bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transformations in Spanish trade union membership
Authors: Köhler Holm‐Detlev , Calleja Jiménez José Pablo
Published: October 2015

Trade union membership in Spain has undergone several transformations during the long employment boom (1994–2007) and the following crisis. New generations of workers with different attitudes towards trade unionism, the incorporation of female workers and immigrants have changed the forms and contents of the workers' organisations in Spain.
Religious Social Norms and Corporate Financial Reporting
Authors: Dyreng Scott D. , Mayew William J. , Williams Christopher D.
Published: October 2015

Abstract:  Religion has been shown to influence economic choices and outcomes in a variety of contexts. Honesty and risk aversion are two social norms forwarded to characterize the religious. Using the level of religious adherence in the county of a US firm's headquarters as a proxy for these religious social norms, we find that higher levels of religious adherence are associated with both a lower likelihood of financial restatement and less risk that financial statements are misrepresented because of overstated (understated) revenue/assets (expenses/liabilities). We also find that accruals of managers in areas of high religious adherence exhibit smaller deviations from expectations, and deviations, when they occur, tend to improve the time series mapping of accruals into cash flows. These results hold overall and separately for both Catholic and Protestant religious adherence. Further analysis reveals that the effects of religious social norms extend beyond accrual choices. We find that firms located in areas of high religious adherence are less likely to engage in tax sheltering, and are more forthcoming with bad news in their voluntary disclosures. Collectively, our results provide new evidence on the role of religion and social norms in corporate financial reporting.
Discovering a Profitable Trading Strategy in an Apparently Efficient Market: Exploiting the Actions of Less Informed Traders in Speculative Markets
Authors: Sung Ming‐Chien , Johnson Johnnie E. V. , Peirson John
Published: October 2015

Abstract:  This study explores the extent of mispricing in a market for state contingent claims that is commonly believed to be efficient, the UK horserace betting market. We develop conditional logit models for weekend and weekday markets and show that prices are inefficient at weekends when the presence of a larger proportion of less informed bettors results in mispricing. A Kelly investment strategy focused on high probability outcomes in such markets yields considerable positive returns. We identify the need for research exploring the implications for information suppliers and users, regulators and operators in wider financial markets.
Security Analysis, Dealer‐Analyst Collaboration, and Market Quality: Evidence from the NASDAQ Market in the USA
Authors: Chung Kee H. , Li Mingsheng , Zhao Xin
Published: October 2015

Abstract:  In this study we analyze the effect of the security analysis activities on stock market liquidity and execution quality. We show that stocks followed by financial analysts have better market liquidity and execution quality than stocks with no analyst following, and stocks followed by affiliated analysts have better market liquidity and execution quality than stocks followed by unaffiliated analysts. The superior market liquidity of stocks followed by affiliated analysts can be explained by aggressive dealer quotes from analyst‐dealer information sharing. Overall, our results suggest that public traders benefit from analyst coverage and collaboration between analysts and dealers through high liquidity and low transaction costs.
A maternally established SoxB1/SoxF axis is a conserved feature of chordate germ layer patterning
Authors: Cattell Maria V. , Garnett Aaron T. , Klymkowsky Michael W. , Medeiros Daniel M.
Published: October 2015

Despite deep evolutionary roots in the metazoa, the gene regulatory network driving germ layer specification is surprisingly labile both between and within phyla. In Xenopus laevis, SoxB1‐ and SoxF‐type transcription factors are intimately involved in germ‐layer specification, in part through their regulation of Nodal signaling. However, it is unclear if X. laevis is representative of the ancestral vertebrate condition, as the precise roles of SoxF and SoxB1 in germ‐layer specification vary among vertebrates, and there is no evidence that SoxF mediates germ‐layer specification in any invertebrate. To better understand the evolution of germ‐layer specification in the vertebrate lineage, we analyzed the expression of soxB1 and soxF genes in embryos and larvae of the basal vertebrate lamprey, and the basal chordate amphioxus. We find that both species maternally deposit soxB1 mRNA in the animal pole, soxF mRNA in the vegetal hemisphere, and zygotically express soxB1 and soxF throughout nascent ectoderm and mesendoderm, respectively. We also find that soxF is excluded from the vegetalmost blastomeres in lamprey and that, in contrast to vertebrates, amphioxus does not express soxF in the oral epithelium. In the context of recent work, our results suggest that a maternally established animal/vegetal Sox axis is a deeply conserved feature of chordate development that predates the role of Nodal in vertebrate germ‐layer specification. Furthermore, exclusion of this axis from the vegetal pole in lamprey is consistent with the presence of an extraembryonic yolk mass, as has been previously proposed. Finally, conserved expression of SoxF in the forming mouth across the vertebrates, but not in amphioxus, lends support to the idea that the larval amphioxus mouth is nonhomologous to the vertebrate mouth.
Comparative studies on the structure and development of the venom‐delivery system of centipedes, and a hypothesis on the origin of this evolutionary novelty
Authors: Dugon Michel M. , Arthur Wallace
Published: October 2015

The venom‐injecting forcipules of centipedes represent an evolutionary novelty that appeared in the centipede stem lineage more than 400 Ma. No other lineage of arthropods (or indeed of animals) has evolved claws for injecting venom from a pair of walking legs. However, little is known of the development, ultrastructure, or detailed function of centipede forcipules. Here, we provide comparative structural information on the venom duct apparatus that is the main functional system within each forcipule, based on scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies. We also give comparative developmental information, using DAPI staining, on embryonic forcipules from the four main centipede orders, including Scutigeromorpha. The photographs of Scutigera embryos we present are the first to be published for any species belonging to this order. The structure of the venom apparatus within each forcipule represents a discrete element of the novelty, whose origin requires a special explanation. This is in contrast to the novel external shape of the forcipules, which can be arrived at gradually by a series of changes from the starting point of a standard walking leg. Drawing on a proposed structural homology between venom glands and epidermal glands, we present a hypothesis of how the venom gland and duct may have arisen in evolution.
Price Discrimination in Input Markets: Downstream Entry and Efficiency
Authors: Herweg Fabian , Müller Daniel
Published: October 2015

The extant theory on price discrimination in input markets takes the structure of the downstream industry as exogenously given. This paper endogenizes the structure of the downstream industry and examines the effects of permitting third‐degree price discrimination on market structure and welfare. We identify situations where permitting price discrimination leads to either higher or lower wholesale prices for all downstream firms. These findings are driven by upstream profits being discontinuous due to costly entry. Moreover, permitting price discrimination fosters entry which often improves welfare. Nevertheless, entry can also reduce welfare because it may lead to a severe inefficiency in production.
Is the Competitor of my Competitor also my Competitor?
Authors: Shelegia Sandro
Published: October 2015

This paper presents several results on multimarket competition. First, whenever a firm faces multimarket competitors that sell goods in markets to which the firm itself has no access, the firm gains a strong incentive to expand production in its own market(s). In the capacity choice model, such a firm builds larger than Cournot capacity and pushes its competitors towards other markets. Consumers always benefit from multimarket competition. In asymmetric market structures, some firms may also benefit from multimarket arrangements, but in symmetric ones, all firms are necessarily harmed by it. Second, the intensification of indirect competition is not necessarily bad for the firm. It may be the case that, the more competitors its competitors have, the higher the firm’s profit. Finally, this model also has a multiproduct interpretation which suggests that a merger of single‐product firms may be beneficial or harmful from a social welfare perspective, depending on whether the new entity will compete with several single‐product firms or another multiproduct one.
Revenue Estimation/Scoring by States: An Overview of Experience and Current Practices with Particular Attention to the Role of Dynamic Methods
Authors: MIKESELL JOHN L.
Published: October 2015

Revenue estimates or scores identify the expected impact of a change in a tax law or a change in how existing tax laws are administered. The processes used by states to produce these estimates have been given considerably less attention than have those used to create the revenue baseline or forecast, although both are important to creation of fiscally sustainable budgets. A review of state processes shows that estimating responsibility most often is in a legislative agency, that states usually employ microdynamic estimating methods, generally make their work available on the Internet although infrequently showing the methodology used for an estimate, and rarely have formal quality control procedures for the estimates. Macrodynamic estimates are very rare and some states once requiring this approach no longer do so.
The Politics of Fiscal Austerity: Implications for the United States
Authors: POSNER PAUL , SOMMERFELD MATTHEW
Published: October 2015

As austerity becomes the new normal for advanced nations, questions are raised about whether nations can make the hard choices necessary to bring about a sustainable fiscal future. The political defeat experienced by so many European governments undertaking fiscal consolidations points to the vulnerabilities that leaders will face. This article shows that how some Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations have survived the daunting politics of fiscal consolidation by timing actions for periods of economic recovery and political honeymoons following elections and by pursuing deficit reduction strategies that emphasize broad sweeping changes yielding high potential for dramatic economic gains over the longer term. Unlike many European nations today, the seemingly endless appetite for US treasuries by worldwide markets give the United States the luxury of choosing to begin deficit reduction only when the economy strengthens. However, the absence of market pressure also reduces the sense of urgency, consigning national leaders to create internal crises such as the 2012 “fiscal cliff” to force their own hand. While the polarized politics characterizing our party system does not bode well for concerted fiscal action, divided government carries the potential for spreading political risks and promoting more sustainable fiscal outcomes, as it has in our recent history and in other nations as well.
The Politics of Forecast Bias: Forecaster Effect and Other Effects in New York City Revenue Forecasting
Authors: WILLIAMS DANIEL W.
Published: October 2015

This paper examines the impact of forecasters, horizons, revenue categories, and forecast timing in relation to decision making on forecast bias or accuracy. The significant findings are: for the most part forecasters tend to report forecasts that are similar rather than competitive. Forecast bias (underforecasting) increases over longer horizons; consequently claims of structural budget deficit are suspect, as an assertion of structural deficit requires that a reliable forecast of revenue shows continuous shortfall compared with a reliable forecast of expenditures. There is an overforecasting bias in property tax, possibly reflecting demand for services. There is an underforecasting forecast bias in two revenue categories, all other taxes and federal categorical grants, resulting in a net total underforecasting bias for the city's revenue. There appears to be a period effect (forecasts in June are substantially biased), but this effect requires further study. The study suggests further examination of the bias associated with revenue categories, time within the budget cycle, and forecast horizon.
Agricultural Use‐Value Property Tax Assessment: Estimation and Policy Issues
Authors: ANDERSON JOHN E.
Published: October 2015

This paper provides an overview of the theory and methods used to implement use‐value property tax assessment for agricultural land in the United States. After a critical review of the methods used by various states in their application of use‐value statutes for agricultural land, the paper examines several policy issues related to the estimation and application of use‐value assessment methods. Five state case studies are included, providing an overview of methods used in use‐value assessment, and suggestions are provided regarding several ways in which use‐value assessment methods need to be improved.
For the People: Popular Financial Reporting Practices of Local Governments
Authors: YUSUF JUITA‐ELENA , JORDAN MEAGAN M. , NEILL KATHARINE A. , HACKBART MERL
Published: October 2015

Popular financial reports are reports distributed to citizens and other interested parties who lack a background in formal government financial reporting but who desire an overview of the government's financial status and activities. This paper examines the current state of local government popular financial reporting in the U.S. The results of a survey of large cities and counties indicate that 75 percent of these local governments have issued popular financial reports and that the types of reports and methods of distribution vary. Many of the reasons for providing popular reports relate to providing information and improving transparency and accountability by providing more user friendly financial reports. This paper concludes with a discussion on popular financial reporting in the context of government transparency and accountability, and offers a research agenda for continued study of the topic.
Using Trend Data to Evaluate the Differential Response of State Borrowing to Revenue Volatility
Authors: YAN WENLI
Published: October 2015

Revenue volatility has been a major concern for many state governments as it affects public service delivery and government operation in various ways. Among those, revenue volatility often affects the extent to which state governments utilize borrowing to pay for their infrastructure. As state governments have been ever increasing their reliance on borrowing to finance their capital needs, this paper aims to explore the differential impact of revenue volatility measured by negative versus positive revenue deviation of from trend on state governments' decision in debt financing capital spending. These relationships are empirically examined by modeling various factors that explain state governments' reliance on debt financing with the US Census Bureau's State Government Finance database covering 1987–2004. Findings suggest negative revenue deviation caused a state to decrease the issuance of general obligation (GO) debt and GO debt as a proportion of total long‐term debt issuance when the magnitude of the deviation is below the medium range, but increase the issuance of revenue debt and long‐term debt only when the deviation is high. In the scenario of positive deviation from trend, both the direction and its magnitude increased the issuance of the GO and long‐term debt as well as the GO share. Findings from this research provide new insight into the effects of revenue volatility on the financing choices of state governments. It also has important implications for state public administrators who aim to mitigate the negative impact of revenue uncertainty and exercise a proactive control over state debt burden.
Law From Below: Women's Human Rights and Social Movements in New York City
Authors: Merry Sally Engle , Levitt Peggy , Rosen Mihaela Şerban , Yoon Diana H.
Published: October 2015

Despite the ambivalent history of the domestic application of human rights in the United States, human rights increasingly offer important resources for American grassroots activists. Within the constraints of U.S. policy toward human rights, they provide social movements a kind of global law “from below”: a form of cosmopolitan law that subalterns can use to challenge their subordinate position. Using a case study from New York City, we argue that in certain contexts, human rights can provide important political resources to U.S. social movements. However, they do so in a diffuse way far from the formal system of human rights law. Instead, activists adopt some of the broader social justice ideas and strategies embedded within human rights practice.
Monthly continuous erythropoietin receptor activator treatment maintains stable hemoglobin levels in routine clinical management of hemodialysis patients
Authors: Weinreich Thomas , Leistikow Frank , Hartmann Hagen‐Georg , Vollgraf Günter , Dellanna Frank ,   the SESAM Study Group
Published: October 2015

Once‐monthly administration of CERA, a continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, has shown equivalent efficacy to shorter‐acting erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents (ESAs) that require more frequent dosing, but data on routine use of once‐monthly CERA in hemodialysis patients are lacking. Study on Efficacy, Safety and Applicability of Mircera (SESAM) was a prospective, multicenter, noninterventional trial with a duration of up to 9 months (month 0–5 “titration phase”; month 6−8 “evaluation phase”) to test the stability of Hb control in hemodialysis patients under routine conditions. Patient selection, Hb targets and CERA dosing were at the discretion of the local nephrologist. 918 patients from 92 German nephrology centers were included. Ninety‐three percent were on ESA treatment prior to study entry. The mean number of CERA dose changes during the study was 1.9 ± 1.9 per patient. Mean Hb level was 11.4 ± 1.2 g/dL at baseline and 11.7 ± 1.4 g/dL at the end of the 8‐month study. During the evaluation phase (months 6–8), 15.6%, 40.3%, and 66.0% of patients had stable Hb (i.e., at least two values) in the ranges 11–12, 10–12, and 10–13 g/dL, respectively. The mean intra‐individual fluctuation in Hb was 1.4 ± 0.7 g/dL during the study (0.5 ± 0.4 g/dL during the 3‐month evaluation phase). More than 90% of patients, and >80% of physicians, rated CERA therapy as “very good” or “good” throughout the study. Four patients (0.4%) discontinued prematurely due to adverse drug reactions. Once‐monthly CERA therapy maintains stable Hb values with low intra‐individual variability and few dose adaptations in hemodialysis patients when administered entirely according to local practice, and the regimen was well‐tolerated.
IL‐6 is an independent risk factor for resistance to erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents in hemodialysis patients without iron deficiency
Authors: Won Hye Sung , Kim Hyun Gyung , Yun Yu Seon , Jeon Eun Kyoung , Ko Yoon Ho , Kim Young Soo , Kim Young Ok , Yoon Sun Ae
Published: October 2015

Anemia is a common complication in dialysis patients because of their relative erythropoietin deficiency. Despite treatment with erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents (ESAs), some patients experienced ESA hyporesponsiveness. We evaluated the clinical and laboratory factors that affect ESA hyporesponsiveness and investigated the relationships between hepcidin, inflammatory markers, and the iron profiles of hemodialysis patients. Sixty‐eight patients receiving hemodialysis at a single institution were evaluated in a cross‐sectional study. The patients were divided into tertiles based on the ESA hyporesponsiveness index (EHRI), defined as the weekly ESA dose per kilogram of body weight divided by the hemoglobin level. The mean EHRI values for each tertile were 3.3 ± 1.2 (T1), 10.2 ± 2.9 (T2), and 24.5 ± 11.6 (T3). The mean serum erythropoietin levels were significantly higher in the Q3 and Q4 groups. Thus, patients with ESA hyporesponsiveness showed relative resistance to erythropoietin therapy. In univariate and multivariate analyses, patients in the third tertile of EHRI showed significantly higher mean interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) levels. Serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels showed a similar trend, but the differences were not significant. Serum hepcidin levels tended toward lower mean values in the third tertile of EHRI. No relationship was observed between hepcidin and inflammatory markers or iron status. In conclusion, IL‐6, but not CRP, is a strong predictor of ESA hyporesponsiveness in hemodialysis patients who have sufficient iron. It may be difficult to use hepcidin as an independent clinical marker because of the many factors that influence it and their interactions.
The Unmaking and Making of Self: Embodied Suffering and Mind–Body Healing in Brazilian Candomblé
Authors: Seligman Rebecca
Published: October 2015

AbstractDiscontinuities in the experience of self are distressing especially when they are unexpected, unsanctioned, and resist attribution. Such discontinuities are often a product of psychosocial and physical suffering. In this article I present a model of self that incorporates bodily experience as a fundamental building block and key source of discontinuity for a sense of self. Analysis of data from adherents of an African‐derived spirit possession religion in northeastern Brazil illustrate the ways in which embodied mechanisms, including psychophysiological processes, contribute to the construction, deconstruction, and repair of selves. With case studies from Candomblé, I reveal how subjects use cultural tools to contribute to transformations in both cognitive and bodily processes of incoherence, ameliorate distress, and create positive looping effects that allow selves to recohere. In developing this position I advance understanding of the dynamics of embodied forms of self‐healing and contribute to the literatures on Candomblé in particular and possession more generally. [embodiment, spirit possession, healing, self, Brazil]
Refugee and Displaced Youth Negotiating Imagined and Lived Identities in a Photography‐Based Educational Project in the United States and Colombia
Authors: Guerrero Alba Lucy , Tinkler Tessa
Published: October 2015

Drawing from sociocultural theories of identity, this study uses ethnographic tools to compare how displaced children living in two distinct international contexts, who are linked by their participation in a community‐based photography project, negotiate their identities and the discourses constructed around their experiences of displacement. We argue that children, rather than being passive victims of circumstance, are actively involved in a process of reconstructing the meanings of their experiences through language and social interactions. [identities, informal education, refugee and displaced children]
Race, Power, and Equity in a Multiethnic Urban Elementary School with a Dual‐Language “Strand” Program
Authors: Palmer Deborah
Published: October 2015

Dual‐language education is often lauded for providing high‐caliber bilingual instruction in an integrated classroom. This is complicated, however, when a dual‐language program does not include all members of a school community. This article examines a “strand” dual‐language program that attracts middle‐class white students to a predominantly black and Latino community; yet, only some Latino students and almost no black students are included in the dual‐language program. Although rarely directly discussing race, teachers and parents simultaneously commend the program for bringing diversity and enrichment to the campus, and accuse it of exacerbating inequities in the educational experiences of different children at the school. Taking a critical race perspective, and in particular using the principle of “interest convergence” and the frames of “color‐blind racism” (Eduardo Bonilla‐Silva 2006), this article works to uncover the forces underlying these tensions. [two‐way immersion, dual‐language education, African Americans, critical race theory]
Business Power and Tax Reform: Taxing Income and Profits in Chile and Argentina
Authors: Fairfield Tasha
Published: October 2015

This article examines efforts to increase taxation of highly concentrated, undertapped income and profits in Latin America in the aftermath of structural adjustment. Argentina has advanced further than Chile in two policy areas: corporate taxation, which taps firm-level profits; and tax agency access to bank information, which helps reduce income tax evasion. These outcomes are explained by drawing on the classic concepts of business instrumental power, which entails political actions, and structural power, which arises from investment decisions. In Chile, strong instrumental power removed reforms in both areas from the policy agenda. In Argentina, much weaker instrumental power at the cross-sectoral level facilitated corporate tax increases. Bank information access was expanded after Argentina's 2001 crisis weakened the financial sector's instrumental power and reduced structural power.
Exploring Structures and Phase Relationships of Ceramics from First Principles
Authors: Seko Atsuto
Published: October 2015

Statistical thermodynamics plays a crucial role in modern materials science. The free energy of compounds is indispensable for discussing the phase stability. In general, a number of phenomena contribute to the temperature dependence of the free energy. In multicomponent systems, an important contribution to the free energy arises from the atomic configuration. The configurational effects have been estimated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and the cluster expansion (CE) method. In this article, methodologies for computing the configurational properties based on DFT calculations and the CE method are reviewed. Several applications of the methodologies to the configurational behaviors in ceramic systems are then discussed. We have constructed a phase diagram for a pseudobinary ZnO–MgO system using a combination of the CE method and the cluster variation method (CVM). Instead of the CVM, Monte Carlo (MC) simulations can be adopted to take account of the configurational contribution. Using a combination of DFT calculations and the canonical MC simulations via the CE method, we have investigated the temperature dependence of the cation distribution in MgAl2O4spinel. A similar combined approach has been applied to elucidate the stable cation ordering in spinel oxides and the structure and phase stability of a series of nonstoichiometric SnO2−xcompounds.
Black Boxes of Bureaucracy: Transparency and Opacity in the Resettlement Process of Congolese Refugees
Authors: Thomson Marnie Jane
Published: October 2015

To qualify for third‐country resettlement, refugees must convince aid representatives that they have been individually persecuted and continue to fear such persecution. This article focuses on the official documents Congolese refugees collect as evidence of their persecution to bolster their resettlement claims before their refugee camp in Tanzania closes. To illuminate the creation, collection, and circulation of such documents, I trace one Congolese family's story as it is folded, literally and metaphorically, into an envelope that I hand‐delivered to a United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) resettlement official. Following this envelope led me to an investigation of the bureaucratic institutions involved, which both produce and then later receive the documents. I argue that the apparent transparency of the resettlement process facilitates and justifies its concomitant opacity.
Patch test reactivity to feverfew‐containing creams in feverfew‐allergic patients
Authors: Paulsen Evy , Christensen Lars P. , Fretté Xavier C. , Andersen Klaus E.
Published: October 2015

Background: The Compositae plant feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) has long been recognized as an important sensitizer in European Compositae‐allergic patients, mainly because of its content of the sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide. Recently, a parthenolide‐depleted feverfew extract with claimed anti‐inflammatory properties has been developed for use in cosmetics.

Objective: The aim of the study was to test, on the basis of patch test reactions, whether persons with contact allergy to feverfew could tolerate creams containing this feverfew extract.

Patients/Materials/Methods: Seven patients with feverfew contact allergy were patch tested with two creams containing the feverfew extract. Subsequently, the creams were analysed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to detect parthenolide.

Results: Four of the patients tested positive to one of the creams; reactivity was associated with simultaneous positive reactions to parthenolide. This cream was analysed about 2 years later, and no parthenolide was detected, probably because of degradation of the compound.

Conclusions: Topical products containing parthenolide‐depleted feverfew extracts may elicit positive patch test reactions in feverfew‐sensitive patients. The reactivity may be enhanced by simultaneous testing with parthenolide, but the reactivity is lost over time, probably because of degradation of parthenolide.
Toward a multiscale model of antigen presentation in immunity
Authors: Kirschner Denise E. , Chang Stewart T. , Riggs Thomas W. , Perry Nicolas , Linderman Jennifer J.
Published: October 2015

Summary: A functioning immune system and the process of antigen presentation in particular encompass events that occur at multiple length and time scales. Despite a wealth of information in the biological literature regarding each of these scales, no single representation synthesizing this information into a model of the overall immune response as it depends on antigen presentation is available. In this article, we outline an approach for integrating information over relevant biological and temporal scales to generate such a representation for major histocompatibility complex class II‐mediated antigen presentation. In addition, we begin to address how such models can be used to answer questions about mechanisms of infection and new strategies for treatment and vaccines.
Oral cancer in Western Australia, 1982–2006: a retrospective epidemiological study
Authors: Abreu Lyndon Paul , Kruger Estie , Tennant Marc
Published: October 2015

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39: 376–381

Objective:  To report differences and trends in oral cancer incidence by gender, age, indigenous status and area of residence and on mortality in Western Australia.

Methods:  Data were provided by Western Australian Cancer Registry. Oral cancer definition included ICD‐O‐3 codes C00C08. Age‐specific, direct age‐standardized rates and mortality:incidence ratios were computed with 95% confidence intervals.

Results:  The incidence and death rates of oral cancer accounted for 2.3% and 1.3% of all cancers respectively. Over 25 years, the male:female incidence ratio was 2.4:1. Eighty‐eight percent of new cases were over the age of 40, peaking in the sixth decade of life. The incidence rates were 14.6 and 6.2 per 100 000 per annum in men and women respectively. Over 17 years, standardized mortality rates were less than 1 per 100 000 per year, with double the deaths in men. Mortality:incidence ratios for oral cancer were between 0.4 and 0.6 with the exception of lip.

Conclusions:  Cancer registries are the only reliable source of data for epidemiologic surveillance of cancer incidence and mortality. Results from this study are comparable with studies on oral cancer in Australia and globally.
CD105 is a marker of tumour vasculature and a potential target for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Marioni Gino , D’Alessandro Emiliano , Giacomelli Luciano , Staffieri Alberto
Published: October 2015

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39: 361–367

Background:  The importance of angiogenesis in solid tumour growth is well recognised. Tumour angiogenesis is considered the result of an imbalance between pro‐ and anti‐angiogenic factors produced by both the malignancy and normal cells. Endoglin (CD105) is a proliferation‐associated, hypoxia‐inducible glycoprotein that seems to be clinically superior to other pan‐endothelial markers in the selective evaluation of tumour angiogenesis. Several studies have revealed CD105 up‐regulation in a wide range of tumour endothelia. Since 2002, endothelial CD105 expression has also been retrospectively investigated in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods:  An exhaustive literature review was performed to investigate available evidence on CD105 expression and its biological role and therapeutic potential in HNSCC.

Results:  The available evidence supports the hypothesis that CD105 expression in HNSCC may be a valuable parameter for pinpointing patients at greater risk of recurrent malignancy and with a worse prognosis. A high CD105 expression in HNSCC was associated with metastatic lymph nodes in most of the studies.

Conclusions:  Prospective studies are mandatory to confirm that CD105 expression is a significant prognostic hallmark in HNSCC. The results of prospective studies could be relevant for the adoption of stricter follow‐up protocols and/or alternative therapeutic regimens for patients with a high CD105 expression in HNSCC. Great interest is currently being focused on vascular targeting for therapeutic purposes. Preclinical studies on appropriate animal models resembling HNSCC to investigate the effects of inhibiting CD105 may show the efficacy of combined treatment strategies associating angiogenic‐targeted with conventional therapies for HNSCC.
Expression of delta‐like 1 homologue and insulin‐like growth factor 2 through epigenetic regulation of the genes during development of mouse molar
Authors: Khan Qalb‐E‐Saleem , Sehic Amer , Skalleberg Natalie , Landin Maria A. , Khuu Cuong , Risnes Steinar , Osmundsen Harald
Published: October 2015

Delta‐like 1 homolog (Dlk1) and insulin‐like growth factor 2 (Igf2) are two of six well‐studied mouse imprinted gene clusters that are paternally expressed. Their expression is also linked to their maternally expressed non‐coding RNAs, encoded by Gene trap locus 2 (Gtl2) and Imprinted maternally expressed transcript (H19), co‐located as imprinted gene clusters. Using deoxyoligonucleotide microarrays and real‐time RT‐PCR analysis we showed Dlk1 and Gtl2 to exhibit a time‐course of expression during tooth development that was similar to that of Igf2 and H19. Western blot analysis of proteins encoded by Dlk1 and Igf2 suggested that the levels of these proteins reflected those of the corresponding mRNAs. Immunohistochemical studies of DLK1 in murine molars detected the protein in both epithelial and mesenchymal regions, in developing cusp mesenchyme, and in newly synthesized enamel and dentin tubules. IGF2 protein was detected primarily at prenatal stages, suggesting that it may be active before birth. Analysis of methylation of cytosine–phosphate–guanine (CpG) islands in both Dlk1 and Igf2 suggested the presence of an increasing fraction of hypermethylated bases with increasing time of development. The increased levels of hypermethylation coincided both with the diminished levels of expression of Dlk1 and Igf2 and with decreased levels of DLK1 and IGF2 proteins in the tooth germ, suggesting that their expression is regulated via methylation of CpG islands present in these genes.
Evidence for a new paradigm for ultraviolet exposure: a universal schedule that is skin phototype independent
Authors: Miller Sharon A. , Coelho Sergio G. , Miller Scott W. , Yamaguchi Yuji , Hearing Vincent J. , Beer Janusz Z.
Published: October 2015

Background

The Food and Drug Administration has published guidelines for manufacturer‐recommended exposure schedules for ultraviolet (UV) tanning, intended to limit acute and delayed damage from UV exposure. These guidelines recommend that exposure schedules be adjusted for skin phototype. However, it has been shown that the dose necessary to produce tanning is similar for phototypes 2–4.

Methods

We observed tanning in phototypes 2 and 3 from repeated UV exposures over a 5‐week period. Pigmentation was evaluated visually, instrumentally, and through Fontana‐Masson staining of biopsies.

Results

The resultant pigmentation was equal or greater in phototype 3 compared with phototype 2 – both visually and instrumentally – measured on day 31 of the exposure protocol. The amount of melanin measured in biopsies taken 24 h postexposure was also greater in phototype 3 compared with phototype 2.

Conclusion

Published data on tanning in phototypes 4 and 5 support our findings that higher phototypes can develop pigmentation more efficiently than lower phototypes. Therefore, a universal exposure schedule (based on sensitivity of phototype 2) can be used for all phototypes that are expected to engage in indoor tanning. This approach will result in a reduction of the UV burden for skin phototypes 3 and above.
The prevalence of oral and peri‐oral piercings in young adults: a systematic review
Authors: Hennequin‐Hoenderdos NL , Slot DE , Van der Weijden GA
Published: October 2015

Objective

To determine the prevalence of oral and/or peri‐oral piercings in young adults based on a systematic review of the available literature.

Material and methods

The MEDLINE‐PubMed, Cochrane‐CENTRAL and EMBASE databases were comprehensively searched through April 2012 to identify appropriate studies. The prevalence of oral and/or peri‐oral piercings was evaluated in the general population, as well as by gender and by anatomical site.

Results

An independent screening of 1711 unique titles and abstracts resulted in 13 publications that met the eligibility criteria. In total, 11 249 participants (mean age, 20.6 years) were questioned and/or examined for oral and/or peri‐oral piercings. In the studies that provided information concerning the presence of oral and/or peri‐oral piercings, the prevalence varied from 0.8% to 12%, resulting in a mean prevalence of 5.2%. When examined based on anatomical site, the most common sites were the tongue (a prevalence of 5.6%), followed by the lip (1.5%). Oral piercings were more prevalent in women (5.6%) than men (1.6%).

Conclusion

Among the populations that were studied, oral and/or peri‐oral piercings were observed in a relatively small percentage (5.2%) of young adults. The prevalence was approximately four times higher among females when compared with males. On the basis of the literature, the tongue was the most common oral site for a piercing. Dental care professionals are in an ideal position to offer information regarding safe piercings and to provide advice regarding oral hygiene, aftercare and possible complications.
Case study: caries in young children
Authors: Knevel RJM , Gussy M
Published: October 2015

This article describes the aetiology and specific diagnoses of two different children that presented to the dental surgery with a form of dental caries. The management of both cases is being discussed as well as the differences in the prevention of early childhood caries.
Fuel for Growth and Development
Authors: Pullinger John , Melamed Claire , Bentley George , Shortridge Julie , Falconi Stefanie , Zaitchik Ben , Guikema Seth , Larsen Jacqueline Joudo , Datta Monti Narayan , Bales Kevin , Robineau Delphine , Tranter Matthew , Karsai Nili , Brusilovsky Helen
Published: October 2015

World Statistics Day is the ideal time to showcase diverse applications of data, and how the work of statisticians is helping improve the lives of people around the world. The next 20 pages offer merely a glimpse of the full range of problems to which statistical analysis is applied, despite touching on a wide range of issues: from economic development to trade and transport, data sharing, human rights and hunger. We begin, though, with a special introduction from John Pullinger, the UK National Statistician and current chair of the UN Statistical Commission, on the importance of World Statistics Day
HOW LEADER–MEMBER EXCHANGE INFLUENCES EFFECTIVE WORK BEHAVIORS: SOCIAL EXCHANGE AND INTERNAL–EXTERNAL EFFICACY PERSPECTIVES
Authors: WALUMBWA FRED O. , CROPANZANO RUSSELL , GOLDMAN BARRY M.
Published: October 2015

In this article, we propose and test an integrative theory of leader–member exchange (LMX) that extends our understanding of the mechanisms affecting LMX and important organizational outcomes. We argue that LMX enhances job performance and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) through 2 sets of processes. As a result of a social exchange process, high LMX managers encourage reciprocal obligations. These obligations are manifested as subordinate commitment to their supervisors. This commitment, in turn, prompts more OCBs and higher job performance. Through a second process, high LMX supervisors enhance their subordinates’ self‐efficacy and means efficacy, thereby improving job performance. Results of a field study support our predictions. Theoretical and practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Comparison of Free Light Chain Removal by Four Blood Purification Methods
Authors: Kanayama Kyoko , Ohashi Atsushi , Hasegawa Midori , Kondo Fumiko , Yamamoto Yoshihiro , Sasaki Mayu , Hayashi Hiroki , Kato Masao , Hattori Ryoko , Yamashita Hiroshi , Arai Jiro , Ishii Junichi , Emi Nobuhiko , Yuzawa Yukio
Published: October 2015

Renal failure is a frequent complication in patients with multiple myeloma. Immunoglobulin free light chains (FLCs) form casts in the distal tubules, resulting in renal obstruction, and are also directly toxic to proximal renal tubules. Removal of FLCs contributes to renal recovery. High cut‐off (HCO) membrane Theralite2100, protein leaking dialyzer PES210Dα, plasma separator Evacure1A20 and β2 microglobulin adsorption column LixelleS‐35 were compared in their FLC removal rate. Dialysis using Theralite2100 or Evacure1A20, diafiltration using PES210Dα and adsorption using LixelleS‐35 were performed in an in vitro circuit. The highest removal rate was obtained by Theralite2100 dialysis among the four blood purification methods. Albumin loss was also the greatest in Theralite2100 dialysis. The removal content of FLCs per 1 g albumin loss was better in PES210Dα diafiltration. The removal rate of FLCs by Evacure EC1A‐20 dialysis was the third highest. Adsorption of FLCs by the β2 microglobulin adsorption column Lixelle S‐35 was confirmed. In conclusion, Theralite2100 dialysis was the best in removal of FLCs. PES210Dα diafiltration can remove FLCs with smaller loss of albumin.
Authors’ Response: Improving News Coverage in the 2012 Presidential Campaign and Beyond
Authors: Farnsworth Stephen J. , Lichter S. Robert
Published: October 2015

Recently, Politics & Policy published an article presenting our findings that reveal President Barack Obama received something of a media honeymoon in The New York Times, a sharp contrast from that influential newspaper's first‐year coverage of Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush. Our findings triggered a thoughtful column concerning political coverage by the Times’ public editor, Arthur S. Brisbane, which in turn led to extensive online discussions of media bias. In the interest of continuing this discussion and encouraging more substantive, even‐handed, and informative news in the ongoing presidential campaign, this short response offers suggestions about what we regard as the two key problems of contemporary journalism: that the media are too focused on the sports of politics (“the horse‐race”) at the expense of issue‐based coverage, and that media outlets sometimes play favorites in the tone of coverage.

Related Articles

Farnsworth, Stephen J., and S. Robert Lichter. 2012. “.” Politics & Policy 40 (): 69‐91. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00338.x/abstract

Jones, David A., Kathleen Ferraiolo, and Jennifer Byrne. 2011. “.” Politics & Policy 39 (): 195‐221. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00288.x/abstract

Mena‐Aleman, David. 2006. “” Politics & Policy 36 (): 196‐215. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2006.00009.x/abstract

Related Media

Brisbane, Arthur S. 2012. “.” (April 21). http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/a‐hard‐look‐at‐the‐president.html?_r=2

Tranto, James. 2012. “.” (April 23). http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303459004577362020492037752.html

Hudson, John. 2012. “.” (April 23). http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2012/04/new‐york‐times‐obamas‐safe‐haven/51461/

Beaujon, Andrew. 2012. “.” (March 7). http://www.poynter.org/latest‐news/mediawire/165736/obama‐did‐in‐fact‐enjoy‐a‐media‐honeymoon‐with‐new‐york‐times‐says‐study/

Recientemente, Politics & Policy publicó un artículo presentando resultados nuestros que revelan que el presidente Barak Obama recibió una especie de luna de miel en el periódico The New York Times, mostrando un gran contraste en la cobertura del primer año de Reagan, Clinton y George W. Bush. Nuestros resultados provocaron una nota editorial reflexiva por parte del editor público del Times Arthur S. Brisbane, quién a su vez desencadenó extensas discusiones en línea sobre la imparcialidad de los medios de comunicación. Con el interés de continuar esta discusión y fomentar noticias más sustanciales, imparciales e informativas en la actual campaña presidencial, este breve ensayo ofrece sugerencias respecto a lo que consideramos los dos problemas clave del periodismo contemporáneo: que los medios están muy enfocados en el deporte de la política (o “the horse‐race”) a expensas de reportajes basados en problemas y que los medios de comunicación algunas veces muestran un tono de favoritismo en sus coberturas.