bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intracardiac Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Therapy in Cardiac Amyloidosis
Authors: Feng DaLi , Syed Imran S. , Martinez Matthew , Oh Jae K. , Jaffe Allan S. , Grogan Martha , Edwards William D. , Gertz Morie A. , Klarich Kyle W.
Published: May 2009

Background—

Primary amyloidosis has a poor prognosis as a result of frequent cardiac involvement. We recently reported a high prevalence of intracardiac thrombus in cardiac amyloid patients at autopsy. However, neither the prevalence nor the effect of anticoagulation on intracardiac thrombus has been evaluated antemortem.

Methods and Results—

We studied all transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms of cardiac amyloid patients at the Mayo Clinic. The prevalence of intracardiac thrombosis, clinical and transthoracic/transesophageal echocardiographic risks for intracardiac thrombosis, and effect of anticoagulation were investigated. We identified 156 patients with cardiac amyloidosis who underwent transesophageal echocardiograms. Amyloidosis was the primary type (AL) in 80; other types occurred in 76 patients, including 56 with the wild transthyretin type, 17 with the mutant transthyretin type, and 3 with the secondary type. Fifth-eight intracardiac thrombi were identified in 42 patients (27%). AL amyloid had more frequent intracardiac thrombus than the other types (35% versus 18%;
P
=0.02), although the AL patients were younger and had less atrial fibrillation. Multivariate analysis showed that atrial fibrillation, poor left ventricular diastolic function, and lower left atrial appendage emptying velocity were independently associated with increased risk for intracardiac thrombosis, whereas anticoagulation was associated with a significantly decreased risk (odds ratio, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.51;
P
<0.006).

Conclusions—

Intracardiac thrombosis occurs frequently in cardiac amyloid patients, especially in the AL type and in those with atrial fibrillation. Risk for thrombosis increased if left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and atrial mechanical dysfunction were present. Anticoagulation therapy appears protective. Timely screening in high-risk patients may allow early detection of intracardiac thrombus. Anticoagulation should be carefully considered.
Sca-1
+
Stem Cell Survival and Engraftment in the Infarcted Heart
Authors: Lu Gang , Haider Husnain K. , Jiang Shujia , Ashraf Muhammad
Published: May 2009

Background—

We report that elevated connexin-43 (Cx-43) in stem cells preconditioned with insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is cytoprotective and reprograms the cells for cardiomyogenic differentiation.

Methods and Results—

Sca-1
+
cells were preconditioned with 100 nmol/L IGF-1 for 30 minutes followed by 8 hours of oxygen glucose deprivation to assess the cytoprotective effects of preconditioning. LDH release assay, cytochrome
c
release, and mitochondrial membrane potential assay showed improved survival of preconditioned Sca-1
+
cells under oxygen glucose deprivation compared with nonpreconditioned Sca-1
+
cells via PI3K/Akt-dependent caspase-3 downregulation. We observed PI3K/Akt-dependent upregulation of cardiac-specific markers including MEF-2c (2.5-fold), GATA4 (3.1-fold), and Cx-43 (3.5-fold). Cx-43 inhibition with specific RNA interference reduced cell survival under oxygen glucose deprivation and after transplantation. In vivo studies were performed in a female rat model of acute myocardial infarction (n=78). Animals were grouped to receive intramyocardially 70 μL Dulbecco modified Eagles medium without cells (group 1) or containing male 1×10
6
nonpreconditioned Sca-1
+
cells (group 2) or preconditioned Sca-1
+
(group 3) cells labeled with PKH26. Survival of the preconditioned Sca-1
+
cells was 5.5-fold higher in group 3 compared with group 2 at 7 days after transplantation. Confocal imaging after actinin and Cx-43 specific immunostaining showed extensive engraftment and myogenic differentiation of preconditioned Sca-1
+
cells. Compared with group 2, group 3 showed increased blood vessel density (22.3±1.7 per microscopic field;
P
<0.0001) and attenuated infarction size (23.3±3.6%;
P
=0.002). Heart function indices including ejection fraction (56.2±3.5;
P
=0.029) and fractional shortening (24.3±2.1;
P
=0.03) were improved in group 3 compared with group 2.

Conclusions—

Preconditioning with IGF-1 reprograms Sca-1
+
for prosurvival signaling and cardiomyogenic differentiation with an important role for Cx-43 in this process.
Aging Is Associated With Reduced Prostacyclin-Mediated Dilation in the Human Forearm
Authors: Nicholson Wayne T. , Vaa Brianna , Hesse Christiane , Eisenach John H. , Joyner Michael J.
Published: May 2009

Aging is associated with reduced endothelial function. There is indirect evidence for reduced prostacyclin (PGI
2
)-mediated vasodilation with aging, but it is unknown whether this is because of reduced dilation to PGI
2
or altered production. In addition, the contribution of endothelial NO to PGI
2
-mediated dilation is unknown. Using plethysmography to determine forearm blood flow, we studied the effect of PGI
2
in 10 older (61 to 73 years) and 10 younger (19 to 45 years) subjects using 3 escalating intra-arterial doses of PGI
2
(epoprostenol). PGI
2
was also administered after NO synthase inhibition with
N
G
-monomethyl-
l
-arginine acetate. The percent of change in forearm vascular conductance (mean±SEM) from baseline after PGI
2
was significantly lower (
P
=0.002) in the aging individuals (52±11%, 164±23%, and 221±27% versus 115±20%, 249±19%, and 370±35%). In addition, the group-by-dose interaction was also significant (
P
=0.018). After NO synthase inhibition, the dose-response curve to PGI
2
was blunted in the young subjects but unchanged in the older subjects; the difference between the groups was no longer significant. Our data suggest that the reduced dilator effects of PGI
2
in older individuals are attributable to a reduction in the contribution of endothelial-derived NO versus alterations in the direct effects of PGI
2
on vascular smooth muscle.
Vascular Contraction and Preeclampsia
Authors: Bakker Winston W. , Henning Rob H. , van Son Willem J. , van Pampus Maria G. , Aarnoudse Jan G. , Niezen-Koning Klary E. , Borghuis Theo , Jongman Rianne M. , van Goor Harry , Poelstra Klaas , Navis Gerjan , Faas Marijke M.
Published: May 2009

During normal pregnancy, in contrast to preeclampsia, plasma hemopexin activity is increased together with a decreased vascular angiotensin II receptor (AT
1
) expression. We now tested the hypothesis that hemopexin can downregulate the AT
1
receptor in vitro. Analysis of human monocytes or endothelial cells by flow cytometry showed decreased membrane density of AT
1
exclusively after incubation with active hemopexin, whereas in supernatants of these cell cultures, AT
1
molecules could be detected (dot blotting). Also, diminished AT
1
was observed in endothelial cell lysates after contact with hemopexin (Western blotting). Hemopexin also induced extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 pathway inhibition in cells after stimulation with angiotensin II in vitro, indicating downregulation of AT
1
by hemopexin. In addition, functional loss of AT
1
occurred after incubation of rat aortic rings with active hemopexin, as reflected by decreased contraction of the aortic rings on stimulation with angiotensin II. It was further demonstrated that plasma from normal pregnant women decreased the AT
1
receptor expression on monocytes as compared with plasma from nonpregnant women or preeclamptic women. Finally, it was shown that plasma hemopexin activity increases during normal gestation from week 10 onward. We concluded that active hemopexin is able to downregulate the AT
1
receptor in human monocytes, endothelial cells, and rat aortic rings. We propose that the physiological role of enhanced hemopexin activity during healthy pregnancy is to downregulate the vascular AT
1
receptor, promoting an expanded vascular bed. Inhibition of hemopexin activity during preeclampsia may result in an enhanced AT
1
receptor expression and a contracted vascular bed.
Influence of Concurrent Obesity and Low Birth Weight on Blood Pressure Phenotype in Youth
Authors: Lurbe Empar , Carvajal Eva , Torro Isabel , Aguilar Francisco , Alvarez Julio , Redon Josep
Published: May 2009

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of obesity and low birth weight on both office and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) values, as well as on aortic-derived parameters in youths. A total of 422 white youths, from 10 to 18 years of age, were included. Subjects were divided into 4 groups according to the presence (234; 55%) or the absence (188; 45%) of obesity and according to low (114; 27%) or normal (308; 73%, birth weight. Spacelabs 90207 was used to measure ambulatory BP during a 24-hour period. SphygmoCor radial/aortic transform software was used to estimate aortic pressure waveform. Office, 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime systolic BP values were significantly higher in those subjects with low birth weight who became obese. The lowest BP values were present in nonobese subjects in the absence of low birth weight. In the middle, with similar BP values, were nonobese subjects with low birth weight and obese subjects in the absence of low birth weight. No interaction existed between obesity and low birth weight in the office (
P
=0.165) or ambulatory (
P
=0.603) systolic BP values. Augmentation index, an estimate of the pulse wave reflection, was significantly higher in the nonobese low birth weight group when compared with the other groups after controlling for height, heart rate, and diastolic BP. A significant interaction between low birth weight and obesity (
P
<0.005) existed. In conclusion, although the low birth weight children who become obese have the highest systolic BP values, the presence of obesity blunts the increment of the reflecting wave observed in low birth weight subjects.
Objective Reduction in Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization: Theory and Applications
Authors: Brockhoff Dimo , Zitzler Eckart
Published: May 2009

Many-objective problems represent a major challenge in the field of evolutionary multiobjective optimization—in terms of search efficiency, computational cost, decision making, visualization, and so on. This leads to various research questions, in particular whether certain objectives can be omitted in order to overcome or at least diminish the difficulties that arise when many, that is, more than three, objective functions are involved. This study addresses this question from different perspectives.

First, we investigate how adding or omitting objectives affects the problem characteristics and propose a general notion of conflict between objective sets as a theoretical foundation for objective reduction. Second, we present both exact and heuristic algorithms to systematically reduce the number of objectives, while preserving as much as possible of the dominance structure of the underlying optimization problem. Third, we demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed objective reduction method in the context of both decision making and search for a radar waveform application as well as for well-known test functions.
Prior Information Biases Stimulus Representations during Vibrotactile Decision Making
Authors: Preuschhof Claudia , Schubert Torsten , Villringer Arno , Heekeren Hauke R.
Published: May 2009

Neurophysiological data suggest that the integration of prior information and incoming sensory evidence represents the neural basis of the decision-making process. Here, we aimed to identify the brain structures involved in the integration of prior information about the average magnitude of a stimulus set and current sensory evidence. Specifically, we investigated whether prior average information already biases vibrotactile decision making during stimulus perception and maintenance before the comparison process. For this purpose, we used a vibrotactile delayed discrimination task and fMRI. At the behavioral level, participants showed the time-order effect. This psychophysical phenomenon has been shown to result from the influence of prior information on the perception of and the memory for currently presented stimuli. Similarly, the fMRI signal reflected the integration of prior information about the average vibration frequency and the currently presented vibration frequency. During stimulus encoding, the fMRI signal in primary and secondary somatosensory (S2) cortex, thalamus, and ventral premotor cortex mirrored an integration process. During stimulus maintenance, only a region in the intraparietal sulcus showed this modulation by prior average information. Importantly, the fMRI signal in S2 and intraparietal sulcus correlated with individual differences in the degree to which participants integrated prior average information. This strongly suggests that these two regions play a pivotal role in the integration process. Taken together, these results support the notion that the integration of current sensory and prior average information is a major feature of how the human brain perceives, remembers, and judges magnitude stimuli.
Tactile Temporal Processing in the Auditory Cortex
Authors: Bolognini Nadia , Papagno Costanza , Moroni Daniela , Maravita Angelo
Published: May 2009

Perception of the outside world results from integration of information simultaneously derived via multiple senses. Increasing evidence suggests that the neural underpinnings of multisensory integration extend into the early stages of sensory processing. In the present study, we investigated whether the superior temporal gyrus (STG), an auditory modality-specific area, is critical for processing tactile events. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the left STG and the left primary somatosensory cortex (SI) at different time intervals (60, 120, and 180 msec) during a tactile temporal discrimination task (Experiment 1) and a tactile spatial discrimination task (Experiment 2). Tactile temporal processing was disrupted when TMS was applied to SI at 60 msec after tactile presentation, confirming the modality specificity of this region. Crucially, TMS over STG also affected tactile temporal processing but at 180 msec delay. In both cases, the impairment was limited to the contralateral touches and was due to reduced perceptual sensitivity. In contrary, tactile spatial processing was impaired only by TMS over SI at 60–120 msec. These findings demonstrate the causal involvement of auditory areas in processing the duration of somatosensory events, suggesting that STG might play a supramodal role in temporal perception. Furthermore, the involvement of auditory cortex in somatosensory processing supports the view that multisensory integration occurs at an early stage of cortical processing.
Adoption in Han China
Authors: de Crespigny Rafe , Brown Miranda
Published: May 2009

We investigate surviving legal statutes regarding inheritance and descriptions of adoption from the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE), asking to what extent there was consensus among the literate elite about the rules for adoption. We argue that, in contrast to later periods, there is little evidence for the existence of any single set of classical prescriptions. Instead, the Han ruling elite had at their disposal a variety of legitimate strategies for deciding whether to and how to incorporate outsiders into the household. Such strategies involved different parties, contrasting principles, and diverging rationales. Nous examinons les statuts juridiques qui portent sur les successions, aussi bien que les descriptions d'adoption, avec le but d'établir jusqu'à quelle mesure il existait pendant la dynastie Han (206 av. J.-C.-220 ap. J.-C.) un consensus sur des règles d'adoption auprès des élites lettrées. On soutient, qu'à la différence des périodes ultérieures, on ne trouve peu de trace d'un ensemble unique de préscriptions classiques. Les élites de l'époque Han disposaient d'une variété de stratégies différentes pour décider si et de quelle façon ils pouvaient intégrer des étrangers dans la famille. De telles stratégies suivaient des règles et des systèmes de logiques plutôt divergents.
A new black-bellied snake (Pseudoxyrhophiinae: Liophidium) from western Madagascar, with notes on the genus Pararhadinaea
Authors: Franzen Michael , Jones Julia , Raselimanana Achille , Nagy Zoltán , D'Cruze Neil , Glaw Frank , Vences Miguel
Published: May 2009

We describe Liophidium maintikibo, a new species of pseudoxyrhophiine snake
from the dry deciduous forest of Kirindy, western Madagascar. The new
species is related to Liophidium therezieni but differs by a lower number of
ventral scales and several details of colouration. Its ventral scales have a
large central black patch which is missing from the subcaudals. This
predominantly black ventral side is similar to that of another enigmatic
Malagasy snake, Pararhadinaea melanogaster, for which we here present
evidence for two new locality records, Ankarana and Daraina in northern
Madagascar. The phylogenetic relationships of P. melanogaster (the sole
representative of a monotypic genus) have so far not been clarified.
Similarities to Liophidium maintikibo may indicate affinities to Liophidium,
but P. melanogaster differs from this new species by a lower number of
ventrals, subcaudals, number of maxillary teeth and by a different dorsal
colouration.
Moses in the Passover Haggadah
Authors: Avioz Michael
Published: May 2009

This essay tries to uncover the reason for the omission of Moses from the Passover haggadah. According to my interpretation, the editors of the haggadah expressed an opinion on an issue which already occupied the authors of the Biblical stories. Integrating Moses' name intensively in the haggadah may have blurred the viewpoint that wishes to attribute miracles solely to God.
Risky Relationships?
Authors: Carbone-Lopez Kristin , Kruttschnitt Candace
Published: May 2009

Research indicates that female offenders are far more likely to have experienced intimate partner violence than women in the general population. Despite extensive research on women’s pathways into offending, very little is known about why these women are at increased risk for partner violence. The authors use data from a sample of incarcerated women to explore various explanations for this association, paying particular attention to assortative mating patterns and the role of lifestyle. Findings indicate that, net of other risk factors, relationships with criminally involved partners increase women’s risks of victimization. Such findings have implications for assortative mating theory, the study of female offenders, and studies of the community-level impact of incarceration.
Partition and the politics of the joint family in nineteenth-century north	India
Authors: Denault Leigh
Published: May 2009

Using nineteenth-century case law, legal and social theory, and ethnography, this essay will examine colonial attempts to coalesce complex relational identities into individual and collective ones, and to create ‘the Hindu joint family’ as a codified ritual and property-holding collective. Focussing on texts and court cases that considered the ‘joint family’ as a social unit under siege or a property collective at the point of dissolution, we can see how individuals were forced to privilege certain social and intimate bonds above others in establishing a clear identity before the state. The importance of the creation of alienable property rights and markets in land became a clear motive for supporting the North Indian Hindu joint family as a social norm across India. Courts felt free to assign identities and to codify customs when confronted with syncretic practices or blurred ‘traditions’ that had characterised eighteenth-century families.
The codification of personal law and secular citizenship
Authors: Newbigin Eleanor
Published: May 2009

Recent debates about personal law and a uniform civil code in India have seen both Hindu and Muslim leaders insist on the ‘religious’ status of Muslim law vis-à-vis a more secular or ‘civil’ Hindu legal system. This article argues that such claims obscure very important similarities in the development and functioning of these legal systems. Tracing the origins of the current debate to late nineteenth and early twentieth-century debates about law reform, it argues that the systems of personal law in operation in India today are the outcome of late colonial attempts by Hindu and Muslim male reformers to alter their legal systems in ways that served their own interests. The ways in which they succeeded in securing these ends were very different; colonial constructions of Hindu and Muslim religious practices, and later partition, shaped the context within which male reformers sought to assert their claims, before the state and their own religious communities. Thus, far from marking an inherent difference between Hindu and Muslim law, claims about the ‘civil’ or ‘religious’ status of the legal systems serve in both cases to underpin particular forms of patriarchal authority and gender inequality.
Mumtaz Bibi's broken heart
Authors: De Rohit
Published: May 2009

This article investigates the formation of a political consensus between conservative ulama, Muslim reformers, nationalist politicians and women's organisations, which led to the enactment of the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act in 1939. The Act was a radical piece of social legislation that gave South Asian Muslim women greater rights for divorce than those enjoyed by other women in India and Britain. Instead of placing women's rights and Islamic law as opposed to each other, the legislation employed a heuristic that guaranteed women's rights by applying Islamic law, allowing Muslim politicians, ulama and women's groups to find common ground on an Islamic modernity. By interrogating the legislative process and the rhetorical positions employed to achieve this consensus, the paper hopes to map how the women's question was being negotiated anew in the space created in the legislatures. The legislative debate over family law redefined the boundaries of the public and the private, and forced nationalists to reconsider the ‘women's question’. The transformation of Islamic law through secular legislation also gave greater licence to the courts in their interpretation, and widened the schism between traditional practitioners of fiqh and modern lawyers.
The Analysis of Conflict: A Micro-Level Perspective
Authors: Verwimp Philip , Justino Patricia , Brück Tilman
Published: May 2009

This article introduces a special issue on the micro-level dynamics of mass violent conflict. While most analyses of conflict typically adopt a regional, national or global perspective, often using country-level data, this special issue takes an explicit micro-level approach, focusing on the behaviour and welfare of individuals, households and groups or communities. At a fundamental level, conflict originates from individuals' behaviour and their repeated interactions with their surroundings, in other words, from its micro-foundations. A micro-level approach advances our understanding of conflict by its ability to account for individual and group heterogeneity within one country or one conflict. The contributors to this special issue investigate the nature of violence against civilians, the agency of civilians during conflict, the strategic interaction between civilians and armed actors, the consequences of displacement, the effectiveness of coping strategies and the impact of policy interventions. The core message from these articles is that in order to understand conflict dynamics and its effects on society, we have to take seriously the incentives and constraints shaping the interaction between the civilian population and the armed actors. The kind of interaction that develops, as well as the resulting conflict dynamics, depend on the type of conflict, the type of armed actors and the characteristics of the civilian population and its institutions.
Agriculture, Poverty, and Postwar Reconstruction: Micro-Level Evidence from Northern Mozambique
Authors: Bozzoli Carlos , Brück Tilman
Published: May 2009

This article analyzes the effects of household-level activity choices on farm household welfare in a developing country affected by mass violent armed conflict. The study uses household survey data from postwar Nampula and Cabo Delgado provinces in Northern Mozambique capturing many activity choices, including market participation, risk and activity diversification, cotton adoption, and social exchange, as well as income-and consumption-based measures of welfare. The study advances the literature on postwar coping and rural poverty at the micro level by estimating potentially endogenous activity choices and welfare outcomes using instrumental variables. The study finds that increasing the cultivated area and on-farm activities enhances postwar welfare of smallholders exploiting wartime survival techniques. Subsistence farming reduces income but does not affect consumption, while market participation has positive welfare effects. This suggests that postwar reconstruction policies should encourage the wartime crop mix but offer enhanced marketing opportunities for such crops. Cotton adoption, which was promoted by aid agencies in the postwar period, reduces household welfare per capita by between 16% and 31%, controlling for market access. This contradicts previous studies of postwar rural development that did not control for the war-related endogeneity. Hence, addressing the potential endogeneity of activity choices is important because the standard regression approach may lead to biased estimates of the impact of activity choice on welfare, which in turn may lead to biased policy advice. The article discusses and contextualizes these findings, concluding with a discussion of suitable pro-poor reconstruction policies for national governments and donors.
Metamodels for Estimating Quantiles of Systems with One Controllable Parameter
Authors: Chen E. Jack
Published: May 2009

We investigate the properties and robustness of histogram approximation to construct non-functional-form metamodels for estimating quantiles of systems with one controllable parameter, providing a general trend of quantiles. By non-functional-form metamodel, we mean the metamodel is not described by a single formula. The procedure constructs histograms by tracking sample quantiles at certain grid points. The algorithm dynamically increases the sample size so that the quantile estimates obtained via the histogram satisfy the proportional precision. The non-functional-form metamodel is constructed with a set of carefully selected histograms. Quantiles can then be estimated via the metamodel. An experimental performance evaluation demonstrates the validity of using non-functional-form metamodels to estimate quantiles.
Performance Evaluation of the ROSENET Network Emulation System
Authors: Yan Gu  , Fujimoto Richard
Published: May 2009

Network emulation has been widely used to aid in the development and evaluation of real-time applications. Traditional emulation tools based on a single node machine or a cluster of machines cannot satisfy today's requirements for testing real-time applications distributed over wide area networks. ROSENET (RemOte SErver-based Network EmulaTion) is a network emulation approach that exploits a remote high-fidelity simulation to provide scale and accuracy for a low-fidelity emulator serving a locally executing real-time application. This paper evaluates the performance of an implementation of ROSENET using the NIST Net emulator and GTNetS simulator. Experimental results examining end-to-end delay and loss show that ROSENET provides a promising approach to network emulation supporting accuracy and scale while meeting real-time constraints.
Defining Transition Rules with Reinforcement Learning for Modeling Land Cover Change
Authors: Bone Christopher , Dragićević Suzana
Published: May 2009

Spatio-temporal modeling provides the opportunity to simulate geographic processes of land use and land cover change (LUCC) by integrating geographic information systems (GIS) with various machine learning approaches to computing. Contemporary models are often developed using a training dataset to define a set of probabilistic transition rules that govern how a landscape changes over time. However, the use of training datasets can be problematic for spatio-temporal modeling, as they can limit the ability to incorporate system complexity and hinder the transferability of the model to different datasets. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a machine learning approach called reinforcement learning (RL) for defining transition rules for GIS-based models of land cover change due to natural resource extraction. Specifically, RL is evaluated based on its potential for constructing models independent of training datasets that can handle different levels of complexity and be transferred across different spatial extents. An RL model for Land Cover Change (RL-LCC) is developed for considering economic and ecological goals involved in natural resource management, and implemented using a hypothetical forest management scenario. Simulation results reveal that agents in the RL-LCC model are able to develop transition rules from their experience in their landscape in a variety of simulation scenarios that allow them to achieve their goals. This study demonstrates the benefits of integrating RL and GIS in order to address important issues of space, time and complexity.
Can Social Science Be Just?
Authors: Gunnell John Gilbert
Published: May 2009

Despite the extensive commentary on the work of Peter Winch, there has been inadequate recognition of how his Idea of a Social Science discerned the implications of Wittgenstein’s philosophy for confronting issues regarding the nature and interpretation of social phenomena. Winch’s subsequent confrontation with anthropology can be further illuminated by examining one of the most contentious contemporary debates in this field. This case illustrates the paradoxes involved in meta-practices such as philosophy and social science seeking to make descriptive and normative claims about conceptually preconstituted forms of life, and it indicates the limitations of philosophical realism as a social scientific meta-theory.
Reassessing the Link Between City Structure and Fiscal Policy
Authors: Carr Jered B. , Karuppusamy Shanthi
Published: May 2009

This study assesses the proposition that local government structure affects municipal expenditure levels. Despite decades of research, this question remains unsettled. Early on, analyses of this topic confirmed a linkage between municipal structure and fiscal policy, but more recent works have challenged this finding. Despite the widespread view that municipal structures are increasingly complex, many scholars continue to use simple measures of structure based on the use of the mayor—council or council—manager form. This gap between structures in practice and the measures used in research designs may explain the increasing frequency of studies with null findings. This proposition is examined through an analysis of the link between the per capita expenditures of 263 Michigan cities and four approaches to classifying local government structure. Regardless of the approach used or the complexity of the measure, no evidence was found that city structure is linked to per capita spending in these cities.
The Financial and Economic Crisis of 2008: A Systemic Crisis of Neoliberal Capitalism
Authors: Kotz David M.
Published: May 2009

This paper presents a case that the financial and economic crisis that began in the United States in 2008 indicates the start of a systemic crisis of neoliberal capitalism. The same institutional features of neoliberal capitalism that promoted a series of long economic expansions over several decades also created long-run trends that have led to a systemic crisis. Major economic restructuring is likely to follow.
Between Atomistic and Participatory Democracy
Authors: Oser Jennifer Lynn
Published: May 2009

Although a great deal of research on civic engagement has been based on individual survey responses, there is emerging consensus for the need to better understand the civic opportunities provided by a given organizational context. This article develops a conceptual model to examine the different reasons why organizations would choose to invest in a membership-recruiting strategy despite the significant investment this strategy requires. The case study analysis of interest group associations in Israel confirms the hypothesis of an increased use of membership as an organizational strategy for building policy influence. The organizations are shown to be more interested over time in developing political leverage for influencing policy-making processes. Membership is viewed primarily as a strategy for rhetorical or symbolic legitimation for one organization, but even this organization uses membership as a tool for gaining greater leverage resources. Yet the findings are not optimistic regarding the focus on developing civic leadership.
Transferability of Management Innovation to Africa
Authors: Mamman Aminu , Baydoun Nabil , Adeoye Bolanle
Published: May 2009

Horwitz et al. (2006: 807) have argued that ‘the debate regarding convergence/divergence perspectives in the cross-cultural diffusion of human resource management (HRM) practices is a somewhat simplistic one.’ The authors are of the view that because convergent similarity of HRM practice exists at a nominal level, the notions of hybridization and crossvergence are better in explaining HRM practices and their diffusion across countries. While the authors focused on exploring explanations of the differences in HRM practices, the article provocatively challenges researchers and experts to explore the question of whether Multinational Companies (MNCs) should adapt Human Resource Management Innovation (HRMI) and if so, why? And how?

The main aim of this article is to investigate the following questions: (a) Given that MNCs transfer HRMI to developing countries, which policy should guide the transfer (polycentric or ethnocentric?); and (b) Given that host-country nationals (HCNs) are not passive recipients of HRMI, what are the implications of the policy (polycentric or ethnocentric) for MNCs? The result of our investigation and the review of literature suggest that the MNCs’ performance management (PM) policies are partially ethnocentric, but the practice, as perceived by some HCNs (employees), is polycentric. For example, some HCNs perceive some degree of nepotism and patronage in the system. Also, many felt that their line managers were biased against them. Similarly, a significant number of HCNs felt that their views are not taken into account during PM review and they do not receive feedback from their managers. The implications of the findings are then discussed.
Do All Advertising Appeals Influence Consumer Purchase Decision
Authors: Verma Sanjeev
Published: May 2009

No communication is complete without feedback or reaction. The intent behind advertising is to persuade consumers to purchase and repurchase the product over and over again, but does the consumer respond to all communications sent by the advertisers? The human brain has a limited processing capacity and consumers have the tendency to process the most useful and appealing information first. Advertisers use different types of appeals and demonstrations to attract and retain customers, but the literature review shows very less work on evaluating the differential impact of various types of appeals on consumer purchase decisions. This study empirically tests the differential influence various advertising appeals create on consumer purchase decisions.
Enablers of Sustaining Competitiveness
Authors: Bhattacharya Sanjay , Momaya K. , Iyer K.C.
Published: May 2009

International competitiveness is becoming important, even for industries that were once considered very domestic. Top international construction companies seem to be going through major strategic transformations to sustain competitiveness. Some have achieved remarkably high international competitiveness. Strategic management can play a crucial role in achieving competitiveness. An attempt has been made in this research to understand the differences in strategies being evolved by the top firms. The dynamics of strategies has been captured using the concept of strategic enablers. Several important enablers were identified from literature review to develop constructs. Then, the strategies of the selected firms were analyzed in terms of enablers, to identify patterns and draw implication .
Exploring the Meanings of Globalization in Beijing
Authors: Mamman Aminu , Baydoun Nabil , Liu Kui
Published: May 2009

The purpose of this article is to investigate the meaning of globalization from the Chinese point of view. Managerial and organizational cognition literature suggests that the decisions of individuals (for example, managers) are the basis for understanding organizational strategy and behaviour. Therefore, the concept of meaning is vital to the understanding of why and how managers, policymakers and policy influencers react to a phenomenon such as globalization. In other words, it might be possible, within reason, to predict managers’, policymakers’ and policy implementers’ decisions and actions by understanding the meaning they attach to globalization rather than explain their decisions or actions afterwards. Our investigation of the meaning of globalization using a sample of Chinese professionals, managers and business people is an attempt to explore this possibility.
Trust and Learning as Moderators in Achieving Global Supply-Chain Competitiveness
Authors: Chatterjee Samir Ranjan
Published: May 2009

Trust and learning are emerging as the two most critical competitive elements in a range of global industries. Rapid global growth as well as the building of indigenous capabilities through investments, alliances, innovations, human capital development and learning characterize these industries. This article outlines some of the recent developments in the automobile component manufacturing industry in India and China as illustrations of this trend. The auto-component sectors in China and India show the emergence of a large number of dynamic local and global players with breathtaking competitive agility. This dynamism is a stark contrast to the picture of a moribund industry during the protective and regulatory regime only a decade and half ago. The auto-component manufacturing sector has successfully shifted away from the era of ‘contract’ and ‘catalogue’ mindset to ‘network’ and ‘innovation’ mindset and could be a good model for others to follow.

As China and India adopt very different ‘strategic intent’ in developing their auto industries, similarity in their emphasis on acquiring competitive agility through trust and learning provides unmistakable evidence of convergence. This article argues that the strategies underpinning the success have been built more upon the strategic thinking in soft areas of supply chain relationships. The roles of transnational assemblers and component suppliers as well as indigenous manufacturers and component suppliers have been redefined in a way very different from the standardized and typical strategies of multi-domestic ‘localization’ and ‘glocalization’.
Specialized Summer Camp for Children with Cancer: Social Support and Adjustment
Authors: Conrad Amy L. , Altmaier Elizabeth M.
Published: May 2009

The purpose of this study was to assess the types of social support received by children attending a week-long residential summer camp for children with cancer. Following the camp, families were sent a social support questionnaire (for the child to complete) and the Child Behavior Checklist (for parents to complete). Analyses evaluated children's adjustment rated by parents, support reported by children, and the relationship between adjustment and support. Girls reported receiving more support than boys, and both genders reported receiving more support at camp than children in the general population. Ratings of adjustment were not different from normative data for boys or girls. No relationship was found between adjustment and support. The camp environment is very supportive and may offer forms of support not available in other environments. Research is needed to further understand how camp can be supportive, what factors may affect that support, and how the experience enhances children's quality of life.
Examining the Use of Direct Behavior Rating on Formative Assessment of Class-Wide Engagement
Authors: Riley-Tillman T. Chris , Methe Scott A. , Weegar Kathryn
Published: May 2009

High-quality formative assessment data are critical to the successful application of any problem-solving model (e.g., response to intervention). Formative data available for a wide variety of outcomes (academic, behavior) and targets (individual, class, school) facilitate effective decisions about needed intervention supports and responsiveness to those supports. The purpose of the current case study is to provide preliminary examination of direct behavior rating methods in class-wide assessment of engagement. A class-wide intervention is applied in a single-case design (B-A-B-A), and both systematic direct observation and direct behavior rating are used to evaluate effects. Results indicate that class-wide direct behavior rating data are consistent with systematic direct observation across phases, suggesting that in this case study, direct behavior rating data are sensitive to classroom-level intervention effects. Implications for future research are discussed.
HIV Testing and Treatment Among At-Risk Drinking Injection Drug Users
Authors: Arasteh Kamyar , Des Jarlais Don C.
Published: May 2009

Objective. To test the hypothesis that at-risk drinking is associated with a smaller probability of prior HIV testing and access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) among injection drug users (IDUs) entering treatment for drug abuse. Methods. HIV infected IDUs (N = 643) entering detoxification or methadone maintenance treatment in New York City between 1997 and 2002 comprised the participants. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess whether receiving ART was associated with at-risk drinking. Results. A significantly smaller proportion of at-risk drinkers, compared to nondrinkers and moderate drinkers, reported receiving ART. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed a significant interaction between alcohol and cocaine use in relation to reported ART. At-risk drinkers who used crack cocaine were less likely to receive ART compared to nondrinkers who did not use crack cocaine. Conclusion. HIV treatment programs should address at-risk drinking through screening for alcohol use and educating staff to improve the lower rate of ART reported by at-risk drinking IDUs.
Liberalisation and the Political Economy of Financial Bubbles
Authors: Knafo Samuel
Published: May 2009

This paper criticises the tight association in the political economy literature of speculation with liberal forms of governance. Having emphasised liberalisation, it is argued, scholars who ascribe to such a view are too often left without an institutional account of speculative dynamics. The paper then sets out the foundation for a political economy of speculation; one which emphasises the various forms speculation has taken and how these are rooted within specific institutional structures. In order to do so, the paper develops a distinction between premodern and modern speculation and uses it in order to contrast British and American finance. This contrast then serves as a basis for challenging the idea that speculation emerges from liberal forms of governance.
The Economics and Culture of Financial Inflation
Authors: Toporowski Jan
Published: May 2009

In this paper ‘financialisation’ is broadly defined as a process of inflating capital markets or more strictly financial inflation. The paper examines some of the social, economic and political consequences of financial inflation for the activities of companies and the operations in debt markets of an increasingly financial middle class. Financial inflation alters the behaviour of individuals and firms, and hence the character and dynamics of the capitalist economy and society. The first section of the paper explains the Kalecki–Steindl theory of enforced company indebtedness in a middle-class society. The second section shows how financial inflation makes companies over-capitalised, resulting in a decline in the trend of long-term investment. The third section shows how forced company indebtedness is modified as the middle classes extend their consumption financed through inflating asset markets. A conclusion sketches out some of the consequences of this financialisation for politics, social policy, and moral and cultural attitudes.
Financialised Elites and the Changing Nature of Finance Capitalism: Investment Bankers in London's Financial District
Authors: Hall Sarah
Published: May 2009

This paper uses the financial and economic downturn widely dated back to summer 2007 to develop understandings of financial elites in London's international financial district. Drawing on empirical research conducted into fee earning investment bankers and social scientific research into elites and power relations, I focus on the different modalities of power associated with the changing nature of these ‘financialised elites’. I argue that in contrast to earlier generations of financiers, the power of contemporary investment bankers emerges through their role choreographing transnational networks of financial actors associated with securitised and structured products rather than being purely read off their social or education background. I suggest that these networked forms of power relation are significant because, on the one hand, they have prevented investment bankers distancing themselves from the ongoing turbulence and uncertainty within the international financial system. Meanwhile, on the other hand, the ability of investment bankers to (re)produce such networks indicates that suggestions of the demise of ‘financialised elites’ in the wake of the global credit crunch may be too hasty as previous financial crises demonstrate the considerable ability of ‘financialised elites’ to seize moments of conjunctural opportunity to reinvent themselves through new financial products and organisations.
Identification of TWSG1 as a second novel erythroid regulator of hepcidin expression in murine and human cells
Authors: Tanno Toshihiko , Porayette Prashanth , Sripichai Orapan , Noh Seung-Jae , Byrnes Colleen , Bhupatiraju Ajoy , Lee Y. Terry , Goodnough Julia B. , Harandi Omid , Ganz Tomas , Paulson Robert F. , Miller Jeffery L.
Published: May 2009

In thalassemia and other iron loading anemias, ineffective erythropoiesis and erythroid signaling molecules are thought to cause inappropriate suppression of a small peptide produced by hepatocytes named hepcidin. Previously, it was reported that the erythrokine GDF15 is expressed at very high levels in thalassemia and suppresses hepcidin expression. In this study, erythroblast expression of a second molecule named twisted gastrulation (TWSG1) was explored as a potential erythroid regulator of hepcidin. Transcriptome analyses suggest TWSG1 is produced during the earlier stages of erythropoiesis. Hepcidin suppression assays demonstrated inhibition by TWSG1 as measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in dosed assays (1-1000 ng/mL TWSG1). In human cells, TWSG1 suppressed hepcidin indirectly by inhibiting the signaling effects and associated hepcidin up-regulation by bone morphogenic proteins 2 and 4 (BMP2/BMP4). In murine hepatocytes, hepcidin expression was inhibited by murine Twsg1 in the absence of additional BMP. In vivo studies of Twsg1 expression were performed in healthy and thalassemic mice. Twsg1 expression was significantly increased in the spleen, bone marrow, and liver of the thalassemic animals. These data demonstrate that twisted gastrulation protein interferes with BMP-mediated hepcidin expression and may act with GDF15 to dysregulate iron homeostasis in thalassemia syndromes.