bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supporting ‘Needs-Led’ Services: Implications for Planning and Management Systems (A case study in mental handicap services)
Authors: McGrath Morag , Grant Gordon
Published: January 2009

Many of the principles of the Community Care White Paper (DoH, 1989) bear a striking resemblance to the Welsh mental handicap strategy launched six years earlier (Welsh Office, 1983). This paper considers the lessons to be learnt from the Welsh strategy for the development of needs-led services as promulgated by the White Paper. Similarities and differences between the two policy initiatives are first identified before considering the conceptual basis of needs-led services. Attention is drawn to two interdependent dimensions of needs-led services, user participation and management delegation, as a means of depicting three underlying models, each with different value stances. By drawing from a case study of one area in Wales, an attempt is made to test the expectations for needs-led services in terms of local planning and management requirements of the three models against the experiences of those charged with putting them into practice. Implications for the White Paper are explored in connection with user involvement strategies and assessment and care management processes.
Education Reform in Northern Ireland: Maintaining the Distance?
Authors: McKeown Penny , Connolly Michael
Published: January 2009

This paper aims to investigate the extent to which education reform in Northern Ireland has developed along separate lines and to comment on the degree to which a part of the UK can move independently with respect to key social policies. The next section will examine in more detail the unique features of education in Northern Ireland, following which it will discuss the main elements of the legislation. In doing so, we will draw comparisons with the themes underpinning recent developments in Britain.
Citizenship, Social Rights, and the Ethnic State: The Case of Structural Discrimination against Arab Children in Israel
Authors: Bar-On Arnon
Published: January 2009

In a world of nation states, citizenship, or full membership of the social and political community, has a three-fold relationship to the supply and demand of public welfare. First, in the liberal tradition that society exists to serve its members, citizenship offers moral justification for the state's concern for individual citizens (Harris, 1987; Jordan, 1989). Second, since citizenship confers a form of equality of status on members of the community (Marshall, 1963), it must be assumed that the state university applies to these members whatever distributive standards it adopts (Macedo, 1990). Finally, and as a consequence of the other two relationships, citizenship is one of the primary bases for claims on the economic resources of the state (King & Waldron, 1988; Barry, 1990, p. 4).
Sex, Sharing and the Distribution of Income
Authors: Davies Hugh , Joshi Heather
Published: January 2009

It is customary to assume that income is redistributed between the sexes within the family. This article investigates alternative assumptions about sharing within the family and their effects on the distribution of income. Using data from the UK Family Expenditure Survey for 1968 and 1986, we contrast two assumptions about sharing within the family; the conventional assumption of equal sharing or ‘pooling’, and an alternative of ‘minimum sharing’. Under each assumption, we examine the composition of extreme quintiles of the income distribution, and compute the numbers of men and women falling below an arbitrary ‘poverty line’. The contribution to inequality of the net transfers between the sexes and other sources of income is also examined. We estimate that resource transfers (other than for housing) between spouses could, if all income is pooled, account for about one third of married couples’ pooled incomes in 1986 and about 56 per cent of the inequality of married women's incomes (in 1968, 56 per cent and 50 per cent respectively). Taking the bottom quintile of pooled income as an arbitrary ‘poverty line’, we calculate that 15 per cent of married people would have been below this line in 1986 if all incomes were pooled. On the minimum sharing assumption, 52 per cent of married women, but only 11 per cent of married men would have been under the line.
Council House Sales, Residualisation and Afro Caribbean Tenants
Authors: Peach Ceri , Byron Margaret
Published: January 2009

During the 1980s, about 30 per cent of the council housing stock of Great Britain was sold to sitting tenants. The popular areas for purchase and the popular types of property were semi-detached and terraced houses rather than flats or maisonettes, away from the large conurbations. The types of household most likely to buy were married couples with adult children in skilled occupations. This large scale selling of council housing led to the fear of a residual poor population, living in flats in inner cities. Since nearly half of Afro Caribbean households were living in council housing and since their pattern of housing was the obverse of the types that sold in large numbers, it was thought that they would be among the residualised households. The paper reports on field survey and special GHS data which show that Afro Caribbeans are more rather than less willing to buy their council homes, once property type has been controlled for. It also argues that, in some circumstances, the right to buy may act against residualisation. However, a particularly residualised group appears to be Caribbean single mothers in high rise blocks.
Rawlsian Justice and the Financing of the National Health Service
Authors: McCreadie Claudine
Published: January 2009

John Rawls' ATheory of Justicewas published in Britain in 1972. The summation of many years' work by Professor Rawls, it has stimulated widespread admiration and criticism. In this article Rawls' theory is summarized briefly together with some of the major criticisms that have been made of it. An attempt is then made to apply one of Rawls' principles of justice to the question of health services financing, using as a case study the recommendations of an advisory panel of the British Medical Association, which reported in 1970. These recommendations involved extending the private sector in medical care, on the argument that the flow of resources to the National Health Service would increase and, despite possible greater inequalities, result in an improvement in the level of care for all. Judged by the Rawlsian principle, these recommendations are not found likely to represent a just solution to the question of health service financing.
Patterns of Income and Expenditure within Families
Authors: Piachaud David
Published: January 2009

Intra-familial income distribution and the new economics of the family are discussed and questions raised concerning the distribution of income and expenditure within families. Using data from the Family Expenditure Survey 1977 for couples, the incomes and expenditures of the man and the woman are analysed. While incomes are generally highly unequal and expenditures on certain commodities are heavily concentrated on one partner, expendtiure patterns bore no clear relationship to the relative shares of the man and the woman in total income.
Deciding about Supplementary Pensions: A Provisional Model
Authors: Kerr Scott A.
Published: January 2009

Research into the non-claiming of supplementary pensions and related means-tested benefits has indicated that there are six general cognitive factors which can be used to explain the phenomenon. However, previous research has been hindered by both conceptual and methodological problems. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study designed to construct and to determine the empirical validity of a cognitive model incorporating these six factors which would account for differential claiming. Substantive research findings are discussed as are the assumptions underlying the model.
Fair Employment in Cookstown? A Note on Anti-Discrimination Policy in Northern Ireland
Authors: Osborne Robert D.
Published: January 2009

This note describes a recent investigation carried out by the Northern Ireland Fair Employment Agency into the employment practices and policies of Cookstown Council. The evidence from this investigation is used to illustrate and discuss briefly aspects of social policy analyses of Northern Ireland, the prospects for returning powers to local government, and the work of the Fair Employment Agency. Finally, some contrasts are made with anti-discrimination policy in Britain.
Freedom and the Welfare State: A Multi-Dimensional Problem
Authors: van den Brink-Budgen Roy
Published: January 2009

Robert Goodin has recently argued that the welfare state increases rather than reduces freedom. This paper examines the meanings of both ‘welfare state’ and ‘freedom’ and argues that the relationship between the two is much more complex than Goodin suggests. The welfare state is seen as a multi-dimensional phenonemon, capable of being defined exclusively or inclusively. Goodin's use of the term ‘freedom’ is unpacked into four distinct components: negative freedom, opportunity, autonomy and moral paternalism. Accordingly, an assessment of the welfare state must include an evaluation of its various programmes, policies and the perceptions of these against separated components of ‘freedom’. It becomes, therefore, on both sides of the analysis a multi-dimensional problem.
Restructuring the Welfare State: An Analysis of Public Expenditure, 1979/80–1984/85
Authors: Robinson Ray
Published: January 2009

Since the election of the Thatcher Government in 1979, public expenditure on the welfare state has undergone a series of changes. The nature of change has, however, often been obscured by the use of inadequate and misleading statistical data. This paper presents a systematic examination of public expenditure on education, health care, housing and social security over the period 1979/80 to 1984/85. It shows that, contrary to much political rhetoric, the major changes in the welfare state have not always arisen from reductions in programme expenditures, but from changes in the composition of expenditure. It is the latter that has often increased economic inequality and can be legitimately referred to as ‘restructuring’.
Paradigms of Poverty: A Rehabilitation of B.S. Rowntree
Authors: Veit-Wilson J. H.
Published: January 2009

Rowntree is widely regarded as having originated in 1901 the ‘scientific’ definition of poverty as the minimum income level required for physical subsistence. He is quoted as defining ‘secondary poverty’ above this income level as mismanagement. Critics of this approach confuse Rowntree's use of concepts with his discussion of causes, and they overlook Rowntree's own explanation that his concept of poverty was relativistic life-style, and that his distinction between primary and secondary poverty was a heuristic device to convince individualists that the life-style of the poor was at least in part caused by low income and not by improvidence. Townsend's major life work in defining and measuring poverty as relative deprivation is usually presented as overthrowing Rowntree's paradigm. The paper shows that Rowntree's early views and methods have been widely misunderstood by later authors, and it argues that the evidence necessitates a reconsideration of Rowntree's position, which would show Townsend's achievement as a paradigmatic shift not from absolutist to relativistic models of poverty but from relativistic models based on standards prescribed by expert observers to relativistic models based on standards derived from the whole population by social surveys.
What is the Role of the Consumer in Health Care?
Authors: Shackley Phil , Ryan Mandy
Published: January 2009

Recent government policy in the UK National Health Service (NHS) has carried with it an implicit assumption that greater consumer involvement in health care is both desirable and beneficial. This may be the case in theory, but in practice there are substantial barriers to consumers becoming more involved in health care. Following a consideration of the role the government envisages for consumers in the NHS, the extent to which it is possible for consumers to fulfil this role, and more fundamentally whether they want to fulfil it, are discussed. It is argued that because of the extent of the breakdown of consumer sovereignty in health care, the doctor–patient (agency) relationship assumes a particularly important role. The theory of agency and its application to health care is then discussed and a number of important issues highlighted. A review of the literature on the extent of consumer involvement in health care precedes the conclusion in which the key issues raised in the article are brought together.
Postmodernism, Welfare and Radical Politics
Authors: Fitzpatrick Tony
Published: January 2009

This article argues that postmodernist theory is something which students of social policy should neither accept uncritically nor dismiss out of hand. Firstly, the article takes issue with the responses made to postmodernist theory by Ramesh Mishra and Peter Taylor-Gooby. Secondly, it argues that the ideas loosely known as ‘reflexive modernisation’ constitute a more measured and critical response, though such ideas are likely to be of little use to social policy research in the absence of any reference to a left-right spectrum. Thirdly, it argues that by combining reflexive modernisation with a left-right spectrum, a decentred conception of welfare emerges which could be of value to a radical left politics. Finally, it argues for a Citizen's Income as a reform proposal which has the potential to establish such a system of decentred welfare.
The Curious Case of Post-Fordism and Welfare
Authors: Carter John , Rayner Mary
Published: January 2009

The post-Fordist welfare state thesis is premised upon the economic and technological changes seen in Britain and elsewhere over the last twenty-five years. Its regulationist variant though goes further and locates welfare shifts within a broader account of the transformed accumulation regime. This amounts to a useful intellectual framework within which to consider social policy developments.

This article however, argues that the post-Fordist case is ultimately misleading as it works with an overly restrictive picture of welfare and pays insufficient attention to non-class social divisions. It overemphasises historical disjunctures in the development of welfare and in doing so misses important areas of continuity. This is compounded by a linked tendency to assume rather than demonstrate the actual transformation of the various services. The evidence from education provides only limited support for the predictive aspects of the model. It also confirms the need for sensitive causal accounts of welfare change.
Coping Strategies, Housing Careers and Households With Negative Equity
Authors: Forrest Ray , Kennett Tricia
Published: January 2009

The prolonged and pervasive recession in the UK property market has produced significant numbees of households with unsecured housing debt – negative equity. These homeowners are typically recent, first-time buyers and are concentrated in the southern core regions of Britain. Various aggregate estimates exist of the numbers of households with unsecured debt and the amounts of money involved; little is known, however, about individual experiences of negative equity. Here, in-depth interview data are drawn on to explore the different strategies adopted by households in varying social and financial circumstances. Findings are related to more general changes in housing market behaviour and to broader theoretical debates about the growth of home ownership.
Complement activation and coagulation in xenotransplantation
Authors: Cowan Peter J , d'Apice Anthony JF
Published: January 2009

Xenotransplantation using porcine donors holds tremendous promise for alleviating the chronic shortage of human organ donors. However, transplantation from pigs into higher primates triggers a vigorous immune response involving complement activation and thrombosis. Hyperacute rejection can be prevented by using donors in which GalT, the gene responsible for the predominant target of anti‐pig natural antibodies, has been deleted. Unfortunately, the adaptive response to GalT knockout (KO) organs has been difficult to immunosuppress. The focus has shifted to identifying additional genetic modifications that will extend xenograft survival beyond the several months currently achievable. Which gene(s) should be added to the GalT KO background is open to debate. Overexpression of a complement regulatory factor(s) seems a logical first choice, supported by recent in vitro data but not yet validated in preclinical models. The next obvious candidate would be an anticoagulant protein(s) to deal with the dysregulated coagulation that is almost invariably associated with xenograft rejection. Several potentially useful molecules have been identified, although this study is yet to be translated to the pig. Our understanding of the mechanisms of GalT KO xenograft rejection continues to grow, providing a rational basis for tailoring further genetic modification of the donor and immunosuppression of the recipient.
Programming of hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression in rats by maternal dietary protein content during pregnancy and lactation
Authors: Cripps Roselle L. , Martin-Gronert Malgorzata S. , Archer Zoe A. , Hales C. Nick , Mercer Julian G. , Ozanne Susan E.
Published: January 2009

Epidemiological studies show a link between low birthweight and increased obesity. In contrast, slow growth during the lactation period reduces obesity risk. The present study investigates the potential underlying mechanisms of these observations. Rats were established as follows: (i) control animals [offspring of control dams fed a 20% (w/v) protein diet], (ii) recuperated animals [offspring of dams fed an isocaloric low-protein (8%, w/v) diet during pregnancy and nursed by control dams], and (iii) postnatal low protein animals (offspring of control dams nursed by low-protein-fed dams). Serum and brains were collected from fed and fasted animals at weaning. Expression of hypothalamic energy balance genes was assessed using in situ hybridization. Recuperated pups were smaller at birth, but caught up with controls by day 21 and gained more weight than controls between weaning and 12 weeks of age (P<0.05). At 21 days, they were hypoleptinaemic compared with controls in the fed state, with generally comparable hypothalamic gene expression. Postnatal low protein offspring had significantly lower body weights than controls at weaning and 12 weeks of age (P<0.001). At 21 days, they were hypoglycaemic, hypoinsulinaemic and hypoleptinaemic. Leptin receptor gene expression in the arcuate nucleus was increased in postnatal low protein animals compared with controls. Consistent with hypoleptinaemia, hypothalamic gene expression for the orexigenic neuropeptides NPY (neuropeptide Y) and AgRP (Agouti-related peptide) was increased, and that for the anorexigenic neuropeptides POMC (pro-opiomelanocortin) and CART (cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript) was decreased. These results suggest that the early nutritional environment can affect the development of energy balance circuits and consequently obesity risk.
Exploring An Alternative Method of Evaluating the Effects of Erp: A Multiple Case Study
Authors: Uwizeyemungu Sylvestre , Raymond Louis
Published: January 2009

Previous research has already established that compared to other types of investments, information technology (IT) investments are insufficiently or not at all evaluated. This can be partly explained by the lack of adequate IT evaluation methods and tools. In the case of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems whose effects on organizational processes and performance are intrinsically profound and wide-ranging compared to those of traditional IT limited to some spheres of organization, evaluation activities may be an issue of great concern. This study thus aims to propose and test an alternative evaluation method adaptable to the organizational context, making it possible to measure the contribution of an ERP system to organizational performance in all its aspects. Combining a process-based model and a scorecard model, the proposed method was first designed from a review of information systems evaluation literature. It has then been validated and refined through a multi-case study of manufacturing firms: an in-depth pilot case study was conducted, and thereafter the study was replicated on two other cases. Results show that the method proposed here enables organizations to determine the extent to which the firm's operational and overall performance has been impacted by the adoption and use of ERP systems, through the automational, informational, and transformational effects of ERP on their business processes. From a practical point of view, three contributions must be mentioned: the proposed method allows for a strong contextualization of its application, it is action-oriented, and it allows comparison across organizations even though organizational contexts may totally differ.
What Drives the Adoption of Mobile Data Services? An Approach from a Value Perspective
Authors: Kim Byoungsoo , Han Ingoo
Published: January 2009

Mobile data services (MDS) are wireless value-added pay-per-use services that have attracted increased attention in recent years. In this paper, a theoretical framework is proposed to investigate key drivers of user behavior in wireless pay-per-use services based on a value perspective. This study examines the role of three evaluation criteria -utilitarian, hedonic, and social values - in adoption decisions. Potential adopters have no direct experience with MDS; thus, they likely conceive value based primarily on indirect experience with it, such as through communication with peers or advertisements. In this study, the influence of members in the social networks and external sources are regarded as the major sources of information in order to capture the role of these factors on the perceptions of value. Additionally, according to the age and gender of potential adopters, changes in the degree to which the antecedents lead to MDS acceptance are examined. The proposed model is empirically tested using survey data collected from 287 potential adopters. The analysis results show that the proposed model, based on the aforementioned view of value, provides a significant explanation of the variance in the level of adoption intention toward MDS. The results of this study indicate that utilitarian and social values dominate adoption decisions, whereas the impact of hedonic value in MDS acceptance is weaker than other values. Information from relevant others and from mass media play a critical role in forming the perceptions of value obtained from the use of MDS. The results also shed light on the moderating effects of age and gender on MDS acceptance. Theoretical and practical implications of this work are discussed.
The protein–small-molecule database, a non-redundant structural resource for the analysis of protein-ligand binding
Authors: Wallach Izhar , Lilien Ryan
Published: January 2009

Motivation: An enabling resource for drug discovery and protein function prediction is a large, accurate and actively maintained collection of protein/small-molecule complex structures. Models of binding are typically constructed from these structural libraries by generalizing the observed interaction patterns. Consequently, the quality of the model is dependent on the quality of the structural library. An ideal library should be non-biased and comprehensive, contain high-resolution structures and be actively maintained.

Results: We present a new protein/small-molecule database (the PSMDB) that offers a non-redundant set of holo PDB complexes. The database was designed to allow frequent updates through a fully automated process without manual annotation or filtering. Our method of database construction addresses redundancy at both the protein and the small-molecule level. By efficiently handling structures with covalently bound ligands, we allow our database to include a larger number of structures than previous methods. Multiple versions of the database are available at our web site, including structures of split complexes—the proteins without their binding ligands and the non-covalently bound ligands within their native coordinate frame.

Availability:  http://compbio.cs.toronto.edu/psmdb

Contact:  izharw@cs.toronto.edu; lilien@cs.toronto.edu
Lost and abandoned nets in deep-water gillnet fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic: retrieval exercises and outcomes
Authors: Large Philip A. , Graham Norman G. , Hareide Nils-Roar , Misund Robert , Rihan Dominic J. , Mulligan Myles C. , Randall Peter J. , Peach David J. , McMullen Philip H. , Harlay Xavier
Published: January 2009

Large, P. A., Graham, N. G., Hareide, N-R., Misund, R., Rihan, D. J., Mulligan, M. C., Randall, P. J., Peach, D. J., McMullen, P. H., and Harlay, X. 2009. Lost and abandoned nets in deep-water gillnet fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic: retrieval exercises and outcomes. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 323–333. The methods used and the results, including estimates of ghost catches present at the time of retrieval, from Irish and UK (England and Wales) gillnet retrieval exercises carried out in deep-water gillnet fisheries west of the British Isles are described. Summaries of the exercises are currently found only in the grey literature, and there is a need to make them more widely available to the scientific community. The fisheries are currently principally for anglerfish (mainly Lophius piscatorius), along with a small bycatch of deep-water sharks [mainly leafscale gulper shark (Centrophorous squamosus) and Portuguese dogfish (Centroscymnus coelolepis)]. The methods used and the results from retrieval exercises in the Norwegian Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossus) gillnet fishery are also presented. It is suggested that the efficiency of the Norwegian retrieval gear (which was used in all but one of the retrieval exercises described) be investigated under a range of conditions using an attached underwater camera. The outcomes from this could be used to improve the design of retrieval gear and future gillnet retrieval survey/mitigation exercises. Suggestions are made to improve the format and interpretation of results from future retrieval surveys and to enhance their value to fishery managers and stock assessment scientists. The importance of the continued need for structured gillnet retrieval exercises in deep-water gillnet fisheries is emphasized, and suggestions are made for conducting future studies.
The benefits of species-based management of sympatric mud crabs migrating to a common fishing ground
Authors: Jirapunpipat Kanchana , Yokota Masashi , Watanabe Seiichi
Published: January 2009

Jirapunpipat, K., Yokota, M., and Watanabe, S. 2009. The benefits of species-based management of sympatric mud crabs migrating to a common fishing ground. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 470–477. The issue of effective fisheries management in sympatric species of mud crab of the genus Scylla on a local fishing ground is examined. A simple model is developed that allows the calculation of yield-per-recruit (YPR) based on deterministic body growth of two ideal coexisting crab species and their survival after migration to a fishing ground under two different fishing strategies. First, the basic strategy is traditional species-aggregated fishing, which does not distinguish the start of fishing and fishing effort among species. Therefore, the species-aggregated fishing strategy can be treated as if only a single species existed despite the coexistence of separate crab species on the fishing ground. This is in common use, because species discrimination of mud crabs is difficult. Second, an alternative strategy of species-based fishing is proposed, in which two fishing parameters are controlled depending on the demographic variables of each species. The application of the model to several combinations of individual growth rate (k) and natural mortality (M) between two species demonstrates that YPR for species-based management is larger than for species-aggregated fishing. Numerical simulations suggest that species-based fishing is advantageous even when fishing is controlled for only one species and the parameters of the other species are unknown. These findings could be applied not only to the effective management of sympatric mud crabs, but also to other overlapping species.
Role of TLR4 for paclitaxel chemotherapy in human epithelial ovarian cancer cells
Authors: Wang A. C. , Su Q. B. , Wu F. X. , Zhang X. L. , Liu P. S.
Published: January 2009

Background  Paclitaxel has been reported to be a ligand to Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4). Myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88) was described as a myeloid differentiation primary response gene. TLR4 signalling owns two pathways: MyD88‐dependent and MyD88‐independent pathways. XIAP is a key member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family. Akt is a major downstream target of growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, which negatively regulates apoptotic pathways through phosphorylation (pAkt). The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of TLR4 in paclitaxel resistance of ovarian cancer cells.

Materials and methods  We reconstructed the RNA interference expression vector, pGenesil‐1‐U6 specifically targeting TLR4 mRNA, which was stable transfected into the human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 (MyD88‐positive expression) and A2780 (MyD88‐negative expression). Cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis were assessed in the cells transfected with scramble control shRNA (SKOV3/shControl, A2780/shControl) and TLR4 shRNA (SKOV3/shTLR4, A2780/shTLR4) to explore the possible functions of TLR4 in ovarian cancer cells growth. The expression of TLR4, MyD88, XIAP, Akt and pAkt was analysed by Western blot analysis.

Results  A knockdown of TLR4 levels down‐regulated the expression of XIAP and pAkt. And it restored the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel on cell proliferation and impeding cell cycle progression in SKOV3 cells.

Conclusions  It suggests that TLR4 negatively regulates paclitaxel chemotherapy and MyD88 is an essential downstream factor to TLR4 signalling for this resistance. Knockdown of TLR4 induces paclitaxel chemosensitivity which might depress the Akt pathway. The TLR4‐MyD88 signalling represents an important source to promote tumour growth.
Clinical relevance of myocardial bridging severity: single center experience
Authors: Mookadam F. , Green J. , Holmes D. , Moustafa S. E. , Rihal C.
Published: January 2009

Background  Myocardial bridging refers to intramyocardial systolic compression of a segment of an epicardial coronary artery. We aimed to identify the clinical significance of myocardial bridging by assessing the clinical presentation in non‐obstructive coronary artery disease among a cohort of consecutive patients presenting for coronary angiography.

Materials and methods  A retrospective review of our institution's database between September 2002 and March 2005 was conducted to review coronary angiography reports of 14 416 patients. The study group included 226 patients (prevalence = 1·57%) with isolated myocardial bridging and < 50% stenosis in the non‐bridged arteries. Cases with myocardial bridging were classified according to the percentage of systolic compression of the left anterior descending artery into group I (< 50% compression), group II (50–70% compression) and group III (compression ≥ 70%).

Results  Mean age was 57·6 ± 15·5 years; 59% were men. The mean duration of follow‐up was 12 ± 2 months. The left anterior descending was the most common site of bridging (210, 93%). There was a significant difference between groups I and III with respect to the percentage of patients who presented with non‐fatal myocardial infarction (P = 0·02). Unstable angina had the highest association with myocardial bridging, but there was no significance among the level of myocardial bridging severity and the clinical presentation of angina.

Conclusions  Myocardial bridging is not a benign variation of coronary anatomy. It is associated with angina and myocardial infarction in patients with ≥ 70% systolic compression. The bridged segment may be a cause of enhanced atherosclerotic plaque formation.
Clinical relevance of measuring colonic permeability
Authors: Haas V. , Büning C. , Buhner S. , Von Heymann C. , Valentini L. , Lochs H.
Published: January 2009

Background  Gastroduodenal and small intestinal permeability are increased in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and intensive care patients. The relevance of colonic permeability has not yet been adequately investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical value of sucralose excretion as indicator for colonic permeability in these patient groups.

Design  After oral administration of four sugars and subsequent analysis of urinary excretion, gastroduodenal and intestinal permeability were calculated from saccharose excretion and lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio over 5 h, and sucralose excretion from 5 to 26 h in 100 healthy controls, 29 CD and 35 patients after coronary surgery (CABG).

Results  In controls, sucralose excretion was highly variable (0·67 ± 0·92%) and not related to small intestinal permeability. In CD and CABG, L/M ratio was increased (0·054 ± 0·060; 0·323 ± 0·253 vs. 0·018 ± 0·001 in controls). Sucralose excretion was increased in 77% of CABG but only in 7% of CD. There was an association between gastroduodenal and intestinal permeability in CD and CABG (r = 0·72, and r = 0·51), but sucralose excretion was not related to either one of these two parameters. Other than a weak association between sucralose and length of stay in intensive care in CABG patients (P = 0·099), sucralose excretion was not related to clinical outcome.

Conclusions  The proposed cut‐off for normal sucralose excretion is 2·11%, but its high variability and lack of association to gastrointestinal permeability or clinical outcome leave it open, if it can provide information beyond established permeability tests.
Laboratory performance in the World Federation of Hemophilia EQA programme, 2003–2008
Authors: JENNINGS I. , KITCHEN D. P. , WOODS T. A. L. , KITCHEN S. , WALKER I. D. , PRESTON F. E.
Published: January 2009

Summary.  External quality assessment (EQA) has been shown to improve laboratory performance and diagnosis in haemostasis. We report here findings from the World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH) EQA programme during the period 2004–2007. Samples for PT, APTT, FVIII:C, FIX:C and VWF assays were distributed to centres in both established and emerging countries, and results were compared with results obtained by United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Scheme (UK NEQAS) participants on the same samples. In general, good agreement was seen throughout between WFH and UK NEQAS for screening tests, and it was possible to identify an improvement in WFH centre agreement for results for VWF assays during the period of study. Agreement between emerging and established WFH centres was comparable for screening tests, possibly indicative of the relative simplicity of these tests and the degree of automation now employed in almost all haemostasis laboratories. However, CVs and performance compared with UK NEQAS participant results for factor assays amongst established centres was better than between emerging centres. Distribution of a questionnaire revealed different application of methodology for these assays, which may contribute to the observed difference in performance. Several centres participated in supplementary exercises, with comparable results obtained by emerging and established centres performing FVIII and fibrinogen measurement on cryoprecipitate, and all centres performing FVIII inhibitor assays correctly identifying the presence of an inhibitor. Participation in EQA programmes should continue to encourage improvement in laboratory performance and therefore improvements in the diagnosis and care of patients with haemophilia.
Occurrence, course and risk factors of depression during antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C in patients with inherited bleeding disorders: a prospective study
Authors: FRANSEN VAN DE PUTTE D. E. , FISCHER K. , POSTHOUWER D. , VAN ERPECUM K. , MAUSER‐BUNSCHOTEN E. P.
Published: January 2009

Summary. Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) consists of pegylated interferon (IFN)‐α and ribavirin for 24 or 48 weeks. An important side‐effect of IFN‐α is depression. The occurrence, course and risk factors of depression during antiviral treatment were studied prospectively in HCV patients with inherited bleeding disorders. The Beck Depression Inventory, indicating no, mild, moderate or severe depression, was administered to 47 patients before starting therapy, after 4, 12, 24 and 48 weeks of treatment, and 4 weeks after cessation of therapy. At baseline, five patients (11%) had mild depression. Depression worsened during treatment in three of these patients. In all five patients, (mild) depression persisted 4 weeks after treatment. Of the remaining 42 patients, 23 (55%) developed depression during treatment (14 mild, eight moderate and one severe), mostly (78%) during the first 12 weeks. Four weeks after cessation of treatment, three of 23 patients still had mild depression. The only independent risk factor for development of depression was a history of depression or other psychiatric problems (odds ratio 9.7). For patients with inherited bleeding disorders, depression is a significant, mostly transient, problem during HCV treatment. We recommend close monitoring of patients, especially those with previous psychiatric problems, to ensure adequate detection and treatment of depression during antiviral therapy.
Effects of native vegetation on invasion success of Chinese tallow in a floating marsh ecosystem
Authors: Battaglia Loretta L. , Denslow Julie S. , Inczauskis Jason R. , Baer Sara G.
Published: January 2009

Interactions between resident and exotic species have been shown to control the biotic resistance of communities to invasion. With different life stages of the exotic species, each sequential interaction may dampen or strengthen previous ones, thereby influencing invasion success.

We assessed the effects of resident vegetation type on the arrival and performance of Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallow), a widespread invader in freshwater floating marshes, using a combination of field studies and glasshouse experiments.

Our results indicated that Triadica abundance was positively associated with native woody species, particularly the native actinorhizal shrub Morella cerifera (wax myrtle). Seed dispersal and germination of Triadica were generally low but suggestive that Morella has weak, facilitative effects on the spread of Triadica by channelling its dispersal by birds into shrub thickets and promoting germination upon arrival. Triadica seedling growth was greatest where light and total inorganic N were higher. Growth of Triadica trees was greater in marsh sites without Morella and did not exhibit any detectable responses to elevated N levels in substrates from Morella thickets.

Morella may facilitate the spread of Triadica in floating shrub communities, yet inhibit its growth once established. The few individuals that establish in herbaceous marshes grow faster and may therefore reach maturity sooner than in Morella shrub thickets.

Synthesis. Our work suggests that the net effects of facilitation and inhibition by native, resident species on exotics can influence invasion success. In this case, weak, facilitative effects operating in the arrival and establishment phases of invasion are not completely negated by subsequent negative interactions between the same species, enabling the invader to persist. Models that quantify the relative strength and cumulative effects of these interactions are needed to improve predictions of community invasibility.
Natural disturbance in an old‐growth landscape of northern Maine, USA
Authors: Fraver Shawn , White Alan S. , Seymour Robert S.
Published: January 2009

Disturbance histories derived from old‐growth forest remnants in Europe and eastern North America have shaped many of our current theories of forest dynamics and succession. Yet the small size typical of these remnants suggests they might not capture the full range of variability that may emerge at larger scales.

We investigated the frequency and severity of natural disturbance in a 2000‐ha old‐growth landscape (Big Reed Forest Reserve) in northern Maine, USA. Given its size, the Reserve provides an ideal opportunity to study, at multiple scales, natural forest processes in a region that has otherwise been dramatically altered by human activities. Using dendrochronological methods, we reconstructed disturbance histories for 37 randomly located plots stratified by five forest types (hardwood forests, mixed woods forests, red spruce forests, northern white‐cedar seepage forests and northern white‐cedar swamps).

We found no evidence of stand replacing disturbance on any plot during the last 120–280 years (depending on plot). The overall mean disturbance rate was 9.6% canopy loss per decade (median 6.5%, maximum 55%, plots pooled), yet the distribution was strongly skewed toward the lower rates.

We found little differences in disturbance rates between forest types, save a slightly lower rate in the northern white‐cedar swamps. However, if we ignore forest‐type classifications, we see that disturbance rates are clearly influenced by gradients in the relative abundance of component tree species, owing to species’ relative susceptibilities to particular disturbance agents.

Synthesis. Relatively low rates of canopy disturbance allow the accrual of shade‐tolerant saplings. The abundance of this advance regeneration, coupled with the absence of stand‐replacing disturbance, has maintained canopy dominance by shade‐tolerant species in all plots, all forest types and throughout the entire landscape. Disturbance histories from individual plots coalesce to form a picture of a landscape in which pulses of moderate‐severity disturbance are interposed upon a background of scattered small‐scale canopy gaps. The landscape‐level mosaic resulting from this disturbance regime consists of patches in various stages of structural development, not various stages of compositional succession.
The pattern of slow wave activity in spontaneously occurring long sleep
Authors: KECKLUND GÖRAN , ÅKERSTEDT TORBJÖRN
Published: January 2009

SUMMARY  The aim of the present study was to estimate the time course of slow wave activity (SWA) in naturally occurring long sleep episodes (ad lib). Sixteen male shift workers were subjected to 24 h ambulatory polysomnography in connection with an afternoon shift. The EEG was subjected to spectral analysis (FFT) as well as to traditional sleep stage scoring. SWA (0.5‐4.5 Hz band, both nonREM and REM sleep) declined exponentially and reached an asymptote by the fifth or sixth sleep cycle. However, half the subjects showed a reduced SWA in the first cycle, with a subsequent recovery in the second cycle. The SWA reduction of the first cycle was associated with a reduced REM‐latency and it was suggested that uncontrolled external influences of the real life settings may have affected SWA in the first cycle. It was concluded that the decline of SWA across time may deviate from an exponential shape under real life conditions.
A single pacemaker can produce different rates of reentrainment in different overt rhythms
Authors: DAANM SERGE , BEERSMA DOMIEN G. M.
Published: January 2009

SUMMARY  Using a simple Van der Pol oscillator, we show that periodic events triggered by different states of the oscillator can reentrain at different rates following a phase shift of the Zeitgeber. Such differences can emerge due to waveform distortion during reentrainment, due to masking and due to fitting procedures (e.g. acrophase determination). Therefore, different rates of reentrainment are consistent with single pacemaker models of circadian systems. Likewise, “Fractional Desynchron‐ization” can yield different “ranges of entrainment” in different overt rhythms generated by the same pacemaker.
Circasemidian sleep propensity and the phase‐amplitude maintenance model of human sleep/wake regulation
Authors: BROUGHTON ROGER , MULLINGTON JANET
Published: January 2009

SUMMARY  Evidence for circasemidian sleep/wake regulation is briefly reviewed with respect to protocols used to quantify sleep propensity. Existing models of sleep/wake regulation are examined in view of their ability to accommodate data which demonstrate an afternoon sleep period. Finally, a modelling approach is briefly outlined which emphasizes the maintenance of the phase and amplitude characteristics of the circadian rhythm of body (and brain) temperature and predicts the circasemidian phenomena.
Modelling sleep propensity—a need for rethinking
Authors: LAVIE PERETZ
Published: January 2009

SUMMARY  The present paper reviews some of the evidence for noncircadian control of sleep propensity. It is argued that in order to account for the accumulated evidence there is a need for redefinition of some of the assumptions regarding the underlying regulation of sleep propensity. It is proposed that rapid ultradian variations in sleep propensity evolved in order to maximize the flexibility of the sleep/wake regulatory mechanism.
In short photoperiods, human sleep is biphasic
Authors: WEHR THOMAS A.
Published: January 2009

SUMMARY  Results of a photoperiod experiment show that human sleep can be unconsolidated and polyphasic, like the sleep of other animals. When normal individuals were transferred from a conventional 16‐h photoperiod to an experimental 10‐h photo‐period, their sleep episodes expanded and usually divided into two symmetrical bouts, several hours in duration, with a 1–3 h waking interval between them. The durations of nocturnal melatonin secretion and of the nocturnal phase of rising sleepiness (measured in a constant routine protocol) also expanded, indicating that the timing of internal processes that control sleep and melatonin, such as circadian rhythms, had been modified by the change in photoperiod. Previous work suggests that the experimental results could be simulated with dual‐oscillators, entrained separately to dawn and dusk, or with a two‐process model, having a lowered threshold for sleep‐onset during the scotoperiod.
Circadian and sleep/wake dependent aspects of subjective alertness and cognitive performance
Authors: DIJK DERK‐JAN , DUFFY JEANNE F. , CZEISLER CHARLES A.
Published: January 2009

SUMMARY  Circadian and sleep/wake dependent processes underlying variations in subjective alertness and cognitive performance were assessed in a constant routine protocol and in a protocol in which the sleep/wake cycle was uncoupled from the output of the endogenous circadian pacemaker. In the latter protocol, the contribution of a sleep/wake dependent process and a circadian process to alertness and performance were separated by folding the data at either the period of the sleep/wake cycle or at the period of the endogenous circadian body temperature rhythm. This analysis revealed that prior wakefulness within a range of 0–18 h significantly reduced alertness and performance and that the circadian rhythm of core body temperature paralleled the circadian rhythm of alertness and performance. During the first 16 h of the constant routine protocol, which coincided with the subjects' habitual period of wakefulness, alertness and performance remained at a stable level. The latter finding was explained by assuming that during our usual waking day the circadian system counteracts the detrimental effects of increasing duration of prior wakefulness.