bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interim analysis of the effects of exenatide treatment on A1C, weight and cardiovascular risk factors over 82 weeks in 314 overweight patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Blonde L. , Klein E. J. , Han J. , Zhang B. , Mac S. M. , Poon T. H. , Taylor K. L. , Trautmann M. E. , Kim D. D. , Kendall D. M.
Published: April 2006

Aim:  Exenatide, an incretin mimetic for the adjunct treatment of type 2 diabetes (DM2), reduced A1C and weight in 30‐week placebo‐controlled trials. This analysis examined the effects of exenatide on glycaemic control and weight over an 82‐week period in patients with DM2 unable to achieve adequate glycaemic control with sulphonylurea (SU) and/or metformin (MET).

Methods:  This interim analysis is of 314 patients who received exenatide in the 30‐week placebo‐controlled trials and subsequently in 52 weeks of open‐label uncontrolled extension studies for 82 weeks of exenatide in total. Patients continued their SU and/or MET regimens throughout.

Results:  Patients completed 82 weeks of exenatide treatment [n = 314, 63% M, age 56 ± 10 years, weight 99 ± 21 kg, body mass index 34 ± 6 kg/m2, A1C 8.3 ± 1.0% (mean ± SD)]. Reduction in A1C from baseline to week 30 [−0.9 ± 0.1% (mean ± SE)] was sustained to week 82 (−1.1 ± 0.1%), with 48% of patients achieving A1C ≤ 7% at week 82. At week 30, exenatide reduced body weight (a secondary endpoint) from baseline (−2.1 ± 0.2 kg), with progressive reduction at week 82 (−4.4 ± 0.3 kg). Similar results were observed for the intent‐to‐treat population (n = 551), with reductions in A1C and weight at week 82 of −0.8 ± 0.1% and −3.5 ± 0.2 kg respectively. The 82‐week completer cohort showed statistically significant improvement in some cardiovascular risk factors. The most frequent adverse events were generally mild‐to‐moderate nausea and hypoglycaemia.

Conclusion:  In summary, 82 weeks of adjunctive exenatide treatment in patients with DM2 treated with SU and/or MET resulted in sustained reduction in A1C and progressive reduction in weight, as well as improvement in some cardiovascular risk factors.
Sources of Innovation and Ideas in ICT Firms in Australia
Authors: Hyland Paul W. , Marceau Jane , Sloan Terry R.
Published: April 2006

This paper examines a sample of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) firms in Australia drawn from a wide range of product and service providers in the Sydney region. It researches the sources of information and ideas that firms utilize to sustain their competitive position through innovation. While the firms in the survey varied in size in terms of turnover, number of employees and level of business activity, most see themselves as innovative. Not all firms utilized the same sources of innovation‐related knowledge and most used research and technology organizations (RTOs) or other publicly funded sources of information for help with ‘technical’ (standards etc) or trade issues. While ICT firms are often regarded as leading‐edge developers of new ideas, this research indicated that ICT firms still see their sales force, customers and suppliers as the most important sources of innovation knowledge and ideas.
The Sources of Novelty: A Cultural and Systemic View of Distributed Creativity
Authors: Miettinen Reijo
Published: April 2006

This article discusses the limitations of the first generation of creativity‐management technologies based on the psychological theories of intelligence and problem solving. The turn into a cultural and systemic conceptions in the psychology of creativity is analysed. It is argued that this psychology converges with the ideas developed in the sociology of knowledge, the history of technological systems, and activity theory as well as in innovation studies. All of them underline the significance of artefact‐mediated communities, domains or practices. They agree on the importance of combining heterogeneous cultural resources and knowledge by horizontal networking across the boundaries of knowledge and activity domains. The internet‐mediated new communities are discussed as emerging forms of distributed creation. A challenge for the management of creativity is to study and learn from the emerging problems, means and patterns of conduct of these communities.
New polymorphic microsatellite loci, cross‐species amplification and PCR multiplexing in the black aphid, Aphis fabae Scopoli
Authors: GAUFFRE B. , D’ACIER A. COEUR
Published: April 2006

Aphis fabae includes four morphological cryptic subspecies, which are mostly identified by their partially distinct secondary host range. To determine the extent of gene flow and isolation between these four taxa, we isolated and characterized 12 microsatellite loci from Aphis fabae fabae and tested cross‐species amplification of eight loci from the closely related species Aphis gossypii. Using eight previously described microsatellite loci, we have developed the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) multiplexing of 24 loci, which were separated in tree sets and five PCRs. These sets of microsatellite loci provide high throughput capacity for large‐scale population genetic studies at a minimum cost.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers in Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq.
Authors: MULLER FÉLIX , VAILLANT ALEXANDRE , BÂ AMADOU , BOUVET JEAN‐MARC
Published: April 2006

The leguminous Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq. is one of the dominant freshwater wetland tree species in the Caribbean basin. Anthromorphic factors threaten to reduce its population. In order to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of this species, we developed eight pairs of primers for nuclear microsatellites. One hundred ninety‐one individuals were analysed within nine Caribbean and continental populations. These loci were polymorphic in all the populations, with four to 20 alleles per locus. Significant Hardy–Weinberg deviation was detected and was interpreted as a result of Wahlund effect. These loci constitute a powerful tool to investigate the genetic patterns within populations of the swamp species P. officinalis.
Development of microsatellite markers for noninvasive DNA samples of the eastern green lizard Lacerta viridis
Authors: LAUBE MAREN , KUEHN RALPH
Published: April 2006

We report the isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for the eastern green lizard (Lacerta viridis) usable for noninvasive samples. Ten polymorphic loci were obtained by screening 3000 recombinant clones and tested on 39 noninvasive DNA samples of individuals from different locations of the Danube area, Germany. Allelic richness ranged from three to nine alleles, the observed heterozygosity from 0.33 to 0.80, and the expected heterozygosity from 0.36 to 0.85. Our 10 loci, along with another 12 loci previously described, deliver effective analytical tools to analyse the genetic variability and to assess the social structure of eastern green lizard populations.
Identification of polymorphic microsatellite markers from RAPD product in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and a test of cross‐species amplification
Authors: LIU Y. G. , LIU L. X. , LEI Z. W. , GAO A. Y. , LI B. F.
Published: April 2006

Five polymorphic microsatellite loci have been isolated and characterized from random amplified polymorphic DNA product in turbot, Scophthalmus maximus. Twelve microsatellites were selected for designing microsatellite primers, of which five gave working primer pairs. They had between four and nine alleles. Observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.76 to 0.90 and from 0.63 to 0.83, respectively. Five additional fish species assessed for cross‐species amplification revealed between one and three positive amplifications and between zero and two polymorphic loci per species.
Sensitivity and specificity of frequency‐doubling technology, tendency‐oriented perimetry, SITA Standard and SITA Fast perimetry in perimetrically inexperienced individuals
Authors: De Tarso Ponte Pierre‐Filho Paulo , Schimiti Rui Barroso , De Vasconcellos José Paulo Cabral , Costa Vital Paulino
Published: April 2006

Purpose:  To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the screening modes of frequency‐doubling technology (FDT), tendency‐oriented perimetry (TOP), SITA Standard (SS) and SITA Fast (SF) in perimetrically inexperienced individuals.

Methods:  One eye of 64 glaucoma patients and 53 normal subjects who had never undergone automated perimetry were tested with programs C‐20‐5 (FDT), G1 (TOP) and 24‐2 (SS and SF). The gold standard for glaucoma was the presence of a typical glaucomatous optic disc appearance on stereoscopic examination (judged by a glaucoma expert), and intraocular pressure (IOP) > 21 mmHg. The test order among strategies was randomized for each subject. To define an abnormal visual field, we applied three criteria for SS and SF and two criteria for TOP and FDT, all of which have been previously described in the literature. Sensitivities and specificities among the different criteria were compared using the Cochran test.

Results:  Frequency‐doubling technology showed the shortest mean test duration, followed by TOP, SF and SS (p < 0.05). Sensitivity ranges were 87.5−89.1% for SS, 92.2−93.8% for SF, 87.5−89.1% for TOP, and 82.8−85.9% for FDT (p = 0.34). Specificity ranges were 73.6−83% for FDT, 56.6−62.3% for TOP, 60.4−69.8% for SF and 66.0−71.7% for SS. The specificity obtained with criterion 2 for FDT (based on the presence of two or more abnormal locations regardless of the severity of abnormal points) was higher than those measured with the other strategies (p < 0.01).

Conclusion:  When testing individuals with no perimetric experience, moderate sensitivities and specificities should be expected, regardless of the strategy chosen.
Alterations in multifocal visual evoked potentials during the acute phase of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy
Authors: Gränse Lotta
Published: April 2006

Purpose:  This report aimed to investigate alterations in multifocal visual evoked potentials (mfVEPs) during the acute stage of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).

Methods:  A 27‐year‐old woman with a point mutation at nucleotide 11778 in the mitochondrial DNA was examined during the acute phase of LHON, which is generally investigated only rarely because of its rapid progress. She was examined repeatedly, with testing of best corrected visual acuity, pupil function, Goldmann perimetry, ophthalmoscopy and frequent assessment of mfVEPs.

Results:  Multifocal VEPs, which reveal topographical information about different parts of the visual pathways, demonstrated reduced responses in all parts of the central visual field. The mean amplitude (summarized amplitude of the first two components) in the mfVEPs in the previously described sector C, which has been identified as a hallmark of other optic nerve disorders, was evaluated. This amplitude demonstrated a correlation with the progression of the disease during the acute period of LHON, which also correlated with the VA, pupil function and Goldmann perimetry.

Conclusions:  These alterations in the components of mfVEPs reflect the reduction in the function of the visual pathways in different parts of the central field; the drop in amplitude in a localized area (sector C), not previously described, demonstrates the acute course of this disorder. Multifocal VEPs may be of further interest in evaluating the pathogenesis of this disorder and of clinical value in representing an objective method for monitoring the course of this disease.
Tilt and decentration of the intraocular lens following combined vitrectomy and pars plana lensectomy
Authors: Ohara Kozue , Kato Satoshi , Hori Sadao , Kitano Shigehiko
Published: April 2006

Purpose:  To investigate intraocular lens (IOL) tilt and decentration following combined vitrectomy and pars plana lensectomy (PPL) with IOL implantation in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Methods:  We followed 25 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy who underwent PPL and IOL (MA60BM) implantation at the time of pars plana vitrectomy (PPL group), and 25 patients who underwent phacoemulsification and IOL (MA60BM) implantation without vitrectomy (PE group). Intraocular lens tilt and decentration were evaluated quantitatively, using the anterior eye segment analysis system, approximately 12 months after surgery.

Results:  There was no significant difference in IOL tilt (p = 0.47) or decentration (p = 0.26) between the PPL and PE groups.

Conclusions:  The present study suggests that tilt and decentration of the IOL are acceptable in combined vitrectomy and pars plana lensectomy.
Temporal changes in suicide rates for persons treated and not treated with antidepressants in Denmark during 1995–1999
Authors: Søndergård L. , Kvist K. , Lopez A. G. , Andersen P. K. , Kessing L. V.
Published: April 2006

Objective:  To compare the temporal changes in suicide rate among patients treated with antidepressants with the change in suicide rate among persons who have not been treated with antidepressants during 1995–1999.

Method:  In a historic prospective national pharmacoepidemiological register linkage study by using four Danish registers we included 438 625 patients who had purchased antidepressants, and compared them with 1 199 057 population based control persons. The annual rate of suicide was estimated using Poisson regression analyses.

Results:  The suicide rate decreased for persons treated with antidepressants as well as for persons not treated with antidepressants. The proportion of persons, who committed suicide and who had not been treated with antidepressants decreased. The reduction in suicide rate was more pronounced among persons treated with SSRIs or older antidepressants than among persons not treated with antidepressants.

Conclusion:  Several factors contribute to the decreasing suicide rate. The most pronounced decrease in suicide rate was found among persons treated with antidepressants.
Efficacy and Safety of Two Dosing Regimens of Tadalafil and Patterns of Sexual Activity in Men with Diabetes Mellitus and Erectile Dysfunction: Scheduled Use vs. On-Demand Regimen Evaluation (SURE) Study in 14 European Countries
Authors: Buvat Jacques , Van Ahlen Hermann , Schmitt Henry , Chan Melanie , Kuepfer Christine , Varanese Lucio
Published: April 2006

Aim

The aim of this article is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 20-mg tadalafil taken on demand or three times per week and its effect on the sexual activity of patients with diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Methods

The scheduled use vs. on-demand regimen evaluation (SURE) was a randomized, crossover, open-label study with 4,262 patients in 14 European countries. The efficacy measures for the 762 patients with diabetes and ED included changes from baseline in the erectile function (EF) domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), and the proportion of “yes” responses to patient Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) questions 2 (SEP2) and 3 (SEP3). The treatment satisfaction was measured with responses to SEP question 4 (SEP4) and SEP question 5 (SEP5), and sexual attempts data were collected. Patient preference for either regimen was determined by the treatment preference question (TPQ).

Results

At end point on both regimens, the mean IIEF EF domain score was 22, and >40% of the patients had a normal EF domain score (≥26). The proportion of “yes” responses was ≥73% for SEP2 (penetration), ≥58% for SEP3 (successful intercourse), >46% for SEP4 (hardness of erection), and ≥45% for SEP5 (overall satisfaction). Efficacy was maintained up to 36 hours post-dosing. More than 70% of sexual attempts while on the three-times-per-week regimen and approximately 50% of the attempts on the on-demand treatment occurred >4 hours post-dosing. Tadalafil was well tolerated, with dyspepsia and headache as the most frequent adverse events reported. Treatment preference was 57.2% for on demand and 42.8% for three times per week.

Conclusions

Tadalafil, when taken on demand or three times per week, is efficacious and safe in men with diabetes and ED.
A polymorphism in the promoter region of the CD86 (B7.2) gene is associated with systemic sclerosis
Authors: Abdallah A. M. , Renzoni E. A. , Anevlavis S. , Lagan A. L. , Munkonge F. M. , Fonseca C. , Black C. M. , Briggs D. , Wells A. U. , Marshall S. E. , McHugh N. , Du Bois R. M. , Welsh K. I.
Published: April 2006

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease of unknown aetiology characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs, vascular abnormalities and humoral autoimmunity. Strong T‐cell‐dependent autoantibody and HLA associations are found in SSc subsets. The co‐stimulatory molecule, CD86, expressed by antigen‐presenting cells, plays a crucial role in priming naïve lymphocytes. We hypothesized that SSc, or one of the disease subsets, could be associated with single‐nucleotide polymorphisms of the CD86 gene. Using sequence specific primer‐polymerase chain reaction (SSP‐PCR) methodology, we assessed four CD86 polymorphisms in 221 patients with SSc and 227 healthy control subjects from the UK. Haplotypes were constructed by inference and confirmed using PHASE algorithm. We found a strong association between SSc and a specific haplotype (haplotype 5), which was more prevalent in patients than in controls (29% vs 15%, OR = 2.3, χ2 = 12, P = 0.0005). This association could be attributed to the novel −3479 promoter polymorphism; a significant difference was observed in the distribution of the CD86 −3479 G allele in patients with SSc compared to controls (43.7% vs. 32.4%, OR = 1.7, χ2 = 12.1, P = 0.0005). TRANSFAC analyses suggest that the CD86‐3479T allele contains putative GATA and TBP sites, whereas G allele does not. We assessed the relative DNA protein‐binding activity of the −3479 polymorphism in vitro using electromobility gel shift assays (EMSA), which showed that the −3479G allele has less binding affinity compared to the T allele for nuclear proteins. These findings highlight the importance of co‐stimulatory pathways in SSc pathogenesis.
Synthesis of Novel Racemic Conformationally Locked Carbocyclic Nucleosides Derived from 7-Substituted Bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,2-dimethanols
Authors: Šála Michal , Hřebabecký Hubert , Masojídková Milena , Holý Antonín
Published: April 2006

(1R*,4R*,7S*)-7-Aminobicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,2-dimethanol (15) was prepared in four easy steps from bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,2-dimethanol (10). Reaction of amine 15 with ethyl N-((E)-3-ethoxymethacryloyl)carbamate afforded thymine derivatives 17a. The amine 15 was used to construct 6-chloro-9H-purine derivative 19a, 2-amino-6-chloro-9H-purine derivative 22a. Ammonolysis of 19a led to the adenine derivative 20a. Treatment of 22a with trifluoroacetic acid afforded guanine nucleoside 23a. (1R*,4R*,7S*)-7-[6-(Cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,2-dimethanol (21a) and (1R*,4R*,7S*)-7-[2-amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,2-dimethanol (24a) were prepared by aminolysis of 19a and 22a. Saturated nucleosides 17b, 20b, 21b, 23b, 24b were obtained by hydrogenation on palladium catalyst.
THE EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN THE LAGRANGIAN AND THE HAMILTONIAN FORMALISMS FOR THE EXTENDED BRST SYMMETRY
Authors: CONSTANTINESCU RADU , IONESCU CARMEN
Published: April 2006

The analysis of the equivalence between the Hamiltonian and Lagrangian formalisms, for a sp(2) BRST theory, is achieved. The proof of this equivalence, apart from its intrinsic importance, allows the explanation of some results which seem artificially implanted in the theory: the structure of the extended spaces, and the form of the master equation. As a new image on the BRST operator, this paper suggests that its action can be split into a canonical part and a noncanonical part.
LIOUVILLE COSMOLOGY AT ZERO AND FINITE TEMPERATURES
Authors: ELLIS JOHN , MAVROMATOS NIKOLAOS E. , WESTMUCKETT MICHAEL , NANOPOULOS DIMITRI V.
Published: April 2006

We discuss cosmology in the context of Liouville strings, characterized by a central-charge deficit Q2, in which target time is identified with (the worldsheet zero mode of the) Liouville field: Q-Cosmology. We use a specific example of colliding braneworlds to illustrate the phase diagram of this cosmological framework. The collision provides the necessary initial cosmological instability, expressed as a departure from conformal invariance in the underlying string model. The brane motion provides a way of breaking target-space supersymmetry, and leads to various phases of the brane and bulk Universes. Specifically, we find a hot metastable phase for the bulk string Universe soon after the brane collision in which supersymmetry is broken, which we describe by means of a subcritical worldsheet σ-model dressed by a spacelike Liouville field, representing finite temperature (Euclidean time). This phase is followed by an inflationary phase for the brane Universe, in which the bulk string excitations are cold. This is described by a super-critical Liouville string with a timelike Liouville mode, whose zero mode is identified with the Minkowski target time. Finally, we speculate on possible ways of exiting the inflationary phase, either by means of subsequent collisions or by deceleration of the brane Universe due to closed-string radiation from the brane to the bulk. While phase transitions from hot to cold configurations occur in the bulk string universe, stringy excitations attached to the braneworld remain thermalized throughout, at a temperature which can be relatively high. The late-time behavior of the model results in dilaton-dominated dark energy and present-day acceleration of the expansion of the Universe, asymptoting eventually to zero.
Effect of smoke inhalation on viscoelastic properties and ventilation distribution in sheep
Authors: Riedel Thomas , Fraser John F. , Dunster Kimble , Fitzgibbon John , Schibler Andreas
Published: April 2006

Smoke inhalation injuries are the leading cause of mortality from burn injury. Airway obstruction due to mucus plugging and bronchoconstriction can cause severe ventilation inhomogeneity and worsen hypoxia. Studies describing changes of viscoelastic characteristics of the lung after smoke inhalation are missing. We present results of a new smoke inhalation device in sheep and describe pathophysiological changes after smoke exposure. Fifteen female Merino ewes were anesthetized and intubated. Baseline data using electrical impedance tomography and multiple-breath inert-gas washout were obtained by measuring ventilation distribution, functional residual capacity, lung clearance index, dynamic compliance, and stress index. Ten sheep were exposed to standardized cotton smoke insufflations and five sheep to sham smoke insufflations. Measured carboxyhemoglobin before inhalation was 3.87 ± 0.28% and 5 min after smoke was 61.5 ± 2.1%, range 50–69.4% ( P < 0.001). Two hours after smoke functional residual capacity decreased from 1,773 ± 226 to 1,006 ± 129 ml and lung clearance index increased from 10.4 ± 0.4 to 14.2 ± 0.9. Dynamic compliance decreased from 56.6 ± 5.5 to 32.8 ± 3.2 ml/cmH2O. Stress index increased from 0.994 ± 0.009 to 1.081 ± 0.011 ( P < 0.01) (all means ± SE, P < 0.05). Electrical impedance tomography showed a shift of ventilation from the dependent to the independent lung after smoke exposure. No significant change was seen in the sham group. Smoke inhalation caused immediate onset in pulmonary dysfunction and significant ventilation inhomogeneity. The smoke inhalation device as presented may be useful for interventional studies.
Free area estimation in a dynamic germ‐grain model with renewal dropping process
Authors: De Giosa Marcello
Published: April 2006

A partially observed dynamic germ‐grain model with renewal
dropping process is considered. The expected fraction of free area
function is estimated by a product integral‐type estimator.
Uniform consistency and asymptotic Gaussianity of the estimator
are proved. Confidence bands and simulation results are also
provided.
Null exact controllability of the parabolic equations with equivalued surface boundary condition
Authors: Yin Zhongqi
Published: April 2006

This paper is devoted to showing the null exact controllability
for a class of parabolic equations with equivalued surface
boundary condition. Our method is based on the duality argument
and global Carleman‐type estimate for a parabolic operator.
Control of systems with asymmetric bounds using linear programming: Application to a hydrogen reformer
Authors: Naib M. , Tadeo F. , Benzaouia A.
Published: April 2006

This paper studies controller design for feedback systems in the
presence of asymmetrically bounded signals, using a case study. An
asymmetric objective functional is used to consider the
asymmetrically bounded signals, which makes possible to derive a
linear programming problem. Solving this LP makes possible to
design controllers that minimize certain outputs, fulfilling at
the same time hard constraints on certain signals. The method is
presented by application to a hydrogen reformer, a system in
petrochemical plants that produces hydrogen from hydrocarbons: a
mixed sensitivity problem is stated and solved, with an additional
constraint given by the asymmetric limitations on the magnitude
and rate of the control signal, and the asymmetricity in the
disturbances.
Alternative paths to Earth‐Moon transfer
Authors: de Melo Cristiano Fiorilo , Winter Othon Cabo
Published: April 2006

The planar, circular, restricted three‐body problem predicts the
existence of periodic orbits around the Lagrangian equilibrium
point L1. Considering the Earth‐lunar‐probe system, some of these
orbits pass very close to the surfaces of the Earth and the Moon.
These characteristics make it possible for these orbits, in spite
of their instability, to be used in transfer maneuvers between
Earth and lunar parking orbits. The main goal of this paper is to
explore this scenario, adopting a more complex and realistic
dynamical system, the four‐body problem Sun‐Earth‐Moon‐probe. We
defined and investigated a set of paths, derived from the orbits
around L1, which are capable of achieving transfer between
low‐altitude Earth (LEO) and lunar orbits, including
high‐inclination lunar orbits, at a low cost and with flight time
between 13 and 15 days.
Reconstruction of round voids in the elastic half‐space: Antiplane problem
Authors: Sumbatyan Mezhlum A. , Tibullo Vincenzo , Zampoli Vittorio
Published: April 2006

We study the reconstruction of geometry (position and size) of
round voids located in the elastic half‐space, in frames of
antiplane two‐dimensional problem. We assume that a known point
force is applied to the boundary surface of the half‐space, and we
can measure the shape of the surface over a certain finite‐length
interval. Then, if the geometry of the defect is unknown, we
construct an algorithm to restore its position and size. Some
numerical examples demonstrate a good stability of the proposed
algorithm.
Modeling, chaotic behavior, and control of dissipation properties of hysteretic systems
Authors: Awrejcewicz J. , Dzyubak L.
Published: April 2006

In the present work, hysteresis is simulated by means of internal
variables. Analytical models of different types of hysteresis
loops enable reproduction of major and minor loops and provide
good agreement with experimental data. Using an effective
algorithm based on the analysis of wandering trajectories, an
evolution of chaotic behavior regions of oscillators with
hysteresis is presented in various parametric planes. A
substantial influence of a hysteretic dissipation value on the
form and location of these regions and also restraining and
generating effects of the hysteretic dissipation on chaos
occurrence are shown. It was demonstrated that for fixed
parameters, which govern the shape of a hysteresis loop, the
extent of pinch of this loop could be controlled by means of the
amplitude and frequency of external periodic excitation.
Qatari DNA Variation at a Crossroad of Human Migrations
Authors: Pérez-Miranda Ana M. , Alfonso-Sánchez Miguel A. , Peña José A. , Herrera Rene J.
Published: April 2006

Genomic diversity of the Qatari population was investigated by screening 15 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs). Significant departures from genetic equilibrium were detected at the D13S317, D19S433 and VWA loci, which persisted after applying Bonferroni-type corrections. Gene diversity (GD) values ranged from 0.6851 (TPOX) to 0.8813 (D2S1338), while observed heterozygosity (Ho) oscillated between 0.3388 (D19S433) and 0.8397 (D2S1338). Interestingly, Ho was lower than expected (He) for 14 of the loci analyzed. The information provided by these microsatellite markers was analyzed by means of genetic distances, multidimensional scaling, hierarchical analyses of the molecular variance (AMOVA) and admixture estimations to assess the genetic relationships of Qatar with European, Asian, African and other Middle Eastern populations. The main findings of the study were the genetic uniqueness of the Qatari population, its strong similarity to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) group, a slight genetic differentiation with respect to other Arab populations (Syria and Egypt) and Turkey, and a certain genetic affinity with sub-Saharan African populations. These results are discussed in light of two major issues: the high consanguinity rates characterizing the Qatari population and its strategic geographic position in the Arabian Peninsula close to major migratory routes, an important pivotal contact zone for bidirectional dispersals between Eurasia and Africa.
Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Poirier Paul , Giles Thomas D. , Bray George A. , Hong Yuling , Stern Judith S. , Pi-Sunyer F. Xavier , Eckel Robert H.
Published: April 2006

Obesity is becoming a global epidemic in both children and adults, and it is associated with numerous co-morbidities such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, and sleep apnea/sleep-disordered breathing. In fact, is an independent risk factor for CVD and CVD risks have been also documented in obese children, and is associated with reduced life expectancy. A variety of adaptations/alterations in cardiac structure and function occur in the individual as adipose tissue accumulates in excess amount. As a whole, overweight/obesity predispose or is associated with numerous cardiac complications such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and sudden death through its impact on the cardiovascular system.
Welfare Reform in the United States: gender, race and class matter
Authors: Abramovitz Mimi
Published: April 2006

This article argues that gender, race and class matter in welfare reform. It provides a brief historical overview of the US welfare programme for single mothers; describes the main provisions of welfare reform (enforcing work, promoting marriage and limiting the role of the federal government in wider society); and identifies the impact on women and children. It concludes that welfare reform is best understood as part of the neo-liberal/Right attack on the state.
Men, masculinities and children: some European perspectives
Authors: Hearn Jeff , Pringle Keith
Published: April 2006

Gender matters in child welfare partly by virtue of the relationship of men, masculinities and men’s practices to children, young people and childcare. This problematic is considered within a European context. The article sets out some of the major ways in which men relate, or do not relate, to children and young people. These include men’s care of, violence to and abuse of children and young people. Drawing on work with the EU Research Network, ‘The Social Problem of Men’, we locate men’s relation to children in the context of men’s gendered position within different European societies and ‘welfare states’. The final part of this article discusses more research and policy on men, children and childcare. These include somewhat contradictory findings on parental leave, violence and abuse, and professional interventions in Nordic, supposedly ‘women-friendly’ ‘welfare societies’.
The challenge of engaging fathers in the child protection process
Authors: Scourfield Jonathan
Published: April 2006

This is an overview of the well-known difficulties of engaging fathers in the child protection process and makes some suggestions about constructive responses from services. There is brief discussion of the historical context of the problem, current child welfare policy, the culture of front-line practice amongst child protection staff and the behaviour of fathers who come to the attention of child protection staff. Ideas for changes in policy and practice include embracing more sophisticated theory, avoiding the dualistic responses of seeing men as either risk or resource, institutionalizing the engagement of men as core business and building on interventions that have been found by research to be effective. A range of effective interventions may be relevant, including cognitive-behavioural work with abusive men and strengths-based family work such as the family group conference.
Gender and the politics of service provision for adults with a history of childhood sexual abuse
Authors: Hooper Carol-Ann , Warwick Ian
Published: April 2006

This paper reviews the evidence on the relevance of gender to the prevalence and impacts of sexual abuse in childhood, and to the interaction between adults with a history of child sexual abuse (‘survivors’) and services. It is widely acknowledged now that child sexual abuse increases the risk of a range of problems in adult life, that a wide range of services can offer reparative experiences, and that there is also a risk of retraumatization if the dynamics of abuse are replicated. Points where gender may affect whether experiences of service provision are reparative or retraumatizing include disclosure, allocation of workers and group work. In a context in which the voluntary sector plays a significant role in provision, the potential gains and losses in the current trend for formerly single-sex specialist voluntary organizations to ‘go mixed’ are discussed. The paper suggests that the politics of recognition adds a useful frame for considering survivors’ needs and the relevance of gender to their experiences.
A Prospective Outcome Evaluation of Arthroscopic Bankart Repairs
Authors: Carreira Dominic S. , Mazzocca Augustus D. , Oryhon Jeremy , Brown Frederick M. , Hayden Jennifer K. , Romeo Anthony A.
Published: April 2006

Background

Arthroscopic treatment of anterior shoulder dislocation has become possible through improvements in instruments and techniques.

Objective

To prospectively evaluate results of arthroscopic Bankart repairs at a minimum 2-year follow-up for patients with histories of shoulder dislocation and an anterior-inferior labral tear at the time of diagnostic arthroscopy.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

A consecutive series of 85 patients (70 men, 15 women; mean age, 26 years) with Bankart lesions were treated with arthroscopic repair using suture anchors; 18 patients (27%) had extension of the labral injury into the superior labrum affecting some or all of the biceps anchor. Anchors were loaded with no. 2 nonabsorbable braided suture and placed 2 mm into the edge of the glenoid surface. A low anterior (5-o'clock) portal through the subscapularis tendon was used in all patients; 72 patients were evaluated at a minimum of 2 years postoperatively (mean, 46 months).

Results

Seven patients (10%) experienced recurrent instability after repair. Four patients had redislocations; 3 experienced recurrent subluxations. One patient had pain with the apprehension test without a clear history of recurrent instability. Of 18 collision athletes, 2 had dislocations at 22 and 60 months postoperatively. There were no complications, including no neurologic deficits. Clinical strength testing of the subscapularis muscle was normal in all patients. The mean Rowe score was 88 of 100 points, with 90% excellent or good results. Simple Shoulder Test responses improved from 66% positive preoperatively to 88% positive postoperatively. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scoring index averaged 92 of 100 points postoperatively. Pain analog scales improved from 5.5 preoperatively to 0.35 postoperatively on a 10-point scale. SF-12 scores improved for physical function. Patient satisfaction was rated 8.9 on a 10-point visual analog scale.

Conclusion

Bankart repairs performed arthroscopically using properly implanted suture anchors and nonabsorbable sutures and in which associated pathoanatomy is addressed demonstrate low recurrence rates (10%) similar to historical open controls.
Industrial relations and welfare states: the different dynamics of retrenchment in Germany and the Netherlands
Authors: Trampusch Christine
Published: April 2006

Proceeding from an historical-analytical reconstruction of the development of collectively negotiated benefits in Germany and the Netherlands, this paper investigates the role and function of industrial relations as a provider and financial supporter of welfare. It argues that social policy based on collective agreements strongly influences contemporary retrenchment policies. Reviewing the literature on retrenchment policies, the paper argues that unions and employers should be regarded as collective actors supporting retrenchment by offering financial and organizational resources to governments in their attempts at welfare delegation. The implication is that the study of comparative welfare retrenchment should move beyond its focus on analysing the political behaviour of the actors involved, to include industrial relations systematically in its frame of reference. Research should take into account patterns of institutionalization of labour relations at company level, traditions of government support for collectively negotiated benefits, and differences in the relative development of public and collectively negotiated benefits.
Non-employment and the welfare state: the United Kingdom and Germany compared
Authors: Clasen Jochen , Davidson Jacqueline , Ganßmann Heiner , Mauer Andreas
Published: April 2006

Summary Unemployment rates are insufficient indicators of the level of economic activity because they say little about the scale of non-employment in a given working-age population. Empirical research has started to recognize this and policy debates increasingly concentrate on working-age inactivity as a relevant gauge of the state of labour markets (OECD, 2003). However, the causes for transitions between employment and different states of non-employment are not well understood. Why do levels of working-age inactivity sometimes vary significantly across countries and over time? Apart from stages in the business cycle, welfare-state institutions and benefit designs can be assumed to influence movements into and out of labour markets and between different states of nonemployment. This paper investigates the impact of changes in welfare-state institutions in the UK and Germany. Analyses of longitudinal data show that economic conditions, as well as policy changes, have had significant effects on transitions between labour activity and inactivity among working-age men during the 1990s. In particular, the findings suggest that shifts to more means-tested benefit arrangements can have unintended consequences, in terms of increasing levels of labour-market detachment.
The USA National Lesbian Family Study: Interviews with Mothers of 10-Year-Olds
Authors: Gartrell Nanette , Rodas Carla , Deck Amalia , Peyser Heidi , Banks Amy
Published: April 2006

This report from a prospective, qualitative, longitudinal study of 78 USA lesbian families presents data from interviews with 137 mothers of 10-year-old children conceived by donor insemination (DI). Half of the 37 couples who had remained together since the index child's birth reported that the child was equally bonded to both mothers. Among the 30 separated couples, custody was more likely to be shared if the couple had completed a co-parent adoption prior to splitting. There was no difference in relationship longevity when the participants' divorced heterosexual sisters with children were compared with the study couples whose relationships had dissolved. Although 27 children were conceived by known sperm donors, the majority of these men were not regularly involved in the children's lives. The lesbian mothers' own parents had embraced the DI child and were generally ‘out’ about their daughter's lesbian family.
War, Security and the Liberal State
Authors: Jabri Vivienne
Published: April 2006

War in late modern politics is a technology of control. While its violent manifestations – for example, the invasion and occupation of Iraq – are directly felt by the population targeted, the practices associated with that war and the wider so-called war against terrorism have a far wider span of operations that encompasses spaces across the globe. This article provides an understanding of global war as a distinctly late modern form of control. It shows that the practices constitutive of global war are best understood in terms of a matrix, incorporating states and their bureaucracies, as well as non-state agents, and targeting at once states, particular communities and individuals. The matrix of war operates in the name of humanity; however, it is ultimately this humanity as a whole that comes to be the subject of its operations of global control. The implications, as the article argues, are monumental for democratic government and the spaces available for scrutiny and dissent.
Lines of Insecurity: International, Imperial, Exceptional
Authors: Walker R. B. J.
Published: April 2006

Recent literatures have become sceptical about the concept of an international, preferring to make claims about new forms of imperial or exceptional politics. This article examines the relation between these three concepts as conventionally understood within discourses of internationalism; expresses scepticism about the use of the term ‘imperial’ for capturing what is at stake in challenges to international order; and seeks to clarify what is at stake in contemporary practices of exceptionalism. Where exceptions were conventionally declared at the limits of the sovereign state, qualified by the ordering capacities of a system of sovereign states, enabled by a theory of history marking the modernity of sovereign authorities and inhibited by resistance to imperial and theological order, exceptions are now enacted in ways that exceed official cartographies of sovereign authorization. Consequently, traditions and debates about what it means to secure the modern subject that have largely reproduced options laid out by Carl Schmitt and Hans Kelsen in the 1920s and 1930s must become engaged with questions about the limits of specifically modern forms of political life. If exceptions are not being made where they are supposed to be made, subjects will not be secured where they are supposed to be secured.
Recognizing Gender-Based Violence Against Civilian Men and Boys in Conflict Situations
Authors: Carpenter R. Charli
Published: April 2006

While gender-based violence has recently emerged as a salient topic in the human security community, it has been framed principally with respect to violence against women and girls, particularly sexual violence. In this article, I argue that gender-based violence against men (including sexual violence, forced conscription, and sex-selective massacre) must be recognized as such, condemned, and addressed by civilian protection agencies and proponents of a ‘human security’ agenda in international relations. Men deserve protection against these abuses in their own right; moreover, addressing gender-based violence against women and girls in conflict situations is inseparable from addressing the forms of violence to which civilian men are specifically vulnerable.
Headscarves and Porno-Chic
Authors: Duits Linda , van Zoonen Liesbet
Published: April 2006

This article addresses girls' dress, which has become controversial, especially in contemporary multicultural Europe. Using the Dutch public debate about the headscarf, belly shirts, visible G-strings, and other forms of ‘porno-chic’, the authors show that these seemingly separate debates are held together by the regulation of female sexuality. Through their analysis of the headscarves and porno-chic debate, the authors argue that women's sexuality and girls' bodies in particular have become the metonymic location for many a contemporary social dilemma: of the multicultural society when it concerns the scarf, of feminism and public morality when it concerns porno-chic. They conclude that despite the widely different appearance of girls wearing headscarves or porno-chic, both groups of girls are submitted to the meta-narratives of dominant discourse: the state, school, public opinion, parents and other social institutions ‘resignify’ their everyday practices as inappropriate, and reprieve them from the power to define their own actions.
Dissolving the Iron Cages? Tocqueville, Michels, Bureaucracy and the Perpetuation of Elite Power
Authors: Courpasson David , Clegg Stewart
Published: April 2006

Modern management theory often forgets more than it remembers. ‘What's new?’ is the refrain. Yet, we suggest, there is much that we should already know from which we might appropriately learn, ‘Lest we forget’. The current paper takes its departure from two points of remembrance that bear on the sustained assaults on bureaucracy that have been unleashed by the critiques of recent years. These critiques include the new public management literature as well as its inspiration in the new literature of cultural entrepreneurialism. Both promise to dissolve bureaucracy's iron cage. We explain, using the classical political themes of oligarchy, democracy, and the production of elite power, why we should consider such transubstantiation alchemical by confronting contemporary discussions with the wisdom of an earlier, shrewder knowledge, whose insights we need to recall to understand the complexity of the hybridizations between supposedly opposite models of organizations.
Pursuing Good Practice?
Authors: Gray Mel , Mcdonald Catherine
Published: April 2006

• Summary: Many of the profession are pursuing ways to develop and promote good and accountable practice. One of the most popular courses suggested is evidence-based practice. Locating our discussion within the context of neo-liberalism, we argue here that evidence-based practice has arisen not only in response to the ongoing desire to promote scientific practice, but also to increase social work’s ‘fit’ with the current context.

• Findings: We conclude that social work is an extremely complex set of activities and that evidence-based practice is too conceptually narrow and theoretically limited, particularly in its constrained capacity to take up many of the developments in social theory. Finally, we suggest that the conceptual objectives of evidence-based practice can be met by the integration of ethical reasoning in practice, which we suggest is a strategy of mature professionalism that can be more readily applied in the diverse contexts and forms of social work practice.

• Applications: The ethical intent (and indeed, the cognitive discipline) of evidence-based practice can equally be realized through deployment of ethical reasoning as a mode of good practice.