bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Whatever is, is right’? Economic institutions in pre‐industrial Europe1
Authors: OGILVIE SHEILAGH
Published: October 2007

Institutions—the structures of rules and norms governing economic transactions—are widely assigned a central role in economic development. Yet economic history is still dominated by the belief that institutions arise and survive because they are economically efficient. This article shows that alternative explanations of institutions, particularly those incorporating distributional effects, are consistent with economic theory and supported by empirical findings. Distributional conflicts provide a better explanation than efficiency for the core economic institutions of pre‐industrial Europe: serfdom, the community, the craft guild, and the merchant guild. The article concludes by proposing four desiderata for any economic theory of institutions.
List of publications on the economic and social history of Great Britain and Ireland published in 2006
Authors: Hale Matthew , Hawkins Richard , Wright Catherine
Published: October 2007

(The place of publication is London and the date 2006 unless otherwise stated.)
Partial Ordering of Unpredictable Mobility with Welfare Implications
Authors: BEN‐SHAHAR DANNY , SULGANIK EYAL
Published: October 2007

We propose a partial ordering of ‘unpredictable mobility’ in the spirit of Blackwell's ordering of information structures. The proposed ordering ranks mobility matrices according to the degree to which elements in a given set are likely to move from one state to another, independently of their origin. Furthermore, for an important class of transition structures, our proposed ordering implies ordering, thus carrying significant welfare implications. Moreover, whenever it exists, our partial ordering functions as a sufficient condition for a class of renowned mobility measures and thereby generates, for a subset of transition matrices, unanimous ranking among mobility indices that are not generally consistent with one another.
How Much Is Too Much: Are Merger Premiums Too High?
Authors: Antoniou Antonios , Arbour Philippe , Zhao Huainan
Published: October 2007

Is it too much to pay target firm shareholders a 50% premium on top of market price? Or is it too much to pay a 100% premium when pursuing mergers and acquisitions? How much is too much? In this paper, we examine how the extent of merger premiums paid impacts both the long‐run and announcement period stock returns of acquiring firms. We find no evidence that acquirers paying high premiums underperform those paying relatively low premiums in three years following mergers, and the result is robust after controlling for a variety of firm and deal characteristics. Short term cumulative abnormal returns are moreover positively correlated to the level of the premium paid by acquirers. Our evidence therefore suggests that high merger premiums paid are unlikely to be responsible for acquirers' long‐run post merger underperformance.
Context‐aware environments: from specification to implementation
Authors: Reignier Patrick , Brdiczka Oliver , Vaufreydaz Dominique , Crowley James L. , Maisonnasse Jerôme
Published: October 2007

Abstract: This paper deals with the problem of implementing a context model for a smart environment. The problem has already been addressed several times using many different data‐ or problem‐driven methods. In order to separate the modelling phase from implementation, we first represent the context model by a network of situations. Then, different implementations can be automatically generated from this context model depending on user needs and underlying perceptual components. Two different implementations are proposed in this paper: a deterministic one based on Petri nets and a probabilistic one based on hidden Markov models. Both implementations are illustrated and applied to real‐world problems.
Collection, storage and application of human knowledge in expert system development
Authors: Balch Robert S. , Schrader Susan M. , Ruan Tongjun
Published: October 2007

Abstract: Expert systems are programs that analyze data by mimicking the thought processes of an expert. Two expert systems were developed by the Reservoir Evaluation and Advanced Computational Techniques group to aid in oil prospecting for two New Mexico formations, leading to the development of a third customizable fuzzy expert system. Knowledge engineering is a major part of the development of these expert systems, in which expert knowledge is solicited, analyzed, converted to rules stored in a system's knowledge base, and used by the computer to produce expert judgment. Numerical versions of the rules are used to analyze data and produce an evaluation of the user's prospect. In addition, the knowledge base preserves expert knowledge for future workers. This is especially important in the petroleum industry, as there is a cyclical trend in employment relating to the price of oil, retirements and people leaving and entering the industry.
REPORTING PERFORMANCE BY NEW ZEALAND SECONDARY SCHOOLS: AN ANALYSIS OF DISCLOSURES
Authors: Tooley Stuart , Guthrie James
Published: October 2007

Annual reports are an important component of the schools' public accountability framework. This longitudinal study applies a disclosure index to assess the annual reports of 17 New Zealand secondary schools (1997, 2001 and 2003) to determine the informational value of performance disclosure. Although the extent of disclosure complies with official requirements, the results indicate a deficiency in the informational value of disclosure. More amplification of what is currently reported and an expanded set of performance indicators and measures, both financial and non‐financial, is required to provide users with increased comprehension of school performance, activities and relationships.
EARNINGS MANAGEMENT IN ENGLISH NHS HOSPITAL TRUSTS
Authors: Ballantine Joan , Forker John , Greenwood Margaret
Published: October 2007

In this paper we review the financial reporting incentives associated with the requirement to breakeven for English NHS Trusts. We also investigate the distribution of reported income and estimate discretionary accruals thereby contributing to the limited literature on earnings management in not‐for‐profit hospitals. We find that Trust managers use discretion over accruals to report income within the target range around zero. The results are robust to recent challenges to earnings management explanations arising from the use of distributional and aggregate accruals methodologies. Our findings indicate that a precise and challenging financial breakeven target based on current cost residual income is associated with wide‐spread use of discretionary accruals to an extent that weakens the accountability of NHS Trusts.
Convergence in West German Regional Unemployment Rates
Authors: Bayer Christian , Jüßen Falko
Published: October 2007

Differences in regional unemployment rates are often used to describe regional economic inequality. This paper asks whether changes in regional unemployment differences in West Germany are persistent over time. Understanding the persistency of regional unemployment differences helps us to assess how effective regional policy can be. While univariate tests suggest that changes in regional unemployment differences are persistent in West Germany, more powerful panel tests lend some support to the hypothesis that regional unemployment rates converge. However, these tests reveal a moderate speed of convergence at best. Because there is a structural break following the second oil crisis, we also use tests that allow for such a break. This provides evidence for both convergence and quick adjustment to an equilibrium distribution of regional unemployment rates that is, however, subject to a structural break.
Labor Market Effects of Economic Integration: The Impact of Re-Unification in German Border Regions
Authors: Buettner Thiess , Rincke Johannes
Published: October 2007

This paper exploits the significant reduction in impediments to labor mobility in the process of German re-unification in order to identify labor supply shocks in the West German labor market. The focus is on the quasi-experiment of the border removal in the regions situated at the German-German border that faced a massive increase of cross-border labor supply. The results indicate that despite a gain in employment, the border removal was accompanied by a decline in wages and an increase in unemployment relative to other West German regions.
Improved cognitive function as a consequence of hepatitis C virus treatment*
Authors: Thein HH , Maruff P , Krahn MD , Kaldor JM , Koorey DJ , Brew BJ , Dore GJ
Published: October 2007

Objective

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of treatment‐related clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) on cognitive function.

Methods

A prospective study was conducted in 19 HCV‐monoinfected and 15 HIV/HCV‐coinfected individuals undergoing pegylated interferon α‐2a and ribavirin therapy between April 2003 and August 2005. Neuropsychological, mood, and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) effects were assessed using computer‐based battery, Trail Making Tests, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and the Short Form‐36 health survey.

Results

Pretreatment cognitive function, mood status, and HRQOL were similar between the HCV patient groups. Sustained virological response (SVR) rates were similar between HCV‐monoinfected (68%) and HIV/HCV‐coinfected (73%) groups. SVR was associated with significant improvements in some measures of cognitive function, independent of HRQOL improvement.

Conclusions

Our findings provide evidence to support cognitive effects of HCV independent of mood status and HRQOL profiles.
HIV in the UK 1980–2006: reconstruction using a model of HIV infection and the effect of antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Phillips AN , Sabin C , Pillay D , Lundgren JD
Published: October 2007

Background

Given the extent of data on the natural history of HIV infection and the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART), it should be possible to develop a model that encapsulates and can simulate these processes, providing a means of exploring various clinical and epidemiological questions. We aimed to develop such a model and use it to reconstruct the HIV‐infected population in the UK to 2006.

Methods

A stochastic computer simulation model was developed that incorporates much of our understanding of the underlying processes of HIV disease progression and the effect of ART.

Results

The model generally fitted well to a range of data in treated and untreated infection. UK reconstructions suggest that, of around 68 500 people alive with HIV infection at the end of 2006, around 34 000 (49%) were on ART, with an increasing proportion of these on first‐line regimens (75% in 2006). The number of patients who have failed virologically on the original three main drug classes (estimated at around 4300 in 2006) is increasing only gradually, and an increasing proportion of these patients have suppressed viral load.

Conclusions

The beneficial effects of ART at a population level look set to continue as the number of patients exhausting the three original drug classes remains small.
Trends and determinants of severe morbidity in HIV‐infected patients: the ANRS CO3 Aquitaine Cohort, 2000–2004*
Authors: Bonnet F , Chêne G , Thiébaut R , Dupon M , Lawson‐Ayayi S , Pellegrin JL , Dabis F , Morlat P ,   for the Groupe d'Epidémiologie Clinique du SIDA en Aquitaine (GECSA)
Published: October 2007

Objective

The aim of the study was to characterize the causes, trends and determinants of severe morbidity in a large cohort of HIV‐infected patients between 2000 and 2004.

Method

Severe morbid events were defined as medical events associated with hospitalization or death. Epidemiological and biological data were recorded at the time of the morbid event. Trends were estimated using Poisson regression.

Results

Among 3863 individuals followed between 2000 and 2004, 1186 experienced one or more severe events, resulting in 1854 hospitalizations or deaths. The severe events recorded included bacterial infections (21%), AIDS events (20%), psychiatric events (10%), cardiovascular events (9%), digestive events including cirrhosis (7%), viral infections (6%) and non‐AIDS cancers (5%). Between 2000 and 2004, the incidence rate of AIDS events decreased from 60 to 20 per 1000 person‐years, that of bacterial infections decreased from 45 to 24 per 1000 person‐years, and that of psychiatric events decreased from 26 to 14 per 1000 person‐years (all P<0.01), whereas the incidences of cardiovascular events and of non‐AIDS cancers remained stable at 14 and 10 per 1000 person‐years, on average, respectively.

Conclusion

Severe morbidity has shifted from AIDS‐related to non‐AIDS‐related events during the course of HIV infection in developed countries. Limiting endpoints to AIDS events and death is insufficient to describe HIV disease progression in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy.
Peripheral arterial disease in HIV‐infected and uninfected women
Authors: Sharma A , Holman S , Pitts R , Minkoff H L , DeHovitz JA , Lazar J
Published: October 2007

Objective

Although HIV infection has been associated with increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has not been assessed in HIV‐infected patients. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, PAD using ankle‐brachial index (ABI) measurement in HIV‐infected and uninfected women.

Methods

ABI was determined for 335 participants in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). A cross‐sectional analysis was conducted to determine factors associated with high (≥1.40) ABI.

Results

The prevalence of low ABI (≤0.9) was 0.9% (n=3) and the prevalence of high ABI (≥1.40) was 6.9% (n=23). The prevalence of low ABI was too low to allow risk factor analysis. On multivariate analysis, factors associated with high ABI were current cigarette smoking [adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) 2.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.99–6.43], being underweight (ORadj 11.0, 95% CI 1.61–75.63) and being overweight (ORadj 5.40, 95% CI 1.13–25.89).

Conclusions

Although the prevalence of ABI ≤0.9 was low in this cohort of HIV‐infected and uninfected women, the prevalence of ABI ≥1.40 was unexpectedly high. Further studies are indicated to determine the clinical significance of high ABI and its relation to the risk of cardiovascular events in HIV‐infected women.
Cognitive changes in asymptomatic carriers of the Huntington disease mutation gene
Authors: Verny C. , Allain P. , Prudean A. , Malinge M.‐C. , Gohier B. , Scherer C. , Bonneau D. , Dubas F. , Le Gall D.
Published: October 2007

Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder due to an excessive number of CAG repeats in the IT15 gene on chromosome 4. Studies of cognitive function in asymptomatic gene carriers have yielded contradictory results. This study compared cognitive performance in 44 subjects with the HD mutation (group of carriers) who had no clinical signs of HD and 39 at‐risk individuals without HD mutation (group of non‐carriers). Neuropsychological evaluation focused on global cognitive efficiency, psychomotor speed, attentional, executive and memory functions. Significant differences, with lower performances in the group of gene carriers, were detected for some measures of psychomotor speed, attention and executive functioning (all P < 0.01). More differences between groups were observed for memory measures, in particular on the California Verbal Memory Test. Complementing these observations, cognitive scores were correlated with age in the group of gene carriers, but not in the group of non‐carriers. This suggests that the cognitive changes precede the appearance of the motor and psychiatric symptoms in HD and that tests proved to be sensitive to early HD deficiencies are better suited than global cognitive efficiency scales to observe them.
A comparison of cerebral glucose metabolism in Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies
Authors: Yong S. W. , Yoon J. K. , An Y. S. , Lee P. H.
Published: October 2007

Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) share many similar aspects, and making a clinical diagnosis of one disorder over the other relies heavily on an arbitrary criterion, so‐called 1‐year rule. This study was designed to search for any difference of metabolic patterns in these two disorders using F‐18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) images.

We enrolled 16 patients with PD, 13 patients with PDD, and seven patients with DLB. FDG PET was performed, and images were reconstructed by iterative reconstruction using the computed tomography (CT) images, and were normalized to a standard template. Statistical comparison between groups were performed on a voxel‐by‐voxel basis using t‐statistics (two‐sample t‐test).

Compared with the patients with PD, both PDD and DLB patients showed similar patterns of decreased metabolism in bilateral inferior and medial frontal lobes, and right parietal lobe (Puncorrected < 0.001). In a direct comparison, DLB patients had significant metabolic decrease (puncorrected < 0.005) in the anterior cingulate compared with those with PDD. These findings support the concept that PDD and DLB have similar underlying neurobiological characteristics, and that they can be regarded as a spectrum of Lewy body disorders.
Migraine and delayed ischaemic neurological deficit after subarachnoid haemorrhage in women: a case–control study
Authors: Dreier J. P. , Kremer C. , Lammers G. , Lohmann F. , Hansen H. C. , Valdueza J. M.
Published: October 2007

The aim of the present case–control study was to investigate the role of migraine as a potential risk factor for a delayed ischaemic neurological deficit (DIND) after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). A telephone interview was performed in patients or their relatives to determine the prevalence of migraine. Thirty‐six women aged <60 years had SAH with Hunt & Hess grade I–III and DIND (group A). This group was compared with an age‐matched group of 36 female SAH patients, Hunt & Hess grade I–III without DIND (group B). The two populations were also characterized regarding hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus and alcohol use. A significant difference was only found for the prevalence of migraine with 47% in group A and 25% in group B (P < 0.05; odds ratio: 2.68, confidence interval: 0.99–7.29). Migraineurs revealed similar prevalences of risk factors independently of the presence of DINDs. This retrospective study suggests that women with migraine have a higher risk to develop a DIND than women without migraine.
Autonomic dysfunction in 3414 Parkinson's disease patients enrolled in the German Network on Parkinson's disease (KNP e.V.): the effect of ageing
Authors: Wüllner U. , Schmitz‐Hübsch T. , Antony G. , Fimmers R. , Spottke A. , Oertel W. H. , Deuschl G. , Klockgether T. , Eggert K. ,   on behalf of the KNP e.V.
Published: October 2007

We analysed non‐motor symptoms (NMS) related to autonomic dysfunction in 3414 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) enrolled in the multicentre registry of the German Competence Network on PD. Orthostatic hypotension (>20 mmHg systolic or >10 mmHg diastolic) was reported for 10% of women and 11% of men, urinary incontinence for 22% of women and 21% of men, sexual dysfunction for 8% of women and 30% of men (50% of whom reported erectile dysfunction) and sleep disturbances for 43% of women and 35% of men. Autonomic symptoms occurred in a frequency similar to severe disabling dyskinesia which was reported for 16% of women and 11% of men. A logistic regression analyses with age, sex and disease duration as covariates revealed a significant correlation of orthostatic hypotension and urinary incontinence with age and disease duration whilst sexual dysfunction was related to age only. These observations suggests that the effects of the PD process and ageing contribute to non‐levodopa responsive NMS. Sleep disturbances were more common in women and a correlation was found with disease duration only supporting the notion that sleep is specifically affected in PD.
Radiotherapy reduces sialorrhea in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Neppelberg E. , Haugen D. F. , Thorsen L. , Tysnes O.‐B.
Published: October 2007

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Sialorrhea is a frequent problem in ALS patients with bulbar symptoms, because of progressive weakness of oral, lingual and pharyngeal muscles. This prospective study aimed to investigate the putative effect of palliative single‐dose radiotherapy on problematic sialorrhea in patients with ALS. Twenty patients with ALS and problematic drooling were included; 14 were given radiotherapy with a single fraction of 7.5 Grey (Gy). Five patients were treated with botulinum toxin A (BTX‐A) injections (20 U) into the parotid glands; two of these were later given radiotherapy. Symptom assessment, clinical examination and measurements of salivary flow (ml/min) were performed before and after treatment (1–2 weeks, 3 months). Salivary secretion was significantly reduced after radiation treatment, with a mean reduction of 60% (1 week) and 51% (2 weeks). Three months post‐treatment, 21% reduction of the salivary secretion was observed compared with salivation before treatment. Mean salivary flow was not reduced after BTX‐A treatment in five patients. No serious side‐effects were observed with either of the two treatment modalities. Single‐dose radiotherapy (7.5 Gy) significantly reduces sialorrhea and is an effective and safe palliative treatment in patients with ALS.
The renewed Lisbon Strategy and social exclusion policy
Authors: Dieckhoff Martina , Gallie Duncan
Published: October 2007

In the light of its manifest mid‐term failure to make progress towards its key objectives, the EU introduced in 2005 a major ‘relaunch’ of its Lisbon Strategy for economic, employment and social development. The core aspect of this was ‘prioritisation’, involving an increased focus on growth and jobs. This raised the issue of whether the pursuit of greater competitiveness would lead to a downgrading of the importance of the original social objectives of the programme. In its focal concern on the fight against social exclusion, the EU's strategy involved both employment and social objectives. These emphasised in particular the creation not only of more but of ‘better jobs’ and the pursuit of actions to reinforce ‘social inclusion’ and ‘social cohesion’. This article considers whether a significant shift did occur in policy emphasis and the implications of the Lisbon reform for progress in reducing the risks of social exclusion. It reviews first the basic changes in the formulation of the strategy and then examines in turn the effectiveness of its policy initiatives with respect to employment, the quality of work and social inclusion.
Posting of workers in the single market: attempts to prevent social dumping and regime competition in the EU
Authors: Cremers Jan , Dølvik Jon Erik , Bosch Gerhard
Published: October 2007

The so‐called ‘Posting of Workers Directive’ was an integral part of the European Commission (EC) Action programme linked to the Community Charter of Fundamental Rights of Workers and was meant to establish a legal frame for labour conditions of workers posted for a temporary period to another Member State. Its content is about equal treatment, a guarantee of minimum protection, fair competition and respect for the regulatory frame in the host country. In the cases included in this article, increased divergence can be observed with respect to the role of the state versus the social partners with regards to regulation and control. The over‐riding challenge nowadays is to develop effective mechanisms of enforcement compatible with the constraints of European Union principles and regulations. In the EC documents, any reference to the Community Charter of Basic Rights of Workers has disappeared and the weight of power has shifted in favour of the free market hardliners, who seem to regard the Directive as an oddity in breach with the logic of the four freedoms.
The public–private pension mix in OECD countries
Authors: Queisser Monika , Whitehouse Edward , Whiteford Peter
Published: October 2007

This article provides a survey of selected aspects of the relationship between public and private pension provision in European countries in the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development and compares this with other regions of the OECD. Population ageing has led many OECD countries to undertake a wide range of pension reforms. The overall effect of these reforms has in many cases been to significantly reduce public pension promises. This, in turn, has increased the interest in the role of private pensions, which has expanded significantly in a number of OECD countries. The article discusses the extent to which a number of countries will need to further increase private provision in order to guarantee adequate future retirement incomes.
Work–life balance in the EU and leave arrangements across welfare regimes
Authors: Aybars Ayse Idil
Published: October 2007

Work–life balance has been a central theme of the EU gender equality framework and has been promoted through both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ components. Although the EU concern in promoting work–life balance has been more to increase employment and economic productivity than to promote gender equality, all Member States have now established standards in accordance with the EU regulations. Statutory leave arrangements are a key component of work–life balance policies and they vary significantly across Member States with different welfare regime traditions. This study examines the transposition of EU Directives and the implications of the European Employment Strategy for leave arrangements across the UK, Denmark, France and Spain as exemplars of four welfare regimes.
Convergent and divergent country trends in coordinated wage setting and collective bargaining in the public hospitals sector
Authors: Grimshaw Damian , Jaehrling Karen , Van Der Meer Marc , Méhaut Philippe , Shimron Nirit
Published: October 2007

Drawing on the findings of research in the public hospitals sector in five European countries1—France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK—this article assesses the character of change in wage setting and collective bargaining. It demonstrates the diversity of national arrangements by comparing key characteristics: (i) the bodies of collective representation (unions, professional associations and employer bodies); (ii) the degree of integration with the wider public sector framework; (iii) coordination (or competition) with the private hospitals sector; and (iv) the practice of à la carte provisions within individual hospitals. Despite national varieties of wage setting and collective bargaining, each country sector faces similar tensions—most notably the opposition between public (labour market) rules and health (product market) rules, and pressures to segment or integrate employment conditions by labour force group. By examining the nature of change in institutions for wage setting and collective bargaining in each country, the article contributes to our understanding of the extent of coordination and change of public sector wage setting and describes three scenarios: fragmentation (Germany); continuity (France and the Netherlands); and reconstruction (the UK and Norway).
Strategizing the Decennial Census of Housing for Poverty Reduction in Kenya
Authors: K'AKUMU O. A.
Published: October 2007

As the world gropes for an understanding of and solutions to poverty, one of its typologies that has come to the fore is housing poverty. Housing poverty afflicts developing countries in particular, and solving it may bring about solutions to other forms of poverty. One of the strategies that can be used to promote the understanding of housing poverty, and hence show the way to its reduction, is the decennial census of housing. This essay intends to determine whether the decennial census of housing can be used as a strategy for the reduction of housing poverty in Kenya. It evaluates the whole census business and recommends that some of the missing UN‐recommended housing topics be incorporated in order to give a complete picture of housing poverty in the country. It also recommends that the analysis and reporting of the census survey should be more sensitive to the geographical and social extents of housing poverty. This would transform the decennial census of housing into an effective strategy for poverty reduction in Kenya and, for that matter, in any developing country in the world.

Tandis que le monde cherche à comprendre la pauvreté et à lui trouver des solutions, l'une des typologies manifeste aujourd'hui est la pauvreté du logement. Elle affecte notamment les pays en développement et sa résolution pourrait permettre de résoudre d'autres formes de pauvreté. L'une des stratégies qui servirait à faciliter la compréhension de ce type de pauvreté, donc à ouvrir la voie vers son recul, est le recensement décennal de l'habitat. Cet article vise àétablir si un recensement décennal de l'habitat pourrait servir de stratégie pour le recul de la pauvreté du logement au Kenya. Il évalue l'ensemble de l'activité de recensement et conseille que certaines rubriques de logement qui manquent dans les recommandations de l'ONU soient intégrées afin de donner une image complète de la pauvreté du logement national. De plus, il propose que l'analyse et le compte rendu du recensement tiennent davantage compte des champs géographiques et sociaux de la pauvreté du logement. Cela ferait du recensement décennal de l'habitat une stratégie efficace de diminution de la pauvreté au Kenya et, d'ailleurs, dans tout autre pays en développement au monde.
Radical Religion and the Habitus of the Dispossessed: Does Islamic Militancy Have an Urban Ecology?
Authors: BAYAT ASEF
Published: October 2007

There is a commonplace but powerful argument that links the religious resurgence in the Muslim world to the urban ecology of overcrowded slums in the large cities. Poverty and precarious life, together with anomie and lawlessness, condition the dispossessed to embrace ideologies and movements that offer communities of salvation and support while preaching radical politics. This article questions the premises of such arguments in an attempt to nuance the relationship between the urban dispossessed and radical Islam. By examining the politics of slums and militant Islamism in the Middle East, notably Egypt and Iran, I suggest that key to the habitus of the dispossessed is not anomie or extremism but ‘informal life’— one that is characterized by flexibility, pragmatism, negotiation, as well as constant struggle for survival and self‐development. The relationship between the urban dispossessed and radical Islamists tends to be both contingent and instrumental.

On rencontre communément une thèse convaincante qui relie le renouveau religieux du monde musulman à l'écologie urbaine des quartiers pauvres et surpeuplés des grandes villes. Pauvreté et précarité, associées à anomie et non‐droit, poussent les déshérités à rallier des idéologies ou mouvements qui proposent des communautés de salut et de soutien tout en prêchant des politiques radicales. Cet article revient sur les postulats utilisés et tente de nuancer le lien entre exclus urbains et Islam radical. En étudiant les politiques des quartiers pauvres et l'islamisme militant au Moyen‐Orient, notamment en Egypte et Iran, il suggère que la clé de l'habitus des déshérités ne tient ni à l'anomie ni à l'extrémisme mais à une existence ‘hors cadres’– dominée par la flexibilité, le pragmatisme et la négociation, autant que par une lutte permanente pour la survie et le développement personnel. Finalement, la relation entre exclus urbains et islamistes radicaux paraît à la fois plutôt contingente et instrumentale.
Paroxysmal Hemicrania-Tic and Chiari I Malformation: An Unusual Association
Authors: Monzillo P , Nemoto P , Costa A , Rocha AJ
Published: October 2007

A 54 year-old female has a clinical diagnosis of chronic paroxysmal hemicrania (CPH) according to IHS-criteria (2004) three years ago. Six months after that, she developed symptoms compatible with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) involving the second and third trigeminal territories also at the left side. Cranial and cervical spine resonance magnetic images showed extensive cervical syringomyelia that included nucleus caudalis (C2 level) region and a posterior fossa Chiari I malformation without hydrocephalus. The association between CPH and TN is called chronic paroxysmal hemicrania-tic syndrome (CPH-tic). This is the first clinical description of a secondary cause of CPH-tic syndrome in the literature.
The GRIM2005 Study of Migraine Consultation in France II. Psychological Factors Associated with Treatment Response to Acute Headache Therapy and Satisfaction in Migraine
Authors: Lucas C , Lantéri-Minet M , Massiou H , Nachit-Ouinekh F , Pradalier A , Mercier F , Hasnaoui A El , Radat F
Published: October 2007

The objective of this analysis was to identify variables associated with treatment response in subjects with migraine. Data were collected from a sample of 10 000 subjects. A battery of questionnaires assessing clinical and psychological variables was completed. Migraine diagnosis was attributed using an algorithm based on the IHS criteria and treatment response using the ANAES criteria. We identified 1534 subjects, of whom 1443 were treated. For 54.2%, at least one ANAES criterion for treatment response was unfulfilled. Non-response was associated with female gender, high HIT-6 impact scores and high HAD psychological distress scores. The strongest associations with non-response were identified for four psychological variables: elevated scores on the CSQ catastrophization subscale and the ‘Consequences’ and ‘Acceptance’ dimensions of the Brief COPE, and low scores on the ‘Positive Reinterpretation’ Brief COPE dimension. In conclusion, many individuals with migraine respond inadequately to treatment. Behavioural interventions aimed at modifying coping strategies may improve outcome.
Autologous suction blister grafting for chronic leg ulcers
Authors: Costanzo U , Streit M , Braathen LR
Published: October 2007

Background  Non‐healing leg ulcers represent a treatment problem.

Objective  Investigate grafting of autologous suction blister roofs as treatment.

Methods  Twenty‐nine chronic, non‐healing leg ulcers of various aetiologies in 18 inpatients were treated by autologous epidermal grafting using the roofs of suction blisters.

Results  55% of ulcers completely healed 2 to 6 weeks after grafting. A 50–90% reduction in size was documented in 34% and no change was observed in 11% of ulcers. Twelve weeks after grafting, 89% of ulcers were healed completely. In most ulcers, we observed a stimulation of reepithelialization from the wound edge (‘edge effect’) and an accelerated formation of healthy granulation tissue. During a follow‐up period of 12 months, 90% of the ulcers remained healed.

Conclusion  Grafting of autologous suction blister roofs is an effective treatment option for non‐healing leg ulcers. The advantages of the method are its lack of pain, low costs and immediate availability.
Telediagnosis and face‐to‐face diagnosis reliability for melanocytic and non‐melanocytic ‘pink’ lesions
Authors: Fabbrocini G , Balato A , Rescigno O , Mariano M , Scalvenzi M , Brunetti B
Published: October 2007

Background  Telemedicine is a worldwide healthcare practice that, during the last years, has dramatically reduced the time of consultation for patients. Teledermoscopy aids in the current management of skin cancers in general and particularly of melanoma; telemedicine and teledermoscopy give the chance to provide consultations with experts also by long distance.

Objective  The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic reliability, according to interobserver agreement, between clinical and dermoscopic diagnosis of lesions with poor and/or absent pigmentation, comparing face‐to‐face diagnosis and telediagnosis.

Materials and methods  Forty‐four lesions were examined by two different dermatologists with good and similar experience in the clinical field and dermoscopy. A store‐and‐forward teledermatological system, based on clinical and dermoscopic images, was done by the two skilled dermatologists.

Results  Our results underline that teledermoscopy of ‘pink’ lesions does not provide a similar degree of diagnostic accuracy as otherwise in face‐to‐face diagnosis perhaps due to the absence of typical criteria. Atypical skin lesions are characterized by the absence of typical dermoscopic patterns, and their teleconsultation does not always increase the diagnostic accuracy.
Treatment of mild to moderate seborrhoeic dermatitis with MAS064D (Sebclair®), a novel topical medical device: results of a pilot, randomized, double‐blind, controlled trial
Authors: Veraldi S , Menter A , Innocenti M
Published: October 2007

Aim  MAS064D (Sebclair®) is a novel steroid‐free cream containing multiple active ingredients. Objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MAS064D in the treatment of mild to moderate SD of the face.

Methods  Patients (n = 60) with SD were randomized to receive MAS064D (n = 40) or a matching vehicle (n = 20). The primary study endpoint was investigators’ global assessment (IGA) score at day 28, compared with baseline. Secondary endpoints included: IGA score at day 14; investigators’ assessment of erythema and scaling; patients’ assessment of burning/stinging, pruritus and global response to MAS064D; resort to rescue medication; quality of life.

Results  Use of MAS064D for 4 weeks was associated with a higher percentage of success in the MAS064D group than in the vehicle group (~68% vs 11%, P < 0.0001). The effects of MAS064D were significantly better than those of vehicle for investigator‐assessed erythema and scaling, and patients’ assessed pruritus and global response to MAS064D (P  0.01). No patient in the MAS064D group required rescue medication, compared with two patients in the vehicle group. Four patients (two each in the MAS064D and vehicle groups) reported a total of six non‐serious adverse events.

Conclusions  MAS064D appears to be an effective and well tolerated cream for the treatment of mild to moderate SD of the face. Further clinical evaluation of MAS064D in SD is warranted.
Evaluation of safety and efficacy of variable pulsed light in the treatment of unwanted hair in 77 volunteers
Authors: Nahavandi H , Neumann R , Holzer G , Knobler R
Published: October 2007

Background  Several studies on hair removal with intense pulsed light (IPL) and various laser sources have been done, but adequate data on long‐term follow up are scarce. The present uncontrolled prospective pilot study evaluated safety and long‐term efficacy of variable pulsed light (VPL™) on hair removal in the face for medical and/or cosmetic indications.

Study design/material and methods  The VPL™ system (Energist Ltd, UK) was used for the treatment of hypertrichosis in the face, mainly hirsutism, in 77 female volunteers. The minimum follow‐up time after the last treatment was 9 months (mean: 12.74 ± 2.87 months).

Results  Over 50% of hair clearance was observed in 68 (88.3%) of all cases.

Erythema and leucotrichia were the most often associated side‐effects encountered. Transient pigmentary changes were not reported.

Conclusion  The VPL™ System presents as a relatively efficient and safe treatment alternative for long‐term removal of unwanted hair. It seems to be particularly effective in fair‐skinned patients with dark hair (skin types II–III–IV). Adverse effects were minimal and transient and, in no patient, significant enough to interrupt treatment.
The Leicestershire Intellectual Disability Tool: A Simple Measure to Identify Moderate to Profound Intellectual Disability
Authors: Tyrer Freya , McGrother Catherine W. , Thorp Catherine F. , Taub Nicholas A. , Bhaumik Sabyasachi , Cicchetti Domenic V.
Published: October 2007

Background  It is often useful to ascertain whether adults have moderate to profound intellectual disability (approximate IQ < 50; developmental age <108 months) when deciding whether to refer to specialist or mainstream services. The aim of the present study was to develop a simple measure to estimate moderate to profound intellectual disability in adults with a potential need for specialist care.

Materials and Methods  Three hundred and twenty‐two individuals with information on home interviews from the Leicestershire Learning Disability Register were also assessed using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales. A variety of variables concerning intelligence, adaptive functioning and dependency were used to predict developmental age (as estimated from the Vineland) using backward stepwise regression. The derived equation formed the Leicestershire Intellectual Disability (LID) tool. A cut‐off point was chosen using a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve to achieve 95% sensitivity in identifying moderate to profound intellectual disability.

Results  Seven variables from the home interviews were found to predict estimated developmental age at the 10% level (P ≤ 0.1). When the tool was used to detect adults with moderate to profound intellectual disability, the area under the ROC curve was 0.93. The chosen cut‐off point was 95% sensitive and 65% specific. The positive predictive value was 95%, the negative predictive value was 65%, and the overall diagnostic accuracy was 91%.

Conclusions  These preliminary findings suggest that the LID tool may help to identify adults with moderate to profound intellectual disability among those with potential need for specialist care. Further evaluation is recommended.
Learning disability against itself: the self‐injury/self‐harm conundrum
Authors: Lovell Andrew
Published: October 2007

Accessible summary

This article compares the use of the term self‐injury to refer to the behaviour of people with learning disabilities and self‐harm to describe the behaviour of those without learning disabilities.

It suggests the two types of behaviour to be more similar than usually believed.

It presents evidence from the lives of a number of individuals with learning disabilities.

The term ‘career’ is used to describe the way in which some people with learning disabilities build self‐injury into their lives.

The article begins with a critical look at the existing literature explaining self‐injury by people with significant learning disabilities and self‐harm by those with mental health difficulties. It suggests that the different conceptualizations are perhaps less distinct than might initially appear, and that behavioural similarities between those with and those without learning disabilities might be greater than previously believed. The notion of ‘career’ is presented as a means of explaining the process by which people with learning disabilities engage in self‐injury and subsequently integrate it into their lives. Data are subsequently presented from a number of life histories of people with learning disabilities to illustrate the development of self‐injury over the life course. The findings of the research indicate that the development and consolidation of self‐injury over time conforms to the expectations of a career and provides reason to question the contemporary separate categorization of the behaviour of people with significant learning disabilities. The evidence suggests that the relationship between self‐injury and learning disability is best explicable in terms of its intelligibility, rational behaviour in the context of the individual’s life.
A multi‐centre audit of the use of medication for the management of behavioural problems in adults with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Unwin Gemma L. , Deb Shoumitro
Published: October 2007

Accessible summary

Doctors prescribe people with learning disabilities medicine for a behavioural problem. The behaviours are things like hitting other people, screaming and breaking things.

Doctors and nurses should give people information about the medicine that has been prescribed to them and asked whether they agree to take the medicine.

Doctors who prescribe medicine for behavioural problems should write in the case notes what they have done.

The aim was to investigate prescribing practices surrounding the use of medication for the management of behavioural problems in adults with intellectual disabilities with reference to a national guideline development project. A case note review methodology was employed to explore adherence to the audit criteria that were derived from the recommendations made in the guideline. A total of 154 cases were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. There was some variation in adherence to the examined audit criteria with some areas achieving high compliance whereas others were deemed as lacking. Such areas achieving high compliance included assessment of the behaviour, assessment of surrounding behavioural, medical, psychological/psychiatric and social issues and communication of the treatment plan to other relevant professionals. However, the assessment of capacity issues and acquizition of consent or assent were rarely documented. The results highlighted certain areas of clinical practice that may need to be formally documented in patient case notes in order to provide evidence of the quality of healthcare an individual has received.
Introduction: The EU in International Trade Negotiations*
Authors: DÜR ANDREAS , ZIMMERMANN HUBERT
Published: October 2007

This special issue presents new research on the EU's role in international trade negotiations. In the introduction, we sketch out the relevance of this topic, introduce some of the core institutional features of trade policy‐making in the EU, review the existing literature dealing with the EU in international trade negotiations, and briefly present the contributions included in this issue.
Trade Politics Ain't What It Used to Be: The European Union in the Doha Round*
Authors: YOUNG ALASDAIR R.
Published: October 2007

The European Union is a key player in the Doha Development Round of multilateral trade negotiations. This article argues that its negotiating position reflects distinctive patterns of politics underlying three aspects of trade policy – traditional trade policy, commercial policy and social trade policy – characterized by different sets of actors and political dynamics. Although there is significant variation in the substance of the EU's position within each aspect of trade policy, their distinctive patterns of politics help to explain why the EU's negotiating position is most liberal in traditional trade policy and least in social trade policy.
EU Trade Policy as Protection for Exporters: The Agreements with Mexico and Chile*
Authors: DÜR ANDREAS
Published: October 2007

Recently, the EU concluded trade agreements with emerging markets in different regions of the world. What explains the EU's pursuit of these agreements? I present an argument that suggests that exporters in the EU mobilize in response to discrimination abroad and push the EU to conclude trade agreements to protect their foreign market access. In two case studies, I show that this protection‐for‐exporters argument offers a plausible account for the EU's agreements with Mexico and Chile.
The EU's Choice of Regulatory Venues for Trade Negotiations: A Tale of Agency Power?*
Authors: ELSIG MANFRED
Published: October 2007

This article focuses on the EU's strategy for choosing regulatory venues to negotiate trade agreements. It analyses the existence of a clear venue hierarchy since the late 1990s and the recent change leading to a blurring of any clear preference for using bilateral, inter‐regional or multilateral settings. The article challenges domestic explanations of the EU's choice of venue, stressing the autonomy of the Commission as a major factor. Using a principal‐agent framework, it shows that the Commission's agenda‐setting powers, the existence of interest divergence among principals (e.g. Member States, business groups) and the multi‐level system facilitate agency.