bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of resistance to Synchytrium endobioticum in cultivated potato accessions from the collection of Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry
Authors: Khiutti Alexander , Afanasenko Olga , Antonova Olga , Shuvalov Oleg , Novikova Lubov , Krylova Ekaterina , Chalaya Nadezhda , Mironenko Nina , Spooner David M. , Gavrilenko Tatjana
Published: August 2012

With 7 figures and 1 table

The causal agent of potato wart (Synchytrium endobioticum) is an obligate parasitic chytrid fungus. It is included as a quarantine pathogen in 55 countries, with losses in susceptible cultivars reaching 50–100%. The aim of our study was to characterize the resistance to S. endobioticum pathotype 1 in cultivated potatoes from a well‐characterized subset of the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry collection and to determine whether this resistance is associated with cultivated potato species taxonomy, with ploidy, with geographic distance or with a molecular marker Nl25‐1400 proposed for molecular screening for resistance to pathotype 1 of S. endobioticum. Within the diversity of 52 landrace genotypes, our work shows a lack of such predictive associations with wart resistance. High intraspecific variation of wart diseases resistance allows the selection of extremely resistant and susceptible genotypes available for future genetic and breeding studies.
Conducting a paediatric multi‐centre RCT with an industry partner: Challenges and lessons learned
Authors: Maskell Jessica , Newcombe Peter , Martin Graham , Kimble Roy
Published: August 2012

There are many benefits of multi‐centred research including large sample sizes, statistical power, timely recruitment and generalisability of results. However, there are numerous considerations when planning and implementing a multi‐centred study.

This article reviews the challenges and successes of planning and implementing a multi‐centred prospective randomised control trial involving an industry partner. The research investigated the impact on psychosocial functioning of a cosmetic camouflage product for children and adolescents with burn scarring.

Multi‐centred studies commonly have many stakeholders. Within this study, six Australian and New Zealand paediatric burn units as well as an industry partner were involved. The inclusion of an industry partner added complexities as they brought different priorities and expectations to the research. Further, multifaceted ethical and institutional approval processes needed to be negotiated. The challenges, successes, lessons learned and recommendations from this study regarding Australian and New Zealand ethics and research governance approval processes, collaboration with industry partners and the management of differing expectations will be outlined.

Recommendations for future multi‐centred research with industry partners include provision of regular written reports for the industry partner; continual monitoring and prompt resolution of concerns; basic research practices education for industry partners; minimisation of industry partner contact with participants; clear roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders and utilisation of single ethical review if available.
Delayed diagnosis of developmental dislocation of the hip: the Western Australian experience
Authors: Lisle Ryan , Boekelaar Michelle , Stannage Katherine , Whitewood Colin
Published: August 2012

Background:  A delay in the diagnosis of developmental dislocation of the hip has many long‐term consequences. This retrospective study was undertaken in order to establish an incidence of late‐presenting developmental dislocation of the hip in Western Australia, and investigate possible causes for missed diagnoses.

Method:  Data were collected retrospectively from 1 January to 31 December 2010. Theatre records were searched for operative descriptions including the words ‘arthrogram hip’, ‘EUA hip’, ‘closed reduction hip’, ‘open reduction hip’ and ‘spica’. Medical records were checked to establish the demographic details and background history of cases identified. Delayed diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) was defined as a dislocated hip requiring operative reduction, diagnosed at age greater than 3 months.

Results:  Seventeen children with 21 dislocated hips were identified. Age at diagnosis ranged from 6 months to 5 years. Girls accounted for 88.2% (15/17) and the left hip was involved two‐thirds of the time (14/21). Bilateral dislocations were found in four children.

Conclusion:  This study has identified an incidence of late‐presenting developmental hip dislocation of approximately three times the previously established rate. Possible reasons for this are explored. Additional retrospective audit is now underway, and changes are already in place to ensure that infants with DDH born in Western Australia are identified and treated as early as possible.
Evaluation of neonatal outcomes in elective repeat cesarean delivery at term according to weeks of gestation
Authors: Ertuğrul Serkan , Gün İsmet , Müngen Ercüment , Muhçu Murat , Kılıç Selim , Atay Vedat
Published: August 2012

Aim:  Our aim is to evaluate the association between gestational age at delivery and neonatal outcomes in elective cesarean delivery.

Material and Methods:  A total of 1784 viable singleton pregnancies that were delivered by elective caesarean section at term were included in the study. All pregnancies were categorized according to the number of completed weeks of gestation (37+0–6, 38+0–6, 39+0–6 and ≥40+0 weeks). In this study, the patient groups compared in terms of demographic characteristics and neonatal outcomes.

Results:  The rates of the neonatal intensive care unit admission were 8.7%. When maternal and neonatal characteristics were statistically analyzed, the incidence of advanced maternal age and previous cesarean delivery increased as gestational age at delivery decreased; the incidence of nuchal cord and delivering a baby of ≥4000 g at birth increased as gestational age at delivery increased. As compared with deliveries at 39 weeks, cesarean delivery at 37 weeks of gestation had significantly higher risk, including that of neonatal intensive care unit admission, transient tachypnea of the newborn after delivery and O2 support. There was one perinatal death observed in the study.

Conclusions:  According to the results of our study, compared to elective cesarean delivery after 37 weeks of gestation, elective cesarean delivery at 37 weeks of gestation was associated with a statistically significant increase in neonatal mortality. Therefore, elective cesarean delivery should not be performed at 37 weeks of gestation and 39 weeks of gestation appears to be the ideal timing for elective cesarean delivery.
SHP‐2 phosphatase promotes cervical cancer cell proliferation through inhibiting interferon‐β production
Authors: Meng Fei , Zhao Xiaoyun , Zhang Shulan
Published: August 2012

Aim:  The aim of this study was to explore the effect of Src‐homology‐2‐domain‐containing protein, tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP‐2) on the proliferation of cervical cancer cells.

Material and Methods:  A total of 45 patients with cervical cancer (stage I–III), 32 with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and 20 healthy subjects were consecutively recruited. The levels of SHP‐2 and interferon (IFN)‐β expression in cervical tissues were characterized by immunohistochemistry and statistically analyzed by logistic regression. Following knockdown of SHP‐2 expression by a siRNA or pre‐treatment with a specific peptide, the effect of SHP‐2 expression in THP‐1 cells on the growth and survival of SiHa cells and on IFN‐β production was determined by co‐culture assays, 3‐(4,5)‐dimethylthiazol (‐z‐y 1)‐3,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide, and enzyme immunosorbent assay.

Results:  The levels of SHP‐2 expression in cervical cancer tissues were significantly higher than that in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and uterine myoma tissues (P < 0.05, respectively), and negatively correlated with the levels of IFN‐β expression in these tissues (R = −0.582, P < 0.05). Knockdown of SHP‐2 expression with SHP‐2 siRNA or treatment with the SHP‐2‐specific blocking peptide in THP‐1 cells significantly increased the production of IFN‐β (P < 0.05, respectively) and inhibited the proliferation of SiHa cells in a co‐culture system of THP‐1 and SiHa cells (P < 0.05, respectively).

Conclusions:  SHP‐2 phosphatase promotes cervical cancer cell proliferation through inhibiting IFN‐β production.
Efficacy of intra‐umbilical oxytocin in the management of retained placenta: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Samanta Ajanta , Roy Samir Ghosh , Mistri Pallab Kumar , Mitra Anirban , Pal Ranjan , Naskar Animesh , Bhattacharya Sanjay Kumar , Pal Partha Pratim , Pande Arindam
Published: August 2012

Aim:  Retained placenta is an important cause of maternal mortality. The present study was aimed to determine the efficacy of umbilical injection of oxytocin as a treatment modality in this condition.

Material and Methods:  This was a single‐center randomized controlled trial incorporating 58 women with retained placenta of more than 30 min, equally distributed into two study arms of intra‐umbilical injection of oxytocin (50 IU oxytocin diluted with normal saline [NS] to a total volume 30 mL) and intra‐umbilical injection of NS (30 mL). Primary outcome was expulsion of the placenta within 30 min following intervention. All the data were analyzed on an intention‐to‐treat basis.

Results:  The success rate in the intra‐umbilical oxytocin group was 51.72% compared to 20.69% in the control arm. This difference in the primary outcome was statistically significant with a P‐value < 0.05 (P = 0.014) favoring intra‐umbilical oxytocin infusion with an efficacy rate of 1.5 and a number‐needed‐to‐treat of 3. The peripartum bleeding complications were more in the NS group with a statistically higher (P < 0.001) requirement of extra oxytocin to control post‐partum bleeding. There were no differences between the two groups in respect to other secondary outcomes, such as post‐partum fever, antibiotic requirement and hospital stay.

Conclusion:  Umbilical vein injection of 50 IU oxytocin in 30 mL of NS delivered effectively via the umbilical cord with milking in cases of retained placenta seems a simple and promising technique to reduce the incidence of a potentially morbid procedure and other complications.
Effect of local gentamicin–collagen on perineal wound complications and cancer recurrence after abdominoperineal resection: a multicentre randomized controlled trial
Authors: Collin Å. , Gustafsson U.‐M. , Smedh K. , Påhlman L. , Graf W. , Folkesson J.
Published: August 2012

Aim  Perineal wound sepsis is a common problem after abdominoperineal resection of the rectum (APR), with a reported incidence of 10–15% in previously non‐irradiated patients, 20–30% in patients given preoperative radiation and 50% among patients submitted to preoperative radiation combined with chemotherapy. The local application of gentamicin–collagen was evaluated to determine whether its use in the perineal wound reduced risk complications and had an effect on cancer recurrence.

Method  In this prospective multicentre (seven hospitals) randomized controlled trial, 102 patients undergoing APR due to cancer or benign disease were randomized into two groups including surgery with gentamicin–collagen (GS+, n = 52) or surgery without gentamicin–collagen (GS−, n = 50). Patients were followed at 7, 30 and 90 days and at 1 and 5 years.

Results  There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding perineal wound complications, infectious or non‐infectious, or cancer recurrence.

Conclusion  There was no statistically significant effect on perineal wound complications or cancer recurrence following the local administration of gentamicin–collagen during APR.
Use of low free to total PSA ratio in prostate cancer screening: detection rates, clinical and pathological findings in Brazilian men with serum PSA levels <4.0 ng/mL
Authors: Faria Eliney Ferreira , Carvalhal Gustavo F. , dos Reis Rodolfo Borges , Tobias‐Machado Marcos , Vieira Renê A.C. , Reis Leonardo O. , Nogueira Lucas , Machado Roberto Dias , Freitas Jr Celso H. , Magnabosco Wesley J. , Mauad Edmundo C. , Carvalho André Lopes
Published: August 2012

Study Type – Diagnostic (inception cohort)

Level of Evidence 2b

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

In spite of its low specificity, PSA is the most widely used screening test for prostate cancer (PCa), and is considered the main cause of the stage migration recently observed. The ratio of free to total PSA (%fPSA) has been shown to increase PSA accuracy in cancer detection; however, few screening studies have systematically evaluated its role in cancer detection rates in men with PSA levels <4.0 ng/mL and normal DRE.

The present study supports a possible role of %fPSA as an adjunct to screening in men with total PSA 2.5–4.0 ng/mL and normal DRE, with a marked increase in cancer detection rates in a large Brazilian PCa screening study. We believe that %fPSA maybe a useful refinement to biopsy indications in men with low PSA levels.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the role of the free to total prostate‐specific antigen ratio (%fPSA) in identifying prostate cancer (PCa) in men with a prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level of 2.5–3.9 ng/mL and a normal digital rectal examination (DRE).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A prospective PCa screening study was conducted, which included 17 571 men aged ≥45 years, across six Brazilian states, where men were recalled for further evaluation in the case of either a suspicious DRE and/or PSA ≥4.0 ng/mL, or PSA 2.5–3.9 ng/mL and %fPSA ≤15.

We evaluated the impact of a %fPSA ≤15 on cancer detection rates and the clinical and pathological stage of tumours in men with a normal DRE and PSA 2.5–3.9 ng/mL.

RESULTS

When suspicious DRE and/or PSA ≥4.0 ng/mL were considered as criteria to prompt further evaluation, the cancer detection rate was 3.1%. When %fPSA ≤15 in men with total PSA levels of 2.5–3.9 ng/mL were considered as criteria, the PCa detection rate increased to 3.7%. Considering %fPSA ≤15 in men with PSA 2.5–3.9 ng/mL and normal DRE, the positive predictive value of biopsy was 31.1%.

Clinical stage was more favourable among men with PSA 2.5–3.9 ng/mL, normal DRE, and %fPSA ≤15 compared with men with normal DRE and PSA ≥4.0 ng/mL (P= 0.02).

Among those who underwent radical prostatectomy, pathological stage and the proportion of insignificant tumours were similar between men with PSA 2.5–3.9 ng/mL, normal DRE findings and %fPSA ≤15, and men with PSA ≥4.0 ng/mL.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of %fPSA ≤15 as a biopsy indication in men with normal DRE and PSA 2.5–4.0 ng/mL in a PCa screening programme, increased cancer detection rates. Tumours in this subset of patients had similar pathological characteristics.

Using %fPSA ≤15 to indicate biopsy in men with PSA 2.5–3.9 ng/mL is a useful adjunct to PCa screening.
Developing Generic Competences in the European Higher Education Area: a proposal for teaching the principles of economics
Authors: Velasco Manuel Salas , Sánchez Martínez María Teresa , Ferrero Noelina Rodríguez
Published: August 2012

The participation of Spain in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) involves a number of important challenges for academics. Adapting to an educational model that is characterised by competence‐based teaching is a difficult task, yet it is of paramount importance in the context of current reforms. In an educational system in which the traditional lecture prevails, learning‐centred teaching represents a major cultural change with significant consequences. The objective of this study is to offer economics lecturers some practical techniques for use in the classroom. Specifically, it includes suggestions for the planning, preparation and teaching of lectures, seminars, tutorials, case studies, debates, and computer‐based learning. It also provides practical advice on student assessment.
The Transformation of the European Educational Discourse in the Balkans
Authors: Zmas Aristotelis
Published: August 2012

The transfer of the European educational discourse to particular nation‐states is a complex process. The outcomes following this transfer are unclear. This article examines the transfer of the European educational discourse in the Balkans and proposes its richer description through the consideration of the processes of educational democratisation and modernisation over the last 40 years in this area. These processes have facilitated the transfer of the European discourse to each of the Balkan countries, which today is achieved largely through participation in European Union programmes, the voluntary signing of common declarations, and financial backing through European funding. At the same time, there seems to be the general impression that the spread of the European discourse has similar effects on the reform of all the Balkan educational systems. As research interest now focuses almost exclusively on the transfer of the European educational discourse to the Balkans, one can easily surmise from this that the reform of the educational systems of the various countries in the region has a common ideological foundation. However, taking into account the concept of discourse transformation, it is argued here that the European educational discourse is influenced by the implementation of the various national policies. In one way or another, the European standards and brand names have to be filtered through the existing economic, sociological, political and cultural structures of each of the Balkan countries.
Bologna 2010. The Moment of Truth?
Authors: Veiga Amélia
Published: August 2012

Government policies are central factors shaping the environment of higher education institutions. European governments have included in their higher education political strategies the principal goal of implementing the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The perceptions that key actors of higher education institutions (HEIs) have about political developments are important as they may influence the achievement of government policy. The Bologna Process is at the heart of policy coordination, the instrument selected at European and national levels to establish EHEA.

This article seeks to discuss empirically the views of institutional actors about the Bologna Process, taking into consideration the achievement of EHEA. The discussion is based on the analysis of the EHEA implementation in seven HEIs located in four higher education systems — Germany, Italy, Norway and Portugal. This paper draws on the theoretic‐methodological approach of the policy cycle to analyse the perceptions of HEIs' constituencies about Bologna.
Academic Understandings of and Responses to Bologna: a three‐country perspective
Authors: Sin Cristina
Published: August 2012

This article aims to describe how academics in England, Denmark and Portugal understand the Bologna Process, their attitudes towards the initiative, and how understandings and attitudes determine action. It shows how contextually and culturally determined academic understandings, expectations, preferences, priorities and constraints are key influences in the process of educational change envisaged by the Bologna Process. Second, inspired by the implementation staircase metaphor which illustrates different actors' perceptions conditioned by their location on the path of the policy, the article presents three different examples of interplay between national authorities responsible for policy‐making in the wake of the Bologna Process and the institutional field responsible for policy implementation. It reveals variations from country to country with regard to bottom‐up and top‐down initiatives, both at the level of actors' expectations and of actual measures to implement Bologna policy. This article comes in response to the frailty of an empirical base for the understanding of Bologna from an institutional and academic perspective.

A video abstract of this article can be viewed at http://youtu.be/9YVouJ35XuE
The Shifting Relationship between Vocational and Higher Education in France and Germany: towards convergence?
Authors: Powell Justin J. W. , Graf Lukas , Bernhard Nadine , Coutrot Laurence , Kieffer Annick
Published: August 2012

In Europe, the Bologna and Copenhagen Processes in higher education (HE) and vocational education and training (VET) are on the agenda, aiming to create a European educational area. Acknowledging important differences between countries, we compare the evolving relationship between HE and VET. We ask whether and how these two distinct organisational fields in France and Germany have changed in recent decades. Comparing institutional shifts, the article analyses whether long‐standing differences in postsecondary education and training systems and the education/economy nexus in these two countries have remained stable. We argue that these countries’ skill formation systems have begun to converge, departing from their original institutionalisation paths. Thus, while the traditional typologies that contrast France and Germany have served as useful heuristic devices, they require revision to adequately represent incremental institutional change in these skill formation systems resulting from endogenous reforms and exogenous pressures due to Europeanisation.
Fulfilling a European Vision through Flexible Learning and Choice
Authors: Harris Margaret S. G.
Published: August 2012

This article considers the value of flexibility and free choice in learning, and examines the increasing recognition of the evolving and wide range of appropriate environments for learning, such as the workplace, the home, the community, and the virtual world. This ‘Lifeplace Learning’ is compared to the requirements and visions of the European Qualifications Framework and it is shown how this concept is ideally placed to satisfy, not only the European vision of freeing and equalising learning and qualification recognition, but also the goals of including more people in education, allowing for flexible and apposite learning, and the development of graduates who are ‘fit for purpose’. A model of Lifeplace Learning is described that is based on the utilisation of any chosen life place environment for learning, combined with learner negotiated objectives, enabling formal, informal and non‐formal learning to be recognised through assessment, and by the awarding of credit where this is appropriate. The model has, at its core, the development of competence in independent judgement, critical thinking, personal autonomy and reflective practice.

It is concluded that, as traditional learning models deprive learners of a personal, autonomous and negotiated approach to learning (without which learners fail to develop critical competence in exercising independent judgment and critical thought considered essential and core to personal and professional development) and as Europe is striving to increase the recognition of many types of learning and ease transitions across national boundaries, this model could be an effective way forward to resolve the former and achieve the latter.
Development and implementation of voluntary food and drink guidelines for early years settings in England
Authors: Wall C. , Mucavele P. , Sharp L.
Published: August 2012

Children's early years provide an important foundation for their future health and wellbeing. Diet during this time influences growth, development and achievement, but dietary needs of children aged 1–5 years are not always met.

There are over 1.3 million registered early years childcare places in England with an increasing proportion of children attending full day care. The Early Years Foundation Stage framework includes a welfare requirement for food and drink provided in regulated settings to be ‘healthy, balanced and nutritious’, but until recently, no practical guidelines were available in England to define this in practice.

The Advisory Panel on Food and Nutrition in Early Years concluded that the government should provide further practical guidance for early years settings on meeting the nutritional requirements of children aged 1–5 years. The School Food Trust's Eat Better, Start Better programme, commissioned by the Department for Education, involved development of Voluntary Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years Settings in England, which give practical guidance on the types, frequencies and amounts of food and drink to provide for meals and snacks. The guidelines were piloted in 18 early years settings, extensively reviewed by the health and early years sector and subsequently published on the Trust's website in January 2012, with example menus, self‐evaluation checklists and a Code of Practice for Food and Drink.

Training in, and evaluation of, the new guidelines is underway in 20 local authorities. Future challenges include ensuring that the guidelines are used consistently by early years settings when providing food and drink for young children in their care.
A Multi‐level Perspective of CSR Reporting: The Implications of National Institutions and Industry Risk Characteristics
Authors: Young Suzanne , Marais Magalie
Published: August 2012

Manuscript Type

Empirical

Research Question/Issue

This study seeks to capture the influence of national institutions and industry characteristics on CSR reporting. To explore national institutions, the paper compares CSR reporting in France and Australia characterized respectively as state‐led market economies (SLMEs) and liberal market economies (LMEs). Comparisons are also made between high‐risk and low‐risk industries. The interaction between the two main variables is also analyzed.

Research Findings/Insights

Using corporate published data from a sample of 220 Australian and French companies in 2009, the research finds that CSR reporting is stronger and CSR practices more transparent in France compared to Australia. CSR reporting is also stronger in high‐risk industries than in low‐risk industries. It also found that industry characteristics override the influence of national institutions in high‐risk industries. However, these conclusions vary depending on the sub‐categories of CSR reporting and the implicit versus explicit form of this type of communication.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

This study develops a new model of CSR reporting using 99 items. It provides empirical support for the institutional perspective for understanding differences in reporting whilst demonstrating the interaction between industry risk characteristics and national institutions.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

The study offers insights to policy makers interested in promoting CSR accountability and transparency. It especially raises the importance of regulation to develop corporate reporting practices. It also provides insights to managers to identify relevant CSR practices within their country/industries and the different communication strategies that they can adopt in responding to institutional pressures.
Complexity and Dual Institutionality: The Case of IFRS Adoption in Russia
Authors: Alon Anna
Published: August 2012

Manuscript Type

Empirical

Research Questions/Issue

The widespread adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by many transition economies is expected to contribute to greater transparency in financial reporting. However, the business environment in many of these countries is associated with institutional voids and ongoing economic and institutional change. Organizations operating in this environment face considerable institutional complexity due to influences from incongruent institutional logics of local and global institutions. This study investigates how organizations manage institutional complexity created by the incompatible institutional logics which are linked to IFRS adoption.

Research Findings/Insights

In Russia, institutional change related to IFRS adoption was not revolutionary as IFRS did not replace Russian Accounting Standards (RAS) but both standards coexist. Based on a sample of 1,236 firms, organizational identity and the discretion in standard implementation were identified as factors that play a role in how organizations manage institutional complexity created by the coexistence of both standards.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

With organizations in transition economies increasingly managing global and local pressures, this study highlights conditions under which practices rooted in conflicting institutional logics coexist and create dual institutionality. Dual institutionality occurs when distinct but related practices that organizations are using have legitimacy but are rooted in diverse institutional logics and coexist due to different levels of discretion associated with their implementation. This concept is distinct from previously identified institutional duality, where competing institutional logics of subsidiary and the host country influence how a particular practice is implemented by organizations.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

While adoption of IFRS is expected to contribute to greater financial transparency and comparability, some countries choose to continue with the local standards while permitting or requiring IFRS. This type of parallel adoption may undermine the influence of IFRS. However, divergence between the logics and discretion in standard implementation makes it possible for both practices to exist.
Relation between Top Executive Compensation Structure and Corporate Governance: Evidence from Japanese Public Disclosed Data
Authors: Sakawa Hideaki , Moriyama Keisuke , Watanabel Naoki
Published: August 2012

Manuscript Type

Empirical

Research Question/Issue

This paper explores the incentive structure of executive compensation in Japan in 2010, when Japanese individual executive compensation data for those receiving more than 100 million Japanese yen were made public for the first time. This public disclosure enables investigation of the relation between cash‐based and stock‐based individual incentive compensation and corporate governance mechanisms in Japan.

Research Findings/Insights

Results show that 1) the bank ties do not substitute for incentive compensation, unlike in the 1990s in Japan, when they were effective for solving agency conflicts; and 2) the role of incentive compensation is found to be effective for firms with a higher degree of foreign ownership. We also examine the role of the new internal control mechanism of firms with a committee system which includes a compensation committee for facilitating incentive compensation. However results show that internal control systems of firms with committees only facilitate short‐term incentive packages because they fall into short‐termism as a result of their short duration of a single year.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

Theoretically, bank ties do not contribute as a substitute for incentive compensation to align management and shareholder interests under a Japanese relationship‐oriented system. This implies that Japanese relationship‐oriented systems would have been weakened by solving agency conflicts. Furthermore, firms with committee systems can no longer provide managerial incentives because of the short‐termism of committee members.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

This study provides insights for practitioners and policymakers interested in executive compensation structures in any country where corporate governance is reformed to introduce Anglo‐American mechanisms.
Administrative Justice: A Libertarian Cinderella in Search of an Egalitarian Prince
Authors: O'BRIEN NICK
Published: August 2012

This article argues that the political significance of the Coalition government's proposed changes to administrative justice, including the abolition of the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council, is in danger of passing unnoticed, despite its potential significance for the Big Society agenda. It suggests that the retrieval of genuine perspective lies in paying closer attention both to the contemporary importance of administrative justice and to the political debates of the 1950s and 1960s, which set opposing views of administrative justice in broadly libertarian and egalitarian contexts respectively. It concludes that the recovery in particular of an egalitarian account of administrative justice is necessary to animate, and rebalance, the debate. Administrative justice might then be perceived as an essential part of a broader political vision and a significant aspect of social justice more ambitiously conceived.
The Professors on Public Life
Authors: FRENCH RICHARD D.
Published: August 2012

Many academics misunderstand public life and the conditions under which policy is made. This article examines misconceptions in three major academic traditions—policy as science (e.g., ‘evidence‐based policy’), normative political theory, and the mini‐public school of deliberative democracy—and argues that the practical implications of each of these traditions are limited by their partial, shallow and etiolated vision of politics. Three constitutive features of public life, competition, publicity and uncertainty, compromise the potential of these traditions to affect in any fundamental way the practice of politics. Dissatisfaction with real existing democracy is not the consequence of some intellectual or moral failure uniquely characteristic of the persona publica, and attempts to reform it are misdirected to the extent that they imagine a better public life modeled on academic ideals.
From Ted to Ed: Electing British Party Leaders
Authors: DENHAM ANDREW
Published: August 2012

Since 1965, British political parties have radically, and repeatedly, changed the ways in which they choose their leaders. In this article, I explain how and why these changes occurred and assess the consequences of the ‘new’ selection procedures adopted by four ‘mainstream’ parties: Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Party and the Liberal Democrats. In the first section, following Sjoblom and Stark, I outline a theoretical framework which purports to explain the criteria used by parties in parliamentary systems when choosing their leaders. I then examine the four parties in turn and consider two questions. First, how and why has the process of selecting British party leaders changed over time; and secondly, to what extent, and why, have the ‘new’ selection procedures adopted since 1965 produced different outcomes, resulting in the election of leaders who would not have been chosen had the decision rested with their party's elites and/or MPs alone?
The Rising Tide Economy: Lessons from the Squeezed Middle for Progressive Economic Policy
Authors: PLUNKETT JAMES
Published: August 2012

For all its rhetorical potency, the policy implications of the ‘squeezed middle’ are yet to be fully explored. This article looks at what the phenomenon means for the design and prosecution of progressive economic policy. It argues that any progressive government today needs to adopt a new first order goal of economic policy: ensuring that the material wellbeing of ordinary working people rises when the economy grows, a project referred to as ‘building a rising tide economy’. This objective would sit in addition to the traditional goals of sustained GDP growth, high employment, low inflation and poverty reduction. It would have real implications across a range of important policy areas.
Hybrid of Shape Grammar and Morphing for Procedural Modeling of 3D Caves
Authors: Zawadzki Tomasz , Nikiel Slawomir , Warszawski Korneliusz
Published: August 2012

Procedural modeling of three‐dimensional shapes plays a significant role in many areas nowadays. Methods based on the automation of the modeling process offer a variety of three‐dimensional structures, saving time and money. Geometry synthesis is currently used in many fields including digital cinema, electronic entertainment and simulation. There is a need to replace designers' work with intelligent automated algorithms, especially in the case of terrain modeling. This article addresses the problem of modeling virtual caves and tunnels and presents alternative solutions in the form of a hybrid system. The innovative approach combines two independent methods well known in computer graphics: shape grammars and shape morphing for modeling three‐dimensional geometry. In the modeling process, it is possible to obtain the characteristics of 3D structures with non‐spherical mesh topology. The objects and their transformations are described by functions, while production grammars define the geometry modeling process. The scene graph can be expanded by classic productions and optimized by morphing productions. Obtained shapes can be freely deformed in subsequent productions. The system offers control over the process of modeling and the resulting structure can be rendered up to a high level of realism. We also propose some measures that can be used to verify the modeling results: coefficients indicating the degree of convexity of three‐dimensional model topology based on the structure of inequality, the volume of the model, surface model and the number of model elements.
Undermining the rules in home care services for the elderly in Norway: flexibility and cooperation
Authors: Wollscheid Sabine , Eriksen John , Hallvik Jørgen
Published: August 2012

Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 414–421

Undermining the rules in home care services for the elderly in Norway: flexibility and cooperation

Objectives:  This study explores the provision of home care services (home nursing and domiciliary help) for the elderly in Norwegian municipalities with purchaser–provider split model. The study draws on the assumption that flexibility in adjusting services to the care receivers’ needs, and cooperation between provider and purchasers are indicators of good quality of care.

Data and Methods:  Data were collected through semi‐structured telephone interviews with 22 team leaders of provider units in nine municipalities. Data were collected in 2008–2009. The study has been approved by the Norwegian Social Science Data Services.

Findings:  We identified four different ways of organising home care services under a purchaser–provider split model: Provider empowerment, New Public Management, Vague instructions and undermining the rules. High flexibility in providing care and cooperation with the purchaser unit were identified by the team leaders as characteristics for good care.

Conclusions:  Our findings suggest that the care providers use individual strategies that allow flexibility and cooperation rather than rigidly abiding to the regulations the purchaser–provider split models implies. Ironically, in provider units where the ‘rules were undermined’, the informants (team leaders of provider units) seemed to be most satisfied with the quality of home care that they delivered.
Baicalein attenuates impaired hippocampal neurogenesis and the neurocognitive deficits induced by γ‐ray radiation
Authors: Oh Shin Bi , Park Hee Ra , Jang Young Jung , Choi Seon Young , Son Tae Gen , Lee Jaewon
Published: August 2012

Background and Purpose

Whole‐brain irradiation (WBI) therapy produces learning and memory deficits in patients with brain tumours. Although the pathological cascade of cognitive deficits remains unknown, it may involve reduced neurogenesis within the hippocampus. Baicalein is a flavonoid derived from the roots of Huangqin, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, and has been shown to have antioxidant effects. Here, we have investigated the protective effects of baicalein on irradiation‐induced impairments in hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function.

Experimental Approach

Radioprotective effects of baicalein were evaluated in C17.2 neural progenitor cells and 6‐week‐old male C57BL/6 mice during hippocampal neurogenesis. Mice were given a single dose of 5 Gy WBI. Changes in hippocampal neurogenesis, oxidative stress and BDNF‐pCREB signalling were evaluated. Morris water maze and passive avoidance test were used to assess learning and memory.

Key Results

Baicalein protected neural progenitor cells against irradiation‐induced necrotic cell death. Pretreatment with baicalein attenuated the irradiation‐induced impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis by modulating oxidative stress and elevating BDNF‐pCREB signalling. Furthermore, baicalein prevented the spatial learning and memory retention deficits follwing WBI.

Conclusions and Implications

Our findings suggest that baicalein can be viewed as a potential therapeutic agent that protects against the impaired neurogenesis induced by WBI, and its neurocognitive consequences.
NS6180, a new KCa3.1 channel inhibitor prevents T‐cell activation and inflammation in a rat model of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Strøbæk D , Brown DT , Jenkins DP , Chen Y‐J , Coleman N , Ando Y , Chiu P , Jørgensen S , Demnitz J , Wulff H , Christophersen P
Published: August 2012

Background and Purpose

The KCa3.1 channel is a potential target for therapy of immune disease. We identified a compound from a new chemical class of KCa3.1 inhibitors and assessed in vitro and in vivo inhibition of immune responses.

Experimental Approach

We characterized the benzothiazinone NS6180 (4‐[[3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methyl]‐2H‐1,4‐benzothiazin‐3(4H)‐one) with respect to potency and molecular site of action on KCa3.1 channels, selectivity towards other targets, effects on T‐cell activation as well as pharmacokinetics and inflammation control in colitis induced by 2,4‐dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, a rat model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Key Results

NS6180 inhibited cloned human KCa3.1 channels (IC50 = 9 nM) via T250 and V275, the same amino acid residues conferring sensitivity to triarylmethanes such as like TRAM‐34. NS6180 inhibited endogenously expressed KCa3.1 channels in human, mouse and rat erythrocytes, with similar potencies (15–20 nM). NS6180 suppressed rat and mouse splenocyte proliferation at submicrolar concentrations and potently inhibited IL‐2 and IFN‐γ production, while exerting smaller effects on IL‐4 and TNF‐α and no effect on IL‐17 production. Antibody staining showed KCa3.1 channels in healthy colon and strong up‐regulation in association with infiltrating immune cells after induction of colitis. Despite poor plasma exposure, NS6180 (3 and 10 mg·kg−1 b.i.d.) dampened colon inflammation and improved body weight gain as effectively as the standard IBD drug sulfasalazine (300 mg·kg−1 q.d.).

Conclusions and Implications

NS6180 represents a novel class of KCa3.1 channel inhibitors which inhibited experimental colitis, suggesting KCa3.1 channels as targets for pharmacological control of intestinal inflammation.
Ozonation of the reactive dye intermediate 2‐naphthylamine 3,6,8‐trisulphonic acid (K‐Acid): kinetic assessment, ozonation products and ecotoxicity
Authors: Arslan‐Alaton Idil , Basar Gulcan , Olmez‐Hanci Tugba
Published: August 2012

Ozonation of the commercially important, recalcitrant reactive dye intermediate 2‐naphthylamine 3,6,8‐trisulphonic acid (K‐Acid) was investigated. Ozonation performance was examined by following ozone absorption rates and K‐Acid, chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon removals. Mean oxidation states and unidentified organic products were also determined. At pH 3, where direct ozone reactions are dominant, the second‐order rate constant between K‐Acid and molecular ozone was determined as 20 m−1 s−1 for steady‐state aqueous ozone concentration. The competition kinetics approach was also adopted where a reference compound, phenol, and K‐Acid were subjected to ozonation. By applying this method, the second‐order reaction rate constant was found to be 76 m−1 s−1. Common oxidation products formed during ozonation at pH 3, pH 7 and pH 7 with 1 mm hydrogen peroxide were identified as methoxy‐phenyl‐oxime, phenol, benzene, benzaldehyde and oxalic acid via high‐performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses. Continuous nitrate and sulphate evolution were observed during K‐Acid ozonation as a consequence of the abrupt release and subsequent oxidation of its amino and sulphonate groups. The number and amount of reaction products were most intensive for K‐Acid ozonation at pH 7 with 1 mm hydrogen peroxide. According to the acute toxicity tests conducted with Vibrio fischeri, ozonation products were not less toxic than the original K‐Acid solution that caused only 15% inhibition.
Factors Influencing Health Behaviors of Younger Women After Menopause‐Inducing Cancer Treatment
Authors: McCarthy Alexandra L. , Tramm Ralph , Shaban Ramon Z. , Yates Patricia
Published: August 2012

Objective

To investigate the health promotion and risk reduction behaviors of younger women previously treated for cancer.

Design and Sample

Guided by the “Precede‐Proceed” framework, a mixed‐method descriptive investigation of the health behaviors of younger women with cancer treatment‐induced menopause in one health jurisdiction in Australia was undertaken.

Measures

This article reports the results of the qualitative interview component of the study.

Results

Of the 85 women who responded to surveys that quantified their health behaviors, 22 consented to interviews that explored how and why these behaviors might occur.

Conclusions

Several predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors that influenced participants' will or ability to engage with health‐promoting behaviors after cancer treatment were identified in the interviews. These include entrenched precancer diagnosis health behaviors, the disabilities resulting from cancer treatments, perceptions of risk, focused intervention by health professionals and the nature of participants' social support. The results indicate a need for flexibility when planning public health initiatives to prepare this cohort for a healthy life after cancer, which accounts for their developmental, knowledge and posttreatment needs.
Self‐Reported Help‐Seeking Behaviors and Treatment Choices of Adolescents Regarding Acne
Authors: Corey Kristen C. , Cheng Carol E. , Irwin Blair , Kimball Alexandra B.
Published: August 2012

Abstract:  Acne vulgaris is a common condition affecting adolescents that they often choose to treat on their own rather than seek out and follow medical advice. Using data from an anonymous survey administered to 1,214 students in public middle and high schools in New Jersey, we compared the self‐reported acne frequency, severity, and beliefs of students based on their help‐seeking behaviors, treatment choices, and treatment adherence. Chi‐square analyses were performed for data comparison. A large proportion of students in this sample (57%) treated their own acne, and a much smaller proportion (17%) have sought medical care. Students who saw a health professional reported acne of higher frequency and severity than those who did not (p = 0.01). Severity also appeared to affect treatment adherence, with students who adhered to recommended treatments reporting more frequent (p < 0.001) and more severe (p = 0.02) acne than those who chose to self‐treat. Beliefs and knowledge varied most significantly according to treatment adherence. In conclusion, most adolescent students treat their own acne. Self‐assessment of acne severity plays a significant role in the tendency to seek out and adhere to medical treatment. Beliefs and knowledge may also affect adherence, suggesting a role for physicians to influence adherence rates through patient education. Because the majority of students are getting information from nonphysician sources, there may be a need to evaluate the resources they are using to make sure they are receiving appropriate, helpful information.