bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Women's Work and the Politics of Homespun in Socialist China, 1949–1980
Authors: Eyferth Jacob 
Published: September 2012

SummaryFor decades after the socialist revolution, people in rural China continued to wear homespun cloth, and millions of rural women continued to spend a large part of their waking hours producing cloth and clothing. This is puzzling because the state opposed manual cloth production as wasteful of labor and raw materials, and because state monopolies should have ensured that all cotton ended up in the hands of the state and that all rural people were supplied with rationed machine-made cloth. This article looks at the reasons for the long survival of handloom cloth. These include the ways in which manual cloth production was integrated with rural gender norms and with a gift economy that prescribed the exchange of cloth at major life cycle events, and the existence of interlocking scarcities (of grain, cash, cotton, and cloth) that forced rural people to sell their cloth rations and make their own cloth from whatever cotton they could scrape together.
MOVING TO STAY : IKLAN SPATIAL STRATEGIES TOWARDS SOCIOECONOMIC EMANCIPATION IN NORTHERN MALI, 1898–1960
Authors: MAUXION AURELIEN 
Published: September 2012

ABSTRACTThis article explores the strategies of emancipation of former Tuareg slaves (iklan) in the Gao region of northern French Sudan (present-day Mali) during the late 1940s and 1950s. In the wake of the war effort and shifting colonial policy, and in spite of colonial tolerance toward vestiges of slavery, iklan engaged in local and long-distance migrations aimed at achieving emancipation. The article argues that the most successful spatial strategies were new migratory patterns in the Gao region through which iklan appropriated productive resources (herds and pastures) that were previously controlled by their ex-masters. More than labor migrations to cities, these local trajectories destabilized Tuareg hierarchies, forcing colonial administrators to address demands of the iklan emancipation movement.
An evidence-based framework for assessing the potential of mobile finance in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Duncombe Richard 
Published: September 2012

ABSTRACTThis paper provides a framework-based approach for assessing the potential for mobile finance (m-finance) services to achieve greater financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa. The conceptual approach synthesises market and user perspectives, and constructs an evidence-based exploratory framework based on analysis of a single country, Uganda. Case evidence is used to inform four lifecycle stages for m-finance, moving from design to access, usage, and outcomes associated with differentiated m-finance applications. Based on analysis of published sources, findings from Uganda suggest that early adoption of m-finance has favoured those already financially included and market-driven solutions for the financially excluded are limited. Simple market modelling is found to be an insufficient basis on which to assess potential amongst the unbanked majority. The paper argues that the perception, behaviour and capability of users, and forms of user appropriation, should be a paramount concern, and potential for m-finance should be considered within a deeper understanding of a specified financial services context and within a defined market, regulatory and policy environment.
Women smuggling and the men who help them: gender, corruption and illicit networks in Senegal
Authors: Howson Cynthia 
Published: September 2012

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates gendered patterns of corruption and access to illicit networks among female cross-border traders near the Senegambian border. Despite a discourse of generosity and solidarity, access to corrupt networks is mediated by class and gender, furthering social differentiation, especially insofar as it depends on geographic and socio-economic affinity with customs officers, state representatives and well-connected transporters. Issues of organisational culture, occupational identity and interpersonal negotiations of power represent important sources of corruption that require an understanding of the actual dynamics of public administration. While smuggling depends on contesting legal and social boundaries, the most successful traders (and transporters) strive to fulfil ideal gender roles as closely as possible. Ironically, trading on poverty and feminine vulnerability only works for relatively affluent women.
Galectin-3 is essential for reactive oxygen species production by peritoneal neutrophils from mice infected with a virulent strain ofToxoplasma gondii
Authors: ALVES C. M. O. S. , SILVA D. A. O. , AZZOLINI A. E. C. S. , MARZOCCHI-MACHADO C. M. , LUCISANO-VALIM Y. M. , ROQUE-BARREIRA M. C. , MINEO J. R. 
Published: September 2012

SUMMARYToxoplasma gondiistimulates a potent pro-inflammatory response and neutrophils are involved in early infection. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is an endogenous modulator of inflammatory processes and anti-infective agents, but its interaction with neutrophils inT. gondiiinfection is still unclear. Here, we evaluated the role of Gal-3 in peritoneal inflammation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by neutrophils and survival, afterin vivo T. gondiiinfection with virulent RH strain, using Gal-3 deficient and wild type mice. Animals were inoculated with thioglycollate or tachyzoites, and peritoneal cells were harvested for analysis of the influx of leukocytes. Neutrophils were isolated from peritoneal exudates from infected mice and stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) to evaluate ROS production by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay. Our results showed that: (1) Gal-3 upregulates peritoneal inflammation, with enhanced recruitment of neutrophils and lymphocytes after thioglycollate stimulation, but does not influence the enhanced neutrophil influx after earlyT. gondiiinfection; (2) Gal-3 upregulates ROS generation by inflammatory peritoneal neutrophils from infected mice, but downregulates its production in non-infected mice and (3) Gal-3 does not influence the survival of mice after infection with the virulentT. gondiistrain. In conclusion, Gal-3 is essential for ROS generation by neutrophils in the initial acute phase ofT. gondiiinfection and this phenomenon may constitute an attempt to control parasite growth duringin vivoinfection with theT. gondiivirulent strain.
The Tyrannicides, their Cult and the Panathenaia: A Note
Authors: Shear Julia L. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractThe story of the Athenian Tyrannicides Harmodios and Aristogeiton is well known to modern scholars who agree that the two men were figures of cult. The occasion for these rituals has inspired rather less agreement and the rites have often been connected with the Epitaphia. In this article, I re-examine the ritual setting of the cult. As I argue, evidence not previously brought into these discussions identifies the Panathenaia as the primary occasion for the Tyrannicides' rituals. This connection is further reinforced by other visual imagery (Panathenaic amphorae, sculpture, vase-painting) which links Harmodios and Aristogeiton to the festival of Athena and its celebration of divine victory over the Giants.
Is English a threat to Chinese language and culture?
Authors: Pan Lin , Seargeant Philip 
Published: September 2012

In an article published inEnglish Todayin 2005, Niu and Woolf contend that:EFL is a modern day Trojan horse filled with EFL teachers/soldiers or missionaries, armed with English words rather than bullets, intent upon re-colonizing the world to remake it in the image of Western democracy. China has brought the Trojan Horse within its gates and the army of EFL teachers is hard at work Westernizing China.
THE HARMONIC STUDY: COST-EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION OF THE USE OF THE ULTRASONIC SCALPEL IN TOTAL THYROIDECTOMY
Authors: Ruggeri Matteo , Dibidino Rossella , Marchetti Marco , Lombardi Celestino Pio , Raffaelli Marco , Cicchetti Americo 
Published: September 2012

Background: Total thyroidectomy (TT) can be performed either with the traditional technique or using the ultrasound scalpel. Here, the use of the ultrasound scalpel is investigated in order to assess cost-effectiveness from an hospital, third party payer and societal perspective.Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the University Hospital A. Gemelli in Rome. Data refer to 198 patients, randomized to either surgery with the ultrasound scalpel (n = 96) or traditional (n = 102) and followed for 3 months after hospital discharge. Operation time (OT) and resource consumption were recorded. Main clinical outcome investigated was quality of life (evaluated with EQ-5D).Results: A shorter operation time (traditional: 76.36 vs ultrasound: 54.16 minutes, p < 0.001) was observed. 3 months after surgery, differences in QoL were significant (0.91 vs 0.84, p = 0.002). Concerning the hospital perspective, ultrasound scalpel allows savings of 119 EUR per patient. From a societal perspective, ultrasound scalpel is also related to lower medical resource consumption during a 3 month follow-up after discharge (traditional: 129.03 EUR vs ultrasound: 107.82 EUR) and lower non-medical resource utilization (transport/hotels costs traditional:535.51 EUR vs ultrasound: 342.77 EUR. No statistical difference was found in productivity losses up to 3 months (traditional: 377.71 EUR vs ultrasound: 385.51 EUR).Conclusion: Allowing an overall saving of 325.36 EUR per patient, Ultrasound scalpel should be adopted for TT procedures in the “A.Gemelli” University hospital.
POST-INTRODUCTION OBSERVATION OF HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGIES AFTER COVERAGE: THE SPANISH PROPOSAL
Authors: Varela-Lema Leonor , Ruano-Ravina Alberto , Mota Teresa Cerdá , Ibargoyen-Roteta Nora , Imaz Inaki , Gutiérrez-Ibarluzea Inaki , Blasco-Amaro Juan Antonio , Soto-Pedre Enrique , Sampietro-Colom Laura 
Published: September 2012

Objectives: When a new health technology has been approved by a health system, it is difficult to guarantee that it is going to be efficiently adopted, adequately used, and that effectiveness, safety, and consumption of resources and costs are in line with what was expected in preliminary investigations. Many governmental institutions promote the idea that efficient mechanisms should be established aimed at developing and incorporating continuous evidence into health technologies management. The purpose of this article is to stimulate the discussion on systematic post-introduction observation of health technologies.Methods: Literature review and input of HTA experts.Results: The study addresses the key issues related to post-introduction observation and presents a summary of the guide commissioned by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality to the Galician HTA agency for the prioritization and implementation of systematic post-introduction observation in Spain. The manuscript describes the prioritization tool developed as part of this project and discusses the main aspects of protocol development, observation implementation, and assessment of results.Conclusions: The observation of prioritized health technologies after they are introduced in standard clinical practice can provide useful information for health organizations. However, implementing the observation of health technologies can require specific policy frameworks, commitment from different stakeholders, and dedicated funding.
COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ALEMTUZUMAB FOR T-CELL PROLYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA
Authors: Lu Lanting , Peters Jaime , Roome Chris , Stein Ken 
Published: September 2012

Objectives:The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of alemtuzumab (CAMPATH-1H) compared with conventional chemotherapy in people with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL).Methods:We developed a decision-analytic model to assess the costs and benefits of alemtuzumab or conventional therapy based on their effects on quality of life of patients. The main outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio incorporating costs per additional quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained over lifetime. Due to the limited data available, a large number of assumptions had to be made to construct the cost-utility model. One-way, multi-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were conducted to explore the impact of these uncertainties. Expected values of perfect information were also calculated for four specific scenarios.Results:Depending on different key assumptions made, the PSA suggested distinct conclusions using a willingness-to-pay threshold of 30,000 GBP per QALY gained. Using this threshold, the probability that alemtuzumab would be cost-effective varies from 0 percent to 53 percent for the four modeled scenarios. Population expected value of perfect information analysis suggests that resolving the parameter uncertainty in the analysis for people with T-PLL in the United Kingdom would have considerable value—up to 5.3 million euro.Conclusions:Alemtuzumab appears more likely to be cost-effective if used earlier in the course of T-PLL and where it replaces the use of multiple alternative therapies. However, cost-effectiveness is highly uncertain and future research is clearly justified. Nevertheless, our analysis demonstrates the feasibility of considering the cost-effectiveness of an agent despite the presence of significant uncertainty to provide appropriate assessment information to policy makers.
Echoes of a Forgotten Past: Mid-Century Realism and the Legacy of International Law
Authors: Jütersonke Oliver 
Published: September 2012

Those studying the work of Hans J. Morgenthau, widely considered the “founding father” of the Realist School of International Relations, have long been baffled by his views on world government and the attainment of a world state—views that, it would appear, are strikingly incompatible with the author's realism. In a 1965 article in World Politics, James P. Speer II decided that it could only be “theoretical confusion” that explained why Morgenthau could on the one hand advocate a world state as ultimately necessary in his highly successful textbook, Politics Among Nations, while writing elsewhere that world government could not resolve the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States by peaceful means. According to Speer,
Morgenthau posits at the international level a super-Hobbesian predicament, in which the actors on the world scene are motivated by the lust for power, yet he proposes a gradualist Lockean solution whereby the international system will move, through a resurrected diplomacy, out of a precarious equilibrium of balance-of-power anarchy by a “revaluation of all values” into the “moral and political” bonds of world community, a process whose capstone will be the formal-legal institutions of world government.
This oscillation between Hobbes and Locke, Speer asserted, must be the result of Morgenthau's “commitment to the organismic mystique that comes out of German Romantic Nationalism,” although he admitted in a footnote that his reflections on the intellectual sources of Morgenthau's theories were “mere speculation.”
Unstable embodiments of musical theory and practice in theSpeculum musicae
Authors: HARNE GEORGE A. 
Published: September 2012

ABSTRACTTaking the Boethian understanding of the relation between themusicusandcantoras his point of departure, Jacobus – the author of theSpeculum musicae– develops this relation in light of new ecclesiastical realities and the Aristotelian understanding of the relation between theory and practice. Without entirely abandoning an allegiance to the priority of theory over practice and the corresponding embodiments of these categories in themusicusandcantor, Jacobus redefines these terms to create a new threefold taxonomy: the Boethianmusicuswho understands but does not perform or compose, thepracticus musicuswho both understands and practises within an ecclesiastical context (and is the equivalent of theperitus cantor), and thecantorwho sings without understanding. These developments within theSpeculum musicaefollow attempts by earlier authors to negotiate the relation between the heritage of antiquity and thecantustradition of musical practice within liturgical contexts. Jacobus's solution also differs from solutions offered by contemporary and later authors.
Tips and pearls for “true” dextroposition of the aorta in tetralogy of Fallot
Authors: Bozok Sahin , Kestelli Mert , Ilhan Gökhan , Gokalp Orhan , Ozpak Berkan , Akyuz Muhammet , Ozcem Barcin , Kestelli Pınar 
Published: September 2012

AbstractInfundibular stenosis may develop secondary to ventricular septal defect, and transannular patch plasty can affect mortality and morbidity rates. Therefore, dextroposition of the aorta has been investigated in order to eliminate discrepancies in the literature. Figures and illustrations from the selected references have been investigated and “actual dextroposition of the aorta” has been evaluated as far as the aorta is visible. A careful examination of these figures revealed the following tips and pearls for accurate diagnosis of dextroposition of the aorta: Aorta and ventricular septal defect should be adjacent for a “true” dextroposition of the aorta; the plane where the aorta exits from the ventricle should penetrate the plane of the ventricular septal defect towards the right ventricle; if the aorta and ventricular septal defect intersect at one edge, the aorta may seem to be dextroposed; new diagnostic modalities are necessary to evaluate the actual dextroposition status of the aorta for the proper planning of treatment.
Serum homocysteine and folate concentrations among a US cohort of adolescents before and after folic acid fortification
Authors: Enquobahrie Daniel A , Feldman Henry A , Hoelscher Deanna H , Steffen Lyn M , Webber Larry S , Zive Michelle M , Rimm Eric B , Stampfer Meir J , Osganian Stavroula K 
Published: September 2012

AbstractObjectiveWe assessed serum homocysteine (tHcy) and folate concentrations among US adolescents before and after fortification of cereal-grain products with folic acid, and associations with demographic, behavioural and physiological factors.DesignObservational study conducted among participants of a randomized trial.SettingThe Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) study.SubjectsAdolescents (n2445) in grades 8 (pre-fortification, mean age 14 years) and 12 (post-fortification, mean age 18 years).ResultsAverage serum concentrations of tHcy, folate and vitamin B6increased by 17 %, 16 % and 14 %, respectively, while serum concentrations of vitamin B12decreased by 11 % post-fortification. Folic acid fortification provided, on average, an additional intake of 118 μg folate/d. Male sex (P< 0·0001) and white race (P= 0·0008) were associated with significantly greater increases in tHcy concentration, while increases in BMI (P= 0·006) and serum folate concentration (P< 0·0001) were associated with significant decreases in tHcy concentration. Female sex (P< 0·0001), non-smoking (P< 0·0001), use of multivitamins (P< 0·0001) and higher dietary intake of folate (P= 0·001) were associated with significantly greater increases in serum folate concentrations. From grade 8 to grade 12, the upward age trend in serum tHcy concentration was uninterrupted in its course (P> 0·50); whereas serum folic acid concentration showed a downward trend that incurred a discrete jump upward (17 % higher;P< 0·0001) with fortification. These trends differed significantly for malesv. females (P< 0·001 for interaction).ConclusionsFortification had a significant impact on improving folate status but not serum tHcy concentrations among US adolescents.
Evidence for nutrition transition in Kuwait: over-consumption of macronutrients and obesity
Authors: Zaghloul Sahar , Al-Hooti Suad N , Al-Hamad Nawal , Al-Zenki Sameer , Alomirah Husam , Alayan Iman , Al-Attar Hassan , Al-Othman Amani , Al-Shami Entessar , Al-Somaie Mona , Jackson Robert T 
Published: September 2012

AbstractObjectivesTo describe nutrient intakes and prevalence of overweight and obesity in a nationally representative sample of Kuwaitis and to compare intakes with reference values.DesignCross-sectional, multistage stratified, cluster sample.SettingsNational nutrition survey covering all geographical areas of the country.SubjectsKuwaitis (n 1704) between 3 and 86 years of age.ResultsObesity was more prevalent among women than men (50 % and 70 % for females aged 19–50 years and ≥51 years, respectively, v. 29 % and 42 % for their male counterparts). Boys were more obese than girls, with the highest obesity rate among those aged 9–13 years (37 % and 24 % of males and females, respectively). Energy intake was higher than the estimated energy requirements for almost half of Kuwaiti children and one-third of adults. The Estimated Average Requirement was exceeded by 78–100 % of the recommendation for protein and carbohydrates. More than two-thirds of males aged ≥4 years exceeded the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for Na. Conversely, less than 20 % of Kuwaitis, regardless of age, consumed 100 % or more of the Estimated Average Requirement for vitamin D, vitamin E, Ca, n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. Less than 20 % of children met the recommended level for fibre.ConclusionsNutrition transition among Kuwaitis was demonstrated by the increased prevalence of obesity and overweight, increased intakes of energy and macronutrients and decreased intakes of fibre and micronutrients. Interventions to increase awareness about healthy foods combined with modifications in subsidy policies are clearly warranted to increase consumption of low-energy, nutrient-dense foods.
Association between vitamin B12intake and EURRECA's prioritized biomarkers of vitamin B12in young populations: a systematic review
Authors: Iglesia Iris , Dhonukshe-Rutten Rosalie AM , Bel-Serrat Silvia , Doets Esmée L , Cavelaars Adrienne EJM , van ‘t Veer Pieter , Nissenshohn Mariela , Benetou Vassiliki , Hermoso María , Berti Cristiana , de Groot Lisette CPGM , Moreno Luis A 
Published: September 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo review evidence on the associations between vitamin B12intake and its biomarkers, vitamin B12intake and its functional health outcomes, and vitamin B12biomarkers and functional health outcomes.DesignA systematic review was conducted by searching electronic databases, until January 2012, using a standardized strategy developed in the EURRECA network. Relevant articles were screened and sorted based on title and abstract, then based on full text, and finally included if they met inclusion criteria. A total of sixteen articles were included in the review.SettingArticles covered four continents: America (n4), Europe (n8), Africa (n1) and Asia (n3).SubjectsPopulation groups included healthy infants, children and adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women.ResultsFrom the total number of 5815 papers retrieved from the initial search, only sixteen were eligible according to the inclusion criteria: five for infants, five for children and adolescents, and six for pregnant and lactating women.ConclusionsOnly one main conclusion could be extracted from this scarce number of references: a positive association between vitamin B12intake and serum vitamin B12in the infant group. Other associations were not reported in the eligible papers or the results were not provided in a consistent manner. The low number of papers that could be included in our systematic review is probably due to the attention that is currently given to research on vitamin B12in elderly people. Our observations in the current systematic review justify the idea of performing well-designed studies on vitamin B12in young populations.