bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Internal and external pressures
Authors: Turcato Carolina , Barin‐Cruz Luciano , Avila Pedrozo Eugenio
Published: December 2011

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how an organic cotton production network learns to maintain its hybrid network and its sustainability in the face of internal and external pressures.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study was conducted in Justa Trama, a Brazilian‐based organic cotton production network formed by six members with different roles and organisational logics.

Findings

The study contributes to the literature on hybrid organisations by suggesting that in the case of networks, a compromise strategy is required at the internal level and a manipulation strategy is required at the external level. The network has to learn how to engineer a compromise among internal members and to enforce change among external institutions to maintain its sustainability.

Social implications

The study was performed in Brazil, a country with serious social and environmental problems. The study thus informs managers of social economy organisations on how to deal with internal and external pressures to maintain their organisation's sustainability as well as policy makers on the importance of these alternative organisations and the importance of specific legislation to stimulate this type of initiative.

Originality/value

The body of research on how hybrid organisations learn to deal with the mutual influence of internal organisational responses and changes in external institutions is limited. Furthermore, this mutual influence has rarely been studied in the context of networks, in which multiple members have to work together to achieve organisational and network‐level objectives as well as to respond to institutional pressures.
Introducing sustainability into business education contexts using active learning
Authors: MacVaugh Jason , Norton Mike
Published: December 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how active learning may help address the legitimacy and practicability issues inherent in introducing education for sustainability into business‐related degree programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The focus of this study is the experience of the authors in the development and implementation of education for sustainability within their business‐related higher education programs. To address the inherent challenges of the task, they apply the principles of active learning, with substantial use of problem‐based learning, in the classroom and engage in a process of staff development in their personal time. The method used is a simplified version of action research where the authors worked together over two years and then reflected on the experience through interviews and extensive discussions with each other, with their respective teaching teams, and with sustainability educators from outside of their programs.

Findings

The findings suggest that active learning approaches move learners away from dependence on (possibly illegitimate and unprepared) educators and towards a personal responsibility approach. This also means accepting that learners are free to understand sustainability in a “global” sense or instead choose only its “business as usual” applications.

Originality/value

The paper provides a useful insight into the practical value of active learning for educators grappling with the dilemma of delivering globally responsible business and/or management‐related education programs.
Reflecting on the delivery of a structured alcohol and drug group in a medium‐secure forensic unit
Authors: Edwards Richard , Guy Ruth , Bartholomew Mark , Buckland Rosie
Published: December 2011

Purpose

This review aims to discuss the planning, implementation and evaluation of a 24‐session alcohol and drug group for eight service users, based on the Behavioural Treatment for Substance Abuse in Severe and Persistent Mental Illness Model (BTSAS), delivered by a group of multi‐disciplinary staff in a medium secure forensic setting.

Design/methodology/approach

Evaluation tools were completed pre‐ and post‐group to measure attendee outcomes and perceptions of their group experience.

Findings

The group programme was well received, although adaptations to meet specific medium‐secure needs will be required for future group work.

Practical implications

The development and implementation of the group has raised awareness within the medium‐secure setting, facilitating a less punitive and more collaborative response.

Originality/value

The paper highlights interventions to support the medium‐secure setting to develop a more pragmatic bespoke response to meet alcohol and drug needs.
Building capacity of local governments, service users and carers to scale up provision for community mental health services in Africa: a case study of Kenya and Uganda
Authors: Kingori Joyce , Angela Ntulo Christina
Published: December 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this case study is to describe the experiences of a development organization operating in Africa to make mental health services accessible to communities in Kenya and Uganda through partnerships. The lessons that can be learnt from this work are also considered.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a case study that builds on operations research gathered over five to seven years by the authors who have managed the country mental health programmes in Uganda and Kenya. The case study describes the problem of mental illness and its magnitude in Kenya and Uganda, and why it is important that this is addressed. Existing mechanisms in place and gaps in current service provision are also discussed.

Findings

Methods used to address gaps in current service provision include capacitating different service providers, their roles and their contribution to community mental health. The inclusion and training of non‐psychiatrists can contribute to the management, treatment and recovery of people with mental health problems in African communities.

Research limitations/implications

The case study is limited in its applicability in full to other low to middle income countries (LMICs). Causality cannot be established between improvement in access and training of the different health service providers.

Practical implications

The case study gives practical experiences that practitioners in LMICs can further test in improving access to community‐based mental health services. These experiences can help to form a promising practice in how LMICs can reduce health workforce gaps in mental health and planners can consider using this to reduce such gaps.

Social implications

The case study shows how the participation of service users and other stakeholders and using family resources can bring ownership and sustainability of mental health care at the community level.

Originality/value

The case study adds value to practice and social development theories and models of care.
Impacting on diversity in practice in an outer London borough
Authors: Joannou Dominic , Fernando Mina , Harrison‐Read Carol , Wickramasinghe Nisha
Published: December 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore models of community outreach to BME and faith communities in the London Borough of Harrow.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores community outreach with a specific emphasis on the delivery of community mental health services through partnership working with BME faith groups.

Findings

The paper considers models of community outreach to BME and faith communities and explores the impacts of service cuts and the emerging Big Society agenda on BME and faith groups.

Practical implications

Having identified some of the challenges that exist, solutions are proposed that can help to enhance the likelihood of achieving funding through delivering flexible innovative models of working which play to pre‐existing strengths.

Originality/value

At a time of service cutbacks when people are increasingly reliant on locally based BME communities to provide essential services, the role of information provision and basic training is critical in delivering culturally accessible and tailored services.
Impatient opportunists: a study of technology use in a higher education classroom
Authors: eun Oh Kyong , Gwizdka Jacek
Published: December 2011

Purpose

This study seeks to explore technology use in a higher education classroom with the focus on tablet computers.

Design/methodology/approach

Study participants consisted of 36 undergraduate students from Rutgers University's Information Technology and Informatics major. Data were collected using an online survey, a classroom observation, and a group interview.

Findings

The study findings demonstrate unexpected technology uses that can be explained by the characteristics of the student group, the Net generation, namely, their impatient multi‐tasking and opportunistic behaviour. Students used tablet computers to take notes, conduct group activities and interact with the instructor. Students’ preference for typing was found to be a barrier in their adoption of tablet computers.

Research limitations/implications

The findings can help technology developers and educators better understand and optimize their use of computing technology in higher education. Limitations of this study include only one class was studied, and classroom observation probed student behaviors only at selected points in time.

Originality/value

The unique value of the study included: the study was not limited to tablet technology and investigated students’ use of multiple technologies; the study captured student behaviors in an actual learning environment, and the study provides empirical evidence for students’ multi‐tasking in a classroom and for their use of tablet computers for hand writing.
Personalisation in social care – what does it really mean?
Authors: Duffy Simon
Published: December 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to provide an overview of recent reforms to the social care system in England.

Design/methodology/approach

The reforms are described and contextualised within a broader account of the history of social care that includes an analysis of the factors that have encouraged reform.

Findings

The current reforms of social care will bring about some benefits but their long‐term impact is still very uncertain. The changing political and economic environment and the inherent difficulties that reform suggests indicate that these changes will be subject to significant differences in interpretation for some time.

Research limitations/implications

This analysis is framed by a set of ethical assumptions about the rights of disabled people and the injustice of arrangements that limit those rights.

Practical implications

The paper encourages practitioners to treat new ideas such as individual budgets and self‐directed support as positive opportunities for improving practice, while being mindful of tensions and unresolved issues that may harm good practice.

Social implications

This research should help policy‐makers and the general public to avoid misunderstanding the role of these innovations and to better understand when and how these reforms can be used positively.

Originality/value

This paper offers a new and historical perspective on the social care reforms from someone who is closely associated with inventing and implementing those ideas.
The Law Commission's final recommendations for a new adult social care statute
Authors: Spencer‐Lane Tim
Published: December 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to set out the Law Commission's final recommendations for the reform of adult social care, including the community care assessment process, service provision, and the recommendations for a new legal framework for adult safeguarding in England and Wales.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses each of the Law Commission's recommendations for adult social care and contrasts them with the proposals put forward at the consultation phase of the review.

Findings

The paper argues that a single legal framework for adult social care, including adult safeguarding, will have substantial benefits in terms of legal clarity, consistency, and efficiency. A clear and single legal framework is important for older and disabled people, and their carers, in order to understand fully their entitlements, and for local authorities and partnership agencies (such as the NHS and the police) in order to fully understand their responsibilities.

Originality/value

The paper provides a clear summary of the Law Commission's final report – in particular the recommendations for community care assessments and service provision and adult safeguarding.
Kiwanis Pancake Day – a service operations management case study
Authors: Tiger Andrew , Howard Robert
Published: December 2011

Subject area

Operations management.

Study level/applicability

Undergraduate and MBA OM courses.

Case overview

Kiwanis International is a global service organization dedicated to improving the world by helping children. The Durant, Oklahoma chapter holds its primary annual fundraiser the first Tuesday of November, which is also Election Day. The chapter sells and serves fresh pancakes throughout the day; therefore, the event is the Kiwanis Pancake Day. While serving in his first Pancake Day, Robert Howard, a new Kiwanian, notices service operations management issues such as long lines, spiky demand, and customers leaving before being served. Based on his management experience in the grocery business and his academic training in queuing systems, Robert performs an analysis of the system with the purpose of improving service operations.

Expected learning outcomes

Perform queuing analysis., Understand demand management., Explain the psychology of waiting.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes and spreadsheet–based multiple–server simulator.
Quota for the employment of disabled people in Russia: strategies for compliance
Authors: Denisova–Schmidt Elena
Published: December 2011

Subject area

Human resource management.

Study level/applicability

The case might be used in teaching International Management or Russian society at a Master's level, including MBA.

Case overview

Quotas for the employment of disabled people exist in many countries, including Russia. Many companies in Russia, however, are “forced” to find “creative solutions” to avoid this quota. This attitude is caused not by the unwillingness of companies to support disabled people, but rather by their moral and technical unreadiness to do so. Using one example of a company providing freight services, the case illustrates this. The company is faced with additional challenges: it is a 100 percent subsidiary, dependant on its parent company in many respects – especially in financial matters.

Expected learning outcomes

Students:learn some informal practices (legislative norms and networks) in the Russian business context;, discuss how organizations are faced with informal practices and establish problem solving techniques;andreceive some additional information on the business environment in Russia.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes.
Punascha: marketing strategies of a Bengali publisher
Authors: Roy Subhadip , Bose Sunny
Published: December 2011

Subject area

Marketing, Marketing environment, Marketing strategy.

Study level/applicability

Post Graduate (MBA), Executive Education Program.

Case overview

The present case study deals with the marketing strategies of Punascha (meaning re-beginning), a publisher of Bengali non-textbooks based in Kolkata, India. This case is suitable for teaching in Marketing Management course in a Post Graduate Program in Business Management. It could also be taken up for an executive program in marketing strategy. The case study is a live case study, which was based on in-depth interviews with the company people and company site visit. The case study discusses how Punascha started from a humble beginning in 1988 and became one of the leading publishers of Bengali books in India. The key focus of the case is on how a company can use marketing tools effectively (and uniquely) and become successful.

Expected learning outcomes

Understanding the basics of 4Ps of marketing and how they are used in synchronisation with each other to achieve the marketing objectives. Understanding the role of marketing environment in marketing strategy. Realizing the need of a new product development strategy. Assessing the need of non-traditional modes of marketing communications and its role in product promotion.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes.
Decision making in creating the world's first smartphone
Authors: Cha Virginia
Published: December 2011

Subject area

Entrepreneurship, Technology management and new product development.

Study level/applicability

This class is useable for an EMBA or MBA audience, especially for modules relating to entrepreneurship, technology management and new product development.

Case overview

Mr Khaw Kheng Joo was a pioneer in Singapore's high–technology manufacturing industry. In the mid–1990s, Khaw was given the difficult task of establishing a presence for Hewlett–Packard (HP) in the handheld Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) market. However, he believed that the PDA was not the game–changing technology for consumers. Using his knowledge of the Bell Curve and years of entrepreneurial experience, Khaw sought to combine PDA functionalities with the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) technology, effectively creating a new generation of mobile device fondly known today as the “smartphone”. The journey towards the finished product was met with several obstacles and barriers. Many colleagues were uncertain of the future market and had difficulty agreeing on which features to focus on. However, through his determination, expertise and decision making in uncertainty, Khaw guided his team to eventually launch the impressive HP Jornada 928, the world's first smartphone, and heralded a new generation of mobile devices.

Expected learning outcomes

This case is designed to be useable in teaching three key knowledge disciplines: Decision–making biases and heuristics in entrepreneurs and innovators. Technology diffusion of new technology. Managing market uncertainty.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes.
Reaching the bottom of the pyramid: micro life insurance in India
Authors: Muthiah Krishnaveni
Published: December 2011

Subject area

International business/International marketing.

Study level/applicability

Courses: the case is directly related to courses on “International Business” and “International Marketing” in the Master of Business Administration programme.

Training programmes: management development programmes for working executives, on the topics “Business across borders”, “Business stabilization in foreign markets”.

Case overview

In 1999, the liberalization of the insurance sector as per the recommendations of the Malhotra committee gave way for privatization and foreign firms entered this sector through joint ventures. The business growth, which was enjoyed by these firms from 1999 to 2008, was tremendous. The growth percentage started declining following the global economic downturn in the capital markets. This situation compelled the insurance firms to re-look into their business strategy. On one hand whatever growth they had, 80 percent of it was through unit linked insurance plans depending on the capital market. On the other, it was identified that in a country like India the untapped market potential was among the rural millions. Reaching those people who are at the bottom of the pyramid necessitated a completely new business model to be developed as the need of the hour. The take stock of the position at this vnjuncture is the crux of the present case study, which envisages finding out alternative delivery models to suit the Indian rural market taking into account the intrinsic nature of life insurance and the basic living styles and mentality of the rural folk.

Expected learning outcomes

After discussion and analysis of this case, students will be able to:

understand how market culture in a target country differs from that in the home country;

appreciate how challenges in a developing country market have their own unique features to be understood;

identify various courses of action and evaluate them on the basis of the host country factors;

understand the “international planning process”; and

appreciate how important it is for a country manager of a multinational firm to plan and execute the marketing mix suited to the inherent qualities of the target market.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes.
Round two: repositioning the Tata Nano
Authors: Sengupta Sanjit , Ramesh Avadhanam
Published: December 2011

Subject area

Marketing.

Study level/applicability

Advanced undergraduate students, MBA students, and business executives interested in enhancing their knowledge and skills of consumer behavior analysis, and marketing strategy and execution in a developing country market.

Case overview

Tata Motors Chairman, Ratan Tata, noticed that Indian families with three and four family members often commuted on a two-wheel scooter or motorbike. He had a vision to make a safe family transport for the Indian masses, a four-wheel vehicle made from scooter parts. His engineers took about five years (2003-2008) to develop the product. On January 10, 2008, Tata Motors publicly announced the Nano at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi at the target price of Rs 100,0000 ($2,500), unarguably the world’s cheapest car. Deliveries of the Nano began in June 2009. The initial target market for the Tata Nano was comprised of individuals and families who relied on a two-wheeler for transport. The value proposition was a safe, affordable, and attractive car. Initial reactions from industry analysts, dealers, and consumers were overwhelmingly positive.

In February 2010, Carl-Peter Forster (born in the UK and raised in Germany) was appointed Group CEO of Tata Motors. Monthly sales kept increasing until a high of 9,000 units in July 2010, then there were consistent declines for the next four months to just 509 units in November. In December 2010, ten months after being on the job, Carl-Peter Foster had to turn around the sales performance of Tata Nano.

Expected learning outcomes

Get students to appreciate the importance of understanding consumer behavior in the design and execution of marketing strategy.

Get students to understand the concept of value and how it is important at any price level, especially in comparing and contrasting consumer behavior across developed and developing country markets.

Get students to understand how marketing strategy is designed (target market selection and positioning) and executed after understanding consumer behavior.

Get students to understand how the marketing programs (marketing-mix) reinforce product positioning.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes.
Sharjah Football Club (UAE): still kings?
Authors: Madichie Nnamdi O.
Published: December 2011

Subject area

Business & Management

Study level/applicability

This case is suitable for senior students taking marketing courses from marketing communications, marketing research and consumer behavior. Other students including postgraduate students on international business, strategic management and CSR courses may also benefit and/or partake in the discussions. Last and most importantly sports marketing students would find this case useful. The case study can be taken from a range of angles from consumer behavior, through researching of the same (i.e. consumer behavior); to marketing communications strategies by the football clubs themselves.

Case overview

The case study documents the growth and development of the UAE Professional Football League using the particular case of one of the oldest teams, Sharjah Football Club (also known as Sharjah FC) founded in 1966 – five long years before the Football Association was conceived.

Sports marketers have long sought to better understand the factors that influence attendance at sporting events. This is couched upon the expectations that an understanding of such factors will improve the efficiency of marketing communication between service providers and consumers, and, as Cunningham and Kwon put it, possibly influence the entire marketing program of a sport organisation. Attracting people to the stadium not only increases ticket revenues but also increases supplementary revenue sources, such as parking, concessions and merchandising.

Expected learning outcomes

To understand key aspects of the consumption of sports (i.e. consumer perceptions, attitudes and influences). Readers would also understand the changing aspects of marketing of sports vis-à-vis sports marketing.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes and www.fifa.com/associations/association=uae/nationalleague/standings.html
XL Pharmaceutical – effective operation and logistics
Authors: Jaafar Kamal , Sarabdeen Jawahitha
Published: December 2011

Subject area

Operation and logistics.

Study level/applicability

Students and practitioners.

Case overview

This case study analysis the logistical and operational issues that one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the MENA region is facing. The case provides a practical example of a company which positioned itself well to be a leading company. However, there are some inherent operational and logistical problems that hinder the company to reach its leading position. The first section of this case describes the company, its process and its operational problems. The second section is dedicated to the analysis of the operational capabilities and current key issues. The last section provides recommendations on how to improve the current operations and ways in which the improvements can be implemented, as well showing the benefits to the company based on the theoretical and practical frameworks.

Expected learning outcomes

Understand how operational issues affect company performance.

Analyse the effect that poor operational process can have on the overall company business.

Evaluate alternatives for process modifications.

Create plans for process improvements and assess its operational and logistical implications.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes.
Mechanical stress-activated immune response genes via Sirtuin 1 expression in human periodontal ligament cells
Authors: Lee S-I , Park K-H , Kim S-J , Kang Y-G , Lee Y-M , Kim E-C
Published: December 2011

Recently, Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) has been implicated in the molecular control of ageing and immune response. Although the remodelling of periodontal ligament (PDL) in response to mechanical stress (MS) is mediated by several host factors, including cytokines and chemokines, the transmission of mechanical stimuli into specific cellular activity is still not understood fully. This study aimed to investigate the effects of MS, particularly cyclic strain, on immune response genes, as well as SIRT1 and its signal transduction pathways, in human PDL cells. MS up-regulated the expression of SIRT1 and immune response genes encoding cytokines [tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β], chemokines [IL-8, monocyte cheoattractant protein (CCL)-20], defensins [human β-defensin (hBD)-2, hBD-3] and Toll-like receptors (TLR-2 and TLR-4) in a force- and time-dependent manner. The SIRT1 inducers resveratrol and isonicotinamide attenuated MS-induced cytokine and chemokine expression, but enhanced the expression of defensins and TLRs. Blockade of SIRT1 activity by the SIRT1 inhibitors sirtinol and nicotinamide and down-regulation of SIRT1 expression by SIRT1 siRNA reduced the stimulatory effects of MS on defensins and TLRs, but increased its effects on cytokines and chemokines. MS induced activation of protein kinase B (Akt), protein kinase C (PKC), nuclear factor (NF)-κB and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Treatment with the anti-oxidants N-acetylcysteine and glutathione inhibited MS-induced reactive oxygen species production and expression of cytokines, chemokines, defensins and TLRs. These results suggest that MS activates human PDL cells to express immune/defence genes encoding cytokines, chemokines, defensins and TLRs via a SIRT1 pathway.
Benthic and hyporheic invertebrate assemblages along a flow intermittence gradient: effects of duration of dry events
Authors: DATRY THIBAULT
Published: December 2011

1. A large proportion of the total river length on Earth comprises rivers that are temporary in nature. However, the effects of periodical dry events have received far less attention from ecologists than those of floods and low flows.

2. This study concomitantly examined the effects of flow intermittence on invertebrates from the streambed surface and from a depth of 30 cm in the hyporheic zone. Invertebrates were collected during 3 years in the Albarine River, France, before and after summer dry events from 18 sites (seven were perennial) distributed along a longitudinal flow intermittence gradient.

3. I predicted benthic and hyporheic density and taxonomic richness to decrease, and assemblage composition to shift from desiccation‐sensitive to desiccation‐resistant taxa with increased dry event duration. Second, I predicted benthic and hyporheic assemblages from sites that dried for longer periods to be nested subsets of assemblages from sites that dried for shorter periods. Last, I predicted a convergence in benthic and hyporheic assemblage composition with increasing duration of dry events, resulting from increased vertical migration of benthic taxa into the hyporheic sediments to cope with dry events.

4. Increased dry event duration in the Albarine River led to a decrease in both benthic and hyporheic density and taxonomic richness. Invertebrate assemblage composition shifted along the gradient of increasing flow intermittence, but broad taxonomic overlap between perennial and temporary reaches and nestedness patterns indicated that these shifts were because of the loss of taxa susceptible to drying rather than selection for desiccation‐resistant specialists.

5. Assemblage composition between benthic and hyporheic invertebrates diverged with increasing dry event duration, suggesting that the hyporheic zone did not act as a refuge during dry events in this river.

6. Quantitative studies on the relationships between ecology and intermittence are still rare but are needed to predict the consequences of future changes in flow intermittence. The relationships found in this study should be tested across a wide range of temporary rivers to better evaluate the generality of these findings.
Complementary and alternative medicine used by persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders to alleviate symptom distress
Authors: Stake‐Nilsson Kerstin , Hultcrantz Rolf , Unge Peter , Wengström Yvonne
Published: December 2011

Aim.  The aim of this study was to describe the complementary and alternative medicine methods most commonly used to alleviate symptom distress in persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Background.  People with functional gastrointestinal disorders face many challenges in their everyday lives, and each individual has his/her own way of dealing with this illness. The experience of illness often leads persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders to complementary and alternative medicine as a viable healthcare choice.

Design.  Quantitative and describing design.

Method.  A study‐specific complementary and alternative medicine questionnaire was used, including questions about complementary and alternative medicine methods used and the perceived effects of each method. Efficacy assessments for each method were preventive effect, partial symptom relief, total symptom relief or no effect.

Results.  A total of 137 persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders answered the questionnaire, 62% (n = 85) women and 38% (n = 52) men. A total of 28 different complementary and alternative medicine methods were identified and grouped into four categories: nutritional, drug/biological, psychological activity and physical activity. All persons had tried at least one method, and most methods provided partial symptom relief.

Conclusion.  Persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders commonly use complementary and alternative medicine methods to alleviate symptoms. Nurses have a unique opportunity to expand their roles in this group of patients.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Increased knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine practices would enable a more comprehensive patient assessment and a better plan for meaningful interventions that meet the needs of individual patients.
Misdiagnosis of exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction in professional soccer players
Authors: Ansley L. , Kippelen P. , Dickinson J. , Hull J. H. K.
Published: December 2011

Background:

Physicians typically rely heavily on self‐reported symptoms to make a diagnosis of exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). However, in elite sport, respiratory symptoms have poor diagnostic value. In 2009, following a change in international sports regulations, all elite athletes suspected of asthma and/or EIB were required to undergo pulmonary function testing (PFT) to permit the use of inhaled β2‐agonists. The aim of this study was to examine the diagnostic accuracy of physician diagnosis of asthma/EIB in English professional soccer players.

Methods:

Sixty‐five players with a physician diagnosis of asthma/EIB were referred for pulmonary function assessment. Medication usage and respiratory symptoms were recorded by questionnaire. A bronchial provocation test with dry air was conducted in 42 players and a mannitol challenge in 18 players. Five players with abnormal resting spirometry performed a bronchodilator test.

Results:

Of the 65 players assessed, 57 (88%) indicated regular use of asthma medication. Respiratory symptoms during exercise were reported by 57 (88%) players. Only 33 (51%) of the players tested had a positive bronchodilator or bronchial provocation test. Neither symptoms nor the use of inhaled corticosteroids were predictive of pulmonary function tests’ outcome.

Conclusion:

A high proportion of English professional soccer players medicated for asthma/EIB (a third with reliever therapy only) do not present reversible airway obstruction or airway hyperresponsiveness to indirect stimuli. This underlines the importance of objective PFT to support a symptoms‐based diagnosis of asthma/EIB in athletes.
Hypothesis. The importance of a histological diagnosis when diagnosing and treating advanced cancer. Famous patient recovery may not have been from metastatic disease
Authors: Haines I. E. , Lowenthal R. M.
Published: December 2011

Over the past 33 years, mystery has surrounded the diagnosis and treatment of a very influential Australian patient. In the long gap between amputation of his leg for osteogenic sarcoma and successful treatment for widespread tuberculosis, he was told he had advanced and incurable metastatic sarcoma. Details of his recovery and the treatments used have been extensively described. An alternative hypothesis is advanced to explain his recovery. This hypothesis is advanced for two reasons. The first is to underline the modern recognition of the need to consider diagnostic investigations, including biopsy, before assigning the diagnosis of advanced cancer to any patient. This principle is especially vital in cases where two diseases can present in the same way. The second is that there a risk that if diseases are incorrectly labelled, incorrect treatments may be given. This can lead to misleading interpretations being made about non‐traditional treatments providing ‘cures’, which can influence the decision‐making of patients seeking answers and even lead them away from potentially curative traditional treatments.
A case of Werner syndrome without metabolic abnormality: Implications for the early pathophysiology
Authors: Takada‐Watanabe Aki , Yokote Koutaro , Takemoto Minoru , Fujimoto Masaki , Irisuna Hiroki , Honjo Satoshi , Futami Kazunobu , Furuichi Yasuhiro , Saito Yasushi
Published: December 2011

Werner syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive progeroid disorder caused by mutations in the WRN DNA helicase. It is characterized by the graying and loss of hair, juvenile cataracts, sclerosis and ulceration of skin, insulin‐resistant diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, abdominal adiposity, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, and malignant neoplasm. Patients are usually diagnosed in their 30s or 40s, but the early pathophysiology of the syndrome is still not fully understood. Here we report a 29‐year‐old female patient who displayed cataracts, hair graying, and tendinous calcinosis. Her parents were first cousins. Interestingly, the patient lacked the metabolic signs typical for WS, including glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, and visceral fat accumulation. A hyperinsulinemic response at 30 min was observed in an oral glucose tolerance test. Mutational analysis for the WRN gene revealed a homozygous nucleotide substitution 3190C>T in exon 24, resulting in a protein product with replacement of an arginine residue at position 573 by termination codon (Arg987Ter). The mutated WRN protein was unable to translocate into the nucleus in an in vitro cell assay. A WS patient with an Arg987Ter mutation has been previously reported in Switzerland, the present case is the first to be identified in Asia. This case demonstrates the early clinical features of WS and suggests that metabolic abnormality, including insulin resistance, is not an essential component of WS at disease onset. Moreover, a follow‐up study of such case would be useful to understand how the various clinical symptoms in WS develop and progress over the years. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 140–146.
Audiovisual aid viewing immediately before pediatric induction moderates the accompanying parents’ anxiety
Authors: Berghmans Johan , Weber Frank , van Akoleyen Candyce , Utens Elisabeth , Adriaenssens Peter , Klein Jan , Himpe Dirk
Published: December 2011

Background:  Parents accompanying their child during induction of anesthesia experience stress. The impact of audiovisual aid (AVA) on parental state anxiety and assessment of the child’s anxiety at induction have been studied previously but need closer scrutiny.

Methods:  One hundred and twenty parents whose children were scheduled for day‐care surgery entered this randomized, controlled study. The intervention group (n = 60) was exposed to an AVA in the holding area. Parental anxiety was measured with the Spielberger State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) at three time points: (i) on admission [T1]; (ii) in the holding area just before entering the operating theater [T2]; and (iii) after leaving [T3]. Additionally, at [T3], both parent and attending anesthetist evaluated the child’s anxiety using a visual analogue scale. The anesthetist also filled out the Induction Compliance Checklist.

Results:  On the state anxiety subscale, APAIS parental anxiety at T2 (P = 0.015) and T3 (P = 0.009) was lower in the AVA intervention group than in the control group. After induction, the child’s anxiety rating by the anesthetist was significantly lower than by the parent, in both intervention and control groups.

Conclusions:  Preoperative AVA shown to parents immediately before induction moderates the increase in anxiety associated with the anesthetic induction of their child. Present results suggest that behavioral characteristics seem better predictors of child’s anxiety during induction than anxiety ratings per se and that anesthetists are better than parents in predicting child’s anxiety during induction.
Microstructural morphology in early dermal denticles of hammerhead sharks (Elasmobranchii: Sphyrnidae) and related taxa
Authors: Mello Waldiney C. , de Carvalho Jorge J. , Brito Paulo M. M.
Published: December 2011

Mello, W.C., de Carvalho, J.J., Brito, P.M.M. 2011. Microstructural morphology in early dermal denticles of hammerhead sharks (Elasmobranchii: Sphyrnidae) and related taxa. —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00: 1–7.

This study uses scanning electron microscopies to investigate and describe the microstructural diversity of dermal denticles in the family Sphyrnidae, which comprises all living hammerhead shark species, comparing them to other related taxa (i.e. Carcharhinus dussumieri, Carcharhinus plumbeus, Carcharhinus acronotus, Rhizoprionodon acutus, Negaprion brevirostris and Hemigaleus microstoma). The results reveal that sphyrnids present noticeable microstructures in the dermal denticles, distinguishing them from the other related species investigated. Additionally, scale patterns are the same in three distinct body regions (i.e. cephalic, branchial and dorsal fin). Species of Sphyrnidae that reach bigger total lengths and that are widely distributed (i.e. Sphyrna lewini and Sphyrna mokarran) presented more, smaller and nearly hexagonal microstructures that do not cover the entire scale surface, unlike species reaching smaller sizes and restricted to coastal habits (i.e. Sphyrna tiburo, Sphyrna tudes, Sphyrna media and Eusphyra blochii). The sphyrnid scales are similar to R. acutus and C. dussumieri rather than to the other species, but it is not possible to identify the sphyrnid species only by scale features. It is clear that a similar morphology of scales is not necessarily related to similar life habits, and that they are candidates to provide new characters in phylogenetical studies among sphyrnids.
The Discursive Frames of Political Psychology
Authors: Nesbitt‐Larking Paul , Kinnvall Catarina
Published: December 2011

The aim of this article is to apply elements of contemporary social theory to the major theoretical, methodological, and ideological divisions across political psychology and to consider both the origins and the impact of a range of theories and models. In so doing, we clarify some of the complexity surrounding the discursive and cultural origins of political psychology. On the basis of this analysis, we aim to overcome the redundant binaries and dualisms—both conceptual and geo‐spatial—that have characterized the field up to now. These binary pairs relate to matters of epistemology, ideology, and methodology, and we show how each pair has been the basis of claims made regarding continental differences. As we shall see, such black‐and‐white thinking limits our capacity to understand the nature and potential of political psychology. Instead we wish to encourage a greater degree of universalism and globalism that is appropriate to political psychology as it evolves into a broader global discipline. We argue that political psychology as a field must attempt to deal with the consequences of an increasingly borderless world in which political identities are becoming more fluid, increasingly hybridized, and open to transformation.
Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model with an Application to House Price Returns*
Authors: Galvao JR. Antonio F. , Montes‐Rojas Gabriel , Park Sung Y.
Published: December 2011

This article studies quantile regression in an autoregressive dynamic framework with exogenous stationary covariates. We demonstrate the potential of the quantile autoregressive distributed lag model with an application to house price returns in the United Kingdom. The results show that house price returns present a heterogeneous autoregressive behaviour across the quantiles. Real GDP growth and interest rates also have an asymmetric impact on house prices variations.
Using the Citizen to Bring the Refugee In: Gerardo Ruiz Zambrano v Office national de l'emploi (ONEM)
Authors: Solanke Iyiola
Published: December 2011

The decision of the CJEU in Zambrano was seen as another example of an over‐active judiciary in Luxembourg. This comment suggests, on the contrary, that the case has too little reasoning to open any ‘floodgates’ but that in setting out a new logic for EU citizenship, the Opinion offers an approach which limits the global approach to free movement case law and uses citizenship status to include rather than exclude the refugee.
Report of 457 sporotrichosis cases from Jilin province, northeast China, a serious endemic region
Authors: Song Y. , Li S.‐S. , Zhong S.‐X. , Liu Y.‐Y. , Yao L. , Huo S.‐S.
Published: December 2011

Background  Most reported sporotrichosis cases came from South American countries, the USA, India and Japan. This mycosis is also endemic in Northeast China. However, the situation is not clear for international researchers due to lack of large series reported in English.

Objectives  To report and analyse 457 sporotrichosis cases.

Methods  Retrospective study of 457 cases of sporotrichosis diagnosed by fungal culture at the First Hospital of Jilin University from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009.

Results  In this series, the male: female ratio was 1:1.42. Mean age was 41.2 years. Cases from age group 51–60 years accounted for most of the cases (22.54%). A total of 434 patients lived in rural areas (94.97%). The onset of symptoms in 67.61% cases happened in cold seasons (winter and spring). History of trauma presented in 133 cases (29.1%). The mean duration of the symptoms before the presentation was 6.41 months. A total of 190 (41.58%) showed lymphocutaneous form, 252 patients (55.14%) showed fixed form, 8 patients (1.75%) showed disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis and the clinical form of 7 patients (1.53%) could not be defined. Extremities and nodules were the most frequently involved sites and founded manifestation. Main histopathology findings were suppurative granuloma, tuberculoid granuloma and mixed inflammatory granuloma. A total of 75 cases (19.74%) had fungal elements revealed by Periodic Acid‐Schiff staining. Patients responded well to potassium iodide (KI), itraconazole, terbinafine and combinations of these agents with a mean course of 2.17 months to resolve.

Conclusion  As the first report of a large series of sporotrichosis cases from China to be published in English literature, our study indicated a serious sporotrichosis endemic situation in Jilin province, Northeast China, with epidemiological and clinical characteristics similar to those of previous Chinese reports, but different from those in other countries. KI, itraconazole and terbinafine are effective for the treatment.
Efficacy and safety of rituximab treatment in Indian pemphigus patients
Authors: Kanwar A.J. , Tsuruta D. , Vinay K. , Koga H. , Ishii N. , Dainichi T. , Hashimoto T.
Published: December 2011

Background  Pemphigus is a potentially fatal autoimmune epidermal bullous disorder. Various treatment modalities have been described to treat pemphigus. In cases where the disease fails to respond to conventional therapy, rituximab has been shown to be effective.

Objective  To study the efficacy of rituximab in the treatment of resistant or severe pemphigus in Indian patients.

Methods  Patients with pemphigus were treated with intravenous rituximab 1000 mg in adults or 375 mg/m2 body surface area in children by two doses, 15 days apart in this open labelled pilot study. Anti‐desmoglein1 (anti‐Dsg1) antibodies and anti‐desmoglein3 (anti‐Dsg3) antibodies were measured at the start of therapy and at the end of the follow‐up period. The outcome was studied in terms of control of disease activity (CD), complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR) and time to disease control (TDC) as defined by the consensus statement from the International Pemphigus Committee.

Results  A total of 9 (90%) of 10 patients responded to the treatment. Three (30%) had CR of disease and were off all treatment. Four (40%) patients had CR and were on low dose oral prednisolone. Two (20%) patients had PR and were on low dose prednisolone. One patient died of sepsis. The mean TDC was 8 weeks. Response to treatment showed good correlation with index values of anti‐Dsg1 antibody. Infusion‐related angioedema and sepsis were seen as complications due to rituximab administration.

Conclusion  Rituximab is effective in treating resistant and severe pemphigus in Indian patients. Acute complications can occur during rituximab infusion and require close monitoring.