bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of vitality fertilization on the growth of Heterobasidion annosum in Norway spruce roots
Authors: Piri T.
Published: June 2007

The effects of vitality fertilization on the growth of Heterobasidion annosum in roots of Norway spruce (Picea abies) were studied in a 53‐year‐old, naturally regenerated spruce stand in southern Finland. The fertilizer treatments were: (1), unfertilized control; (2), a compound fertilizer containing P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Zn and B; (3), as 2 with additional nitrogen; (4), as 3 with additional lime; and (5), a mixture composed on the basis of needle analysis, containing N, P, K and Cu. Three growing seasons after fertilization, four roots of eight trees in each treatment were inoculated with four different strains of H. annosum. Spread of the fungus from the inoculation point was determined after 12 months. Mean spread rates upwards in roots were 18.2, 25.6, 21.3, 26.0 and 29.8 cm/year in treatments 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. These results suggest a tendency towards faster growth by H. annosum in fertilized trees. However, there was considerable variation in fungal growth at both the tree and root level and differences between treatments were not statistically significant.
Induction of phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity and control of Sphaeropsis sapinea infection in Pinus radiata by 5‐chlorosalicylic acid
Authors: Reglinski T. , Stavely F. J. L. , Taylor J. T.
Published: June 2007

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity increased rapidly in Pinus radiata seedlings after treatment with 2 mm 5‐chlorosalicylic acid (5CSA) and peaked after 48 h at four‐times the level of the control. Elevation of PAF is often associated with the induction of host resistance mechanisms. Thus, effects of 5CSA on subsequent infection of P. radiata by Sphaeropsis sapinea was investigated. Only one out of 16 seedlings treated with 2 mm 5CSA, 4 days before inoculation, developed deadtop compared to 14 of the controls. The 5CSA was directly inhibitory at this concentration and reduced growth rate of S. sapinea on agar by 27%. However, antifungal activity does not fully account for the observed disease control afforded by 5CSA since 0.5 mm and 0.25 mm 5CSA, which did not inhibit growth of S. sapinea, significantly reduced the incidence of deadtop. Furthermore, 1 mm 5CSA protected seedlings against fresh inoculation challenge for up to 32 days after application. Such durable resistance is unlikely to be attributable to the direct effects of the applied compound and may suggest the involvement of inducible host resistance mechanisms.
Hebeloma inoculation on Norway spruce seedlings in solarized and infested soil
Authors: Annesi T. , Motta E.
Published: June 2007

The effect of inoculation of Hebeloma sp. on the growth of Norway spruce (Picea abies) seedlings was studied, in a controlled environment, with soil samples naturally infested by Pythium spp., Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia solani, and with samples of soil in which the pathogens had been controlled by solarization. The best results were obtained in solarized soil, but mycorrhizae also enhanced plant growth in the presence of the whole soil‐borne mycoflora. The combined use of inoeulation of a mycorrhizal fungus and solarization is discussed.
Pre‐penetration behaviour of the urediniospores of birch rust, Melampsoridium betulinum, on greenhouse‐grown and microcultured leaves of Betula spp.
Authors: Poteri M. , Ryynänen L.
Published: June 2007

In two different experiments the urediniospores of Melampsoridium betulinum from Betula pendula and Betula pubescens germinated both on mature leaves of greenhouse‐grown plants and on sterile in vitro leaves of micropropagated plantlets, which were cloned from the same B. pendula and B. pubescens genotypes. The urediniospores and germ tubes were more easily detached from the leaf surfaces of in vitro leaves. If germination took place on a leaf vein, the growth continued across the veinal ridges; otherwise, no determined growth towards the stomata could be observed with either of the leaf types studied. In both experiments on the in vitro leaves of B. pubescens clone V5944, the germ tubes of the rust isolate from B. pendula mislocated appressoria significantly more often than the germ tubes of the rust isolate from B. pubescens. On the mature leaves of B. pendula clone E4214 and B. pubescens clone V5940 there were also significant differences in appressorial locations between the two rust isolates but the clonal responses were inconsistent. The results of the inoculations suggest that the incompatibility of the rust isolates from B. pendula on the leaves of B. pubescens is not related to the significantly higher ratio of failures in locating appressoria in this host‐rust combination.
Hosts of Viscum album
Authors: Barney C. W. , Hawksworth F. G. , Geils B. W.
Published: June 2007

The reported hosts of Viscum album include more taxa, than any other mistletoe, including Dendrophthoe falcata. From a review of the literature, we identified hosts among 452 species, subspecies, varieties, and hybrids in 96 genera of 44 families. Rosaceae has the most hosts with 128 taxa parasitized. Commonly infested genera include Salix, Populus, Acer, Malus, Crataegus, Prunus, Sorbus, Abies, and Pinus. The host range of V. album increased greatly with introduction of susceptible taxa into its native range and with spread of the mistletoe to new regions with rich floras, such as California.
When is a technically successful peripheral angioplasty effective in preventing above‐the‐ankle amputation in diabetic patients with critical limb ischaemia?
Authors: Faglia E. , Clerici G. , Clerissi J. , Mantero M. , Caminiti M. , Quarantiello A. , Curci V. , Lupattelli T. , Morabito A.
Published: June 2007

Aim  To determine parameters predictive of avoidance of major (above‐the‐ankle) amputation after a technically successful peripheral angioplasty (PTA) in patients with diabetes with critical limb ischaemia.

Methods  From January 1999 to December 2003, 420 consecutive patients with diabetes admitted to hospital because of critical limb ischaemia underwent peripheral angiography and concomitant technically successful PTA. Transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO2) was measured before and after PTA. Major amputation at 30 days was recorded.

Results  After PTA, the iliac–femoral–popliteal axis was patent in all patients. In 67 patients, all three crural arteries were patent, in 143 patients 2 crural arteries were patent, and in 186 patients one crural artery was patent (104 peroneal, 62 anterior tibial, 20 posterior tibial). In 24 patients, all three crural arteries were occluded. Twenty‐two major amputations were performed. Of these, 15 were performed in the 24 patients with occlusion of all the infrapopliteal arteries. Seven of the 186 patients in whom only the peroneal artery was patent required amputation. In patients not requiring amputation, TcPO2 increased from 15.5 ± 11.9 to 45.0 ± 12.0 mmHg (P = 0.000), while in those requiring amputation, TcPO2 increased from 9.6 ± 7.7 to 18.6 ± 8.1 mmHg (P < 0.082). Multivariate analysis indicated an independent role of occlusion of infrapopliteal arteries after PTA (OR 8.20 for every crural obstructed artery, P = 0.022, CI 1.35–49.6) and TcPO2 after PTA (OR 0.80 for increase of 1 mmHg, P < 0.001, CI 0.74–0.88).

Conclusions  In patients with diabetes, PTA is effective in avoiding major amputation, provided recanalization occurs in at least one tibial artery down to the foot. In a few patients, re‐canalization of the peroneal artery alone is not sufficient to avoid major amputation.
The association between baseline characteristics and the outcome of foot lesions in a UK population with diabetes
Authors: Ince P. , Kendrick D. , Game F. , Jeffcoate W.
Published: June 2007

Aims  To explore the relationships between time to healing of diabetic foot ulcers and baseline characteristics of both patients and their ulcers.

Methods  All patients were included who were referred to a specialist clinic over a 4‐year period. Age, gender, type and duration of diabetes, ulcer site, ulcer duration and baseline characteristics were recorded. Postcode was used to derive an index of social deprivation. Patients were followed up to 1 year. The primary outcome measure was time to healing. Those who died or had an ulcer‐related amputation were censored at the time of death or amputation and classified as unhealed.

Results  Mean age of 449 participants (63.7% male) was 66.7 years; 42.7% had evidence of peripheral arterial disease, and 80% had peripheral neuropathy. Median ulcer duration at presentation was 29 days; 60.5% ulcers had an area of < 1 cm2 and 68.3% of all ulcers healed without amputation during the follow‐up period. Univariate analysis revealed dose–response relationships between time to healing and increasing duration of diabetes, increasing ulcer area, ulcer site and peripheral arterial disease. No associations were found with age, gender, diabetes type, deprivation index, peripheral neuropathy or infection. The relationship between healing time and ulcer area, peripheral arterial disease and diabetes duration remained significant on multivariate analysis.

Conclusions  The dominant factors influencing healing are cross‐sectional area at presentation and the degree of peripheral arterial disease. Further work is needed to define how those at greatest risk may be identified and best managed.
Endothelial dysfunction, ambulatory pulse pressure and albuminuria are associated in Type 2 diabetic subjects
Authors: Knudsen S. T. , Jeppesen P. , Frederiksen C. A. , Andersen N. H. , Bek T. , Ingerslev J. , Mogensen C. E. , Poulsen P. L.
Published: June 2007

Aim  Elevated pulse pressure (PP) is associated with microvascular complications in Type 2 diabetic patients. In non‐diabetic subjects, elevated PP has been associated with endothelial dysfunction. The relation between endothelial dysfunction and PP in diabetic subjects has not previously been examined. We examined the relation between PP, markers of endothelial activation and albuminuria in Type 2 diabetic patients.

Methods  In 46 Type 2 diabetic patients and 19 non‐diabetic subjects, we performed 24‐h ambulatory blood pressure (AMBP) monitoring. Urinary albumin excretion rate was measured as three urinary albumin/creatinine ratios. Von Willebrand factor (vWF), fibrinogen, E‐selectin and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1) were measured in plasma.

Results  Thirty‐four patients had normoalbuminuria (group N) and 12 had micro‐ or macroalbuminuria (group A). PP levels increased in a stepwise manner from the control group (group C) to group N and group A; night PP 43 ± 5, 48 ± 10 and 59 ± 12 mmHg (groups C, N and A, respectively, P < 0.001). Likewise, plasma levels of vWF, fibrinogen, E‐selectin and ICAM‐1 increased from group C to group A; e.g. ICAM‐1 [median (interquartile range)] 191 (160–217), 213 (189–262) and 316 (260–417) ng/ml, groups C, N and A, respectively, P < 0.001). In diabetic patients, night PP and plasma levels of E‐selectin and ICAM‐1 correlated (r = 0.38, P < 0.01 and r = 0.37, P = 0.01, night PP with E‐selectin and ICAM‐1, respectively).

Conclusion  Increased PP is associated with endothelial activation and albuminuria in Type 2 diabetic patients. Thus, endothelial dysfunction may represent a pathophysiological link between an elevated PP and microvascular complications in these subjects. Prospective studies are needed to further elucidate these associations.
Colonization and persistence ability explain the extent to which plant species fill their potential range
Authors: Schurr Frank M. , Midgley Guy F. , Rebelo Anthony G. , Reeves Gail , Poschlod Peter , Higgins Steven I.
Published: June 2007

Aim How species traits and environmental conditions affect biogeographical dynamics is poorly understood. Here we test whether estimates of a species’ evolutionary age, colonization and persistence ability can explain its current ‘range filling’ (the ratio between realized and potential range size).

Location Fynbos biome (Cape Floristic Region, South Africa).

Methods For 37 species of woody plants (Proteaceae), we estimate range filling using atlas data and distribution models, evolutionary age using molecular phylogenies, and persistence ability using estimates of individual longevity (which determines the probability of extinction of local populations). Colonization ability is estimated from validated process‐based seed dispersal models, the arrangement of potential habitat, and data on local abundance. To relate interspecific variation in range filling to evolutionary age, colonization and persistence ability, we use two complementary model types: phenomenological linear models and the process‐based metapopulation model of Levins.

Results Linear model analyses show that range filling increases with a species’ colonization and persistence ability but is not affected by species age. Moreover, colonization ability is a better predictor of range filling than its component variables (local abundance and dispersal ability). The phylogenetically independent interaction between colonization and persistence ability is significant (P< 0.05) for 97% of 180 alternative phylogenies. While the selected linear model explains 42% of the variance in arcsine transformed range filling, the Levins model performs more poorly. It overestimates range filling for realistic parameter values and produces unrealistic parameter estimates when fitted statistically.

Main conclusions Colonization and local extinction seem to shape Proteaceae range dynamics on ecological rather than macroevolutionary time‐scales. Our results suggest that the positive abundance–range size relationship in this group is due primarily to the effect of abundance on colonization. In summary, this study contributes to a process‐based understanding of range dynamics and highlights the importance of colonization for the future survival of Fynbos Proteaceae.
The Units' Approach to Integration
Authors: Lowden Gordon
Published: June 2007

‘Most mainstream teachers preferred not to teach slow learners … they thought the children should be the responsibility of the unit teachers’ reports Dr Gordon Lowden, lecturer, School of Education, University College of North Wales, in the concluding part of his survey of Welsh units for children with learning difficulties
Park Dean School tries the IEP
Authors: Attifeld Robin
Published: June 2007

The Individual Education Program, which is part of American law on special education, can help to improve multi‐professional practice in British schools too, suggests Robin Attfield, deputy head, Park Dean School, Oldham.
Research Supplement 1
Authors: Baker Colin , Davies Norman , Stallard Terri
Published: June 2007

In 1982 a survey of children of primary school age was carried out in Gwynedd. Dr Baker is lecturer in the school of Education, University College of North Wales. The other authors are members of the Education Departments of Gwynedd and Dyfed County Councils
Support for Siblings
Authors: Flynn Alun , Meakin Marion
Published: June 2007

School‐based support groups for siblings of children with severe learning difficulties are few and far between. Although opinions vary as to the most effective way of supporting siblings the response of brothers and sisters to the group set up at St Bartholomew's School, Sittingbourne, suggests that such a group is successfully meeting a need. Alun Flynn, educational psychologist, Kent Education Department, and Marion Meakin, deputy head at the school, report on the first 12 months of the project.
Limited Options: Where are Leavers Now?
Authors: Freshwater Kate , Leyden Gerv
Published: June 2007

Comparatively few studies have been published on the post‐school outcomes for school leavers with moderate learning difficulties. This report on the current prospects of leavers from a Midlands special school, although based on a small and not necessarily representative sample and on retrospective views, does add to the limited knowledge available about the plight of some special school leavers. Kate Freshwater is a psychology technician in Leeds and Gerv Leyden holds a joint post as educational psychologist, Derbyshire education authority and associate tutor, Psychology Department, Nottingham University.
Classification by Functional Ability for Independent Living
Authors: Dunlap William R. , Sands Deanna Iceman
Published: June 2007

William Dunlap is professor of special education at the University of Alabama; his co‐author teaches in the University of Colorado. They describe an instrument for assessing the independent living skills of handicapped people and report the results of classifying a sample of youth and adults for potential functioning in living, working and educational settings.
After Elton – How to ‘Manage’ Disruption?
Authors: Hanko Gerda
Published: June 2007

All children are now entitled by law to receive a broad and balanced curriculum relevant to their individual needs. There are fears that the learning needs of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, many of whom are seen as disruptive, may not be met unless the needs of theirteachers are also met through appropriate in‐service support and training. The Elton Report recommends training in classroom management to reduce the problem of disruption. Gerda Hanko, in‐service tutor, special educational needs, examines what kind of in‐service provision in the management of pupils' behaviour may be considered appropriate to meet the needs of difficult‐to‐teach pupils.
Evidence of Progress?
Authors: Reason Rea
Published: June 2007

Issues related to the national assessment of children with special educational needs, including standard assessment tasks, are discussed by Rea Reason. The author is tutor for professional development in educational psychology, Centre for Educational Guidance and Special Needs, Manchester University, and senior educational psychologist in Oldham.
THE POWER IN THE TEXT READING WOMEN WRITING DRAMA
Authors: Colvin Sarah
Published: June 2007

This essay looks at texts by women dramatists from around the turn of the last century. One of them, Elsa Bernstein‐Porges, was well‐known in her day and has to some extent survived in literary histories. The other two, Gertrud Prellwitz and Julie Ktihne, have remained almost entirely unknown.

The ambiguity in the title is deliberate. I consider the effects of a masculinist literary discourse on women who wrote drama ‐ traditionally the ‘masculine’ genre ‐ as well as the importance of the ideological position and experience of the reader in any assessment of literary ‘value’. This leads me to try to analyse what it is that makes a text powerful ‐ a moving or exciting reading experience ‐ and to consider the significance of this in the context of feminist literary criticism.
‘Ah4 SCHLIMMSTEN IST'S, WENN AUCH NOCH FRAUEN DIE ROMANE SCHREIBEN’: SEXUAL POLITICS IN THE LITERARY WORKS OF LILY BRAUN
Authors: Bland Caroline
Published: June 2007

The article considers the work of the feminist and socialist Lily Braun (1865‐1916) and argues that Braun's feminism was limited to freeing women from domestic burdens to work towards a socialist society, but did not address the traditional assumptions about gender roles which lay at the heart of women's subordinate role in society. Although Braun was considered by her contemporaries to be a radical (and still enjoys this reputation today), her view of gender relations was actually quite traditional in comparison with the ideas of some bourgeois feminists of her day. In her literary texts, Braun celebrated the norms of passive femininity and dominant masculinity, thus undermining the emancipatory impulse of her plitical work. Particular reference is made to her autobiography, Memoiren einer Smialzstin, and to the last novel she wrote, Lebenssucher, which are placed in the context of key points from her political texts on women's liberation.
THE POLITICS OF ‘INNERLICHKEIT’: KARIN STRUCK'S KLASSENUEBE AND VERENA STEFAN'S HÄUTUNGEN
Authors: Leal Joanne
Published: June 2007

While Struck's Klassenliebe (1973) and Stefan's Häutungen (1975) are regularly cited as examples of the political interpretation of private experience characteristic of feminist literature of the 197Os, they have also been criticised for not anchoring personal experience adequately within a broader political context to allow it to acquire more than an essentially private significance. Such contradictoly reactions can be accounted for at least in part by a tension between the political terms in which the interpretation of the narrator‐protagonists' alienation is couched and the private nature of the solutions considered. Although their experiences illustrate a rejection of internalised social norms and gender conventions, the solution offered constitutes a retreat into an essentially asocial sphere. Moreover, while both protagonists understand narrating their lives as an‐integral part of the process of overcoming alienation and making this experience accessible to other women, their writing becomes instrumental in the construction of a sense of identity tenable only as long as it remains untried in a social context. Both works articulate an overwhelming political resignation, and offer literature as an alternative, private realm of self‐fulfilment. In this respect, they have as much in common with an essentially male tradition of ‘Innerlichkeit’ revived in the 1970s as with a feminist literature committed to combining overt subjectivity with a broader social perspective.
REFLECTIONS OF THE ‘HEIMAT’ GENRE: INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCE IN REITZ'S HBMT
Authors: Palfreyman Rachel
Published: June 2007

This article examines two intertexts of Edgar Reitz's Heimat La Habanera (Detlev Sierck 1937) and Heimat (Carl Froelich 1938). Both films set ‘Heimat’ against the Other: La Habanera is a study of a woman who is irresistibly attracted to the exotic, only to be disappointed by its dark side. Heimat is less obviously National Socialist propaganda, but concerns a woman who returns from an alluring foreign place to the ‘Heimat’ and is recuperated into an ordered existence. My interest in both films is on the treatment of the alien in the ‘Heimat’ and how this issue is linked to representations of gender. It is my view that both films are read by Reitz against the grain: the fascist film La Habanera is read by characters in Heimut as having subversive potential and the more differentiated film Heimat (1938) is read by the character‐spectators in a more conservative mode.While emphasising the role of spectatorship and alerting spectators to the possibilities of constructing their own meanings, Reitz still leaves open the fraught question of whether cinema spectators are basically autonomous or basically manipulated in their readings and responses.
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY OR FLASH IN THE PAN? WOMEN NOTARIES IN THE NEW FEDERAL STATES OF GERMANY
Authors: Shaw Gisela
Published: June 2007

One facet of legal unification in Germany has been the transformation of the GDR state notariat into an independent profession. Over two thirds of the state notaries were women and the majority of these now continue to work as independent professionals. In contrast, in the old FRG the notarial profession has always been a stronghold of male domination but split into two competing professional groups. As one of these has taken a lead (at the expense of the other) in the transformation process in the East which made it possible for the largely female notariat to survive, four questions are being asked: (1) what was the situation of lawyers generally and notaries in particular in the GDR? (2) what precisely has been the nature of this process in the context of the debate about gender and professionalisation? (3) what has been the impact of this process on the East German notariat? (4) what prospects are there of East German women notaries taking ownership of their professional project in the future?
“DER LEHRER SCHIMPFTE MIT IHREN SCHULER”: PERSPECTIVES ON THE CHANGING USE OF THE ‐IN SUFFIX
Authors: Martin Victoria
Published: June 2007

The question of whether the German language is androcentric has been debated for a good thirty years, but always from an idealist perspective. The crux of the debate is the status of the generic masculine, those linguistic forms which are grammatically masculine but whose referents may be either male or female. On the one hand, it is argued that grammatical gender is part of an internally consistent linguistic system which in no way impinges on the phenomenal world, and hence that the notion of ‘reform’ of the language is misguided; on the other hand, it is claimed that as far as human referents are concerned, grammatical gender does indeed reflect natural gender, and that the generic masculine encourages speakers to persist in a world view in which the male is the norm and the female an aberration. Proponents of the latter position have successfully instigated a degree of reform in the shape of government recommendations for the use of nondiscriminatory language, but their influence is largely restricted to written documents. This article argues that speakers of German do indeed identify grammatical with natural gender, as indicated by a blurring of the linguistic reflexes of the anaphoric and deictic functions of pronouns, and considers the consequences this overlap between the two theoretically distinct types of gender has for current linguistic usage, with particular reference to the use by female speakers of masculine forms with female referents.
Microsatellite DNA markers for Podocnemis unifilis, the endangered yellow‐spotted Amazon River turtle
Authors: FANTIN CLEITON , CARVALHO CECÍLIA F. , HRBEK TOMAS , SITES JACK W. , MONJELÓ LUIZ A. S. , ASTOLFI‐FILHO SPARTACO , FARIAS IZENI P.
Published: June 2007

We developed specific primers for microsatellite DNA regions of Podocnemis unifilis and tested their utility in population genetic and paternity studies on the species and other closely related Amazonian chelonians. Seventeen microsatellite loci were polymorphic in P. unifilis and all, plus two monomorphic microsatellites in P. unifilis, were polymorphic in at least one additional chelonian species, including Peltocephalus dumeriliana.
Serotonin receptors antagonistically modulate Caenorhabditis elegans longevity
Authors: Murakami Hana , Murakami Shin
Published: June 2007

The neurotransmitter serotonin has been implicated in affecting the variation of longevity in natural Drosophila populations and age‐related diseases in mammals. Based on these observations, it has been predicted that serotonin signal, perhaps at levels of serotonin biosynthesis, may control lifespan. Here, we investigated a variety of mutations in serotonin‐signal genes, including serotonin biosynthesis genes, a serotonin transporter gene, and serotonin receptor genes. Despite this prediction, mutations in the serotonin biosynthesis genes had little or modest effects on lifespan, while the mod‐5 mutation with increased availability of serotonin caused a modest life‐shortening effect. In contrast, a deletion mutation of the ser‐1 serotonin receptor gene increased longevity by up to 46%, likely through the insulin/insulin‐like growth factor 1 pathway. This result suggests an interaction between the serotonin pathway and the insulin/insulin‐like growth factor 1 pathway. A deletion mutation of another serotonin receptor gene, ser‐4, shortened early to mid lifespan. The results suggest that serotonin signal antagonistically modulates longevity through different serotonin receptors. This study may indicate serotonin receptors as a potential target for antigeric interventions.
A Challenge for High‐Performance Full‐Field Strain Measurement Systems
Authors: Patterson E. , Brailly P. , Burguete R. , Hack E. , Siebert T. , Whelan M.
Published: June 2007

Abstract:  The advent of digital imaging technology and huge increases in data‐processing power have led to enormous advances in optical techniques for evaluating strain fields. A standardised test material designed for evaluating the capabilities of the most sophisticated optical systems using these techniques is described. The standardised test material presents a significant challenge to optical techniques for full‐field strain evaluation by employing complicated and reproducible strain fields for which analytical solutions are available. The design philosophy and process employed in developing the standardised test material are described and sample results are presented. The relationship between a standardised test material and reference material for calibration is discussed.
Effect on Sleep of Posterior Hypothalamus Stimulation in Cluster Headache
Authors: Vetrugno Roberto , Pierangeli Giulia , Leone Massimo , Bussone Gennaro , Franzini Angelo , Brogli Giovanni , D'Angelo Roberto , Cortelli Pietro , Montagna Pasquale
Published: June 2007

Objective.—To evaluate the structure and quality of sleep and the circadian rhythm of body core temperature (BcT°) in patients with drug‐resistant chronic cluster headache (CH) before and during deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the posterior hypothalamus.

Background.—Chronic CH is a severe primary headache and frequently associated with disturbances in sleep. Posterior hypothalamus DBS is performed as an effective treatment of drug‐resistant chronic CH. The effects of posterior hypothalamus DBS on sleep and the circadian rhythm of BcT° are unknown.

Methods.—Three male patients with chronic drug‐resistant CH underwent 48‐hour consecutive polysomnography (PSG) by means of the VITAPORT®system with determination of BcT° by means of a rectal probe. Recordings were done before electrode implantation in the posterior hypothalamus and after optimized DBS of posterior hypothalamus.

Results.—Before electrode implantation PSG showed nocturnal CH attacks, reduced sleep efficiency, fragmented sleep and increased periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS). During DBS nocturnal CH attacks were abolished and sleep efficiency and PLMS improved. BcT° circadian rhythm was normal both before and during DBS.

Conclusions.—Our data show that DBS of posterior hypothalamus in drug‐resistant chronic CH is effective in curtailing nocturnal CH attacks, and is associated with improved sleep structure and quality. Chronic CH displays a normal circadian rhythm of BcT°, unchanged during hypothalamic DBS.
Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Failure
Authors: Jagasia Dinesh , McNulty Patrick H.
Published: June 2007

Type 2 diabetes mellitus substantially increases the lifetime risk of both developing and dying from heart failure. While this appears to be explained in part by the well‐known association of diabetes with hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coronary atherosclerosis, additional pathophysiologic mechanisms linking type 2 diabetes and heart failure have recently been suggested. These include the potentially adverse effects of hyperglycemia on endothelial function and redox state, effects of excess circulating glucose and fatty acids on cardiomyocyte ultrastructure, intracellular signaling and gene expression, and the possibility that diabetes may impair recruitment of the myocardial insulin‐responsive glucose transport system in response to ischemia. Because many of these putative pathophysiologic mechanisms should be amenable to normalization of the diabetic metabolic milieu, strategies designed to more carefully control circulating levels of glucose and fatty acids might conceivably delay or prevent the development of heart failure.
Skeletal Muscle Abnormalities in Chronic Heart Failure Patients: Relation to Exercise Capacity and Therapeutic Implications
Authors: Nicoletti Ilaria , Cicoira Mariantonietta , Zanolla Luisa , Franceschini Lorenzo , Brighetti Giovanna , Pilati Mara , Zardini Piero
Published: June 2007

Recent studies suggest that changes in the periphery, like those occurring in the skeletal muscles of patients with chronic heart failure, might play an important role in the origin of symptoms and exercise intolerance in this condition. Biochemical and histologic changes in the skeletal muscles of chronic heart failure patients relate with the degree of exercise intolerance better than hemodynamics parameters. A reduction in skeletal muscle mass represents another important determinant of exercise intolerance in chronic heart failure patients. The relationship between skeletal muscle changes and exercise intolerance suggests the possibility of modifying the peripheral changes in order to improve functional capacity in chronic heart failure patients. Recent studies have shown that the administration of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers can improve the properties of the skeletal muscles. Similarly, exercise training allows improvement in peak oxygen consumption, which parallels important biochemical and histologic changes in the skeletal muscles.
Prevalence, Prognostic Significance, and Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation in Congestive Heart Failure With Particular Reference to the DIAMOND‐CHF Study
Authors: Pedersen Ole Dyg , Brendorp Bente , Køber Lars , Torp‐Pedersen Christian
Published: June 2007

Atrial fibrillation is a growing health problem and the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting 5% of persons above the age of 65 years. The number of hospital discharges for atrial fibrillation has more than doubled in the past decade. It occurs very often in patients with congestive heart failure and the prevalence increases with the severity of the disease. These two conditions seem to be linked together, and congestive heart failure may either be the cause or the consequence of atrial fibrillation. The prognosis of atrial fibrillation is controversial, but studies indicate that atrial fibrillation is a risk factor in congestive heart failure patients. In the last 10–15 years, significant advances in the treatment of heart failure have improved survival, whereas effective management of atrial fibrillation in heart failure patients still awaits similar progress. Empirically, two strategies have evolved for treatment of atrial fibrillation: 1) rhythm control, which means conversion to sinus rhythm and maintenance of sinus rhythm; and 2) rate control, which means reduction of heart rate to an acceptable frequency. It is unknown whether one of these strategies is better than the other. In this review the authors discuss the prevalence, impact, and treatment of atrial fibrillation in heart failure patients.
The Prognostic Value of the Physical Examination in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure
Authors: Rame J. Eduardo , Dries Daniel L. , Drazner Mark H.
Published: June 2007

The importance placed on the physical examination in the assessment of patients with cardiovascular disorders appears to be declining, perhaps in part due to a paucity of data showing its value in the modern era. To determine whether the physical examination provides important prognostic information in patients with chronic heart failure, the authors performed a post‐hoc analysis of 2479 participants from the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) treatment trial. The presence of elevated jugular venous pressure and a third heart sound at baseline were each associated with subsequent heart failure hospitalization, the composite end point of death or heart failure hospitalization, and pump‐failure death, independently of many other markers of disease severity. The subgroup of patients with at least one of these two physical examination findings was at increased risk for all‐cause mortality. The authors believe that additional studies assessing the prognostic value of the physical examination should be conducted and, if favorable, likely would lead to a renewed interest in the physical examination.
New Insight Into Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling After Biventricular Pacing Therapy for Heart Failure
Authors: Yu Cheuk‐Man
Published: June 2007

Biventricular pacing has been consistently shown to improve symptoms and exercise capacity in patients with advanced heart failure and wide QRS complexes. Recent data have shown that biventricular pacing has the propensity to reduce left ventricular volume, a condition referred to as reverse remodeling. Since the author's initial description of successful left ventricular reverse remodeling after biventricular pacing therapy, data from multicenter trials have grown and consistently support the observation. In addition to the volumetric change, there was also progressive improvement of left ventricular systolic function and clinical status. The author's subsequent data also illustrated that the benefits on reverse remodeling and left ventricular systolic function were pacing dependent and disappeared gradually when pacing was withdrawn. With the use of tissue Doppler imaging, a substantial proportion of patients were found who had mechanical delay in the free wall. During biventricular pacing, all the segments were homogenously delayed resulting in a late, albeit synchronous, systolic contraction.
Hyperkalemia, Congestive Heart Failure, and Aldosterone Receptor Antagonism
Authors: Sica Domemic A. , Gehr Todd W.B. , Yancy Clyde
Published: June 2007

Hyperkalemia is a common occurrence in patients with congestive heart failure, particularly when renal failure coexists. The level of renal function in congestive heart failure is often difficult to ascertain because good measurement tools for estimation of renal function are not available. Serum creatinine values have often been offered as a good gauge of renal function, although in most cases true renal function is appreciably lower than the estimate derived from a specific serum creatinine value. Thus, patients with congestive heart failure very commonly, particularly in the advanced stages of the disease, have moderate renal insufficiency, either due to specific heart failure‐related renal perfusion changes or as the result of renal involvement from the same processes having caused the heart failure, as is the case with diabetes. It is in this setting of mild‐to‐moderate levels of renal failure that therapies, such as angiotensin‐converting inhibitors, angiotensin‐receptor blockers, and aldosterone‐receptor antagonists, are administered either individually or collectively. Each of these drug classes reduces the homeostatic ability to eliminate ingested potassium loads by the renal route and increase the tendency to evolve into a hyperkalemic state. This is noteworthy because aldosterone‐receptor antagonists are increasingly considered as important therapies in the long‐term management of heart failure. Spironolactone has been employed in this capacity and a new aldosterone‐receptor antagonist, eplerenone, will become available in the near future, which further increases the importance of evaluating and treating the hyperkalemia risk in a timely manner.
Monetary and Fiscal Policy Switching
Authors: CHUNG HESS , DAVIG TROY , LEEPER ERIC M.
Published: June 2007

A growing body of evidence finds that policy reaction functions vary substantially over different periods in the United States. This paper explores how moving to an environment in which monetary and fiscal regimes evolve according to a Markov process can change the impacts of policy shocks. In one regime monetary policy follows the Taylor principle and taxes rise strongly with debt; in another regime the Taylor principle fails to hold and taxes are exogenous. An example shows that a unique bounded non‐Ricardian equilibrium exists in this environment. A computational model illustrates that because agents' decision rules embed the probability that policies will change in the future, monetary and tax shocks always produce wealth effects. When it is possible that fiscal policy will be unresponsive to debt at times, active monetary policy (like a Taylor rule) in one regime is not sufficient to insulate the economy against tax shocks in that regime and it can have the unintended consequence of amplifying and propagating the aggregate demand effects of tax shocks. The paper also considers the implications of policy switching for two empirical issues.
Precautionary Balances and the Velocity of Circulation of Money
Authors: FAIG MIQUEL , JEREZ BELÉN
Published: June 2007

The low velocity of circulation of money implies that households hold more money than they normally spend. This behavior is explained if households face uncertain expenditure needs, so that they have a precautionary motive for holding money. We investigate this motive in a search model where households are subject to preference shocks. The model predicts that velocity is not only low but also interest elastic. The model closely fits U.S. data on velocity and interest rates (1892–2004). The empirical analysis reveals a dramatic reduction in precautionary balances toward the end of our sample, which is important for policy issues.
Understanding the Large Negative Impact of Oil Shocks
Authors: AGUIAR‐CONRARIA LUÍS , WEN YI
Published: June 2007

This paper offers a plausible explanation for the close link between oil prices and aggregate macroeconomic performance in the 1970s. Although this link has been well documented in the empirical literature, standard economic models are not able to replicate this link when actual oil prices are used to simulate the models. In particular, standard models cannot explain the depth of the recession in 1974–75 and the strong revival in 1976–78 based on the oil price movements in that period. This paper argues that a missing multiplier‐accelerator mechanism from standard models may hold the key.
Escaping Volatile Inflation
Authors: ELLISON MARTIN , YATES TONY
Published: June 2007

Why has inflation been so stable in developed economies since the early 1990s? In this paper, we answer that the United States and other countries may have escaped from a volatile inflation equilibrium. Our argument builds on the story proposed by Tom Sargent in The Conquest of American Inflation, where the fall in inflation in the 1980s was attributed to changing government beliefs. To explain the escape in inflation volatility, we unwind one of Sargent's simplifications and allow the government to react to some of the shocks in the economy. In this case, when government beliefs turned against the Phillips curve in the 1980s they not only led to an escape from high inflation, but also stopped government using changes in inflation to offset shocks. Inflation and inflation volatility therefore escaped in tandem. Our analysis also sheds some light on why the escape in inflation occurred at the time it did.
Data Envelopment Analysis for Managerial Control and Diagnosis*
Authors: Epstein Michael K. , Henderson John C.
Published: June 2007

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a linear programming‐based technique that converts multiple input and output measures into a single comprehensive measure of productive efficiency. This is accomplished via the construction of an empirically based production frontier and by the identification of peer groups. Each unit is evaluated by comparison against a composite unit that is constructed as a convex combination of other units in its peer group. DEA has now been applied in a variety of managerial contexts.

In this paper we draw on theories of decision making, measurement and control, the mathematical properties of DEA, prior reported applications, and our own experience, to assess the potential of DEA as a general management tool. We first make the distinction between managerial diagnosis and control. We show how measurement requirements differ for these two managerial decision contexts, and argue that DEA has the potential to provide support in each context. Measurement and decision support criteria for each activity are then developed by reference to the literature on diagnosis and control. Based on its mathematical definition and properties, the relevant attributes of DEA are then derived. The technique is evaluated in each capacity by comparison to the appropriate set of criteria. This evaluation is supported with evidence from our experience with DEA in a large public‐sector organization. We argue that the structural properties of DEA, critical managerial choices in its application, and situationally specific factors, interact to determine the strengths and limitations of DEA in each decision context. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
A Test of the Cross‐Sectional Robustness of the Arbitrage Pricing Model Using Foreign Exchange Rates*
Authors: McGowan Carl B. , Tandon Kishore
Published: June 2007

This paper tests the cross‐sectional robustness of the arbitrage pricing theory (APT) model using foreign exchange rate data to determine if the model is robust with respect to the various random samples and various factor analytic techniques. Factor scores are developed using various samples and factor analytic techniques to explain the returns for other samples and groupings. The APT model is found to be robust across samples and techniques.
Risk‐Constrained Information Choice
Authors: Marshall Ronald M. , Narasimhan Ram
Published: June 2007

Ahituv and Wand [1] applied an information economics model to the problem of making information choices using two decision criteria: expected (monetary) payoff and expected risk. Using risk‐constrained optimization, they derived a solution in which the use of information is randomized by means of a mixed decision strategy. Although this solution is undominated when the expected payoff/expected risk trade‐off boundary is convex, it may be dominated when the boundary is not convex. To avoid such dominance, it is necessary to adjust their solution by randomizing the choice of information rather than its use. For any feasible level of expected risk, this will yield an expected payoff equal to or greater than their solution produces and will always result in an undominated expected payoff/expected risk combination.
The Impact of Alternative Vendor/ Buyer Communication Structures on the Quality of Purchased Materials
Authors: Carter Joseph R. , Miller Jeffrey G.
Published: June 2007

This paper examines the critical interface between manufacturing, purchasing, and quality assurance by exploring the impact of two alternative structures of buyer and vendor communication on attempts to improve the quality of purchased items. Those two structures of communication are the parallel structure and the serial structure. The research analyzes and compares the advantages and disadvantages of these two specific communication structures; the results have implications for both researchers and managers. The analysis of data suggests that the parallel structure is associated with significantly higher levels of quality than the serial structure. From a managerial perspective, the results of the research suggest that manufacturers must consider the parallel communication structure as a viable alternative for improving the quality of purchased components. While this study has helped frame some key managerial issues, the need and opportunity for further research in related areas is delineated.
Solving the Economic Lot‐Scheduling Problem Using the Method of Prime Subperiods
Authors: Philipoom Patrick R. , Rees Loren Paul , Taylor Bernard W.
Published: June 2007

In recent years the reported successes of Japanese production systems, particularly the just‐in‐time approach to inventory control, has caused managers to focus more of their attention on efficient decision‐making procedures for determining production schedules that minimize inventory costs. One such potential area of attention is the economic lot‐scheduling problem (ELSP), which occurs in a variety of manufacturing environments where machining operations are prevalent. The economic lot‐scheduling problem addresses the determination of lot sizes for N products with constant demand (and cycled through one machine with a given production rate) to minimize setup and inventory costs. The most successful solution approaches to the ELSP have been based on the concept of a basic period that is of sufficient length for the production of all items, even though each item might not be produced during each repetition of the basic period. This paper proposes a heuristic approach to the solution of the ELSP (referred to as the method of prime subperiods), which is an extension of the basic period approaches. The procedure is described and demonstrated via an example and then tested using a set of six example problems previously employed in the literature related to the ELSP. The results indicate as good or superior performance by the proposed method of prime subperiods.