bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does portfolio emulation outperform its target funds?
Authors: Chen Zhe , Foster F Douglas , Gallagher David R , Lee Adrian D
Published: October 2012

An emulation fund is designed to reduce trading activity, thereby lowering costs, for a multi-manager fund. It does this by delaying, and potentially combining, trading decisions from each employed fund manager to eliminate offsetting trades (e.g. one manager may buy a stock for her fund while another manager sells the same stock at approximately the same time for his fund). While lowering transaction costs is a key benefit of an emulation strategy, there has been little research that compares the reduction in transaction costs with the opportunity costs of delaying trade. Using reported equity trades for a large Australian pension fund, we simulate the consequences of an emulation strategy. We find that simulated emulation trades underperform those trades made by the employed (or target) fund over our sample period. That is, the opportunity cost of delayed trading significantly outweighs transaction cost reductions. Overall, we do not find strong evidence to support emulation from a cost–benefit perspective before management fees and taxes.
Do alternative methods of reporting non-controlling interests really matter?
Authors: Lopes Ana I , Lourenço Isabel , Soliman Mark
Published: October 2012

Researchers have long been interested in whether the classification of various items on the balance sheet matters to investors. This paper provides evidence on whether reporting non-controlling interests (NCI) as equity or as non-equity matters in terms of value relevance. We use a sample of German firms that voluntary adopted International Financial Reporting Standards early. This adoption required them to change their reporting of NCI from the non-equity to the equity portion of the balance sheet. After conducting sensitivity tests for self-selection bias and controlling for weight of NCI, firm size and leverage, our results suggest that NCI are priced by the market in the same manner irrespectively of being reported as equity or non-equity. This finding reinforces the notion that equity markets are efficient in their processing of information, regardless of the classification by standard setters.

JEL Classification: M41-Accounting.
A framework to manage the measurable, immeasurable and the unidentifiable financial risk
Authors: Ganegoda Amandha , Evans John
Published: October 2012

Traditionally, financial risk management has mainly focused on the types of risk that can be identified and measured. Many actuarial and statistical theories and models have been developed in the past, to quantify such risks. However, high-profile events such as Black Monday, the Asian financial crisis, 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Enron scandal, and more recently the global financial crisis, has repeatedly proven to the financial world that risks which matter to the stability of financial firms are often immeasurable and unidentifiable. Hence, simply focusing on the measurable risks is inadequate for a sound management of financial risks. In this paper, we develop a holistic framework to identify (if possible), measure (if possible), and manage the measurable, as well as the immeasurable, and the unidentifiable risks. We identify four realms of financial uncertainties and point out that each realm possesses a unique set of challenges to risk management. Moreover, we show that the tools needed to grapple each realm of uncertainty are fundamentally different, therefore stressing the importance of the need for awareness of these separate realms of uncertainty. The paper provides a discussion of methods available for assessing and managing each realm of uncertainty, and their limitations, by drawing from risk management techniques used in various fields of science and other industries.
Management of Copper Deficiency in Cholestatic Infants
Authors: Blackmer Allison Beck , Bailey Elizabeth
Published: October 2012

Copper is an essential trace element, playing a critical role in multiple functions in the body. Despite the necessity of adequate copper provision and data supporting the safety of copper administration during cholestasis, it remains common practice to reduce or remove copper in parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions after the development of cholestasis due to historical recommendations supporting this practice. In neonates, specifically premature infants, less is known about required copper intakes to accumulate copper stores and meet increased demands during rapid growth. Pediatric surgical patients are at high risk for hepatic injury during long‐term PN provision and a balance is needed between the potential for reduced biliary excretion of copper and adequate copper intakes to prevent deficiency. Copper deficiency has been documented in several pediatric patients with cholestasis when parenteral copper was reduced or removed. Few data guide the management of copper deficiency in the pediatric population. The following case series describes our experience with successfully managing copper deficiency in 3 cholestatic infants after copper had been reduced or removed from their PN. Classic signs of copper deficiency were present, including hypocupremia, anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and osteopenia. Treatment included use of both parenteral and enteral copper supplementation. We suggest revision of current recommendations regarding decreasing copper in PN during cholestasis with a proposed algorithm for parenteral copper provision in the setting of cholestasis that is based on evaluation of measured serum copper concentrations.
Identification and Early Treatment of Dehydration in Home Parenteral Nutrition and Home Intravenous Fluid Patients Prevents Hospital Admissions
Authors: Konrad Denise , Corrigan Mandy L. , Hamilton Cindy , Steiger Ezra , Kirby Donald F.
Published: October 2012

Background: Early identification and treatment of dehydration is prudent in patients requiring home parenteral nutrition (HPN) or home intravenous fluids (HIVF) to prevent hospital admissions for dehydration. Our home nutrition support service (HNS) developed a protocol in 2010 to provide additional bags of HIVF to be kept on hand for immediate use in patients identified at risk of developing dehydration. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on all HPN and HIVF patients from a clinical database who received additional HIVF during 2010. Standard treatment for dehydration was 1 L HIVF daily for 3 days in addition to prescribed infusions. Results: Of 308 HNS patients in 2010, additional HIVF were ordered in 161 patients with malabsorption, fistula, or obstruction. Of the 161 patients, 63% (n = 102) required additional HIVF and had 201 episodes of dehydration recorded. Increased enterostomy output (P = .021), negative intake and output (I/O data) (P = .014), and age (P = .021) were predictors of multiple dehydration episodes. I/O data were consistent with signs and symptoms of dehydration 80% of the time. One hundred seventy episodes (84.5%) of dehydration were successfully treated at home compared with 9 emergency room (ER) admissions (4.5%) and 22 hospital admissions (11%) for dehydration. Conclusion: We demonstrate 84.5% of episodes of dehydration successfully treated in the home in patients initially identified at risk by our protocol. Education of patients at risk of dehydration prior to discharge and providing additional HIVF on hand for immediate use may avoid ER treatment or hospitalization and potentially save healthcare costs.
The Association of Readiness to Change and Motivational Interviewing with Treatment Outcomes in Males involved in Domestic Violence Group Therapy
Authors: Zalmanowitz Sharla J. , Babins-Wagner Robbie , Rodger Susan , Corbett Bradley A. , Leschied Alan
Published: October 2012

The present study investigated the impact of motivational interviewing (MI) and stage of change on a self-report measure of global functioning (Outcome Questionnaire [OQ 45.2]). Participants were men mandated to attend the Responsible Choices for Men (RCM) group therapy program following an incident of domestic violence. The study design utilized a quasi-experimental between-groups comparison utilizing data collected at three time points (pregroup, first group session, and final group session). One group of mandated program attendees received two sessions of MI ( n = 106), whereas the comparison group did not ( n = 106). Stage of change was assessed using the URICA-G and the URICA-DV (University of Rhode Island Change Assessment—Domestic Violence). Multilevel growth modeling indicated that stage of change has a significant relationship to global functioning. Discussion focuses on the potential benefits of MI as a pregroup treatment and the importance of accounting for individual readiness to change.
Evaluation of mechanical integrity on the brazing joint of a tube-type heat exchanger with considering local material properties
Authors: Kang Seok-Hoon , Park Sang Hu , Min June Kee , Cho JongRae , Ha Man-Yeong
Published: October 2012

Recently, the demands for eco-friendly and effective energy systems have rapidly increased due to global environment problems. A heat exchanger is a well-known mechanical rig that has been used for a long time in many energy systems to reduce heat energy loss and to increase energy efficiency. However, till now, there have been few attempts to install a heat exchanger inside of an airliner engine. In such a case, the heat exchanger should be designed to be compact, lightweight, and highly reliable; therefore, the issue of the mechanical integrity of the heat exchanger becomes very important. In this study, we suggest a method by which it is possible to evaluate the mechanical integrity of a tube-type heat exchanger using global and local analysis. In the global analysis, fluid–structure interaction was introduced to get global behavior of a tube, which was used as boundary conditions in the local analysis. Also, local material properties near a brazing joint were measured using a nano-indentation test, and then they were utilized in the local analysis to evaluate clearly stress distribution around the joint. Through this study, a U-shaped single tube brazed on a manifold, which is a segment of a tube-type heat exchanger, was used as an example; its fatigue limit and stress concentration on the joint depending on the change of fillet radius were estimated by the proposed approach.
Influence of tool rotation speed and feed rate on the forming limit of friction stir welded AA6061-T6 sheets
Authors: Ramulu Perumalla Janaki , Kailas Satish V , Narayanan R Ganesh
Published: October 2012

In this study, the influence of tool rotation speed and feed rate on the forming limit of friction stir welded Al 6061-T651 sheets has been investigated. The forming limit curve was evaluated by limit dome height test performed on all the friction stir welded sheets. The welding trials were conducted at a tool rotation speed of 1300 and 1400 r/min and feed rate of 90 and 100 mm/min. A third trial of welding was performed at a rotational speed of 1500 r/min and feed rate 120 mm/min. It is found that with increase in the tool rotation speed, from 1300 to 1400 r/min, for a constant feed rate, the forming limit of friction stir welded blank has improved and with increase in feed rate, from 90 to 100 mm/min, for a constant tool rotation speed, it has decreased. The forming limit of friction stir welded sheets is better than unwelded sheets. The thickness gradient after forming is severe in the cases of friction stir welded blanks made at higher feed rate and lower rotation speed. The strain hardening exponent of weld ( n) increases with increase in tool rotation speed and it decreases with increase in feed rate. It has been demonstrated that the change in the forming limit of friction stir welded sheets with respect to welding parameters is due to the thickness distribution severity and strain hardening exponent of the weld region during forming. There is not much variation in the dome height among the friction stir welded sheets tested. When compared with unwelded sheets, dome height of friction stir welded sheets is higher in near-plane-strain condition, but it is lesser in stretching strain paths.
Mesh adaptation and higher order extrapolation of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations using τ-estimation
Authors: Fraysse François , Vicente Javier de , Valero Eusebio
Published: October 2012

The aim of this article is to use an accurate truncation error estimate in order to perform τ-extrapolation and mesh adaptation in an unstructured finite volume computational fluid dynamics solver, in the context of a posteriori error estimation. The truncation error is approximated by the so-called τ-estimation technique, in which a special criterion is defined in order to account for the finite volume discretisation. It is shown that an accurate truncation error evaluation can be obtained on arbitrary geometries as long as restriction of the solution from the fine-to-coarse grid is accurate and the coarse grid possesses the same quality requirements as the fine grid. The accuracy of the truncation error estimation is successfully verified on Euler and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations using the method of manufactured solutions. Then, mesh adaptation is performed on aerodynamic configurations where a good improvement of the force coefficients with respect to a classic feature-based indicator is obtained, at a lower cost than performing global refinement.
Misspecification of the covariance structure in generalized linear mixed models
Authors: Chavance M , Escolano S
Published: October 2012

When fitting marginal models to correlated outcomes, the so-called sandwich variance is commonly used. However, this is not the case when fitting mixed models. Using two data sets, we illustrate the problems that can be encountered. We show that the differences or the ratios between the naive and sandwich standard deviations of the fixed effects estimators provide convenient means of assessing the fit of the model, as both are consistent when the covariance structure is correctly specified, but only the latter is when that structure is misspecified. When the number of statistical units is not too small, the sandwich formula correctly estimates the variance of the fixed effects estimator even if the random effects are misspecified, and it can be used in a diagnostic tool for assessing the misspecification of the random effects. A simple comparison with the naive variance is sufficient and we propose considering a ratio of the naive and sandwich standard deviation out of the [3/4; 4/3] interval as signaling a risk of erroneous inference due to a model misspecification. We strongly advocate broader use of the sandwich variance for statistical inference about the fixed effects in mixed models.
Influence of Social Norms and Values of Rural Bangladesh on Women’s Participation in the Union Parishad
Authors: Hossain Md. Anwar
Published: October 2012

This article is an attempt to analyse the participation of women members of the Union Parishad (UP), the lowest tier of the three-tier rural local government system of Bangladesh, and the influence of prevalent social norms and values in rural Bangladesh on their participation in decision-making and policy implementation. More specifically, it highlights how such norms, the practice of purdah and the organisational culture of the UP impinge on women’s participation in UP meetings, rural Salish1, and implementation of development activities at the community level. The data shows that although some women members do participate in decision-making, policy formulation and policy implementation, patriarchal norms and values still extensively constrain them. The UP is mostly male dominated and non-cooperation of men persists as one of the barriers to enhancing women’s participation in the UP.
Empire Communications, Inc.
Authors: Nayar Pramod K.
Published: October 2012

The essay examines two specific instances of imperial spectacles: the 1877 imperial durbar in Delhi and the 1911 Pageant of Empire in London. It argues that these spectacles enabled the Empire to incorporate the natives as subjects into the symbolic hierarchies of the Raj, and the English into an imperial sensibility of ownership and shared destiny. It suggests that through these spectacles the power and majesty of the Empire was conveyed to their subjects but also to their own countrymen in the form of an imperial improvisation. In the case of the Delhi durbar imperial improvisation was made possible through the participatory nature of the spectacle where the native princes and aristocrats, by participating in the Durbar, implicitly endorsed it, accepted it as ‘Indian’, and located themselves within the imperial structure. The 1911 Pageant was an aesthetic spectacle that forged a sense of connection, for all English visitors to see themselves as a part of the large ‘British’ imperial family and served the educational purpose of introducing the empire’s possessions.
Exposure to High-Fluoride Drinking Water and Risk of Dental Caries and Dental Fluorosis in Haryana, India
Authors: Marya Charu Mohan , Ashokkumar B. R. , Dhingra Sonal , Dahiya Vandana , Gupta Anil
Published: October 2012

The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of and relationship between dental caries and dental fluorosis at varying levels of fluoride in drinking water. The study was conducted among 3007 school children in the age group of 12 to 16 years in 2 districts of Haryana having varying fluoride levels in drinking water. Type III examination for dental caries according to the WHO index and dental fluorosis estimation according to Dean’s index was done. The prevalence of dental caries decreased from 48.02% to 28.07% as fluoride levels increased from 0.5 to 1.13 ppm, but as the fluoride level increased further to 1.51 ppm, there was no further reduction in caries prevalence, but there was a substantial increase in fluorosis prevalence. The optimum level of fluoride in drinking water was found to be 1.13 ppm, at which there was maximum caries reduction with minimum amount of esthetically objectionable fluorosis.
Loved music can make a listener feel negative emotions
Authors: Schubert Emery
Published: October 2012

This paper tested the applicability of cognitive unit activation (CUA) theory to explain the paradoxical enjoyment of felt negative emotions in music. CUA refers to preference for activation of cognitive units (as distinct from non-activation) as proposed by Martindale (1984, 1988). Content analysis of open-ended responses by 60 participants to a self-selected loved and hated piece of music was conducted. Negative emotions were spontaneously evoked for the loved music condition by 19 participants. The same salient emotions (e.g., sadness) could be evoked by both loved and hated music. The distinction between terms used to described loved versus hated music led to a reappraisal of past literature, with the conclusion that there are qualitative differences among negative emotions, those which occur as affect valence (AV) and those which occur as emotion valence (EV). When a piece of music is hated, the disliking or avoidance response in itself is considered negative AV – regardless of the EV (e.g., sadness) induced in the listener. Consequently, the CUA model is modified by addition of a negative AV inhibiter to explain how sadness can activate a cognitive unit, thus adding to the enjoyment of the experience, without producing avoidance intentions/behaviors (dislike of the music leading to a desire to stop it or leave it). A good match between felt and expressed emotions was more frequently reported ( n = 34) for loved than for hated pieces ( n = 12), suggesting activation of “mirror circuits.”
Steps Toward Gaining Knowledge of World Music Pedagogy
Authors: Carlisle Katie
Published: October 2012

This article presents steps toward gaining knowledge of world music pedagogy for K-12 general music educators. The majority of the article details steps that invite engagement within everyday contexts with accessible resources within local and online communities. The steps demonstrate ways general music teachers can diversify and self-direct their professional development. A later section outlines long-term strategies. This section focuses on interaction with people in the immediate and broader community to develop world music pedagogy curriculum projects.
Tracheobronchial Stenting for Malignant Airway Disease
Authors: Inchingolo Riccardo , Sabharwal Tarun , Spiliopoulos Stavros , Krokidis Mitiadis , Dourado Renato , Ahmed Irfan , King Juliet , Adam Andreas
Published: October 2012

The aim of this retrospective study is to investigate the immediate and long-term outcomes following the insertion of covered and uncovered self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) for the management of malignant tracheobronchial disease. A total of 49 patients (27 male, mean age 60.9 ± 15 years) underwent 77 SEMS insertions (57 uncovered). The procedure was performed in theater using combined bronchoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance. The study’s primary end points included technical success (97.9%), clinical success (91.8%), and symptom recurrence (14.2%). The mean follow-up time was 5.5 ± 5.9 months. We concluded that tracheobronchial SEMSs provide safe and effective minimally invasive long-term management of patients with symptomatic malignant airway disease.
Degradation Modeling of Polyurea Pavement Markings
Authors: Sitzabee William E. , White Edward D. , Dowling Austin W.
Published: October 2012

Polyurea is a long life, quick-curing material used in pavement markings and a material of interest to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. This article presents a performance model and the characteristics of polyurea pavement markings in North Carolina by using Ordinary Least Squares models. The performance-based models provide pavement marking managers with tools to better allocate limited manpower and resources to optimize budgets while maintaining newly proposed pavement marking retroreflectivity levels of service. This research constructed performance models for polyurea pavement markings based on the independent variables of time, initial retroreflectivity, lateral line location, and annual average daily traffic. Using the models generated by this research, pavement marking managers can predict the remaining life of a given pavement marking to maintain a standard level of service. A key finding of this article is that the type of glass bead used in the marking significantly affects polyurea pavement marking degradation.
Who You Calling Old? Measuring “Elderly” and What It Means for Homicide Research
Authors: Addington Lynn A.
Published: October 2012

Although Americans are less likely to experience violent crime as they age, research interest in elderly victims of violence is growing. An initial question that has been overlooked concerns how best to measure “elderly.” In the homicide literature, the most common definition is a single category of age 65 and older. With U.S. adults living longer, healthier, and more active lives, use of a single category may no longer adequately capture this heterogeneous population. The present study explores how a multiple-category definition of elderly might inform the study of homicide by identifying patterns that could promote more tailored explanations.
A Comparative Analysis of Suicide Terrorists and Rampage, Workplace, and School Shooters in the United States From 1990 to 2010
Authors: Lankford Adam
Published: October 2012

This study presents results from the first combined quantitative assessment and comparative analysis of suicide terrorists and rampage, workplace, and school shooters who attempt suicide. Findings suggest that in the United States from 1990 to 2010, the differences between these offenders ( N = 81) were largely superficial. Prior to their attacks, they struggled with many of the same personal problems, including social marginalization, family problems, work or school problems, and precipitating crisis events. Ultimately, patterns among all four types of offenders can assist those developing security policy, conducting threat assessments, and attempting to intervene in the lives of at-risk individuals.
Are Family and Nonfamily Tourism Businesses Different? An Examination of the Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy–Entrepreneurial Performance Relationship
Authors: Hallak Rob , Assaker Guy , O’Connor Peter
Published: October 2012

Drawing on literature on tourism, entrepreneurship, and family businesses, this research uses a structural model to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and enterprise performance. Based on samples of family-owned (N = 158) and nonfamily-owned (N = 143) small- and medium-sized tourism enterprise owners in regional South Australia, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multigroup invariance tests were used to validate the proposed structural model where ESE is the exogenous variable and performance is the endogenous variable. The study also examined if the causal model was invariant (equivalent) between family and nonfamily entrepreneurs to identify key differences between these two groups. Results support the validity of the models, with tourism business owners’ ESE having a significant positive effect on enterprise performance. The results of the multigroup invariance tests also indicated that the measurement models, structural model, and residual structure were equal across family and nonfamily business owners. Although previous studies have suggested differences between family- and nonfamily-owned businesses with regard to pattern of ownership, governance, management and succession, business structure, goals, and strategies, this study found that the “entrepreneurial self-efficacy” of business owners (regardless of whether or not the business is family owned) is an important predictor of business performance. The findings suggest that destination managers and policy makers need to support the ESE of local tourism business owners if they wish to enhance performance within the industry and the destination.
Positioning Usa in the Chinese Outbound Travel Market
Authors: Li Xiang (Robert) , Cheng Chia-Kuen , Kim Hyounggon , Li Xiangping
Published: October 2012

This study attempts to understand the position of the United States against its major non-Asian competitors in Mainland Chinese tourists’ minds. A multistep procedure of destination positioning analysis was designed, which involved a combination of multidimensional scaling, correspondence analysis, and logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, this study connects positioning analysis with market segmentation research, as the perceptual mapping analyses were performed at both aggregate and segment levels. Overall, it was found that the United States holds a unique position that is isolated from all other five destinations. The authors discussed the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.
Regional brain perfusion in 12 cats measured with technetium-99m-ethyl cysteinate dimer pinhole single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
Authors: Waelbers Tim , Peremans Kathelijne , Vermeire Simon , Dobbeleir André , Boer VO , de Leeuw Hendrik , Vente Maarten AD , Piron Koen , Hesta Myriam , Polis Ingeborgh
Published: October 2012

With the use of perfusion tracers, in vivo examination of the regional cerebral blood flow in cats can be performed with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Reliable perfusion data of normal, healthy cats are necessary for future clinical studies or other research use. Therefore, this dataset of the regional perfusion pattern of the normal feline brain was created. Twelve cats were used in this study. Technetium-99m-ethyl cysteinate dimer (99mTc-ECD) was injected intravenously and the acquisition, using a triple head gamma camera equipped with three multi-pinhole collimators (pinhole SPECT), was started 40 mins after tracer administration under general anaesthesia. Nineteen regions of interest were defined using 7T magnetic resonance images of the feline brain and a topographical atlas. Regional counts were normalised to the counts of two reference regions: the total brain and the cerebellum. The highest tracer uptake was noticed in the subcortical structures, and the lowest in the frontal cortex and the cerebellum. Also left–right asymmetry in the temporal cortex and a rostrocaudal gradient of 5% were observed.
Head trauma as a possible cause of central diabetes insipidus in a cat
Authors: Oliveira Karen M , Fukushima Fabíola B , Oliveira Camila M , Rosado Isabel R , Torres Bruno BJ , Lavor Mário Sérgio L , Silva Carla Maria O , Melo Eliane G
Published: October 2012

A 13-month-old female domestic shorthair cat presented with a 10-month history of polyuria and polydipsia that began after having been hit by a car. Neurological examination revealed visual deficits and an absent bilateral menace response. Hematological and serum biochemical analyses were within reference values, but hyposthenuria was identified. Failure to concentrate urine during the water deprivation test followed by an increase in urine specific gravity after administration of synthetic antidiuretic hormone (ADH) suggested a diagnosis of central diabetes insipidus. Subcutaneous or oral administration of synthetic ADH was effective in central diabetes insipidus treatment during the 19-month follow-up.
Evaluation of sensor sites for continuous glucose monitoring in cats with diabetes mellitus
Authors: Hafner Michaela , Lutz Thomas A , Reusch Claudia E , Zini Eric
Published: October 2012

The continuous glucose monitoring system allows generation of detailed glucose curves via measurement of glucose concentration in interstitial fluid. The conventional site for sensor placement in diabetic cats is the subcutaneous tissue of the lateral chest wall. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of sensors placed in the lateral chest wall and in two alternative sites — the dorsal neck and lateral knee fold — of diabetic cats. Initialisation was successful in 15/20 lateral chest wall sensors, 9/10 neck sensors and 3/10 knee fold sensors. Compared with the reference portable blood glucose meter, 0.8% of measurements from lateral chest wall sensors, 0.7% from knee fold sensors and 0% from neck sensors would have resulted in erroneous treatment. This preliminary study suggests that dorsal neck placement may be superior to lateral chest wall and lateral knee fold; however, further investigation with a larger number of cases would be required to confirm this finding.
Meningoencephalitis as an initial manifestation of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
Authors: Wang Jin-Ye , Wang Kai , Chen Xian-Wen , Wang Jian-Wen , Zhang Kan , Xu Ming-Wei , Luo Ben-Yan
Published: October 2012

Two patients presented with initial symptoms of headache and fever, and two weeks later had disturbance of consciousness. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed pleocytosis >500×106/L. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multiple brain lesions at sites of high aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) expression. Case 1 presented optic neuritis four years after the first attack and case 2 had symptoms of myelitis three weeks after headache. Serum AQP-4 antibody was positive in both cases, and the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) was made. Accordingly, NMOSD can initially present as meningoencephalitis mimicking intracranial infection, and the characteristic MRI imaging is quite critical for differentiation.
Randomised multicentre trial on safety and efficacy of rivastigmine in cognitively impaired multiple sclerosis patients
Authors: Mäurer M , Ortler S , Baier M , Meergans M , Scherer P , Hofmann WE , Tracik F
Published: October 2012

Background:

Cognitive decline has been recognised as a frequent symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) are employed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, but there is some evidence that ChEIs might also be effective in MS patients with cognitive deficits, particularly deficits of memory function.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy on memory function and safety of the ChEI rivastigmine in MS patients with cognitive deficits as measured by the change from baseline of the total recall score of the selective reminding test (SRT) after 16 weeks of treatment.

Methods:

Efficacy and safety of rivastigmine were analysed in a 16-week, multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study, followed by an optional one-year open-label treatment phase. Effects of rivastigmine and placebo were compared by an analysis of covariance.

Results:

In total, 86 patients were enrolled. Patients who received rivastigmine ( n = 43) showed a non-significant increase in total recall score (sum of all words immediately recalled over all six trials) over placebo ( n = 38) after 16 weeks of treatment ( p = 0.2576). Other outcome measures provided no evidence supporting benefits of rivastigmine. Treatment with rivastigmine was well tolerated.

Conclusions:

With the results of this study, the need for an effective therapy in cognitively impaired MS patients is still required. Thus, intensive and continued clinical research is required to explore therapeutic options for cognitive deficits in MS patients.
With God on my side: The paradoxical relationship between religious belief and criminality among hardcore street offenders
Authors: Topalli Volkan , Brezina Timothy , Bernhardt Mindy
Published: October 2012

Research has found that many street offenders anticipate an early death, making them less prone to delay gratification, more likely to discount the future costs of crime, and thus more likely to offend. Ironically, many such offenders also hold strong religious convictions, including those related to the punitive afterlife consequences of offending. To reconcile these findings, we interviewed 48 active street offenders to determine their expectation of an early demise, belief in the afterlife, and notions of redemption and punishment. Despite the deterrent effects of religion that have been highlighted in prior research, our results indicate that religion may have a counterintuitive criminogenic effect in certain contexts. Through purposeful distortion or genuine ignorance, the hardcore offenders we interviewed are able to exploit the absolvitory tenets of religious doctrine, neutralizing their fear of death to not only allow but encourage offending. This suggests a number of intriguing consequences for deterrence theory and policy.
Moving images, transforming media: The mediating communitas of HallonTV and DYKE HARD
Authors: Gunnarsson Payne Jenny
Published: October 2012

This article investigates the queer feminist Swedish media projects HallonTV and DYKE HARD in order to argue that media production is constitutive of political movements as such. Particular attention is paid to an integral dimension of the constitution of such a political collectivity, namely its affective features. It is concerned with how a sense of ‘community’ comes to be ‘experienced’ by those who are involved, first-hand, in the development and extension of its messages to a wider public. Theoretically, the article proposes that these features will be better appreciated through both a harnessing of the discourse theoretical framework of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe as well as a reworking of the anthropologist Victor Turner’s idea of communitas.
Scaling digital walls: Everyday practices of consent and adaptation to digital architectural control
Authors: Best Kirsty , Tozer Nathan
Published: October 2012

Users of mobile phones, computers and other digital media devices are increasingly confronted with what Lessig calls ‘architectural control’. This article presents results from a study which reveals that users adopt four tactics in negotiating architectural control: modifying use, modifying the technology, decreasing use and acceptance. Users consent in two ways: by internalizing control through incorporating architectural constraints into their embodied practice, and by responding to the convenience of architectural controls and the complexity of far-flung collective digital systems. Thus it is argued that modification and adaptation in everyday practices of digital media and information communication technologies (ICTs) is a type of consent rather than resistance to digital control.
Doing culture, doing business: A new entrepreneurial spirit in the Argentine creative industries
Authors: Beltrán Gastón J , Miguel Paula
Published: October 2012

This article seeks to understand the main characteristics of a new kind of agents and the role they played in the transformation of creative industries and how they assume an entrepreneurial status, focusing on the most dynamic spaces of Buenos Aires cultural production fields. It starts by identifying some structural features of the Argentine’s middle class and the latest transformations experienced by this sector, focusing on the impact of the economic crisis of 2001–2. It then analyses in depth the professional paths of some producers who started their businesses within that economic and social context and achieved high levels of recognition. These producers represent a new and unique type of entrepreneur.
From field to media fodder: a cautionary tale from the trenches
Authors: Hill Lisa
Published: October 2012

In recent years, UK-based academics have been under increasing pressure to demonstrate the ‘impact’ of their work, to engage the public in their research activities, and to transfer new knowledge associated with the findings of their work to various non-academic organizations and individuals. In this commentary on cultural geographies in practice, I consider whether we are fully equipped to take on these tasks, and what can happen when these broader research endeavours take on a life of their own. Drawing on my experiences in the summer of 2009 − during which my work became the focus of media attention and the subject of critical public debate − I reflect on a number of personal and professional anxieties that were amplified as events spiralled beyond my control.
Fearing future epidemics: the cholera crisis of 1892
Authors: Jackson Paul S. B.
Published: October 2012

In the fall of 1892, ten years into the fifth international cholera epidemic that lasted from 1881 to 1896, fear of cholera in North America, particularly in Toronto, was full blown. Cholera had been raging in the Middle East, India, and Europe, and in Russia alone there were an estimated 300,000 deaths, but the disease had yet to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Maritime traffic of immigrants from Europe was continuous, and each migrant ship potentially carried the disease. Doctors, government officials, and politicians were not asking ‘would cholera come?’ but rather, when. In the city of Toronto, no one actually got sick or died from cholera in 1892. However, the crisis and fears of imminent cholera were real. This article documents how future threats became immediate and dire concerns. My task here becomes how to write a history of an event that was shaped by urgency, immediacy, and speculation on the future. My argument will show how the geography of an epidemic is not limited to the presence of disease. How do you theorize a crisis in the absence of an actual disease outbreak? How do you theorize an event that didn’t happen? This article will answer these questions and contribute to recent literature in geography that engages with life, security, and the future. Predictions about both the present and the future were speculative statements, and these statements had effects on cities and nations.
Fascism, liberalism and revolution
Authors: Breschi Danilo
Published: October 2012

Marxist theory has always maintained that a strict continuity exists between liberalism and fascism, and has even proclaimed that there is a causal connection between the two. Therefore fascism comes to be portrayed as the ‘armed wing’ of the bourgeoisie. The Marxist thesis is weak for two reasons: first, because the connection between liberalism and fascism, though it doubtless exists, is considerably more complex, mediated and contradictory than it suggests; and second, because it axiomatically denies the revolutionary nature of fascism, which despite what Marxists claim, represents a rupture with the liberal tradition and demonstrates a relative autonomy from it. In the case of Italy, this autonomy arises from the fact that Fascism was born from the turmoil surrounding the genesis, the course and the outcome of the Great War, and was fed by fragments of philosophies and political theories radically opposed to liberalism, democracy and Marxism (though not to socialism) which arose in Europe at the turn of the 19th century. A birth in such a turbulent cultural and political climate could not give rise to an internally consistent and coherent ideology. The theoretical works of philosophers such as Giovanni Gentile encouraged liberalism to fool itself into seeing in fascism an unruly brother who could be put to good use by opposing socialism. This delusion enabled the rise to power of Mussolini. The revolutionary side to Fascism could draw on Italian populism’s latent revolutionary tradition which developed in the 50 years following unification as a transfiguration of ideological currents which contributed to the Risorgimento but which had been defeated by Cavourian liberalism. These included Mazzinianism and a particular type of radical anti-monarchism.
Between myth and modernity: Fascism as anti-praxis
Authors: Woodley Daniel
Published: October 2012

Revisionists have reclassified fascism as an autonomous revolutionary force based on the power of myth. Yet despite attempts to close the gap between materialist and culturalist readings, theories of fascism as the future-oriented projection of a mythic past overlook the point that, though intrinsic in the subjectification and deautonomization of the individual in collective-type societies, myths cannot be revolutionary because they derive their significance by projecting an idealized past that originates outside the emancipatory-developmental trajectory of modernity. Myths constitute a generic feature of human societies, idealized narratives which synthesize historical events, values and ideals into all-encompassing and enduring social intuitions; myths cannot be criticized because they are ‘untrue’ but because they exhibit an intrinsically speculative and particularistic nature which is unable to provide an objective basis for the revolutionary transformation of capitalist social relations. As a violent rupture of incendiary modernism, the mythic narrative of interwar fascism dramatized the experience of modernity in a new and scandalous form, confronting but ultimately reaffirming the conformism and disavowal in bourgeois culture. Unable to rise above the powerful yet imaginary ideal of ‘manifest destiny’ – an imperial ideal shared by non-fascist European powers, fascism offered a beguiling glimpse into the transgressive power of the modern postdemocratic corporate state, pointing towards a social structure of accumulation based on an appropriation of the cooperative capacities and democratic potential of society by capital. Emphasizing the accumulated or ‘constituted’ violence of modernity, the fascist mythologization of power led to the functionalization of reason, the demoralization of socially motivated action, and the suspension of objective moral standards as grounds for civic association.
The nationalist international: Or what American history can teach us about the fascist revolution
Authors: Yannielli Joseph L.
Published: October 2012

In challenging Marxist theorists to confront the radical rebirth at the core of the fascist revolution, Roger Griffin has carried fascist studies to a new and valuable plateau. Likewise, David D. Roberts’s elaboration of Griffin’s model offers a provocative and fruitful avenue to rethink fascist political culture. This article seeks to advance the dialogue to the next level by considering what an international approach can add to these primarily nationalist interpretations of generic fascism. Drawing on examples from the history of the United States, I argue that fascism is a fundamentally cosmopolitan process and that it needs to be placed on a broader continuum with the histories of slavery, racism and nationalism.
Analytical model of self-acting journal bearing subjected to base excitation for marine engine system
Authors: Zhang Guanghui , Liu Shupeng , Cao Zhixuan , Ma Ruixian , Liu Zhansheng
Published: October 2012

Rotating machinery in marine engine systems experiences the base excitation from the vertical and horizontal swing movements of the ship. Too large a base motion can produce severe rotor–bearing system damage. The Reynolds equation including the effects of the base excitation on motion is derived, and the corresponding analytical model of nonlinear oil-film force based on the long- and short-length bearing assumptions is established in this article. The pressure distribution and nonlinear oil-film force of journal bearing with different forms of foundation movement are simulated by numerical simulation. The following three cases are studied: journal spin motion, journal circular whirl, and journal radial motion (pure squeeze). It indicates that foundation movement will remarkably affect the pressure distribution and nonlinear oil-film force of journal bearing, which cannot be ignored during analyzing the dynamics of journal bearing–rotor system for marine engine. This study will make the foundation for the dynamic study of rotor–bearing system considering the basement motion.
Orchestrating professional development for baby room practitioners: Raising the stakes in new dialogic encounters
Authors: Goouch Kathleen , Powell Sacha
Published: October 2012

This article has emerged from a research and development project, The Baby Room, which was designed to examine how babies are cared for in daycare settings. Within the project, a form of professional development was created which designated a central space for dialogic encounter, primarily to enable the baby room practitioners who participated in the project to begin to theorize their practice. Findings indicate that those working with babies frequently feel isolated and neglected in relation to support for their practice, that the practitioners had a very low sense of self-worth in relation to their work, low self-confidence and an inability or a reluctance to articulate their own understandings of their practice. Significantly we also found that many of the practitioners were not routinely, incidentally or intuitively talking to the babies in their care, nor were they aware of the importance of doing so. While it is difficult to provide robust research evidence to demonstrate any close causal connections between the lack of professional talk, the evident low self-worth of the practitioners and talk experiences with babies, the study does indicate that there may be distinct connections between practitioners’ professional knowledge and understanding, their confidence, opportunities for professional talk experience and their perceptions of the need to develop talk encounters with babies. This article describes the background and rationale for the project work, ranges over some key issues in relation to talk, and the importance of professional dialogic encounters for those working with babies, and it indicates the rich potential this may have for positive talk outcomes in baby room practice.