bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fiscal Rules, Interest Payments on Debt, and the Irrelevance of the Taylor Principle
Authors: Linnemann Ludger , Schabert Andreas
Published: October 2015

We show that in New Keynesian models with non‐neutral government debt, the Taylor principle ceases to be relevant for equilibrium determinacy if the government follows a fiscal rule of levying taxes in proportion to its interest payments on existing debt. This is in contrast with previous studies, which typically have assumed that taxes respond to the level of debt, and have found either a confirmation or reversal of the Taylor principle depending on the feedback from debt to taxes. We find, instead, that the equilibrium effect of the interest rate on debt is crucial for determinacy. If, as in our model, taxes are raised in response to debt interest payments, the range of indeterminacy monotonically decreases with the fiscal feedback parameter. When interest payments are completely tax‐financed, indeterminacy is ruled out without any restrictions on monetary policy.
Competitive Balance: Time Series Lessons from the English Premier League
Authors: Lee Young Hoon , Fort Rodney
Published: October 2015

Structural break points in the First Division/English Premier League time series of competitive balance identify an Early Period, a Pre‐World War II Period, a Post‐War Period, and a Modern Period. The Early Period corresponds to technology diffusion (defense and tactics) along with important economic structural imposition by leagues. The war periods are common to many time series. The Modern Period's sharp decline in balance corresponds to the newest version of the Champions League in 1994/1995 and the Bosman Ruling of 1995. Rottenberg's invariance principle suggests that it would be the former, rather than the latter, responsible for the historical rate of decline that follows this structural break.
Firm Growth, European Industry Dynamics and Domestic Business Cycles
Authors: Oberhofer Harald
Published: October 2015

Based on the empirical firm growth literature and on heterogeneous (microeconomic) adjustment models, this paper empirically investigates the impact of European industry fluctuations and domestic business cycles on the growth performance of European firms. Since the implementation of the Single Market Program the 27 EU member states share a common market. Accordingly, the European industry business cycle is expected to become a more influential predictor of European firms’ behavior at the expense of domestic fluctuations. Empirically, the results of a two‐part model for a sample of European manufacturing firms reject this hypothesis. In addition, exporting firms and subsidiaries of multinational enterprises constitute the most stable firm cohort throughout the observed business cycle.
The World Trade Network
Authors: De Benedictis Luca , Tajoli Lucia
Published: October 2015

This study uses the tools of network analysis to graphically and analytically represent the characteristics of world trade. The structure of the World Trade Network is compared over time, detecting and interpreting patterns of trade ties among countries. The results show that the trading system has become more intensely interconnected, and trade integration at the world level has been increasing, but it is still far from being complete, with the exception of a few areas. At the same time, we observed a strong and increasing heterogeneity in countries’ choice of trade partners, with countries holding very different positions within the network, so that it is very difficult to talk of a representative country in the international trade system. Network indices were also used in a gravity model regression, adding to the explanatory power of the model. Furthermore, the analysis shows that trade policies do play a role in shaping the trade network, and that WTO members are more closely connected than the rest of the world. The structural difference between the extensive and the intensive margin of trade is also highlighted. An important feature of these results is that they pertain to the trading system as a whole, giving a unified view of the system characteristics and complexity.
UNCONVENTIONAL MONETARY POLICIES: AN APPRAISAL
Authors: BORIO CLAUDIO , DISYATAT PITI
Published: October 2015

This paper sets out a framework for classifying and thinking about unconventional monetary policies, highlighting how they can be viewed within the overall context of monetary policy implementation. The framework clarifies the differences among the various forms of unconventional monetary policy, provides a systematic characterization of the wide range of central bank responses to the recent crisis, helps to underscore the channels of transmission and identifies some of the main policy challenges. In the process, the paper also addresses a number of contentious analytical issues, notably the role of bank reserves and their inflationary consequences.
Condylomata, cytological abnormalities and human papillomavirus infection in the anal canal in HIV‐infected men
Authors: Darwich L , Cañadas MP , Videla S , Coll J , Piñol M , Cobarsi P , Molina‐López RA , Vela S , García‐Cuyás F , Llatjos M , Sirera G , Clotet B ,   the HIV‐HPV Can Ruti Team
Published: October 2015

Background

Genital infections with low‐risk (LR) and high‐risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes are associated with ano‐genital condylomata and anal squamous cell cancer. HPV‐related pathologies in HIV‐infected men are a serious concern. In this study, the prevalence of anal condylomata and their association with cytological abnormalities and HPV infection in the anal canal in HIV‐infected men [men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexuals] were estimated.

Methods

This was a cross‐sectional study based on the first visits of patients in the Can Ruti HIV‐positive Men (CARH·MEN) cohort. Anal condylomata were assessed by clinical and proctological examination. Samples from the anal canal were collected for HPV genotyping and cytological diagnoses.

Results

A total of 640 HIV‐infected men (473 MSM and 167 heterosexuals) were included in the study. The overall prevalence of anal condylomata was 25% [157 of 640; 95% confidence interval (CI) 21–28%]; in MSM it was 28% and in heterosexuals it was 15% [odds ratio (OR) 2.2; 95% CI 1.4–3.5]. In patients with anal condylomata, HPV infection in the anal canal was more prevalent (92% vs. 67% in those without anal condylomata; OR 8.5; 95% CI 3.2–22). This higher HPV prevalence involved at least two HPV genotypes (OR 4.0; 95% CI 2.2–7.1), mainly HR genotypes (OR 3.3; 95% CI 1.7–6.4). Similarly, the cumulative prevalence of HPV‐6 and HPV‐11 was higher in patients with anal condylomata (63% vs. 19% in those without anal condylomata). Having anal condylomata was associated with higher prevalences of cytological abnormalities (83% vs. 32% in those without anal condylomata; OR 6.9; 95% CI 3.8–12.7) and high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) (9% vs. 3% in those without anal condylomata; OR 9.0; 95% CI 2.9–28.4) in the anal canal.

Conclusions

HIV‐infected men with anal condylomata were at risk of presenting HSILs and harbouring multiple HR HPV infections in the anal canal. Although MSM presented the highest prevalence of anal condylomata, heterosexual men also had a clinically important prevalence. Our findings emphasize the importance of screening and follow‐up for condylomata in the anal canal in HIV‐infected men.
Do Changes in Product Variety Matter for Business Cycles and Monetary Policy in Open Economies?
Authors: Auray Stéphane , Eyquem Aurélien
Published: October 2015

Firms constantly seek to develop and commercialize new goods to satisfy consumer needs. This process of creation and destruction of product varieties has important implications for competition in goods markets and consumer welfare. According to Bernard et al. (2009), product creation typically accounts for a large share of national output. Since it also crucially affects the dynamics of inflation through its effect on competition, taking this process into account may challenge traditional views on monetary policy design and transmission. In this paper, we find that changes in the range of products available to consumers matter for our understanding of business cycles and the conduct of monetary policy in open economies. Our evaluation of the welfare implications of alternative monetary policy rules shows the importance of product varieties in the design of monetary policy. Much theoretical literature has found that price stability should be the key objective of monetary policy. Considering product creation in an open economy changes this policy recommendation, since welfare is higher when central banks respond moderately to output fluctuations in addition to responding to inflation.
Accounting Discretion and Fair Value Reporting: A Study of US Banks’ Fair Value Reporting of Mortgage‐Backed‐Securities
Authors: Cheng Kang
Published: October 2015

Abstract:  This study looks at US banks’ fair value reporting of mortgage‐backed‐securities (MBS) before and after a new accounting rule, FSP 157–3, Determining the Fair Value of a Financial Asset When the Market for That Asset Is Not Active, initially issued by the US Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) and later adopted by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) into IFRS No. 13 Fair Value Measurement. FSP 157–3 allows for additional accounting discretion in fair value reporting when the market for a financial asset is inactive and significant adjustment needs to be exercised in estimating fair value. By evaluating MBS’ fair value reporting against observable economic factors, firm‐specific reporting incentives, and the reporting entity's mortgage‐banking activities, this study makes inference on the relationship between accounting discretion exercised under FSP 157–3 and any unobservable, private information conveyed in the MBS’ fair value reporting. Empirical results indicate that additional accounting discretion has been exercised in MBS’ fair value reporting under FSP 157–3. While MBS’ fair value reporting is less associated with economic factors and firm‐specific characters under the new rule, it is reflective of the reporting entity's mortgage‐banking activities.
The Impact of Earnings Predictability on Bank Loan Contracting
Authors: Hasan Iftekhar , Park Jong Chool , Wu Qiang
Published: October 2015

Abstract:  This study examines how earnings predictability affects bank loan contracting. Using a sample of 8,022 US bank loan contracts, we find that firms with more predictable earnings have more favorable loan terms, such as lower interest rates, longer maturities, and fewer covenants and collateral requirements. These results are robust to alternative specifications and earnings predictability measures. Additional analyses indicate that the relation between earnings predictability and bank loan cost varies with the availability of private information about borrowers, lenders’ monitoring incentives, the competition between banks and bond investors, and firm size. Overall, this study demonstrates that earnings predictability is an important determinant in the design of bank lending contracts affecting both price and nonprice loan terms.
Has the Regulation of Pro Forma Reporting in the US Changed Investors’ Perceptions of Pro Forma Earnings Disclosures?
Authors: Black Dirk E. , Black Ervin L. , Christensen Theodore E. , Heninger William G.
Published: October 2015

Abstract:  We explore whether investors’ perceptions of pro forma earnings numbers have changed following the regulation of pro forma reporting imposed by the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). First, we find that investors appear to pay more attention to pro forma earnings disclosures in the post‐SOX period, consistent with the notion that they perceive that regulation generally renders these disclosures more credible. Second, the results indicate that investors discount aggressive pro forma earnings reports in both periods. However, they appear to discount at least some potentially misleading pro forma earnings disclosures more in the post‐SOX period. Finally, our results imply that the regulation of pro forma reporting has increased the average quality of pro forma earnings disclosures by filtering out those that are most likely to be misleading. These results are consistent with the conclusions that (1) the quality of pro forma reporting has improved following SOX, and (2) investors’ perceptions of pro forma earnings metrics have changed in the post‐SOX regulatory environment.
Rifaximin improves thrombocytopenia in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis in association with reduction of endotoxaemia
Authors: Kalambokis Georgios N. , Mouzaki Athanasia , Rodi Maria , Tsianos Epameinondas V.
Published: October 2015

Background

Thrombocytopenia is a major haematological disorder of cirrhosis with unclear pathogenesis. Endotoxaemia resulting from intestinal bacterial overgrowth could reduce platelet counts directly or through cytokine release.

Aims

To correlate endotoxaemia with platelet counts and study the effects of intestinal decontamination with rifaximin on thrombocytopenia in relation to changes in endotoxin and cytokine concentrations in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Methods

Platelet counts, plasma endotoxin levels and serum interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) levels were measured in 23 thrombocytopenic cirrhotic patients (platelet count<150 000/μl) before and after 4‐week treatment with rifaximin 1200 mg/d (n = 13) or no treatment (n = 10) and at baseline in 10 cirrhotic patients without thrombocytopenia; spleen size was measured at baseline in all patients.

Results

Endotoxin and IL‐6 levels were significantly higher in patients with thrombocytopenia than in those without thrombocytopenia (2.76 ± 0.69 vs. 0.64 ± 0.09 EU/ml; P < 0.001 and 24.26 ± 3.38 vs. 2.66 ± 0.74 pg/ml; P = 0.001 respectively). Platelet counts were inversely correlated with endotoxin levels (r = −0.589; P = 0.003), Child‐Pugh score (r = −0.625; P = 0.001), IL‐6 levels (r = −0.464; P = 0.02) and spleen size (r = −0.455; P = 0.02) in patients with thrombocytopenia. Following rifaximin, platelet counts increased significantly (83 100 ± 9700 vs. 99 600 ± 11 200/μl; P = 0.006) in line with significant reductions in endotoxin (1.28 ± 0.41 vs. 2.54 ± 0.86 EU/ml; P = 0.005), IL‐1 (3.1 ± 0.5 vs. 4.4 ± 1.2 pg/ml; P = 0.04), IL‐6 (12.8 ± 2.5 vs. 21.1 ± 4.2 pg/ml; P = 0.01) and TNF‐α (3.6 ± 1.3 vs. 5.8 ± 1.7; P = 0.02) levels. Platelet count changes were correlated with the changes in endotoxin (r = 0.573; P = 0.04), TNF‐α (r = 0.554; P = 0.05) and IL‐6 (r = 0.495; P = 0.07) levels.

Conclusions

Rifaximin improves cirrhosis‐related thrombocytopenia and this could be related with the reduction of endotoxaemia.
A randomized, controlled, double‐blind prospective trial with a Lipido‐Colloid Technology‐Nano‐OligoSaccharide Factor wound dressing in the local management of venous leg ulcers
Authors: Meaume Sylvie , Truchetet François , Cambazard Frédéric , Lok Catherine , Debure Clélia , Dalac Sophie , Lazareth Isabelle , Sigal Michèle‐Léa , Sauvadet Anne , Bohbot Serge , Dompmartin Anne ,   the CHALLENGE Study Group
Published: October 2015

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are the most prevalent chronic wounds in western countries with a heavy socioeconomic impact. Compression therapy is the etiologic treatment of VLU but until now no wound dressing has been shown to be more effective than another. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a new dressing in the management of VLU. Adult patients presenting a noninfected VLU and receiving effective compression therapy were enrolled in this randomized, controlled, double‐blind trial. The VLUs were assessed every 2 weeks for 8 weeks. The primary study outcome was the relative Wound Area Reduction (WAR, in %), and the secondary objectives were absolute WAR, healing rate, and percentage of wounds with >40% surface area reduction. One hundred eighty‐seven patients were randomly allocated to treatment groups. Median WAR was 58.3% in the Lipido‐Colloid Technology‐Nano‐OligoSaccharide Factor (TLC‐NOSF) dressing group (test group) and 31.6% in the TLC dressing group (control group) (difference: −26.7%; 95% confidence interval: −38.3 to −15.1%; p = 0.002). All other efficacy outcomes were also significant in favor of the TLC‐NOSF dressing group. Clinical outcomes for patients treated with the new dressing are superior to those patients treated with the TLC dressing (without NOSF compound), suggesting a strong promotion of the VLU healing process.
Firm Productivity and the Foreign‐Market Entry Decision
Authors: Raff Horst , Ryan Michael , Stähler Frank
Published: October 2015

We use Japanese firm‐level data to examine how a firm’s productivity affects its foreign‐market entry strategy. The firm faces a choice between exporting and foreign direct investment (FDI). In the case of FDI, the firm has two options: greenfield investment or acquisition of an existing plant (M&A). If it selects greenfield investment, it has two ownership choices: whole ownership or a joint venture with a local company. Controlling for industry‐ and country‐specific characteristics, we find that the more productive a firm is, the more likely it is to choose FDI rather than exporting and greenfield investment rather than M&A.
Job Assignments under Moral Hazard: The Peter Principle Revisited
Authors: Koch Alexander K. , Nafziger Julia
Published: October 2015

We show that inefficient job assignments arise in organizations even if there is full information about employees’ types and complete contracts are possible. Our model also provides a new perspective on the Peter Principle: the output of an employee who is promoted into a job for which he is not well suited need not decline postpromotion, because he is pushed to exert more effort. Although promotions are desirable for most employees, they make the least able in a hierarchy level worse off: for them earnings increase only because they work harder to compensate for their “incompetence.”
Effect of the Political System on Local Financial Condition: Empirical Evidence for Spain's Largest Municipalities
Authors: GARCIA‐SANCHEZ ISABEL M. , MORDAN NOEMI , PRADO‐LORENZO JOSE MANUEL
Published: October 2015

The significant relationship between public spending and political system has led to a considerable increase in the studies being carried out to analyze how the latter affects public spending, debt, and fiscal pressures. Given the effect that municipal finance has on the quantity and quality of the public services that future generations will enjoy, the aim of this study is to analyze the effect that political ideology and strength have on local government management overall through analysis of the financial condition. With this goal in mind, the study applied panel data methods that allow unobservable heterogeneity to be controlled to a sample of 153 of Spain's largest municipalities for the 1988–2008 period. The results show that the municipalities governed by progressive political parties are worse off financially than those governed by conservatives. Likewise, strong citizen support guarantees greater budgetary solvency.
Municipal Bond New Issue Transaction Costs
Authors: ROBBINS MARK D. , SIMONSEN BILL
Published: October 2015

As with any market, there are transaction costs associated with the sale of municipal bonds. Only a small number of studies have examined this topic, and therefore we have only a limited understanding of the magnitude and determinants of new issue municipal bond transaction costs. We use data on California municipal bond transaction costs from 2007 to 2009 to test whether scale economies exist. We find that there are considerable transaction cost scale economies for California municipal bonds and that pooling bond sales would likely save substantial amounts of money.
Modest Expectations: Gender and Property Rights in Urban Mexico
Authors: Varley Ann
Published: October 2015

This article examines gender and property in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the light of debates that oppose formal title to the social embeddedness of rights in customary law and assert that titling is bad for women. The article focuses on urban homes, private property, and civil law but finds that qualities regarded as characterizing customary property relations also shape popular understandings of property in urban Mexico. Discussion groups and social surveys in four low-income neighborhoods addressed two aspects of family law and property: whose name should appear on titles, and who should inherit the home. The results show that women, as wives, sisters, and daughters, have a secondary relationship to property. They also suggest that the opposition of individual title to socially embedded rights is a false dichotomy and that generalizing arguments about formalization and especially the negative gender implications of titling risks replicating the universalizing tendencies of Western property models.
The Nature of Circuit Court Gatekeeping Decisions
Authors: Kaheny Erin B.
Published: October 2015

This article provides an analysis of the nature of circuit court threshold decisions. Specifically, a model sensitive to the institutional context of the circuits is developed and tested across all threshold decisions in the sample and in more limited samples of proper party and proper forum votes. The results suggest that circuit court gatekeeping is a function of multiple factors, including circuit court law, litigant status, the lower court decision, and, at times, the ideological preferences of the circuit judge or that of his or her circuit.
‘Us’ and ‘Them’: the origin of identity, and its economic implications
Authors: Eaton B. Curtis , Eswaran Mukesh , Oxoby Robert J.
Published: October 2015

AbstractWe investigate the origins of identity and the innate proclivity to draw a distinction between ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’. We propose an evolutionary explanation: we argue that identity arises because it facilitates survival. In an evolutionary setting we endogenize preferences and demonstrate that the evolutionarily stable preferences fashioned by natural selection would distinguish between insiders and outsiders. We then work out the implications of such preferences in two contemporary scenarios, one entailing rent‐seeking behaviour and the other involving public good provision. Our results are in conformity with empirical evidence.
Why ‘Buy American’ is a bad idea but politicians still like it
Authors: Larch Mario , Lechthaler Wolfgang
Published: October 2015

Abstract When the world economy was recently hit by a severe recession, governments all over the world reacted by initiating stimulus packages. Some countries (among them, most notably, China and the US) tried to put special emphasis on their home industries by including ‘Buy National’ clauses into the stimulus package. By analyzing the dynamics of transitory changes of trade barriers as a short‐run response to an economic downturn, we show that beggar‐thy‐neighbour policies do not work. We then come up with two rationales that help us understand why countries nevertheless consider protectionism to be a good response to a recession: (i) the lobbying of domestic, non‐exporting firms, and (ii) the relationship between vulnerability, the degree of openness and loss aversion of consumers.
A bioeconomic view of the transition to agriculture: a comment
Authors: Rowthorn Robert
Published: October 2015

Abstract Arthur Robson (2010) presents an ingenious model to explain why the standard of living apparently fell during the Neolithic transition from hunter‐gathering to agriculture. His demonstration relies on a production function that has a strong property with regard to technical change. This note shows how Robson’s result can be obtained using a more familiar set of restrictions on technical change. Under these restrictions, an improvement in technology will cause parents to invest less per child and the standard of living will fall.
Moral Agency, Cognitive Distortion, and Narrative Strategy in the Rehabilitation of Sexual Offenders
Authors: Waldram James B.
Published: October 2015

Abstract
Employing a framework at the intersection of psychological anthropology and narrative theory, I provide a critique of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) approaches to sexual offender rehabilitation. I demonstrate that what forensic psychologists refer to as a “cognitive distortion” or “thinking error” is often embedded within a broader narrative, and that these narratives reveal the existence of identifiable strategies designed to communicate something salient, enduring, and moral about the offender. Through the examination of narratives offered by imprisoned sexual offenders, several such narrative strategies containing the seeds of moral agency are identified. It is suggested that CBT's current focus on cognitive distortions effectively eliminates this narrative context and thus serves to disguise and even eradicate the positive, moral notions of self that most offenders exhibit in some form or another. A rehabilitative approach that works with narrative, facilitating development of shared narratives among offenders and therapists, would allow for the emergence of a plan for morally agentive living, transcending what is currently possible within the hostile, challenging framework of CBT. [narrative theory; cognitive behavior therapy; moral agency; sexual offenders; prisons]
Specters of Uncertainty: Violence, Humor, and the Uncanny in Indo‐Fijian Communities Following the May 2000 Fiji Coup
Authors: Trnka Susanna
Published: October 2015

AbstractOn May 19, 2000, armed rebels stormed the Fiji Parliament, unleashing months of political turmoil and military and civilian violence. Indo‐Fijians were among the hardest hit as racial violence targeting their communities spread rapidly across the nation. Among the variety of their responses to these traumatic events were moments of spontaneous joking and laughter. In this article I examine how, in a time of intense fear and confusion, a sense of “normality” and a return to the “everyday” were constructed through such collective acts of humor. Following up on Freud's fleeting acknowledgement of the thin line that separates the frighteningly familiar or uncanny (das Unheimliche) from the pleasurably and absurdly incongruous, I consider the role that humor came to play in both acknowledging and tempering the specter of uncertainty that haunted postcoup constructions of sociality.
Critical Postcolonial Dance Pedagogy: The Relevance of West African Dance Education in the United States
Authors: Cruz Banks Ojeya
Published: October 2015

This dance ethnography examines work conducted by the Dambe Project—a nonprofit organization that specializes in African performing arts education and mentorship. The study focuses on the implications of the organization's dance pedagogy in light of its postcolonial context and the importance of West African dance education in the United States. The study strives to be a conversation between the fields of anthropology and education, dance studies and postcolonial studies. [pedagogy, African dance, urban education, decolonization]
From Militancy to Clientelism: Labor Union Strategies and Membership Trajectories in Contemporary Chile
Authors: Palacios-Valladares Indira
Published: October 2015

For the past 30 years, Chilean unionism has been shrinking. Through a comparison of the membership trajectories of 26 unions in two firms between 1990 and 2004, this article explains why some unions defied this trend and how their success affected overall union density in their firms. It argues that the unions that experienced the most favorable membership outcomes were those that, at key junctures of firm restructuring, earliest or most aggressively established a partnership relationship with management. However, in a context of great labor weakness, these cases of union accommodation took the form of exclusive patron-client exchanges, which exacerbated collective action problems and further eroded union density.
Patch testing and contact allergens in Ethiopia – results of 514 contact dermatitis patients using the European baseline series
Authors: Bilcha Kassahun Desalegn , Ayele Adane , Shibeshi Dagnachew , Lovell Christopher
Published: October 2015

Background: Patch testing is essential to diagnose allergic contact dermatitis. Dermatologists in many countries use a baseline (standard) series covering the major allergens responsible for allergic contact dermatitis in their population, with the addition of relevant allergens for the individual patient. However, a baseline series has not yet been developed for Ethiopia. Our objective in this study is to identify common contact allergens to form the basis of a future baseline series in Ethiopia.

Methodology: We patch tested 514 subjects with dermatitis according to the recommended procedure using the European baseline series for 1 year.

Results: 52.7% of the tested subjects showed positive reaction for at least one allergen tested. The top five contact allergens identified were nickel sulfate, fragrance mix I, cobalt chloride, p‐tert‐butylphenolformaldehyde (PTBP) resin and potassium dichromate. Positive reactions to nickel and PTBP were commoner in females. PTBP positivity was strongly associated with foot eczema. Positive test reactions were commoner in cement workers, notably to potassium dichromate, which was also a commoner allergen in patients presenting with hand dermatitis. There were no reactions to several allergens, including neomycin, benzocaine, budesonide, primin and quaternium‐15.

Conclusion: Comparable patch test results with other countries have been shown and the European baseline series can be used as a baseline series in Ethiopia with some modification.
Determining thymic output quantitatively: using models to interpret experimental T‐cell receptor excision circle (TREC) data
Authors: Ribeiro Ruy M. , Perelson Alan S.
Published: October 2015

Summary:  T cells develop in the thymus and then are exported to the periphery. As one ages, the lymphoid mass of the thymus decreases, and a concomitant decrease in the ability to produce new T cells results. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects CD4+ T cells and, hence, can also affect thymic function. Here we discuss experimental techniques and mathematical models that aim to quantify the rate of thymic export. We focus on a recent technique involving the quantification of T‐cell receptor excision circles (TRECs). We discuss how proper interpretation of TREC data necessitates the critical development of appropriate mathematical models. We review the theory for interpretation of TREC data during aging, HIV infection, and anti‐retroviral treatment. Also, we show how TRECs can be used to accurately quantify thymic output in the context of thymectomy experiments. We show that mathematical models are not only useful but absolutely necessary for these analyses. As such, they should be taken as just another tool in the immunologist’s arsenal.
Computer immunology
Authors: Forrest Stephanie , Beauchemin Catherine
Published: October 2015

Summary:  This review describes a body of work on computational immune systems that behave analogously to the natural immune system. These artificial immune systems (AIS) simulate the behavior of the natural immune system and in some cases have been used to solve practical engineering problems such as computer security. AIS have several strengths that can complement wet lab immunology. It is easier to conduct simulation experiments and to vary experimental conditions, for example, to rule out hypotheses; it is easier to isolate a single mechanism to test hypotheses about how it functions; agent‐based models of the immune system can integrate data from several different experiments into a single in silico experimental system.
Abusive supervision and workplace deviance: the mediating role of interactional justice and the moderating role of power distance
Authors: Wang Wei , Mao Jiye , Wu Weiku , Liu Jun
Published: October 2015

This study replicates previous studies by examining the effects of abusive supervision on employee deviant behaviours in the Chinese organisational context. It extends the existing research of abusive supervision by investigating the mediating role of the perception of interactional justice and the moderating role of individual‐level power distance in the link between abusive supervision and workplace deviance. Regression analyses on data of 283 employee–supervisor dyads revealed that the perception of interactional justice mediates the link between abusive supervision and workplace deviance. We also found that abusive supervision has a stronger negative relationship with the perception of interactional justice for employees low in power distance than for employees high in power distance. These findings provide both replications of and extensions to western theories of abusive supervision and workplace deviance. Practical implications of this study include hints for reducing both financial and psychological costs of deviant behaviour.
“Regrettable but Necessary?” A Historical and Theoretical Study of the Rise of the U.K. Immigration Detention Estate and Its Opposition
Authors: Silverman Stephanie J.
Published: October 2015

This article explores both the official history of immigration detention in the United Kingdom as well as a lesser‐known narrative of challenges to the practice. After outlining the legislative development of the U.K. detention estate, the study uses original research to demonstrate that Parliament, the courts, and civil society have historically been the sites of disagreement with both the supposedly benign nature of immigration detention as well as its promulgation as an ancillary tool to immigration control. The article also employs explanatory and normative theories to make sense of the continuing expansion of immigration detention across liberal states despite the moral outcry. The primary finding is that the U.K. government's attempts to normalize immigration detention have not been wholly successful.

Related Articles

Jenkins‐Smith, Hank C., and Kerry G. Herron. 2009. “.” Politics & Policy 37 (): 1095‐1129. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00215.x/abstract

Sabia, Debra. 2010. “?” Politics & Policy 38 (): 53‐80. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00228.x/abstract

Related Media

Report: by Silverman, Stephanie J., and Ruchi Hajela. 2012. “.” . http://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/briefings/immigration‐detention‐uk

Podcast: by Flynn, Michael. 2010. “.” . http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/immigration‐detention‐and‐aesthetics‐incarceration‐audio

Este artículo explora la historia oficial de la detención de inmigrantes en el Reino Unido así como la menos conocida narrativa de los retos que se han visto en la práctica. Luego una breve exposición del desarrollo legislativo de las detenciones en el Reino Unido, este artículo muestra una investigación original para demostrar que el Parlamento, las cortes y la sociedad civil históricamente han sido lugares de desacuerdo con la supuesta naturaleza benigna de la detención de inmigrantes así como con su promulgación como una herramienta auxiliar para el control de la inmigración. El artículo también hace uso de teorías explicativas y normativas para comprender la continua expansión de la detención de inmigrantes en los estados liberales, a pesar de la indignación moral. El resultado principal es que los intentos del gobierno del Reino Unido para normalizar la detención de inmigrantes no ha sido del todo exitosa.
Is Stroke Incidence in Low- to Middle-Income Countries Driven by Economics?
Authors: Thrift Amanda G. , Arabshahi Simin
Published: October 2015

The incidence of stroke in low- to middle-income countries now exceeds that in high-income countries. These low- to middle-income countries also have greater case fatality and a younger age of stroke onset, factors that contribute to a high stroke burden. Macroeconomic indicators of socioeconomic status, such as health expenditure, appear to be inversely associated with stroke incidence. However, there are often large socioeconomic gradients between regions such as between urban and rural regions. This article emphasizes that macroeconomic indicators are likely to mask regional disparities in stroke incidence. Public health messages and prevention strategies must therefore be targeted regionally rather than nationwide. Without a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to prevention, the epidemic of stroke will continue.
Optimization and its discontents in regulatory design: Bank regulation as an example
Authors: Simon William H.
Published: October 2015

Economists and lawyers trained in economics tend to speak about regulation from a perspective organized around the basic norm of optimization. In contrast, an important managerial literature espouses a perspective organized around the basic norm of reliability. The perspectives are not logically inconsistent, but the economist's view sometimes leads in practice to a preoccupation with decisional simplicity and cost minimization at the expense of complex judgment and learning. Drawing on a literature often ignored by economists and lawyers, I elaborate the contrast between the optimization and reliability perspectives. I then show how the contrast illuminates current discussions of the reform of bank regulation.
The role of inspection sequence in compliance with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) standards: Interpretations and implications
Authors: Ko Kilkon , Mendeloff John , Gray Wayne
Published: October 2015

We examined the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) inspections in the US to identify the effects of repeated inspections and the time between inspections on non‐compliance. Our sample included 549,398 inspections conducted from 1972 through 2006 in manufacturing plants in the 29 states where federal OSHA enforces the law. We controlled for inspection type, industry, establishment size, and year. The number of total violations cited fell by 28%–48% from the first to the second inspection; after that, the numbers declined much more slowly. These effects were found in every one of the four sub‐periods examined. The number of violations cited increased with each additional year since the prior inspection after controlling for other variables; however, the increases were small, totaling approximately 15% over five years. OSHA should probably give higher priority to first time inspections than to repeated inspections. The current requirement that at least two years elapse between planned inspections should probably be lengthened.
Improving the Population's Health: The Affordable Care Act and the Importance of Integration
Authors: Hardcastle Lorian E. , Record Katherine L. , Jacobson Peter D. , Gostin Lawrence O.
Published: October 2015

Heath care and public health are typically conceptualized as separate, albeit overlapping, systems. Health care’s goal is the improvement of individual patient outcomes through the provision of medical services. In contrast, public health is devoted to improving health outcomes in the population as a whole through health promotion and disease prevention. Health care services receive the bulk of funding and political support, while public health is chronically starved of resources. In order to reduce morbidity and mortality, policymakers must shift their attention to public health services and to the improved integration of health care and public health. In other words, health care and public health should be treated as two parts of a single integrated health system (which we refer to as the health system throughout this article). Furthermore, in order to maximize improvements in health status, policymakers must consider the impact of all governmental policies on health (a Health in All Policies Approach).
From Health Care Reform to Public Health Reform
Authors: Berman Micah L.
Published: October 2015

According to Congressional Budget Office projections, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act or Act) — assuming it survives the pending legal challenges and is fully implemented — will provide health insurance to 34 million additional Americans by 2021. This will increase the percentage of non-elderly Americans with health insurance from the current rate of 83 percent to 95 percent. Although enactment of the Affordable Care Act constitutes a historic step forward in the nearly century-long effort to ensure universal health insurance coverage, relatively little in the Act focused on the potentially transformative impact of public health efforts that prevent disease. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are now responsible for more than 75 percent of health care costs, and reducing the incidence of these diseases — which are often entirely preventable — could dramatically improve the nation’s physical and fiscal health.
Obesity and Health System Reform: Private vs. Public Responsibility
Authors: Yang Y. Tony , Nichols Len M.
Published: October 2015

The obesity epidemic is not only impairing the health of millions of Americans but also giving rise to billions of added dollars in health care spending. Climbing rates of obesity over the past decades are one of the predominant determinants behind the surging progression of health care expenses in the United States. Moreover, the less fit and less productive U.S. workforce has gradually eroded the nation’s industrial competitiveness. Since the early 1970s, adult obesity rates have doubled and childhood obesity rates have more than tripled, while health expenditures have risen two percentage points faster than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), burgeoning from 8.8 percent in 1980 to a projected 17.9 percent in 2011. Studies analyze that greater than a quarter of America’s health care expenses are attributed to obesity. The stunning growth in obesity has been imputed for 20 to 30 percent of the increase in health care costs since the late 1970s. If the proportion of obese population had stayed unchanged, then health care expenditures in America would be approximately 10 percent less on a per capita average than they are today.
Medical Practice Guidelines as Malpractice Safe Harbors: Illusion or Deceit?
Authors: Mehlman Maxwell J.
Published: October 2015

The idea that physicians should accept recommendations from learned colleagues on how to practice medicine is probably as old as medicine itself, but beginning around 1990, it took on new urgency in the face of rising health care costs, widespread, unjustifiable variation in practice patterns, concerns about medical errors and quality of care, and what some perceived to be perverse effects of the malpractice system. One solution put forward was practice guidelines, which the Institute of Medicine (IOM) defined as systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances.
Do Physicians/Researchers Trade Stock Based on Privileged Information? A Closer Look at Trading Patterns Surrounding the Annual ASCO Conference
Authors: Mark Elie Donath , Eisenberg J.
Published: October 2015

There is a concern that physicians/researchers are inappropriately profiting (by buying or selling stock) from information derived from advance copies of high-impact clinical trial data distributed by medical conferences or journals. Despite these concerns, it has never been systematically evaluated, and little is known about the degree to which it exists. This is largely due to difficulties associated with directly verifying whether or not such activities have taken place and, furthermore, many medical conferences/journals today have taken the necessary actions to guard against this. One medical association in particular, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO responsible for conducting the largest annual oncology-related medical conference), only began responding to such concerns several years ago. Their actions during that time serve as a compelling case study, with wide-ranging ramifications, and provide the unique opportunity to delve into this phenomenon.

Up until 2008, ASCO selectively and discreetly distributed abstracts from all forthcoming presentations (at the ASCO Conference) to ASCO members two weeks prior to it becoming publicly accessible during the conference.
Conflicts of Interest and Your Physician: Psychological Processes That Cause Unexpected Changes in Behavior
Authors: Sah Sunita
Published: October 2015

The medical profession is under a state of increasing scrutiny. Recent high profile scandals regarding substantial industry payments to physicians, surgeons, and medical researchers have raised serious concerns over conflicts of interest. Amidst this background, the public, physicians, and policymakers alike appear to make the same assumption regarding conflicts of interest; that doctors who succumb to influences from industry are making a deliberate choice of self-interest over professionalism and that these doctors are corrupt. In reality, a myriad of evidence from social science indicates that influence from conflicts of interest often occurs on a subconscious and unintentional level. This poses an important issue, since such conflicts can steer wellintentioned physicians away from their primary professional goal to provide the best medical advice and treatment possible.
Free to Choose but Liable for the Consequences: Should Non-Vaccinators Be Penalized for the Harm They Do?
Authors: Caplan Arthur L. , Hoke David , Diamond Nicholas J. , Karshenboyem Viktoriya
Published: October 2015

Consider this hypothetical scenario involving a choice not to vaccinate a child. Ms. S has a niece who is autistic. The girl's parents are suspicious that there is some relationship between her autism and her Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination. They have shared their concerns with Ms. S. She then declines to have her own daughter, Jinny S., vaccinated with the MMR vaccine. To bypass the state's mandatory vaccination requirement, Ms. S claims a state-legislated philosophical exemption, whereby she simply attests to the fact that she is opposed to vaccinating her daughter due to a conscientiously held belief. At the age of four, Jinny goes on a trip by airplane to Germany with her mother. After returning to the United States, she attends daycare despite having some mild cold symptoms. Subsequently, she develops a classic measles rash, at which point her mother brings her to a pediatrician and keeps her home from daycare.
What's So Special about China's Producer Services? An Input–output Analysis
Authors: Cheng Dazhong , Daniels Peter W.
Published: October 2015

In the present study, five stylized facts about China's producer services are established through international, intersectoral and intertemporal comparisons based on input–output tables. First, the overall service input ratio is the lowest in all the sample economies. Second, most producer services are supplied by the traditional labor‐intensive sectors. Third, manufacturing is the biggest user of producer services, and service industry is the second, while the opposite is true for most of the other sample economies. Fourth, unlike other economies, China's “R&D” is characterized more by consumer services than producer services. Fifth, China has fairly lower service input ratios in almost all the industries. The backward and forward linkages coefficients are both smaller for “real estate activities” and “finance and insurance.” Policy reform should focus not only on specific producer services but also on reducing obstacles that are inhibiting the balanced development of diverse producer services that will help China to optimize its economic structure.