bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Associations between congenital cryptorchidism in newborn boys and levels of dioxins and PCBs in placenta
Authors: Virtanen H. E. , Koskenniemi J. J. , Sundqvist E. , Main K. M. , Kiviranta H. , Tuomisto J. T. , Tuomisto J. , Viluksela M. , Vartiainen T. , Skakkebaek N. E. , Toppari J.
Published: December 2011

In animal studies, exposure to dioxins has been associated with disrupted development of the male reproductive system, including testicular maldescent. Some polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have also dioxin‐like effects. In addition, one previous case–control study has reported an association between congenital cryptorchidism and colostrum PCB levels. We performed a case–control study to evaluate whether congenital cryptorchidism in boys was associated with increased levels of dioxins or PCBs in placenta reflecting foetal exposure. In addition, associations between placenta levels of these chemicals and reproductive hormone levels in boys at 3 months were studied. Placentas were collected in a Danish–Finnish joint prospective cohort study on cryptorchidism (1997–2001). The boys were examined for cryptorchidism at birth and at 3 months. Altogether, 280 placentas [112 Finnish (56 cases, 56 controls) and 168 Danish (39 cases, 129 controls)] were analysed for 17 toxic polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and 37 PCBs (including 12 dioxin‐like PCBs). Infant serum samples taken at 3 months were analysed for reproductive hormones. No significant differences between cases and controls were observed in either country in dioxin WHO‐TEq levels (median 9.78 vs. 8.47 pg/g fat, respectively, in Finland, and 11.75 vs. 10.88 pg/g fat in Denmark) or PCB WHO‐TEq levels (median 2.12 vs. 2.15 pg/g fat in Finland, 2.34 vs. 2.10 pg/g fat in Denmark) or total‐TEq levels (median 11.66 vs. 10.58 pg/g fat in Finland, 13.94 vs. 13.00 pg/g fat in Denmark). Placenta WHO‐TEq levels of dioxins were not associated with infant reproductive hormone levels at 3 months. In Finland, PCB WHO‐TEq levels in placenta associated positively with infant LH levels. WHO‐TEq levels of dioxins and PCBs and total‐TEq levels were higher in Danish than Finnish samples. In conclusion, no association between placenta levels of dioxins or PCBs and congenital cryptorchidism was found. Significant country differences in chemical levels were observed.
Foetal and post‐natal exposure of sheep to sewage sludge chemicals disrupts sperm production in adulthood in a subset of animals
Authors: Bellingham M. , McKinnell C. , Fowler P. A. , Amezaga M. R. , Zhang Z. , Rhind S. M. , Cotinot C. , Mandon‐Pepin B. , Evans N. P. , Sharpe R. M.
Published: December 2011

Exposure to ubiquitous, environmental chemicals (ECs) has been hypothesized as a cause for declining male reproductive health. Understanding the long‐term effects of EC exposure on reproductive health in humans requires animal models and exposure to ‘real life’, environmentally relevant, mixtures during development, a life stage of particular sensitivity to ECs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of in utero and post‐natal exposure to environmentally relevant levels of ECs, via sewage sludge application to pasture, on the adult male sheep testis. Hormones, liver concentrations of candidate ECs and Sertoli and germ cell numbers in testes of adult rams that were exposed to ECs in sewage sludge in utero, and until weaning via maternal exposure, and post‐weaning via grazing pastures fertilized with sewage sludge, were quantified. Evaluated as a single group, exposure to sludge ECs was without significant effect on most parameters. However, a more detailed study revealed that 5 of 12 sludge‐exposed rams exhibited major spermatogenic abnormalities. These consisted of major reductions in germ cell numbers per testis or per Sertoli cell and more Sertoli cell‐only tubules, when compared with controls, which did not show any such changes. The sludge‐related spermatogenic changes in the five affected animals were significantly different from controls (p < 0.001); Sertoli cell number was unaffected. Hormone profiles and liver candidate EC concentrations were not measurably affected by exposure. We conclude that developmental exposure of male sheep to real‐world mixtures of ECs can result in major reduction in germ cell numbers, indicative of impaired sperm production, in a proportion of exposed males. The individual‐specific effects are presumed to reflect EC effects on a heterogeneous population in which some individuals may be more susceptible to adverse EC effects. Such effects of EC exposure in humans could have adverse consequences for sperm counts and fertility in some exposed males.
Invasions: the trail behind, the path ahead, and a test of a disturbing idea
Authors: Moles Angela T. , Flores‐Moreno Habacuc , Bonser Stephen P. , Warton David I. , Helm Aveliina , Warman Laura , Eldridge David J. , Jurado Enrique , Hemmings Frank A. , Reich Peter B. , Cavender‐Bares Jeannine , Seabloom Eric W. , Mayfield Margaret M. , Sheil Douglas , Djietror Jonathan C. , Peri Pablo L. , Enrico Lucas , Cabido Marcelo R. , Setterfield Samantha A. , Lehmann Caroline E. R. , Thomson Fiona J.
Published: December 2011

1. We provide a brief overview of progress in our understanding of introduced plant species.

2. Three main conclusions emerge from our review: (i) Many lines of research, including the search for traits that make species good invaders, or that make ecosystems susceptible to invasion, are yielding idiosyncratic results. To move forward, we advocate a more synthetic approach that incorporates a range of different types of information about the introduced species and the communities and habitats they are invading. (ii) Given the growing evidence for the adaptive capacity of both introduced species and recipient communities, we need to consider the implications of the long‐term presence of introduced species in our ecosystems. (iii) Several foundational ideas in invasion biology have become widely accepted without appropriate testing, or despite equivocal evidence from empirical tests. One such idea is the suggestion that disturbance facilitates invasion.

3. We use data from 200 sites around the world to provide a broad test of the hypothesis that invasions are better predicted by a change in disturbance regime than by disturbance per se. Neither disturbance nor change in disturbance regime explained more than 7% of the variation in the % of cover or species richness contributed by introduced species. However, change in disturbance regime was a significantly better predictor than was disturbance per se, explaining approximately twice as much variation as did disturbance.

4. Synthesis. Disturbance is a weak predictor of invasion. To increase predictive power, we need to consider multiple variables (both intrinsic and extrinsic to the site) simultaneously. Variables that describe the changes sites have undergone may be particularly informative.
The productivity, metabolism and carbon cycle of tropical forest vegetation
Authors: Malhi Yadvinder
Published: December 2011

1. Tropical forests account for one‐third of the total metabolic activity of the Earth’s land surface. Hence, understanding the controls on tropical forest photosynthesis and respiration, and the allocation of the products of photosynthesis to canopy, woody tissue and rhizosphere, is important to understand global ecosystem functioning.

2. I review how studies in tropical ecosystem ecology have progressed since their inception in the 1960s towards developing a quantitative, mechanistic and global description of the carbon cycle of tropical vegetation.

3. I present a synthesis of studies in tropical forest sites in the Americas and Asia for which gross primary productivity (GPP) has been reported, and a subset of these sites for which net primary productivity (NPP) and ecosystem carbon use efficiency (CUE) have been estimated. GPP ranges between 30 and 40 Mg C ha−1 year−1 in lowland moist tropical forests and declines with elevation. CUE in tropical forests is at the low end of the global range reported for forests.

4. A pathway and framework are presented to explain the link between photosynthesis and tropical forest biomass, and to explain differences in carbon cycling and biomass between forests. Variation in CUE and allocation of NPP can be as important as variation in GPP in explaining differences in tropical forest growth rates between sites.

5. Finally, I explore some of the key questions surrounding the functioning and future of tropical forests in the rapidly changing conditions of the early Anthropocene.

6. Synthesis.There have been significant recent advances in quantifying the carbon cycle of tropical forests, but our understanding of causes of variation amongst forests is still poor. Moreover, we should expect all tropical forests in the 21st century, whether intact or disturbed, to be undergoing rapid change in function and composition; the key challenge for tropical ecosystem ecologists is to determine and understand the major and most fundamental aspects of this change.
Evolutionary changes in plant reproductive traits following habitat fragmentation and their consequences for population fitness
Authors: Jacquemyn Hans , De Meester Luc , Jongejans Eelke , Honnay Olivier
Published: December 2011

1. The effects of habitat fragmentation on plant population genetic structure and diversity are relatively well studied. Yet, most of these studies used molecular tools focusing on neutral genetic markers, and much less is known about the potential evolutionary consequences of habitat fragmentation on ecologically relevant plant traits.

2. It can be expected that the altered biotic and abiotic conditions and limited gene flow following habitat fragmentation may impose strong selection pressures on traits important for plant fitness. Responses to these selection pressures may, however, be hampered by reduced genetic diversity through genetic drift. Conversely, evolutionary changes in flower or dispersal traits may itself impact the strength of inbreeding and genetic drift.

3. In this review, we highlight different reproductive plant traits that may be under selection following habitat fragmentation, and we examine studies that have shown indications for rapid evolutionary responses.

4. There are still relatively few studies that have convincingly shown that habitat fragmentation generates rapid evolutionary responses. Separating genetic from plastic trait responses and quantifying the long‐term fitness consequences of evolutionary changes in plant traits also remain major challenges.

5. Synthesis. Many plant traits may be subject to selection following habitat fragmentation, but, until now, studies that quantified evolutionary responses to habitat fragmentation are limited. To study the consequences of changing plant traits for population fitness, we advocate applying population models that link demographic vital rates, the responding plant traits and their heritability.
The AMÉLIE project: failure mode, effects and criticality analysis: a model to evaluate the nurse medication administration process on the floor
Authors: Nguyen Christina , Côté Justine , Lebel Denis , Caron Elaine , Genest Christine , Mallet Monia , Phan Véronique , Bussières Jean‐François
Published: December 2011

Objective  The objective of this article was to critically evaluate the causes of adverse drug events during the nurse medication administration process in paediatric care units in order to identify and prioritize interventions that need to be implemented.

Methodology  This is a failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) study. A multidisciplinary committee composed of nurses, pharmacists, physicians and risk managers evaluated through consensus the process of administering medications at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sainte‐Justine. By mapping the process, all the failure modes were identified and associated with at least one cause each. Using a summary grid, each failure mode was evaluated by rating frequency (from 1 to 9), likelihood of failure detection (from 0 to 100%) and severity (from 1 to 9) using adapted versions of already published scales.

Results  A 10‐member committee was set up, and it met eight times between January and April 2010. In the two specialized paediatric units selected (n = 38 beds), an average number of approximately 20 000 drug doses was administered monthly from about 400 non‐proprietary names. Through consensus, the committee identified 16 processes and 53 failure modes. While frequency and severity were based on perceptions that could be objectivized with local data and scientific documentation, the likelihood of detection was mainly based on individual perception.

Conclusion  FMECA is a useful approach to improve the medication process.
Generic skills in medical education: developing the tools for successful lifelong learning
Authors: Murdoch‐Eaton Deborah , Whittle Sue
Published: December 2011

Medical Education 2012: 46: 120–128

Context  Higher education has invested in defining the role of generic skills in developing effective, adaptable graduates fit for a changing workplace. Research confirms that the development of generic skills that underpin effectiveness and adaptability in graduates is highly context‐dependent and is shaped by the discipline within which these skills are conceptualised, valued and taught. This places the responsibility for generic skills enhancement clearly within the remit of global medical education.

Implications  Many factors will influence the skill set with which students begin their medical training and experience at entry needs to be taken into account. Learning and teaching environments enhance effective skill development through active learning, teaching for understanding, feedback, and teacher–student and student–student interaction. Medical curricula need to provide students with opportunities to practise and develop their generic skills in a range of discipline‐specific contexts. Curricular design should include explicit and integrated generic skills objectives against which students’ progress can be monitored. Assessment and feedback serve as valuable reinforcements of the professed importance of generic skills to both learner and teacher, and will encourage students to self‐evaluate and take responsibility for their own skill development. The continual need for students to modify their practice in response to changes in their environment and the requirements of their roles will help students to develop the ability to transfer these skills at transition points in their training and future careers.

Conclusions  If they are to take their place in an ever‐changing profession, medical students need to be competent in the skills that underpin lifelong learning. Only then will the doctors of the future be well placed to adapt to changes in knowledge, update their practice in line with the changing evidence base, and continue to contribute effectively as societal needs change.
Kirkpatrick’s levels and education ‘evidence’
Authors: Yardley Sarah , Dornan Tim
Published: December 2011

Medical Education 2012: 46: 97–106

Objectives  This study aims to review, critically, the suitability of Kirkpatrick’s levels for appraising interventions in medical education, to review empirical evidence of their application in this context, and to explore alternative ways of appraising research evidence.

Methods  The mixed methods used in this research included a narrative literature review, a critical review of theory and qualitative empirical analysis, conducted within a process of cooperative inquiry.

Results  Kirkpatrick’s levels, introduced to evaluate training in industry, involve so many implicit assumptions that they are suitable for use only in relatively simple instructional designs, short‐term endpoints and beneficiaries other than learners. Such conditions are met by perhaps one‐fifth of medical education evidence reviews. Under other conditions, the hierarchical application of the levels as a critical appraisal tool adds little value and leaves reviewers to make global judgements of the trustworthiness of the data.

Conclusions  Far from defining a reference standard critical appraisal tool, this research shows that ‘quality’ is defined as much by the purpose to which evidence is to be put as by any invariant and objectively measurable quality. Pending further research, we offer a simple way of deciding how to appraise the quality of medical education research.
Seeking impact of medical schools on health: meeting the challenges of social accountability
Authors: Woollard Bob , Boelen Charles
Published: December 2011

Medical Education 2012: 46: 21–27

Context  The acquisition of sums of knowledge and mastery of sophisticated technologies by medical graduates is insufficient for their responsibilities to recognise and adapt to people's evolving needs.

Response  A Global Consensus on Social Accountability for Medical Schools brought together 130 organisations and individuals from around the world with responsibility for health education, professional regulation and policy making to participate for 8 months in a three‐round Delphi process leading to a 3‐day consensus development conference which included weighted representation from all regions of the world. The resulting Consensus reflects agreement on 10 strategic directions to enable a medical school to be socially accountable.

Results  The list of 10 directions embraces a system‐wide scope from identification of health needs to verification of the effects of medical schools on those needs, all driven by the quest for positive impact on peoples’ health status. This includes an understanding of the social context, an identification of health challenges and needs and the creation of relationships to act efficiently (directions 1 and 2). Within the spectrum of the health workforce required to address health needs, the anticipated role and competences of the doctor are described (direction 3) serving as a guide to the education strategy (direction 4), which the medical school is called to implement along with consistent research and service strategies (direction 5). Standards are required to steer the institution towards a high level of excellence (directions 6 and 7), which national authorities need to recognise (direction 8). While social accountability is a universal value (direction 9), local societies will be the ultimate appraisers of the achievements of the school and its graduates (direction 10).
Programmatic assessment and Kane’s validity perspective
Authors: Schuwirth Lambert W T , van der Vleuten Cees P M
Published: December 2011

Medical Education 2012: 46: 38–48

Context  Programmatic assessment is a notion that implies that the strength of the assessment process results from a careful combination of various assessment instruments. Accordingly, no single instrument is superior to another, but each has its own strengths, weaknesses and purpose in a programme. Yet, in terms of psychometric methods, a one‐size‐fits‐all approach is often used. Kane’s views on validity as represented by a series of arguments provide a useful framework from which to highlight the value of different widely used approaches to improve the quality and validity of assessment procedures.

Methods  In this paper we discuss four inferences which form part of Kane’s validity theory: from observations to scores; from scores to universe scores; from universe scores to target domain, and from target domain to construct. For each of these inferences, we provide examples and descriptions of approaches and arguments that may help to support the validity inference.

Conclusions  As well as standard psychometric methods, a programme of assessment makes use of various other arguments, such as: item review and quality control, structuring and examiner training; probabilistic methods, saturation approaches and judgement processes, and epidemiological methods, collation, triangulation and member‐checking procedures. In an assessment programme each of these can be used.
Effects of vaginal hysterectomy on anorectal sensorimotor functions – a prospective study
Authors: Bharucha A. E. , Klingele C. J. , Seide B. M. , Gebhart J. B. , Zinsmeister A. R.
Published: December 2011

Background  While bowel and bladder dysfunction are recognized consequences of a radical hysterectomy, the effects of a simple hysterectomy on anorectal sensorimotor functions, particularly rectal sensation, vary among studies and the effects on rectal compliance remain unknown. Our aims were to prospectively evaluate anorectal sensorimotor functions before and after a hysterectomy.

Methods  Anal pressures, rectal compliance, capacity, sensation, and bowel symptoms were assessed before, at 2 months, and at 1 year after a simple vaginal hysterectomy for benign indications in 19 patients. Rectal staircase (0–44 mmHg, 4‐mmHg steps), ramp (0–200 mL at 50, 200 and 600 mL min−1) and phasic distentions (8, 16, and 24 mmHg above operating pressure) were performed.

Key Results  Anal resting (63 ± 4 before, 56 ± 4 mmHg after) and squeeze pressures (124 ± 12 before, 124 ± 12 mmHg after), rectal compliance and capacity (285 ± 12 before, 290 ± 11 mL 1 year after), and perception of phasic distentions were not different before vs after a hysterectomy. Sensory thresholds for first sensation and the desire to defecate were also not different, but pressure and volume thresholds for urgency were somewhat greater (Hazard ratio = 0.7, 95% CI [0.5, 1.0]) 1 year after (vs before) a hysterectomy. Rectal pressures were higher (P < 0.0001) during fast compared with slow ramp distention; this rate effect was greater at 1 year after a hysterectomy, particularly at 100 mL (P = 0.04).

Conclusions & Inferences  A simple vaginal hysterectomy has relatively modest effects (i.e., somewhat reduced rectal urgency and increased stiffness during rapid distention) on rectal sensorimotor functions.
Multiplicity of infection does not accelerate infectivity evolution of viral parasites in laboratory microcosms
Authors: HALL A. R. , SCANLAN P. D. , LEGGETT H. C. , BUCKLING A.
Published: December 2011

Coinfection with multiple parasite genotypes [multiplicity of infection (MOI)] creates within‐host competition and opportunities for parasite recombination and is therefore predicted to be important for both parasite and host evolution. We tested for a difference in the infectivity of viral parasites (lytic phage Φ2) and resistance of their bacterial hosts (Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25) under both high and low MOI during coevolution in laboratory microcosms. Results show that MOI has no effect on infectivity and resistance evolution during coevolution over ∼80 generations of host growth, and this is true when the experiment is initiated with wild‐type viruses and hosts, or with viruses and hosts that have already been coevolving for ∼330 generations. This suggests that MOI does not have a net effect of accelerating parasite adaptation to hosts through recombination, or slowing adaptation to hosts through between‐parasite conflict in this system.
Alternatives to ginger root oil aromatherapy for improved mating performance of sterile Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) males
Authors: Juan‐Blasco M. , San Andrés V. , Martínez‐Utrillas M. A. , Argilés R. , Pla I. , Urbaneja A. , Sabater‐Muñoz B.
Published: December 2011

Autocidal control of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) is an environmentally friendly and safe practice employed successfully worldwide. A key component in the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is to release sterile males that can compete with wild males in nature. Exposure of sterile males to ginger root oil (GRO) in the form of aromatherapy prior to release has been shown to significantly improve male competitiveness and performance. However, alternatives to GRO exposure are desired to (i) reduce personnel costs and handling‐time requirements and (ii) find new aromatherapeutic compounds. In this study, alternatives to GRO aromatherapy were investigated, such as incorporating GRO into the post‐teneral diet, or employing other molecules (limonene and linalool) occurring naturally in citrus release areas. Our results reveal that both the GRO‐supplemented diet and linalool aromatherapy were equal to the GRO aromatherapy control in improving mating performance in sterile males. In contrast, exposure to limonene did not afford a mating advantage to sterile mates when compared to the control. In addition, sterile male survival was not affected by any of the treatments tested. Implications for how both new approaches could be implemented in SIT programmes in citrus production areas are discussed.
Interactions between an ectoparasitoid and a nucleopolyhedrovirus when simultaneously attacking Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Stoianova E. , Williams T. , Cisneros J. , Muñoz D. , Murillo R. , Tasheva E. , Caballero P.
Published: December 2011

Insect pathogenic viruses and parasitoids represent distinct biological entities that exploit a shared host resource and have similar effects in suppressing host populations. This study explores the interactions between the ectoparasitoid Euplectrus plathypenae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and the Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) in larvae of S. exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Parasitoid progeny failed to complete development in hosts that had been infected prior to parasitism. However, infection of S. exigua fourth instars at 48 h post‐parasitism had no significant effects on the survival of parasitoid progeny. Larval and pupal development times of E. plathypenae that survived on virus‐infected S. exigua did not differ significantly from that of parasitoids on healthy hosts. Virus‐induced mortality and the production of occlusion bodies were very similar in parasitized and non‐parasitized S. exigua. The virus was genetically stable over three passages in parasitized and unparasitized hosts. These results suggest that applications of SeMNPV‐based insecticides are unlikely to disrupt pest control exerted by the parasitoid E. plathypenae in biological pest control programs as long as virus applications are timed not to coincide with parasitoid releases.
Isoform diversity and its importance for axon regeneration
Authors: Lerch Jessica K. , Bixby John L. , Lemmon Vance P.
Published: December 2011

Axon regeneration is a fundamental problem facing neuroscientists and clinicians. Failure of axon regeneration is caused by both extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms. New techniques to examine gene expression such as Next Generation Sequencing of the Transcriptome (RNA‐Seq) drastically increase our knowledge of both gene expression complexity (RNA isoforms) and gene expression regulation. By utilizing RNA‐Seq, gene expression can now be defined at the level of isoforms, an essential step for understanding the mechanisms governing cell identity, growth and ultimately cellular responses to injury and disease.
How many neurons do you have? Some dogmas of quantitative neuroscience under revision
Authors: Lent Roberto , Azevedo Frederico A. C. , Andrade‐Moraes Carlos H. , Pinto Ana V. O.
Published: December 2011

Owing to methodological shortcomings and a certain conservatism that consolidates wrong assumptions in the literature, some dogmas have become established and reproduced in papers and textbooks, derived from quantitative features of the brain. The first dogma states that the cerebral cortex is the pinnacle of brain evolution – based on the observations that its volume is greater in more ‘intelligent’ species, and that cortical surface area grows more than any other brain region, to reach the largest proportion in higher primates and humans. The second dogma claims that the human brain contains 100 billion neurons, plus 10‐fold more glial cells. These round numbers have become widely adopted, although data provided by different authors have led to a broad range of 75–125 billion neurons in the whole brain. The third dogma derives from the second, and states that our brain is structurally special, an outlier as compared with other primates. Being so large and convoluted, it is a special construct of nature, unrelated to evolutionary scaling. Finally, the fourth dogma appeared as a tentative explanation for the considerable growth of the brain throughout development and evolution – being modular in structure, the brain (and particularly the cerebral cortex) grows by tangential addition of modules that are uniform in neuronal composition. In this review, we sought to examine and challenge these four dogmas, and propose other interpretations or simply their replacement with alternative views.
Projections and interconnections of genetically defined serotonin neurons in mice
Authors: Bang Sun Jung , Jensen Patricia , Dymecki Susan M. , Commons Kathryn G.
Published: December 2011

Brain serotonin neurons are heterogeneous and can be distinguished by several anatomical and physiological characteristics. Toward resolving this heterogeneity into classes of functional relevance, subtypes of mature serotonin neurons were previously identified based on gene expression differences initiated during development in different rhombomeric (r) segments of the hindbrain. This redefinition of mature serotonin neuron subtypes based on the criteria of genetic lineage, along with the enabling genetic fate mapping tools, now allows various functional properties, such as axonal projections, to be allocated onto these identified subtypes. Furthermore, our approach uniquely enables interconnections between the different serotonin neuron subtypes to be determined; this is especially relevant because serotonin neuron activity is regulated by several feedback mechanisms. We used intersectional and subtractive genetic fate mapping tools to generate three independent lines of mice in which serotonin neurons arising in different rhombomeric segments, either r1, r2 or both r3 and r5, were uniquely distinguished from all other serotonin neurons by their expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein. Each of these subgroups of serotonergic neurons had a unique combination of forebrain projection targets. Typically more than one subgroup innervated an individual target area. Unique patterns of interconnections between the different groups of serotonin neurons were also observed and these pathways could subserve feedback regulatory circuits. Overall, the current findings suggest that activation of subsets of serotonin neurons could result in topographic serotonin release in the forebrain coupled with feedback inhibition of serotonin neurons with alternative projection targets.
Carbon dioxide laser photoablation adjunctive therapy following superficial lamellar keratectomy and bulbar conjunctivectomy for the treatment of corneolimbal squamous cell carcinoma in horses: a review of 24 cases
Authors: Michau Tammy M. , Davidson Michael G. , Gilger Brian C.
Published: December 2011

Objective To determine the complications and nonrecurrence rates following superficial lamellar keratectomy, bulbar conjunctivectomy, and adjunctive carbon dioxide (CO2) photoablation for corneolimbal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the horse.

Study design Retrospective study.

Sample population Twenty‐four horses with corneolimbal SCC.

Procedure Medical records of horses diagnosed with corneolimbal SCC that was surgically excised and where CO2photoablation was used as an adjunctive therapy from 2000 to 2007 were reviewed. Signalment, prior therapy, tumor location and size, complications, and recurrence of SCC were recorded.

Results The Thoroughbred was the most commonly (25%) represented breed. Lesions were >10 mm in diameter in 70.8% of cases. Eight horses (33.3%) had neoplastic cells extending to the deep margin of the keratectomy. All horses were available for follow‐up for an average ± standard deviation of 40.7 ± 25 months. Four horses (16.7%) developed a recurrence of SCC. Three of these four horses underwent repeat keratectomy and CO2photoablation, one each, at 4 months, 1, and 2 years following the initial procedure. One horse underwent enucleation 8 months following the initial procedure.

Conclusions and clinical relevance As an adjunctive therapy, CO2photoablation was successful in 87.5% of the horses following a single procedure and in a total of 91.7% following a second therapeutic application. CO2photoablation appears to be effective as an adjunctive therapy following removal of large corneolimbal SCC in the horse and in cases in which all tumor cells were not excised.
Impacts of the Economic Crisis on Human Development and the MDGs in Africa
Authors: Conceição Pedro , Mukherjee Shantanu , Nayyar Shivani
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  The economic crisis has had significant short‐term effects in most countries around the world, including those in sub‐Saharan Africa. Many of the economies are now expected to begin recovering, although the recovery is anticipated to be protracted, uneven across indicators and countries, and may be fragile. Despite the recovery, will the crisis have long‐term consequences for human development and Millennium Development Goal (MDG) achievements in Africa? If so, what are the mechanisms through which such impacts could take place, and what is the role for policy? This paper seeks to address these questions by examining the evidence from similar episodes in the past, and by using a simple framework to assess the long‐term impact on human development including trends towards the MDGs. Using growth projections to 2014 for the countries in the region, and a range of observed trends, it models possible impacts on the MDGs, and demonstrates how the crisis could lead to real slow‐downs or reversals in the rate of progress. Based on these results the paper suggests that a series of active policy interventions are needed both to accelerate progress towards the MDGs and to build resilience for the future.
Engaging with Asia: the Chifley Government and the New Delhi Conferences of 1947 and 1949
Authors: Suares Julie
Published: December 2011

This article is a study of the Chifley government's foreign policy towards Asia, in particular India and Indonesia, as evidenced by Australia's attendance at the 1947 Asian Relations Conference and the 1949 New Delhi Conference on the Indonesian‐Dutch conflict. Australia's presence at these two conferences provides an ideal opportunity to examine the Chifley government's response to the momentous changes that occurred in post‐war Asia as a result of the dismantling of the European colonial world order. Through detailed examination of the archival material and contemporary accounts generated from Australia's involvement in the New Delhi conferences, this article will argue that despite significant political constraints, the Chifley government did adopt a distinctive and innovative policy towards the emergent nations of Asia in the immediate post‐war years.
Redefining the Nonproliferation Norm? Australian Uranium, the NPT, and the Global Nuclear Revival
Authors: Lantis Jeffrey S.
Published: December 2011

Optimists maintain that great powers oppose the proliferation of nuclear weapons and have a moral aversion to their use. The Eighth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non‐Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in May 2010 produced a final declaration calling for steps toward complete disarmament. Yet recent optimism belies some contradictory, incremental foreign policy decisions taken by countries like Australia and the United States that could produce a change of meaning for the nuclear nonproliferation norm. Building on the “norm life‐cycle” model developed by Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink, this article links a new constructivist model of normative change to decisions by developed states to expand the global nuclear fuel cycle and provide sensitive nuclear assistance to other countries. An exploratory case study of Australian government policies on nuclear energy and uranium exports (2006‐present), including the possible sale of uranium to India, a non‐NPT signatory, suggests an important role for elite agency in norm redefinition.
President Roosevelt, Admiral Stark, and the Unsent Warning to Pearl Harbor: A Research Note
Authors: Burtness Paul S. , Ober Warren U.
Published: December 2011

Admiral Harold R. Stark (1880–1972) was appointed Chief of Naval Operations in August 1939 and served in that role until removed in March 1942. It was on his watch that the Japanese raided Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Nowadays the prevailing view of Stark seems to be largely shaped by the official verdict of the Secretary of the Navy, James V. Forrestal, namely that “Admiral Harold R. Stark, USN (Retired), shall not hold any position in the United States Navy which requires the exercise of superior judgment”. Our very different view is that Stark was a patriot who willingly sacrificed his reputation to preserve that of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and to enable him, as the one person capable of leading the Allies to victory in war against Nazi Germany, to assume his proper mantle.
Institutionalizing global governance: the role of the United Nations Global Compact
Authors: Rasche Andreas , Gilbert Dirk Ulrich
Published: December 2011

The United Nations Global Compact – which is a Global Public Policy Network advocating 10 universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anticorruption – has turned into the world's largest corporate responsibility initiative. Although the Global Compact is often characterized as a promising way to address global governance gaps, it remains largely unclear why this is the case. To address this problem, we discuss to what extent the initiative represents an institutional solution to exercise global governance. We suggest that new governance modes, which have arisen in the context of globalization, often adopt a multiactor, multilevel, and network‐based approach. We then analyze how far the Global Compact's institutional design reflects this multiactor, multilevel, and network‐based steering mode. Drawing on this discussion, we offer suggestions regarding how the initiative can be further developed.
Violence in and around Entertainment Districts: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of Late‐Night Lockout Legislation
Authors: MAZEROLLE LORRAINE , WHITE GENTRY , RANSLEY JANET , FERGUSON PATRICIA
Published: December 2011

Violence in entertainment districts is a major problem across urban landscapes throughout the world. Research shows that licensed premises are the third most common location for homicides and serious assaults, accounting for one in ten fatal and nonfatal assaults. One class of interventions that aims to reduce violence in entertainment districts involves the use of civil remedies: a group of strategies that use civil or regulatory measures as legal “levers” to reduce problem behavior. One specific civil remedy used to reduce problematic behavior in entertainment districts involves manipulation of licensed premise trading hours. This article uses generalized linear models to analyze the impact of lockout legislation on recorded violent offences in two entertainment districts in the Australian state of Queensland. Our research shows that 3 a.m. lockout legislation led to a direct and significant reduction in the number of violent incidents inside licensed premises. Indeed, the lockouts cut the level of violent crime inside licensed premises by half. Despite these impressive results for the control of violence inside licensed premises, we found no evidence that the lockout had any impact on violence on streets and footpaths outside licensed premises that were the site for more than 80 percent of entertainment district violence. Overall, however, our analysis suggests that lockouts are an important mechanism that helps to control the level of violence inside licensed premises but that finely grained contextual responses to alcohol‐related problems are needed rather than one‐size‐fits‐all solutions.
The environment and social work: An overview and introduction
Authors: Coates John , Gray Mel
Published: December 2011

Coates J, Gray M. The environment and social work: An overview and introduction

This article provides an overview and analysis of social work's engagement with the modern environmental movement. Major trends and themes in environmental social work scholarship and the significance of interdisciplinarity are discussed. Attention is drawn to the importance of a broad knowledge base and of working in unison with other professions in order to respond effectively to the many dimensions of climate change and environmental degradation. Responding to the challenges of environmental destruction has opened opportunities for the profession to review its foundational knowledge and obligations to people and environments. The articles in this Special Issue are introduced and include theoretical frameworks, examples and case studies of what social workers are doing, or might do, in relation to environmental and educational initiatives.
Building capacity for environmental engagement and leadership: An ecosocial work perspective
Authors: Lysack Mishka
Published: December 2011

Lysack M. Building capacity for environmental engagement and leadership: an ecosocial work perspective

In the context of accelerating environmental decline and climate change, this article explores the opportunities for building capacity for leadership within the faith communities to advocate for the protection of the climate and environment. The author discusses the tools for building capacity through faith‐based environmental education to equip members of faith communities to move from being passive consumers to active environmental citizens. The ways in which ecosocial workers, particularly those interested in religion and spirituality, could play a role in facilitating the emergence of leadership capacity within faith communities to care and advocate for the earth are also examined. The article highlights the theoretical resources and practices of community engagement and public education that ecosocial workers could contribute to this project of building a broad ethically centred environmental movement.
The relationship between social work and environmental sustainability: Implications for interdisciplinary practice
Authors: Schmitz Cathryne L. , Matyók Tom , Sloan Lacey M. , James Channelle
Published: December 2011

Schmitz CL, Matyók T, James C, Sloan LM. The relationship between social work and environmental sustainability: Implications for interdisciplinary practice

The Brundtland Commission, formally the World Commission on Environment and Development, established by the United Nations in 1983, links peace, security, development and the environment claiming that war, poverty and structural violence result in the oppression and degradation of the human community as well as the physical environment. Likewise, human rights and social and environmental justice are intertwined, and social work, as a profession that collaborates across disciplines and within communities, is uniquely situated to provide leadership in the field of environmental studies. Its strong focus on human rights, social justice and community building creates a sound base from which to engage in the collaborative, creative, interactional processes required for environmental practice. This article seeks to discern a model for environmental social work within the context of interdisciplinary practice with peace and conflict workers and through the integration of inclusive models of economic development.
Fundamental Analysis, Institutional Investment, and Limits to Arbitrage
Authors: Xue Yanfeng , Zhang May H.
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  Previous research shows that fundamental signals (financial ratios) derived from publicly available financial statements can predict future abnormal stock returns. This paper examines whether institutional investors trade on these fundamental signals and the implications of institutional investors’ trading for stock valuation. We provide evidence that transient institutional investors (institutions who actively trade securities for short‐term returns) trade on fundamental signals. We also show that the abnormal returns associated with fundamental signals increase with transaction costs and arbitrage risk, indicating the existence of limits to arbitrage for this investment strategy. We further document that transient institutional investors’ trades help reduce the returns related to fundamental signals. This paper provides evidence helping to explain the abnormal returns associated with fundamental signals and contributes to our understanding of institutional investors’ role in enhancing market efficiency.
Is Management Quality Value Relevant?
Authors: Agarwal Vineet , Taffler Richard , Brown Mike
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  Using a unique database of management quality ratings over a 17 year period, we find that while good management appears to be associated with lower subsequent market returns, this is entirely consistent with an informationally efficient market. Quality of management is value relevant in that better managed firms have lower cost of equity, more stable earnings, higher profitability that persists over time, and higher market valuations using the Ohlson (1995 and 2001) method. Potentially endogenous relationships are unlikely to be driving our results. While well managed firms are ‘good firms’, contrary to the belief of many market participants their stocks perform no better than those of poorly managed firms.
Emerging Class Relations in the Mekong River Delta of Vietnam: A Network Analysis
Authors: PROTA LAURA , BERESFORD MELANIE
Published: December 2011

Neoclassical theory has not succeeded in explaining the relationship between increasing landlessness and class differentiation in rural southern Vietnam. In this paper, we take a relational approach, using statistical techniques from social network theory, to examine the governance structure of markets in a commune of Tra Vinh province in the Mekong River Delta. We demonstrate that new opportunities provided by the process of market development are accessible only to those households controlling the right bundles of resources in the core agricultural production and trading system of the area. Further, industrial employment is available only to those who have, at some stage, controlled land, while those who have never participated in the land and rice markets are confined to casual agricultural labour. The governance structure, embedded informally in relatively stable market networks, therefore reproduces class divisions.
Global Land Grabbing and Trajectories of Agrarian Change: A Preliminary Analysis
Authors: BORRAS JR SATURNINO M. , FRANCO JENNIFER C.
Published: December 2011

‘Land grab’ has become a catch‐all phrase to refer to the current explosion of (trans)national commercial land transactions mainly revolving around the production and export of food, animal feed, biofuels, timber and minerals. Two key dimensions of the current land grab – namely, the politics of changes in land use and property relations change (and the links between them) – are not sufficiently explored in the current literature. We attempt to address this gap by offering a preliminary analysis through an analytical approach that suggests some typologies as a step towards a fuller and better understanding of the politics of global land grabbing.
Global human papillomavirus vaccination: can it be cost‐effective?
Authors: Crosbie EJ
Published: December 2011

Please cite this paper as: Crosbie EJ. Global human papillomavirus vaccination: can it be cost‐effective? BJOG 2012;119:125–128.