bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic Policy and the True Believer: The Use of Ricardian Rent Theory in the Bombay Survey and Settlement System
Authors: McAlpin Michelle Burge
Published: September 2009

The classical political economists, especially James Mill, had a major role in shaping British land tax policy in India. Only in Bombay Presidency did the men who administered the land tax share Mill's view of rent as the legitimate and appropriate source of revenue for government expenditure. These men created a land tax of considerable complexity in their desire to collect only a part of the rent from each field and thereby to foster economic development in the region. Even with their cadastral survey completed, however, they were compelled to use circumstantial evidence to determine whether any particular level of taxation was less than or greater than the rent. Agriculture in the Deccan and the Karnatak did improve after the implementation of the survey and settlement system, but available evidence suggests that rising prices for agricultural goods may have been as or more important than careful adherence to the finer points of Ricardian rent theory.
The Function of Commercial Centers in the Modernization of European Capitalism: Amsterdam as an Information Exchange in the Seventeenth Century
Authors: Smith Woodruff D.
Published: September 2009

During Amsterdam's development as the commercial center of Europe in the seventeenth century, an informal “information exchange” appeared among the economic and political institutions of the city. Informational economies of the types discussed by Stigler, North, and Pred led to the emergence of Amsterdam as the focal point of information flows throughout Europe. They also encouraged a high level of innovation within all functional areas of Amsterdam's information exchange—especially in long-term data analysis—which contributed to the general modernization of capitalism.
Notes on the Measurement of Values
Authors: Smith Daniel Scott
Published: September 2009

Historians frequently use values to explain behavior. Since their studies focus on the behavior, they have neglected to measure values and change in values. The current practices of historians of values will not yield conclusions usable in the history of behavior.
William Dean' Theory of Urban Growth: Chicago's Commerce and Industry, 1854–1871
Authors: Cain Louis P.
Published: September 2009

William H. Dean, Jr. argued the development of a commercial agglomeration at any site is a function of three interrelated variables: trade routes, position, and nodality. Industrial agglomerations follow commercial ones. Dean's theory is discussed and applied to Chicago's growth before the Great Fire of 1871. The initial development of Chicago's transportation infrastructure is described. Data for the balance of receipts and shipments of selected items and growth rates for receipts and shipments from 1854 to 1871 are presented.
The Emergence of a Capital Market in Rural Massachusetts, 1730–1838
Authors: Rothenberg Winifred B.
Published: September 2009

This study is part of a continuing effort to document and date the emergence of a market economy in rural Massachusetts. It uses a probate data base to test for evidence of increased portfolio liquidity, decreased transactions costs, and the appearance of developmental institutional change. A regional capital market, so critical for the industrialization of New England, is found to have emerged in the early 1780s.
The Myth of Free-Trade Britain and Fortress France: Tariffs and Trade in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Nye John Vincent
Published: September 2009

This examination of official commercial statistics suggests that the conventional wisdom regarding early free-trade efforts of Britain and France is wrong. French average tariff levels were, surprisingly, consistently below those of Britain throughout most of the nineteenth century, even after the abolition of the Corn Laws and before passage of the 1860 Treaty of Commerce. Previous scholarship has focused on French commercial policies covering a narrow range of items and has largely ignored the overall trade policies of both nations. This study moves us further away from stories of development and trade confined to a few “leading”sectors.
Bank Rates of Return and Entry Restrictions, 1869–1914
Authors: Binder John J. , Brown David T.
Published: September 2009

This article uses a variety of data in a simple regression framework to test various hypotheses about the regional differences in U.S. bank rates of return existing before 1915. We find that the observed pattern in the return differences is a function of the measures of bank returns used in previous studies, regional differences in economic conditions, restrictions on interstate branch banking, and private bank minimum capital requirements. These results are inconsistent with most of the bank monopoly-power hypotheses in the literature.
The Microeconomics of Depression Unemployment
Authors: Margo Robert A.
Published: September 2009

Microeconomic evidence reveals that the incidence and duration of unemployment in the 1930s varied significantly within the labor force. Long-term unemployment, which was especially high by historical standards, may have been exacerbated by federal relief policies.
Occupational Differences in Labor Market Integration: The United States in 1890
Authors: Rosenbloom Joshua L.
Published: September 2009

When labor markets are subject to large demand or supply shocks, as was the case in the late nineteenth-century United States, geographic wage differentials may not be an accurate index of market integration. This article uses a conceptually more appealing measure—the elasticity of local labor supply—to compare the integration of urban labor markets for a variety of occupations in 1890. According to this measure, markets, for unskilled labor and skilled metal-working trades appear relatively well integrated in comparison to those for the skilled building trades.
Health, Income, and Retirement: Evidence from Nineteenth-Century America
Authors: Costa Dora L.
Published: September 2009

The United States population has grown older. Increases in life expectancy and a low fertility rate have dramatically changed the composition of the population. This change in the age composition of the population has led to concerns over the viability of the Social Security system. One way to increase the solvency of the Social Security system would be to increase participation rates among the elderly.
Comments on Johnson, Kiesling, and Van Vleck
Authors: Sands Barbara
Published: September 2009

You have just heard from three people whose dissertations I helped select to be finalists for the Gerschenkron prize for the best dissertation on a non-U.S. country's economic history. They have now had a chance to tell you a bit of what their works are about. I could also do the same, but I will not. The reasons, at least to me, are obvious: (1) in writing them, they spent a lot more time than I did in reading them; (2) they are all long, and I only have a short time up here; (3) there are people in this audience who know far more about each of these subjects than do I, and I try to exercise some discretion when parading my ignorance (although I do think a Chinese economic historian—who first wrote on early twentieth-century Shanxi province's agricultural markets—being assigned the task of reading umpteen dissertations regarding “the rest of the world's economic histories, none about China,” has some rich irony within); and (4) that is not my job as I perceive it.
Stock Market Bubbles? A Reply
Authors: White Eugene N.
Published: September 2009

Research in finance is guided by powerful intuitions from models of efficient markets. However, researchers have uncovered a number of puzzles that are not explained by these models. Such anomalies include the excess volatility of stock prices, the closed-end mutual fund paradox, and the mean reversion in stock prices that produces predictable returns for long holding periods.1 Whereas financial economists all recognize the existence of these puzzles, they disagree about how they can be explained. Robert J. Shiller argues, for example, that efficient-markets models cannot hope to explain these anomalies and looks to alternatives that incorporate fads.2 In contrast, John H. Cochrane believes that the puzzles can be explained by improved models of fundamentals.3
Recent developments in Irish Economic History, 1850–1914
Authors: Guinnane Timothy W.
Published: September 2009

The past 20 years have witnessed a thorough reassessment of the basic features of nineteenth-century Ireland’s economic experience. Much of this reassessment was focused on the Great Famine of the 1840s, but the post-Famine period (which means, for the purposes of this essay, from the Great Famine to the Great War) has undergone its own quieter but no less complete reassessment. The two books under review here convey the flavor of this new research.
The Development of the Peasant Commune in Russia
Authors: Toumanoff Peter
Published: September 2009

This article argues that the development of the peasant commune in Russia, with its periodic repartition of serf holdings, hierarchy of authority, and dependence on corvee as a form of obligation, was a consequence of enslavement of the Russian peasant. These features of the commune are seen as reducing the costs of both monitoring labor effort, and maintaining the productive capacity of the serf. The chronology of their development and their association with the more fertile land of European Russia and with private as opposed to state ownership provide evidence for the argument.
Factor Biases and Technical Change in Manufacturing: The American System, 1850–1919
Authors: Cain Louis P. , Paterson Donald G.
Published: September 2009

This paper examines the proposition that U.S. manufacturing experienced biased technical change during the period 1850–1919. Tests for bias, in Hicksian terms, are conducted using the translog cost dual. Redefined census data permit these tests to be made at the two-digit level of industry classification and with four inputs considered—labor, capital, materials, and a residual factor input. The tests demonstrate that labor-saving and capital-using biases existed, but material-using biases also were present. Furthermore, the patterns of bias varied considerably from industry to industry and often were of such a magnitude as to overpower ordinary substitution effects.
The Earnings of Skilled and Unskilled Immigrants at the End of the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Eichengreen Barry , Gemery Henry A.
Published: September 2009

Most historical studies of immigration in nineteenth-century America have failed to distinguish among the labor-market experiences of different immigrant groups. Using a sample of some 4000 wage earners from turn-of-the-century Iowa, we examine the relative earnings of skilled and unskilled immigrants and suggest the factors which contributed to their very different post-immigration experiences. The results indicate that prior knowledge of a trade conferred upon immigrants an initial earnings advantage, but that unskilled immigrants managed subsequently to close some but not all of the gap by reaping greater returns to experience on the job.
An exploratory tool for analysis of forage and livestock production options
Authors: Millar G. D. , Jones R. E. , Michalk D. L. , Brady S.
Published: September 2009

The Grain & Graze Whole-Farm Model was developed as a simple modelling tool to identify better strategies to improve the income of farmers and overcome grassland degradation. Using information on farm structure, crop and forage production systems, livestock production systems and variable costs involved in all enterprises, maximum whole-farm gross margins are obtained for an optimum or a prescribed mix of enterprises. The incorporation of production systems for different rainfall scenarios enables climatic risks and water use efficiencies of different enterprises to be investigated. Model simulations demonstrated the potential improvements that could be achieved in dollar water use efficiency ($WUE), by changes in management and/or changes in enterprise. The design of the model makes it a valuable tool for evaluating new systems, as it easy to develop new crop, pasture and livestock systems. Innovative farming systems such as pasture cropping and alley farming are included in the model.
Cultural dimensions of a large-scale mixed-farming program: competing narratives of stakeholder actors
Authors: Rickards L. , Price R. J.
Published: September 2009

Grain & Graze was an innovative, multi-scale, multi-organisational, inter-disciplinary and triple bottom line research, development and extension (RD&E) program conducted to investigate and improve mixed-farming systems in Australia from 2003 to 2008. This paper reports on a sociological evaluation of the program’s institutional arrangements that was undertaken as one of a small number of social research projects within the program. Based on discourse analysis and investigation of participant experiences, it found the program was characterised by two competing views of what the program was or ought to be. Weaving across the program’s formal and informal elements and national and regional scales of management, these ‘narratives’ reflect the program’s coexisting ‘revolutionary’ aspirations and ‘organisational’ aspirations. Attention to the coexistence of these narratives and the way they were expressed within the program provides insight into the values, complexity and challenges of agricultural RD&E programs. It points to the significance the broader philosophical and governance context has for contemporary agricultural RD&E programs and other public science and sustainable development initiatives.
Bioinformatics construction of the human cell surfaceome
Authors: da Cunha J. P. C. , Galante P. A. F. , de Souza J. E. , de Souza R. F. , Carvalho P. M. , Ohara D. T. , Moura R. P. , Oba-Shinja S. M. , Marie S. K. N. , Silva W. A. , Perez R. O. , Stransky B. , Pieprzyk M. , Moore J. , Caballero O. , Gama-Rodrigues J. , Habr-Gama A. , Kuo W. P. , Simpson A. J. , Camargo A. A. , Old Lloyd J. , de Souza S. J.
Published: September 2009

Cell surface proteins are excellent targets for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. By using bioinformatics tools, we generated a catalog of 3,702 transmembrane proteins located at the surface of human cells (human cell surfaceome). We explored the genetic diversity of the human cell surfaceome at different levels, including the distribution of polymorphisms, conservation among eukaryotic species, and patterns of gene expression. By integrating expression information from a variety of sources, we were able to identify surfaceome genes with a restricted expression in normal tissues and/or differential expression in tumors, important characteristics for putative tumor targets. A high-throughput and efficient quantitative real-time PCR approach was used to validate 593 surfaceome genes selected on the basis of their expression pattern in normal and tumor samples. A number of candidates were identified as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for colorectal tumors and glioblastoma. Several candidate genes were also identified as coding for cell surface cancer/testis antigens. The human cell surfaceome will serve as a reference for further studies aimed at characterizing tumor targets at the surface of human cells.
La phrase tautologique
Authors: Schapira Charlotte
Published: September 2009

Summary

Taking as the starting point the tautology in logics, the present paper explores the expression of tautology in language. It deals exclusively with tautological phrases constituting complete messages which, according to the definition of tautology, are not supposed to communicate any information. The main cases of tautology and their correspondent linguistic structures are analyzed. While some of these phrases are formally identical to the logical formulae, their functioning, as well as their semantic interpretations, their pragmatic and stylistic values lead, when examined, to the questioning of the very existence of tautology in verbal communication.
Sur un lexique-grammaire comparé d’adverbes figés
Authors: De Gioia Michele
Published: September 2009

Summary

This paper presents some of the findings which emerged during the construction of a French-Italian lexicon-grammar of frozen adverbs. A French lexicon-grammar compiled by Maurice Gross (1990) was compared with an Italian lexicon-grammar (De Gioia 1994b) with a view to finding semantically equivalent entries for translation purposes.

The results showed that 65% of the French entries can be translated with equivalent adverbial and idiomatic expressions in Italian, giving the lie to the traditionally held view that idiomatic expressions are generally untranslatable.

A further analysis of cases of semantic and syntactic equivalence showed that the two languages share many families of frozen adverbs, which can be represented by automata and transducers.
Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: Factors Predicting Hospital Mortality
Authors: Mylotte Joseph M. , Aeschlimann Jeffrey R. , Rotella Denise L.
Published: September 2009

Among 89 episodes of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, factors identified as independent predictors of hospital mortality were Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III score >60 (odds ratio [OR], 3.2; 95% confidence inter val [CI95], 1.7 to 5.9) and Lifestyle score >1 (OR, 2.1; CI95, 1.2 to 3.6). Future studies of S aureus bacteremia should take into consideration acute severity of illness (as well as treatment and source of infection) when evaluating outcome.
Blood and Body Fluid Exposures Among Surgeons: A Survey of Attitudes and Perceptions Five Years Following Universal Precautions
Authors: Manian Farrin A.
Published: September 2009

A mail survey of surgeons at our medical center 5 years following adoption of Universal Precautions revealed that 29% estimated having ≥1 potentially serious blood or body fluid exposures (BBEs) per month. Failure to report BBEs (usually needlesticks) to the employee health department was common, and the majority of surgeons in practice for ≥10 years never reported such exposures. The most commonly cited reason for not reporting BBEs was perceived low risk of acquiring bloodborne infections.
Bladder Management and Urinary Tract Infections in Danish Hospitals, Nursing Homes, and Home Care: A National Prevalence Study
Authors: Zimakoff Jette , Stickler David J. , Pontoppidan Birgitte , Larsen Severin O.
Published: September 2009

Objective:

To establish the prevalence of urinary tract infection in patients undergoing various forms of bladder management.

Design:

A nationwide descriptive point-prevalence survey with logistic regression analysis of the data relating infection to bladder management.

Setting:

Fifteen hospitals, 21 nursing homes, and 13 home care districts throughout Denmark.

Patients:

Information was collected on 3,665 patients. On the day of the study, 349 patients had indwelling catheters and 1,150 were using external urine drainage systems (condoms or diapers) for bladder management.

Results:

The prevalence of urinary tract infections in catheterized patients and those using external drainage systems was 13.2% and 8.1%, respectively. The prevalence of hospital-acquired urinary tract infection (4.2%) had not changed from that reported in 1978. The proportion of these infections related to the indwelling catheter, however, had reduced from 66% to 30%. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that, when corrected for the patient-related confounders (female gender, age >60 years, incontinence, immobility, and stay in hospital for longer than 15 days), condoms (odds ratio [OR], 5.94; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 2.8 to 12.5), indwelling catheters (OR, 3.3; CI95, 2.3 to 4.8), and diapers (OR, 1.5; CI95, 1.1 to 2.1) were significantly (P<.001, P<.001, and P=.008, respectively) related to infection.

Conclusions:

Prevalence surveys have revealed that over the period 1978 to 1991, during which efforts have been made to restrict the use of indwelling catheters and to encourage the care of catheterized patients according to guidelines recommended by the Danish National Centre for Hospital Hygiene, the percentage of hospital-acquired urinary tract infections associated with indwelling catheters has been halved. External urine drainage systems, however, have emerged as significant risk factors for urinary tract infection.
Multiply Antibiotic Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli in a Long Term Care Facility A Case Control Study of Patient rick Factors and Prior Antibiotic Use
Authors: Muder Robert R , Brennen Carole , Drenning Stephanie D. , Stout Janet E. , Wagener Marilyn M.
Published: September 2009

Objective:

To determine the relation between prior exposure to specific antimicrobials and acquisition of gram-negative bacilli resistant to multiple ß-lactam and aminoglycoside antibiotics among long-term-care patients.

Design:

Case-control study. Cases were patients from whom multiply resistant Enterobacteriaceae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated; controls were patients from whom nonresistant bacteria of the same species were isolated. Prospectively defined risk factors included underlying illness, activity level, presence of decu-bitus ulcers, presence of indwelling devices, and prior exposure to specific antimicrobial agents. Resistant and control isolates of P aeruginosa were compared using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of genomic DNA after digestion with XbaI.

Setting:

390-bed long-term Veterans' Affairs facility.

Results:

We identified 35 patients with multiply resistant Enterobacteriaceae and 24 patients with multiply resistant P aeruginosa. Of the resistant Enterobacteriaceae, 87% of isolates were resistant to piperacillin, 55% to ceftazidime, and 90% to gentamicin. Acquisition of multiply resistant Enterobacteriaceae was associated with presence of decubitus ulcers (odds ratio [OR], 12.2; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 3.3-44.2; P=.0002) and prior receipt of ampicillm (OR, 13.7; CI95, 2.2-84; P=.005). Of resistant isolates of P aeruginosa, 88% were resistant to piperacillin, 25% to ceftazidime, 42% to imipenem, and 67% to ciprofloxacin. Isolation of a multiply resistant P aeruginosa was associated with total days of antimicrobial exposure (OR, 1.07; CI95, 1.01-1.12; P=.011) and not with prior receipt of any individual agent. Eleven multiply resistant isolates shared a common PFGE pattern.

Conclusions:

In our long-term-care facility, acquisition of multiply resistant Enterobacteriaceae was associated with the presence of decubitus ulcers and prior exposure to ampicillin. Acquisition of resistant P aeruginosa was associated with total antibiotic exposure. Molecular typing of P aeruginosa isolates implicated patient-to-patient transmission of a limited number of resistant strains.
Nosocomial Neisseria meningitidis Molecular Analysis of a Clinical Problem
Authors: Louie Marie , Simor Andrew E. , Rachlis Anita , Louie Lisa
Published: September 2009

Over a 1-week period, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B was recovered from two patients in the intensive-care unit (ICU). A cross-infection was presumed when one patient developed invasive meningococcal disease and another patient was found to be colonized. Investigation by molecular typing showed that these cases were not related, demonstrating the value of molecular typing when investigating potential cross-infections in a closed environment such as the ICU.
Parvovirus B19-Antibody Serosurvey in 500 Developmentally Disabled Subjects
Authors: Lohiya Ghan-Shyam , Hogrefe Wayne , Tan-Figueroa Lilia , Caires Shirley
Published: September 2009

Sera of 500 residents were screened for parvovirus B19 immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Positive IgM and equivocal IgG or IgM results were confirmed by immunofluorescent antibody and Western blot. IgM was detected in 13 sera (2.6%), and IgG was detected in 285 (57%). Records of IgM-positive residents contained no evidence of erythema infectiosum or polyarthropathy.
Nosocomial Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections Prevention and Control in Bone Marrow Transplant Patients
Authors: Garcia Ricardo , Raad Issam , Abi-Said Dima , Bodey Gerald , Champlin Richard , Tarrand Jeffrey , Hill Lou Anne , Umphrey Jan , Neumann Joyce , Englund Janet , Whimbey Estella
Published: September 2009

Objective:

To assess the effectiveness of a multi-faceted infection control strategy in limiting the nosocomial transmission of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection to patients in a bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit.

Design:

Before/after trial.

Setting:

University-affiliated tertiary cancer center.

Patients:

Adult BMT recipients hospitalized during two consecutive wintertime community outbreaks of RSV infection.

Interventions:

An infection control strategy against nosocomial RSV infection was implemented in the BMT unit in February 1993. The strategy involved prompt identification, isolation, and cohorting of RSV-infected patients; prompt therapy with aerosolized ribavirin; use of masks and gloves by anyone entering an infected BMT patient's room; screening visitors for respiratory symptoms; restricting visitation by all children under 12 years of age and all family members and other visitors with RSV symptoms; and restricting symptomatic hospital staff from working in the BMT unit.

Results:

After implementation of the multifaceted infection-control strategy, there were four cases of nosocomial RSV infection in 3,870 patient days (incidence density, 1.0 case/1,000 patient days) compared with 14 cases of nosocomial RSV infection in 3,152 patient days (incidence density, 4.4 cases/1,000 patient days) during the 1992-1993 RSV season (rate ratio, 4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.4-17.9; P<.01). This decrease in incidence occurred despite a comparable prevalence of community-acquired RSV cases between the two seasons (2.2% vs 3.2% in 1992-1993 and 1993-1994, respectively; prevalence ratio, 0.7; CI95, 0.2-2.1; P=0.5)

Conclusion:

Institution of a multifaceted infection control strategy significantly reduced the frequency of nosocomial RSV infection in a high-risk group of adult BMT recipients
Microcomputers in Hospital Epidemiology
Authors: Herwaldt Loreen A. , Reagan David R.
Published: September 2009

Computers can store, manage, and analyze large quantities of data. Thus, computers are an ideal tool for the modern practice of infection control. This article provides practical information for infection control personnel who must choose or upgrade a computer system.
Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in Pediatric Intensive-Care–Unit Patients Associated With a Needleless Device and Intermittent Intravenous Therapy
Authors: McDonald L. Clifford , Banerjee Shailen N. , Jarvis William R.
Published: September 2009

Objectives:

To determine risk factors for an increase in line-associated bloodstream infections (BSIs) in three pediatric intensive-care units at one hospital that recently had changed brands of needleless access device.

Design:

Retrospective case-control studies; review of the units' infection control policies and procedures for accessing and replacing components of needleless access devices.

Setting:

A community tertiary-care hospital's three pediatric intensive-care units.

Patients:

Children in one of the three intensive-care units with a central venous catheter in place during January 1, 1995, through May 15, 1996, who developed laboratory-confirmed primary BSI. Children who had central venous catheters in place for >48 hours and who did not develop BSI were chosen randomly as controls.

Results:

Eight patients met the case definition; they had 11 episodes of BSI. Multivariate analysis identified duration of catheterization and exposure to the IVAC first-generation needleless device as independent risk factors for BSI. Compared with patients from another pediatric intensive-care unit in which the IVAC device also was used but in which an increased BSI rate did not occur, patients from the unit with an increased BSI rate were more likely to receive intermittent (vs continuous) intravenous therapy through one or more lumens. In both units, the IVAC device valve component was replaced every 6 days, and the endcap used to cover the valve (when connected to an unused lumen) was replaced every 24 hours or after each access. The BSI rate returned to baseline after institution of a policy to replace the entire IVAC device, valve, and endcap every 24 hours.

Conclusions:

An increased risk of BSI was associated with use of the IVAC first-generation needleless device when replaced every 6 days. This increased risk may have been more pronounced in one pediatric intensive-care unit, because patients were more likely to receive intermittent intravenous therapy. Intermittent intravenous therapy or central venous catheter flushing practices may be important determinants of BSI risk
Is global climate change influencing the overwintering distribution of weakfish Cynoscion regalis?
Authors: Weinstein M.P. , Litvin S.Y. , Guida V.G. , Chambers R.C.
Published: September 2009

The pattern of stable isotope signatures in a sub‐sample of 67 juvenile weakfish Cynoscion regalis, captured at the mouth of the Christina River, 113 km upstream of the mouth of Delaware Bay (U.S.A) in the autumn of 2000, suggested that they resided at the location since recruitment. The possibility that young C. regalis departed from the generally characteristic life‐history pattern of marine migrants at this latitude, i.e. emigrating offshore with the adults in autumn was bolstered by the collection of 69 individuals during the winters of 2000–2006 from the travelling screens of a power plant located at river kilometre 88 including an 118 mm total length juvenile captured in mid‐February 2006.
Effect of spawning number and ration on reproductive performance of the batch‐spawning three‐spined sticklebackGasterosteus aculeatus
Authors: Wootton R. J. , Fletcher D. A.
Published: September 2009

An experiment quantified the effect of food ration and spawning number on the breeding season reproductive performance of batch‐spawning, female three‐spined sticklebacksGasterosteus aculeatus. Individually housed females were maintained on fixed rations of 2, 4, 8 or 16% of their initial postspawning mass of live enchytraeid worms from immediately after their first spawning until they ceased spawning. Number of spawnings correlated positively with ration. Total breeding season reproductive investment (total wet mass of eggs produced as a percentage of initial postspawning female mass) ranged from 38% at the 2% ration to 147% at the 16% ration. At the lower rations, postspawning mass, batch fecundity and wet and dry masses of the batch declined over successive spawnings, with the rate of decline inversely related to ration. At the highest ration, there was no decline in batch fecundity and postspawning mass increased over successive spawnings. Mean reproductive investment per inter‐spawning interval was higher at the highest ration, but at all rations declined over successive spawnings. Mean reproductive effort per inter‐spawning interval (wet mass of eggs spawned as a percentage of the wet mass of food consumed over the inter‐spawning interval) was inversely related to ration. At the higher rations, reproductive effort showed no trend over successive spawnings. Neither spawning number nor ration had a systematic effect on egg diameter, wet mass per egg, dry mass per egg or total lipid content of the eggs. If the rate of food intake was insufficient, although batch fecundity declined, the main adjustment was a reduction in the number of spawnings in the breeding season.
Predictors of positive sputum cultures in exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: TSIMOGIANNI Angeliki M. , PAPIRIS Spyros A. , KANAVAKI Sofia , STATHOPOULOS Georgios T. , SOTIROPOULOU Christina , MANALI Effrosyni D. , MICHALOPOULOU Pinelopi , ROUSSOS Charis , KOTANIDOU Anastasia
Published: September 2009

Background and objective:  Although sputum culture in patients with an acute exacerbation of COPD is of uncertain value, it is routinely done. The ability to clinically identify patients likely or unlikely to yield bacterial sputum isolates would potentially reduce unnecessary tests. The objective of this study was to identify the clinical predictors of positive sputum cultures in this patient population.

Methods:  Consecutive patients with a COPD exacerbation requiring an emergency visit were prospectively enrolled. Quantitative sputum culture was performed on‐site. Data on current smoking, sputum purulence, FEV1, Medical Research Council chronic dyspnoea scale, BMI, severe exacerbations in the preceding year requiring hospitalization, PaO2, PaCO2, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, and oral and inhaled steroid use were recorded.

Results:  Of the 94 patients enrolled, sputum from 36 yielded bacterial pathogens. These patients were characterized by a higher frequency of purulent sputum, lower FEV1, BMI and PaO2, higher APACHE II score and more frequent use of inhaled steroids (P < 0.05). On multivariate regression, purulent sputum, FEV1 and BMI were independent determinants of a positive sputum culture. Using receiver‐operator‐optimized thresholds for these variables (purulent sputum, FEV1 < 35% predicted and BMI ≤ 22 kg/m2), we proposed a regression coefficient‐weighted prediction model that accurately determined the likelihood of sputum bacterial isolation.

Conclusions:  A prediction model based on the variables of purulent sputum, FEV1 and BMI predicted sputum culture result with about 90% accuracy. Pending further validation, this model may save valuable healthcare resources.
Challenges in the surgical treatment of epilepsy patients with cortical dysplasia
Authors: Mathern Gary W.
Published: September 2009

Cortical dysplasia (CD) is the most common malformation of cortical development in epilepsy surgery patients. Patients with mild Palmini type I CD represent about 50% of the surgical cases, and these lesions tend to occur most often in the temporal lobe, often associated with hippocampal sclerosis. By comparison, patients with severe type II CD present at younger ages, often with multilobar extratemporal lesions, and more aggressive seizures. The presurgical evaluation in CD patients can be challenging, as no single test is 100% accurate. Based on retrospective cohort studies, the accuracy of investigations are: interictal scalp electroencephalography (EEG), 50%; ictal scalp EEG, 65%; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 66%; fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET), 81%; and ictal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), 57%. Intracranial electrodes are used in about 50% of patients with CD. Contemporary series report that 62% of patients with CD are seizure free after resective neurosurgery, with higher rates for complete (77%) compared with incomplete (20%) removal of the lesion. Morbidity (<3%) and mortality (0.2%) are low for patients with CD undergoing epilepsy neurosurgery. Future challenges include the noninvasive identification of patients with CD with 100% accuracy, evaluation of long‐term outcomes in surgical patients, and devising new treatments based on a better understanding of the neurobiology leading to seizures in CD tissue.
High‐throughput red blood cell antigen genotyping using a nanofluidic real‐time polymerase chain reaction platform
Authors: Hopp Kathleen , Weber Kathleen , Bellissimo Daniel , Johnson Susan T. , Pietz Bradley
Published: September 2009

BACKGROUND: Serologic testing of donors to obtain antigen‐negative blood for transfusion is limited by availability and quality of reagents. Where sequence variant information is available, molecular typing platforms can be used to determine the presence of a variant allele and offer a high‐throughput format correlated to the blood group antigen. We have investigated a flexible high‐throughput platform to screen blood donors for antigen genotypes in the African American population.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Genomic DNA from 427 African American donors was analyzed for single‐nucleotide polymorphisms responsible for red blood cell (RBC) antigens E/e, Fya/Fyb, Fy gene promoter, Jka/Jkb, Lua/Lub, K/k, Jsa/Jsb, Doa/Dob, Joa, and Hy using primer/probe sets (Taqman, Applied Biosystems) on a high‐throughput genotyping platform (OpenArray, BioTrove). Where available, the phenotype obtained by serologic testing was compared to genotype data.

RESULTS: Serologic antigen types were available for 2037 of the 4270 genotypes generated. There were five discordant results. Three resolved with repeat serologic typing, one resolved after repeat genotyping, and one discordance was clarified by confirmation of the BioTrove genotype by Sanger sequencing. Triplicate determinations were made for each sample genotype and the results were identical more than 99% of the time.

CONCLUSIONS: The nanofluidic genotyping platform described here provides an accurate method for predicting blood group phenotypes. The user‐specified array layout provides flexibility of target selection and number of replicate determinations and is suitable for screening antigen types.
Higher arteriovenous fistulae blood flows are associated with a lower level of dialysis‐induced cardiac injury
Authors: KORSHEED Shvan , BURTON James O. , McINTYRE Christopher W.
Published: September 2009

Native arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) remain the vascular access of choice for hemodialysis (HD). Despite being associated with superior long‐term outcomes (cf. catheter use), little is known about the systemic hemodynamic consequences of AVFs. Repetitive myocardial injury (myocardial stunning) is an under‐recognized common consequence of HD. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of AVF flow (Qa) on dialysis‐induced cardiac injury. We studied 50 chronic HD patients. All patients underwent echocardiography (and subsequent quantitative offline analysis) at baseline, during and post dialysis, to assess left ventricular function and the development of regional wall motion abnormalities. Qa was measured using ionic dialysance. Patients were divided into Qa tertiles (<500, mean 291±101 mL/min, 500–1000, mean 739±130 mL/min and >1000, mean 1265±221 mL/min). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, sex, diabetes, or resting ejection fraction. Patients with Qa>1000 mL/min had a lower prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (55% vs. 76%, P=0.01). Dialysis‐induced myocardial stunning (seen in 65% of the patients studied) was significantly and sequentially reduced in those patients with higher Qas. This was seen in a lower number of segments and ventricular regions developing regional wall motion abnormalities, as well as a significantly reduced mean and cumulative percentage reduction in fractional shortening of those ventricular segments affected (−187±37%, −161±26%, and −101±25%, respectively, P=0.04). Relatively higher AVF flows appear to be associated with a lower level of observed HD‐induced cardiac injury.
The Burden of Paediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disorders in Croatia
Authors: Krleza J. Lenicek , Duranovic V. , Lujic L. , Herak D. Coen , Mejaski-Bosnjak V. , Nakic M. , Zadro R.
Published: September 2009

Pediatric stroke is significantly less common than stroke in adults, but represents a major challenge to public health authorities. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify the total and annual number of children younger than 18 years with arterial ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attack referred to the Children's Hospital Zagreb, which is a major national centre specialised for the treatment and prevention of stroke in children. We reviewed the medical records of the Department of Neuropediatrics database at the Children's Hospital Zagreb between 1998–2005 in order to provide demographic and clinical characteristics and neuroimaging findings in children with arterial ischaemic stroke. In the 7-year period, we identified a total of 124 children from different geographic areas of Croatia with a confirmed diagnosis of transient ischaemic attack ( N = 77), and arterial ischaemic stroke ( N = 47). Perinatal and childhood arterial ischaemic stroke were equally represented (23 and 24 children, respectively). The average number of new cases identified each year was 18 cases (range: 12–21), seven arterial ischaemic stroke and 11 transient ischaemic attack cases. Male predominance was found in children with arterial ischaemic stroke with a male:female ratio of 1·76:1, and was slightly higher in childhood arterial ischaemic stroke compared with perinatal arterial ischaemic stroke (2:1 and 1·56:1, respectively). In contrast, transient ischaemic attack was more frequently found in girls, and more likely identified in older children compared with younger children with arterial ischaemic stroke. Obtained data will contribute to better understanding of paediatric stroke in Croatia and will provide a base for the establishment of the national referral center and national pediatric stroke registry.
A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Cerebrolysin in Patients with Acute Ischaemic Stroke in Asia – CASTA
Authors: Hong Z. , Moessler H. , Bornstein N. , Brainin M. , Heiss W.-D.
Published: September 2009

Cerebrolysin has exhibited neuroprotective as well as neurotrophic properties in various animal models of cerebral ischaemia and has shown clinical efficacy and good safety in several small controlled clinical studies in ischaemic stroke. Therefore, a large double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was launched in Asia to prove the validity of this treatment strategy. In the more than 50 participating centres patients with acute ischemic hemispheric stroke are randomized within 12 hours of symptoms onset to treatment (30 ml Cerebrolysin diluted in physiologic saline) or placebo (saline) given as intravenous infusion once daily added to standard care for 10 days. The patients are followed with regular visits for 90 days. Efficacy is evaluated on day 90 by three outcome scales – modified Rankin Scale, Barthel Index and NIH Stroke Scale – combined to single global directional test. Additionally, adverse events are documented to prove safety. In this study a total of 1060 patients will be included and analysis of data will be completed in 2010. If positive, this trial will add an effective strategy to the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke.
Determination of Shelf Life of Sous Vide Salmon (Salmo Salard) Based on Sensory Attributes
Authors: Díaz Pedro , Nieto Gema , Bañón Sancho , Garrido María Dolores
Published: September 2009

ABSTRACT:  Sous vide technology permits precooked dishes of high sensory and nutritional quality to be obtained with a longer shelf life than is possible using other cooking–cooling methods. Salmon portions (200 g; 0.5, w:w; greased with olive oil) were par‐roasted (300 °C/3 min), cooked using sous vide technology (80 °C/43 min), and maintained in anaerobic conditions at 2 °C for 0, 4, 8, 12, 15, 18, 22, and 25 d. At each control day, Enterobacteriaceae counts were made and the attributes of sensory spoilage were determined (3 visual, 2 odor, 2 flavor, and 3 texture attributes) by a panel of trained judges. A loss of smell, taste, color, and juiciness was detected during storage, along with the appearance of off‐odors and off‐flavors. The shelf life of the sous vide salmon based on sensory analysis was established at 18 d.
The Nation‐State Form and the Emergence of ‘Minorities' in Syria
Authors: White Benjamin
Published: September 2009

Minorities are specifically modern political groupings: they belong to the era of nation‐states. This article explores the emergence of minorities in Syria under the French mandate. It examines the contradictions caused by French attempts to impose a religious political order within the secular form of the nation‐state, showing how that form created minorities, most of whom cannot simply be mapped onto themillets, or religious communities, of the Ottoman Empire.

Using French and Syrian sources from the archives of the French High Commission, the article examines various religious and ethnolinguistic minorities to show how their emergence was governed by the nation‐state form. French colonial policy influenced their development, but not their existence. The article draws on publications from the nationalist press of the period to show how the formation of minority and majority consciousness constitutes a larger process that is intimately linked to the nationstate form. The Syrian case is presented for comparative study and warns against an unreflective use of ‘minority’ as an analytical category.
A CONTINUATION APPROACH USING NCP FUNCTION FOR SOLVING MAX-CUT PROBLEM
Authors: XU FENGMIN , XU CHENGXIAN , REN JIUQUAN
Published: September 2009

A continuous approach using NCP function for approximating the solution of the max-cut problem is proposed. The max-cut problem is relaxed into an equivalent nonlinearly constrained continuous optimization problem and a feasible direction method without line searches is presented for generating an optimal solution of the relaxed continuous optimization problem. The convergence of the algorithm is proved. Numerical experiments and comparisons on some max-cut test problems show that we can get the satisfactory solution of max-cut problems with less computation time. Furthermore, this is the first time that the feasible direction method is combined with NCP function for solving max-cut problem, and similar idea can be generalized to other combinatorial optimization problems.
ONE-DIMENSIONAL σ-MODELS WITH N = 5, 6, 7, 8 OFF-SHELL SUPERSYMMETRIES
Authors: GONZALES M. , ROJAS M. , TOPPAN F.
Published: September 2009

We computed the actions for the one-dimensional (1D)N = 5 σ-models with respect to the two inequivalent (2, 8, 6) multiplets. Four supersymmetry generators are manifest, while the constraint originated by imposing the fifth supersymmetry automatically induces a full N = 8 off-shell invariance. The resulting action coincides in the two cases and corresponds to a conformally flat 2D target satisfying a special geometry of rigid type.

To obtain these results we developed a computational method (for Maple 11) which does not require the notion of superfields and is instead based on the nowadays available list of the inequivalent representations of the 1DN-extended supersymmetry. Its application to systematically analyze the σ-models off-shell invariant actions for the remaining N = 5, 6, 7, 8(k, 8, 8-k) multiplets, as well as for the N>8 representations, only requires more cumbersome computations.
A METHODOLOGY FOR AUTOMATICALLY ANNOTATING IMAGES BY CONVERTING THEM INTO NL TEXT SENTENCES
Authors: BOURBAKIS NIKOLAOS
Published: September 2009

The efficient processing, associating and understanding multimedia or multi-modal information is a very important research field with a great variety of applications, such as knowledge discovery, document understanding, human computer interaction, etc. An important issue is the development of a common platform for converting different modalities (such as images, text, etc.) into the same medium and associating them for efficient processing and understanding. Thus, this paper presents the development of a robust and efficient methodology capable of automatically converting images into natural language (NL) text sentences using image processing-analysis methods and graphs with attributes for object recognition and image understanding. Then it converts graph representations into NL text sentences. Simple illustrative examples are provided for proving the concept proposed here.