bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trade Liberalization and New Exporters' Size: A Test of Heterogeneous Firm Models
Authors: Marinov Rosen , Rocha Nadia , DiNino Virginia
Published: July 2008

This paper tests an empirical implication of heterogeneous firm models along the lines of Melitz (2003) in the context of falling trade costs. Using the EU's intensive liberalization phase (1993-2002) as a natural experiment, we investigate freer trade's impact on the frequency of market reorientation across the productivity distribution of active firms to shed light on the presence of a minimum productivity (size) threshold for profitable sales abroad. Contrary to the models' predictions, firms that switch from non-exporting to exporting over the studied period are not concentrated in a particular size range. Our findings, based on a rich data set of French manufacturing enterprises, suggest a scope for fine-tuning of the theoretical framework.
Coping with Disaster: The Impact of Hurricanes on International Financial Flows, 1970-2002
Authors: Yang Dean
Published: July 2008

How well do countries cope with the aftermath of natural disasters? Do international financial flows buffer countries in the wake of disasters? This paper examines the impact of hurricanes on resource flows to developing countries. Using meteorological data, I construct a time-varying storm index taking into account the fraction of a country's population exposed to storms of varying intensities. Overall, hurricanes lead to large increases in foreign aid. For other types of international financial flows, the impact of hurricanes varies according to income level. For poorer countries, hurricanes lead to increases in migrants' remittances, so that total inflows from all sources in the three years following hurricane exposure amount to roughly four-fifths of estimated damages. For richer countries, by contrast, hurricanes stimulate inflows of new lending from multilateral institutions, but offsetting declines in private financial flows are so large that the null hypothesis of zero damage replacement cannot be rejected.
Entry and Exit in the Nonprofit Sector
Authors: Harrison Teresa D. , Laincz Christopher A
Published: July 2008

We study the entry and exit dynamics of nonprofit public charities using 1989-2003 tax return data. The observed patterns can be understood using a dynamic industry model based on Jovanovic (1982) that incorporates profit-deviation and a non-redistribution constraint. Both features generate a high exit threshold which implies high net entry rates and low exit rates. The data reveal that nonprofit gross entry rates are lower than those of for-profits in services, while extremely low exit rates (across both sectors and time) result in net entry rates nearly 3 times larger than that of for-profit firms. We find that the behavior of new public charities is remarkably similar to that found in studies of private firms (e.g. new firms begin smaller than the industry mean, but grow faster). However, exit patterns diverge sharply. Besides relatively low exit rates, the survival rate of new nonprofit firms greatly exceeds those found in studies on services and manufacturing. In addition we find that the hazard rate of exit declines with age and size, and with size conditional on age.
Pay Peanuts and Get Monkeys? Evidence from Academia
Authors: Boyle Glenn
Published: July 2008

In most countries, academic pay is independent of discipline, thus ignoring differences in labor market opportunities. Using some unique data from a comprehensive research assessment exercise undertaken in one such country -- New Zealand -- this paper examines the impact of discipline-independent pay on research quality. I find that the greater the difference between the value of a discipline's outside opportunities and its New Zealand academic salary, the weaker its research performance in New Zealand universities. The latter apparently get what they pay for: disciplines in which opportunity cost is highest relative to the fixed compensation are least able to recruit high-quality researchers. Paying peanuts attracts mainly monkeys.
On Competitive Equilibria with Asymmetric Information
Authors: Pouyet Jérome , Salanié Bernard , Salanié Francois
Published: July 2008

Asymmetric information is widely supposed to impair the functioning of markets. We show that the presence of competition may invalidate this intuition. Consider a market in which principals compete for attracting heterogeneous agents by offering contracts. Suppose contracts are exclusive, and there are constant returns to trade. When the agents' types are publicly observed under mild conditions, competitive equilibria are efficient. Efficiency is also obtained when types are privately observed, provided that principals do not directly care about the agents' private information (the private value case). Thus hidden information only matters in competitive markets if it affects common values.
Purchasing Power Parity with Strategic Markets
Authors: Papadopoulos Konstantinos G.
Published: July 2008

The paper shows that market power may be an additional cause for the failure of PPP without making the usual assumption of segmentation of national markets. We construct an international multi-currency economy based on the strategic market game model with multiple trading posts, where, besides sellers, buyers have market power as well. Although arbitrage is costless, PPP may fail and exchange rates may be inconsistent at equilibrium due to agents' price effects in currency and commodity markets. We derive conditions on individual net trades and elasticities that result in PPP violation and exchange rate inconsistencies. A numerical example shows that when consistency fails, the ordering of prices is not well-defined. When the number of agents in the economy increases, PPP deviations and inconsistencies tend to zero, thus providing a strategic foundation of PPP theory. Furthermore, the size of PPP deviations is positively related to the number of currencies traded.
Global vs. Local Information in (Anti-)Coordination Problems with Imitators
Authors: Boncinelli Leonardo
Published: July 2008

In this paper I apply stochastic stability to compare the effect on welfare of local information and global information when agents adopt imitative behavioral rules. Under global information, agents can potentially imitate anyone, while under local information, the sets of observable agents are choice-dependent. The evaluation of information in terms of welfare enhancement is ambiguous over finite time horizons, while in the long run global information is worse (better) in the presence of pure negative (positive) spillovers. However, when preferences also depend on the choice itself, further ambiguity emerges, generally making the comparison uncertain.
Local Elections and Extreme Right-Wing Political Parties in the Czech Republic in 2006
Authors: Pink Michal , Smolik Josef
Published: July 2008

This paper examines the electoral results of two extreme right-wing parties, namely the Národní Strana [National Party] and Právo a Spravedlnost [Law and Justice] in the 2006 local elections. The basic method chosen is a comparative study of their electoral results at the level of those municipalities where they were present. Local results for the two political parties are also compared and contrasted with their previous performance in parliamentary elections. Additionally, a longer-term analysis of electoral support for Sdruení pro Republiku  Republikánská strana ?eskoslovenska and its successors present in the above elections will be investigated. The distribution of electoral support will be attributed to selected socioeconomic factors, number of young voters, education, nationality, and number of religious people in society. On this basis in the presented text we will try to show the interdependence of electoral behavior.
From the Margins to a Continuing Governing Position: The Miracle of the Israeli Rightist Likud Elite
Authors: Galanti Sigal B.
Published: July 2008

It is frequently claimed that a chief miracle that characterized the politics of the pre-Israeli Zionist community and the Israeli one was the setting up of a ZionistSocialist political elite which headed it for decades. Yet another great miracle  less discussed among scholars  is the fact that the extremist territorialist ostracized ``Revisionist camp"  the socialist's major rival  succeeded with time to become the Israeli new governing elite. It established most of the Israeli governments in the years 1977-2006. The current research shows that though the Revisionists and their successors (mostly the parties of Herut / Gahal / Likud) were considered extremely radical, from their earliest days, they understood that in order to move ahead they must show pragmatism alongside their radicalism. Thus, pragmatism was manifested on all fronts: ideology, identity, organization, recruiting of members and the character of their elite  an ``open elite". It was true before the creation of Israel and afterwards, and it has been the case since 1977. Nevertheless, when certain elements in this formula are abandoned, the party loses support, becomes damaged and banished to the ranks of the opposition. What is more, once all of those elements of success disappear, as was the case in 2006, the party collapses.
Political Science: Witchcraft or Craftsmanship? Standards for Good Research
Authors: Nørgaard Asbjørn S.
Published: July 2008

Scientific debate requires a common understanding of what constitutes good research. The purpose of this article is to establish such an understanding. The purpose of political science is to uncover, understand and explain the conformist aspect of social behavior, well aware that not all behavior is systematically determined by society. Good political science ought to be grounded in two questions: What do we know, and what are we going to learn? Research question and theory are decisive, while all discussion about methodology and design is about subjecting our prejudices and expectations to the most difficult test possible. The binary opposites we are familiar with from the 'Methodenstreit' of the social sciences are unproductive.
Swiss Consensus Democracy in Transition: A Re-analysis of Lijphart's Concept of Democracy for Switzerland from 1997 to 2007
Authors: Vatter Adrian
Published: July 2008

The present article addresses the question of whether Switzerland can continue to be seen as an extreme case of federal consensus democracy, as illustrated by Arend Lijphart (1999). A re-analysis of Lijphart's (1999) study of the Swiss political system from 1997 to 2007 clearly demonstrates that due to recent political-institutional changes (a decreasing number of parties, growing electoral disproportionality, increasing decentralization and deregulation of the relationship between the state and interest groups), a consensus democracy with strong tendencies toward adjustment and normalization of the original exceptional Swiss case to meet the rest of the continental European consensus democracies has emerged. This development has been further strengthened by intensified public political contestation, rising polarization between the political camps in parliament, and the weakening of the cooperative search for consensus as the dominant mode of negotiation within the government. From the perspective of international comparison, Switzerland can thus be seen henceforth as a typical example, not an extreme case, of consensus democracy.
Benhabib on Democratic Iterations in a Global Order
Authors: Dahan Yossi , Yonah Yossi
Published: July 2008

Seyla Benhabibs article, Twilight of Sovereignty or the Emergence of Cosmopolitan Norms offers a penetrating analysis of the contemporary global order and suggests a normative approach by which to mend its structural failuresviewed from the democratic ideal of popular sovereignty and guided by what she calls cosmopolitan norms.The authors take issue with Benhabib's position on both the descriptive and the normative grounds, and make three critical points in this matter: the first two points concern Benhabib's descriptive portrayal of the global order. The third critical point concerns her normative position, i.e., her ideal of the good (global) polity, displayed through her idea of democratic iteration operating through global civil society.The critical assessment of Benhabib's views ensues from the authors endorsement of the transformationalist positionthe state, although somewhat undermined by global processes, still possesses considerable power and maintains a crucial role in determining the trajectory of these processes.
Comparative Citizenship: A Restrictive Turn in Europe?
Authors: Joppke Christian
Published: July 2008

In the rapidly growing literature on comparative citizenship, a dominant assumption is that the nationality laws in Western states are converging on liberal norms of equality and inclusiveness. However, especially since the onset of the new millennium and an apparent failure of integrating Muslim immigrants there has been a remarkable counter-trend toward more restrictiveness. This paper reviews the causes and features of restrictiveness in the heartland of previous liberalization, north-west Europe. It is argued that even where it seems to be strongest: with respect to the rules of naturalization, the restrictive trend is embedded within an overall liberal, sometimes even liberalizing framework. The notion of a wholesale restrictive turn in Europe therefore has to be rejected.
Comparative Citizenship: A Restrictive Turn in Europe and a Restrictive Regime in Israel: Response to Joppke
Authors: Smooha Sammy
Published: July 2008

Smooha argues that Joppke's thesis in his paper on comparative citizenship in Europethere is no restrictive turn in citizenship and immigration laws and practices in Europeis questionable. This is true not only for the pre-enlargement 15 EU countries during the years 1980-2006 under Joppke's study, but also for the post-enlargement 27 EU countries. When the time range is broadened to the post-1945 period, it is clear that the historical trend of liberalization has come to an end in Europe and this is in spite of Europe's dire need of immigrants and the great desire of non-Europeans to immigrate to Europe. Europe is particularly fearful of Moslems, Arab Moslems, and Black Africans.Nevertheless, the comparison between Israel and the EU countries can put the discussion on Europe in perspective. Israel can be representative of non-European countries that claim to be Western or European countries that are latecomers to the West. When these countries are compared to the 15 EU countries, as described and analyzed by Joppke, it is evident that the EU core is liberal and Israel and non-core European countries are not liberal in their laws and practices. EU laws on immigration and naturalization are motivated only partially by ethnicity while those of other countries are more shaped by ethnic considerations and those of Israel are mainly determined by ethnicity and ethnicity-based fear.According to Smooha the EU might move in Israel's highly restrictive direction when it feels that its Western civilization, national cultures, and internal security are more significantly and increasingly threatened by non-European immigrants and their descendants.
A Feminist Perspective on Natality Policies in Multicultural Societies
Authors: Stopler Gila
Published: July 2008

Controlling natalitythe ratio of births to the general populationis one of the best means a state has to control its demographic composition. However, the fact that the state has certain interests with regard to the size and composition of its population does not necessarily give it the right to set and pursue natality policies, because such policies can potentially infringe on various human rights such as the rights of women and the rights of minorities. Using a feminist perspective I first argue that even if it is illegitimate for states to try to influence people's choice as to the number of their children in order to achieve demographic change, the state may, and should, enact natality policies aimed at promoting women's right to equality, regardless of whether their end result is to achieve a demographic change. Next I examine whether states are allowed to pursue natality policies aimed at decreasing natality rates in specific cultural groups, whose cultural precepts are oppressive toward women and dictate very high natality rates. Using the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel as a test case, I present and reject three objections to the states right to pursue such natality policies: the objection from free choice, the objection from free association, and the objection from culture. Rejecting these objections I conclude that not only is the state allowed, but it is indeed obligated, to pursue natality policies that aim to alleviate the oppression of women by decreasing inordinately high birth rates in illiberal communities. However, when choosing the measures for the implementation of such policies the state must take care to choose only measures that respect human rights.
The Blessing of Departure: Acceptable and Unacceptable State Support for Demographic Transformation: The Lieberman Plan to Exchange Populated Territories in Cisjordan
Authors: Waters Timothy William
Published: July 2008

What limits ought there be on a states ability to create a homogeneous society, to increase or perpetuate non-diversity, or to create hierarchies within existing diversity? This article examines those questions with reference to the Lieberman Planwhich proposes to transfer populated territories from Israel to the Palestine in exchange for Jewish settlements on the West Bank as an abstract exercise in demographic transformation by the state. First the article considers if the Lieberman plan would work: Would it create the alterations it proposes, and would those changes achieve a stable, peaceful, perhaps even just settlement? It finds that though there is debate about the range of effect, there is little doubt that transfer would alter the states demography. It then turns to the international standards that might govern the transfer of territory and the denaturalization of citizens, to see how they would characterize such a plan. It finds that comparisons to ethnic cleansing are inapposite, and that norms protecting citizenship are considerably more complex than they first appeareven allowing ethnically targeted denaturalization in some cases.The article then analyzes the loyalty provisions of the Lieberman Plan, and notes that, contrary to the usual normative assumption that citizenship is tied to the state, the foundations of citizenship are actually a habitual or formative link to a given territory, which in turn creates a right to citizenship not in any particular state, but in the one that incidentally is sovereign over that territory. This interaction of citizenship and territory, when considered together with norms requiring equal protection for all citizens, suggests that the polity has an interest in defining its own territorial scope, and thereby its membership. The legal regime is ambiguous, and therefore deliberations about this question are in the realm of politics. The article demonstrates how transfers assimilation to existing norms suggests a novel interpretation of selfdetermination with far-reaching consequences for both sides of the conflict.Finally, the article notes that international law, though it polices excesses, is largely silent on the principal determinant of demography: the fact of state control over territory.
Notes on the Value of Theory: Readings in the Law of Return-A Polemic
Authors: Zreik Raef
Published: July 2008

The case of Israel generally, and specifically regarding the justifications put forth for the Law of Return by a wide range of liberal scholars, accents the main problems and weaknesses of liberal legality. Part one of the paper rethinks aspects of liberal legality and its artificial nature in light of debates surrounding the Law of Return. Debating both the case of Israel and the insistence of many Israeli scholars on justifying the Law using liberal terms, this part reveals certain aspects of liberalism that usually remain hidden.Part III comments on Israel and evaluates the Law of Return while comparing it to similar laws, arguing that even after revisiting liberal legality, the Law of Return scores badly according to the criteria of liberal legality. Thus, the first analysis places Israel within a paradigm, revealing that Israel may not be so exceptional. For those who view liberalism as a pure, ideal theory (both those who support the Law and think that it passes the test of liberalism and those who oppose the Law and think that it fails the test of liberalism) this paper points to the dark side of liberalism, and thereby suggests that Israel might not be the only pariah state, but even within the new paradigm (the second analysis), the Law of Return is at the extreme end of the spectrum and scores badly.
Sudden Death in a Toddler with Laryngotracheitis Caused by Human Parainfluenza Virus-1
Authors: Lucas Jonathan R. , Haas Elisabeth A. , Masoumi Homeyra , Krous Henry F.
Published: July 2008

Laryngotracheitis caused by human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) and not complicated by bacterial superinfection rarely causes sudden unexpected death in infants and toddlers, especially in the absence of stridor and a barking cough. We therefore describe a 15-month-old white male who died suddenly and unexpectedly with clinical and pathological features of laryngotracheitis caused by culture-proven HPIV-1 infection. Given the presence of mucosal inflammation extending into the vocalis muscle of the larynx without associated significant narrowing of the laryngotracheal airway lumen, we propose his death was a result of a laryngospasm, perhaps mediated by immune responses.
Discreteness in time
Authors: Peschel Ulf , Bersch Christoph , Onishchukov Georgy
Published: July 2008

In this paper we discuss the joint propagation of a periodically modulated field and a pulse of different frequency in an optical fiber. The pulse experiences the action of an index lattice induced via cross-phase modulation by the periodic field. We predict effects of discreteness to show up both in the temporal and in the spatial domain. For large walk-off between the two fields one should observe Bloch oscillations in frequency space, where discrete diffraction is expected to occur for equal velocities of both waves.
Wide bandpass optical filters with TiO2 and Ta2O5
Authors: Asghar Muhammad , Shoaib Muhammad , Placido Frank , Naseem Shahzad
Published: July 2008

Complex multilayer thin film filters for optical applications have been designed, prepared and characterized in this work. E-beam reactive evaporation technique has been used as a deposition process. In the first stage, optimized individual film layers of TiO2, Ta2O5, and SiO2 are deposited and characterized optically and structurally before the deposition of multilayered structures. The filter designs are based upon 33 layered SiO2/TiO2 and SiO2/Ta2O5 configurations on glass substrate. These designs are optimized to achieve wideband transmission in the visible spectrum. After deposition, the two filter configurations are characterized optically and structurally using spectrophotometery, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SiO2/Ta2O5/glass filter has been found sensitive to deposition conditions since high absorption is observed in multilayered configuration for the as-deposited samples. Post-deposition annealing of the filter in the temperature range 150 to 250°C was also performed in order to study the effect of temperature on absorption and spectral characteristics of the filter. Comparison of the two filter configurations was also performed to analyze their suitability for optical applications. Adhesion of the two filters was found to be very good by means of tape-peel test.
Nuclear reprogramming: what has been done and potential avenues for improvements
Authors: Loi Pasqualino , Matsukawa Kazutsugu , Takahashi Seiya , Akagi Satoshi , Ptak Grazyna
Published: July 2008

A major challenge for reproductive biologists is the development of novel strategies to improve cloning efficiency. Even in species for which cloning is relatively successful, like cattle, the efficiency is still unacceptably low. In this review article we critically analyse all approaches that have been suggested by different laboratories in the field so far. As will be discussed below, so far none of these gives rise to a dramatic increase in cloning efficiency. Possibly, a multi-step approach including a pre-treatment of donor cells to modify their chromatin, along with improved culture system for cloned embryos would be the most promising.
Distinctive attributes for predicted secondary structures at terminal sequences of non-classically secreted proteins from proteobacteria
Authors: Kampenusa Inara , Zikmanis Peteris
Published: July 2008

C- and N-terminal sequences (64 amino acid residues each) of 89 non-classically secreted type I, type III and type IV proteins (Swiss-Prot/TrEMBL) from proteobacteria were transformed into predicted secondary structures. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) confirmed the significance of location (C- or N-termini) and secretion type as essential factors in respect of quantitative representations of structured (a-helices, b-strands) and unstructured (coils) elements. The profiles of secondary structures were transcripted using unequal property values for helices, strands and coils and corresponding numerical vectors (independent variables) were subjected to multiple discriminant analysis with the types of secreted proteins as the dependent variables. The set of strong predictor variables (21 property values located at the region of 2–49 residues from the C-termini) was capable to classify all three types of non-classically secreted proteins with an accuracy of 93.3% for originally and 89.9% for cross-validated (leave-one-out procedure) grouped cases. The average error rate (0.137 ± 0.015) of k-fold (k = 3; 4; 6; 8; 10; 89) cross validation affirmed an acceptable prediction accuracy of defined discriminant functions with regard to the types of non-classically secreted proteins. The proposed prediction tool could be used to specify the secretome proteins from genomic sequences as well as to assess the compatibility between secretion pathways and secretion substrates of proteobacteria.
The “Window t test”: a simple and powerful approach to detect differentially expressed genes in microarray datasets
Authors: Berger Fabrice , Hertogh Benoît , Pierre Michaël , Gaigneaux Anthoula , Depiereux Eric
Published: July 2008

This work focuses on differential expression analysis of microarray datasets. One way to improve such statistical analyses is to integrate biological information in the design of these analyses. In this paper, we will use the relationship between the level of gene expression and variability. Using this biological information, we propose to integrate the information from multiple genes to get a better estimate of individual gene variance, when a small number of replicates are available, to increase the power of the statistical analysis. We describe a strategy named the “Window t test” that uses multiple genes which share a similar expression level to compute the variance which is then incorporated a classic t test. The performances of this new method are evaluated by comparison with classic and widely-used methods for differential expression analysis (the classic Student t test, the Regularized t test (reg t test), SAM, Limma, LPE and Shrinkage t). In each case tested, the results obtained were at least equivalent to the best performing method and, in most cases, outperformed it. Moreover, the Window t test relies on a very simple procedure requiring small computing power compared with other methods designed for microarray differential expression analysis.
Regulation of human aldoketoreductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) gene expression in the adipose tissue
Authors: Svensson Per-arne , Gabrielsson Britt , Jernås Margareta , Gummesson Anders , Sjöholm Kajsa
Published: July 2008

Aldoketoreductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) is a functional prostaglandin F synthase and a negative modulator of the availability of ligands for the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ). AKR1C3 expression is known to be associated with adiposity, one of the components of the metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to characterize the expression of AKR1C3 in the adipose tissue and adipocytes and to investigate its potential role in the metabolic syndrome. Using microarray analysis and realtime PCR, we studied the expression of AKR1C3 in adipose tissue samples from obese subjects with or without metabolic complications, during very low calorie diet-induced weight loss, and its expression in isolated human adipocytes of different sizes. The adipose tissue AKR1C3 expression levels were marginally lower in obese subjects with the metabolic syndrome compared with the levels in healthy obese subjects when analyzed using microarray (p = 0.078) and realtime PCR (p < 0.05), suggesting a secondary or compensatory effect. The adipose tissue mRNA levels of AKR1C3 were reduced during and after dietinduced weight-loss compared to the levels before the start of the diet (p < 0.001 at all time-points). The gene expression of AKR1C3 correlated with both adipose tissue mRNA levels and serum levels of leptin before the start of the diet (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, large adipocytes displayed a higher expression of AKR1C3 than small adipocytes (1.5-fold, p < 0.01). In conclusion, adipose tissue AKR1C3 expression may be affected by metabolic disease, and its levels are significantly reduced in response to dietinduced weight loss and correlate with leptin levels.
Erythropoietin affects GABAergic transmission in hippocampal neurons in vitro
Authors: Wójtowicz Tomasz , Mozrzymas Jerzy
Published: July 2008

Erythropoietin is a potent regulator of erythropoiesis. It acts via the specific membrane receptor (EpoR). Erythropoietin is also known to be present in the central nervous system, and its concentration and the expression of EpoR change during development, which raises the possibility that this modulator might be involved in the regulation of neuronal functions in the developing brain. The GABAergic system undergoes profound changes during development and is particularly susceptible to modulation by endogenous factors. Therefore, we decided to investigate the impact of Epo on GABAergic transmission in hippocampal neurons developing in vitro. An analysis of miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) revealed that a long-term treatment with Epo (48 or 72 h) resulted in a major acceleration of the decaying phase of these currents while the amplitude and current frequency remained unchanged. Interestingly, this effect was restricted to the youngest considered age group (6-8 DIV), indicating that Epomediated modulation of mIPSCs depends on the developmental stage of the neurons. We conclude that Epo may exert a modulatory action on GABAergic transmission in developing neural networks.
Two-colour HgCdTe infrared detectors operating above 200 K
Authors: Rutkowski J. , Madejczyk P. , Piotrowski A. , Gawron W. , Jóźwikowski K. , Rogalski A.
Published: July 2008

The performance of dual waveband HgCdTe photodiodes fabricated using metaloorganic chemical vapour deposition operated at high temperatures is presented. The effect of additional separating layer on the quantum efficiency and cross-talk of the photodiodes is analyzed. The photodiodes with cutoff wavelengths up to 6 μm, good R0A product, and high quantum efficiency at 200 K have been demonstrated. The temperature dependence of the differential resistance is discussed. It is shown that the multilayer heterojunction P-n-N-n-P structure operating in a simultaneous mode has better performance than a structure operating in a sequential mode.
WHY DOES ONTARIO REQUIRE EQUAL TREATMENT IN SALES OF CORPORATE CONTROL?
Authors: Iacobucci Edward M.
Published: July 2008

There is a long-standing controversy over the question of whether controlling and minority shareholders should be treated equally in sales of control. Ontario securities law adopts a mandatory ‘equal opportunity rule’ that requires acquirers in most cases to extend a premium offer to purchase controlling shares to minority shareholders and controlling shareholders on equal terms. This article concludes that, having regard to theory, empirical evidence, and the specific rules in place, the most coherent explanation for Ontario's mandatory approach is that it assists target shareholders in extracting gains from acquirers of control. As a matter of theory, there is no need for a mandatory rule if the purpose of the rule is to deter inefficient sales of control to buyers interested in diverting value from the minority, but a mandatory rule makes sense if the purpose is to increase the purchase price of control blocks. The extraction hypothesis is consistent with existing empirical evidence, as well as with this article's event study based on the possible sale of control of Canadian Tire in the 1980s (the case that provided the impetus for the mandatory equal opportunity rule we observe today in Ontario). Finally, the particulars of the rule in place, such as the exemption for firms existing when the rule was imposed, are consistent with the extraction theory but not with other theories, especially a ‘fairness’ theory of equal treatment.
REPRESENTING INDIGENOUS SELF-DETERMINATION
Authors: Murphy Michael A.
Published: July 2008

Discussions of indigenous self-determination have traditionally shown little enthusiasm for the idea of indigenous engagement in electoral politics – and for good reasons. Self-determination is usually understood as a means of gaining distance from, rather than inclusion in, state institutions. Legislative bodies are regarded with particular suspicion, even hostility, evoking memories of historic disenfranchisement or strategies of electoral inclusion linked to assimilation and the loss of indigenous rights. As a means of advancing indigenous objectives, moreover, electoral representation seems at best to offer only a token presence in institutions dominated by non-indigenous majorities, and at worst looks like a strategy for pacifying indigenous representatives while energy and resources are diverted away from the goal of indigenous self-government. In spite of these reservations, this article defends the view that electoral politics can be viewed as part of a broader strategy for advancing indigenous self-determination by targeting a variety of complementary access points to political power. The argument is grounded in a relational model of self-determination that emphasizes the importance of self-government and the need for modes of shared decision making capable of governing the complex interdependence characteristic of state–indigenous relationships today. While it is important to acknowledge its many shortcomings, much of the opposition to the electoral route to indigenous self-determination is based on unrealistic expectations regarding what this form of political voice is capable of delivering. Hence, one of the objectives of this article is to clarify the various functions that indigenous electoral representation can and cannot be expected to perform.
EXCLUSION AND EXCLUSIVITY IN PROPERTY LAW
Authors: Katz Larissa
Published: July 2008

In this article, I propose a model for understanding the concept of ownership that I call the ‘exclusivity model.’ Like many of the contemporary critics of the ‘bundle of rights’ approach to ownership, I insist that ownership is a legal concept with a well-defined structure. I differ from most of them, however, in the model of ownership that I believe to be at work in property law. Most of these critics propose a model of ownership that emphasizes the owner's right to exclude non-owners from the owned thing as the central defining feature of ownership. I call this the ‘boundary approach’ to highlight its fixation on the owner's power to decide who may cross the boundaries of the owned thing. But this, I argue, makes it impossible for the boundary approach to explain adequately the many subsidiary rights in things that coexist with the rights of owners. Indeed, I argue that when we look more closely at the structure of ownership in property law, its central concern is not the exclusion of all non-owners from the owned thing but, rather, the preservation of the owner's position as the exclusive agenda setter for the owned thing. So long as others – whether they be holders of subsidiary property rights or strangers to the property – act in a way that is consistent with the owner's agenda, they pose no threat to the owner's exclusive position as agenda setter.
NAZI LAW AND THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY
Authors: Mullender Richard
Published: July 2008

In The Third Reich in Power: 1933–1939, Richard Evans pursues the theme that the Nazis used law, terror, and propaganda as ‘techniques of governance’ that would serve to Nazify Germany. Evans also provides support for the conclusion that the Nazis' claims to give expression to the life of a people's community (Volksgemeinschaft) were bogus. For the techniques of governance on which they relied established a ‘terror machine.’ Michael Oakeshott's account of ‘enterprise association’ affords a means by which to gain analytic purchase on Nazi Germany as a social formation. An enterprise association is highly instrumental and exhibits a lack of sensitivity to the interests of individuals and particular groups. Government uses the levers of power at its disposal to pursue an agenda into which it integrates the law's addressees. Assuming that Nazi Germany was an enterprise association, the misgivings concerning the concept of community expressed by many human-rights lawyers since World War II would seem to be overstated. While the Nazis made regular appeals to empirical community (Volksgemeinschaft), they worked assiduously to undermine ethical community. Ethical community is an ideal that specifies that law should adequately accommodate the interests of all those in the group it is supposed to serve. The Nazis' attitude toward ethical community indicates a lack of commitment to law in the narrow sense (as defined by Nigel Simmonds). But, in inducing patterns of obedience in those over whom they wielded power, the Nazis had a legal system in the wide sense (defined by Simmonds).
Incidence and risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications in elective intracranial surgery
Authors: Sogame Luciana Carrupt Machado , Vidotto Milena Carlos , Jardim José Roberto , Faresin Sonia Maria
Published: July 2008

Object

It has been shown that craniotomy may lead to a decrease in lung volumes and arterial blood gas tensions as well as a change in the respiratory pattern. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) and the mortality rate in patients who have undergone elective craniotomy and to evaluate the associations between preoperative and postoperative variables and PPCs in this population.

Methods

Two hundred thirty-six patients were followed up based on a protocol including a clinical questionnaire, physical examination and observation of clinical characteristics in the preoperative period, type of surgery performed, duration of surgery, time spent in the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital, and the occurrence of any PPCs.

Results

Postoperative pulmonary complications occurred in 58 patients (24.6%) and 23 other patients (10%) died. Predicting factors for PPCs according to multivariate analyses were as follows: type of surgery performed (p < 0.0001), prolonged mechanical ventilation ≥ 48 hours (p < 0.0001), time spent in the ICU > 3 days (p < 0.0001), decrease in level of consciousness (p < 0.002), duration of surgery ≥ 300 minutes (p < 0.01), and previous chronic lung disease (p < 0.04).

Conclusions

The incidence from March 2003 to March 2005 of PPCs in patients who had undergone craniotomy was 25% and death occurred in 10%. Some risk factors for PPCs may be predicted such as the type of surgery performed, prolonged mechanical ventilation, a longer time in the ICU, a decreased level of consciousness, duration of surgery, and previous chronic lung disease.
Reversible monoparesis following decompressive hemicraniectomy for traumatic brain injury
Authors: Stiver Shirley I. , Wintermark Max , Manley Geoffrey T.
Published: July 2008

Object

The “syndrome of the trephined” is an uncommon and poorly understood disorder of delayed neurological deficit following craniectomy. From the authors' extensive experience with decompressive hemicraniectomy for traumatic brain injury (TBI), they have encountered a number of patients who developed delayed motor deficits, also called “motor trephine syndrome,” and reversal of the weakness following cranioplasty repair. The authors set out to study motor function systematically in this patient population to define the incidence, contributing factors, and outcome of patients with motor trephine syndrome.

Methods

The authors evaluated patient demographics, injury characteristics, detailed motor examinations, and CT scans in 38 patients with long-term follow-up after decompressive hemicraniectomy for TBI.

Results

Ten patients (26%) experienced delayed contralateral upper-extremity weakness, beginning 4.9 ± 0.4 months (mean ± standard error) after decompressive hemicraniectomy. Motor deficits improved markedly within 72 hours of cranioplasty repair, and all patients recovered full motor function. The CT perfusion scans, performed in 2 patients, demonstrated improvements in cerebral blood flow commensurate with resolution of cerebrospinal fluid flow disturbances on CT scanning and return of motor strength. Comparisons between 10 patients with and 20 patients (53%) without delayed motor deficits identified 3 factors—ipsilateral contusions, abnormal cerebrospinal fluid circulation, and longer intervals to cranioplasty repair—to be strongly associated with delayed, reversible monoparesis following decompressive hemicraniectomy.

Conclusions

Delayed, reversible monoparesis, also called motor trephine syndrome, is common following decompressive hemicraniectomy for TBI. The results of this study suggest that close follow-up of motor strength with early cranioplasty repair may prevent delayed motor complications of decompressive hemicraniectomy.
Stereotactic drainage and Gamma Knife radiosurgery of cystic brain metastasis
Authors: Franzin Alberto , Vimercati Alberto , Picozzi Piero , Serra Carlo , Snider Silvia , Gioia Lorenzo , Passano Camillo Ferrari da , Bolognesi Angelo , Giovanelli Massimo
Published: July 2008

Object

Treatment options for patients with brain metastasis include tumor resection, whole-brain radiation therapy, and radiosurgery. A single treatment is not useful in cases of multiple tumors, of which at least 1 is a cystic tumor. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of stereotactic drainage and Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) in the treatment of cystic brain metastasis.

Methods

Between January 2001 and November 2005, 680 consecutive patients with brain metastases underwent GKS at our hospital, 30 of whom were included in this study (18 males and 12 females, mean age 60.6 ± 11 years, range 38–75 years). Inclusion criteria were: 1) no prior whole-brain radiation therapy or resection procedure; 2) a maximum of 4 lesions on preoperative MR imaging; 3) at least 1 cystic lesion; 4) a Karnofsky Performance Scale score ≥ 70; and 5) histological diagnosis of a malignant tumor.

Results

Non–small cell lung carcinoma was the primary cancer in most patients (19 patients [63.3%]). A single metastasis was present in 13 patients (43.3%). There was a total of 81 tumors, 33 of which were cystic. Ten patients (33.3%) were in recursive partitioning analysis Class I, and 20 (66.6%) were in Class II. Before drainage the mean tumor volume was 21.8 ml (range 3.8–68 ml); before GKS the mean tumor volume was 10.1 ml (range 1.2–32 ml). The mean prescription dose to the tumor margin was 19.5 Gy (range 12–25 Gy). Overall median patient survival was 15 months. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 54.7% (95% confidence interval 45.3–64.1%) and 34.2% (95% confidence interval 23.1–45.3%). Local tumor control was achieved in 91.3% of the patients.

Conclusions

The results of this study support the use of a multiple stereotactic approach in cases of multiple and cystic brain metastasis.
Role of galectin-1 in migration and invasion of human glioblastoma multiforme cell lines
Authors: Jung Tae-Young , Jung Shin , Ryu Hyang-Hwa , Jeong Young-Il , Jin Yong-Hao , Jin Shu-Guang , Kim In-Young , Kang Sam-Suk , Kim Hyung-Seok
Published: July 2008

Object

Galectin-1 is highly expressed in motile cell lines. The authors investigated whether galectin-1 actually modulates the migration and invasion of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines, and whether its expression with respect to invasion and prognosis is attributable to certain glioma subgroups.

Methods

In the human GBM cell lines U343MG-A, U87MG, and U87MG-10′, the RNA differential display was evaluated using Genefishing technology. The results were validated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot analysis to detect possible genetic changes as the determining factors for the motility of the malignant glioma. The migration and invasion abilities were investigated in human GBM cell lines and galectin-1 transfectant using an in vitro brain slice invasion model and a simple scratch technique. The morphological and cytoskeletal (such as the development of actin and vimentin) changes were examined under light and confocal microscopy. Galectin-1 expression was assessed on immunohistochemical tests and Western blot analysis.

Results

Endogenous galectin-1 expression in the human GBM cell lines was statistically correlated with migratory abilities and invasiveness. The U87-G-AS cells became more round than the U87MG cells and lacked lamellipodia. On immunohistochemical staining, galectin-1 expression was increased in higher-grade glioma subgroups (p = 0.027).

Conclusions

Diffuse gliomas demonstrated higher expression levels than pilocytic astrocytoma in the Western blot. Galectin-1 appears to modulate migration and invasion in human glioma cell lines and may play a role in tumor progression and invasiveness in human gliomas.
Multiple fusiform myxomatous cerebral aneurysms in a patient with Carney complex
Authors: Ryou Kyoung Soo , Lee Sun-Ho , Park Seong-Hyun , Park Jaechan , Hwang Sung-Kyoo , Hamm In-Suk
Published: July 2008

Carney complex is a rare autosomal-dominant familial tumor syndrome that involves the triad of myxoma, mucocutaneous pigmentation, and endocrine overactivity. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there are no reports of multiple fusiform aneurysms coinciding with atrial myxoma.

The authors report the case of a 38-year-old woman with typical Carney complex who had multiple skin myxomas, endocrine abnormalities, and multiple brownish perioral lesions. Multiple fusiform aneurysms were also discovered after the recurrence of atrial myxoma. During a follow-up period of > 10 years, there have been no angiographic changes in the aneurysms and no progression of symptoms.