bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Graft‐versus‐host disease or toxic epidermal necrolysis: diagnostic dilemma after liver transplantation
Authors: Jeanmonod P. , Hubbuch M. , Grünhage F. , Meiser A. , Rass K. , Schilling M.K. , Kollmar O.
Published: June 2012

Graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare and severe complications after liver transplantation. While mild acute GvHD is quite different from TEN and easy to distinguish, severe acute GvHD and TEN can be hard to differentiate because of similar clinical symptoms. We herein report a case with rapid progression of critical illness, after liver transplantation, caused by GvHD or TEN, although between those, diagnosis was not possible during the clinical course. Although, based on the timing/progression of the symptoms and the chimerism of >40%, the case seemed much more clinically consistent with GVHD, the combination of clinical symptoms together with skin rashes and the histologic appearance of skin lesions indicated diagnosis of a Stevens‐Johnson syndrome/TEN overlap. The true diagnostic dilemma in such cases is discussed in detail, as these cases emphasize the need for more advanced diagnostic techniques.
Polymorphic variation of CYP11B2 predicts postoperative resolution of hypertension in patients undergoing adrenalectomy for aldosterone‐producing adenomas
Authors: Wang Wei , Hu Wei Lie , Zhang Li Chao , Xiao Yuan Song , Liu Jun , Bin Chen
Published: June 2012

Objectives:  The surgical cure rate of patients with aldosterone‐producing adenoma varies widely, and causes of persistent hypertension are not completely established. The objective of this study was to assess the blood pressure outcome in patients after retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy, and to analyze the CYP11B2 344 C/T polymorphism and any factors associated with the outcome.

Methods:  Between 2002 and 2009, 82 patients with unilateral aldosterone‐producing adenoma underwent retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy. Clinical and biochemical data were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were investigated to assess the association of the CYP11B2 344 C/T polymorphism with resistant hypertension after surgery.

Results:  Adrenalectomy cured hypertension in 44 patients (53.7%), and 27 patients (32.9%) had persistent hypertension that was much easier to control after surgery, whereas 11 patients (13.4%) had continued hypertension and poor blood pressure control. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the main determinants of postoperative cure were duration of hypertension less than 5 years (OR 4.515, 95% CI 1.978–10.293), number of antihypertensive medications ≤2 (OR 2.639, 95% CI 1.154–6.035), preoperative response to spironolactone (OR 3.105, 95% CI 1.381–6.985) and the TT genotype of the CYP11B2 gene (344 C/T; OR 2.765, 95% CI 1.261–6.064).

Conclusions:  The 344 C/T polymorphism of the CYP11B2 gene predicts resolution of hypertension in patients undergoing adrnelactomy for aldosterone‐producing adenoma. Duration of hypertension, number of antihypertensive medications, and preoperative response to spironolactone also represents predictive factors that need to be considered for the identification of patients with continued postoperative hypertension requiring long‐term monitoring and treatment.
An investigation on the impact fatigue characteristics of valve leaves for small hermetic reciprocating compressors in a new automated test system
Authors: ALTUNLU A. C. , LAZOGLU I. , OGUZ E. , KARA S.
Published: June 2012

This paper presents an investigation on the impact fatigue characteristics of valve leaves that are prevalently used in hermetic reciprocating compressors especially for the household type refrigerators. A unique automated impact fatigue test system has been designed and produced, which enables to carry out impact fatigue tests of the compressor valve leaves under the desired impact velocities. The test system incorporates a noncontact actuation, a data acquisition system and an acoustic‐based damage detection technique, which continuously monitors the health of the structure. The damage detection system allows parametrical investigation on the impact fatigue life by detecting any possible damage and automatically terminating the test. The investigation relates the impact fatigue lifetime of the valve leaves with the impact velocity, asymmetrical impact, operation temperature, material type (carbon strip steel, stainless strip steel and new stainless strip steel grade) and tumbling operation duration. The observations show that the cracks have initiated from the edges of the valve leaf where is in contact with the valve plate. Subsequently, the cracks initially have propagated in the radial direction inwards the center of the impact area. Various failure cases have been resulted in by either a single crack or inter‐related multiple cracks. Microscopic and metallographic observations have been performed on the specimens to enhance the understanding of the damage mechanisms. The investigation and introduced test system guide the design optimization of the valve leaves in terms of compressor performance due to the energy consumption and lifetime of the valve leaf.
A clinical evaluation of the i‐gelTM supraglottic airway device in children
Authors: Hughes Corinna , Place Kelly , Berg Simon , Mason David
Published: June 2012

Background:  The i‐gelTM is one of the latest commercially available, second‐generation supraglottic airway devices (SADs). Specific features include a distal cuff made of a thermoplastic elastomer gel that does not require inflation and a gastric side channel to allow passage of a gastric tube, venting of gas from the stomach, and an early indication of regurgitation. Previous studies in older children and adults have shown that it is a reliable, efficient, and safe device for airway management.

Methods:  We evaluated the i‐gelTM in sizes ranging from 1 to 2.5 in children considered suitable for a supraglottic device. We assessed successful rates of insertion, airway leak pressure, position confirmed by fiberoptic laryngoscopy, gastric tube placement, manipulations required, and complications.

Results:  The i‐gelTM was used in 154 children over a period of 12 months. The median age [interquartile range (IQR)] was 4 years 11 months (2–7 years), median weight (IQR) 19 kg (13–26), and median (IQR) duration of procedure 29 (30–45) min. First insertion attempt was successful in 93.5% of patients, and second attempt in 5.8%. The median (IQR) time to insertion was 14 (13–16) s. The median (IQR) leak pressure was 20 (15–25) cmH20. Gastric tube placement was successful in 90% of cases. On fiberoptic examination, the vocal cords were visible in 97% of patients. Complications arose in 20% of patients, but the majority were minor. Anesthetists commented that the device had a tendency to displace upward out of the mouth and that extension toward the forehead and flexion toward the feet of the proximal tube altered the quality of the airway. Overall, in seven (4.5%) patients, the device was abandoned and an alternative airway was used.

Conclusions:  Pediatric i‐gelTM sizes 1.5–2.5 provided a satisfactory airway during anesthesia for spontaneously breathing infants and children. However, to ensure a clear airway, considerable vigilance is required when fixing the device in the mouth and to avoid the negative effects of flexion of the proximal tubing. The i‐gelTM is more expensive than first‐generation devices. Whether this additional cost for the potential benefit of greater airway protection is considered acceptable will depend on longer‐time evaluation and surveillance to establish overall safety.
SAVINGS AND PERSONAL DISCOUNT RATES IN A MATCHED SAVINGS PROGRAM FOR LOW‐INCOME FAMILIES
Authors: KLAWITTER MARIEKA M. , ANDERSON C. LEIGH , GUGERTY MARY KAY
Published: June 2012

The ability to save for future needs is critical to family well‐being and is especially challenging for low‐income families with little extra income and limited access to institutional structures like employment‐based retirement funds or low cost savings mechanisms. Many nonprofits and governments have created new savings vehicles to fill this void. The ability of families to succeed in these programs may depend on their personal discount rates (time preferences). In this paper, we use survey data from a matched savings program and factor analysis to characterize family time preferences in order to predict their influence on savings levels. We find that a single latent factor describing the level of discount rates (rather than other dimensions of time or amount inconsistency) best describes family differences and is significantly related to the ability of families to save within the program. (JEL D91, I30)
The First Quarter Century of the GASB (1984–2009): A Perspective on Standard Setting (Part Two)
Authors: ROYBARK HELEN M. , COFFMAN EDWARD N. , PREVITS GARY J.
Published: June 2012

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (hereafter GASB or Board) was established in April 1984 as the authoritative accounting standard‐setting body for state and local governmental entities in the United States. There are over 87,000 state and local entities in the country and for the most part these entities are required to comply with the generally accepted accounting principles established by the GASB; hence, the standards promulgated by the GASB are significant.

On 30 June 2009, the GASB completed its twenty‐fifth year of standard setting. Because of the Board's influence and the importance of its mission, an increased understanding of the GASB and its accomplishments during its first 25 years of existence is important.

This is the second of two papers which together provide a complete sequential treatment of the GASB's operational history through the end of its first quarter century. The first part provided an historical perspective about municipal accounting issues from colonial times to 2009 and included appendix materials identifying the composition of the Board and biographical material on key personnel. The first paper concluded with a review of the relationship of other governmental standard setting bodies at the Federal and the International level.

This paper provides an overview of the future challenges faced by the Board and supplies a digest of the standards including appendix and a synoptic summary of the standards the Board has promulgated by topic and by standard number.
Constructing Asset Pricing Models With Specific Factor Loadings
Authors: DAVIDSON IAN , GUO QIAN , SONG XIAOJING , TIPPETT MARK
Published: June 2012

We demonstrate how one can build pricing formulae in which factors other than beta may be viewed as determinants of asset returns. This is important conceptually as it demonstrates how the additional factors can compensate for a market portfolio proxy that is mis‐specified, and also shows how such a pricing model can be specified ex ante. The procedure is implemented by first selecting an ‘orthogonal’ portfolio which falls on the mean‐variance efficient frontier computed from the empirical average returns, variances and covariances on the equity securities of a large sample of firms. One then determines the inefficient index portfolio which leads to a vector of betas that when multiplied by the average return on the orthogonal portfolio, and which when subtracted from the vector of average returns for the firms comprising the sample, yields an error vector that is equal to the vector of numerical values for the variables that are to form the basis of the asset pricing formula. There will then be a perfect linear relationship between the vector of average returns for the firms comprising the sample, the vector of betas based on the inefficient index portfolio and such other factors that are deemed to be important in the asset pricing process. We illustrate computational procedures using a numerical example based on the quality of information contained in published corporate financial statements.
Non‐Audit Service Fees and Financial Reporting Quality: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: HABIB AHSAN
Published: June 2012

Auditing as a corporate governance mechanism has attracted considerable research attention. Because of the information asymmetry between corporate managers and outside shareholders, auditors are hired to provide independent assurance that financial statements are prepared following generally accepted accounting principles. The credibility of such assurance depends on the independence, both in fact and in appearance, of the auditor. Over the years, however, the independence of auditors has come under increased scrutiny because of their joint provision of both audit and non‐audit services. A sizable literature on the impact of non‐audit fees on financial reporting quality has developed. The evidence from this literature, however, remains inconclusive. This paper provides a meta‐analysis of the available literature by assessing (a) the net effect of non‐audit fees on financial reporting quality, and (b) whether there is homogeneity in the financial reporting quality proxies used in the extant literature. Findings suggest that the level of client‐specific non‐audit fees is associated with reduced financial reporting quality. However, the underlying studies used to conduct this meta‐analysis are not homogenous.
Crete as warriorhood: Visual explorations of social imaginaries in ‘crisis’ (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Kalantzis Konstantinos
Published: June 2012

This paper explores contemporary Greek political praxis and social imagination through the study of Crete's position in engagements with the “crisis”. The essay employs the visual as an object and a method of analysis and examines a series of social spheres ranging from public protesting to televisual representation. The paper explores the cultural productivity of notions of native resistance in the current context as well as Cretan responses to the use of traditionalist idioms within the “crisis”.
Endogenous, Intra‐household Decision‐making and its Impact on the Labor Supply of Couples in Rural India*
Authors: Sinha Kompal
Published: June 2012

Using data for rural India, this paper analyzes households' labor supply decision‐making, taking into consideration non‐participation, endogenous intrahousehold bargaining and nutritional status. Analyses of unitary and collective models suggest that bargaining between household members forms the basis of households' decisions, and these decisions alter households' internal power balance. Analysis of households' internal bargaining process suggests that women's bargaining power increases when their wages are higher and they are better educated. The results indicate that it is crucial to account for the mechanics of decision‐making within households when studying the effects of changing labor market conditions or designing development policies to improve individual well‐being or to empower women.
SMALL OPEN ECONOMIES AND MEAN REVERTING NOMINAL EXCHANGE RATES*
Authors: TVEDT JOSTEIN
Published: June 2012

The nominal exchange rates of some small open economies seem to be long memory mean reverting. The long‐run volatility of these exchange rates may, therefore, be lower than previously recognised. The empirical findings are backed by a theoretical framework that link monetary policy to the dynamics of exchange rates. It suggests that exchange rates of small open economies that follow price level target monetary policies may be mean reverting.
A Socio‐Economic Profile of Families in the First Wave of the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children
Authors: Mullan Killian , Redmond Gerry
Published: June 2012

‘Footprints in time’, the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC), has been developed to provide insights into how Indigenous children's early years affect their development. Socio‐economic factors are at the core of many analyses of child development and well‐being and this article provides a socio‐economic profile of Indigenous families in the first wave of the LSIC. Utilising 12 indicators that are organised into three groups—primary carer, family income and financial stress—the article provides an extensive overview of the full range of socio‐economic data available in the LSIC. The article examines whether, when taken together, the different indicators tell a consistent story. It finds that, broadly, they do. The article raises some issues about the reporting of certain government payments and highlights the importance of family size when looking at family income. The article concludes by pointing to the potential for future research that these data present.
Renewable Resource Economics
Authors: McWhinnie Stephanie
Published: June 2012

Renewable resources play an important role in our economy directly as outputs, such as fish and timber, and indirectly as inputs, such as water and soil. This article introduces three key issues in renewable resource economics and the techniques that economists use to address them. Using examples from fisheries, I outline the theory of sustainable resource use, the problems associated with common property and interjurisdictional sharing. I complete the article with a discussion of two current challenges facing fisheries: the estimated $25–29 billion paid globally in subsidies each year and international sharing that has an adverse effect on stock status.
Women in the Workforce
Authors: Broderick Elizabeth
Published: June 2012

The case for increasing women's labour market participation in Australia includes a positive economic impact and an ability to remain competitive internationally. To increase participation, we must address existing barriers including pay inequity, unequal caring responsibilities, discrimination and harassment. Reforms have already been implemented, including paid parental leave and amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act. These provide a strong legislative base to support workplaces that are inclusive of both men and women. However, there is still much to be done to create a fairer and more equal Australia but, most importantly, an Australia with a prosperous and sustainable future.
Wages in Managed Markets: An Explanation of the Gender Wage Gap?
Authors: Gordon Jenny
Published: June 2012

Over the last decade or so in Australia, relative wages have declined in some female‐dominated occupations, notably in the care industries. This article argues that the strong growth in labour force participation of mature‐aged women has allowed wages to remain low in these ‘managed’ industries. Limited mobility across industries and occupations, at least in part due to preferences for part‐time work, and an institutional wage‐setting mechanism also play a role. Growing demand for workers in the care industries, rising skill levels of women, and slowing growth in participation as rates converge with those of men will contribute to stronger wage growth in the future.
Corporate Responsibility in the Collective Age: Toward a Conception of Collaborative Responsibility
Authors: WETTSTEIN FLORIAN
Published: June 2012

In this article, I will argue that it is time to rethink and reconfigure some of the established assumptions underlying our conception of moral responsibility. Specifically, there is a mismatch between the individualism of our common sense morality and the imperative for collaborative responses to global problems in what I will call the “collective age.” This must have an impact also on the way we think about the responsibility of corporations. I will argue that most plausibly we ought to reframe corporate responsibility as a conception of collaborative responsibility. Such a conception of collaborative responsibility is characterized by five key elements: first, it is based on the moral imperative for collaboration. Second, it shifts emphasis from commission to omission. Third, it is not only negative but also, and perhaps essentially, positive responsibility. Fourth, it is political responsibility. And finally, it is, most basically, human rights responsibility.
The Obama Administration's Regulatory Review Initiative: A 21st Century Federal Regulatory Initiative?
Authors: HEMPHILL THOMAS A.
Published: June 2012

On January 18, 2011, President Obama signed Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, which instructs federal regulators to do the following: coordinate their agencies activities to simplify and harmonize rules that may be overlapping, inconsistent, or redundant; determine whether the present and future benefits of a proposed regulation justify its potential costs (including taking into account both quantitative and qualitative factors); increase participation of industry, experts, and the public (“stakeholders”) in the formal rule‐making process; encourage the use of warnings, default rules, disclosure requirements, and provisions of information to the public as an alternative to traditional “command‐and‐control” rule‐making restricting consumer choice; and mandate a government‐wide review of all existing administrative rules to remove outdated regulations. Executive Order 13563 includes a qualitative “values” provision to be considered in the required cost–benefit analysis, which can potentially counteract the alleged regulatory reform rationale of President Obama. Furthermore, in Executive Order 13563, President Obama established a deadline of May 18, 2011, for all executive branch agencies to submit their plans to streamline their rulemaking operations and repeal those “overlapping, inconsistent, or redundant” rules. These two issues, along with complementary regulatory review proposals being discussed in the U.S. Congress, are evaluated in this essay.
AN EFFICIENT REPRESENTATION MODEL OF DISTANCE DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN UNCERTAIN OBJECTS
Authors: Hung Edward , Xiao Lurong , Hung Regant Y.S.
Published: June 2012

In this paper, we consider the problem of efficient computation of distance between uncertain objects. In many real life applications, data like sensor readings and weather forecasts are usually uncertain when they are collected or produced. An uncertain object has a probability distribution function (PDF) to represent the probability that it is actually located in a particular location. A fast and accurate distance computation between uncertain objects is important to many uncertain query evaluation (e.g., range queries and nearest‐neighbor queries) and uncertain data mining tasks (e.g., classifications, clustering, and outlier detection). However, existing approaches involve distance computations between samples of two objects, which is very computationally intensive. On one hand, it is expensive to calculate and store the actual distribution of the possible distance values between two uncertain objects. On the other hand, the expected distance (the weighted average of the pairwise distances among samples of two uncertain objects) provides very limited information and also restricts the definitions and usefulness of queries and mining tasks. In this paper, we propose several approaches to calculate the mean of the actual distance distribution and approximate its variance. Based on these, we suggest that the actual distance distribution could be approximated using a standard distribution like Gaussian or Gamma distribution. Experiments on real data and synthetic data show that our approach produces an approximation in a very short time with acceptable accuracy (about 90%). We suggest that it is practical for the research communities to define and develop more powerful queries and data mining tasks based on the distance distribution instead of the expected distance.
A Spatial‐Bayesian Technique for Imputing Pavement Network Repair Data
Authors: Saliminejad Siamak , Gharaibeh Nasir G.
Published: June 2012

Abstract:  Pavement construction and repair history is necessary for several pavement management functions such as developing pavement condition prediction models and developing maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) trigger values based on past repair frequencies. It is often difficult to integrate M&R data with condition data since these data are often stored in disparate heterogeneous databases. This article provides a computational technique for estimating construction and M&R history of a pavement network from the spatiotemporal patterns of its condition data. The technique is founded on Bayesian and spatial statistics and searches pavement condition data in groups of adjacent pavement sections for evidence of repair. The developed technique was applied to a pavement network in Texas and has been found to have a 74% precision and a 95% accuracy in estimating repair history data.
Cognitivism: A New Theory of Singular Thought?
Authors: SAWYER SARAH
Published: June 2012

In a series of recent articles, Robin Jeshion has developed a theory of singular thought which she calls ‘cognitivism’. According to Jeshion, cognitivism offers a middle path between acquaintance theories—which she takes to impose too strong a requirement on singular thought, and semantic instrumentalism—which she takes to impose too weak a requirement. In this article, I raise a series of concerns about Jeshion's theory, and suggest that the relevant data can be accommodated by a version of acquaintance theory that distinguishes unsuccessful thoughts of singular form from successful singular thoughts, and in addition allows for ‘trace‐based’ acquaintance.
Metacognition and Endorsement
Authors: MICHAELIAN KOURKEN
Published: June 2012

Real agents rely, when forming their beliefs, on imperfect informational sources (sources which deliver, even under normal conditions of operation, both accurate and inaccurate information). They therefore face the ‘endorsement problem’: how can beliefs produced by endorsing information received from imperfect sources be formed in an epistemically acceptable manner? Focussing on the case of episodic memory and drawing on empirical work on metamemory, this article argues that metacognition likely plays a crucial role in explaining how agents solve the endorsement problem.
The rise and fall of Spain (1270–1850)1
Authors: ÁLVAREZ‐NOGAL CARLOS , DE LA ESCOSURA LEANDRO PRADOS
Published: June 2012

Two distinctive regimes are distinguished in Spain over half a millennium. The first one (1270s–1590s) corresponds to a high land–labour ratio frontier economy, which is pastoral, trade‐oriented, and led by towns. Wages and food consumption were relatively high. Sustained per capita growth occurred from the end of the Reconquest (1264) to the Black Death (1340s) and resumed from the 1390s only broken by late fifteenth‐century turmoil. A second regime (1600s–1810s) corresponds to a more agricultural and densely populated low‐wage economy which, although it grew at a pace similar to that of 1270–1600, remained at a lower level. Contrary to pre‐industrial western Europe, Spain achieved its highest living standards in the 1340s, not by mid‐fifteenth century. Although its death toll was lower, the plague had a more damaging impact on Spain and, far from releasing non‐existent demographic pressure, destroyed the equilibrium between scarce population and abundant resources. Pre‐1350 per capita income was reached by the late sixteenth century but only exceeded after 1820.
Do Low‐risk Sexual Offenders Need Treatment?
Authors: Wakeling Helen C. , Mann Ruth E. , Carter Adam J.
Published: June 2012

The risk principle of offender rehabilitation states that the intensity of treatment should be proportional to the offender's risk. This article reviews the evidence base for the risk principle with sexual offenders, as well as identifying other arguments, in order to determine whether low‐risk sexual offenders need treatment, and of what type and magnitude. We conclude that low‐risk sexual offenders probably need no more than 100 hours of offence‐focused treatment given their very low reconviction rates. Low‐risk sexual offenders should be kept separate from higher‐risk offenders, and treatment should not interfere with other activities that will enable a non‐offending lifestyle.
International Experience in International Business Research: A Conceptualization and Exploration of Key Themes
Authors: Clarke James E. , Tamaschke Rick , Liesch Peter W.
Published: June 2012

International experience, the experience that firms accrue from operating internationally, is a key concept in explaining firm internationalization. This paper reviews the conceptualization of international experience in the international business literature. It highlights how prior research has identified three dimensions of the international experience construct (length, scope and diversity), thereby demonstrating that international experience should be treated as a multidimensional construct. In addition, intensity is presented as a fourth and novel dimension of international experience. The importance of this multidimensional conceptualization is highlighted in an explanation of why the international diversification and international experience constructs are not synonymous. In light of the importance of international experience in explaining firm internationalization, the authors explore how the source of the firm's international experience will determine the limits to its application in foreign markets. In particular, the authors distinguish between location‐bound international experience and non‐location‐bound international experience as sources of firm‐specific advantages (FSAs). The FSAs that the firm develops from its experience with equity and non‐equity entry modes are presented as examples of specific FSAs developed within the firm's bundle of FSAs concerning internationalization. The paper concludes with some implications of the conceptualization of international experience for several issues of international business research as well as providing managerial implications.
Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction assays for the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection in Russia
Authors: Shipitsyna E. , Zolotoverkhaya E. , Chen C.Y. , Chi K.H. , Grigoryev A. , Savicheva A. , Ballard R. , Domeika M. , Unemo M.
Published: June 2012

Background  In Russia, the microscopy‐ and culture‐based diagnostics of trichomoniasis is mainly suboptimal. Recent years, domestically produced diagnostic PCR assays have been implemented; however, any evaluation of these PCRs has never been internationally reported.

Objective  To assess the performance characteristics of PCR assays developed and currently used in Russia to detect Trichomonas vaginalis.

Materials and methods  Five PCR assays were assessed on 448 samples (317 vaginal and 131 male urethral) collected from symptomatic attendees of youth centres (n = 415) and patients of a dermatovenereological dispensary that were previously diagnosed with trichomoniasis (n = 33). As reference assay, a sensitive and specific real‐time multiplex PCR was used.

Results  T. vaginalis DNA was detected in five (all females) of the 415 patients of youth centres (1.2%). All 33 patients previously diagnosed at the venereological dispensary proved to be true positive. For 445 (99.3%) of these 448 samples identical results were obtained by all PCRs, 35 positive and 410 negative. The three discordant samples were positive in all PCRs except one conventional PCR assay. The sensitivities of the PCRs were 94.3–100% and 66.7–100% for vaginal and urethral swabs, respectively. All evaluated assays were 100% specific. The detection limits of the different PCRs ranged from 0.1 to 5 genome equivalents per reaction.

Conclusion  The PCR assays currently used in Russia for the detection of T. vaginalis have in general high sensitivities and excellent specificities for both vaginal samples and urethral samples from males.
Olympic and world sport: making transnational society?
Authors: Giulianotti Richard , Brownell Susan
Published: June 2012

This paper introduces the special issue of the British Journal of Sociology on the subject of the transnational aspects of Olympic and world sport. The special issue is underpinned by the perspective that because sport provides a space for the forging of transnational connections and global consciousness, it is increasingly significant within contemporary processes of globalization and the making of transnational society. In this article, we examine in turn eight social scientific themes or problems that are prominent within the special issue: globalization, glocalization, neo‐liberal ideologies and policies, transnational society, securitization, global civil society, transnational/global public sphere, and fantasy/imagination. We conclude by highlighting five ‘circles’ of future research inquiry within world sport that should be explored by social scientists.
Mapping the global football field: a sociological model of transnational forces within the world game
Authors: Giulianotti Richard , Robertson Roland
Published: June 2012

This paper provides a sociological model of the key transnational political and economic forces that are shaping the ‘global football field’. The model draws upon, and significantly extends, the theory of the ‘global field’ developed previously by Robertson. The model features four quadrants, each of which contains a dominant operating principle, an ‘elemental reference point’, and an ‘elemental theme’. The quadrants contain, first, neo‐liberalism, associated with the individual and elite football clubs; second, neo‐mercantilism, associated with nation‐states and national football systems; third, international relations, associated with international governing bodies; and fourth, global civil society, associated with diverse institutions that pursue human development and/or social justice. We examine some of the interactions and tensions between the major institutional and ideological forces across the four quadrants. We conclude by examining how the weakest quadrant, featuring global civil society, may gain greater prominence within football. In broad terms, we argue that our four‐fold model may be utilized to map and to examine other substantive research fields with reference to globalization.
Planning for the worst: risk, uncertainty and the Olympic Games
Authors: Boyle Philip , Haggerty Kevin D.
Published: June 2012

Security for the Olympic Games has become undeniably visible in recent years. A certain degree of this visibility became unavoidable after the 1972 Munich Olympics when military personnel and hardware became standard elements of Olympic security. Yet, this visibility is qualitatively different today in that it is often deliberately fashioned for public consumption. This article argues that this expressive dimension of security at the Games provides a window into wider issues of how authorities ‘show’ that they can deliver on the promise of maximum security under conditions of radical uncertainty. The latter sections of this article examine three ways in which this promise is extended: the discursive work of managers of unease, the staging of highly stylized demonstration projects, and the fabrication of fantasy documents. We focus on how officials emphasize that they have contemplated and planned for all possible security threats, especially catastrophic threats and worst‐case scenarios. Actually planning for these events is epistemologically and practically impossible, but saying and showing that authorities are ‘planning for the worst’ are discursive ways of transforming uncertainty into apparently manageable risks that are independent of the functional activities they describe. As such, our analysis provides insights into the much broader issue of how authorities sustain the appearance of maximum security in order to maintain rhetorical control over what are deemed to be highly uncertain and insecure situations. Such performances may paradoxically amplify uncertainty, thus recreating the conditions that foster the ongoing securitization of everyday life.
The bid, the lead‐up, the event and the legacy: global cultural politics and hosting the Olympics
Authors: Rowe David
Published: June 2012

Hosting mega sport events, especially the Olympics, demands an extensive engagement with global civil society given the voluntary, highly mediated exposure of host cities and nations to the world. The philosophy of Olympism requires ethical authority in demonstrating ‘fitness’ to host the Games, so demanding intensive strategic image management. Offensive and defensive mobilization of image‐dependent ‘species of power’ in the field of sport (in a Bourdieusian sense) in conducting ‘wars of position and movement’ (following Gramsci) within global civil society are, then, crucial features of competitive manoeuvres around staging major sport events.

The main empirical focus of this article is on the case of the Sydney 2000 (‘Millennial’) Games, in illustrating the socio‐political dynamics of bidding and hosting in the context of a major civil societal matter of concern – Australia's continuing failure to achieve reconciliation with, and equality for, its indigenous peoples. Ironically, though, it was in the domain of human rights that Sydney had an advantage over its closest competitor in the 1993 bidding process – China. The strategies deployed to secure the consent of Australian Aborigines to the Games are addressed in analysing the means by which the Sydney 2000 Games avoided major disruption and international criticism. A second, briefer case analysis is then presented of the disputation concerning Beijing's successful bid for the 2008 Olympics, which saw them influentially described by one (US) political activist as the ‘Genocide Games’ and the subject of international protests surrounding the Torch Relay. It is concluded that the contrasting levels of public, mediated discord in these two Olympiads in which human rights were key issues related, significantly though not exclusively, to the Chinese authorities' difficulties in ‘winning consent’ through strategic incorporation of the most conspicuous, non‐state oppositional forces within Western‐dominated global civil society in its most immediate, unruly, and mediatized form.
Human rights and the Beijing Olympics: imagined global community and the transnational public sphere1
Authors: Brownell Susan
Published: June 2012

The Olympic Games are increasingly used by non‐governmental organizations to demand transnational forms of accountability from public authorities. This article assesses the effectiveness of transnational public opinion surrounding the Beijing 2008 Olympics, when the pressure of Western public opinion was exerted upon the government of the world's most populous non‐Western nation to improve its human rights record. Utilizing the concepts of ‘imagined global community’ and ‘transnational public sphere’, it finds that the Olympic Games had helped to call into existence a transnational public that ran up against the obstacle posed by the incomplete formation of supra‐national forms of governance. The International Olympic Committee, a non‐governmental organization, was a weak substitute. Because of the strong desire of Chinese people to take part in transnational deliberations, the article concludes with optimism about the potential of transnational public spheres that include Chinese people to develop toward more effective forms of transnational governance. But the IOC must strengthen the voice of its non‐Western members, and Western interlocutors, including the media, must accept their share of the responsibility for creating the conditions for egalitarian dialogue.
Football's Coming Home?: Digital reterritorialization, contradictions in the transnational coverage of sport and the sociology of alternative football broadcasts
Authors: David Matthew , Millward Peter
Published: June 2012

This article critically utilizes the work of Manuel Castells to discuss the issue of parallel imported broadcasts (specifically including live‐streams) in football. This is of crucial importance to sport because the English Premier League is premised upon the sale of television rights broadcasts to domestic and overseas markets, and yet cheaper alternative broadcasts endanger the price of such rights. Evidence is drawn from qualitative fieldwork and library/Internet sources to explore the practices of supporters and the politics involved in the generation of alternative broadcasts. This enables us to clarify the core sociological themes of ‘milieu of innovation’ and ‘locale’ within today's digitally networked global society.
Cross‐sectional and longitudinal abnormalities in brain structure in children with severe mood dysregulation or bipolar disorder
Authors: Adleman Nancy E. , Fromm Stephen J. , Razdan Varun , Kayser Reilly , Dickstein Daniel P. , Brotman Melissa A. , Pine Daniel S. , Leibenluft Ellen
Published: June 2012

Background:  There is debate as to whether chronic irritability (operationalized as severe mood dysregulation, SMD) is a developmental form of bipolar disorder (BD). Although structural brain abnormalities in BD have been demonstrated, no study compares neuroanatomy among SMD, BD, and healthy volunteers (HV) either cross‐sectionally or over time. Furthermore, the developmental trajectories of structural abnormalities in BD or SMD are unknown. This study provides such data in BD, SMD, and HV.

Methods:  An optimized, modulated voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) analysis was conducted on structural MRI scans from 201 children (78 SMD, 55 BD, and 68 HV). In addition, 92 children (31 SMD, 34 BD, and 27 HV) were rescanned after 2 years (mean interval 1.99 ± 0.94 years), to compare time‐related changes among the three groups.

Results:  Cross‐sectionally, the groups differed in gray matter (GM) volume in presupplementary motor area (pre‐SMA), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), insula, and globus pallidus. The cortical differences were driven mainly by increased GM volume in HV compared with BD and SMD. In globus pallidus, there was increased GM in BD compared with HV and SMD. Longitudinally, group‐by‐time interactions were evident in two clusters in the superior/inferior parietal lobule (R SPL/IPL) and in the precuneus. In both clusters, the interactions were driven by an abnormal increase in volume in BD.

Conclusions:  Cross‐sectionally, both BD and SMD are associated with structural abnormalities in frontal cortex, insula, and basal ganglia. Although some of these deficits overlap (insula and DLPFC), others differentiate SMD and BD (pre‐SMA and globus pallidus). Abnormal developmental trajectories in lateral parietal cortex and precuneus are present in, and unique to, BD. Because of the high proportion of co‐occurring ADHD in the SMD subjects, we could not separate effects of ADHD from those of SMD, and future research including a nonirritable ADHD group must address this issue.
A question of national identity or minority rights? The changing status of the Irish language in Ireland since 1922
Authors: Mac Giolla Chríost Diarmait
Published: May 2012

When the Irish Free State was founded in 1922, the Irish language was a substantial feature of the politics that led up to this event. Subsequently the language was recognised as the national and first official language of the Irish Free State. Since then, the de jure position of Irish appears to have evolved. Most recently, legislation was introduced in the Republic of Ireland, and statutory duties were placed upon certain public bodies with regard to the Irish language in Northern Ireland. This article examines this historical shift in the status of Irish in the two political jurisdictions in Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland [as a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK)], and explains its significance.
Daphnetin prevents chronic unpredictable stress‐induced cognitive deficits
Authors: Liao Min‐Jing , Lin Lian‐Feng , Zhou Xing , Zhou Xiao‐Wen , Xu Xiao , Cheng Xin , Gao Qin , Luo Huan‐Min
Published: June 2012

Chronic exposure to stress hormones might impair cognitive functions such as learning and memory, which were associated with many mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to screen for effective compounds to prevent cognitive deficits induced by chronic stress. Daphnetin was found to protect the cortical neurons against dexamethasone‐induced reduction of cell viability in a dose‐dependent manner in vitro. We further evaluated its effects on chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) mice in vivo. Two and 8 mg/kg administration of daphnetin could improve the performance of stress mice in Morris water maze tests and forced swimming tests. The results suggested that daphnetin might be a potent compound to treat cognitive deficits induced by CUS.
N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor involvement in central nervous system prostaglandin production during the relapse phase of chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (CR EAE)
Authors: Bolton Christopher , Wood Elizabeth G. , Ayoub Samir S.
Published: June 2012

Our previous studies have established that major changes in central nervous system (CNS) prostaglandin (PG) levels occur during the relapse phase of chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (CR EAE), an animal model of the human demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis. PG production is controlled through a series of enzymic pathways that, in EAE, are influenced by neuroantigen‐driven autoimmune events. In non‐immune‐based models of CNS disease, endogenous glucocorticoids have been proposed as instigators of PG synthesis via activation of the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Glucocorticoids have an important regulatory role in the pathogenesis EAE and the NMDA receptor is intimately involved in many of the characteristic neuroinflammatory processes that govern the disease. Therefore, the alterations in prostanoid concentrations during the relapse stage of CR EAE may ultimately be governed by glucocorticoid‐induced NMDA receptor activation. The current investigation has examined the proposed glucocorticoid–NMDA receptor link by determining the effects of the receptor antagonist, (+) MK‐801, on CNS PGE
2 and PGD
2 levels in Biozzi mice with relapse symptoms of CR EAE. Prostanoid concentrations in the cerebral cortex were not altered by drug administration, and in cerebellar tissues, a vehicle effect negated any drug‐induced changes. However, the level of PGD
2 in spinal cords from (+) MK‐801‐dosed mice was significantly lower, compared to controls, but PGE
2 concentrations remained unchanged. The results suggest that glucocorticoid–NMDA receptor‐linked events are not primarily responsible for PG generation in the brain but may influence prostanoid production in discrete areas of the CNS.
Modelled sensitivity of avian collision rate at wind turbines varies with number of hours of flight activity input data
Authors: Douglas David J. T. , Follestad Arne , Langston Rowena H. W. , Pearce‐Higgins James W.
Published: June 2012

Collision risk modelling of birds at wind turbines typically requires vantage point (VP) data to quantify bird flight activity. The number of VP observation hours required to provide such data, and the associated error in predicted collision rate, have not been formally assessed. Using the Band model and a randomization procedure, we examine the sensitivity of collision rate predictions for the White‐tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla to varying hours of input data on flight activity. Variability in collision rate decreased with increasing number of observation hours. However, at the asymptote in variability (about 62 observation hours) there was still considerable variability in predicted collision rate. VP watches are likely to be inherently variable, and collision rate predictions should assess the potential error associated with such results.
A stochastic local search algorithm for constrained continuous global optimization
Authors: Melo Wendel A.X. , Fampa Marcia H.C. , Raupp Fernanda M.P.
Published: June 2012

This paper presents a new stochastic local search algorithm known as feasible–infeasible search procedure (FISP) for constrained continuous global optimization. The proposed procedure uses metaheuristic strategies for combinatorial optimization as well as combined strategies for exploring continuous spaces, which are applied to an efficient process in increasingly refined neighborhoods of current points. We show effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed procedure on a standard set of 13 well‐known test problems. Furthermore, we compare the performance of FISP with SNOPT (sparse nonlinear optimizer) and with few successful existing stochastic algorithms on the same set of test problems.