bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of a carboxylesterase expressed in protoplasts using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting
Authors: Cummins Ian , Steel Patrick G. , Edwards Robert
Published: February 2007

A method was developed to identify plant carboxylesterases using a homologous expression system with the capacity for high‐throughput screening based on fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS). Protoplasts of Arabidopsis thaliana were prepared and transfected with a mutated (Cys59Ser) Arabidopsis S‐formylglutathione hydrolase (atsfghm), which encoded a carboxylesterase highly active in the hydrolysis of the vital marker methylumbelliferyl acetate (MUA) to the fluorophore methylumbelliferone (MU). Unlike all other Arabidopsis carboxylesterases studied to date, AtSFGH and its more stable mutant variant AtSFGHm are insensitive to inhibition by organophosphate insecticides, such as paraoxon. By making use of the combined traits of a high carboxylesterase activity towards MUA and a lack of sensitivity to paraoxon, FACS was employed to selectively collect catalytically active atsfghm‐transformed protoplasts. A population of 400 000 protoplasts containing 8000 sfghm transformants was treated with paraoxon to inhibit endogenous esterase activity and then fed with MUA. Fluorescent cells expressing the AtSFGHm enzyme were then collected by FACS, and the presence of the respective transgene was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, with 9.6% of the transformants recovered. We suggest that the use of FACS to identify other carboxylesterases which can be catalytically determined using plant cell fluorescence‐based assays could be a powerful method for the high‐throughput screening of new enzymes, especially those which do not express well in microbial hosts.
Aid and Fiscal Deficits: Lessons from Uganda on the Implications for Macroeconomic Management and Fiscal Sustainability
Authors: Brownbridge Martin , Tumusiime‐Mutebile Emmanuel
Published: February 2007

This article contributes to the ongoing debate on the macroeconomic management of large aid inflows to low‐income countries by analysing lessons drawn from Uganda, where the fiscal deficit before grants, which was largely aid‐funded, doubled to over 12% of GDP in the early 2000s. It focuses on the implications of the widening fiscal deficit for monetary policy, the real exchange rate, debt sustainability and the vulnerability of the budget to fiscal shocks, and argues that large fiscal deficits, even when funded predominantly by aid, risk undermining macroeconomic objectives and long‐run fiscal sustainability.
International Patterns of Union Membership
Authors: Blanchflower David G.
Published: February 2007

This paper examines changes in unionization that have occurred over the last decade or so using individual level micro data on many countries, with particular emphasis on the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. I document an empirical regularity not hitherto identified, namely the probability of being unionized follows an inverted U‐shaped pattern in age, maximizing in the mid‐ to late 40s in 34 of the 38 countries I study. I consider the question of why union membership seems to follow a similar inverted U‐shape pattern in age across countries with such diverse industrial relations systems. I find evidence that this arises in part because of cohort effects, but even when cohort effects are removed a U‐shape remains.
Vertical Disintegration and the Disorganization of German Industrial Relations1
Authors: Doellgast Virginia , Greer Ian
Published: February 2007

Drawing on case studies from the telecommunications and auto industries, the authors argue that the vertical disintegration of major German employers is contributing to the disorganization of Germany’s dual system of in‐plant and sectoral negotiations. Subcontractors, subsidiaries and temporary agencies often have no collective bargaining institutions or are covered by different firm‐level and sectoral agreements. As core employers move jobs to these firms, they introduce new organizational boundaries across the production chain and disrupt traditional bargaining structures. Worker representatives are developing new campaign approaches and using residual power at large firms to establish representation in new firms and sectors, but these have not been successful at rebuilding co‐ordinated bargaining.
Future Center ‘The Shipyard’: Learning from Planning, Developing, Using and Refining a Creative Facility
Authors: Van Der Lugt Remko , Janssen Sebastiaan , Kuperus Sjoukje , De Lange Ernst
Published: February 2007

This article provides an in‐depth case description of a specific type of dedicated creative facility, Future Center ‘The Shipyard’ of the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration. The Shipyard is situated in a monumental building, in which a variety of rooms are set up to support a variety of creative and strategic thinking processes. The Future Center aims to stimulate inspiration, information and interaction, imagination, and innovation. This article describes the knowledge gained from the processes of developing, using and refining Future Center the Shipyard.
Politics, Profession and Law: The Legal Development of Compulsory Intervention towards Substance Abusers in Scandinavian Social Law
Authors: Nilssen Even
Published: February 2007

The legal foundation of compulsory interventions towards substance abusers in Scandinavian social law has moved from similarity to dissimilarity. The aim of this article is to explain this development by focusing on the relationship between three general discourses in the preparation of these acts in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The political‐democratic discourse focuses on the relationship between law and politics (law as a political instrument); the professional discourse emphasises the relationship between welfare professions and law (law as a professional tool); and the legal discourse draws attention to the importance of legal principles (law as an institution). In Sweden, the process has been strongly politicised and influenced by the political ‘war on drugs’, resulting in a comprehensive use of coercion towards substance abusers. In Denmark, the process has also been dominated by the political discourse. This process, however, was far less politicised than in Sweden, and no actor has pressed for extensive authority to apply such measures in social policy. In Norway, the process has been strongly influenced by legal discourse emphasising the legal security of the substance abusers, resulting in legislation that is more constricted than in Sweden. In none of these countries have welfare professionals played an active role in pressing for coercive measures in this field of social policy; in fact, they have generally opposed such measures.
Transparency and Openness: A Reform or Education Policy?
Authors: Andersen Vibeke Normann
Published: February 2007

Current policies are developed through complex and dynamic historical processes and conflicts originating in these processes. In 2002 a new Act on Transparency and Openness in education was put into effect in Denmark. The Act is a formalised system of performance measurement, and introduced a new feature to the governing of the Danish education system. All educational institutions are obliged to publish on the Internet average grades of final examinations. The historical institutional concept of path dependency shows how the outline of the Act is made at an earlier stage. The Act is layered as a new institutional arrangement on top of pre‐existing institutions. By focusing on how institutional and political processes interact and are combined, new contributions to historical institutionalism are further developed without considering institutional reproduction and innovation as opposites. It is elaborated how the Act, with respect to certain dimensions, respectively reproduces, breaks with and combines two formerly outlaid paths of education policy and reform policy.
The End of a Distinctive Model of Democracy? Country‐diverse Orientations among Young Adult Scandinavians
Authors: Amnå Erik , Ekman Tiina , Almgren Ellen
Published: February 2007

International research into democracy has uncovered severe changes in patterns of political engagement and participation. Even political institutions such as political parties and voluntary organisations have undergone major alterations. Scandinavian democracies hitherto have been regarded as exceptionally stable and strong due to their homogenous qualities of mass‐based class politics, strong political parties, high degree of associationalism, peaceful labour market relations and developed welfare policies. However, three official democratic audits recently revealed that Scandinavian democracies have also been severely affected by both exogenous and endogenous constraints. In addition, Scandinavian democracies appear to be diverging heterogeneously from the assumed ‘pan‐Scandinavian’ model. This article examines whether the distinctive country characteristics uncovered by the commissions can be traced among young adults. Three dimensions of attitudes of young adults are analysed – political trust, political engagement and political equality – using survey data obtained from students in academic programmes at the upper secondary level in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in 2000. Generally, the results not only confirm a country diversity that threatens to jeopardise Scandinavian homogeneity, since the Danes stand out as superior in most measures of political participation, but also, from an international perspective, young Scandinavians cannot be characterised as the most politically interested or participative between elections or even as the most multiculturally tolerant among today's youth.
Do Television Debates in Multiparty Systems affect Viewers? A Quasi‐ experimental Study with First‐time Voters
Authors: Aalberg Toril , Jenssen Anders Todal
Published: February 2007

Television debates have become the centre stage for political debate in advanced societies. Although presidential debates in the United States have achieved much attention, the same cannot be said of the more typical panel debates in multiparty systems. This article investigates whether winning or losing panel debates matters in that it influences important attitudes among the electorate. Based on a quasi‐experimental design prior to the 2001 Norwegian parliamentary election, this study finds that the outcome of the television debates does matter. Winning a debate can actually make a difference, and significant changes in issue ownership and issue hegemony are demonstrated. These findings are important for understanding some of the factors underlying the increase in last minute voter volatility.
Rear gunners and troubled privates: Wordplay in a dick joke competition1
Authors: Lloyd Mike
Published: February 2007

A humorous competition called ‘The Adventures of Naked Man’ ran in a Wellington (New Zealand) newspaper from 1999 to 2000. The competition's protagonist is the sole naked person in a drawn setting where, because of some convenient object or body position, his penis is obscured from sight. Entrants to the competition submitted a caption to go with the drawn setting, the point being to make humour. Without explicit instruction, most entrants constructed some form of dick joke, the interesting questions being, just how, and with what variations? These questions are pursued by drawing on the full corpus of Naked Man settings and captions. Basic principles of conversation analysis, including some early work of Sacks on punning, are used to analyse the nature and popularity of the Naked Man competition. The article also offers some more speculative comments to do with gender and the organisation of language about sexuality.
Ideologised values for British accents1
Authors: Coupland Nikolas , Bishop Hywel
Published: February 2007

We report quantitative results from a large online survey of 5010 U.K. informants' reactions to 34 different accents of  English, based on simple accent labels. Patterns of accent evaluation, in terms of adjudged levels of prestige, social attractiveness and some other variables, in many regards confirm broad findings from earlier research. Accent‐types associated with ‘standard’ speech are, for example, strongly favoured in the prestige and attractiveness dimensions. Several urban U.K. vernaculars, but not all, are systematically downgraded. On the other hand, robust differences emerge which have not been strongly evidenced previously – particularly differences according to informant gender (with females regularly producing more favourable evaluations) and region (with informants often favouring their own and linked varieties). There are also some important effects by informant age, for example with younger informants attributing less prestige to ‘standard’ accents. We interpret the findings as indicating rather persistent U.K. language‐ideologies around accent difference that are being reconstituted only gradually and in specific regards.
Regions and time in the European fertility transition: problems in the Princeton Project’s statistical methodology1
Authors: BROWN JOHN C. , GUINNANE TIMOTHY W.
Published: February 2007

Much empirical social‐science research, including work in economic and demographic history, has relied on the analysis of published information on administrative districts. One famous example of this type of research, the Princeton Project on the Decline of Fertility in Europe (EFP), was carried out at Princeton University’s Office of Population Research in the 1960s and 1970s. This project aimed to characterize the decline of fertility that took place in Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The project’s summary statements argued that social and economic forces played little role in bringing about the fertility transition. A central feature of the EFP argument is a series of statistical exercises which purport to show that changes in economic and social conditions exerted little influence on fertility. Two recent articles on Germany for this period have used similar data and methods to draw different conclusions. We show that the difference reflects problems in the Princeton project’s statistical methods. Those problems affect, potentially, virtually all quantitative research of this type. Our findings suggest cautious re‐thinking of conclusions based on this type of evidence, starting with the EFP.
PUBLIC FINANCE AND INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES OVER GLOBALIZATION STRATEGIES
Authors: HANSON GORDON H. , SCHEVE KENNETH , SLAUGHTER MATTHEW J.
Published: February 2007

Do preferences toward globalization strategies vary across public‐finance regimes? In this paper, we use data on individual preferences toward immigration and trade policy to examine how pre‐tax and post‐tax cleavages differ across globalization strategies and state fiscal jurisdictions. High exposure to immigrant fiscal pressures reduces support for freer immigration among U.S. natives, especially the more skilled. The magnitude of this post‐tax fiscal cleavage is comparable to the pre‐tax labor‐market effects of skill itself. There is no public‐finance variation in opinion over trade policy, consistent with U.S. trade policy having negligible fiscal‐policy impacts. Public finance thus appears to shape opinions toward globalization strategies.
DO GOVERNMENTS SUPPRESS GROWTH? INSTITUTIONS, RENT‐SEEKING, AND INNOVATION BLOCKING IN A MODEL OF SCHUMPETERIAN GROWTH
Authors: CHAUDHRY AZAM , GARNER PHILLIP
Published: February 2007

This paper argues that some governments adopt growth‐reducing policies due to the rational self‐interest of the political elites. The model takes a rent‐seeking government that can block innovation and incorporates it into a Schumpeterian growth model. The quality of a country's institutions is reflected in the cost of innovation blocking. An increase in the level of innovation‐blocking activity will reduce the rate of innovation and therefore reduce growth. The government also faces the possibility of losing power whenever an innovation occurs. We examine the conditions under which a government will choose to block innovation and suppress growth.
REVENUE TRAPS
Authors: GEHLBACH SCOTT
Published: February 2007

When state officials care about tax revenue and factors of production are mobile across economic sectors, political economies organize themselves into equilibria where officials promote sectors to which resources are allocated, which in turn encourages that resource allocation. Differences across sectors in the ability of officials to extract revenues may result in a “revenue trap”: the persistence of a low‐productivity equilibrium even in the presence of large shocks to resource allocation. I argue that the failure of privatization in part of the postcommunist world to effect a shift toward new private economic activity resulted in part from such a trap.
TOWARDS THE POSSIBILITY OF IMPASSIBILIST PASTORAL CARE
Authors: HEANEY ROBERT S.
Published: February 2007

Not a few scholars reject the notion of divine impassibility. Contemporary theodicists in particular often see impassibility as impotent in the face of evil and suffering. At best, it is assumed that impassibility has no contribution to make to pastoral practice. At worst, it is argued that impassibility has negative repercussions for sufferers and carers. The purpose of this article will be to argue that impassibility has the potential to positively impact pastoral practice. It will be proposed that a constructive ‘impassibilist pastoral care’ arises from a well defined understanding of impassibility and an awareness of the weaknesses of passibility. Consequently, five principles of pastoral care will be identified. Relationality engenders practice which is mutual. Particularity resists the tendency in much care towards ‘normalisation’. Equivalence challenges the passibilist by submitting that the incarnation provides an ontologically equivalent divine suffering which stands in contrast to the so‐called ‘suffering of God’ thesis. Arationality affirms that human reason is limited and therefore prevents the carer from over rationalising suffering. Otherness arises from the belief that God is ontologically distinct and therefore he alone is the source of salvation. In light of these principles, the proposed understanding of ‘impassibilist pastoral care’ is brought into dialogue with the questions sufferers ask and a positive and effective definition of impassibility is submitted. In sum, this article seeks to bring together philosophical and theological defences of impassibility in order to submit a fresh approach to the care of those who suffer.
AN EPISTEMICALLY DISTANT GOD? A CRITIQUE OF JOHN HICK'S RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM OF DIVINE HIDDENNESS*
Authors: TRAKAKIS NICK
Published: February 2007

God is thought of as hidden in at least two ways. Firstly, God's reasons for permitting evil, particularly instances of horrendous evil, are often thought to be inscrutable or beyond our ken. Secondly, and perhaps more problematically, God's very existence and love or concern for us is often thought to be hidden from us (or, at least, from many of us on many occasions). But if we assume, as seems most plausible, that God's reasons for permitting evil will (in many, if not most, instances) be impossible for us to comprehend, would we not expect a loving God to at least make his existence or love sufficiently clear to us so that we would know that there is some good, albeit inscrutable, reason why we (or others) are permitted to suffer? In this paper I examine John Hick's influential response to this question, a response predicated on the notion of ‘epistemic distance’: God must remain epistemically distant and hence hidden from us so as to preserve our free will. Commentators of Hick's work, however, disagree as to whether the kind of free will that is thought to be made possible by epistemic distance is the freedom to believe that God exists, or the freedom to choose between good and evil, or the freedom to enter into a personal relationship with God. I argue that it is only the last of these three varieties of free will that Hick has in mind. But this kind of freedom, I go on to argue, does not necessitate an epistemically distant God, and so the problem of divine hiddenness remains unsolved.
Intravenous anti‐D immunoglobulin in the treatment of resistant immune thrombocytopenic purpura in pregnancy
Authors: Sieunarine K , Shapiro S , Al Obaidi MJ , Girling J
Published: February 2007

A 35‐week pregnant 38‐year‐old woman presented with isolated thrombocytopenia (platelet count 4 × 109/l). Investigations confirmed immune thrombocytopenic purpura, and she received treatment with prednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulins with no increment in the platelet count. At 37 and 38 weeks of the pregnancy, she received two doses of WinRho (anti‐D immunoglobulin) at 50 μg/kg. Five days later, with a platelet count of 46 × 109/l, she had an uncomplicated normal vaginal delivery. WinRho is a useful adjunct to other first‐line treatment modalities for immune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy.
Polymorphic microsatellite markers for Mexican salamanders of the genus Ambystoma
Authors: PARRA‐OLEA G. , RECUERO E. , ZAMUDIO K. R.
Published: February 2007

We screened a partial genomic library enriched for microsatellites and characterized nine loci for the Mexican species of Ambystoma for studies of population structure. We tested marker variability in two metamorphic (A. granulosum, A. altamirani) and two paedomorphic (A. andersoni, A. mexicanum) species of the A. tigrinum complex. Our microsatellites were developed from pooled genomic DNA from three species, and may work on all species in the A. tigrinum complex in Mexico. These markers will be important for studies of conservation genetics in this radiation.
A simple procedure for joint estimation of the long‐term rates of sexuality and mutation in predominantly clonal populations, for use with dominant molecular markers
Authors: THOMPSON STACEY LEE
Published: February 2007

In highly clonal populations, mutation can contribute to the rate of apparent sexuality. To remove this bias, a method is presented that jointly estimates the rates of sexuality (Ns) and mutation (Nµ) for populations, based upon levels of single‐locus vs. multilocus clonal identity. This effectively haploid model assumes equilibrium, and can be used with dominant molecular data and in conjunction with organisms of various ploidies. Simulations indicate that while equilibrium can take thousands of generations to attain, and afterwards have a large evolutionary variance, the method gives approximate estimates of Ns.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci from an EST library of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and cross‐species amplification
Authors: CHEN S. L. , MA H. Y. , JIANG Y. , LIAO X. L. , MENG L.
Published: February 2007

In the present study, we report 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci developed from a cDNA library from the turbot, Scophthalmus maximus. Observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.20 to 1.00 and from 0.18 to 0.78, respectively. No significant linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci was found, but two loci significantly deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. Cross‐species amplifications of these microsatellites in five additional fish species revealed between five and 11 positive amplifications and between zero and four polymorphic loci per species.
Practical approach for estimation of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue
Authors: Kullberg Joel , Von Below Catrin , Lönn Lars , Lind Lars , Ahlström Håkan , Johansson Lars
Published: February 2007

Objectives:  The first objective was to investigate the correlations between anthropometrical measurements and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in two cohorts differing in age using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as reference. A second objective was to investigate the potential usage of abdominal diameters in practical estimation of adipose tissue compartments using these cohorts.

Methods:  Measurements of body mass index, waist circumference, sagittal abdominal diameter (sagittal AD) and transverse abdominal diameter (transverse AD) were obtained from 336 volunteers of age 14–70 years. Manual measurements of VAT and SAT from single slice MRI at the L4‐L5 level were used as reference. The abdominal diameters were measured from the MR images. Linear correlations between the anthropometrical measurements and the reference were studied.

Results:  Sagittal AD showed the strongest correlation to VAT (r ≥ 0·780, P<0·0001) and transverse AD was found to give information about the amount of SAT (r ≥ 0·866, P<0·0001). The ellipse spanned by the sagittal AD and the transverse AD was strongly correlated to the total amount of adipose tissue (r ≥ 0·962, P<0·0001).

Conclusion:  Strong correlations were found between sagittal and transverse abdominal diameters, assessed using MRI, and VAT and SAT, respectively. These results suggest the use of abdominal diameters in practical estimations of VAT and SAT depots.
The politics of financial services regulation and supervision reform in the European Union
Authors: QUAGLIA LUCIA
Published: February 2007

Abstract.  The regulation and supervision of financial services in the European Union (EU) has undergone major reform between 1999 and 2004. This policy evolution is theoretically interesting, raising the question of which conceptual approaches better explain it, and it is also empirically relevant because it is an area of intense EU activity. This article provides a theoretically informed and empirically grounded explanation of the policy reform by evaluating the analytical leverage of three integration theories, mainly by relying on two methods – process tracing and congruence procedure – employing a variety of primary and secondary sources. It is argued that sequencing different theoretical approaches –interdependence, supranational governance and liberal intergovernmentalism– explains the various stages of the policy‐making process – namely, background‐setting, agenda‐setting and decision making, as well as the main features of the outcome.
Yo Jyo Hen Shi Ko, a novel Chinese herbal, prevents nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in ob/ob mice fed a high fat or methionine–choline‐deficient diet
Authors: Lima Vicência Mara Rodrigues de , Oliveira Claudia Pinto Marques Souza de , Sawada Letícia Yumi , Barbeiro Hermes Vieira , Mello Evandro Sobroza de , Soriano Francisco Garcia , Alves Venâncio Avancini Ferreira , Caldwell Stephen H. , Carrilho Flair José
Published: February 2007

Background: Oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Yo Jyo Hen Shi Ko (YHK) is a complex compound purported to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) by blocking the propagation of radical‐induced reactions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the effect of YHK in experimental NASH.

Methods: NASH was induced in male ob/ob mice by a high‐fat (HF) diet or methionine/choline‐deficient (MCD) diet for 4 weeks. YHK‐treated animals received YHK solution orally (20 mg/kg/day) in both experimental diets (n=6; each group) while control animals received only vehicle.

Results: The MCD and HF groups developed moderate diffuse macrosteatosis, hepatocellular ballooning, and a diffuse inflammatory infiltrate. With the addition of YHK, there was a marked reduction in macrosteatosis in both groups. This was associated with decreased lipoperoxide and reduced glutathione–GSH concentrations as well as reduced serum aminotransferases and improved histological markers of inflammation. These changes were also associated with weight loss in the MCD+YHK group and diminished weight gain in the HF+YHK group.

Conclusion: YHK therapy blunts the development of macrosteatosis in these models of NASH and significantly reduces markers of oxidative stress. YHK also diminishes weight gain in this obesity prone model. Our findings warrant further study on the mechanisms involved with these effects.
Adenovirus‐mediated hepatic syndecan‐1 overexpression induces hepatocyte proliferation and hyperlipidaemia in mice
Authors: Cortés Víctor , Amigo Ludwig , Donoso Katherine , Valencia Ilse , Quiñones Verónica , Zanlungo Silvana , Brandan Enrique , Rigotti Attilio
Published: February 2007

Background: Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) have been involved in the regulation of cell growth, apoptosis and lipid metabolism in vitro; however, their functional role in vivo remains unknown.

Aim: Here, we describe hepatic tissue and lipid metabolism changes after liver overexpression of syndecan‐1 (SDC‐1), the main hepatic HSPG, in mice induced by adenoviral gene transfer.

Results: SDC‐1 overexpression was associated with marked hepatocyte proliferation, cell‐isolated apoptosis and increased plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Additionally, SDC‐1 liver overexpression significantly raised plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations due to an increase in all lipoprotein particles, including the appearance of large and apolipoprotein (apo) E‐enriched high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. Hepatic very low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL) production was not affected by SDC‐1 overexpression, suggesting a delayed plasma clearance of apo B lipoproteins as the underlying hyperlipidaemic mechanism. These pleotropic effects were qualitatively equivalent, even though less intense, in mice overexpressing a cytoplasmic C‐terminal domain‐deleted SDC‐1.

Conclusions: This is the first report in vivo of the biological effects induced by a specific HSPG in the liver, with potential implications in both regenerative biology and molecular lipidology.
Patient severity as an indicator of nursing workload in the intensive care unit
Authors: Kiekkas Panagiotis , Brokalaki Hero , Manolis Evangelos , Samios Adamantios , Skartsani Chrisula , Baltopoulos George
Published: February 2007

The importance of measuring nursing workload in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been supported by both an increasing demand for nursing personnel and the relationship of nursing workload with patient safety. According to previous studies, the correlation between clinical severity of ICU patients and nursing workload measured by Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System has been estimated to be particularly high. The aim of this study was to investigate whether clinical severity of ICU patients can be used for the prediction of nursing workload on a daily basis. All patients admitted in the ICU of the General University Hospital of Patras for a 5‐month period were enrolled in the study. Projet de Recherche en Nursing (PRN) Réa and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores of patients were calculated, the first on a daily basis and the second on the day of admission. Simple linear regression was used for statistical analysis of data. One hundred thirty‐eight patients were studied. A progressive increase in mean daily PRN Réa of patients all along the amplitude of APACHE II values was shown. APACHE II could predict 25·6% (p < 0·01) of the daily variability of PRN Réa of patients. Regarding categories of PRN Réa, respiration, communication, diagnostic methods and treatments were significantly predicted by APACHE II. APACHE II explained higher proportions of PRN Réa in medical male patients aged >60 years. Clinical severity of the ICU patients measured by APACHE II is an important early indicator of daily nursing workload, especially of care demands associated with respiration, diagnostic methods and treatments.
Fluid management and diuretic therapy in acute renal failure
Authors: Sumnall Rebecca
Published: February 2007

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common problem in critical care; therefore, nurses should consider it to be a potential issue for all of their patients. Fluid management and diuretic therapy are important in these patients. The aim of this study is to review the use of these interventions in patients in acute renal failure. Initially, the paper will review renal physiology and discuss some of the causes of acute renal failure. This will be followed by a critical examination of the evidence surrounding the use of crystalloids and colloids for fluid resuscitation, as well as the role of diuretics in patients with acute renal failure. The paper concludes by identifying approaches for developing future practice in this area.
Fluid flow during exhumation of deeply subducted continental crust: zircon U‐Pb age and O‐isotope studies of a quartz vein within ultrahigh‐pressure eclogite
Authors: ZHENG Y.‐F. , GAO T.‐S. , WU Y.‐B. , GONG B. , LIU X. M.
Published: February 2007

Quartz veins in high‐pressure to ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic rocks witness channelized fluid flow that transports both mass and heat during collisional orogenesis. This flow can occur in the direction of changing temperature/pressure during subduction or exhumation. SHRIMP U‐Pb dating of zircon from a kyanite‐quartz vein within ultrahigh‐pressure eclogite in the Dabie continental collision orogen yields two age groups at 212 ± 7 and 181 ± 13 Ma, which are similar to two groups of LA‐ICPMS age at 210 ± 4 and 180 ± 5 Ma for the same sample. These ages are significantly younger than zircon U‐Pb ages of 224 ± 2 Ma from the host eclogite. Thus the two age groups from the vein date two episodes of fluid flow involving zircon growth: the first due to decompression dehydration during exhumation, and the second due to heating dehydration in response to a cryptic thermal event after continental collision. Laser fluorination O‐isotope analyses gave similar δ18O values for minerals from both vein and eclogite, indicating that the vein‐forming fluid was internally derived. Synchronous cooling between the vein and eclogite is suggested by almost the same quartz–mineral fractionation values, with regularly decreasing temperatures that are in concordance with rates of O diffusion in the minerals. While the quartz veining was caused by decompression dehydration at 700–650 °C in a transition from ultrahigh‐pressure to high‐pressure eclogite‐facies retrogression, the postcollisional fluid flow was retriggered by heating dehydration at ∼500 °C without corresponding metamorphism. In either case, the kyanite–quartz vein formed later than the peak ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic event at the Middle Triassic, pointing to focused fluid flow during exhumation rather than subduction. The growth of metamorphic zircon in the eclogite appears to have depended on fluid availability, so that their occurrence is a type of geohygrometer besides geochronological applicability to dating of metamorphic events in orogenic cycles.
Influence of host diet on parasitoid fitness: unravelling the complexity of a temperate pastoral agroecosystem
Authors: Urrutia C. Mauricio A. , Wade Mark R. , Phillips Craig B. , Wratten Steve D.
Published: February 2007

Parasitoid fitness is closely associated with the condition of the host insect, and the condition of the host is partly dependent on the quality and quantity of plant food available. The relationship between host diet and parasitoid fitness therefore has the potential to indirectly mediate complex multitrophic interactions. This relationship may be influenced both by the presence of mycotoxins from endophytic fungi, which share symbiotic relationships with plants and cause reductions in host‐plant quality for herbivores, and by the availability of beneficial nutrient‐rich plant foods such as pollen. This study used a multitrophic system involving ryegrass, a fungal endophyte, pollen, and an insect herbivore and its parasitoid to study the effect of host diet on parasitoid fitness. Previous studies showed that the larval stage of the parasitoid was negatively influenced by the presence of fungal‐derived alkaloids in the diet of its host, but no assessment of effects on the adult stage of the parasitoid had been made. Similarly, the effect of pollen in the diet of the host on the fitness of the parasitoid had not previously been examined. In this study, the fitness of parasitoids reared from hosts fed endophyte‐free ryegrass, endophyte‐free ryegrass plus pollen, or endophyte‐infected ryegrass was assessed in two laboratory experiments. Host insects exhibited significant responses to treatment, but remarkably, there were no significant treatment effects on parasitoid development times, the number of successful parasitoid emergences, tibia length, or preoviposition egg complement. The absence of a strong relationship between host diet and parasitoid fitness in this study differs markedly from studies of other parasitoid–host systems in that the adult stage of this parasitoid appears remarkably unresponsive to variation in host condition. This work contributes to a better understanding of multitrophic interactions and to the refinement of integrated pest management tactics in a temperate pastoral agroecosystem.
The relationship between bottle usage/content, age, and number of teeth with mutans streptococci colonization in 6–24‐month‐old children
Authors: Mohan Aruna , Morse Douglas E. , Sullivan David M. O , Tinanoff Norman
Published: February 2007

Abstract–
Objectives: Mutans streptococci (MS) are the primary pathogens involved in the development of early childhood caries. However, factors that may affect their acquisition in the mouths of young children are not well understood, and the period of initial colonization remains controversial. This study investigated the relationship of age, number of teeth, and bottle usage/content with regard to the isolation of MS in 6–24‐month‐old children. Methods: A total of 122 children from low‐income families attending a nutritional supplement program, and their mothers, participated in this study. Children were examined for dental caries and number of erupted teeth and were sampled for MS. Mothers were administered a questionnaire to obtain details of baby bottle use, including what food items were put in the bottle during the last week. Results: MS was detected in more than one‐third of the 6–24‐month‐olds. Unlike some studies that suggest a later period of infectivity, approximately 20% of children under 14 months of age, including 4 of 22 infants aged 6–9 months, were colonized with MS. When examined separately, age, number of teeth, and bottle usage/content were each found to be related to the presence of MS. Mutans streptococci colonization was more likely with increasing age and number of teeth, and children whose bottles contained sweetened beverages were more likely to be colonized than children whose bottles contained milk. Logistic regression models that controlled for both age and number of teeth indicated that children who consumed sweetened beverages in their baby bottle had a statistically significant, four‐fold increase in the odds of colonization by MS relative to children who consumed milk. Conclusions: The finding that approximately 20% of the children under 14 months of age were infected with MS indicates that colonization in this sample of low‐income pre‐school children may begin earlier than suggested by some investigations. Additionally, the risk of MS colonization appears lower among infants who consume milk rather than sweetened beverages in the bottle.
Three‐year changes in global oral health rating by elderly dentate adults
Authors: Dolan Teresa A. , Peek Chuck W. , Stuck Andreas E. , Beck John C.
Published: February 2007

Abstract–
The single item global rating is an economical way of summarizing the state of a person's oral health, and thus is a potentially valuable oral health outcome measure. This research describes the nature, magnitude, and direction of changes in oral health as measured by the global rating with the goal of furthering our understanding of older adults' oral health perceptions over time. Data from a randomized trial of a comprehensive geriatric assessment and prevention program in community‐dwelling adults aged 75+ years living in Santa Monica, California, collected between 1988 and 1993 were analyzed. Descriptive techniques as well as a transition matrix were used to examine changes in the global rating and compare these changes to variation, over time, in two relevant measures: the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and self‐reported need for dental treatment. The global rating varied over time and the changes were consistent with those measured by the GOHAI and self‐reported treatment need. Whether the change in oral health as measured by the global rating is clinically meaningful, and what specific dental conditions account for these changes remain important topics for future investigation. However, the changes that occur in oral health ratings at the individual level are much more pronounced than the distribution of global rating at each point in time would suggest.
Satisfaction with dental care among elderly Finnish men
Authors: Tuominen Risto , Tuominen Maija
Published: February 2007

Abstract –

To study satisfaction with dental care among elderly Finnish men and to estimate the role of different factors affecting it, a questionnaire was sent to a systematic sample of 2043 elderly Finnish men (mean age 73 years). Acceptably filled‐out questionnaires were returned by 1561, a participation rate of 76.4%. The questionnaire included 44 questions concerning dental and denture services and a modied 14‐item Dental Satisfaction Questionnaire. The subjects were asked to express how strongly they agreed or disagreed with each of the 14 statements. These were later transformed and recoded to indicate level of satisfaction from +2 (very satised) to –2 (very dissatised). Overall satisfaction was estimated by summing up all the 14 scores. Dentate subjects were signicantly (P < 0.01) more satised than the edentulous. Subjects were least satised with dental care fees and most satised with accessibility and availability of services. Dentate subjects viewed almost all 14 items signicantly more favorably than did the edentulous. Economics was seen to have a strong inuence on dissatisfaction with dental care fees, which was related to income level. Maintaining the remaining dentition and supporting the dentition withxed or removable dentures seem to be the means to increase satisfaction among the dentate. The benets of belonging to a clinics recall system should be explained thoroughly to the elderly.
Satisfaction as a determinant of compliance
Authors: Albrecht Gonnie , Hoogstraten Johan
Published: February 2007

Abstract –

In this study the relation between satisfaction and compliance is examined in terms of specificity and predictive value. Satisfaction is assumed to be a determinant of compliance, especially if both concepts are measured at the same level of specificity (i.e., a dental level). A total of 176 subjects reported their satisfaction with dental visits and the dental practice, their dental compliance and their general tendency to comply. The results show a relation between satisfaction and compliance and that compliance can be predicted by satisfaction. Surprisingly, the relation between dental satisfaction and general compliance is stronger than the relation between dental satisfaction and dental compliance. This finding can be explained by the possible relation between different levels of compliance and the complexity of the concept dental compliance.
Methods of evaluating dental care costs in the Swedish public dental health care sector
Authors: Oscarson Nils , Källestål Carina , Karlsson Göran
Published: February 2007

Abstract –

Twenty‐six Swedish dental health care clinics participating in the intervention study “Evaluation of caries preventive measures” have been analysed with focus on costs, with the aim of demonstrating techniques suitable for evaluating direct dental care costs and also finding out whether charges are acceptable as a proxy for real costs. Three different approaches to calculating unit costs are discussed: average treatment time cost and two methods of different allocation of overhead cost. Average treatment time cost shows treatment time cost regardless of who (dentist, dental hygienist or nurse) provides the dental care. The other two methods reflect both the differences of treatment costs depending on practitioners' skill level and competence (salary) an the methods of handling overhead cost allocation. Our conclusions are that the proposed methods seem useful for evaluating costs in cost‐effectiveness and cost‐benet analysis. The alternative to average treatment time cost or unit time cost depends on what data is available and the perspective of the analysis. This study also concludes that charges are not sufficient as an alternative to a more detailed cost evaluation, at least not in Swedish public dental health care, since charges do not cover costs.
DMFT, dmft and treatment requirements of schoolchildren in Asturias, Spain
Authors: Alvarez‐Arenal Angel , Alvarez‐Riesgo Jose Antonio , A‐Lopez Jose Miguel Pen , Fernandez‐Vazquez Jose Pedro
Published: February 2007

Abstract –

An epidemiological survey was carried out in 1992 to study the dental health status of schoolchildren aged 6, 9 and 12 in Asturias, Spain. It focused on the caries prevalence, dmtf, DMFT, restoration indices and dental treatment needs of this population. A representative sample of 1839 subjects, randomly selected and proportionally assigned by age group (6, 9 and 12) with the classroom as the sample unit, was examined. Analysis of the data showed that in 6‐year‐old children the caries prevalence in primary teeth was 45.8%. The mean caries in‐dices were 2.10 dmft and 0.25 DMFT. At 9 years old the prevalence of caries in primary teeth was 62.8% and in the permanent teeth 49.1%. The mean level of caries was 2.38 dmft and 1.50 DMFT. At 12 years old the caries prevalence in permanent teeth was 71% and in first molars 64.2%. The mean caries experienced was 3.30 DMFT. In all groups the D‐component constituted the major part of the caries index. The results for girls were higher than for boys in almost all age groups. Surface fillings were the treatment most required in all age groups.
Changes in the oral health of adults from Trondelag, Norway, 1973—1983—1994
Authors: Schuller Annemarie A. , Holst Dorthe
Published: February 2007

Abstract –

The purpose of this paper is to describe the changes in the oral health of adults from Trendelag, Norway, over two decades (1973–1983–1994), from both a quasi‐longitudinal and a time‐lag perspective. Study participants were selected by random sampling in 1973, 1983 and 1994 (n=1759, n=3195, n=2341). Data were collected by epidemiological registrations and questionnaires. Oral health was measured by the additive DMF index. The number of decayed teeth was low in all age groups in 1994. There was a reduction in the number of filled teeth from 1983 to 1994 in the time‐lag perspective in the youngest age group and the urban middle‐aged group. The rural middle‐aged adults and the older adults showed more filled teeth in 1994 than in 1983. In a quasi‐longitudinal perspective, no significant changes in the 1960 birth cohort and the 1939–48 urban birth cohort were shown from 1983 to 1994, while the 1930–38 birth cohort and 1939–48 rural birth cohort acquired more filled surfaces during this period. There are now at least two different oral health populations of adults. The younger with the potential to carry oral health benefits into old age, and an elderly population burdened with extensive treatment but keeping their natural teeth.