bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elevated iron indices in patients with diabetes
Authors: Thomas M. C. , MacIsaac R. J. , Tsalamandris C. , Jerums George
Published: November 2004

Aims  Excess iron has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. This study documents the assessment of plasma iron indices and the correlation between transferrin saturation with biochemical and clinical parameters in a cross‐sectional survey of 820 patients with diabetes in long‐term follow‐up in a single clinic.

Methods  Plasma iron indices, together with the biochemical and clinical profile of all patients, were recorded over a 2‐year period. Predictors of the transferrin saturation were identified using multiple and logistic regression analysis.

Results  Eighty per cent of patients had Type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of elevated transferrin saturation (> 35%) was 3–4‐fold higher in patients with diabetes, compared with historical prevalence described in the general population. Independent associations with elevated transferrin saturation were male gender, low C‐reactive protein, and increased fasting plasma glucose (all P < 0.0001). Patients with Type 1 diabetes were also more likely to have an elevated transferrin saturation [odds ratio 3.9 (95% CI 1.9–8.0), P < 0.001]. Patients with an elevated transferrin saturation were younger, but had a similar duration of diabetes, possibly suggesting an earlier age of onset. There was no correlation between the presence of diabetic complications and the presence of elevated iron indices.

Conclusions  Elevated iron indices are more common in patients with diabetes. Excess iron may have a role in the development of diabetes and subsequently in glycaemic control. This should be balanced by the strong association between iron indices and anaemia in patients with diabetes.
Medical management of diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Sjølie A. K. , Møller F.
Published: November 2004

Although current treatment and prevention of diabetic retinopathy with laser photocoagulation, and tight metabolic and blood pressure control has reduced the risk of visual loss, there is still a need for additional therapies.

A literature review on medical therapies for diabetic retinopathy has been performed, and the following classes of drugs are discussed: blockers of the renin–angiotensin system, protein kinase C‐β inhibitors, glitazones, somatostatin analogues, lipid‐lowering drugs and anti‐inflammatory drugs.

There is experimental and clinical data suggesting beneficial effect from several classes of drugs on diabetic retinopathy, and results from large clinical trials are awaited within the next 3–4 years.
Conventional measures underestimate glycaemia in cystic fibrosis patients
Authors: Dobson L. , Sheldon C. D. , Hattersley A. T.
Published: November 2004

Aims  Diabetes mellitus is an increasingly important complication of cystic fibrosis (CF). The association with increased morbidity of cystic fibrosis‐related diabetes (CFRD) has emphasized the need for accurate monitoring of glycaemia in all CF patients. The diagnosis has relied on conventional thresholds in an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) derived from epidemiological studies in non‐CF subjects. However, it has not been established if these values are equivalent in CF and non‐CF populations.

Methods  We compared glycaemia in 21 non‐diabetic CF subjects with 21‐age and BMI‐matched non‐CF controls using HbA1c, OGTT and a subcutaneous continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) that measures interstitial glucose levels.

Results  All conventional measures of glycaemia were similar in the two groups: HbA1c mean CF vs. controls (5.5 vs. 5.3%P = 0.4), fasting glucose (4.8 vs. 4.7 mmol/l P = 0.7) and 2‐h glucose (5.8 vs. 5.7 mmol/l P = 0.8). However, these conventional measures did not accurately reflect glycaemia 30‐, 60‐ and 90‐min. Glucose values and area under the curve in OGTT were all higher in CF subjects than controls (P = 0.01–0.0001). Mean CGMS value [5.9 (0.8) vs. 5.1 (0.5) mmol/l, P = 0.004], and the proportion of subjects with peak CGMS values > 11.1 mmol/l (33 vs. 5%P = 0.00001) were also higher in CF subjects than controls. These results remained significantly different when only subjects with normal glucose tolerance in the two groups were studied.

Conclusions  We have shown that overall glycaemia, as shown by both the response during an OGTT and CGMS, is higher in CF subjects who have similar HbA1c, fasting and 2‐h glucose values. These results question whether it is appropriate to use the diagnostic thresholds and OGTT time points derived from the non‐CF population for a diagnosis of diabetes in patients with cystic fibrosis.
Swab cultures accurately identify bacterial pathogens in diabetic foot wounds not involving bone
Authors: Slater R. A. , Lazarovitch T. , Boldur I. , Ramot Y. , Buchs A. , Weiss M. , Hindi A. , Rapoport M. J.
Published: November 2004

Aims Current clinical practice assumes swab cultures from wounds are unreliable. However, this assumption is based upon data culled only from wounds in which osteomyelitis and/or gangrene were present. This study aimed to re‐evaluate the accuracy of swab cultures vs. deep tissue cultures in diabetic wounds of varying depth and severity.

Methods A total of 60 infected diabetic foot wounds were cultured. Two specimens were taken from each wound: superficial swab before debridement and deep tissue specimen towards the end of surgical debridement.

Results In 37 wounds (62%), the micro‐organisms isolated from the swab specimen and those isolated from the deep tissue specimen were identical. In another 12 wounds (20%), the swab culture contained all micro‐organisms isolated from the deep tissue culture, but also contained additional micro‐organisms. Analysis according to the depth of the wound, demonstrated that swabs identified all micro‐organisms isolated from the deep tissue specimens in 36/40 wounds (90%) that did not extend to bone as opposed to 13/20 wounds (65%) that extended to bone.

Conclusions Swab cultures are valuable in identifying pathogens in diabetic foot wounds when bone is not involved. When surgical debridement is contraindicated or delayed, swab cultures can be used to select appropriate antibiotic therapy.
Is human Type 2 diabetes maternally inherited? Insights from an animal model
Authors: Gill‐Randall R. J. , Adams D. , Ollerton R. L. , Alcolado J. C.
Published: November 2004

Aims  Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus more often report a history of an affected mother than father. However, in the few studies where both parents and offspring have been directly tested, this apparent maternal excess has not been confirmed. Rodent models of diabetes have the advantage that all parents and offspring can undergo glucose tolerance testing at a specific age in adult life. The aim of this study was to gain insights into the inheritance of human Type 2 diabetes by using a rat model.

Methods  Goto Kakizaki (GK) rats (a model of Type 2 diabetes) were mated with non‐diabetic Wistar rats. Offspring were produced from 20 GK female vs. Wistar male and 20 Wistar female vs. GK male crosses. Fasting blood glucose was measured at 6 weeks and 3 months of age and an intravenous glucose tolerance test (0.8 g/kg) performed at 6 months of age.

Results  Wistar mothers produced litters with almost twice as many viable offspring as GK mothers (14.1 vs. 7.4, P < 0.001). Despite the larger litter size, offspring in the two groups were of comparable weight at 6 weeks and 6 months of age. At 3 months of age, male offspring of Wistar mothers were heavier than offspring of GK mothers (415.7 g vs. 379.5 g, P = 0.016) but this difference was not sustained at 6 months of age. Fasting blood glucose at all ages and average blood glucose during the glucose tolerance test were similar in both groups.

Conclusions  We therefore conclude that there is no evidence for maternal transmission of diabetes in the GK rat. Mothers were able to adjust their supply of milk so that offspring attained similar weights independent of litter size. The weight of the offspring remained independent of litter size into adult life.
Nutrient intakes; biochemical and risk indices associated with Type 2 diabetes and glycosylated haemoglobin, in the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey of people aged 65 years and over
Authors: Bates C. J. , Lean M. E. J. , Mansoor M. A. , Prentice A.
Published: November 2004

Aims  To characterize nutritional differences between survey participants diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes; those without diabetes, and those with ‘undiagnosed diabetes’ based on glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c).

Subjects and methods  The 1994/5 British National Diet and Nutrition Survey, of people aged 65 years and over (mean age 78 years), included 73 respondents with diagnosed Type 2 diabetes [mean (sd) HbA1c = 7.06 (2.05)%], and 30 with ‘undiagnosed diabetes’ (defined as HbA1c > 6.3%; mean (sd) HbA1c = 7.40 (1.66)%], among a representative sample of 1038 with anthopometry; 4‐day weighed diet; blood and urine status measurements.

Results  The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes (diagnosed + undiagnosed) was 10%. In subjects without diagnosis of diabetes, those with HbA1c > 6.3% had on average a significantly higher body weight (73.6 vs. 67.9 kg), higher waist circumference (99.8 vs. 91.8 cm), higher body mass index (28.6 vs. 25.9 kg/m2) and higher white cell counts (7.64 vs. 7.09 × 109/l), than those with mean HbA1c ≤ 6.3%. Diagnosed diabetic subjects had significantly higher energy‐adjusted intakes of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals than those not in this category (P < 0.01). In contrast, those with undiagnosed diabetes (HbA1c > 6.3%) were nutritionally ‘at risk’, having low plasma concentrations of lycopene (0.13 vs. 0.24 µmol/l) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.99 vs. 1.27 µmol/l) and a trend towards low vitamin C (24 vs. 36 µmol/l) which was significant (P < 0.01) for men. HbA1c was positively correlated with white cell count, plasma fasting triglycerides, plasma alkaline phosphatase and homocysteine (all P < 0.01 overall), being particularly striking amongst men.

Conclusions  Among older British citizens, those with diagnosed diabetes had healthier nutritional profiles than those undiagnosed with high HbA1c. Important health‐promoting benefits are therefore predicted following early diagnosis and nutritional advice for people with Type 2 diabetes.
The insulin receptor substrate‐1 Gly972Arg polymorphism is not associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in two population‐based studies
Authors: Van Dam R. M. , Hoebee B. , Seidell J. C. , Schaap M. M. , Blaak E. E. , Feskens E. J. M.
Published: November 2004

Aims  The insulin receptor substrate‐1 (IRS‐1) gene is among the most frequently studied candidate genes for Type 2 diabetes, but findings have been inconsistent. This may have been due to generally small study sizes, or to interaction with body fatness as suggested by studies of insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the IRS‐1 Gly972Arg variant increases risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Methods  We conducted two large population‐based studies including a total of 725 cases and 742 control subjects, who were Caucasian Dutch men and women aged 40–70 years. We calculated odds ratios adjusted for body mass index, study centre, sex and age.

Results  Carriers of the Arg allele did not have a higher prevalence of newly detected (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.24–1.01) or treated (OR 0.71, 0.37–1.35) Type 2 diabetes in the first study, or a higher prevalence of glucose intolerance (OR 1.07, 0.71–1.59) in the second study. The summary odds ratio was 0.86 (0.62–1.17) for carrying the Arg allele as compared with the Gly/Gly genotype. Associations did not differ appreciably by degree of obesity. Also, the Arg variant was not associated with detrimental values for body mass index, waist circumference, plasma HDL‐and total cholesterol or hypertension.

Conclusions  Our findings indicate that the IRS‐1 Gly972Arg variant does not substantially increase risk of common Type 2 diabetes, or Type 2 diabetes in obese persons.
Angiopoietic factors and retinopathy in pregnancies complicated with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Loukovaara S. , Immonen I. , Koistinen R. , Rudge J. , Teramo K.A. , Laatikainen L. , Hiilesmaa V. , Kaaja R.J.
Published: November 2004

Aims  To evaluate the role of systemic angiopoietic factors in the progression of diabetic retinopathy during pregnancy.

Methods  In a prospective study of 26 pregnant women with diabetes and eight non‐diabetic pregnant women, retinopathy was graded from fundus photographs. Plasma levels of angiopoietin‐1, angiopoietin‐2, human vascular endothelial growth factor A (hVEGF‐A), and total soluble receptor of vascular endothelial growth factor (sVEGF) receptor‐1 were measured during the first and third trimester and 3 months postpartum.

Results  In diabetic women, levels of angiopoietin‐2 were 26.5 ng/ml (12.1–47.7) (median and range) during the first trimester, 2.9 ng/ml (0.6–3.5) during the third trimester, and 0.5 ng/ml (0.3–0.7) 3 months postpartum, compared with 44.3 (38.3–61.9), 5.7 (3.1–8.4) and 0.9 (0.6–4.9) ng/ml, respectively, in non‐diabetic women (P = 0.002 between groups). Levels of angiopoietin‐1 and sVEGF receptor‐1 did not differ between the groups. Postpartum hVEGF‐A levels were lowest in women with progression of retinopathy. In logistic regression analyses, progression of retinopathy during pregnancy was not explained by the levels of the angiopoietic factors.

Conclusions  The circulating levels of angiopoietic factors in pregnant diabetic women were either lower than (Ang‐2) or similar to (Ang‐1, hVEGF‐A, VEGFR‐1) those levels observed in non‐diabetic pregnant women. The levels of angiopoietic factors measured here appear not to be connected with the progression of retinopathy during pregnancy.
Vascular dysfunction and autonomic neuropathy in Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Meyer C. , Milat F. , McGrath B. P. , Cameron J. , Kotsopoulos D. , Teede H. J.
Published: November 2004

Aims  To test the hypothesis that arterial dysfunction in Type 2 diabetes is related to autonomic neuropathy.

Methods  Arterial function and autonomic neuropathy were assessed over two consecutive days in 45 Type 2 diabetic and control subjects. Systemic arterial compliance (SAC), arterial stiffness (pulse‐wave velocity, PWV) and carotid intima thickness (IMT) were assessed; these markers reflect early vascular disease and predict clinical vascular events. Autonomic neuropathy was assessed using heart rate variability with continuous ECG recording during various breathing and postural manoeuvres and an overall autonomic score was generated. Fasting metabolic parameters including glucose, insulin, HbA1c and lipid profile were measured.

Results  Autonomic neuropathy tests were all repeatable in diabetic subjects. Compared with controls, diabetic subjects had arterial dysfunction with increased PWV (P = 0.009), IMT (P < 0.001) and reduced SAC (P = 0.053). After adjustment for age, central PWV correlated with fasting insulin (r2 = 0.45, P < 0.05) and autonomic score (r2 = 0.44, P < 0.05), peripheral PWV correlated with autonomic score (r2 = 0.51, P < 0.005) and IMT correlated with fasting insulin (r2 = 0.5, P < 0.005). The presence of autonomic neuropathy correlated with fasting insulin (P = 0.015), but not age, duration diabetes, lipids or blood pressure.

Conclusion  Using repeatable measures of autonomic neuropathy and vascular function in Type 2 diabetic subjects, we have demonstrated associations between autonomic neuropathy, vascular dysfunction and hyperinsulinaemia. This may help to explain the excess cardiovascular mortality seen in diabetic subjects with autonomic neuropathy.
Hypoglycaemia with insulin aspart: a double‐blind, randomised, crossover trial in subjects with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Heller S. R. , Colagiuri S. , Vaaler S. , Wolffenbuttel B. H. R. , Koelendorf K. , Friberg H. H. , Windfeld K. , Lindholm A.
Published: November 2004

Aims  To compare the effects of the rapid‐acting insulin analogue insulin aspart and soluble human insulin on hypoglycaemia and glycaemic control in patients with Type 1 diabetes when injected immediately before meals as part of intensive insulin therapy.

Methods  In this multinational, double‐blind, randomised, crossover trial, 155 patients with Type 1 diabetes (HbA1c < 8.0%) were symmetrically randomised to two 16‐week treatment periods on either type of insulin, both injected 0–5 min before meals. NPH insulin was given as basal insulin once or twice daily as needed, and insulin dosages were regularly adjusted using pre‐defined algorithms to maintain tight glycaemic control. Treatment periods were separated by a 4‐week washout.

Results  The rate of major nocturnal (24.00–06.00 h) hypoglycaemic episodes was 72% lower with insulin aspart than with human insulin (0.067 vs. 0.225 events/month; P = 0.001). Total rate of major hypoglycaemia did not differ significantly between treatments (insulin aspart/human insulin relative risk 0.72; 95% CI 0.47–1.09, P = 0.12). The rate of minor events was significantly reduced by 7% with insulin aspart (P = 0.048). Reductions in rate of hypoglycaemia were achieved with maintained overall glycaemic control: Mean HbA1c remained constant, slightly below 7.7% on both treatments.

Conclusions  The use of insulin aspart in an intensive insulin regimen in patients with tightly controlled Type 1 diabetes led to clinically significant reductions in major nocturnal hypoglycaemia with no deterioration in glycaemic control. Major nocturnal hypoglycaemia appears to be a strong clinical indication for the use of rapid‐acting insulin analogues during intensive insulin therapy.
Monetary and Fiscal Policy Rules in the EMU
Authors: Aarle Bas van , Huart Florence , Garretsen Harry
Published: November 2004

This paper studies the design and effects of monetary and fiscal policy in the euro area. To do so, a stylized two-region model of monetary and fiscal policy rules in the EMU is built. We analyse how monetary and fiscal rules affect the adjustment dynamics in the model. Both the effects on the individual countries and on the EMU aggregate economy are studied. Three aspects play an important role in the analysis: (i) the consequences of alternative monetary and fiscal policy rules, (ii) the consequences of asymmetries between EMU countries (asymmetries in macroeconomic shocks and macroeconomic structures), and (iii) the role of alternative degrees of backward- and forward-looking behaviour in consumer decisions and inflation expectations.
Spillover Dynamics of Central Bank Interventions
Authors: Westerhoff Frank H. , Wieland Cristian
Published: November 2004

Central banks frequently intervene in foreign exchange markets to reduce volatility or to correct misalignments. Such operations may be successful if they drive away destabilizing speculators. However, the speculators do not simply vanish but may reappear on other foreign exchange markets. Using a model in which traders are able to switch between foreign exchange markets, we demonstrate that while a central bank indeed has several means at hand to stabilize a specific market, the variability of the other markets depends on how the interventions are implemented.
Norm-Based Trade Union Membership: Evidence for Germany
Authors: Goerke Laszlo , Pannenberg Markus
Published: November 2004

In the absence of closed shops and discriminatory wage policies, union membership can be explained by the existence of social norms.We describe a model, incorporating institutional features of the German labour market, which explicitly allows for social custom effects in the determination of union membership. Using panel data for Germany, we find evidence for according effects which restrict freeriding. The impact of social norms tends to increase with net union density. Hence, observed reductions in the demand for union membership can weaken the impact of a norm and accentuate the free-rider problem.
Associations between weight status, physical activity, and consumption of biscuits, cakes and confectionery among young people in Britain
Authors: Gibson S. , Lambert J. , Neate D.
Published: November 2004

Summary  This study explored the associations between weight status, physical activity and diet among young people in Britain, with special reference to consumption of biscuits, cakes and confectionery (BCC) and the impact of under‐reporting and dieting. The sample consisted of 1294 children aged 7–18 years (655 boys and 639 girls) who had completed all three relevant aspects of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of Young People (i.e. 7‐day physical activity diary, 7‐day dietary record and weight/height measurement) (Gregory & Lowe 2000). Age‐adjusted body mass index (BMI) was positively associated with sedentary activity and inversely associated with moderate or vigorous activity among boys. Among girls, associations between BMI and activity were weaker. After adjustment for age, gender, under‐reporting and dieting, predictors of overweight in the logistic regression model included components of energy intakes, and energy expenditure. Each extra megajoule (MJ) of energy from BCC increased the odds of overweight by 24% (OR 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.52) while energy from other foods (per MJ) increased the odds by 76% (OR 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.55–2.0). In the same model, each hour in moderate/vigorous activity reduced the odds by 26% (OR 0.74, 95% confidence interval 0.61–0.90); while each hour watching television, playing computer games or listening to music increased it by 10% (OR 1.10, 95% confidence interval 1.0–1.21). Thus overweight young people were no more likely to over consume sweet foods (biscuits cakes and confectionery) than other sources of energy. We conclude that the problem of overweight needs to be seen in its multidimensional context, involving activity and inactivity, energy intake and food habits. Intervention studies are needed to establish cause and effect relationships, but good observational studies adjusted for confounders, can add to the evidence base.
Econometric modelling of non‐ferrous metal prices
Authors: Watkins Clinton , McAleer Michael
Published: November 2004

Abstract.  This article evaluates the significance of the empirical models and the distributional properties of prices in non‐ferrous metal spots and futures markets published in leading refereed economics and finance journals between 1980 and 2002. The survey focuses on econometric analyses of pricing and return models applied to exchange‐based spot and futures markets for the main industrially used non‐ferrous metals, namely aluminium, copper, lead, nickel, tin and zinc. Published empirical research is evaluated in the light of the type of contract examined, frequency of data used, choice of both dependent and explanatory variables, use of proxy variables, type of model chosen, economic hypotheses tested, methods of estimation and calculation of SEs for inference, reported descriptive statistics, use of diagnostic tests of auxiliary assumptions, use of nested and non‐nested tests, use of information criteria and empirical implications for non‐ferrous metals.
Goodbye to All That? The Rule of Law, International Law, the United States, and the Use of Force
Authors: Mansell Wade
Published: November 2004

The attitude of past United States administrations to public international law, particularly but not exclusively governing the use of force, has often seemed ambivalent, or sometimes decidedly hostile (where the conduct of the United States itself was called in to question). This paper considers the attitude of many of those with power or influence in the Bush administration (particularly that of the ‘neo‐conservatives’), and the implications of their often thinly disguised contempt for public international law which might seek to constrain the exercise of United States power. The conclusion is that while the academic arguments which seek to justify this American ‘exceptionalism’ are worthy of serious examination, they are ultimately inadequate and in the interests of neither the rest of the world, nor, finally, the United States itself.
Demonstrably Awful: The Right to Life and the Selective Non‐Treatment of Disabled Babies and Young Children
Authors: Read Janet , Clements Luke
Published: November 2004

Twenty‐five years ago it was common practice to bring about the deaths of some children with learning disabilities or physical impairments. This paper considers a small number of landmark cases in the early 1980s that confronted this practice. These cases illustrate a process by which external forces (social, philosophical, political, and professional) moved through the legal system to effect a profound change outside that system – primarily in the (then) largely closed domain of medical conduct/practice. These cases are considered from a socio‐legal perspective. In particular, the paper analyses the reasons why they surfaced at that time, the social and political contexts that shaped the judgments, and their legacy.
The Economics of Organization Structure Changes: a US perspective on demutualization
Authors: Chaddad Fabio R. , Cook Michael L.
Published: November 2004

Abstract The objective of this study is to contribute to the current debate on demutualization from a US perspective. We document waves of demutualization and review the empirical literature examining the economics of organizational structure changes that have occurred in the US savings and loan and insurance industries since the 1980s. Based on the review of the literature on the economics of conversions, we generate a set of general observations that might inform private and public policy perspectives on the future role of user owned and controlled organizations in market economies. In doing so, the paper may serve as a platform for further discussion among scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and cooperative leaders in their quest to understand and affect the ongoing process of demutualization.
Volunteer Labour Supply: the role of workers’ motivations
Authors: Cappellari Lorenzo , Turati Gilberto
Published: November 2004

Abstract In this paper we study the determinants of volunteering. We depart from previous literature that considers only economic incentives and investigate the role that extrinsic and intrinsic motivations play in shaping the supply of voluntary labour. We build on previous theoretical research and derive a framework for interpreting results from our econometric analysis. We consider a sample of Italian workers of which we can observe proxies of motivations and volunteering choices in three different sectors: social services, political activism and union activism. We make due allowance for the endogeneity of motivations and show that both types of motivations have an effect on volunteering. Consistently with theoretical models, we find extrinsic motivations to lower voluntary labour supply, whereas the opposite holds for intrinsic motivations.
Economic History of Asia: comparative perspectives
Authors: Van Der Eng Pierre
Published: November 2004

This article surveys studies that provide a comparative perspective on the economic history of Asia. The available paradigms tend to be extrapolations of the relatively well‐researched long‐term development of Japan and China. It remains to be seen whether these apply to other Asian countries, but they are likely to further comparative research that will help to focus scholarship on the crucial factors in understanding long‐term economic development in Asia.
Economic history of Taiwan: a survey
Authors: Wu Tsong‐Min
Published: November 2004

This article surveys research on Taiwan’s economic history for the past fifteen years, covering a period from approximately the eighteenth to early twentieth century. It discusses the works of economists as well as studies by researchers in history and other fields. The topics selected for the survey are: change of Taiwan’s per capita GDP in the long‐term; trade and development; aborigine property rights; and institutional change in the early Japanese colonial period.
The Context of Social Identity: Domination, Resistance, and Change
Authors: Reicher Stephen
Published: November 2004

The task of social psychology is to explain the flexibility of human beings in creating and relating to their social worlds. Social identity and self‐categorization theories provide a thoroughgoing interactionist framework for achieving such a task. However, in order to do so, it is necessary to avoid reductionist misreadings of the theories that would explain human social action simply by reference to psychological processes, without examining how the play of process depends on the cultural and structural settings in which they occur. More specifically, to the extent that self‐categories shape social action, flexibility is achieved through the categories to which we belong, the others with whom we compare ourselves, and the dimensions along which such comparisons occur. These are not a fixed aspect of the human condition but are a focus for argument precisely because of their world‐making consequences.
Contrasting Theoretical Approaches to Intergroup Relations
Authors: Huddy Leonie
Published: November 2004

The current forum is designed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of social identity, social dominance, and system justification as theoretical approaches to the study of intergroup relations. Each of these approaches tries to account for variation in the development of ingroup cohesion and outgroup antipathy among individual group members, across groups, and in different societies—three levels at which theorists have commonly sought explanations for variability in intergroup attitudes and behavior. Social dominance theory is the most ambitious of the theories but does not succeed in explaining intergroup relations equally well at all three levels. However, it has excelled in highlighting individual differences in the need and desire to dominate members of lower‐status groups and in exploring the interaction between individuals and institutions. Social identity theory is primarily concerned with the attributes of groups that foster the development of ingroup bias and examines the conditions under which this occurs. It is more fully developed in this respect than the other approaches but ignores variation at the individual level and, to a lesser degree, the societal level. System justification theory considers a mix of individual‐ and societal‐level factors, focusing on the role of support for the status quo in producing acceptance of status inequalities among members of low‐status groups, even when it is against their own interest to do so. The theory highlights an important problem—the quiescence of low‐status groups—but more work is needed to flesh out the theory and its central concepts.
STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN CHINA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH DURING THE REFORM PERIOD
Authors: Kawakami Tetsu
Published: November 2004

We identify some empirical evidences for the structural changes in the determinants of regional growth, disparities and the convergence speed to the per capita GDP equilibrium during the reform period of 1978–1998 in China. We estimate a growth regression model by augmenting the Solow model with a provincial‐level panel data set. The existence of conditional convergence is confirmed throughout the reform period, but the convergence speed is faster in the 1990s than the early reform period. Agro‐industry‐based rural development contributed to regional growth and eased interregional disparities in the early reform period. Foreign capital inflows took a significant leading role for regional growth during the 1990s, but aggravated interregional disparities. Education and non‐state enterprises were among the other keys for regional growth throughout the reform period. These results implies that for achieving sustainable and balanced growth in future, it is essential to extend foreign capital investment to the interior regions, in association with further development of human capital resource and non‐state local enterprises.
PROBING PARTIAL CHAINING UNDER SPATIAL COMPETITION IN VERTICAL MARKET STRUCTURE
Authors: Wako Tohru , Ohta Hiroshi
Published: November 2004

This paper probes impacts of partial chaining upon the cost structures of not only the chained and independent distributors under spatial competition, but also the monopolistic producer who manages differentiated distribution channels for heterogeneous retailers simultaneously. We assume vertically related but decentralized markets in upstream and downstream stages. Upon chaining, market areas of each chained (independent) store increase (decrease), the related retail prices decline (rise) and profits increase (decrease). Chaining also tends to lower the wholesale prices for the chain stores generally. While aggregate consumer surplus increases, profit for the producer not even directly chained also increases. Social surplus increases with chaining at the expense, however, of not only the remaining independent stores and their customers, but also the chain store's own customers partly at the market periphery.
Empowering teachers: empowering children? How can researchers initiate and research empowerment?
Authors: Smith Vivienne
Published: November 2004

The relationship between reading and empowerment, though often taken for granted, is complex. The paper describes a pilot research project, which sought to explore how teachers might change their practice in such a way as to empower the children in their care, rather than enculture them into the rather more passive and compliant practices of schooled literacy in the time of the National Literacy Strategy. The paper particularly explores the challenge of methodology: a project about empowerment needs emancipatory research methods. Can research empower, and can teachers, so dominated by the status quo, find the confidence to take on the responsibility that power confers? The paper describes the attempt to empower teachers and the researchers' attempt to gather evidence of that empowerment.
Penalized Triograms: Total Variation Regularization for Bivariate Smoothing
Authors: Koenker Roger , Mizera Ivan
Published: November 2004

Hansen, Kooperberg and Sardy introduced a family of continuous, piecewise linear functions defined over adaptively selected triangulations of the plane as a general approach to statistical modelling of bivariate densities and regression and hazard functions. These triograms enjoy a natural affine equivariance that offers distinct advantages over competing tensor product methods that are more commonly used in statistical applications. Triograms employ basis functions consisting of linear ‘tent functions’ defined with respect to a triangulation of a given planar domain. As in knot selection for univariate splines, Hansen and colleagues adopted the regression spline approach of Stone. Vertices of the triangulation are introduced or removed sequentially in an effort to balance fidelity to the data and parsimony. We explore a smoothing spline variant of the triogram model based on a roughness penalty adapted to the piecewise linear structure of the triogram model. We show that the roughness penalty proposed may be interpreted as a total variation penalty on the gradient of the fitted function. The methods are illustrated with real and artificial examples, including an application to estimated quantile surfaces of land value in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Strong Control, Conservative Point Estimation and Simultaneous Conservative Consistency of False Discovery Rates: A Unified Approach
Authors: Storey John D. , Taylor Jonathan E. , Siegmund David
Published: November 2004

The false discovery rate (FDR) is a multiple hypothesis testing quantity that describes the expected proportion of false positive results among all rejected null hypotheses. Benjamini and Hochberg introduced this quantity and proved that a particular step-up p-value method controls the FDR. Storey introduced a point estimate of the FDR for fixed significance regions. The former approach conservatively controls the FDR at a fixed predetermined level, and the latter provides a conservatively biased estimate of the FDR for a fixed predetermined significance region. In this work, we show in both finite sample and asymptotic settings that the goals of the two approaches are essentially equivalent. In particular, the FDR point estimates can be used to define valid FDR controlling procedures. In the asymptotic setting, we also show that the point estimates can be used to estimate the FDR conservatively over all significance regions simultaneously, which is equivalent to controlling the FDR at all levels simultaneously. The main tool that we use is to translate existing FDR methods into procedures involving empirical processes. This simplifies finite sample proofs, provides a framework for asymptotic results and proves that these procedures are valid even under certain forms of dependence.
Isomorphism in Information Carrying Systems
Authors: KULVICKI JOHN
Published: November 2004

Abstract:  For the information theorist, the lawful generalizations that subsume instantiations of properties in the environment and instantiations of properties of perceptual representations determine the latter's content. Perceptual representations are also commonly thought to be isomorphic to what they represent, which presents the information theorist with a puzzle. What role could isomorphism play in perceptual representation when lawful generalizations determine content? I show that in order for the information that they carry to be available to cognition, perceptual representations must be isomorphic with respect to the constituent structure of the properties that they represent. Isomorphism therefore plays an important role in the information theorist's account of perceptual representation, even though it plays no role in determining content.
GB virus C coinfection and vertical transmission in HIV‐infected mothers before the introduction of antiretroviral prophylaxis
Authors: Barqasho B , Navér L , Bohlin AB , Lindgren S , Hultgren C , Birk M
Published: November 2004

Objectives

To investigate the prevalence of GB virus C (GBV‐C) viraemia and GBV‐C antibodies in a cohort of HIV‐infected mothers and their infants between 1987 and 1994.

Methods

GBV‐C viraemia and antibodies were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 52 HIV‐infected mothers and their 53 infants, who were born before antiretroviral prophylaxis for reduction of HIV transmission was introduced at the end of 1994. Ten of these children acquired HIV.

Results

Mothers of three children had GBV‐C viraemia and mothers of another 14 children carried antibodies against GBV‐C. No mother had GBV‐C antibodies and GBV‐C viraemia simultaneously. GBV‐C viraemia was detected in only one infant. This child was delivered by the vaginal route to a mother with GBV‐C viraemia, and was not HIV‐infected. No vertical transmission of GBV‐C occurred from mothers with GBV‐C antibodies. However, four of 10 children who were infected with HIV had a mother with past or ongoing GBV‐C infection.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the risk of vertical transmission of GBV‐C is not elevated in HIV‐infected mothers. Furthermore, although the number of HIV‐1‐infected children was low, we saw no evidence that the presence of ongoing or past GBV‐C infection influenced the probability of vertical HIV transmission.
Epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic features of AIDS‐related Mycobacterium kansasii infection during the HIV pandemic: an 11‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Manfredi R , Nanetti A , Valentini R , Ferri M , Morelli S , Calza L
Published: November 2004

Objectives

Optimal diagnosis and timely treatment of atypical mycobacteriosis, and especially Mycobacterium kansasii disease, remain a serious challenge for clinicians engaged in the management of the immunocompromised host.

Methods and Results

From more than 2700 hospitalizations (over 1800 patients) attributable to HIV‐associated disorders over an 11‐year period, 12 patients were found to have a confirmed M. kansasii infection. This reflects the recent reduction in the frequency of this HIV‐related complication, which virtually disappeared after the introduction of potent antiretroviral combinations in 1996. In the early 1990s, the lack of effective antiretroviral regimens made frequent the association with AIDS, a mean CD4 lymphocyte count of nearly 20 cells/μL, and an extremely variable chest X‐ray features. The recent detection of a further case was attributable to late recognition of very advanced HIV disease, complicated by multiple opportunistic disorders.

Conclusions

Mycobacterium kansasii respiratory or disseminated infection continues to occur, and poses diagnostic problems in terms of late or missed identification as a result of slow culture and frequently concurrent opportunistic disease. Serious therapeutic difficulties also arise from the unpredictable in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility profile of these organisms, and from the need to start an effective combination therapy that does not interfere with other medications as soon as possible.
Changes in hospital admissions across Europe: 1995–2003. Results from the EuroSIDA study
Authors: Mocroft A , D'Arminio Monforte A , Kirk O , Johnson MA , Friis‐Moller N , Banhegyi D , Blaxhult A , Mulcahy F , Gatell JM , Lundgren JD ,   for the EuroSIDA study group
Published: November 2004

Objectives

To describe changes in the proportions of patients admitted to hospital and the duration of admission during the month of March between 1995 and 2003 and to describe the factors related to admission for 9802 patients from EuroSIDA, a pan‐European, observational cohort study.

Methods

Generalized estimating equations were used to determine changes over time in the proportion of patients admitted and the median duration of admission. Logistic regression was used to determine factors related to admission in March 1995, March 1998 and March 2001.

Results

The proportion of patients admitted during March declined from 7.4% in 1995 to 2.6% in 2003. After adjustment, the estimated reduction in the proportion of patients admitted was 5.5% per year [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5–8.5%; P=0.0004], a 26% reduction. The median duration of hospital admission declined by 58% from 12 days in 1995 [interquartile range (IQR) 5–19 days] to 5 days in 2003 (IQR 3–12 days), a significant decline of 0.7 days per year after adjustment (95% CI 0.5–0.9 days; P=0.031). Patients with a lower CD4 lymphocyte count, and with an AIDS diagnosis made within the 3 months prior to March, all had increased odds of admission during March 1995, 1998 or 2001. In March 2001, patients whose treatment regimen was changed as a consequence of toxicities had increased odds of admission [odds ratio (OR) 2.34; 95% CI 1.26–4.37; P=0.0074]. In addition, patients who were hepatitis C virus‐positive during March 2001 (OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.02–2.68; P=0.041) had increased odds of admission.

Conclusions

There has been a considerable decline in both the proportion of patients admitted to hospital and the median duration of the stay. Patients with hepatitis C had increased odds of admission, but there was little evidence of an increase in admissions among patients taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) associated with serious adverse events, although longer follow up is required.
Implicit Morality
Authors: CRACRAFT JAMES
Published: November 2004

Let us strive then to think well; that is the first principle of morality.

Pascal, Pensées, 1670

Most historians today have abandoned the aspiration to a kind of scientific objectivity in their work—pace their postmodernist critics. Yet we cling nonetheless, with a touch perhaps of hypocrisy, to the closely related standard of strict impartiality, or moral neutrality, in all that we do. This article argues that the latter is as obsolete, now, as the former—if only because of the distinctive though largely implicit moral character of almost all published history, all but the most technically specialized. The issue is not one of professional ethics, narrowly construed; obviously some such code must be maintained if history itself is to thrive. Rather historians are urged both to clarify the basic moral values that inevitably inform their work and to make more explicit, and thus intelligible, their ensuant moral judgments. They are also urged to discharge the task in a way that is commensurate with the pluralist, indeed global, challenges of our time. The implicit morality of conventional historical practice, in short, is no longer good enough.
Historians and Their Duties
Authors: GORMAN JONATHAN
Published: November 2004

We need to specify what ethical responsibility historians, as historians, owe, and to whom. We should distinguish between natural duties and (non‐natural) obligations, and recognize that historians' ethical responsibility is of the latter kind. We can discover this responsibility by using the concept of “accountability”. Historical knowledge is central. Historians' central ethical responsibility is that they ought to tell the objective truth. This is not a duty shared with everybody, for the right to truth varies with the audience. Being a historian is essentially a matter of searching for historical knowledge as part of an obligation voluntarily undertaken to give truth to those who have a right to it. On a democratic understanding, people need and are entitled to an objective understanding of the historical processes in which they live. Factual knowledge and judgments of value are both required, whatever philosophical view we might have of the possibility of a principled distinction between them. Historians owe historical truth not only to the living but to the dead. Historians should judge when that is called for, but they should not distort historical facts. The rejection of postmodernism's moralism does not free historians from moral duties. Historians and moral philosophers alike are able to make dispassionate moral judgments, but those who feel untrained should be educated in moral understanding. We must ensure the moral and social responsibility of historical knowledge. As philosophers of history, we need a rational reconstruction of moral judgments in history to help with this.
Financial Penalties: Who Pays, Who Doesn't and Why Not?
Authors: Raine John , Dunstan Eileen , Mackie Alan
Published: November 2004

Abstract: Against the background of a new emphasis by government on the use and enforcement of financial penalties, this article explores some of the realities and problems that currently associate with this form of judicial and administrative sanction, and highlights some of the operational and practice challenges to be addressed if, indeed, financial penalties are to play a more significant role in the future. The article does this, in particular, by drawing on research conducted for the Home Office from 2000 to 2002 and based in the magistrates' courts of England and Wales. This study provides an analysis of the non‐payment or default problem and specifically focuses on the lessons to be learned about the suitability of financial penalties for different circumstances.
The politics of Europe 2003: differences and disagreements
Authors: Jones Erik
Published: November 2004

The European Union (EU) was supposed to make a great leap forward in 2003. In many ways, it did. The European Convention presented its draft constitutional treaty. The 10 candidate countries signed and ratified their treaties of accession, and the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) agreed to share institutional resources. However, the year was marked more by division than by achievement. A series of crises over Iraq, the Stability and Growth Pact and the intergovernmental conference together shook confidence in the future of Europe. This essay examines what the implications of these crises are for Europe’s future. It argues that they represent important disagreements––but not lasting differences––between the member states. The politics of Europe remains on track at the intergovernmental level. If there are problems in Europe’s future, they are more likely to arise between elites and voters than between the member states.