bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bilateral monitoring of cerebral oxygen saturation results in recognition of aortic cannula malposition during pediatric congenital heart surgery
Authors: GOTTLIEB ERIN A. , FRASER CHARLES D. , ANDROPOULOS DEAN B. , DIAZ LAURA K.
Published: June 2006

Congenital heart surgery is associated with a 2–25% reported incidence of neurological complication. Near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can detect changes in regional cerebral saturation index (rSO2i) during cardiac surgery. If rSO2i decreases significantly, treatment algorithms are used to restore baseline values, potentially avoiding neurological complications. The efficacy of bilateral NIRS monitoring in pediatric congenital heart surgery has been debated. We report a case in which bilateral NIRS monitoring detected an abrupt decrease in rSO2i (right greater than left) after initiation of bypass without abnormalities detected by standard monitors. This resulted in prompt surgical intervention that restored rSO2i, potentially preventing neurological injury.
Effect of acute ghrelin administration on glycaemia and insulin levels in obese patients
Authors: Alvarez‐Castro P. , Isidro M. L. , García‐Buela J. , Dieguez C. , Casanueva F. F. , Cordido F.
Published: June 2006

Objectives:  Ghrelin is a 28‐amino‐acid peptide, predominantly produced by the stomach. There are several studies that suggest the importance of ghrelin in obesity. However, the pancreatic endocrine response to ghrelin in obesity is unclear at present. The aim of this study was to clarify whether ghrelin administration influences glucose and insulin levels in obese patients.

Patients and methods:  Six obese female patients (31 ± 3.4 year) with a BMI of 36.1 ± 7.7 kg/m2 were studied. Three tests were done: placebo, ghrelin (1 μg/kg, intravenously) and growth hormone‐releasing hormone (GHRH; 1 μg/kg, iv) plus ghrelin (1 μg/kg, iv). Blood samples were taken at appropriate intervals for determination of glucose and insulin. Statistical analyses were performed by Wilcoxon and Mann–Whitney tests.

Results:  Glucose (mean peak, mmol/l) level after placebo administration was 4.9 ± 0.2. Glucose level after the administration of ghrelin was 5.1 ± 0.2, not significantly different from the response after placebo (p = NS). Glucose level after the administration of ghrelin plus GHRH was 5.1 ± 0.2, not significantly different from placebo (p = NS). Insulin (mean peak, mU/l) level after placebo administration was 16.1 ± 6.1. Insulin level after the administration of ghrelin was 12.3 ± 1.6, not significantly different from placebo (p = NS). Insulin level after the administration of ghrelin plus GHRH was 11.1 ± 2.7, not significantly different from the response after placebo (p = NS).

Conclusions:  In female obese patients, we did not find significant differences in glucose or insulin levels following ghrelin or GHRH plus ghrelin administration.
Basic Personality Dispositions, Self‐Esteem, and Personal Goals: An Approach‐Avoidance Analysis
Authors: Heimpel Sara A. , Elliot Andrew J. , Wood Joanne V.
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACT
This research examined the hypothesis that self‐esteem negatively predicts avoidance (relative to approach) personal goals, as well as the hypothesis that self‐esteem mediates the link between indicators of approach and avoidance temperament and avoidance (relative to approach) personal goals. Study 1 established that self‐esteem is indeed negatively related to avoidance (relative to approach) goals, even with social desirability concerns controlled. In Study 2, self‐esteem was found to mediate the relation between Neuroticism (conceptualized as an indicator of avoidance temperament) and avoidance (relative to approach) personal goals. In Study 3, self‐esteem was documented as a mediator of the relation between BAS and BIS sensitivity (conceptualized as indicators of approach and avoidance temperament, respectively) and avoidance (relative to approach) personal goals in the achievement domain. The implications of these findings for our understanding of basic personality dispositions, self‐esteem, and personal goals are discussed.
National Competition Policy, Regulatory Reform & Australian Federalism*
Authors: Hollander Robyn
Published: June 2006

Changes are afoot in Australia's federal arrangements concerning competition policy. While many of the proposals to enlarge the Commonwealth's sphere of influence are played out in the media, other shifts are more subtle. This article examines one of those areas of change. It looks at National Competition Policy and in particular, its regulatory reform components. It argues that the approach adopted in the 1995 agreement, which was characterised by broad principles, meticulous monitoring and substantial financial carrots, has provided the Commonwealth with a useful tool for effectively intervening in areas that have been until now, matters of state responsibility.
Class placement and competence attainment among students with special educational needs
Authors: Myklebust Jon Olav
Published: June 2006

John Olav Myklebust is Professor of Sociology at Volda University College in Norway. In this article, he discusses his analysis of data emerging from a longitudinal study of 494 young people with special educational needs who have been followed over a period of six years. This analysis focuses on the attainments of these students during their time in upper secondary education and asks whether placement in special or ordinary mainstream class groupings is more beneficial. The results indicate that students receiving special support in ordinary classes obtain vocational or academic qualifications more often than students in special classes. Professor Myklebust pursues his analysis by looking at the influence of a number of other variables, including assessments of functional level, family stability and gender. He concludes that the relationship between attainment and placement in an ordinary classroom does not change, even when these variables are taken into account, and argues that his findings provide further support for the inclusion of learners with special educational needs in ordinary mainstream classes.
Chain Resolution In Hebrew V(P)‐fronting
Authors: Landau Idan
Published: June 2006

Abstract. The copy theory of movement receives the strongest form of support from instances of movement leaving phonetically visible copies. Such is the case in Hebrew V(P)‐fronting, where the fronted verb surfaces as an infinitive, and its “trace” is pronounced as an inflected verbal copy. This paper argues that V‐doubling is explained by the same algorithm that determines pronunciation of single copies in canonical chains. The phonetic resolution of chains is PF‐internal, strictly local, and need not appeal to cross‐interface recoverability constraints. Crosslinguistic variation in predicate clefts largely reflects different morpho‐phonological strategies of realizing the fronted predicate head.
Teaching Islam – Edited by Brannon M. Wheeler
Authors: Deffenbaugh Daniel G.
Published: June 2006

Books reviewed:

Teaching Islam. Edited by Brannon M. Wheeler. American Academy of Religion Teaching Religious Studies Series. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. ix + 226 pages. ISBN 0‐19‐515225‐5. $24.95.
12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action: The Fieldbook for Making Connections, Teaching, and the Human Brain – Renate Nummela Caine, Geoffrey Caine, Carol McClintic, and Karl Klimek
Authors: Shantz Colleen
Published: June 2006

Books reviewed:

12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action: The Fieldbook for Making Connections, Teaching, and the Human Brain. By Renate Nummela Caine, Geoffrey Caine, Carol McClintic, and Karl Klimek. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2005. xvi + 263 pages. ISBN 1‐4129‐0984‐8.
NEAR‐DEATH EXPERIENCES AND SPIRITUALITY
Authors: Greyson Bruce
Published: June 2006

Abstract. Some individuals when they come close to death report having experiences that they interpret as spiritual or religious. These so‐called near‐death experiences (NDEs) often include a sense of separation from the physical body and encounters with religious figures and a mystical or divine presence. They share with mystical experiences a sense of cosmic unity or oneness, transcendence of time and space, deeply felt positive mood, sense of sacredness, noetic quality or intuitive illumination, paradoxicality, ineffability, transiency, and persistent positive aftereffects. Although there is no relationship between NDEs and religious belief prior to the experience, there are strong associations between depth of NDE and religious change after the experience. NDEs often change experiencers' values, decreasing their fear of death and giving their lives new meaning. NDEs lead to a shift from ego‐centered to other‐centered consciousness, disposition to love unconditionally, heightened empathy, decreased interest in status symbols and material possessions, reduced fear of death, and deepened spiritual consciousness. Many experiencers become more empathic and spiritually oriented and express the beliefs that death is not fearsome, that life continues beyond, that love is more important than material possessions, and that everything happens for a reason. These changes meet the definition of spiritual transformation as “a dramatic change in religious belief, attitude, and behavior that occurs over a relatively short period of time.” NDEs do not necessarily promote any one particular religious or spiritual tradition over others, but they do foster general spiritual growth both in the experiencers themselves and in human society at large.
WHAT IS A SCIENTIFIC WORLD VIEW, AND HOW DOES IT BEAR ON THE INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION?
Authors: Orr Matthew
Published: June 2006

Abstract. What is a scientific worldview, and why should we care? One worldview can knit together various notions, and therefore understanding a worldview requires analysis of its component parts. Stripped to its minimum, a scientific worldview consists strictly of falsifiable components. Such a worldview, based solely on ideas that can be tested with empirical observation, conforms to the highest levels of objectivity but is severely limited in utility. The limits arise for two reasons: first, many falsifiable ideas cannot be tested adequately until their repercussions already have been felt; second, the reach of science is limited, and ethics, which compose an inevitable part of any useful worldview, are largely unfalsifiable. Thus, a worldview that acts only on scientific components is crippled by a lack of moral relevance. Organized religion traditionally has played a central role in defining moral values, but it lost much of its influence after the discovery that key principles (such as the personal Creator of Genesis) contradict empirical reality. The apparent conundrum is that strictly scientific worldviews are amoral, while many long‐held religious worldviews have proven unscientific. The way out of this conundrum is to recognize that nonscientific ideas, as distinct from unscientific ideas, are acceptable components of a scientific worldview, because they do not contradict science. Nonscientific components of a worldview should draw upon scientific findings to explore traditional religious themes, such as faith and taboo. In contrast, unscientific ideas have been falsified and survive only via ignorance, denial, wishful thinking, blind faith, and institutional inertia. A worldview composed of both scientific components and scientifically informed nonscientific components can be both objective and ethically persuasive.
Asymptotic Relative Efficiency of Goodness‐Of‐Fit Tests Based on Inverse and Ordinary Autocorrelations
Authors: El Ghini Ahmed , Francq Christian
Published: June 2006

Abstract.  We compare the performance of the inverse and ordinary (partial) autocorrelations for time series model identification. It is found that, both in terms of Bahadur's slope and Pitman's asymptotic relative efficiency, the inverse partial autocorrelations are more efficient than the ordinary autocorrelations for identification of moving‐average models. By duality, the partial autocorrelations turn out to be more powerful than the inverse autocorrelations to identify autoregressive models. Numerical experiments on both simulated and real data sets are presented to highlight the theoretical results.
SOCIAL COHESION, INSTITUTIONS, AND GROWTH
Authors: EASTERLY WILLIAM , RITZEN JOZEF , WOOLCOCK MICHAEL
Published: June 2006

We present evidence that measures of “social cohesion,” such as income inequality and ethnic fractionalization, endogenously determine institutional quality, which in turn causally determines growth.
FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION, GOVERNANCE, AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: A RECONSIDERATION
Authors: TREISMAN DANIEL
Published: June 2006

In countries with tax‐sharing systems, assigning local governments a large share of locally generated revenues is often thought to promote economic development. The more local officials benefit from local economic activity, the more supportive of business and less corrupt they should be, resulting in higher output. Some attribute China's rapid growth to its high local retention rates and Russia's 1990s stagnation to the central clawback of local revenues. I show that such arguments ignore an important actor in the game – the central government. If increasing the local tax share improves incentives for local authorities, it worsens them for central officials. The net effect on output is indeterminate.
Experimental Governance: The Open Method of Coordination
Authors: Szyszczak Erika
Published: June 2006

Abstract:  The open method of coordination (OMC) has increased the competence of the European Union to regulate areas where the traditional Community legislative processes are weak, or where new areas require coordination of Member State policy, either as part of the spillover of the integration project as a result of economic and monetary union, or as a result of the case law of the European Court of Justice. The OMC is viewed as an aspect of new, experimental governance, which is part of the response by the EU to regulatory shortcomings. This article explores the normative aspects of the OMC using case studies. The article examines the conditions in which the OMC emerges, the conditions upon which it thrives, and the claims that are made for its effectiveness as a new form of governance.
Disabling neurological syndromes: prevalence amongst hospitalized neurological patients
Authors: Nowotny M. , Dachenhausen A. , Matz K. , Brainin M.
Published: June 2006

Neurological patient populations are usually described by diagnosis or in terms of functional disability measures but rarely by their clinical syndromes. A point‐prevalence study was conducted assessing 349 neurological inpatients to determine the frequency and co‐occurrence of disabling neurological syndromes, considering a wider spectrum including pain, emotional, neuropsychological, vegetative and sensorimotor syndromes. Of the study patients, 61% (n = 224) had sensorimotor syndromes, 53% (n = 185) had neuropsychological disorders, 40% (n = 139) of the patients suffered from pain, emotional disorders were found in 36% (n = 122) and vegetative disorders in 33% (n = 113). Although frequency varied by neurological diagnosis, these disabling conditions were found across all inpatient groups of diagnosis. Similarly, disorders outside the motor domains grouped according to their Barthel Index showed a striking frequency in patients considered as activities of daily living independent, reflecting a wider spectrum of disability that functional measures are not able to capture. Of the study population, 68% (n = 237) suffered from co‐occurring disorders from different categories (pain, emotional, neuropsychological, vegetative and sensorimotor syndromes). There is a high prevalence and co‐occurrence of disabling syndromes in neurological inpatients. These proportions reflect the neurological workload in a patient population and should be considered in future rehabilitation research and allocation of resources.
Apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele is associated with the volume of white matter changes in patients with lacunar infarcts
Authors: Wen H. M. , Baum L. , Cheung W. S. , Mok V. , Lam W. W. M. , Tomlinson B. , Wong K. S. , Ng H. K.
Published: June 2006

The relationship between the apolipoprotein E (APOE) exon 4 polymorphism and white matter changes (WMC) in elderly subjects or patients with Alzheimer's disease is controversial. To investigate this polymorphism in relation to WMC in patients with lacunar infarcts, we prospectively observed 67 patients with acute lacunar infarct and 134 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Genotypes were determined using a nested polymerase chain reaction. WMC were measured quantitatively and were divided into two groups, severe and mild, with the mean volume of WMC as the cut point. Twenty‐two patients (33%) had severe WMC. There was a significant difference in the distribution of APOE ɛ2, ɛ3, and ɛ4 alleles between severe and mild WMC groups (P = 0.002). The frequency of ɛ4 alleles was higher in patients with severe WMC than in those with mild WMC (25% vs. 7%, P = 0.003). These results suggest that APOE ɛ4 may exacerbate WMC in patients with lacunar infarcts. Further studies are required to confirm this finding.
Review of the therapeutic management of Parkinson's disease. Report of a joint task force of the European Federation of Neurological Societies and the Movement Disorder Society–European Section. Part I: early (uncomplicated) Parkinson's disease
Authors: Horstink M. , Tolosa E. , Bonuccelli U. , Deuschl G. , Friedman A. , Kanovsky P. , Larsen J. P. , Lees A. , Oertel W. , Poewe W. , Rascol O. , Sampaio C.
Published: June 2006

The aim of the study was to provide evidence‐based recommendations for the management of early (uncomplicated) Parkinson's disease (PD), based on a review of the literature. Uncomplicated PD refers to patients suffering from the classical motor syndrome of PD only, without treatment‐induced motor complications and without neuropsychiatric or autonomic problems. MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) database literature searches were conducted. National guidelines were requested from all European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) societies. Non‐European guidelines were searched for using MEDLINE. Part I of the guidelines deals with prevention of disease progression, symptomatic treatment of motor features (parkinsonism), and prevention of motor and neuropsychiatric complications of therapy. For each topic, a list of therapeutic interventions is provided, including classification of evidence. Following this, recommendations for management are given, alongside ratings of efficacy. Classifications of evidence and ratings of efficacy are made according to EFNS guidance. In cases where there is insufficient scientific evidence, a consensus statement (good practice point) is made.
The Re‐Framing of Australian Higher Education
Authors: Pick David
Published: June 2006

The aim of this paper is to analyse the changes in Australian higher education policy over the past two decades. Using frame analysis, two shifts in higher education policy are identified. The first is in the late 1980s where the view of higher education as having a broad social, economic and cultural role was changed to one that emphasised expansion, marketisation and competition. The second is currently taking place in which universities are becoming seen as business competitors in a global higher education market, and as such, privatisation and deregulation are centrally important. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of frame analysis as a way of examining the systemic effects of policy decisions in a way that draws together and uncovers how the various and complex forces of government policies and broader social and economic events combine to create the difficult terrain through which universities must now plot a course.
Observations on the structure and function of the seminal receptacles and associated accessory pouches in ovoviviparous onychophorans from Australia (Peripatopsidae; Onychophora)
Authors: Walker M. H. , Roberts E. M. , Roberts T. , Spitteri G. , Streubig M. J. , Hartland J. L. , Tait N. N.
Published: June 2006

The structure of the seminal receptacles and associated accessory pouches in the reproductive tracts of four species of Australian ovoviviparous peripatopsids is described to identify features that may relate to their inferred mode of insemination. Euperipatoides rowelli is a dermal inseminator whereas Phallocephale tallagandensis, Ruhbergia bifalcata and Cephalofovea clandestina, species with head structures in males, are considered to be vaginal inseminators. Contrary to our expectations, E. rowelli, R. bifalcata and C. clandestina have very similar seminal receptacles and display two types of accessory pouches: funnel accessory pouches that open to the haemocoel and spherical accessory pouches in which destruction of excess sperm occurs. On the other hand, Ph. tallagandensis differs in the form of its accessory pouches. Although these pouches have no direct opening into the haemocoel, sperm were observed in the act of directly penetrating their walls to gain entry from the haemocoel. Hence, despite differences in the form of their accessory pouches, all species display features that provide the potential for entry of sperm into the female reproductive tract from the haemocoel. This finding has caused us to reconsider our initial assumptions of vaginal and dermal insemination as mutually exclusive reproductive strategies. Indeed, we propose that species of peripatopsids with head structures in males that were considered to be obligate vaginal inseminators may in fact be facultative, with vaginal insemination of sexually immature females when their uterus is short and free of developing embryos followed by dermal insemination to maintain the level of sperm in storage in the seminal receptacles. This study has also provided morphological evidence for mechanisms that may facilitate female control of paternity.
Towards socio‐spatial inclusion? Disabled people, neoliberalism and the contemporary labour market
Authors: Wilton Robert , Schuer Stephanie
Published: June 2006

In many Western countries, disability assistance programmes have been restructured to encourage paid work. This paper examines the opportunities and barriers facing disabled people entering the labour market. Using data from semi‐structured interviews, the study explores employers’ conceptualization and treatment of disabled workers. While meaningful accommodation does occur, less promising outcomes are also common. For example, some disabled people face exclusion from service work on grounds that have little to do with the capacity to perform the essential functions of specific jobs. Others face exploitation in downgraded service occupations. Moreover, funding cuts and market discipline in public and non‐profit organizations limit their capacity to accommodate disabled workers. While employment can offer material security and social status, successful employment for many disabled people cannot occur without an effective challenge to the contextual constraints of non‐accommodating workplaces and labour processes.
Landscape connectivity: the geographic basis of geomorphic applications
Authors: Brierley Gary , Fryirs Kirstie , Jain Vikrant
Published: June 2006

Geographic concerns for spatial relationships lie at the heart of geomorphic applications in environmental management. The way in which landscape compartments fit together in a catchment influences the operation of biophysical fluxes, and hence the ways in which disturbance responses are mediated over time. These relationships reflect the connectivity of the landscape. A nested hierarchical framework that emphasizes differing forms of (dis)connectivity in catchments is proposed. This field‐based geomorphic tool can be used to ground the application of modelling techniques in analysis of catchment‐scale biophysical fluxes.
Finding Commercially Attractive User Innovations: A Test of Lead‐User Theory*
Authors: Franke Nikolaus , Von Hippel Eric , Schreier Martin
Published: June 2006

Firms and governments are increasingly interested in learning to exploit the value of lead‐user innovations for commercial advantage. Improvements to lead‐user theory are needed to inform and to guide these efforts. The present study empirically tests and confirms the basic tenets of lead‐user theory. It also uncovers some new refinements and related practical applications. Using a sample of users and user–innovators drawn from the extreme sport of kite surfing, an analysis was made of the relationship between the commercial attractiveness of innovations developed by users and the intensity of the lead‐user characteristics those users display. A first empirical analysis is provided of the independent effects of its two key component variables. In the empirical study of user modifications to kite‐surfing equipment, it was found that both components independently contribute to identifying commercially attractive user innovations. Component 1, the high expected‐benefits dimension, predicts innovation likelihood, and component 2, the ahead of the trend dimension, predicts both the commercial attractiveness of a given set of user‐developed innovations and innovation likelihood due to a newly proposed innovation supply side effect. It was concluded that the component variables in the lead‐user definition are indeed independent dimensions, so neither can be dropped without loss of information—an important matter for lead‐user theory. It also was found that adding measures of users' local resources can improve the ability of the lead‐user construct to identify commercially attractive innovations under some conditions. The findings reported here have practical as well as theoretical import. Product modification and development has been found to be a relatively common user behavior in many fields. Thus, from 10 to nearly 40 percent of users report having modified or developed a product for in‐house use in the case of industrial products or for personal use in the case of consumer products in fields sampled to date. As a practical matter, therefore, it is important to find ways to selectively identify the user innovations that manufacturers will find to be the basis for commercially attractive products in the collectivity of user‐developed innovations. The implications of these findings for theory as well as for practical applications of the lead‐user construct are discussed—that is, how variables used in lead‐user studies can profitably be adapted to fit specific study contexts and purposes.
Effect of 0.03% tacrolimus ointment on conjunctival cytology in patients with severe atopic blepharoconjunctivitis: a retrospective study
Authors: Virtanen Hannele M. , Reitamo Sakari , Kari Marjatta , Kari Osmo
Published: June 2006

Purpose:  To evaluate the efficacy and effect of tacrolimus ointment on conjunctival cytology in patients with atopic blepharoconjunctivitis or keratoconjunctivitis.

Methods:  Ten patients with severe atopic blepharoconjunctivitis treated with 0.03% tacrolimus ointment once daily as an intermittent treatment were analysed retrospectively. The main outcome measures were clinical response to topical tacrolimus, adverse events and changes in the inflammatory cells obtained from conjunctival brush samples.

Results:  Marked clinical responses in blepharitis and conjunctivitis symptoms were seen after a mean follow‐up time of 6 weeks. Clinical scores decreased by 67% in blepharitis and 74% in conjunctivitis symptoms. No severe adverse events or signs of immunosuppression such as herpes simplex infections occurred. No significant changes occurred in visual acuity, refraction, anterior chamber, retina or intraocular pressure. Median decreases were 85% (p =0.01) in conjunctival eosinophils, 50% (p = 0.01) in neutrophils and 58% (p = 0.02) in lymphocytes.

Conclusions:  Tacrolimus ointment is potentially a safe and effective treatment for atopic blepharoconjunctivitis. Regular treatment of the eyelids once daily may also lead to clinical and cytological improvement of the conjunctivitis.
Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for diffuse diabetic macular oedema: 6‐month results of a prospective controlled trial
Authors: Audren François , Erginay Ali , Haouchine Belkacem , Benosman Rym , Conrath John , Bergmann Jean‐François , Gaudric Alain , Massin Pascale
Published: June 2006

Purpose:  To evaluate prospectively the efficacy and safety of one intravitreal injection of 4 mg triamcinolone acetonide for refractory diffuse diabetic macular edema.

Methods:  Seventeen patients with bilateral diabetic macular edema unresponsive to laser photocoagulation. In all patients, one eye was injected, and the other served as a control. The intervention consisted in intravitreal injection of 4 mg triamcinolone acetonide. The main outcome measure was central macular thickness (CMT) at 4, 12 and 24 weeks, measured by Optical Coherence Tomography. Secondary outcomes were Early Treatment Diabetic Rentinopathy Study (ETDRS) scores, intraocular pressure and cataract progression.

Results:  Before injection, mean ± SD CMT was 566.4 ± 182.4 μm in injected eyes. Four, 12, and 24 weeks after injection, it was 228.4 ± 47.5 μm, 210.9 ± 87.2 μm and 358.5 ± 160.5 μm respectively. CMT was significantly lower in injected eyes vs. control eyes except 24 weeks after injection because of a recurrence of macular edema in 9/17 injected eyes. Mean ± SD gain in ETDRS score was significantly better in injected eyes vs. control eyes 4, 12 and 24 weeks after TA injection. In 9 of the 17 injected eyes, intraocular pressure exceeded 24 mmHg and was controlled by topical medication.

Conclusion:  In the short‐term, intravitreal injection of triamcinolone effectively reduces macular thickening due to diffuse diabetic macular edema and improves visual acuity in most cases. The long‐term effect of this treatment and predictive factors of visual recovery remain to be elucidated.
Signal transduction pathways involved in the stimulation of tissue type plasminogen activator by interleukin‐1α and Porphyromonas gingivalis in human osteosarcoma cells
Authors: Chang Yu‐Chao , Ho Yung‐Chuan , Chou Lin Shin‐Shen , Chou Ming‐Yung , Huang Fu‐Mei
Published: June 2006

Background:  Recently, evidences have shown that tissue type plasminogen activator (t‐PA) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. However, the mechanisms and signal transduction pathways involved in the production of t‐PA in human osteosarcoma cells are not fully understood.

Objectives:  The purpose of this study was to investigate the caseinolytic activity in human osteosarcoma cell line U2OS cells stimulated with interleukin‐1α (IL‐1α) or Porphyromonas gingivalis in the absence or presence of p38 inhibitor SB203580, mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor U0126, and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002.

Methods:  IL‐1α and the supernatants of P. gingivalis were used to evaluate the caseinolytic activity in U2OS cells by using casein zymography and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, to search possible signal transduction pathways, SB203580, U0126, and LY294002 were added to test how they modulated the caseinolytic activity.

Results:  Casein zymography exhibited a caseinolytic band with a molecular weight of approximately 70 kDa, suggestive of the presence of t‐PA. Secretion of t‐PA was found to be stimulated with IL‐1α and P. gingivalis during a 2‐day culture period (p < 0.05). From the results of casein zymography and ELISA, SB203580, U0126, and LY294002 significantly reduced the IL‐1α or P. gingivalis‐stimulated t‐PA production, respectively (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:  Our findings demonstrated that IL‐1α and P. gingivalis enhance t‐PA production in human osteosarcoma cells, and that the signal transduction pathways p38, MEK, and PI3K are involved in the inhibition of t‐PA. SB203580, U0126, and LY294002 suppress t‐PA production and/or activity and may therefore be valuable therapeutics in t‐PA‐mediated periodontal destruction, and might be proved clinically useful agents, in combination with standard treatment modalities, in the treatment of periodontitis.
Domestic Violence and Contraceptive Adoption in Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Stephenson Rob , Koenig Michael A. , Ahmed Saifuddin
Published: June 2006

This study examines the association between domestic violence and the subsequent adoption of modern contraception in North India. Matched data on married couples who were not practicing contraception are analyzed from companion surveys of married husbands and wives in five districts of Uttar Pradesh. By means of hazard modeling, a significant negative association was found between a husband's reporting of using physical domestic violence against his wife and the couple's adoption of a modern method of contraception. Community norms that were more tolerant of domestic violence were, in contrast, not a significant predictor of subsequent method adoption. The results highlight the need to address the issue of support for women experiencing domestic violence within existing family planning services and to sensitize service providers to the specific needs of women experiencing such violence.
Handling Valuation Models
Authors: Penman Stephen H.
Published: June 2006

Valuation models are useful tools, but they need to be handled with care. When taking the form of mathematical formulas, they can easily be made to convey a false sense of precision. In particular, selective choice of long‐term growth rates and discount rates can be used to justify almost any desired valuation.

The author shows how relatively simple valuation models can be applied by active investors in a way that honors the fundamentalist dictum of building valuations on the foundation of “what we know” and avoiding speculation about long‐term growth rates. The article also emphasizes the role of accounting in discovering what we know, and shows how to use accounting results in a way that not only minimizes speculation about growth rates and discount rates, but actually challenges the speculation about those rates that is implicit in current stock prices. Accounting‐based valuation models are “reverse‐engineered” to discover the forecasts of future operating performance that are effectively built into current prices, so the plausibility of such forecasts can be evaluated with fundamental analysis. In this sense, valuation models are used not so much to discover the “right” price as to identify, and then subject to critical examination, the market's current expectations about future performance.
Multinationals in the Middle Kingdom: Performance, Opportunities, and Risks
Authors: Glassman David
Published: June 2006

For many U.S. companies, China is the most promising growth opportunity in the business portfolio. The interest of managements and boards has been backed up with action, making China the preferred country for foreign direct investment in the last several years. Yet the experience also shows that many companies were unprepared to operate in a developing economy and with a foreign culture. The normal start‐up problems have been aggravated by unfamiliar joint venture partners, large regional differences in purchasing power, language, and regulation, and weak enforcement of intellectual property rights.

The first wave of China investment by U.S. multinationals, corresponding roughly to the decade of the 1990s, was marked by poor performance. But in the last five years, multinationals have made significant adjustments—particularly, the “localizing” of suppliers, the workforce, and the products offered. And recent data indicates much improved profitability. Still, there remain substantial challenges to further growth, including increasing local competition, a thin human resources market, the lack of prime acquisition candidates, and continued low rates of consumption. The different experiences of multinationals such as Procter & Gamble, Anheuser‐Busch, and Wal‐Mart are used to illustrate these challenges and provide some important lessons for companies now evaluating their opportunities in China.
About Face: Forensic Genetic Testing for Race and Visible Traits
Authors: Ossorio Pilar N.
Published: June 2006

“DNAPrint Genomics, Inc. has applied the most recent advancements in human genomic technology for the deciphering of an individual's race. We are proud to introduce to the forensic community DNA WITNESS 2.0, a genetic test for the deduction of the heritable component of race, called Biogeographical Ancestry (BGA).”

–Z. Gaskin

“One definite and obvious consequence of the complexity of human demographic history is that races in any meaningful sense of the term do not exist in the human species.”

–D. B. Goldstein and L. Chikhi
Just Evidence: The Limits of Science in the Legal Process
Authors: Jasanoff Sheila
Published: June 2006

“Relying on Science, Romney Files Death Penalty Bill.” With that headline, a press release on April 28, 2005 announced that Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was seeking to reintroduce by legislation the death penalty that the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruled unconstitutional in 1984. The remainder of the text left little doubt that science was a major basis for the governor's action. The press release quoted Romney as saying that the bill provided a “gold standard for the death penalty in the modern scientific age.” Positing a symmetry that will be questioned below, Romney also declared, “Just as science can free the innocent, it can also identify the guilty.” The bill itself deferred to science by calling for corroborating scientific evidence, multiple layers of review, and a novel “no doubt” standard of proof. By raising the required standard of evidence and by restricting the class of capital crimes, the proposed law hoped to correct the defects of other death penalty statutes.
Dangerous Excursions: The Case against Expanding Forensic DNA Databases to Innocent Persons
Authors: Simoncelli Tania
Published: June 2006

Over the past fifteen years, the United States has witnessed an extraordinary expansion in the banking and mining of DNA for law enforcement purposes. While the earliest state laws governing forensic DNA limited collection and retention of DNA samples to sexual offenders – on the theory that these persons were especially prone to recidivism and most likely to leave behind biological evidence – today forty-three states collect DNA from all felons, twenty-eight from juvenile offenders, and thirty-eight from those who commit certain categories of misdemeanors.

A few states have expanded their databases beyond convicted criminals. Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, and California have authorized DNA retention from persons merely arrested for various offenses, although to date only Virginia has implemented such a program. At the federal level, an ill-considered statute that allows for the seizure and storage of DNA from anyone arrested and from non-U.S. citizens detained under federal authorities was recently signed into law.
Who Owns Your Body? A Patient's Perspective on Washington University v. Catalona
Authors: Andrews Lori
Published: June 2006

In 1890 a man sold the rights to his body after death to the Royal Caroline Institute in Sweden for research purposes. Later, he tried to return the money and cancel the contract. In the subsequent lawsuit, the court held that he must turn his body over to the Institute and also ordered him to pay damages for diminishing the worth of his body by having two teeth removed.

Today, it would be an anathema for a person's body to be used against his wishes and for a research subject not to be allowed to withdraw from a study. In fact, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act allows people to change their minds and withdraw a previous agreement to donate organs and tissue after their death and the federal research regulations allow people to withdraw from studies without penalty or loss of benefits.
Representation at Suncorp – what do the employees want?
Authors: Gollan Paul J.
Published: June 2006

It is apparent from existing research that little is known about the effectiveness of non‐union employee representation (NER) voice arrangements in Australian firms. This article examines both the non‐union Suncorp‐Metway Employee Council (SMEC) and union voice arrangements at an Australian financial services firm, Suncorp, and assesses their effectiveness in representing the needs of employees. This study is unique because it is one of the few examples of dual representation channels at a single firm. Overall the findings suggest that the effectiveness of union and NER arrangements is dependent on the union and NER voice channels being perceived by the workforce as both representative and able to act effectively or independently. However, while trade unions may provide greater voice than non‐union arrangements, the strength of voice is dependent on the legitimacy and effectiveness of trade unions in representing employees' interests at the workplace. The findings also suggest that the marginalisation strategy used by the union in excluding SMEC from its industrial campaigns, coupled with employees' perception of a lack of effective union voice, could impact negatively on the influence that unions may have on management decision‐making. This could also be perceived by employees as an inappropriate response by the union to management substitution strategies. As a consequence, any changes to industrial relations policy or trade union strategies regarding NER should be considered in the light of these findings.
Radiation of Atlantic goldcrests Regulus regulus spp.: evidence of a new taxon from the Canary Islands
Authors: Päckert Martin , Dietzen Christian , Martens Jochen , Wink Michael , Kvist Laura
Published: June 2006

Phylogenetic relationships between goldcrest populations from the Atlantic Islands (Azores and Canary Islands) were investigated by two molecular markers (mitochondrial control region and cytochrome b sequences), and partly by morphology and territorial song. The Azorean goldcrest populations are closely related to European nominate R. r. regulus. Most probably, the Azores were colonized by goldcrests in a single late‐pleistocene invasion, while colonization of the Canary Islands presumably occurred in two steps: An early invasion to Tenerife and La Gomera 1.9–2.3 million years (my) ago and a more recent one to El Hierro and La Palma 1.3–1.8 my ago. Distribution of haplotypes on the Azores suggests a division of R. r. azoricus on São Miguel into an eastern population with close affinities to R. r. sanctaemariae and a western population belonging to the lineage of R. r. inermis on the central and western island group. The Canarian populations are genetically substructured into a northeastern group embracing Tenerife and La Gomera and a second, southwestern group including El Hierro and La Palma. Genetic distances between members of the two Canarian clades range at 3.1–3.4% (TrN distance, control region and cytochrome b). Differentiation between the two groups is also supported by morphology and by territorial song. Substitution rate estimates for the both genes range at approximately the same values of 0.0031 and 0.0044 substitutions per site and lineage per my which roughly corresponds 0.61–0.83% divergence between Regulus lineages per my. Highest local rates occur in island clades of the Azorean and the Canarian population and in R. r. japonensis from the Russian Far East and Japan. However, a general acceleration of a molecular clock in island populations is not evident from the Regulus data set due to extremely low local rate estimates in the Canarian clade of Tenerife and La Gomera. As a taxonomic consequence of the marked differentiation of the two Canarian goldcrest clades the populations from El Hierro and La Palma are described as a taxon new to science and are named Regulus regulus ellenthalerae n. ssp.
Mode shifts in the voltage gating of the mouse and human HCN2 and HCN4 channels
Authors: Elinder Fredrik , Männikkö Roope , Pandey Shilpi , Larsson H. Peter
Published: June 2006

Hyperpolarization‐activated, cyclic‐nucleotide‐gated (HCN) channels regulate pacemaker activity in the heart and the brain. Previously, we showed that spHCN and HCN1 channels undergo mode shifts in their voltage dependences, shifting the conductance versus voltage curves by more than +50 mV when measured from a hyperpolarized potential compared to a depolarized potential. In addition, the kinetics of the ionic currents changed in parallel to these voltage shifts. In the studies reported here, we tested whether slower cardiac HCN channels also display similar mode shifts. We found that HCN2 and HCN4 channels expressed in oocytes from the frog Xenopus laevis do not display the activation kinetic changes that we observed in spHCN and HCN1. However, HCN2 and HCN4 channels display changes in their tail currents, suggesting that these channels also undergo mode shifts and that the conformational changes underlying the mode shifts are due to conserved aspects of HCN channels. With computer modelling, we show that in channels with relatively slow opening kinetics and fast mode‐shift transitions, such as HCN2 and HCN4 channels, the mode shift effects are not readily observable, except in the tail kinetics. Computer simulations of sino‐atrial node action potentials suggest that the HCN2 channel, together with the HCN1 channel, are important regulators of the heart firing frequency and that the mode shift is an important property to prevent arrhythmic firing. We conclude that although all HCN channels appear to undergo mode shifts – and thus may serve to prevent arrhythmic firing – it is mainly observable in ionic currents from HCN channels with faster kinetics.
Role of reactive oxygen species in contraction‐mediated glucose transport in mouse skeletal muscle
Authors: Sandström Marie E. , Zhang Shi‐Jin , Bruton Joseph , Silva José P. , Reid Michael B. , Westerblad Håkan , Katz Abram
Published: June 2006

Exercise increases glucose transport into skeletal muscle via a pathway that is poorly understood. We investigated the role of endogenously produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in contraction‐mediated glucose transport. Repeated contractions increased 2‐deoxyglucose (2‐DG) uptake roughly threefold in isolated, mouse extensor digitorum longus (fast‐twitch) muscle. N‐Acetylcysteine (NAC), a non‐specific antioxidant, inhibited contraction‐mediated 2‐DG uptake by ∼50% (P < 0.05 versus control values), but did not significantly affect basal 2‐DG uptake or the uptake induced by insulin, hypoxia or 5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide‐1‐β‐d‐ribofuranoside (AICAR, which mimics AMP‐mediated activation of AMP‐activated protein kinase, AMPK). Ebselen, a glutathione peroxidase mimetic, also inhibited contraction‐mediated 2‐DG uptake (by almost 60%, P < 0.001 versus control values). Muscles from mice overexpressing Mn2+‐dependent superoxide dismutase, which catalyses H2O2 production from superoxide anions, exhibited a ∼25% higher rate of contraction‐mediated 2‐DG uptake versus muscles from wild‐type control mice (P < 0.05). Exogenous H2O2 induced oxidative stress, as judged by an increase in the [GSSG]/[GSH + GSSG] (reduced glutathione + oxidized glutathione) ratio to 2.5 times control values, and this increase was substantially blocked by NAC. Similarly, NAC significantly attenuated contraction‐mediated oxidative stress as judged by measurements of glutathione status and the intracellular ROS level with the fluorescent indicator 5‐(and‐6)‐chloromethyl‐2′,7′‐dichlorodihydrofluorescein (P < 0.05). Finally, contraction increased AMPK activity and phosphorylation ∼10‐fold, and NAC blocked ∼50% of these changes. These data indicate that endogenously produced ROS, possibly H2O2 or its derivatives, play an important role in contraction‐mediated activation of glucose transport in fast‐twitch muscle.