bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of the Board Composition and its Monitoring Committees on Earnings Management: evidence from Spain
Authors: Osma Beatriz García , Noguer Belén Gill‐de‐Albornoz
Published: August 2010

We test whether corporate governance mechanisms promoted by best practice codes are effective in constraining earnings manipulation for a Spanish sample of quoted companies during the period 1999–2001. In particular, we analyse the association between earnings management and two key aspects of corporate governance: board composition and the existence of board monitoring committees. Our results show that board composition significantly determines earnings manipulation practices. However, the main role in constraining such practices is not played by independent directors, as UK and US based research suggests, but by institutional directors. No correlation is found between the existence of an independent audit committee and earnings management measures. Finally, the existence and composition of a nomination committee affects the role of independent directors in constraining earnings manipulation.
UK Executive Stock Option Valuation: A Conditional Model
Authors: Lee Edward , Stathopoulos Konstantinos , Vonatsos Konstantinos
Published: August 2010

We value UK executive stock options (ESOs) as American options that are awarded conditional on the probability of the holders achieving some performance criteria. Unlike the standard Black and Scholes (BS) model, which is universally used both in the literature and practice, this provides a more realistic representation of UK ESOs. We show that UK ESOs actually have less value and contain more incentives than they appear under the BS approach. Specifically, we observe a 17 per cent average discount in the value of the ESOs when compared to their BS value. In addition, we find significantly higher incentive levels when we measure the sensitivity of the options using the hedge ratio, i.e. the option's delta. We argue that these findings have implications for two contemporary debates in the UK, i.e. the substitution of ESOs by Long‐Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs) and the discounting of ESO value from company profits.
The Impact of Ownership Structure on Corporate Reputation: Evidence From Spain
Authors: Delgado‐García Juan Bautista , De Quevedo‐Puente Esther , De La Fuente‐Sabaté Juan Manuel
Published: August 2010

Manuscript Type: Empirical

Research Question/Issue: This study examines the influence of firms' ownership structure on corporate reputation.

Research Findings/Insights: Using archival data from a panel of firms in Spain for 2000–2007, we found that ownership concentration in the hands of the largest shareholder erodes corporate reputation, whereas contestability of the main shareholder's power enhances it. Insider ownership shows a non‐linear relationship with corporate reputation, with lower corporate reputation at low and very high levels of insider ownership. Finally, if the largest shareholder is either a pressure‐resistant or a pressure‐sensitive institutional investor, as opposed to other types of largest shareholder, corporate reputation is lower. This last finding markedly differentiates our sample of firms in Spain, a civil law country, from firms in common law countries such as the US and the UK, where studies have found a positive relationship between institutional investors and corporate reputation.

Theoretical/Academic Implications: Drawing on signaling and agency theories, our paper is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to analyze the influence of ownership structure on corporate reputation in civil law countries.

Practitioners/Policy Implications: This study suggests that managers and directors should recognize how each characteristic of ownership structure influences the expectations of stakeholders. Low levels of ownership concentration in the hands of the largest shareholders, low differences in ownership concentration between first and second largest shareholders, and moderate levels of insider ownership are positive signals that should be communicated to foster corporate reputation. High levels of ownership concentration in the hands of the largest shareholders or high differences in ownership concentration between first and second largest shareholders impair corporate reputation and should be compensated by introducing corporate governance mechanisms that favor corporate reputation, such as increasing the number of independent directors or avoiding CEO duality.
FREEDOM AND WEAKNESS OF WILL
Authors: Hoffman Paul
Published: August 2010

Can absolute freedom of will be defended by arguing that apparent cases of diminished freedom when we act out of passion are cases of weakness of will? Rogers Albritton thought so. What is intriguing about Albritton's view is that he thought when we act from desire we are making choices, yet our desires are not functioning as reasons for those choices. So our desires must be influencing our choices in some other unspecified way that does not diminish our freedom. I challenge the coherence of this position. My strategy is to examine the views of leading theorists of the will – Descartes, Aquinas and Reid – to argue that the only clear way in which passions can influence our choices so that we can accurately be described as weak‐willed and yet nevertheless free is that our passions influence our choices by providing reasons for them.
TRANSCENDING ABSURDITY
Authors: Mintoff Joe
Published: August 2010

Many of us experience the activities which fill our everyday lives as meaningful, and to do so we must (and do) hold them to be important. However, reflection seems to undercut this meaningfulness: our activities are aimed at ends which are arbitrary, those activities are themselves insignificant, and leave little of any real permanence. The aim of this paper is to explore whether this discrepancy is inevitable, and in particular to examine recent formulations of the old idea that we can transcend it by forming attachments less susceptible to being undercut. The paper contrasts the life of doing good (devoted, for example, to working for a moral cause) and the life of knowing good (devoted to the appreciation of the so‐called ‘higher’ things in life, such as art and science) as ways of finding meaning.
WHY QUALIA ARE NOT EPIPHENOMENAL
Authors: Muller Hans
Published: August 2010

In this article, I give an original objection to Frank Jackson's argument for the conclusion that the subjective, felt properties of experience are causally inert. I show that the very act of asserting the existence of these properties undermines the claim that they are epiphenomenal. If this objection goes through, it is fatal to the argument in question.1
Searching for intertextual connections in small group text discussion
Authors: Chi Feng‐ming
Published: August 2010

This paper reports the sources for and intentions of intertextuality made by 10 groups of Taiwanese university students in the process of discussing two American stories. Two types of data, small group text discussions and oral interviews, were gathered. The results indicated that participants used diverse sources of intertextual links, and with such links they were able to inquire more about what they were reading within a broader framework that went beyond merely dicussing the story itself. Three patterns of interactive talk were indentified, namely collaborative, complementary and conflicting, which functioned to share, negotiate and conflict meaning, respectively, and an investigation of these showed that intertextuality not only allowed students to become more involved in idiosyncratic responses, but also offered more opportunities for students to judge and reshape their responses by genuinely considering others’ opinions and idea. Pedagogical implications for classroom practices are also discussed.
Semantic effects on word naming in children with developmental dyslexia
Authors: Hennessey Neville W. , Deadman Adele , Williams Cori
Published: August 2010

Repetition priming was used to examine whether children with dyslexia bias a lexical–semantic pathway when reading words aloud. For the dyslexic group (n = 18, age 9.4–11.8 years), but not for age‐matched controls (n = 18, age 9.2–12.4 years), reaction times when naming pictures were faster after naming the corresponding word. A reading age‐matched control group (n = 24, age 6.8–8.9 years) showed similar priming effects to the children with dyslexia. The magnitude of repetition priming was greater for children with dyslexia with poor nonword reading and slower picture naming. Assuming repetition priming of picture naming is contingent on accessing lexical phonology via semantics, the results suggest less‐skilled normal and disordered readers show a stronger bias towards a lexical– semantic pathway during word reading than skilled readers, and the severity of the phonological representations deficit modulates the strength of that bias in children with dyslexia.
A cross‐sectional study of prosodic sensitivity and reading difficulties
Authors: Holliman Andrew J. , Wood Clare , Sheehy Kieron
Published: August 2010

In this cross‐sectional study, we explore the relationship between prosodic sensitivity (suprasegmental phonology) and phonological awareness (segmental phonology) and investigate whether a group of poor readers display significant suprasegmental phonological deficits in comparison to chronological age‐matched controls and younger, reading age‐matched controls. Phonological awareness assessments were administered along with a battery of prosodic sensitivity assessments drawn from recent literature. The results showed that poor readers were outperformed by their chronological age‐matched counterparts on all measures of prosodic sensitivity. A significant main effect of group was found on the revised stress mispronunciations task and the stress assignment task from the prosodic assessment battery, the former of which remained even after controlling for individual differences in receptive vocabulary and measures of phonological awareness. Significant relationships were also found between measures of prosodic sensitivity and phonological awareness (especially phoneme awareness). These findings emphasise the importance of both segmental and suprasegmental phonological skills in children's reading development.
The Group Lasso for Logistic Regression
Authors: Meier Lukas , Van De Geer Sara , Bühlmann Peter
Published: August 2010

The group lasso is an extension of the lasso to do variable selection on (predefined) groups of variables in linear regression models. The estimates have the attractive property of being invariant under groupwise orthogonal reparameterizations. We extend the group lasso to logistic regression models and present an efficient algorithm, that is especially suitable for high dimensional problems, which can also be applied to generalized linear models to solve the corresponding convex optimization problem. The group lasso estimator for logistic regression is shown to be statistically consistent even if the number of predictors is much larger than sample size but with sparse true underlying structure. We further use a two-stage procedure which aims for sparser models than the group lasso, leading to improved prediction performance for some cases. Moreover, owing to the two-stage nature, the estimates can be constructed to be hierarchical. The methods are used on simulated and real data sets about splice site detection in DNA sequences.
The Combination of Ecological and Case–Control Data
Authors: Haneuse Sebastien J.-P. A. , Wakefield And Jonathan C.
Published: August 2010

Ecological studies, in which data are available at the level of the group, rather than at the level of the individual, are susceptible to a range of biases due to their inability to characterize within-group variability in exposures and confounders. To overcome these biases, we propose a hybrid design in which ecological data are supplemented with a sample of individual level case–control data. We develop the likelihood for this design and illustrate its benefits via simulation, both in bias reduction when compared with an ecological study and in efficiency gains relative to a conventional case–control study. An interesting special case of the design proposed is the situation where ecological data are supplemented with case-only data. The design is illustrated by using a data set of county-specific lung cancer mortality rates in the state of Ohio from 1988.
Clustering Using Objective Functions and Stochastic Search
Authors: Booth James G. , Casella George , Hobert James P.
Published: August 2010

A new approach to clustering multivariate data, based on a multilevel linear mixed model, is proposed. A key feature of the model is that observations from the same cluster are correlated, because they share cluster-specific random effects. The inclusion of cluster-specific random effects allows parsimonious departure from an assumed base model for cluster mean profiles. This departure is captured statistically via the posterior expectation, or best linear unbiased predictor. One of the parameters in the model is the true underlying partition of the data, and the posterior distribution of this parameter, which is known up to a normalizing constant, is used to cluster the data. The problem of finding partitions with high posterior probability is not amenable to deterministic methods such as the EM algorithm. Thus, we propose a stochastic search algorithm that is driven by a Markov chain that is a mixture of two Metropolis–Hastings algorithms—one that makes small scale changes to individual objects and another that performs large scale moves involving entire clusters. The methodology proposed is fundamentally different from the well-known finite mixture model approach to clustering, which does not explicitly include the partition as a parameter, and involves an independent and identically distributed structure.
Partially Linear Hazard Regression with Varying Coefficients for Multivariate Survival Data
Authors: Cai Jianwen , Fan Jianqing , Jiang Jiancheng , Zhou Haibo
Published: August 2010

The paper studies estimation of partially linear hazard regression models with varying coefficients for multivariate survival data. A profile pseudo-partial-likelihood estimation method is proposed. The estimation of the parameters of the linear part is accomplished via maximization of the profile pseudo-partial-likelihood, whereas the varying-coefficient functions are considered as nuisance parameters that are profiled out of the likelihood. It is shown that the estimators of the parameters are root n consistent and the estimators of the non-parametric coefficient functions achieve optimal convergence rates. Asymptotic normality is obtained for the estimators of the finite parameters and varying-coefficient functions. Consistent estimators of the asymptotic variances are derived and empirically tested, which facilitate inference for the model. We prove that the varying-coefficient functions can be estimated as well as if the parametric components were known and the failure times within each subject were independent. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the estimators proposed. A real data set is analysed to illustrate the methodology proposed.
Theoretical Measures of Relative Performance of Classifiers for High Dimensional Data with Small Sample Sizes
Authors: Hall Peter , Pittelkow Yvonne , Ghosh Malay
Published: August 2010

We suggest a technique, related to the concept of ‘detection boundary’ that was developed by Ingster and by Donoho and Jin, for comparing the theoretical performance of classifiers constructed from small training samples of very large vectors. The resulting ‘classification boundaries’ are obtained for a variety of distance-based methods, including the support vector machine, distance-weighted discrimination and kth-nearest-neighbour classifiers, for thresholded forms of those methods, and for techniques based on Donoho and Jin's higher criticism approach to signal detection. Assessed in these terms, standard distance-based methods are shown to be capable only of detecting differences between populations when those differences can be estimated consistently. However, the thresholded forms of distance-based classifiers can do better, and in particular can correctly classify data even when differences between distributions are only detectable, not estimable. Other methods, including higher criticism classifiers, can on occasion perform better still, but they tend to be more limited in scope, requiring substantially more information about the marginal distributions. Moreover, as tail weight becomes heavier the classification boundaries of methods designed for particular distribution types can converge to, and achieve, the boundary for thresholded nearest neighbour approaches. For example, although higher criticism has a lower classification boundary, and in this sense performs better, in the case of normal data, the boundaries are identical for exponentially distributed data when both sample sizes equal 1.
Non-Parametric Small Area Estimation Using Penalized Spline Regression
Authors: Opsomer J. D. , Claeskens G. , Ranalli M. G. , Kauermann G. , Breidt F. J.
Published: August 2010

The paper proposes a small area estimation approach that combines small area random effects with a smooth, non-parametrically specified trend. By using penalized splines as the representation for the non-parametric trend, it is possible to express the non-parametric small area estimation problem as a mixed effect model regression. The resulting model is readily fitted by using existing model fitting approaches such as restricted maximum likelihood. We present theoretical results on the prediction mean-squared error of the estimator proposed and on likelihood ratio tests for random effects, and we propose a simple non-parametric bootstrap approach for model inference and estimation of the small area prediction mean-squared error. The applicability of the method is demonstrated on a survey of lakes in north-eastern USA.
Effects of Stress and Working Memory Capacity on Foreign Language Readers’ Inferential Processing During Comprehension
Authors: Rai Manpreet K. , Loschky Lester C. , Harris Richard Jackson , Peck Nicole R. , Cook Lindsay G.
Published: August 2010

Although stress is frequently claimed to impede foreign language (FL) reading comprehension, it is usually not explained how. We investigated the effects of stress, working memory (WM) capacity, and inferential complexity on Spanish FL readers’ inferential processing during comprehension. Inferences, although necessary for reading comprehension, vary in inferential complexity and WM demands. We measured 55 intermediate‐level Spanish FL learners’ reading comprehension, using questions with three levels of inferential complexity: non‐inference (factual), bridging inference (pronoun referent), and pragmatic inference. We measured participants’ WM capacity and varied their stress level between blocks using a video camera. Results showed that higher WM learners were more accurate overall. Inference construction during comprehension was negatively related to inferential complexity. Stress increased processing time overall, with a trend toward greater effect on response times (RTs) for questions requiring greater inferential complexity. Higher WM learners showed a greater effect of inferential complexity on RTs than lower WM learners. More generally, and consistent with the Eysenck, Santos, Derekschan, and Calvo's (2007) Attentional Control Theory, analyses showed that higher WM learners strategically traded reading speed (processing efficiency) for greater comprehension accuracy (processing effectiveness), whereas lower WM learners only did so under stress and did so less successfully. Thus, stress impedes FL reading comprehension through interactions between WM capacity and inferential complexity, and such effects are moderated by strategy use.
A Comparison of the Effects of Reading and Listening on Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition
Authors: Vidal Karina
Published: August 2010

This article compares the effects of listening and reading on the incidental acquisition and retention of vocabulary. Two hundred thirty students participated in the study: They either (a) read three academic texts, (b) watched three lectures, or (c) received no input at all and just completed the vocabulary measures. This study also assessed and compared the relationship between acquisition through each of these presentation modes and the following factors: frequency of occurrence, type of word, type of elaboration, and predictability from word form and parts. The reading subjects made greater vocabulary gains than the listening subjects for all four levels of proficiency analyzed. Inspection of pairwise comparisons seemed to indicate that the difference in gains between the reading and listening conditions decreased as the students’ proficiency increased. Similar trends emerged for retention. Reading also resulted in greater retention 1 month after the input, except for the highest proficiency students. For this group, no significant difference was found between the listening and reading delayed posttest scores. The relationship among each of the four factors was analyzed and vocabulary acquisition was also found to vary across input modes.
Theoretical limits of OPEC Members’ oil production
Authors: Kazim Ayoub
Published: August 2010

In this paper, investigation of theoretical limits of OPEC Members’ crude oil production is carried out. The analysis is performed at three different scenarios: 1. at OPEC's average annual production growth rate of 2.7 per cent; 2. at a growth rate of five per cent; 3. at an average annual growth rate of each OPEC Member based on its oil production in the past 25 years. The results suggest that the organization would fail to fulfil its percentage share in the global oil market by the year 2048, 2037 and 2024 in the first, second and third scenarios, respectively. Moreover, Kuwait showed to be extremely inconsistent and unstable in the three different scenarios, while the United Arab Emirates demonstrated great consistency among other OPEC Members as a result of the country's energy policy adopted many years ago.
Two cases of Cryptococcus meningitis presenting as leukoencephalopathy prior to amphotericin therapy
Authors: Wilcox R. A. , Thyagarajan D. , Kempster P.
Published: August 2010

We report two patients with cryptococcal meningitis and combined immunodeficiency with unusual magnetic resonance imaging findings of gadolinium‐enhancing white matter lesions, quite different from cryptococcomas and seen prior to anti‐fungal treatment. The lesions resembled demyelinating plaques and resolved. In one patient, biopsy of the lesion revealed cryptococci, non‐specific inflammatory changes and occasional small perivascular lymphocyte collections, but not demyelination. Leukoencephalopathy, previously rarely observed in Cryptococcal meningitis, was thought to be the sequelae of amphotericin toxicity. Our cases demonstrate cryptococcal meningitis may present with leukoencephalopathy, possibly as an immune response to the organism.
Variations in the use of diagnostic procedures after acute stroke in Europe: results from the BIOMED II study of stroke care
Authors: Heidrich J. , Heuschmann P. U. , Kolominsky‐Rabas P. , Rudd A. G. , Wolfe C. D. A. ,   on behalf of the European BIOMED II Study of Stroke Care Group
Published: August 2010

Valid classification of stroke is essential to initiate effective acute management and early secondary prevention strategies. To accurately evaluate stroke subtype a number of diagnostic procedures have to be performed. This study sought to investigate variations in use of diagnostic procedures across selected European hospitals. First‐ever stroke patients were sampled over a 1‐year period through 11 hospital‐based registers across 10 European countries. We defined a diagnostic standard for valid aetiological classification of ischemic stroke including brain imaging, vascular imaging and echocardiography. The impact of socio‐demographic, clinical and structural characteristics on performance of the diagnostic standard was assessed using multivariate logistic regression analyses. A total of 1721 patients were included in the study. 83.1% received brain imaging, ranging from 32.8% to 100%. The diagnostic standard was performed in 40.4% of stroke patients, ranging from 0% to 77.2%. Patients with increasing age (P < 0.001) and with more severe strokes (P = 0.001) were less probably to receive the diagnostic standard. Patients treated in stroke units and neurological departments were more frequently investigated with the diagnostic standard (P < 0.001). Less than half of hospitalized stroke patients across Europe underwent diagnostic procedures to allow for aetiological classification of stroke, which may hamper the initiation of effective early management and secondary prevention.
Riluzole and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis survival: a population‐based study in southern Italy
Authors: Zoccolella S. , Beghi E. , Palagano G. , Fraddosio A. , Guerra V. , Samarelli V. , Lepore V. , Simone I. L. , Lamberti P. , Serlenga L. , Logroscino G. ,   for the SLAP registry
Published: August 2010

Riluzole is to date the only treatment that prolongs amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) survival. However, results on the efficacy of riluzole in observational population‐based studies with a longer follow‐up are conflicting and it is still unclear if the effect of the drug is limited to an early stage of the disease and to some specific subgroups of patients. The objective is: (i) to evaluate the effect of riluzole on ALS survival in a cohort of incident cases; (ii) to examine whether bulbar‐ALS benefits from the medication to a greater extent and (iii) to assess the efficacy of the drug in elderly patients. Source of the study was a prospective population‐based registry of ALS established in Puglia, Southern Italy. We examined survival of 126/130 incident ALS cases diagnosed during the period 1998–1999. Seventy‐three patients were prescribed riluzole and the remaining 53 were not. Riluzole therapy increased survival rates at 12 months by approximately 10% and prolonged survival by 6 months (18.2 months vs. 12.4; peto‐test: 2.78; P = 0.09). This beneficial effect was present amongst bulbar‐onset ALS (peto‐test: 4.11; P = 0.042), but not in subjects with limb‐onset (peto‐test: 0.48; P = 0.4). In patients aged >70 years riluzole treatment was associated with an 8 months longer median survival time [15.4 months vs. 7.1] and a reduction in mortality rate at 12 months by 27%, regardless of site of symptoms onset. In multivariate analysis, riluzole use was an independent predictor of survival at 12 months from the diagnosis with borderline significance (P = 0.06). Riluzole was effective amongst cases with bulbar‐onset ALS (P = 0.04), whereas in subjects with limb‐onset there was no effect on survival at 12 months (P = 0.5). In each model riluzole did not influence survival at 24 months. Conversely, riluzole use was associated with an improvement in survival amongst elderly patients both at 12 (P = 0.07), at 24 months (P = 0.03) and in the entire follow‐up period (P < 0.04). In this population‐based series, we found that riluzole therapy improves ALS survival. The efficacy of the drug was present amongst bulbar‐onset ALS and older patients, but not in subjects with limb‐onset. The favourable effect of the drug was transient, as it was lost in prolonged follow‐up. Our observations support the use of riluzole at an early stage of ALS in bulbar and elderly patients. However, the appropriate duration of riluzole treatment remains to be established.
Crossover, double‐blind clinical trial comparing almotriptan and ergotamine plus caffeine for acute migraine therapy
Authors: Láinez M. J. A. , Galván J. , Heras J. , Vila C.
Published: August 2010

In this randomized, double‐blind, crossover clinical trial, adult patients treated two migraine attacks: one with almotriptan 12.5 mg and the other with ergotamine 2 mg plus caffeine 200 mg. Treatment with almotriptan was associated with a significantly greater proportion of patients achieving 2‐h pain free (20.9% vs. 13.7%; P < 0.05) and 2‐h pain relief (57.7% vs. 44.5%; P < 0.01) compared with ergotamine plus caffeine therapy; significant differences were not seen at 1 h. Rates for sustained pain free and sustained pain free plus no adverse events (AEs) also were significantly greater after almotriptan treatment than after the use of ergotamine plus caffeine (P < 0.05). Almotriptan was associated with a significantly lower rate of photophobia at 90 min (P < 0.05), phonophobia at 60, 90, and 120 min (P < 0.05 to <0.01), and nausea and vomiting at 90 and 120 min (P < 0.01) compared with ergotamine plus caffeine. A significantly greater proportion of patients were more satisfied with almotriptan than with ergotamine plus caffeine (P < 0.05). Sixteen patients reported adverse events during almotriptan treatment and 27 patients reported AEs during the ergotamine plus caffeine therapy. Most AEs were mild‐to‐moderate and did not result in treatment‐related discontinuations. In conclusion, almotriptan was associated with significantly greater efficacy for treating migraine compared with ergotamine plus caffeine, was generally well tolerated and was associated with greater rate of treatment satisfaction.
Interobserver agreement in the magnetic resonance location of cerebral vein and dural sinus thrombosis
Authors: Ferro J. M. , Morgado C. , Sousa R. , Canhão P.
Published: August 2010

The interobserver variation in the magnetic resonance (MR) location of cerebral vein and dural sinus thrombosis (CVT) has not been previously reported. Four independent observers rated a convenience sample of 40 MR/MR angiographies to assess whether or not each dural sinus and major cerebral veins were occluded. Interobserver reliability was measured using κ statistics. Interobserver agreement was comparable between the six pairs of raters. Agreement was excellent for thrombosis of the deep cerebral venous system (κ = 1.00), cerebellar veins (κ = 1.00), superior saggital sinus (κ range: 0.82–1) and right jugular vein (κ range: 0.84–0.95); good to excellent for the right transverse/sigmoid sinus (κ range: 0.75–0.90) and the left jugular vein (κ range: 0.65–0.85); moderate to excellent for the left lateral sinus (κ range: 0.59–0.78) and the straight sinus (κ range: 0.59–0.92); poor to good for the cortical veins (κ range: 0.02–0.65). Agreement between observers varies with the location of CVT. It is good or excellent for most of the occluded sinus and veins, except for the cortical veins. This study suggests that information on the location of CVT can be reliably collected and used in multicentre studies.
Randomized controlled trial of cannabis‐based medicine in spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis
Authors: Collin C. , Davies P. , Mutiboko I. K. , Ratcliffe S. ,   for the Sativex Spasticity in MS Study Group
Published: August 2010

Symptoms relating to spasticity are common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be difficult to treat. We have investigated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of a standardized oromucosal whole plant cannabis‐based medicine (CBM) containing Δ‐9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), upon spasticity in MS. A total of 189 subjects with definite MS and spasticity were randomized to receive daily doses of active preparation (n = 124) or placebo (n = 65) in a double blind study over 6 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in a daily subject‐recorded Numerical Rating Scale of spasticity. Secondary endpoints included a measure of spasticity (Ashworth Score) and a subjective measure of spasm. The primary efficacy analysis on the intention to treat (ITT) population (n = 184) showed the active preparation to be significantly superior (P = 0.048). Secondary efficacy measures were all in favour of active preparation but did not achieve statistical significance. The responder analysis favoured active preparation, 40% of subjects achieved >30% benefit (P = 0.014). Eight withdrawals were attributed to adverse events (AEs); six were on active preparation and two on placebo. We conclude that this CBM may represent a useful new agent for treatment of the symptomatic relief of spasticity in MS.
Co‐morbidity of Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and a congenital myasthenic syndrome possibly affecting the phenotype in a large Bedouin kindred
Authors: Ifergane G. , Al‐Sayed I. , Birk O. , Harel T. , Wirguin I.
Published: August 2010

Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is an X‐linked humero‐peroneal muscular dystrophy associated with contractures and cardiomyopathy. In a 90 member family, we found 11 affected male individuals, three of whom displayed areflexia and neurogenic electromyographic changes. Muscle biopsy performed in one case demonstrated type grouping suggestive of a neurogenic disorder. These three individuals and another family member, who suffers from mild, static limb weakness but is clinically and genetically unaffected by EDMD showed an abnormal incremental response of over 100% to tetanic stimulation. In contrast, one affected family member showed myopathic features on needle electromyography and no definite pathology in repetitive stimulation studies. The diagnosis of EDMD was established by demonstrating a 1712_1713insTGGGC mutation in the emerin gene. This family apparently expresses co‐morbidity of EDMD with an exceptionally mild form of pre‐synaptic congenital myasthenic syndrome resembling the Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS). The superimposed pre‐synaptic disorder may have contributed to the development of the neurogenic features demonstrated in these patients.
Disseminated necrotizing leukoencephalopathy following low‐dose oral methotrexate
Authors: Raghavendra S. , Nair M. D. , Chemmanam T. , Krishnamoorthy T. , Radhakrishnan V. V. , Kuruvilla A.
Published: August 2010

Leukoencephalopathy is a recognized complication with intrathecal or intravenous methotrexate (MTX). We report a 59‐year‐old lady who developed MTX leukoencephalopathy with long‐term low‐dose oral MTX. She developed posterior leukoencephalopathy (PLE) that initially was reversible on discontinuation of oral MTX. Four months later, she developed disseminated necrotizing leukoencephalopathy (DNL), and was left with devastating neurological deficits. The sequential conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), MR perfusion (MRP) and MR spectroscopic (MRS) changes are highlighted in this report. MRP and MRS showed more wide spread abnormalities than DWI. Stereotactic biopsy from the lesion revealed demyelination with macrophagic infiltration, pericapillary lymphomononucear aggregation, fibrinoid changes in the capillaries and neovascularization. Of the two cases of PLE with oral MTX reported in literature, one reversed clinically and radiologically with the discontinuation of MTX. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of DNL following oral MTX in the world literature.
Triggered C‐reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and the CRP gene −717A>G polymorphism in acute stroke or transient ischemic attack
Authors: Ben‐Assayag E. , Shenhar‐Tsarfaty S. , Bova I. , Berliner S. , Shopin L. , Peretz H. , Usher S. , Shapira I. , Bornstein N. M.
Published: August 2010

C‐reactive protein (CRP) increases following an acute stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), but the increment level varies among patients. We analyzed CRP concentrations during an acute stroke/TIA in relation to the CRP gene −717A>G polymorphism. Six months following an acute ischemic stroke/TIA, basal concentrations of CRP were measured in 507 controls and 219 patients and were found to be unassociated with the CRP −717A>G polymorphism. However, during the acute phase of stroke/TIA, individuals with the AG/GG genotype had significantly elevated CRP concentrations as opposed to those with the AA genotype (2.02 ± 1.59 vs. 1.73 ± 1.69 mg/l, P = 0.027). In addition, significant 3.22‐fold increments in CRP concentrations was noted in individuals carrying the −717G allele when comparing the acute phase with the basal state of each patient and averaging the results. CRP −717A>G polymorphism is associated with triggered CRP concentrations during acute stroke/TIA. These findings might shed more light on the mechanisms of CRP elevation in acute ischemic stroke/TIA.
Sleep disordered breathing in medically stable patients with myasthenia gravis
Authors: Prudlo J. , Koenig J. , Ermert S. , Juhász J.
Published: August 2010

We investigate sleep and breathing in clinically stable myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and ask weather sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is causally linked with MG. Nineteen MG patients with a mean disease duration of 9.7 years underwent sleep studies in two consecutive nights. The primary outcome measure was the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) in terms of snoring and apneas/hypopneas. Further outcome measurements were total sleep time, sleep stage distribution and the number of arousals. A clinically relevant SDB in terms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (defined as RDI > 10/h) was found in four patients. There were only a few central apneas (central apnea index: 0.19 ± 0.4/h). We did not find a relationship between maximum inspiratory pressure and SDB (r = −0.03). There is no evidence for a causal relationship between medically stable MG and SDB in terms of OSA. The extent of respiratory muscle weakness failed to correlate with SDB. Furthermore, our study does not confirm the high occurrence of central respiratory events during sleep in patients with well‐controlled MG.
Introduction: Charting a Contested Transformation*
Authors: EDWARDS GEOFFREY , MEYER CHRISTOPH O.
Published: August 2010

The governance of the European Union has been changed through its responses to international terrorism. The analysis of those changes is grounded in an examination of the different perceptions of the phenomenon in academic and political debate. This introductory article traces the most relevant changes across competences, policies and governing modes and highlights dynamics applicable to other areas of EU activity: cross‐pillarization, the growth of horizontal governing networks, co‐operation outside the treaty framework and the impact of third countries on EU policy‐making. The article puts forward a three‐pronged constructivist framework to understand better the main dynamics and factors underpinning the various forms of change, in particular why the emphasis has been on co‐ordination and information‐sharing rather than on supranational integration. Performance issues are then critically assessed, both in terms of whether the new measures, competences, instruments and resources are likely to be effective as well as with regard to the intended and unintended harmful effects for the civil and democratic rights of EU and third‐country citizens.
Legitimacy under Pressure: The European Web of Counter‐Terrorism Networks*
Authors: BOER MONICA DEN , HILLEBRAND CLAUDIA , NÖLKE ANDREAS
Published: August 2010

Within European law enforcement circles, counter‐terrorism networks and privileged partnerships tend to be preferred to formal bureaucratic structures because of their flexibility and directness. The professional preference for informal, bilateral and privileged relationships may, however, undermine the potential of formally established agencies such as Europol and Eurojust, which work through national and centrally co‐ordinated channels of information and intelligence. This article seeks to assess whether standards of democratic, legal and social legitimacy are under pressure as a consequence of this persistent preference for horizontal, direct and informal co‐operation.
Myths and Myth‐Making in the European Union: The Institutionalization and Interpretation of EU Competition Policy*
Authors: AKMAN PINAR , KASSIM HUSSEIN
Published: August 2010

EU competition policy has become so strongly institutionalized that it is easy to overlook its precarious status in earlier decades. This article argues, first, that the Commission responded to the imperative arising from the extraordinary powers created by the treaty and the novelty of competition policy in post‐war Europe by developing a series of myths to provide justification for its prerogatives. Second, these myths have played a key role in securing acceptance of EU policy, though other factors have also been important. Third, the official mythology has been supplemented by an interpretation which has become dominant in the law and political science literatures; namely, that EU competition policy has ordoliberal origins. This article challenges this view.
Parafoveal perception during sentence reading? An ERP paradigm using rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) with flankers
Authors: Barber Horacio A. , Ben‐Zvi Shir , Bentin Shlomo , Kutas Marta
Published: August 2010

We describe a new procedure using event‐related brain potentials to investigate parafoveal word processing during sentence reading. Sentences were presented word by word at fixation, flanked 2° bilaterally by letter strings. Flanker strings were pseudowords, except for the third word in each sentence, which was flanked by either two pseudowords or a pseudoword and a word, one on each side. Flanker words were either semantically congruent or incongruent with the sentence context. P2 (175–375 ms) amplitudes were less positive for contextually incongruent than congruent flanker words but only with flanker words in the right visual field for English and in the left visual field in Hebrew. Flankered word presentation thus may be a suitable method for the electrophysiological study of parafoveal perception during sentence reading.
Stressed out? Associations between perceived and physiological stress responses in adolescents: The TRAILS study
Authors: Oldehinkel Albertine J. , Ormel Johan , Bosch Nienke M. , Bouma Esther M. C. , Van Roon Arie M. , Rosmalen Judith G. M. , Riese Harriëtte
Published: August 2010

Studies regarding the interrelation of perceived and physiological stress indices have shown diverging results. Using a population sample of adolescents (N=715, 50.9% girls, mean age 16.11 years, SD=0.59), we tested three hypotheses: (1) perceived responses during social stress covary with concurrent physiological stress responses; (2) high pretest levels of perceived stress predict large physiological responses; and (3) large physiological responses to social stress predict low posttest perceived stress levels. Perceived arousal, unpleasantness, and dominance were related to heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and cortisol responses to a laboratory social stress test. Although effect sizes were small, the results suggest covariation of perceived stress and concurrent physiological stress responses in both the ANS and the HPA axis, as well as inverse associations between heart rate responsiveness and the subsequent appraisal of stress.
The effect of adding enzyme‐modified cheese on sensory and texture properties of low‐ and high‐fat cream cheeses
Authors: MIRI MOHAMMAD A , HABIBI NAJAFI MOHAMMAD B
Published: August 2010

The influence of enzyme‐modified cheese (EMC) and fat content on sensory and texture properties of cream cheese was investigated. Enzyme‐modified cheese and fat content were set at three levels each, and organoleptic and texture properties for all experimental cheeses were then determined. Data were analysed using response surface methodology. Both design parameters had significant influence on sensory and texture properties. The EMC did not alter hardness significantly, whereas the higher fat formula had the higher hardness. The results indicated that the optimum level of EMC was less than 1% for high‐fat cream cheeses and at least 5% for low‐fat cream cheeses.
Potential of anticlostridial Lactobacillus isolated from cheese to prevent blowing defects in semihard cheese
Authors: CHRISTIANSEN PIA , VOGENSEN FINN K , NIELSEN E WAAGNER , ARDÖ YLVA
Published: August 2010

Five anticlostridial Lactobacillus strains isolated from cheese were selected for a mixed adjunct culture. Cheese with the mixed adjunct culture (experimental) and without (control) was made in triplicate and ripened as vacuum‐packed and surface‐ripened cheese. Cheese gross composition was similar. Excessive gas formation occurred only in control cheeses. In contrast to control cheeses, the experimental cheeses were dominated by the added adjunct Lactobacillus strains (repetitive‐PCR). Casein breakdown was not influenced, however, the total amount of amino acids and pH was slightly lower in the experimental cheeses. Anticlostridial nonstarter Lactobacillus strains have potential as protective adjunct cultures against blowing defects in cheese.
Volatile compounds in cheeses made with Micrococcus sp. INIA 528 milk culture or high enzymatic activity curd
Authors: MORALES PILAR , CALZADA JAVIER , JUEZ CRISTINA , NUÑEZ MANUEL
Published: August 2010

Volatile compounds were investigated in a semihard cheese made with lactic culture, lactic culture + Micrococcus sp. INIA 528 culture, and two levels of high enzymatic activity (HEA) curd made with this strain. The levels of acetaldehyde, 2‐methyl propanal, 3‐methyl butanal, ethanol, 2‐methyl propanol and 3‐methyl butanol were higher, and those of diacetyl and acetoin lower, in cheese made from milk with added Micrococcus culture. Free fatty acids and ethyl, propyl and isobutyl esters were at higher levels in cheeses with added HEA curd. Total esters increased up to 37‐fold in cheeses with added HEA curd.
Teaching medical information retrieval and application courses in Chinese universities: a case study
Authors: Clark Adam W. , Li Hong‐Mei
Published: August 2010

An important aspect of Chinese academic health science libraries is their involvement in teaching medical information retrieval courses as part of the medical curriculum. Health science librarians in China have a more formal teaching role than is generally found in Western countries, including many full‐time teaching positions. This article provides a case study of Kunming Medical University Library, where courses are provided as credit units at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The teaching practices of Chinese health science libraries are compared with teaching experiences reported in Western countries. It is noted that Chinese government’s educational policy is similar to that of the United States in promoting the role of the library in teaching subjects as part of the medical curriculum. In China, this has lead to the development of teaching departments within health science libraries and the appointment of full and part‐time teacher librarians.
Definition of the tear trough and the tear trough rating scale
Authors: Sadick Neil S , Bosniak Stephen L , Cantisano‐Zilkha Marian , Glavas Ioannis P , Roy Deborshi
Published: August 2010

Background  Nasojugal groove and tear trough are interchangeably used terms by many authors in the literature despite the fact that they describe distinct and different anatomic entities. In the same vein, there are multiple descriptions of treatments and techniques for the cosmetic improvement of these anatomic areas without specifically addressing the anatomic difference between them.

Objective  This study aims to define the anatomic characteristics of the tear trough and describe a novel classification scale for the evaluation of the tear trough deformity.

Methods  The tear trough rating scale (TTRS) was applied to a representative sample of our patient population. Five of the authors evaluated each patient using the TTRS, and the numeric results were tabulated and compared.

Results  The TTRS provided an effective, reproducible method for evaluating tear trough deformities, and there was very little interobserver variability.

Conclusion  The tear trough should be defined as the depression of the medial lower eyelid just lateral to the anterior lacrimal crest and limited in its inferior aspect by the inferior orbital rim. The TTRS is a reliable tool for the classification of the tear trough and evaluation of therapeutic and cosmetic interventions.