bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colchicine poisoning: a case report and review of literature
Authors: Babu YP Raghavendra , Manjunath S , Bakkannavar Shankar M , Acharya Jenash , Kumar GN Pramod
Published: September 2012

Colchicine, a natural pseudo-alkaloid found in plants such as the Colchicum autumnale and Gloriosa superba has tremendous medicinal properties, but if misused by an unqualified person can result in fatal consequences. We report a case of colchicine poisoning in an adult man as a result of consumption of the herb G. superba by a 50-year-old man and review the literature.
Student perceptions of GP teachers’ role in community-based undergraduate surgical education: a qualitative study
Authors: Powell Sian , Easton Graham
Published: August 2012

Objectives

To evaluate medical students’ perceptions of a new community-based surgical module being delivered as part of a third-year clinical methods teaching (CMT) course at Imperial College, London.

Design

A qualitative study using focus group interviews with medical students who had recently completed the surgical module. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed and analysed to identify key categories that reflected the positive and negative aspects of the student's perspectives.

Setting

Imperial College, London

Participants

Two groups of fourth-year medical students were invited to participate in the focus groups. The first group consisted of seven students from the surgery and Anaesthesia BSc course. The second group consisted of a random sample of five students from other BSc courses at Imperial College.

Main Outcome Measures

These were not defined pre-study as the purpose of the study was to obtain student perceptions of the surgical module. Facilitators were given guide questions to aid consistency and prompted discussion where required using an inductive approach to the topics discussed by the students.

Results

Student opinions of surgical teaching delivered in the community compared favourably with the surgical teaching delivered in hospitals. Students identified the key benefits as: having protected time to learn, regular access to suitable patients, and teaching that was more learner-centred. Challenges identified by students included the GPs’ lack of specialist knowledge and teaching that was dictated by individual interests rather than the syllabus.

Conclusions

Community-based teaching has been widely used to deliver teaching traditionally taught in hospital settings. However, surgical skills are still taught largely by surgical specialists within hospitals. Our study suggests that students are receptive to GPs teaching surgical topics in the community and perceive GPs as competent teachers. This study suggests that there may be benefits in delivering traditional surgical modules in community settings. Providing training for teachers may be a key factor in ensuring quality of surgical teaching for all students.
Viewing Nations, Narrating Hybridity: Okinawan Diasporic Subjectivity and Japanese Satellite Telecasts in Colonia Okinawa, Bolivia
Authors: Suzuki Taku
Published: September 2012

Suzuki examines the multiple roles that transnational media can play in a diasporic community by analyzing reactions to and interpretations of NHK, a company engaged in satellite broadcasting of Japanese programs to Okinawan-Bolivians in Colonia Okinawa, a small farming settlement in Bolivia established by Okinawan immigrants in 1954. Rather than interpreting Okinawan-Bolivians’ enthusiastic viewing of NHK satellite telecasts in Colonia Okinawa as a sign of their nostalgic longing for Japan, Suzuki suggests that their viewing of NHK programs enacts practices of hybridization, the ambiguous and complex process of subjectivity formation that he defines in terms set by Ien Ang. Since Okinawa, the “homeland” of these diasporans in Bolivia, has been in a contentious and ambivalent relationship with the “homeland-nation-state” of Japan over the last century, Okinawan-Bolivians’ hybrid subjectivity needs to be understood alongside Okinawans’ profoundly ambiguous subject-position vis-à-vis Japan’s majority population and the latter’s own diaspora. Moreover, because Okinawan settlers in Colonia Okinawa have also identified themselves as powerful “Japanese” farm owners who employ local “Bolivians” as inexpensive laborers, and because hundreds of their Bolivia-born children have return-migrated to urban Japan in the past two decades to accumulate capital, the Okinawan-Bolivian community’s identification with Japan has gained crucial economic and symbolic meanings within the local Bolivian context. Given these complexities of Okinawans’ and the Okinawan diaspora’s subjectivity in the past and present, Suzuki argues, NHK satellite telecasts in Colonia Okinawa have provided multiple reference points for Okinawan-Bolivians to articulate their ambivalent subjectivity as Okinawans and as an Okinawan diaspora that is not identical to the generic Japanese diaspora and, at the same time, to figure their belonging to the nation-states of Bolivia and Japan.
Diaspora and Empire: Toward a New Synthesis?
Authors: Larkin Edward
Published: September 2012

Diasporas are usually minority social formations whose physical existence and cultures are often precarious. What would it mean to adapt diaspora theory to describe the culture of a majority population that had established itself in a new territory through an aggressive and continuing strategy of conquest and imperial expansion? Is it possible to think of the Anglo-Americans who parted company with the British Empire at the end of the eighteenth century and founded a new state as a diasporic population? In this essay, Leonard Tennenhouse's provocative new book, The Importance of Feeling English , is explored as nothing short of an attempt to recast the story of American literary history by reading it through the lens of diaspora theory. Important questions are raised not only about the literature of the early United States but also about the power, range, and limitations of diaspora theory. Tennenhouse is shown to offer a new model for thinking about the cultural situation of Anglo-Americans in the early Republic; despite some limitations, the concept of "diaspora" goes a long way toward establishing a basis for conceptualizing how post-imperial, former British subjects began to imagine themselves in national terms as Americans.
Expatriates and Elections
Authors: Tager Michael
Published: September 2012

This article offers an analysis of an important aspect of transnational politics: emigrants' participation by voting in the elections that take place in their countries of origin. In the past few decades, an increasing number of countries have allowed their expatriates to vote in such home state elections. Expatriate voting might be considered a form of transnational politics, or political globalization, or a way to adjust democracy to conditions of greater human mobility. Italy and Mexico recently enfranchised their expatriate citizens, and expatriates first voted in the elections of 2006 in both countries. Tager's article examines the different electoral mechanisms the two countries established to accommodate expatriate citizens, the procedures they enacted for registration, and the similarities and differences between the expected and actual impact that expatriate voters had on the 2006 elections in Italy and Mexico. Using the Italian and Mexican cases, Tager explores reasons for the trend toward allowing expatriates to vote and also evaluates the implications for democratic practice in having relatively large transnational populations potentially deciding the outcome of elections in countries in which they no longer reside.
Ethiopian Musical Invention in Diaspora: A Tale of Three Musicians
Authors: Shelemay Kay Kaufman
Published: September 2012

This essay, based on ethnographic interviews and observation, discusses the lives and careers of three prominent Ethiopian musicians from sacred, folkloric, and popular musical domains (Moges Seyoum, Tesfaye Lemma, and Mulatu Astatke, respectively) whose individual initiatives have shaped the musical life of the Ethiopian diaspora during its formative years in the United States. These three careers provide an overview of musical activity within the Ethiopian American diaspora community since its inception and shed light on concepts of creativity as conceived both in the Ethiopian homeland and among the immigrant musicians profiled. The conclusion suggests that the ability of each man to negotiate the transition to diaspora life varied according to the musical domain in which he was engaged, his personal background, and the moment and circumstances of his arrival in the United States. (January 2009)
Predicting Employees' Commitment To and Support for Organisational Change
Authors: Machin M. Anthony , Fogarty Gerard J. , Bannon Steven F.
Published: August 2012

This study aimed to identify factors that predict employees' commitment to and support for organisational change. The three components of Herscovitch and Meyer's (2002) commitment to organisational change model were hypothesised to mediate the relationship between organisational climate and behavioural support for organisational change. Data were collected from a Queensland government department (N = 342). Analysis of correlations revealed that organisational climate, commitment to change, and behavioural support for change variables were all significantly related. Structural equation modelling demonstrated that affective, normative, and continuance commitment to change were all predictors of behavioural support for organisational change. Positive work climate also contributed directly to the prediction of behavioural support for change over and above the indirect influence through commitment to organisational change, indicating a partial mediation effect. These findings support Herscovitch and Meyer's (2002) three-component model of commitment to organisational change and extend their nomological network by showing the relevance of two types of organisational climate to the core components of the model. Affective commitment to organisational change is a positive influence on employees' behavioural support for change and also reflects healthy aspects of the organisational climate. However, continuance commitment to organisational change is detrimental influence on employees' behavioural support for change and is linked with unhealthy dimensions of the organisational climate.
Caring for the Carers: Fatigue, Sleep, and Mental Health in Australian Paramedic Shiftworkers
Authors: Courtney James A. , Francis Andrew J.P. , Paxton Susan J.
Published: August 2012

This study investigated fatigue, sleep quality, mental health and physical activity in paramedic shiftworkers. Although limited, previous studies have established high fatigue levels and poor health in this sector from shiftwork rostering and occupational demands. A modified version of the Standard Shiftwork Index was completed by 342 paramedics (243 male and 98 females). Single sample t tests found significantly higher levels of fatigue, depression, anxiety, and stress, and significantly poorer sleep quality than reference samples. Paramedics also reported less physical activity than community samples. Depression and sleep quality explained the greatest amount of variance in fatigue scores, followed by level of exercise. No differences were detected in levels of depression or fatigue on the basis of gender. The findings suggest that ambulance paramedic shiftworkers are at particular risk for increased levels of fatigue and depression (regardless of age or gender) and poor quality sleep. Organisational intervention was suggested.
„Puškin“: Heinrich Koenig als anonymer Mitarbeiter in Ljudevit Gajs „Danica Ilirska“
Authors: Keipert Helmut
Published: August 2012

The anonymous Pushkin necrology published in June, 1837 by the Zagreb “Danica Ilirska” is traditionally ascribed to the Croatian poets Stanko Vraz or Dimitrije Demeter. The article proves that the text is only an abridged translation of the Pushkin obituary written by the German critic Heinrich Koenig for the journal “Europa. Chronik der gebildeten Welt” some months before. There is good reason to be doubtful of the translator’s knowledge of Russian and of his own information about Pushkin’s work.
Czech and Ukrainian Communication Patterns: A Cross-Cultural Research
Authors: Podolyan Ilona
Published: August 2012

This paper is the first attempt to compare Czech and Ukrainian communication patterns by means of questionnaires, interviews, introspection and participant observation. The two Slavic nations’ linguistic etiquette is studied in conjunction with their underlying cultural patterns, related to the dimensions of collectivism, individualism, universalism, and particularism. In the focus of the research lie numerous cross-language commonalities, as well as ethnocultural peculiarities of verbal and non-verbal routine formulas.
Nouns or verbs? A case study of the Russian words bain’ki, kušan’ki, spaten’ki and gulen’ki
Authors: Makarova Anastasia
Published: August 2012

In this article I investigate part of speech distinctions in Russian based on an in-depth analysis of an understudied group of words, namely bain’ki ‘sleep’, spaten’ki ‘sleep’, kušan’ki ‘eat’ and gulen’ki ‘walk’, which are mainly used in speech with or about children, but which regardless of their high frequency and productivity remain ignored in Russian linguistics. The main question is: what part of speech do these words belong to? Are they verbs or nouns? Based on careful investigation of these words’ morphological, syntactic and semantic properties, it is argued that they are both verbs and nouns. However, they are not prototypical members of either category in the sense of cognitive linguistics. Although this paper considers a small number of words, the proposed analysis has implications for word-class distinctions in Russian as a whole, and I suggest that parts of speech are radial categories organized around prototypes.
Keeping an Eye on Guitar Skill: Visual Representations of Guitar Chords
Authors: Crump Matthew J. C. , Logan Gordon D. , Kimbrough Jerry
Published: August 2012

we investigate a role for vision in skilled guitar playing, focusing on visual contributions to the representation of basic first-position root chords (C, A, G, E, D). Experiment 1 involved naming or playing guitar chords displayed in different visual formats (letter, photograph, chart) and orientations. Experiment 2 employed a Stroop-like design, involving identification of the visual or auditory dimension for congruent or incongruent pairs of chord photographs and sounds. Our results demonstrate that visual representations of guitar chords are orientation sensitive and associated with their corresponding actions and sounds. We discuss the implications of our findings for understanding the multimodal nature of musical skill, and consider how the format of visual information can impact acquisition of musical skill.
Timbre and Affect Dimensions: Evidence from Affect and Similarity Ratings and Acoustic Correlates of Isolated Instrument Sounds
Authors: Eerola Tuomas , Ferrer Rafael , Alluri Vinoo
Published: August 2012

considerable effort has been made towards understanding how acoustic and structural features contribute to emotional expression in music, but relatively little attention has been paid to the role of timbre in this process. Our aim was to investigate the role of timbre in the perception of affect dimensions in isolated musical sounds, by way of three behavioral experiments. In Experiment 1, participants evaluated perceived affects of 110 instrument sounds that were equal in duration, pitch, and dynamics using a three-dimensional affect model (valence, energy arousal, and tension arousal) and preference and emotional intensity. In Experiment 2, an emotional dissimilarity task was applied to a subset of the instrument sounds used in Experiment 1 to better reveal the underlying affect structure. In Experiment 3, the perceived affect dimensions as well as preference and intensity of a new set of 105 instrument sounds were rated by participants. These sounds were also uniform in pitch, duration, and playback dynamics but contained systematic manipulations in the dynamics of sound production, articulation, and ratio of high-frequency to low-frequency energy. The affect dimensions for all the experiments were then explained in terms of the three kinds of acoustic features extracted: spectral (e.g., ratio of high-frequency to low-frequency energy), temporal (e.g., attack slope), and spectro-temporal (e.g., spectral flux). High agreement among the participants' ratings across the experiments suggested that even isolated instrument sounds contain cues that indicate affective expression, and these are recognized as such by the listeners. A dominant portion (50-57%) of the two dimensions of affect (valence and energy arousal) could be predicted by linear combinations of few acoustic features such as ratio of high-frequency to low-frequency energy, attack slope, and spectral regularity. Links between these features and those observed in the vocal expression of affects and other sound phenomena are discussed.
Musicians Do Better than Nonmusicians in Both Auditory and Visual Timing Tasks
Authors: Rammsayer Thomas H. , Buttkus Franziska , Altenmüller Eckart
Published: August 2012

the present study was designed to investigate differences in auditory and visual temporal information processing between musicians and nonmusicians. For this purpose, timing performance on a set of six different psychophysical temporal tasks for both the auditory and visual sensory modalities was compared in 40 formally trained musicians and 40 controls without musical experience. Across modalities, superior temporal acuity for musicians compared to nonmusicians could be shown for all temporal tasks except for temporal generalization. When comparing the two sensory modalities, temporal acuity was superior to auditory stimuli as compared to visual stimuli, with the exception of the temporal generalization task in the 1-s range. The overall pattern of our findings is consistent with the notion that musicians' long-lasting intensive music training, starting in childhood, improves general timing ability irrespective of sensory modality.
Development and Validation of the Brief Music in Mood Regulation Scale (B-MMR)
Authors: Saarikallio Suvi
Published: August 2012

mood regulation has been shown to be among of the most important reasons for musical engagement, but there has been a lack of a concise measurement instrument for this behavior. The current study focused on developing and testing the Brief Music in Mood Regulation scale (B-MMR), a 21-item self-report instrument for assessing the use of seven different music-related mood-regulation strategies. Two survey studies (N = 1515 and N = 526) were conducted to first develop and then test and validate the instrument. The newly constructed scale showed adequate internal consistency reliabilities and correlated expectedly with measures of general emotion regulation and musical engagement. As a concise and theoretically coherent measure, the B-MMR may prove to be highly applicable for future surveys and comparative studies.
Practical aspects of etomidate use in the management of hypercortisolaemia
Authors: Preda Veronica A , Grossman Ashley B
Published: August 2012

We appreciate the letter from of Dr Soh et al. regarding our review on the use of etomidate in the treatment of Cushing's syndrome. We note that in their experience, our recommended dose regimen of 2.5 mg/h or thereabouts appears to be a safe and effective starting dose in most patients, and we note the utility and ease of use of the lipid formulation and its relative freedom from side effects compared with the more commonly used propylene glycol formulation; these are very helpful comments. Their experience in treating a further four patients is indeed further evidence of the usefulness of this agent.
Grain Growth and Mobility in Nanocrystalline Ge Films
Authors: Konduri Siva , Noack Max , Dalal Vikram
Published: August 2012

In this paper, we report on deposition and properties of nanocrystalline Ge:H films . The films were grown from germane and hydrogen mixtures using Radio frequency Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) process using ∼45 MHz frequency. The crystallinity of the films was measured using Raman measurements and from x-ray diffraction techniques, it was found that the grain size was a strong function of deposition pressure, temperature and hydrogen/germane ratios. High hydrogen ratios and high powers led to films with smaller grains. Higher pressures and smaller hydrogen/germane ratio led to films with larger grain sizes, as did higher growth temperatures. The mobility of electrons and holes was measured using space charge limited current (SCLC) techniques in n+-n-n+ devices. It was found that nominally undoped films were generally n type with carrier concentrations in the 1E14/cm3 range. Mobility was found to increase with grain size, with 60 nm grains showing mobility in the 2-3 cm2/V-s range.
Crises epilépticas da síndrome de Lennox-Gastaut: 2 - formas não convulsivas e parciais
Authors: Speciali José Geraldo , Lison Michel Pierre
Published: September 2012

Estudaram-se as crises epilépticas predominantemente não convulsivas e parciais de 27 pacientes com síndrome de Lennox-Gastaut (20 com antecedente de síndrome de West e 7 com esse antecedente). A caracterização das crises foi realizada através das informações prestadas pelos familiares em maior contato com as crianças além da observação pessoal das manifestações, possibilitada pela sua elevada frequência. Às manifestações não citadas ou insuficientemente estudadas na literatura atribuiram-se denominações baseadas na qualidade e eventual sequência dos fenômenos observados, obedecidas as regras de terminologia constantes na Classificação Internacional das Epilepsias. Discutiram-se a incidência e aspectos clínicos das formas simples de epilepsias não convulsivas e parciais. Verificou-se grande variabilidade nos tipos de crises permitindo a divisão das epilepsias não convulsivas em simples, complexas e mistas como já foi feito com as ausências. Separou-se das crises atônicas as formas unilaterais dessa manifestação - crises hemiatônicas.
Fusão renal completa em criança com infecção recorrente do trato urinário
Authors: Gun Saul , Ciantelli Guilherme Lippi , Takahashi Marília Akemi Uzuelle , Brabo Alexandre Mineto , Morais Lívea Athayde de , Figueiredo Caio Barros
Published: September 2012

O rim em bolo é uma rara anormalidade do trato urinário que pode ser diagnosticada em qualquer faixa etária. Durante investigação de infecção urinária recorrente em criança de 12 anos, foi revelada em tomografia computadorizada contrastada a presença de rim direito ectópico, com fusão renal, drenado por dois ureteres. Foi iniciado tratamento profilático com nitrofurantoína e o paciente se encontra assintomático.
Morfometria testicular de cabritos alimentados com óleo de licuri (Syagrus coronata)
Authors: Barbosa L.P. , Oliveira R.L. , Silva T.M. , Jesus I.B. , Garcez Neto A.F. , Bagaldo A.R.
Published: September 2012

Determinou-se o desenvolvimento testicular de caprinos pré-púberes alimentados com óleo de licuri (Syagrus coronata) na dieta. Foram utilizados 19 cabritos ¾ Boer, recém-desmamados, com média de idade de três meses. Os animais, submetidos a um período de 75 dias de confinamento, receberam alimentação composta por: farelo de milho, farelo de soja, feno picado de tifton 85 e de óleo de licuri com base na matéria seca. Os animais foram distribuídos em quatro grupos: sem lipídio adicional (n= 5); com 1,5% de óleo de licuri (n= 5); com 3,0% de óleo de licuri (n= 5); e com 4,5% de óleo de licuri (n= 4). As avaliações de peso corporal e de biometria testicular foram realizadas quinzenalmente. Após o período de confinamento, os animais foram abatidos para determinação do peso dos testículos, peso dos epidídimos e índice gonadossomático. A adição de óleo de licuri em até 4,5% na dieta de caprinos pré-púberes não alterou o desenvolvimento testicular com base nas características da biometria e morfometria testicular, indicando que a inclusão de até 4,5% de óleo de licuri na dieta pode ser utilizada.
A qualidade da motivação em estudantes do ensino fundamental
Authors: Rufini Sueli Édi , Bzuneck José Aloyseo , Oliveira Katya Luciane de
Published: September 2012

A falta de motivação para a aprendizagem é um problema educacional relevante. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a qualidade motivacional de 1.381 estudantes do ensino fundamental, média de idade de 11,2 anos, mediante a aplicação da Escala de Motivação de Estudantes do Ensino Fundamental (EMEEF). Os resultados revelaram predominância de motivação autônoma entre os participantes. Na comparação entre as variáveis, descobriu-se que a desmotivação e a motivação controlada foram maiores entre os participantes do sexo masculino, quando comparados ao sexo feminino que obteve índices superiores na avaliação da motivação autônoma. Constatou-se que a desmotivação e a motivação controlada aumentaram conforme a progressão nas séries, ao passo que a motivação autônoma diminuiu. Foram também mais desmotivados e motivados por razões controladas externamente os estudantes da rede particular, comparados aos da rede pública de ensino. Estes últimos foram significativamente mais envolvidos na escola por razões autônomas. As implicações educacionais dos resultados são consideradas na discussão.
Policonsumo simultáneo de drogas en estudiantes de pregrado del área de la salud de una universidad, San Salvador - El Salvador
Authors: Bautista Pérez Fabio , Simich Laura , Strike Carol , Bradns Bruna , Giesbrecht Norman , Khenti Akwatu
Published: September 2012

El objetivo del estudio fue describir los patrones de policonsumo simultáneo de drogas en estudiantes de pregrado de una universidad de la ciudad de San Salvador, El Salvador. Estudio de diseño transversal y análisis descriptivo, con un tamaño de la muestra de 309 estudiantes. Un 5.18% de los estudiantes reporto policonsumo simultaneo en los últimos 12 meses, cifra que se reduce a 4.21% para los últimos 30 días. La edad promedio de inicio del policonsumo fue 16.9 años. En los últimos 12 meses y 30 días, la combinación más usada entre los estudiantes fue alcohol + tabaco con 2.3%. Las características de consumo más referidas fueron: el aprendizaje individual/por sí mismo, el consumo en grupos mixtos, fuera de la universidad/en clubes nocturnos y el hacerlo para la relajación.
A construção da identidade profissional docente
Authors: Galindo Wedna Cristina Marinho
Published: September 2012

O artigo discute teoricamente sobre o conceito de identidade e propõe elementos para a pesquisa sobre identidade profissional, considerada como inserida no jogo do reconhecimento constituído por dois pólos, o do auto-reconhecimento e o do alter-reconhecimento. Participaram do estudo, docentes do ensino fundamental de Recife. Os dados constam de entrevistas individuais com os docentes e material jornalístico. Sugere-se que os docentes vivenciam momento de conflito na identidade profissional, não comprometendo suas relações pessoais com o trabalho, mas dificultando uma vivência da identidade coletiva.
Estimation of permeability of porous asphalt mix
Authors: Bhargava Anubhai , Das Animesh , Srivastava Rajesh
Published: August 2012

A numerical estimate of the permeability of porous asphalt mix has been made taking into account the interconnectivity between the voids. Image processing techniques were employed to study the void structure by physically cutting the sample. The cutting of thin slices of porous asphalt mix (from Marshall samples) using a diamond cutter was found to be quite difficult, because of breakage and distortion of samples. Studies were, therefore, conducted on equivalent resin–aggregate samples. This equivalency was established from void ratio and void distribution considerations. Numerical analysis was performed on resin–aggregate samples for estimation of flow rate. The values obtained numerically were found to match well with the experimental results.
Delivering London 2012: Transport demand forecasting
Authors: Dosunmu Bayo
Published: August 2012

This paper describes the strategies and assumptions made in modelling the effects of holding the world's biggest sporting event in one of the world's major cities and how the work informed the development and implementation of the Olympic transport plan. Ten million ticket holders would need to travel safely, efficiently and in time to 29 Olympic venues, utilising all available modes of transport, while residents, workers, visitors and tourists needed to be able to continue to travel around London as normal. Consequently, transport was an important and integral part of the planning for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as far back as 2003 during the bid phase. Between 2003 and 2005 a bid company worked with Transport for London to develop the overall transport strategies for the games. By the time of the bid submission, transport strategies were in place to cover major transport infrastructure projects and the concept of the Olympic Route Network linking sports venues with accommodation for athletes, officials the media and sponsors. When London was confirmed as the host city for the London 2012 Games, this work continued with the development and implementation of the full Olympic transport plan for the event. A central tool in the development of the Olympic transport plan was travel demand forecasting, combining tried and tested methodologies and modelling tools with the latest innovations and adapting existing tools where necessary to best fit the uncertainties associated with some elements of the games.
Delivering London 2012: Transport legacy
Authors: Sumner Hugh
Published: August 2012

Legacy was embedded across all of the UK Olympic Delivery Authority's capital projects – 75 pence out of every pound spent went towards long-term regeneration. The around £500 million invested in long-term transport improvements was designed with this legacy in mind to leave a positive impact across all venues wherever they were across the UK. The great majority of these permanent legacy benefits were delivered by the end of 2010, nearly two years before actually needed for games time capacity and operational needs. From the very start of London's bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games there was a determination to host a ‘public transport' event. There were two main ways to meet this aim: create new public transport systems but risk them becoming redundant after the 2012 games; or invest in and enhance the existing network. In a purely practical sense, the latter course was the obvious choice because it was deliverable in the six-year timescale and because of the lack of physical space and high capital costs associated with inserting new systems in existing cities. But by far the major influence in the decision to invest in existing systems was the opportunity to use the significant investment in transport to deliver benefits that were felt by passengers long after the 2012 games. This paper explores the legacy of the UK Olympic Delivery Authority transport programme and its place in the great tradition of transformational transport investment in the capital over the past 150 years.
Delivering London 2012: Transport programme assurance
Authors: Kershaw Sue
Published: August 2012

The UK Olympic Delivery Authority transport team was responsible for providing safe, reliable and efficient transport during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and for leaving a positive transport legacy. Many organisations – from transport authorities to operators – worked together on this task. While the role of the ODA, as set out in the Olympic and Paralympic Act, was integrating, facilitating and coordinating, actual delivery was the role of the transport delivery partners: Transport for London, Network Rail, the Highways Agency. The ODA had overarching responsibility for managing and engaging these organisations to ensure delivery to the best industry standards. The delivery of enhanced transport infrastructure and operational functionality was central to the task, with 18 challenging key projects to be completed to stringent deadlines. A ‘light on process, heavy on performance' approach, underpinned by a comprehensive assurance framework and strong financial control, drove the projects forward. All were delivered under budget and ahead of time. This paper describes how the portfolio of transport projects was identified, the development of the budget, the programme assurance governance, the transition from infrastructure projects to operations, and the management of health, safety and sustainability.
Recent Studies on Natural Products as Anti-HIV Agents
Authors: Jung Mankil , Lee Seokjoon , Kim Hanjo , Kim Haesook
Published: August 2012

The discovery of medicinal agents capable of specifically inhibiting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is urgently needed due to its globally widespread infection. Most of clinically useful anti-HIV agents are nucleosides but their use is limited due to their severe toxicity and emerging drug resistance. More than 50% of world marketed drugs have their origin of the nature. Natural products, of which structural diversity is so broad, are good sources for the effective discovery of anti-HIV agents with decreased toxicity. Over the past decade, substantial progress has been made in research on the natural products for the anti-HIV agents. New natural products that have potent anti-HIV activities with novel structures were reviewed in this article. These compounds, isolated mainly from medicinal plants, in this review have been classified as secondary metabolites such as terpenes, phenolics, and naturally scarce peptides and sugars. Especially, terpenes and phenol substances have gained much interest due to their significant anti-HIV activities along with their structural diversity. Recent studies also showed that several polysaccharides are effective inhibitors of HIV replication. Most of chemotherapeutic targets reviewed in this article are found to be HIV reverse transcriptase (RT).
Discovery and Development of GS 4104 (oseltamivir) An Orally Active Influenza Neuraminidase Inhibitor
Authors: Lew Willard , Chen Xiaowu , Kim Choung U.
Published: August 2012

Rational drug design utilizing available X-ray crystal structures of sialic acid analogues bound to the active site of influenza virus neuraminidase has led to the discovery of a series of potent carbocyclic influenza neuraminidase inhibitors. From this series, GS 4104 (oseltamivir, TAMIFLU) has emerged as a promising antiviral for the treatment and prophylaxis of human influenza infection. This article will summarize the design, discovery, and development of oseltamivir as an oral therapeutic to treat influenza infection.
Revenue Recognition, Earnings Management, and Earnings Informativeness in the Semiconductor Industry
Authors: Rasmussen Stephanie J.
Published: August 2012

SYNOPSIS

Manufacturers that sell products to distributors experience product return and pricing adjustment uncertainties until the products are resold to end-customers. Such manufacturers recognize revenue when products are delivered to distributors (sell-in), when distributors resell products (sell-through), or under some combination of these methods (sell-in for some distributor sales and sell-through for others). This study examines the implications of these revenue recognition methods for a sample of semiconductor firms during 2001–2008. Semiconductor firms face rapid product obsolescence, declining prices over product life cycles, and unexpected industry downturns, which naturally lead to product return and pricing adjustment uncertainties. I find that sell-through and combination firms are less likely to manage earnings compared to sell-in firms. I also find that earnings are more informative for sell-through firms compared to both sell-in and combination firms. These findings suggest that manufacturers that sell products through the distribution channel should defer revenue recognition until product return and pricing adjustment uncertainties are resolved.

JEL Classifications: M41

Data Availability: Data are available from the sources identified in the text.
The Impact of Graphical Displays of Pro Forma Earnings Information on Professional and Nonprofessional Investors' Earnings Judgments
Authors: Dilla William N. , Janvrin Diane J. , Jeffrey Cynthia
Published: August 2012

Regulation G (SEC 2003b) requires managers to reconcile textual non-GAAP performance measures (i.e., pro forma disclosures) to GAAP. Graphical disclosures also require reconciliation; however, neither the format nor the placement of the reconciliation is specified. We apply cognitive fit theory to argue that the influence of graphical information presentation formats is contingent on investor type and judgment complexity. Participants in our study viewed a simulated Investor Relations website for a large drug retailer and made judgments regarding current fiscal year earnings performance, earnings potential, and investment amount. We manipulated graphical (GAAP-only versus GAAP and pro forma) and textual (GAAP-only versus pro forma reconciled to GAAP) earnings disclosure content in a 2 × 2 between-participants design. We find that nonprofessional investors' current fiscal year earnings performance, earnings potential, and investment amount judgments are all influenced by graphical displays, which include pro forma as opposed to GAAP-only earnings information. Graphical displays of pro forma earnings information do not influence professional investors' current year earnings performance judgments; however, these displays do influence professional investors' earnings potential and investment amount judgments because they are more complex. Our results suggest a need to further examine the influence of graphical pro forma earnings presentation formats on investor judgments.

Data Availability: Contact the first author.
Manganese-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Detects Declining Pancreatic β-Cell Mass in a Cyclophosphamide-Accelerated Mouse Model of Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Antkowiak Patrick F. , Stevens Brian K. , Nunemaker Craig S. , McDuffie Marcia , Epstein Frederick H.
Published: August 2012

Currently, there is no ideal noninvasive method to quantify the progressive loss of pancreatic β-cell mass (BCM) that occurs in type 1 diabetes. Magnetic resonance imaging has detected gross differences in BCM between healthy and diabetic mice using the contrast agent manganese, which labels functional β-cells and increases the water proton relaxation rate (R1), but its ability to measure gradations in BCM during disease progression is unknown. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that measurements of the manganese-enhanced pancreatic R1 could detect decreasing BCM in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes. We used cyclophosphamide-accelerated BDC2.5 T-cell receptor transgenic nonobese diabetic mice, which experience development of type 1 diabetes during a 7-day time period after cyclophosphamide injection, whereas transgene-negative mice do not. We measured the manganese-enhanced pancreatic R1 before cyclophosphamide injection (day 0) and on days 3, 4, 5, and 7 afterward. Pancreatic R1 remained constant in transgene-negative mice and decreased stepwise day-to-day in transgene-positive mice, mirroring their loss of BCM, confirmed by pancreatic insulin measurements and histology. Changes in R1 in transgene-positive mice occurred before elevations in blood glucose, a clinical indicator of diabetes, suggesting potential for early noninvasive detection of changes in functional BCM.
Loss of ACE2 Exaggerates High-Calorie Diet–Induced Insulin Resistance by Reduction of GLUT4 in Mice
Authors: Takeda Masao , Yamamoto Koichi , Takemura Yukihiro , Takeshita Hikari , Hongyo Kazuhiro , Kawai Tatsuo , Hanasaki-Yamamoto Hiroko , Oguro Ryosuke , Takami Yoichi , Tatara Yuji , Takeya Yasushi , Sugimoto Ken , Kamide Kei , Ohishi Mitsuru , Rakugi Hiromi
Published: August 2012

ACE type 2 (ACE2) functions as a negative regulator of the renin-angiotensin system by cleaving angiotensin II (AII) into angiotensin 1–7 (A1–7). This study assessed the role of endogenous ACE2 in maintaining insulin sensitivity. Twelve-week-old male ACE2 knockout (ACE2KO) mice had normal insulin sensitivities when fed a standard diet. AII infusion or a high-fat, high-sucrose (HFHS) diet impaired glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity more severely in ACE2KO mice than in their wild-type (WT) littermates. The strain difference in glucose tolerance was not eliminated by an AII receptor type 1 (AT1) blocker but was eradicated by A1–7 or an AT1 blocker combined with the A1–7 inhibitor (A779). The expression of GLUT4 and a transcriptional factor, myocyte enhancer factor (MEF) 2A, was dramatically reduced in the skeletal muscles of the standard diet–fed ACE2KO mice. The expression of GLUT4 and MEF2A was increased by A1–7 in ACE2KO mice and decreased by A779 in WT mice. A1–7 enhanced upregulation of MEF2A and GLUT4 during differentiation of myoblast cells. In conclusion, ACE2 protects against high-calorie diet–induced insulin resistance in mice. This mechanism may involve the transcriptional regulation of GLUT4 via an A1–7–dependent pathway.
Socioeconomic Status and Mortality
Authors: Saydah Sharon H. , Imperatore Giuseppina , Beckles Gloria L.
Published: August 2012

OBJECTIVE

Although several studies have examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality in the general population, few have investigated this relationship among people with diabetes. This study sought to determine how risk of mortality associated with measures of SES among adults with diagnosed diabetes is mitigated by association with demographics, comorbidities, diabetes treatment, psychological distress, or health care access and utilization.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The study included 6,177 adults aged 25 years or older with diagnosed diabetes who participated in the National Health Interview Surveys (1997–2003) linked to mortality data (follow-up through 2006). SES was measured by education attained, financial wealth (either stocks/dividends or home ownership), and income-to-poverty ratio.

RESULTS

In unadjusted analysis, risk of death was significantly greater for people with lower levels of education and income-to-poverty ratio than for those at the highest levels. After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, diabetes treatment and duration, health care access, and psychological distress variables, the association with greater risk of death remained significant only for people with the lowest level of education (relative hazard 1.52 [95% CI 1.04–2.23]). After multivariate adjustment, the risk of death was significantly greater for people without certain measures of financial wealth (e.g., stocks, home ownership) (1.56 [1.07–2.27]) than for those with them.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that after adjustments for demographics, health care access, and psychological distress, the level of education attained and financial wealth remain strong predictors of mortality risk among adults with diabetes.
Relationship of Insulin Sensitivity, Insulin Secretion, and Adiposity With Insulin Clearance in a Multiethnic Population
Authors: Lorenzo Carlos , Hanley Anthony J.G. , Wagenknecht Lynne E. , Rewers Marian J. , Stefanovski Darko , Goodarzi Mark O. , Haffner Steven M.
Published: August 2012

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine insulin clearance, a compensatory mechanism to changes in insulin sensitivity, across sex, race/ethnicity populations, and varying states of glucose tolerance.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We measured insulin sensitivity index (SI), acute insulin response (AIR), and metabolic clearance rate of insulin (MCRI) by the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test in 1,295 participants in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study.

RESULTS

MCRI was positively related to SI and negatively to AIR and adiposity across sex, race/ethnicity populations, and varying states of glucose tolerance, adiposity, and family history of diabetes. Differences in MCRI by race/ethnicity (lower in African Americans and Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic whites) and glucose tolerance were largely explained by differences in adiposity, SI, and AIR.

CONCLUSIONS

Insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, and adiposity are correlates of insulin clearance and appear to explain differences in insulin clearance by race/ethnicity and glucose tolerance status.
Longitudinal Effects of MRI-Measured Hepatic Steatosis on Biomarkers of Glucose Homeostasis and Hepatic Apoptosis in Obese Youth
Authors: Kim Grace , Giannini Cosimo , Pierpont Bridget , Feldstein Ariel E. , Santoro Nicola , Kursawe Romy , Shaw Melissa , Duran Elvira , Goldberg Rachel , Dziura James , Caprio Sonia
Published: August 2012

OBJECTIVE

We used fast-gradient magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the longitudinal associations between the hepatic fat content (HFF), glucose homeostasis, and a biomarker of hepatocellular apoptosis in obese youth.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Baseline and longitudinal liver and abdominal MRI were performed with an oral glucose tolerance test in 76 obese youth followed for an average of 1.9 years. Cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) was measured at baseline and follow-up as a biomarker of hepatic apoptosis. The relationship between baseline HFF and metabolic parameters and circulating levels of CK-18 at follow-up were assessed using a bivariate correlation.

RESULTS

At baseline, 38% had hepatic steatosis based on %HFF ≥5.5% with alterations in indices of insulin sensitivity and secretion. At follow-up, BMI increased in both groups and baseline %HFF correlated strongly with the follow-up %HFF (r = 0.81, P < 0.001). Over time, markers of insulin sensitivity and 2-h glucose improved significantly in the group without fatty liver, in contrast with the persistence of the insulin resistance and associated correlates in the fatty liver group. Baseline HFF correlated with 2-h glucose (r = 0.38, P = 0.001), whole-body insulin sensitivity (r = −0.405, P = 0.001), adiponectin (r = −0.44, P < 0.001), CK-18 levels, (r = 0.63, P < 0.001), and disposition index (r = −0.272, P = 0.021) at follow-up. In a multivariate analysis, we showed that baseline HFF is an independent predictor of 2-h glucose and whole-body insulin sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

In obese youth, the phenotype of MRI-measured hepatic steatosis is persistent. Baseline HFF strongly modulates longitudinally 2-h blood glucose, biomarkers of insulin resistance, and hepatocellular apoptosis.