bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Continental‐scale tree population response to rapid climate change, competition and disturbance
Authors: Peros Matthew C. , Gajewski K. , Viau André E.
Published: July 2008

Aim  Using a new approach to analyse fossil pollen data, we investigate temporal and spatial patterns in Populus (poplar, cottonwood, aspen) from the Late Glacial to the present at regional to continental scales.

Location  North America.

Methods  We extracted data on the timing and magnitude of the maximum value of Populus pollen from each pollen diagram in the North American Pollen Database (NAPD). The information was plotted in histograms of 150‐year bins to identify times when Populus was abundant on the landscape. We also mapped the maximum values to identify spatial patterns and their causes.

Results  Our analyses show that there have been several periods since the Late Glacial when Populus was abundant on the landscape: (1) from 12.35 to 12.65 kyr bp, in eastern North America, largely in response to the opening of the forest following the onset of the Younger Dryas; (2) from 10.85 to 11.75 kyr bp, following the termination of the Younger Dryas; and (3) during the last 150 years, as land was cleared for agricultural use, especially in the midwestern United States.

Main conclusion  Since the Late Glacial, changes in the abundance of Populus were caused more by the effects of abrupt climate change on its major competitors, rather than the direct effects of climate on Populus itself.
Intellectual Capital Architectures and Ambidextrous Learning: A Framework for Human Resource Management
Authors: Kang Sung‐Choon , Snell Scott A.
Published: July 2008

abstract Both researchers and managers are increasingly interested in how firms can pursue ambidextrous learning; that is, simultaneously exploring new knowledge domains while exploiting current ones. Ambidextrous learning is derived from intellectual capital architectures that underlie unique configurations of human, social, and organizational capital. We identified two distinctive architectures of intellectual capital that facilitate ambidextrous learning. Refined interpolation is an architecture comprised of specialist human capital supplemented by cooperative social capital, and complemented by organic organizational capital. Disciplined extrapolation is an architecture comprised of generalist human capital, supplemented by entrepreneurial social capital, and complemented by mechanistic organizational capital. As organization contexts to support these architectures, we have also identified two alternative HR configurations that facilitate ambidextrous learning. One HR configuration combines job or function‐based development, ILM‐based employee relations, and error embracing performance/control systems to support refined interpolation. The other HR configuration combines skill‐based development, market‐based employee relations, and error avoiding performance/control systems to support disciplined extrapolation. Our framework may provide valuable theoretical implications for HRM systems regarding the issues of internal fits and best configurations.
Market Orientation, Generative Learning, Innovation Strategy and Business Performance Inter‐Relationships in Bioscience Firms
Authors: Morgan Robert E. , Berthon Pierre
Published: July 2008

abstract

We propose conceptual arguments to establish relationships between market orientation and generative learning and their respective impact on exploitative innovation strategy and explorative innovation strategy. We then consider the ambidextrous association between both forms of innovation strategy and business performance. This model is subject to an empirical test using data generated from 160 bioscience firms. Using structural equation modelling, two mutually exclusive paths are specified where market orientation leads to exploitative innovation strategy, while generative learning leads to explorative innovation strategy. We then find that the ambidexterity exhibited by firms in the form of exploitative innovation strategy and explorative innovation strategy significantly explains improvements in firms’ business performance. Discussion is given to these findings and managerial implications are presented along with avenues for further research.
Measurement of Perceived Organizational Readiness for Change in the Public Sector
Authors: Cinite Inta , Duxbury Linda E. , Higgins Chris
Published: July 2008

Using the act frequency approach we developed and operationalized two constructs: perceived organizational readiness for change and perceived organizational unreadiness for change. Using a sample drawn from five Canadian public sector organizations, it was found that perceived readiness for change can be conceptualized with three sub‐constructs: commitment of senior managers to the change, competence of change agents, and support of the immediate manager. Perceived unreadiness for change had two sub‐constructs: poor communication of change and adverse impact of change on work. Using structural equation modelling techniques, the measurement scales of all these constructs were tested for reliability and validity using job stress and perceived organizational support as outcome variables.
Organizational Learning Capability and Job Satisfaction: an Empirical Assessment in the Ceramic Tile Industry*
Authors: Chiva Ricardo , Alegre Joaquín
Published: July 2008

Organizational learning capability has been considered an essential issue of an organization's effectiveness and potential to innovate and grow. Although its positive effects on organizations and employees are generally assumed, there is no empirical evidence of its positive association with employee attitudes such as job satisfaction. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between organizational learning capability and job satisfaction through the questionnaire responses of 157 employees from eight companies in the Spanish ceramic tile industry. Results suggest that organizational learning capability and job satisfaction are strongly linked.
CONTINUITY AND CHANGE: THE ROLE OF THE HR FUNCTION IN THE MODERN PUBLIC SECTOR
Authors: TRUSS CATHERINE
Published: July 2008

As the public sector has modernized and sought to become more efficient and cost‐effective, the effective and strategic management of people has received increasing prominence and there have been calls for the Human Resource (HR) function to play a more strategic role. However, not much is known about whether the role of the HR function has changed substantively. In this paper, we present empirical evidence from six matched‐pair public sector organizations in the UK to assess whether HR functional roles have changed, as envisaged, into a model more akin to the private sector. The findings highlight the complex and often contradictory nature of HR functional roles, and suggest that new and more strategic roles have not replaced traditional approaches but, rather, have been grafted on, giving rise to a variety of hybrid HR forms.
Labour Market Policy in the United States, Canada and Sweden: Addressing the Issue of Convergence
Authors: Olsen Gregg M.
Published: July 2008

‘Convergence theorists’ suggest that domestic and/or global challenges and pressures are rendering welfare states broadly similar across national boundaries. ‘Resilience theorists’, in contrast, argue that a range of socio‐political factors have allowed states to respond differentially to these pressures and maintain their distinct national social policy approaches. However, both research streams have addressed the ‘welfare state’ writ large in a multitude of nations and typically relied upon narrow, quantitative budgetary indicators. This study examines qualitative changes to key income security and social service programmes in one central social policy domain – labour market policy – in three nations, the United States, Canada and Sweden. It suggests that there is evidence of some degree of ‘convergence’ in the broadest sense of the term across these three nations. However, while both the USA and Canada have readily embraced genuinely neo‐liberal restructuring, and become increasingly similar over the past two decades in this policy area, Sweden has managed to retain its distinctive social policy approach so far, despite notable changes, developments and trends. It also suggests that the character and direction of change may vary across and within policy domains in a single nation. The conclusion provides a discussion of universality, equality and solidarity, concepts that are commonly employed in accounts of welfare state change.
Varieties of Liberalism: Canadian Social Policy from the ‘Golden Age’ to the Present
Authors: Mahon Rianne
Published: July 2008

The dominant welfare regimes approach, like the historical‐institutionalism on which it draws, predicts path‐dependent responses to contemporary challenges. According to this, Canada's social policy regime clearly belongs to the (mainly Anglo‐American) ‘liberal’ family, where markets and families retain a key role, supplemented by modest state supports. Yet, as some have recognized, there are important differences among liberal regimes and within a particular welfare regime over time. There are, in other words, ‘varieties of liberalism’. This article argues, moreover, that in the contemporary period Canadian welfare reform has been characterized by warring principles for redesign. While some have sought to deepen the postwar social project, the main trends have been neo‐liberal restructuring and, more recently, policies inspired by ‘inclusive liberalism’, though less deeply than under Blair's government in the UK. The continued existence of such alternatives suggests the need for a more nuanced conception of path‐dependent change, consistent with recent revisionist trends in historical‐institutionalism.
Social Exclusion and Double Jeopardy: The Management of Lone Mothers in the Market–State Social Field
Authors: Gingrich Luann Good
Published: July 2008

The popular version of social exclusion has given rise to various forms of welfare‐to‐work initiatives in most developed capitalist nations. Social inclusion, therefore, is commonly assumed to be achieved through paid work. The delivery of social welfare through employment activation programmes is consequential, as it necessitates an unusual cooperation between the welfare state and the labour market. With a focus on Ontario Works, a relatively mature example of Canada's residualized social welfare services, this article is an empirical analysis of the social space in which the state and the market merge – by design – and the resulting processes and outcomes of social exclusion that operate for women who parent alone. I begin with a brief review of the most popular concept of social exclusion, and the pre‐eminent place of paid work in related social policy responses, followed by a consideration of the ideological context producing and reinforced by work‐first programmes. Our attention is turned to a reconfigured notion of social exclusion as process and outcome, spontaneously set in motion and self‐perpetuating in the fused market–state social field. Through a case study of lone mother experiences of Ontario Works, the specific ideological practices through which welfare‐to‐work strategies operate to keep women in their place are described. I argue that the analysis of the market‐state as a unified social field – ordered according to the paired ideologies of market neo‐liberalism and conservative ‘family values’– is necessary for conceiving policy responses that are effective in interrupting the dynamic process–outcome iterations of social exclusion.
The Healthcare Systems of the USA and Canada: Forever on Divergent Paths?
Authors: Cacace Mirella , Schmid Achim
Published: July 2008

Over all OECD healthcare systems, we identify increasing similarities and common trends, especially with regard to the role of the state. Yet two countries, the USA and Canada, have ‘parted at the crossroads’ since the 1960s and therefore are quite frequently cited as examples for the opposite trend, i.e. for divergence. According to our position, it is far from evident that this trend has still been dominant in the past 15 years. In our contribution, we show that the USA and Canada have become more similar regarding the role of the state in financing, service provision and the regulation of healthcare systems. Furthermore, the article investigates potential explanations. We find that a most influential explanatory factor is the healthcare system itself, its deficiencies and functional requirements as reflected in the specific system type. As the system types of the USA and Canada vary, so too do their adaptive responses to problem pressure. By systematically acquiring non‐system‐specific elements, i.e. characteristics which were originally less developed or completely absent, the systems grow more similar and therefore converge.
The Changing Conception of Pension Rights in Canada, Mexico and the United States
Authors: Marier Patrik
Published: July 2008

Relying on four conceptualizations of the welfare state (universalism, redistribution, state capacity, and intergenerational equity), this article presents an overview of recent pension reforms in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Each country has introduced important reforms in the past 25 years and is currently engaged in debates to make other adjustments. The state is reducing its financial and programmatic commitment towards current and future retirees and is promulgating reforms tightening the link between contributions and benefits. In Canada, the government raised contribution rates substantially to maintain the same level of benefits while it sought to alter its universal flat‐rate benefit. In the USA, changes to Social Security have resulted in a higher retirement age and lower replacement rates. In the case of Mexico, the most important public schemes have actually been privatized.
The emergence of a private clientele for banks in the early eighteenth century: Hoare's Bank and some women customers1
Authors: LAURENCE ANNE
Published: July 2008

The records of Hoare's Bank and the correspondence of six of its women customers show how these women started to use the new banking services both for transferring money and for trading in the stock market. It is clear that alongside their use of the new facilities, older systems of money transfer remained important for customers. Much of the business of the bank and its customers, including their ventures into the stock market, took place within groups of people united by kinship, religion, and politics.
The design of a semantic web compatible content language for agent communication
Authors: Erdur Rιza Cenk , Seylan İnanç
Published: July 2008

Abstract: Current standards on agent communication languages explain communication by changes in the mental states of agents. It is rather a striking issue that none of the popular agent middleware adheres to this semantics in a formal way. Therefore, this paper tries to close the gap between agent communication theory and practice by implementing a logic that is capable of representing agents' beliefs and intentions. An interesting property of this language, named , is that it is a hybrid of modal and description logics. Due to its description logic foundation, it can also be used as an ontology definition language. Thus, it is well suited for agents working on the semantic web. In this paper, a sound and complete decision algorithm as well as other reasoning services for the logic are presented. Finally, the application of the language in a multi‐agent development framework is discussed.
Evolutionary coincidence‐based ontology mapping extraction
Authors: Qazvinian Vahed , Abolhassani Hassan , Haeri (Hossein) Seyed H. , Hariri Babak Bagheri
Published: July 2008

Abstract: Ontology matching is a process for selection of a good alignment across entities of two (or more) ontologies. This can be viewed as a two‐phase process of (1) applying a similarity measure to find the correspondence of each pair of entities from two ontologies, and (2) extraction of an optimal or near optimal mapping. This paper is focused on the second phase and introduces our evolutionary approach for that. To be able to do so, we need a mechanism to score different possible mappings. Our solution is a weighting mechanism named coincidence‐based weighting. A genetic algorithm is then introduced to create better mappings in successive iterations. We will explain how we code a mapping as well as our crossover and mutation functions. Evaluation of the algorithm is shown and discussed.
Meaningful web annotations for humans and machines using controlled natural language
Authors: Schwitter Rolf , Tilbrook Marc
Published: July 2008

Abstract:In this paper we present a novel approach that allows humans to create meaningful web annotations in controlled natural language. The controlled natural language serves as a high‐level interface language which enables human annotators to summarize individual web pages of a website and to express domain‐specific ontological knowledge about that website in an unambiguous subset of English. The annotation process is backed up by an intelligent text editor which supports the writing process of the controlled natural language with the help of predictive interface techniques. The text editor runs as a Java applet and is connected over the Internet to a controlled natural language processor and to a reasoning service (consisting of a theorem prover and a model builder). The controlled language processor translates the summaries of web pages and the ontological knowledge about a website into first‐order predicate logic and the reasoning service combines this information into a set of micro‐theories for consistency and informativity checking as well as for question‐answering. Specification texts written in controlled natural language are both human‐readable and machine‐processable and can be easily exported and distributed as web feeds.
A knowledge acquisition methodology to ontology construction for information retrieval from medical documents
Authors: Valencia‐García Rafael , Fernández‐Breis Jesualdo Tomás , Ruiz‐Martínez Juana María , García‐Sánchez Francisco , Martínez‐Béjar Rodrigo
Published: July 2008

Abstract: Vast amounts of medical information reside within text documents, so that the automatic retrieval of such information would certainly be beneficial for clinical activities. The need for overcoming the bottleneck provoked by the manual construction of ontologies has generated several studies and research on obtaining semi‐automatic methods to build ontologies. Most techniques for learning domain ontologies from free text have important limitations. Thus, they can extract concepts so that only taxonomies are generally produced although there are other types of semantic relations relevant in knowledge modelling. This paper presents a language‐independent approach for extracting knowledge from medical natural language documents. The knowledge is represented by means of ontologies that can have multiple semantic relationships among concepts.
Appendicitis in HIV‐infected patients during the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Crum‐Cianflone N , Weekes J , Bavaro M
Published: July 2008

Background

Limited studies have suggested increased incidence rates and unusual clinical presentations of appendicitis among HIV‐infected patients during the pre‐highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. Data in the HAART era are sparse, and no study has evaluated potential HIV‐related risk factors for the development of appendicitis.

Methods

We retrospectively studied 449 HIV‐infected patients receiving care at a US Naval hospital involving 4750 person‐years (PY) of follow‐up. We also evaluated the rates of appendicitis among HIV‐negative persons at our medical facility. We compared demographics, HIV‐specific data, and HAART use in HIV‐infected patients with and without appendicitis.

Results

Sixteen (3.6%) of 449 patients developed appendicitis after HIV seroconversion. The incidence rate was 337 cases/100 000 PY, more than fourfold higher than among HIV‐negative persons. Eighty‐eight per cent of cases among HIV‐infected patients had an elevated white blood count at presentation, 39% were complicated, and 64% required hospitalization. HIV‐infected patients with appendicitis compared with those who did not develop appendicitis were less likely to be receiving HAART (25 vs. 71%, P<0.001), had higher viral loads (3.5 vs. 1.7 log10 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL, P=0.005), and were younger (median age of 30 vs. 41 years, P<0.002). In the multivariate model, receipt of HAART remained protective [odds ratio (OR) 0.21, P=0.012] for appendicitis, while younger age was positively associated (OR 1.08, P=0.048) with appendicitis.

Conclusion

Acute appendicitis occurs at higher incidence rates among HIV‐infected patients compared with the general population. Our study demonstrates that the lack of HAART may be a risk factor for appendicitis among HIV‐infected patients; further studies are needed.
Male circumcision for the prevention of heterosexually acquired HIV infection: a meta‐analysis of randomized trials involving 11 050 men*
Authors: Mills E , Cooper C , Anema A , Guyatt G
Published: July 2008

Objectives

Observational studies and a small collection of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggest that male circumcision may significantly reduce HIV transmission between sero‐discordant contacts. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organization have recently announced recommendations to scale up male circumcision in countries with generalized epidemics and low levels of male circumcision. However, no meta‐analysis has been conducted to determine the effectiveness of this intervention.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of medical literature, and included any RCTs assessing male circumcision to prevent heterosexually acquired HIV infection among males. We used the DerSimonian–Laird random effects method to pool study outcomes. We calculated the relative risk (RR), risk difference, number needed to treat (NNT) and I2, all with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

We identified three RCTs that met our inclusion criteria, involving a total of 11 050 men. The pooled RR was 0.44 (95% CI 0.33–0.60, P<0.0001, I2=0%, 95% CI 0–35%). The risk difference was 0.014 (95% CI 0.07–0.21), yielding a NNT of 72 (95% CI 50–143).

Conclusions

Male circumcision is an effective strategy for reducing new male HIV infections. Its impact on a population level will require consistently safe sexual practices to maintain the protective benefit.
Recovery of fat following a switch to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor‐sparing therapy in patients with lipoatrophy: results from the 96‐week randomized ANRS 108 NoNuke Trial
Authors: Valantin MA , Lanoy E , Bentata M , Kalmykova O , Boutekadjirt A , Allavena C , Rozenbaum W , Peytavin G , Amellal B , Calvez V , Costagliola D , Katlama C ,   the NoNuke ANRS 108 Study Team
Published: July 2008

Objectives

To evaluate the impact on peripheral fat tissue of a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)‐sparing regimen in lipoatrophic HIV‐1 infected patients.

Methods

This 96‐week prospective, randomized study compared lipoatrophic patients switched to an NRTI‐sparing regimen with patients remaining on an NRTI‐containing regimen. The primary endpoint was the change in thigh subcutaneous fat tissue volume between baseline and week 48, as assessed by computerized tomography.

Results

One hundred patients were included, 50 in each arm. At baseline, patients had been on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for a median time of 6.6 years (4.9–9.7); 71% of the patients had received thymidine analogues [stavudine (37%), zidovudine (34%)]. The mean change in fat volume between baseline and week 48 significantly favoured the NRTI‐sparing arm over the NRTI‐maintaining arm in the intent‐to‐treat analysis, with a last‐observation‐carried‐forward approach [+34 cm3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 5–63 cm3; P=0.002]. This was confirmed in the intent‐to‐treat analysis of available data, with a mean difference of +109 cm3 (95% CI 34–185 cm3) at week 96 (n=53; P=0.001). This corresponded to increases of 12 and 30% in fat volume at weeks 48 and 96, respectively, in the NRTI‐sparing arm.

Conclusions

Switching from an effective NRTI‐containing regimen to an NRTI‐sparing regimen preserves immunovirological status and increases subcutaneous fat volume at weeks 48 and 96.
Amoebiasis among patrons visiting gay saunas in Taiwan
Authors: Hung C‐C , Ko N‐Y , Ko W‐C , Lee H‐C , Ji D‐D , Liu W‐C , Chang S‐C
Published: July 2008

Aims

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of amoebiasis among patrons visiting gay saunas in Taiwan.

Methods

A cross‐sectional survey was conducted using questionnaire interview and indirect hemagglutination assays and specific Entamoeba histolytica antigen assays of blood and rectal swab specimens, respectively, among patrons visiting 10 gay saunas between September 2006 and December 2006.

Results

During the three‐month study period, 208 blood and 120 rectal swab specimens were tested for E. histolytica infection. Amoebiasis was detected among 3.8% and 3.3% of the patrons by serologies and antigen assays, respectively. During the latest sexual encounter, more than 70% of the patrons had oral‐anogenital sex, and only 20% used condoms during oral‐anogenital contact.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that there is a potential risk of E. histolytica transmission among the patrons visiting gay saunas who do not practise safe sex consistently in Taiwan.
The relationship betweenApoE, TNFA, IL1a, IL1bandIL12bgenes and HIV‐1‐associated dementia
Authors: Pemberton LA , Stone E , Price P , Van Bockxmeer F , Brew BJ
Published: July 2008

Objectives

Host genetic factors implicated in AIDS dementia complex (ADC) were studied.

Methods

DNA from ADC patients (n=56), unselected HIV‐seropositive patients (n=112, 171, 185 and 204) and HIV‐seronegative controls (n=204, 60, 60, 96 and 624) were typed for polymorphic loci in genes encoding tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐1α, IL‐1β, IL‐12 and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE). Diagnosis of ADC was based on neurological symptoms, signs and neuroimaging findings with other causes of dementia excluded. Patients selected had ADC stage ≥1 and CD4 counts of <500 cells/μL.

Results

Allele 2 of TNFA‐308 was more common in ADC patients compared to HIV‐positive or HIV‐negative controls (P=0.005, 0.024). No other differences between ADC patients and control groups were significant. Meta‐analyses confirmed these results.

Conclusions

This study suggests that TNFA‐308 allele 2 or an allele in linkage disequilibrium with this locus influences ADC.
Switching from twice‐daily abacavir and lamivudine to the once‐daily fixed‐dose combination tablet of abacavir and lamivudine improves patient adherence and satisfaction with therapy
Authors: Maitland D , Jackson A , Osorio J , Mandalia S , Gazzard BG , Moyle GJ ,   for the Epivir‐Ziagen (EZ) Switch Study Team
Published: July 2008

Background

Patients prefer fewer pills and once‐daily (qd) dosing without food restrictions. We assessed the impact on adherence [by Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) cap monitoring] of switching from abacavir (ABC) and lamivudine (3TC) twice daily (bid) to ABC/3TC fixed‐dose formulation (FDC, Kivexa®) qd to achieve a qd regimen.

Methods

A randomized, open‐label, 8‐week study comparing adherence, efficacy and safety of immediate vs. delayed switching from ABC/3TC to FDC qd.

Results

Ninety‐four patients were dosed. Significantly improved adherence was observed at week 4 with qd ABC/3TC across all three adherence variables: taking compliance 99.2% (90.7–100%) vs. 96.6% (60.0–100%) (P=0.017); dosing compliance 97.1% (64.3–100%) vs. 91.9% (33.3–100%) (P=0.016); and timing compliance 95.5% (53.8–100%) vs. 86.3% (4.3–100%) (P=0.006). Treatment satisfaction increased significantly at week 4 with ABC/3TC qd [92% (82–99%) vs. 85% (75–93%) (P=0.004)]. Two patients were withdrawn from the study because of intolerance to ABC/3TC.

Conclusions

Switching from ABC and 3TC bid to ABC/3TC FDC qd significantly improved adherence by MEMS cap monitoring at week 4 and improved patient satisfaction with therapy. The results remain to be confirmed over a longer follow‐up. Use of qd regimens supports adherence and improves treatment satisfaction relative to bid regimens.
Cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen‐4 exon 1 A/G polymorphism in Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Haghighi A. Borhani , Ghahramani S. , Azarpira N. , Pourjafar M. , Nikseresht A. R.
Published: July 2008

Background:  Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen‐4 (CTLA‐4) is a T‐cell surface receptor of activated T cells.

Material and methods:  We studied 100 Iranian patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS) and 100 ethnic, sex‐ and age‐matched controls. CTLA‐4 exon 1 A/G polymorphism was compared amongst patients and controls.

Results:  There was no statistically significant difference in the allelic [odds ratio (OR): 1.19, confidence interval (CI) 95%: 0.76–1.85, P = 0.4] and genotypes (OR: 1.60, CI 95%: 0.911–2.824, P = 0.102) distribution amongst patients and controls. Also gender, course and progression index did not reveal any statistically significant differences in allele and genotype distribution of A/G polymorphism.

Conclusion:  As a non‐European patient population, our results are consistent with the major previous studies showing no significant associations between CTLA4 exon 1 polymorphism and neither MS nor any of its subtypes.
An open‐label trial of Korean red ginseng as an adjuvant treatment for cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Heo J.‐H. , Lee S.‐T. , Chu K. , Oh M. J. , Park H.‐J. , Shim J.‐Y. , Kim M.
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  Ginseng is one of the most popular herbs worldwide. Ginseng has various medical applications, and it seems to have significant effects as a cognition‐enhancing drug. In this study, we examined the efficacy of Korean red ginseng (KRG) as an adjuvant therapy to conventional anti‐dementia medications in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Methods:  The trial was designed as a 12‐week randomized study. Sixty‐one patients (24 males and 37 females) with Alzheimer’s disease were randomly assigned to one of the following treatment groups: low‐dose KRG (4.5 g/day, n = 15), high‐dose KRG (9 g/day, n = 15) or control (n = 31). The Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS), Korean version of the Mini‐Mental Status Examination (K‐MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale were used to assess the change in cognitive and functional performance at the end of the 12‐week study period.

Results:  The patients in the high‐dose KRG group showed significant improvement on the ADAS and CDR after 12 weeks of KRG therapy when compared with those in the control group (P = 0.032 and 0.006 respectively). The KRG treatment groups showed improvement from baseline MMSE when compared with the control group (1.42 vs. −0.48), but this improvement was not statistically significant.

Conclusions:  KRG showed good efficacy for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease; however, further studies with larger samples of patients and a longer efficacy trial should be conducted to confirm the efficacy of KRG.
Upper limb corticomotor projections and physiological changes that occur with botulinum toxin‐A therapy in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy
Authors: Redman T. A. , Gibson N. , Finn J. C. , Bremner A. P. , Valentine J. , Thickbroom G. W.
Published: July 2008

Aim:  To investigate the corticomotor projection to the upper limb in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) and the changes that occur with botulinum toxin (BTX)‐A.

Methods:  The study design is a pilot prospective randomized trial. Twenty‐two children with hemiplegic CP aged 7 years to 13 years 11 months were recruited. Treatment group (12) received one series of BTX‐A injections into the upper limb. Control group (10) did not receive upper limb BTX‐A. All participants except one treatment group participant also received lower limb BTX‐A. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was performed at baseline, and 1, 3 and 6 months post‐injection. Outcome measures were: change in position of affected and unaffected side first dorsal interosseous optimal site of stimulation (OPTx).

Results:  A shift in affected and unaffected side OPTx was observed for both treatment and control groups, and there was no statistically significant difference between groups at 1, 3 or 6 months. Poor tolerance of TMS cortical stimuli >80% was observed.

Conclusion:  Corticomotor projections associated with the upper limb in children with hemiplegic CP show significant variability over a 6‐month period. This variability may reflect central motor reorganization because of systemic BTX‐A effect or developmental changes. Upper limb BTX‐A therapy is associated with reorganization of both affected and unaffected projections. Poor tolerance of the TMS procedure, in conjunction with higher cortical thresholds, may limit the usefulness of TMS as an investigatory tool in young children with movement disorders.
ALS and FTLD: two faces of TDP‐43 proteinopathy
Authors: Liscic R. M. , Grinberg L. T. , Zidar J. , Gitcho M. A. , Cairns N. J.
Published: July 2008

Major discoveries have been made in the recent past in the genetics, biochemistry and neuropathology of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). TAR DNA‐binding protein 43 (TDP‐43), encoded by the TARDBP gene, has been identified as the major pathological protein of FTLD with ubiquitin‐immunoreactive (ub‐ir) inclusions (FTLD‐U) with or without amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and sporadic ALS. Recently, mutations in the TARDBP gene in familial and sporadic ALS have been reported which demonstrate that abnormal TDP‐43 alone is sufficient to cause neurodegeneration. Several familial cases of FTLD‐U, however, are now known to have mutations in the progranulin (GRN) gene, but granulin is not a component of the TDP‐43‐ and ub‐ir inclusions. Further, TDP‐43 is found to be a component of the inclusions of an increasing number of neurodegenerative diseases. Other FTLD‐U entities with TDP‐43 proteinopathy include: FTLD‐U with valosin‐containing protein (VCP) gene mutation and FTLD with ALS linked to chromosome 9p. In contrast, chromosome 3‐linked dementia, FTLD‐U with chromatin modifying protein 2B (CHMP2B) mutation, has ub‐ir, TDP‐43‐negative inclusions. In summary, recent discoveries have generated new insights into the pathogenesis of a spectrum of disorders called TDP‐43 proteinopathies including: FTLD‐U, FTLD‐U with ALS, ALS, and a broadening spectrum of other disorders. It is anticipated that these discoveries and a revised nosology of FTLD will contribute toward an accurate diagnosis, and facilitate the development of new diagnostic tests and therapeutics.
Obesity may not be a risk factor for idiopathic intracranial hypertension in Asians
Authors: Kim Tae Wan , Choung Ho Kyung , Khwarg Sang In , Hwang Jeong‐Min , Yang Hee Jin
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a clinical condition characterized by signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure. We demonstrated the clinical presentation of IIH of Asians and investigated any ethnic difference in pathogenesis.

Methods and results:  Ten patients who fulfilled the modified Dandy criteria and four with presumed diagnosis for IIH were included. Only one patient (7.1%) was obese according to body mass index, seven were overweight, and six weighed normal.

Conclusions:  Obesity was not frequently found in Caucasians with IIH. This data indirectly suggest that obesity may not play a major role in the pathogenesis of IIH in Asians. Awareness of this is helpful in early diagnosis and treatment of IIH in Asians.
Parents labelled with Intellectual Disability: Position of the IASSID SIRG on Parents and Parenting with Intellectual Disabilities
Authors:   IASSID Special Interest Research Group on Parents and Parenting with Intellectual Disabilities
Published: July 2008

Background  On August 5th, 2006, the third meeting of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities (IASSID) Special Interest Research Group (SIRG) on Parents and Parenting with Intellectual Disabilities was convened in Maastricht, The Netherlands, coinciding with the 2nd International Congress of IASSID‐Europe. The SIRG Parents and Parenting with Intellectual Disabilities membership includes scholars from a number of countries including the United States, Canada, England, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. These scholars come from a range of academic and professional disciplines, including sociology, psychology, education, nursing, social work and occupational therapy.

Method  This position paper developed by the Parenting SIRG brings into sharp relief the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted by the General Assembly in December 2006. The convention affirms the right of persons with disabilities to marry and found a family (Article 23, (1)(a)). Further, states parties are bound to ‘take effective action and appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities in all matters relating to marriage, family, parenthood and relationships…’ (Article 23 (1)), and ‘…render appropriate assistance to persons with disabilities in the performance of their child‐rearing responsibilities’ (Article 23 (2)).

Results  This position paper synthesizes messages from research about the challenges that parents labelled with intellectual disability face, and how they can be assisted in their parenting role.
Practitioners Who Work with Parents with Intellectual Disability: Stress, Coping and Training Needs
Authors: Clayton Olivia , Chester Andrea , Mildon Robyn , Matthews Jan
Published: July 2008

Background  Challenges for practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability arise from several sources. The purpose of the current study was to identify the stressors experienced by practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability in Australia, investigate coping strategies and explore training needs so as to inform professional development for this group.

Materials and Methods  Fifty‐eight, predominantly female Australian practitioners, completed a questionnaire, which included a demographics section and training questions (developed specifically for this study), in addition to the Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Brief COPE.

Results  The main stressors experienced by practitioners were workload, client‐related difficulties and organizational structure and processes. Although practitioners indicated that they required additional training in 15 areas, one area was highlighted as particularly important, that is, tailoring interventions to individual parent needs and goals.

Conclusions  It is suggested that managers, service planners, educators and professionals involved in stress reduction be aware that this area may be the focal point of future training of practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability.
Parenting with Intellectual Disability in Germany: Results of a New Nationwide Study
Authors: Pixa‐Kettner Ursula
Published: July 2008

Background  A nationwide questionnaire survey conducted in Germany in 2005 found 1584 families headed by persons with intellectual disability with 2164 adults becoming parents between 1990 and 2005.

Materials and Methods  In spite of a lower response rate and a more limited time frame compared with a previous study undertaken in the early 1990s [Pixa‐Kettner (1998), Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 11, 355–364], there was an increase of more than 40% both in the number of people with intellectual disability becoming parents and number of children born.

Results  Thus, the new study confirms the trend from 1998 of a continually increasing number of parents with intellectual disability. The proportion of children living with at least one biological parent has increased from 40% to 57% since 1998. Younger children live more often with their parents than older children; however, half of children aged 12–15 years live with at least one biological parent.

Conclusion  Parents who live without professional support seem to have better chances of living with their children than parents who draw on professional support. These findings require further clarification.
Active Negotiation: Mothers with Intellectual Disabilities Creating Their Social Support Networks
Authors: Mayes Rachel , Llewellyn Gwynnyth , McConnell David
Published: July 2008

Background  The support networks of mothers with intellectual disabilities play an important role in caring for children. Understanding the support provided by the network is therefore vital in understanding the capacity of a mother to care for her child. Nevertheless, how these important networks came into existence is yet to be explored. Furthermore, the other functions support networks may serve are poorly understood, apart from assistance with child care.

Materials and Methods  This paper reports some findings from a phenomenological study into becoming a mother for women with intellectual disabilities. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 17 expectant mothers with intellectual disabilities. One part of the phenomenon, ‘negotiating a support network for me and my baby’ is described.

Results  Expectant mothers strategically negotiated support networks prior to the baby’s birth. They sought practical assistance for the tasks of mothering from those who acknowledged them as the most important person in their baby’s life.

Conclusions  The findings have implications for the practitioners engaged in supporting mothers and their children, particularly those who are a part of the lives of women with intellectual disabilities and their children due to a court order.
Review of Parent Training Interventions for Parents with Intellectual Disability
Authors: Wade Catherine , Llewellyn Gwynnyth , Matthews Jan
Published: July 2008

Background  This paper reviews recent research to provide an updated perspective on the effectiveness of parent training interventions for parents with intellectual disability. The degree to which these studies meet previous recommendations for future research is explored, particularly with regard to the influence of context on intervention outcomes.

Materials and Methods  Seven studies are reviewed, which have been published in the peer‐reviewed literature since 1994.

Results  Evidence from this review supports the use of individually administered home‐based behavioural intervention for parents with intellectual disability. However, the effect of parent training interventions on child outcomes and the generalization of parenting skills is rarely investigated. Contextual factors that may be associated with intervention success (or failure) are also neglected.

Conclusions  There is reasonable evidence of the effectiveness of parent training for parents with intellectual disability. However, investigators have yet to determine the influence of immediate or more distal contextual factors on intervention outcomes. This presents a significant gap in the literature in contrast to other areas of parenting intervention research where the influence of family and the broader community context has been shown to influence the effectiveness of parent training interventions.
Considering the Contextual Fit of an Intervention for Families Headed by Parents with an Intellectual Disability: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Mildon Robyn , Wade Catherine , Matthews Jan
Published: July 2008

Background  The purpose of this paper was to report on the results of an exploratory trial of an intensive home‐based parenting programme for parents with an intellectual disability. The aim of the programme was to combine the delivery of evidence‐based parent education technology for parents with an intellectual disability with two strategies aimed at promoting the contextual fit of the intervention with these families.

Materials and Methods  A single group repeated measures design was adopted. The independent variable comprised the home‐based intervention which all participants received. Multiple dependent variables included parents’ perceived stress associated with parenting, parent sense of competence, parent‐reported child problem behaviours, and quality of the home environment. During programme delivery the intervention’s contextual fit with each family was assessed, and parent satisfaction with the intervention was measured at post‐intervention.

Results  Parents reported reductions in the frequency and intensity of potentially hassling events and reported more satisfaction and confidence with their role as a parent. Parents also reported a reduction in the frequency of child disruptive behaviour and a decrease in the number of disruptive behaviours that parents viewed as being a problem. Improvements were observed in the quality of the home environment for all families. Assessments of contextual fit showed that the programme fitted very well with the parents’ own goals, values, and the families’ lifestyles.

Conclusion  The single group design of the current study precludes a firm conclusion being drawn about the effectiveness of the programme. However, these results show that the programme has promise for assisting families where a parent has an intellectual disability. This study adds to the research demonstrating the success of evidence‐based parent education interventions for families headed by parents with intellectual disability by including ways to enhance the contextual fit of interventions.
Parental Attention Deficit Disorder
Authors: FOX DOV
Published: July 2008

abstract  This essay considers the moral status of certain practices that aim to enhance offspring traits. I develop an objection to offspring enhancement that draws on an account of the role morality of parents. I work out an account of parental ethics by reference to premises about child development and to observations about parenting culture in the United States. I argue that excellence in parenthood consists in a dual responsibility both to guide children toward the good life and to accept them as they are. I conclude that prenatal manipulation of healthy and normal characteristics in human offspring fails to balance the dispositional extremes of control and restraint to which many parents today are susceptible. I apply this account of good parenting to the challenging case of height enhancement for short but otherwise healthy children. Finally, I reply to objections, first, about the phenomenology of bearing normative obligations to people who do not yet exist and, second, about the moral logic of criticizing embryo selection in the context of assisted reproduction when we accept child selection in the context of adoption.
Is Living Longer Living Better?
Authors: TEMKIN LARRY S.
Published: July 2008

abstract  Some day, perhaps soon, we may have genetic enhancements enabling us to conquer aging. Should we do so, if we can? I believe the topic is both interesting and important, and that it behoves us to think about it. Doing so may yield important insights about what we do care about, what we should care about, and how we should seek to live our lives, both individually and collectively.

My central question is this: Is living longer, living better? My paper does not offer a sustained argument for a single, considered, thesis. Rather, it offers a number of snippets of often‐unconnected thoughts relevant to the issues my question raises. The paper contains seven sections. Part one is introductory. Part two comments on some current longevity research. Part three indicates the attitudes towards death and science with which I approach these questions. Parts four and five, respectively, discuss some worries about immortality raised by Leon Kass and Bernard Williams. Part six points to some practical, social, and moral concerns that might arise if society's members lived super long lives. Part seven concludes by suggesting that we should favour living well over living longer, and ongoing reproduction over immortality; correspondingly, I suggest that we should think long and hard before proceeding with certain lines of longevity research.