bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How to cope with the quest for new antibiotics
Authors: Fabbretti Attilio , Gualerzi Claudio O. , Brandi Letizia
Published: April 2011

Since their introduction in therapy, antibiotics have played an essential role in human society, saving millions of lives, allowing safe surgery, organ transplants, cancer therapy. Antibiotics have also helped to elucidate several biological mechanisms and boosted the birth and growth of pharmaceutical companies, generating profits and royalties. The golden era of antibiotics and the scientific and economical drive of big pharma towards these molecules is long gone, but the need for effective antibiotics is increased as their pipelines dwindle and multi‐resistant pathogenic strains spread. Here we outline some strategies that could help meet this emergency and list promising new targets.
Improving maternal mortality reporting at the community level with a 4‐question modified reproductive age mortality survey (RAMOS)
Authors: Geynisman Julia , Latimer Andrew , Ofosu Anthony , Anderson Frank W.J.
Published: April 2011

Objective

To investigate the identification of maternal deaths at the community level using the reproductive age mortality survey (RAMOS) in all households in which a women of reproductive age (WRA) died and to determine the most concise subset of questions for identifying a pregnancy‐related death for further investigation.

Methods

A full RAMOS survey was conducted with the families of 46 deceased WRA who died between 2005 and July 2009 and was compared with the cause of death confirmed by the maternal mortality review committee to establish the number of maternal mortalities. The positive predictive value (PPV) of each RAMOS question for identifying a maternal death was determined.

Results

Compared with years of voluntary reporting, active surveillance for maternal deaths doubled their identification. In addition, 4 questions from the full RAMOS have the highest PPV for a maternal death including the question: “Was she pregnant within the last 6 weeks?” which had a 100% PPV and a 100% negative predictive value.

Conclusion

Active identification of maternal mortality at the community level by using a 4‐question modified RAMOS that is systematically administered in the local language by health workers can increase understanding of the extent of maternal mortality in rural Ghana.
The use of quality control performance charts to analyze cesarean delivery rates nationally
Authors: Turner Michael J.
Published: April 2011

Objective

To examine the use of quality control performance charts to analyze cesarean rates nationally.

Methods

Information on cesarean rates was obtained for all 19 Irish maternity hospitals receiving state funding in 2009. All women who underwent cesarean delivery of a live or stillborn infant weighing 500 g or more between January 1 and December 31 were included. Deliveries were classified as elective or emergency. Individual hospitals were not identified in the analysis.

Results

The mean rates per hospital of elective and emergency cesarean were 12.9 ± 2.6% (n = 9337) and 13.8 ± 3.0% (n = 9989), respectively—giving an overall mean rate of 26.7 ± 4.2% (n = 19326) per hospital. Cesarean rates were normally distributed. Using a quality control performance chart with a cutoff 2 standard deviations from the mean, 1 hospital was above the normal range for both total and elective cesareans, indicating that its pre‐labor obstetric practices warrant clinical review. Another hospital had a mean emergency cesarean rate above the normal range, indicating that its labor ward practices warrant review.

Conclusion

Quality control performance charts can be used to analyze cesarean rates nationally and, thus, to identify hospitals at which obstetric practices should be reviewed.
A Note on Willingness to Spend and Customer Lifetime Value for Firms with Limited Capacity
Authors: Pfeifer Phillip E. , Ovchinnikov Anton
Published: April 2011

The paper draws a distinction between customer lifetime value (CLV) and willingness to spend (WTS). By WTS we mean the maximum amount the firm should be willing to spend to acquire (retain) the customer relationship. In order to avoid the double counting of cash flows when summing the CLVs of customers, we suggest including only direct cash flows in the formulation of CLV. This convention means that CLV will equal WTS if (and, for the most part, only if) the firm's relationships with customers are independent. By independent we mean that the acquisition (retention) of Jane Doe has no effect on the cash flows of any other current or future customers. In contrast to well-understood demand-side dependencies among customer relationships (such as referrals), this paper highlights a particular kind of supply-side dependency—that created when the firm is limited in the number of customers it can serve. Using an extended version of the model of Blattberg and Deighton (“Manage Marketing by the Customer Equity Test,” Harvard Business Review, July–August 1996, 136–144) of customer equity, we demonstrate that, for a firm at capacity (in this model), CLV is no longer relevant to marketing spending decisions and the firm can prefer a lower-CLV customer.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma with pericardial metastasis
Authors: Chen Shang‐Wen , Chen Chao‐Hsun , Tsao Chao‐Jung , Huang Wen‐Tsung , Chuang Shih‐Sung
Published: April 2011

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is prevalent in Taiwan and is characterized by a high frequency of nodal metastasis. The most common organs with distal metastases are the bones, lungs, and liver, with extremely rare cases to the pericardium. Herein, we report a rare case with NPC who presented with dyspnea and orthopnea. Serial studies, including pericardial biopsy, revealed NPC with pericardial metastasis and pericardial effusion. The tumor cells of both the original and metastatic tumors were positive for Epstein–Barr virus by in situ hybridization. This is the first histologically confirmed case of NPC with pericardial metastasis.
Psychophysiological responses to pain stimulation and cognitive tasks in female temporomandibular disorder patients
Authors: Mohn Christine , Vassend Olav , Knardahl Stein
Published: April 2011

Background and purpose

Psychophysiological factors may contribute to the development of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Both local orofacial and systemic responses have been investigated. However, most studies have concentrated on physiological responding during cognitive challenges, while responses during painful tasks may be highly relevant for the development of chronic pain conditions. Moreover, the relationship between experimental challenges and physiological responding may be influenced by affective responses during the experimental tasks, an issue not often considered in the literature.

Methods

This study compared electromyography (EMG) of the left masseter and left trapezius muscles, orofacial and digital skin blood-flow (SBF), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate (HR) at rest, during orofacial isometric contraction, electrocutaneous pain stimulation of the left hand, pressure pain stimulation of the masseter muscle and the sternum, and three cognitive tasks (reading aloud, a simulated job interview, and visuomotoric tracking). The participants were 25 TMD patients and 25 matched pain-free controls, all females. Affective responses were assessed with the State part of the State-Trait Personality Inventory and with Visual Analogue Scales.

Results

Masseter EMG levels were significantly lower in the TMD group relative to the control group during jaw contraction, pressure pain stimulation, the relaxation periods, and cognitive tasks. SBF, MAP, and HR responses were largely similar in the two groups, with SBF responses to pain stimulation evident at lower levels of stimulation than previously found. The TMD patients reported significantly higher levels of negative affect during the experiment.

Conclusions and implications

The low EMG responses in the TMD group may be taken in support of the Pain Adaptation Model of musculoskeletal pain, in which reduced muscular activity serves to protect a painful area. However, it may also be supportive of the Integrated Pain Adaptation Model, where higher central nervous structures influence local muscular output. The group similarities in systemic physiological responding in combination with the elevated levels of negative state affect in the TMD patients confirm previous reports of psychosocial differences being more reliable indicators of TMD than generalized physiological responding.
A 2000-yr-long multi-proxy lacustrine record from eastern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada reveals first millennium AD cold period
Authors: Thomas Elizabeth K. , Briner Jason P. , Axford Yarrow , Francis Donna R. , Miller Gifford H. , Walker Ian R.
Published: April 2011

We generate a multi-proxy sub-centennial-scale reconstruction of environmental change during the past two millennia from Itilliq Lake, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada. Our reconstruction arises from a finely subsectioned 210Pb- and 14C-dated surface sediment core and includes measures of organic matter (e.g., chlorophyll a; carbon–nitrogen ratio) and insect (Diptera: Chironomidae) assemblages. Within the past millennium, the least productive, and by inference coldest, conditions occurred ca. AD 1700–1850, late in the Little Ice Age. The 2000-yr sediment record also reveals an episode of reduced organic matter deposition during the 6th–7th century AD; combined with the few other records comparable in resolution that span this time interval from Baffin Island, we suggest that this cold episode was experienced regionally. A comparable cold climatic episode occurred in Alaska and western Canada at this time, suggesting that the first millennium AD cold climate anomaly may have occurred throughout the Arctic. Dramatic increases in aquatic biological productivity at multiple trophic levels are indicated by increased chlorophyll a concentrations since AD 1800 and chironomid concentrations since AD 1900, both of which have risen to levels unprecedented over the past 2000 yr.
‘WE DO IT SO THAT WE WILL BE MEN’: MASCULINITY POLITICS IN COLONIAL NAMIBIA, 1915–49
Authors: MCCULLERS MOLLY
Published: April 2011

This article examines struggles for masculinity among Herero elders, South African colonial administrators, and the Otruppa, a Herero youth society that appropriated a German military aesthetic, in Namibia between 1915 and 1949. As previous scholars have argued, masculinities are mutually constituted through competitions for authority, though dominance is rarely achieved. Such contestations were integral to processes of Herero societal reconstruction following German rule and during South African colonial state formation, beginning in 1915. Different generational experiences of colonial violence and the destruction of the material resources that undergirded elders' authority led to conflicts between elders and youths over how to define Herero masculinity and negotiate authority in a rapidly changing colonial milieu.
THE ADJUDICATION OF HOMICIDE IN COLONIAL GHANA: THE IMPACT OF THE KNOWLES MURDER CASE
Authors: GOCKING ROGER
Published: April 2011

In keeping with the law in place in the Colony of Ashanti in 1928, Dr Benjamin Knowles was tried and convicted for the murder of his wife without the benefit of a jury trial or the assistance of legal counsel. His trial and sentencing to death created outrage in both colonial Ghana and the metropole, and placed a spotlight on the adjudication of capital crimes in the colony. Inevitably, there were calls for reform of a system that could condemn an English government official to death without the benefit of the right to trial by a jury of his peers and counsel of his choice. Shortly after the Knowles trial, the colonial government did open up Ashanti to lawyers, and introduced other changes in the administration of criminal justice, but continued to refuse the introduction of jury trial. Nevertheless, the lasting impact of the Knowles trial was to make criminal adjudication in Ashanti, if anything, more lenient than the other area of colonial Ghana, the Gold Coast Colony.
A FALSE START: BETWEEN WAR AND PEACE IN THE SOUTHERN SUDAN, 1956–62
Authors: ROLANDSEN ØYSTEIN H.
Published: April 2011

Historians usually trace the start of the first civil war in the Southern Sudan to the Torit mutiny of 1955. However, organized political violence did not reach the level of civil war until 1963. This article argues that 1955–62 was a period of increasing political tension, local low-intensity violence, and social and economic stagnation. It shows how these conditions influenced the attitudes of government officials, informed the policies that they pursued, and made a Southern insurgency likely. This historical analysis helps explain why a full-scale civil war began in late 1963 and why it was not avoided.
DETERMINANTS OF TERRITORIAL EXOGAMY IN FRIULI (NORTH-EAST ITALY) IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Authors: FORNASIN ALESSIO
Published: April 2011

The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of individuals who formed exogamic marriages in the Friuli region (north-east Italy) during the second half of the 19th century. Logistic regression models were devised to measure the influence of the determinants of exogamic marriage, taking into account not only variables related to context but also spouses' economic, social and cultural characteristics. The determinants of exogamic marriage differ for men and women, and also vary by region due to differences in geographical mobility and size of the marriage market. The majority of exogamic spouses belong to one of two categories: either older individuals, often, especially in the case of men, with a previous marriage; or the upper social classes.
Comparison of auditory electrophysiological responses in normal-hearing patients with and without tinnitus
Authors: Singh S , Munjal S K , Panda N K
Published: April 2011

Introduction:

Tinnitus is a disturbing symptom and is often the main reason for otology referral. It is usually associated with hearing loss of varying aetiology, and is thought to begin in the cochlea, with later abnormal central activity. We hypothesise that tinnitus without hearing loss may be caused by central and subcortical abnormalities and altered outer hair cell function.

Aim:

To compare the auditory brainstem responses, middle latency responses and otoacoustic emissions in normal-hearing individuals with and without tinnitus.

Methodology:

The audiological test results of 25 normal hearing subjects with tinnitus (age 18–45 years) were determined, and compared with those of a control group.

Results:

A statistically significant difference was found between study group tinnitus earsvscontrol group ears, as regards wave I latency prolongation, shortening of wave V and absolute I–III and I–V interpeak latency, enlargement of wave Na and Pa amplitude, and distortion product and transient evoked otoacoustic emission signal-to-noise ratios. There was no statistically significant difference between unilateralvsbilateral tinnitus ears.

Conclusion:

The pathogenesis and optimum management of tinnitus are still unclear. It often occurs with primary ear disease, usually associated with hearing loss, but may occur in patients with normal hearing. Observed changes in auditory brainstem and middle latency responses indicate central auditory alterations. Tinnitus involves both peripheral and central activity, and complete audiological and neurophysiological investigation is required. Management should be based on both audiological and neurophysiological findings.
Revision of several poorly known Antarctic aeolid nudibranch species (Mollusca: Gastropoda), with the description of a new species
Authors: Valdés Ángel , Moran Amy L. , Woods H. Arthur
Published: April 2011

Morphological examination of several specimens of aeolid nudibranchs collected from the Ross Sea, Antarctica, revealed an unexpectedly high number of species. Based on the collected material the following species are re-described and for the first time their colour, reproductive anatomy and radula are illustrated together: Eubranchus glacialis, Cuthona modesta, Cuthona crinita, Cuthona elioti and Guyvalvoria paradoxa. Additionally, a new species of Cuthona is described from this area. The new species differs from other Antarctic and sub-Antarctic species of Cuthona in its external appearance, radular morphology and reproductive anatomy. Information on the egg mass and embryonic development of several species is provided.
Taxonomy and distribution of the genusKolga(Elpidiidae: Holothuroidea: Echinodermata)
Authors: Rogacheva Antonina
Published: April 2011

The genusKolgahas been revised.Kolga nana(Théel, 1879) is re-established and a new species,Kolga kamchaticasp. nov., is described. The new species was found in the Kurile–Kamchatka Trench at 6225–6236 m water depth. The three species ofKolga, K. hyalina, K. nanaandK. kamchatica, differ mainly in morphology of tube feet ossicles. For the first time, swimming activity is reported inK. nana.
A Cr unimodal map with an arbitrary fast growth of the number of periodic points
Authors: KALOSHIN V. , KOZLOVSKI O. S.
Published: April 2011

In this paper we present a surprising example of a Cr unimodal map of an interval f:I→I whose number of periodic points Pn(f)=∣{x∈I:fnx=x}∣ grows faster than any ahead given sequence along a subsequence nk=3k. This example also shows that ‘non-flatness’ of critical points is necessary for the Martens–de Melo–van Strien theorem [M. Martens, W. de Melo and S. van Strien. Julia–Fatou–Sullivan theory for real one-dimensional dynamics. Acta Math.168(3–4) (1992), 273–318] to hold.
Managing learning: Authority and language assessment
Authors: McNamara Tim
Published: April 2011

A feature of language assessment internationally is its role in the enforcement of language policies established by governments and other educational and cultural agencies. This trend has led to the near-universal adoption of curriculum and assessment frameworks, the clearest example of which is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). What does this movement represent? What is the source of the authority of frameworks such as the CEFR, and why are they so appealing to governments? The paper argues that the determination of test constructs within policy-related frameworks leads to inflexibility, and considers the case of the testing of competence in English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication, in the context of international civil aviation communication.
Relation between Euler–Bernoulli equation and contemporary knowledge in robotics
Authors: Filipovic Mirjana
Published: April 2011

The motivation for this work is the state of modern structural mechanisms that are characterized by growing complexity and ever-increasing demands for rapid and accurate motion. These contradictory requirements are often achieved according to easier and easier structures characterized by flexibility segments. In most of cases, the elasticity of structures appears as an obstacle for a precise and rapid control of motion. The aim of this paper is to explore ways of implementation of structural properties of elasticity with the application of high fidelity models during synthesis and analysis of complex mechanisms. Precisely, the aim is to explore the possibility of using Euler–Bernoulli equation, if not in its original form, then to the same extent with the use of modern knowledge in robotics (based on the knowledge of classical mechanics), and to examine the affordability and confirmation of the method through simulation results for a typical robotic configuration.
A new geometric method for singularity analysis of spherical mechanisms
Authors: Zarkandi Soheil
Published: April 2011

Finding singular configurations (singularities) has an important role during the design, trajectory planning, and control stages of mechanisms because in these configurations, the instantaneous kinematics is locally undetermined. In this paper, a systematic method is presented to obtain singular configurations of spherical mechanisms with input and output links. The method extends the use of instantaneous poles to singularity analysis of spherical mechanisms and offers geometric conditions for any type of singularities occurring in these mechanisms.
In the footsteps of their fathers? Occupational following among Swedish tobacco workers
Authors: KARLSSON TOBIAS , STANFORS MARIA
Published: April 2011

This article explores the role of kinship in the Swedish tobacco industry of 1898, making use of rich data that cover the entire industry and include both men and women. The focus is on the role of families in labour recruitment, which is often claimed to have been important. In this case, however, it was not the norm to have a father in the same industry. Occupational following was clearly a gendered phenomenon. To follow in the footsteps of fathers was more common among young men than among other groups of workers, and occupational following was associated with higher earnings for male but not for female workers.
Ownership of mines and taxation in Castilian laws, from the middle ages to the early modern period: the decisive influence of the sovereign in the history of mining
Authors: GRAULAU JEANNETTE
Published: April 2011

Sovereign ownership of mines and taxation were fundamental principles governing the mining economy of the territories of the Castilian crown during the medieval period. Ownership of mines meant that mineral wealth, discovered or undiscovered, belonged to the crown estate. Only the sovereign could grant mining rights to ‘private’ persons and impose mineral taxation. Particularly during the last three centuries of the Reconquista (thirteenth to fifteenth centuries), these principles were used to unify the situation in those territories falling under the sway of a sovereign with expansionist ambitions. Increasing globalisation of the metal trade in the thirteenth century and the formation of capital markets in Europe firmly put the Castilian crown in competition with other economic agents aiming to win a monopoly in metallic wealth. Castile's mining laws aspired to solve the ensuing tension by attracting merchant capital to the mines, aiming to absorb the comparative advantages of mining capital. In a protracted process, the mineral laws of the sixteenth century were a testimony to the decisive influence of the sovereign in the history of mining.
Lower Bounds for the Cop Number when the Robber is Fast
Authors: MEHRABIAN ABBAS
Published: April 2011

We consider a variant of the Cops and Robbers game where the robber can movetedges at a time, and show that in this variant, the cop number of ad-regular graph with girth larger than 2t+2 is Ω(dt). By the known upper bounds on the order of cages, this implies that the cop number of a connectedn-vertex graph can be as large as Ω(n2/3) ift≥ 2, and Ω(n4/5) ift≥ 4. This improves the Ω($n^{\frac{t-3}{t-2}}$) lower bound of Frieze, Krivelevich and Loh (Variations on cops and robbers,J. Graph Theory, to appear) when 2 ≤t≤ 6. We also conjecture a general upper boundO(nt/t+1) for the cop number in this variant, generalizing Meyniel's conjecture.
Flow-sensitive four-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging facilitates and improves the accurate diagnosis of partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage
Authors: Nordmeyer Sarah , Berger Felix , Kuehne Titus , Riesenkampff Eugénie
Published: April 2011

Objectives

To assess if flow-sensitive four-dimensional velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging adds value in diagnosing patients with suspected partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage.

Methods

In six patients with echocardiographically suspected partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, anatomy was evaluated using standard magnetic resonance imaging including angiography. Functional analysis included shunt calculations from flow measurements. We used four-dimensional velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging for visualisation of maldraining pulmonary veins and quantification of flow via the maldraining veins and interatrial communications, if present.

Results

In all patients, the diagnosis of partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage was confirmed by standard magnetic resonance imaging. Shunt volumes ranged from 1.4:1 to 4.7:1. Drainage sites were the superior caval vein (n = 5) or the vertical vein (n = 1). Multiple maldraining pulmonary veins were found in three patients. Pulmonary arteries and veins could be clearly distinguished by selective visualisation using four-dimensional velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging. Flow measured individually in maldraining pulmonary veins in six patients and across the interatrial communication in three patients revealed a percentage of the overall shunt volume of 30–100% and 58–70%, respectively.

Conclusion

Selective visualisation of individual vessels and their flow characteristics by four-dimensional velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging facilitates in distinguishing adjacent pulmonary arteries and veins and thus improves the accurate diagnosis of maldraining pulmonary veins. By detailed quantification of shunt volumes, additional information for planning of treatment strategies is provided. This method adds clinical value and might replace contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography in these patients in the future.
The use of Arginine Vasopressin in neonates following the Norwood procedure
Authors: Burton Grant L. , Kaufman Jon , Goot Benjamin H. , da Cruz Eduardo M.
Published: April 2011

Background

Following the Norwood palliation, neonates may require an escalation of inotropic and vasoactive support. Arginine Vasopressin may be uniquely useful in supporting this population.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective evaluation of neonates at this institution between November, 2007 and October, 2010 who received Arginine Vasopressin following the Norwood procedure. Data were recorded from the patient records at one hour prior to, and then 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 24 hours following Arginine Vasopressin initiation.

Results

We included 28 neonates. The mean dose of Arginine Vasopressin was 0.0005 plus or minus 0.0003 units per kilogram per minute. There was an early response (less than 6 hours) characterised by an 8% increase in systolic blood pressure (p = 0.0004), a 100% increase in urine output (p = 0.02), and a 29% decrease in total fluid administration (p = 0.04). The late response (at 24 hours) revealed further increases in systolic blood pressure and urine output as well as a 53% decrease in serum lactate (p = 0.007) and increase in arterial pH from 7.36 to 7.45 (p less than 0.0001). These changes were not accompanied by increases in heart rate or inotrope score.

Conclusions

The initiation of Arginine Vasopressin in post-operative Norwood patients was temporally associated with an improvement in markers of perfusion including systolic blood pressure, urine output, lactate, and pH. Further studies are required to ascertain the efficacy of Arginine Vasopressin in this population.
Assessment of resting electrocardiogram, P wave dispersion and duration in different genders applying for registration to the School of Physical Education and Sports – results of a single centre Turkish Trial with 2093 healthy subjects
Authors: Yildiz Mustafa , Aygin Dilek , Pazarli Pinar , Sayan Ayse , Semiz Olcay , Kahyaoglu Osman , Yildiz Banu S. , Hasdemir Hakan , Akin Ibrahim , Keser Nurgul , Altinkaynak Sevin
Published: April 2011

Background

The 12-lead electrocardiogram shows a broad range of abnormal patterns in trained athletes. The primary end point of this study was to investigate P wave dispersion, and P wave durations and related factors in different genders applying for registration to the School of Physical Education and Sports.

Methods and Results

From 2006 to 2009, a total of 2093 students – 1674 boys with a mean age of 19.8 plus or minus 1.9 years and 419 girls with a mean age of 19.1 plus or minus 1.8 years – were included in the study. All 12 leads of the resting electrocardiogram were evaluated for P wave dispersion and electrocardiogram abnormalities. Baseline parameters such as age, body weight, body height, and body mass index, as well as electrocardiogram findings such as P wave maximal duration and P wave dispersion, were significantly higher in boys than in girls. Of all the parameters tested with correlation analysis, only gender (p = 0.03) (r = 0.04), body weight (p < 0.001) (r = 0.07), body height (p = 0.004) (r = 0.06), and body mass index (p = 0.01) (p = 0.05) were correlated with P wave dispersion.

Conclusion

The frequencies of all electrocardiogram abnormalities, P wave dispersion, and P wave maximal duration were higher in boys as compared with girls in an unselected student population applying for registration to the School of Physical Education and Sports; in addition, P wave dispersion was correlated with gender, body weight, body height, and body mass index.
Adolescents’ drawings of their cardiac abnormality
Authors: Wang QiFeng , Hay Margaret , Clarke David , Menahem Samuel
Published: April 2011

Following advances in overall management and improved outcomes, an increasing number of adolescents with cardiac disease are reaching adult age. Patients in general, including adolescents, seem to have a poor knowledge of their illness, which may further reflect in a less optimal quality of life. As a guide to their knowledge of their cardiac condition, adolescents were asked to draw a diagram of their cardiac abnormality. Relatively well adolescents aged 12–20 years with a cardiac abnormality were consecutively recruited from an ambulatory setting. All were asked to draw a picture of their cardiac abnormality and describe their condition. A total of 120 patients were recruited and had conditions varying from a hyperplastic right ventricle to a small ventricular septal defect. Only 60 (50%) of the patients completed a drawing, of which one-third did so at the time of attendance. Nevertheless, there was no difference between the accuracy of the adolescents’ drawings completed at home or at the clinic. Only three patients drew an accurate diagram of their congenital cardiac abnormality. A further nine patients drew a reasonably correct diagram, 13 patients a partially correct diagram, whereas 35 patients submitted incorrect diagrams. Adolescents with congenital cardiac disease, many having been cared for since infancy with regular cardiological reviews, had a poor anatomical knowledge of their cardiac lesion, as reflected by their inability to correctly draw their abnormality. These findings suggest the need for improved strategies in developing appropriate education programmes for this patient population.
Does the diet of Tehranian adults ensure compliance with nutritional targets? Observations from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study
Authors: Hosseini-Esfahani Firoozeh , Jessri Mahsa , Mirmiran Parvin , Sadeghi Mahboubeh , Azizi Fereidoun
Published: April 2011

Objective

To analyse dietary compliance with WHO/FAO nutritional objectives, identify food subgroups that contribute to discrepancies between dietary intakes and recommendations, and assess food patterns and risk factor profiles at common nutritional targets.

Design

The study was a population-based, cross-sectional assessment of the dietary patterns of Tehranian adults. Usual dietary intake was assessed in relation to common nutritional targets of public health (fat, saturated fat, dietary fibre, fruit and vegetables) using a validated FFQ. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors were diagnosed based on the Iranian-modified diagnostic criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III.

Setting

The Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (2005–2008).

Subjects

A total of 2510 individuals (1121 men and 1389 women), aged between 19 and 70 years.

Results

Generally, 68·5 % of total grain ounce-equivalents were derived from refined grains, with rice making up 36·6 % of all grains consumed. Solid fat (61·1 %) contributed more to discretionary energy than did added sugars (38·9 %). There was a twofold difference in fruit and vegetable consumption between the lowest and highest quartile categories of dietary fibre intake. The probability of having MetS was significantly lower in the highest quartile of fibre intake v. the lowest (OR = 0·69, 95 % CI 0·58, 0·84 v. OR = 0·92, 95 % CI 0·80, 1·03; P -trend < 0·001), whereas it was higher in the highest quartile of SFA intake v. the lowest (OR = 0·92, 95 % CI 0·78, 0·98 v. OR = 0·71, 95 % CI 0·62, 0·89; P-trend = 0·01).

Conclusions

Complying with common nutritional targets of public health is inversely associated with MetS risk factors in Tehranian adults. These results may initiate measures for future development of regional food-based dietary guidelines.
Supermarket and fast-food outlet exposure in Copenhagen: associations with socio-economic and demographic characteristics
Authors: Svastisalee Chalida M , Nordahl Helene , Glümer Charlotte , Holstein Bjørn E , Powell Lisa M , Due Pernille
Published: April 2011

Objective

To investigate whether exposure to fast-food outlets and supermarkets is socio-economically patterned in the city of Copenhagen.

Design

The study was based on a cross-sectional multivariate approach to examine the association between the number of fast-food outlets and supermarkets and neighbourhood-level socio-economic indicators. Food business addresses were obtained from commercial and public business locators and geocoded using a geographic information system for all neighbourhoods in the city of Copenhagen (n 400). The regression of counts of fast-food outlets and supermarkets v. indicators of socio-economic status (percentage of recent immigrants, percentage without a high-school diploma, percentage of the population under 35 years of age and average household income in Euros) was performed using negative binomial analysis.

Setting

Copenhagen, Denmark.

Subjects

The unit of analysis was neighbourhood (n 400).

Results

In the fully adjusted models, income was not a significant predictor for supermarket exposure. However, neighbourhoods with low and mid-low income were associated with significantly fewer fast-food outlets. Using backwise deletion from the fully adjusted models, low income remained significantly associated with fast-food outlet exposure (rate ratio = 0·66–0·80) in the final model.

Conclusions

In the city of Copenhagen, there was no evidence of spatial patterning of supermarkets by income. However, we detected a trend in the exposure to fast-food outlets, such that neighbourhoods in the lowest income quartile had fewer fast-food outlets than higher-income neighbourhoods. These findings have similarities with studies conducted in the UK, but not in the USA. The results suggest there may be socio-economic factors other than income associated with food exposure in Europe.
EIGENFUNCTIONS ARISING FROM A FIRST-ORDER FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION IN A CELL GROWTH MODEL
Authors: VAN BRUNT BRUCE , VLIEG-HULSTMAN M.
Published: April 2011

A boundary-value problem for cell growth leads to an eigenvalue problem. In this paper some properties of the eigenfunctions are studied. The first eigenfunction is a probability density function and is of importance in the cell growth model. We sharpen an earlier uniqueness result and show that the distribution is unimodal. We then show that the higher eigenfunctions have nested zeros. We show that the eigenfunctions are not mutually orthogonal, but that there are certain orthogonality relations that effectively partition the set of eigenfunctions into two sets.
Assessing the adjustment implications of trade policy changes using the Tariff Reform Impact Simulation Tool (TRIST)
Authors: BRENTON PAUL , SABOROWSKI CHRISTIAN , STARITZ CORNELIA , VON UEXKULL ERIK
Published: April 2011

TRIST is a simple, easy to use, country focused tool to assess the short-term adjustment implications of trade reform. It has been developed to improve the information available to policy makers in developing countries. It has the following key features: projections are based on revenues actually collected at the tariff line level rather than simply applying statutory rates, as in currently available tools; it is transparent, runs in Excel, with formulas and calculation steps visible to the user, and is open-source with users free to change, extend, or improve according to their needs; it has high policy relevance because it projects the impact of tariff reform on total fiscal revenue from imports (including VAT and excise taxes) and results are available at the product level so that sensitive products or sectors can be identified; the tool is flexible and can incorporate tariff liberalization scenarios involving any group of trading partners and any schedule of products. This paper describes the TRIST tool and provides a range of examples that demonstrate the insights that the tool can provide to policy makers on the short-term adjustment impacts of reducing tariffs.
International regulation of free zones: an analysis of multilateral customs and trade rules
Authors: SHADIKHODJAEV SHERZOD
Published: April 2011

Multilateral regulation of free zones is largely based on the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures as amended (Revised Kyoto Convention) and WTO disciplines. The Revised Kyoto Convention treats free zones as an area with some ‘exterritorial’ elements, while WTO law does not accord such treatment to free zones. The regulatory framework under the former is more flexible than that under the latter. As of 1 June 2010, 63 out of the 69 contracting parties to the Revised Kyoto Convention are members of the WTO, so they must live up to their commitments under both legal systems. This article provides an analysis of relevant provisions of the Revised Kyoto Convention and WTO rules and jurisprudence that can be taken into account by national authorities in the conduct of their free-zone policies.
Conceptualizing and targeting beliefs in the treatment of a man with obsessive compulsive disorder and overvalued ideation
Authors: Christodoulides Thomas , Callcott Pauline , Dudley Robert
Published: April 2011

There are theoretical challenges in distinguishing obsessions from overvalued ideas (OVIs) and delusions. The latter can be defined by its rigid nature and unusual content, but obsessions and OVIs are also reported with such characteristics. Clinically, what are the implications when this distinction is not entirely clear? In this case study, these issues are explored with a man who presented with commonly reported symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and a belief about transforming into a giant fly. Clinically meaningful gains were made following a course of 17 sessions of CBT, providing some additional support for the effectiveness of CBT for abnormal beliefs within OCD.
Analysis of a folded reflect-array antenna using particle swarm optimization
Authors: Dieter Sabine , Fischer Christoph , Menzel Wolfgang
Published: April 2011

In this paper, a method for design and optimization of folded reflect-array antennas is proposed based on particleswarm optimization (PSO). In addition to such a powerful optimization algorithm, two further requirements have to be fulfilled. The first one is a good and fast algorithm for the exact prognosis of the far-field radiation diagram, resulting from a specific element configuration on the reflector. Additionally, a good choice of the fitness function for the evaluation of the resulting radiation diagrams is necessary. In both, reflect-array-related aspects such as phase truncation, reflection losses, and cell discontinuities have to be considered. Antenna optimization based on this technique is presented in this paper at the example of two 77 GHz folded reflect-array antennas. The efficiency of this approach is demonstrated with these examples, and the results are verified by measurement, showing an excellent agreement with the specifications of the diagram masks. The implemented tool, including a realistic antenna diagram preview, allows the investigation of the design parameters’ influence on the antenna performance, such as illumination amplitude, high substrate losses, and phase truncation.
Implementation of wideband digital beam forming in the E-band
Authors: Dyadyuk Val , Huang Xiaojing , Stokes Leigh , Pathikulangara Joseph
Published: April 2011

This paper reports the test results of a small-scale prototype that implements a digitally beam-formed phased antenna array in the E-band. A four-channel dual-conversion receive RF module for 71–76 GHz frequency band has been developed and integrated with a linear end-fire antenna array. Wideband frequency-domain angle-of-arrival estimation and beam-forming algorithms were developed and implemented using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK) at 1 Gbps. Measured performance is very close to the simulated results and experimental data for an analogue-beam-formed array. This work is a stepping stone toward practical realization of larger hybrid arrays in the E-band.
Neuropsychologische Diagnostik bei Alzheimerkrankheit im Frühstadium: Status quo und Zukunftstrends
Authors: Werheid Katja
Published: April 2011

Zusammenfassung. Der neuropsychologischen Untersuchung kommt bei der Frühdiagnostik demenzieller Syndrome ein besonderer Stellenwert zu. Dies betrifft vor allem die Alzheimerkrankheit, die häufigste neurodegenerative Erkrankung, die zur Demenz führt. Da Patienten mit kognitiven Einschränkungen heute frühzeitiger diagnostische und therapeutische Angebote in Anspruch nehmen als früher, steigt der Anteil von Patienten mit diagnostizierter leichtgradiger Alzheimerkrankheit unter der ohnehin wachsenden Anzahl Demenzerkrankungen disproportional. An diese veränderte Situation müssen diagnostische Verfahren und Prozeduren angepasst werden. Der vorliegende Artikel gibt einen Überblick über aktuell geltende Standards der Frühdiagnostik bei Verdacht auf Alzheimerkrankheit. Berücksichtigt werden internationale Klassifikationssysteme sowie die aktuelle S3-Leitlinie Demenzen. Vor dem Hintergrund der anstehenden Revision internationaler Klassifikationssysteme werden mögliche zukünftige Entwicklungen auf dem Gebiet der Alzheimer-Frühdiagnostik skizziert.
Neuropsychologische Aspekte der Depression
Authors: Cueni Claudine , Abbruzzese Elvira Augusta , Brühl Annette Beatrix , Herwig Uwe
Published: April 2011

Zusammenfassung. Patienten mit Depressionen klagen häufig über Symptome und Störungen nicht nur auf der emotionalen, sondern auch auf der kognitiven Ebene. In dieser Übersichtsarbeit werden schwerpunktmäßig neuropsychologische Befunde zu kognitiven Funktionen bei unipolaren Depressionen zusammengefasst. Die kognitive Theorie der Depression postulierte eine Beeinflussung kognitiver Vorgänge durch emotionale Verzerrungen, die eine wichtige Rolle bei Vulnerabilität, Entstehung, Aufrechterhaltung und Rezidiven depressiver Episoden spielen. Befunde zu dieser Interaktion von kognitiven und emotionalen Prozessen werden dargestellt, außerdem wird auf die Bedeutung dieser Aspekte für die Emotionsregulation und für die Therapie der Depression eingegangen.
Zum Einfluss von Bindungsmerkmalen auf Gegenübertragungsreaktionen
Authors: Kirchmann Helmut , Thomas Andrea , Brüderle Elisabeth , Strauß Bernhard
Published: April 2011

Zusammenfassung. Zur Aufklärung der in der Literatur gefundenen Zusammenhänge zwischen Bindungsmustern von Psychotherapiepatienten vor der Behandlung und der Qualität der therapeutischen Beziehung wurden drei Tonband-Sequenzen aus Adult-Attachment-Interviews, die jeweils prototypisch eine sichere (autonomous), eine ambivalente (enmeshed) oder eine vermeidende (dismissive) Bindung repräsentierten, nach Zufall einer Stichprobe von N = 343 Medizinstudenten zugeordnet. Nach der Präsentation der Tonbandsequenzen wurden das emotionale Wohlbefinden der Probanden, ihre Einschätzung der Freundlichkeit der interviewten Person und ihre Bereitschaft, mit der Person in Kontakt zu treten, erhoben. Die Datenanalysen ergaben, dass Probanden, die den ambivalenten Tonbandausschnitt gehört hatten, die stärksten Beeinträchtigungen des Wohlbefindens zeigten, wohingegen die Einschätzungen der Freundlichkeit sowie die Kontaktbereitschaft bei den Probanden mit vermeidender Darbietung am geringsten ausfielen. Interaktionseffekte zwischen den unterschiedlichen Tonbanddarbietungen und dem Bindungstyp der Probanden ergaben sich nicht. Die Studie repliziert die Ergebnisse von Martin et al. (2007) , bei der das gleiche Gegenübertragungs-Reaktionsmuster an zwei Stichproben (Studierenden sowie Psychotherapie-Ausbildungskandidaten) gefunden wurde. Psychotherapeuten sollten sich bewusst sein, dass unterschiedliche Gegenübertragungsreaktionen auf so subtilen Bahnen wie der Erzählung der Patienten über ihre Beziehung zu den Eltern ausgelöst werden können. Die Kenntnis des Bindungsmusters ihrer Patienten kann für Psychotherapeuten hilfreich sein bei der Entwicklung einer tragfähigen therapeutischen Beziehung.
Angstbezogene Verhaltensweisen in einer nicht-klinischen Stichprobe: Geschlechtsspezifische Zusammenhänge zu Risikofaktoren für Angststörungen
Authors: Helbig-Lang Sylvia , Cammin Sandra , Petermann Franz
Published: April 2011

Zusammenfassung. Sicherheits- und Vermeidungsverhalten gilt als aufrechterhaltender Faktor aller Angststörungen. Weitgehend ungeklärt ist, inwieweit solche Verhaltensweisen vor Erstmanifestation einer Angststörung ausgeprägt sind und ob sie mit Risikofaktoren für die Entwicklung von Angststörungen, wie Angstsensitivität oder Behavioral Inhibition, assoziiert sind. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde untersucht, welche Zusammenhänge zwischen angstbezogenen Verhaltensstrategien und bekannten Risikofaktoren bestehen. Da Frauen höhere Prävalenzen bei Angststörungen aufweisen, wurde das Geschlecht explizit berücksichtigt. 233 Studierende wurden mit dem neu entwickelten Inventar zur Erfassung angstbezogener Verhaltensweisen (IAV), dem Mobilitätsinventar (MI), dem Angstsensitivitätsindex (ASI), der Skala zur dysfunktionalen Selbstaufmerksamkeit (DFS-D) und den Skalen zur Erfassung der BIS-/BAS-Sensitivität (ARES) einmalig untersucht. Es zeigte sich, dass Frauen im Vergleich zu Männern eine größere Anzahl und einen häufigeren Einsatz von angstbezogenen Verhaltensstrategien berichteten. Assoziationen zu Risikofaktoren wie Angstsensitivität, Behavioral Inhibition und dysfunktionaler Selbstaufmerksamkeit waren bei Frauen darüber hinaus deutlicher ausgeprägt. Das angstbezogene Verhaltensrepertoire wurde signifikant durch Geschlecht, Angstsensitivität sowie dysfunktionale Selbstaufmerksamkeit vorhergesagt. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass der Einsatz von Strategien zur Bewältigung von Angst in hohem Maß mit Risikofaktoren für die Entwicklung von Angststörungen assoziiert ist. Hieraus ergibt sich ein möglicher Ansatzpunkt für Präventionsstrategien für Angststörungen.