bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The actions of sodium nitroprusside and the phosphodiesterase inhibitor dipyridamole on phasic activity in the isolated guinea‐pig bladder
Authors: Gillespie J.I. , Drake M.J.
Published: March 2004

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the actions of the nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, which purport to affect intracellular cGMP levels, on the phasic activity generated by agonist stimulation of the isolated whole bladder of the guinea pig.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Isolated whole bladders from female guinea pigs (270–300 g) were used in all experiments. Each bladder was cannulated via the urethra and suspended in a chamber containing oxygenated solution at 33–35 °C. Bladder pressure was recorded and pharmacological agents added to the solution bathing the abluminal surface of the bladder.

RESULTS

In the unstimulated bladder, SNP at up to 300 µmol/L caused only small (<2 cmH2O) rises in intravesical pressure. In the presence of phasic activity induced by either muscarinic or nicotinic stimulation, SNP at > 30 µmol/L, produced a dose‐dependent increase in the frequency of the transients. The cells responding to SNP with an increase in intracellular cGMP were identified by immunofluorescence, and were in the suburothelial layer and within the muscle bundles. Smooth muscle cells of the detrusor body did not show a rise in cGMP. Exposure to the cGMP/PDE inhibitor zaprinast had no effect on phasic activity, but exposure to dipyridamole produced a transient rise in frequency, followed by an inhibition. Dipyridamole also significantly increased the amplitude of the phasic activity.

CONCLUSION

These data show an excitatory role for NO/cGMP in the integrated regulation of phasic bladder activity. One population of cells which may be involved may be in the suburothelial layer and within the muscles. The differential sensitivity to PDE inhibitors affecting cGMP suggests that the cells responsible express specific isoforms of these regulatory enzymes. The importance of these observations, their possible role in the integrated physiology of the bladder and origins of bladder pathology, are discussed.
DCC protein expression in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Dekel Y. , Kugel V. , Livne P.M. , Gal R. , Koren R.
Published: March 2004

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether the expression of protein from the ‘deleted in colorectal cancer’ (DCC) gene, which predicts a poor outcome for patients with colorectal carcinoma, can also serve as a prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression of DCC was evaluated immunohistochemically in 94 paraffin‐embedded tumour samples from patients with stage T1, T2, and T3 clear cell RCC. The mean follow‐up was 52.3 months. The endpoints of the study were recurrence of disease and death from disease.

RESULTS

The under‐expression of DCC protein was detected in 63% of patients who died from the disease and in 36% with no evidence of disease. DCC protein under‐expression was detected in all patients with T1 tumours who died from the disease, in half the T2 tumours and in two‐thirds of T3 tumours.

CONCLUSION

DCC protein under‐expression correlated with more aggressive tumour behaviour and a greater risk of death from RCC. However, a larger cohort of patients should be assessed before drawing definitive conclusions.
The role of video‐urodynamic studies in managing non‐neurogenic voiding dysfunction in children
Authors: Soygür T. , Arikan N. , Tokatli Z. , Karaboga R.
Published: March 2004

OBJECTIVE

To retrospectively evaluate the role of video‐urodynamics (VUD) in the diagnosis and management of voiding dysfunction in children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The records of the 128 children with dysfunctional voiding symptoms were retrospectively evaluated. All patients had a noninvasive screening assessment consisting of a detailed voiding history, ultrasonography and uroflowmetry, and measurement of residual urine. All the patients had also undergone VUD with no selection criteria. The results of VUD were compared retrospectively with the noninvasive screening assessment results.

RESULTS

In 84 patients with urge syndrome VUD showed detrusor overactivity in 72 (86%); the bladder configuration and voiding‐phase results were normal. Three (3.5%) patients had low‐grade reflux. In 38 patients with voiding dysfunction VUD showed an intermittent flow pattern and/or increased electromyographic activity with a ‘spinning top’ deformity of the bladder neck and increased detrusor pressure during voiding. Five (13%) of these children had low‐grade reflux. In six infrequent voiders VUD revealed increased bladder capacity with fractionated flow patterns, with concomitantly increased abdominal pressures. There was decreased detrusor pressure during voiding with significant residual urine volume in only two patients; there was no reflux in any of the patients in this group.

CONCLUSION

We do not recommend routine VUD in children with non‐neurogenic voiding dysfunction, as it does not generally change the management and treatment. A detailed voiding history and physical examination is usually sufficient for a correct diagnosis.
Updated meta‐analysis of clinical trials of Serenoa repens extract in the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia
Authors: Boyle P. , Robertson C. , Lowe F. , Roehrborn C.
Published: March 2004

OBJECTIVES

To determine, by analysing all available clinical trial data, the clinical efficacy against placebo of an extract from the fruit of the American dwarf palm tree, Serenoa repens (Permixon®, Pierre Fabre Médicament, Castres, France), as there is controversy about the use of phytotherapeutic agents in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

METHODS

All clinical trial data published on Permixon, comprising 14 randomized clinical trials and three open‐label trials, involving 4280 patients, were analysed. These trials were of different size (22–1100 patients) and duration (21–720 days). The peak urinary flow rate and nocturia were the two common endpoints. The statistical analysis was based on a random‐effects meta‐analysis.

RESULTS

Permixon was associated with a mean (sem) reduction in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of 4.78 (0.41). The mean placebo effect on peak urinary flow rate was an increase of 1.20 (0.49) mL/s. The estimated effect of Permixon was a further increase of 1.02 (0.50) mL/s (P = 0.042). Placebo was associated with a reduction in the mean number of nocturnal voids of 0.63 (0.14); there was a further reduction attributable to Permixon of 0.38 (0.07) (P < 0.001). There was some heterogeneity among the studies for nocturia; one over 2 years involving 396 patients and showing no difference between placebo and Permixon had a large effect on the results.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta‐analysis of all available published trials of Permixon for treating men with BPH showed a significant improvement in peak flow rate and reduction in nocturia above placebo, and a 5‐point reduction in the IPSS.
The effect of intracalyceal distribution on the clearance of renal stones of ≥ 20 mm in children after extracorporeal lithotripsy
Authors: Ather M.H. , Noor M.A. , Akhtar S.
Published: March 2004

In this section there are five papers covering a range of topics. Authors from Pakistan, Hong Kong, England, Greece, Canada and Turkey have written about different issues: intra‐calyceal distribution, dynamic MR urography to assess drainage in dilated pelvicalyceal systems, perineal pain after enterocystoplasty in bladder exstrophy, PSA assessment in childhood, and the use of video‐urodynamics in managing non‐neurogenic voiding dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the effect of the intracalyceal distribution of renal stones on clearance rates after treating paediatric nephrolithiasis with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We assessed a retrospective case series of children (aged ≤ 14 years) undergoing lithotripsy on an MPL 9000 (Dornier GmbH, Germany) echo‐guided lithotripter. Patients were identified using an international coding and indexing system and ESWL registry. In all, 125 children were treated during 1990–2003, but 21 had stones of ≥ 20 mm. Stone clearance was assessed at 1 and 3 months, the stone‐free state being defined as no radiological evidence of stone or fragments of ≤ 3 mm. Failed treatments were analysed to identify any correlation with stone site.

RESULTS

The overall stone‐free rate was 81%; in four children the treatment failed (all girls) and subsequently they required ancillary procedures. Nineteen patients (90%) received up to three sessions of ESWL; two required four or more sessions. Of the four children in whom treatment failed, two had JJ stents; the stones were in the lower pole calyx in two, and the renal pelvis and lower pole calyx in two. The mean stone size in those where treatment failed was 25 mm, vs 21 mm in the stone‐free group. The complication rate was 19%, but only one child required admission to hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

ESWL is very effective for renal stones in children, with minimal morbidity. Lower pole and partial staghorn stones with a major component in the lower pole calyx should preferably be treated by a percutaneous approach.
Assessment of serum prostate specific antigen in childhood
Authors: Antoniou A. , Papanastasiou P. , Stephanidis A. , Diamandis E. , Androulakakis P.A.
Published: March 2004

OBJECTIVE

To investigate serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels with age and sex in childhood.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This prospective study included 205 children (123 boys, 82 girls; mean age 59.27 months, sd 3.78, range 2 days to 204 months) with no urogenital or endocrine disorders. PSA levels were measured using a highly sensitive, ‘third‐generation’ PSA (time‐resolved immunofluorometric) assay, able to detect PSA levels of ≥ 1 ng/L (0.001 ng/mL). Children were divided into four groups by age, i.e. A (0–12 months; 34 boys/20 girls); B (13–48, 37/21); C (49–144, 41/32); and D (> 144, 11/9). The data were analysed statistically using analysis of variance.

RESULTS

An accurate measurement of PSA was possible in both sexes using the assay. The median (sd, range) PSA level in boys was 38.41 (1.318, 1–2768) ng/L, and in girls 4.059 (1.392, 1–287) ng/L. There were no significant differences between girls at all age groups, or between the sexes for groups A–C, but levels were significantly higher in boys in group D (30 times that in girls), at 142.59 (1.53) and 4.85 (1.58) ng/L (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

PSA levels do not differ significantly between boys and girls until 12 years old, after which there is a significant and steep increase in PSA in boys, reflecting the development of the prostate. Assessing PSA in children could be used as a potential marker in the diagnosis and follow‐up of urogenital disorders.
Over‐expression of anti‐CD75 reactive proteins on distal and collecting renal tubular epithelial cells in calcium‐oxalate stone‐forming kidneys in Egypt
Authors: Kramer G. , Steiner G.E. , Neumayer C. , Prinz‐Kashani M. , Hohenfellner M. , Gomha M. , Ghoneim M. , Newman M. , Marberger M.
Published: March 2004

OBJECTIVE

To assess the nature, distribution and expression pattern of CD75, a neuraminidase‐sensitive lymphocyte cell surface differentiation antigen, in calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone disease, as cell‐surface sialic acid might be involved CaOx crystal binding, and lectin‐binding assays suggest that sialic acid in the α2,6 position is upregulated in stone‐forming kidneys.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Human CaOx stone‐forming and normal kidneys (13 each) and primary kidney epithelial cells (CAKI‐1, three samples) were analysed. The protein pattern, distribution and expression of CD75 were analysed using Western blotting, immunohistology and semi‐quantitative confocal laser scanning microscopy (cLSM). Production was investigated by α2,6‐sialyltransferase specific reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

Western blotting showed one strong band at ≈ 43 kDa that reacted with anti‐CD75 when renal epithelial and CAKI‐1 tumour cell extracts were analysed. However, in renal tissue extracts of CaOx stone formers there were additional bands at 120 and 205 kDa. Image processing after cLSM showed that anti‐CD75 reactivity was significantly greater on E‐cadherin‐positive distal and collecting tubular cells from CaOx stone‐forming kidneys, at a mean (sd) intensity of 87 (7), than on those from normal kidneys, at 41 (5) (P = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

CD75 expression in human kidney was primarily on the luminal surface of distal tubules and collecting ducts. Whether increased epithelial CD75 expression in CaOx stone disease is a cause or result of the disease remains to be clarified.
Surgical AtlasOrthotopic bladder substitution in women after cystectomy for bladder cancer
Authors: Ghoneim M.A.
Published: March 2004

Orthotopic bladder substitution after cystectomy in women isfeasible. The rate of continence is comparable to that in men who havebeen similarly treated. Over continence (which is common) is causedby posterior and caudal displacement of the neobladder. Preventionof this descent can reduce the incidence of this complication. Further follow‐upis needed to evaluate the oncological outcome.
Adaptive antioxidant response and photoaging
Authors: Wlaschek M. , Scharffetter‐Kochanek K.
Published: March 2004

As the skin is always in contact with oxygen and is increasingly exposed to environmental and artificial ultraviolet (UV) irradiation the risk of photooxidative damage induced by reactive oxygen species – finally leading to phototoxicity, photoaging and skin cancer – has increased substantially.

The term reactive oxygen species (ROS) includes oxygen centered radicals like the superoxide anion radical and the hydroxyl radical, but also non‐radical species such as hydrogen peroxide and singlet oxygen – all being produced in skin upon UV irradiation. In response to the attack of reactive oxygen species the skin has developed a complex antioxidant defense system including enzymatic and non‐enzymatic antioxidants. As a first line of the enzymatic antioxidative defense, superoxide dismutases reduce superoxide anion radicals to hydrogen peroxide which subsequently is detoxified to water by catalase and glutathione peroxidases.

We were interested whether the antioxidant enzymes manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) and glutathion peroxidase (GPx1) are inducible upon UV irradiation and whether repetitive UV exposure, as practiced for the light‐hardening during phototherapy of photodermatoses, can even enhance the adaptive antioxidant response. To address this question skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes were exposed in vitro to single and repetitive UV low dose irradiation in different time intervals and afterwords challenged by high dose irradiation. The antioxidant response was measured in terms of steady state mRNA levels and activity changes of SOD2 or GPx1 as well as of the viability after challenge with high dose UV‐irradiation.

Interstingly, only UVA but not UVB irradiation was able to induce the mRNA steady state levels and the activity of SOD2 in fibroblasts. However, fibroblasts incubated with the supernatants from UVB‐irradiated epidermal cells responded with an increase in SOD2. This increase on mRNA and activity levels was mediated by paracrine acting secreted factors produced by the keratinocytes. If fibroblasts were exposed repetitively to sublethal UVA doses the further up‐regulation of SOD2 correlated with the protection against high UV doses. Importantly, SOD2 basal levels of protein content and activity substantially differed within cultivated cells and skin biopsies from different individuals. These results provide evidence for an adaptive antioxidative UV response of the skin. Interindividual differences might account for differences in the susceptibility to develop photodermatologic disorders related to photosensitivity, photoaging, and skin cancer.
Understanding pressures on fishery resources through trade statistics: a pilot study of four products in the Chinese dried seafood market
Authors: Clarke Shelley
Published: March 2004

This study investigates the dried seafood trade, centred in Chinese markets, in order to better understand the pressures its demand exerts on global marine resource stocks. Using Hong Kong, the region's largest entrepôt, as a focal point, the trade in shark fins, abalone, bêche‐de‐mer and dried fish is characterized in terms of product history, volume, source fisheries and species composition. Trends identified in the Hong Kong market are interpreted in the context of the larger Chinese market. Shark fin imports grew 6% per year between 1991 and 2000, most likely because of market expansion in Mainland China, posing increasingly greater pressures on global shark resources. In contrast, the quantities of dried abalone traded through Hong Kong remained steady, but inferences based on this trend are discouraged by suggestions of increasing preferences for fresh product forms and growing domestic production in Mainland China. Hong Kong's imports of dried bêche‐de‐mer (sea cucumber) have decreased, while the percentage of imports re‐exported has remained steady, suggesting that Hong Kong continues as an entrepôt for Mainland China despite declining domestic consumption. Few conclusions can be drawn regarding dried fish products, including whole fish and fish maws, because of a lack of product differentiation in customs data, but a market survey was conducted to provide information on species composition. Comparison of Hong Kong dried seafood trade statistics to those of other key trading partners indicates that, in general, Hong Kong's duty‐free status appears to encourage more accurate reporting of traded quantities. Under‐reporting biases ranged from 24 to 49% for shark fin and bêche‐de‐mer, respectively. Comparison to United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) databases indicates additional under‐reporting for shark fin such that an alternative minimum estimate of world trade is at least twice the FAO estimates in 1998–2000. The results of a survey of Hong Kong traders provide insight into their attitudes toward harvest, economic and regulatory factors, and suggest that conservation efforts are unlikely to emerge from, or be actively supported by, dried seafood trade organizations. The market's apparent sensitivity to economic sentiment, however, reveals an opportunity for consumer education to play a role in shaping future market growth and resource conservation. Recommendations are provided for improving trade statistics and for developing better analytical techniques to complement traditional methods for monitoring the exploitation and management of fisheries resources.
Ancestry and amphidromy in island freshwater fish faunas
Authors: McDowall R M
Published: March 2004

Amphidromy is a frequent attribute of fish faunas of remote islands, where the presence of freshwater fishes creates perplexity as to how such remote places came to have ‘freshwater fish’. Not infrequently, the fact that amphidromous species spend part of their lives in the sea is invoked as indicating that such species have marine ancestries, and this is the implied explanation for presence of freshwater fishes on islands. However, examination of the ranges of some amphidromous species, and of the distributions of genera to which amphidromous fishes belong, strongly suggests that amphidromy, especially in the gobies of the subfamily Sicydiinae, is a widespread, probably ancestral trait. Rather than such amphidromous fish having a marine ancestry, their marine life stages are themselves the likely key element in explaining their distributions.
Assessing Pension System Reforms in Latin America
Authors: Claramunt Carlos Ochando
Published: March 2004

During the 1980s and 1990s sweeping structural changes were made to social security systems in a number of Latin American countries. This paper aims to assess the impact of those reforms, showing their possible limitations, risks and internal malfunctions. The impact on the following will be considered: (a) coverage; (b) risks and uncertainty; (c) redistributive aspects; (d) savings; and (e) the administration and management costs of the new system.
Long‐Term Care Policy for Functionally Dependent Older People in the Republic of Korea
Authors: SunWoo Duk
Published: March 2004

In the Republic of Korea, the construction of a long‐term care system for frail older persons has become an issue of great concern in the twenty‐first century, as the population is ageing rapidly. Functionally dependent older people aged 65 and over (excluding those who have difficulty performing so‐called instrumental activities of daily living) are estimated to make up 15 per cent of the total population, but only about 1 per cent of older people can afford to use formal services. In response to the increasing burden of supporting frail older persons, a long‐term care model is being prepared with the establishment in March 2003 of the Planning Committee for Developing a Public Long‐Term Care Security System for the Elderly. This paper analyses the sociodemographic background to the introduction of a long‐term care system, as well as the content and problems of the current system, and suggests the fundamental policy areas to be improved on the basis of these results. Policy issues are as follows: expansion of infrastructures for providing long‐term care services, transforming small and medium‐sized acute hospitals into long‐term care hospitals, continuum of health and long‐term care services, construction of a system to support informal caregivers, and development of a funding system for long‐term care service costs.
Social Protection in Turkey: Fragmented — and Disconnected from the Supply of Hospital Care
Authors: Holcman Robert
Published: March 2004

While Turkey's social protection structure and its hospital system both comprise a number of arrangements and strata predicated on the occupational situation of beneficiaries, there is no equivalence between them, in terms of either scope of benefits provided, benefit conditions or terms of reimbursement. Different social protection schemes and types of hospital are effectively sealed off from each other: the resulting fragmentation of access to care is at the origin of shortcomings in the social security coverage of the population. It explains the emergence of stopgap arrangements devised by various social actors, including the State, charitable foundations, community associations, municipal authorities and private enterprise.
Social Protection: Values to be Defended!
Authors: Euzéby Alain
Published: March 2004

Social protection is a part of human rights. I therefore believe it is important to react to the many reproaches levelled at it, which are undermining its legitimacy. This involves defending social protection, first and foremost in the name of its mission, its fundamental objectives and, consequently, the values upon which it is founded. After briefly reviewing the content of these values, I emphasize the fact that they should be promoted and cultivated at least as much as the economic values that are dominant in the world today.
Laser ablative resurfacing for photorejuvenation based on more than a decade's experience and 1200 patients: personal observations
Authors: Trelles Mario A.
Published: March 2004

Background Before lasers, the rejuvenation of photoaged skin, presented clinicians with many problems. Conventional methods, such as dermabrasion and various peels, gave inconsistent results with the potential for adverse side‐effects. Lasers have dramatically changed resurfacing procedures and results, although the potential for severe side‐effects still exists.

Patients and methods The author's experience of over a decade in the use of the pulsed and continuous wave CO2, Er:YAG, and combined CO2and Er:YAG lasers in ablative resurfacing in more than 1200 patients is summarized. Parameters are discussed, and laser/tissue interactions are investigated.

Results Among the CO2lasers used, the C/W system proved more effective in the long term than the pulsed system. For the Er:YAG laser, a novel dual‐mode approach was developed which was seen to give better results than the usual ablative Er:YAG settings. The combined Er:YAG/CO2system proved, in the author's hands at least, to be an ideal laser ablative resurfacing system when used with the collimated hand‐piece and a 50% overlap, which achieves a two‐pass equivalence in a single pass. Representative case reports are presented.

Conclusions Laser ablative resurfacing with the CO2or Er:YAG dual‐mode lasers has the potential to produce excellent and long‐lasting results, but at the cost of patient downtime and unpleasant side‐effects. The combined Er: YAG/CO2system, in combination with good wound management techniques has helped reduce downtime and adverse effects.
Physical appearance and cosmetic medical treatments: physiological and socio‐cultural influences
Authors: Sarwer David B , Magee Leanne , Clark Vicki
Published: March 2004

This paper reviews the physiological and socio‐cultural literatures on the role of physical appearance in daily life and its potential influence on the decision to pursue cosmetic medical treatments.

The role of physical appearance in evolutionary theory is discussed. Physiological theories of beauty, drawn from both animal and human research, are reviewed. Socio‐cultural influences on physical appearance are considered by tracing changes in ideals of beauty over the last century. The paper then reviews the literature concerning the relationship between a person's physical appearance and how they are treated throughout their lives.

 The growing awareness of this ‘beauty bias’ may influence the decision to alter one's physical appearance through cosmetic procedures.
Matting of hair following use of a new herbal shampoo
Authors: Zawar Vijay P , Mhaskar Sharad T
Published: March 2004

An Indian woman had irreversible entanglement (matting) of scalp hair following the use of a new shampoo. Previous shampoos used were well tolerated. Unaccustomed shampoo is the most likely cause, but the piling of long hair on the top of the head while shampooing and the repeated friction of combing of wet hair might both have facilitated the process of matting.
Host range and host preference of a flea weevil, Orchestes hustachei, parasitizing aphid galls
Authors: TOMISAWA Rie , AKIMOTO Shin‐ichi
Published: March 2004

Although larvae of flea weevils (Curculioninae: Rhamphini) have been known to be leaf miners, larvae of the rhamphine weevil Orchestes hustachei have been found in aphid galls of four Tetraneura species on Ulmus davidiana and in galls of Paracolopha morissoni on Zelkova serrata. This study clarified the feeding habits of O. hustachei larvae and evaluated gall selection by ovipositing females to test the hypothesis of host race formation on their hosts, Tetraneura and Paracolopha galls. When weevil larvae were placed in half‐cut galls, they always fed on aphids rather than on gall tissue. When given gall tissue only, all larvae failed to reach adulthood. The number of aphids surviving in a parasitized gall decreased significantly with the development of the weevil larvae. These results suggest that O. hustachei larvae use aphids as their major food source. In the field, ovipositing females did not discern between four Tetraneura species on U. davidiana, in spite of a large difference in suitability as food. Paracolopha morrisoni was introduced into Hokkaido approximately 100 years ago, together with the host plant Z. serrata. It is probable that P. morrisoni has recently come to be used as a host by O. hustachei in Hokkaido. Host choice experiments using Tetraneura sp. O and P. morrisoni galls indicated that female weevils from Z. serrata preferred P. morrisoni to Tetraneura sp. O galls, while females from U. davidiana selected the two types of gall randomly. On Z. serrata, female weevils selected larger P. morrisoni galls, while on U. davidiana, females did not show a preference for gall size. These results suggest that a host shift to P. morrisoni galls may have led to an initial stage of host race formation between the weevil population using Tetraneura galls on U. davidiana, and that using P. morrisoni galls on Z. serrata.
Oxycephalomyia, gen. nov., and life history strategy of O. styraci comb. nov. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on Styrax japonicus (Styracaceae)
Authors: TOKUDA Makoto , NOHARA Machiko , YUKAWA Junichi , USUBA Shigeshi , YUKINARI Masaaki
Published: March 2004

A new genus Oxycephalomyia is described to contain the gall midge that was previously known as Asteralobia styraci (Shinji). Oxycephalomyia styraci, comb. nov., produces leaf vein galls on Styrax japonicus (Styracaceae). The adult of O. styraci is redescribed, and its full‐grown larva and pupa are described for the first time. The annual life cycle of the gall midge in northern Kyushu was clarified; the first instars overwinter in the galls on the host plant. However, the galls of O. styraci mature much later in the season than those of other gall midges with a similar life history pattern, and the durations of second and third larval instars are remarkably short. Such a life history pattern is considered to have an adaptive significance in avoiding larval parasitism, particularly by early attackers. The number of host axillary buds as oviposition sites decreased in bearing years and increased in off years, but there was no sign of oviposition site shortage even in bearing years, probably due to the low population density of the gall midge. An unidentified lepidopteran that feeds on galled and ungalled host buds and a Torymus sp. that attacks pupae of O. styraci were recognized as mortality factors of the gall midge.
First record of Baetis taiwanensis Müller‐Liebenau from Japan, with description of the imago and subimago (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae)
Authors: FUJITANI Toshihito , HIROWATARI Toshiya , KOBAYASHI Norio , TANIDA Kazumi
Published: March 2004

Baetis taiwanensis is recorded from Japan, and its imagoes and subimagoes are described for the first time. We provide diagnostic characters which are useful to distinguish B. taiwanensis from an allied species, Baetis sahoensis, in imago, subimago and nymph. We reveal that the line drawings of B. taiwanensis and Nigrobaetis tatuensis were inadvertently interchanged in the original description.
Distribution and composition of colony founding associations of a subterranean termite,Reticulitermes kanmonensis
Authors: KITADE Osamu , HAYASHI Yoshinobu , KIKUCHI Yoshitomo , KAWARASAKI Satoko
Published: March 2004

We investigated distribution and sexual composition of founding associations ofReticulitermes kanmonensis, the Japanese subterranean termite, which occurs only in the Kanmon area. These properties are discussed in relation to body size and mitochondrial genotype of the dealates. The founding colonies showed a highly aggregated distribution with a ‘hot spot’ of colony founding; however, mitochondrial haplotypes of the dealates suggested random mating. Monogamous colonies were predominant, but solitary colonies and colonies with two females and/or males also occurred. Paired dealates tended to be larger than solitary founders, suggesting that both sexes were under sexual selection related to body size.
Diversification Discount or Premium? New Evidence from the Business Information Tracking Series
Authors: Villalonga Belén
Published: March 2004

I use the Business Information Tracking Series (BITS), a new census database that covers the whole U.S. economy at the establishment level, to examine whether the finding of a diversification discount is an artifact of segment data. BITS data allow me to construct business units that are more consistently and objectively defined than segments, and thus more comparable across firms. Using these data on a sample that yields a discount according to segment data, I find a diversification premium. The premium is robust to variations in the sample, business unit definition, and measures of excess value and diversification.
Optimal Diversification: Reconciling Theory and Evidence
Authors: Gomes Joao , Livdan Dmitry
Published: March 2004

In this paper we show that the main empirical findings about firm diversification and performance are consistent with the maximization of shareholder value. In our model, diversification allows a firm to explore better productive opportunities while taking advantage of synergies. By explicitly linking the diversification strategies of the firm to differences in size and productivity, our model provides a natural laboratory to investigate several aspects of the relationship between diversification and performance. Specifically, we show that our model can rationalize the evidence on the diversification discount (Lang and Stulz (1994)) and the documented relation between diversification and productivity (Schoar (2002)).
An Examination of Long‐Term Abnormal Stock Returns and Operating Performance Following R&D Increases
Authors: Eberhart Allan C. , Maxwell William F. , Siddique Akhtar R.
Published: March 2004

We examine a sample of 8,313 cases, between 1951 and 2001, where firms unexpectedly increase their research and development (R&D) expenditures by a significant amount. We find consistent evidence of a misreaction, as manifested in the significantly positive abnormal stock returns that our sample firms' shareholders experience following these increases. We also find consistent evidence that our sample firms experience significantly positive long‐term abnormal operating performance following their R&D increases. Our findings suggest that R&D increases are beneficial investments, and that the market is slow to recognize the extent of this benefit (consistent with investor underreaction).
News Arrival, Jump Dynamics, and Volatility Components for Individual Stock Returns
Authors: Maheu John M. , McCurdy Thomas H.
Published: March 2004

This paper models components of the return distribution, which are assumed to be directed by a latent news process. The conditional variance of returns is a combination of jumps and smoothly changing components. A heterogeneous Poisson process with a time‐varying conditional intensity parameter governs the likelihood of jumps. Unlike typical jump models with stochastic volatility, previous realizations of both jump and normal innovations can feed back asymmetrically into expected volatility. This model improves forecasts of volatility, particularly after large changes in stock returns. We provide empirical evidence of the impact and feedback effects of jump versus normal return innovations, leverage effects, and the time‐series dynamics of jump clustering.
Option Pricing on Stocks in Mergers and Acquisitions
Authors: Subramanian Ajay
Published: March 2004

We develop an arbitrage‐free and complete framework to price options on the stocks of firms involved in a merger or acquisition deal allowing for the possibility that the deal might be called off at an intermediate time, creating discontinuous impacts on the stock prices. Our model can be a normative tool for market makers to quote prices for options on stocks involved in such deals and also for traders to control risks associated with such deals using traded options. The results of tests indicate that the model performs significantly better than the Black–Scholes model in explaining observed option prices.
Population Aging and the Rising Cost of Public Pensions
Authors: Bongaarts John
Published: March 2004

Rapid population aging is raising concerns about the sustainability of public pension systems in high‐income countries. The first part of this study identifies the four factors that determine trends in public pension expenditures: population aging, pension benefit levels, the mean age at retirement, and the labor force participation rate. The second part presents projections to 2050 of the impact of demographic trends on public pension expenditures in the absence of changes in pension benefits, labor force participation, and age at retirement. These projections demonstrate that current trends are unsustainable, because without reforms population aging will produce an unprecedented and harmful accumulation of public debt. A number of projection variants assess the potential impact of policy options aimed at improving the sustainability of public pension systems. Although the conventional responses are considered, particular attention is given to the demographic options of encouraging higher fertility and permitting more immigration. This analysis is illustrated with data from the seven largest OECD countries.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Global Labor Force Exchange in the Chinese American Population, 1880–1940
Authors: Chew Kenneth S. Y. , Liu John M.
Published: March 2004

Despite a once‐conspicuous presence in the Western United States, little is known demo‐graphically about the Chinese in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States. The widely accepted model of a declining male “sojourner society,” beset by draconian restrictions on immigration and the impossibility of family formation, is seemingly contradicted by the continuous economic vitality of urban Chinatowns in the United States. This article tests the largely unexamined demographic structure of the Chinese population in the United States through the application of cohort‐component projection on census data from 1880 through 1940, including data recently made available as part of the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS). The results fail to support the model of passive population decline, suggesting instead that the Chinese actively engaged in a collective strategy of long‐distance labor exchange to maximize economic productivity among Chinese workers in the United States.
Politics and Female Sterilization in Northeast Brazil
Authors: Caetano André J. , Potter Joseph E.
Published: March 2004

Brazilian fertility has fallen rapidly in the last three decades, even in the Northeast, the country's poorest region. Female sterilization has become the most common contraceptive method in this region, where 44 percent of married women aged 15–49 years were sterilized as of 1996. While in other regions sterilizations were generally paid for by the patient, politicians and physicians arranged and paid for the large majority of these surgical procedures in the Northeast. The authors present evidence that this phenomenon is the result of the use of sterilization as an electoral good by politicians and physicians in local contexts where politicians regularly provide goods and services to the poor in exchange for votes. This systemic behavior seems to have been little affected by 1997 legislation that regulated family planning, made sterilization legal, and was intended to increase the use of other methods of contraception.
The Trend in International Health Inequality
Authors: Goesling Brian , Firebaugh Glenn
Published: March 2004

Estimates of average life expectancy for 169 countries are used to compute the trend in between‐country health inequality from 1980 to 2000. Results show that inequality in the distribution of life expectancy across countries declined in the 1980s, but then increased through the 1990s. The recent turnaround in between‐country health inequality is significant because it reverses a long‐term trend of declining inequality across countries that began in the first half of the twentieth century. The primary cause of rising inequality across countries is declining life expectancy in sub‐Saharan Africa, largely owing to HIV/AIDS. Life expectancy in sub‐Saharan Africa holds the key to the future trend in between‐country inequality.
Global warming gas emission during plasma cleaning process of silicon nitride using c-C4F8O/O2 chemistry with additive Ar and N2
Authors: Kim K. J. , Oh C. H. , Lee N.-E. , Kim J. H. , Bae J. W. , Yeom G. Y. , Yoon S. S.
Published: March 2004

In this work, the cyclic perfluorinated ether (c-C4F8O) with very high destructive removal efficiencies (DREs) was used as an alternative process gas for cleaning of the silicon nitride chemical vapor deposition chamber. Direct plasma cleaning of silicon nitrides in a capacitively coupled plasma mode using the gas mixtures of c-C4F8O/O2, c-C4F8O/O2+Ar, and c-C4F8O/O2+N2 was investigated in order to evaluate the effects of additive gases (Ar and N2) on the global warming. Emitted net volumes of perfluorocompounds during cleaning of silicon nitride were quantitatively measured by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. The effects of additive Ar and N2 on the DRE and the million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE) values were evaluated from the volumetric emission of effluents. MMTCE value for the optimized c-C4F8O/O2 cleaning was decreased by ≅64% compared to that of the C2F6/O2 chemistry as a result of decreased emission of CF4. During the cleaning process using c-C4F8O/O2 gas mixtures with additive Ar and N2, the DRE value as high as ≅98% was obtained and MMTCE values were reduced by ≅78% and ≅81% compared to those of C2F6/O2 cleaning, respectively, as a combined result of the decreased CF4 emission and increased cleaning rate.
Microfabricated cantilever with metallic tip for electrostatic and capacitance microscopy and its application to investigation of semiconductor devices
Authors: Gotszalk Teodor , Czarnecki Piotr , Grabiec Piotr , Domański Krzysztof , Zaborowski Michał , Rangelow Ivo W.
Published: March 2004

The fabrication and perfomance of a microprobe with metal tip for versatile application in scanning probe microscopy is presented in this article. Atomic force microscopy, electrostatic force microscopy, and scanning capacitance microscopy investigations can be performed with this probe, which integrates the metal tip with a silicon spring cantilever. The cantilever beam with integrated metal tip and connecting line was microfabricated using an innovative double-side micromachining and micromolding technique, where of the microprobe has a metal tip with a radius of 40 nm, which can be supplied with voltage in order to measure electrostatic forces and capacitance between the microtip and the surface. The measurement properties of the microprobe are determined by the silicon beam on which the microtip is integrated. The developed microprobe was successfully applied in the investigation of electrostatic forces and in voltage measurements on a piezoresistive microelectromechanical system force detector. Experimental results of electrostatic force measurements agree well with theoretical estimates of the sensitivity of the microprobe.
Fabrication of curved structures with electron-beam and surface structure characterization
Authors: Chen Jem-Kun , Ko Fu-Hsiang , Chen Hsuan-Ko , Chou Cheng-Tung , Chen Hsuen-Li , Chang Feng-Chih
Published: March 2004

In this article, we propose a fabrication technology for preparing curved structures using an electron-beam writing strategy. Oxygen plasma treatment increases the surface roughness of SU-8 polymer, while minimizing the outgassing problem and stabilizing the SU-8 film. Fourier transform infrared spectra of epoxy bond near 915 cm−1 decreased upon increasing the dosage of the electron beam or the treatment time of the oxygen plasma. Convex, concave, and spiral structures were formed successfully using a gradient dosing strategy. The interface between two shot sections was smoothed by the electron scattering effect. The curved profile was fabricated at various curvatures, and characterized using scanning electron microscopy and a profiler. In addition, a spiral structure was fabricated that possesses the advantageous feature of having a small chip area. We discuss a method of characterizing the spiral structure.
Progress toward a raster multibeam lithography tool
Authors: Coyle S. T. , Shamoun B. , Yu M. , Maldonado J. , Thomas T. , Holmgren D. , Chen X. , Scheinfein M. R. , DeVore B. , Gesley M.
Published: March 2004

A prototype raster multibeam optics is evaluated for 45 nm mask pilot lithography. A laser beam is split into 32 beamlets, which are modulated acousto-optically then focused onto a photocathode. This generates 32 electron beams which are scanned and focused on a writing surface. Photocathode photoyield and lifetime exceed 200 nA/mW and 100 h per spot, respectively. Photoyield recovers to within 1% after 1 min fully extinguished. The size of the laser spot is 300 nm, full width half maximum (FWHM) and the size of the corresponding electron beam spots is 50 nm (FWHM) at the writing plane. In the first demonstration of multiple electron beam lithography, 200 nm line/space arrays and 100 nm isolated lines were printed with an interim four-beam datapath. Preliminary experiments and a theoretical evaluation indicate that resist outgassing does not significantly reduce photocathode performance. An improved electron-optical column has also been designed, with a 35 nm pixel pitch, and a placement accuracy of <0.8 nm over a 120 μm field of view at the cathode and the scan field of 410×10 μm at the writing plane.
Enhanced model for scanning tunneling microscope tip geometry measured with field ion microscopy
Authors: Rao P. V. M. , Jensen C. P. , Silver R. M.
Published: March 2004

Estimating the shape and size of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip before scanning is often necessary for the correct interpretation of the STM data. This is particularly essential when using the STM as a metrology tool. It is common among researchers to idealize the tip shape as conical, spherical, or parabolic. By using a field ion microscope (FIM), the tip shape and size can be measured directly on an atomic scale. Based on FIM measurements, it has been realized that simple idealizations of the tip shape are not satisfactory in many cases, particularly for sharp tips. In the present work, we have developed an enhanced model of the shape of a STM tip measured with FIM using Lame’s curves. The proposed model, which assumes an axisymmetric tip shape, is validated with comparisons between the theoretical simulations of FIM images and experimental FIM images from tips made of tungsten (110). For tips smaller than a limiting size, applications of the model may no longer be valid.
Smooth and vertical-sidewall InP etching using Cl2/N2 inductively coupled plasma
Authors: Lin Jie , Leven Andreas , Weimann N. G. , Yang Y. , Kopf R. F. , Reyes R. , Chen Y. K. , Choa Fow-sen
Published: March 2004

Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) operated in the reactive-ion etching mode is used for mesa etching of InP using Cl2/N2 chemistry with a Ni metal mask. Etch rates of approximately 140 nm/min with very smooth and vertical sidewalls are obtained at a dc bias of 120 V. The effects of temperature, gas flow, chamber pressure, ICP source power, and substrate bias power on etch rate are studied; sidewall profile and surface morphology will be discussed.
Etching of submicron holes in SiO2, Ta2O5, and Nb2O5
Authors: Boucher R. , Morgenroth W. , Roth H. , Meyer H. G. , Liguda C. , Eich M.
Published: March 2004

We have etched submicron holes into SiO2, Ta2O5, and Nb2O5. The etching process has produced walls with low roughness, less than <30 nm, for Ta2O5 and Nb2O5, and <10 nm for SiO2, which compares well to the NiCr mask hole edge roughness of 5–10 nm. Three-inch wafers with real photonic-crystal structures have been etched. The problems associated with the high sublimation temperatures of TaF5 and NbF5 have been solved by increasing the substrate surface temperature to above 120 °C. However, for the narrowest holes, about 250 nm across, a pulsed electron-cyclotron-resonance method has had to be used in addition, in order to see an etching effect.