bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resource‐led Development: An Illustrative Example from Nigeria
Authors: Ogwumike Fidelis O. , Ogunleye Eric K.
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Several strategies are open to an economy in its attempt to attain sustainable economic development, depending on its historical background and resource endowment. One such strategy is the resource‐led strategy. Nigeria is very rich in crude oil and has reaped billions of petrodollars. However, the country faces the problem of successfully translating this huge oil wealth into sustainable development. This paper employs the vector error correction technique in examining the long‐run impact of the huge oil wealth accruing to Nigeria on its economic development. Basic indicators such as growth, private consumption, infrastructure (electricity), agriculture and manufacturing output growth rates are examined. The empirical results suggest a significant positive long‐run impact of per capita oil revenue on per capita household consumption and electricity generation while a negative relationship is established for GDP, agriculture and manufacturing. Even for those with a negative relationship at current period, there exist positive relationships at subsequent lags. Thus, oil revenue, if properly managed and invested, could be effectively used to induce oil‐led development for Nigeria provided that the initial inhibitions of corruption, lack of transparency, accountability and fairness in its use and distribution are removed.
China and India's Growth Surge: Is it a curse or blessing for Africa? The Case of Manufactured Exports
Authors: Geda Alemayehu , Meskel Atnafu G.
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  In this paper, we address two major questions. First, the question of whether China and India are displacing the African manufacturing export from the third market. Second, whether there is an evidence of shifting comparative advantage from China and India to Africa. We employed a gravity model with a panel data using 13 African exporters of clothing and accessories for the period 1995–2005 to answer the first question. To answer the second question, we used a flying‐geese model and estimated Spearman's rank correlation coefficients on indices of the revealed comparative advantage vectors of the African exporters and China and India for the same period. Both the gravity and flying‐geese models predicted similar outcomes. We found that there is strong evidence that China has been displacing African manufactures from the third market while India has been complementing it in the early years of the study. However, the overall third market impact of China and India has been that of complementarity in the later years of the study period. This result is found to vary across countries. Furthermore, we found evidence of shifting comparative advantage from China and India to Africa as the flying‐geese theory predicts, South Africa being the leading goose followed by Kenya. The major implication of the study is that, in the world where China and India are reshaping the global economic order dynamically, the outcomes of the traditionally received wisdom of trade liberalization and industrialization policies through export promotion may be uncertain and requires strategic thinking.
NON‐THERAPEUTIC MODIFICATION AND SELF‐INTEREST: REPLY TO SCHRAMME
Authors: CURTIS BENJAMIN L.
Published: July 2008

In this article I reply to Thomas Schramme's argument that there are no good reasons for the prohibition of severe forms of voluntary non‐therapeutic body modification. I argue that on paternalistic assumptions there is, in fact, a perfectly good reason.
ALTERNATIVE CONSENT MODELS FOR BIOBANKS: THE NEW SPANISH LAW ON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
Authors: DA ROCHA ANTONIO CASADO , SEOANE JOSÉ ANTONIO
Published: July 2008

This article provides an overview of recent contributions to the debate on the ethical use of previously collected biobank samples, as well as a country report about how this issue has been regulated in Spain by means of the new Biomedical Research Act, enacted in the summer of 2007. By contrasting the Spanish legal situation with the wider discourse of international bioethics, we identify and discuss a general trend moving from the traditional requirements of informed consent towards new models more favourable to research in a post‐genomic context.
Pricing Reinsurance Contracts on FDIC Losses
Authors: Madan Dilip B. , Ünal Haluk
Published: July 2008

This paper proposes a pricing model for the FDIC's reinsurance risk. We derive a closed‐form Weibull call option pricing model to price a call‐spread a reinsurer might sell to the FDIC. To obtain the risk‐neutral loss‐density necessary to price this call spread we risk‐neutralize a Weibull distributed FDIC annual losses by a tilting coefficient estimated from the traded call options on the BKX index. An application of the proposed approach yield reasonable reinsurance prices.
Secure antiretroviral therapy delivery in a resource‐limited setting: streamlined to minimize drug resistance and expense
Authors: Kitkungvan D , Apisarnthanarak A , Laowansiri P , Mundy LM
Published: July 2008

Background

We report the design and analysis of a streamlined approach to the delivery of antiretroviral therapy (ART) that minimized risk for emergence of ART drug resistance (ART‐DR) in a resource‐limited setting.

Methods

The algorithm of care for persons with HIV comprised generic, fixed‐dose, twice‐daily stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine (GPO‐VIR), scheduled and unannounced pill counts and measurement of viral load at months 6 and 18 after initiation of ART. We evaluated adherence as measured by pill counts, HIV suppression and programmatic costs.

Results

Over a 4‐year period, 214 of 330 patients (64.8%) were enrolled; baseline median CD4 count was 84 cells/μL. At month 1, nine patients (4.2%) discontinued GPO‐VIR because of skin rash. At month 6, 199 patients (93%) achieved viral load ≤400 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL, with current alcohol use the sole predictor of treatment failure [adjusted Relative Risk (aRR)=1.67; 95% confidence interval=1.05–2.48; P<0.001]. Most patients (97%) with HIV suppression at month 6 had viral loads ≤50 copies/mL at month 18; all had ≥75% visit compliance and 192 (98%) had ≥75% adherence measured by pill counts. The estimated annual costs were $111.92 per patient for the pill counts, home visits and viral load measurement.

Conclusions

Secure ART delivery, while minimizing risk for non‐adherence and ART‐DR, is clinically and economically feasible in this resource‐limited setting.
Effect of haematological alterations on thalassaemia investigation in HIV‐1‐infected Thai patients receiving antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Pornprasert S , Leechanachai P , Klinbuayaem V , Leenasirimakul P , Sukunthamala K , Thunjai B , Phusua A , Saetung R , Sanguansermsri T
Published: July 2008

Objectives

To evaluate the effect of haematological alterations resulting from antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the diagnosis of thalassaemia carriers in HIV‐1‐infected Thai patients.

Methods

Complete blood cell counts, osmotic fragility (OF) test and haemoglobin (Hb)‐A2 values were measured in blood samples of 52 antiretroviral‐treated and 14 untreated HIV‐1‐infected patients. Data were analysed according to thalassaemia type and ART.

Results

Sixteen patients carried at least one of the investigated thalassaemia types and most of them (87.5%) received ART. Their red cell indices [mean corpuscular Hb (MCH), mean corpuscular Hb concentration (MCHC) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW)], OF test and Hb‐A2 values were observed within the critical criteria of each thalassaemia type. Normocytic red cells were observed in α‐thalassaemia and Hb‐E trait. Among HIV‐1‐infected patients who are non‐thalassaemia carriers, higher values of Hb‐A2, MCH, macrocytosis and lower red cell counts were observed in the treated group. Values of RDW, MCHC and OF test for treated and untreated groups were in the normal range. Five treated patients had Hb‐A2 values within the critical criteria of β‐thalassaemia carriers but β‐thalassaemia gene mutations were not observed by polymerase chain reaction analysis.

Conclusions

ART can alter many haematological figures. Therefore, diagnosis of thalassaemia should be evaluated carefully in combination with those parameters.
History of Methysergide in Migraine
Authors: Koehler PJ , Tfelt-Hansen PC
Published: July 2008

Harold Wolff's theory of vasodilation in migraine is well-known. Less known is his search for a perivascular factor that would damage local tissues and increase pain sensitivity during migraine attacks. Serotonin was found to be among the candidate agents to be included. In the same period, serotonin was isolated (1948) and, because of its actions, an anti-serotonin drug was needed. Methysergide was synthesized from lysergic acid (LSD) by adding a methyl group and a butanolamid group. This resulted in a compound with selectivity and high potency as a serotonin (5-HT) inhibitor. Based on the possible involvement of serotonin in migraine attacks, it was introduced in 1959 by Sicuteri as a preventive drug for migraine. The clinical effect was often excellent, but 5 years later it was found to cause retroperitoneal fibrosis after chronic intake. Consequently, the use of the drug in migraine declined considerably, but it was still used as a 5-HT antagonist in experimental studies. In 1974 Saxena showed that methysergide had a selective vasoconstrictor effect in the carotid bed and in 1984 he found an atypical receptor. This finding provided an incentive for the development of sumatriptan. Bredberg et al. showed that methysergide is probably a prodrug for its active metabolite methylergometrine. Whereas methysergide is ‘a clean drug’, methylergometrine is ‘a relatively dirty drug’ with additional dopaminergic activity. The mechanism for the preventive effect of methysergide (methylergometrine) in migraine remains elusive. We describe the rise, fall and subsequent use as a third-choice drug of the first effective migraine prophylactic, methysergide.
Thirty years later: Henry Widdowson's Teaching Language as Communication
Authors: Littlewood William
Published: July 2008

This feature provides a critical reappraisal of a well‐known book that was published some time ago, in order to assess how far it is still relevant to current thinking.
The genre(s) of student writing: developing writing models
Authors: Hüttner Julia
Published: July 2008

This paper addresses the need to re‐evaluate the aims and objectives underlying the teaching of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in a European context. I argue here that for students to develop fully their abilities as writers, the objectives set in individual classes must reflect students’ communicative purposes, rather than those of expert writers, and for that reason specific student writing models are needed. This paper proposes a methodology for the development of such writing models, and presents results of the application of this methodology to the analysis of a corpus of 55 student paper conclusions. The notion of student genre(s) adopted here challenges the tacit assumption that EAP is a homogeneous whole, and that expert models can realistically be used as models in teaching EAP student writing.
Arthur Golding's Metamorphoses: myth in an Elizabethan political context1
Authors: Gibbs Gary G. , Ruiz Florinda
Published: July 2008

Modern scholarship has been divided over the literary quality and merits of Arthur Golding's 1567 translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses. While the text was popular in its day, most modern students find it rather odd. This paper argues that Golding's text conforms to a larger strategy exhibited in his oeuvre, and that failure to examine the Elizabethan Metamorphoses cognizant of the translator's other texts is to divorce it from a critical exegetical framework. Rather than being ‘odd’, Golding's translation served a literary agenda that can be explained and analysed once the crucial context is supplied. In order to place Golding's Metamorphoses in the perspective of his life's work, this essay examines his original writings, dedications, paratexts, and so on, to construct a coherent series of statements regarding religion, politics, society, and the purpose of literature in a culture conflicted by the debates of the Reformation. The authors also provide a textual analysis of the myths of Byblis and Orpheus to demonstrate the manner in which Golding translated Ovid's Latin. The final result places the Elizabethan Metamorphoses within Golding's world view and explains the ‘oddness’ to the modern readership.
P–T–t–D paths of Everest Series schist, Nepal
Authors: JESSUP M. J. , COTTLE J. M. , SEARLE M. P. , LAW R. D. , NEWELL D. L. , TRACY R. J. , WATERS D. J.
Published: July 2008

U(–Th)–Pb geochronology, geothermobarometric estimates and macro‐ and micro‐structural analysis, quantify the pressure–temperature–time–deformation (P–T–t–D) history of Everest Series schist and calcsilicate preserved in the highest structural levels of the Everest region. Pristine staurolite schist from the Everest Series contains garnet with prograde compositional zoning and yields a P–T estimate of 649 ± 21 °C, 6.2 ± 0.7 kbar. Other samples of the Everest Series contain garnet with prograde zoning and staurolite with cordierite overgrowths that yield a P–T estimate of 607 ± 25 °C, 2.9 ± 0.6 kbar. The Lhotse detachment (LD) marks the base of the Everest Series. Structurally beneath the LD, within the Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS), garnet zoning is homogenized, contains resorption rinds and yields peak temperature estimates of ∼650 ± 50 °C. P–T estimates record a decrease in pressure from ∼6 to 3 kbar and equivalent temperatures from structurally higher positions in the overlying Everest Series, through the LD and into GHS. This transition is interpreted to result from the juxtaposition of the Everest Series in the hangingwall with the GHS footwall rocks during southward extrusion and decompression along the LD system. An age constraint for movement on the LD is provided by the crystallization age of the Nuptse granite (23.6 ± 0.7 Ma), a body that was emplaced syn‐ to post‐solid‐state fabric development. Microstructural evidence suggests that deformation in the LD progressed from a distributed ductile shear zone into the structurally higher Qomolangma detachment during the final stages of exhumation. When combined with existing geochronological, thermobarometric and structural data from the GHS and Main Central thrust zone, these results form the basis for a more complete model for the P–T–t–D evolution of rocks exposed in the Mount Everest region.
Effects of red blood cell transfusions during the first week of life on acid‐base, glucose, and electrolytes in preterm neonates
Authors: Dani Carlo , Perugi Silvia , Benuzzi Alessandra , Corsini Iuri , Bertini Giovanna , Pratesi Simone , Rubaltelli Firmino F.
Published: July 2008

BACKGROUND: More than 90 percent of extremely low‐birth‐weight infants receive one or more transfusions of red blood cells (RBCs). The objective was to assess if RBC transfusions may induce significant changes of plasma acid‐base, electrolyte, and glucose status in extremely preterm infants.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Records of infants with gestational age of less than 31 weeks who were transfused with RBCs during the first week of life were reviewed (n = 61). Blood samples were collected from infants before and after transfusions to evaluate hemoglobin (Hb) level, hematocrit, acid‐base, electrolyte, and glucose status. Then infants were stratified into four groups that received a RBC volume of less than 15, 15 to 20, more than 20 to 25, or more than 25 mL per kg.

RESULTS: Infants received 20.7 (±1.5) mL per kg RBCs. After transfusions, a significant increase of pO2 (p < 0.0001) and decrease of Ca2+ (p = 0.047) and glycemia (p < 0.0001) were observed. Infants who were transfused with more than 25 mL per kg were significantly less immature, heavier, and more anemic than infants in other groups. A positive relationship was found between changes of patients' potassium plasma level and K+ intake through RBC transfusion (r = 0.442, p = 0.008). Three (4.9%) infants developed hyperkalemia, one (1.6%) had an exacerbation of his hypocalcemia, and another (1.6%) of his hypoglycemia.

CONCLUSIONS: RBC transfusions were effective in correcting anemia in our patients and induced a slight increase of pH and pO2 and decrease of Ca2+ and glycemia, which were not clinically relevant. A linear direct correlation was observed between potassium intake by RBC transfusions and changes of kalemia in our infants, but there was not an increase of K+ plasma level after transfusions.
Performance of an algorithm for the reentry of volunteer blood donors deferred due to false‐positive test results for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen
Authors: Katz Louis , Strong D. Michael , Tegtmeier Gary , Stramer Susan
Published: July 2008

BACKGROUND: Blood donor testing for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti‐HBc) has been used in the United States for more than 20 years as a surrogate to prevent transmission by transfusion of non‐A,non‐B hepatitis, as a human immunodeficiency virus surrogate, and to reduce transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Nonspecific anti‐HBc assays have caused deferral of hundreds of thousands of otherwise qualified donors. A more specific anti‐HBc test and a sensitive HBV DNA test should permit donor reentry after false‐positive anti‐HBc.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 1324 otherwise eligible volunteer donors, deferred for anti‐HBc reactivity on more than one occasion, were recruited from four collection facilities. They were tested using a licensed, more specific anti‐HBc test, a licensed hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test, and a licensed HBV DNA assay with a 95 percent limit of detection of not more than 10 copies per mL.

RESULTS: From 11 to 32 percent of donors contacted by participating sites entered the study. Overall, 488 (37%) of the donors were negative on the more specific anti‐HBc test. The proportion of putative false‐positive samples varied according to the test responsible for the original deferral. A single donor, negative for the presence of anti‐HBc and HBsAg, was positive for the presence of HBV DNA in one of three replicates. Repeat testing of this donor 10 months later was negative for the presence of all markers of HBV infection, and the donor had a history of HBV vaccination with documented postimmunization anti‐HBs seroconversion 10 years before her anti‐HBc deferral, and was considered HBV DNA false positive.

CONCLUSION: These data support reentry of donors with false‐positive anti‐HBc results on the relatively nonspecific assays that have been in use in the United States for more than 20 years.
Platelet capacity of various platelet pooling systems for buffy coat–derived platelet concentrates
Authors: Dijkstra‐Tiekstra Margriet J. , Kuipers Willeke , Setroikromo Airies C. , De Wildt‐Eggen Janny
Published: July 2008

BACKGROUND: Platelet (PLT) storage lesions might depend on the total PLT count in the storage container and also on the PLT pooling system, especially the storage container, that is used for preparation of PLT concentrates (PCs). In this study, the PLT capacity of four commercially available PLT pooling systems was studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four PCs were prepared in pooling systems of Baxter, Fresenius, Terumo, or Pall. The PCs were pooled and divided with various total PLT counts over the four storage containers (<225 × 109, 225 × 109‐324 × 109, 325 × 109‐424 × 109, and >424 × 109 PLTs). Volumes were kept equal by adding plasma to PCs with less than 425 × 109 PLTs until a same volume as for PCs with more than 424 × 109 PLTs was reached. PCs were stored at room temperature and tested for various in vitro variables on Days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Paired experiments were repeated for each system five times.

RESULTS: In vitro variables remained good for 9 days, that is, swirling score of 2 or more, pH value of 6.8 or more, glucose level of 10 mmol per L or more, lactate level of less than 25 mmol per L, and CD62p expression of less than 50 percent, for PCs in Baxter systems with more than 225 × 109 PLTs, for PCs in Fresenius and Terumo systems with 225 × 109 to 424 × 109 PLTs, and for PCs in Pall systems with fewer than 425 × 109 PLTs.

CONCLUSION: PLT capacity depended on the PLT pooling systems used. All systems provide acceptable storage conditions. The Baxter system was the only system with capacity for more than 424 × 109 PLTs per PC.
A History of the Concept of Spatial Autocorrelation: A Geographer's Perspective
Authors: Getis Arthur
Published: July 2008

Spatial autocorrelation is a concept that helps to define the field of spatial analysis. It is central to studies using spatial statistics and spatial econometrics. In this paper, we trace the early development of the concept and explain the academic links that brought the concept to the fore in the late 1960s. In geography, the importance of the work of Michael F. Dacey, Andrew D. Cliff, and J. Keith Ord is emphasized. Later, with the publication of a volume on spatial econometrics by Luc Anselin, spatial research and the use of the concept of spatial autocorrelation received a considerable boost. These developments are outlined together with comments about recent and possible future trends in spatial autocorrelation‐based research.
Disabled Readers' Performance on Tasks of Phonological Processing, Rapid Naming, and Letter Knowledge Before and After Kindergarten
Authors: Smith Susan Lambrecht , Scott Kathleen A. , Roberts Jenny , Locke John L.
Published: July 2008

The importance of early identification of children at risk for reading failure is clearly established in the literature. The purpose of this longitudinal retrospective study was to further define the relationship between the development of prereading skills and later reading outcome in two groups of children; a group of reading‐disabled children and a group of their normally reading peers. Children's alphabetic knowledge, phonological awareness, and rapid naming skills were explored at the beginning of kindergarten and again prior to first grade as a function of later reading outcomes. Results indicate that differences found between the groups in all measures at prekindergarten age diminish by prefirst grade with the exception of phonological awareness abilities. Findings have direct implications for screening children at risk for reading difficulties and the time‐sensitive nature of these tasks during the preliteracy period.
Procrastination and Motivation of Undergraduates with Learning Disabilities: A Mixed‐Methods Inquiry
Authors: Klassen Robert M. , Krawchuk Lindsey L. , Lynch Shane L. , Rajani Sukaina
Published: July 2008

The purpose of this mixed‐methods article was to report two studies exploring the relationships between academic procrastination and motivation in 208 undergraduates with (n= 101) and without (n= 107) learning disabilities (LD). In Study 1, the results from self‐report surveys found that individuals with LD reported significantly higher levels of procrastination, coupled with lower levels of metacognitive self‐regulation and self‐efficacy for self‐regulation than those without LD. Procrastination was most strongly (inversely) related to self‐efficacy for self‐regulation for both groups, and the set of motivation variables reliably predicted group membership with regard to LD status. In Study 2, individual interviews with 12 students with LD resulted in five themes: LD‐related problems, self‐beliefs and procrastination, outcomes of procrastination, antecedents of procrastination, and support systems. The article concludes with an integration of quantitative and qualitative results, with attention paid to implications for service providers working with undergraduates with LD.
Adults with Learning Disabilities in the Workforce: Lessons for Secondary Transition Programs
Authors: Madaus Joseph W. , Gerber Paul J. , Price Lynda A.
Published: July 2008

Now almost 15 years after the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) data are emerging in the literature related to job entry and employment outcomes of adults with learning disabilities (LD). Although these data are derived from varying methodologies, they converge in three critical areas: Knowledge of the ADA, realities of workplace self‐disclosure, and the importance of self‐determination. This review presents findings in each of these areas. The messages obtained from adults with LD who experience the realities of the workplace can provide significant information for secondary programs that assist students with hidden disabilities preparing to transition to college or to employment.
Facing a Post‐American World
Authors: ZAKARIA FAREED
Published: July 2008

American‐led globalization has enabled the third great powershift of the last five hundred years—the “rise of the rest” following on the rise of the West and then the rise of the US as the dominant power in the West.

When China, India, Brazil, Turkey and the rest sit at the table of global power with the West what will the world order look like? Will it be post‐American? Will it be culturally non‐Western, but play by the same rules of an open international order laid down by the American's after World War II?

In the following pages, leading American and Asian intellectuals ponder these questions.
The Trickle‐Down Olympics
Authors: TONG BAO
Published: July 2008

Will China's authoritarian leaders succeed in building a future by erasing the past? Can the ideology of “nationalist consumerism” obliterate memory altogether? Will the Olympic applause drown out the weak and exiled witnesses of the Tiananmen crackdown?

In this section we listen to a key Tiananmen student leader two decades on as well as check in with today's young elites in Beijing. A political leader from the reformist regime in 1989 calls for justice from house arrest and a young Chinese novelist wonders what kind of identity is possible without memory.
Residential Patterns of Black Immigrants and Native‐Born Blacks in the United States*
Authors: Scopilliti Melissa , Iceland John
Published: July 2008

Objective. Although high levels of black‐white residential segregation have long been observed, relatively little is known about the residential patterns of black immigrants. This analysis examines the role of nativity and Hispanic ethnicity for the residential patterns of blacks in the United States.

Methods. This article uses data from the 2000 Census to calculate dissimilarity indexes and conduct regression analyses.

Results. We find differences in the extent of segregation of blacks from whites, with Hispanic blacks and non‐Hispanic black immigrants exhibiting higher levels of segregation from whites than U.S.‐born non‐Hispanic blacks.

Conclusions. The strength of nativity and socioeconomic status provides some support for spatial assimilation theory. Metropolitan context also plays a role in explaining residential patterns: one reason foreign and Hispanic blacks are very segregated from whites is that they tend to reside in metropolitan areas where black‐white segregation has generally been high. Despite the role of these factors, race itself remains of great importance in explaining residential patterns, as segregation from whites is high among all black subgroups.
Optimism in the Face of Despair: Black‐White Differences in Beliefs About School as a Means for Upward Social Mobility*
Authors: Harris Angel L.
Published: July 2008

Objective. This study aims to provide a better understanding of how beliefs about the system of social mobility affect students' schooling outcomes. Previous studies reach conflicting conclusions because they conflate two forms of beliefs about social mobility (i.e., perceived value of school and perceived barriers despite schooling).

Methods. The Maryland Adolescence Development In Context Study (MADICS) is used to examine black‐white differences in beliefs about the value of school and barriers to upward mobility despite schooling and how these beliefs predict academic achievement and educational attainment.

Results. The analyses show that relative to whites, blacks hold stronger beliefs in both the value of school and barriers to social mobility, and have greater affective attitudes toward schooling. However, belief in barriers to social mobility is not consequential for academic outcomes.

Conclusions. Beliefs about upward mobility are mechanisms by which the opportunity structure influences individuals' schooling behaviors and making clear distinctions between various beliefs about the system of social mobility can refine the understanding of this link. This study suggests that individuals make nuanced distinctions about the role of schooling for upward mobility, each with separate effects on academic outcomes.
Forty Acres and a Mule in the 21st Century*
Authors: Darity William
Published: July 2008

In general, a program of reparations is intended to achieve three objectives: acknowledgment of a grievous injustice, redress for the injustice, and closure of the grievances held by the group subjected to the injustice. Three types of injustices motivate a program of reparations for black Americans: slavery, the nearly century‐long Jim Crow regime following Reconstruction, and ongoing discrimination. Inauguration of a reparations program on behalf of black Americans preferably will be undertaken via legislative action at the federal level, rather than by judicial fiat. Logistical issues addressed in the article include determination of the magnitude of the reparations bill and the criteria to be used to identify those eligible to receive reparations. The present day value of 40 acres and a mule can provide the foundation for the calculation of the magnitude of reparations owed to black Americans.
Biology, Social Environment, and Health: How Family History and Social Conditions Affect Adult Asthma*
Authors: Gorman Bridget K. , Asaithambi Rathi
Published: July 2008

Objective. We examine how multiple measures of both biological (family history of asthma) and social risk factors (home environment quality, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics) influence asthma risk among U.S. adults.

Method. Using logistic regression models, we analyze data from a sample of 6,337 adults from the 2003–2004 National Asthma Survey.

Results. Prevalence rates of current asthma are four times higher among adults with a family history of asthma, and the odds of having asthma are influenced most strongly by having asthmatic parents or grandparents (and, to a lesser extent, asthmatic siblings). We also find that social factors, especially characteristics of the home environment, significantly increase the odds of suffering from asthma as an adult.

Conclusion. Our results show that all measures of family history are strongly linked to adult asthma prevalence, even when social factors are controlled. Social factors are also important, but very little of this is as a mediating influence that links family history and adult asthma; rather, family and social conditions have mostly independent effects.
Political Tolerance in Taiwan: Democratic Elitism in a Polity Under Threat*
Authors: Wang T. Y. , Chen Lu‐huei
Published: July 2008

Objectives. This study employs the theory of threats to assess the claim of democratic elitism that elites are more tolerant, politically, than the general public.

Methods. Utilizing survey data collected from social elites and the masses in Taiwan, a logit model with binary outcomes is employed.

Results. The statistical results show that Taiwanese elites generally exhibit a higher level of political tolerance than the masses but that they become less tolerant when the stakes are perceived to be high.

Conclusions. The empirical evidence confirms the theory of democratic elitism but with important qualifications. This finding suggests that ordinary voters in democratic polities need to continually exercise their power as the final arbitrators of state policies.
Major League Baseball Players' Life Expectancies*
Authors: Onge Jarron M. Saint , Rogers Richard G. , Krueger Patrick M.
Published: July 2008

Objective. We examine the importance of anthropometric and performance measures, and age, period, and cohort effects in explaining life expectancies among major league baseball (MLB) players over the past century.

Methods. We use discrete time hazard models to calculate life tables with covariates with data from Total Baseball, a rich source of information on all players who played in the major league.

Results. Compared to 20‐year‐old U.S. males, MLB players can expect almost five additional years of life. Height, weight, handedness, and player ratings are unassociated with the risk of death in this population of highly active and successful adults. Career length is inversely associated with the risk of death, likely because those who play longer gain additional incomes, physical fitness, and training.

Conclusions. Our results indicate improvements in life expectancies with time for all age groups and indicate possible improvements in longevity in the general U.S. population.
Absence of Myocardial Dysfunction during Cold Pressor Stress Echocardiography in Patients with Endothelial Dysfunction
Authors: Cianciulli Tomás F. , Lax Jorge A. , Masoli Osvaldo H. , Redruello Marcela F. , Saccheri María C. , Candiello Alfonsina , Redruello Héctor J. , Dorelle Adriana N. , Prezioso Horacio A. , Vidal Luis A.
Published: July 2008

Background: Several methods are available for the assessment of coronary endothelial function, but there are no reports to date regarding the usefulness of cold pressor stress echocardiography (CPSE). Objective: To assess regional systolic and diastolic left ventricular function using CPSE in patients with endothelial dysfunction. Methods: We studied 24 patients, of whom 10 were men, aged 27 to 68 years, who had coronary risk factors and a normal exercise MP‐SPECT test. They were compared with 10 normal subjects (6 men), aged 21 to 44 years. All patients underwent a CPSE. Results: The cold pressor‐MP‐SPECT revealed myocardial ischemia in 10 patients (Group I) and was normal in 14 patients (Group II). All normal subjects (Group III) had normal cold pressor‐MP‐SPECT. The cold pressor test caused a significant increase in systolic BP in the three groups (baseline 117 ± 17 mmHg vs. postcold test 137 ± 16 mmHg, P < 0.05), without changes in heart rate, PR interval, or the corrected QT interval. During the CPSE, no patient developed WMA in 2D echo or changes in regional systolic or diastolic LV function in the pulsed Doppler tissue imaging. Conclusions: In patients with endothelial dysfunction and no known coronary artery disease, the ischemic response to the cold pressor‐MP‐SPECT is not accompanied by WMA or changes in regional systolic or diastolic LV function during CPSE. Such negative findings indicate that the amount of ischemia that occurs secondarily to endothelial dysfunction does not involve sufficient myocardial mass to cause contractile dysfunction.
Sintering Kinetics at Constant Rates of Heating: Mechanism of Silica‐Enhanced Sintering of Fine Zirconia Powder
Authors: Matsui Koji
Published: July 2008

The sintering behavior of 3 mol% Y2O3‐doped ZrO2 powders with and without a small amount of SiO2 was investigated to clarify the effect of SiO2 addition on the initial sintering stage. The shrinkage behavior of a powder compact was measured under constant rates of heating (CRH). The sintering rate increased remarkably with the addition of a small amount of SiO2. The apparent activation energy (nQ) and apparent frequency factor

, where n is the order depending on the diffusion mechanism, were estimated at the initial sintering stage by applying the sintering‐rate equation to the CRH data. The diffusion mechanism changed from grain‐boundary diffusion (GBD) to volume diffusions (VD) on SiO2 addition, and both nQ and

increased with the GBD→VD change. It is, therefore, concluded that the sintering rate increases by SiO2 addition because the increase in

rather than nQ is predominant.
Transmission Properties of Translucent Polycrystalline Alumina
Authors: Yamashita Isao , Nagayama Hitoshi , Tsukuma Koji
Published: July 2008

Effects of residual pores and optical birefringence on transmission through translucent polycrystalline alumina have been studied with the Mie scattering theory. The in‐line and total forward transmissions of the translucent polycrystalline alumina were simulated as a function of porosity, pore radius, and grain size. The model revealed that porosity has a significant effect on both the total forward scattering and the in‐line transmission, whereas grain size affects only in‐line transmission. The calculated transmittance is in good agreement with the experimental values. The in‐line transmission gradually increased with a decrease in grain size, and the effect of birefringence on the total forward transmission is negligible in the visible spectrum. The total forward transmission in the visible spectrum is mainly governed by residual pores.
Diesel Fumes Do Kill: A Case of Fatal Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Directly Attributed to Diesel Fuel Exhaust with a 10‐year Retrospective Case and Literature Review*
Authors: Griffin Sean M. , Ward Michael K. , Terrell Andrea R. , Stewart Donna
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  While it is known that diesel fuel combustion engines produce much lower concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) than gasoline engines, these emissions could certainly generate lethal ambient concentrations given a sufficient amount of time in an enclosed space and under suitable environmental conditions. The authors report a case of CO poisoning which was initially referred for autopsy as a presumed natural death of a truck driver found in the secure cab of a running diesel tractor trailer truck. Completion of the preliminary investigation ascribed death to complications of ischemic heart disease (IHD), pending toxicological analysis that included quantification of CO. When the toxicology results showed lethal blood COHbg, the cause of death was re‐certified as CO intoxication secondary to inhalation of (diesel) vehicular exhaust fumes. Because of the unique source of fatal CO intoxication in this case, the contributory IHD and the possible contaminants in the putrefied blood, a 10‐year retrospective review was conducted on all nonfire related CO deaths autopsied (n = 94) at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Louisville, KY from 1994 to 2003. For validation of the COHbg detection method used by the Kentucky Office of Forensic Toxicology (KYOFT), blood samples from these cases along with controls were submitted to three laboratories using various analytical methods yielding no statistically significant differences. Lastly, an extensive literature review produced no scientifically reported cases of fatal CO poisoning attributed to diesel fuel exhaust.
Rupture of Ascending Aorta Secondary to Esophageal Perforation by Fish Bone
Authors: Macchi Veronica , Porzionato Andrea , Bardini Romeo , Parenti Anna , De Caro Raffaele
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Perforations of both esophagus and aorta after swallowing foreign bodies have been described, with aorto‐esophageal fistulas at the level of the descending aorta or aortic arch. We present the case of a 48‐year‐old man with esophageal perforation by fish bone, mediastinitis, and evidence of perforation of the ascending aorta during surgical drainage of the mediastinum. At autopsy, a fish bone was found under the aortic arch. Serial histological macrosections of the mediastinic block allowed reconstruction of the type of injury suffered and a thorough analysis of mediastinic structures, with preservation of topographic relationships. Direct demonstration of the perforation of the posterior wall of ascending aorta was provided. Histological examination ascribed aortic perforation to migration of the fish bone and direct injury. This is the first anatomical and pathological study of an autopsy case of perforation of the ascending aorta by fish bone.
Statistical Discrimination of Liquid Gasoline Samples from Casework
Authors: Petraco Nicholas D. K. , Gil Mark , Pizzola Peter A. , Kubic T. A.
Published: July 2008

Abstract: The intention of this study was to differentiate liquid gasoline samples from casework by utilizing multivariate pattern recognition procedures on data from gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. A supervised learning approach was undertaken to achieve this goal employing the methods of principal component analysis (PCA), canonical variate analysis (CVA), orthogonal canonical variate analysis (OCVA), and linear discriminant analysis. The study revealed that the variability in the sample population was sufficient enough to distinguish all the samples from one another knowing their groups a priori. CVA was able to differentiate all samples in the population using only three dimensions, while OCVA required four dimensions. PCA required 10 dimensions of data in order to predict the correct groupings. These results were all cross‐validated using the “jackknife” method to confirm the classification functions and compute estimates of error rates. The results of this initial study have helped to develop procedures for the application of multivariate analysis to fire debris casework.
Iatrogenic Tracheal Laceration Causing Asphyxia
Authors: Pažanin Leo , Mišak Vilka Bekavac , Goreta Nedjeljka , Mareković Zvonimir , Petrovečki Vedrana
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Endotracheal intubation is a simple, rapid, and safe technique that is being used as a standard procedure for airway management. However, airway injury during endotracheal intubation could be a significant source of morbidity or even mortality for patients and a source of liability for physicians as well. We report an unusual case of fatal tracheal occlusion by intraluminal blood clot complicating endotracheal intubation. The patient, a 62‐year‐old woman, with renovascular hypertension and incipient renal failure was scheduled for renal autotransplantation. The surgery was uneventful but the postoperative course was complicated with a lethal airway obstruction. At autopsy a linear longitudinal tracheal laceration was identified with an intraluminal blood clot obstructing the tracheal lumen. Tracheal laceration as a cause of death is a rare and potentially fatal complication of endotracheal intubation with intratracheal bleeding, clot formation, tracheal occlusion, and subsequent asphyxia.
Evidence that the Two‐Way Communication Checklist identifies patient–doctor needs discordance resulting in better 6‐month outcome
Authors: Van Os J. , Triffaux J.‐M.
Published: July 2008

Objective:  To assess an intervention aimed at reducing patient–professional carer needs discordance.

Method:  In a group of 460 patients with schizophrenia, the Two‐Way Communication Checklist (2‐COM), an instrument to rate needs, was completed at baseline, 2 months and 6 months by both the patient and the professional carer, allowing for the quantification of patient–carer needs discordance.

Results:  Reduction in patient‐reported 2‐COM needs in the group with low baseline needs discordance was much greater at 2 and 6 months (2 months: β = −0.65, P < 0.001; 6 months: β = −1.00, P < 0.001) than in the group with high baseline discordance (2 months: β = −0.35, P < 0.001; 6 months: β = −0.49, P < 0.001). Reduction in needs discordance between baseline and 2 months (β = −0.07, P = 0.004) as well between 2 and 6 months (β = −0.05, P = 0.020) was associated with greater levels of CGI clinical improvement.

Conclusion:  The fact that patient–carer needs discordance impacts negatively, and its reduction positively, on 6‐month outcome suggests that systematic inventory of patient–carer views on needs is necessary.
Effective photodynamic therapy of actinic keratoses on the head and face with a novel, self‐adhesive 5‐aminolaevulinic acid patch
Authors: Hauschild Axel , Popp Georg , Stockfleth Eggert , Meyer Karl‐Gustav , Imberger Dirk , Mohr Peter , Itschert Götz , Kaufmann Roland , Neuber Karsten , Frambach Yvonne , Gollnick Harald , Brunnert Marcus , Stocker Marcus , Ortland Christoph , Karrer Sigrid
Published: July 2008

Background:  Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is increasingly used for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK).

Objectives:  To investigate both the efficacy of different application times and the safety of a novel patch (PD P 506 A) containing aminolaevulinic acid in the PDT of mild to moderate AK.

Methods:  Applications of PD P 506 A for 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 h were compared in a multicentre, randomized, blinded‐observer, parallel‐group study. After patch removal, study lesions were illuminated with red light (λem ≈ 630 nm; 37 J/cm2). Study lesions were not pretreated (e.g. by curettage) prior to PDT. Efficacy was evaluated 4 and 8 weeks after treatment. Safety and tolerability were determined through laboratory analyses and documentation of both local reactions and adverse events.

Results:  A total of 149 patients were initially enrolled. Of these, 140 patients (520 lesions) completed the study according to protocol. Eight weeks after treatment, 86% of the AK lesions (74% of the patients) treated with 4‐h patch application showed complete clearance. The complete clearance rates of lesions (patients) for the 2‐, 1‐ and 0.5‐h treatment arms were 73% (47%), 72% (50%) and 51% (24%), respectively. Statistically, the 4‐h application was identified as the ‘best treatment’. Patients with clearance seemed to experience local reactions to a greater extent than patients without clearance. Local reactions to study treatments did not exceed the expected range.

Conclusions:  The results of this first clinical efficacy study suggest excellent therapeutic outcomes with a single PD P 506 A PDT with a 4‐h application.
Transplantation of primary canines after loss or ankylosis of upper permanent incisors. A prospective case series study on healing and survival
Authors: Pohl Yango , Geist Paul , Filippi Andreas
Published: July 2008

Abstract –  Primary canines were transplanted to replace lost or ankylosed permanent upper incisors. Healing, healing complications and loss and survival were evaluated in a prospective case series study. In total, 27 primary canines were transplanted. Extraorally posts made of titanium were inserted into the root canal from a retrograde direction as an immediate endodontic treatment and as an elongation of the short autologous roots. In some cases antiresorptive‐regenerative therapy was used. Inclusion criteria for the evaluation were a minimal observation period of 12 months or the observation of complications. The median observation period of the analyzed 17 transplants was 26.6 months (min: 6.7 months, max: 54.6 months). Sixteen out of seventeen transplants exhibited functional healing until the end of the observation or the occurrence of an external influence (another trauma, resorption by neighbored tooth). In no case ankylosis or arrest of alveolar growth was recorded. In some transplants resorptions not related to infection or ankylosis were observed. One transplant exhibited an early infection‐related complication and was removed. One transplant was resorbed by the developing permanent canine and lost. Following another trauma five transplants were lost. External influence and new trauma were significantly related to the loss of transplants (Fisher’s exact test; P = 0.0006 and 0.0034). The estimated survival according to a Kaplan–Meier analysis was 40.7 months for all transplants. It was significantly shorter for teeth which were lost in relation to an external influence (survival 28.4 months vs 44.7 months; log rank test: P = 0.0093). The transplantation of primary canines maintains bone and soft tissues of the alveolar process. The healing rate is high. However, there is a high incidence of repeated trauma episodes, causing a high loss rate. The observation period is still limited.