bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical features and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in young patients from a hepatitis B‐endemic area
Authors: KIM JEONG HWAN , CHOI MOON SEOK , LEE HYUK , KIM DO YOUNG , LEE JOON HYEOK , KOH KWANG CHEOL , YOO BYUNG CHUL , PAIK SEUNG WOON , RHEE JONG CHUL
Published: January 2006

Background and Aim:  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. However, the clinical features of young HCC patients have not been fully studied. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence, clinical characteristics and prognosis of young HCC patients.

Methods:  A retrospective analysis was performed for HCC patients in our center using Korean cancer registry data. Among 4234 patients enrolled, there were 38 patients younger than 30 years of age (0.9%). We compared clinical characteristics and survival data of these patients (group I) with those of sex‐matched, randomly selected HCC patients aged 30–59 years (group II; n = 231) and 60 years or older (group III; n = 147).

Results:  Group I showed distinct features compared with groups II and III as follows: low frequency of smoking history, high positive rate of hepatitis B s antigen, no association with anti‐hepatitis C virus antibody, high frequency of α‐fetoprotein ≥ 400 ng/mL, well‐preserved liver function, larger tumor size, more advanced tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) stage and Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) score and more frequent application of surgical resection and chemotherapy as initial treatment. The overall survival of group I was worse than that of group II, but similar to that of group III. Multivariate analysis showed that TNM stage and CLIP score, not age itself, were independent predictive factors for survival.

Conclusions:  The results suggest that young HCC patients tend to have a poor prognosis owing to advanced tumor stage, despite well‐preserved liver function and aggressive treatment. Further studies regarding the role of HCC screening in young people may be useful, especially in hepatitis B virus carriers from high endemic areas.
New generation argon plasma coagulation in flexible endoscopy: Ex vivo study and clinical experience
Authors: SUMIYAMA KAZUKI , KAISE MITSURU , KATO MASAYUKI , SAITO SYOUICHI , GODA KENICHI , ODAGI ISAO , TAMAI NAOTO , TSUKINAGA SHINTARO , MATSUNAGA KAZUHIRO , TAJIRI HISAO
Published: January 2006

Background and Aim:  A new argon plasma coagulation (APC) system was developed to improve the conduction characteristics of existing systems and to achieve a true non‐contact procedure. We evaluated the new system in an ex vivo experiment and in two different clinical cases.

Methods:  Swine gastric walls were cauterized at various current settings and time intervals. The diameter and penetration depth of the cauterized areas were measured. We also describe the use of this method to treat patients with gastric hemorrhagic hereditary telangiectasias and a mucosal gastric cancer.

Results:  The ex vivo study revealed an improved maintenance of current conduction and greater control of the extent and penetration depth of the cauterization effects on tissue using the new APC system. In the clinical cases, hemorrhagic telangiectasias and an early stage gastric cancer were treated successfully without relapse using the new system.

Conclusions:  Improved current conduction and controllability of cauterization corresponding to emission time were demonstrated for the new APC. The new system allows expeditious superficial cauterization of a wide area without any contact with tissue. The therapeutic effect appeared favorable compared with previous APC devices for gastrointestinal applications.
A computational lifetime prediction of a thermal shock experiment. Part I: thermomechanical modelling and lifetime prediction
Authors: AMIABLE S. , CHAPULIOT S. , CONSTANTINESCU A. , FISSOLO A.
Published: January 2006

The SPLASH experiment has been designed in 1985 by the CEA to simulate thermal fatigue due to short cooling shocks on steel specimens and is similar to the device reported by Marsh in Ref. [1]. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the mechanical and the fatigue analysis of the experiment using results from FEM computations. The lifetime predictions are obtained using a modified dissipated energy with a maximal pressure term and agree with the experimental observations. The numerical analysis of the mechanical state shows an important evolution of the triaxiality ratio during the loading cycle. Further comparisons and discussions of the fatigue criteria are provided in the second part of the paper (Part II)2.
A computational lifetime prediction of a thermal shock experiment. Part II: discussion on difference fatigue criteria
Authors: AMIABLE S. , CHAPULIOT S. , CONSTANTINESCU A. , FISSOLO A.
Published: January 2006

The SPLASH experiment has been designed in 1985 by the CEA to simulate thermal fatigue due to cooling shocks on steel specimens and is similar to the device reported by Marsh in Ref. [1]. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the application of different fatigue criteria in this case. The fatigue criteria: dissipated energy, Manson Coffin, Park and Nelson, dissipated energy with a pressure term, are determined for the experiment using results from FEM computations presented in the first part of the paper (Part I)2and compared with results from uniaxial and multiaxial experiments from literature. The work emphasizes the evolution of the triaxiality ratio during the loading cycle.
Constant rate infusion for topical ocular delivery in horses: a pilot study
Authors: Myrna Kathern E. , Herring Ian P.
Published: January 2006

ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy and kinetics of a continuous infusion modality for topical ophthalmic drug delivery via subpalpebral lavage in horses.

Animals studiedFive ophthalmically normal horses

ProceduresA constant‐rate continuous delivery pump was used to apply 0.01% fluorescein solution to the eyes of five ophthalmically normal horses via subpalpebral lavage. Fluorescein was applied at a rate of 0.14 mL/h for 72 h. Tear samples were collected from the ventral conjunctival fornix at regular intervals via capillary tube and tear fluorescein concentrations were determined via spectral assay. Laboratory studies to evaluate the procedures used in the study also were performed.

ResultsOverall mean tear film fluorescein concentration was approximately 20% of the applied concentration of fluorescein. However, tear film fluorescein concentrations varied considerably between horses and over time. Dilution varied from 0.62% to 60% of the applied concentration. Air pockets sporadically appeared in subpalpebral lavage tubing lines, resulting in discontinuous topical application of fluorescein.

ConclusionsConstant‐rate delivery of ophthalmic medications using a continuous infusion pump may provide a valuable method of topical drug delivery if tear film dilution of drugs is taken into account.
Comparative fluorescein angiography of the normal sheep and goat ocular fundi
Authors: Galán Alba , Martín‐Suárez Eva M. , Granados M. Mar , Gallardo José M. , Molleda José M.
Published: January 2006

Fluorescein angiography without sedative or anesthetic agents was evaluated in 20 normal goats and 20 normal sheep. All of the angiographic phases were observed using 20 mg/kg fluorescein IV in both species. Fundus fluorescein angiography results revealed wide stars of Winslow in the tapetal fundus, central or marginal flow during the first part of the arterial phase, delayed filling of the focal areas in the choroid near the optic disc that often coincided with others in the disc, and lack of evidence of the ‘striate area’ in the tapetal fundi. In goats, the angiographic times were 6.54 ± 1.25 s for the arterial phase (TA), 7.80 ± 1.37 s for the arterio–venous phase (TAV), and 14.13 ± 2.01 s for the venous phase (TV). I1: 1.30 ± 0.30 s (time elapsing between TA and TAV), and I2: 6.20 ± 1.60 s (time elapsing between TAV and TV). In sheep, times were 9.54 ± 2.18 s TA, 11.73 ± 2.10 s TAV, and 20.86 ± 2.74 s TV. I1: 2.04 ± 0.75 s and I2: 8.98 ± 2.47 s, respectively. Due to the large size of the fundic vessels in sheep and goats, fluorescein angiography of the retinal vasculature can facilitate the study of the different vascular diseases in these species.
Effect of lacrimal punctal occlusion on tear production and tear fluorescein dilution in normal dogs
Authors: Gelatt K. N. , MacKay E. O. , Widenhouse C. , Widenhouse T. S. , Stopek J. B.
Published: January 2006

Objective To evaluate effects of lacrimal punctal plugs positioned in either the upper, lower, or combination of upper and lower lacrimal canaliculi on plug retention and tolerance; tear production, as measured by the Schirmer tear test; and the dilution of fluorescein within the tear film in normal dogs.

Material and methods Lacrimal punctal plugs were positioned in the lower, upper, or combination of lower and upper plugs in six laboratory‐quality Beagles under topical anesthesia. Retention of plugs was evaluated daily from 8 to 23 days by visual inspection and slit‐lamp biomicroscopy. Schirmer tear tests (STT 1 without topical anesthesia) were performed at 48‐h intervals. Dilution of fluorescein was determined at 5‐ and 45‐min post‐fluorescein instillations once weekly.

Results Lacrimal punctal plugs of 0.4 and 0.6 mm in diameter were retained for 14 (lower plugs: 100%) and 23 days (75%), and for the upper plugs at 8 days less often (75%), and were infrequently locally nonirritating. Combination of lower and upper plugs seemed to adversely affect retention of either plug. When loss of the plugs occurred, a next larger size plug was necessary suggesting some stretching of the lacrimal canaliculi occurred. Pre‐ and postplug placement STT results indicated no change with lower and combination lacrimal punctal plugs, but decreased levels following upper lacrimal punctal plugs. Tear fluorescein levels at 5 and 45 min in control eye (no punctum plugs) were 3.39% and 0.14%, respectively. With lower, upper, and the combination of lower and upper lacrimal puncta plugs, tear fluorescein levels at 45 min were higher than the controls (lower: 0.76%; upper: 0.45%, and combination 0.56%).

Conclusion Lacrimal punctal silicone plugs are retained for 8–23 days in the lower, upper, and combined lower and upper canaliculi at high rates. Effects on STT levels appear limited. Fluorescein within the tear film persists longer with all different positioned lacrimal punctum plugs than in the control eyes.
Suspected ivermectin toxicosis in a miniature mule foal causing blindness
Authors: Plummer Caryn E. , Kallberg Maria E. , Ollivier Franck J. , Brooks Dennis E. , Gelatt Kirk N.
Published: January 2006

A 9‐week‐old miniature mule foal presented to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for acute blindness, ataxia, and depression following an overdose of an over‐the‐counter ivermectin‐based de‐worming medication. Ophthalmic examination and electrodiagnostic evaluation eliminated outer retinal abnormalities as the primary cause of the bilateral blindness, implicating instead a central neurologic effect of the drug. With symptomatic and supportive care, the foal recovered fully and regained its vision.
Effects of medetomidine and medetomidine‐butorphanol combination on Schirmer tear test 1 readings in dogs
Authors: Sanchez R. F. , Mellor D. , Mould J.
Published: January 2006

Medetomidine is a commonly used sedative in veterinary medicine whether administered alone or in combination with an opioid such as butorphanol. There are no previous studies that look at the effects of this drug on sequential Schirmer tear test (STT) 1 readings in dogs, including effects on tear production after reversal of the drug. The present study looked at two groups of 10 dogs each that were sedated with intravenous medetomidine or a combination of medetomidine and butorphanol. All dogs had tear readings taken presedation, 15 min postsedation, and 15 min after reversal of medetomidine with atipamezole. Results revealed that intravenous sedation with medetomidine and medetomidine‐butorphanol in dogs with no history of ophthalmic disease and presedation STT 1 readings above 15 mm/min, causes a significant decrease in tear production that is measurable at 15 min postsedation. Readings returned to near presedation values within 15 min postreversal in most cases. It is therefore recommended that all eyes be treated with a tear substitute from the time the sedative is given until at least 15 min after reversal.
Encephalitozoon helleminfection as the cause of a unilateral chronic keratoconjunctivitis in an umbrella cockatoo (Cacatua alba)
Authors: Phalen David N. , Logan Kathleen S. , Snowden Karen F.
Published: January 2006

An umbrella cockatoo (Cacatua alba) was presented with a keratoconjunctivitis of 9 months’ duration that was refractory to antibacterial and antifungal treatments. Microsporidian‐type spores were observed in calcofluor M2R‐stained cytological preparations of debrided corneal epithelium. Hematoxylin and eosin‐stained sections of a conjunctival biopsy also showed a small number of intracellular parasites. Microsporidial DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in DNA extracted from the remaining biopsy material. Sequence analysis of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene identified the microsporidium asEncephalitozoon hellem. The cockatoo was treated with oral albendazole for 3 months with resolution of the signs, and then again for 4 months when the signs returned. Since then, the bird has remained healthy for 2 years. This is the second report of a microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis in a bird, and the first report of anE. helleminfection in a cockatoo. Ophthalmologists should considerE. hellemas a possible cause of a keratoconjunctivitis in parrots that is refractory to treatment with traditional antimicrobials.
Ocular effects of topical 0.03% bimatoprost solution in normotensive feline eyes
Authors: Regnier Alain , Lemagne Capucine , Ponchet Alice , Cazalot Guillaume , Con Cordet Didier , Gelatt Kirk N.
Published: January 2006

Objective The current study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of topically applied bimatoprost, an ocular hypotensive lipid, on intraocular pressure (IOP) and pupil size (PS) in healthy cats.

Animal studied Nine European Shorthair cats free from clinically relevant ocular abnormalities were used in the study.

Procedures Pretreatment baseline measurements of IOP and PS were obtained bilaterally at 8 am, 2 pm, and 8 pm for five consecutive days (days 1 to 5). Then the cats received one drop twice daily (10 am and 6 pm) of bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.03% (Lumigan™, Allergan Inc., Irvine, CA USA), in one randomly selected eye and one drop of artificial tears in the fellow eye (control eye) for 5 days (days 6 to 10). Values for IOP and PS were obtained under the same conditions as in the pretreatment phase. The potential for ocular irritation following bimatoprost application was also evaluated.

Results During the pretreatment period, the mean IOP and mean PS were not significantly different between the eyes subsequently treated with bimatoprost and those subsequently determined as controls. During the treatment period, the mean IOP in bimatoprost‐treated eyes was not significantly lower than in control eyes (14.2 ± 2.3 vs. 14.5 ± 2.8 mmHg). Mean IOP in control eyes was not significantly changed at any time during the study period. A marked reduction of PS was seen in all bimatoprost‐treated eyes, but no other clinically relevant side effects were observed.

Conclusion Twice daily topical applications of bimatoprost produced miosis but had no significant effect on IOP in healthy cats.
Idiopathic sclerosing orbital pseudotumor in seven cats
Authors: Billson F. Mark , Miller‐Michau Tammy , Mould John R. B. , Davidson Michael G.
Published: January 2006

Objective To review the clinical presentation and histopathologic findings on a series of cats with orbital fibrotic disease and compare the data to that of humans with sclerosing orbital pseudotumor.

Animals A retrospective study was undertaken, which identified tissue samples from seven cats between 1997 and 2002 with a history of orbital mass effect and pathology characterized by fibrous tissue proliferation.

Procedure Information was obtained from medical records for affected cats, including age, sex, clinical signs, management, and outcome, with histopathology re‐examined.

Results Six of seven cats presented with unilateral orbital involvement that progressed to bilateral orbital disease despite treatment. Onset was insidious, evolving over weeks to months and was associated with fixation of orbital structures. Owners of six of the cats opted for euthanasia because of disease progression and pain. Histopathology of affected orbital tissue included extensive fibrosis with encapsulation of normal tissues without characteristics of neoplasia.

Conclusions Clinical findings and histopathology of globes and orbital tissues in cats bore many similarities to idiopathic sclerosing orbital pseudotumor in humans. In cats, the prognosis for the globe appears to be poor but an elucidation of the pathogenesis and earlier diagnosis coupled with more aggressive treatment modalities as indicated in humans may be beneficial.
Effect of age, gender, weight, and time of day on tear production in normal dogs
Authors: Hartley Claudia , Williams David L. , Adams Vicki J.
Published: January 2006

Objective To investigate the effects of age, weight, gender, and of time of day on tear production in normal dogs.

Animals studied One hundred ophthalmoscopically and systemically unremarkable dogs.

Procedure Schirmer tear tests (STT) were performed every 2 h during the day on one randomly chosen eye of each of 100 dogs.

Results There was a statistically significant effect of time of day and age on the STT measurement. The mean STT decreased by 0.4 mm for every 1 year that age increased (P = 0.007). Mean STT values taken at 10:00 am were 0.7 mm lower than values taken at 4:00 pm (P = 0.04).

Conclusions Tear production decreases with age in the normal dog. In this population of dogs the largest difference was between the 10:00 am and the 4:00 pm STT measurements, but this still only amounted to 0.7 mm. This value is unlikely to be of clinical significance in the diagnosis of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS).
Surgical management of a malacic corneal ulcer in a greater one‐horned Asian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) using a free island tarsoconjunctival graft
Authors: Esson Douglas W. , Wellehan James F. X. , Lafortune Maud , Valverde Alex , Citino Scott B.
Published: January 2006

A greater one‐horned Asian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) presented for presumed ocular trauma to the left eye, with secondary bacterial infection, resulting in severe and progressive corneal ulceration. Following a poor response to medical therapy, the animal was anesthetized for further examination, and a bulbar conjunctival pedicle graft performed. This graft failed by 48‐h postsurgery as a result of self‐trauma. The animal was re‐anesthetized, and a free island tarsoconjunctival graft performed. This second procedure was successful, resulting in globe preservation, cosmesis, and functional vision in the affected eye.
On‐line adaptive algorithm with glucose prediction capacity for subcutaneous closed loop control of glucose: evaluation under fasting conditions in patients with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Schaller H. C. , Schaupp L. , Bodenlenz M. , Wilinska M. E. , Chassin L. J. , Wach P. , Vering T. , Hovorka R. , Pieber T. R.
Published: January 2006

Aims  To evaluate an algorithm with glucose prediction capacity and continuous adaptation of patient parameters—a model predictive control (MPC) algorithm—to control blood glucose concentration during fasting conditions in patients with Type 1 diabetes. In the subcutaneous (sc) route within a closed loop system.

Methods  Paired experiments were performed in six patients. Over 8 h the MPC algorithm was used to control glucose with s.c. insulin administration and two different glucose monitoring protocols: first, the algorithm was provided with intravenous (i.v.) glucose values for insulin dosage calculation directly (i.v.–s.c. route). Then, in the second experiment, i.v. glucose values were fed to the MPC with a delay of 30 min to simulate s.c. glucose measurements (‘s.c.’–s.c. route). In both experiments plasma glucose, insulin dosage, and serum insulin levels were analysed.

Results  Glucose concentration was brought from hyper‐ to normoglycaemia and kept in the physiological range (6–7 mmol/l) with both routes in all subjects. Mean glucose concentration reached the threshold of 7 mmol/l approximately 2 (i.v.–s.c. route) and 3 (‘s.c.’–s.c. route) hours after the start of glucose control with the MPC. During the last 2 h of automated glucose control, mean glucose concentration was 6.3 ± 0.2 mmol/l and 6.6 ± 0.3 mmol/l for i.v.–s.c. and ‘s.c.’–s.c. route, respectively. Glucose concentration, insulin doses, and serum insulin levels did not differ significantly between routes (P > 0.05).

Conclusions  The MPC algorithm is suitable for glucose control during fasting within an extracorporeal artificial β‐cell in the subcutaneous route Type 1 diabetic patients.
Cross‐sectional correlates of fasting hyperinsulinaemia in post‐menopausal women of different ethnic origin
Authors: Pradhan A. D. , Manson J. E. , Hendrix S. L. , Johnson K. C. , Wagenknecht L. E. , Haan M. N. , Weidner G. , LaCroix A. Z. , Cook N. R.
Published: January 2006

Aims  In a large ethnically diverse nationwide sample of post‐menopausal women we explored the relationship between fasting insulin levels, ethnicity, and a wide range of anthropometric, socio‐economic, and lifestyle factors.

Methods  Subjects were post‐menopausal women aged 50–79 years without diagnosed diabetes mellitus comprising a subsample (n = 3500) of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Clinical Trial and Observational Study. In a cross‐sectional survey at baseline, we analysed the association between ethnicity and fasting insulin using analysis of covariance procedures and identified independent correlates of hyperinsulinaemia, defined by the 75th percentile cut point for each ethnic group.

Results  Fasting insulin levels were higher among African‐American and Hispanic women than among non‐Hispanic White or Asian women. These differences persisted after adjustment for age, educational attainment, total and central body obesity, adult weight change, family history of diabetes, smoking status, alcohol consumption, use of menopausal hormone therapy and physical activity. Higher levels of body mass index, waist–hip ratio, adult weight gain, and lower levels of total and moderate or strenuous recreational activity were independent correlates of fasting hyperinsulinaemia. Habitual walking was also inversely associated with fasting insulin.

Conclusions  In this cross‐sectional analysis, fasting insulin levels were higher among African‐American and Hispanic post‐menopausal women as compared with non‐Hispanic White and Asian women. In addition, obesity, adult weight gain, and low levels of moderate or strenuous physical activity were independently associated with hyperinsulinaemia.
Corporate Social Responsibility, Public Policy, and NGO Activism in Europe and the United States: An Institutional‐Stakeholder Perspective
Authors: Doh Jonathan P. , Guay Terrence R.
Published: January 2006

abstract  Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an increasingly pervasive phenomenon on the European and North American economic and political landscape. In this paper, we extend neo‐institutional and stakeholder theory to show how differences in the institutional environments of Europe and the United States affect expectations about corporate responsibilities to society. We focus on how these differences are manifested in government policy, corporate strategy, and non‐governmental organization (NGO) activism towards specific issues involving the social responsibilities of corporations. Drawing from recent theoretical and empirical research, and analysis of three case studies (global warming, trade in genetically modified organisms, and pricing of anti‐viral pharmaceuticals in developing countries), we find that different institutional structures and political legacies in the US and EU are important factors in explaining how governments, NGOs, and the broader polity determine and implement preferences regarding CSR in these two important world regions.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Three Key Approaches
Authors: Windsor Duane
Published: January 2006

abstract  Corporate social responsibility remains an embryonic and contestable concept. This paper assesses three key approaches and offers a perspective gauging little prospect of theoretical synthesis. Ethical responsibility theory advocates strong corporate self‐restraint and altruism duties and expansive public policy strengthening stakeholder rights. Economic responsibility theory advocates market wealth creation subject only to minimalist public policy and perhaps customary business ethics. These two viewpoints embed competing moral frameworks and political philosophies. Any theoretical synthesis must discover some subset of ethical principles yielding corporate competitive advantage. Corporate citizenship language invokes a political metaphor providing neither true intermediate positioning nor theoretical synthesis. Two conflicting interpretations abandon responsibility language without adopting the economic viewpoint. An instrumental citizenship interpretation expands philanthropy as a strategic lever for increasing corporate reputation and market opportunities while retaining managerial discretion. An ideal citizenship interpretation restates ethical responsibility into voluntarism language intended to influence managerial discretion concerning universal human rights.
Oversight and Delegation in Corporate Governance: deciding what the board should decide
Authors: Useem Michael , Zelleke Andy
Published: January 2006

American boards of directors increasingly treat their delegation of authority to management as a careful and self‐conscious decision. Numerically dominated by non‐executives, boards recognize that they cannot run the company, and many are now seeking to provide stronger oversight of the company without crossing the line into management. Based on interviews with informants at 31 major companies, we find that annual calendars and written protocols are often used to allocate decision rights between the board and management. Written protocols vary widely, ranging from detailed and comprehensive to skeletal and limited in scope. While useful, such calendars and protocols do not negate the need for executives to make frequent judgement calls on what issues should go to the board and what should remain within management. Executives still set much of the board's decision‐making agenda, and despite increasingly asserting their sovereignty in recent years, directors remain substantially dependent upon the executives’ judgement on what should come to the board. At the same time, a norm is emerging among directors and executives that the latter must be mindful of what directors want to hear and believe they should decide.
Strategic Governance: how to assess board effectiveness in guiding strategy execution
Authors: Schmidt Sascha L. , Brauer Matthias
Published: January 2006

Subsequent to a host of corporate corruption scandals, boards of directors are facing amplified pressure from investors, creditors and shareholders in a bid to ensure effective corporate governance of their investments. In previous research and public debate, the effectiveness of corporate governance structures has come under close scrutiny. However, boards’ effectiveness in fulfilling their strategic role by guiding strategy execution mostly has been left unaddressed. Due to the high degree of secrecy and sensitivity of strategy issues, boards’ effectiveness in guiding strategy execution is much more difficult to assess externally compared to structural governance issues. Against the backdrop of these difficulties and based upon insights from strategy process research, we suggest taking “strategy consistency” between a firm's resource allocation and its announced strategy as a proxy for boards’ effectiveness in guiding strategy execution. In doing so, the paper contributes to extant research by going beyond structural governance issues and paying direct attention to strategic governance issues. Specifically, the paper develops a new approach and set of standard measures to assess boards’ effectiveness in strategy execution.
Who Are the Shareholders in Australia and What Are Their Ethical Opinions? An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Hanson Dallas , Tranter Bruce
Published: January 2006

Analysis of the 2003 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes verifies claims that Australia is a share‐owning democracy. We show that higher income earners are most likely to own shares and to own shares in a large number of companies, and that the 45–54 and 54–56 year age groups are the peak for ownership. We also investigate ethical issues relating to share‐ownership by examining scenarios under which owners would sell their shares.

Ethical concern is highest on the issue of child labour. Yet there is surprisingly little concern amongst shareowners over racial discrimination, which was less likely to lead to the sales of shares than investment in genetically modified crops or foods, paying large bonuses to executives or the production of military weapons. Women are more likely than men to adopt an “ethical” stance on share ownership across all scenarios, although high income earners are less likely to sell shares in the face of racial discrimination or the production of military weapons by their companies.

Postmaterialists are just as likely as materialists to own shares, but much more likely to sell them for ethical reasons, while those on the “left” of politics appear to be more ethical than the “right”. Finally, owning shares in several companies reduces the likelihood of ethical behaviour, with those owning shares in six or more companies least likely to sell for any ethical reason.
Governance Codes of Practice in the Not‐for‐Profit Sector
Authors: Dawson Ian , Dunn Alison
Published: January 2006

In the area of not‐for‐profit organisations the role, scope and desirability of governance is an emerging field. Both in academic literature and in practice the attempts to provide for governance of not‐for‐profit organisations are currently discrete and disparate. This is set to change with the publication by the National Hub of Expertise in Governance of a Code for organisations within the sector. This article examines the appropriateness of the new Code as a tool of regulation for the not‐for‐profit sector. In particular it focuses upon the challenges facing codes of practice for not‐for‐profit organisations, such as the identification of shareholders and organisational vision, and the purposes that such codes could have in the not‐for‐profit sector. The article concludes that whilst there is much of value in the new Code as a governance and regulatory tool, significant aspects the Code remain unclear; particularly the extent of the Code's constituency and the balance to be struck on the issue of compliance.
Public Funding, Governance and Passthrough Efficiency in Large UK Charities
Authors: Jobome Gregory O.
Published: January 2006

This paper provides empirical evidence on how external governance mechanisms (e.g. the reporting and monitoring mandated under government funding contracts) and internal governance mechanisms (e.g. the adoption of corporate governance codes and traditional charity governance mechanisms) are related to the efficiency with which large UK charities meet their charitable spending objects. The evidence indicates that government funding and governance requirements, and traditional charity structures, are positively related to efficiency, whereas the adoption of business‐type corporate governance codes is not.
On the Relationship between Directional and Omnibus Statistical Tests
Authors: LI QIAN H. , LAGAKOS STEPHEN W.
Published: January 2006

Abstract. A common statistical problem involves the testing of aK‐dimensional parameter vector. In both parametric and semiparametric settings, two types of directional tests – linear combination and constrained tests – are frequently used instead of omnibus tests in hopes of achieving greater power for specific alternatives. In this paper, we consider the relationship between these directional tests, as well as their relationship to omnibus tests. Every constrained directional test is shown to be asymptotically equivalent to a specific linear combination test under a sequence of contiguous alternatives and vice versa. Even when the direction of the alternative is known, the constrained test in general will not be optimal unless the objective function used to derive it is efficient. For an arbitrary alternative, insight into the power characteristics of directional tests in comparison to omnibus tests can be gained by a chi‐square partition of the omnibus test.
A Note on Collapsibility in DAG Models of Contingency Tables
Authors: KIM SUNG‐HO , KIM SEONG‐HO
Published: January 2006

Abstract. Necessary and sufficient conditions for collapsibility of a directed acyclic graph (DAG) model for a contingency table are derived. By applying the conditions, we can easily check collapsibility over any variable in a given model either by using the joint probability distribution or by using the graph of the model structure. It is shown that collapsibility over a set of variables can be checked in a sequential manner. Furthermore, a DAG is compared with its moral graph in the context of collapsibility.
Public Expenditure in the UK: How Measures Matter
Authors: Soroka Stuart N. , Wlezien Christopher , McLean Iain
Published: January 2006

Studying spending over time requires reliable data. It is not clear that such data exist in the UK, however. The two published sources of functional spending numbers—the Office for National Statistics's ‘blue book’ and Her Majesty's Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA)—rely on estimates of past spending, using a link year method, rather than recalculating actual spending figures when functional definitions change. We assess the various measures of spending in the UK. Specifically, we do two things. First, we present a new, third, set of spending numbers applying temporally consistent functional definitions to PESA microdata. Second, we compare the three measures. Our analyses indicate that the Office for National Statistics and PESA data differ quite markedly, especially for certain functions, i.e. in some cases the two measures imply completely different histories. The differences between the original PESA data and our new measures are less pronounced on average, though significant differences are evident, especially year by year.
Using Data Augmentation to Correct for Non-Ignorable Non-Response When Surrogate Data are Available: An Application to the Distribution of Hourly Pay
Authors: Durrant Gabriele B. , Skinner Chris
Published: January 2006

The paper develops a data augmentation method to estimate the distribution function of a variable, which is partially observed, under a non-ignorable missing data mechanism, and where surrogate data are available. An application to the estimation of hourly pay distributions using UK Labour Force Survey data provides the main motivation. In addition to considering a standard parametric data augmentation method, we consider the use of hot deck imputation methods as part of the data augmentation procedure to improve the robustness of the method. The method proposed is compared with standard methods that are based on an ignorable missing data mechanism, both in a simulation study and in the Labour Force Survey application. The focus is on reducing bias in point estimation, but variance estimation using multiple imputation is also considered briefly.
Health-Related Non-Response in the British Household Panel Survey and European Community Household Panel: Using Inverse-Probability-Weighted Estimators in Non-Linear Models
Authors: Jones Andrew M. , Koolman Xander , Rice Nigel
Published: January 2006

The paper considers health-related non-response in the first 11 waves of the British Household Panel Survey and the full eight waves of the European Community Household Panel and explores its consequences for dynamic models of the association between socioeconomic status and self-assessed health. We describe the pattern of health-related non-response that is revealed by the British Household Panel Survey and European Community Household Panel data. We both test and correct for non-response in empirical models of the effect of socioeconomic status on self-assessed health. Descriptive evidence shows that there is health-related non-response in the data, with those in very poor initial health more likely to drop out, and variable addition tests provide evidence of non-response bias in the panel data models of self-reported health. Nevertheless a comparison of estimates—based on the balanced sample, the unbalanced sample and corrected for non-response by using inverse probability weights—shows that, on the whole, there are not substantive differences in the average partial effects of the variables of interest. The main differences are between unweighted and one form of inverse-probability-weighted estimates for the average partial effects of income and education in those countries that have fewer than eight waves of data. Similar findings have been reported concerning the limited influence of non-response bias in models of various labour market outcomes; we discuss possible explanations for our results.
Linkage Bias in Estimating the Association Between Childhood Exposures and Propensity to Become a Mother: An Example of Simple Sensitivity Analyses
Authors: Nitsch D. , DeStavola B. L. , Morton S. M. B. , Leon D. A.
Published: January 2006

Record linkage is a powerful tool to obtain individual follow-up information that is held in routinely collected databases. However, this method is potentially limited not only by the quality of the original data but also by the temporal and geographic coverage of the routine data. Migration in particular is a factor that might introduce systematic bias even in analyses of data covering relatively large geographical areas. We describe a linkage application where emigration bias might be an issue and use the sensitivity analysis approach that has been described by Molenberghs and co-workers and Kenward and co-workers to assess the extent of this bias.
Modelling Non-Response in the National Child Development Study
Authors: Hawkes Denise , Plewis Ian
Published: January 2006

There is widespread concern that the cumulative effects of the non-response that is bound to affect any long-running longitudinal study will lead to mistaken inferences about change. We focus on the National Child Development Study and show how non-response has accumulated over time. We distinguish between attrition and wave non-response and show how these two kinds of non-response can be related to a set of explanatory variables. We model the discrete time hazard of non-response and also fit a set of multinomial logistic regressions to the probabilities of different kinds of non-response at a particular sweep. We find that the best predictors of non-response at any sweep are generally variables that are measured at the previous sweep but, although non-response is systematic, much of the variation in it remains unexplained by our models. We consider the implications of our results for both design and analysis.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the Hawaiian flycatcher, the elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis)
Authors: BURGESS SARAH L. , FLEISCHER ROBERT C.
Published: January 2006

Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from two clades of an endemic Hawaiian flycatcher, the elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis). Seven dinucleotide repeats and one trinucleotide repeat were cloned from Kauai elepaio; five dinucleotide repeats were cloned from Oahu elepaio. Polymorphism was assessed in a sample of Oahu elepaio (n = 22) revealing two to 16 alleles per locus. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.14 to 0.91. However, linkage analysis exposed highly significant linkage disequilibrium between two of the most polymorphic loci. Twelve loci are therefore expected to be useful for investigations of population structure.
What's Globalization Got to Do with It? Economic Interdependence and the Future of European Welfare States
Authors: Hay Colin
Published: January 2006

The appeal to globalization as a non-negotiable external economic constraint plays an increasingly significant role in the linked politics of expectation suppression and welfare reform in contemporary Europe. Yet, although it threatens to become something of a self- fulfilling prophecy, the thesis that globalization entails welfare retrenchment and convergence is empirically suspect. In this paper it is argued that there is little evidence of convergence amongst European social models and that, although common trajectories can be identified, these have tended to be implemented more or less enthusiastically and at different paces to produce, to date, divergent outcomes. Second, I suggest that it is difficult to see globalization as the principal agent determining the path on which European social models are embarked since the empirical evidence points if anything to de-globalization rather than globalization. The implications of this for the future of the welfare state in Europe and for the USA as a model welfare state regime are explored.
The Modern State and its Adversaries
Authors: Thompson Helen
Published: January 2006

The modern state would be a crisis if consent to long-established sites of authoritative rule were breaking down, previously capable states were unable to command coercive power, and if the demands of international and supra-national institutions had enforceable claims against historically sovereign states. There is no general crisis of the modern state. The states of most developed countries are secure as sites of authoritative rule, and the military power commanded by the American state is unprecedented. However, the external sovereignty of many poor and small states is diminishing. The cause is not ‘globalization’ but the policies of the world's dominant state.
Consociational Theory, Northern Ireland's Conflict, and its Agreement. Part 1: What Consociationalists Can Learn from Northern Ireland
Authors: McGarry John , O'Leary Brendan
Published: January 2006

In the first of two articles the authors show what consociational theory may learn from the case of Northern Ireland, namely, the importance of external agencies in making and implementing consociational settlements, the relations between consociational and self-determination settlements, the ‘complexity’ of internal settlements, the merits of STV (PR) in electoral arrangements, innovations in using proportional representation decision rules to allocate ministerial portfolios, and conceptual modifications. A second article addresses what anti-consociationalists may learn from the same case.
Euroscepticism and History Education in Britain
Authors: Daddow Oliver J.
Published: January 2006

This article examines the role played by national history in generating and sustaining the popularity of British Eurosceptic arguments. The core argument advanced is that the modernist approach to history prevalent among British historians and the society in which they work has to be considered the key reason for Euroscepticism retaining such a popular appeal in Britain. The overly reverential attitude to recent martial history on the part of the British, and an almost total neglect of the peacetime dimensions of modern European history since 1945, both serve to exaggerate the tendency in the country to fall back on glib images of Britain as a great power with a ‘special relationship’ across the Atlantic and Europe as a hostile ‘other’ to be confronted rather than engaged with constructively.
Consensus and Parliamentary Opposition: The Case of Spain
Authors: Mújica Alejandro , Sánchez-Cuenca Ignacio
Published: January 2006

It is well known that in developed democracies the opposition tends to cooperate with the government. Spain is no exception: around 70 per cent of all ‘organic laws’ (constitutionally significant bills that require a parliamentary majority to be passed) are approved with the support of the main opposition party. We try to explain the variation in the level of consensus in the first seven legislative terms of the current Spanish democracy. We show that there are three key variables: the balance of power between government and opposition, the nature of the institutional actor that first proposes the bill, and the ideological significance of the bill.
‘This is Our Way In’: The Civil Society of Environmental NGOs in South-West China
Authors: Cooper Caroline M.
Published: January 2006

A growing number of Chinese environmental groups constitute not only an effective force in tackling environmental issues, but also a genuine civil society that is transforming state-society relations in China. This paper will consider how the environmental movement now taking shape among south-western China's environmental NGOs creates new civic freedoms and deals with existing constraints under the current Chinese political system. While this empowerment of local citizens will have a broadly positive influence on the protection of China's environment, precedent from other transitioning countries shows that environmental movements can be inextricably linked to important new freedoms for the public as well as jarring political change.
Conservation of retinal circadian rhythms during cavefish eye degeneration
Authors: Espinasa Luis , Jeffery William R.
Published: January 2006

Regressive evolution of morphological features is a common evolutionary event. However, the relationship between structural degeneration and loss of physiological function is often unclear because the ancestral and derived states of a character are usually not available for comparison. Here, we report studies on retinomotor rhythms during development of the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus, a single teleost species consisting of a sighted surface‐dwelling form (surface fish) and several blind cave‐dwelling (cavefish) forms. The eyed and blind forms of Astyanax diverged from a common sighted ancestor within the past million years. Despite the absence of functional eyes in cavefish adults, optic primordia are formed in embryos, but then gradually arrest in development, degenerate, and sink into the orbits. Although a layered retina is formed in cavefish embryos, it is deficient in photoreceptor cells, and in some cases the retinal pigment epithelium has lost its pigmentation. We show that the capacity to exhibit light‐entrained retinomotor rhythms has been conserved in the degenerating embryonic eyes of two different Astyanax cavefish populations. The results indicate that loss of circadian retinal function does not precede and is therefore not required for eye degeneration in the blind cavefish.