bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.: creating a competitive advantage through an empowered workforce
Authors: Mohapatra Sanjay , Nag Debapriyo , Tej P. Ravi
Published: October 2014

Subject area

This case study concerns self-managed teams (SMTs) and high-performing work stations.

Studylevel/applicability

This study is applicable to training, employee satisfaction and developing economy in the society at large.

Case overview

High-performance work systems (HPWS) are processes in which organizations utilize a fundamentally different approach for managing work in place of the traditional hierarchal approach. HPWS uses an approach that is fundamentally different from the traditional hierarchical or bureaucratic approach otherwise known as the control-oriented approach. The fundamental difference between control-oriented and involvement-oriented approach is in organizing and managing at the lowest level in an organization. The basic purpose of HPWS is to create an organization based on employee involvement, commitment and empowerment. In these kinds of highly involved organizations, employees demonstrate more responsibility and commitments because of high empowerment and have access to information/knowledge and awareness to perform at the highest level. In this case study, the authors make a complete study about the ten pillars of SMTs in Dr Reddy's Laboratories Private Ltd. and the situation of FTO-4 at the Yanam plant and FTO-7 at the Visakhapatnam plant post-implementation of the SMT concept. This paper attempts to demonstrate how SMTs differ from conventional teams, as well as how effectively they contribute to the organization objectives.

Expected learning outcomes

To understand HPWS and concept of SMT; to understand how the concepts of HPWS and SMT were implemented in Dr Reddy'S Laboratories in *FTO-4 AND *FTO-7; to understand the key difference between traditional hierarchical systems and SMTs; to find out how continuous process improvement has made SMT initiative an evolving one (from 2002 to 2011); to understand how involvement of different stakeholders has made SMT initiative a sustainable one; and to understand the importance of SMT in this twenty-first century as they lead to a better and brighter future for everyone.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Vivekananda and the inner quest of humanity
Authors: Vivekaprana Pravrajika
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to study Vivekananda and the inner quest of humanity. Vivekananda’s quest was to hold up a mirror to us for our inner search. Vivekananda desired to show us the intrinsic truth, the innermost divinity and help manifest it. We have not reached the ultimate level of development and evolution. Swami Vivekananda was convinced that we are on the cusp of higher evolution and need to believe that we can move in that direction consciously.

Design/methodology/approach

– We can rise to the highest levels of civilization and culture through personal research and discovery. Sustained human development is to have a goal and follow a well-thought path. The goal is the ultimate freedom.

Findings

– All human beings have a spiritual core, whether we are aware of it or not; whether we manifest it or not; or whether we recognize it or not. Therefore, it is a matter of having faith that we are spiritual to begin with and then make the effort to manifest that truth.

Originality/value

– In the East and in the Third World, civilizations had suffered severely due to invasions and colonization. They had to now struggle and achieve freedom, even at the political or social level. In the West, where human beings had a surfeit of physical enjoyment, they had to avoid the pitfalls of over-confidence and physical power.
Legumin from chickpea: hypolipidemic effect in the liver of hypercholesterolemic rats
Authors: L. Amaral Ana , S. Ferreira Ederlan , A. Neves Valdir , Demonte Aureluce
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to determine the effects of 11S globulin isolated from Chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.) on lipid metabolism in animals subjected to a hypercholesterolemic and hyperlipidemic diet and compared to the drug simvastatin.

Design/methodology/approach

– Thirty-six male Wistar rats, kept in individual cages and under appropriate conditions, were separated into groups that were fed a normal diet (STD) containing casein as protein source and according to AIN-93G; a high-cholesterol diet (HC), normal diet plus 1 per cent cholesterol and 0.5 per cent cholic acid and 20 per cent coconut oil; HC diet plus the isolated 11S globulin (300 mg/kg/day); and HC diet plus the simvastatin (50 mg/kg/day), both dissolved in saline and administered by gavage for 28 days. After this time, the animals were killed.

Findings

– The results indicated that the addition of 1 per cent cholesterol and 0.5 per cent cholic acid induced hypercholesterolemia in the animals without interfering with their weight gain. Analyses of total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) in the plasma, and TC and TG in the liver were made. The results show that the protein isolated from chickpea, and given as a single daily dose, did not affect the levels of plasma TC and its fractions, although decreasing the TG levels. Unlike the simvastatin, the chickpea protein significantly reduced TC and TG in the liver relative to HC group.

Originality/value

– A single daily dose of 11S globulin from chickpea contributed as only as additional 2.8 per cent of dietary protein intake. These findings demonstrate that 11S chickpea protein acts as a functional agent in the lipid metabolism in addition to its nutritional properties.
Developing entrepreneurial competences in students in the life sciences: the Lifetech Ad-Venture program
Authors: Alcaraz-Rodriguez Rafael , M. Alvarez Mario , Villasana Marcia
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify how an entrepreneurship program in the life-sciences impacts the development of their entrepreneurial skills and values in undergraduate students.

Design/methodology/approach

– A quantitative study was conducted at Tecnologico de Monterrey, a private university in Mexico. Questionnaires were administered to life-sciences students before and after the entrepreneurship course to analyze and identify the development of pre-defined entrepreneurial characteristics.

Findings

– Results indicate a positive and significant impact on several of the 13 entrepreneurial characteristics evaluated in the study (negotiation skills, need of achievement and initiative). Empirical insights gained in the study suggest that gender does not yield to differences in the degree of involvement in activities, and that previous entrepreneurship experience may contribute to enhanced engagement in the program.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper reports on students from one university campus. Future research should include students from other locations in the country.

Practical implications

– It is evident that university entrepreneurship programs have an impact on students' skills and values; however, the challenge still remains in the design of those programs to include more activities and draw on the students' own competences.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes with evidence from an entrepreneurship program implemented in a Latin American university, a region for which documentation of the degree of success of entrepreneurship education is limited in the literature.
Coating properties of shellac modified with synthesised epoxidised-novolac resin
Authors: Fahim Ansari Mohammad , Sarkhel Gautam , Nath Goswami Dipendra , Baboo Bangali
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to improve the properties of shellac by blending with epoxidised novolac resin for its use as coating material for metal surfaces.

Design/methodology/approach

– Epoxidised-novolac resin was synthesised by epoxidation of novolac resin, which in turn was synthesised by reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The epoxidised-novolac resin was blended with different weight ratios of shellac ranging 10-50 weight per cent with an interval of 10 weight per cent. Films of the blends were studied for different coating properties using standard procedure.

Findings

– Significant improvement in coating properties of shellac such as gloss, scratch hardness and impact resistance was observed on blending with epoxidised novolac resin. Resistance towards water and alkali increased, while acid resistance decreased, with the increase in concentration of epoxidised novolac resin in the blends. Contact angle measurement revealed that blends showed more resistance towards polar solvent than non-polar ones.

Research limitations/implications

– Epoxidised-novolac resin used in the study was synthesised of epoxy equivalent of 187. Epoxidised-novolac resin of different epoxy equivalent can also be synthesised and used for blending and studying the properties.

Practical implications

– Blending of shellac with epoxidised-novolac resin improved the coating properties of shellac, which was further enhanced with the treatment of butylated melamine formaldehyde resin. The formulation can be used as coating material for metal surfaces.

Originality/value

– Blending of shellac with epoxidised-novolac resin was done for the first time. The formulation can be utilised for developing coating material for metal surfaces.
Novel comonomer synthesis from thiophene-2-carbonyl chloride and polydimethylsiloxane modified cyclohexanone formaldehyde resin
Authors: Kizilcan Nilgun , Istif Merve
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to produce an electroactive monomer containing ketonic resins and then to investigate redox reaction between Fe+3 and bounded thiophene in comonomers. First, thiophene functionalised ketonic resins (Th-CFPDMSR) were synthesised by esterification reaction of thiophene-2-carbonyl chloride (ThCCl) and hydroxyl groups of cyclohexanone formaldehyde resin (CFR). Th-CFPDMSR was then polymerised by ferric salt. Thiophene modified ketonic resins (Th-CFPDMSR) as comonomers were characterised by common techniques such as gel permeation chromatography, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter and scanning electron microscope.

Design/methodology/approach

– Th-CFPDMSR comonomers were synthesised by esterification reaction of ThCCl and hydroxyl groups of ketonic resins. Then, the in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) of ThC-CFR in the presence of iron (III) chloride salt (FeCl3) was accomplished in chloroform/acetonitrile mixture solutions at room temperature.

Findings

– Important structural factor determined quantitatively for Th-CFPDMSR is the CFPDMS/TCCl ratio after reaction. The mole ratio effect of TCCl and ketonic resin on the solubility, molecular weight, melting temperature (Tm) and glass transition temperature (Tg) values of the comonomers (TCCl-CFPDMSR) was investigated.

Research limitations/implications

– The ferric ion (Fe+3) has a standard oxidation potential. Furthermore, FeCl3 can react with thiophene to produce a cation radical. FeCl3 cannot react with hydroxyl groups of ketonic resins. When ferric is used for ISCO application at relatively low temperatures (e.g. < 20°C), the oxidation reactions are usually less aggressive.

Practical implications

– This work provides technical information for the synthesis of conducting block copolymer and for the synthesis of chain-extended resins. The modified resins contain thiophene. The chemical oxidation system has been used to polymerise these thiophene groups, and resins with much higher molecular weight might be produced. The resins may also promote the adhesive strength of a coating and corrosion inhibition to metal surfaces of a coating.

Originality/value

– Novel Th-CFPDMSR comonomers were synthesised. These comonomers have higher Tg and Tm values than CF-PDMSR alone. The chemical oxidation system has been used to polymerise these thiophene functionalised ketonic resins.
Physicochemical colourants effects on polymeric composites printing toner
Authors: Bazrafshan Zahra , Ataeefard Maryam , Nourmohammadian Farahnaz
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to report on production of the colour digital printing toners cyan, magenta and yellow. Colour digital electrophotographic printing is currently in high demand. The provision of a large colour gamut depends on appropriate selection of precise colourants to produce toner capable of producing a thin layer on paper.

Design/methodology/approach

– Printing toners were synthesised by the emulsion aggregation method, and then evaluated for chemical constitution and effects of the colourant substituents.

Findings

– Results demonstrated that increasing the polarity of a pigment produced better dispersion and lower particle size with narrower distribution and even better colour reproduction. While, changing a pigment’s characteristics did not affect the toner shape or its thermal properties.

Practical implications

– The developed method provides a simple way to synthesise colour printing toner.

Social implications

– Emulsion aggregation toners provide less hazardous materials during printing.

Originality/value

– Evaluations of the influence of solid-state parameters and physicochemical properties of the pigments on printing toner characteristics were done for the first time.
Pendulum hardness of polyurethane coatings during curing
Authors: Huang Zhifeng , Ma Xiaoyang , Qiao Zemin , Wang Shujuan , Jing Xinli
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to disclose the evolution of pendulum hardness of two-component acrylic polyurethane coatings during the cure process and attempts to describe the quantitative relationship between pendulum hardness and curing time. These findings are helpful for the study of fast curing acrylic polyurethane coatings.

Design/methodology/approach

– The pendulum hardness method was used to monitor the hardness of two-component acrylic polyurethane coatings during curing. The quantitative relationship between pendulum hardness and curing time can be obtained with Avrami equation.

Findings

– The evolution of coating pendulum hardness can be divided into three stages. By using the Avrami equation that explained the influence of both the acid value and the curing temperature on the drying speed of hydroxyl acrylic resin, the evolution of coating pendulum hardness during curing can also be accurately described.

Research limitations/implications

– It should be noted that the physical meaning of the Avrami exponent, n, is not yet clear.

Practical implications

– The results are of great significance for the development of fast-curing hydroxyl-functional acrylic resins, with the potential to improve the drying speed of the coatings used in automotive refinish.

Originality/value

– It is novel to divide the pendulum hardness into three stages, and, for the first time, the Avrami equation is utilized to describe the evolution of coating pendulum hardness during curing.
Increased serum C‐reactive protein level in Japanese patients of psoriasis with cardio‐ and cerebrovascular disease
Authors: Takahashi Hidetoshi , Iinuma Shin , Honma Masaru , Iizuka Hajime
Published: October 2014

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which may be associated with metabolic syndrome accompanied by cardio‐ and cerebrovascular diseases. We investigated the relation between serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) and cardio‐ and cerebrovascular diseases in Japanese psoriasis vulgaris patients. Ninety‐seven psoriasis vulgaris patients and 79 healthy controls were assessed for serum CRP levels by immunoturbidimetry. The data were analyzed in terms of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores, and comorbidity of cardio‐ and cerebrovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Serum CRP levels in psoriasis vulgaris patients were significantly higher than those of healthy controls. There was no significant difference between male and female CRP levels in either psoriasis or healthy controls. No correlation was detected between PASI scores and serum CRP levels, either. Psoriasis with cardio‐ and cerebrovascular disease showed significantly higher CRP levels compared with those without the diseases. Furthermore, psoriasis with metabolic syndrome showed significantly higher serum CRP levels than those without the metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, serum CRP level is increased in psoriasis, and may be a useful marker for the prediction of the future risk of cardio‐ and cerebrovascular disease.
Detailed clinicopathological characterization of progressive alopecia areata patients treated with i.v. corticosteroid pulse therapy toward optimization of inclusion criteria
Authors: Sato Misato , Amagai Masayuki , Ohyama Manabu
Published: October 2014

The management of progressive alopecia areata (AA) is often challenging. Recently, i.v. corticosteroid pulse therapy has been reported to be effective for acute and severe AA, however, inclusion criteria have not been sufficiently precise, leaving a chance that its efficacy could be further improved by optimizing therapeutic indications. In our attempts to delineate the factors that correlate with favorable outcomes, we minutely evaluated the clinicopathological findings and the prognoses of single‐round steroid pulse‐treated progressive AA cases with full sets of image and pathology records during the course. Almost complete hair regrowth has been achieved and maintained up to 2 years in five out of seven AA patients with varying degrees of clinical severity. Interestingly, the worst clinical presentation observed during the course correlated with the size of the area where hairs with dystrophic roots were pulled rather than the extent of visible hair loss on the first visit. Dermoscopy detected disease spread but contributed little in assessing prognoses. Dense perifollicular cell infiltration was detected in all cases treated within 4 weeks of onset and those treated later but with excellent response. Importantly, the cases with poor or incomplete hair regrowth were treated 6–8 weeks of onset and showed moderate inflammatory change with high telogen conversion rate. These findings mandate global dermoscopy and hair pull test for judging the treatment indication and suggest that early administration of high‐dose corticosteroid, ideally within 4 weeks of onset, enable efficient suppression of active inflammation and maximize the effectiveness of the remedy.
Impedimetric Characterization of Adsorption of Listeria monocytogenes on the Surface of an Aluminum‐Based Immunosensor
Authors: Chai Changhoon , Lee Jooyoung , Oh Se‐Wook , Takhistov Paul
Published: October 2014

The impedimetric characteristics of an immunosensor depend on the electrical properties of an immunosensor substrate. The impedimetric characteristics of an immunosensor compared with adsorption of Listeria monocytogenes were investigated on an aluminum surface insulated with an electrically resistive aluminum oxide layer. Antibody for L. monocytogenes (anti‐L. monocytogenes) was immobilized on an aluminum surface that was insulated with a native air‐formed aluminum oxide layer. The resistance of impedance (R) value of an aluminum‐based immunosensor decreased, especially at 104 to 106 Hz, where the effect of the reactance of impedance (X) was minimal when L. monocytogenes was adsorbed on the immunosensor surface. The R value of the immunosensor at 81 kHz decreased proportionally to the concentration of L. monocytogenes from 1.3 to 4.3 log CFU mL−1. The adsorption of L. monocytogenes produced local protrusions on the immunosensor surface, causing physicochemical changes in the ionic layer formed on the immunosensor surface by a sinusoidal electrical signal input, which might help electrical current to flow and cause the R value to decrease.
Pro‐inflammatory IL‐1beta and/or TNF‐alpha up‐regulate matrix metalloproteases‐1 and ‐3 mRNA in chondrocyte subpopulations potentially pathogenic in osteoarthritis: in situ hybridization studies on a single cell level
Authors: Kunisch Elke , Kinne Raimund W. , Alsalameh Rayya J. , Alsalameh Saifeddin
Published: October 2014

Aim

In osteoarthritis chondrocytes, matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and their inhibitors are induced by interleukin (IL)‐1beta or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐alpha and balanced by inhibitors, but their messenger RNA (mRNA) expression has not been studied in individual cells.

Methods

Normal articular chondrocytes (10 donors; age 50 ± 6 years, mean ± SEM) were stimulated in a monolayer for 24 h with IL‐1beta, TNF‐alpha, or transforming growth factor (TGF)‐beta1 (10 ng/mL each), alone or in combination. mRNA expression for MMP‐1, MMP‐3 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)‐1 was studied by in situ hybridization (35S‐cRNA) and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) (n ≥ 3 each).

Results

Whereas < 5% chondrocytes constitutively expressed MMP‐1, a higher percentage expressed MMP‐3 and TIMP‐1 (31.1 ± 1.8%; 36.7 ± 2.8%, respectively). Upon stimulation with IL‐1beta, TNF‐alpha or IL‐1beta/TNF‐alpha, the percentage of cells positive for MMP‐1, MMP‐3 and TIMP‐1 rose significantly (IL‐1beta: 31.5%, 54.5% and 60.2%, respectively; TNF‐alpha: 35.4%, 56.6%, 50.9%; IL‐1beta/TNF‐alpha: 38.8%, 45.2%, 52.1%). In bulk population (RT‐PCR), mRNA for MMP‐1 and MMP‐3 was also induced by IL‐1beta (11.9‐fold, 1.2‐fold, respectively), TNF‐alpha (4.8‐fold, 1.0‐fold) or IL‐1beta/TNF‐alpha (14.7‐fold, 1.4‐fold), an effect attenuated by TGF‐beta1. TIMP‐1 mRNA, in contrast, was down‐regulated by IL‐1beta, TNF‐alpha or IL‐1beta/TNF‐alpha, an effect again partially reverted by TGF‐beta1. Finally, collagen type II mRNA was down‐regulated by IL‐1beta, TNF‐alpha or IL‐1beta/TNF‐alpha (by 90%, 50% and 98%, respectively) and that of collagen type I was up‐regulated (5.7‐fold, 3.0‐fold, 3.7‐fold).

Conclusions

Up‐regulation of MMP‐1/MMP‐3 by IL‐1beta and/or TNF‐alpha in a fraction of chondrocytes in vitro suggests that a subpopulation of catabolic cells may also exist in osteoarthritis. These cells may undergo considerable dedifferentiation, as indicated by a decreased collagen‐II/collagen‐I ratio.
Detection of Mediterranean fever gene mutations in Egyptian children with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Salah Samia , El‐Shabrawi Mortada , Lotfy Hala Mohamed , Shiba Hala Fathy , Abou‐Zekri Maha , Farag Yomna
Published: October 2014

Aim

The aim of the current study is to investigate the prevalence of familial Mediterranean fever gene (MEFV) mutations in a cohort of Egyptian children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and to characterize familial Mediterranean fever (FMF)‐IBD patients, helping better understanding of IBD pathogenesis.

Methods

The study enrolled 17 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 15 with Crohn's disease(CD), 10 with indeterminate colitis (IC) and 33 healthy children as controls. All cases and controls were tested for 12 FMF gene mutations by reverse hybridization after multiplex polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sampling.

Results

Eighty‐eight percent of the IBD patients carried the mutations, with Sequence variant V627A being the commonest versus 42.4% of controls. No associations were found between MEFV gene mutations, and phenotypic characteristics of IBD patients.

Conclusion

IBD patients, in populations with a high background carrier rate of MEFV variants, should be screened for MEFV gene mutations, especially those diagnosed as indeterminate colitis. Testing larger numbers of healthy Egyptian children for MEFV gene mutation is important to further determine the allele frequency in Egypt.
Secure our Future: Towards a European Energy Strategy
Authors: Oettinger Günther H.
Published: October 2014

Energy is the lifeblood of our society. Our way of life is inconceivable without reliable and affordable supplies of energy: electricity, heat and fuel. Never before has the world needed so much energy: we use almost twice as much as we did in 1980. If this trend continues, it will be difficult to avoid a major energy crisis, with electricity cuts, petrol or gas shortages.
Challenging the European Climate Debate: Can Universal Climate Justice and Economics be Reconciled with Particularistic Politics?
Authors: Creutzig Felix , Hedahl Marcus , Rydge James , Szulecki Kacper
Published: October 2014

Researchers from various disciplines have built impressive but distinct compendia on climate change; the defining challenge for humanity. In the spirit of Lord Dahrendorf, this paper represents the output of interdisciplinary collaboration and integrates state‐of‐the‐art academic expertise from the fields of philosophy, economics and governance. Our focus is on Europe, which is widely perceived as a leader in climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, leadership weakness on climate over recent years, largely due to recession and political vacillation, is eroding this perception. What is needed is a firm justification for strong climate action, acknowledgement of the available tools, awareness of the reasons for our failures to date, and a realistic, but goal‐oriented strategy for an integrated climate policy. We therefore present current normative insights from climate justice research highlighting the need to make institutions responsive to those most vulnerable; we discuss the economics of the transition to a low‐carbon economy, pointing to key policy instruments and post‐2020 climate targets for the EU; we contrast the normative and quantitative synoptic principles with the particularistic implementation schemes and politics of (not) implementing measures on the ground; and we suggest a careful coordination of European climate policies with acute challenges that could increase both climate justice and political feasibility.
Possible ‘Contributions’ of European Energy Intensive Industries to the Global Climate Agreement
Authors: Ancygier Andrzej , Serzysko Anna
Published: October 2014

The outcome of the climate negotiations in Warsaw in November 2013 was met with disappointment: by early 2015 all countries were asked to present their initial contributions to the climate agreement to be signed in Paris that same year. This new wording was considered to be a weakening of the final agreement: instead of a clear timeframe for the presentation of the mitigation commitments, countries were asked to come up with vaguely defined initial contributions. In this article we argue that far from being a threat to an ambitious climate agreement, contributions open new possibilities of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Above all, contributions can play a significant role in reducing CO2 emissions in two sectors that are steadily increasing their share of global emissions: steel and cement. Although the consumption of these two products is predicted to increase considerably in the future, available technologies allow only a limited reduction in emissions. One of the ways to significantly limit emissions from the steel and cement sectors is to invest in Research, Development and Deployment (RD&D) of ‘breakthrough technologies’ that could bring benefits in the future. Due to the long time span between the initial investment and the results they produce, such activities can only be conducted with strong support from the governments, which could consider them as their contribution to the future climate goals.
The Arms Trade Treaty from a Global Civil Society Perspective: Introducing Global Policy's Special Section
Authors: Bolton Matthew , Whall Helena , Pytlak Allison , Guerra Hector , James Katelyn E.
Published: October 2014

The 2013 Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) offers the first comprehensive, global and legally binding standards on the trade and transfer of conventional arms. The idea for the treaty was conceived not in the boardrooms of weapons manufacturers, nor in the assembly halls of statecraft, but rather by civil society activists and Nobel Laureates – practitioners, academics, survivors and researchers and advocates. And its robust provisions on human rights, humanitarian law and gender were championed by states often marginalized by traditional arms control. The resultant treaty is a sort of ‘platypus’ of international law – simultaneously an arms control regime, an instrument of human rights and humanitarian law and a trade agreement. Given its widespread acceptance and likely rapid entry into force, it could have a wide‐ranging impact on global policy making in many issue areas. But as with any new framework of global policy, the ATT represents a compromise, recognizing the legitimacy of states' rights to trade in weapons. This special section on the ATT, written from the perspective of scholars and practitioners associated with the civil society campaign that championed the treaty, reviews the ATT's normative implications, role of NGOs and implementation challenges.
The Role of Civil Society in the International Negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty
Authors: Whall Helena , Pytlak Allison
Published: October 2014

This article provides a detailed examination of the dynamics of the international negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), adopted 2 April 2013, focusing on the role played by civil society. Control Arms – the primary international coalition of civil society organisations on this issue – entered the negotiating process with a comprehensive ‘vision’ of a robust ATT. In a detailed case study of the key areas of civil society engagement during the diplomatic conferences of July 2012 and March 2013, this article examines the coalition's ability to shape the debate on priority campaign issues and impact important aspects of the final treaty text. Its success depended on the development of close collaboration with ‘like‐minded states’ and intergovernmental organizations, careful management of information flows and the strategic use of global advocacy networks. As such, the ATT experience offers many potential lessons for civil society campaigners seeking to influence and shape United Nations diplomatic processes.
Nascent Spirit of New York or Ghost of Arms Control Past?: The Normative Implications of the Arms Trade Treaty for Global Policymaking
Authors: Bolton Matthew , James Katelyn E.
Published: October 2014

Does the 2013 United Nations (UN) Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) represent what Costa Rica's UN Ambassador called a nascent ‘Spirit of New York’ – a change in the rules of the arms control game in favor of humanitarianism and human rights? Or does it represent business as usual – the ghost of Arms Control past? We are convinced by neither the messianic claims of the ATT's most overheated boosters nor the doom‐saying of its most ardent detractors. Rather we argue here that in both the ATT negotiation process and the treaty text, ‘norm entrepreneurs’ like NGOs, Middle Powers and small states have created space for global policy making based on humanitarian and human rights considerations. However, the negotiation and treaty also represent a melding of this ‘maximalist’ human security–civil society approach with UN General Assembly concerns about small arms proliferation and the ‘minimalist’ strategic and commercial interests of the major arms exporters. This hybrid pathway to the treaty's adoption offers possibilities for future global policy making on disarmament and arms control as well as other humanitarian issues.
Auditing and the Purification of Blame
Authors: Skærbæk Peter , Christensen Mark
Published: October 2014

Although public sector special audit and performance audit are frequently involved in blame, very few studies (save for Radcliffe 1997) provide detailed empirical accounts on how auditing participates in blame allocation. This study sets out to study one case of blame allocation by describing and characterizing the origins of failure and antecedents leading to the need for blame allocation, the institutional entities and arrangements that participate in the blame game, and how these entities, including the supreme audit institution, are mobilized in the processes of blame allocation. Applying a case methodology with Actor–Network Theory principles, the study extends Hood's (2002, 2007) research on blame and blame avoidance strategies by showing how a blame‐frame evaluates and allocates blame. The contribution of the paper is in four parts: first, it reveals the mechanisms that cause scapegoating of particular people and the role of auditors as experts in such mechanisms; second, it assists to develop an understanding of some factors at the core of the “accountability paradox” noted by Roberts (2009); third, it contributes to explanations as to why failing public sector reforms survive controversy and scandal since a scapegoating process can “reboot” reforms by erasing the reform's problems; and fourth, it demonstrates that an understanding of blame can be a useful addition to Actor–Network Theory.
Intrinsic inference difficulties for trait evolution with Ornstein‐Uhlenbeck models
Authors: Ho Lam Si Tung , Ané Cécile
Published: October 2014

For the study of macroevolution, phenotypic data are analysed across species on a dated phylogeny using phylogenetic comparative methods. In this context, the Ornstein‐Uhlenbeck (OU) process is now being used extensively to model selectively driven trait evolution, whereby a trait is attracted to a selection optimum μ.

We report here theoretical properties of the maximum‐likelihood (ML) estimators for these parameters, including their non‐uniqueness and inaccuracy, and show that theoretical expectations indeed apply to real trees. We provide necessary conditions for ML estimators to be well defined and practical implications for model parametrization.

We then show how these limitations carry over to difficulties in detecting shifts in selection regimes along a phylogeny. When the phylogenetic placement of these shifts is unknown, we identify a ‘large p ‐ small n’ problem where traditional model selection criteria fail and favour overly complex scenarios. Instead, we propose a modified criterion that is better adapted to change‐point models.

The challenges we identify here are inherent to trait evolution models on phylogenetic trees when observations are limited to present‐day taxa, and require the addition of fossil taxa to be alleviated. We conclude with recommendations for empiricists.
Assessing risks to ecosystems within biodiversity hotspots: a case study from southwestern Australia
Authors: English Valerie , Keith David A.
Published: October 2014

The south west of Western Australia is a global biodiversity hotspot that contains a suite of highly restricted and threatened ecosystems. In common with some other global hotspots, this region has high levels of alpha, beta and gamma diversity characterized by local endemism and spatial turnover of species. The region therefore includes a suite of highly localized species assemblages in complex mosaics across the landscape. Such landscapes pose particular challenges for assessing risks to biodiversity because the status of the most extensive species assemblages within broad scale assessment units tends to mask the status of those that are most restricted. Hence, risk assessments at different thematic scales may sometimes reveal different outcomes and salient threats. We examined these expectations by applying the IUCN Red List criteria for ecosystems at a fine thematic scale to assess risks to shrublands on southern Swan Coastal Plain ironstones, one of the most restricted ecosystems in the region, distinguished by its component suite of endemic flora. The ecosystem was found to be critically endangered due to its declining distribution and restricted current extent in combination with threats, particularly weed invasion. These outcomes suggest two scaling effects when a broader suite of assemblages in the region are considered; the perceived levels of risk may be less extreme; and the main threatening processes that influence risk assessment outcomes rank differently in importance. Both effects are critical to future management to promote persistence of ecosystems, as the priorities and actions will vary between local and regional scales, as will their conservation outcomes. In this case the major needs are to limit vegetation clearing and water extraction and mitigate the invasion of weeds and impacts of disease. The relative emphasis on these strategies varies between local and regional scales.
“Will This Hell Never End?”: Substantiating and Resisting Race‐Language Policies in a Multilingual High School
Authors: Malsbary Christine
Published: October 2014

This article presents a critical race theory analysis of teachers’ and students’ language policy negotiation. It draws on an ethnographic study in a high‐school English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Results demonstrate how race‐language processes create conditions that traumatize immigrant and bilingual youth of color through embodied nativist policies. On the other hand, youth made dynamic bilingual policies. It is argued that critical race‐language scholars must question the legitimacy of ESL programs that function as white supremacy.
Clozapine use reduced psychiatric hospitalization and emergency room visits in patients with bipolar disorder independent of improved treatment regularity in a three‐year follow‐up period
Authors: Wu Chi‐Shin , Wang Sheng‐Chang , Liu Shi‐Kai
Published: October 2014

Objectives

The efficacy of clozapine in bipolar disorder remains to be systemically examined. In the current study, we sought to disentangle the effect of clozapine from that of improved treatment regularity and to compare the effect of clozapine with the effect of regular treatment for bipolar disorder by exploring the complete 10‐year clozapine prescription data from a Taiwanese total population health claims database.

Methods

In the period between 2000 and 2009, 3,874 (3.3%) out of the 117,785 patients identified as having bipolar disorder in a Taiwanese total population health claims database were ever prescribed clozapine. Among them, 920 patients with bipolar disorder who had good pre‐clozapine medication compliance and received at least two clozapine prescriptions were further categorized according to their clozapine medication possession ratio (MPR) as regular users (MPR ≥ 0.8; n = 476) and irregular users (MPR < 0.8; n = 444). Using a mirror‐image design, we compared the numbers of emergency room (ER) visits, hospitalizations and hospital days, and the average durations of a single hospitalization during the pre‐ and post‐clozapine mirror periods with a follow‐up time of up to three years, controlling for time‐variant course confounders.

Results

The patterns of change in outcome indices from the pre‐clozapine period to the post‐clozapine period differed significantly between the two clozapine‐user groups. Clinical outcome indices improved only in regular users, while they deteriorated in irregular users. Over the three‐year follow‐up period, the irregular users consistently had a higher adjusted risk for increased numbers of ER visits [odds ratio (OR): 2.06–2.43], hospitalizations (OR: 2.52–3.22), and total hospital days (OR: 2.42–2.91) when compared to the regular users. Thus, effects of clozapine were consistently demonstrated in one‐ to three‐year mirror comparison periods.

Conclusions

Clozapine, when used with high treatment regularity (MPR > 0.8), was effective in reducing the numbers of ER visits, hospitalizations, and total hospital days in patients with bipolar disorder with previous frequent hospitalizations and ER visits despite regular pre‐clozapine treatment for bipolar disorder. However, high early attrition and suboptimal treatment compliance need to be rectified in order to optimize the outcome of clozapine treatment in bipolar disorders.
Long‐term analysis of oncological outcomes after laparoscopic radical cystectomy in Europe: results from a multicentre study by the European Association of Urology (EAU) section of Uro‐technology
Authors: Albisinni Simone , Rassweiler Jens , Abbou Clement‐Claude , Cathelineau Xavier , Chlosta Piotr , Fossion Laurent , Gaboardi Franco , Rimington Peter , Salomon Laurent , Sanchez‐Salas Rafael , Stolzenburg Jens‐Uwe , Teber Dogu , van Velthoven Roland
Published: October 2014

Objective

To report long‐term outcomes of laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) in a multicentre European cohort, and explore feasibility and safety of LRC.

Patients and Methods

This study was coordinated by European Association of Urology (EAU)‐section of Uro‐technology (ESUT) with nine centres enrolling 503 patients undergoing LRC for bladder cancer prospectively between 2000 and 2013. Data were retrospectively analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to explore peri‐ and postoperative characteristics of th ecohort. Kaplan–Meier curves were constructed to evaluate recurrence‐free survival (RFS), cancer‐specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). Outcomes were also stratified according to tumour stage, lymph node (LN) involvement and surgical margin status.

Results

Minor complications (Clavien I–II) occurred in 39% and major (IIIa–IVb) in 17%. In all, 10 (2%) postoperative deaths were recorded. The median (interquartile, IQR) LN retrieval was 14 (9–17) and positive surgical margins were detected in 29 (5.8%) patients. The median (mean, IQR) follow‐up was 50 (60, 19–90), during which 134 (27%) recurrences were detected. Actuarial RFS, CSS and OS rates were 66%, 75% and 62% at 5 years and 62%, 55%, 38% at 10 years. Significant differences in RFS, CSS and OS were found according to tumour stage, LN involvement and margin status (log‐rank P < 0.001). On multivariate Cox analysis, T stage and LN involvement (both P < 0.001) were significant predictors of RFS, CSS and OS. Positive margins were significant predictors of RFS (P = 0.016) and CSS (P = 0.043).

Conclusions

In this European LRC multicentre study, the largest to date, long‐term RFS, CSS and OS rates after LRC appear comparable to those reported in current open RC series. Further randomised controlled trials are necessary to assess the global impact of LRC.
Fumarate hydratase immunohistochemical staining may help to identify patients with multiple cutaneous and uterine leiomyomatosis (MCUL) and hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) syndrome
Authors: Llamas‐Velasco M. , Requena L. , Kutzner H. , Schärer L. , Rütten A. , Hantschke M. , Paredes B. E. , Mentzel T.
Published: October 2014

Aims

Multiple cutaneous and uterine leiomyomatosis (MCUL) also named as hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cancer syndrome (HLRCC) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by heterozygotic germline mutations in fumarate hydratase (FH) with incomplete penetrance and clinically challenging to diagnose. To test immunohistochemistry for FH as a potential marker for the detection of FH‐deficiency.

Methods and results

We have tested 42 smooth muscle neoplasms, 13 lesions of patients with suspicious or confirmed HLRCC, 20 sporadic piloleiomyomas, two angioleiomyomas and 7 leiomyosarcomas. FH staining grades from 1 to 3. Ten of the 13 lesions from the patients with HLRCC syndrome showed negative FH staining. Most sporadic piloleiomyomas presented grade 3 FH staining although five cases presented grade 1 FH staining. Sensitivity of FH staining in our series is 83.3% but specificity is 75%.

Conclusions

This staining could indicate a high risk of HLRCC in most of the confirmed cases but it could also suggest the presence of a syndrome in up to 25% of sporadic cases. HLRCC syndrome should be rule out in FH negative piloleiomyomas after complete anamnesis if multiple lesions or positive familiar history is found.
The Contradictions of Pro‐poor Participation and Empowerment: The World Bank in East Africa
Authors: O'Meally Simon
Published: October 2014

Participatory approaches remain central to development practice and the World Bank continues to espouse them with the promise to make its aid more pro‐poor. Yet participation's (in)effectiveness has become the focus of renewed, polarizing debates, and assessments of the form and function of the World Bank's participatory paradigm are still contested and unresolved. Through extensive field data collected in East Africa, this article seeks to move the debate forward. It presents three interrelated arguments: (1) the World Bank's participatory approach remains largely circumscribed by a Post‐Washington Consensus neoliberalism; (2) the approach, nonetheless, pro‐actively supports pro‐poor gains, and creates space for more alternative initiatives; (3) however, its effectiveness in fostering pro‐poor empowerment is undermined by deep inequalities and political economy dynamics on the ground. Two implications are discussed, which challenge conventional wisdom. First, the World Bank's approach could be seen as a hierarchical system of elements in which certain aspects, but not others, are insulated from popular deliberation. Second, participatory development should be (re)imagined as an open‐ended process rooted in the politicization of inequality and embedded in the dynamics of capitalist development, which also points to the critical role of a developmental state.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease vs. obesity on the risk of erosive oesophagitis
Authors: Hung Wei‐Chieh , Wu Jin‐Shang , Yang Yi‐Ching , Sun Zih‐Jie , Lu Feng‐Hwa , Chang Chih‐Jen
Published: October 2014

Background

Erosive oesophagitis (EE) may be complicated by oesophageal ulcers, peptic stricture, Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. There have been few studies examining the influence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on EE, and even fewer exploring the simultaneous effects of NAFLD, general and central obesity on EE. We thus aim to clarify the relationship between NAFLD and EE when general and/or central obesity are considered simultaneously.

Materials and methods

In this cross‐sectional study, we enrolled 12 090 subjects who underwent a health check‐up at the Health Examination Center of a university hospital between January 2000 and August 2009 for analysis. NAFLD was diagnosed using liver ultrasound and EE was defined according to the Los Angeles classification by oesophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Results

Subjects with EE (1922; 15·9%) had a higher proportion of NAFLD, general and central obesity. With adjustment for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hiatal hernia, hypertriglyceridemia, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, alcohol consumption, tea drinking, smoking and habitual exercise, the results of the multivariate analyses showed that general obesity, central obesity and NAFLD were all significantly associated with EE in their separate models. When considering general obesity, central obesity and NAFLD simultaneously, NAFLD, but neither general nor central obesity, remained positively correlated to EE. In addition, male gender, hiatal hernia and hypertriglyceridemia were all significantly associated with EE.

Conclusion

In addition to general and central obesity, NAFLD is independently associated with increased risk of EE, and the detrimental effect of NAFLD on EE might be greater than those of general and central obesity.