bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trend derivatives: Pricing, hedging, and application to executive stock options
Authors: Leippold Markus , Syz Jürg
Published: December 2006

Both institutional and private investors often have only limited flexibility in timing their investment decision. They look for investments that will ideally be independent of the timing decision. In this article, a new class of derivative products whose payoff is linked to the trend of the underlying instrument is introduced. By linking the trend to the payoff, the timing of the decision becomes less important. Therefore, trend derivatives offer some time‐diversification benefits. How trend derivatives are designed and priced is shown. Due to their peculiar features, trend derivatives offer some interesting applications such as executive stock option plans. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 27:151–186, 2007
Turn‐of‐the‐month and intramonth effects: Explanation from the important macroeconomic news announcements
Authors: Nikkinen Jussi , Sahlström Petri , Äijö Janne
Published: December 2006

This study provides a new and economically plausible explanation for turn‐of‐the‐month and intramonth anomalies. It is suggested that these anomalies arise from clustered information, namely from important macroeconomic news announcements, which are released systematically at a certain point each month. It is verified that both anomalies exist in SP100 returns. However, once the effect of macroeconomic news announcements has been taken into account, these anomalies disappear. A measure is proposed which uses information from option‐implied volatilities to account for the changes in expected risk premium caused by news announcements. This measure is found to capture incompletely the effects of news announcements, which may due to the misreactions observed on the options market or alternative explanations, such as increased liquidity or investors' overreaction resulting in higher realized returns. Consequently, the underlying mechanism remains to some extent inconclusive although the empirical results provide strong support for the macroeconomic news announcement hypothesis. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 27:105–126, 2007
An empirical analysis of the relationship between hedge ratio and hedging horizon using wavelet analysis
Authors: Lien Donald , Shrestha Keshab
Published: December 2006

In this article, optimal hedge ratios are estimated for different hedging horizons for 23 different futures contracts using wavelet analysis. The wavelet analysis is chosen to avoid the sample reduction problem faced by the conventional methods when applied to non‐overlapping return series. Hedging performance comparisons between the wavelet hedge ratio and error‐correction (EC) hedge ratio indicate that the latter performs better for more contracts for shorter hedging horizons. However, the performance of the wavelet hedge ratio improves with the increase in the length of the hedging horizon. This is true for both within‐sample and out‐of‐sample cases. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 27:127–150, 2007
A comment on “A hedging deficiency in eurodollar futures”
Authors: Kawaller Ira G.
Published: December 2006

Professor Chance's analysis shows that hedge results from eurodollar futures are imperfect; and he credits the futures contract design as being the source of the error. This comment argues that the unanticipated outcomes that Professor Chance evidences stem not from the design of the contract, but rather from improperly sizing hedge transactions. If appropriately sized hedges are used, perfect hedge outcomes in fact, will follow. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 27:187–193, 2007
Reply to “A comment on 'A hedging deficiency in eurodollar futures'”
Authors: Chance Don M.
Published: December 2006

Kawaller's argument that a perfect hedge is possible with eurodollar futures is limited to the notion of a perfect accounting hedge, whereby the time value of money is ignored. In addition, his attempt to show the importance of sizing the hedge merely introduces a change to the problem, leading to a difference in our results that he erroneously believes is a mistake on my part. It is easy to show that his example is driven by an irrelevant distraction. I correct his example and show that had he worked the same problem I worked, he would have worked it the same way I did. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 27:195–201, 2007
Depression and apathy affect functioning in community active subjects with questionable dementia and mild Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Lam Linda C. W. , Tam Cindy W. C. , Chiu Helen F. K. , Lui Victor W. C.
Published: December 2006

Background

The relationships between apathy, depression and functional impairment in questionable dementia (QD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are complex. This study aimed to explore the interactions between severity of apathy, depression and functional performance; and to investigate the effects of apathy alone, depression alone and coexistence of apathy and depression on the functional performance in subjects with QD and AD.

Methods

One hundred ninety‐five subjects with QD and 96 subjects with mild AD were recruited. Apathy and depression were rated using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and functional disability was measured using the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD).

Results

Severity of apathy and depression symptoms were associated with poorer functional performance in QD and apathy was associated with poorer functional performance in AD. In QD, subjects with apathy, depression, or coexistence of apathy and depression had poorer functional performance than those with neither apathy nor depression. The coexistence of apathy and depression did not produce more severe functional disability than apathy alone or depression alone. In AD, subjects with apathy had poorer functional performance than those without apathy. Depression in the absence of apathy was not associated with more severe functional disability.

Conclusion

Apathy and depression symptoms are common in the early course of AD. Apathy and depression had different effects on functional performances in the subjects with QD from those with AD. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
QUALIDEM: development and evaluation of a dementia specific quality of life instrument. Scalability, reliability and internal structure
Authors: Ettema Teake P. , Dröes Rose‐Marie , de Lange Jacomine , Mellenbergh Gideon J. , Ribbe Miel W.
Published: December 2006

Objective

To develop a Quality of Life questionnaire rated by professionals that can be used for people with dementia in different stages of the disease, living in residential settings.

Method

Development was performed in two phases: item generation and pilot testing, and a field survey to evaluate the psychometric properties. For unidimensionality we used a non‐parametric model from item response theory: the Mokken scaling model, and computed the corresponding scalability coefficients, using a theory driven strategy.

Results

The pilot survey resulted in a list of 49 items. The field survey was performed in a sample of 238 people with dementia residing in ten nursing homes. The scalability of the subscales positive affect, negative affect, restless tense behavior, and social relations is strong (0.50 < H < 0.63); for care relationship, positive self image, feeling at home, and having something to do, scalability was moderate (0.40 < H < 0.49), and for social isolation it was weak (H = 0.34). The reliability coefficient Rho (under assumption of double monotonicity) varied from 0.60 for social isolation to 0.90 for positive affect (Cronbach's alpha varied from 0.59 to 0.89). Twenty‐one of 40 items are suited for people with very severe dementia.

Conclusion

The QUALIDEM is an easy to administer and sufficiently reliable rating scale that provides a QOL profile of persons with dementia in residential settings. The QUALIDEM can be used for evaluation as well as for research and practice innovation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fine‐grained bed sediment storage within the main channel systems of the Frome and Piddle catchments, Dorset, UK
Authors: Collins A. L. , Walling D. E.
Published: December 2006

Lowland permeable catchments in the UK are particularly prone to sedimentation problems, on account of the increased fine sediment loadings generated by recent land‐use change and their stable seasonal hydrological regimes, which are frequently depleted by groundwater abstraction. Fine‐grained sediment storage on the bed of the main channel systems of the Frome (437 km2) and Piddle (183 km2) catchments, Dorset, UK, has been examined at 29 sites using a sediment remobilization technique. Measurements encompassed the period February 2003–July 2004. At individual sites in the Frome, average values ranged between 410 and 2630 g m−2, with an overall mean of 918 g m−2. In the Piddle, the average values for individual sites varied between 260 and 4340 g m−2, with an overall mean of 1580 g m−2. Temporal variations in fine bed sediment storage at each site were appreciable, with the coefficients of variation ranging between 43 and 155% in the Frome and between 33 and 160% in the Piddle. Average reach‐scale specific bed sediment storage increased markedly downstream along each main stem from 2 to 29 t km−1(Frome) and from 4 to 19 t km−1(Piddle). Total fine sediment storage on the channel bed of the Frome varied between 479 t (5 t km−1) and 1694 t (17 t km−1), with a mean of 795 t (7 t km−1), compared with between 371 t (5 t km−1) and 1238 t (14 t km−1) with a mean of 730 t (9 t km−1) in the Piddle. During the study period, fine bed sediment storage was typically equivalent to 18% (Frome) and 57% (Piddle) of the mean annual suspended sediment flux at the study catchment outlets. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A simplified model for estimating field‐scale surface runoff hydrographs
Authors: Morbidelli Renato , Corradini Corrado , Govindaraju Rao S.
Published: December 2006

The problem of obtaining field‐scale surface response to rainfall events is complicated by the spatial variability of infiltration characteristics of the soil and rainfall. In this paper, we develop and test a simplified model for generating surface runoff over fields with spatial variation in both rainfall rate and saturated hydraulic conductivities. The model is able to represent the effects of local variation in infiltration, as well as the run‐on effect that controls infiltration of excess water from saturated upstream areas. The effective rainfall excess is routed to the slope outlet using a simplified solution of the kinematic wave approximation. Model results are compared to averaged hydrographs from numerically‐intensive Monte–Carlo simulations for observed and design rainfall events and soil patterns that are typical of Central Italy. The simplified model is found to yield satisfactory results at a relatively small computational expense. A proposal to include a simple channel routing scheme is also presented as a prelude to extend this conceptualization to watershed scales. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of dust event timing on glacier runoff: sensitivity analysis for a Tibetan glacier
Authors: Fujita Koji
Published: December 2006

The impact of the timing of dust deposition on glacier runoff was evaluated using a glacier mass‐balance model with a newly improved scheme to track a dusted layer in a snow layer of a glacier. The lowering of surface albedo due to the dusted layer appearing leads to a drastic increase of glacier runoff even under the same meteorological conditions. Calculations of seasonal sensitivity, the relationship between dusted date and resulting runoff, have shown that dust deposition during a melting season might cause a drastic mass outflow from a glacier through changing the surface albedo during the melting season. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characteristics and climatic sensitivities of runoff from a cold‐type glacier on the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Fujita Koji , Ohta Takeshi , Ageta Yutaka
Published: December 2006

Model calculations are made in order to understand the characteristics and response to climate change of runoff from a cold glacier on the Tibetan Plateau. Some 20% of meltwater is preserved at the snow–ice boundary due to refreezing, since the glaciers in mid to northern Tibet are sufficiently cooled during the previous winter.

Sensitivity to alterations in meteorological parameters has revealed that a change in air temperature would cause not only an increase in melting by sensible heat, but also a drastic increase in melting due to lowering of the albedo, since some of the snowfall changes to rainfall. In addition, it was suggested that a decrease in precipitation would cause a lowering of the surface albedo, with a resulting increase in the contribution of glacier runoff to the total runoff of river water. This study shows the first quantitative evaluation of the above effects, though they have been suggested qualitatively. The seasonal sensitivity of glacier runoff was examined by changing the dates given for a meteorological perturbation for a period of only 5 days. It was revealed that changes in both air temperature and precipitation during the melting season strongly affected glacier runoff by changing the surface albedo, though these perturbations only slightly altered the annual averages. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Contractile three‐dimensional bioengineered heart muscle for myocardial regeneration
Authors: Huang Yen‐Chih , Khait Luda , Birla Ravi K.
Published: December 2006

Tissue engineered heart muscle may be able to provide a treatment modality for early stage congestive heart failure. In this study, we describe a new method to engineer functional 3‐dimensional heart muscle utilizing a biodegradable fibrin gel. Primary cardiac myocytes were isolated from hearts of 2‐ to 3‐day‐old rats and processed in one of the two ways. For the first method (layering approach), the cells were plated directly on the surface of a fibrin gel‐coated on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces. The cells were cultured in growth media and the contractile performance evaluated after formation of 3‐dimensional tissue constructs. For the second method (embedding approach), the cells were suspended with thrombin and plated on 35 mm tissue culture surfaces coated with PDMS. Fibrinogen was then added to the surface. Within 7 days after initial cell plating, a 3‐dimensional tissue construct of cells derived from primary heart tissue (termed bioengineered heart muscle, BEHM) resulted for both approaches. Histological evaluation showed the presence of uniformly distributed cardiac cells throughout the BEHM, both in longitudinal and cross sections. The stimulated active force of BEHMs formed using the layering approach was 835.5 ± 57.2 μN (N = 6) and 145.3 ± 44.9 μN (N = 6) using the embedding approach. The stimulated active force was dependent on the initial plating density. It was possible to maintain the contractile function of BEHM in culture for up to 2 months with daily medium changes. The BEHMs exhibited inotropy in response to external calcium and isoproterenol and could be electrically paced at frequencies of 1–7 Hz. We describe a novel method to engineer contractile 3‐dimensional cardiac tissue construct with a fourfold increase specific force compared to our previous model. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2007
Four photon laser spectroscopy of local heterogeneities in solids in 0 – 60 GHz
Authors: Bunkin A F , Pershin S M
Published: December 2006

The spectra of coherent four photon scattering in fused quartz and crown glass K8 have been measured in the range ±2 cm-1. It's shown that both samples contain the features of Brillouin scattering on longitudinal and transversal hypersound. In the samples the sharp resonances of OH molecules rotations are detected for the first time in the range 1.3-1.6 cm-1. In fused quartz the fine structure of spectrum in the range ± 0.3 cm-1 is observed. The last features are attributed to the own modes 0.165 cm-1 and 0.26 cm-1 of spherical nanoparticles, which was studied in the synthetic opal earlier. The diameter of these SiO2 spheres was estimated as 880± 30 nm.
Frontiers in microphotonics: tunability and all-optical control
Authors: Monat C , Grillet C , Domachuk P , Smith C , Magi E , Moss D J , Nguyen H C , Tomljenovic-Hanic S , Cronin-Golomb M , Eggleton B J , Freeman D , Madden S , Luther-Davies B , Mutzenich S , Rosengarten G , Mitchell A
Published: December 2006

The miniaturization of optical devices and their integration for creating adaptive and reconfigurable photonic integrated circuits requires effective platforms and methods to control light over very short distances. We present here several techniques and objects that we have developed to harness light at the sub-micrometer scale. These new tools include planar photonic crystal on nonlinear chalcogenide glasses, tapered silica fibres, optofluidics, and optical trapping. Their association could provide the basic building blocks of completely new architectures and platforms that would have an impact on numerous applications, from optical logic to sensing.
Effects of viscosity and surface roughness on gear contact tribological layers
Authors: Jao T. C. , Inacker O. , Beckmann P. , Yatsunami K.
Published: December 2006

The increasing dependence on more robust additive chemistry to improve gear pitting resistance requires the additive technology development to rely less on a trial‐and‐error approach and more on a better basic understanding of the influence of additive chemistry on tribological contact layers' physical and chemical changes. The use of secondary neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) and nanoindenter to analyse tribological contact layers had been carried out by Inacker and co‐workers at NMI. They found that the alkyl structure of zinc dithiophosphate (ZDTP) and the type of cation have a profound effect on the thickness and nanohardness of the tribological layer. An extension to that study has been carried out in this investigation, which involves a design experiment of two variables (oil viscosity and surface roughness) while keeping the additive chemistry constant to determine their impact on the tribological layer. The methods used to analyse the tribological layers include SNMS, nanoindenter and SEM coupled with focused ion beam imaging of the rectangular well‐shaped cross section. The results in general are in agreement with the findings of Inacker and his co‐workers, namely greater micropitting reduces the thickness of the tribological layer and brings closer the depth of nanohardness maximum to the surface. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Measurements of volatile organic compounds in the earth's atmosphere using proton‐transfer‐reaction mass spectrometry
Authors: de Gouw Joost , Warneke Carsten
Published: December 2006

Proton‐transfer‐reaction mass spectrometry (PTR‐MS) allows real‐time measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air with a high sensitivity and a fast time response. The use of PTR‐MS in atmospheric research has expanded rapidly in recent years, and much has been learned about the instrument response and specificity of the technique in the analysis of air from different regions of the atmosphere. This paper aims to review the progress that has been made. The theory of operation is described and allows the response of the instrument to be described for different operating conditions. More accurate determinations of the instrument response involve calibrations using standard mixtures, and some results are shown. Much has been learned about the specificity of PTR‐MS from inter‐comparison studies as well the coupling of PTR‐MS with a gas chromatographic interface. The literature on this issue is reviewed and summarized for many VOCs of atmospheric interest. Some highlights of airborne measurements by PTR‐MS are presented, including the results obtained in fresh and aged forest‐fire and urban plumes. Finally, the recent work that is focused on improving the technique is discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 26:223–257, 2007
Zyklisches Werkstoffverhalten sprühkompaktierter Aluminiumwerkstoffe. Kennwerte für die Bauteilbemessung: Von der Probe zum Bauteil
Authors: el Dsoki C. , Landersheim V. , Kaufmann H. , Bruder T. , Krug P. , Bohn T. , Müller C.
Published: December 2006

Sprühkompaktierte Hochleistungsaluminiumlegierungen (DISPAL = DISpersionsverfestigtes ALuminium) zeichnen sich durch hohe Festigkeiten, hohe E‐Moduli, guten Verschleißwiderstand und niedrige thermische Ausdehnungskoeffizienten aus. Der Einsatz dieser Werkstoffe und das gestiegene Interesse der Automobilindustrie begründen sich in diesen Eigenschaften. Im Rahmen eines bilateralen Projektes wurden unter Variation von verschiedenen Parametern sowohl dehnungs‐ als auch kraftgeregelte Versuche durchgeführt, um das Verhalten unter zyklischer Belastung dieser Werkstoffe zu beschreiben.
Korrosion durch Biokraftstoffe – Schutz durch Beschichtungen auch bei zyklischer Beanspruchung
Authors: Kaufmann H. , Morgenstern C. , Gugau M. , Scholz M. , Jung T.
Published: December 2006

Der Einfluss von Korrosion muss bei zahlreichen Bauteilen in der Fahrzeugindustrie für die Auslegung berücksichtigt werden. Mit entsprechenden Beschichtungen wird versucht, den negativen Einfluss der Korrosion unter statischen und zyklischen Beanspruchungen zu unterdrücken. Am Beispiel der Aluminiumgusslegierung AlSi7Mg0,3 T6 sollen ausgewählte Werkstoff‐Beschichtungssysteme unter mechanisch‐thermisch‐korrosiven Komplexbeanspruchungen charakterisiert und Kennwerte für die Auslegung von Bauteilen unter zyklischen Beanspruchungen ermittelt werden.

Es wurden Auslagerungsversuche in den Medien Ottokraftstoff E5 (Ottokraftstoff mit 5 % Ethanol) und E10 (Ottokraftstoff mit 10 % Ethanol) bei verschiedenen Temperaturen mit unbeschichteten, eloxierten und chemisch‐vernickelten Proben durchgeführt und anschließend im REM untersucht.

Die zyklischen Versuche mit chemisch vernickeltem und getemperten Aluminium im Ottokraftstoff E5 bei 100 °C haben gezeigt, dass für dieses Umgebungsmedium der mindernde Einfluss durch die Kraftstoffkorrosion auf die Schwingfestigkeit im Rahmen der Streuung nicht zu erkennen ist. Dieses Ergebnis deckt sich mit den Auslagerungsversuchen im Ottokraftstoff E5 bei 100 °C, bei denen sich keine Korrosion zeigte.

Salznebelkorrosion führt trotz Beschichtung zu einer deutlichen Minderung der Schwingfestigkeit. Bei der Schadensakkumulationsrechnung konnte gezeigt werden, dass die tatsächliche Schadenssumme von Bremssattel und Proben trotz unterschiedlicher Beschichtung vergleichbar ist.
Joint hypermobility
Authors: Bird Howard A.
Published: December 2006

Patients with joint hypermobility, perhaps the mildest of the various inherited abnormalities of connective tissue, may present to a rheumatologist or general practitioner although a large proportion are recognized by health professionals, particularly physiotherapists. Hypermobility may be generalized or extreme at a small number of joints. Sometimes it is associated with involvement of other organs because of abnormal inherited collagen structure elsewhere. A small proportion of patients will have one of the more serious conditions such as Ehlers‐Danlos syndrome, Marfan's syndrome or osteogenesis imperfecta. Management is multidisciplinary requiring a team including physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and podiatrists, among others. Patients often wait a long time before receiving their definitive diagnosis and are sometimes dismissed as malingerers. Patients often have a lot of queries about their condition unrelated to their joints. Among these are whether there will be problems in pregnancy, whether the condition will be passed on to their children, whether symptoms arising from organs other than the joints are related and whether they might have been incorrectly accused of battering their children. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SK‐NEP‐1 and Rh1 are Ewing family tumor lines
Authors: Smith Malcolm A. , Morton Christopher L. , Phelps Doris , Girtman Kevin , Neale Geoffrey , Houghton Peter J.
Published: December 2006

The utility of preclinical models of childhood cancers is contingent upon reliably classifying them with their corresponding clinical counterparts. Molecular tools such as gene expression profiling allow researchers to confirm the similarity between clinical tumors and preclinical models. We describe the use of gene expression profiling to show that SK‐NEP‐1, a cell line previously thought to represent anaplastic Wilms tumor, is instead related to Ewing sarcoma. RT‐PCR confirmed that SK‐NEP‐1 expresses EWS–FLI1 gene fusion transcripts characteristic of Ewing sarcoma, and DNA sequencing demonstrated the joining of exon 7 of EWS with exon 5 of FLI1 for these transcripts. Rh1, which was previously categorized as an alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma cell line, also has a gene expression profile suggestive of Ewing sarcoma and expresses EWS‐FLI1 fusion transcripts in which exon 7 of EWS is joined with exon 6 of FLI1. These examples illustrate the importance of molecularly characterizing pediatric preclinical models used for testing new agents. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;50:703–706. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Free fetal DNA in maternal circulation: a potential prognostic marker for chromosomal abnormalities?
Authors: Gerovassili Ageliki , Garner Chad , Nicolaides Kypros H. , Thein Swee Lay , Rees David C.
Published: December 2006

Objectives

Previous studies on the association of fetal cell‐free (cf)DNA levels in maternal circulation have produced conflicting results but the sample sizes were small and based on archived material. We aimed to quantify the levels of fetal and total cfDNA on prospectively collected samples, to understand their correlation with other variables and to clarify their diagnostic value.

Methods

DNA from pre‐CVS maternal plasma was extracted from 264 controls, 72 trisomy 21, 24 trisomy 18, 12 trisomy 13, 16 Turner's syndrome and 8 triploidy first‐trimester pregnancies and quantified using real‐time PCR. β‐globin was used to determine total cfDNA levels and DYS14 and SRY assays to determine fetal cfDNA levels.

Results

Fetal cfDNA levels (DYS14) showed correlation with crown rump length (CRL) (p = 0.004), BMI (p = 0.01) and storage time (p = 0.007) while there was an inverse correlation of total cfDNA levels with nuchal translucency (NT) (p = 0.001). No significant difference was observed between the levels of fetal cfDNA in controls and aneuploidy cases.

Conclusion

Quantification of fetal and total cfDNA in maternal circulation showed inverse correlation between NT and total cfDNA levels. Our results also suggest that fetal cfDNA is not an ideal prognostic marker for chromosomal abnormalities in first‐trimester pregnancies. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An assessment of the compliance with good pharmacy practice in an urban and rural district in Sri Lanka
Authors: Wijesinghe P. R. , Jayakody R. L. , Seneviratne R. De A.
Published: December 2006

Purpose

To evaluate the compliance of private pharmacies to good pharmacy practice (GPP) in an urban and rural district in Sri Lanka and identify deficiencies with a view to improving supply of safe and effective drugs to consumers.

Methods

Lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) method was used to determine the number of pharmacies that need to be studied and the threshold limit of defective elements. An inspection of 20 pharmacies in the urban and all 18 pharmacies in the rural district was carried out using a structured checklist. Compliance to seven subsystems of GPP was studied.

Results

Storage of drugs, maintenance of cold chain, dispensing and documentation were comprehensively substandard in both districts. Individual items of supervision in registration, physical environment and order of the pharmacy were also found to be substandard in both districts.

Conclusion

This study shows that the LQAS method can be used to identify inadequate pharmacy services in the community as a whole. There was poor compliance to GPP by the private pharmacies in both districts. There are concerns about the quality of drugs and the safety of private pharmacy services to the community. Some of the deficiencies could be easily corrected by educating the pharmacists and authorised officers, and more effective and streamlined supervision. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of glycosylation on the protein pattern in 2‐D‐gel electrophoresis
Authors: Kleinert Peter , Kuster Thomas , Arnold Daniel , Jaeken Jaak , Heizmann Claus W. , Troxler Heinz
Published: December 2006

Single proteins, when analyzed with 2‐D‐PAGE, often show multiple spots due to PTMs. In gels of human body fluids, the spot patterns facilitate the assignment and identification of the proteins. We analyzed serums from patients with congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) in which glycoproteins are strongly impacted and exhibit highly distinguishable spot patterns compared to healthy controls. We detected a typical protein pattern for α1‐acid glycoprotein (AGP) and transferrin (Trf) that are markers for CDG. AGP contains five glycosylation sites which results in a complex microheterogeneity of the glycoprotein. On the other hand, in Trf, a glycoprotein with only two glycosylation sites, mainly biantennary complex‐type‐N‐linked glycans are bound. We used 2‐D‐PAGE, MALDI‐TOF‐MS, and ESI‐MS for the analysis of these glycoproteins and their corresponding glycans. In AGP, the heterogenic glycosylation of the different glycosylation sites is responsible for the complex spot pattern. In contrast to AGP, the protein spots of Trf cannot be explained by glycosylation. We found strong evidence that oxidation of cysteine is responsible for the spot pattern. This study contradicts the commonly accepted assumption that the multiple protein spots of Trf observed in 2‐D‐PAGE are due, as in AGP, to the glycosylation of the protein.
Lipid raft proteome of the human neutrophil azurophil granule
Authors: Feuk‐Lagerstedt Elisabeth , Movitz Charlotta , Pellmé Sara , Dahlgren Claes , Karlsson Anna
Published: December 2006

Detergent‐resistant membrane domains (DRMs) are present in the membranes of azurophil granules in human neutrophils (Feuk‐Lagerstedt et al., J. Leukoc. Biol. 2002, 72, 970). Using a proteomic approach, we have now identified 106 proteins in a DRM preparation from these granule membranes. Among these proteins were the lipid raft structural proteins flotillin‐1 and ‐2, cytoskeletal proteins such as actin, vimentin and tubulin, and membrane fusion promoting proteins like annexins and dysferlin. Our results suggest that the azurophil granule membrane, in similarity to the plasma membrane, is an elaborate structure that takes part in intracellular signaling and functions other than the mere delivery of bactericidal effector molecules to the phagosome.
Phosphoproteins of the chicken eggshell calcified layer
Authors: Mann Karlheinz , Olsen Jesper V. , Maček Boris , Gnad Florian , Mann Matthias
Published: December 2006

The chicken eggshell matrix is a complex mixture of proteins and proteoglycans. It also contains phosphoproteins that are thought to affect mineralization of the matrix. Several of the matrix phosphoproteins, such as the major component osteopontin, have already been identified as phosphoproteins in other tissues, but the phosphorylation status of the eggshell matrix forms was unknown. The phosphopeptides, obtained after cleavage of the matrix proteins with several different cleavage methods, were enriched by anion‐exchange chromatography and reversible binding to titanium oxide and identified by LC‐MSn or pseudo‐MSn analysis following neutral loss scanning. Altogether we identified 39 phosphorylated matrix proteins, 22 of which were not known to be phosphorylated before. Eight of the proteins were identified as eggshell matrix components for the first time. Together these proteins contained more than 150 different phosphorylation sites, 103 of which were determined with high confidence. Among the major phosphorylated proteins of the chicken eggshell matrix were osteopontin and the eggshell‐specific proteins ovocleidin‐17, ovocleidin‐116, and ovocalyxin‐32.
Evaluation of an in vitro model of androgen ablation and identification of the androgen responsive proteome in LNCaP cells
Authors: Rowland John G. , Robson Joanne L. , Simon William J. , Leung Hing Y. , Slabas Antoni R.
Published: December 2006

Proteins responsive to androgen and anti‐androgen may be involved in the development and progression of prostate cancer and the ultimate failure of androgen‐ablation therapy. These proteins represent potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for improved management of prostate cancer. We have investigated the effect of androgen (R1881) and anti‐androgen (bicalutamide) on the androgen‐responsive prostate cancer LNCaP cell line using a quantitative gel‐based proteomic approach. Prior to analysis, the in vitro system was evaluated for reproducibility and validated by appropriate molecular responses to treatment. Six replicate samples were independently generated and analysed by 2‐D DIGE. According to strict statistical criteria, 197 spots were differentially expressed, of which we have successfully identified 165 spots corresponding to 125 distinct proteins. Following androgen supplementation, 108 spots (68 proteins) were increased and 57 spots (39 proteins) were decreased. Essentially no difference was observed between control and anti‐androgen‐treated samples, confirming the absence of “off‐target” effects of bicalutamide. Identified proteins were involved in diverse processes including the stress response and intracellular signalling. The potential contribution to disease of these processes and identified constituent proteins are discussed. This rigorous, statistically supported study of androgen responses has provided a number of potential candidates for development as diagnostic/prognostic markers and drug targets.
Cognitive‐behavioral management of chemotherapy‐related cognitive change
Authors: Ferguson Robert J. , Ahles Tim A. , Saykin Andrew J. , McDonald Brenna C. , Furstenberg Charlotte T. , Cole Bernard F. , Mott Leila A.
Published: December 2006

Adjuvant chemotherapy can produce mild cognitive decline among breast cancer survivors which adversely effects function and quality of life. However, no treatment to date has been proposed or developed for this problem despite large numbers of cancer patients who report post‐treatment memory dysfunction. This paper presents data from a single arm pilot study of a brief cognitive‐behavioral treatment aimed at helping breast cancer survivors manage cognitive dysfunction associated with adjuvant chemotherapy (Memory and Attention Adaptation Training; MAAT). Participants were twenty‐nine women who were an average of 8 years post‐chemotherapy for stage I and II breast cancer. All had reported complaints regarding memory and attention. Improvements in self‐report of cognitive function, quality of life and standard neuropsychological test performance were observed at post‐treatment, 2‐month and 6‐month follow‐up. Participants also reported high treatment satisfaction and rated MAAT as helpful in improving ability to compensate for memory problems. Given these results, the treatment appears to be a feasible and practical cognitive‐behavioral program that warrants continued evaluation among cancer survivors who experience persistent cognitive dysfunction. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modeling the interaction between aldolase and the thrombospondin‐related anonymous protein, a key connection of the malaria parasite invasion machinery
Authors: Buscaglia Carlos A. , Hol Wim G. J. , Nussenzweig Victor , Cardozo Timothy
Published: December 2006

A complex molecular motor empowers substrate‐dependent motility and host cell invasion in malaria parasites. The interaction between aldolase and the transmembrane adhesin thrombospondin‐related anonymous protein (TRAP) transduces the motor force across the parasite surface. Here, we analyzed this interaction by using state‐of‐the‐art flexible docking. Besides algorithms to account for induced fit in the side‐chains of the Plasmodium falciparum aldolase (PfAldo) structure, we used additional in silico receptors modeled upon crystallographic structures of evolutionarily related aldolases to incorporate enzyme backbone flexibility, and to overcome structure inaccuracies due to the relatively low resolution (3.0 Å) of the genuine PfAldo structure. Our results indicate that, in spite of multiple intermolecular contacts, only the six C‐terminal residues of the TRAP cytoplasmic tail bind in an ordered manner to PfAldo. This portion of TRAP targets the PfAldo active site, with its n‐1 Trp residue, which is essential for this interaction, buried within the PfAldo catalytic pocket. Docking of a TRAP peptide bearing a Trp to Ala mutation rendered the lower energy configurations either bound weakly outside the active site or not bound to PfAldo at all. The position of the bound TRAP peptide, and particularly the close proximity between the carbonyl of its n‐2 Asp residue and the experimentally determined position of the phosphate‐6 group of fructose 1,6‐phosphate bound to mammalian aldolases, predicts an inhibitory effect of TRAP on catalysis. Enzymatic and TRAP‐binding assays using mutant PfAldo molecules strongly support the overall structural model. These results might provide the initial framework for the identification of novel antiparasitic compounds. Proteins 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Editorial Introduction: Community and identity in the new Chinese migration order
Authors: Pieke Frank N.
Published: December 2006

Migration from China has fundamentally changed in the past 25 years. Much has been written on the benefits and threats of different types of Chinese migration flows for receiving countries. Almost equally as much has been written about the many forms of Chinese transnationalism and cosmopolitanism brought forth by the new Chinese migration. This article discusses the new types of migratory flows emanating from China, with a focus on ethnic identity formation, competition and cooperation between different migrant Chinese groups, both new and old, in different settings in Europe, North America and Africa. The article concludes with some observations on future changes in the pattern of Chinese migration and their impact on the world migration order. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cooperation, conflict and integration among sub‐ethnic immigrant groups from Taiwan
Authors: Avenarius Christine
Published: December 2006

This paper investigates how immigrants from Taiwan who share a common place of origin but not the same sub‐ethnic affiliation create social lives for themselves in southern California's vast areas of urban sprawl. With affluence, the first generation of immigrants has become increasingly able to socialise exclusively with others who share similar cultural and political backgrounds. There is less need to maintain ties with outsiders for the sake of survival and adaptation as immigrants. Today, few older Hoklo Taiwanese keep up relationships with non‐Taiwanese. The community organisations in which they participate have predominantly Taiwanese members who speak Hoklo when they are together. They are connected to similar groups because they have members in common and are therefore part of a cluster of Taiwanese organisations. Older immigrants emphasise sub‐ethnic differences more than most people in Taiwan itself. In contrast, the interaction patterns of younger first‐generation immigrants from Taiwan depend on their self‐identification and degree of participation in the ethnic community. Ethnographic fieldwork for this paper was conducted in Orange County, California, in 1997 and 1998. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Meeting on the margins: Cantonese ‘old‐timers’ and Fujianese ‘newcomers’
Authors: Beck Sean
Published: December 2006

Britain's Chinese population is typically portrayed as a homogeneous ethnic group, both in the media and by wider society. However, investigations into how Liverpool's well‐established Cantonese community perceives and reacts to more recent Fujianese arrivals demonstrate that the concept of sub‐ethnic difference is an important one. Rather than integrating into the established Cantonese community, the Fujianese tend to live in social isolation and have become part of a wider multi‐ethnic pool of cheap manual labour. The establishment, development and consolidation of a Cantonese‐dominated Chinese community in Liverpool has created extensive Cantonese social networks which the Fujianese find impenetrable. This situation is compounded by the Fujianese migrants' own poorly endowed social networks, the increasing commercialisation of Fujianese irregular migration to Britain and intervention by the Immigration Service, which combine to lead new Fujianese immigrants into exploitation. The geographical mobility of the Fujianese in Britain also inhibits the formation of close ties with settled Cantonese communities. The result is that the two groups have two different geographies: the Cantonese are stable and settled, whilst the Fujianese remain itinerant and marginalised. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tigers and gangsters: masculinities and feminised migration in Indonesia
Authors: Elmhirst Rebecca
Published: December 2006

This paper considers the implications of feminised labour migration for young men in Lampung, Indonesia, drawing on performative approaches to masculinities in the context of wider political economic change. Since the early 1990s it has become commonplace for unmarried women to make temporary migrations to work in the export factories of West Java, with a view to remitting money to their natal households and, at the same time, gathering experience of modernity. Whilst unmarried men have been involved in similar movements, a combination of gender‐specific labour demands in different places, emerging migrant networks and familial pressures has led to a large cohort of young men being ‘left behind’, in more than one sense. Drawing on material from interviews and group discussions, the paper focuses on the experiences of these young men, and examines the complex cultural politics of masculinity and femininity that emerging gendered mobility and employment patterns appear to have invoked. In a context where brushes with modernity (through migration and urban employment) are held to contribute to personal power and authority, and where work and the achievement of valued forms of adult masculinity are closely linked to financial autonomy, men's perception of their economic, cultural and social ‘lack’ relative to young women is a source of community conflict as young men seek to assert themselves as modern subjects in unexpected and sometimes threatening ways. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rural parents with urban children: social and economic implications of migration for the rural elderly in Thailand
Authors: Knodel John , Saengtienchai Chanpen
Published: December 2006

The present study explores the social and economic consequences of the migration of adult children to urban areas for rural parents in Thailand. Attention is given to the circumstances under which such migration takes place, including the role parents play in the process and the extent to which the implications of migration for the parents are taken into consideration. The analysis relies primarily on open‐ended interviews conducted in 2004 with older age parents with migrant children in four purposely selected rural communities that were studied ten years earlier. Our findings suggest that migration of children to urban areas contributes positively to the material well‐being of their elderly parents who remain in rural areas. Negative impacts of migration on social support, defined in terms of maintaining contact and visits, have been attenuated by the advent of technological changes in communication and also by improvements in transportation. Phone contact, especially through mobile phones, is now pervasive, in sharp contrast to the situation ten years earlier when it was extremely rare. Much of the change in Thailand in terms of the relationships between rural parents and their geographically dispersed adult children is quite consistent with the concept of the ‘modified extended family’, a perspective that has become common in discussions regarding elderly parents in industrial and post‐industrial societies but rarely applied to the situation of elderly parents in developing country settings. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How far are the left‐behind left behind? A preliminary study in rural China
Authors: Biao Xiang
Published: December 2006

While the linkage between migration and development has attracted much academic and policy attention, a key aspect of the linkage, namely those left behind in the community of origin, remains under‐researched. As one of the first academic attempts to provide a systematic overview of this group in China, this paper describes the basic problems faced by it, discusses the institutional causes of the problems, and explores long‐term and short‐term solutions. The paper first establishes the fact that, while it seems that individuals decide who migrates and who stays back, there are fundamental institutional constraints on such decisions. The paper then shows that the three main left‐behind groups, namely wives, the elderly and children, encounter various problems, but in general their situation is not much worse than that of those living with all family members. Their problems cannot just be attributed to being left‐behind individuals; instead, the fundamental cause is that many rural communities as a whole have been left behind economically and socially. Although migration exacerbates the hardship, preventing migration is certainly not a solution. The paper instead calls for measures to redress the urban–rural divide and to improve the provision of public goods in rural communities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bleaching kinetics of indoly‐benzylfulgimide in PMMA
Authors: Rupp Romano A. , Zheng Yuan , Wang Yingli , Dong Weibin , Menke Neimule , Yao Baoli , Zhao Wei , Chen Yi , Fan Meigong , Xu Jinjun , Fally Martin
Published: December 2006

Indoly‐benzylfulgimide belongs to the photochromic fulgide family and follows photochemical first order kinetics. Its bleaching kinetics is investigated at 633 nm and 640 nm by spectroscopy, by the time dependence of transmission and of diffraction from holographically induced gratings. The non‐exponential decay law resulting for diffraction experiments with a Gaussian beam profile is calculated and verified experimentally. For a quasi‐homogeneous beam profile the time constant determined from diffraction decay is half the one for absorbance decay. The photochemical reaction rate of indoly‐benzylfulgimide in PMMA is (3.9 ± 0.3) cm2/J at 650 nm. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
First‐principles study of electronic structure and ground‐state properties of alkali‐metal sulfides – Li2S, Na2S, K2S and Rb2S
Authors: Eithiraj R. D. , Jaiganesh G. , Kalpana G. , Rajagopalan M.
Published: December 2006

First‐principles calculations have been performed to investigate the electronic structure and ground‐state properties of alkali‐metal sulfides Li2S, Na2S, K2S and Rb2S using the tight‐binding linear muffin‐tin orbital (TB‐LMTO) method. At ambient conditions these compounds are found to crystallize in the cubic antifluorite (anti‐CaF2‐type) structure. The exchange correlation energy is described in the local density approximation (LDA) using the von‐Barth and Hedin parameterization scheme. The calculated ground‐state properties of these compounds such as equilibrium lattice parameter and bulk modulus are in agreement with the other theoretical calculations and experiment results. From the results of the electronic‐structure calculations, we find that Li2S, K2S and Rb2S are indirect bandgap semiconductors, whereas Na2S is found to be a direct bandgap semiconductor. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)