bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Woodcock Analogies
Authors: Franklin Melvin R. , Fullilove Richard M. , Sabers Darrell L.
Published: December 2008

The Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised uses three formats for testing word comprehension, one of which is the analogies format. The adequacy of the revised instructions for the analogies portion of the Word Comprehension (WC) subtest was examined with a learning-disabled population. The effect of presenting 15 additional sample items prior to administration of the analogies items was examined using a Solomon Four-Group design. Analysis of covariance demonstrated significant increases in WC-analogies standard scores.
Managing the Mainstream
Authors: Zigmond Naomi , Levin Erwin , Laurie Theresa E.
Published: December 2008

Four studies were undertaken in 12 urban high schools to explore the accommodative power of mainstream secondary schools and the extent to which teacher attitudes and student behaviors contributed to failure of learning disabled students in regular high school classes. Findings suggest that mainstream teachers recognize the low achievement of LD students but do very little that is different instructionaily when these students are assigned to regular-content classes. The one adjustment that is commonly made is to lower grading standards so that LD students have a good chance of passing the course. In fact, most LD students received passing grades in most of their mainstream courses and most failing grades were in courses in which attendance records were extremely poor.
`Highly Vulnerable'? Political Violence and the Social Construction of Traumatized Children
Authors: Gilligan Chris
Published: December 2008

Since the end of the Cold War, humanitarian interventions to provide psychological assistance to children exposed to political violence have become commonplace. Within the literature and the practices of organizations involved in interventions, there is a widespread conception that children exposed to political violence are highly vulnerable to psychological trauma. This article challenges this claim. The article examines a number of methodological weaknesses in the existing literature and associated practices, including: problems of measurement; an inadequate conception of the aetiology of children's psychological responses; and a lack of due attention to the literature on child development. On the basis of this examination, we conclude that the evidence base does not support the conclusion that children are highly vulnerable. The article then suggests that two factors may help to explain the growth in interventions in the absence of a scientifically rigorous evidence base: cultural changes in Western society, which have led to an increasing focus on `victimhood', which maps easily onto existing Western conceptions of childhood as a time of innocence; and changes in the international system at the end of the Cold War, which have provided a favourable environment for the significant growth of `humanitarian' interventions. The article concludes with some suggestions for lines of inquiry for future research.
Elder Abuse and Mistreatment in Residential Settings
Authors: Bužgová Radka , Ivanová Kateřina
Published: December 2008

Older people living in a residential setting have the right to respectful care based on professional ethics. The aim of this study was to describe employees' and clients' lived experiences of elder abuse. A qualitative phenomenological method was used with 26 employees and 20 residents from four homes for elderly people in the town of Ostrava, Czech Republic, and two managers from outside these institutions. All complaints about elder abuse ( n 5 11) received by Ostrava Municipal Authority during the period 2003 to 2007 were examined. Two main dimensions of the examined phenomenon were identified: forms of elder abuse and causes of elder abuse. Established forms of elder abuse were summarized as rights violation, financial abuse, psychological abuse, physical abuse and neglect. Causes of elder abuse included institution, employee and client characteristics. It is necessary in residential settings to create preventive policies that will focus on supervision regarding elderly people's rights violation and psychological and physical abuse, as well as on building organizational cultures that will respect ethical principles.
Surface Waves, Limiting Waves and Exceptional Waves: David Barnett's Role in the Development of the Theory
Authors: Lothe J. , Alshits V.I.
Published: December 2008

A short review is presented of progress in the theory of localized eigenwaves in anisotropic solids. The main attention is paid to the problem of existence of surface wave solutions in semi-infinite elastic bodies. Here the contribution of David Barnett is most important. The general theorems of existence and uniqueness are formulated and their modifications for media with piezoelectric and/or piezomagnetic couplings are considered. The conditions for existence of supersonic surface waves in purely elastic half-spaces are displayed. The situations on both sides of the vicinity of exceptional transonic states are discussed. The criterion for the existence of quasi-bulk subsonic surface waves in elastic media of unrestricted anisotropy is obtained in terms of the general Barnett and Lothe theorem. The conditions for the existence of exceptional bulk waves and their main properties are considered. The interface wave theory of David Barnett et al is reviewed for rigid and slip contacts between elastic and piezoelectric sub-media.
The Second Sex's Continued Relevance for Equality and Difference Feminisms
Authors: Changfoot Nadine
Published: December 2008

This article argues that Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex continues to teach academic feminism why difference feminism holds productive and generative potential for feminists and why equality feminism has been consistently subject to criticism since the second wave of feminism. Using Hegel's master—slave dialectic as a lens to interpret subjectivity in The Second Sex, this text reveals an aspect of equality feminism that relies upon masculine subjectivity, a subjectivity that inherently constitutes otherness. This reliance on masculine subjectivity is anathema to difference feminism because the otherness inherently constituted by such subjectivity simultaneously and paradoxically constitutes women's ongoing subordination. In assuming equality with men by adopting masculine subjectivity, women are not immune to constituting (other) women as other. Difference feminisms, on the other hand, start from where women are as they choose to see themselves socially, economically, racially, sexually. The Second Sex reveals that difference feminisms imagine freedom in order to identify the difference that would empower women, not strictly towards sex equality with a stable referent (such as the contested referent of the white, middle-class, able-bodied, heterosexual woman or man), but towards emancipatory projects that make a difference for women themselves. The Second Sex portends that such imagined freedom has not been actualized, thus the present remains circumscribed by power that subordinates the difference(s) in question. When read alongside The Second Sex, the tension between equality and difference feminisms can still be read as feminisms that coexist with one another, each with their limitations, each with productive potential and cautionary rejoinders.
Fear, complacency and the spectacle of risk: the making of HIV as a public concern in Australia
Authors: Newman Christy , Persson Asha
Published: December 2008

This article explores how HIV is constituted as a matter of public concern in Australia, where — unlike much of the rest of the world — there is a continuing low incidence of heterosexual transmission. In this context, it is timely to explore how the media contributes to the ongoing mobilization of public interest in HIV, and how heterosexual audiences are brought into focus as the imagined `publics' of mainstream debates on HIV. This article identifies three approaches to generating public concern in HIV news stories published in The Sydney Morning Herald between 2000 and 2005 as well as in academic media analysis and HIV education and advocacy. Reflections on fear revisit the early years of the epidemic, distinguishing a generation of Australian audiences shaped by the Grim Reaper campaign. Encounters with complacency focus on an apparently widespread lack of concern about HIV in the present. And projections in risk forecast a multiplication of HIV risk environments, despite confusion about who should be personally concerned about those risks. Together they construct Australian publics as passive, vulnerable, unaware and potentially uncaring, yet do little to engage the mainstream as more than spectators of public concern about HIV.
Humanizing HIV/AIDS and its (re)stigmatizing effects: HIV public 'positive' speaking in India
Authors: Finn Mark , Sarangi Srikant
Published: December 2008

Social stigma has been inextricably linked with HIV and AIDS since the epidemic erupted in the early 1980s. The stigma that has built up around HIV and AIDS is generally regarded as having a negative impact on the quality of life of HIV-positive people and on general prevention efforts. Current attempts to combat HIV-related stigma focus on increasing the acceptance of HIV among the stigmatizing public and stigmatized individuals alike. In this, the global HIV-positive community is being increasingly called upon to `humanize' the virus, not least through public displays of HIV 'positive' health and public `positive' speaking. This article critically explores the constitutive effects and inherent power relations of HIV Positive Speakers' Bureaus (PSBs) as a platform for such a display. Adopting a post-structuralist discourse analytic approach, we explore accounts of positive-speaking and HIV health from HIV-related non-government organizations in India and in PSB training manuals. In particular, we highlight ways in which positive-speaking in India can be seen to have significant (re)stigmatizing effects by way of ambivalent and hyper-real configurations of HIV 'positive' identity and life.
Images, femininity and cancer: an analysis of an international patient education programme
Authors: Phillips Catherine
Published: December 2008

This article is an analysis of a cancer patient education programme run by cosmetic companies. I focus on an analysis of imagery, arguing that there are particular discursive elements that the cosmetic companies use in order to make productive the relationship between femininity and cancer. I contextualize this education programme by presenting the controversies regarding cosmetics as they relate to the growth of breast tumours. In doing so, I conclude that conversations and questions about a link between chemicals and cancer are subverted by both `horror' narratives of cancer and the provocative use of standards of beauty. Such discursive dominance in patient education programmes makes it difficult to engage in a more public understanding of cancer growth as affected by cosmetic chemicals.
Who Can Enter? A Multilevel Analysis on Public Support for Immigration Criteria across 20 European Countries
Authors: Green Eva G. T.
Published: December 2008

Drawing on social psychological threat theories and extending them to a national level, this study investigated individual- and country-level predictors of Europeans' support for immigration criteria. Endorsement of ascribed and acquired immigration standards was analysed with survey data across 20 nations. Multi-level regression analyses revealed that among the individual-level predictors, perceived threat had the strongest relationship with support for both entry criteria. Low gross domestic product (GDP) and low refugee rate predicted approval of ascribed criteria. Cross-level interactions revealed that relationships between perceived threat and approval of acquired entry criteria were intensified in high GDP and high refugee rate contexts. The results corroborate predictions of social psychological threat theories and underscore the importance of including macro-social factors in the cross-national study of immigration attitudes.
Where do we go from here: The pasts, presents and futures of Ground Zero
Authors: Gutman Yifat
Published: December 2008

Spring 2006, when the rebuilding of Ground Zero began, was a unique moment in time — a turning point for the New York site and its publics. It signified transformation from debris to a memorial museum; a move from past catastrophe to future memories, as the nationalized narration of the events in the formal exhibit on site emphasized. Surprisingly, while the end result was already known, this moment of transformation allowed different audiences to put at halt the nationalized interpretation of the events of 9/11 and engage in personal, collected and collective, local and global, perspectives on the past, while enacting the presents and futures which seem to unfold from them. This article examines these distinct yet connected moments in order to reveal the different connections that people and governments make between pasts, presents and futures. It uses a non-linear approach to time, which explores and reworks the tension between linearity and relativity, as a sensitive lens to a political change that has proceeded well beyond the interaction on site.
Ways of looking: Observation and transformation at the Holocaust Memorial, Berlin
Authors: Dekel Irit
Published: December 2008

Observation is one of the core actions at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. Observing fellow visitors, photographing and looking at photos at the memorial transcend its actual time and probe its space and the boundaries of discourse about the past. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, this article focuses on the ways visitors experience the memorial, and argues that in taking and looking at photos at the memorial and observing other visitors and the scene, visitors create a space for self-realization and transformation, in which they explore their relations to the past and to present memory politics. They do so through reflection on the memorial's lack of stated meaning, alongside the impossibility of representing the Holocaust.
Preparation of Microporous Si–O–C Composite Material and Its Lithium Storage Capability
Authors: Fukui Hiroshi , Ohsuka Hisashi , Hino Takakazu , Kanamura Kiyoshi
Published: December 2008

A microporous Si–O–C composite material was prepared by pyrolysis of a blend of polysilane, (Ph2Si)0.85(PhSi)0.15 (1) and polystyrene (1:1 in weight) at 1000 °C. This material electrochemically performed well, offering a capacity of more than 600 mA h g−1 and a good cycle life. Our 7Li NMR analysis confirmed the possibility of several electrochemical active sites for lithium storage in this new composite material.
Quantitative analysis of elevated serum Golgi protein-73 expression in patients with liver diseases
Authors: Gu Yanli , Chen Wenli , Zhao Yu , Chen Liyun , Peng Tao
Published: December 2008

Background

Golgi protein-73 (GP73) is a newly identified candidate serum marker for liver diseases. The utility of this biomarker remains limited, largely due to the lack of quantitative information. The aims of this study were to quantify serum GP73 (sGP73) in healthy individuals and in patients with liver diseases, and to validate sGP73 as a biomarker for early diagnosis of liver disease.

Methods

Recombinant GP73 was used to generate monoclonal (mAb) and polyclonal antibodies (pAb). Using these antibodies in a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, GP73 was measured in serum from 263 patients with various forms of liver and other diseases.

Results

The median sGP73 in patients with liver disease was significantly higher ( P < 0.001) than in healthy individuals and in patients with other diseases. When sGP73 was used to detect liver disease, it had a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 80% at the optimal cut-off value of 85.5 μg/L. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.9.

Conclusion

sGP73 concentration in patients with liver disease was three-fold higher than in healthy individuals. However, sGP73 concentrations did not differ significantly between patients from each liver disease group. Furthermore, sGP73 was not significantly elevated in patients with diseases other than liver disease compared with healthy individuals. These results suggest that sGP73 may be used as a serum marker for the diagnosis of liver disease.
Use of a common standard improves the performance of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D
Authors: Carter Graham D , Jones Julia C
Published: December 2008

Background

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is becoming increasingly popular for measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25-OH-D). Results submitted to the International Quality Assessment Scheme (DEQAS) have shown poor interlaboratory agreement. We investigated whether the use of a common standard would reduce interlaboratory imprecision.

Methods

A commercial standard and two controls were distributed with the DEQAS samples in January 2008. Participants were asked to calculate the results of samples and controls using their usual standard and the commercial standard. A method questionnaire was also distributed.

Results

Use of a common standard reduced the mean interlaboratory imprecision (coefficient of variation [CV]) for total 25-OH-D from 16.4% (in-house standards) to 10.4% (common standard). For 25-OH-D3 and 25-OH-D2, the mean CVs were reduced from 16.7% and 21.1% to 8.5% and 12.6%, respectively. Mean values obtained for total 25-OH-D using the common standard were higher by 6.1%.

Conclusions

Use of a common standard improved agreement among laboratories using LC-MS/MS methods for 25-OH-D. This suggests that problems with assay standardization contribute to interlaboratory imprecision. This may be related to the nature of the matrix used for working standards or errors in the calibration of stock standard solutions of 25-OH-D. Some participants used a gravimetric method, others UV spectrophotometry, to establish the concentration of stock solutions. Among the latter group there was uncertainty over the molar absorption coefficient of 25-OH-D solutions. We conclude that LC-MS/MS is not yet sufficiently robust to become the reference method for 25-OH-D and that gas chromatography-mass spectrometry might be a more suitable candidate.
Agreement in self-reported personal risk factor information collected by different modes in Mongolia
Authors: Tserenpuntsag B , Nelson K , Lamjav O , Triner W , Smith P , Kacica M , McNutt L-A
Published: December 2008

This study compares two methods (a self-administered paper survey and a face-to-face interview) of collecting information about personal risk behaviours important for studies of HIV and other blood-borne pathogen transmissions in a developing country. In the framework of an epidemiological study conducted among 2504 donors in the Blood Center at the Ministry of Health, Mongolia, 2250 participants completed a short paper survey and 923 participants were interviewed concerning risk factors for hepatitis infections. A total of 669 individuals completed both surveys. McNemar's test and Kappa statistics were used to compare responses from both types of questionnaire. Kappa coefficients for health-care factors ranged from 0.57 (injection outside of hospital) to 0.81 (previous blood donation). Alcohol use and smoking were both reported more often in the interview than in the survey; the kappa coefficient was lowest (0.61) for alcohol use. While the prevalence of these behaviours depended on the mode of data collection, the association between behaviour and an outcome, hepatitis B surface antigen, was not substantially different between the two data collection methods. The results indicate that misclassification of risk behaviours is likely regardless of data collection method. However, in this study we found that biased estimates of prevalence likely did not substantially bias the estimates of association between risk factors and blood-borne infection.
How does HIV impact on non-AIDS events in the era of HAART?
Authors: Barber T J , Hughes A , Dinsmore W W , Phillips A
Published: December 2008

Death rates from AIDS-related events in HIV-positive individuals have declined in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). It has also been shown that deaths from non-AIDS events have declined in this cohort since the advent of HAART. We review these data, as well as discussing some of the possible effects HAART might have on non-AIDS diagnoses and deaths in HIV-positive individuals with successfully treated HIV.
The influence of professional values on the implementation of Aboriginal health policy
Authors: Lloyd Jane , Wise Marilyn , Weeramanthri Tarun , Nugus Peter
Published: December 2008

Objective:

This article explores the role of professional values and the culture of the Australian health care system in facilitating and constraining the implementation of an Aboriginal health policy.

Methods:

Thirty-five semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in a case study on the implementation of the Northern Territory Preventable Chronic Disease Strategy (PCDS).

Results:

PCDS included three major evidence-based components - primary prevention, early detection and better management. The research revealed that PCDS changed as it was implemented. The values of the medical and nursing professions favoured the implementation of the clinically-based component of PCDS - better management. But there was dissonance between the values of these dominant professional groups and the values and expertise in public health that were necessary to implement fully the primary prevention component of PCDS. While Aboriginal health workers have valuable knowledge and skills in this area, they were not accorded sufficient power and training to influence decision-making on priorities and resources, and were able to exercise only limited influence on the components of the PCDS that were implemented.

Conclusion:

The findings highlight the role that a myriad of values play in influencing which aspects of a policy are implemented by organizations and their agents. Comprehensive and equitable implementation of policy requires an investigation and awareness of different professional values, and an examination of whose voices will be privileged in the decision-making process. If the advances in developing evidence-based, culturally-appropriate and inclusive policy are to be translated into practice, then care needs to be taken to monitor and influence whose values are being included at what point in the policy implementation process.
From quasi-market to market in the National Health Service in England: What does this mean for the purchasing of health services?
Authors: Lewis Richard , Smith1 Judith , Harrison Anthony
Published: December 2008

The purchasing function was first developed within the British National Health Service as part of a quasi-market introduced by a Conservative government in 1990 and retained by the Labour government on coming to power in 1997. Since 2002 further reforms in England have begun to transform the quasi-market into a ‘real’ market with greater diversity of supplier, including from the private sector, a payment regime designed to reward additional hospital activity and new rights for patients to choose their provider. Evidence from the quasi-market era suggests that the purchasing function made little significant impact on services for patients or shifts in the pattern of hospital provision. The new market reforms, in theory, provide an opportunity to overcome prior weaknesses in the purchasing function. As this market develops, we suggest that the purchasers should develop three new sets of skills and activities if they are to be effective: the identification of need and shaping of demand; shaping the structure of supply; and holding the market to account.
From the Editors…
Authors: Keller L. Robin , Baucells Manel , Butler John C. , Delquié Philippe , Merrick Jason R. W. , Parnell Gregory S. , Salo Ahti
Published: December 2008

For this final issue of the year, our first two articles are on assessment of probabilities. First, Joel B. Predd, Daniel N. Osherson, Sanjeev R. Kulkarni, and H. Vincent Poor present a method for “Aggregating Probabilistic Forecasts from Incoherent and Abstaining Experts.” In our second article, Ali E. Abbas, David V. Budescu, Hsiu-Ting Yu, and Ryan Haggerty present the results of their experiment in “A Comparison of Two Probability Encoding Methods: Fixed Probability vs. Fixed Variable Values.” Next, a new method for searching among a huge set of alternatives using preference information is presented in “An Interactive Search Method Based on User Preferences,” by Asim Roy, Patrick Mackin, Jyrki Wallenius, James Corner, Mark Keith, Gregory Schymik, and Hina Arora. In our final article, Niyazi Onur Bakır describes how to use decision analysis to compare antiterrorism measures in “A Decision Tree Model for Evaluating Countermeasures to Secure Cargo at United States Southwestern Ports of Entry.” A call for papers on auctions for a special issue in memory of Michael Rothkopf is announced in this issue. The annual thank you to reviewers ends the issue.
Incorporating Network Flow Effects into the Airline Fleet Assignment Process
Authors: Jacobs Timothy L. , Smith Barry C. , Johnson Ellis L.
Published: December 2008

This paper presents a new methodology for incorporating origin and destination (O&D) network effects into the fleet assignment process. The methodology uses a decomposition strategy to combine a modified version of a leg-based fleet assignment model (Leg-FAM) with the network flow aspects of probabilistic O&D yield management. By decomposing the problem, the nonlinear aspects of the O&D market effects and passenger flow are isolated in O&D yield management and incorporated in FAM using linear approximations to the total network revenue function. To illustrate this methodology and its economic benefits, an example consisting of 10 cities, 48 flight legs, and 534 O&D market classes is presented and compared to the results found using two commonly used Leg-FAM formulations.

To benchmark the benefits of using an O&D approach to fleet assignment, we present two case studies comparing the Leg-FAM and O&D FAM approaches using actual airline schedules with more than 4,000 daily operations. For these benchmarks, we present the results of a general fleet assignment process in which all the scheduled flights must be assigned an aircraft type and a schedule reduction run in which nonprofitable flights can be cancelled.

The methodology presented in this paper is ideally suited for demand-driven dispatch (D3) scenarios, where near-term fleeting changes are made to better match O&D passenger demand to available aircraft capacity. To illustrate the use of the O&D FAM methodology to facilitate near-term refleeting process, we present results from implementing a D3 process using O&D FAM at AMR's American Eagle Airlines.
Scheduling Locomotives and Car Transfers in Freight Transport
Authors: Fügenschuh Armin , Homfeld Henning , Huck Andreas , Martin Alexander , Yuan Zhi
Published: December 2008

We present a new model for a strategic locomotive scheduling problem arising at the Deutsche Bahn AG. The model is based on a multicommodity minimum cost flow formulation that is also used for public bus scheduling problems. However, several new aspects have to be additionally taken into account such as cyclic departures of the trains, time windows on starting and arrival times, network load-dependent travel times, and a transfer of cars between trains. The model is formulated as an integer linear programming problem (ILP). The formulation is improved by preprocessing and additional cutting planes. Solutions are obtained using a randomized greedy heuristic in combination with commercial ILP solvers. Computational results are presented for several real-world test instances.
Reliability and Validity of the Professional Counseling Performance Evaluation
Authors: Shepherd J. Brad , Britton Paula J. , Kress Victoria E.
Published: December 2008

The definition and measurement of counsellor trainee competency is an issue that has received increased attention yet lacks quantitative study. This research evaluates item responses, scale reliability and intercorrelations, interrater agreement, and criterion-related validity of the Professional Performance Fitness Evaluation/Professional Counseling Performance Evaluation, a measure used by counsellor educators to evaluate professional fitness. The results identified several scale items that were insensitive to substandard skill levels and indicated that university and site supervisors' trainee ratings did not agree. Both site and university supervisors did identify a majority of students demonstrating substandard skills, and when the site and university supervisors' ratings were combined, the supervisors identified 79% of the noncompetent trainees.
Freeze-thaw and matrix effects in direct high-density lipoprotein cholesterol methods
Authors: Cobbaert Christa , van Haperen Corrie , Bastijns Claudia , Demacker Pierre N.M.
Published: December 2008

: There is frequent discussion on the susceptibility of direct high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) methods to matrix effects. In Vitro Diagnostics manufacturers recognize this issue and regularly improve their HDL-C reagent formulations in subsequent generations.

: The 3rd generation direct HDL-C assay from Roche was investigated for matrix effects in comparison to the former generation, a Beckman direct HDL-C method and a conventional phosphotungstate (PTA)/Mg

: In fresh samples, Roche 2nd and 3rd generation HDL-C methods averaged +0.15 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.13–0.16) and +0.08 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.07–0.09) higher compared to frozen samples. In frozen aliquots, ICCs for Roche 2nd and 3rd generation and Beckman direct HDL-C as compared to PTA/MgCl

: The 3rd generation direct HDL-C from Roche has become insensitive to most matrix effects, bringing along more accurate results in hypoalbuminemic and hypertriglyceridemic samples. Surprisingly, Roche direct assays produced significantly higher HDL-C levels in fresh samples compared to frozen plasma samples. If confirmed by others, the latter finding has implications for patient management and necessitates further reagent optimization.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2009;47:172–6.
Vitamin D: current status and perspectives
Authors: Cavalier Etienne , Delanaye Pierre , Chapelle Jean-Paul , Souberbielle Jean-Claude
Published: December 2008

The role of vitamin D in maintaining bone health has been known for decades. Recently, however, the discovery that many tissues expressed the vitamin D receptor and were able to transform the 25-OH vitamin D into its most active metabolite, 1,25-(OH)

Clin Chem Lab Med 2009;47:120–7.
Circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein: a biomarker of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk?
Authors: Verhoye Eline , Langlois Michel R.
Published: December 2008

Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) are susceptible to structural modifications by oxidation, particularly the small dense LDL particles. The formation of lipid peroxidation derivates, such as thiobarbituric reactive substances, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides, and aldehydes, is associated with changes in apolipoprotein conformation and affects the functional properties of LDLs. Oxidized LDL (oxLDL) formation in the subendothelial space of the arterial wall is a key initiating step in atherosclerosis because it contributes to foam cell generation, endothelial dysfunction, and inflammatory processes. In the last decade, immunoassays were developed using monoclonal antibodies against oxidation-dependent epitopes of LDL which made it possible to directly measure oxLDL in the circulation. Increased circulating oxLDL concentrations have been related to cardiovascular disease in some studies, although not always independently after adjustment of classical lipid markers. The Asklepios Study, investigating 2524 healthy middle-aged subjects, showed that circulating oxLDL is affected by many biological and lifestyle factors, as well as (generalized) subclinical atherosclerosis.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2009;47:128–37.
War ein Groß-Ionien tatsächlich um 1360 v. Chr. in Westkleinasien existent? Eine kritische Analyse zu den Lesungen und Identifizierungen der jüngst entdeckten topographischen Namenslisten aus der Regierungszeit Amenophis′ III.
Authors: Haider Peter W.
Published: December 2008

Die beiden neu entdeckten Fragmente von Ortsnamenslisten im Totentempel Amenophis′ III. nennen unter anderem angeblich ein Groß-Ionien sowie Luwien auf westkleinasiatischem Boden. Eine kritische Analyse der Lesungen und der vorgeschlagenen Lokalisierungen der insgesamt fünf lesbaren Namen läßt beim derzeitigen Wissensstand diesbezüglich aber manche Korrektur vornehmen und bietet somit bezüglich des Charakters dieser Listen zwei Erklärungsmöglichkeiten: Sollten hier tatsächlich (mehrheitlich) kleinasiatische Örtlichkeiten aufgelistet sein, dann spricht das hier auch genannte Land Tanaja (= Peloponnes) für eine Aufzählung an Lokalitäten, die sich ausnahmsweise nicht auf einen engeren geographischen Raum beschränkte, sondern sich an überregionalen machtpolitischen, diplomatischen und/oder wirtschaftlichen Gesichtspunkten orientierte.

Sollten diese Listen aber, wie üblich, einen bestimmten geographischen Raum beschreiben, dann wären alle hier genannten Lokalitäten innerhalb der ägäischen Welt zu lokalisieren. Für ein (Groß?-)Ionien böte sich das nördlich an Tanaja angrenzende Mittelgriechenland an, und das als R/Lawana zu lesende und problematischer Weise für Luwien gehaltene Toponym ließe sich plausibler mit dem aus den Linear B-Texten von Knossos zu eruierende *Ruwana gleichsetzen, das nahe liegender Weise auf Kreta selbst oder innerhalb der südlichen Ägäis zu suchen wäre. In jedem Fall gewähren diese neuen Listenfragmente einen wertvollen und interessanten Einblick in die Kenntnisse von der historischen Geographie in den ,Nordländern' am ägyptischen Hof um 1360 v. Chr.

Aufgrund ihrer relativ rohen und flüchtigen Ausarbeitung können die betreffenden Listenfragmente in die letzten Regierungsjahre (ca. 13601354 v. Chr.) Amenophis′ III. datiert werden.
Vencidas, Violadas, Vendidas: Mujeres Griegas y Violencia Sexual en Asedios Romanos
Authors: Antela-Bernardez Borja
Published: December 2008

El aumento de los estudios sobre la mujer en los últimos años, así como el más reciente interés por la guerra plantea la posibilidad de fundir resultados de ambos aspectos temáticos. De este modo, el objetivo del presente estudio es el de reflexionar sobre la posición de la mujer griega ante la violencia militar, desde una parte entre los propios griegos, como introducción general, y posteriormente en su enfrentamiento con los ejércitos de Roma, donde se plantea el enfrentamiento entre dos conceptos de derrota, y con ello, de víctima de guerra. Las mujeres aparecen a lo largo de las siguientes páginas como metáforas de la victoria, como motores económicos de la actividad militar, y más aún, como símbolo esencial del disfrute del botín, por lo que podemos hablar de una división sexual de la derrota en el mundo antiguo.
Win but do not overwin  The History of a Proverb from the Sententiae Menandri, and a Classical Allusion in St. Paul′s Epistle to the Romans
Authors: Rance Philip
Published: December 2008

This paper traces the history and meaning of the Greek proverb Win but do not overwin, first documented in Maurice′s Strategicon (590s) and cited thereafter in various contexts in Byzantine military and historical literature. The earliest manifestation of this proverb is identified as a verse of iambic trimeters preserved in the Γνῶμαι Μενάνδρου or Sententiae Menandri, witnessed in both the manuscript tradition and a fragmentary specimen inscribed on a fifth-/sixth-century ostracon. Older scholarship denied the antiquity of this monostichos on linguistic and metrical grounds, but it is shown that there is no impediment to a possible origin in Attic drama, even if date and authorship remain elusive. Recognition of an additional prose variant in Socrates′ Historia Ecclesiastica points to a wider proverbial currency by the beginning of the fifth century at the latest. The study concludes with the conjecture that St. Paul may have had this proverb in mind when he wrote Epistle to the Romans, adducing arguments based on eccentric vocabulary and evidence for Paul′s limited acquaintance with moralising pagan literature.
Magni Viri: Caesar, Alexander, and Pompey in Cat. 11
Authors: Krebs Christopher
Published: December 2008

In the first half of Cat. 11 readers are indeed, as has been suggested, invited to recall Alexander the Great and his campaigns in the Far East upon reading monimenta magni, but also Rome′s official 'Magnus′ and Caesar′s rival: Pompey. For it is Pompey (and not Crassus, as is commonly believed) to whom the second stanza alludes, as all the people therein listed can be shown to point to his famous campaigns in the East during the third Mithridatic war, which, though almost a decade past by the time Catullus wrote, was brought back to the Romans′ attention when Pompey had his theatrum built from its revenues. The imaginary itinerary of the first three stanzas comprises the glorious sites of Alexander, Pompey, and Caesar  the latter now also a 'Magnus′.
Conservadorismo contábil nas companhias abertas e fechadas brasileiras
Authors: Paulo Edilson , Antunes Maria Thereza Pompa , Formigoni Henrique
Published: December 2008

Objetiva-se neste artigo identificar a existência de diferenças significativas entre companhias abertas e fechadas brasileiras no nível de conservadorismo de suas demonstrações contábeis. A pesquisa, do tipo exploratória e descritiva, baseia-se em amostra composta por 1.384 empresas-ano, sendo 770 observações referentes a companhias fechadas e 614 a companhias abertas, no período de 2000 a 2004. Utilizou-se o modelo de Ball e Shivakumar (2005) que permite analisar o nível de conservadorismo por meio da reversão dos resultados contábeis. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que as companhias fechadas apresentam menor probabilidade de reconhecimento oportuno das perdas e, por isso, possuem menor nível de conservadorismo nas demonstrações contábeis em relação às companhias abertas.
Contribuições para uma visão baseada em recursos legítimos
Authors: Crubellate João Marcelo , Pascucci Lucilaine , Grave Paulo Sérgio
Published: December 2008

Neste artigo teórico, discutimos as noções de recursos da firma e de legitimidade para explicação da eficiência estratégica de organizações. Como contribuição principal, propomos, a partir da tendência atual da Visão Baseada em Recursos (VBR) e da Nova Teoria Institucional (NTI), uma perspectiva alternativa, denominada Visão Baseada em Recursos Legítimos, relacional e intepretativa, que permita entender a intersubjetividade e a dinamicidade presentes no processo de elaboração da estratégia em organizações.
Influence of Graminicide Formulation on Compatibility with Other Pesticides
Authors: Lancaster Sarah H. , Jordan David L. , Johnson P. Dewayne
Published: December 2008

Experiments were conducted from 2003 through 2006 to compare annual grass control by graminicides applied alone or with other pesticides and to determine whether graminicide formulation affected annual grass control and interactions with co-applied pesticides. Formulation and rate had no affect on broadleaf signalgrass or large crabgrass control by clethodim. The efficacy of clethodim in tank mixtures with acifluorfen plus bentazon, bentazon, chlorothalonil, imazapic, pyraclostrobin, or tebuconazole were not affected by clethodim formulation. Broadleaf signalgrass and large crabgrass control by clethodim was slightly reduced by acifluorfen plus bentazon, chlorothalonil, imazapic, and pyraclostrobin, but not by tebuconazole. Chlorothalonil and pyraclostrobin reduced broadleaf signalgrass control with quizalofop-P but did not reduce fall panicum control. Azoxystrobin, propiconazole, and tebuconazole did not affect efficacy of quizalofop-P.
Early Postemergence Clomazone Tank Mixes on Coarse-Textured Soils in Rice
Authors: Willingham S.D. , Falkenberg N.R. , McCauley G.N. , Chandler J.M.
Published: December 2008

Clomazone was labeled for rice in 2001; however, that label excluded its use on coarse- (light) textured soils, including sand, loamy sand, and sandy loam with less than 1% organic matter due to rice injury. Field studies conducted in 2005, 2006, and 2007 evaluated weed control and tolerance of rice to early postemergence (EPOST) applications of clomazone alone and tank mixed with other herbicides on sandy loam and clay loam soils. At 42 d after treatment (DAT), broadleaf signalgrass (BRAPP) and barnyardgrass (ECHCG) control was > 86%. At 14 DAT, rice injury was greatest (13%) from clomazone applied preemergence (PRE) at 0.44 kg ai/ha on sandy soil. Annual sedge (CYPCP) control was > 78% on sandy loam soils at 14 DAT, but increased to > 90% by 42 DAT. On clay loam soils, CYPCP control at 42 DAT ranged from 60 to 76% from clomazone alone or tank mixed with cyhalofop or fenoxaprop. All other tank mixes provided > 80% control. Hemp sesbania (SEBEX) control was > 80% from all tank mixes. Clomazone alone provided < 77% control. Data suggest that clomazone can be used EPOST in combination with other herbicides without causing significant rice injury on sandy loam soils in Texas.
Risk Assessment of Weed Resistance in the Canadian Prairies
Authors: Beckie Hugh J. , Leeson Julia Y. , Thomas A. Gordon , Hall Linda M. , Brenzil Clark A.
Published: December 2008

Agricultural practices, other than herbicide use, can affect the rate of evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds. This study examined associations of farm management practices with the occurrence of herbicide (acetyl-CoA carboxylase or acetolactate synthase inhibitor)-resistant weeds, based upon a multi-year (2001 to 2003) random survey of 370 fields/growers from the Canadian Prairies. Herbicide-resistant weeds occurred in one-quarter of the surveyed fields. The primary herbicide-resistant weed species was wild oat, with lesser occurrence of green foxtail, kochia, common chickweed, spiny sowthistle, and redroot pigweed. The risk of weed resistance was greatest in fields with cereal-based rotations and least in fields with forage crops, fallow, or where three or more crop types were grown. Weed resistance risk also was greatest in conservation-tillage systems and particularly low soil disturbance no-tillage, possibly due to greater herbicide use or weed seed bank turnover. Large farms (> 400 ha) had a greater risk of weed resistance than smaller farms, although the reason for this association was unclear. The results of this study identify cropping system diversity as the foundation of proactive weed resistance management.
Resistance to Bensulfuron-Methyl in Water Plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica) Populations from Chilean Paddy Fields
Authors: Figueroa Rodrigo , Gebauer Marlene , Fischer Albert , Kogan Marcelo
Published: December 2008

Bensulfuron-methyl (BSM) has been one of the most widely used herbicides in Chilean rice fields because it controls a wide spectrum of weeds and does not require field drainage for application. However, failures of BSM to control water plantain in rice fields have been noted since 2002. We assessed BSM effects on suspected resistant (CU1 and CU2) and susceptible (AN1) water plantain accessions collected in Chilean rice fields during 2004 and 2005. BSM rates resulting in 50% growth reduction (GR50) of CU2 and CU1 plants were 12- and 33-fold higher than for AN1 plants, respectively. Acetolactate synthase (ALS) activity assays in vitro suggested resistance in CU1 and CU2 was due to an ALS enzyme with reduced BSM sensitivity compared to the AN1 biotype. Resistance indices (RI), or ratios of the resistant to susceptibleI50values (BSM rate to inhibit ALS-enzyme activity by 50%), were 266 (CU2/AN1) and > 38,462 (CU1/AN1). This agreed with in vivo ALS activity assays whereRIwere 224 (CU2/AN1) and > 8,533 (CU1/AN1). Resistance levels detected in whole-plant or in vivo ALS activity assays were orders of magnitude lower than those detected in in vitro ALS activity studies suggesting nontarget site mechanisms may have mitigated BSM toxicity. However, a consistent ranking of BSM sensitivity levels (AN1 > CU2 > CU1) throughout all three types of assays suggests resistance is primarily endowed by low target site sensitivity. We conclude that susceptible and resistant water plantain biotypes coexist in Chilean paddies, and the use of integrated weed management involving herbicides with a different mode of action would be imperative to prevent further evolution of resistance to BSM and possibly cross-resistance to other ALS inhibitors. In vitro ALS-enzyme assays provided the best discrimination of resistance levels between biotypes.
Inverse display characterization: A two‐step parametric model for digital displays
Authors: Blondé Laurent , Stauder Jürgen , Lee Bongsun
Published: December 2008

Abstract— A simple additivity model is often used as a basic model for digital‐display characterization. However, such a simple model cannot satisfy the needs of demanding color‐management applications all the time. On the other hand, systematic sampling of the color space and 3‐D interpolation is an expensive method in terms of measurement and computation time when precision is needed. This paper presents an enhanced method to characterize the XYZ‐to‐RGB transform of a digital display. This parametric method exploits the independence between the luminance variation of the electro‐optic response and the colorimetric responses for certain display types. The model is generally applicable to digital displays, including 3‐DMD projectors, single DMDs, CRTs, LCDs, etc., if the independence condition is satisfied. While the problem to solve is a 3‐D‐to‐3‐D transformation (from XYZ to RGB), the proposed parametric model is the composition of a 2‐D transform followed by a 1‐D transform. The 2‐D transform manages the chromatic aspects and, in succession, the 1‐D transform manages the luminance variations. This parametric digital model is applicable in the field of color management, with the objective of characterizing digital displays and applying a reference look such as a film look.
Improvement of luminous efficiency using high helium content in full‐HD plasma‐display panels
Authors: Park Ki‐Hyung , Tae Heung‐Sik , Jeong Hyeong‐Seol , Hur Min , Heo Eun Gi
Published: December 2008

Abstract— The influence of the Xe (15%) and He (70%) fractions on the discharge and driving characteristics was compared in 50‐in. full‐HD plasma‐display panels. The same improvement in the luminous efficacy was obtained when increasing either the Xe or He fraction. However, the discharge current with a high He fraction was smaller than that with a high Xe fraction. While the breakdown voltage was hardly influenced by an increase in the He fraction, it was significantly changed when increasing the Xe fraction. The formative and statistical time lags were only slightly changed with a high He fraction, yet significantly increased with a high Xe fraction. In addition, the relatively low luminance and driving‐margin characteristics with a high He fraction were compensated for by controlling the capacitance of the upper dielectric layer.
Synthesis and characterization of nanosized NiO2 and NiO using Triton® X-100
Authors: Kooti Mohammad , Jorfi Mehdi
Published: December 2008

Nanosized NiO2 particles with an average diameter of 15 nm are prepared by treating of Ni(NO3)2 · 6H2O with an aqueous solution of KClO in the presence of Triton® X-100. This black fine powder of nickel peroxide was characterized by XRD diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The as-prepared NiO2 can be easily transformed to nanosized NiO merely by washing it with acetone. The obtained NiO has an average diameter of 40 nm and was characterized by the same means used for NiO2. The nanoparticles of NiO2 and NiO were obtained in high yields and purities.