feitosa D. S. , Marques M. R. , Casati M. Z. , Sallum E. A. , Nociti Jr F. H. , De Toledo S.
Published: June 2009

Background and Objective:  Recent studies have pointed to potentially periodontal risk indicators, however no information is available on the impact of changes in thyroid hormone levels on the progression of periodontitis and on the quality of alveolar bone. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate histologically, in rats, the influence of thyroid hormones on the rate of periodontal bone loss resulting from ligature placement and on the quality of tooth‐supporting alveolar bone.

Material and Methods:  Thirty‐six male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: healthy (control, n = 12), hypothyroidism (n = 12) and hyperthyroidism (n = 12). Once alterations were confirmed by total serum levels of triiodothyronine and thyroxine, ligatures were randomly placed around one of the first mandibular molars. Thirty days later, the animals were killed and specimens routinely processed for serial decalcified sections. The parameters assessed were periodontitis‐related bone loss, quality of tooth‐supporting alveolar bone and the number of cells positive for tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), a marker of bone resorption.

Results:  At the ligated sites, intergroup analysis revealed that hypothyroidism significantly increased the bone loss resulting from ligature‐induced periodontitis (p = 0.02) and the number of TRAP‐positive cells on the linear surface of bone crest (p = 0.01). In addition, no significant differences were detected regarding the quality of the bone (p = 0.24) or the number of TRAP‐positive cells in the area of the interradicular bone for ligated teeth among the groups (p = 0.17).

Conclusion:  It may be concluded that decreased serum levels of thyroid hormones may enhance periodontitis‐related bone loss, as a function of an increased number of resorbing cells, whereas the tooth‐supporting alveolar bone seems to be less sensitive to alterations in hormone levels.
Effect of exogenous nitric oxide on murine immune response induced by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Sosroseno W. , Bird P. S. , Seymour G. J.
Published: June 2009

Background and Objective:  Elevated nitric oxide (NO) has been associated with destructive periodontal disease. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that exogenous NO may inhibit a protective immune response to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a murine model.

Material and Methods:  Mice of the BALB/c strain were sham immunized, immunized with A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS, treated with S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl penicillamine (SNAP; a NO donor) and immunized with A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS or treated with SNAP plus 2‐(4‐carboxyphenyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide (carboxy‐PTIO) and immunized with A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS. All animals were then challenged subcutaneously with viable A. actinomycetemcomitans. The serum‐specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses and both interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) and interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) as well as splenic inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity before and after bacterial challenge were assessed. The diameter of skin lesions was determined. Groups of mice were treated with l‐N6‐(1‐iminoethyl)‐lysine (l‐NIL), an iNOS inhibitor, or 1H‐(1,2,4)oxadiazolo(4,3‐a)quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ), a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, prior to injections with SNAP and/or A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS, and the skin lesions were assessed.

Results:  Treatment with SNAP increased the iNOS activity, suppressed both serum‐specific IgG2a and IFN‐γ levels, and delayed the healing of the lesions. These SNAP‐induced immune alterations were restored by treatment with carboxy‐PTIO. Pretreatment with l‐NIL resulted in partial healing, whereas pretreatment with ODQ induced a delayed healing of the lesions.

Conclusion:  The present study suggests that exogenous NO may suppress a protective T helper 1‐like murine immune response to A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS by an endogenous NO‐independent but a cyclic GMP‐dependent mechanism.