bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE EMPIRICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADING VOLUME, RETURNS AND VOLATILITY
Authors: Brailsford Timothy J.
Published: February 2009

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between trading volume, returns and volatility in the Australian stock market. The initial analysis centres upon the volume‐price change relationship. The relationship between trading volume and returns, irrespective of the direction of the price change, is significant across three alternative measures of daily trading volume for the aggregate market. This finding also provides basic support for a positive relationship between trading volume and volatility. Furthermore, evidence is found supporting the hypothesis that the volume‐price change slope for negative returns is smaller than the slope for non‐negative returns, thereby supporting an asymmetric relationship which is hypothesised to exist because of differential costs of taking long and short positions. Analysis at the individual stock level shows weaker support for the relationship. A second related hypothesis is tested in which the formation of returns is conditional upon information arrival which similarly affects trading volume. The hypothesis is tested by using the US overnight return to proxy for expected “news” and trading volume to proxy for news arrival during the day. The results show a reduction in the significance and magnitude of persistence in volatility and hence are consistent with explaining non‐normality in returns (and ARCH effects) through the rate of arrival of information. The findings in this paper help explain how returns are generated and have implications for inferring return behaviour from trading volume data.
Judgements of significant influence by financial controllers
Authors: Laswad Fawzi , Roush Melvin
Published: February 2009

This study examines the judgement processes of New Zealand financial controllers when determining whether an investor is capable of exercising significant influence over an investee. The results of this study provide evidence that the “20% interest” threshold is the most important factor in these judgement processes. Further, the results indicate a high degree of inter‐subject consensus and intra‐subject consistency and self‐insight which could be attributed to the high weight given to the “20% interest” threshold. Although the “20% interest” threshold is often criticised for being arbitrary, the results of this study suggest that the use of this cut‐off as a judgement cue may help achieve greater consistency and comparability in financial reporting.
Information transfer, microstmctures and intraday price return spikes
Authors: Hodgson Allan
Published: February 2009

Previous research has identified overnight public information as the cause of higher opening returns and mean reversion in security markets. This paper tests this hypothesis by using an intervention and transfer function time series model to filter out the dynamic effects of an overnight information set on the opening, and subsequent, intraday AOI stock and SPI futures intraday price returns. A further research objective was to analyse the process by which information is transferred into prices and whether there is a differential impact across stock and futures markets. It was determined that the information contained in the overnight US stock market had: (i) a differential impact on the Australian stock and futures market, and (ii) after filtering out the impact of overnight information, a significant reversal tendency remained in both markets after opening. Further analysis supported the conclusion that price spikes at opening were not wholly related to overnight information. Other possible explanations, such as different trading mechanisms, did not provide a satisfactory explanation. Overall, it appears that the uncertainty participants face at the beginning of a trading session may induce a number of subtle market reactions (both rational and irrational), in markets with different microstmctures and trading clientele.
Performance in first year university accounting: Quantifying the advantage of secondary school accounting
Authors: Rohde Fiona H. , Kavanagh Marie
Published: February 2009

Considerable research has been conducted into the relation between students' level of previous accounting knowledge and their subsequent performance in first year university‐level accounting. This study considers variables for academic performance and previous accounting knowledge in an attempt to quantify the advantage that high school accounting gives students entering tertiary business courses. The results indicate that for students entering tertiary courses with similar academic ability, i.e., obtained the same entrance score, the first year tertiary accounting result obtained by a student who studied accounting previously is between one and two grades higher than that of a student who did not study accounting at high school.
The association of aggregate and disaggregated earnings with annual stock returns
Authors: Chia Y.K. , Czernkowski R. , Loftus J.
Published: February 2009

This study compares aggregate earnings and disaggregated earnings (cash from operations, current accruals and non‐current accruals) in terms of their associations with stock returns. A cross‐sectional approach is adopted using Australian data over a six‐year period. This analysis is undertaken for two different models of the relation between earnings and returns: one model relating returns to the magnitude of earnings, and the other relating returns to the combination of levels of, and changes in, earnings. In each model, the disaggregated regression is generally a superior explanator of stock returns, implying that disaggregated earnings provides richer information about firm performance, in a purely statistical sense, than aggregate earnings. Thus, disaggregated earnings are more informative, even in the most simple of comparison modes, linear regression.
“Compassionate” Strategies of Managing Homelessness: Post‐Revanchist Geographies in San Francisco
Authors: Murphy Stacey
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  After almost 30 years of Federal retraction from anti‐poverty initiatives, many American cities have been left with the dual burden of intensified poverty and far fewer resources to combat the problem. At the same time, such devolution has afforded cities the authority to forge poverty policy at the local level, such that the familiar neoliberal imperatives of state retraction and the mobilization of territory for capitalist expansion are frequently tempered by more progressive political imperatives at the local scale. What has thus emerged is a deeply ambivalent policy landscape, of which “kinder and gentler” poverty management strategies are a central feature. Using the example of a recent homeless program in San Francisco, “Care Not Cash”, this paper argues that such poverty management strategies, while less punitive than their revanchist predecessors, nonetheless introduce a new set of exclusions to the service delivery system, many of which are obscured by the language of compassion. In order to illustrate those new exclusions, I describe the city's homeless geographies—the public spaces, shelters, service sites, and housing models—that have been produced and reconfigured according to a logic of managing homelessness through the provision of care.
Sites of Social Centrality and Segregation: Lefebvre in Belfast, a “Divided City”
Authors: Nagle John
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  This paper applies Henri Lefebvre's ideas on participatory democracy and spatial politics to the context of “divided cities”, a milieu often overlooked by scholars of Lefebvre. It considers, via Lefebvre, how the heterogeneous and contradictory statist methods to deal with ethno‐national violence in Belfast have in effect increased segregated space. State‐led approaches to public space as part of conflict transformation strategies appear contradictory, including attempts to “normalize” the city through inward capital investment and cultural regeneration, encouraging cosmopolitan notions of inclusive “civic identity”, and reinforcing segregation to contain violence. These processes have done little to challenge sectarianism. However, as Lefebvre suggests that dominant representations of space cannot be imposed without resistance, this paper considers the alternative strategies of a disparate range of groups in Belfast. These groups have formed cross‐cleavage networks to develop ritualized street performances which challenge the programming of public space for segregation.
J.R. Logan's 1846 observations on Pulau Ubin, Singapore: Their significance for landscape interpretation
Authors: Twidale C.R.
Published: February 2009

J.R. Logan was an amateur naturalist who migrated to, and lived his working life in, the Malay Peninsula during the mid‐nineteenth century. His taste for travel was insatiable and he made perceptive observations from which he derived significant general conclusions concerning the granite landforms of the Singapore area. In particular, he recognized what are today called unequal activity and reinforcement effects – the suggestion that, once in train, contrasts in activity are maintained and enhanced. But probably he did not appreciate the significance of the conclusions he had drawn and the concepts he had anticipated, with the result that when they were independently discovered or rediscovered Logan received no credit.
Mosquitoes in the mix: How transferable is creative city thinking?
Authors: Luckman Susan , Gibson Chris , Lea Tess
Published: February 2009

This paper contributes to recent debates about whether urban policy discourses are transferable and what is at stake in their translation. It draws on discussion of Darwin (Northwest Territory, Australia), a tropical savanna location that the local government wants to promote as a ‘creative city’, without quite knowing what this might require. We discuss relevant debates on research knowledge construction, the creative city and the path‐dependent character of neoliberal governmental objectives. We then turn to the geographical, demographic and cultural characteristics that make Darwin a challenging and distinct context for translation of global theories of creative city rejuvenation. As well as arguing a case for more nuanced, locationally specific, analysis of the capacity of places to embrace travelling policy discourses, we suggest ways in which creative city research can be refreshed through engaging with literatures on (post)colonial urban politics and intersections with policy initiatives other than those targeted at ‘creative industries’per se. We systematically outline the particular challenges that tropical cities in remote locations provide to accepted wisdom about creativity‐led urban planning.
Dissolving the sugar fields: Land reform and resistance identities in the Philippines
Authors: Diprose Gradon , McGregor Andrew
Published: February 2009

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Programme (CARP) was introduced in the Philippines in 1988 to facilitate a more equitable distribution of land and heighten agrarian efficiencies. The programme has faced considerable obstacles on the island of Negros, where sugar barons have tried to manipulate the new land laws to retain ownership of their large estates. This paper outlines the response of peasant communities on Negros who, with national scale nongovernmental organizations, have coalesced a social movement in a vision of fair and equitable land reform. Building on recent work by social movement theorists, we focus upon the production of the collective identity that binds geographically isolated communities into a coherent and recognized grouping. Particular attention is given to the promulgation of oppositional histories and narratives through farmer association networks which provide peasants with the means to nurture alternative environmental imaginaries and inspire resistance actions. While the strengths of such identities in resisting more powerful development actors are evident, questions are raised about the longevity of such identities, their role post‐land reform and their potential to contribute to more fundamental postdevelopment challenges to imposed development norms and processes.
Environmental governance through information: China and Vietnam
Authors: Mol Arthur P.J.
Published: February 2009

In the field of environmental governance information is starting to become increasingly important, not least because of globalization and the information and communication technologies revolution. The notion of informational governance is a recent coinage that acknowledges the (partial) switch from regulatory‐based forms of governance to information‐based modes. In the information‐rich centres and nodes of the network society, where information is widely produced, disseminated and accessible, this might prove analytically useful. But what are the contours of informational governance in information‐poor environments? This paper looks into the (limited) emergence of informational governance arrangements in environmental protection in two cases characterizing the informational periphery: China and Vietnam.
Political economies of corruption beyond liberalism: An interpretative view of Zimbabwe
Authors: Bracking Sarah L.
Published: February 2009

This paper models the political economy of corruption in the ‘space beyond’ the corruption discourse, using a case study of Zimbabwe. While a critical body of writers have examined the relationship between global neoliberal governance and the anti‐corruption agenda within aid‐recipient states, there is less critical work about the political economy of corruption in pariah and failing states. This paper asks how far political corruption can be identified and understood in spaces beyond the neoliberal paradigm, when instead of existing as a normative aberration, it is a central moment of instrumental state power.
Indian call centres and business process outsourcing: a study in union formation
Authors: Taylor Phil , D'Cruz Premilla , Noronha Ernesto , Scholarios Dora
Published: February 2009

In this exploratory study of union formation in the Indian call centre/business process outsourcing sector, the authors draw upon evidence from the first detailed survey of members of the recently formed UNITES, and from extensive interviews. This paper engages with mobilisation theory and analyses of trade union formation.
A multivariate analysis of work–life balance outcomes from a large‐scale telework programme
Authors: Maruyama Takao , Hopkinson Peter G. , James Peter W.
Published: February 2009

A multivariate analysis identified six predictors to explain positive work–life balance (WLB) among 1,566 teleworkers. Time flexibility variables were found to be most dominant. Gender or having dependent children was not significant. These results demonstrated that controlling working hours was the most important ability for sampled teleworkers to achieve positive WLB.
Moral Perception
Authors: Cullison Andrew
Published: February 2009

Abstract: In this paper, I defend the view that we can have perceptual moral knowledge. First, I motivate the moral perception view by drawing on some examples involving perceptual knowledge of complex non‐moral properties. I argue that we have little reason to think that perception of moral properties couldn't operate in much the same way that our perception of these complex non‐moral properties operates. I then defend the moral perception view from two challenging objections that have yet to be adequately addressed. The first objection is that the moral perception view has implausible commitments concerning the morally blind, people who would claim not to perceive wrongness. The second objection is that the moral perception view is not really compatible with a wide range of the main candidate moral theories. I argue that the moral empiricist has plausible responses to both of these objections. I then address three residual concerns that my defense raises.
The Silent Scream of the Locas in Mariposas en el andamio
Authors: SUBERO GUSTAVO E.
Published: February 2009

This article explores the way cross‐dressing has been used as a tool of dissent by queer subjects in the film Mariposas en el andamio. This documentary not only advocates the integration of homosexuals in the realm of Cuban society, but also evidences the establishment of a culture of transvestism on the island. The ultimate intention of Mariposas is to posit the male‐to‐female transvestite as a figure that contests hegemonic heteronormativity as well as the machista values predicated by the Cuban revolution. The film not only opposes sexist heteronormativity (machismo in Latin American societies), but also establishes a link between homosexuality and cross‐dressing practices in Latin America, as transvestism becomes an externalisation of these individuals’ homosexual identity. Furthermore, the film seems to suggest that the transvestites feel trapped in the wrong biological sex. The second focus of this article is on the geographical spaces where such transvestic practices are permissible on the island. Although the film makes a case for a more open and inclusive Cuban society, it fails to show that same‐sex desire and cross‐dressing can be played out outside the neighbourhood’s canteen in which the show takes place. Finally, I intend to show how camp becomes the best strategy for the transvestites to challenge the idea of homosexuals as anti‐revolutionary figures as well as Latin American heteronormativity. To this end, I engage in a study of a strategy of gender subversion that I call ‘camp fuck’. This type of campness de‐constructs the idea of a bourgeois camp to transform it into a more political device, which permits the contesting of heteronormativity through elements that have traditionally been regarded as frivolous and apolitical.
The impact of library services in primary care trusts in NHS North West England: a large‐scale retrospective quantitative study of online resource usage in relation to types of service
Authors: Bell Katherine , Glover Steven William , Brodie Colin , Roberts Anne , Gleghorn Colette
Published: February 2009

Background:  Within NHS North West England there are 24 primary care trusts (PCTs), all with access to different types of library services. This study aims to evaluate the impact the type of library service has on online resource usage.

Methodology:  We conducted a large‐scale retrospective quantitative study across all PCT staff in NHS NW England using Athens sessions log data. We studied the Athens log usage of 30 381 staff, with 8273 active Athens accounts and 100 599 sessions from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.

Results:  In 2007, PCTs with outreach librarians achieved 43% penetration of staff with active Athens accounts compared with PCTs with their own library service (28.23%); PCTs with service level agreements (SLAs) with acute hospital library services (22.5%) and with no library service (19.68%). This pattern was also observed when we looked at the average number of Athens user sessions per person, and usage of Dialog Datastar databases and Proquest full text journal collections.

Discussion:  Our findings have shown a correlation of e‐resource usage and type of library service. Outreach librarians have proved to be an efficient model for promoting and driving up resources usage. PCTs with no library service have shown the lowest level of resource usage.
A negative trend of biomedical research in Libya: a bibliometric study
Authors: Benamer Hani T. S. , Bredan Amin , Bakoush Omran
Published: February 2009

Background:  It is well established that Libya is lagging behind its peers in biomedical research. The aim of this study is to analyse all the original biomedical publications affiliated with Libya from 1973 to 2007.

Methods:  PubMed and the Science Citation Index Expanded were searched for ‘original research’ biomedical studies affiliated with Libya. The generated data were hand searched and 329 ‘original research’ studies were included in the analysis.

Results:  The first study was published in 1973. Publication rate peaked to an average of 15.2 studies per year during 1986–1996 and dropped to an average of 8.8 studies per year during 1997–2007. Of 166 first authors; 41% were Libyans and 59% were expatriates. The latter contributed 104 studies between 1986 and 1996 and 36 studies between 1997 and 2007, while the Libyans contributed 63 and 61 studies in the two respective periods. Authors affiliated with Benghazi produced 67% of the published studies, while authors from Tripoli produced 30% and other medical schools, hospitals and research centres from other Libyan cities produced only 3%.

Conclusion:  This study showed a decline in biomedical research publication in Libya. We propose that the lack of a research culture among the Libyan medical professionals is one of the factors contributing to this decline, which coincided with the departure of expatriate doctors from Libya. Raising awareness of the importance of research and improving research skills among Libyan medical professionals may help to reverse the current trend.
Beyond relevance and recall: testing new user‐centred measures of database performance
Authors: Stokes Peter , Foster Allen , Urquhart Christine
Published: February 2009

Background:  Measures of the effectiveness of databases have traditionally focused on recall, precision, with some debate on how relevance can be assessed, and by whom. New measures of database performance are required when users are familiar with search engines, and expect full text availability.

Objectives:  This research ascertained which of four bibliographic databases (bni, cinahl, medline and embase) could be considered most useful to nursing and midwifery students searching for information for an undergraduate dissertation.

Methods:  Searches on title were performed for dissertation topics supplied by nursing students (n = 9), who made the relevance judgements. Measures of recall and precision were combined with additional factors to provide measures of effectiveness, while efficiency combined measures of novelty and originality and accessibility combined measures for availability and retrievability, based on obtainability.

Results:  There were significant differences among the databases in precision, originality and availability, but other differences were not significant (Friedman test). Odds ratio tests indicated that bni, followed by cinahl were the most effective, cinahl the most efficient, and bni the most accessible.

Conclusions:  The methodology could help library services in purchase decisions as the measure for accessibility, and odds ratio testing helped to differentiate database performance.
Consistency and accuracy of indexing systematic review articles and meta‐analyses in medline
Authors: Wilczynski Nancy L. , Haynes R. Brian
Published: February 2009

Background:  Systematic review articles support the advance of science and translation of research evidence into healthcare practice. Inaccurate retrieval from medline could limit access to reviews.

Objective:  To determine the quality of indexing systematic reviews and meta‐analyses in medline.

Methods:  The Clinical Hedges Database, containing the results of a hand search of 161 journals, was used to test medline indexing terms for their ability to retrieve systematic reviews that met predefined methodologic criteria (labelled as ‘pass’ review articles) and reviews that reported a meta‐analysis.

Results:  The Clinical Hedges Database contained 49 028 articles; 753 were ‘pass’ review articles (552 with a meta‐analysis). In total 758 review articles (independent of whether they passed) reported a meta‐analysis. The search strategy that retrieved the highest number of ‘pass’ systematic reviews achieved a sensitivity of 97.1%. The publication type ‘meta analysis’ had a false positive rate of 5.6% (95% CI 3.9 to 7.6), and false negative rate of 0.31% (95% CI 0.26 to 0.36) for retrieving systematic reviews that reported a meta‐analysis.

Conclusions:  Inaccuracies in indexing systematic reviews and meta‐analyses in medline can be partly overcome by a 5‐term search strategy. Introducing a publication type for systematic reviews of the literature could improve retrieval performance.
25‐hydroxycholesterol provokes oligodendrocyte cell line apoptosis and stimulates the secreted phospholipase A2 type IIA via LXR beta and PXR
Authors: Trousson Amalia , Bernard Sophie , Petit Patrice X. , Liere Philippe , Pianos Antoine , El Hadri Khadija , Lobaccaro Jean‐Marc A. , Said Ghandour M. , Raymondjean Michel , Schumacher Michael , Massaad Charbel
Published: February 2009

In several neurodegenerative diseases of the CNS, oligodendrocytes are implicated in an inflammatory process associated with altered levels of oxysterols and inflammatory enzymes such as secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2). In view of the scarce literature related to this topic, we investigated oxysterol effects on these myelinating glial cells. Natural oxysterol 25‐hydroxycholesterol (25‐OH; 1 and 10 μM) altered oligodendrocyte cell line (158N) morphology and triggered apoptosis (75% of apoptosis after 72 h). These effects were mimicked by 22(S)‐OH (1 and 10 μM) which does not activate liver X receptor (LXR) but not by a synthetic LXR ligand (T0901317). Therefore, oxysterol‐induced apoptosis appears to be independent of LXR. Interestingly, sPLA2 type IIA (sPLA2‐IIA) over‐expression partially rescued 158N cells from oxysterol‐induced apoptosis. In fact, 25‐OH, 24(S)‐OH, and T0901317 stimulated sPLA2‐IIA promoter and sPLA2 activity in oligodendrocyte cell line. Accordingly, administration of T0901317 to mice enhanced sPLA2 activity in brain extracts by twofold. Short interfering RNA strategy allowed to establish that stimulation of sPLA2‐IIA is mediated by pregnane X receptor (PXR) at high oxysterol concentration (10 μM) and by LXR β at basal oxysterol concentration. Finally, GC coupled to mass spectrometry established that oligodendrocytes contain oxysterols and express their biosynthetic enzymes, suggesting that they may act through autocrine/paracrine mechanism. Our results show the diversity of oxysterol signalling in the CNS and highlight the positive effects of the LXR/PXR pathway which may open new perspectives in the treatment of demyelinating and neurodegenerative diseases.
A functional link between T‐type calcium channels and μ‐opioid receptor expression in adult primary sensory neurons
Authors: Wu Zi‐Zhen , Cai You‐Qing , Pan Hui‐Lin
Published: February 2009

J. Neurochem. (2009)109, 867–878.

The μ‐opioid receptor agonists have a preferential effect on nociception in adults but their analgesic effect is less selective in neonates. Here we presented our finding that the μ‐opioid receptor agonists had no effect on high voltage‐activated Ca2+channels (HVACCs) in adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons that exhibited a prominent T‐type Ca2+current. We also determined the mechanisms underlying the μ‐opioid agonists’ lack of effect on HVACCs in these neurons. The μ‐opioid agonist [d‐Ala2,N‐Me‐Phe4,Gly‐ol5]‐enkephalin (DAMGO), morphine, and morphine 6‐β‐D‐glucuronide had no effect on either T‐type or HVACC currents despite the presence of a large N‐type Ca2+current in neurons with T‐type Ca2+currents. DAMGO still had no effect on HVACC currents when T‐type Ca2+channels were blocked in these neurons. However, intracellular dialysis of GTP‐γ‐S to activate G proteins significantly attenuated HVACC currents. DRG neurons with T‐type Ca2+currents showed little responses to capsaicin. Single‐cell RT‐PCR analysis revealed that the μ‐opioid receptor mRNA was present only in adult DRG neurons lacking prominent T‐type Ca2+currents. In the neonatal DRG, DAMGO inhibited HVACC currents in 31% neurons with T‐type Ca2+currents. The μ‐opioid receptor mRNA was detected in all neurons without T‐type Ca2+currents and also in 28.6% of neurons with T‐type Ca2+currents in the neonatal DRG. Our study provides novel information that adult DRG neurons with prominent T‐type Ca2+currents do not express μ‐opioid receptors. Expression of T‐type Ca2+(CaV3.2) channels and μ‐opioid receptors may be developmentally co‐regulated as some DRG neurons differentiate toward becoming nociceptive neurons.
Minority ethnic patients in the Danish healthcare system – a qualitative study of nurses’ experiences when meeting minority ethnic patients
Authors: Nielsen Ben , Birkelund Regner
Published: February 2009

The aim of the study is to investigate nurses’ experiences in caring with patients with an minority ethnic background. Qualitative interviews were conducted with four nurses in a hospital and combined with observations. The interviews and observations were analysed according to phenomenological methodology. The study showed three phenomena experienced by the nurses: ‘problems in communication’, ‘patients’ level of pain’ and ‘the patients’ food’. The results indicate that nurses need resources, such as more support in dealing with patients with a minority ethnical background to give caring. The study reveals unique information on how the nurses have different attitudes within the same phenomena. The results can assist in identifying what happened in the nurses’ interactions with patients with a minority ethnic background.
Investigation of PK–PD drug–drug interaction between acenocoumarol and amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid
Authors: Delavenne X. , Laporte S. , Demasles S. , Mallouk N. , Basset T. , Tod M. , Girard P. , Mismetti P.
Published: February 2009

A pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK–PD) drug–drug interaction between acenocoumarol and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid antibiotic was assessed in eight healthy volunteers, using a population PK–PD) model. Each subject received at day 1 a single dose of 8 mg of acenocoumarol. Then 1 g of amoxicillin + 250 mg of clavulanic acid was given from days 3 to 9. On day 8, each subject received a single dose of 8 mg of acenocoumarol concomitantly with the antibiotic combination. Eleven blood samples were taken during 48 h following each acenocoumarol administration. Acenocoumarol plasma concentrations and prothrombin time were measured at each sampling time. We first identified the structural PK model by pooling data from this trial with individual data from other acenocoumarol PK trials. An indirect response model was used to fit PD data. Models were built using a non‐linear mixed effect modelling approach with nonmem software. Covariates were tested on PK and PD parameters, including antibiotic treatment. Acenocoumarol PK data were fitted by a two‐compartment, first‐order input model with log normal inter‐individual variability. Weight and antibiotic treatment were found to improve significantly the fit of PK data with a 15% decrease in acenocoumarol clearance with concomitant antibiotics (P < 0.05). An indirect response model was successfully applied to the PK–PD data of acenocoumarol. No covariate, including antibiotic treatment effect, significantly affected PT. Drug–drug interaction was demonstrated at the PK level, without any PD corollary.
The b‐Value Analysis for the Stability Investigation of the Ancient Athena Temple in Syracuse
Authors: Carpinteri A. , Lacidogna G. , Manuello A.
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  Some of the most significant architectural works are monumental masonry constructions. Among these, the Cathedral of Syracuse can be viewed as a fundamental element in the cultural heritage of Europe. For the preservation of these monuments, it is necessary to assess their durability by taking into account cumulative damage and cracking conditions in the structures. The paper describes the methods used by the authors to determine the conditions of the materials and the crack patterns in the stonework structures of the Cathedral. In particular, the acoustic emission (AE) technique is used to evaluate the time dependence of damage and the onset of critical conditions in a pillar, which is part of the vertical load‐bearing structures. The authors show that the damage evolution in the stonework structures, experimentally investigated in situ by the AE technique, can be described by a power law characterised by a non‐integer exponent, βt. In this way, the time dependence of damage is evaluated by working out the βt exponent and making a prediction of the stability conditions of the structure. Furthermore, the achievement of the critical condition is characterised through another synthetic parameter, the b‐value of the Gutenberg‐Richter law. The b‐value systematically changes during the different stages of the failure process and tends to 1.0 as the structure reaches the final collapse. In the present study, this behaviour is documented by several AE tests carried out on specimens of different dimensions extracted from the pillar. In addition, these results are compared with the AE data obtained from the in situ‐monitored pillar.
Towards Prediction of Failure in Ti‐6AI‐4V Aerospace Materials by Surface Observations
Authors: Matikas Theodore E.
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  This paper deals with the development of a methodology for the prediction of material failure in metallic aerospace alloys by evaluating changes in surface characteristics directly prior to unstable fatigue crack propagation. The study is based on in situ nondestructive characterisation of the depression zone ahead of the crack tip of fatigue‐pre‐cracked titanium alloy specimens subjected to static loading. A relationship between the surface characteristics of the deformation zone ahead of the crack and the stress intensity factor of the material was obtained. This relationship was common to a variety of microstructural conditions such as mill‐annealed and β‐annealed microstructures. Based on the analysis, prediction of the impending fracture in cracked samples of the material was enabled. The outcome of this study can be used for optimising the service life of structural components.
Some Experimental Observations on the Detection of Composite Damage using Lamb Waves
Authors: Manson G. , Worden K. , Monnier T. , Guy P. , Pierce S. G. , Culshaw B.
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  This paper deals with the detection of damage in composite plates using Lamb wave scattering from faults and novelty detection. Although previous studies have established the feasibility of the approach, this paper addresses the problem of quantifying the detectable level of damage. In order to accomplish this, two test programmes were conducted. The first tests dealt with the detection of through holes in a composite laminate, while the second series was concerned with detecting internal damage generated by low‐velocity impacts. In both cases, the damages were detected successfully; however, the tests raise some issues concerning the stability of the environment of the test and the associated instrumentation, and these issues were investigated further.
Impact of Acacia auriculiformis on the chemical fertility of sandy soils on the Batéké plateau, D.R. Congo
Authors: Kasongo R. K. , Van Ranst E. , Verdoodt A. , Kanyankagote P. , Baert G.
Published: February 2009

A 17‐year chronosequence of Acacia auriculiformis fallows on Arenosols of the Batéké Plateau (D.R. Congo) was surveyed and compared with virgin savannah soils to assess chemical soil fertility changes induced by these N‐fixing trees. Significant increases in organic carbon content, total nitrogen content, cation exchange capacity and sum of base cations were found after relatively short fallow periods of only 4 years and did not only affect the forest floor, but extended to at least 50 cm depth. The Acacia act as a major source of organic matter (OM), hence increasing organic carbon and nitrogen content and decreasing the C/N ratio. The increased OM content suggests that humification processes are the main cause of the significant decrease in pH. Total exchangeable cations initially increased slowly but doubled (topsoil 0–25 cm) and tripled (subsoil 25–50 cm) after 10 years. The point of zero net proton charge was systematically lower than soil pH and decreased with increasing OM content, thereby increasing the cation exchange capacity, although concurrent acidification retarded a significant beneficial impact at field pH on Acacia fallows of 10 years and older. Although the chemical soil fertility improves steadily with time, after 8 years of Acacia fallow the absolute amounts of available nutrients are still small and slash and burn practices are required to liberate the nutrients stored in the remaining biomass and litter before each new cropping period.
Data management for monitoring forest soils in Europe for the Biosoil project
Authors: Lacarce E. , Le Bas C. , Cousin J.‐L. , Pesty B. , Toutain B. , Houston Durrant T. , Montanarella L.
Published: February 2009

Growing environmental awareness and advances in modelling have generated interest in soil monitoring networks. Data management tools have to be developed in order to store data, check for errors and retrieve data for sharing and for analysis. As a result, we have designed a web application and a database for the Biosoil project that focuses on European forest soils. Integral to the system are authentication of users and access rights to the modules and data. It also logs all activities of each user. During data submission, the system automatically manages data transfer from the flat file (ASCII file) to the database after compliance checks. Then error tracking is followed by automated expert checks. These checks identify potential mistakes that can be corrected or commented on by data providers. The database is intended to cope with the challenges of transnational monitoring and integrates data quality assurance/quality control mechanisms. Benefits from the architecture of the database and from the services provided by the software may be generalized to all soil monitoring databases in order to improve data management and quality control.
Cell dynamics and developmental bias in the ontogeny of a complex sexually dimorphic trait inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Atallah Joel , Liu Nana Hou , Dennis Peter , Hon Andy , Godt Dorothea , Larsen Ellen W.
Published: February 2009

SUMMARYTheDrosophilasex comb (SC) has been hailed as a powerful tool for integrative studies in development, evolution, and behavior, but its ontogeny is poorly understood, even in the model organismDrosophila melanogaster. Using 4D live imaging and other techniques, we carried out a detailed analysis of the cellular events that take place during the development of the SC. We showed that the comb and other contiguous bristle formations assemble from noncontiguous precursor cells, which join together through intercalation. Most of the rotation of the SC (which has a longitudinal orientation inD. melanogasterbut is initially transverse) occurs after this stage, when the structure is a single unit. We have provided evidence that male‐specific convergent extension through cell rearrangement is responsible for both this rotation and another sexually dimorphic bristle trait. Contiguous bristle formations act as barriers to cell movement within the epithelium, and we demonstrated that a particularly rapid rotation of the proximal region of the comb is associated with the presence of a constricted area between a portion of the SC and a transverse row of contiguous bristle precursors. Our results suggest that the cell dynamics in the neighborhood of the SC may have biased its evolution.
Developmental constraints and convergent evolution inDrosophilasex comb formation
Authors: Atallah Joel , Liu Nana Hou , Dennis Peter , Hon Andy , Larsen Ellen W.
Published: February 2009

SUMMARYThe most complex and diverse secondary sexual character inDrosophilais the sex comb (SC), an arrangement of modified bristles on the forelegs of a subclade of male fruit flies. We examined SC formation in six representative nonmodel fruit fly species, in an effort to understand how the variation in comb patterning arises. We first compared SC development in two species with relatively small combs,Drosophila takahashii, where the SCs remain approximately transverse, andDrosophila biarmipes, where two rows of SC teeth rotate and move in an anterior direction relative to other bristle landmarks. We then analyzed comb ontogeny in species with prominent extended SCs parallel to the proximodistal axis, includingDrosophila ficusphilaand species of themontiumsubgroup. Our study allowed us to identify two general methods of generating longitudinal combs on the tarsus, and we showed that amontiumsubgroup species (Drosophila nikananu) with a comb convergently similar in size, orientation and position to the model organismDrosophila melanogaster, forms its SC through a different developmental mechanism. We also found that the protein product of the leg patterning gene,dachshund (dac), is strongly reduced in the SC in all species, but not in other bristles. Our results suggest that an apparent constraint on SC position in the adult may be attributable to at least two different lineage‐specific developmental processes, although external forces could also play a role.
Assymetry of Temporal Artery Diameters During Spontaneous Attacks of Cluster Headache
Authors: Nielsen Thue H. , Tfelt‐Hansen Peer , Iversen Helle K.
Published: February 2009

Background.— Cluster headache is characterized by strictly unilateral head pain associated with symptoms of cranial autonomic features. Transcranial Doppler studies showed in most studies a bilateral decreased blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery.

Objective.— To investigate whether there is a bilateral or unilateral extracranial vasodilation during spontaneous cluster headache attacks.

Design and methods.— In 9 cluster headache patients, we investigated the luminal diameter of the superficial temporal artery with ultrasound on the headache and headache‐free side during and outside cluster headache attacks.

Results.— During cluster headache attacks, the diameter of the superficial temporal artery on the painful side was greater, 1.48 mm, than the diameter on the nonheadache site, 1.14 mm (P < .01). Outside attacks, median diameters on the 2 sides were quite comparable, 1.34 vs 1.31 mm (P = .67).

Conclusions.— What was observed is most likely a general pain‐induced arterial vasoconstriction (confer the decrease in diameter on the pain‐free side) with an unchanged superficial temporal artery on the pain side because of some vasodilator influence.
Symptomatic Hypnic Headache Secondary to a Nonfunctioning Pituitary Macroadenoma
Authors: Garza Ivan , Oas Kimberly Hall
Published: February 2009

We report the case of a woman whose hypnic headache syndrome ceased following pituitary tumor removal. Symptomatic hypnic headache cases are rare, but are starting to appear in the literature. Until more is known, brain neuroimaging, ideally with magnetic resonance imaging, should be considered when the initial diagnosis of hypnic headache is made.
Nitroglycerin Headache and Nitroglycerin‐Induced Primary Headaches From 1846 and Onwards: A Historical Overview and an Update
Authors: Tfelt‐Hansen Peer C. , Tfelt‐Hansen Jacob
Published: February 2009

Nitroglycerin (NTG) (glyceryl trinitrate) was synthesized by the Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero in Paris in 1846. A very unstable explosive, Alfred Nobel while working on explosives, combined it with Kiselguhr and patented it as dynamite in 1867. NTG was introduced in 1879 in medicine in the treatment of angina pectoris by the English doctor William Murrell. NTG‐induced headache was quickly recognized as an important adverse event both in the industrial use of NTG, where it was used to produce dynamite, as well as in the use of NTG as drug. This review traces the evolution of our understanding of NTG headache.
Comprehensive Inpatient Treatment of Refractory Chronic Daily Headache
Authors: Lake Alvin E. , Saper Joel R. , Hamel Robert L.
Published: February 2009

Objective.—(1) To assess outcome at discharge for a consecutive series of admissions to a comprehensive, multidisciplinary inpatient headache unit; (2) To identify outcome predictors.

Background.—An evidence‐based assessment (2004) concluded that many refractory headache patients appear to benefit from inpatient treatment, underscoring the need for more research, including outcome predictors.

Methods.—The authors completed a retrospective chart review of 283 consecutive admissions over 6 months. The inpatient program (mean length of stay = 13.0 days) included intravenous and oral medication protocols, drug withdrawal when indicated, cognitive‐behavior therapy, and other services when needed, including anesthesiological intervention. Patient‐reported pain levels and consensus of medical staff determined outcome status.

Results.—The 267 completers (94%) included 212 women and 55 men (mean age = 40.3 years, range = 13‐74) from 43 states and Canada. The modal diagnosis was intractable, chronic daily headache (85%), predominantly migraine. Most (59%) had medication overuse headache (MOH), involving opioids (48%), triptans (16%), or butalbital‐containing analgesics (10%). Psychiatric diagnoses included stress‐related headache (82%), mood disorders (70%), anxiety disorders (49%), and personality disorders (PD, 26%). More patients with a PD (62%) had opioid‐related MOH than those with no PD (38%),P < .005. Of the completers, 78% had moderate to significant pain reduction, with comparable improvement in mood, function, and behavior. Clinical factors predicting moderate‐significant headache improvement were limited to MOH (84% vs 69%,P < .007) and presence of a PD (68% vs 81%,P < .03).

Conclusions.—Most patients (78%) improved following aggressive, comprehensive inpatient treatment. Maintenance of improvement is likely to depend on multiple post‐discharge factors, including continuity of care, compliance, and home or work environment.
One or Several Types of Triptan Overuse Headaches?
Authors: Créac'h Christelle , Radat Francoise , Mick Gerard , Guegan‐Massardier Evelyne , Giraud Pierric , Guy Nathalie , Fabre Nelly , Nachit‐Ouinekh Fatima , Lanteri‐Minet Michel
Published: February 2009

Background.—Whereas the clinical features of pure triptan overuse headache (TOH) are well known, there are insufficient data regarding the semiological pattern of headaches when triptan overuse is associated with other types of medication overuse.

Objective.—To investigate and compare the clinical characteristics of patients with pure TOH and those with medication overuse headaches associating triptan and other medication overuses (combined TOH).

Methods.—This cross‐sectional, observational study was conducted in 7 tertiary‐care headache centers participating in the French Observatory of Migraine and Headaches. From 2004 to 2006, data from 163 patients with TOH were collected in face‐to‐face structured interviews (according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition criteria).

Results.—Eighty‐two patients fulfilled criteria for pure TOH (pTOH patients) and 81 for combined TOH (cTOH) patients. Continuous headaches were reported in 76% of cTOH patients compared with 32% of pTOH patients. Significantly more frequent and severe headaches and more intense phono‐/photophobia between attacks were noted in cTOH patients. More cTOH than pTOH patients reported a history of tension‐type headaches and a long‐standing history of chronic headaches. Finally, compared with pTOH patients, cTOH patients were characterized by stronger dependence on acute treatments of headaches according to the DSM‐IV criteria.

Conclusions.—Combined therapy with analgesics and/or the total number of drug units taken per day may cause a shift from a pattern of clear‐cut headache attacks in patients with pTOH toward more severe clinical presentation in patients with cTOH. These patients should receive more intensive prophylactic therapy and specific behavioral management.