bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance: a landmark reform towards universal coverage in China
Authors: Lin Wanchuan , Liu Gordon G. , Chen Gang
Published: July 2010

As the latest government effort to reform China's health care system, Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) was piloted in seventy‐nine cities during the summer of 2007, following State Council Policy Document 2007 No. 20's guidelines. This study presents the first economic analysis of URBMI, following a national household survey in nine representative Chinese cities. The survey aimed to answer three questions: Who is covered by the plan? Who gains from the plan? Who is most satisfied with the plan? We have found that there is a U‐shaped relationship between URBMI participation rate and income. That is, the extremely rich or poor are the most likely to participate. Those with any inpatient treatment last year or with any chronic disease are also more likely to enroll in URBMI, indicating adverse selection into participation. We have also found that in reducing financial barriers to care, URBMI most significantly benefits the poor and those with previous inpatient care. Finally, those participants in the bottom 20% of family incomes are happier with URBMI than are their more affluent counterparts. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An analysis of life‐course smoking behavior in China
Authors: Kenkel Don , Lillard Dean R. , Liu Feng
Published: July 2010

With a total population of more than 1.3 billion people where more than 31% of adults smoke, China has become the world's largest producer and consumer of cigarettes. We adopt a life‐course perspective to study the economics of smoking behavior in China. We use data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) to follow individuals over their whole lives and to analyze their decisions to both start and stop smoking. We extend the small but growing body of economic research on smoking in China. Our life‐course approach emphasizes that current smoking participation reflects a decision to start and a series of past decisions to not quit. We explore how the determinants of smoking initiation differ from the determinants of smoking cessation. We find results, consistent with some previous empirical evidence, that Chinese smoking is not strongly related to the price of cigarettes. Based on our results, we offer some speculative hypotheses that, we hope, might guide future research on the economics of smoking in China. It seems especially useful to compare the broad patterns we document with the experiences of other countries. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Health‐seeking behavior and hospital choice in China's New Cooperative Medical System
Authors: Brown Philip H. , Theoharides Caroline
Published: July 2010

Since the dissolution of the Rural Cooperative Medical System at the end of the commune period, illness has emerged as a leading cause of poverty in rural China. To address the poor state of health care, the Chinese government unveiled the New Cooperative Medical System in 2002. Because local governments have been given significant control over program design, fundamental characteristics of the program vary from one county to the next. These differences may influence the decision to seek health care as well as the choice of hospital conditional on that initial decision. In this paper, we use a nested logit model to analyze household survey data from 25 counties to analyze the determinants of such health‐seeking behavior. We find that age, the share of household expenditures allocated to food consumption (a measure of relative income), and the presence of other sick people in the household negatively affect the decision to seek health care while disability has a positive influence. Further, conditional on seeking treatment, the reimbursement scheme in place in each county and the average daily expenditure associated with hospitalization strongly influence hospital choice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Health insurance and catastrophic illness: a report on the New Cooperative Medical System in rural China
Authors: Yi Hongmei , Zhang Linxiu , Singer Kim , Rozelle Scott , Atlas Scott
Published: July 2010

The overall goal of the paper is to understand the progress of the design and implementation of China's New Cooperative Medical System (NCMS) program between 2004 (the second year of the program) and 2007. In the paper we seek to assess some of the strengths and weaknesses of the program using a panel of national‐representative, household survey data that were collected in 2005 and early 2008. According to our data, we confirm the recent reports by the Ministry of Health that there have been substantial improvements to the NCMS program in terms of coverage and participation. We also show that rural individuals also perceive an improvement in service by 2007. While the progress of the NCMS program is clear, there are still weaknesses. Most importantly, the program clearly does not meet one of its key goals of providing insurance against catastrophic illnesses. On average, individuals that required inpatient treatment in 2007 were reimbursed for 15% of their expenditures. Although this is higher than in 2004, on average, as the severity of the illness (in terms of expenditures on health care) rose, the real reimbursement rate (reimbursement amount/total expenditure on medical care) fell. The real reimbursement rate for illnesses that required expenditures between 4000 and 10 000 yuan (over 10 000 yuan) was only 11% (8%). Our analysis shows that one of the limiting factors is constrained funding. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clear cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland
Authors: Segal Karl , Har‐El Gady , Avidor Irena , Shvero Jacob , Lubin Ernesto , Sidi Jack
Published: July 2010

Clear cell carcinoma is a rare variant of thyroid cancer, histologically related to the well‐differentiated thyroid malignancies. The purpose of this paper is to discuss data collected from the English literature and to present three additional cases. In two of the three cases presented, thyroglobulin levels were extremely high after thyroid ablation. Both cases presented metastasis to lung and bone with significant l131 uptake. It seems that, when compared to the well‐differentiated carcinomas of the thyroid gland, clear cell carcinoma has a more aggressive clinical course. Initial radical surgery is the treatment of choice for this kind of neoplasm and l131 should always be considered for the treatment of its metastasis.
Partners' Credibility Development and Assessment in Distributed Decision Making
Authors: Bagnara Sebastiano , Rizzo Antonio , Stablum Franca
Published: July 2010

This study illustrates how partners develop and assess credibility in distributed decision making. Credibility is the level of confidence attributed to the information brought in decision making by the individual partners. It depends on whether and how much the partners agree regarding a common background of values and preferences. This background is reached through a process of communication and negotiation on preferences and values which precedes profitability evaluation of the available alternatives in decision making. This study will report on an discuss the process by which credibility has been built up and assessed among the operators involved in managing a hot strip mill where a newly implemented automation forces them to modify the previously adopted priorities and the distributed decision‐making rules and goals.
Human Factors in CIM: A Human‐Centered Perspective from Europe
Authors: And Richard Badham , Schallock Burkhard
Published: July 2010

A number of European agencies, institutes, and firms have developed a decentralized “skill‐based” model of computer‐integrated manufacturing (CIM), arguably better adapted to European conditions than the more highly centralized “factory of the future” promoted by large U.S. computer‐based equipment vendors and the Department of Defense. This human‐centered or anthropocentric model, embodied in working systems and concrete design guidelines, provides a major challenge to more restricted views of the role of human factors in system design and innovation. This study reviews and describes the significance of this model.
Personal Perspective: Why Haven't the Robots Come?
Authors: Van Cott Harold P.
Published: July 2010

The creation and adoption of technology by nations is strongly influenced by many factors. A strong force that is often overlooked is the role of culture in technology invention, choice, development, and marketing. This study—based on a plenary address given at the Second International Conference on Human Aspects of Advanced Manufacturing and Hybrid Automation in Honolulu, August 13, 1990—explores the intimate influence that the cultures of Japan and the U.S. each have had on the invention and differential rate of adoption and use of robots in the their nations.
Changes in hippocampal excitatory synaptic transmission during cholinergically induced theta and slow oscillation states
Authors: Schall Kurt P. , Dickson Clayton T.
Published: July 2010

Neural processing in the hippocampus (HPC) during sleep is important for declarative memory storage. Previously, we have shown that alternations of sleep‐like REM and non‐REM brain states that involve changing patterns of synchronized oscillatory network activity in the HPC [i.e., theta and the slow oscillation (SO), respectively] robustly and differentially influence excitatory synaptic transmission in a variety of hippocampal pathways. Given that state in the HPC is dependent on variations in cholinergic tone in both sleep and under urethane anesthesia, in the present study we induced theta and SO states via systemic cholinergic manipulations in urethane‐anesthetized rats to confirm similar changes in synaptic responsiveness. This was conducted using linear multiprobe recordings and current source density analysis of electrically evoked potentials in commissural and temporal ammonic inputs to CA1 and medial and lateral perforant path inputs to dentate gyrus (DG). Cholinergic agonism and antagonism induced theta and the SO, respectively, and similarly to the case with spontaneous states, also diminished and promoted, respectively, excitatory synaptic currents in all pathways (except for the medial perforant path input to DG which showed the opposite modulation). These results suggest that both state and cholinergic tone bias the hippocampal network during natural sleep across REM and non‐REM episodes and that this modulation may play an important role in the consolidation of declarative memories. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hippocampus is necessary for spatial discrimination using distal cue‐configuration
Authors: Kim Jangjin , Lee Inah
Published: July 2010

The role of the hippocampus in processing contextual cues has been well recognized. Contextual manipulation often involves transferring animals between different rooms. Because of vague definition of context in such a paradigm, however, it has been difficult to study the role of the hippocampus parametrically in contextual information processing. We designed a novel task in which a different context can be parametrically defined by the spatial configuration of distal cues. In this task, rats were trained to associate two different configurations of distal cue‐sets (standard contexts) with different food‐well locations at the end of a radial arm. Experiment 1 tested the role of the dorsal hippocampus in retrieving well‐learned associations between standard contexts and rewarding food‐well locations by comparing rats with neurotoxic lesions in the dorsal hippocampus with controls. We found that the hippocampal‐lesioned rats were unable to retrieve the context‐place paired associations learned before surgery. To further test the role of the hippocampus in generalizing altered context, in Experiment 2, rats were trained in a task in which modified versions of the standard contexts (ambiguous contexts) were presented, intermixed with the standard contexts. Rats were able to process the ambiguous contexts immediately by using their similarities to the standard contexts, whereas muscimol inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus in the same animals reversibly deprived such capability. The results suggest that rats can effectively associate discrete spatial locations with spatial configuration of distal cues. More important, rats can generalize or orthogonalize modified contextual environments using learned contextual representation of the environment. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitative gene‐expression analysis of the ligand‐receptor system for classical neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in hippocampal CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus
Authors: Nakamura Nozomu H. , Akiyama Kiyotaka , Naito Takayuki
Published: July 2010

We have shown quantitative expression levels of genes coding for the “ligand‐receptor system” for classical neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in hippocampal subregions CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus (DG). Using a combination of DNA microarray and quantitative PCR methods, we found that the three subregions have relatively similar expression patterns of ionotropic receptors for classical neurotransmitters. Expression of ionotropic receptors for glutamate and GABA represents more than 90% of all ionotropic receptors for classical neurotransmitters, and the expression ratio between ionotropic receptors for glutamate and GABA is constant (1.2:1–1.6:1) in each subregion. Meanwhile, the three subregions have different expression patterns of neuropeptide receptors. Furthermore, there are asymmetric expression patterns between neuropeptides and their receptors. Expression of Cck, Npy, Sst, and Penk1 represents 90% of neuropeptides derived locally in the hippocampus, whereas expression of these four neuropeptide receptors accounts for 50% of G protein‐coupled receptors for neuropeptides. We propose that CA1, CA3, and DG have different modalities based on the ligand‐receptor system, particularly the “neuropeptidergic system.” Our quantitative gene‐expression analysis provides fundamental data to support functional differences between the three hippocampal subregions regarding ligand‐receptor interactions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Distinct stages of adult hippocampal neurogenesis are regulated by running and the running environment
Authors: Bednarczyk Matthew R. , Hacker Lindsay C. , Fortin‐Nunez Stéphanie , Aumont Anne , Bergeron Raynald , Fernandes Karl J.L.
Published: July 2010

Hippocampal neurogenesis continues into adulthood in mammalian vertebrates, and in experimental rodent models it is powerfully stimulated by exposure to a voluntary running wheel. In this study, we demonstrate that exposure to a running wheel environment, in the absence of running, is sufficient to regulate specific aspects of hippocampal neurogenesis. Adult mice were provided with standard housing, housing enriched with a running wheel or housing enriched with a locked wheel (i.e., an environment comparable to that of running animals, without the possibility of engaging in running). We found that mice in the running wheel and locked wheel groups exhibited equivalent increases in proliferation within the neurogenic niche of the dentate gyrus; this included comparable increases in the proliferation of radial glia‐like stem cells and the number of proliferating neuroblasts. However, only running animals displayed increased numbers of postmitotic neuroblasts and mature neurons. These results demonstrate that the running wheel environment itself is sufficient for promoting proliferation of early lineage hippocampal precursors, while running per se enables newly generated neuroblasts to survive and mature into functional hippocampal neurons. Thus, both running‐independent and running‐dependent stimuli are integral to running wheel‐induced hippocampal neurogenesis. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evidence for the detection of the normal counterpart of hodgkin and sternberg‐reed cells
Authors: Stein Harald , Gerdes Johannes , Schwab Ulrich , Lemke Hilmar , Diehl Volker , Mason David Y. , Bartels Heinrich , Ziegler Andreas
Published: July 2010

To clarify the origin of Hodgkin (H) and Sternberg‐Reed (SR) cells, frozen sections of lymph nodes from 30 patients with Hodgkin's disease were immunostained with a large panel of monoclonal antibodies reactive with cells of lymphoid tissue and granulopoiesis. The results showed that: (a) H and SR cells are devoid of markers specific to, or characteristic of B cells, macrophages, dendritic reticulum cells, interdigitating cells, or cells of erythropoietic or thrombopoietic origin; (b) the vast majority of H and SR cells contain granulocyte‐related antigens detectable with the monoclonal antibodies TÜ9 and 3C4, but constantly lack other granulocytic cell markers (such as peroxidase and chloroacetate esterase). Monoclonal antibodies raised against a Hodgkin's disease‐derived cell line included one, Ki‐1, that was found to be selectively reactive with H and SR cells and a minute, but distinct cell population in normal lymphoid tissue and bone marrow. The latter, as yet unidentified cell population appears to be the normal equivalent of H and SR cells.
Chromosomes and causation of human cancer and leukemia. IL. Therapeutic and prognostic value of chromosomal findings during acute phase in PHI‐positive chronic myeloid leukemia
Authors: Sadamori Naoki , Gomez German A. , Sandberg Avery A.
Published: July 2010

The therapeutic response and survival after the onset of the acute crisis in 64 patients with Ph'‐positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) were correlated with the chromosomal findings during the course of the acute phase. The patients were divided into three groups on the basis of the chromosome findings in the bone marrow, blood, and spleen: i.e. those with only a Ph1 (PP), those having two types of clones, Le. one clone with only a Ph1 and another with additional karyotypic changes (AP), and those with only abnormal clones containing karyotypic abnormalities in addition to the Ph1 (AA). The number of patients in each group was: 22 in PP, 25 in AP and 17 in AA. The results were as follows: (1) The percentage of patients with a good therapeutic response was 77 per cent (17/22) in PP, 60 per cent (15/25) in AP and 29 per cent (5/17) in AA and 2). The median survival after the onset of the acute crisis was 148 days (4–9 months) in PP, 183 days (6T months) in AP and 53 days (1–8 months) in AA. Statistically, there was a significant difference between the AA and the other two groups (P < 0.001). Our observations suggest that the lack of a clone with only a Ph1 during the course of the acute phase (AA) indicates an unfavourable response and a poor prognosis after the onset of the acute crisis in CML.
Interactions between radioresistant T Cells from plasmacytoma‐bearing mice and radiosensitive T Cells from normal mice leading to suppression
Authors: Muul Linda Mesler , Roberson Bob S. , Broder Samuel
Published: July 2010

Spleens from BALB/c mice bearing the plasmacytoma SPQC 11 contain a population of T cells capable of suppressing the production of antibodies when cultured with normal BALB/c splenocytes, but not with splenocytes from nude BALB/c mice. Inhibition was characteristically the most effective at low suppressor cell numbers using unirradiated T cells. Maximum suppression occurred when a radiosensitive population of T cells from normal mice interacted with a population of radioresistant T cells from plasmacytoma‐bearing animals. Accurate characterization of the suppressor T cell activity required testing over a wide range of suppressor/indicator cell ratios. Suppressor activity was eliminated by treatment with anti‐Thy 1.2 plus complement, was radioresistant and present over a full range of doses when irradiated cells were used.
Cytochemistry and ultrastructure in lymphoma and leukemia: Utility in the diagnosis of different leukemias and the recognition of subtypes of lymphoproliferative disorders
Authors: Polliack Aaron , Leizerowitz Rachel
Published: July 2010

This review is based on the findings of multiparameter studies performed on cells obtained from over 200 cases of leukemia and illustrates the wide range of laboratory tests currently available for cell phenotype identification. Immunological techniques are not discussed and the review deals mainly with light and electron microscopic cytochemistry, transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

The importance of light microscopic cytochemistry is clearly demonstrated. In particular, para‐nuclear acid phosphatase, non‐specific esterase (NSE) and diaminopeptidase staining are recommended as reliable T‐cell markers. Ultrastructural identification of unclassified leukemic cells using techniques to detect myeloperoxidase, acid phosphatase, platelet peroxide (PPO) and NSE, is shown to be of great importance in cases of early myelo‐monoblastic differentiation with negative light microscopic cytochemistry.

SEM is also shown to be a reliable means of distinguishing lymphoid and non‐lymphoid leukemia when some degree of differentiation is present. However SEM does not appear to contribute in the diagnosis of unclassified leukemia. The new scanning immunoelectron microscopy (SIEM) technique employing heteroantisera or monoclonal antibodies conjugated to latex microspheres (immunolatex) to detect surface receptors and specific antigens is also illustrated. This technique displays the topography of surface antigens on the cell surface of leukemic cells in 3‐dimension and facilitates simultaneous visualization of the surface architecture of the labelled cells.
Restrictions upon epstein‐barr virus infection of the leukemic cell are demonstrated in patients with hairy cell leukemia
Authors: Sairenji Takeshi , Reisert Patricia S. , Spiro Robert C. , Mulder Carel , Humphreys Robert E.
Published: July 2010

We tested the hypothesis that Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) might actually infect leukemic hairy cells in vivo by examining those cells for the EBV‐receptor, EBV nuclear antigen (EBNA) and membrane antigen (MA), for spontaneous transformation and rescue of infectious virus and for presence of EBV genome. EBV‐receptors were found on subpopulations of leukemic cells from each of 7 patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) tested. MA was present on low numbers (1–5 per cent) of fresh leukemic cells of 7 patients and in some instances occurred with a greater frequency after 3 to 5 days in culture, with or without 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol–13–acetate. In 11 fresh leukemic cell preparations from 8 HCL patients, no EBNA was demonstrated. However, 2 samples after 4 days in culture expressed low frequencies of EBNA‐positive cells. Spontaneous, EBV‐positive cell lines were established with a high transformation efficiency from 3 HCL blood samples but not from 8 other specimens. Infectious EBV could be rescued from some hairy leukemic cell preparations by co‐cultivation with cord blood lymphocytes. These results demonstrated that leukemic cell populations harbored infectious EBV, that the leukemic cells expressed virus receptors and suggested that a small subpopulation of leukemic cells might become infected in vivo at least transiently and possibly transformed in vitro by EBV. To test for the extent of occult in vivo infection of leukemic cells with EBV, Southern type hybridization studies were performed with a probe for EBV genome (Bam HI W). At a sensitivity level of 0.1 genome per cell, EBV genome was not detected in the leukemic cell populations of 7 patients. We conclude that host defence mechanisms protecting these individuals from EBV also prevent infections of the leukemic cell and/or most hairy leukemic cells are not suitable targets for both infection and transformation.
Adult T‐cell leukemia cells expressing OKT 17 antigen in the activated state
Authors: Tsuda Hiroyuki , Takatsuki Kiyoshi
Published: July 2010

The surface phenotype and the functional activities of leukemic cells from seven patients with adult T‐cell leukemia (ATL) were studied using monoclonal antibodies OKT 3, 4 and 8, anti‐Tac, and OKT 17. The latter defines the heterogeneity of the activated T4+ T cell subset. In all cases, ATL cells with the typical OKT3‐T4+ T8‐ phenotype expressed OKT 17 antigen. In addition, in five out of the seven cases the fresh ATL cells possessed Tac antigen which is expressed on activated T cells in varying degree. After cultivation with PWM, most populations of ATL cells acquired Tac even in the cases expressing little antigen in uncultured preparations. However the PWM activated ATL cells did not lose OKT 17 antigen. Functional assays showed the suppressor activity of ATL cells on normal B cell differentiation in three out of six cases examined. These results suggest that ATL cells most probably arise from a particular subset characterized by OKT 17 antigen within the activated OKT4+ T cell subset.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia and genetic events at 9q34
Authors: Lewis Jerry P. , Watson‐Williams E. John , Lazerson Jack , Jenks Helen M.
Published: July 2010

Assessment of cytogenetic patterns associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) suggests that genetic events at band q34 of chromosome nine are critical in the conversion of benign to malignant hematopoiesis. A break at this band is identified in almost all cases of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1) positive CML, is also noted in some cases of Ph1 negative CML and cannot be excluded in the remaining cases. The human cellular homolog of the Abelson retrovirus oncogene (c‐abl) is situated at band 9q34 and is translocated with the genetic sequences distal to the break point at this site in Ph1 positive disease. This oncogene has been shown experimentally to transform pre‐B cells and it is expressed in primitive cells of the granulocytic series which are involved in CML. Although the break in CML chromosomes at 9q34 and the location of c‐abl at 9q34 could be unrelated, it seems more likely that the two genetic events are associated with evolution of malignant hematopoiesis of man.
Phenotypic and cytogenetic characteristics of a new epstein‐barr virus negative cell line (SKW 4) derived from A B‐Cell lymphoma
Authors: Nilsson Kenneth , Sundström Christer , Klareskog Lars , Ralph Peter , Zech Lore
Published: July 2010

A new Epstein‐Barr virus nuclear antigen (EBNA) negative cell line SKW 4 has been established in vitro from a patient with diffuse histiocytic lymphoma. The SKW 4 seems to be an authentic human tumour cell line as evidenced by its EBV negativity, monoclonality and aneuploidy tested during early in vitro passage. The cell line expresses surface μ and kk‐chains, HLA‐DR antigen, C3 and Fc receptors and B‐cell lineage antigens. The karyotypic analyses demonstrated many numerical and structural aberrations. No Burkitt lymphoma associated translocations (t8;14, t2;8, t;22) were detected, but most of the markers found are those commonly associated with various types of human cancer. The SKW 4 thus represents the most common type of ‘histiocytic lymphoma’, that with a B‐lymphoid cell phenotype, but is unique among HL derived lymphoma lines in its strong expression of a Helix pomatia A agglutinin binding surface glycoprotein of an apparent molecular weight of 75 000 daltons.
B‐Lymphoproliferative disorders: A Proposed unified pathogenetic pathway
Authors: Ezdinli Ediz Z. , Nanus David M.
Published: July 2010

The clinical features of lymphoproliferative diseases associated with paraproteinemia are briefly reviewed and correlated with current immunologic concepts in an effort to clarify the pathophysiology of B‐lymphocyte disorders. B‐lymphocyte maturation proceeds in a predictable manner from the Pre‐B cell to the formation of idiotype specific plasma cells and memory B‐lymphocytes. The immunoglobulin isotype produced by the mature plasma cell is determined by a site specific process of gene switching which proceeds from μ to a production. Lymphoproliferative diseases are the result of disordered B cell maturation and their clinical features can be explained by identifying the locus of the maturational defect.
Tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase as a differentiation marker for the human mononuclear phagocyte system
Authors: Radzun H. J. , Kreipe H. , Parwaresch M. R.
Published: July 2010

Human blood monocytes (BM) were stimulated with various immune modulators in short‐term cultures. Tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TAcP) activity was demonstrated with an enzyme cyto‐chemical method. Other members of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), such as peritoneal (PM) and alveolar macrophages (AM), were also tested. Unstimulated BM and physiologic functional forms of macrophages, with the exception of AM, were invariably TAcP negative. On appropriate stimulation, particularly with media containing lymphokines, cultured BM became TAcP positive. The results suggest that TAcP is an inducible differentiation marker that indicates transformation of monocytes into cells belonging to a distinct subset of the MPS.
Defining targets in myeloproliferative disorders: reflecting on what is important
Authors: Griesshammer Martin
Published: July 2010

The current lack of curative options for essential thrombocythaemia (ET) leads to the goal of reducing the risk of potentially life‐threatening thrombohaemorrhagic complications with long‐term treatment. The setting of relevant treatment targets is an important consideration in this process, allowing the monitoring of disease control. Recent revisions to the World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria for the chronic MPDs 1 have implications not only for the diagnosis of patients, but also for the management of their disease and the continuing assessment of their progress. The purpose of this article is to discuss recent revisions to the WHO guidelines, and their influence on the setting of treatment targets in patients with ET. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
‘Mind the gap!’ rethinking the role of health in the emergency and development divide
Authors: O'Dempsey Tim , Munslow Barry
Published: July 2010

The ‘Emergency Relief—Rehabilitation—Development’ model is highly problematic, especially in fragile states which fluctuate in and out of crisis. Lack of definition as to what constitutes a humanitarian emergency and the absence of rules of engagement of NGOs and donors further complicates the problem. Restricted mandates and budgets of institutions and funding bodies lead to gaps in the provision of health services for affected populations. Reducing the gap between emergency and developmental healthcare requires approaching the issue from both sides, recognizing that the emergency‐development gap is not a single uniform entity but a complex dynamic of heterogeneous gaps. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Out of sight, out of mind? The psychosocial needs of children formerly associated with armed forces: a case study of Save the children UK's work in Beni and Lubero territories, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Stott Katharine
Published: July 2010

Research into the psychosocial needs of children formerly associated with armed forces (CAAF) has aroused much interest in the past 60 years. Despite this, much debate remains surrounding how to optimally address these issues. The overwhelming stance of modern authors is that intervention must move away from the former focus on purely psychological intervention, to encompass broader social and cultural issues in addition. Hosted by Save the Children UK (SCUK), this qualitative research explores the perceptions of former CAAF, their communities and local SCUK staff of the psychosocial needs of former CAAF. Semi‐structured interviews and focussed group discussions were conducted with 62 former CAAF (29 boys, 33 girls), 21 community members and 7 staff members of SCUK or its partner organizations in Beni and Lubero territories of North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Findings are presented and were analysed within a conceptual framework proposed by the Psychosocial Working Group. It was found that whilst the social needs of former CAAF and their communities are great, psychological challenges are prevalent and serious; moreover these psychological challenges impact the social integration of former CAAF. In addition, the needs of female former CAAF should be addressed differently to those of males, due primarily to the children most of the girls have conceived during their time with armed groups. The current movement of psychosocial theory from a psychological to a social focus is reflective of an attempt to address developmental concerns at the neglect of humanitarian needs. In consequence, former CAAF are being offered substandard assistance which fails to optimize their chances for successful civilian reintegration. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tissue residue approach for chemical mixtures
Authors: Dyer Scott , St J Warne Michael , Meyer Joseph S , Leslie Heather A , Escher Beate I
Published: July 2010

At the SETAC Pellston Workshop “The Tissue Residues Approach for Toxicity Assessment,” held in June 2007, we discussed mixture toxicology in terms of the tissue residue approach (TRA). This article reviews the literature related to the TRA for mixtures of chemicals and recommends a practical, tiered approach that can be implemented in regulatory or risk assessment applications. As with the toxicity of individual chemicals, addressing mixture toxicity by means of the TRA has a number of significant advantages. Early work provided a theoretical basis and experimental data to support the use of TRA for mixtures; later work provided a field-based validation of the integration. However, subsequent development has been hindered by the lack of mixture toxicity data expressed in tissue or preferably target-site concentrations. We recommend a framework for addressing the toxicology of mixtures that integrates the TRA and mixture toxicology in a 3-tier approach. Tier I uses concentration addition (CA) to estimate the toxicity of mixtures regardless of the mechanism of action of the components. However, the common approach that uses a bioaccumulation factor (BAF) to predict TR from the exposure–water concentration for organics must be modified slightly for metals because, unlike organics, the BAF for a metal changes as 1) the aqueous exposure concentration changes, and 2) the concentration of other metals changes. In addition, total tissue residues of a metal are not a good predictor of toxicity, because some organisms store high concentrations of metals internally in detoxified forms. In tier I, if the combination of measured concentrations in the mixture exceeds that predicted to produce adverse effects or above-reference levels, it is necessary to proceed to tier II. Tier II is a mixed model that employs CA and independent action to estimate mixture toxicity. Tiers I and II estimate the toxicity of mixtures to individual species. In tier III, the TRA is integrated with the multisubstance potentially affected fraction (ms-PAF) method to derive TR levels that are protective of a selected percentage of species in aquatic communities (e.g., hazardous concentration for 5% of the species [HC5]). Integr Environ Assess Manag 2011;7:99–115. © 2010 SETAC
HMM‐based graph edit distance for image indexing
Authors: Xiao Bing , Gao Xinbo , Tao Dacheng , Li Xuelong
Published: July 2010

Most of the existing graph edit distance (GED) algorithms require cost functions which are difficult to be defined exactly. In this article, we propose a cost function free algorithm for computing GED. It only depends on the distribution of nodes rather than node or edge attributes in graphs. Hidden Markov model (HMM) is employed to model the distribution of feature points and thus dissimilarity measure of graphs can be posed as distance of HMMs. A fast algorithm of Kullback‐Leibler Distance, suitable for computing the distance between two probability models, is adopted to compute the distance of HMMs. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed GED algorithm can characterize the structure variety of graphs effectively and is available for clustering and indexing images of both rigid and nonrigid bodies. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 18, 209–218, 2008
Image indexing and retrieval using an ART‐2A neural network architecture
Authors: Fernandes de Mello Rodrigo , Bueno Josiane Maria , Senger Luciano José , Yang Laurence T.
Published: July 2010

Traditional content‐based image retrieval (CBIR) systems use low‐level features such as colors, shapes, and textures of images. Although, users make queries based on semantics, which are not easily related to such low‐level characteristics. Recent works on CBIR confirm that researchers have been trying to map visual low‐level characteristics and high‐level semantics. The relation between low‐level characteristics and image textual information has motivated this article which proposes a model for automatic classification and categorization of words associated to images. This proposal considers a self‐organizing neural network architecture, which classifies textual information without previous learning. Experimental results compare the performance results of the text‐based approach to an image retrieval system based on low‐level features. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 18, 202–208, 2008
What mothers don't know and doctors don't say: Detecting early developmental delays
Authors: Smith Leann E. , Akai Carol E. , Klerman Lorraine V. , Keltner Bette R. ,   The Centers for the Prevention of Child Neglect
Published: July 2010

The present study examined the detection of early developmental delays of high‐risk infants by first‐time mothers in a community sample of families (N = 451). About half of the mothers were adolescents at time of childbirth, and two thirds reported household incomes below $20,000 annually. Children were assessed at 12 and 24 months of age on standardized measures of cognitive, language, adaptive, and socioemotional development. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (PL101‐476) guidelines, about 1 in 4 children was eligible for intervention services at 12 months, and about 1 in 3 children was eligible at 24 months. Despite receiving regular medical services, mothers reported that very few eligible children (2% at 12 months and 9% at 24 months) were identified by medical professionals as having any problems that could interfere with development. Much like medical professionals, few mothers were appropriately worried about development, and the likelihood of expressing concerns was related to mothers' knowledge about infant development. These findings highlight the need for medical providers to frequently screen high‐risk children and for parents to become more knowledgeable about infant development.
International commission on irrigation and drainage (ICID): its objectives, achievements and plans
Authors: Madramootoo Chandra , Lee Peter S. , Gopalakrishnan M.
Published: July 2010

The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), a global network organization with 106 member countries in its fold, is dedicated to the promotion of best practices in water for agriculture, and addresses water supply and management for food production, including drainage and flood control. While striving to improve water and land management, and enhancing the world supply of food and fibre, ICID takes on board environmental concerns and seeks sustainable solutions. In its efforts to contribute positively to achieving the primary goal of halving the number affected by hunger, as set forth in the Millennium Development Goals, ICID aims to improve quality of life and reduce poverty in developing countries.

ICID's efforts in stimulating and promoting the development of the art, science and techniques of engineering, agriculture, economics, ecology and social sciences for better land and water management are achieved through specialized internationally composed work groups. These work bodies attempt to produce updates that are focused not only on the scientific and technological aspects, but also emerging trends in management and sustainable solutions of water management for agriculture.

ICID played a crucial role, together with other leading international organizations, to develop a joint vision on water for future generations. This included leading in the formation of the World Water Council.

In the paper, an attempt has been made to highlight some of the recent achievements and other roles that ICID has played in the global water arena. ICID's strong country network enables best practices to be implemented at the local level. Thanks to the inherent strength of its broad‐based National Committees, ICID's efforts and activities trickle down to irrigators, food producers and water user groups. The National Committees are also a source of identification of unique problems and challenges in the field, which require the concerted attention of the global body of expertise residing in ICID. The immediate challenges facing ICID are responses to the current global food crisis and the impacts of the global financial crisis on water and food security in a global context. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adapting to hydrologic impacts of climate change: an international development perspective
Authors: Svendsen Mark , Künkel Nana
Published: July 2010

The paper reviews important water‐related effects of climate change and assesses their impacts on developing countries and, in particular, on developing country agriculture. It assesses the relative importance of change‐driven water supply and water demand effects on agriculture and examines the concepts of vulnerability, adaptation, and adaptive capacity. It suggests some measures available to developing countries to begin the process of adaptation to the impacts of climate change and outlines a possible role for external development cooperation in that process. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Agricultural water productivity and poverty: A conceptual pathway to link global, basin and local understanding
Authors: Cook S.E. , Fisher M.J. , Harrington L.W. , Huber‐Lee A. , Vidal A.
Published: July 2010

Agricultural water productivity (WPAg) is considered by many as a valuable concept that links agricultural water use to the benefits it generates in terms of food (kg m−3, kcal m−3) or income (US$ m−3). By extension, it can be hypothesized that WPAg is linked to rural poverty, and that its improvement would enable more people to benefit from a finite shared water resource.

By reviewing case studies and analyses from four river basins and elsewhere, we find that WPAg and poverty are related, but that the strength of the relationship and its nature vary with scale. At a global scale, the link seems causal; improved water productivity will enable an expanding global population to feed itself from a finite water resource. At the local scale, improved water productivity is more often a consequence of other changes, such as crop productivity or value. At the intermediate scale of a basin or sub‐basin, WPAg represents the state of ecosystem services1

“The benefits people obtain from ecosystems. These include provisioning services such as food and water; regulating services such as flood and disease control; cultural services such as spiritual, recreational, and cultural benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient cycling that maintain the conditions for life on Earth.” (Green Facts Glossary) http://www.greenfacts.org/glossary/def/ecosystem‐services.htm

through which agriculture consumes water and from which groups of people generate food and income. In the absence of clear definitions of the links between water use by multiple actors and the outcomes produced, there is no evidence of causal linkages between agricultural water consumption and poverty. Awareness of WPAg of itself is unlikely to induce changes in agricultural practice that improve the livelihoods of water users, even though WPAg may increase as a result of general improvements in agricultural practice. Such linkages may, however, occur increasingly with water valuation in which users pay the real cost of the water that they use. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Homestead‐ and community‐scale multiple‐use water services: unlocking new investment opportunities to achieve the Millennium development Goals
Authors: van Koppen Barbara , Smits Stef , Mikhail Monique
Published: July 2010

Since the early 2000s, a new participatory approach to water services delivery is emerging: multiple‐use water services (MUS). By overcoming sectoral boundaries within the water sector, new opportunities are opened up that better align with people's practice of using water from multiple sources for multiple uses. Two opportunities are discussed in this paper on the basis of past research by the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food, among others. One new opportunity is homestead‐scale MUS. Providing double or triple the quantities of the design norms in the domestic subsector in poor rural and periurban areas allows water users to take up significant productive activities besides meeting domestic needs. Cost–benefit ratios are favourable. Homestead‐scale MUS is the most effective way of using water to contribute to all Millennium Development Goals. A related second new opportunity is community‐scale MUS. This participatory approach to water services considers communities' holistic water‐ and landscapes and supports incremental improvements in infrastructure according to people's own priorities and needs, which are often in favour of homestead‐scale MUS. New synergies in infrastructure intakes, storage and conveyance are tapped. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Priority issues of least developed countries in Africa
Authors: Musa I. K.
Published: July 2010

This is an outcome of contributions from stakeholders in the Africa region in the identification of critical priority issues in irrigation and drainage practices in the least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa, and ways in which the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) can assist to address them.

The LDCs are characterised by endemic poverty, human resources weaknesses and economic vulnerability that are partly contributed to by the instability of their agricultural production which is dependent on rainfall and its vagaries. Out of the 51 countries classified as LDCs, 34 are in Africa. They have a predominantly agrarian economy with underdeveloped irrigation potential, and are faced with inconsistent and poor policies, poor environmental stewardship, insufficient investment and high cost of irrigation development, non‐inclusive and non‐participatory governance, threats of climate change, and weak research capacity among other challenges.

The following priority irrigation and drainage issues were identified based on their relevance to these challenges, their impact on the majority – who live below the poverty line – and those in which ICID has a comparative advantage to assist:

database management and information sharing;

pro‐poor irrigation and drainage policies;

participatory irrigation management;

capacity building of all stakeholders;

technological learning, research and development.

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.