bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management Influences on Export Performance: A Review of
the Empirical Literature 1978‐1988
Authors: Aaby Nils‐Erik , Slater Stanley F.
Published: May 2006

During the last decade a substantial number of empirical research
studies on export performance have been conducted. This article reviews
55 of these studies, summarises the findings according to a
“strategic export model”, synthesises current knowledge, and
suggests directions for future export research activities.
Effects of Individual and Product‐specific Variables on
Utilising Country of Origin as a Product Quality Cue
Authors: Eroglu Sevgin A. , Machleit Karen A.
Published: May 2006

This article advances the country of origin research stream by
addressing some of the theoretical and methodological issues given as
limitations in past studies. A conceptual model based on the cue
paradigm was developed to investigate the relative impact of country of
origin as a quality indicator in a causal framework. Results indicate
that the country of origin cue is indeed a significant indicator of
product quality; however, its relative effect varies by product category
as well as by certain individual and product variables.
The Path to Quality Achievement through Teamwork plus Commitment
Authors: Heath P.M.
Published: May 2006

The South African management style can be best described as conservative. Whilst the need to achieve quality, especially within the automotive industry, is ever increasing, the South African style of management is also under the same pressure to change. Teamwork and commitment are ingredients that have been shown to be important elements of quality programmes used in Japanese industry. The focus of this article is therefore on participative approaches to what is termed “quality achievement” by the author. It reviews the type of company‐wide quality programme that would be acceptable in the South African context and form a catalyst in changing management style while improving quality.
Prepurchase Information‐Seeking for Professional Services
Authors: Freiden Jon B. , Goldsmith Ronald E.
Published: May 2006

States that marketers require a better understanding of the
consumer decision‐making process for selecting services, particularly of
the prepurchase information search for professional services which are
often selected just after relocation to a new geographical area.
Examines the findings of research on this topic, which looked at
questionnaires returned by a sample of two hundred new residents about
their use of information sources in choosing a professional service.
Discusses the managerial implications for marketers of the results of
the study, which confirmed the importance of personal sources of
information in the search process and showed that most residents were
happy with their choices.
Service Pricing: a Differentiation Premium Approach
Authors: Arnold Danny R. , Hoffman K. Douglas , McCormick James
Published: May 2006

States that current pricing strategies used in the service
industries are often too simplistic and ineffective in the face of
complex environmental conditions. Introduces the Pricing Differentiation
Premium Model, which includes in the firm′s pricing strategy its ability
to differentiate itself from competitors. Discusses possible strategies
for influencing differentiation premiums which can improve the pricing
discretion of the service provider.
Lifestyles of Older Americans
Authors: Sorce Patricia , Tyler Philip R. , Loomis Lynette M.
Published: May 2006

Examines an attempt to define segments within the Older American
market based on lifestyle variations. Identifies four clusters with
significant marketing potential: Self‐Reliants, Active Retirees, Family
Oriented, and Young and Secures. Concludes that lifestyle variables
should be used to segment the market, the difficulties in using them
indicating a need for a standardized lifestyle inventory for the Older
American market.
A Passion for Quality
Authors: Seddon John
Published: May 2006

Discusses why, if quality is concerned with changing behaviour, we leave so much to chance. Asserts that organisations need to design into their TQM programmes the means for people to tackle and solve quality problems. Demands a clear focus on the customer and total commitment throughout the organization. Asserts that what is lacking is an effective balance between the goals and tasks of achieving quality and organizational values and behaviours. Contends it is balanced attention to values as well as goals which will drive the “culture change” required for long‐term success of TQM. Stresses responsiveness to customer needs. Believes that quality improvement depends on people changing their behaviour. Observes that to create change both passion ‐ shared vision and values ‐ and systems are needed.
Lexical struggle in court: Aboriginal Australians versus the state1
Authors: Eades Diana
Published: May 2006

This paper presents a critical sociolinguistic exploration of the cross‐examination of three young teenage Australian Aboriginal boys in a Queensland court. The boys alleged that they had been abducted by six police officers, so they were prosecution witnesses in the case against the police officers. The paper examines the lexical strategies used by defence counsel to construct these victim‐witnesses as criminals with ‘no regard for the community’, and to reinterpret the alleged abduction as a consensual car ride. Of greatest concern is the strategy which I term ‘lexical perversion’– the rejection of a witness's labelling of their own experience, through overt correction with, or covert substitution of, another lexical item. These lexical strategies are central to the judicial legitimation of neocolonial control by the police over the movements of Aboriginal young people.
How strongly do interactions with closely‐related native species influence plant invasions? Darwin's naturalization hypothesis assessed on Mediterranean islands
Authors: Lambdon Philip W. , Hulme Philip E.
Published: May 2006

Aim  Recent works have found the presence of native congeners to have a small effect on the naturalization rates of introduced plants, some suggesting a negative interaction (as proposed by Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species), and others a positive association. We assessed this question for a new biogeographic region, and discuss some of the problems associated with data base analyses of this type.

Location  Islands of the Mediterranean basin.

Methods  Presence or absence of congeners was assessed for all naturalized alien plants species at regional, local and habitat scales. Using general linear models, we attempted to explain the abundance of the species (as measured by the number of islands where recorded) from their congeneric status, and assessed whether the patterns could be alternatively accounted for by a range of biological, geographical and anthropogenic factors. A simulation model was also used to investigate the impact of a simple bias on a comparable but hypothetical data set.

Results  Data base analyses addressing Darwin's hypothesis are prone to bias from a number of sources. Interaction between invaders and congenerics may be overestimated, as they often do not co‐occur in the same habitats. Furthermore, intercorrelations between naturalization success and associated factors such as introduction frequency, which are also not independent from relatedness with the native flora, may generate an apparent influence of congenerics without implying a biological interaction. We detected no true influence from related natives on the successful establishment of alien species of the Mediterranean. Rarely‐introduced species tended to fare better in the presence of congeners, but it appears that this effect was generated because species introduced accidentally into highly invasible agricultural and ruderal habitats have many relatives in the region, due to common evolutionary origins.

Main conclusions  Relatedness to the native flora has no more than a marginal influence on the invasion success of alien plants in the Mediterranean, although apparent trends can easily be generated through artefacts of the data base.
Patient involvement in clinical decision making: the effect of GP attitude on patient satisfaction
Authors: Carlsen Benedicte , Aakvik Arild
Published: May 2006

Objective  This study investigates general practitioners’ (GPs) and patients’ attitudes to shared decision making, and how these attitudes affect patient satisfaction.

Background  Sharing of information and decisions in the consultation is largely accepted as the ideal in general practice. Studies show that most patients prefer to be involved in decision making and shared decision making is associated with patient satisfaction, although preferences vary. Still we know little about how the interaction of GP and patients’ attitudes affects patient satisfaction. One such study was conducted in the USA, but comparative studies are lacking.

Design  Questionnaire survey distributed through GPs.

Setting and participants  The results are based on the combined questionnaires of 41 GPs and 829 of their patients in the urban municipality of Bergen in the western part of Norway.

Main variables studied  The data were collected using a nine‐item survey instrument constructed to measure attitudes towards patient involvement in medical consultations. The patients were also asked to rate their satisfaction with their GP.

Results and conclusions  The patients had a strong preference for shared decision making. The GPs also generally preferred shared decision making, but to a lesser degree than the patients, which is the opposite of the findings of the US study. There was a positive effect of the GP's attitude towards shared decision making on patient satisfaction, but no significant effect of congruence of attitudes between patient and GP on patient satisfaction. The suggested explanation is that GPs that are positive to sharing decisions are more responsive to patients’ needs and therefore satisfy patients even when the patient's attitude differs from the GPs’ attitude. Hence, although some patients do prefer a passive role, it is important to promote positive attitudes towards patient involvement in medical consultations.
Pre‐pouch ileitis: a disease of the ileum in ulcerative colitis after restorative proctocolectomy
Authors: Bell A. J. , Price A. B. , Forbes A. , Ciclitira P. J. , Groves C. , Nicholls R. J.
Published: May 2006

Objective  Ileal inflammation in ulcerative colitis can occur as backwash ileitis or prestomal ileitis. After restorative proctocolectomy (RPC), ileal inflammation may be present in the pouch (pouchitis) but inflammation proximal to the pouch in the neo‐terminal ileum, so called pre‐pouch ileitis (PI), has also been observed. As pouchitis is increasingly common and PI can mimic it, our aim was to characterize this condition.

Subjects and methods  A review of prospectively collected data on 571 inflammatory bowel disease patients undergoing follow‐up after RPC in a single centre over 22 years was performed. The histology of biopsy material was reviewed and staining for colonic mucosal phenotypic changes was undertaken. It was not routine practice to prospectively assess all patients for pre‐pouch ileitis when the database was constructed.

Results  Of 19 patients with inflammation of the pre‐pouch neo‐terminal ileum (NTI) identified three had Crohn's disease and one a NSAID stricture. The remaining 15 had a characteristic diffuse inflammation extending from the NTI‐pouch junction proximally: pre‐pouch ileitis. The inflammation extended proximally for up to 50 cm. Fistula formation was seen in only one. Seven (47%) of 15 had pouchitis but only two had suffered backwash ileitis pre‐operatively. Seven responded to medical therapy and four to surgery. The histological appearances including staining for colonic phenotypic change were similar in PI and pouchitis.

Conclusion  Pre‐pouch ileitis is uncommon. As the patients' previous diagnosis of UC was confirmed and there was no radiological or histological evidence of Crohn's disease, PI appears to have a distinct pathogenesis from Crohn's disease.
A Dukes/Jass combination – is it more discriminating?
Authors: Haslam A. C. , Pearson J. M. , Bisset D. L. , Michie H. R. , Hobbiss J. H.
Published: May 2006

Background  In 1987 Jass described a modified staging system for colorectal cancer using two anatomical criteria in common with the Dukes system; extent of spread through the bowel wall and the presence or absence of lymph node involvement. Additionally it used two ‘biological’ criteria; the nature of the expanding margin of the tumour (pushing or infiltrating), and the presence or absence of lymphocytic infiltration within the tumour. This study aims to determine whether a combination of the Dukes and Jass staging systems provides a better predictor of five year survival in patients with colorectal cancer than Dukes stage alone.

Method  The Dukes and Jass stages along with vital status at five years were recorded for all 612 patients undergoing resection for colorectal cancer at the Royal Bolton Hospital and the Beaumont (BMI) Hospital, Bolton between 1991 and 1998. Kaplan‐Meier survival curves with log rank test were used to show how survival correlated with Jass group stratified by Dukes stage.

Results  Both the Dukes B and the Dukes C tumours could be divided into groups with significantly different five year survival rates when stratified by Jass group. Five year survival for Dukes stage B, Jass group II tumours was 73.74% compared to Dukes B Jass III tumours whose survival was 51.38% (P = 0.0018). Five year survival for Dukes C Jass III tumours was 43.18% and for Dukes C Jass IV survival was 24.39% (P = 0.0029).

Conclusion  By combining the biological criteria of the Jass staging system with the anatomically based Dukes system, both Dukes B and C tumours can be divided into groups with significantly different five year survival figures.
Prognostic significance of CEA levels and positive cytology in peritoneal washings in patients with colorectal cancer
Authors: Kanellos I. , Zacharakis E. , Kanellos D. , Pramateftakis M.‐G. , Betsis D.
Published: May 2006

Objective  The aims of this prospective study were to determine carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels and incidence of cytology in peritoneal washings of patients with colorectal cancer, correlate the results with various histopathological factors and determine their significance as prognostic factors of the disease.

Methods  From 1992 to 1999, 98 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon or intraperitoneal rectum underwent curative surgery and enrolled in this study.

Results  Overall, 25 (26.3%) of 95 patients were found to have positive cytology. The proportion of patients with positive cytology was higher in the recurrence group (36.4%) than in the groups of 5‐year survival and hepatic metastases (24.6% and 26.3%, respectively), but this difference was not significant. The 5‐year survival group had the lowest peritoneal CEA levels compared with the other groups, but this difference was not significant. Peritoneal cytology and CEA level alone were not sensitive, specific or accurate enough indicators in predicting survival, hepatic metastases or local recurrence. The analysis of patients with positive cytology and high peritoneal CEA level revealed that their combination can predict local recurrence with accuracy of 85%.

Conclusions  The presence of free malignant cells, as detected by cytology and CEA level, in the peritoneal cavity of patients with resectable colorectal cancer had no detectable impact on survival, hepatic metastases or local recurrence rate. However, local recurrence can be predicted with accuracy of 85% in patients who have positive cytology and high peritoneal CEA level at the same time.
Associations, Modernity and the Insider‐citizens of a Victorian Highwheel Bicycle Club
Authors: NORCLIFFE GLEN
Published: May 2006

Abstract  The creation of a club, the recruitment of new members, and the subsequent pursuit of an association’s goals by its members present a succession of constitutive acts designed to advance a particular vision of citizenship. That vision may sometimes sit comfortably within the established state order, but quite often the activities of clubs are viewed by the state with suspicion, and may even be deemed subversive. The rights and obligations of an association’s members serve as a blueprint for the form of citizenship pursued, and they participate in the genealogy of citizenship through their efforts to construct particular forms of civic society. By requiring a formal act of membership, all associations are to a degree exclusionary, thus bestowing power and influence on club members. Non‐members are normally viewed as outsiders or as others, and members who fail to respect a club’s constitution may be dropped from the insider‐citizenship it represents. The Montreal Bicycle Club (MBC), formed in 1878, presents an illuminating example of how associations engage in acts of citizenship with its codes of conduct and hierarchies. Its members practiced a version of technological citizenship. MBC members asserted rights of use of the road in fierce competition with other road users, exerted political power through the elite Anglo circles of Montreal, and advocated the virtues of modern technology. Their highwheel bicycles were among the most visible modern artifacts on the streets. They were the first citizens to “go out for a spin”, and there was a distinctive spatiality to many of their riding activities. They present a category of modern citizens whose purpose was to construct a technologically advanced, but highly structured society according to their masculinist vision.
Religious Identity as an Historical Narrative: Coptic Orthodox Immigrant Churches and the Representation of History
Authors: BOTROS GHADA
Published: May 2006

Abstract  The Coptic Church has a very unique historical trajectory that includes an early separation from the Greco‐Roman Byzantine Christian world in the fifth century followed by a legacy of subordination in Egypt after the Arab Conquest. This paper looks at how the Coptic Church narrates this history particularly as it transcends the national boundaries of Egypt to serve migrant Copts in Western societies. The historical narrative of the Coptic Church celebrates its contributions to early Christianity; defends its stance in the Chalcedon Council in 451 CE; and celebrates a legacy of triumph and survival after the Arab conquest. Building on theories on collective memory, this paper shows how the present and the past shape one another in a very complex way. The paper is based on interviews with both lay and clerical members of Coptic immigrant communities in Canada and the United States and on textual analysis of books, bulletins and websites launched on and by the Church.
Parameter Estimation in Pair‐hidden Markov Models
Authors: ARRIBAS‐GIL ANA , GASSIAT ELISABETH , MATIAS CATHERINE
Published: May 2006

Abstract.  This paper deals with parameter estimation in pair‐hidden Markov models. We first provide a rigorous formalism for these models and discuss possible definitions of likelihoods. The model is biologically motivated and therefore naturally leads to restrictions on the parameter space. Existence of two different information divergence rates is established and a divergence property is shown under additional assumptions. This yields consistency for the parameter in parametrization schemes for which the divergence property holds. Simulations illustrate different cases which are not covered by our results.
Public and Private Pension Spending: Principles, Practice and the Need for Reform
Authors: BANKS JAMES , EMMERSON CARL
Published: May 2006

This paper surveys the issue of public spending on pensions. Drawing on evidence from systems around the world, but particularly in Britain, we outline the arguments for different types of public and private provision of pension income and consider how far they go towards meeting the objectives of pension provision. We discuss past trends in spending and look at future projections.
Interleukin‐6 Induction by Helicobacter pylori in Human Macrophages is Dependent on Phagocytosis
Authors: Odenbreit Stefan , Linder Stefan , Gebert‐Vogl Bettina , Rieder Gabriele , Moran Anthony P. , Haas Rainer
Published: May 2006

Background:  The colonization of the gastric mucosa with Helicobacter pylori is accompanied by elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), IL‐6, and IL‐8. The aim of our study was to determine the mechanisms of IL‐6 stimulation in phagocytes upon H. pylori infection.

Materials and Methods:  We investigated the secretion of IL‐6 by different professional phagocytes from murine and human origin, including granulocyte‐ and monocyte‐like cells and macrophages derived from human peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs). The influence of viability, phagocytosis, and the impact of different subcellular fractions of H. pylori bacteria were evaluated.

Results:  IL‐6 levels induced by H. pylori were low in cell lines derived from murine and human monocytes and in human granulocyte‐like cells. By contrast, macrophages derived from human PBMCs were highly responsive to both H. pylori and Escherichia coli. IL‐6 induction was blocked by inhibition of actin‐dependent processes prior to infection with H. pylori, but not with E. coli or E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Using cell fractionation, the most activity was found in the H. pylori membrane. H. pylori LPS exhibited a 103‐ to 104‐fold lower biologic activity than E. coli LPS, suggesting a minor role for toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4)‐mediated signalling from the exterior.

Conclusions:  From these data, we conclude that macrophages may be a major source of IL‐6 in the gastric mucosa upon H. pylori infection. The IL‐6 induction by H. pylori in these cells is a multifactorial process, which requires the uptake and presumably degradation of H. pylori bacteria.
Normalization of Quality of Life Three Years after Temporal Lobectomy: A Controlled Study
Authors: Mikati Mohamad A. , Comair Youssef G. , Rahi Amal
Published: May 2006

Summary:  Purpose: The goal of epilepsy surgery is not merely to control previously intractable seizures, but also to improve quality of life (QOL). Our goals were to assess, in our Middle Eastern population, the QOL of adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) 3 years after temporal lobectomy as compared with matched TLE patients who did not undergo surgery and with healthy individuals in the same community.

Methods: Twenty consecutive TLE patients who underwent temporal lobectomy 3 years previously were matched in the following variables: age, sex, seizure frequency, seizure duration, age at onset of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, and number of medications, with 17 TLE patients who underwent the presurgical evaluation and subsequent optimization of medical therapy but did not undergo surgery. They were also matched for age, sex, educational level, income, and residence with 20 healthy individuals. All groups were interviewed by using the ESI‐55 questionnaire.

Results: Compared with the nonsurgery group, QOL was significantly better in the surgery group (85% seizure free) in the well‐being, functioning, and role‐limitation domains. QOL was similar in the surgery and healthy control groups in all domains and scales. The nonsurgery group scored significantly lower than healthy controls in the functioning and role‐limitation domains.

Conclusions: Intractable TLE was associated with marked impairments in QOL despite continued attempts to optimize medical therapy. Three years after temporal lobectomy QOL in our patient population achieved levels similar to those of matched healthy individuals. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report normalization of QOL after temporal lobectomy, in any population.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Findings and Their Correlation with Neuropsychological Deficits in Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Interictal Psychosis
Authors: Flügel Dominique , Cercignani Mara , Symms Mark R. , O'Toole Annette , Thompson Pamela J. , Koepp Matthias J. , Foong Jacqueline
Published: May 2006

Summary:  Purpose: To examine frontotemporal white‐matter integrity in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and interictal psychosis.

Method: Patients with TLE and interictal psychosis (IP; n = 20) were compared with age‐matched TLE patients without psychosis (NIP; n = 20). Patients had either no focal lesions or hippocampal sclerosis on conventional MRI. Complete diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were available in 18 IP and 20 NIP patients. A region‐of‐interest (ROI) approach was used to determine the DTI measures, fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), in the middle frontal and middle temporal gyri. The relation between the DTI measures and neuropsychological tests previously identified as impaired in the IP group was examined.

Results: The IP group had significantly lower FA values in both frontal and temporal regions and significantly higher MD in bilateral frontal regions. We found that performance on some neuropsychological tests was significantly related to frontotemporal FA reductions.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that subtle abnormalities in the frontotemporal white matter of patients with interictal psychosis may be undetectable on conventional MRI. These abnormalities may contribute to the cognitive deficits detected in these patients.
Voxel‐based Morphometry Reveals Excess Gray Matter Concentration in Patients with Focal Cortical Dysplasia
Authors: Bonilha Leonardo , Montenegro Maria Augusta , Rorden Chris , Castellano Gabriela , Guerreiro Marilisa Mantovani , Cendes Fernando , Li Li Min
Published: May 2006

Summary:  Purpose: Many patients with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) continue to have seizures after surgical treatment. The usual explanation for the poor surgical outcome is the presence of residual dysplastic tissue missed by the preoperative neuroimaging investigation and therefore not resected during surgery. We apply a voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) analysis to the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans from patients with epilepsy and visually detected FCD to investigate whether (a) VBM is able to detect gray‐matter concentration (GMC) abnormalities in patients with FCD, and (b) whether the extent of GMC abnormalities in the brain of these patients differs from the regions observed by using visual inspection.

Methods: We studied 11 patients with visually detected FCD (eight of them with histologic confirmation of FCD). The GMC from each one of these patients was compared with the mean GMC from a control group of 96 normal healthy subjects by using an optimized VBM protocol.

Results: Ten of 11 patients showed statistically significant GMC excess, and among patients with GMC excess, only one showed GMC excess that was not exactly correspondent to the visually detected FCD. Seven patients exhibited excess in GMC extending beyond the area of visually detected FCD.

Conclusions: This preliminary neuroimaging study suggests that (a) VBM can detect GMC excess in patients with FCD, and (b) GMC excess in these patients can extend to brain areas not visually defined as abnormal. Abnormal areas detected by VBM can possibly correspond to mild malformations of cortical development, supporting the notion that the surgical refractoriness observed in patients with FCD can be due to the incomplete resection of the dysplastic tissue.
Unverricht‐Lundborg Disease, a Condition with Self‐limited Progression: Long‐term Follow‐up of 20 Patients
Authors: Magaudda Adriana , Ferlazzo Edoardo , Nguyen Vi‐Hong , Genton Pierre
Published: May 2006

Summary:  Purpose: To assess the long‐term evolution of Unverricht–Lundborg disease (ULD), especially concerning myoclonus, seizures, and EEG characteristics.

 Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 20 patients (six women, 14 men; mean age, 37.9 years; range, 26–53 years) with ULD who had been closely followed up since the onset of the disease (mean age, 12.3 years; range, 6–17 years) for an average of 25.6 years (range, 13–41 years). ULD was confirmed by genetic tests in all. We used simplified myoclonus and seizure rating scales.

 Results: The geographic origin of the patients was Northern Africa in nine, France in two, Italy in six, and mixed European in three. Three patients were severely handicapped, six led fully autonomous lives, and 11 required various degrees of social support. Myoclonus progressed only during the first 5 years of disease. Major seizures occurred in 19. Three patients had a single seizure, and eight became seizure free, whereas six had rare seizures, and two had frequent attacks. Overall, seizures became much less frequent after 10 years of evolution. EEG changes abated during follow‐up: background activity remained stable or improved, spontaneous discharges disappeared, and photoparoxysmal responses were abolished in all patients but two.

 Conclusions: This study shows that ULD progresses only over a limited period and stabilizes thereafter. This self‐limited progression may be the consequence of age‐related apoptosis of selected neuronal populations.
Variation in Lamotrigine Plasma Concentrations with Hormonal Contraceptive Monthly Cycles in Patients with Epilepsy
Authors: Contin Manuela , Albani Fiorenzo , Ambrosetto Giovanni , Avoni Patrizia , Bisulli Francesca , Riva Roberto , Tinuper Paolo , Baruzzi Agostino
Published: May 2006

Summary:  Purpose: This is the first report comparing intrasubject lamotrigine (LTG) plasma concentrations between hormonal contraceptive (HC) intake and week‐off phases in epilepsy patients receiving combined LTG and HC treatment. We describe the variation in LTG plasma concentrations with hormonal contraceptive (HC) monthly intake cycles in a series of eight patients with epilepsy.

Methods: Venous blood samples were prospectively drawn from patients before their first morning dose of LTG, once between days 18 and 21 of HC intake and once between days 5 and 7 of the HC‐free week.

Results: Median LTG plasma concentrations were significantly higher during the HC washout week than during the phase of HC intake (p = 0.02). The median value of intrasubject percentage increase was 27%, with a wide interpatient variability.

Conclusions: These findings are in line with a preliminary report on healthy volunteers. Standardization of blood sampling in relation to HC intake cycles is advisable when planning LTG therapeutic monitoring in patients receiving HC.
Sugar and alcohol molecules provide a therapeutic strategy for the serpinopathies that cause dementia and cirrhosis
Authors: Sharp Lynda K. , Mallya Meera , Kinghorn Kerri J. , Wang Zhen , Crowther Damian C. , Huntington James A. , Belorgey Didier , Lomas David A.
Published: May 2006

Mutations in neuroserpin and α1‐antitrypsin cause these proteins to form ordered polymers that are retained within the endoplasmic reticulum of neurones and hepatocytes, respectively. The resulting inclusions underlie the dementia familial encephalopathy with neuroserpin inclusion bodies (FENIB) and Z α1‐antitrypsin‐associated cirrhosis. Polymers form by a sequential linkage between the reactive centre loop of one molecule and β‐sheet A of another, and strategies that block polymer formation are likely to be successful in treating the associated disease. We show here that glycerol, the sugar alcohol erythritol, the disaccharide trehalose and its breakdown product glucose reduce the rate of polymerization of wild‐type neuroserpin and the Ser49Pro mutant that causes dementia. They also attenuate the polymerization of the Z variant of α1‐antitrypsin. The effect on polymerization was apparent even when these agents had been removed from the buffer. None of these agents had any detectable effect on the structure or inhibitory activity of neuroserpin or α1‐antitrypsin. These data demonstrate that sugar and alcohol molecules can reduce the polymerization of serpin mutants that cause disease, possibly by binding to and stabilizing β‐sheet A.
Ecologically Sustainable Development in a ‘Quarry’ Economy: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Authors: MERCER DAVID , MARDEN PETER
Published: May 2006

An overview is presented of recent work on the environmental changes impacting on Australia and the policy responses of the State and Commonwealth governments, especially over the last ten years. This period has seen a remarkably stable phase of conservative government administration in Canberra and consistent resistance to a strong environmental policy agenda, both domestically and internationally. Attention is focused particularly on rural and regional Australia, rather than on urban areas. The paper discusses the role of environmental issues in recent elections and also details the results of relevant opinion polls charting changes in environmental attitudes. The problems posed by the federal system of administration are outlined as are recent analyses and counter‐analyses of the state of the Australian environment. A more fundamental problem with liberal democracy and environmental values is also addressed.
Aid to Agriculture, Growth and Poverty Reduction
Authors: Hazell Peter , Von Braun Joachim
Published: May 2006

Agriculture and rural growth promotion show a recent ‘comeback’ in development cooperation, but action on the ground so far is not sufficient. After years of neglect, policy makers have recognized that poverty reduction in many low income countries can only be achieved if development efforts are clearly focused on the sector which employs most of the poor, and the space where most of the poor live. The importance of agricultural growth was amply demonstrated during the economic transformation of Asia. Forty years ago, Asia was a continent of widespread poverty. Today, most Asian countries are experiencing significant growth and poverty reduction. Rapid growth in productivity in the small‐farm sector helped drive this process. Sub‐Saharan Africa, however, failed to achieve rapid agricultural growth and remains mired in poverty and hunger. If Africa is to halve poverty by 2015 in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), agriculture will need to maintain an annual growth rate of 6 per cent between 2000 and 2015. China's experience from 1978 to 1984 shows such growth is possible. Achieving the desired rapid rates of growth in Africa will require coherent policies by governments and donors, a substantial investment of public resources in rural infrastructure and access to agricultural technology, and significant improvement in national governance.
A Novel Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Diagnosis of
Mycobacterium avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
Infections (Johne's Disease) in Cattle
Authors: Speer C. A. , Scott M. Cathy , Bannantine John P. , Waters W. Ray , Mori Yasuyuki , Whitlock Robert H. , Eda Shigetoshi
Published: May 2006

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the diagnosis of Johne's disease (JD), caused by
Mycobacterium avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
, were developed using whole bacilli treated with formaldehyde (called WELISA) or surface antigens obtained by treatment of
M. avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
bacilli with formaldehyde and then brief sonication (called SELISA). ELISA plates were coated with either whole bacilli or sonicated antigens and tested for reactivity against serum obtained from JD-positive and JD-negative cattle or from calves experimentally inoculated with
M. avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
,
Mycobacterium avium
subsp.
avium
, or
Mycobacterium bovis
. Because the initial results obtained from the WELISA and SELISA were similar, most of the subsequent experiments reported herein were performed using the SELISA method. To optimize the SELISA test, various concentrations (3.7 to 37%) of formaldehyde and intervals of sonication (2 to 300 s) were tested. With an increase in formaldehyde concentration and a decreased interval of sonication, there was a concomitant decrease in nonspecific binding by the SELISA. SELISAs prepared by treating
M. avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
with 37% formaldehyde and then a 2-s burst of sonication produced the greatest difference (7×) between
M. avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
-negative and
M. avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
-positive serum samples. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for JD by the SELISA were greater than 95%. The SELISA showed subspecies-specific detection of
M. avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
infections in calves experimentally inoculated with
M. avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
or other mycobacteria. Based on diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, the SELISA appears superior to the commercial ELISAs routinely used for the diagnosis of JD.
Evaluation of Various Methods of Maternal Placental Blood Collection for Immunology Studies
Authors: Othoro Caroline , Moore Julie M. , Wannemuehler Kathleen , Nahlen Bernard L. , Otieno Juliana , Slutsker Laurence , Lal Altaf A. , Shi Ya Ping
Published: May 2006

The collection of maternal placental intervillous blood (IVB), without contamination of fetal blood and with an accurate mononuclear cell profile, is essential for immunological studies of placental malaria and other infectious diseases of the placenta. We have compared five documented methods of IVB collection: perfusion, incision, biopsy, tissue grinding, and puncture (prick) for fetal blood contamination and mononuclear cell profiles using flow cytometry. Twenty-five placentas were obtained fromPlasmodium falciparumand human immunodeficiency virus-negative primigravid and secundigravid women delivering at Nyanza Provincial Hospital in Kisumu, western Kenya. Each of the five methods was performed on the same placenta. Fetal red blood cell contamination was significantly lower for the prick and perfusion methods (4.1% and 8.3%, respectively) than for incision (59.5%), biopsy (42.6%), and tissue grinding (19.9%). Significant variation was noted among the five methods in the percentages of monocytes, total T cells, CD4+and CD8+T cells, B cells, and NK cells. Further, a pairwise comparison of prick and perfusion, the two methods with low fetal blood contamination, showed that they were not different for fetal red blood cell contamination levels; however, prick yielded significantly higher percentages of CD4 T cells and CD4 memory T cells than perfusion. Collection by prick was determined to be the best method of intervillous blood collection for immunology studies, and perfusion represented the next best method of choice due to high sample volume yield. Overall, in considering the advantages/disadvantages of the two methods with low fetal cell contamination, we conclude that a combination of prick and perfusion is most suitable for immunology studies.
Eosinophil Activity inSchistosoma mansoniInfections In Vivo and In Vitro in Relation to Plasma Cytokine Profile Pre- and Posttreatment with Praziquantel
Authors: Reimert Claus M. , Fitzsimmons Colin M. , Joseph Sarah , Mwatha Joseph K. , Jones Frances M. , Kimani Gachuhi , Hoffmann Karl F. , Booth Mark , Kabatereine Narcis B. , Dunne David W. , Vennervald Birgitte J.
Published: May 2006

Eosinophil activity in vivo and in vitro was studied in relation to infection intensities and plasma cytokine profiles of 51Schistosoma mansoni-infected Ugandan fishermen before treatment and 24 h and 3 weeks posttreatment. Blood eosinophil numbers significantly declined 24 h posttreatment, but significant eosinophilia had developed by 3 weeks posttreatment. Cellular eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) content increased significantly during the transient eosinopenia but was significantly reduced 3 weeks later. No similar reduction in cellular eosinophil protein X (EPX) content was seen. Before treatment,S. mansoniinfection intensity was positively correlated with 24-h boosts in plasma interleukin-5 (IL-5) and IL-6 levels, which were in turn negatively correlated with the posttreatment fall in eosinophil numbers. Significant correlations were observed between pretreatment infection intensities and plasma IL-10 and eotaxin levels. Treatment induced significant fluctuations in plasma IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and eotaxin levels. Optimal relative release of ECP and EPX in vitro was detected inS. mansonisoluble egg antigen-stimulated cultures during transient eosinopenia. Our data suggest that blood eosinophils are activated duringS. mansoniinfection and that treatment induces a burst in released antigens, causing increased production of IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and eotaxin; a drop in TNF-α levels; and a transient sequestration of eosinophils, which leaves fewer degranulated eosinophils in the circulation 24 h posttreatment, followed by the development of eosinophilia 3 weeks later. During these events, it appears that preferential release of ECP occurs in vivo. Moreover, it is possible that infection intensity-dependent levels of plasma IL-10 may be involved in the prevention of treatment-induced anaphylactic reactions.
Evidence of mRNA-Mediated Intron Loss in the Human-Pathogenic Fungus
Cryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Stajich Jason E. , Dietrich Fred S.
Published: May 2006

Introns are a defining feature of eukaryotic genomes, though the mechanism of intron gain or loss is not well understood. Reverse transcription of mRNA followed by homologous recombination with the genome has been posited as a mechanism of intron loss, though little direct evidence of recent loss events has been described to support this model. We find supporting evidence for an mRNA-mediated mechanism of loss through comparative genome analyses that revealed a recent loss of 10 adjacent introns in a 22-exon gene in the human-pathogenic fungus
Cryptococcus neoformans
. We surveyed the gene structures of the entire genomes of
Cryptococcus gattii
, which diverged from the
C. neoformans
lineage 37 million years ago (Mya), and
C. neoformans
var.
grubii
and var.
neoformans
, which diverged 18 Mya. Our comparison revealed greater than 99.9% intron conservation, with evidence from 20 genes showing evidence of intron loss, but no convincing evidence of intron gain. Our findings confirm that
Cryptococcus
introns have been quite stable over recent evolutionary time, with occasional mRNA-mediated intron loss events.
The νCO absorption of ketones in cooled solution
Authors: Weinman J. , Mailloux M. , Weinman S.
Published: May 2006

The infrared spectra of diluted solutions of acetone, acetone-d6, cyclopentanone, cyclopentanone-d4, and cyclohexanone have been measured in the C=O stretching region from 290 to 90 K. As the solutions are cooled, several new bands appear at lower and lower frequencies. An interpretation of these spectra is given in terms of molecular association and anharmonic resonances.
Donor–acceptor interactions in biomolecules. II. Spectroscopic and molecular orbital studies of amino acid – nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide complexes
Authors: Nagchaudhuri Jayanti , Suri Rashmi
Published: May 2006

The nature of complex formation between aromatic amino acids and some of their components with NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) have been studied by spectrophotometric methods. A comparison of the stability of these complexes with that of the complexes of the same donors with a model compound of NAD+i.e. N-methyl-3-carboxamide pyridinium chloride (MCP) has been carried out by examining the type of complexes formed and their geometry. Simple molecular orbital calculations have been done to determine the quantity of charge transfer δQ and stabilization energy δE and to show the significance of mutual orientation of donor and acceptor in determining the stability. The enhanced stability of tryptophan–NAD+ complex in comparison to indole–NAD+ complex has also been explained.
Photosensitization by Cd(3P0,1) atoms. III. Gas phase decomposition of cyclopentane
Authors: Kalra Bansi L. , Knight Arthur R.
Published: May 2006

The triplet cadmium photosensitized decomposition of cyclopentane in the vapor phase has been studied at 355 °C and has been shown to give rise to cyclopentyl radicals and hydrogen atoms with close to unit efficiency in the primary process. Subsequent reactions of these species, including an important contribution from unimolecular decomposition of cyclopentyl radicals, yield the observed volatile products, hydrogen, methane, ethylene, ethane, propylene, and cyclopentene. As a result of significant olefin scavenging of H-atoms product yields are strongly time dependent. The system has been shown to be unaffected by addends. The temperature dependence of the rate of product formation is consistent with the known energetics of cyclopentyl radical decomposition.
Cycloaddition (2 + 3) d'aziridines avec les perfluoroalcènes. Synthèse de pyrroles fluorés
Authors: Leroy J. , Wakselman C.
Published: May 2006

Thermal condensation of 2-carbomethoxy and 2-cyano-aziridines with perfluorobutene and perfluoropropene produces polyfluorinated pyrrolidines. These compounds, treated with sodium methoxide, lead to 3,4-fluorinated pyrroles. In the case of perfluoropropene, the (2 + 3) cycloaddition is not completely regiospecific.
Stereochemical dependence of 13C shieldings and 13C–31P couplings in phosphonates of known geometry. Is there a Karplus-type relationship for P–C–C–C coupling?
Authors: Buchanan Gerald W. , Benezra Claude
Published: May 2006

13C nmr chemical shifts and 13C–31P couplings through one to five bonds are reported for seven dimethylphosphono compounds of known geometry. Vicinal couplings are maximal for a dihedral angle of 180° and are severely attenuated by OH substitution, particularly when the OH is trans-coplanar to the carbon terminus of the coupling path. When a cyclopropyl system is part of the C–C–C–P path the J values are much less than those predicted on the basis of dinedral angle. A highly asymmetric dihedral dependence of vicinal J's is suggested. Some 'non-W' long range C–P couplings through saturated networks are found. The 'gauche-γ' shift of the —P(O)(OCH3)2 group is about 2 ppm.
Branched-chain sugars. Reaction of 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-D-ribo-hexofuranos-3-ulose with sodium cyanide and methyl nitroacetate
Authors: Rosenthal Alex , Cliff B. L.
Published: May 2006

Treatment of 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-D-ribo-hexofuranos-3-ulose (1) with sodium cyanide in anhydrous ethanol followed by addition of an equimolar amount of methyl nitro-acetate gave 3-C-cyano-1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-D-glucofuranose (2) in 57% yield. When methyl nitroacetate was first added to sodium cyanide in alcohol followed by the addition of ketose 1 then the allo-cyanohydrin epimer 4 was produced in 85% yield. 3-C-(Carbomethoxy-R,S-nitromethyl)-1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-D-allofuranose (6) was produced in low yield in the latter reaction and was isolated and characterized as its 3-O-acetate derivative 7. Selective acetolysis of the 5,6-O-isopropylidene group of the branched-chain sugars was achieved using acetic anhydride and p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate. The proof of structure of the cyano-hydrins is described.
Réactions ion–molécule dans les méthylbutènes: radiolyse du méthane
Authors: Collin Guy J.
Published: May 2006

The radiolysis of gaseous methane has been studied in the presence of one of the three methylbutenes. We have observed an important isomerization of the added olefin. An ionic mechanism initiated by the CH5+ and C2H5+ ions seems to be compatible with the observations reported. Isomerization proceeds through a chain mechanism where the chain carrier may be the tert-C5H11+ ion. In the presence of 3-methyl-1-butene, the initially formed (CH3)2CHCHCH3+ ion isomerizes to the tertiary structure before producing the observed isomerization.
Mass spectra of some deuterium-labelled methylsilanes and the analysis of mixtures
Authors: Bradshaw David I. , Moyes Richard B. , Wells Peter B.
Published: May 2006

Positive ion mass spectra of CH3SiH3 and of CH3SiD3 (m/e 28–49) at 18 eV are reported and the appearance potentials of the most abundant ions measured. Modifications to published mechanisms of ion fragmentation are proposed.Methylsilane gives no parent ion and fragmentation is extensive. Accurate analysis of mixtures containing CH3SiX3 (X = H or D) can be achieved for any sample containing two or three of these isotopically distinguishable methylsilanes, or of all four if the composition possesses a certain symmetry. The deuterium content can be determined for a sample of any composition.