bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Severe bleeding tendency caused by a rare complication of excessive fibrinolysis with disseminated intravascular coagulation in a 51-year-old Japanese man with prostate cancer: a case report
Authors: Wada Yoshihiro , Uchiba Mitsuhiro , Kawano Yoshiaki , Kai Nobuyuki , Takahashi Wataru , Honda Jiro , Tanoue Ken-ichiro , Maeda Yoshihiro , Murakami Yoji , Eto Masatoshi , Imamura Takahisa
Published: November 2012

Introduction

Disseminated intravascular coagulation causes thrombotic tendency leading to multiple organ failure and occurs in a wide variety of diseases including malignancy. Disseminated intravascular coagulation is a latent complication in people with prostate cancer.

Case presentation

A 51-year-old Japanese man with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer was admitted to our hospital because of extensive purpura and severe anemia. Prolonged plasma coagulation time, hypofibrinogenemia and normal platelet count suggested that a decrease in fibrinogen induced a bleeding tendency causing purpura. However, elevated plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complex, fibrin and/or fibrinogen degradation products and D-dimers, with positive fibrin monomer test, manifested disseminated intravascular coagulation and subsequent fibrinolysis. Plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complex, fibrin and/or fibrinogen degradation products and D-dimers decreased after administration of low-molecular-weight heparin. However, low fibrinogen and α2-antiplasmin levels were not improved and plasmin-antiplasmin complex did not decrease, which revealed excessive fibrinolysis complicated with disseminated intravascular coagulation. We suspected that prostate cancer cell-derived urokinase-type plasminogen activator caused excessive fibrinolysis. Administration of tranexamic acid for fibrinogenolysis was added together with high-dose anti-androgen therapy (fosfestrol) for prostate cancer. Thereafter, prostate-specific antigen and plasmin-antiplasmin complex decreased, followed by normalized fibrinogen and α2-antiplasmin levels, and the patient eventually recovered from the bleeding tendency. Immunohistochemical staining of the biopsied prostate tissue exhibited that the prostate cancer cells produced tissue factor, the coagulation initiator, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator.

Conclusion

This patient with rare complications of disseminated intravascular coagulation and excessive fibrinolysis is a warning case of potential coagulation disorder onset in patients with prostate cancer. We propose that combined administration of tranexamic acid and low-molecular-weight heparin together with high-dose anti-androgen therapy is a useful therapeutic option for patients with this complicated coagulation disorder.
Good workers for good jobs: improving education and workforce systems in the US
Authors: Holzer Harry J
Published: November 2012

Stagnant earnings and growing inequality in the US labor market reflect both a slowdown in the growth of worker skills and the growing matching of good-paying jobs to skilled workers. Improving the ties between colleges, workforce institutions, and employers would help more workers gain the needed skills. Evaluation evidence shows that training programs linked to employers and good-paying jobs are often cost-effective. Helping more states develop such programs and systems would help raise worker earnings and reduce inequality.
Electrochemical determination of calcium channel blocker drugs using multiwall carbon nanotube-modified glassy carbon electrode
Authors: Sikkander Abdul Razak Mohamed , Vedhi Chinnappiyan , Manisankar Paramasivam
Published: November 2012

Background

Calcium channel blockers belonging to the dihydropyridine family have been used as a potent arterial vasodilator in the management of angina and cardiovascular diseases. In the design of glassy carbon electrode coatings for the study of the same, multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are favored. They are known for the reduction and oxidation of electroactive species towards cathodic and anodic direction with the simultaneous enhancement of the peak current.

Results

The MWCNT-modified glassy carbon electrode exhibited a sharp anodic peak potential at around at 0.5 V for amlodipine (AMLD) andnimodipine (NIMD), and 0.4 V for felodipine (FELD) in the cyclic voltammograms. The antihypertensive drugs were determined using a simple two-step procedure developed which comprised a preconcentration step followed by the differential pulse stripping voltammetric quantification. Concentration calibrations were linear within the range from 0.01 to 0.3 μg/mL for AMLD and FELD, and 0.025 to 0.3 μg/mL for NIMD.

Conclusion

The lower limit detection (LOD) was found to be very low on modified electrode. The LOD is 0.005 μg/mL for AMLD and FELD, and 0.01 μg/mL for NIMD. The prepared electrode showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of antihypertensive drugs leading to a remarked improvement in sensitivity. An electrochemical sensor featuring the MWCNT-modified electrode was applied successfully as the result for the calcium channel blocker determination in pharmaceutical samples.
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist for the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Ovarian Failure in Patients With Lymphoma: 1-Year Follow-Up of a Prospective Randomized Trial
Authors: Demeestere Isabelle , Brice Pauline , Peccatori Fedro A. , Kentos Alain , Gaillard Isabelle , Zachee Pierre , Casasnovas Rene-Olivier , Van Den Neste Eric , Dechene Julie , De Maertelaer Vivianne , Bron Dominique , Englert Yvon
Published: November 2012

Purpose

To assess the efficacy of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) in preventing chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure in patients treated for Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma within the setting of a multicenter, randomized, prospective trial.

Patients and Methods

Patients age 18 to 45 years were randomly assigned to receive either the GnRHa triptorelin plus norethisterone (GnRHa group) or norethisterone alone (control group) concomitantly with alkylating agents containing chemotherapy. The primary end point was the premature ovarian failure (POF) rate (follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH] ≥ 40 IU/L) after 1 year of follow-up.

Results

Eighty-four of 129 randomly assigned patients completed the 1-year follow-up. The mean FSH values were higher in the control group than in the GnRHa group during chemotherapy; however, this difference was no longer observed after 6 months of follow-up. After 1 year, 20% and 19% of patients in the GnRHa and control groups, respectively, exhibited POF (P = 1.00). More than half of patients in each group completely restored their ovarian function (FSH < 10 IU/L), but the anti–Müllerian hormone values were higher in the GnRHa group than in the control group (1.4 ± 0.35 v 0.5 ± 0.15 ng/mL, respectively; P = .040). The occurrence of adverse events was similar in both groups with the exception of metrorrhagia, which was more frequently observed in the control group than the GnRHa group (38.4% v 15.6%, respectively; P = .024).

Conclusion

Approximately 20% of patients in both groups exhibited POF after 1 year of follow-up. Triptorelin was not associated with a significant decreased risk of POF in young patients treated for lymphoma but may provide protection of the ovarian reserve.
A fast and sensitive alternative for β-galactosidase detection in mouse embryos
Authors: Sundararajan Sakthi , Wakamiya Maki , Behringer Richard R. , Rivera-Pérez Jaime A.
Published: November 2012

The bacterial lacZ gene is widely used as a reporter in a myriad of mouse transgenic experiments. β-Galactosidase, encoded by lacZ, is usually detected using X-gal in combination with ferric and ferrous ions. This assay produces a blue indole precipitate that is easy to detect visually. Here, we show that Salmon-gal in combination with tetrazolium salts provides a more sensitive and faster staining reaction than the traditional β-galactosidase assay in mouse embryos. Using a combination of Salmon-gal and tetranitroblue tetrazolium, we were able to visualize the activity of β-galactosidase in embryos at stages when the customary X-gal reaction failed to detect staining. Our studies provide an enhanced alternative for β-galactosidase detection in expression and cell fate studies that use lacZ-based transgenic mouse lines.
Drosophila neuroblasts: a model for stem cell biology
Authors: Homem Catarina C. F. , Knoblich Juergen A.
Published: November 2012

Drosophila neuroblasts, the stem cells of the developing fly brain, have emerged as a key model system for neural stem cell biology and have provided key insights into the mechanisms underlying asymmetric cell division and tumor formation. More recently, they have also been used to understand how neural progenitors can generate different neuronal subtypes over time, how their cell cycle entry and exit are coordinated with development, and how proliferation in the brain is spared from the growth restrictions that occur in other organs upon starvation. In this Primer, we describe the biology of Drosophila neuroblasts and highlight the most recent advances made using neuroblasts as a model system.
SUMO1-activating enzyme subunit 1 is essential for the survival of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in zebrafish
Authors: Li Xiuling , Lan Yahui , Xu Jin , Zhang Wenqing , Wen Zilong
Published: November 2012

In vertebrates, establishment of the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) pool involves mobilization of these cells in successive developmental hematopoietic niches. In zebrafish, HSPCs originate from the ventral wall of the dorsal aorta (VDA), the equivalent of the mammalian aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM). The HSPCs subsequently migrate to the caudal hematopoietic tissue (CHT) for transitory expansion and differentiation during the larval stage, and they finally colonize the kidney, where hematopoiesis takes place in adult fish. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a zebrafish mutant, tangohkz5, which shows defects of definitive hematopoiesis. In tangohkz5 mutants, HSPCs initiate normally in the AGM and subsequently colonize the CHT. However, definitive hematopoiesis is not sustained in the CHT owing to accelerated apoptosis and diminished proliferation of HSPCs. Positional cloning reveals that tangohkz5 encodes SUMO1-activating enzyme subunit 1 (Sae1). A chimera generation experiment and biochemistry analysis reveal that sae1 is cell-autonomously required for definitive hematopoiesis and that the tangohkz5 mutation produces a truncated Sae1 protein (ΔSae1), resulting in systemic reduction of sumoylation. Our findings demonstrate that sae1 is essential for the maintenance of HSPCs during fetal hematopoiesis in zebrafish.
Piecing together the vertebrate skull
Authors: Le Douarin Nicole M.
Published: November 2012

In a 1993 Development paper, the quail-chick chimera system was applied to decipher the embryonic origin of the bones of the head skeleton of the avian embryo. The data reported in this article, together with those from previous works, allowed us to assign a precise embryonic origin to all the bones forming the avian skull. It turned out that their major source is the neural crest, with additional contributions from the head paraxial mesoderm and the first five somites, laying to rest a long-standing debate about the origin of the skull.
Epigenetic reprogramming in somatic cells induced by extract from germinal vesicle stage pig oocytes
Authors: Bui Hong-Thuy , Kwon Deug-Nam , Kang Min-Hui , Oh Mi-Hye , Park Mi-Ryung , Park Woo-Jin , Paik Seung-Sam , Van Thuan Nguyen , Kim Jin-Hoi
Published: November 2012

Genomic reprogramming factors in the cytoplasm of germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes have been shown to improve the efficiency of producing cloned mouse offspring through the exposure of nuclei to a GV cytoplasmic extract prior to somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to enucleated oocytes. Here, we developed an extract of GV stage pig oocytes (GVcyto-extract) to investigate epigenetic reprogramming events in treated somatic cell nuclei. This extract induced differentiation-associated changes in fibroblasts, resulting in cells that exhibit pluripotent stem cell-like characteristics and that redifferentiate into three primary germ cell layers both in vivo and in vitro. The GVcyto-extract treatment induced large numbers of high-quality SCNT-generated blastocysts, with methylation and acetylation of H3-K9 and expression of Oct4 and Nanog at levels similar to in vitro fertilized embryos. Thus, GVcyto-extract could elicit differentiation plasticity in treated fibroblasts, and SCNT-mediated reprogramming reset the epigenetic state in treated cells more efficiently than in untreated cells. In summary, we provide evidence for the generation of stem-like cells from differentiated somatic cells by treatment with porcine GVcyto-extract.
Understanding China's Growth: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Zhu Xiaodong
Published: November 2012

The pace and scale of China's economic transformation have no historical precedent. In 1978, China was one of the poorest countries in the world. The real per capita GDP in China was only one-fortieth of the U.S. level and one-tenth the Brazilian level. Since then, China's real per capita GDP has grown at an average rate exceeding 8 percent per year. As a result, China's real per capita GDP is now almost one-fifth the U.S. level and at the same level as Brazil. This rapid and sustained improvement in average living standard has occurred in a country with more than 20 percent of the world's population so that China is now the second-largest economy in the world. I will begin by discussing briefly China's historical growth performance from 1800 to 1950. I then present growth accounting results for the period from 1952 to 1978 and the period since 1978, decomposing the sources of growth into capital deepening, labor deepening, and productivity growth. But the main focus of this paper will be to examine the sources of growth since 1978, the year when China started economic reform. Perhaps surprisingly, given China's well-documented sky-high rates of saving and investment, I will argue that China's rapid growth over the last three decades has been driven by productivity growth rather than by capital investment. I also examine the contributions of sector-level productivity growth, and of resource reallocation across sectors and across firms within a sector, to aggregate productivity growth. Overall, gradual and persistent institutional change and policy reforms that have reduced distortions and improved economic incentives are the main reasons for the productivity growth.
How Did China Take Off?
Authors: Huang Yasheng
Published: November 2012

There are two prevailing perspectives on how China took off. One emphasizes the role of globalization—foreign trade and investments and special economic zones; the other emphasizes the role of internal reforms, especially rural reforms. Detailed documentary and quantitative evidence provides strong support for the second hypothesis. To understand how China's economy took off requires an accurate and detailed understanding of its rural development, especially rural industry spearheaded by the rise of township and village enterprises. Many China scholars believe that township and village enterprises have a distinct ownership structure—that they are owned and operated by local governments rather than by private entrepreneurs. I will show that township and village enterprises from the inception have been private and that China undertook significant and meaningful financial liberalization at the very start of reforms. Rural private entrepreneurship and financial reforms correlate strongly with some of China's best-known achievements—poverty reduction, fast GDP growth driven by personal consumption (rather than by corporate investments and government spending), and an initial decline of income inequality. The conventional view of China scholars is right about one point—that today's Chinese financial sector is completely state-controlled. This is because China reversed almost all of its financial liberalization sometime around the early to mid 1990s. This financial reversal, despite its monumental effect on the welfare of hundreds of millions of rural Chinese, is almost completely unknown in the West.
Amy Finkelstein: 2012 John Bates Clark Medalist
Authors: Levin Jonathan , Poterba James
Published: November 2012

Amy Finkelstein is the 2012 recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal from the American Economic Association. The core concerns of Amy's research program have been insurance markets and health care. She has addressed whether asymmetric information leads to inefficiencies in insurance markets, how large social insurance programs affect healthcare markets, and the determinants of innovation incentives in health care. We describe a number of Amy's key research contributions, with particular emphasis on those identified by the Honors and Awards Committee of the American Economic Association in her Clark Medal citation, as well as her broader contributions to the field of economics.
Retrospectives Irving Fisher's Appreciation and Interest (1896) and the Fisher Relation
Authors: Dimand Robert W , Betancourt Rebeca Gomez
Published: November 2012

Irving Fisher's monograph Appreciation and Interest (1896) proposed his famous equation showing expected inflation as the difference between nominal interest and real interest rates. In addition, he drew attention to insightful remarks and numerical examples scattered through the earlier literature, and he derived results ranging from the uncovered interest arbitrage parity condition between currencies to the expectations theory of the term structure of interest rates. As J. Bradford DeLong wrote in this journal (Winter 2000), “The story of 20th century macroeconomics begins with Irving Fisher” and specifically with Appreciation and Interest because “the transformation of the quantity theory of money into a tool for making quantitative analyses and predictions of the price level, inflation, and interest rates was the creation of Irving Fisher.” I discuss the message of Appreciation and Interest, and assess how original he was.
Contingent Valuation: From Dubious to Hopeless
Authors: Hausman Jerry
Published: November 2012

Approximately 20 years ago, Peter Diamond and I wrote an article for this journal analyzing contingent valuation methods. At that time Peter's view was that contingent valuation was hopeless, while I was dubious but somewhat more optimistic. But 20 years later, after millions of dollars of largely government-funded research, I have concluded that Peter's earlier position was correct and that contingent valuation is hopeless. In this paper, I selectively review the contingent valuation literature, focusing on empirical results. I find that three long-standing problems continue to exist: 1) hypothetical response bias that leads contingent valuation to overstatements of value; 2) large differences between willingness to pay and willingness to accept; and 3) the embedding problem which encompasses scope problems. The problems of embedding and scope are likely to be the most intractable. Indeed, I believe that respondents to contingent valuation surveys are often not responding out of stable or well-defined preferences, but are essentially inventing their answers on the fly, in a way which makes the resulting data useless for serious analysis. Finally, I offer a case study of a prominent contingent valuation study done by recognized experts in this approach, a study that should be only minimally affected by these concerns but in which the answers of respondents to the survey are implausible and inconsistent.
The End of Cheap Chinese Labor
Authors: Li Hongbin , Li Lei , Wu Binzhen , Xiong Yanyan
Published: November 2012

In recent decades, cheap labor has played a central role in the Chinese model, which has relied on expanded participation in world trade as a main driver of growth. At the beginning of China's economic reforms in 1978, the annual wage of a Chinese urban worker was only $1,004 in U.S. dollars. The Chinese wage was only 3 percent of the average U.S. wage at that time, and it was also significantly lower than the wages in neighboring Asian countries such as the Philippines and Thailand. The Chinese wage was also low relative to productivity. However, wages are now rising in China. In 2010, the annual wage of a Chinese urban worker reached $5,487 in U.S. dollars, which is similar to wages earned by workers in the Philippines and Thailand and significantly higher than those earned by workers in India and Indonesia. China's wages also increased faster than productivity since the late 1990s, suggesting that Chinese labor is becoming more expensive in this sense as well. The increase in China's wages is not confined to any sector, as wages have increased for both skilled and unskilled workers, for both coastal and inland areas, and for both exporting and nonexporting firms. We benchmark wage growth to productivity growth using both national- and industry-level data, showing that Chinese labor was kept cheap until the late 1990s but the relative cost of labor has increased since then. Finally, we discuss the main forces that are pushing wages up.
Interference of ethylene glycol with L-lactate measurement is assay-dependent
Authors: Tintu Andrei , Rouwet Ellen , Russcher Henk
Published: November 2012

Background

Metabolites of ethylene glycol (EG) can cross-react in L-lactate assays, leading to falsely elevated serum lactate levels in case of EG intoxication. In this study, we evaluated the effects of EG and its metabolites on routinely used lactate measuring methods.

Methods

Serum aliquots were spiked with either L-lactate, EG or one of its metabolites (all 12.5 mmol/L): glyoxal, glycolate, glyoxylic acid or oxalate. An unspiked sample (L-lactate 2.6 mmol/L) served as a control. L-Lactate levels in these samples were measured in 31 national hospitals on 20 different analysers from nine manufacturers.

Results

The L-lactate concentrations in the control sample and in the samples spiked with L-lactate, EG, glyoxal and oxalate provided correct results by all routinely used methods. However, the glycolate and glyoxylic acid spiked samples resulted in falsely elevated L-lactate concentration with all blood gas methods and with the majority of general chemistry methods using L-lactate oxidase.

Conclusion

The EG metabolites glycolate and glyoxylic acid were shown to falsely elevate L-lactate results with most of the currently used methods due to cross-reactivity with the oxidase enzyme. Falsely elevated L-lactate results can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate management of patients with EG intoxication.
Sodium fluoride: an ineffective inhibitor of glycolysis
Authors: Gambino Raymond
Published: November 2012

Entrenched in current laboratory protocols for the measurement of plasma glucose is the false belief that sodium fluoride (NaF) is an effective inhibitor of glycolysis. The failure of NaF to properly control glycolysis decreases plasma glucose concentrations. The amount of the decrease can be clinically significant. The most recent (2011) laboratory guidelines for diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus, approved by the American Diabetes Association, no longer recommend the use of NaF alone to control glycolysis. If plasma cannot be iced and separated from cells within 30 min of collection, the new guidelines recommend the use of a tube that contains a low pH buffer such as citrate. Proper control of glycolysis will affect current glucose cut-off points, but the exact effect is yet to be defined.
Predicting the Path of Technological Innovation: SAW vs. Moore, Bass, Gompertz, and Kryder
Authors: Sood Ashish , James Gareth M. , Tellis Gerard J. , Zhu Ji
Published: November 2012

Competition is intense among rival technologies, and success depends on predicting their future trajectory of performance. To resolve this challenge, managers often follow popular heuristics, generalizations, or “laws” such as Moore's law. We propose a model, Step And Wait (SAW), for predicting the path of technological innovation, and we compare its performance against eight models for 25 technologies and 804 technologies-years across six markets. The estimates of the model provide four important results. First, Moore's law and Kryder's law do not generalize across markets; neither holds for all technologies even in a single market. Second, SAW produces superior predictions over traditional methods, such as the Bass model or Gompertz law, and can form predictions for a completely new technology by incorporating information from other categories on time-varying covariates. Third, analysis of the model parameters suggests that (i) recent technologies improve at a faster rate than old technologies; (ii) as the number of competitors increases, performance improves in smaller steps and longer waits; (iii) later entrants and technologies that have a number of prior steps tend to have smaller steps and shorter waits; but (iv) technologies with a long average wait time continue to have large steps. Fourth, technologies cluster in their performance by market.
Analyzing Screening Policies for Childhood Obesity
Authors: Yang Yan , Goldhaber-Fiebert Jeremy D. , Wein Lawrence M.
Published: November 2012

Because of the health and economic costs of childhood obesity, coupled with studies suggesting the benefits of comprehensive (dietary, physical activity, and behavioral counseling) intervention, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended childhood screening and intervention for obesity beginning at age 6. Using a longitudinal data set consisting of the body mass index of 3,164 children up to age 18 and another longitudinal data set containing the body mass index at ages 18 and 40 and the presence or absence of disease (hypertension and diabetes) at age 40 for 747 people, we formulate and numerically solve—separately for boys and girls—a dynamic programming problem for the optimal biennial (i.e., at ages 2,4,…,16) obesity screening thresholds. Unlike most screening problem formulations, we take a societal viewpoint, where the state of the system at each age is the population-wide probability density function of the body mass index. Compared to the biennial version of the task force's recommendation, the screening thresholds derived from the dynamic program achieve a relative reduction in disease prevalence of 3% at the same screening (and treatment) cost, or—because of the flatness of the disease versus screening trade-off curve—achieves the same disease prevalence at a 28% relative reduction in cost. Compared to the task force's policy, which uses the 95th percentile of body mass index (from cross-sectional growth charts tabulated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) as the screening threshold for each age, the dynamic programming policy treats mostly 16-year-olds (including many who are not obese) and very few males under 14 years old. Although our results suggest that adult hypertension and diabetes are minimized by focusing childhood obesity screening and treatment on older adolescents, the shortcomings in the available data and the narrowness of the medical outcomes considered prevent us from making a recommendation about childhood obesity screening policies.

This paper was accepted by Assaf Zeevi, stochastic models and simulation.
Multistage Capital Budgeting for Shared Investments
Authors: Johnson Nicole Bastian , Pfeiffer Thomas , Schneider Georg
Published: November 2012

This paper studies the performance of delegated decision-making schemes in a two-stage, multidivision capital budgeting problem for a shared investment with an inherent abandonment option. Applying both robust goal congruence and sequential adverse selection frameworks, we show that the optimal capital budgeting mechanism entails a capital charge rate above the firm's cost of capital in the first stage but below the cost of capital in the second stage. Further, the first-stage asset cost-sharing rule depends only on the relative divisional growth profiles, and equal cost sharing can be optimal even when the divisions receive significantly different benefits from the shared investment project. In the presence of an adverse selection problem, all agency costs are incorporated into the second-stage budgeting mechanism, leaving the first-stage capital charge rate and asset-sharing rule unaffected even though the agency problem induces capital rationing at both stages.

This paper was accepted by Mary Barth, accounting.
The Effect of Payment Schemes on Inventory Decisions: The Role of Mental Accounting
Authors: Chen Li , Kök A. Gürhan , Tong Jordan D.
Published: November 2012

Does the payment scheme have an effect on inventory decisions in the newsvendor problem? Keeping the net profit structure constant, we examine three payment schemes that can be interpreted as the newsvendor's order being financed by the newsvendor herself (scheme O), by the supplier through delayed order payment (scheme S), and by the customer through advanced revenue (scheme C). In a laboratory study, we find that inventory quantities exhibit a consistent decreasing pattern in the order of schemes O, S, and C, with the order quantities of scheme S being close to the expected-profit-maximizing solution. These observations are inconsistent with the expected-profit-maximizing model, contradict what a regular or hyperbolic time-discounting model would predict, and cannot be explained by the loss aversion model. Instead, they are consistent with a model that underweights the order-time payments, which can be explained by the “prospective accounting” theory in the mental accounting literature. A second study shows that the results hold even if all physical payments are conducted at the same time, suggesting that the framing of the payment scheme is sufficient to induce the prospective accounting behavior. We further validate the robustness of our model under different profit conditions. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the psychological processes involved in newsvendor decisions and have implications for supply chain financing and contract design.

This paper was accepted by Christian Terwiesch, operations management.
An Efficient Frontier in Organization Design: Organizational Structure as a Determinant of Exploration and Exploitation
Authors: Csaszar Felipe A.
Published: November 2012

This paper develops a parsimonious process-level theory that connects organizational structure to exploration and exploitation. Toward this end, it develops a mathematical model of organizational decision making that combines an information processing approach in the spirit of Sah and Stiglitz [Sah RK, Stiglitz JE (1986) The architecture of economic systems: Hierarchies and polyarchies. Amer. Econom. Rev. 76(4):716–727] with elements from signal detection theory. The model is first used to explore a “design space” of organizations and identify trade-offs and dominance relationships among alternative organization designs. The paper then studies open questions in the organization design literature, such as the extent to which exploration and exploitation can be produced by one organization and what is the effect of organization size on exploration. More broadly, this research speaks to calls for the introduction of more process-level explanations in the organizations literature. The paper concludes with testable hypotheses and managerially relevant insights.
Corporate Structure and Performance Feedback: Aspirations and Adaptation in M-Form Firms
Authors: Gaba Vibha , Joseph John
Published: November 2012

In this study, we examine how business units of multidivisional (M-form) firms adapt their activities in response to poor performance at the corporate and business unit levels. By linking performance feedback theory with theories of attention and M-form organizations, we show that corporate structure influences the relationship between performance below aspirations and business unit adaptation. Because corporate structure vertically differentiates performance goals and problemistic search, solutions to performance problems vary across corporate and business unit levels, with divergent implications for business unit adaptation. We examine business unit adaptation empirically through new product introductions in the global mobile device industry, finding that poor performance at the business unit level leads to greater new product introductions. In contrast, corporate-level responses to performance problems have a negative cross-level effect on new product introductions. We also find that these negative effects are attenuated for strategically significant business units, which have more input into corporate responses. By linking structural and behavioral drivers of action, this paper contributes to the knowledge and understanding of adaptive behavior in multidivisional firms.
Designing and Pricing Services Based on Customer-Perceived Value: An Airline Company Feasibility Study
Authors: Fragnière Emmanuel , Lombardi Angela , Moresino Francesco
Published: November 2012

We propose a new integrated model for pricing airline tickets that takes into account the perceived value of multiple services associated with a given flight. For instance, clients perceive benefits on different attributes such as refund options, baggage allowances, time slots, days of operations, Web check-in services, as well as airline brand. These elements of perceived values are not, to our knowledge, modeled in existing yield management systems. Our integrated model includes a classical aggregate planner for services as well as a share of choice. In this paper, we have worked closely with an airline company and provided it with relevant managerial recommendations.
Plantar fasciitis
Authors: Cutts S , Obi N , Pasapula C , Chan W
Published: November 2012

INTRODUCTION

In this article we look at the aetiology of plantar fasciitis, the other common differentials for heel pain and the evidence available to support each of the major management options. We also review the literature and discuss the condition.

METHODS

A literature search was performed using PubMed and MEDLINE®. The following keywords were used, singly or in combination: ‘plantar fasciitis’, ‘plantar heel pain’, ‘heel spur’. To maximise the search, backward chaining of reference lists from retrieved papers was also undertaken.

FINDINGS

Plantar fasciitis is a common and often disabling condition. Because the natural history of plantar fasciitis is not understood, it is difficult to distinguish between those patients who recover spontaneously and those who respond to formal treatment. Surgical release of the plantar fascia is effective in the small proportion of patients who do not respond to conservative measures. New techniques such as endoscopic plantar release and extracorporeal shockwave therapy may have a role but the limited availability of equipment and skills means that most patients will continue to be treated by more traditional techniques.
Delayed presentation of vernix caseosa peritonitis
Authors: Chambers AC , Patil AV , Alves R , Hopkins JC , Armstrong J , Lawrence RN
Published: November 2012

INTRODUCTION

Vernix caseosa peritonitis (VCP) is a rare and poorly recognised condition resulting from a sustained foreign body reaction to the vernix caseosa of the baby. This case-based review aims to highlight its importance for any medical team managing patients with peritonitis who have undergone a recent Caesarean section.

CASE REPORT

A 31-year-old woman presented 5 weeks after a Caesarean section with symptoms and signs of peritonitis.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparotomy and peritoneal lavage is the mainstay of treatment for VCP. Knowledge of the condition may stop inadvertent resection of normal intra-abdominal organs. Greater awareness of VCP is required to ensure earlier recognition as patients can recover well following timely operative intervention.
Patterns of hospital admission with epistaxis for 26,725 patients over an 18-year period in Wales, UK
Authors: Fishpool SJC , Tomkinson A
Published: November 2012

INTRODUCTION

Epistaxis is the one of the most common otorhinolaryngology emergencies. This study examined the age and sex distribution of all patients admitted with epistaxis to National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in Wales, UK, over a period of 18 years and 9 months.

METHODS

The Patient Episode Database for Wales was examined for all patient admissions with a diagnosis of epistaxis between April 1991 and December 2009. The age and sex of these patients was recorded and the proportion of the underlying population affected was calculated by comparing admission rates to the population data derived from the 1991 and 2001 national population censuses for Wales.

RESULTS

A total of 26,725 patients were admitted to NHS hospitals in Wales with epistaxis over the period studied. The proportion of the population admitted with epistaxis increased from the age of 40 onwards. For all ages except patients in the 10–14 years group, a higher proportion of the male population was admitted with epistaxis than the comparable female population. This discrepancy was most pronounced between the ages of 15 and 49 years, with the female-to-male ratio of hospital admissions with epistaxis being 0.55. These ages (15 and 49 years) approximate the average age of menarche and menopause respectively in the UK.

CONCLUSIONS

Women of menstrual age have fewer hospital admissions with epistaxis. This may be due to oestrogens providing protection to the nasal vasculature (as they do to other areas of the vascular tree).
The use of locking plates in complex midfoot fractures
Authors: Bayley E , Duncan N , Taylor A
Published: November 2012

INTRODUCTION

Complex fracture dislocations of the midfoot are uncommon. Improved outcomes have been demonstrated where it has been possible to restore and maintain the length and alignment of the medial column as well as the congruity of the articular surfaces. We present our experience with the use of angle-stable locking plates in the stabilisation of complex midfoot fracture dislocations.

METHODS

Twelve patients were identified on a prospective trauma database between 2003 and 2009. All fractures involved the medial column with four associated fracture subluxations of the lateral column also. Patients underwent open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) with restoration of the medial column axis, reduction of the articular surface congruity and stabilisation with angle-stable locking plates.

RESULTS

There were no post-operative infections or neurological injuries. Ten of the twelve patients required metalwork removal. There were no implant failures prior to removal of the metalwork. At a mean follow-up of 12.4 months (range: 4–32 months), 11 patients had minimal symptoms of swelling, discomfort or stiffness in the midfoot. This did not restrict their daily activities. One patient developed post-traumatic arthritis and collapse of the medial longitudinal arch. Two patients declined removal of the metalwork.

CONCLUSIONS

Angle-stable locking plates provide satisfactory stabilisation following ORIF of complex midfoot fracture dislocations. Most patients will require removal of the metalwork. Following removal of metalwork, the majority of patients will maintain the length, alignment and stability of the midfoot.
Double bypass for inoperable pancreatic malignancy at laparotomy: postoperative complications and long-term outcome
Authors: Ausania F , Vallance AE , Manas DM , Prentis JM , Snowden CP , White SA , Charnley RM , French JJ , Jaques BC
Published: November 2012

INTRODUCTION

Between 4% and 13% of patients with operable pancreatic malignancy are found unresectable at the time of surgery. Double bypass is a good option for fit patients but it is associated with high risk of postoperative complications. The aim of this study was to identify pre-operatively which patients undergoing double bypass are at high risk of complications and to assess their long-term outcome.

METHODS

Of the 576 patients undergoing pancreatic resections between 2006 and 2011, 50 patients who underwent a laparotomy for a planned pancreaticoduodenectomy had a double bypass procedure for inoperable disease. Demographic data, risk factors for postoperative complications and pre-operative anaesthetic assessment data including the Portsmouth Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (P-POSSUM) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) were collected.

RESULTS

Fifty patients (33 men and 17 women) were included in the study. The median patient age was 64 years (range: 39–79 years). The complication rate was 50% and the in-hospital mortality rate was 4%. The P-POSSUM physiology subscore and low anaerobic threshold at CPET were significantly associated with postoperative complications (p=0.005 and p=0.016 respectively) but they were unable to predict them. Overall long-term survival was significantly shorter in patients with postoperative complications (9 vs 18 months). Postoperative complications were independently associated with poorer long-term survival (p=0.003, odds ratio: 3.261).

CONCLUSIONS

P-POSSUM and CPET are associated with postoperative complications but the possibility of using them for risk prediction requires further research. However, postoperative complications following double bypass have a significant impact on long-term survival and this type of surgery should therefore only be performed in specialised centres.
Management of iatrogenic full thickness electrical burn in a preterm neonate using W-plasty technique combined with a median sternotomy incision
Authors: Chipp E , Duncan H , Papini R
Published: November 2012

Burns in the neonatal period are rare and most commonly due to iatrogenic causes. We report a case of a preterm neonate who sustained a full thickness electrical burn following the use of a temporary pacing pad. The case was complicated by significant co-morbidities and the need for cardiac surgery. We describe the surgical management of the case, using excision and closure in the form of a W-plasty. We discuss the reasons for this surgical decision and the importance of managing complex cases such as this on an individual basis.
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum presenting as rhinolalia and chest pain
Authors: Breakey RWF , Walker G , Oldfield W
Published: November 2012

This report discusses a case of spontaneous pneumomediastinum in a 25-year-old medical student. The patient presented with chest pain and a tonal change in voice. Symptoms occurred after an episode of stretching and were exacerbated by coughing. There was no history of underlying respiratory disease and he was a non-smoker. Management was conservative. At the four-week follow-up appointment, bronchoscopy and computed tomography of the thorax demonstrated complete resolution. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is uncommon, with rhinolalia being a rare presenting feature. It should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with chest pain associated with a change in voice. A detailed history may reveal preceding activities associated with raised intrathoracic pressure.
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction complicated by pyoderma gangrenosum
Authors: Bagouri E , Smith Jon , Geutjens G
Published: November 2012

We report a case of pyoderma gangrenosum as a complication of an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in a patient with inflammatory bowel disease, which was misdiagnosed initially as a post-operative wound infection. An early dermatology opinion and skin biopsy should be considered in cases of suspected infection where thorough surgical debridement and antimicrobial therapy has failed to improve the clinical picture.
Failure of Fracture Patients to Attend Their Out Patient Appointments
Authors: Rhind JH , Lovell ME
Published: November 2012

The failure to attend outpatient clinics is a chronic problem throughout the NHS. Previous studies have compared individual specialties. Trauma has received little attention. The average NHS-wide figure for non-attendance in outpatient clinics nationally is often quoted at 12%.1 there is considerable variation in the rate of non-attendance and studies have reported this as ranging from 5% to 34%.
Inadequate Provision of Care for Morbidly Obese Patients in UK Hospitals
Authors: Butcher K , Morgan J , Norton S
Published: November 2012

Obesity rates continue to increase in the UK with nearly 25% of adults now obese and 1–2% morbidly obese. Associated comorbidities include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, increased incidence of cancer and sleep apnoea. These impair quality of life and increase mortality. Furthermore, these illnesses carry a significant cost to the health service and economy, estimated at £3.2 billion in 2007.
Renewable resources-based PTT [poly(trimethylene terephthalate)]/switchgrass fiber composites: The effect of compatibilization
Authors: Reddy Jeevan Prasad , Misra Manjusri , Mohanty Amar
Published: November 2012

In this research, switchgrass (SG) fiber-reinforced poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) biocomposites were prepared by extrusion followed by injection molding machine. The methylene-diphenyl-diisocyanate-polybutadiene (MDIPB) prepolymer was used to enhance the impact strength of the biocomposites. In addition, the polymeric methylene-diphenyl-diisocyanate (PMDI) compatibilizer was used to enhance the mechanical properties of the composites. The effect of compatibilizer on mechanical, crystallization melting, thermomechanical, melt flow index (MFI), morphological, and thermal stability properties of the composites was studied. Thermomechanical properties of the biocomposites were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the interfacial adhesion between the fiber and matrix. The results showed that MDIPB and PMDI have a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. The impact strength of MDIPB- and PMDI-compatibilized composites was increased by 87 % when compared to the uncompatibilized composite.
Syntheses of hyperbranched liquid-crystalline biopolymers with strong adhesion from phenolic phytomonomers
Authors: Wang Siqian , Kaneko Daisaku , Kan Kai , Jin Xin , Kaneko Tatsuo
Published: November 2012

A novel thermotropic liquid-crystalline (LC) biocopolymer, poly{trans-3-methoxyl-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (MHCA: ferulic acid)-co-trans-3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid (DHCA: caffeic acid)}, was synthesized by a thermal acidolysis-polycondensation of MHCA and DHCA, efficiently catalyzed by Na2HPO4. When the MHCA composition of poly(MHCA-co-DHCA) was 60, 75, and 90 mol %, the copolymers showed a nematic LC phase although individual homopolymers such as polyMHCA and polyDHCA did not exhibit LC phase. Poly(MHCA-co-DHCA)s showed high molecular weight (M
w) ranged between M
n 2.6 × 104 to 3.7 × 104 and M
w 8.2 × 104 to 13.1 × 104, respectively, high glass-transition temperature (T
g) with the range of 115 to 140 °C and high degradation temperature T
10, from 315 to 356 °C. In the adhesive test of copolymers against the surface of carbon substrate, the copolymers showed high shear strength at fracture.
Introduction: Teaching Asia Through Film
Authors: Lu Sheldon H.
Published: November 2012

This group of essays originated from the workshop "Teaching Asia Through Film," held at the University of Pittsburgh, May 3-4, 1996. The event was organized by Keiko McDonald and Sheldon Lu, and was sponsored by the Asian Studies Program, the Department of East Asian Languages
and Literatures, and the Film Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh. For the past decade, the Asian Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh has been one of the major undergraduate National Resources Centers (NRC) in East Asian Studies designated by the U.S. Department of
Education. The workshop was largely supported with NRC funds. Speakers include John A. Lent, Keiko McDonald, Lucy Fischer, Marcia Landy, Anne T. Ciecko, Gina Marchetti, and Sheldon Lu. Some of the papers have been revised afterwards for publication in this issue of Asian Cinema, whereas others
retain their original context of presentation at the workshop.