bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moving Political Meaning across Linguistic Frontiers
Authors: Collin Richard Oliver
Published: August 2012

Diplomacy, international commerce and the academic study of international relations are all based on the assumption that we can cross linguistic borders with very complicated words and concepts in our cognitive luggage. This article studies the complexities of communicating political words and concepts from one language/culture to another, noting that traditional political science has shown little interest in this process or its dangers. From linguistics, however, come two opposing theories: the effability principle defends universal translatability, while the linguistic relativity/Sapir-Whorf hypothesis holds that meaning (particularly abstract conceptual thinking) is locked within the grammatical and semantic structure of individual languages and can be transmitted with difficulty or not at all. After considering these rival positions, we conclude that the translation of political ideas from culture to culture can be more problematic than we have commonly believed.
The structure of acute stress disorder among Chinese adults exposed to an earthquake: Is dysphoric arousal a unique construct of acute posttraumatic responses?
Authors: WANG RICHU , WANG LI , ZHANG JIANXIN , LIU ZHENGKUI , WU KANKAN
Published: August 2012

Wang, R., Wang, L., Zhang, J., Liu, Z. & Wu, K. (2012). The structure of acute stress disorder among Chinese adults exposed to an earthquake: Is dysphoric arousal a unique construct of acute posttraumatic responses? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 430–436.

As a diagnosis organized mainly on the basis of theoretical conceptualization, acute stress disorder (ASD) has been widely criticized for lack of empirical support since it was introduced into the DSM system. To address this issue, the present study investigated the latent structure of ASD symptoms measured by the Acute Stress Disorder Scale (ASDS). A total of 350 adults with a mean age of 32.9 years (SD = 14.0, range: 16–85) took part in this study 12 to 15 days after an earthquake. The results of confirmatory factor analyses showed that a five‐factor intercorrelated model (dissociation, reexperiencing, avoidance, dysphoric arousal, and anxious arousal) demonstrated the best data fit. The findings provide preliminary empirical evidence in favor of a new reconceptualization of ASD symptoms, and are informative for the impending DSM‐5.
Estimating Consistent Border Effects in Gravity Models with Multilateral Resistance
Authors: Egger Peter H. , Larch Mario
Published: August 2012

We suggest a modification of the Anderson and van Wincoop gravity model that relies on trade friction parameter estimates that are robust to the correlation of trade friction variables with any country‐specific unobservable variables. This leads to significantly different US–Canadian border effects as compared to the original approach.
The power of unit root tests against nonlinear local alternatives
Authors: Demetrescu Matei , Kruse Robinson
Published: August 2012

This article extends the analysis of local power of unit root tests in a nonlinear direction by considering local nonlinear alternatives and tests built specifically against stationary nonlinear models. In particular, we focus on the popular test proposed by Kapetanioset al.(2003, Journal of Econometrics 112, 359–379) in comparison to the linear Dickey–Fuller test. To this end, we consider different adjustment schemes for deterministic terms. We provide asymptotic results which imply that the error variance has a severe impact on the behaviour of the tests in the nonlinear case; the reason for such behaviour is the interplay of non‐stationarity and nonlinearity. In particular, we show that nonlinearity of the data generating process can be asymptotically negligible when the error variance is moderate or large (compared to the ‘amount of nonlinearity’), rendering the linear test more powerful than the nonlinear one. Should however the error variance be small, the nonlinear test has better power against local alternatives. We illustrate this in an asymptotic framework of what we call persistent nonlinearity. The theoretical findings of this article explain previous results in the literature obtained by simulation. Furthermore, our own simulation results suggest that the user‐specified adjustment scheme for deterministic components (e.g. OLS, GLS, or recursive adjustment) has a much higher impact on the power of unit root tests than accounting for nonlinearity, at least under local (linear or nonlinear) alternatives.
Rehabilitating Social Conflicts in European Public Law
Authors: Dani Marco
Published: August 2012

Subject to conditions that public law can secure, social conflicts can be normatively appealing for their dividend in terms of dynamism, identity and stability. While this notion was key to post‐World War II European public law, it no longer holds true now that social conflicts are increasingly marginalised by the expansion of supranational law and its consensus culture. However, far from disappearing social conflicts re‐emerge as challenges to the current institutional setting, even despite the policy of constitutional gesture undertaken by EU institutions. This paper tracks the role of social conflicts in European public law and argues that as long as EU politics fails to embrace a culture of social conflicts, challenges to the authority of EU law can be normatively justified.
Reconfiguring the Politics–Law Relationship in the Integration Project through Conflicts–Law Constitutionalism
Authors: Everson Michelle , Joerges Christian
Published: August 2012

This paper argues that the relationship between law and politics must be reconfigured within the European Union. Dissecting recent crises in economic, social and political organisation within Europe with reference to the three ‘fictitious’ commodities of Karl Polanyi, we find that law in Europe has contributed to de‐legalisation, de‐socialisation and disenfranchisement. Moving on to review the potential for law to respond to crisis through new paradigms of conflict resolution as suggested by Ralf Dahrendorf, we find that the steering capacity of law is nevertheless limited if it fails to establish a sustaining relationship with politics. Our conclusions are modest: conflict–law constitutionalism cannot solve Europe's many crises. However, it does represent a new paradigm of law within which relations between European law and European politics might be re‐established—a vital step to overcoming crisis.
From Workers to Migrants, from Distributive Justice to Inclusion: Exploring the Changing Social Democratic Imagination
Authors: Somek Alexander
Published: August 2012

There is little awareness that from the perspective of distributive justice, a transnational market society exercises a justice‐disabling effect. No longer is society perceived to be a system of co‐operation, the net product of which is to be distributed among all participants fairly, but rather viewed as a composite of uncoordinated templates for the individual pursuit of opportunities. A society of this type does no longer regard a centralised political effort at redistribution as its essential objective; rather, its most fundamental principle concerns equal access to opportunities without regard to nationality or local preference. Such a concern with inclusion appears to be at odds with the received vision of distributive justice whose realisation presupposes bounded solidarity and, hence, closure.
The Effect of Salient Reputational Threats on the Pace of FDA Enforcement
Authors: MAOR MOSHE , SULITZEANU‐KENAN RAANAN
Published: August 2012

Do reputational concerns affect the duration of enforcement decisions? We analyze “time to decision” in warning letter processes by two enforcement divisions within the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. We find that nearly all criticism of these divisions revolves around the FDA's primary consumer protection responsibilities (i.e., underenforcement), thus questioning the validity of the FDA's unique reputation. We also found that as media coverage of the FDA's consumer protection responsibilities becomes more positive, the agency takes enforcement decisions (warning letters) more slowly; in contrast, more critical media coverage leads to quicker action by the FDA. This effect is moderated by media salience; namely, it is found only for periods in which press coverage is relatively intense. An implication of this conditional relationship is an ability to assess the baseline role of reputation in the organization, namely, how concerned it is regarding its reputation in the absence of exogenous challenges.
Reassessing the Impact of Civil Society: Nonprofit Sector, Press Freedom, and Corruption
Authors: THEMUDO NUNO S.
Published: August 2012

The notion that a strong civil society helps to fight corruption has become a cornerstone of governance policy. Yet, a continuing dearth of empirical research, which tests this general proposition and probes the relevant causal mechanisms, feeds rising skepticism of current policy initiatives. This study theorizes the relationship between civil society and corruption, arguing that civil society's impact depends to a large extent on its ability to generate sufficient public pressure which, in turn, depends on the press being free. Analysis of cross‐national and longitudinal data shows that civil society strength is indeed inversely linked to the level of corruption, but the impact is highly dependent on press freedom. This conditioning effect affirms the importance of the public pressure mechanism. These results explain the need for policy to target both civil society and press freedom in promoting accountable governance and sustainable development.
Corporate Portfolio Analysis Tools Revisited: Assessing Causes that May Explain Their Scholarly Disdain
Authors: Untiedt Robert , Nippa Michael , Pidun Ulrich
Published: August 2012

While prominent corporate portfolio analysis tools such as the BCG Growth–Share Matrix took centre stage in the field of strategic management from the 1960s to the mid‐1980s, this review of the literature shows that they have since then largely disappeared from the academic agenda, despite their practical relevance and widespread application. There may be two independent reasons for this apparent scholarly disdain: corporate portfolio analysis tools (a) may have been recognized as unsuitable owing to inherent flaws or superior alternative concepts or (b) may have become obsolete because of proof that corporate diversification is inferior to market diversification. Thus, this assessment is based on an extensive review of the most relevant academic literature on corporate portfolio analysis tools and on the constitutive diversification–performance link published in leading management journals over the past five decades. The review reveals that research to date has not produced advanced tools based on an objective criticism of the original matrices, nor has corporate diversification – as a precondition for corporate portfolio analysis – proved to be inferior to market‐based co‐ordination mechanisms. Thus, this literature review constitutes a call for further academic research in the field of corporate portfolio analysis tools as well as corporate diversification.
Assessment of methotrexate hepatotoxicity in psoriasis patients: a prospective evaluation of four serum fibrosis markers
Authors: Chládek J. , S̆imková M. , Vanec̆ková J. , Hroch M. , Vávrová J. , Hůlek P.
Published: August 2012

Background  Low‐dose oral methotrexate (MTX) is an effective immunosuppressive therapy for chronic plaque psoriasis. However, its use is hampered by the risk of liver fibrosis.

Aim  To compare the results of serial measurements of serum fibrosis markers during the remission‐induction phase of treatment with MTX to those of patients on biological therapy and long‐term MTX therapy (>2 years).

Subjects and methods  Serum concentrations of hyaluronic acid, N‐terminal propeptide of collagen type III (PIIINP) and the results of two multi‐test algorithms Fibrotest and Hepascore were evaluated in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis (N = 24, age: 28–79 years, baseline Psoriasis Area Severity Index PASI 13.5, range 2.2–33) at baseline and weeks 16 and 26 after the start of pharmacokinetically guided therapy with MTX (Group A). Patients on established therapy with biologics (N = 15, Group B) and long‐term MTX users (N = 10, Group C) with the mean baseline PASI scores of 0.9 and 1.2 were studied in parallel cohorts.

Results  At baseline, HA, Hepascore and PIIINP were correlated with PASI of Group A patients. At weeks 16 and 26, HA decreased by 48% and 40% (P < 0.001) and Hepascore by 31 (P < 0.01) and 20% (P < 0.05) respectively. PASI75 (≥75% improvement from baseline PASI) was observed in 76% of Group A patients by week 26 and the absolute decreases in PASI and both fibrosis markers were correlated (HA: r = 0.49, P = 0.018, Hepascore: r = 0.47, P = 0.022). In contrast, no significant within‐group differences were found in HA and Hepascore results of patients in the groups B and C. PIIINP and Fibrotest were stable in all groups.

Conclusion  The fibrosis markers hyaluronic acid and Hepascore (the multiple test algorithm which includes hyaluronic acid) are less liver specific and more prone to reflect psoriasis activity than PIIINP and Fibrotest.
Increased number of circulating endothelial cells (CECs) in patients with psoriasis ‐ preliminary report
Authors: Batycka‐Baran A. , Paprocka M. , Krawczenko A. , Duś D. , Szepietowski J.C.
Published: August 2012

Background  Numerous studies have demonstrated increased cardiovascular risk in psoriasis. Circulating endothelial cells (CECs) have been proposed as a new marker of endothelial dysfunction that plays an important role in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Objective  The aim of this study was to compare the number of CECs in psoriatic patients to a control group and to analyze possible correlations between the numbers of CECs and the plasma levels of classical markers of endothelial dysfunction, such as: sICAM‐1, sE‐selectin and von Willebrand factor (vWF).

Methods  The number of CECs, identified as CD146 + / CD45‐ cells, were determined in peripheral blood with using flow cytometry in psoriatic patients (n = 63) and controls (n = 31). The plasma levels of: sICAM‐1, sE‐selectin, vWF were measured with ELISA. The severity of psoriasis was assessed with PASI.

Results  The number of CECs was significantly increased in psoriatic patients compared with controls (P < 0.00001) and positively correlated with disease severity (R = 0.360; P = 0.0037). The levels of sICAM‐1, sE‐selectin and vWF were significantly elevated in psoriatic patients (P < 0.00001; P < 0.00001; P = 0.00072, respectively). The number of CECs was significantly, positively correlated with the levels of sICAM‐1 (R = 0.393; P = 0.0014) and vWF (R = 0.314; P = 0.012) in psoriatic patients. The levels of sICAM‐1 and sE‐selectin were positively correlated with disease severity (R = 0.356; P = 0.0041 and R = 0.407; P = 0.0009, respectively).

Conclusion  The increased number of CECs that correlates with disease severity and plasma levels of sICAM‐1 and vWF may indicate endothelial dysfunction or injury in patients with psoriasis.
Pitted keratolysis; physicians’ treatment and their perceptions in Dutch army personnel
Authors: van der Snoek E.M. , Ekkelenkamp M.B. , Suykerbuyk J.C.C.W.
Published: August 2012

Background  Pitted keratolysis (PK) is a common plantar skin manifestation in army personnel, farmers and athletes. Due to pain while walking and marching, the condition can cause reduced operational deployability (in case of army personnel).

Objective  We used a questionnaire to investigate currently used treatment options of PK and perceptions on perceived efficacy of these treatments among Royal Netherlands Armed Forces primary health care physicians.

Methods  A cross‐sectional anonymous postal questionnaire survey was conducted among all Royal Netherlands Armed Forces primary health care physicians. In addition to question about prescription behaviour on the treatment of PK by topical and oral therapies and given non‐pharmacological treatment, several questions assessed perceived efficacy of these therapies.

Results  Of the 164 eligible primary health care physicians, 51 (31.1%) completed the questionnaire. Half of physicians had seen less than five patients with PK in the preceding year. Two‐thirds of physicians reported problems with operational deployability in less than 10% of army personnel with PK. PK was treated mostly with topical and non‐pharmacological treatments. Oral therapy was seldom prescribed. For hyperhidrosis, aluminium chloride hexahydrate was used in most cases.

Conclusion  PK and related reduced operational deployability were less often reported than expected in this study. Dutch physicians prefer combined topical antibiotic therapy with non‐pharmacological treatments and perceive the efficacy of topical antibiotic therapy superior to non‐pharmacological treatments. Preventive measures, topical antibiotic therapy and adequate treatment of hyperhidrosis are the mainstay methods in the management of patients with PK.
Angiotensinogen Gene M235T and T174M Polymorphisms and Susceptibility of Pre‐Eclampsia: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Lin Rong , Lei Yunping , Yuan Ziyu , Ju Hongfang , Li Dongna
Published: August 2012

There are controversies in reports on the association of the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene polymorphisms with the risk of developing pre‐eclampsia (PE). We performed a meta‐analysis to examine the association between the AGT polymorphisms and PE risk: M235T (31 studies involving 2555 patients and 6114 controls) and T174M (six studies involving 681 patients and 2076 controls). For the M235T polymorphism, the TT genotype increased the PE risk as compared to the MM genotype (odds ratio 1.61, 95% confidence intervals 1.22–2.14, P= 0.001). When stratified by ethnicity, the TT genotype remained significantly associated with higher PE risk in Caucasians and Mongolians but not in Africans. Similar results were also obtained under all three genetic models of the M235T polymorphism. For the T174M polymorphism, no significant association was found in the comparisons (MT vs. TT and MM vs. TT) and under any genetic models. The analysis excluding the highly significant Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium‐violating studies and sensitivity analysis further strengthened the validity of these associations. No publication bias was observed in this study. This meta‐analysis demonstrates that the AGT M235T polymorphism is significantly associated with PE whereas the T174M polymorphism is not.
Low‐Density Lipoprotein Receptor Gene Familial Hypercholesterolemia Variant Database: Update and Pathological Assessment
Authors: Usifo Ebele , Leigh Sarah E. A. , Whittall Ros A. , Lench Nicholas , Taylor Alison , Yeats Corin , Orengo Christine A. , Martin Andrew C. R. , Celli Jacopo , Humphries Steve E.
Published: August 2012

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is caused predominately by variants in the low‐density lipoprotein receptor gene (LDLR). We report here an update of the UCL LDLR variant database to include variants reported in the literature and in‐house between 2008 and 2010, transfer of the database to LOVDv.2.0 platform (https://grenada.lumc.nl/LOVD2/UCL‐Heart/home.php?select_db=LDLR) and pathogenicity analysis. The database now contains over 1288 different variants reported in FH patients: 55% exonic substitutions, 22% exonic small rearrangements (<100 bp), 11% large rearrangements (>100 bp), 2% promoter variants, 10% intronic variants and 1 variant in the 3' untranslated sequence. The distribution and type of newly reported variants closely matches that of the 2008 database, and we have used these variants (n= 223) as a representative sample to assess the utility of standard open access software (PolyPhen, SIFT, refined SIFT, Neural Network Splice Site Prediction Tool, SplicePort and NetGene2) and additional analyses (Single Amino Acid Polymorphism database, analysis of conservation and structure and Mutation Taster) for pathogenicity prediction. In combination, these techniques have enabled us to assign with confidence pathogenic predictions to 8/8 in‐frame small rearrangements and 8/9 missense substitutions with previously discordant results from PolyPhen and SIFT analysis. Overall, we conclude that 79% of the reported variants are likely to be disease causing.
Analysis of Secondary Phenotype Involving the Interactive Effect of the Secondary Phenotype and Genetic Variants on the Primary Disease
Authors: Wang Jian , Shete Sanjay
Published: August 2012

A genome‐wide association (GWA) study is usually designed as a case‐control study, where the presence and absence of the primary disease define the cases and controls, respectively. Using the existing data from GWA studies, investigators are also trying to identify the association between genetic variants and secondary phenotypes, which are defined as traits associated with the primary disease. However, recent studies have shown that bias arises in the estimation of marker‐secondary phenotype association using originally collected data. We recently proposed a bias correction approach to accurately estimate the odds ratio (OR) for marker‐secondary phenotype association. In this communication, we further investigated whether our bias correction approach is robust for a scenario involving the interactive effect of the secondary phenotype and genetic variants on the primary disease. We found that in such a scenario, our bias correction approach also provides an accurate estimation of OR for marker‐secondary phenotype association. We investigated accuracy of our approach using simulation studies and showed that the approach better controlled for type I errors than the existing approaches. We also applied our bias correction approach to the real data analysis of association between an N‐acetyltransferase gene, NAT2, and smoking on the basis of colorectal adenoma data.
Histochemical identification of sialylated glycans in Xenopus laevis testis
Authors: Valbuena Galder , Alonso Edurne , de Ubago María Martínez , Madrid Juan Francisco , Díaz‐Flores Lucio , Sáez Francisco José
Published: August 2012

Carbohydrate chains of glycoprotein and glycosphingolipids are highly diverse molecules involved in many cell functions, including cell recognition, adhesion and signalling. Sialylated glycans are of special interest because the terminal position of sialic acid (NeuAc) in glycans linked by different ways to subterminal monosaccharides has been shown to be involved in several biological processes, as occurs with gangliosides, which have been reported as being essential in spermatogenesis in mammals. Some glycan‐binding proteins, the lectins, which specifically recognize glycan sequences, have been extensively used to characterize tissue and cell carbohydrates by means of cytochemical techniques. The aim of the present work was to determine the presence of NeuAc by means of histochemical techniques in the testis of Xenopus laevis, an animal model widely used in cell and molecular biology research. However, considering that some NeuAc‐binding lectins are capable of binding to N‐acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), other GlcNAc‐binding lectins were also assayed. The results showed that NeuAc is mainly expressed in the interstitium, and only a weak labelling in the male germ cells was observed. Most NeuAc was located in O‐linked oligosaccharides, but some masked NeuAc in N‐glycans were identified in primary and secondary spermatogonia and spermatocytes. By contrast, GlcNAc was widely expressed in all germ cell types. Deglycosylative pre‐treatments suggest that both N‐ and O‐glycans and/or glycolipids could be responsible for this labelling. In addition, GlcNAc in O‐linked oligosaccharides has been identified in spermatogonial cells. The acrosome of spermatids was always negative. Variations of glycan expression have been found in different cell types, suggesting that glycosylation is modified during spermatogenetic development.
The adverse influence of attention‐deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity on cognition in neurofibromatosis type 1
Authors: LIDZBA KAREN , GRANSTRÖM SOFIA , LINDENAU JORGE , MAUTNER VICTOR‐FELIX
Published: August 2012

Aim  A substantial proportion of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) have attention‐deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (AD[H]D). This study explored the influence of AD(H)D symptoms on the intellectual profile of patients with NF1.

Method  We retrospectively analysed neuropsychological data from 114 children (66 males, 48 females; age range 6–16y; mean age 9y 3mo [SE 3mo]) with NF1 from an NF1 outpatients department. Assessment included psychiatric diagnosis of AD(H)D (DSM‐IV‐TR criteria) and intelligence testing (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, German version). Magnetic resonance images were available for all patients, intracranial findings being an exclusion criterion. The effects of AD(H)D symptoms on intelligence and on the cognitive profile were tested by analyses of variance.

Results  Patients with AD(H)D symptoms performed significantly worse than those without AD(H)D symptoms on all intelligence measures (main effects for Full‐scale, Verbal, and Performance IQ; p<0.005). Subtests typically impaired in patients with NF1 (visuospatial skills and arithmetic) were not specifically influenced by AD(H)D symptoms. There were no differences between AD(H)D subtypes.

Interpretation  AD(H)D symptoms have a negative impact on the intellectual development of children with NF1. This impact seems to be of an unspecific nature, with a general attenuation of the cognitive profile.
Unregulated brain iron deposition in transgenic mice over‐expressing HMOX1 in the astrocytic compartment
Authors: Song Wei , Zukor Hillel , Lin Shih‐Hsiung , Liberman Adrienne , Tavitian Ayda , Mui Jeannie , Vali Hojatollah , Fillebeen Carine , Pantopoulos Kostas , Wu Ting‐Di , Guerquin‐Kern Jean‐Luc , Schipper Hyman M.
Published: August 2012

The mechanisms responsible for pathological iron deposition in the aging and degenerating mammalian CNS remain poorly understood. The stress protein, HO‐1 mediates the degradation of cellular heme to biliverdin/bilirubin, free iron, and CO and is up‐regulated in the brains of persons with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. HO‐1 induction in primary astroglial cultures promotes deposition of non‐transferrin iron, mitochondrial damage and macroautophagy, and predisposes cocultured neuronal elements to oxidative injury. To gain a better appreciation of the role of glial HO‐1 in vivo, we probed for aberrant brain iron deposition using Perls' method and dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry in novel, conditional GFAP.HMOX1 transgenic mice that selectively over‐express human HO‐1 in the astrocytic compartment. At 48 weeks, the GFAP.HMOX1 mice exhibited increased deposits of glial iron in hippocampus and other subcortical regions without overt changes in iron‐regulatory and iron‐binding proteins relative to age‐matched wild‐type animals. Dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed abundant FeO− signals in the transgenic, but not wild‐type, mouse brain that colocalized to degenerate mitochondria and osmiophilic cytoplasmic inclusions (macroautophagy) documented by TEM. Sustained up‐regulation of HO‐1 in astrocytes promotes pathological brain iron deposition and oxidative mitochondrial damage characteristic of Alzheimer's disease‐affected neural tissues. Curtailment of glial HO‐1 hyperactivity may limit iron‐mediated cytotoxicity in aging and degenerating neural tissues.
Holothuria grisea agglutinin (HGA): the first invertebrate lectin with anti‐inflammatory effects
Authors: Moura Raniere da M. , Aragão Karoline S. , de Melo Arthur A. , Carneiro Rômulo F. , Osório César B. H. , Luz Patricia B. , de Queiroz Alexandre F. S. , dos Santos Elizeu A. , de Alencar Nylane M. N. , Cavada Benildo S.
Published: August 2012

Holothuria grisea agglutinin (HGA) is a dimeric lectin of molecular mass 228 kDa by gel filtration with monomers of 105 kDa by SDS‐PAGE. The lectin is highly thermostable as it retains full activity for 1 h at 70 °C. Unlike other lectins purified from marine invertebrates, the hemagglutination activity of HGA does not require any divalent metal ions. The affinity analysis of HGA showed that only mucin was able to inhibit the hemagglutinating activity. HGA administered intravenously was tested in classical models of nociception and inflammation. HGA was able to inhibit neutrophil migration into the peritoneal cavity induced by carrageenan. This inhibitory effect was 68% at a dose of 1 mg/kg. In acetic acid‐induced writhing tests, a significant antinociceptive effect was observed by treatment with HGA (0.1; 1 or 10 mg/kg) reducing constrictions by 27, 90 and 84%, respectively. In formalin tests, HGA at a dose of 10 mg/kg showed antinociceptive effect only in the inflammatory phase (phase 2). Nevertheless, in hot‐plate tests, HGA did not show any nociceptive effect. In rota‐rod and open‐field tests, HGA did not alter the animals' behavior. The treatment with HGA 10 mg/kg presented diminished myeloperoxidase activity activity (81.6% inhibition) and raised the circulating levels of NO by 50.4% when compared with the carrageenan group. HGA has demonstrated the ability to modulate the inflammatory response in models of inflammation in vivo. HGA is the first marine invertebrate lectin that showed an anti‐inflammatory effect. This finding opens a new perspective on the potential of lectins from the marine environment.
INDUSTRY‐LEVEL PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT AND THE 2008 SYSTEM OF NATIONAL ACCOUNTS
Authors: JORGENSON DALE W. , SCHREYER PAUL
Published: August 2012

The 2008 System of National Accounts recognizes capital services as the conceptually correct way to measure the input of capital into production. This allows setting up an integrated system of industry‐level and aggregate productivity accounts that are consistent with the 2008 SNA. The paper discusses the new aspects in the 2008 SNA and sets out such an integrated system, based on Jorgenson's aggregate production possibility frontier and gross output‐based industry productivity measures. Recent results for industry productivity measures for the United States complete the picture.
The Impact of Obstetric Unit Closures on Maternal and Infant Pregnancy Outcomes
Authors: Lorch Scott A. , Srinivas Sindhu K. , Ahlberg Corinne , Small Dylan S.
Published: August 2012

Objective

To define the association between large‐scale obstetric unit closures and relative changes in maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Birth and death certificates were linked to maternal and neonatal hospital discharge records for all births between January 1, 1995 and June 30, 2005 in Philadelphia, which experienced the closure of 9 of 19 obstetric units between 1997 and 2005, and five surrounding counties and eight urban counties that did not experience a similar reduction in obstetric units.

Design

A before‐and‐after study design with an untreated control group compared changes in perinatal outcomes in Philadelphia to five surrounding control counties and eight urban control counties after controlling for case mix differences and secular trends (N = 3,140,782).

Results

Relative to the preclosure years, the difference in neonatal mortality (odds ratio (OR) 1.49, 95 percent CI 1.12–2.00) and all perinatal mortality (OR 1.53, 95 percent CI 1.14–2.04) increased for Philadelphia residents compared with both control groups between 1997 and 1999. After 2000, there was no statistically significant change in any outcome in Philadelphia county compared with the preclosure epoch.

Conclusions

Obstetric unit closures were initially associated with adverse changes in perinatal outcomes, but these outcomes ameliorated over time.
Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors: molecularly targeted drugs for veterinary cancer therapy
Authors: Bavcar S. , Argyle D. J.
Published: August 2012

Tyrosine kinases (TKs) are key mediators of signalling pathways in cells. Located at the surface of the cell, within the cytoplasm or in the nucleous, TKs have been showed to be involved in regulation of normal cellular processes and also play an important role in the development, progression and spread of several types of cancer. Seventy percent of TK's are Receptor Tyrosine Kinases and these have become key targets for cancer therapy. This short synopsis is intended to give the reader an introduction to this area of targeted therapy for cancer as a prelude to this special edition of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology.
On the Past and Future of Policy Transfer Research: Benson and Jordan Revisited
Authors: Dussauge-Laguna Mauricio I.
Published: August 2012

David Benson and Andrew Jordan's article ‘What Have We Learned from Policy Transfer Research? Dolowitz and Marsh Revisited’ provides a timely and interesting assessment on the state of the art. However, it is also a debatable one for at least two reasons: because it more or less assumes that Dolowitz and Marsh's works have provided the intellectual foundations of the policy transfer approach; and because Benson and Jordan use a rather restrictive understanding of what counts as ‘policy transfer’ studies. This article will challenge these assumptions and will argue that we can find conceptualisations and questions about policy transfer in earlier works by other scholars; that Dolowitz and Marsh's definition of ‘policy transfer’ is widely used, but has been subject to more criticisms than Benson and Jordan acknowledge; that a thorough assessment of our knowledge about policy transfer requires the use of a less restrictive approach; and that developments in policy transfer and associated research areas should be further integrated to improve our understanding of how and why governments use foreign experiences in devising their own policies.
Policy Assemblages, Mobilities and Mutations: Toward a Multidisciplinary Conversation
Authors: McCann Eugene , Ward Kevin
Published: August 2012

This is a short response to Benson and Jordan's 2011 article, ‘What Have We Learned from Policy Transfer Research?’ Its point of departure is their claim that ‘policy transfer is a useful concept that transfers easily across different sub-disciplines and analytical contexts’. In reviewing a growing heterogeneous body of work on policy assemblages, mobilities and mutations, we argue that policy transfer research has already travelled well beyond political science, that it has been critiqued and modified along the way, and that its future is an interdisciplinary one; a future in which we invite political scientists to join.
Constitutional Systems of the World: Problems of Perspective in Comparative Constitutionalism
Authors: Yong Ben , O'Brien Patrick
Published: August 2012

This review examines four books from the series ‘Constitutional Systems of the World’: these books set out the experience of the US, Germany, Russia and South Africa. As introductions to each of these countries’ experience with constitutions, each text is perfectly acceptable; the problems start when we begin to compare the books to each other. Then questions arise about the approaches taken by each individual author, and the overall objective behind the series.
Mental Disorders and Cigarette Use among Adults in the United States
Authors: Goodwin Renee D. , Zvolensky Michael J. , Keyes Katherine M. , Hasin Deborah S.
Published: August 2012

Background:
The goal of this study was to determine the association between mental disorders and cigarette consumption and nicotine dependence.

Methods: Data were drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative survey of adults (N = 43,093) aged 18 and older. Relationships between specific anxiety disorders, mood disorders, nondependent cigarette use, nicotine dependence among the whole sample, and nicotine dependence among cigarette users were examined.

Results: After adjusting for demographics and comorbid mental disorders, generalized anxiety disorder (OR = 1.16 (1.29–1.51)), specific phobia (OR = 1.35 (1.21–1.51)), panic disorder (PD) (OR = 1.90 (1.62–2.23)), major depression (MDD) (OR = 1.31 (1.16–1.48)), and bipolar disorder (OR = 1.30 (1.09–1.54)) were associated with increased likelihood of nondependent cigarette use. Specific phobia (OR = 1.69 (1.49–1.91)), PD (OR = 1.82 (1.50–2.21)), MDD (OR = 1.59 (1.38–1.84)), and bipolar disorder (OR = 1.71 (1.39–2.09)) were associated with increased odds of nicotine dependence among the whole sample; social phobia (OR = 1.69 (1.19–2.40)), specific phobia (OR = 1.69 (1.43–2.01)), MDD (OR = 1.65 (1.34–2.02)), and bipolar disorder (OR = 2.38 (1.74–3.24)) were associated with increased risk of nicotine dependence among cigarette users.

Conclusions: Specific anxiety disorders and mood disorders were uniquely associated with nondependent cigarette use, nicotine dependence among the whole sample, and the risk of nicotine dependence among cigarette users in the United States. Findings suggest that demographic differences, comorbid mood, anxiety, substance, and personality disorders all contributed to previously observed associations between mental disorders and nicotine dependence, explaining these links in some but not all cases. (Am J Addict 2012;21:416–423)
Effects of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) on the healing of Achilles tendons of rats
Authors: Kaux Jean‐François , Drion Pierre V. , Colige Alain , Pascon Frédéric , Libertiaux Vincent , Hoffmann Audrey , Janssen Lauriane , Heyers Antoine , Nusgens Betty V. , Le Goff Caroline , Gothot André , Cescotto Serge , Defraigne Jean‐Olivier , Rickert Markus , Crielaard Jean‐Michel
Published: August 2012

Platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) contains growth factors involved in the tissular healing process. The aim of the study was to determine if an injection of PRP could improve the healing of sectioned Achilles tendons of rats. After surgery, rats received an injection of PRP (n = 60) or a physiological solution (n = 60) in situ. After 5, 15, and 30 days, 20 rats of both groups were euthanized and 15 collected tendons were submitted to a biomechanical test using cryo‐jaws before performing transcriptomic analyses. Histological and biochemical analyses were performed on the five remaining tendons in each group. Tendons in the PRP group were more resistant to rupture at 15 and 30 days. The mechanical stress was significantly increased in tendons of the PRP group at day 30. Histological analysis showed a precocious deposition of fibrillar collagen at day 5 confirmed by a biochemical measurement. The expression of tenomodulin was significantly higher at day 5. The messenger RNA levels of type III collagen, matrix metalloproteinases 2, 3, and 9, were similar in the two groups at all time points, whereas type I collagen was significantly increased at day 30 in the PRP group. In conclusion, an injection of PRP in sectioned rat Achilles tendon influences the early phase of tendon healing and results in an ultimately stronger mechanical resistance.
Recombination Signals In The rpoC1 Gene Indicate Gene‐Flow Between Planktothrix (Cyanoprokaryota) Species
Authors: D'Alelio Domenico , Gandolfi Andrea
Published: August 2012

The delineation of species boundaries in the potentially harmful cyanobacterium Planktothrix Anagnostidis et Komárek 1988 is particularly tangled. Genetic recombination has been invoked to explain the occurrence of overlapping biological traits among recognized species. Although horizontal gene transfer is shown as a driver of diversification in this genus, clear evidence for homologous recombination at the single gene level is still lacking. Several Planktothrix strains (n = 244) sampled in eight fresh water lakes in north Italy were characterized by sequencing the rpoC1 gene, a molecular marker previously proposed to discriminate between species. Six haplotypes were detected, four of which are newly described. A relevant number of rpoC1 sequences (n = 54) showed evidence of homologous recombination. By comparing the sequences produced in the work presented here to those available on GenBank for the genus, multiple recombination events were tracked between haplotypes associated to P. rubescens, P. suspensa and P. agardhii, the latter being a species not found in our survey. Recombination signals were in form of (i) a vast mosaic structure present in the alignment of rpoC1 haplotypes, (ii) multiple and statistically significant paths in the split decomposition network connecting these haplotypes and (iii) many individual crossing‐over events detected by means of recombination detection tests. Data suggest that the molecular evolution of the rpoC1 gene in the genus Planktothrix appears as strongly influenced by homologous recombination. In addition, rpoC1 diversity effectively tracks recombinational processes among species in the complex made up by P. rubescens, P. agardhii and P. suspensa, which are not isolated in terms of gene‐flow.
Standing on the Threshold of Change
Authors: Bloch Michele , Backinger Cathy L. , Compton Wilson M. , Conway Kevin
Published: August 2012

Tobacco use remains the nation's leading cause of preventable premature mortality. Lung cancer, one of the many cancers caused by tobacco use, is both the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and the leading cause of male cancer death globally. This special issue of Risk Analysis features the work of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET), which finds that changes in Americans’ smoking behaviors that began in the mid 1950s averted nearly 800,000 U.S. lung cancer deaths in the period 1975–2000 alone. However, this figure represents only about 30% of the lung cancer deaths that could potentially have been averted during this period. Despite dramatic declines in smoking prevalence since the mid 1960s, tobacco use is still far too common; today about one in five American adults smokes cigarettes. The tobacco industry's role in promoting tobacco use is now well documented and, as noted by the President's Cancer Panel, “can no more be ignored in seeking solutions to the tobacco problem than mosquitoes can be ignored in seeking to eradicate malaria.” Recent developments, including the passage of legislation granting the Food and Drug Administration broad authority to regulate tobacco products, and the entry into force of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, an evidence‐based treaty developed by the World Health Organization, hold great promise to more swiftly end the epidemic of lung cancer and other tobacco‐caused diseases that exacts such a heavy toll in human suffering in the United States and around the world.
Chapter 3: Cohort Life Tables by Smoking Status, Removing Lung Cancer as a Cause of Death
Authors: Rosenberg Marjorie A. , Feuer Eric J. , Yu Binbing , Sun Jiafeng , Henley S. Jane , Shanks Thomas G , Anderson Christy M. , McMahon Pamela M. , Thun Michael J. , Burns David M.
Published: August 2012

The purpose of this study was to develop life tables by smoking status removing lung cancer as a cause of death. These life tables are inputs to studies that compare the effectiveness of lung cancer treatments or interventions, and provide a way to quantify time until death from causes other than lung cancer. The study combined actuarial and statistical smoothing methods, as well as data from multiple sources, to develop separate life tables by smoking status, birth cohort, by single year of age, and by sex. For current smokers, separate life tables by smoking quintiles were developed based on the average number of cigarettes smoked per day by birth cohort. The end product is the creation of six non‐lung‐cancer life tables for males and six tables for females: five current smoker quintiles and one for never smokers. Tables for former smokers are linear combinations of the appropriate table based on the current smoker quintile before quitting smoking and the never smoker probabilities, plus added covariates for the smoking quit age and time since quitting.
Chapter 2: Birth‐Cohort‐Specific Estimates of Smoking Behaviors for the U.S. Population
Authors: Anderson Christy M. , Burns David M. , Dodd Kevin W. , Feuer Eric J.
Published: August 2012

We present methods for estimating five‐year birth‐cohort‐specific trends in smoking behavior for individuals born between 1910 and 1984. We combine cross‐sectional survey data on smoking behavior from the National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) conducted between 1965 and 2001 into a single data set. The cumulative incidence of smoking by year of age and calendar year is constructed for each birth cohort from this data set and the effect of differential mortality on ever smoking prevalence is adjusted by modeling the ever smoking prevalence of each cohort for each survey year and back extrapolating that effect to age 30. Cumulative incidence is then scaled to match the ever smoking prevalence at age 30. Survival analyses generate the cumulative cessation among ever smokers across year of age and calendar year and are used to estimate current smoking prevalence. Data from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health is used to divide those initiating smoking into quintiles of number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) and the mean CPD for each quintile in each calendar year is estimated from the NHIS data. For five‐year birth cohorts of white, african‐american, Hispanic and all race/ethnicity groupings of males and females born between 1910 and 1984, estimates are provided for prevalence of current and ever smoking, incidence of cessation, incidence of initiation, and the distribution of smoking duration and CPD for each calendar year and each single year of age through the year 1999. We believe that we are the first to provide birth‐cohort‐specific estimates of smoking behaviors for the U.S. population that include distributions of duration of smoking and number of cigarettes per day. These additional elements substantively enhance the utility of these estimates for estimating lung cancer risks.
Chapter 14: Comparing the Adequacy of Carcinogenesis Models in Estimating U.S. Population Rates for Lung Cancer Mortality
Authors: Holford Theodore R. , Levy David T.
Published: August 2012

The relationship between smoking and lung cancer is well established and cohort studies provide estimates of risk for individual cohorts. While population trends are qualitatively consistent with smoking trends, the rates do not agree well with results from analytical studies. Four carcinogenesis models for the effect of smoking on lung cancer mortality were used to estimate lung cancer mortality rates for U.S. males: two‐stage clonal expansion and multistage models using parameters estimated from two Cancer Prevention Studies (CPS I and CPS II). Calibration was essential to adjust for both shift and temporal trend. The age–period–cohort model was used for calibration. Overall, models using parameters derived from CPS I performed best, and the corresponding two‐stage clonal expansion model was best overall. However, temporal calibration did significantly improve agreement with the population rates, especially the effect of age and cohort.