bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic test evaluation by patient‐outcome study in homeopathy: balancing of feasibility and validity
Authors: Rutten A. L. B. , Stolper C. F.
Published: December 2009

Background  Signs and symptoms can be considered as diagnostic tests, updating prior odds by applying Bayes' theorem. In homeopathy, signs and symptoms guide the doctor when prescribing appropriate medicines but the powers of these indicators are largely based on common experience.

Objective  We want to know whether it is possible to calculate the power of arguments of signs and symptoms indicating homeopathic medicines, expressed in likelihood ratios.

Methods  An observational patient‐outcome study as advocated for diagnostic test evaluation. There was no independent observation of symptoms and results. Instead, observers were extensively trained in assessing each other's cases and the process was regularly monitored.

Results  A total of 4072 prescriptions for 4094 patients were recorded. The relation between six clinical symptoms and outcome was calculated. Variance between observers in assessing symptoms and results were considerable. Some indications of confirmation bias were detected by follow‐up, and 48 statistically significant likelihood ratios regarding six symptoms were calculated.

Conclusion  A diagnostic patient‐outcome study within homeopathy collecting a large amount of data is demonstrated. Results partly confirm clinical practice at a 95% confidence level. This kind of research could validate knowledge from practical experience.
Let Evidence Guide Every New Decision (LEGEND): an evidence evaluation system for point‐of‐care clinicians and guideline development teams
Authors: Clark Eloise , Burkett Karen , Stanko‐Lopp Danette
Published: December 2009

Objective To develop tools for use by teams of point‐of‐care clinicians to improve access to evidence evaluation.

Method A search of the literature was conducted to review available evidence evaluation systems for their applicability to the project. Fourteen systems were reviewed in depth for strengths and limitations of the systems to meet the objective. Using these strengths and addressing the limitations, tools were developed and pilot‐tested among an interprofessional team of clinicians.

Results Five principles were drawn from the review of the literature and from our experience to guide development of six tools. The tools form a comprehensive evidence evaluation system known as Let Evidence Guide Every New Decision (LEGEND). LEGEND included a glossary, a table of evidence levels, an algorithm, a set of evidence appraisal forms, and worksheets to guide grading a body of evidence and judging the strength of a recommendation.

Conclusion LEGEND provides tools for point‐of‐care clinicians that assist them in synthesizing evidence from published studies. The tools provide a balance between quality processes and simplicity, use terminology friendly to multiple disciplines, assist comprehensively with the evidence evaluation process, incorporate factors familiar to the user, and provide flexibility for a diverse range of evidence evaluation projects and users.
Registered nurses' application of evidence‐based practice: a national survey
Authors: Boström Anne‐Marie , Ehrenberg Anna , Gustavsson J. Petter , Wallin Lars
Published: December 2009

Background  Evidence‐based practice (EBP) is a worldwide approach to improving health care. There is, however, a shortage of studies examining whether or not newly graduated health care professionals are actually applying EBP in their daily work.

Objectives  To examine the application of EBP in clinical practice by registered nurses (RNs) 2 years post graduation and to explore whether the application of EBP differed with regard to the clinical settings where RNs were working.

Method  A cross‐sectional design using a national sample. Data were collected in 2007 from 987 RNs (response rate 76%). Six items measuring respondents' self‐reported extent of applying EBP were used.

Results  Of the 987 RNs, 19% formulated questions and performed searches in data bases, 56% used other information sources, 31% appraised the literature, 30% participated in practice development and 34% participated in evaluating clinical practice. A greater proportion of the RNs working in elder care applied EBP compared with the RNs working in hospitals, psychiatric care and primary care.

Conclusions  The RNs applied the components of EBP to a rather low extent 2 years post graduation despite EBP being an important objective in Swedish health care and educational programmes since the 1990s. These findings support other studies reporting the implementation of EBP in organizations as a complex and often slow process. The differences in the RNs extent of applying EBP in relation to their workplace indicate that contextual factors and the role of the RN in the organization are of importance for getting EBP into practice.
Are therapeutic decisions made on the medical admissions unit any more evidence‐based than they used to be?
Authors: Ayre Stephen , Walters Gareth
Published: December 2009

Rationale, aims and objectives To determine whether inpatients in a medical admissions unit in a UK district general hospital received evidence‐based therapies in 2008.

Methods The diagnoses of and therapies received by inpatients at the George Eliot Hospital National Health Service Trust in Nuneaton were recorded. A clinical librarian searched the literature (Clinical Knowledge Summaries, Cochrane Library, Medline and Embase) for the best evidence for each diagnosis–therapy pair. Evidence was graded on the following scale: systematic review, randomized controlled trial, non‐experimental evidence and no or contrary evidence.

Results One hundred and two patients generated 150 diagnosis–therapy pairs. Of these 61 (41%) had systematic review level evidence supporting them, 17 (11%) randomized controlled trial evidence, 48 (32%) non‐experimental evidence and 24 (16%) no evidence.

Conclusions Results were comparable with previous studies. Care in a medical admissions unit in 2008 is still evidence‐based, but, despite the vast growth in medical literature, no more than it was. The process was a useful collaboration between medical and library staff to audit the quality of patient care.
O knowledge, where art thou?
Authors: Boehnert Markus U. , Zimmermann Heinz , Exadaktylos Aristomenis K.
Published: December 2009

Background  Much effort goes into developing and publishing guidelines which physicians fail to implement. We feel that major discrepancies still exist between theory and reality and that the translational approach to this aspect of medical care has not yet established itself. We therefore decided to investigate in an exemplary audit how liberally inappropriate imaging is used in our emergency department (ED) to rule out acute appendicitis.

Material and methods  Our electronic medical record ED database ‘Qualicare’ (http://www.qualidoc.ch) was searched using the ‘appendicitis’ sub data base. The frequency and accuracy of abdominal imaging was determined in patients with clinically suspected appendicitis on admission over a 5‐year period at a university hospital emergency unit.

Results  In total, 272 (41.2%) of the 577 patients were male and 305 (46.3%) were female. The attending physicians ordered abdominal X‐rays in 133 patients, abdominal ultrasounds in 319, and abdominal computerized tomography (CT) scans in 93 patients. 125 patients underwent more than one imaging procedure. In all, 85/125 patients received a combination of X‐rays, ultrasound and CT scanning!

Discussion  Physicians are often insecure about indications for surgery and therefore order useless imaging procedures. The reliability of such procedures in excluding acute appendicitis is limited, which was confirmed by our results. Although evidence‐based medicine guidelines exist, they are neglected for many reasons. Future academic efforts should therefore focus more on knowledge translation and the implementation of existing knowledge by heightening awareness, rather than on simply creating new guidelines.
Personal experience in doctor and patient decision making: from psychology to medicine
Authors: Li Simon Y. W. , Rakow Tim , Newell Ben R.
Published: December 2009

Traditional decision research shows that when people are told the probability of a rare event (e.g. the chance of side effects), they generally treat this event as if it were more likely than its objective probability (overweighting). In contrast, recent studies indicate that when outcomes are experienced firsthand, people tend to underweight the probability of rare events. In this paper, we suggest that the distinction between described and experienced information can play a significant role in shared decision making, and can provide a plausible explanation for some discrepancies between the perspectives of doctors and patients. We highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of experiential and description‐based information, and how knowledge of these might be used to improve risk communication.
Identifying women with severe angiographic coronary disease
Authors: Kreatsoulas C. , Natarajan M. K , Khatun R. , Velianou J. L , Anand S. S
Published: December 2009

Abstract.  Kreatsoulas C, Natarajan MK, Khatun R, Velianou JL, Anand SS (McMaster University; CARING Network, McMaster University; Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences; Interventional Cardiology, Hamilton Health Sciences; Eli Lilly Canada–May Cohen Chair in Women's Health, McMaster University; Michael G. DeGroote‐Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Chair in Population Health Research, McMaster University; Population Genomics Program, McMaster University; McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada). Identifying women with severe angiographic coronary disease. J Intern Med 2010; 268:66–74.

Objectives.  To determine sex/gender differences in the distribution of risk factors according to age and identify factors associated with the presence of severe coronary artery disease (CAD).

Design.  We analysed 23 771 consecutive patients referred for coronary angiography from 2000 to 2006.

Subjects.  Patients did not have previously diagnosed CAD and were referred for first diagnostic angiography.

Outcome measures.  Patients were classified according to angiographic disease severity. Severe CAD was defined as left main stenosis ≥50%, three‐vessel disease with ≥70% stenosis or two‐vessel disease including proximal left anterior descending stenosis of ≥70%. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between risk factors and angina symptoms with severe CAD.

Results.  Women were less likely to have severe CAD (22.3% vs. 36.5%) compared with men. Women were also significantly older (69.8 ± 10.6 vs. 66.3 ± 10.7 years), had higher rates of diabetes (35.0% vs. 26.6%), hypertension (74.8% vs. 63.3%) and Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) class IV angina symptoms (56.7% vs. 47.8%). Men were more likely to be smokers (56.9% vs. 37.9%). Factors independently associated with severe CAD included age (OR = 1.05; 95% CI 1.05–1.05, P < 0.01), male sex (OR = 2.43; CI 2.26–2.62, P < 0.01), diabetes (OR = 2.00; CI 1.86–2.18, P < 0.01), hyperlipidaemia (OR = 1.50; CI 1.39–1.61, P < 0.01), smoking (OR = 1.10; CI 1.03–1.18, P = 0.06) and CCS class IV symptoms (OR = 1.43; CI 1.34–1.53, P < 0.01). CCS Class IV angina was a stronger predictor of severe CAD amongst women compared with men (women OR = 1.82; CI 1.61–2.04 vs. men OR = 1.28; CI 1.18–1.39, P < 0.01).

Conclusions.  Women referred for first diagnostic angiography have lower rates of severe CAD compared with men across all ages. Whilst conventional risk factors, age, sex, diabetes, smoking and hyperlipidaemia are primary determinants of CAD amongst women and men, CCS Class IV angina is more likely to be associated with severe CAD in women than men.
Translocator hunt comes full Cir‐Col
Authors: Kleanthous Colin
Published: December 2009

The ability of Escherichia coli to kill other E. coli using protein antibiotics known as colicins has been known for many years, but the mechanisms involved poorly understood. Recent progress has been rapid, however, particularly concerning events on either side of the outer membrane (OM). Structures of colicins bound to OM receptors have been determined and we have detailed mechanistic information on how colicins subvert the periplasmic complexes of TolQRAB/Pal or TonB/ExbB/ExbD to trigger cell entry. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Jakes and Finkelstein answer a long‐standing problem concerning the uptake mechanism of the pore‐forming colicin ColIa: How does the TonB box of the colicin cross the OM following high‐affinity binding of ColIa to its primary receptor, the siderophore transporter Cir? Through a series of chimeric protein constructions tested for their activity against a range of mutants and in cell death protection assays, the authors come up with the surprising observation that following binding of ColIa to Cir it recruits another Cir protein as its OM translocator. Not only does this settle various conundrums in the literature, but the translocation mechanism that stems from their study will likely be applicable to many TonB‐dependent colicins.
The Arabidopsis gene SIGMA FACTOR‐BINDING PROTEIN 1 plays a role in the salicylate‐ and jasmonate‐mediated defence responses
Authors: XIE Y.‐D. , LI W. , GUO D. , DONG J. , ZHANG Q. , FU Y. , REN D. , PENG M. , XIA Y.
Published: December 2009

The chloroplast‐localized SIB1 protein was previously identified by its interaction with SIGMA FACTOR 1 (SIG1), a component of the RNA polymerase machinery responsible for transcription of plastid genes. The physiological function of SIB1 is little known. We found that expression of SIB1 is induced by infection with Pseudomonas syringae, suggesting its possible involvement in the defence response. The sib1 loss‐of‐function mutation compromises induction of some defence‐related genes triggered by pathogen infection and the treatments with salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA), two key signalling molecules in the defence response. Conversely, constitutive over‐expression of SIB1 causes the plants to hyper‐activate defence‐related genes following pathogen infection or the SA and JA treatments, leading to enhanced resistance to infection by P. syringae. SIB1 is a member of the large plant‐specific VQ motif‐containing protein family, and might act as a link to connect defence signalling with chloroplast function.
Scanning electron microscopy and fungal culture of hoof horn from horses suffering from onychomycosis
Authors: Apprich Veronika , Spergser Joachim , Rosengarten Renate , Hinterhofer Christine , Stanek Christian
Published: December 2009

Horn samples were taken from the hooves of eight horses with clinical signs of equine onychomycosis in at least one hoof capsule. None of the horses had a documented mycological history. The predominant alterations of the horn capsules were sand cracks, white line disease, brittleness (especially around the nail holes), parakeratosis and bruising. The horn samples were stored in sterile tubes for transportation and transferred onto Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and dermatophyte test agar for mycological examination within 6 h. Fungal cultures were incubated for 30 days at room temperature. Fungal identification was based on colonial morphology and microscopic examination of conidia. Horn samples were also stored at −80°C until used for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fungal culture revealed that the hoof horn from all eight horses was infected with keratinophilic fungi. The keratinopathogenic fungiTrichophytonspp andScopulariopsis brevicauliswere also detected in six horses. SEM revealed severe alterations of the horn structure in horn samples infected with keratinopathogenic fungi compared to horn samples from a sound hoof. The most evident changes were deterioration of the tubular structure of the horn wall, disruption of the horny layers, superficial lysis of cornified cells and the presence of fungal elements. Samples without dermatophyte orScopulariopsisinfection, in contrast, were similar to healthy hoof horn.
Cold stress and acclimation – what is important for metabolic adjustment?
Authors: Janská A. , Maršík P. , Zelenková S. , Ovesná J.
Published: December 2009

As sessile organisms, plants are unable to escape from the many abiotic and biotic factors that cause a departure from optimal conditions of growth and development. Low temperature represents one of the most harmful abiotic stresses affecting temperate plants. These species have adapted to seasonal variations in temperature by adjusting their metabolism during autumn, increasing their content of a range of cryo‐protective compounds to maximise their cold tolerance. Some of these molecules are synthesised de novo. The down‐regulation of some gene products represents an additional important regulatory mechanism. Ways in which plants cope with cold stress are described, and the current state of the art with respect to both the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and crop plants in the area of gene expression and metabolic pathways during low‐temperature stress are discussed.
Second‐look endoscopy with thermal coagulation or injections for peptic ulcer bleeding: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Tsoi Kelvin KF , Chan Heyson CH , Chiu Philip WY , Pau Carol YY , Lau James YW , Sung Joseph J Y
Published: December 2009

Background and Aims:  In the management of peptic ulcer bleeding, the benefits of second‐look endoscopic treatment with thermal coagulation or injections in controlling recurrent bleeding is unsure. This study set out to compare efficacy of routine second‐look endoscopy with treatment using either thermal coagulation or injections versus single endoscopy by pooling data from published work.

Methods:  Full publications in the English‐language published work as well as abstracts in major international conferences were searched over the past 10 years, and six trials fulfilling the search criteria were found. Outcome measurements included: (i) recurrent bleeding; (ii) requirement of surgical intervention; and (iii) mortality. We examined heterogeneity of trials and pooled the effects by meta‐analysis. The quality of studies was graded according to the prospective randomization, methods of patient allocation, the list of exclusion criteria, outcome definitions and the predefined salvage procedures for uncontrolled bleeding.

Results:  Among 998 patients recruited in these five randomized trials, 119 received routine second‐look endoscopy with thermal coagulation, and 374 received second‐look with endoscopic injection and 505 had single endoscopic therapy. Less recurrent bleeding was reported after thermal coagulation (4.2%) than single endoscopy (15.7%) (relative risk [RR] = 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.11–0.73), but no reduction was reported for the requirement of surgical intervention and all‐cause mortality. Injection therapy did not reduce re‐bleeding (17.6%) when compared to single endoscopy (20.8%; RR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.63–1.14), requirement for surgery and mortality.

Conclusion:  Routine second‐look endoscopy with thermal coagulation, but not injection therapy, reduced recurrent peptic ulcer bleeding. There is no proven benefit in reducing surgical intervention and overall mortality.
Qualitatively different modes of perirhinal–hippocampal engagement when rats explore novel vs. familiar objects as revealed by c‐Fos imaging
Authors: Albasser Mathieu M. , Poirier Guillaume L. , Aggleton John P.
Published: December 2009

Expression of the immediate‐early gene c‐fos was used to test for different patterns of temporal lobe interactions when rats explore either novel or familiar objects. A new behavioural test of recognition memory was first devised to generate robust levels of novelty discrimination and to provide a matched control condition using familiar objects. Increased c‐Fos activity was found in caudal but not rostral portions of the perirhinal cortex (areas 35/36) and in area Te2 in rats showing object recognition, i.e. preferential exploration of novel vs. familiar objects. The findings are presented at a higher anatomical resolution than previous studies of immediate‐early gene expression and object novelty and, crucially, provide the first analyses when animals are actively discriminating the novel objects. Novel vs. familiar object comparisons also revealed altered c‐Fos patterns in hippocampal subfields, with relative increases in CA3 and CA1 and decreases in the dentate gyrus. These hippocampal changes match those previously reported for the automatic coding of object–spatial associations. Additional analyses of the c‐Fos data using structural equation modelling indicated the presence of pathways starting in the caudal perirhinal cortex that display a direction of effects from the entorhinal cortex to the CA1 field (temporo‐ammonic) when presented with familiar objects, but switch to the engagement of the direct entorhinal cortex pathway to the dentate gyrus (perforant) with novel object discrimination. This entorhinal switch provides a potential route by which the rhinal cortex can moderate hippocampal processing, with a dynamic change from temporo‐ammonic (familiar stimuli) to perforant pathway (novel stimuli) influences.
Bending Modernity: Chairs, Psychoanalysis and the Rest of Culture
Authors: GAFIJCZUK DARIUSZ
Published: December 2009

Coming from the premise that in order to capture the social in action, we have to be able to re‐construct or re‐assemble reality through parallel histories, I propose to re‐examine the notion of modern subjective culture by focusing on a historically specific interaction of human and non‐human actors. The main vehicle of comparison utilized for this purpose is the cultural history of psychoanalysis and contemporary furniture design.

Specifically, the bent‐wood furniture and its emblematic example, the Thonet chair, are used to recover a cultural history of design through bending. By cross‐referencing such design practice with the contemporaneous to it moment of psychoanalysis, I propose that the cultural logic of the fin de siècle, viewed through this particular configuration of the human and material cultures, rests on the practice of plasticity; a conditions which, since then, has become an indispensable component of modern individuality and its numerous identity “construction‐projects”.
Articulating Theories of States and State Formation
Authors: CARROLL PATRICK
Published: December 2009

Some historical sociologists have, with some justification, described the development of the sub‐discipline in the language of three successive “waves.” This framing implies that each wave supercedes the other across time. Given that second and third waves map onto generational distinctions, the whole idea of waves has been met with consternation from second wavers who are not ready to be superseded. In addition, there is some debate, if not confusion, over the criteria that define the waves. In this paper I suggest that the language of successive waves frustrates the potential to articulate different approaches with the aim of a more comprehensive understanding of historical societies. This is particularly the case with our understanding of states and state formation, which is the focus here. Instead of the waves framing, I suggest a strategy for articulating research agendas on state formation by conceiving of such in terms of their “centers of gravity” (or COGs)1 rather than their boundaries. I pay particular attention to the body of work that can be said to have a concern with culture as its center of gravity, a body of work that while overlapping considerably is not co‐extensive with that identified as third wave. In this context I elaborate a broad conceptual architecture of culture, at the foundation of which is the distinction between meaning, practice, and materiality. This triangulated conceptualization of culture can, I argue, clarify some ambiguities in the literature and aid articulation of three COGs in state theory. In addition, I suggest that many questions taken to be theoretical are actually empirical. I conclude by briefly illustrating the approach in the case of science and modern state formation in Ireland.
Managing risk and vulnerability in Asia: A (re)study from Thailand, 1982–83 and 2008
Authors: Rigg Jonathan , Salamanca Albert
Published: December 2009

In the 1980s, rural settlements in the Northeast of Thailand were farming focused, and strategies of living were structured around the need to secure subsistence in the face of a capricious environment and a weak developmental state. More than half of households in the region lived below the poverty line, and the immediate prospects for ‘development’ were not bright. Drawing on a 25‐year longitudinal study of two villages in Mahasarakham, the paper describes and reflects on how risk and vulnerability have been re‐shaped during a quarter of a century of profound economic and social change. From largely environmental and local, the pattern of risk and opportunity have become increasingly economic and non‐local as external events wash across the shores of rural settlements like Ban Non Tae and Ban Tha Song Korn.
Renewed authoritarianism in Southeast Asia: Undermining democracy through neoliberal reform
Authors: Springer Simon
Published: December 2009

In the wake of the Asian Crisis, cases studies from Southeast Asia often reinforced the perception that neoliberalism is thriving in authoritarian states. Processes of intensive neoliberalisation in the region have now been ongoing for over a decade, yet attempts at democratic consolidation have been tenuous, fragile and incomplete at best, calling into question the supposed nexus between democracy and neoliberal reform. Accordingly, there is need for a moment of pause, to take stock of the neoliberalising process in the region, and importantly, to reframe the question and reflect on how and why authoritarianism is continuing to thrive in the neoliberalising Southeast Asian state.
Musical work in a university town: The shifting spaces and practices of DJs in Dunedin
Authors: McGregor Andrew , Gibson Chris
Published: December 2009

Increasing attention is being paid to how workers in the creative industries negotiate transitions from amateur to professional status and seek opportunities for work and spaces for expression that suit artistic desires. The settings have usually been large cities with populations that can support diverse and specialised audiences and subcultural scenes. In this paper, we discuss research where we participated in a music scene, and talked to dance music disc jockeys and venue owners in a small, regional university city – Dunedin. In Dunedin opportunities for musical work are comparatively plentiful but are constrained in a number of ways. Disc jockeys negotiate audience demands, distances from key musical centres and associated infrastructure, and the shifting venues available for performance. We emphasise the importance of an ethnographic perspective to the study of musical work that remains attuned to the manner in which urban spaces are created, transformed, challenged and remade in the musical nightlife economy.
Committing to regional cooperation: ASEAN, globalisation and the Shin Corporation – Temasek Holdings deal
Authors: Anwar Sajid , Doran Christine , Sam Choon Yin
Published: December 2009

This paper investigates the relationship between regional and national identities in the age of globalisation, with particular reference to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). For members of ASEAN, economic integration is seen as a necessary step forward in order to (i) reduce reliance on Western countries during times of economic crisis and (ii) speed up the recovery process in the aftermath of a crisis. The concept of an ASEAN Economic Community represents a step towards achieving this goal. However, by means of a case study, this paper demonstrates that the idea of an ASEAN Economic Community does not yet have sufficiently solid foundations. Cracks appear when member states act in response to national interest. Given the frequency of friction between member nations, and the fact that ASEAN members are quite diverse in both economic and cultural respects, there is still much more to be done to realise the objective of forming an effective and credible regional economic group. In this paper some suggestions are offered that might assist with the achievement of this goal.
Homegardening as a panacea: A case study of South Tarawa
Authors: East Andrew J. , Dawes Les A.
Published: December 2009

The Republic of Kiribati is a small, highly infertile Pacific Island nation and is one of the most challenging locations to attempt to support dense urban populations. Kiribati, like other nations in the Pacific, faces an urban future where food insecurity, unemployment, waste management and malnutrition will become increasing issues. Homegardening is suggested as one way to address many of these problems. However, the most recent study on agriculture production in urban centres in Kiribati shows that, in general, intensive cultivation of homegardens is not a common practice. This disparity between theory and practice creates an opportunity to re‐examine homegardening in Kiribati and, more broadly, in the Pacific. This paper examines the practice of homegardening in urban centres in Kiribati and explores reasons why change has or has not occurred through interviews with homegardeners and government/donor representatives. Results show that homegardening has increased significantly in the past five years, largely because of the promotion of homegardens and organic composting systems by donor organisations. While findings further endorse homegardening as an excellent theoretical solution to many of the problems that confront urban settlements in Kiribati and the Pacific, it raises additional questions regarding the continuation of homegarden schemes beyond donor support programmes.
Resources, population and migration in the Pacific: Connecting islands and rim
Authors: Opeskin Brian , MacDermott Therese
Published: December 2009

This article examines international migration in the Pacific and argues that there should be still greater opportunities for the people of Pacific countries to migrate between their home states and the developed states of the Pacific Rim. The case for borders that are more permeable to human migration is based in part on the common Pacific predicament of poor resource endowments, rapidly growing populations, depletion and degradation of existing resources, and threats posed by anthropogenic climate change. Coupled with this is a history of colonisation that has left some Pacific peoples with liberal access to economic opportunities in developed states by virtue of their citizenship or preferential visa status, while others have no such opportunities. Both New Zealand and the United States have been reasonably generous in facilitating migration from Polynesia and Micronesia. It is Australia that stands out as the Pacific neighbour with the greatest capacity to develop new migration streams. The seasonal worker scheme announced by the Australian Government in August 2008 takes a cautious but valuable step along this path, yet there is scope for further expanding Pacific access by broadening the geographical, temporal and material scope of existing migration arrangements.
Sector‐based corporate citizenship
Authors: Timonen Laura , Luoma‐aho Vilma
Published: December 2009

This paper approaches the much‐debated issue of corporate citizenship (CC). Many models depict the development process of CC, and yet attempts to find one extensive definition remain in progress. We argue that more than one type of citizenship may be needed to fully describe the concept. So far, social factors have dominated the definitions of CC, but citizenship functions can also be found in other areas. In fact, for maximum benefit, the type of citizenship should be tied to the sector and business field of the corporation in question. Using data drawn from three internationally operating corporations headquartered in Finland, we introduce three different types of CC that are in line with their core business ideas: cultural citizenship, environmental citizenship and technological citizenship. These new types of citizenships can help in grasping the complexity of business responsibility and ethics, and offer tools for gaining competitive advantage by differentiation.
Corporate responsibility perceptions in change: Finnish managers' views on stakeholder issues from 1994 to 2004
Authors: Kujala Johanna
Published: December 2009

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the changes in Finnish managers' corporate responsibility perceptions from 1994 to 2004. Following earlier research, the concept of corporate responsibility is operationalised using the stakeholder approach. Empirically, we ask how managers' views on stakeholder issues have changed during the 10‐year research period, and how managers' stakeholder orientation compares with their economic orientation. The data were collected using a survey research instrument in the years 1994, 1999 and 2004. The research results show a positive change in managers' corporate responsibility perceptions during this time period. In addition, managers' stakeholder orientation seems to be in balance with their economic orientation. However, the economic context – in terms of both their own company's economic position and the general economic situation – has an effect on managers' stakeholder orientation.
Stability of Surface Rayleigh Waves in an Elastic Half‐Space
Authors: Rosini M. D.
Published: December 2009

This paper is concerned with nonlinear analysis for the propagation of Rayleigh surface waves on a homogeneous, elastic half‐space of general anisotropy. We show how to derive an asymptotic equation for the displacement by applying the second‐order elasticity theory. The evolution equation obtained is a nonlocal generalization of Burgers' equation, for which an explicit stability condition is exhibited. Finally, we investigate examples of interest, namely, isotropic materials, Ogden's materials, compressible Mooney–Rivlin materials, compressible neo‐Hookean materials, Simpson–Spector materials, St Venant–Kirchhoff materials, and Hadamard–Green materials.
Critical Theorist, Postmodernist and Social Constructionist Paradigms in Organizational Analysis: A Paradigmatic Review of Organizational Learning Literature
Authors: Karataş‐Özkan Mine , Murphy William D.
Published: December 2009

In an effort to clarify alternative approaches to organizational analysis, this paper is concerned to stimulate the debate on how an inquiry into organizational phenomena, in general, and organizational learning, in particular, can be accomplished. Encouraging attention to different aspects of various paradigmatic approaches, the paper focuses on critical theory, postmodernism and social constructionism and how these paradigms have contributed and can contribute to the research in the subject domain of organizational learning. To this end, a paradigmatic review of the literature on organizational learning is offered in this paper. Organizational learning, as the study of learning processes of, and within, organizations, has attracted significant attention in academe since the early 1980s. There is a plethora of studies on organizational learning, which offer rich material for a paradigmatic review. This study highlights the need for further development of the field from alternative paradigmatic perspectives, with a view to generating more insights into the multifaceted, complex and changing nature of learning in contemporary organizations.
‘Last stop expulsion’– The minority question and forced migration in East‐Central Europe: 1918–49 To Hans Lemberg, in memory
Authors: CATTARUZZA MARINA
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT. This article deals with the European minorities in the period between the two world wars and with their final expulsion from nation‐states at the end of World War II. First, the tensions which arose between the organised minorities and the successor states of the Habsburg Monarchy are accounted for primarily by the argument that the various minorities located within the successor states had already undergone a comprehensive processes of nationalisation within the Habsburg Empire. Therefore they were able to resist assimilation by the political elites of the new titular nations (Czechs, Poles, Rumanians, Serbs). A second topic is that of the use made of the minorities issue by Adolf Hitler to help achieve his expansionist aims. The minorities issue was central to the international destabilisation of interwar Europe. Finally, the mass expulsion of minorities (above all, Germans) after the end of the war is explained by strategic considerations on the part of the Allied powers as well as involving the nation‐state regimes. It is argued, against a commonly held view, that German atrocities during the period of occupation had little to do with the decision to expel most ethnic Germans from their territories of settlement in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. The article shows that it is necessary to treat national minorities in the first half of the twentieth century as a single phenomenon which shares similar features across the various nation‐states of East‐Central Europe.
Kin‐state identity in the European context: citizenship, nationalism and constitutionalism in Hungary
Authors: BATORY AGNES
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT. The broad objective of this article is to explore the interaction between nationalism and Europeanisation, and the impact of this interaction on constitutionalism at the level of EU member states, using Hungary as a case study. The country reasserted its identity as a kin‐state after regime change in 1990, with the relationship between ethnicity/national identity and political community repeatedly taking centre stage in political life and in the field of citizenship legislation. At the same time, the country actively pursued integration into the EU, including a constitutional amendment allowing accession. Despite the potential implications of joining a supranational political entity for the definition of political community, the two parallel processes remained largely disconnected in the political discourse and the broader debate on constitutionalism in the EU has found less resonance in domestic politics than controversy over citizenship and national identity.
Severe childhood encephalopathy with dyskinesia and prolonged cognitive disturbances: evidence for anti‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor encephalitis
Authors: POLONI CLAUDIA , KORFF CHRISTIAN M , RICOTTI VALERIA , KING MARY D , PEREZ ELIANE ROULET , MAYOR‐DUBOIS CLAIRE , HAENGGELI CHARLES‐ANTOINE , DEONNA THIERRY
Published: December 2009

Aim We report four cases of acquired severe encephalopathy with massive hyperkinesia, marked neurological and cognitive regression, sleep disturbance, prolonged mutism, and a remarkably delayed recovery (time to full recovery between 5 and 18mo) with an overall good outcome, and its association with anti‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (anti‐NMDA) receptor antibodies.

Method We reviewed the four cases retrospectively and we also reviewed the literature.

Results Anti‐NMDA receptor antibodies (without ovarian teratoma detected so far) were found in the two children tested in this study.

Interpretation The clinical features are similar to those first reported in 1992 by Sebire et al.,1and rarely recognized since. Sleep disturbance was not emphasized as part of the disorder, but appears to be an important feature, whereas coma is less certain and difficult to evaluate in this setting. The combination of symptoms, evolution (mainly seizures at onset), severity, paucity of abnormal laboratory findings, very slow recovery, and difficult management justify its recognition as a specific entity. The neuropathological substrate may be anatomically close to that involved in encephalitis lethargica, in which the same target functions (sleep and movement) are affected but in reverse, with hypersomnolence and bradykinesia. This syndrome closely resembles anti‐NMDA receptor encephalitis, which has been reported in adults and is often paraneoplastic.
Lack of association between schizophrenia and polymorphisms in dopamine metabolism and transport genes
Authors: Álvarez Santi , Mas Sergi , Gassó Patricia , Bernardo Miquel , Parellada Eduard , Lafuente Amalia
Published: December 2009

We investigated the relationship between several functional polymorphisms in genes coding for dopamine metabolism and transport enzymes (MAO‐A VNTR; MAO‐A 941T>G; DAT VNTR; DAT ‐67A/T; CYP2D6*3; CYP2D6*4; CYP2D6*5; CYP2D6*6) and the frequency of schizophrenia. Participants in the study were 242 subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders and 290 hospital‐based controls. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood and genotyped by several methods. However, there was no association between schizophrenia and the alleles, genotypes or diplotypes that were studied or their interactions. Polymorphisms in genes coding for dopamine metabolism and transport enzymes did not predispose to or protect from schizophrenia and related disorders.
Human microvascular imaging: a review of skin and tongue videomicroscopy techniques and analysing variables
Authors: Awan Z. A. , Wester T. , Kvernebo K.
Published: December 2009

Imaging techniques are increasingly important in clinical diagnostic work. Microcirculation is essential for function and survival of all tissues, but imaging techniques for microvascular monitoring of patients have only been used to a limited extent in clinical practice. The microcirculation is complex with its static and dynamic feature, and only skin and oral mucosa are readily accessible for microscopic examination. In addition, there is a no general agreement on which microvascular parameters and analysing techniques that could be useful. The aim of this article is to give an overview of techniques for human intra‐vital microscopy and to describe software and variables used to analyse pictures and film sequences of human microcirculation. We also present clinical examples where microvascular examinations have been shown to be of diagnostic value. Improved techniques for assessing microvascular morphology and physiology will probably become important tools in clinical work in many disciplines in the near future.
Image quality and myocardial scar size determined with magnetic resonance imaging in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation: a comparison of two imaging protocols
Authors: Rosendahl Lene , Ahlander Britt‐Marie , Björklund Per‐Gunnar , Blomstrand Peter , Brudin Lars , Engvall Jan E.
Published: December 2009

Background:  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart generally requires breath holding and a regular rhythm. Single shot 2D steady‐state free precession (SS_SSFP) is a fast sequence insensitive to arrhythmia as well as breath holding. Our purpose was to determine image quality, signal‐to‐noise (SNR) and contrast‐to‐noise (CNR) ratios and infarct size with a fast single shot and a standard segmented MRI sequence in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation and chronic myocardial infarction.

Methods:  Twenty patients with chronic myocardial infarction and ongoing atrial fibrillation were examined with inversion recovery SS_SSFP and segmented inversion recovery 2D fast gradient echo (IR_FGRE). Image quality was assessed in four categories: delineation of infarcted and non‐infarcted myocardium, occurrence of artefacts and overall image quality. SNR and CNR were calculated. Myocardial volume (ml) and infarct size, expressed as volume (ml) and extent (%), were calculated, and the methodological error was assessed.

Results:  SS_SSFP had significantly better quality scores in all categories (P = 0·037, P = 0·014, P = 0·021, P = 0·03). SNRinfarct and SNRblood were significantly better for IR_FGRE than for SS_SSFP (P = 0·048, P = 0·018). No significant difference was found in SNRmyocardium and CNR. The myocardial volume was significantly larger with SS_SSFP (170·7 versus 159·2 ml, P<0·001), but no significant difference was found in infarct volume and infarct extent.

Conclusion:  SS_SSFP displayed significantly better image quality than IR_FGRE. The infarct size and the error in its determination were equal for both sequences, and the examination time was shorter with SS_SSFP.
First record of male drumming call of the genus Capnioneura Ris, 1905 (Plecoptera, Capniidae)
Authors: TIERNO DE FIGUEROA J. Manuel , LUZÓN‐ORTEGA Julio M. , LÓPEZ‐RODRÍGUEZ Manuel J.
Published: December 2009

The male call of Capnioneura mitis, produced by drumming, is recorded and analyzed for the first time. It also represents the first known signal for the genus. It consists of a highly variable number of beats (2–32) with inter‐beat duration approximately constant along the call, but inter‐beat duration is temperature dependent. Thus, at 13°C the mean inter‐beat duration is 1.397 s (SD = 0.050) while at 21°C it is 1.139 s (SD = 0.093). The call pattern exhibited by this species, as those of the majority of previously studied Capniidae species, can be catalogued as an ancestral or near‐ancestral percussive monophasic signal.
Exploring the Social Dynamics of Proenvironmental Behavior Change
Authors: Nye Michael , Hargreaves Tom
Published: December 2009

This article explores the intrinsic role of context in shaping the course and outcomes of interventions aimed at changing environmentally significant behavior in home and workplace settings. Drawing on sociological theories of symbolic interactionism, we evaluate the social dynamics and mechanisms of two similar, team‐based behavior change interventions at work (Environment Champions) and at home (EcoTeams). The analysis shows that the interventions open up different levels of opportunity for reviewing and renegotiating new environmentally friendly behaviors against the reactions and expectations of the immediate peer group, existing workplace or domestic roles, and the situation‐specific definitions of what counts as appropriate behavior in the home and the workplace. We argue that policy studies should pay greater attention to the processes of behavior change, or the contextually sensitive relationship between interventions and outcomes, as a step toward refining or streamlining interventions aimed at changing environmentally significant behavior.
Needlet bispectrum asymmetries in the WMAP 5-year data
Authors: Pietrobon Davide , Cabella Paolo , Balbi Amedeo , Crittenden Robert , De Gasperis Giancarlo , Vittorio Nicola
Published: December 2009

We apply the needlet formalism to the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 5-year data, looking for evidence of non-Gaussianity in the bispectrum of the needlet amplitudes. We confirm earlier findings of an asymmetry in the non-Gaussianity between the Northern and Southern Galactic hemispheres. We attempt to isolate which scales and geometrical configurations are most anomalous and find that the bispectrum is most significant on large scales and in the more co-linear configurations and also in the ‘squeezed’ configurations. However, these anomalies do not appear to affect the estimate of the non-linear parameter fNL, and we see no significant difference between its values measured in the two hemispheres.