bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Work‐family conflict among women executives in service sector: an empirical study
Authors: Sandhu H.S. , Mehta Ritu
Published: June 2010

The purpose of the current study is to identify the factors affecting work‐family conflict among women executives. The relationship of personal and organizational characteristics to work‐family conflict has also been studied. The study is based on the responses of 271 women executives working in selected organizations of service sector in Punjab. Various statistical tests, namely, reliability analysis, factor analysis, and analysis of variance have been carried out. Results indicate that women perceive gender role attitude and spillover between work and family roles as the most important factors affecting their career followed by other four factors namely: (i) harmony in home and office; (ii) organisational support; (iii) family expectations; and (iv) parenting effect and professional skills. It is also revealed that the nature of organization and education have a significant impact on work‐family conflict but material status does not have any influence on work‐family conflict. The findings of the paper confirm that by and large women executives are able to maintain a proper balance between work and family roles.
Optimal portfolio allocation using portfolio theory and heuristics driven evolutionary technique
Authors: Sahu Rajendra , Jain Mohit , Garg Geshu
Published: June 2010

The problem of portfolio optimization involves selecting appropriate stocks for investment by maximising the returns from the portfolio at a pre‐specified level of risk. The current approaches center around Markowitz’s mean variance optimization method that suffers from several pitfalls like instability of beta, and are either computation extensive or lead to sub‐optimal solutions. The present work suggests a heuristics and evolutionary approaches to portfolio optimization. The approach is computationally less intensive. It further extends the approach to include cardinality constraints that limit a portfolio to have a specified number of assets, and to impose limits on the proportion of the portfolio held in a given asset. The heuristics technique is employed for asset selection while the evolutionary technique is used for allocation of funds among the already selected assets. The approach is capable of handling a large number of instruments and scenarios, and is relatively stable to minor variations of the inputs, as is practiced in real life situations. The performance from this approach compares well with the Markowitz’s model, and performs better than the stock market indices of US and India.
Reverse logistics operations in paper industry: a case study
Authors: Ravi V. , Shankar Ravi
Published: June 2010

Reverse logistics is an issue that has attracted the attention of researchers since the last decade due to an ever‐increasing increased awareness about economic, environmental and social benefits associated with them. In this paper, we report a case study of an Indian paper manufacturing company. For this company, proper management of reverse logistics is key to its survival and growth. SAP‐LAP methodology has been used for critical examination of the case company. It is observed from the case study that reverse logistics practices are at a nascent stage in Indian paper manufacturing company. Indian companies have not fully utilized the real benefits of reverse logistics and there are ample opportunities for the improvement in reverse logistics operations.
Understanding the status of Indian project management
Authors: Mohanty R.P. , Tungare P.C.
Published: June 2010

Project management is emerging as a rapidly growing discipline in India. It is appropriate at this stage of globalization of Indian economy to study the current practices and the state of perceptual premises of project managers. This study makes the first attempt to outline the opinions, judgments, articulations and anticipations of a set of senior managers relating to multitude of issues involved in holistically managing the project in its life cycle. Through this exploratory study with various project leaders, a clear picture of the current state of affairs, significant success factors, and future impeding changes in various industry sectors has emerged. This study portrays a knowledge base and may be helpful in improving the managerial effectiveness of organizations in attaining project goals for strategic value creation.
Evaluation model for data mining software: an empirical investigation of ICICI bank
Authors: Sharma Sarika , Goyal D.P. , Mittal R.K.
Published: June 2010

The ever increasing challenges of business environment in the recent past has taught the practitioners of data mining and customer relationship management (CRM) much about delivering high‐return and efficient results. Many service sector organizations including banks are now using data mining techniques to analyze the performance of service/customer relationships. The scope of data mining in business is enormous and thus the organizations including banks are applying data mining techniques to gain competitive advantages in their business. They are maintaining customer data in data warehouses and apply data mining software to uncover trends in the customer behaviour and understand their true business value. The organizations need an evaluation model to select the right data mining tools so as to avoid wrong decision. However, from the survey of literature, it is found that there is a gap in research in the design of an evaluation model for data mining software. In view of the importance of the subject and the existing gaps in reseach, this paper proposes a model for evaluating the data mining software with special reference to one of the leading banks in India, which have successfully implemented the data mining for CRM systems. The thus proposed model would provide a framework to evluate and to select the right data mining software which can be used by the service industry in general and the banking industry in particular.
Successful strategies for AMT adoption in India: analyzing important variables via factor and discriminant analysis
Authors: Thakur L.S. , Jain V.K. , Gupta Reena
Published: June 2010

This paper investigates adoption of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) in India. AMT in India have been classified into three levels (simple – Level I, modest – Level II, and sophisticated – Level III) for the present analysis. A general conclusion can be reached that Indian firms we surveyed have high adoption degree of Level I technologies, are going to adopt moe Level II technologies, and are not yet ready to invest in Level III technologies. Factor Analysis is used to identify common components among 25 AMT that were surveyed. Out of these technologies, three are stand alone infrastructure technologies of computer network and therefore are treated individually. The remaining technologies can be nicely interpreted by four common factors: “expensive”, “social”, “production”, and “quality”. Discriminant Analysis is used to identify critical success factors that contribute significantly to the success of AMT adoption. The accuracy achieved is 81.1 per cent (7.9 per cent error rate) by using only four variables out of 19 critical success factors.These influential factors are pace of implementation, hands‐on training program, long‐term automation objectives, and external consultants. However, only pace of implementation has a positive effect on the success of AMT adoption, while both hands‐on training program and external consultants have negative effect, and the effect of long‐time automation objectives is small.
Globally distributed R&D work in a marketing management support systems (MMSS) environment: a knowledge management perspective
Authors: Eliashberg Jehoshua , Swami Sanjeev , Weinberg Charles , Wierenga Berend
Published: June 2010

Globalisation, liberalization and rapid technological developments have been changing business environments drastically in the recent decades. These trends are increasingly exposing businesses to market competition and thus intensifying competition. In such an environment, the role of marketing management support systems (MMSS) becomes exceedingly important for the long‐term growth of an organisation’s marketing expertise and success. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of a globally distributed R&D project spanning three continents in developing an MMSS for the motion picture industry. We first provide the conceptual background of the MMSS and knowledge management systems relevant for our work. We then provide a detailed case study of our MMS implementation. We specifically focus on the following elements of our work: globally distributed R&D efforts, knowledge elements, and fit between demand and supply sides of MMSS. We conclude with a discussion of implications for future research in this area.
Success factors in the implementation of strategic information systems: an empirical investigation of public sector undertakings in India
Authors: Jit Rishi Bikram , Goyal D.P.
Published: June 2010

Understanding Strategic Information Systems (SIS) implementation is an important challenge to organizations. It is considered important because Information Technology (IT) decisions about investment are made worldwide and these decisions have the impact on the survival and growth of the organizations. In this context, SIS should be implemented very carefully so that right, timely and accurate information should be available to the managers, who are responsible for taking strategic decisions. Review of literature indicated the clear gaps existing in the implementation of Strategic Information Systems in general and in the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) of India in particular. Keeping the research gaps in this area in mind, we have undertaken this study in Indian PSUs so as to investigate the factors affecting the implementation of SIS. Organizational Culture, High Turnover of Professionals, Management Involvement, Collaboration, Systems Standards, Resources Implementation, Resources Availability, Market Competitition, Organizational Bureaucracy and Organizational Autocracy are emerged as the successful factors which must be taken care of while impelemnting SIS in Indian PSUs.
A lean six sigma case study: an application of the “5s” techniques
Authors: Pranckevicius Dario , Diaz Deisell M. , Gitlow Howard
Published: June 2010

This paper presents an application of the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC model. It is used to improve a plastic cup manufacturing process. The Improve Phase of the DMAIC model utilizes the amazingly simple, and yet effective, Japanese 5S techniques to achieve a dramatic improvement in the process.
European financial integration and global financial liberalization
Authors: Buzelay Alain
Published: June 2010

We generally admit markets are integrated if the law of one price is verified. This approach, applied to financial markets, gives place to two complementary criteria allowing the measurement of integration intensity. The first refers to mobility, meaning the possibility offered to national investors to move their assets over the borders so as to place their investments wherever they wish. The second concerns assets substitutability, meaning the possibility offered to national investors to rearrange their securities portfolio by substituting the national assets for foreign assets and vice versa, following a change in their rate of return.
Drug Policy and the Public Good: a summary of the book
Authors:   Drugs and Public Policy Group
Published: June 2010

Drug Policy and the Public Good was written by an international group of scientists from the fields of addiction, public health, criminology and policy studies to improve the linkages between drug research and drug policy. The book provides a conceptual basis for evidence‐informed drug policy and describes epidemiological data on the global dimensions of drug misuse. The core of the book is a critical review of the cumulative scientific evidence in five general areas of drug policy: primary prevention programmes in schools and other settings; health and social services for drug users; attempts to control the supply of drugs, including the international treaty system; law enforcement and ventures into decriminalization; and control of the psychotropic substance market through prescription drug regimes. The final chapters discuss the current state of drug policies in different parts of the world and describe the need for future approaches to drug policy that are coordinated and informed by evidence.
Fruit juice inhibition of uptake transport: a new type of food–drug interaction
Authors: Bailey David G.
Published: June 2010

A new type of interaction in which fruit juices diminish oral drug bioavailability through inhibition of uptake transport is the focus of this review. The discovery was based on an opposite to anticipated finding when assessing the possibility of grapefruit juice increasing oral fexofenadine bioavailability in humans through inhibition of intestinal MDR1‐mediated efflux transport. In follow‐up investigations, grapefruit or orange juice at low concentrations potentially and selectively inhibitedin vitroOATP1A2‐mediated uptake compared with MDR1‐caused efflux substrate transport. These juices at high volume dramatically depressed oral fexofenadine bioavailability. Grapefruit was the representative juice to characterize the interaction subsequently. A volume–effect relationship study using a normal juice amount halved average fexofenadine absorption. Individual variability and reproducibility data indicated the clinical interaction involved direct inhibition of intestinal OATP1A2. Naringin was a major causal component suggesting that other flavonoids in fruits and vegetables might also produce the effect. Duration of juice clinical inhibition of fexofenadine absorption lasted more than 2 h but less than 4 h indicating the interaction was avoidable with appropriate interval of time between juice and drug consumption. Grapefruit juice lowered the oral bioavailability of several medications transported by OATP1A2 (acebutolol, celiprolol, fexofenadine, talinolol, L‐thyroxine) while orange juice did the same for others (atenolol, celiprolol, ciprofloxacin, fexofenadine). Juice clinical inhibition of OATP2B1 was unresolved while that of OATP1B1 seemed unlikely. The interaction between grapefruit juice and etoposide also seemed relevant. Knowledge of both affected uptake transporter and drug hydrophilicity assisted prediction of the clinical interaction with grapefruit or orange juice.
Functional characteristics of N8, a new recombinant FVIII
Authors: CHRISTIANSEN M. L. S. , BALLING K. W. , PERSSON E. , HILDEN I. , BAGGER‐SØRENSEN A. , SØRENSEN B. B. , VIUFF D. , SEGEL S. , KLAUSEN N. K. , EZBAN M. , LETHAGEN S. , STEENSTRUP T. D. , KJALKE M.
Published: June 2010

Summary.  The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro function of the new recombinant factor VIII (FVIII) compound, N8. The specific activity of N8 as measured in a FVIII:C one‐stage clot assay was 9300 ± 400 IU mg−1 based on the analysis of seven individual batches. The ratio between the FVIII:C activity measured in clot and chromogenic assays was 1.00 (95% confidence interval 0.97–1.03). N8 bound to von Willebrand factor with Kd values of 0.2 nm when measured by ELISA and by surface plasmon resonance. FVIIIa cofactor activity was determined from the kinetic parameters of factor IXa‐catalysed factor X (FX) activation. The rate of activation of N8 by thrombin as well as Km and kcat for FX activation was in the same range as those observed for Advate®. The rate of activated protein C (APC)‐catalysed inactivation was similar for activated N8 and Advate®. N8 improved thrombin generation in a dose‐dependent manner and induced similar rates of thrombin generation as Advate® and the plasma‐derived FVIII product Haemate®. Using thromboelastography (TEG®), N8 was shown to improve the clot formation and clot stability in whole blood from haemophilia A patients. Comparable potency and efficacy of N8 and Advate® was found based on TEG® parameters. Finally, similar binding profiles to immobilized lipoprotein receptor‐related protein (LRP) of N8 and Advate® were observed. The study demonstrated that N8 is fully functional in a variety of assays measuring FVIII activity. No functional differences were found between N8 and comparator compounds.
Effect of anti‐rotation devices on biomechanical behaviour of teeth restored with cast post‐and‐cores
Authors: Raposo L. H. A. , Silva G. R. , Santos‐Filho P. C. F. , Soares P. V. , Soares P. B. F. , Simamoto‐Junior P. C. , Fernandes‐Neto A. J. , Soares C. J.
Published: June 2010

Raposo LHA, Silva GR, Santos‐Filho PCF, Soares PV, Soares PBF, Simamoto‐Junior PC, Fernandes‐Neto AJ, Soares CJ. Effect of anti‐rotation devices on biomechanical behaviour of teeth restored with cast post‐and‐cores. International Endodontic Journal.

Aim  To test the hypothesis that the presence of an anti‐rotation device (ARD) and its location can influence the biomechanical behaviour of root filled teeth restored with cast post‐and‐cores and metallic crowns.

Methodology  Fifth two bovine incisor roots were selected and divided into four groups (n = 13): Nd‐ without ARD; Bd‐ buccal ARD; Ld‐ lingual ARD; BLd‐ buccal and lingual ARD. The specimens were restored with cast post‐and‐cores and metallic crowns. After a fatigue process (3 × 105 50 N), three strain gauges were attached on the buccal, lingual and proximal surfaces and the samples of each group (n = 3) were submitted to a 0–100 N load. Fracture resistance was assessed in a mechanical testing machine (n = 10). Strain values and fracture resistance data were analysed by one‐way anova and Tukey Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test (α = 0.05). The failure mode was then evaluated under an optical stereomicroscope. Bidimensional models of each group were generated for finite element analysis (FEA) and analysed using the von Mises criteria.

Results  No significant difference in fracture resistance values and fracture modes occurred between the four groups. The BLd group had higher stress concentrations in the buccal dentine and higher strain values on the proximal surfaces.

Conclusions  The anti‐rotation devices did not influence significantly the fracture resistance and fracture mode. However, the stress–strain values were increased when the anti‐rotation device was prepared on the buccal and lingual faces concomitantly.
End‐of‐life care in two Norwegian nursing homes: family perceptions
Authors: Kaarbø Elsa
Published: June 2010

Aim and objective.  The aim of this article is to report a study exploring experiences of relatives who have been present immediately prior to and after the death (in the last 72 hours) of a next‐of‐kin in a nursing home. The purpose of the study was to acquire research‐based knowledge to improve practice.

Background.  Globally, a growing number of older people, often with increased morbidity and complexity of conditions, require specialised nursing care, particularly at the end of life. Several international studies describe end‐of‐life care in nursing homes as insufficient, mainly owing to shortage of qualified staff and other essential resources. There are few studies in this field in Norway; none of them focus on the final days and hours of a patient’s life from the perspective of their relatives.

Design.  A mixed methods design was used.

Methods.  Data were collected through structured interviews with 50 relatives during Spring 2006 and analysed by SPSS version 14 and theme‐based analysis.

Results.  With a few exceptions, the quality of nursing care was considered professional and good. Care was described as supportive, individualised and based on patients’ needs – in a safe atmosphere and supported by good relations between patients and nursing staff. Information and communication between staff and relatives, however, were described as unsystematic and casual. That some patients died alone became a source of distress for their relatives.

Conclusions.  Information and communication between staff and relatives need to be improved. There is need for change to avoid the situation where patients die in solitude.

Relevance to clinical practice.  End‐of‐life care is performed at a time when patients and their relatives are at their most vulnerable. Nurses and other health workers need information, as this study suggests, to provide high‐quality care to ease this situation.
New features of troponin testing in different clinical settings
Authors: Omland T.
Published: June 2010

Abstract.  Omland T. (Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo and Division of Medicine, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway) New features of troponin testing in different clinical settings (Review). J Intern Med 2010; 268: 207–217.

Cardiac troponin levels are routinely measured for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac troponin measurements also provide information concerning prognosis and the effect of early intervention in patients with acute coronary syndromes. The recent development of highly sensitive cardiac troponin assays permits detection of very low circulating levels. Use of sensitive troponin assays improves overall diagnostic accuracy in patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes, and these assays provide strong prognostic information in stable coronary artery disease and chronic heart failure. However, increased sensitivity comes with a cost of decreased specificity, and serial testing, as well as clinical context and judgment, is likely to become increasingly important in the interpretation of troponin assay results.
Control of hepatitis B virus at the level of transcription
Authors: Quasdorff M. , Protzer U.
Published: June 2010

Summary.  Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is tightly controlled by a number of noncytotoxic mechanisms. This control occurs within the host hepatocyte at different steps of the HBV replication cycle. HBV persists by establishing a nuclear minichromosome, HBV cccDNA, serving as a transcription template for the viral pregenome and viral mRNAs. Nucleoside/nucleotide analogues widely used for antiviral therapy as well as most antiviral cytokines act at steps after transcription of HBV RNAs and thus can control virus replication but do not directly affect its gene expression. Control of HBV at the level of transcription in contrast is able to restrict both, HBV replication and gene expression. In the review, we focus on how HBV is controlled at the level of transcription. We discuss how the composition of transcription factors determines HBV gene expression and replication and how this may be influenced by antivirally active substances, e.g. the cytokine IL‐6 or helioxanthin analogues, or by the differentiation state of the hepatocyte.
Molecular identification of Fusarium spp. associated with bakanae disease of rice in Italy and assessment of their pathogenicity
Authors: Amatulli M. T. , Spadaro D. , Gullino M. L. , Garibaldi A.
Published: June 2010

Between 2006 and 2008, 146 isolates of Fusarium spp. were obtained from bakanae‐diseased rice plants and seeds from the major rice‐growing regions of Italy. These isolates were identified based on translation elongation factor (EF‐1α) sequence and pathogenicity tests were used to assess their aggressiveness against the susceptible rice cultivar Galileo. Use of the EF‐1α sequence gave reliable identification and showed that Fusarium fujikuroi, the causal agent of bakanae disease, was the most abundant Fusarium spp. isolated. These data were confirmed by inoculation of the isolates to rice seeds which were then germinated in the greenhouse, showing that only F. fujikuroi isolates were able to cause bakanae disease. Pathogenic isolates were identified with different levels of aggressiveness. Phylogenetic analysis based on EF‐1α sequences generated a tree which separated the various Fusarium species into different clusters with high bootstrap values.
Generation of Sperms Containing EGFP‐LacZ Following Transfection of Chicken Testis with a Eukaryotic Dual Reporter Vector
Authors: Liu L , Cao F , Cai K , Zhang Y , Ding Z , Li J
Published: June 2010

Contents

Male germ cells modified by foreign genes can be used to generate transgenic chicken. In this study, in vivo transfection of chicken testis with an EGFP‐LacZ dual reporter expression vector was performed. Large‐scale plasmid DNA preparation of the EGFP‐LacZ eukaryotic expression vector was carried out and efficient transfection of chicken testicle cells using the prepared plasmid DNA was confirmed in vitro. The reporter plasmid was directly injected into adult rooster testes. Semen samples were collected on 10‐days post‐transfection and every other day thereafter; and a total of six collections were made. Semen slides were subjected to fluorescence microscopy and β‐galactosidase activity assay to identify sperms carrying the reporter genes. The presence of EGFP and LacZ was further confirmed by PCR amplification with sperm genomic DNA as template. The testicles of those birds were subjected to cryostat sectioning, fluorescence microscopy and β‐galactosidase activity assay. The results showed that sperms with green fluorescence were not observed on semen slides; however, sperms positive for β‐galactosidase were detected. Specific amplicons of EGFP and lacZ were detected in four of the six sequentially collected semen samples. Fluorescence microscopy of the corresponding semen slides revealed yellow‐green fluorescence, but not clear green fluorescence. The β‐galactosidase activity assay and GFP histochemistry using monoclonal antibodies demonstrated positive staining for subsets of testicle cells. Together, these results showed that direct injection of the dual reporter vector into adult rooster testis allowed in vivo transfection of chicken sperm precursor cells, which further developed into sperm containing EGFP‐LacZ.
A Case of Schistosoma Reflexum in a Cat with Chromosomal Aberrations
Authors: Ozalp GR , Celikler S , Simsek G , Ozyigit MO , Inan S
Published: June 2010

Contents

A 2‐year‐old, female Persian cat was presented with a history of distocia. In her first pregnancy, she had whelped four kittens and had eaten all of them right after parturition. She had mated again with the same tomcat. Well‐developed foetuses with weak foetal heart beats were observed in the ultrasonographic examination. En block ovariohysterectomy was performed. Three live and mature foetuses were obtained from the uterus; two of them were female foetuses and had no anatomical problem but the third one exhibiting multiple malformations was a male and diagnosed as ‘schistosoma reflexum’ (SR). The vertebral column deviated markedly to the right (scoliosis) at thoracolumbar region, and the middle lumbar and the sacral vertebrae were directed dorsocranially (lordosis). The entire small intestine, a part of large intestine, stomach, spleen and the right kidney were displayed out of the body, and it seemed that the listed internal organs were protruded from an abdominal cleft associated with the allantoic membrane. Liver, lungs and heart were hypoplastic. The large intestine was seen to have blind end (atresia recti), but anus was normal. Cerebrum and cerebellum were noticed as normal in sizes. Chromosome preparations from lymphocyte cultures of the foetus showed chromosomal aberrations including chromatid and chromosome breaks, exchange figures, non‐homologous pairing, whereas no abnormalities were detected in the chromosome preparations from mother’s cultures. This is probably the first case of SR in a cat, which was examined in detail from clinical, pathological, radiological and chromosomal angles.
The diagnostic outcomes of children with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder following multidisciplinary assessment
Authors: Efron Daryl , Sciberras Emma
Published: June 2010

Aim:  To undertake a retrospective analysis of the patients referred with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to a multidisciplinary clinic at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne between 2004 and 2007. This study aimed to determine the proportion of children diagnosed with ADHD, the frequency of comorbid diagnoses, and the level of functional impairment of referred children.

Methods:  Data regarding the demographic characteristics, clinical features, assessment findings and suggested management of patients who attended the ADHD Assessment Clinic were reviewed.

Results:  Sixty‐four children (58 males, 6 females) aged between age 4 and 8 years 11 months (M = 6.84, SD = 1.24) were referred. 43 children (67%) were diagnosed with ADHD and 32 (74%) of these were diagnosed with at least one comorbid condition, most commonly, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD; 51%) and speech/language disorder (23%). Of the 21 children who were not diagnosed with ADHD, approximately one‐third were diagnosed with ODD and one‐third were diagnosed with a specific learning disorder. Overall, the children referred to the clinic had poor quality of life by caregiver report; however, this did not differ between children who were diagnosed with ADHD and children who were not.

Conclusion:  Comprehensive evaluation of children with suspected ADHD resulted in an alternative primary diagnosis in one‐third of cases. Three‐quarters of children diagnosed with ADHD had one or more comorbid diagnoses. A multidisciplinary model of assessment can be effective in identifying a range of problems in this patient group, and help to inform targeted interventions.
What do paediatricians think of the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit?
Authors: He Suwen , Zurynski Yvonne A , Elliott Elizabeth J
Published: June 2010

Aim:  To explore clinicians' perceptions of the value, usefulness and limitations of the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) and obtain direct feedback regarding the surveillance mechanism and suggestions for improvement.

Methods:  Anonymous postal survey of Australian paediatricians (n = 1260) in 2007.

Results:  Of 1260 clinicians surveyed 818 (65%) responded, a similar proportion from all states/territories and specialties. Over half had participated in surveillance for >10 years. The majority (95%), believe APSU research is valuable, for generating knowledge (81%), identifying research needs (78%), facilitating collaborative research (75%), supporting education and advocacy (74%), guiding clinical practice (70%), informing future policy (70%) and evaluating current policy (68%). Of 458 respondents who had ever reported a case (90%) had no objection to providing de‐identified clinical information; and about 75% said questionnaires were easy to complete; however, one third said clinical information requested was not always readily available. Most (680, 83%) respondents believed their contribution to the APSU was appropriately acknowledged and 20% said they had personally benefited from participation. The majority (90%) were willing to report immediately by email/fax/phone in an epidemiological emergency. Lack of time and resources was the most common limitation to participation identified by clinicians: some suggested on‐line reporting would improve the ease and timeliness of reporting. Clinicians also suggested better use of the APSU website to disseminate results.

Conclusion:  Clinicians acknowledged the APSU as valuable. Improving communication with clinicians, ensuring that information requested in questionnaires is relevant and available, and developing a secure web‐based reporting system are future APSU priorities.
Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease: Trends in pregnancy termination rate, and perinatal and 1‐year infant mortalities in Korea between 1994 and 2005
Authors: Lee Ji Eun , Jung Kyung‐Lan , Kim Sei‐Eun , Nam Soo‐Hyun , Choi Suk‐Joo , Oh Soo‐Young , Roh Cheong‐Rae , Kim Jong‐Hwa
Published: June 2010

Aim:  To determine the pregnancy termination rate, and perinatal and 1‐year infant mortality rates following prenatally‐detected congenital heart disease (CHD) and trends over an 11‐year period.

Methods:  Between 1994 and 2005, 1603 gravidas underwent fetal echocardiography in our institution, in which 378 fetuses were diagnosed with CHD. The study period was divided into the following three groups for time‐trend analysis: 1994–1997, 1998–2001, and 2002–2005. Data regarding gestational age at diagnosis and delivery, the presence of extracardiac or chromosomal abnormalities, pregnancy termination rate, and perinatal and 1‐year mortalities were collected by review of medical records and telephone interviews.

Results:  Among 378 fetuses with a prenatally‐detected CHD, complete perinatal and infant outcomes were available for 336 fetuses (88.9%). There was a gradual increase in prenatally‐detected CHD by fetal echocardiography during the study period (1994–1997, 10.3%; 1998–2001, 17.3%; and 2002–2005, 24.3%). The mean gestational ages at diagnosis and delivery were 27.2 ± 5.6 and 37.8 ± 2.9 weeks, respectively. Overall, the pregnancy termination rate in this study population was 20.2% and the perinatal and 1‐year infant mortality rates were 6.3% and 9.7%, respectively. Among the fetuses who underwent cardiac surgery, surgical mortality occurred in two (3.8%); both died more than 1 month after surgery. Although the pregnancy termination rates remained unchanged, there was a significant decrease in perinatal and 1‐year infant mortality rates over the study period.

Conclusion:  Although the perinatal and 1‐year infant mortalities following prenatally‐detected CHD have continued to decrease significantly during the past 11 years, pregnancy termination rates have remained unchanged.
Interspecific transmission of a male‐killing bacterium on an ecological timescale
Authors: Duron Olivier , Wilkes Timothy E. , Hurst Gregory D. D.
Published: June 2010

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 1139–1148

Inherited symbionts are important drivers of arthropod evolutionary ecology, with microbes acting both as partners that contribute to host adaptation, and as subtle parasites that drive host evolution. New symbioses are most commonly formed through lateral transfer, where a microbial symbiont passes infectiously from one host species to another, and then spreads through its new host population. However, the rate of horizontal transfer has been regarded as sufficiently low that population and coevolutionary processes can be approximated to one, where the symbiont interacts with a single host species. In this paper, we demonstrate experimentally that horizontal transfer of the son‐killer infection of Nasonia wasps occurs readily following multi‐parasitism events (two species of parasitoid wasp sharing a fly pupal host), and provide phylogenetic evidence of recent and likely ongoing transmission amongst members of the community of wasps utilizing filth flies. Combining per contact transmission rates estimated in the laboratory with rates of multiparasitism in the field produces an estimate that an infected Nasonia vitripennis individual in an Eastern US bird’s nest habitat has a 12% chance of passing the infection into N. giraulti. We conclude that the single host‐single symbiont framework is therefore insufficient for understanding the population and evolutionary dynamics in this system and caution against blind acceptance of the single host/single symbiont framework. We conjecture that lateral transfer rates that require a multi‐host framework will most likely be seen in symbionts that retain the ability to cross host epithelia, and that this will be correlated to the recency with which the symbionts have been free living.
Lack of CbrB in Pseudomonas putida affects not only amino acids metabolism but also different stress responses and biofilm development
Authors: Amador Cristina I. , Canosa Inés , Govantes Fernando , Santero Eduardo
Published: June 2010

The CbrAB two‐component system has been described in certain species of Pseudomonads as a global regulatory system required for the assimilation of several amino acids (e.g. histidine, proline or arginine) as carbon or carbon and nitrogen sources. In this work, we used global gene expression and phenotypic analyses to characterize the roles of the CbrAB system in Pseudomonas putida. Our results show that CbrB is involved in coordination with the nitrogen control system activator, NtrC, in the uptake and assimilation of several amino acids. In addition, CbrB affects other carbon utilization pathways and a number of apparently unrelated functions, such as chemotaxis, stress tolerance and biofilm development. Based on these new findings, we propose that CbrB is a high‐ranked element in the regulatory hierarchy of P. putida that directly or indirectly controls a variety of metabolic and behavioural traits required for adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
Reduced adipogenic gene expression in fibroblasts from a patient with type 2 congenital generalized lipodystrophy
Authors: Victoria B. , Cabezas‐Agrícola J. M. , González‐Méndez B. , Lattanzi G. , Del Coco R. , Loidi L. , Barreiro F. , Calvo C. , Lado‐Abeal J. , Araújo‐Vilar D.
Published: June 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1178–1187 (2010)

Aims  Beradinelli–Seip congenital generalized lipodystrophy is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by near‐complete absence of adipose tissue, Herculean appearance, insulin resistance, hypoleptinaemia and diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of pioglitazone on the expression of genes involved in adipogenesis in fibroblasts from a patient with this condition due to a seipin mutation.

Methods  Primary cultures of fibroblasts from the skin of the patient were obtained. Fibroblasts were treated with classic adipose differentiation medium, with and without pioglitazone. Several adipogenes were evaluated by real‐time reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Intracellular localization of prelamin A was studied by immunofluorescence microscopy.

Results  The expression of the adipogenic genes PPARG, LPL, LEP and SLC2A4 was reduced in lipodystrophic fibroblasts, while treatment with pioglitazone increased the expression of these genes. Moreover, and unexpectedly, we found an accumulation of farnesylated prelamin A in lipodystrophic fibroblasts.

Conclusions  The process of adipocyte differentiation is compromised in patients with Beradinelli‐Seip congenital lipodystrophy owing to diminished expression of the regulatory genes involved, which pioglitazone treatment partially rescues. Prelamin A accumulation establishes a link with other types of familial lipodystrophies, as familial partial lipodystrophy.
HOW MUCH CAN A PHILOSOPHER DO?
Authors: KERR, OP FERGUS
Published: June 2010

Some philosophers (Stephen Mulhall, Peter Winch, and D.Z. Phillips) complained that in Sources of the Self Charles Taylor allowed his Christian allegiance to “peep through”, whereas, as a philosopher, he should have done justice to other views than his own, without taking sides. They would no doubt have protested even more about A Secular Age. Reading these two books in the context of his previous work it becomes hard to accuse Taylor of failing to expound fairly views he opposes, especially regarding British empiricism. Moreover, how disinterested can critical genealogy of religion in the West ever be?
HISTORY, BELIEF AND IMAGINATION IN CHARLES TAYLOR'S A SECULAR AGE
Authors: WARD GRAHAM
Published: June 2010

In this essay I explore, from a theologian's perspective, two questions which arise from the Taylor's development of a genre addressing two quite different audiences: the social scientists and the theologians. In particular, it examines the relationship between theology and history and the relationship between believing, an act of faith and the imaginary. While accepting the conditions for believing in the age of enchantment differ from those in a secular and disenchanted age, the essay concludes by questioning whether an act of faith was any less difficult and by pointing out that if it was less difficult then theologically we need a more nuanced account of the relationship between God and history.
‘The rules of the game’: London finance, Australia, and Canada, c.1900–14
Authors: DILLEY ANDREW
Published: June 2010

It is often asserted that, between 1865 and 1914, economic dependence on British capital subjected settler societies to an unofficial imperialism wielded by the City of London. This article argues that both advocates and critics of such models, particularly in the recent controversy over ‘gentlemanly capitalism’, pay insufficient attention to the City itself. Using the Edwardian City's connections with Australia and Canada, it illustrates the range of financial intermediaries involved and explores their perceptions of political economy in these countries. It concludes that the City's influence (or ‘structural power’) was limited by its internal divisions and hazy conceptions of political economy.
Prices, the military revolution, and western Europe's comparative advantage in violence
Authors: HOFFMAN PHILIP T.
Published: June 2010

Price data from England, France, and Germany show that the military sector in western Europe experienced rapid and sustained productivity growth well before the industrial revolution. The productivity growth has implications for the history of the military revolution in early modern Europe and helps explain why western Europe gained a comparative advantage in violence. It also raises questions about the economic impact of the military revolution.
Dystonia‐plus syndromes
Authors: Asmus F. , Gasser T.
Published: June 2010

Dystonia‐plus syndromes represent a heterogeneous group of diseases, where dystonia is accompanied by other neurological features and gene mutations can be detected frequently. Symptomatic dystonias and complex neurodegenerative diseases with dystonia as part of the clinical presentation are excluded from this category. At present, the following disorders are categorized as dystonia‐plus syndromes: Dopa‐responsive dystonia (DRD) is a mostly pediatric‐onset, neurometabolic disorder with two different modes of inheritance: in its autosomal‐dominant form, heterozygous mutations of GTP‐cyclohydrolase I (GCH1, DYT5) cause DRD with reduced penetrance and excellent and lasting response to levodopa. Autosomal‐recessive (AR) forms of DRD are caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) or the sepiapterin reductase (SPR) gene. In AR‐DRD, the phenotype is generally more severe including cognitive deficits and developmental delay. Diagnosis can be confirmed by analysis of CSF pterine metabolites. Alternatively, comprehensive genetic testing yields causative mutations in up to 80% of patients. Myoclonus–dystonia (M‐D) is caused by heterozygous mutations of the epsilon‐sarcoglycan gene (SGCE). Dystonia is generally only mild to moderate, and ‘lightning‐like’ myoclonic jerks occur rarely at rest and can be triggered by complex motor tasks like writing and drawing. Both features together with an age at onset below 25 years strongly predict SGCE mutation in M‐D and differentiate this genetic disease from other ‘jerky’ dystonias. The combination of dystonia and parkinsonism can only be rarely observed in non‐degenerative syndromes. Besides DRD, two additional syndromes have been classified. Rapid‐onset dystonia–parkinsonism (RPD, DYT12) is a rare disorder with an abrupt onset of symptoms over minutes to days, prominent bulbar involvement and parkinsonism with a lack of response to levodopa. Patients with this rare phenotype should be screened for mutation in the Na+/K+ ATPase alpha3‐subunit (ATP1A3) gene, even if family history is negative. Recently, a novel form of dystonia–parkinsonism (DYT16) has been found to be linked to mutations in the PRKRA gene, whose relation to basal ganglia disorders is yet unknown .
Differential diagnosis of dystonia
Authors: Elia A. E. , Lalli S. , Albanese A.
Published: June 2010

Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by sustained muscle contractions causing twisting and repetitive movements and abnormal postures. Diagnosing dystonia may be difficult, because of variability of dystonia presentation, uncertain recognition of the specific clinical signs, wide etiological spectrum, and coexistence of other movement disorders. The major difficulties in the diagnostic assessment of primary and non‐primary dystonia derive from its confusion with other movement disorders or with a psychogenic disorder. The clinical heterogeneity of dystonia and some examples of misdiagnosis are reviewed here. The movement disorders that can be most commonly taken for dystonia are tremor, Parkinson’s disease, myoclonus, chorea, and tics. Given the occurrence of confounding factors, along with specific genetic and laboratory test, it is of great importance to apply a specific algorithm to recognize the clinical signs of dystonia.
The role of genes in causing dystonia
Authors: Schmidt A. , Klein C.
Published: June 2010

Background:  In recent years, the identification of several new dystonia genes has provided important insights into the nature of this clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder.

Aims:  To identify the role of genes in the pathophysiology of dystonia.

Materials and Methods:  Literature review from 1985 to 2009.

Results:  Early‐onset dystonia is overall rare, often monogenic and tends to spread to become generalized. In contrast, adult‐onset dystonia is relatively common, typically sporadic and usually remains focal. To date, 19 different forms of monogenic dystonia (primary dystonias and dystonia‐plus syndromes) have been identified and classified as DYT loci. Likewise, secondary dystonia is a feature of a large number of hereditary conditions, such as Wilson disease or neuroacanthocytosis. This review focuses on the eight monogenic primary dystonias, six of which are associated with an early‐onset generalized phenotype (DYT1, 2, 4, 6, 16 and 17), while the remaining two are characterized by an adolescent‐ or adult‐onset focal or segmental form of dystonia (DYT7 and 13).

Discussion:  Primary dystonias have a strong genetic component that is most obvious in the rare monogenic early‐onset generalized forms. However, genetic risk factors also are likely to play an important role in the pathophysiology of the much more common late‐onset focal and segmental primary dystonias.

Conclusion:  The identification of these genetic factors is a critical future aim in dystonia research.
Between Interculturalism and Ethnocentrism: Local Government and the Indigenous Movement in Otavalo‐Ecuador
Authors: LALANDER RICKARD
Published: June 2010

To what extent might an indigenous mayor govern beyond ethnically defined grievances, without being labelled traitor by the indigenous organisation? This article deals with the challenges faced by the Ecuadorian indigenous movement when it attains power in local government. The issue will be explored through the case of Mario Conejo, who in 2000 became the first indigenous mayor of Otavalo representing the indigenous political movement Pachakutik. Although ethnically based tensions in the local indigenous movement were evident throughout the period, 2006 saw Conejo leave Pachakutik and create a new political movement. This rupture can be traced, I argue, to an intercultural dilemma and the difficulties of ethnically defined political movements.