bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypothyroidism caused by iodine deficiency and iodine levels in enteral formulas
Authors: Shiga Katsuaki , Kodama Hiroko , Kaga Fumiaya , Izumi Youichi , Nakamoto Natsue , Fujisawa Chie
Published: November 2010

Background:  A 4‐year‐old female patient was diagnosed with hypothyroidism caused by iodine deficiency. The patient's iodine levels in serum and urine were significantly low. The iodine concentration in the enteral formula was 1.6 µg/100 kcal as measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The patient's iodine intake while receiving the enteral formula was calculated to be 16 µg/day, which is much lower than the recommended dietary reference intake of 80 µg for children aged 3–5 years. The purpose of this study was to assess iodine concentrations in 20 enteral nutritional formulas available in Japan in order to assess whether low iodine concentration is a characteristic of one specific formula or whether it is a more prevalent problem.

Methods:  Iodine concentrations in 20 popular nutritional formulas available in Japan, for which iodine content is not indicated in the ingredient list, were analyzed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Results:  Iodine concentrations were less than 5 µg/100 kcal and less than 10 µg/100 kcal in 13 and 18 enteral nutritional formulas, respectively.

Conclusions:  Most of the enteral nutritional formulas analyzed had low iodine concentrations. These findings suggest that iodine deficiency is a likely outcome in patients who receive these formulas for a prolonged period.
Asian School of Urology, Young Leaders' Workshop, Kyoto 2010
Authors: Ogawa Osamu
Published: November 2010

Preface:  As part of the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Urological Association of Asia (UAA), the Asian School of Urology, Young Leaders' Workshop was held in Kyoto, 23–25 April 2010. The workshop focused on future national Asian leaders in the field of Urology and was arranged by the Asian School of Urology (ASU), an educational branch of the UAA, and Dr Osamu Ogawa, the workshop Organizer. Urologists from several Japanese universities contributed to the workshop as advisors, taskforce members, and group members. The workshop was also actively supported by Dr Allen Chiu (Taiwan) and Dr Stephen Lim (Singapore). A younger generation of urologists was invited to attend the workshop and, in all, 29 delegates from 17 countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam), chosen on the basis of recommendations from local councils, attended. The purpose of the workshop was to open channels of communication between future Asian leaders in Urology. The workshop topic was “Asian Clinical Guidelines”. Workshop participants were divided into five groups addressing distinct issues associated with the notion of clinical guidelines: Group A, General Problems; Group B, Prostate Cancer; Group C, Stone Disease; Group D, Infectious Diseases; and Group E, Bladder Cancer. The workshop consisted of an introductory session, followed by three main sessions, each of which consisted of a group discussion of specific problems associated with the establishment of Asian Guidelines for Urological Diseases and how best to deal with them, followed by a plenary presentation of the outcomes.
Reputation and Corporate Social Responsibility Aberrations, Trends, and Hypocrisy: Reactions to Firm Choices in the Stock Option Backdating Scandal
Authors: Janney Jay J. , Gove Steve
Published: November 2010

abstract

Drawing on strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) and reputation theory, this paper examines the market reaction to firm disclosures of involvement in the US stock option backdating scandal. We examine how a firm's prior signals regarding ethical behaviour and values, as demonstrated through CSR initiatives, may both ameliorate and exacerbate market reactions. CSR initiatives may buffer a firm against general wrong‐doing but expose it to greater scrutiny and sanction for related wrong‐doing. Our results show that firms with enhanced overall reputations for CSR are partially buffered from scandal revelations. However, we find that when firms possess an enhanced reputation for CSR associated with corporate governance, violations pertaining specifically to governance are viewed as hypocritical and more harshly sanctioned. We also find lower and negative market reactions for firms that delay but self‐disclose their involvement in the scandal. The study extends the emergent, related literatures on strategic CSR and reputation management, and documents dynamics in the relationship between corporate social and financial performance.
Antihypertensive activity of transgenic rice seed containing an 18‐repeat novokinin peptide localized in the nucleolus of endosperm cells
Authors: Wakasa Yuhya , Zhao Hui , Hirose Sakiko , Yamauchi Daiki , Yamada Yuko , Yang Lijun , Ohinata Kousaku , Yoshikawa Masaaki , Takaiwa Fumio
Published: November 2010

Novokinin (Arg‐Pro‐Leu‐Lys‐Pro‐Trp, RPLKPW) is a new potent antihypertensive peptide based on the sequence of ovokinin (2–7) derived from ovalbumin. We previously generated transgenic rice seeds in which eight novokinin were fused to storage protein glutelins (GluA2 and GluC) for expression. Oral administration of these seeds to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) reduced systolic blood pressures at a dose of 1 g seed/kg of SHR. Here, 10‐ or 18‐tandem repeats of novokinin with an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal (Lys‐Asp‐Glu‐Leu, KDEL) at the C terminus were directly expressed in rice under the control of the glutelin promoter containing its signal peptide. Only small amounts of the 18‐repeat novokinin accumulated, and it was unexpectedly deposited in the nucleolus. This abnormal intracellular localization was explained by an endogenous signal for nuclear localization. The GFP reporter protein fused to this sequence targeted to nuclei by a transient assay using onion epidermal cells. Transgenic seed expressing the 18‐repeat novokinin exhibited significantly higher antihypertensive activity after a single oral dose to SHR even at one‐quarter the amount (0.25 g/kg) of the transgenic rice seed expressing the fusion construct; though, its novokinin content was much lower (1/5). Furthermore, in a long‐term administration for 5 weeks, even a smaller dose (0.0625 g/kg) of transgenic seeds could confer antihypertensive activity. This high antihypertensive activity may be attributed to differences in digestibility of expressed products by gastrointestinal enzymes and the unique intracellular localization. These results indicate that accumulation of novokinin as a tandemly repeated structure in transgenic rice is more effective than as a fusion‐type structure.
The Organization of Working Time in the Knowledge Economy: An Insight into the Working Time Patterns of Consultants in the UK and the USA
Authors: Donnelly Rory
Published: November 2010

The development of the knowledge economy is creating new and diverse working time patterns. This study uses survey and qualitative interview data from consultants operating as organizational employees, as well as those acting as freelance contractors to explore the organization of working time among knowledge workers in the UK and the USA. The findings reveal how these forms of employment and national context shape and produce complex nuances in the working patterns and experiences of these important highly skilled workers.
A Developmental Perspective on Executive Function
Authors: Best John R. , Miller Patricia H.
Published: November 2010

This review article examines theoretical and methodological issues in the construction of a developmental perspective on executive function (EF) in childhood and adolescence. Unlike most reviews of EF, which focus on preschoolers, this review focuses on studies that include large age ranges. It outlines the development of the foundational components of EF—inhibition, working memory, and shifting. Cognitive and neurophysiological assessments show that although EF emerges during the first few years of life, it continues to strengthen significantly throughout childhood and adolescence. The components vary somewhat in their developmental trajectories. The article relates the findings to long‐standing issues of development (e.g., developmental sequences, trajectories, and processes) and suggests research needed for constructing a developmental framework encompassing early childhood through adolescence.
Prospective Associations Between Peer Victimization and Aggression
Authors: Ostrov Jamie M.
Published: November 2010

The current study involved a short‐term longitudinal study of young children (M = 44.56 months, SD = 11.88, N = 103) to test the prospective associations between peer victimization and aggression subtypes. Path analyses documented that teacher‐reported physical victimization was uniquely associated with increases in observed physical aggression over time. The path model also revealed that teacher‐reported relational victimization was uniquely associated with statistically significant increases in observed relational aggression over time. Ways in which these findings extend the extant developmental literature are discussed.
Development in Children’s Comprehension of Linguistic Register
Authors: Wagner Laura , Greene‐Havas Maia , Gillespie Rebecca
Published: November 2010

For socially appropriate communication, speakers must command a variety of linguistic styles, orregisters, that vary according to social context and social relationships. This study examined preschool children’s ability to use a speaker’s register choice to infer the identity of their addressee. Four‐year‐olds could draw correct inferences based on Spanish and formal speech, and had limited success with infant‐directed and casual styles. Five‐year‐olds drew appropriate inferences with all 4 styles; moreover, these children demonstrated strong explicit understanding of register, as measured through response justifications. These results demonstrate that children can use language for social judgments that extend beyond evaluating the speaker, and can interpret social implications of language even when not directly engaged in the particular social interaction.
Goal Neglect and Working Memory Capacity in 4‐ to 6‐Year‐Old Children
Authors: Marcovitch Stuart , Boseovski Janet J. , Knapp Robin J. , Kane Michael J.
Published: November 2010

Goal neglect is the phenomenon of failing to execute the momentary demands of a task despite understanding and being able to recall the task instructions. Successful goal maintenance is more likely to occur in adults with high working memory capacity (WMC) who can keep rules mentally accessible while performing the task. The current study predicted that goal neglect would also be related to WMC in children. It assessed thirty‐seven 4‐year‐old and twenty‐eight 6‐year‐old children on the goal neglect version of the Dimensional Change Card Sort, and 3 tasks that measure WMC. As predicted, children with higher WMC scores were more likely to maintain goals adequately for task performance. The findings are consistent with a 2‐factor model of working memory and its development.
How 15 Hundred Is Like 15 Cherries: Effect of Progressive Alignment on Representational Changes in Numerical Cognition
Authors: Thompson Clarissa A. , Opfer John E.
Published: November 2010

How does understanding the decimal system change with age and experience? Second, third, sixth graders, and adults (Experiment 1: N = 96, mean ages = 7.9, 9.23, 12.06, and 19.96 years, respectively) made number line estimates across 3 scales (0–1,000, 0–10,000, and 0–100,000). Generation of linear estimates increased with age but decreased with numerical scale. Therefore, the authors hypothesized highlighting commonalities between small and large scales (15:100::1500:10000) might prompt children to generalize their linear representations to ever‐larger scales. Experiment 2 assigned second graders (N = 46, mean age = 7.78 years) to experimental groups differing in how commonalities of small and large numerical scales were highlighted. Only children experiencing progressive alignment of small and large scales successfully produced linear estimates on increasingly larger scales, suggesting analogies between numeric scales elicit broad generalization of linear representations.
Do Black and Hispanic Children Benefit More From Preschool? Understanding Differences in Preschool Effects Across Racial Groups
Authors: Bassok Daphna
Published: November 2010

Recent studies suggest that the effects of attending preschool vary by race. These findings are difficult to interpret because the likelihood of enrolling a child in preschool also differs across groups. This study used newly released, nationally representative data to examine whether the impact of preschool participation at age 4 varies across racial groups after accounting for selection differences (N = 7,400). Among a subsample of children living below a poverty threshold, no racial differences in preschool impact are detected. However, findings suggest that nonpoor Black children benefit substantially more from preschool than their nonpoor White or Hispanic peers. Implications of these findings are discussed toward understanding the potential of large‐scale preschool interventions for narrowing racial achievement gaps.
Reading Minds: The Relation Between Children’s Mental State Knowledge and Their Metaknowledge About Reading
Authors: Lecce Serena , Zocchi Silvia , Pagnin Adriano , Palladino Paola , Taumoepeau Mele
Published: November 2010

The relation between children’s mental state knowledge and metaknowledge about reading was examined in 2 studies. In Study 1, 196 children (mean age = 9 years) were tested for verbal ability (VA), metaknowledge about reading, and mental state words in a story task. In Study 2, the results of Study 1 were extended by using a cross‐lagged design and by investigating older children (N = 71, mean ages = 10 years at Time 1 and 11 years at Time 2) for mental state knowledge, metaknowledge about reading, and VA. Results showed a significant relation between early cognitive (but not emotion) mental state knowledge and later metaknowledge about reading, controlling for VA. Results suggest close links between different aspects of children’s knowledge about the mind.
Holistic Face Processing in Newborns, 3‐Month‐Old Infants, and Adults: Evidence From the Composite Face Effect
Authors: Turati Chiara , Di Giorgio Elisa , Bardi Lara , Simion Francesca
Published: November 2010

Holistic face processing was investigated in newborns, 3‐month‐old infants, and adults through a modified version of the composite face paradigm and the recording of eye movements. After familiarization to the top portion of a face, participants (N = 70) were shown 2 aligned or misaligned faces, 1 of which comprised the familiar top part. In the aligned condition, no visual preference was found at any group age. In the misaligned condition, 3‐month‐olds preferred the face stimulus with the familiar top part, adults preferred the face stimulus with the novel one, and newborns did not manifest any visual preference. Results revealed that both infants’ and adults’ eye movements may be affected by holistic face information and demonstrated holistic face processing in 3‐month‐olds.
Parametric Study on the Interface Layer of Renovation Solutions for Orthotropic Steel Bridge Decks
Authors: de Freitas Sofia Teixeira , Kolstein Henk , Bijlaard Frans
Published: November 2010

Abstract:  The article presents renovation solutions for orthotropic steel bridge decks consisting of bonding a second steel plate to the existing steel deck in order to reduce the stresses and enlarge the life span of the orthotropic bridge deck. Two solutions for the interface layer between the existing deck plate and the second steel plate are presented: thin epoxy (bonded system) and thick polyurethane (sandwich system). A parametric study based on analytical solutions is carried out on flexural behavior of beams representing the renovation solutions. The influence of geometrical, mechanical and structural parameters on the stiffness and stress reduction factor of the system is studied. Maximum values of stiffness and stress reduction are achieved when maximizing the interface layer thickness and minimizing the second steel plate thickness with in certain practical limits. Based on the weight restrictions one can choose the most efficient interface layer regarding thickness and mechanical properties.
Organised Chaos: An Interpretive Approach to Evidence-Based Policy Making in Defra
Authors: Wilkinson Katy
Published: November 2010

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been heavily criticised for its handling of disease outbreaks in recent years by analysts who compare the conduct of officials with the model of evidence-based policy making, finding fault in their use of advisers or decision-making processes. In this article, I take an alternative approach to policy analysis, based on ethnographic research in the department. I explore the day-to-day interactions between scientific experts and policy makers in Defra to understand why policy making takes the form it does and how scientists negotiate their position within this process. I argue that policy making in Defra is organised by socially constructed narratives that help officials and advisers to make sense of their roles in the policy-making process. Drawing on insights from organisational sociology, I analyse the ways in which Defra officials talk about their responsibilities and understanding of their roles. These narratives act as ‘modes of ordering’ that bring about organisational realities by structuring their relationships, influencing the way they use scientific advice and consequently affecting policy outcomes. I outline three modes of ordering that can be identified in Defra – rationalism, bureaucracy and expediency – and demonstrate that they correspond to three complementary images of evidence-based policy making.
Inter-party Agenda-Setting in the Belgian Parliament: The Role of Party Characteristics and Competition
Authors: Vliegenthart Rens , Walgrave Stefaan , Meppelink Corine
Published: November 2010

In this article we explore the inter-party agenda-setting dynamics in the Belgian parliament during the period 1993–2000 and investigate whether and when parties respond to the attention paid to issues by other parties in parliament. We rely on an elaborate coding of parliamentary questions and interpellations, as well as media coverage and government meetings. Pooled time series analyses demonstrate considerable agenda-setting effects from one party agenda to another. The results indicate that in particular parties from the same language community, parties that participate in government and extreme-right and environmental ‘niche parties’ have agenda-setting power.
Hail the impossible:p‐values, evidence, and likelihood
Authors: JOHANSSON TOBIAS
Published: November 2010

Johansson, T. (2011). Hail the impossible:p‐values, evidence, and likelihood.Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 113–125.

Significance testing based onp‐values is standard in psychological research and teaching. Typically, research articles and textbooks present and usepas a measure of statistical evidence against the null hypothesis (the Fisherian interpretation), although using concepts and tools based on a completely different usage ofpas a tool for controlling long‐term decision errors (the Neyman–Pearson interpretation). There are four major problems with usingpas a measure of evidence and these problems are often overlooked in the domain of psychology. First,pis uniformly distributed under the null hypothesis and can therefore never indicate evidence for the null. Second,pis conditioned solely on the null hypothesis and is therefore unsuited to quantify evidence, because evidence is always relative in the sense of being evidence for or against a hypothesis relative to another hypothesis. Third,pdesignates probability of obtaining evidence (given the null), rather than strength of evidence. Fourth,pdepends on unobserved data and subjective intentions and therefore implies, given the evidential interpretation, that the evidential strength of observed data depends on things that did not happen and subjective intentions. In sum, usingpin the Fisherian sense as a measure of statistical evidence is deeply problematic, both statistically and conceptually, while the Neyman–Pearson interpretation is not about evidence at all. In contrast, the likelihood ratio escapes the above problems and is recommended as a tool for psychologists to represent the statistical evidence conveyed by obtained data relative to two hypotheses.
Korean deaf adolescents’ recognition of written words for taxonomic categories of different levels
Authors: LI DEGAO , YI KWANGOH , KIM JUNG YEON
Published: November 2010

Li, D., Yi, K. & Kim, J.Y. (2011). Korean deaf adolescents’ recognition of written words for taxonomic categories of different levels. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 105–112.

Deaf college students seem to have relatively stronger associations from words for taxonomic categories of basic (e.g., snake) to those of super‐ordinate (e.g., reptiles) level than vice versa compared with hearing students in word association (Marschark, Convertino, McEvoy & Masteller, 2004). In deciding whether two sequentially presented words for taxonomic categories of different levels are conceptually related, deaf adolescents might therefore have a poorer performance when they see a category name before than when they see it after one of the corresponding exemplar words. Deaf Korean adolescents were found to recognize words for taxonomic categories of super‐ordinate level with lower efficiencies than those of basic level. Their accuracy seemed to reflect a reversed typicality effect when they decided that first‐presented words for taxonomic categories of basic level were conceptually related to second‐presented words for those of super‐ordinate level. It was argued that deaf Korean adolescents went through a temporary stage of having iconic representations of several exemplars of the category aroused in working memory before the abstract semantic representation was fully activated when they saw the word for a taxonomic category of super‐ordinate level.
Incomplete Regulation, Competition, and Entry in Increasing Returns to Scale Industries
Authors: BIANCINI SARA
Published: November 2010

The paper analyzes the effects of liberalization in increasing returns to scale industries. It determines the optimal regulation of an incumbent competing with an unregulated strategic competitor, when public funds are costly. The model reveals the trade‐off between productive and allocative efficiency. Moreover, the welfare gains from liberalization, as compared with regulated monopoly, are a nonmonotonic function of the cost of public funds. Finally, in the case of severe governmental cash constraints, incomplete regulation may dominate the full regulation of duopoly.
Ex PostWelfare under Alternative Health Care Systems
Authors: LEACH JOHN
Published: November 2010

The implications of a societal aversion to inequality for the optimal structure of the health care system are studied. The agents are assumed to be ex ante identical, but to differ ex post in the state of their health. Inequality aversion is introduced by postulating a strictly concave ex post social welfare function. It is shown that the optimal public health care system allocates health care differently than would private health insurance; specifically, people who are relatively unhealthy with and without treatment receive more health care, and people who are relatively healthy with and without treatment receive less health care. The aggregate quantity of health care under the optimal public health care system can be either greater or smaller than under private health care insurance. If the public health care system is optimally designed, allowing agents to purchase supplementary private health care insurance cannot raise social welfare and is likely to decrease it.
Public Expenditure, Environment, and Economic Growth
Authors: BARMAN TRISHITA RAY , GUPTA MANASH RANJAN
Published: November 2010

This paper attempts to develop a model of endogenous growth with special consideration to the role of productive public expenditure in the presence of congestion effect of private capital and environmental pollution. We analyze the properties of the optimal fiscal policy in the steady‐state equilibrium when the level of production of the final good is the source of emission. Government allocates its income tax revenue between pollution abatement expenditure and productive public expenditure. In the steady‐state equilibrium, optimum ratio of productive public expenditure to national income is less than the competitive output share of the public input; and this ratio varies inversely with the magnitude of the emission‐output coefficient. The steady‐state equilibrium appears to be a saddle point; and the market economy growth rate is not necessarily less than the socially efficient growth rate in the steady‐state equilibrium.
Corrigendum: Public Goods Games, Altruism, and Evolution
Authors: ALGER INGELA
Published: November 2010

In this note I correct a proposition in an article that I published recently in this journal, a correction which is related to a second‐order condition for evolutionary stability.
MOTHERHOOD IN CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM: Critiques, Realities, and Possibilities
Authors: Oh Irene
Published: November 2010

Common experiences of mothering offer profound critiques of maternal ethical norms found in both Christianity and Islam. The familiar responsibilities of caring for children, assumed by the majority of Christian and Muslim women, provide the basis for reassessing sacrificial and selfless love, protesting unjust religious and political systems, and dismantling romanticized notions of childcare. As a distinctive category of women's experience, motherhood may offer valuable perspectives necessary for remedying injustices that afflict mothers and children in particular, as well as for developing cross‐cultural understandings of justice in general.
CHRISTIAN REALISM AND AUGUSTINIAN (?) LIBERALISM
Authors: Kaufman Peter Iver
Published: November 2010

Augustine's ontology, ecclesiology, and soteriology have recently been mined to help Christian realists and liberals respond to the problems that pluralism and conflict create for democratic societies. The results challenge those secularists who object to the late antique prelate's “moralizing” as well as others who insist that “public reason”—not religious traditions—makes for more meaningful political conversations and for collaboration “across differences.” But the results also raise the question whether Augustine would have gone along with the realists and liberals he has inspired and outfitted.
Comment on ‘Competition Tests with a Non-Structural Model: The Panzar–Rosse Method Applied to Germany’s Savings Banks’
Authors: Neumann Manfred
Published: November 2010

In a recent issue of this journal Gischer and Stiele (2009) applied the ‘Test for ‘‘Monopoly’’ Equilibrium’ advanced by Panzar and Rosse (1987) to German savings banks and came up with the claim that savings banks maximize profits under conditions of monopolistic competition in the meaning of Edward Chamberlin. Their proposition is not conclusive since it would require free entry and for savings banks to operate under increasing returns to scale. Available evidence, however, shows them being subject to constant or decreasing returns to scale. The empirical findings of Gischer and Stiele can more convincingly be explained by assuming savings banks abide by their legal goals to pursue the public interest.
Does the Quality of Corporate Governance Affect Firm Valuation and Risk? Evidence from a Corporate Governance Scorecard in Hong Kong*
Authors: CHEUNG YAN‐LEUNG , STOURAITIS ARIS , TAN WEIQIANG
Published: November 2010

Using Hong Kong firm data, we construct an index of corporate governance during 2002–2005, which scores the corporate governance practices of listed companies from the public shareholders' perspective based on the Organization for Economic Corporation and Development Principles of Corporate Governance. The findings show that family firms and firms with concentrated ownership structures are associated with bad corporate governance. The evidence also shows that these firms improve their corporate governance practices slower than their peers. Overall, the quality of corporate governance is very significant in explaining future company stock returns and risk. Good corporate governance is associated with both higher stock returns and with lower risk. Improvements in corporate governance are associated with significantly higher stock returns and lower company risk.
Foreign Investors' Reaction to Lower Profitability – The Role of Information Asymmetry*
Authors: BERGLUND TOM , WESTERHOLM P. JOAKIM
Published: November 2010

Owners of firms in trouble are more exposed to moral hazard problems than owners of successful firms. Foreign owners who face higher costs to monitor the firm should be more vulnerable to these problems than domestic ones. Consequently, a downward revision in a firm's expected future earnings should push foreign investors to sell their shares to a larger extent than domestic investors. We test this hypothesis on profit warnings issued at the Helsinki Stock Exchange. Our results reveal that in the wake of profit warnings foreign investors will predominantly sell, while domestic investors pick up the net sales by foreigners. Differences in the scale of the foreign investor sell‐out reaction are explained by a number of variables. The most significant one is our proxy for the magnitude of surprise in the warning. The reaction also increases with the degree of perceived information asymmetry for the firm that issued the warning, while foreign members on the firm's board have a moderating impact. By contrast, a number of general corporate governance‐related variables have no statistically significant impact on the reaction.
Sources of variability in canopy reflectance and the convergent properties of plants
Authors: Ollinger S. V.
Published: November 2010

How plants interact with sunlight is central to the existence of life and provides a window to the functioning of ecosystems. Although the basic properties of leaf spectra have been known for decades, interpreting canopy‐level spectra is more challenging because leaf‐level effects are complicated by a host of stem‐ and canopy‐level traits. Progress has been made through empirical analyses and models, although both methods have been hampered by a series of persistent challenges. Here, I review current understanding of plant spectral properties with respect to sources of uncertainty at leaf to canopy scales. I also discuss the role of evolutionary convergence in plant functioning and the difficulty of identifying individual properties among a suite of interrelated traits. A pattern that emerges suggests a synergy among the scattering effects of leaf‐, stem‐ and canopy‐level traits that becomes most apparent in the near‐infrared (NIR) region. This explains the widespread and well‐known importance of the NIR region in vegetation remote sensing, but presents an interesting paradox that has yet to be fully explored: that we can often gain more insight about the functioning of plants by examining wavelengths that are not used in photosynthesis than by examining those that are.

Contents

Summary
375

I.
Introduction
376

II.
Physical properties of incident radiation
377

III.
Sources of variability in vegetation reflectance
378

IV.
The combined effects of multiple traits on whole‐canopy reflectance
383

V.
Functional convergence among optically important traits
387

VI.
Conclusions
389

Acknowledgements
389

References
390
Wound care by district nurses at primary healthcare centres: a challenging task without authority or resources
Authors: Friman Anne , Klang Birgitta , Ebbeskog Britt
Published: November 2010

Scand J Caring Sci; 2011; 25; 426–434
 
Wound care by district nurses at primary healthcare centres – a challenging task without authority or resources

There is a lack of studies that describes how district nurses experience the care they provide in connection with wound care. The aim of this study was therefore to describe district nurses experiences of their nursing actions when treating patients with different kinds of wounds at primary healthcare centres and in the home care in order to increase understanding of this kind of care. A qualitative, descriptive study was conducted, with interviews of eight district nurses. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Three themes and nine sub‐themes were identified. The first theme included two sub‐themes which revealed that in performing wound care district nurses feel responsible for administering wound care, and they feel confident in making independent assessments. The second theme included three sub‐themes which revealed that district nurses endeavour to assess all aspects of their patient’s situation and to maintain continuity in both their contact with the patient and the treatment. A treatment plan for wound care and regular reports were identified as being important in collaboration with other healthcare professionals. District nurses wanted their own procedure for referral to facilitate the patient’s direct contact with a dermatologist. The third theme included four sub‐themes which revealed difficulties associated with ambiguous organisation. Lack of time led to the dressing of wounds being delegated to nursing assistants. Limited access to treatment rooms and equipment made wound care difficult and inefficient. Wound care in the home care was regarded as challenging due to the lack of equipment, and poor lighting, ergonomics and hygiene. The results of this study thus identified the aspirations of district nurses to provide expert wound care while working independently. However, these aspirations were aggravated by organisational shortcomings, such as a lack of authority and the resources required to carry out their nursing actions optimally.
Ox‐LDL‐induced LOX‐1 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells: role of reactive oxygen species
Authors: Sun Yiyi , Chen Xiuping
Published: November 2010

Oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL) and lectin‐like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor‐1 (LOX‐1) have been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. This study was designed to investigate the expression regulation of LOX‐1 by ox‐LDL and the potential underlying mechanisms in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). VSMCs were treated with ox‐LDL, and the expressions of LOX‐1 mRNA and proteins were determined by RT‐PCR and western blotting, respectively. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was monitored by flow cytometry with fluorescence probe, DCFH2‐DA. The effect of several inhibitors including aspirin, NDGA, allopurinol, apocynin, and rotenone on ox‐LDL‐induced ROS formation and LOX‐1 expression was also investigated. The roles of NF‐κB p65 and JNK were explored. Ox‐LDL significantly induced LOX‐1 expression at both mRNA and protein levels in a dose‐dependent and time‐dependent manner. Aspirin, NDGA, and preconditioned apocynin suppressed ox‐LDL‐induced intracellular ROS production and LOX‐1 expression, while allopurinol and rotenone failed to do so. Vitamin C and N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine demonstrated similar effect. Furthermore, both NF‐κB p65 expression and phosphorylated JNK (p‐JNK) to JNK expression ratio were elevated after ox‐LDL treatment. In addition, the NF‐κB inhibitor PDTC and JNK inhibitor SP600125 pretreatment partly abolished ox‐LDL‐induced LOX‐1 expression. These findings suggested that ROS mediated ox‐LDL‐induced LOX‐1 expression in VSMCs through NF‐κB and JNK signaling pathways.
Hepatic and renal toxicities of indomethacin acid, salt form and complexed forms with hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin on Wistar rats after oral administration
Authors: Ribeiro‐Rama Ana Cristina , Figueiredo Isabel Vitória , Veiga Francisco José , Castel‐Branco Maria Margarida , Cabrita António M. Silvério , Caramona Maria Margarida
Published: November 2010

Indomethacin (IM), a non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug, has the capacity to induce hepatic and renal injuries when administrated systemically. The aim of this study is to assess the IM absorption from complexed forms when orally administered to rats, by means of a comparative evaluation of its capacity to induce hepatic and renal injury in different forms, namely IM acid, IM sodium salt or IM complexed with hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HP‐β‐CD), using freeze‐ and spray‐drying methods.

A total of 135 Wistar rats weighing 224.4 ± 62.5 g were put into 10 groups. They were allowed free access to water but were maintained on fast for 18 h before the first administration until the end of the experiment. Water and HP‐β‐CD (control groups) and IM acid form, IM trihydrated‐sodium‐salt and IM‐HP‐β‐CD spray‐ and freeze‐dried, at normal and toxic doses (test groups), were orally administered once/day for 3 days. Seventy‐two hours after the first administration, the animals were sacrificed and a fragment of the liver and one kidney were collected and prepared for histopathological evaluation. Lesion indexes (rated 0/4 for liver and 0/3 for kidney) were developed and the type of injury scored according to the severity of damage. A statistical analysis of the severity and incidence of lesions was carried out.

Animals administered with IM complexed forms showed similar hepatic and renal lesions, both in toxic and therapeutic doses, when compared with those observed in animals administered with IM acid or salt forms. This suggests that under the present experimental conditions, IM is equally absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, independently of the administered IM form.
Oral antiplatelet agents in ACS: from pharmacology to clinical differences
Authors: Agewall S. , Badimon L. , Drouet L. , Eschenhagen T. , Husted S. , Simon T. , Steg G.
Published: November 2010

Antiplatelet agents play an essential role in the treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Numerous clinical trials have established the value of antiplatelet therapies for ACS. Aspirin (ASA), thienopyridines and GP IIb/IIIa antagonists comprise the major classes of antiplatelet therapies demonstrated to be of benefit in the treatment of ACS. Thienopyridines are a class of drugs that function via inhibition of the adenosine diphosphate (ADP) P2Y12 platelet receptors. Currently, clopidogrel, a second generation thienopyridine, is the main drug of choice and the combination of aspirin and clopidogrel is administered orally for the treatment of ACS. Recently, a third generation of thienopyridines has been introduced represented by prasugrel that has demonstrated promising results in ACS patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A number of nonthienopyridine oral antiplatelet drugs are under development, and one of them, ticagrelor has already been tested in a major phase III clinical trial, PLATO, with the inclusion of a broad spectrum of patients with ACS. The present review aims to discuss the present knowledge about the safety and efficacy of oral antiplatelet treatment of patients with ACS.
Some highlights of research on aging with invertebrates, 2010
Authors: Partridge Linda
Published: November 2010

This annual review focuses on invertebrate model organisms, which continue to yield fundamental new insights into mechanisms of aging. This year, the budding yeast has been used to understand how asymmetrical partitioning of cellular constituents at cell division can produce a rejuvenated offspring from an aging parent. Blocking of sensation of carbon dioxide is shown to extend fly lifespan and to mediate the lifespan‐shortening effect of sensory exposure to fermenting yeast. A new study of daf‐16, the key forkhead transcription factor that mediates extension of lifespan by mutants in the insulin‐signalling pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans, demonstrates that expression of tissue‐specific isoforms with different patterns of response to upstream signalling mediates the highly pleiotropic effects of the pathway on lifespan and other traits. A new approach to manipulating mitochondrial activity in Drosophila, by introducing the yeast NADH‐ubiquinone oxidoreductase, shows promise for understanding the role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in aging. An exciting new study of yeast and mammalian cells implicates deterioration of the nuclear pore, and consequent leakage of cytoplasmic components into the nucleus, as an important cause of aging in postmitotic tissues. Loss of, or damage to, chromosome‐associated histones is also implicated in the determination of lifespan in yeast, worms and fruit flies. The relationship between functional aging, susceptibility to aging‐related disease and lifespan itself are explored in two studies in C. elegans, the first examining the role of dietary restriction and reduced insulin signalling in cognitive decline and the second profiling aggregation of the proteome during aging. The invertebrates continue to be a power house of discovery for future work in mammals.
Greater Occipital Nerve Neuralgia Caused by Pathological Arterial Contact: Treatment by Surgical Decompression
Authors: Cornely Christiane , Fischer Marius , Ingianni Giulio , Isenmann Stefan
Published: November 2010

(Headache 2011;51:609‐616)

Occipital nerve neuralgia is a rare cause of severe headache, and may be difficult to treat. We report the case of a patient with occipital nerve neuralgia caused by pathological contact of the nerve with the occipital artery. The pain was refractory to medical treatment. Surgical decompression yielded complete remission.
Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Phenomena Following Indomethacin Administration
Authors: Lambru Giorgio , Manzoni Gian Camillo , Torelli Paola , Grisendi Ilaria , Zanferrari Carla
Published: November 2010

We report a case of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction, possibly secondary to the use of indomethacin to relieve pain during a migraine with aura attack. Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs are not reported among substances precipitating secondary forms of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction. A transcranial Doppler sonography study, performed during the phase with headache and the other neurological deficits, suggested the presence of distal cerebral vasospasm, which normalized when all symptoms regressed completely (<24 hours). We speculated that indomethacin might represent the trigger factor of these particular phenomena, by acting either directly on distal cerebral vessels, or under certain predisposing conditions, such as migraine with aura attacks.
Increasing the Impact of Heterodox Work: Insights fromRoSE
Authors: Starr Martha A.
Published: November 2010

Abstract

To help understand what enhances the prospects for heterodox work to have strong research impact, this article analyzes the pool of articles published in theReview of Social Economyin the past 15 years, aiming to identify what differentiates well‐cited articles from others. Well‐cited papers tend to be in areas of core concern in social economics (labor, health, social theory) and attract attention in related social sciences and policy fields. Yet about half the articles published inRoSEare not cited in another scholarly journal within three years of publication, suggesting that, as well done and interesting as these papers may be, problems like narrow focus seem to limit their influence on other people's work. The article's results suggest that increasing the impact of heterodox work requires articles to be interesting and accessible to intentionally broad audiences, and to prompt people to change their thinking. Better still if they open up channels of communication between diverse communities of scholars that are likely to be sustained.
Pluralism at Risk? Heterodox Economic Approaches and the Evaluation of Economic Research in Italy
Authors: Corsi Marcella , D'Ippoliti Carlo , Lucidi Federico
Published: November 2010

Abstract

We analyze Italy's recent research evaluation exercise (VTR) as a salient example in discussing some internationally relevant issues emerging from the evaluation of research in economics. We claim that evaluation and its criteria, together with its linkage to research institutions' financing, are likely to affect the direction of research in a problematic way. As the Italian case documents, it is specifically economists who adopt unorthodox paradigms or pursue less diffused topics of research that should be concerned about research evaluation and its criteria. After outlining the recent practice of economic research in Italy and highlighting the relevant scope for pluralism that traditionally characterizes it, we analyze the publications submitted for evaluation to the VTR. By comparing these publications to all the entries in the EconLit database authored by economists located in Italy, we find a risk that the adopted ranking criteria may lead to disregarding historical methods in favor of quantitative and econometric methods, and heterodox schools in favor of mainstream approaches. Finally, by summarizing the current debate in Italy, we claim that evaluation should not be refused by heterodox economists, but rather that a reflection on the criteria of evaluation should be put forward at an international level in order to establish fair competition among research paradigms, thus, preserving pluralism in the discipline.
Research Evaluation Down Under: An Outsider's View from the Inside of the Australian Approach
Authors: Bloch Harry
Published: November 2010

Abstract

Australia is currently undertaking its first national evaluation of university research, which is being performed by the Australian Research Council (ARC) at the request of the Australian government. The Australian approach to evaluation has some unique characteristics, especially a focus on evaluating research quantity and quality by the field of the research activity rather than by individual academic or administrative unit. This raises issues of the classification of areas of research, which has already caused controversy for Australian heterodox economists. There is also controversy about the quality rankings of economics journals. This article provides a critical review of the Australian approach to research evaluation and discusses the implications for heterodox economists.
Heterodox Economics and the Scientist's Role in Society
Authors: Novarese Marco , Pozzali Andrea
Published: November 2010

Abstract

The present work starts from a simple question: Why should a state pay the salary for an academic researcher in economics? Generally speaking, research should be financed because it is useful for socioeconomic development; knowledge represents a productive input and it increases social welfare. How much does this argument hold for economic knowledge? Is economics helping in improving wealth and well‐being? This article will show how the incentive structure and the internal organization of the discipline prevent a positive answer to such questions. In fact these institutions do not necessarily stimulate researchers to understand economies, and economics completely neglects its role in shaping values because of its pretense of objectivity. Two solutions are proposed: more pluralism and a wider capacity to discuss with the whole society.