bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oncocytic cystadenoma of the parotid gland with prominent signet‐ring cell features
Authors: Michal Michal , Hrabal Petr , Skálová Alena
Published: December 2008

A case of distinctive benign cystadenoma of the parotid gland composed of several different morphological components is presented. The most conspicuous morphological component and the largest part of the neoplasm was represented by solid sheets of oncocytlc cells surrounded by myoepithelial cell layer. Most oncocytlc cells possessed large intracytoplasmic vacuoles with the nuclei displaced towards the periphery, Imparting them wlth a striking signet‐ring cell appearance. The size of the intracytoplasmic vacuoles ranged from 4 to 50 pn. lmmunohistochemically these signet‐ring cells lacked lmmunoreactivity for S‐100 protein and cytokeratin but they strongly stained for anti‐mitochondrial antibody 113–1. The present case illustrates an unusual, hitherto undescribed, morphological feature of benign onmcytic cystadenoma of the parotid gland.
Alterations of p53 gene and Ha‐ras gene are independent events in solar keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Taguchi Masahito , Tsuchida Tetsuya , Ikeda Shigeo , Sekiya Takao
Published: December 2008

In order to clarify the multiple‐step progression from solar keratosis to squamous cell carcinoma, aberrations of the p53 gene (exons 2–11) and ras genes (exons 1 and 2) in solar keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma were investigated by polymerase chain reaction and single‐strand conformation polymorphism analysis. In a series of Japanese patients, eight of 27 (30%) samples of solar keratosis and three of six (50%) samples of squamous cell carcinoma showed structural abnormalities in the p53 gene. Only one solar keratosis (4%) showed a point mutation in the Ha‐ras gene but not in the p53 gene. Among these cases, no mutation of ras genes could be detected in squamous cell carcinoma. Simultaneous mutation of ras genes and the p53 gene was not detected in any cases of either solar keratosis or squamous cell carcinoma. It is concluded that aberrations of the p53 gene and ras genes are induced through independent processes of ultraviolet irradiation In the course of carcinogenic change from solar keratosis to squamous cell carcinoma.
Regulation of tumor growth as a ‘total mass' in mice: Apoptosis as a major mechanism in altering growth rates of single and multiple coexisting tumor nodules
Authors: Naora Honami , Seno Satimaru , Naora Hiroto
Published: December 2008

Earlier studies have suggested that a did tumor behaves, In Its general pattern of growth, like a normal Integrated organ. In this study, the growth patterns of spherically shaped tumor nodules are re‐examlned using an accurate tumor volumemeasuring procedure, with the aim of lnveetlgattng the possible role of apoptosis in regulating tumor growth. Observations revealed at least three distinct phases at growth: rapid growth phase I, slower growth phase II and ‘stationary’ phase III. Transkion from one phase to the next was primarily due to an increase in the level of apoptosis and not to a decrease in the cell proliferation rate. The level of apoptosis, at a given phase, was similar in a single nodule and each of the multiple coexisting nodules of the same tumor line. However, temporal shifts in apoptosis levds caused early phase transition in coexisting nodules, such that their total volume was the same as that of a single nodule. it can be concluded that apoptasls appears to be a primary mechanism regulating tumor growth as a ‘total mass’, irrespective of whether the tumor exists in one or multiple nodules, if derived from the same tumor line.
Chondromyxoid fibroma of the distal phalanx of the great toe: A tumor with unusual histological findings
Authors: Kim Young‐Sik , Jean Seung Ju , Cha Sang Hoon , Kim Insun
Published: December 2008

Chondromyxold fibroma (CMF) rarely arises in the distal phalanx of the foot and less than 20 cases have been reported In the literature. It has also been known to show a wide spectrum of histology mlmlcking other primary bone tumors. An unusual case of CMF arising in the dlstal phalanx of the left great toe is reported because of Its unique anatomic site of origin and histology. A 53‐year‐old female presented with a slow growing, painful great toe of the left foot which she had had for 3 years. She had first noticed the mass 25 years ago. On admission, plain X‐ray revealed an osteolytic mass with a sclerotic margin expanding to the distal phalanx of the great toe. Interestingly, the lesion was microscopically composed of hypercellular chondromyxoid lobules separated by hypocellular fibrous tissue, which is in contrast to the typical histology of CMF. In addition, the lesion showed an aggregate of tumor cells with pleomorphic multinucleate or giant nuclel within the chondromyxold matrix, which were not similar to the osteoclast‐llke type. Perhaps these unusual histologlcal findings may be associated with its long duration and presenting location.
Hypothyroidism impairs chloride homeostasis and onset of inhibitory neurotransmission in developing auditory brainstem and hippocampal neurons
Authors: Friauf Eckhard , Wenz Meike , Oberhofer Martin , Nothwang Hans Gerd , Balakrishnan Veeramuthu , Knipper Marlies , Löhrke Stefan
Published: December 2008

Thyroid hormone (TH) deficiency during perinatal life causes a multitude of functional and morphological deficits in the brain. In rats and mice, TH dependency of neural maturation is particularly evident during the first 1–2 weeks of postnatal development. During the same period, synaptic transmission via the inhibitory transmitters glycine and GABA changes from excitatory depolarizing effects to inhibitory hyperpolarizing ones in most neurons [deploarizing–hyperpolarizing (D/H) shift]. The D/H shift is caused by the activation of the K+–Cl− co‐transporter KCC2 which extrudes Cl− from the cytosol, thus generating an inward‐directed electrochemical Cl− gradient. Here we analyzed whether the D/H shift and, consequently, the onset of inhibitory neurotransmission are influenced by TH. Gramicidin perforated‐patch recordings from auditory brainstem neurons of experimentally hypothyroid rats revealed depolarizing glycine effects until postnatal day (P)11, i.e. almost 1 week longer than in control rats, in which the D/H shift occurred at ∼P5–6. Likewise, until P12–13 the equilibrium potential EGly in hypothyroids was more positive than the membrane resting potential. Normal EGly could be restored upon TH substitution in P11–12 hypothyroids. These data demonstrate a disturbed Cl− homeostasis following TH deficiency and point to a delayed onset of synaptic inhibition. Interestingly, immunohistochemistry demonstrated an unchanged KCC2 distribution in hypothyroids, implying that TH deficiency did not affect KCC2 gene expression but may have impaired the functional status of KCC2. Hippocampal neurons of hypothyroid P16–17 rats also demonstrated an impaired Cl− homeostasis, indicating that TH may have promoted the D/H shift and maturation of synaptic inhibition throughout the brain.
Non‐photic phase shifting of the circadian clock: role of the extracellular signal‐responsive kinases I/II/mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway
Authors: Antle Michael C. , Tse Floria , Koke Sydney J. , Sterniczuk Roxanne , Hagel Kimberly
Published: December 2008

The master circadian clock, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is synchronized to the external world primarily through exposure to light. A second class of stimuli based on arousal or activity can also reset the hamster circadian clock in a manner distinct from light. The mechanism underlying these non‐photic phase shifts is unknown, although suppression of canonical clock genes and immediate early genes has been implicated. Recently, suppression of one of the mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPK), namely extracellular signal‐responsive kinases I/II (ERK), has been implicated in phase shifts to dark pulses, a stimulus with both photic and non‐photic components. We investigated the involvement of the ERK/MAPK pathway in phase shifts in response to 3 h of sleep deprivation initiated at mid‐day. About three‐quarters of animals subjected to this procedure demonstrated large phase advances of about 3 h. Those that shifted exhibited a significant decrease in phosphorylated ERK (p‐ERK) in the SCN. Those animals that were perfused during the sleep deprivation also exhibited immunoreactivity for p‐ERK in a distinct portion of the ventrolateral SCN. Finally, injections of U0126 to the SCN to prevent phosphorylation of ERK significantly decreased levels of p‐ERK but did not produce phase shifts. These data demonstrate that a purely non‐photic manipulation is able to alter the activity of the MAPK pathway in the SCN, with downregulation in the SCN shell and activation in a portion of the SCN core.
Early onset of deafening‐induced song deterioration and differential requirements of the pallial‐basal ganglia vocal pathway
Authors: Horita Haruhito , Wada Kazuhiro , Jarvis Erich D.
Published: December 2008

Similar to humans, songbirds rely on auditory feedback to maintain the acoustic and sequence structure of adult learned vocalizations. When songbirds are deafened, the learned features of song, such as syllable structure and sequencing, eventually deteriorate. However, the time‐course and initial phases of song deterioration have not been well studied, particularly in the most commonly studied songbird, the zebra finch. Here, we observed previously uncharacterized subtle but significant changes to learned song within a few days following deafening. Syllable structure became detectably noisier and silent intervals between song motifs increased. Although song motif sequences remained stable at 2 weeks, as previously reported, pronounced changes occurred in longer stretches of song bout sequences. These included deletions of syllables between song motifs, changes in the frequency at which specific chunks of song were produced and stuttering for birds that had some repetitions of syllables before deafening. Changes in syllable structure and song bout sequence occurred at different rates, indicating different mechanisms for their deterioration. The changes in syllable structure required an intact lateral part but not the medial part of the pallial‐basal ganglia vocal pathway, whereas changes in the song bout sequence did not require lateral or medial portions of the pathway. These findings indicate that deafening‐induced song changes in zebra finches can be detected rapidly after deafening, that acoustic and sequence changes can occur independently, and that, within this time period, the pallial‐basal ganglia vocal pathway controls the acoustic structure changes but not the song bout sequence changes.
Diacylglycerol kinase β accumulates on the perisynaptic site of medium spiny neurons in the striatum
Authors: Hozumi Yasukazu , Fukaya Masahiro , Adachi Naoko , Saito Naoaki , Otani Koichi , Kondo Hisatake , Watanabe Masahiko , Goto Kaoru
Published: December 2008

Following activation of Gq protein‐coupled receptors, phospholipase C yields a pair of second messengers, i.e. diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate. The former activates protein kinase C and the latter mobilizes Ca2+ from intracellular store. DAG kinase (DGK) then phosphorylates DAG to produce another second messenger (phosphatidic acid). Of 10 mammalian DGK isozymes, DGKβ is expressed in dopaminergic projection fields with the highest level in the striatum and its particular splice variant is differentially expressed in patients with bipolar disorder. To gain molecular anatomical evidence for its signaling role, we investigated the cellular expression and subcellular localization of DGKβ in the striatum of rat brain. DGKβ was expressed in medium spiny neurons constituting the striatonigral and striatopallidal pathways, whereas striatal interneurons were below the detection threshold. DGKβ was distributed in somatodendritic elements of medium spiny neurons and localized in association with the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane or in the narrow cytoplasmic space between them. In particular, DGKβ exhibited dense accumulation at perisynaptic sites on dendritic spines forming asymmetrical synapses. The characteristic anatomical localization was consistent with exclusive enrichment of DGKβ in the microsomal and postsynaptic density fractions. Intriguingly, DGKβ was very similar in immunohistochemical and immunochemical distribution to Gq‐coupled receptors, such as metabotropic glutamate receptors 1 and 5, and also to other downstream molecules involving DAG metabolism, such as phospholipase C β and DAG lipase. These findings suggest that abundant DGKβ is provided to perisynaptic sites of medium spiny neurons so that it can effectively produce phosphatidic acid upon activation of Gq‐coupled receptors and modulate the cellular state of striatal output neurons.
Rapid integration of young newborn dentate gyrus granule cells in the adult hippocampal circuitry
Authors: Ide Yoko , Fujiyama Fumino , Okamoto‐Furuta Keiko , Tamamaki Nobuaki , Kaneko Takeshi , Hisatsune Tatsuhiro
Published: December 2008

Newborn dentate gyrus granule cells (DGCs) are integrated into the hippocampal circuitry and contribute to the cognitive functions of learning and memory. The dendritic maturation of newborn DGCs in adult mice occurs by the first 3–4 weeks, but DGCs seem to receive a variety of neural inputs at both their dendrites and soma even shortly after their birth. However, few studies on the axonal maturation of newborn DGCs have focused on synaptic structure. Here, we investigated the potentiality of output and input in newborn DGCs, especially in the early period after terminal mitosis. We labeled nestin‐positive progenitor cells by injecting GFP Cre‐reporter adenovirus into Nestin‐Cre mice, enabling us to trace the development of progenitor cells by their GFP expression. In addition to GABAergic input from interneurons, we observed that the young DGCs received axosomatic input from the medial septum as early as postinfection day 7 (PID 7). To evaluate the axonal maturation of the newborn DGCs compared with mature DCGs, we performed confocal and electron microscopic analyses. We observed that newborn DGCs projected their mossy fibers to the CA3 region, forming small terminals on hilar or CA3 interneurons and large boutons on CA3 pyramidal cells. These terminals expressed vesicular glutamate transporter 1, indicating they were glutamatergic terminals. Intriguingly, the terminals at PID 7 had already formed asymmetric synapses, similar to those of mature DGCs. Together, our findings suggest that newborn DGCs may form excitatory synapses on both interneurons and CA3 pyramidal cells within 7 days of their terminal mitosis.
Topography of attention in the primary visual cortex
Authors: Simola Jaana , Stenbacka Linda , Vanni Simo
Published: December 2008

Previous research suggests that feedback circuits mediate the effect of attention to the primary visual cortex (V1). This inference is mainly based on temporal information of the responses, where late modulation is associated with feedback signals. However, temporal data alone are inconclusive because the anatomical hierarchy between cortical areas differs significantly from the temporal sequence of activation. In the current work, we relied on recent physiological and computational models of V1 network architecture, which have shown that the thalamic feedforward, local horizontal and feedback contribution are reflected in the spatial spread of responses. We used multifocal functional localizer and quantitative analysis in functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine the spatial scales of attention and sensory responses. Representations of 60 visual field regions in V1 were functionally localized and four of these regions were targets in a subsequent attention experiment, where human volunteers fixated centrally and performed a visual discrimination task at the attended location. Attention enhanced the peak amplitudes significantly more in the lower than in the upper visual field. This enhancement by attention spread with a 2.4 times larger radius (approximately 10 mm, assuming an average magnification factor) compared with the unattended response. The corresponding target region of interest was on average 20% stronger than that caused by the afferent sensory stimulation alone. This modulation could not be attributed to eye movements. Given the contemporary view of primate V1 connections, the activation spread along the cortex provides further evidence that the signal enhancement by spatial attention is dependent on feedback circuits.
Preferential allocation to beneficial symbiont with spatial structure maintains mycorrhizal mutualism
Authors: Bever James D. , Richardson Sarah C. , Lawrence Brandy M. , Holmes Jonathan , Watson Maxine
Published: December 2008

Mutualisms, beneficial interactions between species, are expected to be unstable because delivery of benefit likely involves fitness costs and selection should favour partners that deliver less benefit. Yet, mutualisms are common and persistent, even in the largely promiscuous associations between plants and soil microorganisms such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In two different systems, we demonstrate preferential allocation of photosynthate by host plants to the more beneficial of two AM fungal symbionts. This preferential allocation could allow the persistence of the mutualism if it confers sufficient advantage to the beneficial symbiont that it overcomes the cost of mutualism. We find that the beneficial fungus does increase in biomass when the fungi are spatially separated within the root system. However, in well‐mixed fungal communities, non‐beneficial fungi proliferate as expected from their reduced cost of mutualism. Our findings suggest that preferential allocation within spatially structured microbial communities can stabilize mutualisms between plants and root symbionts.
Death and cannibalism in a seasonal environment facilitate bacterial coexistence
Authors: Rozen Daniel E. , Philippe Nadège , Arjan de Visser J. , Lenski Richard E. , Schneider Dominique
Published: December 2008

Bacterial populations can evolve and adapt to become diverse niche specialists, even in seemingly homogeneous environments. One source of this diversity arises from newly ‘constructed’ niches that result from the activities of the bacteria themselves. Ecotypes specialized to exploit these distinct niches can subsequently coexist via frequency‐dependent interactions. Here, we describe a novel form of niche construction that is based upon differential death and cannibalism, and which evolved during 20 000 generations of experimental evolution in Escherichia coli in a seasonal environment with alternating growth and starvation. In one of 12 populations, two monophyletic ecotypes, S and L, evolved that stably coexist with one another. When grown and then starved in monoculture, the death rate of S exceeds that of L, whereas the reverse is observed in mixed cultures. As shown by experiments and numerical simulations, the competitive advantage of S cells is increased by extending the period of starvation, and this advantage results from their cannibalization of the debris of lysed L cells, which allows the S cells to increase both their growth rate and total cell density. At the molecular level, the polymorphism is associated with divergence in the activity of the alternative sigma factor RpoS, with S cells displaying no detectable activity, while L cells show increased activity relative to the ancestral genotype. Our results extend the repertoire of known cross‐feeding mechanisms in microbes to include cannibalism during starvation, and confirm the central roles for niche construction and seasonality in the maintenance of microbial polymorphisms.
DETERMINANTS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT – A TALE OF NINE THEORETICAL MODELS
Authors: Faeth Isabel
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis paper presents a review of nine theoretical models of foreign direct investment (FDI). Discussed are early studies of determinants of FDI (1) as well as determinants of FDI based on the neoclassical trade theory (2), ownership advantages (3), aggregate variables (4), the ownership, location and internalization advantage framework (5), horizontal and vertical FDI models (6), the knowledge‐capital model (7), diversified FDI and risk diversification models (8) and policy variables (9). From each of the nine theories, the relevant determinants of FDI are derived. Empirical studies indicate the importance of these determinants in the real world. The paper shows that there is not one single theory of FDI, but a variety of theoretical models attempting to explain FDI and the location decision of multinational firms. Therefore, any analysis of determinants of FDI should not be based on a single theoretical model. Instead, FDI should be explained more broadly by a combination of factors from a variety of theoretical models such as ownership advantages or agglomeration economics, market size and characteristics, cost factors, transport costs, protection, risk factors and policy variables.
Politics and Growth
Authors: Williams Gareth , Duncan Alex , Landell‐Mills Pierre , Unsworth Sue
Published: December 2008

Theories of growth have made progress in understanding the mechanisms of growth in economic terms. However, there is less understanding of the political processes that enable or obstruct these mechanisms. This article provides a four‐stage framework to clarify and analyse the connections between politics and growth: (i) discussing the basic conditions essential for growth; (ii) suggesting that whether or not these conditions emerge depends on specific forms of public‐private interaction; (iii) linking these relationships to the incentives facing those in political power and investors; and (iv) considering the factors at country level that may help to push incentives in a pro‐growth direction.
Spatial‐Scene Similarity Queries
Authors: Nedas Konstantinos A , Egenhofer Max J
Published: December 2008

Assessing spatial scenes for similarity is difficult from a cognitive and computational perspective. Solutions to spatial‐scene similarity assessments are sensible only if corresponding elements in the compared scenes are identified correctly. This matching process becomes increasingly complex and error‐prone for large spatial scenes as it is questionable how to choose one set of associations over another or how to account quantitatively for unmatched elements. We develop a comprehensive methodology for similarity queries over spatial scenes that incorporates cognitively motivated approaches about scene comparisons, together with explicit domain knowledge about spatial objects and their relations for the relaxation of spatial query constraints. Along with a sound graph‐theoretical methodology, this approach provides the foundation for plausible reasoning about spatial‐scene similarity queries.
Risk factors for stroke‐related pain 1 year after first‐ever stroke
Authors: Lundström E. , Smits A. , Terént A. , Borg J.
Published: December 2008

Objective:  To estimate the prevalence of stroke‐related pain and to explore its relation to spasticity.

Design:  Cross‐sectional survey.

Patients and methods:  One hundred and forty patients were examined at 1 year after first‐ever stroke. Pain was assessed by a structured interview and categorized as stroke‐related or not, pain intensity by use of the visual analogue scale (VAS), spasticity by use of the modified Ashworth scale, stroke severity and the presence of specific neurological impairments by use of the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and depression by use of the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Scale.

Results:  Pain was reported by 68 patients (49%) with a mean VAS of 42 (95% CI 36–47). In 29 patients (21%), pain was categorized as stroke‐related pain. Univariate analyses demonstrated correlations between stroke‐related pain and total NIHSS score, paresis, sensory disturbance, depression and spasticity respectively. A multiple regression analysis demonstrated an independent association of stroke‐related pain with paresis (OR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.2–7.7), sensory disturbance (OR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.1–8.9) and depression (OR = 4.1, 95% CI 1.4–13).

Conclusions:  The estimated prevalence of stroke‐related pain was 21%. Stroke‐related pain was associated with sensorimotor impairments and depression, but not with spasticity as an independent variable.
Cerebral leukoaraiosis in patients with stroke or TIA: clinical correlates and 1‐year outcome
Authors: Koton S. , Schwammenthal Y. , Merzeliak O. , Philips T. , Tsabari R. , Orion D. , Dichtiar R. , Tanne D.
Published: December 2008

Background and purpose:  Cerebral leukoaraiosis is frequently observed in patients with acute stroke, but its clinical consequences on functional recovery remain incompletely defined. We evaluated the clinical correlates of leukoaraiosis, and its association with stroke‐outcome in a cohort of consecutively hospitalized patients.

Methods:  One‐thousand twenty‐four consecutive patients with acute stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) undergoing brain CT were included in this single‐center study. Patients were systematically evaluated at hospitalization and followed‐up for 1 year. Mortality, functional outcome, quality of life (QoL), psychological distress, community integration, and patient perception of recovery were evaluated by leukoaraiosis severity. Adjusted ORs (95%CI) were calculated.

Results:  Moderate/severe leukoaraiosis was diagnosed in 177 patients (17.3%) and mild leukoaraiosis in 362 patients (35.3%). After 1 year, adjusted ORs for moderate/severe leukoaraiosis compared with no leukoaraiosis were 2.0 (95%CI 1.1–4.0) for Barthel Index ≤75; 1.9 (95%CI 0.9–4.0) for help needed in ADL; 2.5 (95%CI 1.0–6.3) for not feeling totally recovered; 2.0 (95%CI 1.1–4.1) for low QoL; 1.9 (95%CI 1.0–3.5) for psychological distress, and 1.6 (95%CI 0.9–2.9) for reduced community integration.

Conclusions:  In a large cohort of consecutive patients hospitalized for stroke or TIA, leukoaraiosis predicted poor functional recovery, worse QoL and community integration, and higher psychological distress during the first year following stroke onset.
Cerebrospinal fluid tau protein is not a biological marker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Paladino P. , Valentino F. , Piccoli T. , Piccoli F. , La Bella V.
Published: December 2008

Background:  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder leading to progressive motor neuron cell death. Etiopathogenesis is still imperfectly known and much effort have been undertaken to find a biological marker that could help in the early diagnosis and in the monitoring of disease progression. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of tau, an axonal microtubule‐associated protein, have been measured in ALS with levels found increased in some studies and unchanged in others.

Methods:  Total CSF tau level was assayed in a population of ALS patients (n = 57) and controls (n = 110) using a specific ELISA method.

Results:  No significant differences in the median CSF tau levels between ALS cases and controls were found [ALS: 126 pg/ml (78–222); controls: 112 pg/ml (71–188), P = ns]. In the ALS group, the bulbar‐onset patients showed increased CSF tau levels as compared with the spinal‐onset cases. These differences might be related to the higher age of the bulbar‐onset patients. Further, no correlations were found between CSF tau concentrations and the rate of progression of the disease.

Conclusions:  These results do not support the hypothesis that total CSF tau protein is a reliable biological marker for ALS.
The Effect of Unionism on Accidents in U.S. Coal Mining, 1897–1929
Authors: BOAL WILLIAM M.
Published: December 2008

This study estimates the effect of unionism on accident fatalities using two data sets on early twentieth‐century coal mining—a state‐level data set and a mine‐level data set. In both data sets, unionism is estimated to have reduced fatalities by about 40 percent. The union effect persists after controlling for state safety regulations, apparently supporting union president John Mitchell's claim that union miners supported each other in refusing to work in unsafe places.
Employees’ Desire to Join or Leave a Union: Evidence from Poland
Authors: ZIENTARA PIOTR , KUCZYŃSKI GRZEGORZ
Published: December 2008

This research note provides an empirical analysis of the factors related to Polish employees’ desire to join and leave a union. Our regression analysis, based on a sample of 298 unionized and 338 nonunionized employees, shows that the desire to join a union is positively associated with career prospects and negatively with company commitment, while the desire to leave a union is positively associated with one's intention to leave the company.
A pilot investigation into the efficacy of a signing training strategy for staff working with adults with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Chadwick Darren D. , Jolliffe Jane
Published: December 2008

Accessible summary

 We taught staff some useful signs to help them to communicate with people.

 We asked staff if they liked the different ways of teaching we used.

 We tested staff trained to see if they remembered the signs.

We found out that:

 Trained staff could do the signs better than untrained staff.

 Staff who had been taught liked the different ways of teaching that we used.

 Only a few staff used the signs a lot when they were communicating with people.

To contribute to increasing the quality and quantity of communication between staff and adults with intellectual disabilities, training was undertaken to enhance the awareness and knowledge of signing as a method of communication. Multidisciplinary team members, residential and day centre staff were trained to use 20 core signs. Training methods employed included: a training session; a training video; and a training card showing the 20 signs. Caregiver knowledge of the 20 signs was assessed between 6 and 12 months following implementation of the training. Information was also collected about the level of exposure to each of the training methods, and about staff perceptions of the usefulness and effectiveness of the different training types. Training was considered effective by staff, especially the formal training. Trained staff were significantly more accurate at signing, although this knowledge and capability did not often translate into everyday use of signs.
NAFTA‐ization: Regionalization and Domestic Political Adjustment in the North American Economic Area
Authors: ASPINWALL MARK
Published: December 2008

Europeanization is an example of initial bargains between states leading to ongoing political adjustment within the states. In this article I apply the concept to NAFTA and look at two of its member states, finding that despite the low level of institutionalization, NAFTA has set in motion new forms of political organization and behaviour, and new demands for political action. This is especially marked in Mexico, and in certain sectors. It is also clearly visible in the changing patterns of cross‐border bureaucratic communication. The main conclusions are that: (1) even in a lightly institutionalized regional trade agreement, the institutional, legal and civil society capacity of less‐developed members is strengthened; (2) despite the absence of a formal process of policy or institutional development and the lack of legislative instruments, NAFTA has begun a hidden process of domestic adjustment in technical and specialized areas; and (3) like the EU, pressures to expand and strengthen NAFTA have emerged as a result of the initial agreement as well as extraneous factors. These conclusions may offer lessons to the study and practice of regional organizations elsewhere.
Small States, Big Influence: The Overlooked Nordic Influence on the Civilian ESDP*
Authors: JAKOBSEN PETER VIGGO
Published: December 2008

There is almost universal agreement that the European security and defence policy (ESDP) has been driven and determined by the great powers (the UK, France and Germany). I challenge this view by arguing that the Nordic countries have had a significant, and at times even decisive, influence upon the civilian ESDP. They put civilian crisis management on the ESDP agenda and successfully kept it there in the face of strong opposition led by France; they have played central roles with respect to proposing and designing its concepts and institutions; and they have consistently made disproportionate mission contributions in terms of both personnel and treasure. I identify three factors that have blinded researchers to the Nordic role and explain the Nordic influence with four explanatory factors derived from the emerging literature on the European Union (EU) and small states. I thus rely on existing theory to make an empirical contribution to the field.
Achieving Consensus Through Committees: Does the European Parliament Manage?*
Authors: SETTEMBRI PIERPAOLO , NEUHOLD CHRISTINE
Published: December 2008

This article examines the role of the standing committees in building consensus within the European Parliament (EP) and asks whether the ability to fulfil this function has remained stable even in the context of enlarged membership after the June 2004 elections. To this avail, original data have been collected on the voting behaviour in EP committees, from July 1999 through July 2006, and interviews with key players have been conducted. Findings show that committees generally work very consensually, regardless of the issue at stake and the procedure applied. At the same time, the committee system seems to be evolving towards greater differentiation across policy areas and, partially, across legislative procedures.
Offshoring in the core: Russian software firms onshoring in the USA
Authors: FEAKINS MELANIE
Published: December 2008

Offshoring and outsourcing have become the buzzwords of the IT community and the popular media discourse about the current era of globalization in services. Acknowledging the geographic perspective expressed in these dominant terms, in this article I examine the processes and activities that are oriented in the opposite direction. Capturing this inversion, I develop the concept of ‘onshoring’ and use research material from fieldwork conducted with IT firms in St Petersburg, Russia and their affiliates, agents and clients in the USA to provide an empirical case study. Onshoring encompasses the corporeal, representational, material and legal practices of offshore firms developing a presence onshore, with Russia as offshore and the USA as onshore in this case. The lack of an established Russian professional diaspora in the USA created a context in which developing a recognizable onshore presence was necessary for firms based in Russia. By explicitly recognizing that the efforts, risk‐taking and experimental strategies of offshore firms to create connections, networks and contacts onshore in the USA are a constitutive part of offshore outsourcing, I document and examine the less acknowledged complex flows and practices of onshoring. I argue that although these actors and processes may seem marginal to the widely recognized narrative of offshore outsourcing, in fact, they are creative and strategic compensations that reveal how the globalization of services is enacted at the micro‐level.
The uses and abuses of time: globalization and time arbitrage in India's outsourcing industries
Authors: NADEEM SHEHZAD
Published: December 2008

Globalization has undoubtedly altered our conceptions and experience of time. It has sped up the pace of life and some scholars even suggest that a new temporal order is supplanting ‘natural’ and pre‐existing cycles and rhythms. Yet time is not dissolved in the global circuits of capital. Rather, globalization has brought about a complex mixture of temporal orientations; the workplaces of ‘new economy’, for example, are traversed by novel and retrograde modes of work pace, rhythm and time‐discipline. In this article, I explore the temporal implications of the outsourcing of information technology‐based service work to India. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews with workers, managers and executives in the Indian IT and Business Processing Outsourcing industries, I address the following questions: (1) How are corporations using time arbitrage to reap the full benefits of a globally dispersed labour pool? (2) What impacts are these temporal changes having on the health and social lives of Indian workers? For corporations, time arbitrage means increased efficiency and cost‐savings. But for workers, it results in long hours, an intense work pace, and temporal displacement. Night‐shift employees, such as call centre workers, are particularly vulnerable to such displacement, as manifested in health and safety problems and social alienation. Globalization therefore does not entail the loosening of temporal chains, but their reconfiguration: a combination both rigid and flexible that binds even as it liberates.
Southern African social movements at the 2007 Nairobi World Social Forum
Authors: LARMER MILES , DWYER PETER , ZEILIG LEO
Published: December 2008

How relevant is the anti‐globalization movement to the ideas and activities of social movements seeking to achieve economic justice and greater democratic accountability in southern Africa? Case study research in four southern African countries (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Swaziland) indicates that, while aspects of the anti‐globalization approach resonate with civil society and social movement actors (for example, an emphasis on mass participation and the internationalization of campaigning), the global social justice movement frequently displays the characteristics of globalization. These include: unaccountable decision‐making; profound (yet largely unacknowledged) inequality of access to resources; and an imposed and uniform organizational form that fails to consider local conditions. The World Social Forum (WSF) held in Nairobi in January 2007 provided many southern African social movement actors with their first opportunity to participate in the global manifestation of the anti‐globalization movement. The authors interviewed social movement activists across southern Africa before and during the Nairobi WSF about their experiences of the anti‐globalization movement and the Social Forum. An assessment of the effectiveness of this participation leads to the conclusion that the WSF is severely limited in its capacity to provide an effective forum for these actors to express their grievances and aspirations. However, hosting national social forums, their precise form adapted to reflect widely varied conditions in southern African states that are affected by globalization in diverse ways, appears to provide an important new form of mobilization that draws on particular elements of anti‐globalization praxis.
Fetal electrocardiography: feasibility of long‐term fetal heart rate recordings
Authors: Graatsma EM , Jacod BC , van Egmond LAJ , Mulder EJH , Visser GHA
Published: December 2008

The feasibility and accuracy of long‐term transabdominal fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) recordings throughout pregnancy were studied using a portable fECG monitor. Fifteen‐hour recordings of fetal heart rate (FHR) were performed in 150 pregnant women at 20–40 weeks of gestation and 1‐hour recordings were performed in 22 women in labour and compared with simultaneous scalp electrode recordings. When ≥60% of fECG signals was present, the recording was defined as good. Eighty‐two percent (123/150) of antenatal recordings were of good quality. This percentage increased to 90.7 (136/150 recordings) when only the night part (11 p.m.–7 a.m.) was considered. Transabdominal measurement of FHR and its variability correlated well with scalp electrode recordings (r = 0.99, P < 0.01; r = 0.79, P < 0.01, respectively). We demonstrated the feasibility and accuracy of long‐term transabdominal fECG monitoring.
Robotic surgery
Authors: Schreuder HWR , Verheijen RHM
Published: December 2008

Over the past decade, there has been an exponential growth of robot‐assisted procedures and of publications concerning robotic‐assisted laparoscopic surgery. From a review of the available literature, it becomes apparent that this technology is safe and allows more complex procedures in many fields of surgery, be it at relatively high costs. Although randomised controlled trials in gynaecology are lacking, available evidence suggests that particularly in gynaecology robotic surgery might not only reduce morbidity but also be cost effective if performed in high‐volume centres. Training in robotic surgery and programs for safe and effective implementation are necessary.
Psychological characteristics of FMS patients
Authors: Govender Catherine , Cassimjee Nafisa , Schoeman Johan , Meyer Helgaard
Published: December 2008

This research is a pilot study that explores the psychological profiles of fibromyalgia (FMS) patients. Data were collected from 29 subjects. The variables investigated were attachment style, sense of coherence (SOC), attribution style and depression. The prevalence of secure attachment amongst the group was 51.7%. Significant differences were found amongst the secure and insecure groups with relation to SOC, depression and five subscales of attribution style. The small sample size and cross‐sectional nature of the study limit the strength of the conclusions drawn, but the results question the existence of a single discreet FMS‐prone psychological profile.
Establishing a new falls clinic – conflicting attitudes and inter‐sectoral competition affecting the outcome
Authors: Evron Lotte , Schultz‐Larsen Kirsten , Egerod Ingrid
Published: December 2008

Falls clinics are a newer model for falls management among the elderly. Few studies have addressed the impact of the strategy on falls prevention in the healthcare system. The aim of the present study was to describe the social processes that affect the implementation of new strategies in falls management. A newly established falls clinic was chosen as an instrumental case to describe the systematic and comprehensive approach to falls prevention among the elderly. The investigation had a qualitative case study research design with triangulation of sources and methods, including interviews, participant observation and analysis of documents. The study was conducted from January 2006 to June 2007 at a newly established falls clinic at a Danish hospital. Data were analysed qualitatively according to four main themes: The concept of falls, success/failure, competition and expertise. The study showed that the falls clinic was embedded in a context where interests varied at different levels of the organizational hierarchy. In contrast to the political agenda for falls prevention, patients and professionals did not associate falls with chronological age. The biomedical structure of the falls clinic and the hegemonic mode of handling falls prevention may have facilitated falls prevention services and patient trajectories across sectors, but if falls are associated with chronic disease secondary to an unhealthy lifestyle, the individual patient becomes responsible for the falls problem. This may subsequently prevent the patients from seeking timely help from the healthcare system, or patients may drop out of the existing programmes. Future research needs to look at sustainability and dropping out in relation to falls prevention programmes.
Deconstructing a controversial local range expansion: conservation biogeography of the painted reed frog (Hyperolius marmoratus) in South Africa
Authors: Tolley Krystal A. , Davies Sarah J. , Chown Steven L.
Published: December 2008

Local range expansions might either be the response of populations to climate or landscape change, or be caused directly by human intervention. In the latter case the expansion would be considered the first in the steps leading to a biological invasion. In species typically not the subject of human commerce, distinguishing the causes of local range expansions is problematic. Range dynamic theory provides a basis for doing so, and, when used to assess phylogeographical information, can be a powerful conservation biogeographical approach. Here we adopt this approach to resolve the controversial case of the recent range expansion of the painted reed frog (Hyperolius marmoratus) in southern South Africa. Within the last decade,H. marmoratushas spread westward approximately 500 km from its historical range. This local range expansion could either represent human‐mediated jump dispersal, or a response to landscape or climate change. To date, the latter has been assumed, although not universally. Using a phylogeographic approach to investigate these competing hypotheses, a portion of the mitochondrial COI gene was sequenced for individuals from within the historical range (n = 178), and four putatively introduced populations in dams (n = 121). There was substantial geographical population structure within the historical range, and these populations were significantly different from the dam populations (ΦST = 0.817,P < 0.001). The presence of one or a few dissimilar haplotypes in the dams suggests that introductions are from a number of different sources. This, in conjunction with new survey data, supports the hypothesis that recent establishment of these populations is the result of human‐mediated jump dispersal. The impact of this range expansion on ecosystem functioning is unknown, but given the rapid spread of this species and its potential influence on ecosystems, safeguards should be put in place to control further introductions and to restrict the currently invasive populations.
Quantification of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction from gated 99mTc‐MIBI SPECT: MRI validation of the exini heart software package
Authors: Winz Oliver H. , Meyer Philipp T. , Knollmann Daniela , Lipke Claudia S. A. , Kühl Harald P. , Oelve Carola , Schaefer Wolfgang M.
Published: December 2008

The aim of the study was to validate the accuracy of the exini heart software (exini) package in assessing left ventricular end‐diastolic/systolic volumes (EDV, ESV) and ejection fraction (LVEF) from gated 99mTc‐MIBI single‐photon emission tomography (SPECT). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) was used as reference. Furthermore, effects of perfusion defects and image quality in SPECT on correlation between gated SPECT and magnetic resonance imaging were investigated.

Methods:  Seventy patients were examined using gated SPECT (rest study, eight gates per cardiac cycle). EDV, ESV and LVEF were calculated from gated SPECT using exini. Directly before or after SPECT, cMRI (20 gates cardiac per cycle) was performed. EDV, ESV and LVEF were calculated using Simpson’s rule. Perfusion defects were quantified using the summed‐rest‐score (SRS). Total number of myocardial counts were used to rate image quality.

Results:  Correlation between results of gated SPECT and cMRI was high for EDV (R = 0·89) and ESV (R = 0·94) and good for LVEF (R = 0·78). ESV (exini 54 ± 31 ml versus cMRI 57 ± 34 ml) and LVEF (exini 62·9 ± 11·7% versus cMRI 60·6 ± 13·9%) did not differ significantly whereas exini overestimated EDV significantly compared with cMRI (exini 144 ± 41 ml versus cMRI 137 ± 36 ml; P<0·005). No correlation was found between absolute differences of the results given by gated SPECT and cMRI and SRS or total myocardial counts (R < 0·18).

Conclusion:  End‐diastolic volume, ESV and LVEF calculated from gated SPECT using exini agree with cMRI over a wide range of values. Correlation between both the methods was good for EDV and ESV, and acceptable for LVEF. No relevant influence of image quality or SRS on the accuracy of exini results was found.