bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma, a rare primary lung neoplasm: Two case reports and review of the current literature
Authors: JIANG Jingjin , ZHOU Jianying , DING Wei
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  This report describes the clinical, histological and immunohistochemical features of two patients with primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma in the context of the literature. Chest pain, cough, haemoptysis and an enlarging pleural‐based mass are the main clinical manifestations. Diagnosis depends on identifying epithelioid or spindle cells microscopically and on immunohistochemistry showing positivity for cytokeratin and vimentin and epithelial membrane antigen stains. Surgical excision is the main treatment approach.
A competency‐based test of bronchoscopic knowledge using the Essential Bronchoscopist: An initial concept study
Authors: DAVOUDI Mohsen , QUADRELLI Silvia , OSANN Kathryn , COLT Henri G.
Published: July 2008

Background and objective:  Competency‐based training and assessment are increasingly replacing the traditional structure‐ and process‐based model of medical education. The web‐based Essential Bronchoscopist (EB) is an open access, laddered, competency‐based curriculum of question‐answer sets pertaining to basic bronchoscopic knowledge, accessible in five languages. The purpose of this study was to use consensus to evaluate whether question‐answer sets (items) from the EB could provide material from which to devise competency‐based tests of bronchoscopic knowledge that could be used in countries with different health‐care environments.

Methods:  Ten junior and five senior bronchoscopists in Argentina and the USA were asked to identify the material in each of the 186 items of the EB as either ‘not necessary’, ‘necessary’ or ‘absolutely necessary’ for inclusion in a competency‐based test of bronchoscopic knowledge. The kappa statistic was used to analyse inter‐rater agreement.

Results:  More than 80% of the 30 participants rated 150 of 186 items as necessary or absolutely necessary. Seventy items were rated as absolutely necessary by more than 50% of participants and as necessary or absolutely necessary by more than 90%. There was no statistically significant difference between items selected, based on level of training or environment of practice.

Conclusion:  Consensus among junior and senior bronchoscopists from two culturally different health‐care environments demonstrated that question‐answer sets from the EB can be used to provide material for competency‐based tests of bronchoscopic knowledge.
Association between angiotensin‐converting enzyme gene polymorphisms and exercise performance in patients with COPD
Authors: ZHANG Xiaolei , WANG Chen , DAI Huaping , LIN Yingxiang , ZHANG Jun
Published: July 2008

Background and objective:  Recent studies have shown that polymorphisms of the angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) gene are closely associated with pulmonary disorders. The ACE gene is involved in the regulation of inflammatory reactions to lung injury, respiratory drive, erythropoiesis and tissue oxygenation. The hypothesis for this study was that the ACE gene may be associated with the ventilatory response to exercise and the aerobic work efficiency of skeletal muscle in patients with COPD.

Methods:  Sixty‐one Chinese Han COPD patients and 57 healthy control subjects performed incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a cycle ergometer. ACE genotypes were determined using PCR amplification.

Results:  Resting lung function and blood gas index were not significantly different among the three ACE genotype COPD groups. Similarly, there were no significant differences in AT, maximal O2 uptake, maximal O2 pulse, maximal dyspnoea index, ventilatory response (ΔVE/ΔVCO2), O2 cost of ventilation (VO2/W/VE), end‐tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide at maximal exercise and maximal SaO2 among the three ACE genotype COPD patients. Maximal work load and aerobic work efficiency were higher in the COPD group with the II genotype than in those with the ID or DD genotype. There were no significant differences in resting lung function and cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameters among the three ACE genotype control groups.

Conclusions:  The ACE gene may be involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle aerobic work efficiency, but is not associated with the ventilatory responses to exercise in COPD patients.
Use of sperm precedence to infer the overwintering cost of insecticide resistance in the Colorado potato beetle
Authors: Baker Mitchell B. , Porter Adam H.
Published: July 2008

1 Resistance to insecticides is a model system for studying adaptation. Although selection for resistance is always strong in areas and seasons where populations are exposed to insecticides, costs of resistance, which may only be expressed in the absence of insecticide use, will shape how quickly resistance will evolve.

2 We used sperm precedence to measure the shifts in resistance to imidacloprid in a natural population during winter diapause in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Because adult beetles overwinter with viable autumn sperm, but sperm from spring matings take precedence over stored sperm, we used the difference in resistance of springmated and autumn‐mated overwintered females to estimate the shift in resistance during the winter. Offspring of autumn‐mated females were 2.7‐ or 2.5‐fold more resistant compared with offspring from spring‐mated females in two replicate trials.

3 We also measured the resistance of late summer and spring emergent adults in fields treated and untreated with imidacloprid in the first year. Adults from the treated field were 13.7‐fold more resistant and adults from the untreated field were 2.6‐fold more resistant compared with the next spring’s emergers.

4 These large costs of resistance observed in the field and inferred from resistance declines during diapause help to explain the observation that imidacloprid resistance has increased only slowly over the decade of widespread use against this species, and how insecticide resistance in general can cycle annually.
Growth and survival of larvae ofThaumetopoea pinivorainside and outside a local outbreak area
Authors: Aimi Andrea , Larsson Stig , Ronnås Cecilia , Frazão Joana , Battisti Andrea
Published: July 2008

1 Outbreaks of herbivorous insects tend to be spatially restricted, possibly because of demographic differences between inside and outside the outbreak area. In some cases, the margin of the outbreak area is distinct, allowing comparisons of adjacent areas that may identify factors leading to such differences in abundance. The northern pine processionary mothThaumetopoea pinivorapresently occurs at outbreak densities within a well‐defined area of approximately 3000 ha on the island of Gotland, south Sweden. We investigated whether cohorts of young larvae (first and second instar) had higher growth rate and survival inside or outside the outbreak area.

2 Group‐feeding appears to promote outbreaks in certain insect groups. BecauseT. pinivoralarvae are highly social, we also compared larval performance between groups of different sizes inside and outside of the outbreak area: ‘small’ (33 eggs/group) and ‘normal’ (100 eggs/group).

3 Averaged over group size, whole colony mortality through the first two instars was two‐fold higher in the non‐outbreak area compared with the outbreak area. Mortality of individual larvae in the surviving colonies, however, did not differ between the two areas. There were only small differences in food quality (toughness, nitrogen content) between the areas, with no detectable effects on larval performance.

4 Larval relative growth rate did not differ between reduced and normal‐sized groups, which is surprising given that growth rate is known to increase with group size in other group‐feeding lepidopterans.

5 Reduced group size negatively affected larval survival, particularly in the outbreak area; by contrast, normal‐sized groups survived equally well in the two areas. Wood ants (Formicaspp.) were more common outside the outbreak area, and appeared to be the main cause of colony mortality at low larval density. A different result was observed with regard to per‐capita mortality, which was higher in the outbreak area. We speculate that this could have been due to solitary predators being locally specialized onT. pinivorain the high‐density area.
Changing dynamics of the pine beauty moth (Panolis flammea) in Britain: the loss of enemy free space?
Authors: Hicks Barry J. , Leather Simon R. , Watt Allan D.
Published: July 2008

1 The pine beauty moth Panolis flammea has two main host plants in Britain: Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine), which is the ancestral food plant where the insect is never abundant enough to cause tree mortality, and Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine), an introduced host tree that has experienced periodic widespread tree mortality due to this pest.

2 We review the recent literature, published mostly after the year 2000, regarding the impact of natural enemies on the population dynamics of P. flammea in Britain.

3 The natural enemies of P. flammea are more diverse and abundant in Scots pine habitat than in lodgepole pine habitat and some of them show differential selection for P. flammea larvae in Scots pine habitat over those located in lodgepole pine habitat.

4 It is concluded that the difference in the population dynamics of this insect in the two different habitats was probably the result of the P. flammea finding enemy‐free space in lodgepole pine habitat.

5 Recent evidence on the diversity and impact of natural enemies on lodgepole pine has demonstrated that they currently have a much more significant impact on this pest than they did in the 1970s and 1980s, when outbreaks were frequent.
Potential for pre‐release diet supplements to increase the sexual performance and longevity of male Queensland fruit flies
Authors: Perez‐Staples Diana , Harmer Aaron M. T. , Collins Samuel R. , Taylor Phillip W.
Published: July 2008

1 Recent studies have shown that continuous access to a protein source (yeast hydrolysate) can greatly enhance the sexual performance of male Queensland fruit flies (Bactrocera tryoni; ‘Q‐flies’). However, in Sterile Insect Technique programmes used to eradicate or suppress wild populations, mass‐reared Q‐flies are typically fed only sucrose and water for up to 2 days before release.

2 We investigated whether adding a protein source to the diet of male Q‐flies for a 24‐ or 48‐h window after emergence and then removing it is sufficient to enhance mating probability, latency to mate, copula duration, probability of sperm storage, number of sperm stored, female remating tendency and longevity of male Q‐flies.

3 Protein‐fed males were more likely to mate than males fed only sucrose, especially when young. Protein‐fed males also had shorter mating latencies and longer copulations than protein‐deprived males.

4 Females mated by protein‐fed males were more likely to store sperm, stored more sperm and were less likely to remate than were females mated by protein‐deprived males. Females were also less likely to remate if their first mate had been large.

5 Overall, providing male Q‐flies access to a protein source for a 24‐ or 48‐h window early on in their adult life was sufficient to greatly enhance all assessed measures of performance. Although 24‐h access was sufficient for a notable enhancement, further benefits were evident in males provided 48‐h access.

6 The results are discussed in terms of the practical implications for Sterile Insect Technique programs used to eradicate or suppress wild Q‐fly populations.
Stability of insecticide resistance in Frankliniella occidentalis to acrinathrin, formetanate and methiocarb
Authors: Contreras J. , Espinosa P. J. , Quinto V. , Grávalos C. , Fernández E. , Bielza P.
Published: July 2008

1 The stability of the resistance in the Western Flower Thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) to selective insecticides (acrinathrin, formetanate and methiocarb) was studied in both laboratory and field conditions.

2 In laboratory strains reared over a sufficient number of generations in insecticide free‐conditions, levels of resistance were stable.

3 Laboratory strains selected for resistance showed moderate to very high levels of resistance. In the strain ACR9, very highly resistant to acrinathrin [resistance factor (RF) > 1000‐fold], resistance was maintained with little change after 5 and 8 months without acrinathrin exposure. In the MET9 strain, resistance to methiocarb (RF = 40) was maintained after 5 months without selection pressure (RF = 33). However, 3 months later, there was a significant increase in the susceptibility to this insecticide (RF = 10). The formetanate resistance in the FOR7 strain showed a no significant decline during the 8 months without selection (from RF = 31 to RF = 17).

4 The field‐collected strains from sweet pepper greenhouses (PTF4, PP2 and PM5) showed a marked fall in the LC50 to acrinathrin and methiocarb, and a slight decrease to formetanate, after being reared in the laboratory in the absence of selection pressure for 8 months.

5 In greenhouses, a significant fall in resistance to the selected insecticides was produced when insecticide pressure was withdrawn, at the end of the season, probably caused by the immigration of thrips from nearby crops or weeds, and the dilution of resistance through interbreeding with susceptible individuals.

6 Factors influencing stability or reversion of insecticide resistance are discussed.
Does Animal Feeding Operation Pollution Hurt Public Health? A National Longitudinal Study of Health Externalities Identified by Geographic Shifts in Livestock Production
Authors: Sneeringer Stacy
Published: July 2008

The Environmental Protection Agency is currently gathering data to regulate livestock facilities under the Clean Air Act, legislation that purports to protect public health. To set rational policy, estimates of health externalities associated with livestock farming are necessary. This study uses geographic shifts in the industry to measure the impact of pollution on infant health. The article finds that a doubling of production leads to a 7.4% increase in infant mortality. This finding is robust with respect to the inclusion of multiple fixed and time‐varying controls. The mortality increases are driven by elevated levels of respiratory diseases, providing suggestive evidence of an air pollution mechanism.
Do Futures Benefit Farmers?
Authors: Lence Sergio H.
Published: July 2008

Simulations are used to analyze welfare and market‐ and farm‐level effects of making futures available to producers of a storable commodity. Key features of the model are the explicit consideration of dynamic impacts due to inventories, and of aggregate market effects associated with futures adoption by some producers. Application to the natural rubber market shows that futures availability can lead to sizable market‐ and farm‐level effects. Futures availability enhances consumer welfare, reduces nonadopter welfare, and yields important welfare gains for adopters when their market share is small and welfare losses when they account for a sufficiently large market share.
The Role of Risk and Transaction Costs in Contract Design: Evidence from Farmland Lease Contracts in U.S. Agriculture
Authors: Fukunaga Keita , Huffman Wallace E.
Published: July 2008

The objective of this article is to provide new empirical evidence on landlord‐tenant choices of share versus cash‐rent contracts in U.S. agriculture. The focus is on the contribution of explanatory variables that represent transaction costs, risk‐sharing incentives, or both. An empirical model of contract choice is tested against the 1999 Agricultural Economics and Land Ownership Survey (AELOS) and finds mixed evidence for low transaction cost and risk‐sharing‐incentive motives for landlord‐tenant choices of a share versus cash‐rent contract. However, the behavior of landlords and tenants is consistent with them being risk averse. Although it is standard to control for the riskiness of the principal's task that is contracted, we find that other attributes of the landlord are an important part of a relatively complex story for U.S. land tenancy contacting. The latter results have generally been ignored in other published landlord‐tenant contracting studies.
The Effects of Exchange Rate Volatility on Agricultural Trade
Authors: Kandilov Ivan T.
Published: July 2008

I extend Cho, Sheldon, and McCorriston's (2002) analysis of the effect of exchange rate volatility on agricultural trade among the G‐10 countries to a broad sample of developed and developing nations. I replicate their original finding that exchange rate volatility has a large negative impact on agricultural trade between G‐10 members. After controlling for agricultural export subsidies, which are correlated with exchange rate volatility, I show that the original impact declines by half. Using the extended sample, I find that the effect of exchange rate volatility is much larger for developing country exporters than for developed exporters.
The Gains from Differentiated Policies to Control Stock Pollution when Producers Are Heterogeneous
Authors: Xabadia Angels , Goetz Renan U. , Zilberman David
Published: July 2008

We derive optimal input taxes to control stock pollution problems generated by heterogeneous agents. The taxes vary over time and in response to differences of asset quality and technology choice. We also derive second‐best policies and compare them to the efficient policy and also among themselves. Different policies will affect the timing for when, and the extent to which, conservation technologies are adopted. A numerical example, based on the California drainage problem, shows significant efficiency gains from the optimal policy compared to no intervention, but much of the gains are lost with second‐best interventions. The gains from optimal policies do not always increase with the degree of heterogeneity.
The Choice of Regulatory Instrument When There Is Uncertainty About Compliance with Fisheries Regulations
Authors: Hansen Lars G. , Jensen Frank , Russell Clifford
Published: July 2008

Noncompliance is an important problem for fisheries regulators, and a number of studies have considered optimal enforcement issues within fisheries regulation. Our article extends this literature by studying the implications of noncompliance for the choice between tax and quota regulation. We first develop a general stock‐recruitment model of a search fishery with illegal landings and show that compliance uncertainty (where the regulator is uncertain about the extent of noncompliance) generates an efficiency advantage for taxes over individual transferable quotas. We also provide evidence that uncertainty about compliance is an important source of uncertainty for regulators.
Spatial‐Temporal Model of Insect Growth, Diffusion and Derivative Pricing
Authors: Richards T.J. , Eaves J. , Manfredo M. , Naranjo S.E. , Chu C.-C. , Henneberry T.J.
Published: July 2008

Insect derivatives represent an important innovation in specialty crop risk management. An active over‐the‐counter market in insect derivatives will require a transparent pricing method. This paper develops an econometric model of the spatio‐temporal process underlying a particular insect population and develops a pricing model based on this process. We show that insect derivatives can play an important risk management role in mitigatingB. tabaci(whitefly) damage in cotton. Beyond developing a new risk management instrument, the key methodological contribution of this paper lies in pricing derivatives with stochastic properties in both space and time dimensions.
Credit Constraints: Their Existence, Determinants, and Implications for U.S. Farm and Nonfarm Sole Proprietorships
Authors: Briggeman Brian C. , Towe Charles A. , Morehart Mitchell J.
Published: July 2008

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of credit constraints on production for farm and nonfarm sole proprietorships. A propensity score‐matching estimator is employed to provide unbiased estimates of the production impacts of being denied credit. The empirical results demonstrate that the value of production is significantly lower for credit‐constrained sole proprietorships. If this drop in the value of production is aggregated to a national level, it constitutes only 3% and 13% of total value of production for farm and nonfarm sole proprietorships, respectively.
Bundling and Licensing of Genes in Agricultural Biotechnology
Authors: Shi Guanming
Published: July 2008

We examine the strategic incentive for gene holders to vertically integrate with seed companies and chemical input companies. With homogeneous conventional seeds, we find that a pure bundling strategy (produce the genetically modified seed only) is dominant. When the gene holder and breeder are, respectively, the monopolistic producers of genetically modified and conventional seeds, they may commit to mixed bundling (supply both genetically modified and conventional seed) to deter potential entry to the conventional seed market. A vertical merger may solve the credibility issue of the mixed bundling commitment through third party licensing agreements in the conventional seed market.
Grounding a natural disaster: Thailand and the 2004 tsunami
Authors: Rigg Jonathan , Grundy‐Warr Carl , Law Lisa , Tan‐Mullins May
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Drawing on field work in Southern Thailand undertaken in July 2005, the study illuminates the complex and contingent way in which the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 affected communities, households and individuals. The paper problematises the indiscriminate/discriminate patterning of impact and recovery and also makes a case for a delocalised and transnational approach to understanding the impacts of the wave. Using the notion of ‘tsunami footprints’ and drawing on qualitative interviews, the paper proposes that impacts need to be seen in the context of the spatially dispersed networks of association that characterise the Thai space economy and Thai society. Drawing on work on poverty dynamics, the paper also explores three explanatory disjunctures in recovery transitions: the disjuncture between the pre‐tsunami context and the post‐tsunami situation; the disjuncture between structure and agency; and the disjuncture between the appearance of progressive and gradual change in societies and the lived reality of turbulence.
Towards post‐neoliberalism? The comparative politico‐economic transition of New Zealand and Chile
Authors: Challies Edward R.T. , Murray Warwick E.
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  This paper compares the evolution of the dominant politico‐economic paradigm over the past 80 years in two ‘resource periphery’ nation states that have become ‘models’ of economic reform, New Zealand and Chile. Analysing the forces that have driven change, it traces the shared transition from a neoclassical model, through structuralist/Keynesian principles, and on to neoliberalism. The paper discusses whether the contemporary convergence around neostructural policy represents a paradigm shift or an adaptation of the neoliberal model designed to sustain free‐market principles in a form that is acceptable to electorates. The paper concludes that the broad commonalities in the transitions are remarkable and come about as a result of shared external shocks as well as similar historical insertions into the global political economy. Notwithstanding the parallels, the comparative approach reminds us of the contingent unfolding of economic paradigms across space, a point that counters arguments that assert that neoliberalism, and the globalisation to which it gives rise, create a homogenous global political economy. This comparative study is timely, as the two countries have recently signed a bilateral strategic trade partnership. This agreement indicates continued pursuit of neoliberal agendas in both countries rather than, as respective governments have heralded it, a move to foster South–South cooperation.
Institutional frameworks and economic activity: A comparative analysis of regional economies in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines
Authors: Andriesse Edo , Van Helvoirt Bram
Published: July 2008

Abstract: It is increasingly recognised that both formal and informal institutions could be important variables in explaining the diversity of capitalist systems. However, less is known about the relative importance of regional institutions for regional economic activity and regional development, especially in developing countries. This article analyses the relative importance of regional institutions to regional capitalist systems in Southeast Asia, using the comparative institutional approach of ‘business systems’. Two comparisons are made that enable an analysis of the relative importance of regional institutions: one between two regional economies in the same country (Cebu and Negros Oriental in the Philippines) and one between two bordering regional economies in different countries (Satun in Thailand and Perlis in Malaysia). We investigate four sets of economic institutions: the extent of alliance coordination of supply and demand, the extent of collaboration between competitors, the extent of alliance coordination of sectors and access to finance. The results suggest that regional economic institutions are stronger in agricultural areas with relatively weak national economic institutions and that the presence of strong and enabling regional economic institutions is one of the factors that lead to taking advantage of favourable agricultural conditions, to economic growth and, ultimately, to catching up.
Neg‐shift, licensing, and repair strategies*
Authors: Christensen Ken Ramshøj
Published: July 2008

Abstract. I entertain the idea that the cross‐linguistic variation in the licensing ofNeg‐shift, the movement of negative objects to spec‐NegP, can be accounted for by a few representational constraints that are not directly related to case licensing or feature checking, and which potentially conflict with Structure Preservation and Economy. The languages fall into three overall groups: Group 1 has Neg‐shift across the main verb; in group 2 optionality between versions withnoandnot anyis neutralised (removed); group 3 has object in situ. When the selecting head is a preposition rather than a verb, group 1 is divided into group 1a (stranding), 1b (pied‐piping), and 1c (neutralization).
Raising to object in Norwegian and the derived object constraint*
Authors: Lødrup Helge
Published: July 2008

Abstract. Norwegian is traditionally assumed not to have raising to object from infinitival complements withbelievetype verbs. This article shows that it does, based upon sentences from written texts. It is also shown that this construction is – with some exceptions – subject to the constraint that the raised object cannot be in the regular object position. This constraint was discussed for a group of English verbs inPostal (1974), who called it the Derived Object Constraint. The standard view in the literature is that it is related to case theory. This article proposes a new explanation. Withbelievetype verbs, a raised object is also the subject of an infinitival complement with an individual level predicate. Being the subject of an individual level predicate, the raised object must have a strong reading, which makes it high in topicality. This is the property that can (but does not have to) be grammaticalized as the Derived Object Constraint. The implementation of this constraint in Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) is discussed, and it is shown how it can be stated as a constraint on functional structure.
The ‘Life of Muhammad’ in Eulogius of Córdoba: some evidence for the transmission of Greek polemic to the Latin west
Authors: Wasilewski Janna
Published: July 2008

Eulogius of Córdoba, the principal recorder of the ninth‐century Córdoban martyrs’ movement, copied for posterity a polemic biography of the Prophet Muhammad. The lost original is the earliest such text known in Latin, despite the longstanding tradition of anti‐Islamic polemic in the Greek east. However, textual analysis indicates that Eulogius revised the original biography, and that his revisions were influenced by the polemic of John of Damascus. Eulogius's exposure to John's writings probably came through personal contact with a monk from the monastery of Mar Saba, contact which offers rare evidence of a non‐textual transmission of ideas.
‘Partner in his Calamities’: Pastors' Wives, Married Nuns and the Experience of Clerical Marriage in the Early German Reformation
Authors: Plummer Marjorie Elizabeth
Published: July 2008

This essay examines what factors led the first clerical wives to marry former Catholic clergy and nuns to marry in the first decade of the Reformation in Germany and seeks to explain the difference that social class, geography and gender made in those decisions. In contrast to the later Reformation, when pastors married same or higher social status women, the majority of women who married former priests and monks during the 1520s were often lower or, in the case of nuns, significantly higher social status than their husbands. Women married clergy for a variety of reasons that were counterintuitive to typical marital strategies for economic security and social networking, since clergy had neither in the 1520s. While sharing a common experience, clerical wives' reasons for marriage to a pastor varied greatly depending on class, local decision about the Reformation and numerous personal factors. Using a variety of sources including letters, civic records, court testimony and published pamphlets, this article demonstrates that these women did exhibit a limited agency that ultimately helped shape larger social and political acceptance of clerical marriage.
British Masculinities on Trial in the Queen Caroline Affair of 1820
Authors: Carter Louise
Published: July 2008

This article uses the deluge of pamphlets, public addresses, newspaper articles and sermons addressing the Queen Caroline Affair to construct a case study of the opposing constructions of British masculinity vying for dominance in 1820. The literature surrounding the attempted royal divorce reveals a contest between the libertine example of manhood characterised by George IV and the more sober, chivalrous and respectable image of masculinity increasingly espoused as the British ideal. This episode, therefore, offers an unusually rich insight into contemporary constructions of masculinity and the way in which they were utilised within the public sphere. Moreover, this article argues that such gendered concerns were not only as crucial to motivating opposition to the king's actions as political issues, but that gender concerns and political issues were indivisible, as appropriate manly behaviour in both public and private increasingly came to be seen as a core component of a man's overall reputation and fitness to exercise authority.
Sex in the City: The Politics of Sexual Liberalism in Los Angeles, 1963–79
Authors: Self Robert O.
Published: July 2008

In Los Angeles, Hollywood in particular, straight‐themed pornography and gay male nightlife became more visible and, moral reformers believed, of grave public concern between the early 1960s and the early 1970s. As a result, defining the limits of sexual freedom became a problem for urban public officials, who resolved the dilemma by casting heterosexual sex entertainment as disruptive of neighbourhood quality of life, making it a question of property values and crime, and reframing gay nightlife as an issue of privacy and the right of public assembly. The article considers battles over commercial pornography and battles over gay male rights and culture. As the civil rights and black power movements commanded, then lost, the attention of liberals, sexual libertarians and a mobilised gay rights movement forced urban politicians to reconsider the place of sex and sexual identity in public life. A new generation of urban liberals faced a difficult challenge: to respond to their constituents' libertarian views of sex and sexuality while not appearing to endorse civic disorder and economic decline. They had to defend both privacy rights and property rights.
‘Pleading for Help’: Gender Relations and Cross‐Cultural Logic in the Early Modern Mediterranean
Authors: Ortega Stephen
Published: July 2008

Religious conversion cases involving women constitute an important aspect of early modern Mediterranean history. Various Muslim women left their homes in the Ottoman Empire, came to Venice and attempted to convert to Christianity. While some women found male protection and established themselves as Christians, others were pursued by male relatives and found themselves in contested cross‐cultural struggles. In this regard, gender relations surrounding female conversions also involved questions of private power, honour and legal jurisdiction. Framed by complex power relations and by complicated gender dynamics, males exercised control over female converts in a variety of ways.
Seductive Landscapes: Gender, Race and European Representations of Nature in the Dutch East Indies during the Late Colonial Period
Authors: Protschky Susie
Published: July 2008

A common assumption in current scholarship on imperialism is that representations of colonised landscapes were gendered female and that European expansion was a male‐gendered enterprise. In the Dutch East Indies (colonial Indonesia), a Dutch possession in south‐east Asia, this association was by no means consistent in artistic and literary representations of nature and landscape. The gendering of Indies landscapes as feminine and their association with erotic conquest in colonial representations was most strongly evident in paintings. However, in photographs and literature, race figured more prominently in the designation of colonised landscapes as tropical and other. This was particularly true from the late nineteenth century onwards, when an ideological shift towards increased racial segregation occurred among colonial intellectuals and officials. In literature particularly, Indies landscapes and nature appeared as gender‐neutral, but were clearly raced native. In such instances, colonial representations were more likely to convey a fear of seduction and engulfment by Indies nature than titillation at the prospect of erotic opportunity or colonial conquest.
Consistency of the Babinski reflex and its variants
Authors: Singerman J. , Lee L.
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  The Babinski Reflex, first described in 1896, is still an integral part of the neurological examination. Many have studied the consistency of this reflex, but none have compared the inter‐ and intra‐observer consistency of the Babinski reflex and its variants.

Methods:  Thirty‐four subjects were examined by six neurologists. The Babinski, Gordon, Chaddock, and Oppenheim reflexes were tested, and each neurologist concluded if the plantar response was flexor or extensor. Six subjects were re‐tested 1 week later to determine intra‐observer consistency.

Results:  The Babinski reflex had the highest interobserver consistency with a kappa value of 0.5491. The Chaddock, Oppenheim, and Gordon reflexes had kappa values of 0.4065, 0.3739, and 0.3515, respectively. For intra‐observer consistency, Gordon was the most consistent with a kappa value of 0.6731. When reflexes were combined in pairs, the Babinski and Chaddock reflexes together were the most reliable.

Conclusions:  The Babinski reflex was shown to be the most consistent between examiners. The Gordon reflex had the highest intra‐observer consistency; however, the small sample size should limit conclusions drawn from this calculation. Clinicians often utilize more than one reflex to examine the plantar response; the combination of the Babinski and Chaddock reflexes was the most reliable.
GAD65 IgG autoantibodies in stiff person syndrome: clonality, avidity and persistence
Authors: Skorstad G. , Hestvik A. L. , Torjesen P. , Alvik K. , Vartdal F. , Vandvik B. , Holmøy T.
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  Persistent intrathecal production of IgG autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65 IgG) and oligoclonal IgG of undetermined specificity has been reported in stiff person syndrome (SPS).

Methods:  To chart the avidity and clonal patterns of GAD65 IgG, we performed scatchard plot of binding characteristics and isoelectric focusing‐immunoblot of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum from five SPS patients.

Results:  Oligoclonal GAD65 IgG bands, predominantly restricted to the IgG1 subclass, were detected in CSF and serum in all patients. The distribution of GAD65‐specific IgG bands in serum and CSF revealed intrathecal synthesis of oligoclonal GAD65 IgG in all five patients, whilst radioimmunoassay demonstrated intrathecal synthesis of GAD65 IgG in four. The binding avidity of GAD65 IgG from CSF was more than 10 times higher than in serum in two of the patients but did not differ substantially in the remaining three. These differences were not related to symptom severity. The pattern of oligoclonal GAD65 IgG bands in CSF and serum in three patients examined remained unchanged for up to 7 years after symptom debut.

Conclusion:  This study confirms the persistent systemic and intrathecal production of GAD65‐specific IgG in SPS, and further shows that this immune response is oligoclonal and mediated by a stable population of affinity maturated B cell clones.
No evidence of association between frontotemporal dementia and major European mtDNA haplogroups
Authors: Rose G. , Longo T. , Maletta R. , Passarino G. , Bruni A. C. , De Benedictis G.
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inherited variability (haplogroup/sub‐haplogroup) is currently emerging as not being neutral with respect to several complex traits like neurodegenerative diseases. Here we investigated the association of European mtDNA haplogroups/sub‐haplogroups with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Method and Results:  A case‐control study was carried out on 114 patients with FTD (68 sporadic and 46 familial) and 180 controls, matched for age, gender and ethnicity. No association was found.

Conclusions:  European mtDNA haplogroups/sub‐haplogroups are unlikely to play a major role in the risk of developing the disease.
Proxy ratings from multiple sources: disagreement on the impact of multiple sclerosis on daily life
Authors: Van Der Linden F. A. H. , D’hooghe M. B. , Nagels G. , Van Nunen A. , Polman C. H. , Uitdehaag B. M. J.
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  The use of self‐report measurements may be problematic in patients with limitations that interfere with reliable self‐assessment like cognitive impairment, as may be the case in multiple sclerosis (MS). In these situations proxy respondents, such as close relatives or healthcare providers, may provide valuable information. To examine the accuracy and value of healthcare providers and close relatives to assess disease impact of MS.

Methods:  MS patients, close relatives and healthcare providers completed the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS‐29) before and after a rehabilitation program. Agreement between outcomes was assessed by calculating mean absolute and directional differences and intraclass correlation coefficients.

Results:  Comparison of ratings between patients and proxy respondents revealed low levels of agreement. Close relatives appeared to significantly overestimate the disease impact of MS whereas healthcare providers tended to underestimate the disease impact of MS.

Conclusion:  Caution is advised when incorporating close relatives and healthcare providers as proxy respondents in a rehabilitation setting. However, when close relatives are consulted, one should expect a certain level of overestimation of disease impact. When consulting healthcare providers, one should expect a certain level of underestimation of disease impact.
Restating the Acquis Communautaire? A Critical Examination of the ‘Principles of the Existing EC Contract Law’
Authors: Jansen Nils , Zimmermann Reinhard
Published: July 2008

The article examines the ‘Principles of the Existing EC Contract Law’ (Acquis Principles) published by the European Research Group on the Existing EC Contract Law (Acquis Group), a key player within the academic network charged with the preparation of a ‘Common Frame of Reference’. The Acquis Principles may therefore have a considerable impact on the shape and development of EC Contract Law. It is argued that the Acquis Principles do not constitute merely a restatement, or systematic revision, of existing EC private law. To a significant extent, the Acquis Group has drafted ‘desirable rules’, based on ‘political’ decisions that may even entail a transformation towards a regulatory model of private law. At the same time, the Acquis Principles clearly demonstrate that the acquis communautaire is not a coherent system of contract law that can be taken to have emancipated itself from the acquis commun.
The Assessment of Gain‐Based Damages for Breach of Contract
Authors: Cunnington Ralph
Published: July 2008

This article argues that there are two different measures of gain‐based damages for breach of contract: the Wrotham Park measure and the Blake measure. The former is assessed by reference to the objective value of the benefit received by the defendant and the latter by reference to the defendant's subjective gain. In assessing Wrotham Park damages the courts apply a fixed formula, determining the price that a reasonable person in the position of the claimant might have demanded from the defendant at the time of breach for relaxing its rights under the contract. The Blake measure is different; it requires the defendant to disgorge the actual net profit received from the breach. Unlike the Wrotham Park measure, it deals only with positive and not negative gains. It is also limited by the doctrine of causation so that only those gains that are ‘directly occasioned’ by the breach are recoverable.
In vitro dermal absorption and metabolism of D&C red no. 17 in human and porcine skin
Authors: Yourick Jeffrey J. , Sasik Camille T. , Bronaugh Robert L.
Published: July 2008

D&C red no. 17 is approved for use in externally applied drug and cosmetic applications, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. Concerns about the safety of the color additive (1‐[4‐phenylazophenylazo]‐2‐napthol (PAN) is the primary color constituent) have been raised due to potential metabolic cleavage of PAN to yield 4‐aminoazobenzene. 14C‐PAN was applied in a commercially available suntan vehicle containing D&C red no. 17 to viable porcine and non‐viable (cadaver) human skin in flow‐through diffusion cells. At the end of 24 h, unabsorbed material was removed from the skin and some cells were allowed to continue for an additional 48 h. In human skin, 0.07% and 0.17% of the applied dose were absorbed into the receptor fluid after 24 and 72 h, respectively. At the end of 24 h, 12.5% of the applied dose remained in the skin, which did not decrease at 72 h. When PAN was applied to viable porcine skin for 24 h, 0.3% of the applied dose was absorbed and 12.7% remained in the skin. Additional studies to simulate short‐term exposure were completed with PAN applied to the skin for only 15 min, and absorption was determined for 24 and 72 h. These studies in human cadaver skin found 0.02% and 0.08% of the applied dose in the receptor fluid after 24 and 72 h, respectively. Viable porcine skin studies with the 15 min application resulted in receptor fluid values of 0.1% of the applied dose after 24 h. Lipophilic receptor fluids composed of the non‐ionic surfactant Volpo 20 at wt% concentrations of 1%, 3%, or 6% in water did not increase partitioning of PAN from the skin into the receptor fluid. No metabolism of PAN was found in viable porcine skin when examined by HPLC. In conclusion, skin absorption of PAN from a commercially available suntan product was low.
Lessons Public Health Professionals Learned From Past Disasters
Authors: Rebmann Terri , Carrico Ruth , English Judith F.
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACT
Objectives: Delineate the lessons that public health professionals learned during past disasters and information/resources found to be lacking during past disasters.

Design/sample: Qualitative research consisting of 32 participants who attended the 2006 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Conference and participated in 1 of 3 focus groups.

Measurements: Focus group sessions were audiotaped; tapes were transcribed verbatim. Content analysis included identifying, coding, and categorizing participants' responses. Major themes were identified and categorized.

Results: Disasters can result in public health crises if infection prevention/control interventions are not implemented rapidly and appropriately. Gaps in past public health disaster response include infection prevention/control in mass casualty incidents, public education, internal and external communication, mental health, physical plant, and partnerships with outside agencies. Participants emphasized the need to provide consistent messages to the public, communicate between agencies, and provide public education on disaster preparedness. These tasks can be challenging during infectious disease emergencies when recommendations change. Effective communication is necessary to maintain public trust. Infection control issues in shelters, such as hand hygiene products/facilities, sanitation, outbreaks of unusual infectious diseases, overcrowded conditions, and poor environmental decontamination, were identified as critical to prevent secondary disease transmission.

Conclusion: Public health and infection control nurses must partner and continue to address gaps in disaster planning.
Action of Progesterone and Progesterone Metabolites in Menstrual‐Cycle–Related Disorders
Authors: Sundström‐Poromaa Inger
Published: July 2008

Progesterone and progesterone metabolites are important modulators of central nervous system function through their interactions with the γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor. GABA, neurosteroids, and other modulators of GABAA, such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and alcohol, typically inhibit neuronal excitability. The resulting anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative, and anesthetic effects are involved in mood, response to stress, and cognition.

The impact of neurosteroids has been demonstrated in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder: onset of negative mood symptoms has been correlated with peak progesterone levels, and symptoms intensified with progesterone withdrawal in the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. These symptoms were not present during anovulatory cycles without the corpus luteum, the primary source of progesterone and metabolites.

The focus of this article is the paradox of why high levels of progesterone and neurosteroids, which typically are associated with anxiolytic activity, instead induce irritability, anxiety, and mood fluctuations in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.