bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trade and the Industrial Specialization of Canadian Manufacturing Regions, 1974 to 1999
Authors: Brown W. Mark
Published: March 2008

Using a longitudinal micro data file of manufacturing plants (1974 to 1999), this study tests the relationship between trade and industrial specialization experienced by regional manufacturing economies. Consistent with trade driven by comparative advantage, the analysis demonstrates that export intensity (exports as a share of output) is positively associated with industrial specialization. This association is strongest in cross-section but remains, albeit weaker, when the data are differenced throughout time. The association between trade and specialization is strongest outside of urban areas and Ontario and Quebec, regions where trade is most likely driven by access to resource endowments. The association between trade and specialization weakens significantly after 1990, a period that corresponds with the rapid integration of the Canadian economy into the U.S. market resulting from trade liberalization.
Integrating Survey and Remote Sensing Data to Analyze Land Use at a Fine Scale: Insights from Agricultural Households in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Caviglia-Harris Jill L. , Harris Daniel W.
Published: March 2008

The ability to model factors influencing land use can be significantly improved by incorporating variables derived from geographic information systems with more detailed survey data. While remote sensing data have the advantage of providing land cover measurements for large areas, survey data collected from households provide a more detailed account of land use. We estimate land use decisions in the Brazilian Amazon with land cover data derived from satellite images merged with observations from a household panel. We focus on the rapidly expanding cattle industry or ``pecuarizaçao'' (cattleization) as well as a potentially competing land use strategy: the planting and harvesting of annual and perennial crops. We identify spatial error in our initial estimations and as a result use corrected models of land use with greater explanatory power and efficiency. Estimation results indicate that both pasture creation and agriculture are determined by similar household and spatial characteristics; however, the impacts of these determinants are in opposing directions for both land uses estimated. We conclude from our survey and satellite comparisons that while remote sensing data may overestimate the extent of pasture, the overestimation is minor. Finally, based on the current extent of pasture, we also conclude that policy that focuses on reducing deforestation within these long-established settlements is most likely inefficient. Rather, policy that addresses the land use practices employed by recent settlers may be more effective in reducing further pasture creation.
Testing Heckscher— Ohlin—Vanek Model Using Spanish Regional Data
Authors: Requena Francisco , Artal Andrés , Castillo Juana
Published: March 2008

The authors conduct an empirical study of the Heckscher—Ohlin—Vanek (HOV) model of trade using regional data rather than country data. Findings for Spanish regions suggest that relaxing the assumption of world factor price equalization alone is not enough to improve the performance of the HOV model. The supposition of world identical and homothetic preferences must also be relaxed. The authors also test whether Spanish regions share the same production techniques. Allowing for productivity-adjusted factor price equalization across regions or region-specific input—output matrices contributes very little toward improving the HOV model's predictive power, suggesting that the state of technology and choice of techniques is similar across Spanish regions.
E-Government in the Islamic Republic of Iran: reaching out to the world?
Authors: Beygijanian Nancy , Richardson John V.
Published: March 2008

The purpose of this article is to reveal the nature and extent of the official English language websites of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the motivating factors for this practice. The main reasons for the relatively large number of English language sites are considered to be the promotion of tourism, a desire for international scientific cooperation, and increased financial dealings. The paper provides information on the English language content of the main Iranian government websites, identifies some of the obstacles to effective access to this content, and argues for improvements in Iranian website design, so that the Iranian government can fully achieve its goals.
Social Structures of Accumulation Theory: The State of the Art
Authors: McDonough Terrence
Published: March 2008

This article summarizes developments within the SSA perspective since the publication of Social Structures of Accumulation: The Political Economy of Growth and Crisis in 1994. The article first overviews the literature produced since 1994, defining the main lines of research, starting with David Gordon's last contributions to the SSA framework before his death in 1996. In addition, a number of contributions from the academic discipline of sociology are highlighted. The geographic reach of the SSA framework has been extended to new areas, most prominently to developing countries. Several authors have applied the SSA framework to the history and analysis of specific institutions, including institutions of criminal justice and social control, as well as corporate structure. The theoretical contributions made by these works in the last ten years or so are assessed. The article concludes with a discussion of whether there is presently a new SSA in the making. JEL classification: B0, B5, E3, N0, N1, N4
Two Perspectives on a Trauma in a Training Group: The Systems-Centred Approach and the Theory of Incohesion: Part I
Authors: Gantt Susan P. , Hopper Earl
Published: March 2008

This paper considers some of the similarities and differences between the theory of living human systems and its systems-centred practice (Agazarian, 1997) and the theory of basic assumptions in general and of incohesion: aggregation/massification as a fourth basic assumption in particular (Hopper, 2003b). Part I of this paper summarises each theory and how they guide clinical practice. Part II presents a traumatogenic group event described retrospectively by group members, and discusses this event from the two perspectives in the service of the clarification and development of each.
Gender and Language Issues in Assessing Early Literacy
Authors: Harper Sarah N. , Pelletier Janette P.
Published: March 2008

The study investigated gender and language group differences in children's performance on two versions of the Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA-2 and TERA-3). Two groups of children consisting of girls and boys and English first language (L1) and English language learners (ELL) participated in the study. Children in Group 1 completed the TERA-2, in which standard procedures involve obtaining a total score of children's early reading ability. Alternatively, children in Group 2 were administered the TERA-3, which yields measures of children's ability on three individual subtests (alphabet, conventions, and meaning). Results showed that gender and language group differences on the TERA-2 were not evident. However, L1 children outperformed ELL children on the meaning subtest of the TERA-3, while showing no differences on either alphabet or conventions. The findings speak to the importance of measuring individual components of early reading to assess children's emergent literacy.
The Social Costs of Career Success for Women
Authors: Tower Leslie E. , Alkadry Mohamad G.
Published: March 2008

Women in the workforce, especially those in professional and management positions, are doubly burdened by social traditions that expect workers to meet masculine standards at the office while maintaining their feminine role of nurturer at home. This article studies the social costs of female career progression using a survey of 1,600 respondents from different levels of the public sector. The results show that working women have an increased incidence of being single or divorced, married working women tend to have more housework responsibilities, and working women have fewer children or are childless. The article concludes that government and business organizations need to pay serious attention to this hidden problem of social costs that affect women and men disproportionately.
Evaluating Collaborative Environmental Planning Outputs and Outcomes
Authors: Mandarano Lynn A.
Published: March 2008

Research documenting the social and organizational benefits of collaborative planning has afforded collaborative planning an increasingly broader role in environmental policy and management. However, the bias toward evaluating the process and its social outcomes has resulted in a gap in knowledge of the impact collaborative environmental planning and management has on changing environmental conditions. This article attempts to reduce this gap by presenting a new performance evaluation framework that assesses collaborative environmental planning outputs and outcomes: both social and environmental. The case study of the Habitat Workgroup of the New York—New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program highlights the utility of this evaluation framework in assessing the quality of key outputs; the presence of outcomes (i.e., changes in social and environmental conditions); and observed relationships between process, outputs, and outcomes.
Fallopian damage induced by organophosphate insecticide methyl parathion, and protective effect of vitamins E and C on ultrastructural changes in rats
Authors: Guney Mehmet , Oral Baha , Demirin Hilmi , Take Gulnur , Giray Seren Gulsen , Altuntas Irfan , Mungan Tamer
Published: March 2008

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of subchronic methyl parathion (MP) administration on lipid peroxidation and fallopian tube damage, and to evaluate the preventive effects of the use of vitamins E and C against toxicity. The experimental groups were: rats treated with corn oil (control group), with 5 mg/kg MP and with 5 mg/kg body weight MP plus vitamins E and C (MP + Vit). The groups were given MP by oral gavage for five days a week for four weeks at a daily dose of 5 mg/kg (MP and MP + Vit) using corn oil as a vehicle. Vitamins E and C were injected at doses of 50 mg/kg intramuscularly and 20 mg/kg intraperitoneally, respectively, just after the treatment with MP in the MP + Vit group. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined in rat plasma. Electron microscopic ultrastuructural and histopathological changes in the fallopian tissue were examined. MDA levels were higher in the MP group than in the control group, and lower in the MP + Vit group than in the MP group. MP led to deletions in microvilli and marked loss in kinocillia of surface epithelium. But these marked histopathological findings decreased in the MP + Vit group. Multiple doses of MP administration caused some damage in the fallopian tube, and treatment with vitamins E and C after MP could reduce this effect. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 429—438.
900 MHz radiofrequency-induced histopathologic changes and oxidative stress in rat endometrium: protection by vitamins E and C
Authors: Guney Mehmet , Ozguner Fehmi , Oral Baha , Karahan Nermin , Mungan Tamer
Published: March 2008

There are numerous reports on the effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in various cellular systems. Mechanisms of adverse effects of EMR indicate that reactive oxygen species (ROS) may play a role in the biological effects of this radiation. The aims of this study were to examine 900 MHz mobile phone-induced oxidative stress that promotes production of ROS and to investigate the role of vitamins E and C, which have antioxidant properties, on endometrial tissue against possible 900MHz mobile phone-induced endometrial impairment in rats. The animals were randomly grouped (eight each) as follows: 1) Control group (without stress and EMR, Group I), 2) sham-operated rats stayed without exposure to EMR (exposure device off, Group II), 3) rats exposed to 900MHz EMR (EMR group, Group III) and 4) a 900MHz EMR exposed + vitamin-treated group (EMR + Vit group, Group IV). A 900 MHz EMR was applied to EMR and EMR + Vit group 30min/day, for 30 days using an experimental exposure device. Endometrial levels of nitric oxide (NO, an oxidant product) and malondialdehyde (MDA, an index of lipid peroxidation), increased in EMR exposed rats while the combined vitamins E and C caused a significant reduction in the levels of NO and MDA. Likewise, endometrial superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities decreased in EMR exposed animals while vitamins E and C caused a significant increase in the activities of these antioxidant enzymes. In the EMR group histopathologic changes in endometrium, diffuse and severe apoptosis was present in the endometrial surface epithelial and glandular cells and the stromal cells. Diffuse eosinophilic leucocyte and lymphocyte infiltration were observed in the endometrial stroma whereas the combination of vitamins E and C caused a significant decrease in these effects of EMR. It is concluded that oxidative endometrial damage plays an important role in the 900 MHz mobile phone-induced endometrial impairment and the modulation of oxidative stress with vitamins E and C reduces the 900MHz mobile phone-induced endometrial damage both at biochemical and histological levels. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 411—420.
Testicular toxicity of chlorpyrifos (an organophosphate pesticide) in albino rat
Authors: Joshi Suresh C , Mathur R. , Gulati N.
Published: March 2008

Organophosphates are among the most widely used synthetic insect pesticides. The widespread use of organophosphates has stimulated research into the possible existence of effects related with their reproductive toxic activity. Present study was therefore, undertaken to assess the effects of chlorpyrifos on testes, the main organ of male reproduction. Chlorpyrifos at the dose levels of 7.5, 12.5 and 17.5 mg/kg b. wt./day was administered orally to male rats of Wistar strain for 30 days to evaluate the toxic alterations in testicular histology, biochemistry, sperm dynamics and testosterone levels. The body weight of animals did not show any significant change, however, a significant reduction was observed in testes. Chlorpyrifos also brought about marked reduction in epididymal and testicular sperm counts in exposed males and a decrease in serum testosterone concentration. Histopathological examination of testes showed mild to severe degenerative changes in seminiferous tubules at various dose levels. Fertility test showed 85% negative results. A significant reduction in the sialic acid content of testes and testicular glycogen was noticed, whereas the protein and cholesterol content was raised at significant levels. All these toxic effects are moderate at low doses and become severe at higher dose levels. From the results of the present study it is concluded that chlorpyrifos induces severe testicular damage and results in reduction in sperm count and thus affect fertility. Small changes in sperm counts are known to have adverse affects on human fertility. Therefore, application of such insecticide should be limited to a designed programme. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 439—444.
Investigating the Quality of Learning Disability Documentation Provided by Students in Higher Education
Authors: Harrison Allyson G. , Nichols Eva , Larochette Anne-Claire
Published: March 2008

Students with specific learning disabilities (LDs) must present documentation of their disability to receive academic supports and services at the postsecondary level. The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of disability documentation being provided by students entering postsecondary education in a Canadian setting and, in doing so, to better evaluate the quality of diagnostic protocols in elementary and secondary school. Disability documentation provided by 247 students applying to receive academic supports was examined at three postsecondary institutions in Ontario. Results indicate that only half of students provided documentation including a psychological report, with the remainder providing either no documentation or school-based identification protocols. Most documentation was incomplete and did not include a clear diagnostic statement, indicating problems with the disability documentation provided by students with LDs in Ontario. Recommendations for improvement of documentation and diagnostic practices at the elementary and secondary schooling levels are discussed.
Do Occupational Group Members Vary in Volunteering Activity?
Authors: Webb Natalie J. , Abzug Rikki
Published: March 2008

The goal of our study is to explore how employees in different occupations report volunteering activities. Starting from the literatures on occupational subcultures and professional norms, the authors hypothesize that both structural constraints and norms of occupations may have an impact on extraorganizational behavior. Analyzing Center on Philanthropy Panel Study data linked with the Institute for Social Research's Panel Study on Income Dynamics, the authors find evidence that individuals in professional, managerial, and military occupations are more likely to volunteer than are individuals in other occupational categories. Controlling for individual demographic and cultural variables, they affirm the explanatory power of occupation on individual volunteering behavior.
The Matching of Motivations to Affordances in the Volunteer Environment
Authors: Stukas Arthur A. , Worth Keilah A. , Clary E. Gil , Snyder Mark
Published: March 2008

The functional approach to volunteerism holds that outcomes from volunteering (e.g., satisfaction and intentions to remain a volunteer) are a function of the match between a volunteer's motivations and affordances to meet those motivations found in the environment (i.e., the volunteer activities, position, or organization). In this article, the authors introduce an index for calculating a volunteer's total number of matches across six motivational categories identified by past research. They demonstrate that this index predicts outcomes better than motives or affordances alone and as well as any univariate match index (i.e., in a particular motivational category). Following logic about strong and weak situational contexts, the authors demonstrate that the magnitude of the total matches effect may be greater when organizational contexts are less structured and smaller when contexts are more structured. They discuss theoretical and practical benefits of this total match index.
Towards an understanding of information literacy in context
Authors: Lloyd Anne , Williamson Kirsty
Published: March 2008

Information literacy (IL) has been described as a core literacy. However emerging empirical research indicates that the phenomenon will have different characteristics in different contexts and will be played out in culturally different ways. This paper reviews the nature and growth of IL to ascertain how researchers understand the phenomenon in various contexts. It then considers the contradictions across contexts and the importance of context to understanding the complexity of IL. The conclusion is that a focus on various contexts, not yet explored, will result in the need for a new agenda for IL research.
Imagine There's No Rural
Authors: Figueiredo Elisabete
Published: March 2008

One of the most relevant issues in the growing (social and institutional) identification of the environment, nature and rural regions is the creation of protected areas.This is held to be an important aspect in the conception of the countryside as an environmental reserve. As a consequence of the processes of industrialization and urbanization which have dominated modern societies in recent decades, as well as from global socio-economic transformation, considerable parts of European rural areas (mainly the southern ones and particularly the Portuguese ones) could essentially be considered as marginal spaces or agricultural areas of low income and productivity.This situation led the majority of Mediterranean countries and some peripheral areas of more central countries in the European Union (from the 1970s onwards) to respond to the pressures and recommendations of international agencies, scientific bodies and of society as a whole in order to convert remote rural areas into spaces for environmental and natural conservation and protection. Despite having some advantages, instituting rural spaces into environmental and natural conservation areas can also present important constraints. In this article we will discuss some problems in the conversion of Portuguese rural areas, as well as consequences for the future of rural regions in Portugal.
SBE (Pvt.) Ltd
Authors: Amir Irfan , Qureshi Kiran
Published: March 2008

In order to achieve better sales growth, Unilever Pakistan Limited (UPL) launched Project Ferrari in July 2002. The launch was the culmination of preparatory work done over a year and a half. Significant investments in terms of time, money and other resources were deployed to conduct an internal assessment of marketing and sales operations of UPL. An assessment of the concerns and issues of stakeholders in the external environment was also done. The external assessment focused on benchmarking UPL's sales and distribution practices and processes with leading multinational manufacturers and distributors in the country. In this regard, a number of UPL distributors were interviewed. The external environment assessment also involved a detailed census of UPL's point of purchase (POP) outlets. This effort, and the subsequent launch of Project Ferrari, was undertaken to achieve a double-digit average annual sales growth through a ‘focused selling’ approach. This approach entailed focusing UPL and distributor sales efforts on product category, as opposed to product assortment. In the two-year post-launch period, UPL faced stiff resistance from SBE (Pvt.) Limited. SBE was one of their major distributors for a part of Lahore. SBE's management believed that if significant revisions were not made in the project, it would have a negative impact on the viability of distributor operations.
Numerical Modeling of Fatigue Damage and Fissure Propagation under Cyclic Loadings
Authors: Bogard F. , Lestriez P. , Guo Y.Q.
Published: March 2008

The purpose of this work is to develop a numerical simulation procedure in order to predict the evolution of the fatigue damage and rupture in mechanical parts (such as rolling bearings and gears) under cyclic loadings. The study of the fatigue damage evolution, from the first defect appearance until the part's failure, is primordial in view of the preventive maintenance. The numerical procedure is based on the continuum damage mechanics and the thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The damage effects are fully coupled with the elasto-plastic constitutive laws on a macroscopic point of view. The Sines fatigue criterion for multiaxial stress states is used to estimate the lifetime of mechanical parts in terms of number of cycles. This numerical model is implemented into Abaqus/Explicit using an user's subroutine (Vumat). A cycle jumping algorithm allows to largely reduce the computation time. Some remeshing techniques are used to follow up the damage and rupture evolutions. The birth and the growth of the damage and rupture can be visualized via the element deleting and remeshing. These numerical tools are applied to a 2D specimen under a cyclic stretching.
Hydroxyurea induced acute elevations in liver function tests
Authors: Hallam Mike J , Kolesar Jill M
Published: March 2008

Hydroxyurea (HU) is a ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor used to treat myeloproliferative diseases including polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET). We describe an 82-year-old male who was started on HU 500 mg three times weekly for the treatment of PV. Eight days after initiation of HU he experienced anorexia, nausea, vomiting, fever, fatigue, dizziness, and shaking chills. Discontinuation of the HU resulted in resolution of his symptoms within 2 days, and HU was re-started. Ten days after re-starting HU, the patient re-presented with nausea and anorexia. Lab tests revealed elevations in liver enzyme function tests, which resolved promptly after cessation of HU. Patients being initiated on HU should be advised that rarely, fevers, chills, nausea, and elevations in liver function tests may occur. J Oncol Pharm Practice (2008) 14: 61—63.
A Theory of the Mechanics of Two Coupled Surfaces
Authors: Nadler Ben
Published: March 2008

In this work the mechanics of two coupled membrane-like surfaces are considered. It will be shown that under special restrictions the finite deformation of the two coupled surfaces can be described using only five field parameters. This is accomplished by introducing a pairing between the two surfaces. The surfaces are permitted to slip with respect to each other subjected to frictional slipping constitutive law, but restricted to maintain full contact at all time. Such a model can be used to model frictional slip in woven fabrics. The weak form of the equations are formulated to be used with the finite element method. This theory furnishes equations of motion and boundary conditions which have clear physical meaning.
On planar biaxial tests for anisotropic nonlinearly elastic solids. A continuum mechanical framework
Authors: Holzapfel Gerhard A. , Ogden Ray W.
Published: March 2008

The mechanical testing of anisotropic nonlinearly elastic solids is a topic of considerable and increasing interest. The results of such testing are important, in particular, for the characterization of the material properties and the development of constitutive laws that can be used for predictive purposes. However, the literature on this topic in the context of soft tissue biomechanics, in particular, includes some papers that are misleading since they contain errors and false statements. Claims that planar biaxial testing can fully characterize the three-dimensional anisotropic elastic properties of soft tissues are incorrect. There is therefore a need to clarify the extent to which biaxial testing can be used for determining the elastic properties of these materials. In this paper this is explained on the basis of the equations of finite deformation transversely isotropic elasticity, and general planar anisotropic elasticity. It is shown that it is theoretically impossible to fully characterize the properties of anisotropic elastic materials using such tests unless some assumption is made that enables a suitable subclass of models to be preselected. Moreover, it is shown that certain assumptions underlying the analysis of planar biaxial tests are inconsistent with the classical linear theory of orthotropic elasticity. Possible sets of independent tests required for full material characterization are then enumerated.
Managing, Learning and Sending
Authors: Burrell Kathy
Published: March 2008

This article investigates the material lives and journeys of eight women who migrated to Britain from Poland during the time of the socialist regime. Although the state created obstructions to emigration, it was viable for women with family overseas to travel to the West as visitors, sometimes turning temporary stays into permanent settlements through marriage. For others, westward travel was made possible by professional employment opportunities. These journeys of migration not only crossed political divides, but also forced a fundamental shift in the material lives of the migrants, transporting them from a shortage economy supported by black market activities to a relatively affluent consumer society. Based on in-depth interviews, this article considers three aspects of the telling of this change in these women's material lives: how they related their material experiences of socialist Poland; how they framed their encounters with their new consumer environment; and how they reconfigured their material relationships with those left behind.
Parental education as an indicator of socioeconomic status: Improving quality of data by requiring consistency across measurement occasions
Authors: Aarø Leif Edvard , Flisher Alan J. , Kaaya Sylvia , Onya Hans , Namisi Francis S. , Wubs Annegreet
Published: March 2008

Aims: Adolescents' reports of parents' education are sometimes used as indicators of socioeconomic status in surveys of health behaviour. The quality of such measurements is questionable. We hypothesized that consistent reporting of parents' education across measurement occasions in prospective panel studies indicates a higher quality of data than single or inconsistent reports. Methods: A multi-site, prospective panel study (three measurement occasions) was carried out among adolescents in Cape Town and Mankweng (South Africa), and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). Analyses were based on data from students participating at baseline and with a valid code for school number (n = 15,684). Results: For Cape Town and Dar es Salaam students, the associations between parents' education and an alternative indicator of socioeconomic status (both measured at baseline) increased with increasing consistency of reports about parents' education across measurement occasions. For Cape Town, the associations of father's education with a range of behavioural and social cognition variables were significantly stronger among ``consistent'' than among other students. The pattern was the same for mother's education, but with fewer significant interaction effects. Conclusions: Requiring consistency of reports across data-collection occasions may, under the right combination of circumstances, make a difference. Insignificant and ``close to zero'' associations may turn out to be at least moderately strong and statistically significant. When applying indicators of socioeconomic status, such as parents' highest level of completed education, it is most advantageous to use data from prospective panel studies, and to check for consistency of answers across measurement occasions.
Lithuanian general practitioners' knowledge of confidentiality laws in adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Lazarus Jeffrey V. , Jaruseviciene Lina , Liljestrand Jerker
Published: March 2008

Background: In Lithuania, the legislation addressing confidentiality in adolescent healthcare is contradictory and vague. Previous studies have also revealed that medico-legal knowledge among physicians is poor, and attitudes play a correspondingly greater role than legal knowledge in ensuring the confidentiality of patients. Objective: To survey the knowledge of Lithuanian general practitioner (GPs) of legal issues surrounding confidentiality for minors in sexual and reproductive healthcare. Methods: A 41-item questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 607 GPs. Their legal knowledge was evaluated with respect to the provisions of the Lithuanian Law on the Rights of Patients and Compensation for Health Damage. The analysis included descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to estimate odds ratios for the eight independent variables (age, gender, type, location, ownership, size, frequency of consultations, and existence of a written office policy). Results: The response rate was 73.5%. Of these respondents, 49.3% proved to be knowledgeable about legal standards protecting the confidentiality of adolescents in healthcare. Knowledgeability was found to be higher among GPs who had a written office policy that was based on the law. Respondents stated that the most important measure to improve confidentiality in adolescent healthcare would be the development of an explicit legal framework to address it. Conclusions: GPs' unfamiliarity with existing confidentiality regulations implies that there are ways to improve confidentiality in sexual and reproductive care beyond merely changing the law. This study suggests the need for a comprehensive strategy, including the development of professional guidelines and written office policies coupled with legal educational programmes directed at GPs.
Economic consequences of incident disease: The effect on loss of annual income
Authors: Rayce Signe L. , Christensen Ulla , Hougaard Charlotte Ø. , Diderichsen Finn
Published: March 2008

Aims: To estimate the effect of incident disease on loss of annual income on an individual level, to analyse whether loss of job mediates the effect on loss of annual income, to analyse whether an association is modified by socioeconomic position, and to determine whether the effect on annual income is similar across three different diagnostic categories with different consequences in terms of functional limitations. Methods: This was a register-based study with a longitudinal design using a register of the Danish population covering 412,450 person years. Data on hospitalization are linked to information on income and employment. The setting was a 10% random sample of all individuals living in Denmark and aged 43—60 years in 1996—99. Results: Male cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), female cases of breast cancer and both male and female cases of intervertebral disease were associated with an increased and equally strong risk for experiencing a loss of annual income corresponding to one income decile (>25,000 DKK) in the year following disease (odds ratio (OR) from 1.37 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09—1.72) to 1.57 (95% CI 1.21—2.04)). No significant effect of female AMI was found. The effects of intervertebral disease and male AMI were mediated by loss of employment. This was not the case for breast cancer. No modifying effects of income level or occupational class were found. Conclusions: Despite different functional limitations, the three disorders have equally strong effects on annual income. This might be interpreted as a buffering effect of the welfare policies in relation to the more discriminating demands of the labour market.
Community learning disability teams: developments, composition and good practice
Authors: Slevin Eamonn , Truesdale-Kennedy Maria , McConkey Roy , Barr Owen , Taggart Laurence
Published: March 2008

This article presents the findings from a literature review related to community learning disability teams (CLDTs). Much of the existing literature on CLDTs is inspirational, theoretical or opinion based rather than evidence based. It was considered that current knowledge is insufficient to allow a systematic review; therefore a structured review of factors that impact on CLDTs was undertaken following some of the principles of a systematic review. The review covers historical and philosophical influences on the development of CLDTs; the structure and common composition of CLDTs; the main challenges facing CLDTs; and the barriers that impact on their effective working. Based on the available evidence a number of good practice suggestions are forwarded that have the potential to enhance the work undertaken by CLDTs, but it is acknowledged that there is a need for more research into the effectiveness of these teams.
Psycho-educational groups for people with a dual diagnosis of psychosis and mild intellectual disability
Authors: Crowley Valerie , Rose John , Smith Jo , Hobster Kate , Ansell Eleanor
Published: March 2008

There have been considerable developments in psychosocial interventions for people with psychosis, but few studies on their application to individuals with a dual diagnosis of intellectual disability and psychosis. This includes the use of psycho-educational groups to develop a greater understanding of the impact of psychosis. Eight individuals with a dual diagnosis of mild to borderline intellectual disabilities and psychosis took part in a psycho-education group supported by a carer. Measures of knowledge and self-esteem were completed pre- and post-group. All participants completed the programme and measures of psychosis knowledge showed increases post-group. The participants were able to understand the concept of psychosis, the need for medication, the role of stress and early signs of relapse. This approach may help participants to have a better understanding of their condition and prepare them to cope better in the future.
Heparanase regulates retention and proliferation of primitive Sca-1+/c-Kit+/Lin− cells via modulation of the bone marrow microenvironment
Authors: Spiegel Asaf , Zcharia Eyal , Vagima Yaron , Itkin Tomer , Kalinkovich Alexander , Dar Ayelet , Kollet Orit , Netzer Neta , Golan Karin , Shafat Itay , Ilan Neta , Nagler Arnon , Vlodavsky Israel , Lapidot Tsvee
Published: March 2008

Heparanase is involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Because of its unique cleavage of heparan sulfate, which binds cytokines, chemokines and proteases, we hypothesized that heparanase is also involved in regulation of early stages of hematopoiesis. We report reduced numbers of maturing leukocytes but elevated levels of undifferentiated Sca-1+/c-Kit+/Lin− cells in the bone marrow (BM) of mice overexpressing heparanase (hpa-Tg). This resulted from increased proliferation and retention of the primitive cells in the BM microenvironment, manifested in increased SDF-1 turnover. Furthermore, heparanase overexpression in mice was accompanied by reduced protease activity of MMP-9, elastase, and cathepsin K, which regulate stem and progenitor cell mobilization. Moreover, increased retention of the progenitor cells also resulted from up-regulated levels of stem cell factor (SCF) in the BM, in particular in the stem cell–rich endosteum and endothelial regions. Increased SCF-induced adhesion of primitive Sca-1+/c-Kit+/Lin− cells to osteoblasts was also the result of elevation of the receptor c-Kit. Regulation of these phenomena is mediated by hyperphosphorylation of c-Myc in hematopoietic progenitors of hpa-Tg mice or after exogenous heparanase addition to wildtype BM cells in vitro. Altogether, our data suggest that heparanase modification of the BM microenvironment regulates the retention and proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells.
Lenalidomide induces complete and partial remissions in patients with relapsed and refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Ferrajoli Alessandra , Lee Bang-Ning , Schlette Ellen J. , O'Brien Susan M. , Gao Hui , Wen Sijin , Wierda William G. , Estrov Zeev , Faderl Stefan , Cohen Evan N. , Li Changping , Reuben James M. , Keating Michael J.
Published: March 2008

This study investigated the activity of lenalidomide in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Lenalidomide was given at 10 mg daily with dose escalation up to 25 mg daily. Three patients (7%) achieved a complete response (CR), one a nodular partial remission, and 10 patients a partial remission (PR), for an overall response (OR) rate of 32%. Treatment with lenalidomide was associated with an OR rate of 31% in patients with 11q or 17p deletion, of 24% in patients with unmutated VH, and of 25% in patients with fludarabine-refractory disease. The most common toxicity was myelosuppression, and the median daily dose of lenalidomide tolerated was 10 mg. Plasma levels of angiogenic factors, inflammatory cytokines, and cytokine receptors were measured at baseline, day 7, and day 28. There was a dramatic increase in median interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-2, and tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 levels on day 7, whereas no changes were observed in median vascular endothelial growth factor levels (20 patients studied). According to our experience, lenalidomide given as a continuous treatment has antitumor activity in heavily pretreated patients with CLL. This trial is registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as no. NCT00267059.
Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (matrilysin) controls neutrophil egress by generating chemokine gradients
Authors: Swee Mei , Wilson Carole L , Wang Ying , McGuire John K , Parks William C
Published: March 2008

Matrilysin [matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7)] is induced by mucosal injury of many tissues. To assess function of this proteinase, we subjected wild-type and Mmp7−/− mice to acute colon injury. When matrilysin expression was increasing, 73% of wild-type mice died, whereas only 32% of Mmp7−/− mice succumbed. Although re-epithelialization was delayed in Mmp7−/− mice, overall injury did not differ markedly between genotypes. We hypothesized that differences in acute inflammation caused increased mortality in wild-type mice. Indeed, whereas overall neutrophil influx into tissue was similar in wild-type and Mmp7−/− mice, their location and extent of migration differed between genotypes. Neutrophils were dispersed throughout the mucosa and within the lumen of wild-type mice, but these leukocytes were largely confined to the submucosa in Mmp7−/− mice. The levels of neutrophil chemokines, keratinocyte-derived chemokine and MIP-2, increased in the colon tissue of both genotypes, but these factors were detected only in lumenal lavages of wild-type mice. Our findings indicate that matrilysin mediates beneficial and deleterious effects in response to injury. On one hand, it promotes re-epithelialization, but it also controls the transepithelial influx of neutrophils, which if excessive, can lead to tissue damage.
Relationship of Serum Antimüllerian Hormone Concentration to Age at Menopause
Authors: van Disseldorp J. , Faddy M. J. , Themmen A. P. N. , de Jong F. H. , Peeters P. H. M. , van der Schouw Y. T. , Broekmans F. J. M.
Published: March 2008

Background: Serum antimüllerian hormone (AMH) levels are highly correlated with antral follicle counts, while being menstrual cycle independent and easily measurable. However, AMH, unlike antral follicle counts, has not been tested as yet as a predictor of reproductive status. By relating AMH levels to the age distribution of reproductive events like onset of menopause, we tested this hypothesis.

Methods: AMH levels were measured in 144 fertile normal volunteers and used to determine an estimate of mean AMH as a function of age. Data on the onset of menopause were obtained from the population-based Prospect-European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition [Prospect-EPIC] cohort. Estimation of an AMH threshold to predict menopause was done by maximum likelihood using the observed (Prospect-EPIC) distribution of age at menopause and the predictive distribution from this AMH threshold. Predictions of age at menopause follow from an individual woman’s AMH relative to percentiles of the distribution of AMH for a given age, and the corresponding percentiles of the predictive distribution of age at menopause.

Results: There was good conformity between the observed distribution of age at menopause and that predicted from declining AMH levels.

Conclusions: The similarity between observed and predictive distributions of age at menopause supports the hypothesis that AMH levels are related to onset of menopause. Results of this study suggest that AMH is able to specify a woman’s reproductive age more realistically than chronological age alone.
Associations of Serum Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin and Sex Hormone Concentrations with Hip Fracture Risk in Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Lee Jennifer S. , LaCroix Andrea Z. , Wu LieLing , Cauley Jane A. , Jackson Rebecca D. , Kooperberg Charles , Leboff Meryl S. , Robbins John , Lewis Cora E. , Bauer Douglas C. , Cummings Steven R.
Published: March 2008

Context: Endogenous estradiol, testosterone, and SHBG may influence the risk of hip fracture.

Design and Methods: From the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, 39,793 eligible postmenopausal women did not have a previous hip fracture and were not using estrogen or other bone-active therapies. Of these, 400 who had a first-time nonpathological hip fracture (median follow-up, 7 yr) were matched to 400 controls by age, ethnicity, and baseline blood draw date. Estradiol, testosterone, and SHBG were measured in banked baseline serum.

Results: Compared with women in the lowest tertiles, those with bioavailable testosterone in the highest tertile had a lower risk [odds ratio (OR) = 0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.44–0.88]; those with bioavailable estradiol in the highest tertile had a lower risk (OR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.29–0.66), and those with SHBG in the highest tertile had a higher risk (OR = 1.90; 95% CI = 1.31–2.74) of hip fracture. In models with all three hormones and potential confounders, high SHBG remained a strong independent risk factor (OR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.12–2.78), high bioavailable testosterone remained protective (OR = 0.64; 95% CI = 0.40–1.00), but estradiol no longer was associated (OR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.42–1.23).

Conclusions: High serum SHBG is associated with an increased risk of subsequent hip fracture and high endogenous testosterone with a decreased risk, independent of each other, serum estradiol concentration, and other putative risk factors. But endogenous estradiol has no independent association with hip fracture.
PGE2-mediated podosome loss in dendritic cells is dependent on actomyosin contraction downstream of the RhoA–Rho-kinase axis
Authors: van Helden Suzanne F. G. , Oud Machteld M. , Joosten Ben , Peterse Niels , Figdor Carl G. , van Leeuwen Frank N.
Published: March 2008

Podosomes are dynamic adhesion structures found in dendritic cells (DCs) and other cells of the myeloid lineage. We previously showed that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), an important proinflammatory mediator produced during DC maturation, induces podosome disassembly within minutes after stimulation. Here, we demonstrate that this response is mediated by cAMP elevation, occurs downstream of Rho kinase and is dependent on myosin II. Whereas PGE2 stimulation leads to activation of the small GTPase RhoA, decreased levels of Rac1-GTP and Cdc42-GTP are observed. These results show that PGE2 stimulation leads to activation of the RhoA–Rho-kinase axis to promote actomyosin-based contraction and subsequent podosome dissolution. Because podosome disassembly is accompanied by de novo formation of focal adhesions, we propose that the disassembly/formation of these two different adhesion structures is oppositely regulated by actomyosin contractility and relative activities of RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42.
The minipig model for experimental chondral and osteochondral defect repair in tissue engineering: Retrospective analysis of 180 defects
Authors: Gotterbarm T , Breusch S J , Schneider U , Jung M
Published: March 2008

Articular cartilage repair is still a challenge in orthopaedic surgery. Although many treatment options have been developed in the last decade, true regeneration of hyaline articular cartilage is yet to be accomplished. In vitro experiments are useful for evaluating cell–matrix interactions under controlled parameters. When introducing new treatment options into clinical routine, adequate animal models are capable of closing the gap between in vitro experiments and the clinical use in human beings. We developed an animal model in the Göttingen minipig (GMP) to evaluate the healing of osteochondral or full-thickness cartilage defects. The defects were located in the middle third of the medial portion of the patellofemoral joint at both distal femurs. Chondral defects were 6.3 mm, osteochondral defects either 5.4 or 6.3 mm in diameter and 8 or 10 mm deep. In both defects the endogenous repair response showed incomplete repair tissue formation up to 12 months postoperatively. Based on its limited capability for endogenous repair of chondral and osteochondral defects, the GMP is a useful model for critical assessment of new treatment strategies in articular cartilage tissue engineering.