bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effective tax and subsidy rates on human capital in Canada
Authors: Burbidge John B. , Collins Kirk A. , Davies James B. , Magee Lonnie
Published: February 2012

Abstract.  Effective tax and subsidy rates (ETRs and ESRs) on human capital investment via post‐secondary education are estimated for Canada in the years 2000 and 2006. The flattening of the federal personal income tax structure in 2001 substantially reduced the tax disincentive for investment in human capital. Effective subsidy rates also declined as public spending did not keep pace with rising tuition fees. The change on the tax side was strong enough to dominate the subsidy reduction according to our main results, but disaggregation shows that this result did not hold in all cases. Results are shown for College, Master's, and PhD programs, in addition to Bachelor's degrees. They are also broken down by gender, and are shown for the 25th and 75th percentiles as well as the median. Provincial detail and 1997 results are provided in the case of Bachelor's graduates.
Redistributive taxation with heterogeneous relative consumption concerns
Authors: Dodds Stefan
Published: February 2012

Abstract This paper studies the impact of redistributive income taxation in a society where only some individuals are motivated by relative consumption concerns. Introducing this heterogeneity raises theoretical challenges since (i) earned income becomes an imperfect indicator of underlying ability and (ii) relative concerns may be inadmissable in the social objective. A new behavioural model is developed in which only relatively‐concerned individuals choose work effort strategically. Linear tax/transfer systems schemes are then characterized and simulated for a series of welfarist and non‐welfarist social objectives, and for different degrees of preference heterogeneity. A key result is that a government which understands the extent of relative consumption concerns–but places no social weight on individuals with such preferences–nevertheless sets a significantly more progressive tax system than a government which ignores relative consumption motivations altogether.
Does foreign aid really raise per capita income? A time series perspective
Authors: Nowak‐Lehmann Felicitas , Dreher Axel , Herzer Dierk , Klasen Stephan , Martínez‐Zarzoso Inmaculada
Published: February 2012

Abstract.  We analyze the relationship between per capita income and foreign aid. We employ annual data and five‐year averages and carefully examine the time‐series properties of the data. Panel estimations with dynamic feasible generalized least‐squares (DFGLS) show that aid generally has an insignificant or minute negative significant impact on per capita income (particularly in highly aid‐dependent countries). This holds true for countries with different levels of human development and income, as well as for different regions. We also find that aid has a small positive impact on investment, but a significant negative impact on domestic savings (crowding out) and the real exchange rate (appreciation). JEL classification: F35, O11, C23, C51
Markets and the non‐monotonic relation between productivity and establishment size
Authors: Bakhtiari Sasan
Published: February 2012

Abstract A model of monopolistic competition is presented in which the relation between the productivity and input size of producers is non‐monotonic and bell‐shaped. The model predicts that markets matter and the average size of the producers is directly scaled by the size of the market. An indirect effect increases the cutoff productivity, making the bell narrower in larger markets or when the transportation cost falls. Empirical evidence from the concrete industry and a few other 4‐digit industries supports the model’s predictions. The bell‐shaped relation has especially important implications on how size distributions are formed across localized versus globalized market industries.
Evaluation oF FactORs ImpacTing CLinical Outcome and Cost EffectiveneSS of the S‐ICD: Design and Rationale of the EFFORTLESS S‐ICD Registry
Authors: PEDERSEN SUSANNE S. , LAMBIASE PIER , BOERSMA LUCAS V.A. , MURGATROYD FRANCIS , JOHANSEN JENS BROCK , REEVE HELEN , STUART A. GRAHAM , ADRAGAO PEDRO , THEUNS DOMINIC A.M.J.
Published: February 2012

Background:

Leads in and on the heart of the transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) form the Achilles’ heel of this system due to potential for peri‐ and postimplant complications. The S‐ICD is a newer generation of the ICD that does not require leads on the heart or in the vasculature. We present the rationale and study design of the Evaluation oF FactORs ImpacTing CLinical Outcome and Cost EffectiveneSS of the S‐ICD (EFFORTLESS S‐ICD) Registry which was designed to evaluate the long‐term performance of the S‐ICD including patient quality of life and long‐term resource utilization.

Methods:

The Registry is an observational, nonrandomized, standard of care evaluation to be conducted at approximately 50 investigational centers in Europe and New Zealand where the S‐ICD is approved for use and distribution. Clinical Registry endpoints include perioperative (30 days postimplant) complication‐free rate, 360‐day complication‐free rate, and percentage of inappropriate shocks for atrial fibrillation and supraventricular ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Other endpoints include patient‐reported outcomes (e.g., quality of life) and hospital personnel implant and follow‐up experience with the S‐ICD system.

Conclusions:

Results from EFFORTLESS will build on and expand the initial published experience with the S‐ICD, which demonstrated that the device successfully and consistently detects and treats episodes of sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The Registry will also evaluate the patients’ perspective of how it is to live with an S‐ICD as compared to a contemporary transvenous system and track the experience of implanting physicians and personnel performing patient follow‐up with a completely subcutaneous system. (PACE 2012; 1–6)
Barbed compared with standard suture: Effects on cellular composition and proliferation of the healing wound in the ovine uterus
Authors: EINARSSON JON I. , VONNAHME KIMBERLY A. , SANDBERG EVELIEN M. , GRAZUL‐BILSKA ANNA T.
Published: February 2012

Objective. To compare cellular composition (fibroblasts vs. smooth muscle cells) and proliferation in uterine healing wounds after application of barbed compared with standard suture in a sheep model. Design. Randomized trial (Canadian Task Force classification I) using each animal as its own control. Setting. Certified animal research facility. Population or sample. 23 non‐pregnant ewes. Methods. A myometrial incision was created with the harmonic scalpel in each horn of the bicornuate uterus. The incisions were randomly allocated to be closed using either polyglactin 210 (Vicryl®) or barbed suture. Three months later, uterine tissues were collected, fixed and used for determination of cellular composition and proliferation using histochemistry (Masson trichrome staining) and immunohistochemistry (staining of smooth muscle cell actin and Ki67, a marker of proliferating cells) followed by image analysis. Main outcome measures. Evaluation and comparison of the cellular composition and proliferation of uterine wounds after application of barbed vs. standard suture. Results. The ratio between connective tissue elements and smooth muscle cells, expression of smooth muscle cell actin and labeling index were similar in wounds after application of barbed compared with standard suture, but were different (p < 0.0001–0.05) in wounds than in non‐wounded areas in uterus. Conclusion. Both barbed and standard sutures had similar effects on cellular composition and proliferation of uterine wounds in an animal model.
Parsing the components of the psychomotor syndrome in schizophrenia
Authors: Docx L. , Morrens M. , Bervoets C. , Hulstijn W. , Fransen E. , De Hert M. , Baeken C. , Audenaert K. , Sabbe B.
Published: February 2012

Docx L, Morrens M, Bervoets C, Hulstijn W, Fransen E, De Hert M, Baeken C, Audenaert K, Sabbe B. Parsing the components of the psychomotor syndrome in schizophrenia.

Objective:  Catatonia, extrapyramidal signs, psychomotor slowing, and (motoric) neurological soft signs are well‐known psychomotor symptoms in schizophrenia. This study aims at investigating the interrelations between these symptoms. In addition, associations between psychomotor symptoms, clinical symptoms, and cognitive functioning will be studied.

Method:  An extensive test battery containing psychomotor (Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale; St Hans Rating Scale; Salpêtrière Retardation Rating Scale; Neurological Evaluation Scale) and clinical (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; Calgary Depression Scale) rating scales as well as instrumental psychomotor tests (Line Copying Task; Finger Tapping Task) and cognitive tasks (Symbol Digit Substitution Test; Stroop Colour Word Test; Continuous Performance Test; Letter Number Sequencing) was administered to a sample of 124 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Results:  Correlational analyses showed that two clusters emerge from our data: first, a psychomotor poverty cluster referring to the interrelations between catatonia, parkinsonism, psychomotor slowing, and negative symptoms; second, a cluster containing motoric neurological soft signs, which were found to be correlated with cognitive functioning.

Conclusion:  Psychomotor abnormalities are highly prevalent phenomena in schizophrenia that have to be considered as a heterogeneous construct. However, longitudinal and neurobiological research is needed to further explore the precise nature of the interrelations found in this study.
Contesting conventional periodontal wisdom: implications for periodontal classifications
Authors: López Rodrigo , Baelum Vibeke
Published: February 2012

This paper examines the common approach used to classify periodontal diseases and how this obstructs our understanding of the disease process. We address the implications of including etiological and pathogenesis‐related considerations in the classifications of complex diseases like periodontitis and argue that the number of periodontal entities in a classification system ought to be determined by well‐documented differences in the management of each entity. We finally discuss how an ecosocial theory of disease distribution can be helpful to understand the determinants of the distribution of disease in the population.
The President, Congress, and the Financial Crisis: Ideology and Moral Hazard in Economic Governance
Authors: KNOTT JACK H.
Published: February 2012

This article examines how the democratic political institutions of the president and the Congress interacted with private firms and regulatory agencies to contribute to the financial meltdown in 2008‐09. This economic governance system failed to counteract the excessive optimism in the financial markets but rather contributed to and reinforced this development. Political moral hazard weakened institutional checks and balances in economic regulation and contributed to a convergence of political ideology and policy preferences of the president, Congress, political parties, and professional experts. These developments occurred during significant financial innovation, making it difficult to foresee the risk building in the system.
Presidents and the Political Economy: The Coalitional Foundations of Presidential Power
Authors: HACKER JACOB S. , PIERSON PAUL
Published: February 2012

Presidents shape the economy; the economy shapes presidencies. Yet analyses of presidential influence over the economy usually examine this interplay through an excessively narrow focus: the ability of presidents to shape short‐term economic outcomes, particularly as these affect their own reelection prospects. Here, drawing on work in comparative political economy, we ask about the capacity of presidents to influence long‐term economic developments, particularly the degree to which the economy produces broadly distributed growth. Focusing on the transformation of American tax policy over the last generation, we stress the constraints and opportunities that come from “durable policy coalitions” of partisans, activists, and organized economic interests seeking enduring shifts in governance. We develop this argument in part through a contrast with the influential views of Larry Bartels, who claims that presidents have a powerful immediate impact on economic inequality. We suggest that presidents are generally much more constrained, while attempting to clarify when and how they make a difference.
Polls and Elections: The Conditional Effects of Competing Messages during Presidential Nominating Conventions
Authors: CERA JOSEPH , WEINSCHENK AARON C.
Published: February 2012

Past research demonstrates that presidential nominating conventions can exercise multiple effects on individual‐level opinion; consumption of convention speeches yields opinion more favorable to the convening candidate, while exposure to partisan messaging in the surrounding information environment can trigger a general partisan bias. In this article, we demonstrate that the persuasive power of speeches made by candidates during the second convention in a given election cycle can be attenuated by exposure to information from the initial convention. Such conditional effects persist even when individual partisan affiliation and preconvention opinion are controlled. Notably, positive impressions made by candidates appear to be more impactful than negative messaging aimed at candidates by their opposition.
The Law: Military Operations in Libya: No War? No Hostilities?
Authors: FISHER LOUIS
Published: February 2012

The Obama administration produced two remarkable legal opinions about the use of military force against Libya. A memo by the Office of Legal Counsel reasoned that the operations did not amount to “war.” Later, after military actions exceeded the 90‐day limit of the War Powers Resolution (WPR), President Obama was advised by White House Counsel Robert Bauer and State Department Legal Advisor Harold Koh that the operations did not even constitute “hostilities” within the meaning of the WPR. This article examines those interpretations and other legal arguments by the executive branch, including the claim that the military actions in Libya had been “authorized” by the UN Security Council and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies.
The Historical Presidency: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Destroyer Deal: Normalizing Prerogative Power
Authors: PIOUS RICHARD M.
Published: February 2012

In the aftermath of the imperial presidency, some historians and political scientists developed a revisionist critique of Franklin D. Roosevelt's destroyer deal, criticizing his claim and exercise of prerogative power to unilaterally exchange destroyers for leasing rights to British bases in the Western Hemisphere. They argued that the deal was a violation of international law, that it went beyond the Constitution, that it violated neutrality laws passed by Congress, that it took advantage of the British in a time of maximum peril. The purpose of this article is to examine two of these claims—that the president went beyond the Constitution and the laws. The destroyer deal was an exercise of prerogative power anticipated by the founders of the Constitution, and Roosevelt's policy was successful because it “normalized” prerogative, basing it on what presidency scholar Richard Neustadt referred to as “power stakes.”
IT WAS MY IDEA: CONSIDERING THE INSTIGATION OF CO‐OFFENDING*
Authors: MARIE MCGLOIN JEAN , NGUYEN HOLLY
Published: February 2012

More than twenty years ago, Albert Reiss (1988) recognized that some individuals are responsible for instigating group offending, whereas others follow accomplices into crime (or offend alone). Since this initial discussion by Reiss, however, little clarity has emerged regarding the factors that predict or explain the instigation of co‐offending. Specifically, some literature has suggested that the tendency to instigate varies systematically across individuals, such that chronic or serious offenders are more likely to instigate group crime. Instigation also may vary across crime types (i.e., within‐individuals), according to whether individuals have crime‐specific skill or experience. Using data from inmates in the Colorado Department of Corrections to investigate these hypotheses, the results reveal that individuals with earlier ages of criminal onset are more likely to report they instigate group crime, net of controls. At the same time, indicators of crime‐specific expertise predict the tendency to instigate group crime. The Discussion section considers the implications of these results and offers directions for future research.
REMITTANCES AND AGGREGATE LABOR SUPPLY: EVIDENCE FROM SIXTY‐SIX DEVELOPING NATIONS
Authors: POSSO ALBERTO
Published: February 2012

Do remittances reduce labor supply in recipient economies? This paper addresses this question with aggregate level data for a panel of sixty‐six developing countries from the Middle East and Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean over the period 1985 to 2005. The results exhibit a positive and significant relationship between remittances and aggregate labor supply. The effect is clearly driven by men in each of the three regions. Three potential explanations are put forward to explain these empirical findings: (1) non‐migrating household members are likely to increase their labor supply in order to defray migration‐related expenses; (2) neighboring households increase their labor supply to help family members migrate after they become more aware of the benefits of remittances; and (3) remittances overcome credit constraints, thus generating employment.
TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND WAGE PREMIUM IN ARGENTINA: THE ROLE OF TRADE FACTOR INTENSITY
Authors: MONCARZ PEDRO E.
Published: February 2012

During the 1990s, several Latin American countries implemented policies directed to the removal of barriers on international trade. However, there is a perception that reforms, especially trade liberalization, failed to deliver on their promises, easing the way for policies aimed at reversing some of them. Following Wood's hypothesis, we allow for the effects of liberalization to vary, depending on the skill intensity of production. The evidence confirms that the role of trade liberalization has been relatively small, but controlling for the presence of endogeneity gives larger estimates. Contrary to previous evidence, the wage premium of skilled workers was more sensitive to the increase of skill‐intensive exports than to that of unskilled‐intensive imports.
“Critical Legal Histories Revisited”: A Response
Authors: Gordon Robert W.
Published: February 2012

The author responds to comments reappraising “Critical Legal Histories” (CLH) (1984). CLH critiqued “evolutionary functionalism,” the idea that law is a functional response to a typical modernizing process. CLH argued that “society” was partly constituted of legal elements and that law was too indeterminate to have reliably regular functional effects. CLH has been misinterpreted as calling for a return to internal histories of “mandarin” doctrine: all it said was that some doctrinal histories were valuable, without privileging them. This response clarifies that the relations of law to society and social change, and of high-level official law to everyday local law are distinct issues. CLH is mostly moot today, since social-legal historians have incorporated its insight that legal concepts are embedded in everyday social practice. But other fields have revived deterministic Whiggish accounts of progressive development and of law functional to it—to which CLH's critique still seems relevant.
Digoxin Inhibits Blood Vessel Density and HIF‐1a Expression in Castration‐Resistant C4‐2 Xenograft Prostate Tumors
Authors: Gayed Bishoy A. , O’Malley Katherine J. , Pilch Jan , Wang Zhou
Published: February 2012

Purpose: Recent studies suggest a potential application for digoxin in the prevention and/or treatment of prostate cancer. However, the effect of digoxin on androgen receptor (AR)‐positive prostate tumor in vivo is not clear. This study is designed to determine if digoxin can inhibit AR‐positive xenograft prostate tumors.

Materials and Methods: Athymic male nude mice were utilized to establish subcutaneous C4‐2 castration‐resistant prostate tumors. The animals were castrated and then treated with daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of digoxin at 2mg/kg along with vehicle controls for 7 consecutive days. Tumor growth was determined by measuring tumor volume changes, blood vessel density by immunostaining of CD31, and cell proliferation by BrdU labeling. The expression of HIF‐1a in C4‐2 tumors was measured by Western blot and real‐time RT‐PCR.

Results: Digoxin inhibited blood vessel density about fourfold and down‐regulated HIF‐1a expression at both mRNA and protein levels. However, digoxin did not inhibit C4‐2 tumor growth.

Conclusions: Digoxin is a potent inhibitor of HIF‐1a signaling pathway and blood vessel formation in C4‐2 castration‐resistant prostate tumors. Clin Trans Sci 2012; Volume #: 1–4
Discovery Proteomics and Nonparametric Modeling Pipeline in the Development of a Candidate Biomarker Panel for Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
Authors: Brasier Allan R. , Garcia Josefina , Wiktorowicz John E. , Spratt Heidi M. , Comach Guillermo , Ju Hyunsu , Recinos Adrian , Soman Kizhake , Forshey Brett M. , Halsey Eric S. , Blair Patrick J. , Rocha Claudio , Bazan Isabel , Victor Sundar S. , Wu Zheng , Stafford Susan , Watts Douglas , Morrison Amy C. , Scott Thomas W. , Kochel Tadeusz J. ,   the Venezuelan Dengue Fever Working Group
Published: February 2012

Secondary dengue viral infection can produce capillary leakage associated with increased mortality known as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Because the mortality of DHF can be reduced by early detection and intensive support, improved methods for its detection are needed. We applied multidimensional protein profiling to predict outcomes in a prospective dengue surveillance study in South America. Plasma samples taken from initial clinical presentation of acute dengue infection were subjected to proteomics analyses using ELISA and a recently developed biofluid analysis platform. Demographics, clinical laboratory measurements, nine cytokines, and 419 plasma proteins collected at the time of initial presentation were compared between the DF and DHF outcomes. Here, the subject's gender, clinical parameters, two cytokines, and 42 proteins discriminated between the outcomes. These factors were reduced by multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) that a highly accurate classification model based on eight discriminant features with an area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) of 0.999. Model analysis indicated that the feature–outcome relationship were nonlinear. Although this DHF risk model will need validation in a larger cohort, we conclude that approaches to develop predictive biomarker models for disease outcome will need to incorporate nonparametric modeling approaches. Clin Trans Sci 2012; Volume #: 1–13
Bone Marrow‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Up‐Regulate Acetylcholine Receptor Delta Subunit through NRG/ErbB3‐Mediated Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinase Pathway
Authors: Chen Li , Jiang Junjian , Xu Jianguang , Gu Yudong , Xu Lei
Published: February 2012

To investigate the effect of bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on the expression of acetylcholine receptor delta subunit (AChRd), the murine skeletal muscle cell line Sol8 were grown in DMEM with 20% fetal bovine serum added with (conditional medium group) or without (control group) conditional medium of BMSC cells for 48 hours. RT‐PCR and Western blot were performed to access the mRNA and protein levels of AChRd in Sol8 cells, respectively. Western blot was used to detect total and phosphorylated protein levels of Ras, Raf‐1, Mek1/2, and Erk1/2, respectively. NRG‐1 antibody added in conditional medium of BMSCs, si‐ErbB3, and four Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway inhibitors (FTS, Sulindac, U0126, and PD98059) were using to investigate the effect of AChRd levels. Our studies indicated that expression of AChRd was significantly enhanced in the conditional medium group when compared with those in control group and phosphorylation of Ras, Raf, Erk1/2 in Sol8 cells was also increased. Although gene silencing for ErbB3 gene, adding of NRG‐1 antibody in conditional medium of BMSCs or treatment of Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway inhibitors can down‐regulate expression of AChRd and phosphorylation, which suggesting that the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway may be involved in BMSCs‐induced expression of AChRd. Clin Trans Sci 2012; Volume #: 1–5
Unwashed blood: is widespread use justified? A review of current knowledge
Authors: MUÑOZ MANUEL , SLAPPENDEL ROBERT
Published: February 2012

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are associated with a considerable amount of total blood loss. This results in a significant postoperative decline in hemoglobin levels, and thereby the use of allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT), which is not a risk‐free therapy. Postoperative shed blood (PSB) salvage and retransfusion, after washing or filtering, was introduced as a unique blood saving concept to decrease perioperative blood loss, to maintain higher postoperative hemoglobin levels and to decrease the use of ABT. PSB reinfusion must be restricted to elective procedures with an anticipated postoperative blood loss between 750 mL and 1500 mL, allowing for the recovery of at least the equivalent of one unit of packed red cells, and used in conjunction with a defined ABT protocol. The results of a number of clinical and laboratory studies strongly suggest that reinfusion of unwashed PSB can reduce the requirements for ABT, and that most of the potential adverse effects of unwashed PSB are no more than theoretical. Therefore, reinfusion of unwashed PSB after THA and TKA is easy‐to‐use, safe, economic and clinically beneficial, as it may reduce ABT‐associated risks. The superiority of washed PSB over unwashed PSB in these procedures has not been demonstrated. All these make widespread use of unwashed PSB available for all patients and justified.
The Roles of Explicit Information and Grammatical Sensitivity in Processing Instruction: Nominative‐Accusative Case Marking and Word Order in German L2
Authors: VanPatten Bill , Borst Stefanie
Published: February 2012

In this study, we examine explicit information and aptitude within processing instruction. Forty‐six learners of German in their third semester of study were divided into two groups: those who received explicit information prior to treatment (+EI) and those who did not (−EI). Participants also took the grammatical sensitivity portion of the Modern Language Aptitude Test. Treatment consisted of structured input activities in which learners heard a sentence and indicated comprehension by selecting between two drawings. The processing problem was the First‐Noun Principle, and the target structure was nominative‐accusative case marking on masculine nouns in object‐verb‐subject and subject‐verb‐object sentences. Treatment was delivered via computer (SuperLab 4.0). The measurement taken was trials to criterion: how long it took participants to begin processing sentences correctly. Results revealed that the +EI group began processing sentences correctly before the −EI group. As for aptitude, grammatical sensitivity correlated weakly with the scores in the +EI group, but not in the −EI group.
Low‐field magnetic resonance imaging of keratomas of the hoof wall
Authors: Mair T. S. , Linnenkohl W.
Published: February 2012

Standing low‐field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to image the feet of 21 horses affected by keratomas. The animals had variable clinical histories including acute, chronic or recurrent lameness. Of the 21 horses, only 14 (66%) had radiological changes suggestive of keratoma. Standing low‐field MRI revealed a smoothly demarcated hoof wall lesion in all horses, with deformity of the adjacent surface of the distal phalanx in 15 cases. The signal characteristics of the keratomas varied, with most showing either hypointensity or heterogeneous mixed signal intensity in T1‐ and T2*‐weighted images and hypointensity in STIR sequences. An intermediate or high STIR signal intensity was present in the trabecular bone of the adjacent region of the distal phalanx in 5 cases. Surgical debridement was performed in 16 horses. Recurrence was common, especially in cases where the lesion was ill‐defined; the prior MRI appearance of these cases tended to be of heterogeneous signal intensity.
The contribution of parental BMI to the metabolic health of their offspring
Authors: Ajala O. , Hosking J. , Metcalf B. S. , Jeffery A. N. , Voss L. D. , Wilkin T. J.
Published: February 2012

Objective

The objective of this study was to establish the extent to which parental factors influence the metabolic health of their offspring.

Design

The study was designed as a prospective longitudinal cohort study

Subjects

The study's subjects were 226 healthy trios from a 1995 to 1996 birth cohort randomly recruited in the city of Plymouth, UK

Measurements

Body mass index (BMI) and metabolic z‐score (derived from natural log HOMA‐IR, triglycerides, total/high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio), measured at nine annual time points, from 5 to 13 years.

Results

As expected, the metabolic z score was closely related to BMI in both genders and at all ages (r = 0.40–0.57, P < 0.001). Accordingly, there were large and significant differences in the metabolic z‐score between children categorized as normal weight or overweight/obese. At 13 years, for example, the metabolic z score of the overweight/obese girls was 14‐fold greater than that of the normal‐weight girls (P < 0.001). However, parental BMI and metabolic status had little effect on these differences. Indeed, mixed effects modelling showed that, as the child's BMI increased, so the influence of parental factors became less relevant. Time‐lag analyses confirmed that weight gain preceded metabolic disturbances in the children.

Conclusion

The impact of obesity on the metabolic health of contemporary children is a function of their own weight gain, rather than that of their parents, and is therefore potentially preventable.
Optimization of Ohmic metal contacts for advanced GaAs-based CMOS device
Authors: Chang W. H. , Chiang T. H. , Lin T. D. , Chen Y. H. , Wu K. H. , Huang T. S. , Hong M. , Kwo J.
Published: February 2012

Ohmic contact resistivity of a nongold Pd/Ge/Ti/Pt on highly doped molecular beam epitaxy grown n-GaAs and In0.2Ga0.8As/GaAs (∼2 × 1018 cm−3) has been investigated by varying Pd/Ge thicknesses and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature/duration. An optimized Ohmic contact was obtained in the samples with Pd/Ge of 30 nm/30 nm, using RTA at 300 °C for 10 s. Low Ohmic contact resistivity of 5.4 × 10−7 Ω cm2 on n-In0.2Ga0.8As has been achieved. The mechanism of the contact resistivity reduction has been studied using the energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy depth profile.
MBE growth and characterization of Mn-doped InN
Authors: Chai Jessica H. , Myers Thomas H. , Song Young-Wook , Reeves Roger J. , Linhart Wojciech M. , Morris Richard J. H. , Veal Timothy D. , Dowsett Mark G. , McConville Christopher F. , Durbin Steven M.
Published: February 2012

The majority of InN doping studies have primarily focused on Mg, as it has previously been used to successfully realize p-type GaN. Here, we consider an alternative dopant—Mn—as a possible acceptor candidate in InN. Magnetotransport, x ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence were used to investigate electrical and optical properties of a series of Mn-doped InN thin films grown using molecular beam epitaxy. Evidence of acceptor behavior was observed only for moderate (1017 cm−3) doping levels. At a doping level around 1017 cm−3, light hole features appear in the quantitative mobility spectrum analysis, the surface Fermi level shifts downwards towards the valence band, and low energy features appear in the low temperature photoluminescence spectra.
Analyzing atomic noise with a consumer sound card
Authors: Schulte Carsten H. H. , Müller Georg M. , Horn Hauke , Hübner Jens , Oestreich Michael
Published: February 2012

We discuss an advanced undergraduate project on spin noise spectroscopy of atomic rubidium vapor. The spin noise is digitized using a consumer sound card and analyzed by a fast Fourier transform. Students gain competence in digital data acquisition and processing, and the idea of analyzing a noise signal is emphasized.
Surveying students’ understanding of quantum mechanics in one spatial dimension
Authors: Zhu Guangtian , Singh Chandralekha
Published: February 2012

We explore the difficulties that advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with non-relativistic quantum mechanics of a single particle in one spatial dimension. To investigate these difficulties we developed a conceptual survey and administered it to more than 200 students at 10 institutions. The issues targeted in the survey include the set of possible wavefunctions, bound and scattering states, quantum measurement, expectation values, the role of the Hamiltonian, and the time-dependence of the wavefunction and expectation values. We find that undergraduate and graduate students have many common difficulties with these concepts and that research-based tutorials and peer-instruction tools can significantly reduce these difficulties. The findings also suggest that graduate quantum mechanics courses may not be effective at helping students to develop a better conceptual understanding of these topics, partly because such courses mainly focus on quantitative assessments.
Experiments with a Malkus–Lorenz water wheel: Chaos and Synchronization
Authors: Illing Lucas , Fordyce Rachel F. , Saunders Alison M. , Ormond Robert
Published: February 2012

We describe an experimental implementation of the Malkus–Lorenz water wheel. We demonstrate that both chaotic and periodic behavior is observed as wheel parameters are changed in agreement with predictions from the Lorenz model. We further show that when the measured angular velocity of the water wheel is used as an input signal to a computer model implementing the Lorenz equations, high-quality synchronization of the model and the water wheel is achieved in the chaotic regime. This indicates that the Lorenz equations provide a good description of the water wheel dynamics.
Auditory externalization in hearing-impaired listeners: The effect of pinna cues and number of talkers
Authors: Boyd Alan W. , Whitmer William M. , Soraghan John J. , Akeroyd Michael A.
Published: February 2012

Hearing-aid wearers have reported sound source locations as being perceptually internalized (i.e., inside their head). The contribution of hearing-aid design to internalization has, however, received little attention. This experiment compared the sensitivity of hearing-impaired (HI) and normal-hearing listeners to externalization cues when listening with their own ears and simulated behind-the-ear hearing-aids in increasingly complex listening situations and reduced pinna cues. Participants rated the degree of externalization using a multiple-stimulus listening test for mixes of internalized and externalized speech stimuli presented over headphones. The results showed that HI listeners had a contracted perception of externalization correlated with high-frequency hearing loss.
One-Time Transfers of Cash or Capital Have Long-Lasting Effects on Microenterprises in Sri Lanka
Authors: de Mel Suresh , McKenzie David , Woodruff Christopher
Published: February 2012

Cashing Up

Do small businesses in developing economies benefit from an infusion of cash or of capital, such as inventory or materials, and is the effect a momentary blip or a sustained expansion?De Melet al.(p.962) have extended their study of one-time cash or capital transfers to a group of randomized business owners in Sri Lanka to look at the status of the businesses 5 years later and find an increased likelihood of survival and higher profits for male-owned enterprises, but no significant effects on female-owned businesses. The authors suggest that capital transfers are more likely to be used by male-owned firms to grow the business, but more likely to be “cashed-out” from female-owned firms and diverted to household uses.
Evolution of the Earliest Horses Driven by Climate Change in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum
Authors: Secord Ross , Bloch Jonathan I. , Chester Stephen G. B. , Boyer Doug M. , Wood Aaron R. , Wing Scott L. , Kraus Mary J. , McInerney Francesca A. , Krigbaum John
Published: February 2012

Warming and Shrinking

In most mammals, individual body sizes tend to be smaller in warmer regions and larger in cooler regions.

Secord
et al.

(p.
959
; see the Perspective by

Smith

) examined a high-resolution 175,000-year record of equid fossils deposited over a past climate shift—the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum—for changes in body size. Using oxygen isotopes collected from the teeth of co-occurring mammal species to track prevailing environmental temperature, a clear decrease in equid body size was seen during 130,000 years of warming, followed by a distinct increase as the climate cooled at the end of the period. These results indicate that temperature directly influenced body size in the past and may continue to have an influence as our current climate changes.
The Local Structure of Amorphous Silicon
Authors: Treacy M. M. J. , Borisenko K. B.
Published: February 2012

Paracrystalline

Amorphous silicon has traditionally been represented by a continuous random network model in which there is no long-range ordering for the atoms, and some have less than fourfold coordination, which form dangling bonds—a type of defect.
Treacy and Borisenko
(p.
950
; see the Perspective by

Gibson

) used fluctuation electron microscopy to explain that models including regions of crystalline order are needed to fit the observed local variations in structure. Thus, on the 1- to 2-nanometer-length scale, this material should be thought of as having a paracrystalline structure containing localized crystalline regions.
Control of Nonapoptotic Developmental Cell Death in
Caenorhabditis elegans
by a Polyglutamine-Repeat Protein
Authors: Blum Elyse S. , Abraham Mary C. , Yoshimura Satoshi , Lu Yun , Shaham Shai
Published: February 2012

Death for Development

Cell death is critical for animal development and for the promotion of gastrulation, as well as for sculpting tissues. Although cell death by apoptosis is essential in some invertebrates, genes promoting apoptosis in the mouse are not required for viability. This surprising observation prompted investigations by

Blum
et al.

(p.
970
; see the Perspective by

Link and Saldi

), who have discovered a nonapoptotic developmental cell death process mediated by a polyglutamine-repeat protein in the nematode worm
Caenorhabditis elegans
. This form of cell death is morphologically similar to cell death occurring during vertebrate development, particularly cell death accompanying polyglutamine-dependent neurodegeneration.
Response to Comment on “Lévy Walks Evolve Through Interaction Between Movement and Environmental Complexity”
Authors: de Jager Monique , Weissing Franz J. , Herman Peter M. J. , Nolet Bart A. , van de Koppel Johan
Published: February 2012

We agree with Jansen
et al
. that a composite movement model provides a better statistical description of mussel movement than any simple movement strategy. This does not undermine the take-home message of our paper, which addresses the feedback between individual movement patterns and spatial complexity. Simple movement strategies provide more insight in the eco-evolutionary analysis and are therefore our model of choice.
India's “Science for All” Academy
Authors: Mashelkar Raghunath
Published: February 2012

In 1905, Sir William Osler, the most influential physician of his time, stepped down from the medical faculty of Johns Hopkins University at the age of 55. At his farewell, he emphasized that the “effective, moving, vitalizing work of the world is done between the ages of 25 and 40—these 15 golden years of plenty.” Many of us, who are old but still active like myself, may like to strongly disagree. But the power of the creative prime in this age group is irrefutable. Therefore, when the Global Young Academy was established in 2010 to catalyze the formation of national Young Academies that promote leadership by a country's most outstanding scientists aged 30 to 40 (
www.globalyoungacademy.org
), it was enthusiastically applauded by the international science community. One country that urgently needs a Young Academy is India, a nation of 1.2 billion people, 55% of whom are under 25 years old. What would be a good design for a Young Academy of India?
Bigger Contribution to ITER Erodes Domestic Fusion Program
Authors: Cho Adrian
Published: February 2012

To pay for the ITER fusion reactor, the United States may have to sacrifice the very community of researchers who would use the machine when it is ready.
Ad Astra
, With a 'Uniquely Indian Flavor'
Authors: Bagla Pallava
Published: February 2012

India's space program has a bold agenda this year: It aims to launch five rockets and four satellites, all built at home.
Assessment of Potential Cross-Reactivity of Human Endogenous Matrix Metalloproteinases with Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum Antibodies in Human Sera Obtained from Patients with Dupuytren's Contracture
Authors: Edkins Thomas J. , Koller-Eichhorn Roland , Alhadeff Jack A. , Mayer Ulrich , Faust Heinrich , Del Tito Benjamin J.
Published: February 2012

Collagenase
Clostridium histolyticum
(CCH) contains a fixed ratio of class I (AUX-I) and class II (AUX-II) collagenases and is used as treatment for Dupuytren's contracture. These two Zn-dependent enzymes, produced by the Gram-positive bacterium
Clostridium histolyticum
, are related functionally to matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) which, among other functions, degrade the extracellular matrix. Since AUX-I and AUX-II exhibit sequence similarities to human MMPs, we assessed MMP-1 (interstitial collagenase), MMP-2 (gelatinase A), MMP-3 (stromelysin 1), MMP-8 (collagenase 2), and MMP-13 (collagenase 3) for cross-reactivity with anti-AUX-I and anti-AUX-II antibodies in patient serum. Serum samples from 71 subjects enrolled in a long-term clinical study (58 males and 13 females; 63 ± 10 years old [mean ± standard error]) were evaluated for cross-reactivity with the five MMPs using the two validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Inhibition cutoff points for anti-AUX-I and anti-AUX-II antibodies were based on assay inhibition obtained with a nonspecific protein, bovine gamma globulin, which was tested for each clinical sample. No MMP cross-reactivity was found for any of the 71 clinical antibody-positive sera evaluated. Sequence identity assessments indicated minimal, nonmeaningful alignments of the MMPs and AUX-I/AUX-II. Furthermore, clinical adverse event assessments indicated no safety signals related to MMP inhibition. The bioanalytical results, sequence identity, and clinical assessments consistently did not demonstrate cross-reactivity between CCH antidrug antibodies and endogenous human matrix metalloproteinases. The results presented here suggest that treatment of Dupuytren's contracture patients with CCH does not lead to any clinical adverse events associated with MMP inhibition.
Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans by Use of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Test
Authors: Njiru Zablon K. , Yeboah-Manu Dorothy , Stinear Timothy P. , Fyfe Janet A. M.
Published: February 2012

This work reports the design and evaluation of a rapid loop-mediated isothermal amplification test for detecting
Mycobacterium ulcerans
DNA based on the multicopy insertion sequence IS
2404
. The test is robust and specific with a detection limit equivalent to 20 copies of the target sequence (0.01 to 0.1 genome). The test has potential for the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer under field conditions.
Performance of Commercial Reverse Line Blot Assays for Human Papillomavirus Genotyping
Authors: Steinau Martin , Onyekwuluje Juanita M. , Scarbrough Mariela Z. , Unger Elizabeth R. , Dillner Joakim , Zhou Tiequn
Published: February 2012

The performance of three line blot assays (LBAs), the Linear Array HPV genotyping assay (LA) (Roche Diagnostics), INNO-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra (LiPA) (Innogenetics), and the reverse hybridization assay (RH) (Qiagen), was evaluated using quantitated whole genomic human papillomavirus (HPV) plasmids (types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, and 68b) as well as epidemiologic samples. In a plasmid titration series, LiPA and RH did not detect 50 international units (IU) of HPV type 18 (HPV18) in the presence of 5 × 10
4
IU or more of HPV16. HPV DNA (1 to 6 types) in the plasmid challenges at 50 IU or genome equivalents (GE) were identified with an accuracy of 99.9% by LA, 97.3% by LiPA, and 95.4% by RH, with positive reproducibility of 99.8% (kappa = 0.992), 88.2% (kappa = 0.928), and 88.1% (kappa = 0.926), respectively. Two instances of mistyping occurred with LiPA. Of the 120 epidemiologic samples, 76 were positive for high-risk types by LA, 90 by LiPA, and 69 by RH, with a positive reproducibility of 87.3% (kappa = 0.925), 83.9% (kappa = 0.899), and 90.2% (kappa = 0.942), respectively. Although the assays had good concordance in the clinical samples, the greater accuracy and specificity in the plasmid panel suggest that LA has an advantage for internationally comparable genotyping studies.
Sensitive and Rapid Detection of the New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase Gene by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification
Authors: Liu Wei , Zou Dayang , Li Yan , Wang Xuesong , He Xiang , Wei Xiao , Shao Changlin , Li Xuelian , Shang Wei , Yu Kaitao , Liu Dawei , Li Yunmei , Guo Jing , Yin Zhitao , Yuan Jing
Published: February 2012

New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1), which is associated with resistance to carbapenem, was first reported in 2008. A sensitive and rapid molecular assay to detect the plasmid
bla
NDM-1
in clinical isolates is needed to control its spread. We describe a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid detection of
bla
NDM-1
from pure culture and sputum, urine, and fecal samples. Eight sets of primers were designed to recognize six or eight distinct sequences on target
bla
NDM-1
, and one set was selected as the most appropriate set of primers for its rapid detection. The specificity and sensitivity of the primers in the LAMP reactions for
bla
NDM-1
detection were determined. The sensitivity of the LAMP assay for
bla
NDM-1
detection in sputum, urine, and fecal samples was also tested. Two methods, namely, monitoring of turbidity and addition of calcein to the reaction tube, were used to determine negative and positive results. The results showed that target DNA was amplified and visualized by the two detection methods within 70 min at an isothermal temperature of 65°C. The sensitivity of LAMP, with a detection limit of 10.70 pg/μl DNA, was 100-fold greater than that of PCR. Thirteen infection bacterial strains without
bla
NDM-1
were selected for testing of specificity, and the results of the amplification were negative, which showed that the primers had good levels of specificity. The LAMP method reported here is demonstrated to be a potentially valuable means for the detection of
bla
NDM-1
and rapid clinical diagnosis, being fast, simple, and low in cost.