bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental challenges in fracturing of unconventional resources
Authors: Tutuncu Azra N. , Krohn Chris , Gelinsky Stephan , Leveille Jacques , Esmersoy Cengiz , Mese Ali I.
Published: August 2012

With support of the SEG Research Committee, the authors of this paper organized a special session at the 2011 SEG Annual Meeting focused on the environmental challenges of developing tight, unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs with special emphasis on the controversial hydraulic fracturing technology. Goals of the session were to support a better understanding of the challenges from the environmental perspective and to discuss possible solutions to these challenges through improving existing methods and developing novel exploration and stimulation techniques. Recognized unconventional resource experts brought their perspectives to the special session to highlight these challenges and work toward bringing the community together for solutions. It is evident that advances in horizontal drilling and multistage fracturing technologies have had significant influence on the global spread of the exploration for and production from gas shale and shale oil reservoirs.
Pioneering water-bottom gravity: Jack Weyand's amazing life and career
Authors: Millegan Pat , Bain John
Published: August 2012

On 8 December 2011, Guy Flanagan, John Bain, and Pat Millegan sat down with their friend and colleague Jack Weyand in the ConocoPhillips conference center in Houston. Jack and John have breakfast together regularly, and John revels in Jack's great stories from his long, fruitful career and multifaceted life. John subsequently asked Pat and Guy to help capture some of those stories because that would help document a few pieces of geophysical history.
Locating Ithaca: Continuing the search for Odysseus' island kingdom
Authors: Poulter Steve , Underhill John R. , Kilcoyne Dave , Hodges Greg
Published: August 2012

Many assume that Ithaki, one of the Ionian Islands, is the site of ancient Ithaca, home of Odysseus, the Greek hero of the Trojan War. However, some experts claim that the Paliki Peninsula, on nearby Kefalonia, conforms more closely to descriptions of Odysseus' homeland and, crucially, was once itself an island.
International Prognostic Score in Advanced-Stage Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Altered Utility in the Modern Era
Authors: Moccia Alden A. , Donaldson Jane , Chhanabhai Mukesh , Hoskins Paul J. , Klasa Richard J. , Savage Kerry J. , Shenkier Tamara N. , Slack Graham W. , Skinnider Brian , Gascoyne Randy D. , Connors Joseph M. , Sehn Laurie H.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The International Prognostic Score (IPS) is the most widely used risk stratification index for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). It is based on patients treated before 1992 and predicts 5-year freedom from progression (FFP) and overall survival (OS) ranging from 42% to 84% and 56% to 89%, respectively. The IPS has not been validated in a recently treated population in which outcomes have improved compared with historic results.

Patients and Methods

By using the British Columbia Cancer Agency Lymphoid Cancer Database, we identified all patients age ≥ 16 years newly diagnosed with advanced-stage HL (stage III to IV, or stage I to II with “B” symptoms or bulky disease ≥ 10 cm) from 1980 to 2010, treated with curative intent with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) or an ABVD-equivalent regimen with complete clinical information.

Results

In all, 740 patients were identified. Five-year FFP and OS were 78% and 90%, respectively. The IPS was prognostic for both FFP (P < .001) and OS (P < .001), with 5-year FFP ranging from 62% to 88% and 5-year OS ranging from 67% to 98%. Analysis limited to patients age 16 to 65 years (n = 686) demonstrated a narrower range of outcomes, with 5-year FFP ranging from 70% to 88% and 5-year OS ranging from 73% to 98%.

Conclusion

The IPS remains prognostic for advanced-stage HL, but the range of outcomes has narrowed considerably. This improvement in outcome with ABVD should be acknowledged before consideration of alternate initial therapies and when comparing results from current trials with those of historic controls.
Comparative Outcomes of Donor Graft CD34+ Selection and Immune Suppressive Therapy As Graft-Versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis for Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Complete Remission Undergoing HLA-Matched Sibling Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Authors: Pasquini Marcelo C. , Devine Steven , Mendizabal Adam , Baden Lindsey R. , Wingard John R. , Lazarus Hillard M. , Appelbaum Frederick R. , Keever-Taylor Carolyn A. , Horowitz Mary M. , Carter Shelly , O'Reilly Richard J. , Soiffer Robert J.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

T-cell depletion (TCD) reduces the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, concerns about relapse, graft rejection, and variability in technique have limited the widespread application of this approach.

Patients and Methods

Outcomes of 44 patients receiving HLA-identical sibling TCD grafts using a uniform technique for CD34+ selection as the sole form of immune suppression were compared with outcomes of 84 patients receiving T-replete grafts and pharmacologic immune suppression therapy (IST).

Results

Groups were similar, except for fewer men (36% with TCD v 56% with IST) and more frequent use of radiation-containing regimens (100% with TCD v 50% with IST) in the CD34-selected TCD cohort. The proportion of patients with neutrophil engraftment at day 28 was similar (96% with IST and 100% with TCD grafts). The 100-day rates of grade 2 to 4 acute GVHD were 39% and 23% with IST and TCD grafts, respectively (P = .07). Corresponding 2-year rates of chronic GVHD were lower with TCD grafts than IST (19% v 50%, respectively; P < .001). There were no differences in rates of graft rejection, leukemia relapse, treatment-related mortality, and disease-free and overall survival rates. At 1 year, 54% and 12% of patients were still on immunosuppression in the IST and TCD cohorts, respectively. TCD was associated with a higher GVHD-free survival at 2 years compared with IST (41% v 19%, respectively; P = .006).

Conclusion

These results suggest that TCD via CD34 selection might lower long-term morbidity as a result of chronic GVHD without negatively impacting relapse rates in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Additional prospective studies should be undertaken to definitively address the role of TCD in HCT.
Factors Associated With Receipt of Breast Cancer Adjuvant Chemotherapy in a Diverse Population-Based Sample
Authors: Griggs Jennifer J. , Hawley Sarah T. , Graff John J. , Hamilton Ann S. , Jagsi Reshma , Janz Nancy K. , Mujahid Mahasin S. , Friese Christopher R. , Salem Barbara , Abrahamse Paul H. , Katz Steven J.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Disparities in receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy may contribute to higher breast cancer fatality rates among black and Hispanic women compared with non-Hispanic whites. We investigated factors associated with receipt of chemotherapy in a diverse population-based sample.

Patients and Methods

Women diagnosed with breast cancer between August 2005 and May 2007 (N = 3,252) and reported to the Detroit, Michigan, or Los Angeles County Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry were recruited to complete a survey. Multivariable analyses examined factors associated with chemotherapy receipt.

Results

The survey was sent to 3,133 patients; 2,290 completed a survey (73.1%), and 1,403 of these patients were included in the analytic sample. In multivariable models, disease characteristics were significantly associated with the likelihood of receiving chemotherapy. Low-acculturated Hispanics were more likely to receive chemotherapy than non-Hispanic whites (odds ratio [OR], 2.00; 95% CI, 1.31 to 3.04), as were high-acculturated Hispanics (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.98). Black women were less likely to receive chemotherapy than non-Hispanic whites, but the difference was not significant (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.08). Increasing age (even in women age < 50 years) and Medicaid insurance were associated with lower rates of chemotherapy receipt.

Conclusion

In this population-based sample, disease characteristics were strongly associated with receipt of chemotherapy, indicating that clinical benefit guides most treatment decisions. We found no compelling evidence that black women and Hispanics receive chemotherapy at lower rates. Interventions that address chemotherapy use rates according to age and insurance status may improve quality of systemic treatment.
Southeast Asian American Studies Special Issue: Guest Editors' Introduction
Authors: Ngô Fiona I. B. , Nguyen Mimi Thi , Lam Mariam B.
Published: August 2012

In the introduction to the special issue, Ngô, Nguyen, and Lam argue that Southeast Asian American studies can model both epistemological and ontological inquiries about the circulation of, the negotiation with, or challenges to the knowledge regimes of US nation and empire.
Deporting Cambodian Refugees: Youth Activism, State Reform, and Imperial Statecraft
Authors: Kwon Soo Ah
Published: August 2012

This article interrogates the shortfalls of neoliberal democracy and its political practices for citizen (and noncitizen) subjects in the United States by drawing on ethnographic research of a diverse group of second-generation Asian and Pacific Islander youth's attempt to challenge the deportation of Cambodian refugees. In following the young people's campaign to put an end to deportation, I examine the convergence of youth's failed recognition by the state as a nonvoting youth constituency with their realization of the state's exercise of “illegitimate” violence. Their activism calls into question the practices of imperial statecraft and categories of possible democratic citizenship in pursuit of a new political imaginary.
Beyond Gran Torino's Guns: Hmong Cultural Warriors Performing Genders
Authors: Schein Louisa , Thoj Va-Megn , Vang Bee , Jalao Ly Chong Thong
Published: August 2012

Clint Eastwood's feature film Gran Torino (2008) represents an ongoing site of cultural struggle from the perspective of Hmong Americans, not only because of issues around the portrayal of Hmong culture and society, but also because of the very fraught politics of the film's production process itself. This collaborative piece stages conversations and critiques so as to be stylistically consistent with the ensemble nature of film production, bringing together the voices of a Hmong antiracist media activist, a white academic in media and Hmong studies, the Hmong lead actor from Gran Torino, and a Hmong PhD student in English. With special attention to how regimes of gender and sexuality manifest racial and ethnic hierarchy, the piece asks questions about the consequences of hypervisibility for Hmong Americans who have been chronically silenced and invisibilized, and interrogates the counterpointing of Eastwood's character, Walt, and his normative white masculinity with two dysfunctional immigrant masculinities—that of the effeminate, childlike geek and that of the hyperviolent and transgressive gangster. The piece proceeds to read Hmong cultural production and critique as racial struggle which entails a queer response that would go beyond exclusively textual readings of alternative masculinity to refigure racial engagements beyond conventional binaries of hyposexual versus hyperviolent, and beyond queer as antimasculine.
Luminous Elegies: Chăm Family Documentary in Phước Lập, Vietnam
Authors: Underhill Julie Thi
Published: August 2012

At twenty-two, Julie Thi Underhill met her dying grandmother Thị Oai and began a portrait series in her mother's home village. Seven years later, she returned with her family to Phước Lập, a Hindu Chăm village in south central Viet Nam, where she photographed and filmed her grandmother's final ceremonies for her documentary Second Burial. Underhill offers these family portraits from 1999 and 2006 as an extended elegy for her grandmother.
Cambodian American Memory Work: Justice and the “Cambodian Syndrome”
Authors: Schlund-Vials Cathy J.
Published: August 2012

This essay examines the impact of transnational historical amnesias on Cambodian American genocidal remembrance. Arguing that the “Cambodian syndrome” revises the “Vietnam syndrome” in a manner that legitimizes contemporary US and Cambodian governmental power, this essay shifts to an overview of Cambodian American cultural production in order to explore the status of memory in the country of origin and the country of settlement, and to illustrate the ways Cambodian American film, literature, and art are engaged in multiple forms of resistance that potently revise the “Cambodian syndrome” and are productively rooted in “memory work.”
Exiled Memory: History, Identity, and Remembering in Southeast Asia and Southeast Asian Diaspora
Authors: Um Khatharya
Published: August 2012

As a meditation on our longing for relationality across time and rupture, “Exiled Memory” examines the relationship between history, memory, and identity in the Southeast Asian diaspora. It situates the politics and art of remembering against the ravages of genocide and displacement and the negotiations of resettlement, and problematizes the notion of “return” that is central to the exilic desire.
Reporting on Madame Nhu in the Viet Nam War: Representations of the Gendered Other
Authors: Bui Diem-My T.
Published: August 2012

This article examines how figurations of Vietnamese women in the popular US imagination played significant roles in explaining, justifying, criticizing, or creating sympathy for US involvement in the war in Viet Nam. Bui looks to the clashes between Madame Nhu's efforts to manage her public persona with Orientalist discourses in circulation about this “dragon lady,” in both prowar and antiwar considerations.
Refugee Memories and Asian American Critique
Authors: Nguyen Viet Thanh
Published: August 2012

This article considers the challenges facing Southeast Asian American studies and the interventions the nascent field can make, particularly into Asian American studies, Southeast Asian studies, and American studies. Nguyen argues for dislodging the implicit identity politics and nationalism of these three fields, recognizing the importance of foregrounding war as a framework for linking Southeast Asian American experiences to a fundamental activity of the US military-industrial complex, and working through the challenges thus raised for these disciplines and their traditional modes and objects of inquiry.
Globalization and the Public Cartographies of Vietnam Idol
Authors: Bui Long
Published: August 2012

Using the television program Vietnam Idol as a case study, the author demonstrates that even though shows like this aim to bring Viet Nam into the fold of global culture, it reconfigures dominant notions of “culture” and reinforces certain mappings of power. At the very moment it brings this so-called third world country up to speed with pop trends, Idol reveals the neocolonial processes and the culturalist terms under which global modernity is engendered in late capitalism. The author contends that global mass media — seen as free flowing, immaterial, and unbounded — reinforces a traditional “peoples and cultures” line of thinking. Through what can be called “geocultural publics,” the author recognizes Idol's attempt to mobilize different levels of public culture in the service of global movement — national, local, popular, global, youth, media culture — as enacting forms of cultural place making riddled with problems and contradictions.
A computational image analysis glossary for biologists
Authors: Roeder Adrienne H. K. , Cunha Alexandre , Burl Michael C. , Meyerowitz Elliot M.
Published: August 2012

Recent advances in biological imaging have resulted in an explosion in the quality and quantity of images obtained in a digital format. Developmental biologists are increasingly acquiring beautiful and complex images, thus creating vast image datasets. In the past, patterns in image data have been detected by the human eye. Larger datasets, however, necessitate high-throughput objective analysis tools to computationally extract quantitative information from the images. These tools have been developed in collaborations between biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians and physicists. In this Primer we present a glossary of image analysis terms to aid biologists and briefly discuss the importance of robust image analysis in developmental studies.
Anterior-posterior differences in HoxD chromatin topology in limb development
Authors: Williamson Iain , Eskeland Ragnhild , Lettice Laura A. , Hill Alison E. , Boyle Shelagh , Grimes Graeme R. , Hill Robert E. , Bickmore Wendy A.
Published: August 2012

A late phase of HoxD activation is crucial for the patterning and growth of distal structures across the anterior-posterior (A-P) limb axis of mammals. Polycomb complexes and chromatin compaction have been shown to regulate Hox loci along the main body axis in embryonic development, but the extent to which they have a role in limb-specific HoxD expression, an evolutionary adaptation defined by the activity of distal enhancer elements that drive expression of 5′ Hoxd genes, has yet to be fully elucidated. We reveal two levels of chromatin topology that differentiate distal limb A-P HoxD activity. Using both immortalised cell lines derived from posterior and anterior regions of distal E10.5 mouse limb buds, and analysis in E10.5 dissected limb buds themselves, we show that there is a loss of polycomb-catalysed H3K27me3 histone modification and a chromatin decompaction over HoxD in the distal posterior limb compared with anterior. Moreover, we show that the global control region (GCR) long-range enhancer spatially colocalises with the 5′ HoxD genomic region specifically in the distal posterior limb. This is consistent with the formation of a chromatin loop between 5′ HoxD and the GCR regulatory module at the time and place of distal limb bud development when the GCR participates in initiating Hoxd gene quantitative collinearity and Hoxd13 expression. This is the first example of A-P differences in chromatin compaction and chromatin looping in the development of the mammalian secondary body axis (limb).
Experimental Studies and Redox-Type Monte Carlo Simulations for the Reduction Reaction of NO by CO over Supported Copper
Authors: Cortés Joaquín , Valencia Eliana , González Carlos , Araya Paulo
Published: August 2012

Kinetics experiments for the CO–NO reaction over copper oxide supported on zirconia are interpreted adequately by theoretical activity decay models. A redox-type reaction mechanism is proposed for the process. A kinetic Monte Carlo simulation algorithm is developed for the case of a redox mechanism. Its results give a reasonable interpretation of the order of the experimental reaction.
A Novel Sodium Germanomolybdate Constructed from [H2Ge2Mo6O26]6− Polyoxoanions and [Na6(H2O)12]6+ Clusters
Authors: Li Suzhi , Guo Yuanyuan , Qiu Xiaoyang , Wang Jingping , Niu Jingyang
Published: August 2012

A novel sodium germanomolybdate compound [Na6(H2O)12][H2Ge2Mo6O26] (1) has been successfully synthesized by conventional solution method. The structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and further characterized by IR and UV spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). X-ray structural analysis reveals that 1 crystallizes in triclinic space group P1, with lattice constants a = 8.466(4) Å, b = 10.290(4) Å, c = 11.159(5) Å, α = 72.305(6)°, β = 71.115(6)°, γ = 76.969(5)°, V = 867.5(6) Å, and Z = 1, which consists of a novel polyoxoanion [H2Ge2Mo6O26]6− and a [Na6(H2O)12]6+ cluster. Furthermore, the dimeric polyoxoanion units link alternate [Na6(H2O)12]6+ clusters to generate a 3D framework.
Acridine-based Switching on Fluorescence Sensor for Cd2+ Functioning in Absolute Aqueous Media
Authors: Goswami Shyamaprosad , Aich Krishnendu , Sen Debabrata
Published: August 2012

A new acridine fluoroionophore derivative bearing lithium salt of thioglycolate, is designed and synthesized. Its fluorescence sensing behavior toward metal ions has been investigated in absolutely aqueous media (HEPES buffer solution, pH 7.4). It displayed a selective CHEF (chelation-enhanced fluorescence) effect toward Cd2+ in presence of other heavy and transiton-metal ions. Highly sensitive switching on response of the fluorophore toward Cd2+, facilitates it suitable for sensing of Cd2+ in aqueous media.
A Field Study on Matching with Network Externalities
Authors: Baccara Mariagiovanna , İmrohoroğlu Ayşe , Wilson Alistair J , Yariv Leeat
Published: August 2012

We study the effects of network externalities within a protocol for matching faculty to offices in a new building. Using web and survey data on faculty's attributes and choices, we identify the different layers of the social network: institutional affiliation, coauthorships, and friendships. We quantify the effects of network externalities on choices and outcomes, disentangle the layers of the networks, and quantify their relative influence. Finally, we assess the protocol used from a welfare perspective. Our study suggests the importance and feasibility of accounting for network externalities in assignment problems and evaluates techniques that can be employed to this end. (JEL C78, C93, D62, D85, Z13)
Social Capital and Social Quilts: Network Patterns of Favor Exchange
Authors: Jackson Matthew O , Rodriguez-Barraquer Tomas , Tan Xu
Published: August 2012

We examine the informal exchange of favors in societies such that any two individuals interact too infrequently to sustain exchange, but such that the social pressure of the possible loss of multiple relationships can sustain exchange. Patterns of exchange that are locally enforceable and renegotiation-proof necessitate that all links are “supported”: any two individuals exchanging favors have a common friend. In symmetric settings, such robust networks are “social quilts”: tree-like unions of completely connected subnetworks. Examining favor exchange networks in 75 villages in rural India, we find high levels of support and identify characteristics that correlate with support. (JEL D85, O12, O18, Z13)
Bundling and Competition for Slots
Authors: Jeon Doh-Shin , Menicucci Domenico
Published: August 2012

We consider competition between sellers selling multiple distinct products to a buyer having k slots. Under independent pricing, a pure strategy equilibrium often does not exist, and equilibrium in mixed strategy is never efficient. When bundling is allowed, each seller has an incentive to bundle his products, and an efficient “technology-renting” equilibrium always exists. Furthermore, in the case of digital goods or when sales below marginal cost are banned, all equilibria are efficient. Comparing the mixed-strategy equilibrium with the technology-renting equilibrium reveals that bundling often increases the buyer's surplus. Finally, we derive clear-cut policy implications.(JEL D43, D86, K21, L13, L14, L41, L82)
Organ Allocation Policy and the Decision to Donate
Authors: Kessler Judd B , Roth Alvin E
Published: August 2012

Organ donations from deceased donors provide the majority of transplanted organs in the United States, and one deceased donor can save numerous lives by providing multiple organs. Nevertheless, most Americans are not registered organ donors despite the relative ease of becoming one. We study in the laboratory an experimental game modeled on the decision to register as an organ donor and investigate how changes in the management of organ waiting lists might impact donations. We find that an organ allocation policy giving priority on waiting lists to those who previously registered as donors has a significant positive impact on registration. (JEL C91, D64, I11)
Katrina's Children: Evidence on the Structure of Peer Effects from Hurricane Evacuees
Authors: Imberman Scott A , Kugler Adriana D , Sacerdote Bruce I
Published: August 2012

In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita forced many children to relocate across the Southeast. While schools quickly enrolled evacuees, families in receiving schools worried about the impacts on incumbent students. We find no effect, on average, of the inflow of evacuees on achievement in Houston. In Louisiana we find little impact on average and we reject linear-in-means models. Moreover, we find that student achievement improves with high achieving peers and worsens with low achieving peers. Finally, an increase in the inflow of evacuees raised incumbent absenteeism and disciplinary problems in Houston's secondary schools. (JEL I21, Q54)
What Do You Think Would Make You Happier? What Do You Think You Would Choose?
Authors: Benjamin Daniel J , Heffetz Ori , Kimball Miles S , Rees-Jones Alex
Published: August 2012

Would people choose what they think would maximize their subjective well-being (SWB)? We present survey respondents with hypothetical scenarios and elicit both choice and predicted SWB rankings of two alternatives. While choice and predicted SWB rankings usually coincide in our data, we find systematic reversals. We identify factors—such as predicted sense of purpose, control over one's life, family happiness, and social status—that help explain hypothetical choice controlling for predicted SWB. We explore how our findings vary by SWB measure and by scenario. Our results have implications regarding the use of SWB survey questions as a proxy for utility. (JEL D03, I31)
Industrial Structure and Capital Flows
Authors: Jin Keyu
Published: August 2012

This paper provides a new theory of international capital flows. In a framework that integrates factor-proportions-based trade and financial capital flows, a novel force emerges: capital tends to flow toward countries that become more specialized in capital-intensive industries. This “composition” effect competes with the standard force that channels capital toward the location where it is scarcer. If the composition effect dominates, capital flows away from the country hit by a positive labor force/productivity shock—a flow “reversal.'' Extended to a quantitative framework, the model generates sizable current account imbalances between developing and developed countries broadly consistent with the data. (JEL F14, F21, F32, F41, L16, O19)
Spatial Differentiation and Vertical Mergers in Retail Markets for Gasoline
Authors: Houde Jean-François
Published: August 2012

This paper studies an empirical model of spatial competition applied to gasoline markets. The main feature is to specify commuting paths as the “locations'' of consumers in a Hotelling-style model. As a result, spatial differentiation depends in an intuitive way on the structure of the road network and the direction of traffic flows. The model is estimated using panel data on the Quebec City gasoline market and used to evaluate the consequences of a recent vertical merger. Difference-in-difference and counterfactual simulation methods are compared, and the results, to a large extent, validate the assumptions of the demand model. (JEL G34, L13, L42, L81, Q41, R41)
Heuristic Thinking and Limited Attention in the Car Market
Authors: Lacetera Nicola , Pope Devin G , Sydnor Justin R
Published: August 2012

Can heuristic information processing affect important product markets? Analyzing over 22 million wholesale used-car transactions, we find evidence of left-digit bias in the processing of odometer values, whereby individuals focus on the number's leftmost digits. The bias leads to discontinuous drops in sale prices at 10,000-mile odometer thresholds, along with smaller drops at 1,000-mile thresholds. These findings reveal that information-processing heuristics matter even in markets with large stakes and easily observed information. We model left-digit bias in an inattention framework and structurally estimate the inattention parameter. Empirical patterns suggest the results are driven by final customers rather than professional agents. (JEL D12, D44, D83, L81)
Skill Dispersion and Trade Flows
Authors: Bombardini Matilde , Gallipoli Giovanni , Pupato Germán
Published: August 2012

Is skill dispersion a source of comparative advantage? In this paper we use microdata from the International Adult Literacy Survey to show that the effect of skill dispersion on trade flows is quantitatively similar to that of the aggregate endowment of human capital. In particular we investigate, and find support for, the hypothesis that countries with a more dispersed skill distribution specialize in industries characterized by lower complementarity of workers' skills. The result is robust to the introduction of controls for alternative sources of comparative advantage, as well as to alternative measures of industry-level skill complementarity. (JEL F14, F16, J24, J31)
Interjurisdictional Spillovers, Decentralized Policymaking, and the Elasticity of Capital Supply
Authors: Eichner Thomas , Runkel Marco
Published: August 2012

This paper points to the important role that the elasticity of aggregate capital supply with respect to the net rate of return to capital plays for the efficiency of policymaking in a decentralized economy with mobile capital and spillovers among jurisdictions. In accordance with previous studies, we show that under the assumption of a fixed capital supply (zero capital supply elasticity) the decentralized policy choice is optimal. If the capital supply elasticity is strictly positive, however, capital tax rates are inefficiently low in the decentralized equilibrium. (JEL E22, E61, H25, H77)
A workforce review in diagnostic ultrasound
Authors: Parker Pamela , Wolstenhulme Stephen
Published: August 2012

Current ultrasound education for sonographers is at post-graduate level and it is a service expectation that sonographers are equipped with advanced skills on qualification. The aim of the working party review was to assess the current roles and responsibilities of the sonographers, with a view to determining whether there was an opportunity to introduce a lower band practitioner role within the local hospital ultrasound department as well as the wider ultrasound community. Qualitative data, for the review, were obtained from two sources: (i) a local working party consisting of two ultrasound managers, two sonographers, one consultant radiologist, one line manager and one lecturer in diagnostic imaging and (ii) radiologists of the local department, ultrasound colleagues within the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA), local and national Higher Education Institute and Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education colleagues. The career structure of sonographers was reviewed with options to introduce a band 6 ultrasound practitioner post in the local radiology department. The level of work expected of sonographers within the local Trust demands advanced skills, currently recognized as Agenda for Change band 7, are utilized on a daily basis. Little opportunity for practitioners to work at a lower grade which would require only technical reports, with no diagnostic opinion, was identified. In conclusion, there is currently no scope for a band 6 ultrasound practitioner within the local radiology department. The review suggests there is a need for an ultrasound practitioner career structure, which is comparable with other professional groups. Such developments will require input and support from clinicians, radiologists, the professional body and the higher education institutions. The review recognizes the need for an ultrasound governance team within individual Trusts to oversee ultrasound provision, reporting and clinical developments.
How Does the Use of Trademarks by Third-Party Sellers Affect Online Search?
Authors: Chiou Lesley , Tucker Catherine
Published: August 2012

Firms that sell via a direct channel and via indirect channels have to decide whether to allow third-party sellers to use trademarked brand names of products in their advertising. This question has been particularly controversial for advertising on search engines. In June 2009, Google started allowing any third-party reseller of a product to use a trademark such as “DoubleTree” in the text of its ad, even if the reseller did not have the trademark holder's permission. We study the effects of this change empirically within the hotel industry. We find some evidence that allowing third-party sellers to use a trademark in their online search advertising weakly reduced the likelihood of a consumer clicking on a trademark holder's paid search ads. However, the decrease in paid clicks was outweighed by a large increase in consumers clicking on the unpaid links to the hotelier's website within the main search results. Our evidence shows that when a third-party seller focuses on a trademarked brand in its ads, the ads become less distinct, and customers are more likely to ignore the advertised offers and buy from the direct channel.
Right or Left: Tactile Display for Route Guidance of Drivers
Authors: Asif Amna , Boll Susanne , Heuten Wilko
Published: August 2012

A tactile interface is an alternative channel of communication, which can be utilized to display navigational instructions in cars under high visual and auditory load conditions. We investigated the use of a tactile belt for turn-by-turn information presentation in cars, which was originally designed for the route guidance of blind and pedestrian users. Important information artifacts in turn-by-turn route guidance are the distance to an upcoming crossing and the direction to follow. The tactile belt was examined in a pilot study for presenting direction information in a car navigation system. The pilot study was used to explore first ideas of tactile encodings for direction presentation with the tactile belt. The study presented in this article compares these designs systematically for their use in tactile route guidance in the car. For this purpose we conducted an experiment with 10 participants on real urban roads to evaluate three different vibrotactile patterns. The results show that the “two vibrators front design” was significantly different than the “two vibrators side design”. The two vibrator front encoding was preferred significantly. The performance of the participants on two vibrators front design was significantly different than the two vibrators side design. The Friedman test showed a significant difference in the usability of all three vibrotactile patterns. A significant difference was found in the ease of use of two vibrators front encoding compared to other encodings. On the basis of quantitative and qualitative results, we conclude that the two vibrators front encoding is comparatively is the better design for presenting the direction information. Our findings will be helpful for the car industry in designing the tactile based car navigation systems.
Loss of Bmyc results in increased apoptosis associated with upregulation of Myc expression in juvenile murine testis
Authors: Turunen Heikki T , Sipilä Petra , Strauss Leena , Björkgren Ida , Huhtaniemi Ilpo , Poutanen Matti
Published: August 2012

Bmyc is a member of the Myc family of transcriptional regulators in the mouse and the rat. It is predominantly expressed in hormonally controlled tissues, with highest level of expression in the epididymis. The BMYC protein has been shown to function as a transcription factor in vitro and to inhibit MYC. To study the significance of BMYC in vivo, a Bmyc knockout (KO) mouse model was generated by homologous recombination. The KO mice were viable and fertile and did not display gross morphological or histological changes compared to the WT mice. However, the testes and the epididymides of the KO mice were smaller than those of the WT mice. Correspondingly, a tendency for a lower sperm concentration in the cauda epididymides of the KO mice was detected. The testosterone produced/testis was significantly reduced, and accordingly, the LH levels were increased in the KO mice. Also, the expression levels of Myc and several of its target genes were elevated in the testes of prepubertal KO mice, whereas no differences in gene expression levels were detected in adult mice. Associated with the increased Myc expression, more apoptotic spermatogenic cells were detected in the seminiferous tubules of the KO mice. In conclusion, our data suggest that Bmyc is a regulator of Myc in vivo and that overexpression of Myc in the developing testis leads to increased apoptosis of spermatogenic cells.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Critically Ill Children
Authors: Madden Kate , Feldman Henry A. , Smith Ellen M. , Gordon Catherine M. , Keisling Shannon M. , Sullivan Ryan M. , Hollis Bruce W. , Agan Anna A. , Randolph Adrienne G.
Published: August 2012

OBJECTIVE:

Vitamin D influences cardiovascular and immune function. We aimed to establish the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children and identify factors influencing admission 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels. We hypothesized that levels would be lower with increased illness severity and in children with serious infections.

METHODS:

Participants were 511 severely or critically ill children admitted to the PICU from November 2009 to November 2010. Blood was collected near PICU admission and analyzed for 25(OH)D concentration by using Diasorin radioimmunoassay.

RESULTS:

We enrolled 511 of 818 (62.5%) eligible children. The median 25(OH)D level was 22.5 ng/mL; 40.1% were 25(OH)D deficient (level <20 ng/mL). In multivariate analysis, age and race were associated with 25(OH)D deficiency; summer season, vitamin D supplementation, and formula intake were protective; 25(OH)D levels were not lower in the 238 children (46.6%) admitted with a life-threatening infection, unless they had septic shock (n = 51, 10.0%) (median 25(OH)D level 19.2 ng/mL; P = .0008). After adjusting for factors associated with deficiency, lower levels were associated with higher admission day illness severity (odds ratio 1.19 for a 1-quartile increase in Pediatric Risk of Mortality III score per 5 ng/mL decrease in 25(OH)D, 95% confidence interval 1.10–1.28; P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS:

We found a high rate of vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children. Given the roles of vitamin D in bone development and immunity, we recommend screening of those critically ill children with risk factors for vitamin D deficiency and implementation of effective repletion strategies.
Montelukast for Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study
Authors: Goldbart Aviv D. , Greenberg-Dotan Sari , Tal Asher
Published: August 2012

OBJECTIVES:

Children with nonsevere obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) benefit from alternative therapeutic interventions such as leukotriene modifiers. We hypothesized that montelukast might improve OSA in children. We tested this hypothesis in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled fashion.

METHODS:

Of 50 possible candidates, we recruited 46 children with polysomnographically diagnosed OSA. In this prospective, double-blind, randomized trial, children received daily oral montelukast at 4 or 5 mg (<6 or >6 years of age, respectively) or placebo for 12 weeks. Polysomnographic assessments, parent questionnaires, and radiographs to assess adenoid size were performed before and after therapy.

RESULTS:

Compared with the 23 children that received placebo, the 23 children that received montelukast showed significant improvements in polysomnographic measures of respiratory disturbance (obstructive apnea index), children's symptoms, and adenoid size. The obstructive apnea index decreased by >50% in 65.2% of treated children. No attrition or side effects occurred.

CONCLUSIONS:

A 12-week treatment with daily, oral montelukast effectively reduced the severity of OSA and the magnitude of the underlying adenoidal hypertrophy in children with nonsevere OSA.
Prospective Multicenter Study of Children With Bronchiolitis Requiring Mechanical Ventilation
Authors: Mansbach Jonathan M. , Piedra Pedro A. , Stevenson Michelle D. , Sullivan Ashley F. , Forgey Tate F. , Clark Sunday , Espinola Janice A. , Camargo Carlos A.
Published: August 2012

OBJECTIVE:

To identify factors associated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and/or intubation for children with bronchiolitis.

METHODS:

We performed a 16-center, prospective cohort study of hospitalized children aged <2 years with bronchiolitis. For 3 consecutive years from November 1 until March 31, beginning in 2007, researchers collected clinical data and a nasopharyngeal aspirate from study participants. We oversampled children from the ICU. Samples of nasopharyngeal aspirate were tested by polymerase chain reaction for 18 pathogens.

RESULTS:

There were 161 children who required CPAP and/or intubation. The median age of the overall cohort was 4 months; 59% were male; 61% white, 24% black, and 36% Hispanic. In the multivariable model predicting CPAP/intubation, the significant factors were: age <2 months (odds ratio [OR] 4.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7–11.5), maternal smoking during pregnancy (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1–1.9), birth weight <5 pounds (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.0–2.6), breathing difficulty began <1 day before admission (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.1), presence of apnea (OR 4.8; 95% CI 2.5–8.5), inadequate oral intake (OR 2.5; 95% CI 1.3–4.3), severe retractions (OR 11.1; 95% CI 2.4–33.0), and room air oxygen saturation <85% (OR 3.3; 95% CI 2.0–4.8). The optimism-corrected c-statistic for the final model was 0.80.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this multicenter study of children hospitalized with bronchiolitis, we identified several demographic, historical, and clinical factors that predicted the use of CPAP and/or intubation, including children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy. We also identified a novel subgroup of children who required mechanical respiratory support <1 day after respiratory symptoms began.
Peritonite infecciosa com quantitativos e qualitativos bacterianos conhecidos: estudo experimental em ratos
Authors: Guilgen Gilton Ângelo , Czesko Nicolau Gregori , Malafaia Osvaldo , Simões João Carlos
Published: August 2012

O objetivo deste estudo é o desenvolvimento de peritonite difusa com qualitativos e quantitativos bacterianos conhecidos. Foram analisados 150 ratos, adultos, machos, da raça Wistar, com peso médio de 150 gramas. Inocularam-se, percutaneamente, na cavidade peritoneal, suspensões constituídas de Escherichia coli e Bacteróides fragilis em concentrações conhecidas, na proporção de 1 ml para cada 100 gramas de peso. Os animais foram distribuídos em cinco grupos de trinta ratos. No grupo I (grupo-controle) inoculou-se solução de cloreto de sódio a 0,9%. Nos demais grupos a concentração do inóculo foi a seguinte: grupo II, com suspensão a 10 (9); grupo III, com suspensão a 10 (8): grupo IV, suspensão a 10 (7) e grupo V com suspensão a 10 (6). Sempre que se detectou o óbito, o animal era submetido à necropsia para avaliação da cavidade peritoneal e colheita de secreções para cultura. Os ratos sobreviventes foram aleatoriamente alocados em dois subgrupos. Os animais do subgrupo A foram sacrificados 24 horas após a inoculação e os do subgrupo B, 120 horas após a inoculação. Observou-se que os ratos do grupo I (controle) evoluíram sem o desenvolvimento de peritonite. Nos grupos II e III,100% dos ratos do subgrupo A e 95,83% dos ratos do subgrupo B desenvolveram peritonite aguda e óbito em menos de 24 horas. No grupo IV, somente 4,17% desenvolveram peritonite e foram a óbito em 72 horas, e no grupo V não ocorreu a formação de peritonite e não houve óbito. Os animais que foram a óbito dos grupos II e III, 96,67% mostraram alterações macroscópicas com exsudato peritoneal difuso, aderências peritoneais mas sem abscesso. Todos os animais com peritonite, desenvolveram derrame pleural bilateral. Nos animais que foram a óbito, nos grupos II e III, evidenciou-se a presença de Escherichia coli e Bacteroides fragilis como causadores das alterações peritoneais e pleurais. Este modelo mostrou que os animais que receberam altas concentrações bacterianas mostraram maior perda de peso, alterações clínicas de sepsis, peritonite difusa aguda, derrame pleural e óbito precoce.
Avaliação dos resultados de intervenção após mudanças realizadas nos cuidados peri-operatórios em pacientes submetidos a operações abdominais eletivas
Authors: Walczewski Mayra da Rosa Martins , Justino Ariane Zanetta , Walczewski Eduardo André Bracci , Coan Tatiane
Published: August 2012

OBJETIVO: Avaliar os resultados da introdução de novas medidas visando acelerar a recuperação pós-operatória de pacientes submetidos à cirurgia abdominal eletiva. MÉTODOS: Foram observados e entrevistados 162 pacientes e entrevistados durante dois períodos distintos: o primeiro, entre outubro a dezembro de 2009 (n=81) formado por pacientes submetidos à condutas convencionais de acompanhamento peri-operatório (período pré-intervenção) e o segundo, entre março a maio de 2010 (n=81), formado por um novo grupo de pacientes submetidos, então, ao novo protocolo de condutas de acompanhamento peri-operatório. A coleta de dados nos dois períodos ocorreu sem o conhecimento dos profissionais do serviço. As variáveis observadas foram: indicação de suporte nutricional pré-operatório; tempo de jejum pré e pós-operatório; volume de hidratação; uso de sondas e drenos; tempo de internação e morbidade pós-operatória. RESULTADOS: Na comparação entre os dois períodos, observou-se no período pós-intervenção uma diminuição de 2,5 horas no tempo de jejum pré-operatório (p=0,0002). Em relação à reintrodução da dieta por via oral houve diferença entre os dois períodos (p=0,0007). Considerando os pacientes que não apresentaram complicações no pós-operatório houve diminuição significativa no tempo de internação (p=0,001325). Houve uma redução de aproximadamente 50% no uso de antibiótico no período pós-intervenção (p=0,00001). CONCLUSÃO: A adoção de medidas multidisciplinares peri-operatórias é exequível dentro da nossa realidade e embora não tenha havido alterações com significância estatística no presente estudo, pode melhorar a morbidade e diminuir tempo de internação em cirurgia geral de modo significante.
Tolerância, coragem e compaixão: virtudes cardinais do cirurgião
Authors: Soares Júnior Cleber , Gomes Carlos Augusto , Peixoto Rodrigo de Oliveira , Soares Fernanda Pardo de Toledo Piza
Published: August 2012

As interações entre os seres humanos são muito complexas. A abordagem de um conflito moral utilizando apenas como referencial um código de ética é quase sempre insuficiente. A ética da responsabilidade demanda uma reflexão muito mais profunda, uma discussão sobre a essência do homem e seu papel na sociedade. A responsabilidade do cirurgião é inerente a uma profissão construída desde sua origem não somente sobre o altruísmo e a humanidade, mas também compaixão, coragem e tolerância. O estudo e a compreensão destas qualidades, assim como a transmissão destes valores aos alunos e residentes de cirurgia são fundamentais para formação humana destes indivíduos. Este ensaio se propõe a mostrar que estas virtudes essenciais estão indissoluvelmente ligadas ao trabalho que o cirurgião faz, conquanto sua responsabilidade se inicia antes do ato operatório, já na intenção de agir.