bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ULTRASTRUCTURE AND ECOLOGY OF AUREOCOCCUS ANOPHAGEFERENS GEN. ET SP. NOV. (CHRYSOPHYCEAE): THE DOMINANT PICOPLANKTER DURING A BLOOM IN NARRAGANSETT BAY, RHODE ISLAND, SUMMER 19851
Authors: Sieburth John McN. , Johnson Paul W. , Hargraves Paul E.
Published: March 2008

Observations of a marked cessation of feeding in filter feeding animals maintained in flowing Narragansett Bay seawater in June 1985 drew our attention to a bloom of a golden alga 2 μm in diameter at unprecedented populations of 109 cells. L−1. This picoplankter lacked morphological features useful in discriminating it from other similar sized forms with either phase contrast or epifluorescence light microscopy. Natural populations of picoplankton, obtained from the height of the bloom until its decline, were examined in thin section with transmission electron microscopy. A cell with a single chloroplast, nucleus, and mitochondrion and an unusual exocellular polysaccharide‐like layer was apparently the bloom alga. The ultrastructure of this alga is consistent with that of the Chrysophyceae, and a new genus and species, Aureococcus anophagefferens is described.

Attempts to grow this previously unrecognized picoplanktonic alga as an obligate phototroph failed and only yielded cultures of other previously described picoalgae. Facultative and obligate phagotrophic protists with ingested cells of Aureococcus were only observed as the bloom waned and minute diatoms became common. Cells of A. anophagefferens with virus particles typical for picoalgae occurred throughout the bloom. Populations of the usually dominant photosynthetic picoplankter, the cyanobacterium Synechococcus Nägeli, were depressed during the bloom. This could be due in part to selective grazing on Synechococcus rather than Aureococcus by elevated populations of Calycomonas ovalis Wulff which accompanied the algal bloom.
Improving the Capture of Fall Events in Hospitals: Combining a Service for Evaluating Inpatient Falls with an Incident Report System
Authors: Shorr Ronald I. , Mion Lorraine C. , Chandler A. Michelle , Rosenblatt Linda C. , Lynch Debra , Kessler Lori A.
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVES: To determine the utility of a fall evaluation service to improve the ascertainment of falls in acute care.

DESIGN: Six‐month observational study.

SETTING: Sixteen adult nursing units (349 beds) in an urban, academically affiliated, community hospital.

PARTICIPANTS: Patients admitted to the study units during the study period.

INTERVENTION: Nursing staff identifying falls were instructed to notify, using a pager, a trained nurse “fall evaluator.” Fall evaluators provided 24‐hour‐per‐day 7‐day‐per‐week coverage throughout the study. Data on patient falls gathered by fall evaluators were compared with falls data obtained through the hospital's incident reporting system.

RESULTS: During 51,180 patient‐days of observation, 191 falls were identified according to incident reports (3.73 falls/1,000 patient‐days), whereas the evaluation service identified 228 falls (4.45 falls/1,000 patient‐days). Combining falls reported from both data sources yielded 266 falls (5.20 falls/1,000 patient‐days), a 39% relative rate increase compared with incident reports alone (P<.001). For falls with injury, combining data from both sources yielded 79 falls (1.54 injurious falls/1,000 patient‐days), compared with 57 falls (1.11 injurious falls/1,000 patient‐days) filed in incident reports—a 28% increase (P=.06). In the 16 nursing units, the relative percentage increase of captured fall events using the combined data sources versus the incident reporting system alone ranged from 13% to 125%.

CONCLUSION: Incident reports significantly underestimate both injurious and noninjurious falls in acute care settings and should not be used as the sole source of data for research or quality improvement initiatives.
Patient‐Controlled Analgesia in Chronic Pain Patients: Experience with a New Device Designed to be Used with Implanted Programable Pumps
Authors: Ilias Wilfried , Le Polain Bernard , Buchser Eric , Demartini Laura ,   the oPTiMa study group
Published: March 2008

▪ Abstract Background:  Intrathecal drug delivery using implantable pumps is an effective method to control stable chronic pain. However, the appropriate alleviation of unpredictable pain fluctuations remains challenging. A possible solution is the use of patient‐controlled analgesia (PCA) by means of a specific device—the personal therapy manager (PTM)—designed to be used with implanted programable pumps.

Methods:  A multicenter (n = 17), open‐label registry recording 168 patients suffering from chronic pain with unsatisfactory control of pain episodes was initiated. While 79 patients (47%) (group A) already carried an implanted pump at enrollment, all other patients were implanted after being registered in the study (group B). Parameters assessed included pain relief (visual analog score, VAS), quality of life (EQ‐5D), patient and physician satisfaction, medication use, PTM programming parameters and adverse events. Final follow‐up was at 12 months.

Results:  At 12 months, there was a significant reduction (29%) of the overall average VAS compared with baseline (P < 0.01) in patients with newly implanted devices (group B). All patients tended to decrease the concomitant pain medication and the quality of life tended to improve (10% on the EQ‐5D scale). In total, 85% of patients were satisfied with the PTM. No serious adverse events related to the use of the PTM device were observed.

Conclusions:  Patient‐controlled analgesia using a PTM with a programable, implantable pump system is an effective therapy for the treatment of chronic pain and allows patients to feel that they have more control over unpredictable pain fluctuations. ▪
Rate of Acquiring and Processing L2 Color Words in Relation to L1 Phonological Awareness
Authors: HU CHIEH‐FANG
Published: March 2008

This study examined the effect of first language (L1) phonological awareness on the rate of learning new second language (L2) color terms and the rate of processing old color terms. Two groups of 37 children participated; they differed on L1 phonological awareness measured at Grade 3. At Grade 5, over multiple trials, the children learned new L2 color terms interspersed with known color terms. They also rapidly named a series of familiar L2 color terms. Results revealed that children with lower phonological awareness acquired new color terms more slowly and less accurately than their peers with higher phonological awareness. In the same learning context, however, they were comparable to their peers with the old color terms. They also were slower in naming familiar color terms though they named the colors as accurately as their peers with more acute phonological awareness. These results suggest that poorer L1 phonological awareness slows the rate of acquiring new L2 words and has a persistent effect on the subsequent development of the efficiency in processing the words.
Incidental Focus on Form in University Spanish Literature Courses
Authors: ZYZIK EVE , POLIO CHARLENE
Published: March 2008

Incidental focus on form is one of several ways to direct language learners' attention to formal aspects of language within meaningful communicative contexts. Learners can benefit from focus on form, but the extent to which incidental focus on form, or any other type, is available to learners in advanced foreign language literature classes has not been widely researched. In a multiple case study approach, three university Spanish literature classes were studied over the course of a 15‐week semester. Data were collected through class observations, instructor interviews, and instructor stimulated recalls. Using a modified version of Ellis's (2001) taxonomy of form‐focused instruction, we found that recasts were the instructors' preferred form of feedback, with negotiation and explicit correction being extremely rare. Furthermore, preemptive focus on form was common, but almost exclusively limited to vocabulary. We discuss these findings with regard to two different points of view, the literature instructors' and the research on form‐focused instruction. We then provide suggestions for increasing learners' opportunities for attention to form in literature courses while acknowledging the reality of the context.
An Exploration of Chinese EFL Learners' Unwillingness to Communicate and Foreign Language Anxiety
Authors: LIU MEIHUA , JACKSON JANE
Published: March 2008

This article reports the results of a study of the unwillingness to communicate, and anxiety of Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in English language classrooms. A 70‐item survey of 547 first‐year undergraduate non‐English majors revealed that (a) Most of the students were willing to participate in interpersonal conversations, but many of them did not like to risk using/speaking English in class; (b) more than one third of the students felt anxious in their English language classrooms, and they feared being negatively evaluated and were apprehensive about public speaking and tests; (c) their unwillingness to communicate and their foreign language anxiety correlated significantly with each other and with their self‐rated English proficiency and access to English; and (d) many of the variables of interest were good predictors of the students' unwillingness to communicate and of their foreign language anxiety, which were also powerful predictors for each other.
Cognitive Profiles of (Un)successful FL Learners: A Cluster Analytical Study
Authors: RYSIEWICZ JACEK
Published: March 2008

This article reports a study in which ability/aptitude profiles of 13‐year‐old foreign language (FL) learners are identified. A multivariate statistical procedure of cluster analysis proved to be particularly useful in this respect. The aim of cluster analysis is to identify, within a sample studied, certain subgroups (clusters) of participants who share similar combinations of characteristics and who are different from other groups of participants. In the present study, the performance of 137 FL learners on 6 different ability/aptitude measures provided input data for the analysis. The data came from earlier research (Rysiewicz, 2004) in which 4 variables had been broadly analyzed as aptitude and 2 as intelligence dimensions. The results of nonhierarchical clustering (k‐means clustering) revealed 3 distinct cognitive learner profiles that lent themselves best to theoretical interpretation. Additionally, an external criterion variable was used to function as an independent indicator of the differences among the clusters (Alexander & Murphy, 1999). It was found that the identified learner types performed significantly differently on a second language proficiency criterion measure, which confirmed the validity of the 3‐cluster solution.
Price Momentum and Idiosyncratic Volatility
Authors: Arena Matteo P. , Haggard K. Stephen , Yan Xuemin (Sterling)
Published: March 2008

We find that returns to momentum investing are higher among high idiosyncratic volatility (IVol) stocks, especially high IVol losers. Higher IVol stocks also experience quicker and larger reversals. The findings are consistent with momentum profits being attributable to underreaction to firm‐specific information and with IVol limiting arbitrage of the momentum effect. We also find a positive time‐series relation between momentum returns and aggregate IVol. Given the long‐term rise in IVol, this result helps explain the persistence of momentum profits since Jegadeesh and Titman's (1993) study.
Price Discovery and Liquidity in Basket Securities
Authors: Henker Thomas , Martens Martin
Published: March 2008

Basket securities enable investors to purchase a broad portfolio of securities in a single transaction. We examine the link between HOLDRS, a basket security comprising stocks from an industry or sector, and the underlying stocks. We find that the price of the portfolio of underlying securities leads and is more informative than the basket price. Our results are contrary to the findings of empirical studies that use futures, which are basket securities with features less like those of the underlying equities. Our findings suggest uninformed investors can minimize adverse selection costs by trading basket securities rather than the underlying stocks.
Information Asymmetry and Corporate Investment Decisions: A Dynamic Approach
Authors: Tsai Shih‐Chuan
Published: March 2008

This paper develops a dynamic model of the financing and operating decisions of firms in the presence of information asymmetry. When the value of growth opportunities is not fully recognized, securities are undervalued, thus influencing the financing and investment decisions. The agency‐based underinvestment problem is re‐examined under information asymmetry. For firms with greater growth opportunities, the investment distortion resulting from information asymmetry is especially significant. Information asymmetry also increases the expected bankruptcy cost. The cost of information asymmetry in terms of both the firm value and the information spread under the optimal capital structure could be substantial.
Implantable Defibrillators and Prevention of Sudden Death in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: MARON BARRY J. , SPIRITO PAOLO
Published: March 2008

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young people, including trained athletes. The implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD), although initially designed as a treatment for older patients with coronary artery disease, has more recently proved to be a safe and effective therapeutic intervention in young patients with HCM, both for primary or secondary prevention of sudden death. The largest such report of >500 patients showed that the ICD intervened appropriately to abort ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) in 20% of patients over an average follow‐up period of only 3.7 years, at a rate of about 4% per year in those patients implanted prophylactically, and often with considerable delays of up to 10 years. Extensive experience with high‐risk HCM patients showed that appropriate device discharges for VT/VF occur with similar frequency in patients with 1, 2, or ≥3 noninvasive risk markers. Despite the extreme morphology characteristic of HCM, often with massive degrees of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and/or LV outflow tract obstruction, ICDs performed in a highly effective fashion, with failure to convert life‐threatening arrhythmias extraordinarily rare. In conclusion, in a large high‐risk HCM cohort, ICD interventions for life‐threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias were frequent and highly effective in restoring normal rhythm. An important proportion of ICD discharges occurred in primary prevention patients with only one risk factor. Therefore, a single marker of high risk may represent sufficient evidence to justify the recommendation for a prophylactic ICD in selected patients with HCM.
Antidepressant treatment is associated with a reduction in suicidal ideation and suicide attempts
Authors: Mulder R. T. , Joyce P. R. , Frampton C. M. A. , Luty S. E.
Published: March 2008

Objective:  To measure changes in suicidal behaviours during 6 months of treatment with antidepressants.

Method:  A group of depressed patients (n = 195) were assessed for suicidal behaviours in the 6 months prior to treatment. They were prospectively assessed for suicidal behaviours during 6 months of treatment with antidepressants.

Results:  Patients who made suicide attempts fell from 39 in the 6 months prior to treatment to 20 during treatment. Significant suicidal ideation reduced from 47% at baseline to 14% at 3 weeks remaining below this during the rest of the treatment. Twenty patients had emergent suicidal ideation; five of them had not experienced some level of suicidal behaviour in the 6 months prior to treatment.

Conclusion:  Suicide behaviours are common in depressed out‐patients. Antidepressant treatment is associated with a rapid and significant reduction in suicidal behaviours. The rate of emergent suicidal behaviour was low and the risk benefit ratio for antidepressants appears to favour their use.
Acute and continuation therapy in unipolar depression: observations from the run‐in phase of a maintenance trial
Authors:   Danish University Antidepressant Group (DUAG)
Published: March 2008

Objective:  The aim of the study was to analyze treatments and outcome in depressed patients.

Method:  Patients with recurrent depressive disorder (n = 289), recruited for a prophylaxis study, were followed up in hospital settings for 6 months with diagnostic and depression ratings at baseline and monthly depression ratings. Data on psychotropic drugs were retrieved from hospital case records. Independent associations between baseline, treatment and outcome variables were examined by logistic regression models.

Results:  Depressive symptoms subsided gradually. After 6 months, 21% had dropped out, 43% were rated as remitted (HAM‐D‐17 <8) and 8% had not responded (HAM‐D‐17 >15). Patients once remitted rarely relapsed (<5%). All patients received antidepressant drugs, half of them more than one (2–4) as well as other psychotropic drugs. Patients responding poorly received more frequently multiple antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, hypnosedatives, lithium and/or antipsychotics.

Conclusion:  The 6‐month outcome was generally poor. Choice of treatment appeared at least partly to be determined by the therapeutic outcome.
Finite element modelling of forearm skin wrinkling
Authors: Flynn Cormac , McCormack Brendan A. O.
Published: March 2008

Background/purpose: Human skin is a complex multilayered material. Although there are many numerical models of skin in existence, which accurately simulate several of its complex mechanical characteristics, there are very few models that simulate wrinkling – a phenomenon common to all human skin. The purpose of this study was to develop a multilayer model of skin, which could simulate wrinkling more realistically than the existing models in the literature.

Method: The skin on the volar forearm was wrinkled by displacing two tabs, which were attached to the skin surface towards each other. Eight volunteers were used in the experiment. The profiles of the wrinkles were measured using a customised laser profilometer system. The maximum range and average roughness of the wrinkle profiles were calculated. The multilayer model of skin consisted of the stratum corneum, dermis and underlying hypodermis. The constitutive equations for each layer were implemented into a finite element model and the wrinkling experiments were simulated. The results of the model were compared with the results of the experiments.

Results: The size of the wrinkles predicted by the model fell within the range of the wrinkle sizes measured in the experiments. The maximum range and average roughness differed by 34% and 43% from the corresponding mean experimental results, respectively. The results show that the proposed three‐layer skin model simulates wrinkling more realistically than either a single or a two‐layer model.

Conclusion: A three‐layer model of skin has been developed and validated under the harsh conditions of wrinkling. It has been shown that a three‐layer model better simulates the wrinkling of skin as compared with models of fewer layers. The model has several applications, including simulating skin aging and the design of more realistic artificial skin. The model can also be used to study the interaction of surgical scalpels or razors with human skin with a view to improving their design.
Effects of lotioned disposable handkerchiefs on skin barrier recovery after tape stripping
Authors: De Paepe Kristien , De Rop Evelien , Houben Evi , Adam Ralf , Rogiers Vera
Published: March 2008

Background/purpose: In the present work, it was studied whether repeated use of lotioned disposable handkerchiefs on tape‐stripped forearm skin was able to improve skin barrier recovery.

Methods: Skin assessments included scoring of visual erythema and dryness/scaliness; and measuring of skin redness (Chromameter® CR300), skin hydration (Corneometer® CM825), and transepidermal water loss (Tewameter® TM300). Four different lotioned paper handkerchiefs – randomly assigned to one of two subject groups (n=20) – were tested vs. the non‐lotioned control handkerchief. The results were also compared with those obtained using a topically applied oil‐in‐water barrier cream (Dermalex®).

Results: The three‐day lasting protocol revealed that handkerchief wiping itself delayed skin recovery, but a significantly better performance was seen for the lotioned handkerchiefs containing fatty alcohols and mineral oils. This shows that the use of lotioned tissues helps to prevent skin damage inevitably caused by the wiping process.

Conclusion: The controlled pre‐damaged forearm method with tape stripping appears to be a suitable model to study the effects of repetitive wiping on irritated skin with disposable handkerchiefs of different quality. More specifically, the model seems applicable to mimic the nasolabial skin damage observed during a common cold associated with frequent use of disposable handkerchiefs.
Potential factors responsible for dryness of the dorsum of the tongue in elderly requiring care
Authors: Ogasawara Tadashi , Andou Nobuyuki , Kawase Souitirou , Kawase Yuka , Matsuo Koichiro , Ozaki Yosie , Kakinoki Yasuaki
Published: March 2008

Objective:  This study explored potential factors in elderly requiring care that cause dryness of the dorsum of the tongue despite moisture retention in the sublingual mucosa.

Materials and methods:  Subjects were 224 elderly (mean age: 83.6 ± 7.4 years) living in a nursing home and requiring individual care. Measurement of moisture of the dorsum of the tongue and sublingual mucosa was performed using a wetness tester (L‐SALIVO) with a measurement time of 10 s.

Results:  A significant difference in drying only of the dorsum of the tongue was noted depending on the degree of incapacity, level of consciousness, eating (oral ingestion or tube‐feeding), and conversation. Multiple logistic regression identified the degree of incapacity in terms of eating (oral ingestion or tube‐feeding) as a significant factor for dryness. The odds ratio for the degree of incapacity was 3.2 while that for eating was 11.226.

Conclusion:  Dry mouth of the dorsum of the tongue in elderly requiring care was associated with the degree of incapacity, tube feeding, and level of conversation.
“Never in Our Lifetime”: Legal Marriage for Same‐Sex Couples in Long‐Term Relationships*
Authors: Porche Michelle V. , Purvin Diane M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: We present data from 4 lesbian and 5 gay male same‐sex couples who have been together 20 years or more. Couples included those legally married and unmarried, with and without children, and were interviewed within the first year legalized same‐sex marriage was enacted in Massachusetts. Using life course theory and case study methodology, we investigate supports and constraints related to relationship longevity and how these factors influence the couples’ responses to the option of legal marriage decades into their relationships. Seven out of 9 couples married immediately or soon after legalization. The two who did not marry reaffirmed and maintained their commitment. Results are discussed in light of theory and practice within the context of a period of historic change.
“But Will It Last?”: Marital Instability Among Interracial and Same‐Race Couples*
Authors: Bratter Jenifer L. , King Rosalind B.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: The literature on interracial families has examined social stigmas attached to interracial relationships but has not thoroughly documented whether crossing racial boundaries increases the risk of divorce. Using the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (Cycle VI), we compare the likelihood of divorce for interracial couples to that of same‐race couples. Comparisons across marriage cohorts reveal that, overall, interracial couples have higher rates of divorce, particularly for those marrying during the late‐1980s. We also find race and gender variation. Compared to White/White couples, White female/Black male, and White female/Asian male marriages were more prone to divorce; meanwhile, those involving non‐White females and White males and Hispanics and non‐Hispanic persons had similar or lower risks of divorce.
Together but Not “Together”: Trajectories of Relationship Suspension for Low‐Income Unmarried Parents*
Authors: Roy Kevin M. , Buckmiller Nicolle , McDowell April
Published: March 2008

Abstract:We identified and examined relationship trajectories among low‐income parents, with particular attention to fathers and mothers who never marry but maintain potential for greater commitment. Through analyses of life history interviews with a diverse sample of 71 fathers in the Midwest, we used a life course framework to examine the process of relationship suspension. Findings indicated that partner support was critical in overcoming environmental and family barriers to long‐term relationships. By delinking partnering from parenting, unmarried mothers and fathers found a basis for prolonged interaction, apart from intimacy. Relationships persisted because of daily investments during many years of waiting to formalize relationships. Implications for research on relationship trajectories among low‐income families and for policy and programs are discussed.
Romantic Relationships Among Unmarried African Americans and Caribbean Blacks: Findings From the National Survey of American Life*
Authors: Lincoln Karen D. , Taylor Robert Joseph , Jackson James S.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This study investigated the correlates of relationship satisfaction, marriage expectations, and relationship longevity among unmarried African American and Black Caribbean (Caribbean Black) adults who are in a romantic relationship. The study used data from the National Survey of American Life, a national representative sample of African Americans and Caribbean Blacks in the United States. The findings indicated that the correlates of relationship satisfaction, expectations of marriage, and relationship longevity were different for African Americans and Black Caribbeans. For Black Caribbeans, indicators of socioeconomic status were particularly important correlates of relationship satisfaction. For African Americans, indicators of parental status were important for relationship longevity. Policy and practice implications for nonmarital unions are discussed.
A large population of recently quenched red-sequence dwarf galaxies in the outskirts of the Coma cluster
Authors: Smith Russell J. , Marzke Ronald O. , Hornschemeier Ann E. , Bridges Terry J. , Hudson Michael J. , Miller Neal A. , Lucey John R. , Vázquez Gerardo A. , Carter David
Published: March 2008

We analyse the stellar populations of 75 red-sequence dwarf galaxies in the Coma cluster, based on high signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopy from the 6.5-m MMT. The sample covers a luminosity range 3–4 mag below M★, in the cluster core and in a field centred 1° to the south-west. We find a strong dependence of the absorption-line strengths with location in the cluster. Galaxies further from the cluster centre have stronger Balmer lines than inner-field galaxies of the same luminosity. The magnesium lines are weaker at large radius, while the iron lines are not correlated with radius. Converting the line strengths into estimates of stellar age, metallicity and abundance ratios, we find the gradients are driven by variations in age (>6σ significance) and in the iron abundance Fe/H (∼2.7σ significance). The light element (Mg, C, N, Ca) abundances are almost independent of radius. At radius of times the virial radius), dwarf galaxies have ages ∼3.8 Gyr on average, compared to ∼6 Gyr near the cluster centre. The outer dwarfs are also ∼50 per cent more iron-enriched, at given luminosity. Our results confirm earlier indications that the ages of red-sequence galaxies depend on location within clusters, and in Coma in particular. The very strong trends found here suggest that dwarf galaxies are especially susceptible to environmental ‘quenching’, and/or that the south-west part of Coma is particularly a clear example of recent quenching in an infalling subcluster.
Low-frequency m = 1 normal mode oscillations of a self-gravitating disc
Authors: Saha Kanak
Published: March 2008

A continuous system such as a galactic disc is shown to be well approximated by an N-ring differentially rotating self-gravitating system. Lowest order (m= 1) non-axisymmetric features such as lopsidedness and warps are global in nature and quite common in the discs of spiral galaxies. Apparently, these two features of the galactic discs have been treated like two completely disjoint phenomena. The present analysis based on an eigenvalue approach brings out clearly that these two features are fundamentally similar in nature and they are shown to be very low-frequency normal mode (LNM) oscillations manifested in different symmetry planes of the galactic disc. Our analysis also shows that these features are actually long-lived oscillating pattern of the N-ring self-gravitating system.
Changes in Korean Corporate Governance: A Response to Crisis
Authors: Kim E. Han , Kim Woochan
Published: March 2008

In the last months of 1997, the value of the Korean currency lost over half its value against the dollar, and the ruling party was swept from power in presidential elections. One of the fundamental causes of this national economic crisis was the widespread failure of Korean companies to earn their cost of capital, which contributed to massive shareholder losses and calls for corporate governance reform. Among the worst performers, and hence the main targets of governance reform, were family‐controlled Korean business groups known as chaebol. Besides pursuing growth and size at the expense of value, such groups were notorious for expropriating minority shareholders through “tunneling” activities and other means.

The reform measures introduced by the new administration were a mix of market‐based solutions and government intervention. The government‐engineered, large‐scale swaps of business units among the largest chaebol—the so‐called “big deals” that were designed to force each of the groups to identify and specialize in a core business—turned out to be failures, with serious unwanted side effects. At the same time, however, new laws and regulations designed to increase corporate transparency, oversight, and accountability have had clearly positive effects on Korean governance. Thanks to reductions in barriers to foreign ownership of Korean companies, such ownership had risen to about 37% at the end of 2006, up from just 13% ten years earlier. And in addition to the growing pressure for better governance from foreign investors, several newly formed Korean NGOs have pushed for increased transparency and accountability, particularly among the largest chaebol.

The best governance practices in Korea today can be seen mainly in three kinds of corporations: (1) newly privatized companies; (2) large corporations run by professional management; and (3) banks with substantial equity ownership in the hands of foreign investors. The improvements in governance achieved by such companies—notably, fuller disclosure, better alignment of managerial incentives with shareholder value, and more effective oversight by boards—have enabled many of them to meet the global standard. And the governance policies and procedures of POSCO, the first Korean company to list on the New York Stock Exchange—as well as the recent recipient of a large equity investment by Warren Buffett—are held up as a model of best practice.

At the other end of the Korean governance spectrum, however, there continue to be many large chaebol‐affiliated or family‐run companies that have resisted such reforms. And aided by the popular resistance to globalization, the lobbying efforts of such firms have succeeded not only in reducing the momentum of the Korean governance reform movement, but in reversing some of the previous gains. Most disturbing is the current push to allow American style anti‐takeover devices, which, if successful, would weaken the disciplinary effect of the market for corporate control.
Corporate Governance in India
Authors: Chakrabarti Rajesh , Megginson William , Yadav Pradeep K.
Published: March 2008

The Indian corporate governance system has both supported and held back India's ascent to the top ranks of the world's economies. While on paper the country's legal system provides some of the best investor protection in the world, enforcement is a major problem, with overburdened courts and significant corruption. Ownership remains concentrated and family business groups continue to be the dominant business model, with significant pyramiding and evidence of tunneling activity that transfers cash flow and value from minority to controlling shareholders.

But for all its shortcomings, Indian corporate governance has taken major steps toward becoming a system capable of inspiring confidence among institutional and, increasingly, foreign investors. The Securities and Exchanges Board of India (SEBI), which was established as part of the comprehensive economic reforms launched in 1991, has made considerable progress in becoming a rigorous regulatory regime that helps ensure transparency and fair practice. And the National Stock Exchange of India, also established as part of the reforms, now functions with enough efficiency and transparency to be generating the third‐largest number of trades in the world, just behind the NASDAQ and NYSE.

Among more recent changes, the enactment of Sarbanes—Oxley type measures in 2004—which includes protections for minority shareholders in family‐ or “promoter”‐led businesses—has contributed to recent increases in institutional and foreign stock ownership. And while family‐ and government‐controlled business groups continue to be the rule, India has also seen the rise of successful companies like Infosys that are free of the influence of a dominant family or group and have made the individual shareholder their central governance focus.
The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Trend
Authors: Lougee Barbara , Wallace James
Published: March 2008

Corporate Social Responsibility, or “CSR,” has recently become a subject of study by financial economists. While there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence to support all variety of positions, broad‐based statistical evidence about the CSR movement is in short supply. This article presents some new empirical evidence that aims to answer three related questions about CSR: First, are corporations increasing their “investment” in what is considered socially responsible behavior? Second, does corporate investment in social responsibility affect a company's financial performance and shareholder value? Third, why do companies invest in CSR: to increase shareholder value, or to uphold a “moral” commitment to non‐investor stakeholders and “society”?

Using a social responsibility metric that measures the net CSR strengths (i.e., strengths less concerns) of each S&P 500 and Domini 400 company, the authors report that the average net CSR for both indexes decreased during the 15‐year period (1991‐2005) of the study—though the Domini 400, as might be expected, experienced a smaller decline. The authors also report that corporate strengths have increased, on average, but at a slower rate than the “concerns,” which suggests that corporate CSR efforts may be aimed at a moving target with steadily rising expectations and requirements.

Second, the authors report that companies with more CSR strengths or fewer CSR weaknesses produced higher ROA over the same 15‐year period. The authors' findings here suggest a “circular” causality in which profitable companies are more likely to invest in CSR initiatives to begin with, but then find their performance further improved by such investment.

Third, the authors' findings suggest that most companies devote resources to CSR initiatives as a means of maximizing long‐run value rather than out of a prior commitment to stakeholders. More specifically, the study shows that companies appear to invest more heavily to build CSR strengths than to eliminate CSR concerns. And as the authors conclude, this behavior is consistent with a strategy of using CSR as a form of “risk management” that promotes corporate strengths in order to limit the potential negative effects of—perhaps by diverting attention from—their weaknesses.
Morgan Stanley's Approach to Assessing Credit Risks in the Microfinance Industry
Authors: Arvelo Miguel , Bell Ju‐Lie , Novak Christian , Rose Juliette , Venugopal Shally
Published: March 2008

Growing investor interest in microfinance combined with strong demand from microfinance institutions (MFIs) for capital have caused the financial industry and rating agencies to seek more reliable and precise methods for assessing the risks of MFIs. Drawing on the work of various industry leaders as well as its own experience, Morgan Stanley's Microfinance Institutions Group has created a comprehensive internal credit analysis and rating methodology—one that, by producing global (foreign and local currency) scale ratings, enables its analysts to assess and compare risks both within the growing microfinance sector and relative to other sectors.
A METHODOLOGICAL ADDITION TO THE CROSS‐NATIONAL EMPIRICAL LITERATURE ON SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND HOMICIDE: A FIRST TEST OF THE POVERTY‐HOMICIDE THESIS*
Authors: PRIDEMORE WILLIAM ALEX
Published: March 2008

Dozens of cross‐national studies of homicide have been published in the last three decades. Although nearly all these studies test for an association between inequality and homicide, no studies test for a poverty—homicide association. This absence is disconcerting given that poverty is one of the most consistent predictors of area homicide rates in the abundant empirical literature on social structure and homicide in the United States. Using a sample that coincides closely with similar recent studies, applying a proxy for poverty (infant mortality) that is commonly employed in noncriminological cross‐national research, and controlling for several common covariates (including inequality), this study provides the first test of the poverty—homicide hypothesis at the cross‐national level. The results reveal a positive and significant association between a nation's level of poverty and its homicide rate. The findings also suggest that we may need to reassess the strong conclusions about an inequality—homicide association drawn from prior studies, as this relationship disappears when poverty is included in the model.
A Theoretical Study on Interactions Between Mitoxantrone as an Anticancer Drug and DNA: Application in Drug Design
Authors: Riahi Siavash , Reza Ganjali Mohammad , Dinarvand Rassoul , Karamdoust Sanaz , Bagherzadeh Kowsar , Norouzi Parviz
Published: March 2008

This research is an effort to further understand the physicochemical interaction between the novel drug, mitoxantrone (MTX) and its biologic receptor, DNA. The ultimate goal is to design drugs that interact more with DNA. Understanding the physicochemical properties of the drug as well as the mechanism by which it interacts with DNA, it should ultimately allow the rational design of novel anti‐cancer or anti‐viral drugs. Molecular modelling on the complex formed between MTX and DNA presented that this complex was indeed fully capable of participating in the formation of a stable intercalation site. Furthermore, the molecular geometries of MTX and the DNA bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine) were optimized with the aid of the B3LYP/6‐31G* method. The properties of the isolated intercalator and its stacking interactions with the adenine···thymine (AT) and guanine···cytosine (GC) nucleic acid base pairs were studied with the DFTB method (density functional tight‐binding), an approximate version of the DFT method, that was extended to cover the London dispersion energy. The B3LYP/6‐31G* stabilization energies of the intercalator···base pair complexes were found 10.06 kcal/mol and 21.64 kcal/mol for AT···MTX and GC···MTX, respectively. It was concluded that the dispersion energy and the electrostatic interaction contributed to the stability of the intercalator·DNA base pair complexes. The results concluded from the comparison of the DFTB method and the Hartree‐fock method point out that these methods show close results and support each other.
Impact of Topological and Electronic Descriptors in the QSAR of Pyrazine Containing Thiazolines and Thiazolidinones as Antitubercular and Antibacterial Agents
Authors: Sivakumar Ponnurengam Malliappan , Geetha Babu Sethu Kailasam , Doble Mukesh
Published: March 2008

Quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR) were developed relating the 14th and 21st day antituberculosis activity against H37Rv strain of Mycobacterium tuberculi and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC3750, Bacillus subtilis 6633, Escherichia coli ATCC3750, and Salmonella typhi NCTC786 of 55 pyrazine containing thiazolines and thiazolidinones, with the molecular descriptors. The developed models were able to fit the data well (r2 = 0.69–0.87) and had reasonable predictive capability (q2 > 0.62). The data were also divided into a training set and a test set, the former was used to develop the QSAR and the latter was used to evaluate the predictive capability of these developed models. In all the cases, the models were able to predict the test data set reasonably well. Predominantly, pyrazine ring is well‐known for its antimycobacterial activity and hence these equation could be used to design newer analogues with higher activity. These compounds also possess both antitubercular and antibacterial activity. Descriptors pertaining to electronic, topology, and hydrophobicity of the molecules appear in the model equations.
Novel Method for Probing the Specificity Binding Profile of Ligands: Applications to HIV Protease
Authors: Sherman Woody , Tidor Bruce
Published: March 2008

A detailed understanding of factors influencing the binding specificity of a ligand to a set of desirable targets and undesirable decoys is a key step in the design of potent and selective therapeutics. We have developed a general method for optimizing binding specificity in ligand–receptor complexes based on the theory of electrostatic charge optimization. This methodology can be used to tune the binding of a ligand to a panel of potential targets and decoys, along the continuum from narrow binding to only one partner to broad binding to the entire panel. Using HIV‐1 protease as a model system, we probe specificity in three distinct ways. First, we probe interactions that could make the promiscuous protease inhibitor pepstatin more selective toward HIV‐1 protease. Next, we study clinically approved HIV‐1 protease inhibitors and probe ways to broaden the binding profiles toward both wild‐type HIV‐1 protease and drug‐resistant mutants. Finally, we study a conformational ensemble of wild‐type HIV‐1 protease to ‘design in’ broad specificity to known drugs before resistance mutations arise. The results from this conformational ensemble were similar to those from the drug‐resistant ensemble, suggesting the use of a conformational wild‐type ensemble as a tool to develop escape‐mutant‐resistant inhibitors.
“It’s 10 O’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Children Are?” Recent Advances in Understanding Parental Monitoring and Adolescents’ Information Management
Authors: Smetana Judith G.
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT—
Recent research has challenged the established conclusion that vigilant parental monitoring is associated with less externalizing behavior among adolescents. Measures of parental monitoring typically have focused on parents’ knowledge of their children’s whereabouts, not on parents’ active surveillance. Recent research, which controls for parent–adolescent relationships, finds that adolescents’ voluntary disclosure to parents about their activities, associates, and whereabouts is more important than previously recognized in predicting parental knowledge and, in turn, reducing teens’ involvement in risky behavior. This article reviews recent research on how parents obtain knowledge of their adolescents’ activities and how adolescents manage that information. The article also highlights the importance of reciprocal parent–adolescent processes. Directions for future research are discussed.
Depressive Symptoms and Adolescent Romance: Theory, Research, and Implications
Authors: Davila Joanne
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT—
An emerging body of research indicates that in adolescence, romantic activities, experiences, and relationships are associated with depressive symptoms. This article reviews this literature, highlighting the public and mental health implications of the association, and proposes a research agenda for the future.
Autistics’ Atypical Joint Attention: Policy Implications and Empirical Nuance
Authors: Gernsbacher Morton Ann , Stevenson Jennifer L. , Khandakar Suraiya , Goldsmith H. Hill
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT—

Burack and Russo (2008) applaud our approach to understanding autistics’ atypical joint attention (Gernsbacher, Stevenson, Khandakar, & Goldsmith, 2008) but express some concerns about the evidence we drew upon to support our thesis. In response, we underscore the empirical nuance of our thesis—that autistics’ atypical manifestations of joint attention arise from their atypical resistance to distraction, atypical parallel perception, and atypical execution of volitional actions. We recap how our hypothesis derives from fresh interpretations, well‐replicated findings, and underlying mechanisms.
The Potential Role of Breast‐Feeding and Other Factors in Helping to Reduce Early Childhood Caries
Authors: Caplan Lee S. , Erwin Katherine , Lense Elizabeth , Hicks James
Published: March 2008

Objectives: Dental caries is the most common chronic disease in US children. Early childhood caries (ECC) is particularly virulent and can interfere with a child's ability to eat, grow, speak, and communicate. Studies on whether breast‐feeding or bottle‐feeding are more likely to reduce ECC have proven inconclusive. Methods: The study population included 175 children, aged 1 to 5, receiving dental care at the Hughes Spalding Children's Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Participation included a dental exam, chart data abstraction, and a personal interview with the mother. Results: Too few exclusively breast‐fed children prevented the adequate study of breast‐feeding. However, children exclusively bottle‐fed for at least 1.5 years had more decayed or filled tooth surfaces than children breast‐fed part of that time but well short of a year. No bottle at night nor juice at irregular times, the mother's brushing of her child's teeth, and adequate dental care in the mother seemed to reduce ECC. Conclusions: Our results suggest measures that might reduce ECC risk. Medical providers must discuss oral health with new mothers and educate them on the important role they play in keeping their babies' teeth healthy.