bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Lisbon Judgment of the German Constitutional Court: A Court‐Ordered Strengthening of the National Legislature in the EU
Authors: Kiiver Philipp 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis article discusses the judgment of the German Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of the Treaty of Lisbon, concentrating on the court's insistence on the prerogatives of the national legislature. The court's insistence on prior national legislative ratification for the application of the simplified treaty revision procedure and of similar de facto amendment procedures, including the flexibility clause, is conservative but understandable from the perspective of German constitutional law. The prescription of prior bicameral ratification for the application of the flexibility clause makes the German government procedurally one of the most tightly controlled in the EU, although this would not be unique, and the effect of such control will depend on the cleavage between the government and the national legislature, especially the German upper chamber. None of the procedures insisted upon by the court are incompatible with EU Treaty law. Whether the new procedures will actually enhance the democratic legitimacy of EU measures in German perception will depend on the degree to which political parties in the national legislature will publicly politicise their stance on the decisions in question, allowing voters to hold them to account. All the court can do is prescribe opportunities where such politicisation may take place.
The Role of the IASB and Auditing Standards in the Aftermath of the 2008/20091 Financial Crisis
Authors: Ojo Marianne 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe primary argument of this article is, namely, that the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is in need of an enforcement mechanism. In drawing attention to this argument, the article not only proposes considerations which are to be taken into account if such a mechanism is to be implemented, but also considers areas in which the regulation of accounting standards, and auditing standards in particular, have contributed to the recent global financial crisis. The impact of such standards on pro‐cyclicality, the level of success achieved by the IASB and other international standard setters, such as the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, relates to how effectively the accounting and audit standard setting is implemented. As well as identifying the importance of convergence in contributing towards high quality audits and the consistent application of auditing and accounting standards, this article also acknowledges the difficulties and challenges encountered in attempting to achieve a convergent framework. Furthermore, through a discussion of recommendations aimed at consolidating transparency and accounting, as proposed by the G20, ways in which accounting standards, and, consequently, the IASB, could contribute further to the improvement of transparency and accountability of the framework for fair value measurements and evaluation, are considered. The absence of enforcement mechanisms, the fact that enforcement actions are carried out at national level in various EU Member States, present sources of obstacles to attempts to realise the proposals put forward by the G20. This article not only attempts to address such factors, but also to suggest ways in which the IASB, to an extent, could realise its goals. Through a consideration of two enforcement regimes in Europe, namely Germany and the UK, two related standards which govern enforcement in Europe, principles on which harmonisation of the institutional oversight systems in Europe may be achieved , and the vital contribution made by the Committee of European Securities Regulators and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, this article will consider how enforcement could be implemented by the IASB at a European level.
The Role of Executive Stock Options in On‐Market Share Buybacks*
Authors: LAMBA ASJEET S. , MIRANDA VIVEK M. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThe increasing use of on‐market buyback programs in Australia may not be fully explained by the typical motivations of information signaling and free cash flows offered by previous researchers. For some firms at least, management may believe the shares are overvalued. It is in this context that we examine whether managers of firms with high levels of executive stock options have an incentive to initiate buyback programs. It has been argued that managers may be motivated to undertake on‐market buyback programs in order to neutralize the dilution of earnings per share caused by their stock options, rather than for signaling purposes. Our findings are consistent with this argument because we find that the higher the proportion of executive stock options outstanding the more likely it is for firms to undertake larger on‐market buyback programs. Overall our results indicate that the existence of executive stock options influences managers' decision to implement on‐market buyback programs but that it is not the only factor that managers take into consideration.
The spectrum of paediatric dermatoses in a university hospital in Cairo, Egypt
Authors: El‐Khateeb EA 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackground  Epidemiological data on paediatric dermatoses in Egypt are scanty.Objective  To study the spectrum of paediatric dermatoses in Cairo.Methods  The medical records of children attending the dermatology outpatient clinics of Ain Shams University hospital for the year 2001 were retrieved. Data of 3049 patients were included. Demographic data (age and gender) and diagnoses were extracted, coded and analysed.Results  Patients’ attendance peaked in summer (42.57%) and revealed female predominance (1.3 : 1). Infections constituted most of dermatoses (52.87%) and impetigo was most common (12.04%). Hypersensitivity came after (18.6%), and contact dermatitis prevailed (6.03%). Females predominated in most dermatoses. Bacterial infections were the most common in both genders. Age distribution revealed prevalence of bacterial infections in infants and preschool children, parasitic infections in school children and sebaceous gland disorders in adolescents. Parasitic infections prevailed in winter and spring, whereas bacterial infections prevailed in summer and autumn. Most dermatoses peaked in summer except urticaria and chicken pox that peaked in spring.Conclusion  Infections outnumbered other paediatric dermatoses parallel to the situation in developing communities. Such diseases are potentially controllable and therefore strategies that target infections may represent a key to an efficient child health care programme.
On Flagellar Movement in Unicellular Organisms.
Authors: Lowndes A. G. 
Published: September 2010

Summary.1. The flagellum is an active unit in so far that it generates at least a part of its own energy irrespective of the attached cell.2. In all cases so far examined the impulses or waves start at the base of the flagellum and not at the tip.3. As a wave passes along a flagellum there is always a certain amount of rotation of the tip of the flagellum.4. A method for determining both the rate of swimming of the organism and the rate of beat of the flagellum is described.5. The rate of transmission of an impulse along a flagellum has been measured. In Euglena viridis it was found to be of the order of 810 μ per sec. or well under a foot per minute, which is almost infinitely slow compared with the rate at which an impulse passes along a nerve.6. The term “Tractellum” is discussed and its use should be discontinued. Tractella are simply ordinary flagella attached to the front end of the organism, the impulse starting at the base and not at the tip.7. The rotation of the organism itself is due to the plane in which the flagellum beats. A high rate of beat of the flagellum does not necessarily imply a high rate of rotation of the organism.8. The mechanics of the flagellum are discussed, but no attempt is made to discuss the nature of the movement within the flagellum though the slow rate of impulse is highly suggestive that it is a surface action comparable to heat conduction rather than radiation.9. Flagella attached to the hinder end of the organism and pushing it through the water present certain mechanical difficulties and occur in nature rather seldom. The more stable mechanism is for either a single flagellum or a pair of flagella to be attached to the front end to push the organism through the water.
A comparative study of farmers' markets visitors' needs and wants: the case of Alabama
Authors: Alonso Abel D. , O'Neill Martin A. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractMany studies refer to the importance of farmers' markets for both food producers and for visitors. For producers, the ability to obtain higher returns and/or market part of their produce as value‐added products can be strong incentives, while for consumers benefits include having access to fresher, often tastier foods or simply visiting as a social activity. Relatively few studies, however, explore visitors' needs and wants with regards to their farmers' market experience, that is, from visitors' perspective. The present study explores this dimension, comparing visitors' views in two different farmers' markets, one recently developed (since 2009) in a rural area vs. one already established (since 2004) in a university town (urban area). A total of 356 farmers' market visitors participated in the study. Respondents' comments from the two different farmers' markets are very much in agreement in the context of their needs and wants. Primarily, visitors want more product variety, an extended season, that is, not only limited to the summer season, and more vendors. The fact that more than half of the respondents regularly visit farmers' markets demonstrates their need and interest in locally produced foods. Given such strong interest, the potential for beneficial producer–consumer interactions in the sites studied appears to be enormous. Furthermore, farmers and other food producers have an ideal opportunity to increase the interest of consumers, ‘convert’ them to their foods and realise important benefits in the process. The overall findings also suggest opportunities for the establishment of other farmers' markets in a state (Alabama) with a long agricultural tradition.
Materialism, fashion consumers and gender: a cross‐cultural study
Authors: Workman Jane E. , Lee Seung‐Hee 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among materialism, gender and fashion consumer groups from two countries – one representative of an individualistic culture (US) and one representative of a collectivistic culture (Korea). Participants were 397 students from a university in Korea (n = 221) and a university in the US (n = 176) who completed the questionnaire. The materialism construct showed adequate reliability for participants in both cultures. Fashion change agents scored higher on materialism (centrality and success) than fashion followers. Females scored higher on materialism than males which seemed to be based on higher scores on the centrality subscale. Participants from the US and Korea differed on all three subscales of materialism with US participants scoring higher on centrality but lower on success and happiness than Korean participants. The findings of this study provide valuable implications for fashion marketers and retailers in Korea and US. The findings are limited to Korean and US consumers and cannot be generalized to other cultures. This paper fills a gap in the literature by comparing materialistic values between genders and fashion consumer groups in an individualistic culture (US) and a collectivistic culture (Korea).
Epigenetic control of expression of the human L‐ and M‐ pigment genes
Authors: Deeb S. S. , Bisset D. , Fu L. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractEpigenetics alters gene expression by chromatin modification without changing the sequence of DNA. DNA methylation is an essential signal for epigenetic gene regulation. Methylation of cytosine bases at CpG dinucleotides in DNA results in chromatin condensation resulting in suppression of gene expression. DNA methylation has been shown to play important roles in cell differentiation, genomic imprinting and X‐chromosome inactivation. We compared the CpG methylation patterns of the promoters of the L‐opsin gene (OPN1LW) and the M‐opsin gene (OPN1MW), plus a DNase I hypersensitive (DHS) site located about 8 kb (kilobases) upstream of the OPN1LW gene. Comparisons were made using the human retinoblastoma cell line WERI, which expresses the L and M opsin genes when treated with thyroid hormone (T3), and a lymphoblastoid cell line GM06990 that does not express these genes.The results showed that the great majority of the 14 CpGs located within the proximal 200 bp (base pairs) of each promoter, plus 20 bp of the 5′‐untranslated region, were hypo‐methylated in WERI‐Rb‐1 cells, whether or not treated with T3, but almost totally methylated in the lymphoblastoid cell line. Three of the CpGs that are located beyond 200 bp from the transcription start site of OPN1LW were hyper‐methylated in both WERI and lymphoblastoid cells. Significant differential methylation was also observed within the DHS region (24 CpGs). This DHS region contains a highly conserved motif that binds CCCTC‐binding factor (CTCF), referred to as a ‘chromatin insulator or boundary element’, that has been shown to regulate gene expression at several genome locations. The results suggest that DNA methylation is likely to contribute to regulation of expression of the L‐ and M‐opsin genes during differentiation, as well as to the retinal L:M cone ratio. In addition, thyroid hormone induction of the opsin genes does not appear to alter DNA methylation.
S‐cone excitation ratios for reaction times to blue‐yellow suprathreshold changes at isoluminance
Authors: Medina José M. , Díaz José A. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractWe examined different contrast metrics to scale visual latencies for suprathreshold stimuli modulated along tritan confusion lines. S‐cone increments (‘blue’) and decrements (‘yellow’) were isolated along two different tritan confusion lines, each one having a different luminance value. Reaction times (RT) were evaluated as a function of the Weber contrast and the S‐cone excitation ratio between the test stimulus and the background. RTs were described using a model that generalizes Piéron’s law and incorporates the notion of threshold units and power law scaling. Our results show that RTs for S‐cone increments and decrements equate better when using the S‐cone excitation ratio. However, a single function did not describe all RT data. S‐cone RTs are better described by separate functions. We conclude that S‐cone increments and decrements do not scale in the same manner. Both Weber contrast and the S‐cone excitation ratio are plausible metrics at isoluminance. The implications for the S‐cone pathways are discussed.
The effect of controlled photopigment excitations on pupil aperture
Authors: Viénot Françoise , Bailacq Solenne , Rohellec Jean Le 
Published: September 2010

AbstractIn addition to rods and cones, the human retina contains melanopsin which has been identified recently in the body and dendrites of a few ganglion cells. The intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are good candidates for controlling the tonic pupil aperture but their spectral sensitivity is close to those of rods and S‐cones which are other candidates. Our study aims at identifying the stimulus for the pupil response when the luminance is constant and the spectrum of the light changes. A light booth was equipped with five types of coloured light emitting diodes (LEDs): Blue, Cyan, Green, Orange and Red. The intensity of each LED type could be adjusted to control the light spectrum. Illumination pairs were prepared ensuring the exclusive variation of excitation of one receptor type and silent substitution for others. Because the range of the possible controlled changes of excitation was narrow, we also prepared illumination pairs ensuring silent substitution for luminance rather than for L‐cones and M‐cones independently. Photographs of the observer’s eyes were taken following one minute of adaptation to each illumination and the ratio of pupil to iris diameter was measured. No differential pupillary response was observed with a variation of rod, melanopsin or S‐cone excitation alone. A differential pupillary response could only be obtained with a variation of the melanopsin stimulus of sufficient high contrast with or without a concurrent variation of rods.
Color‐space distortions following long‐term occupational exposure to mercury vapor
Authors: Feitosa‐Santana Claudia , Bimler David L. , Paramei Galina V. , Oiwa Nestor N. , Barboni Mirella T. S. , Costa Marcelo F. , Silveira Luiz C. L. , Ventura Dora F. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractColor vision was examined in subjects with long‐term occupational exposure to mercury (Hg) vapor. The color vision impairment was assessed by employing a quantitative measure of distortion of individual and group perceptual color spaces. Hg subjects (n = 18; 42.1 ± 6.5 years old; exposure time = 10.4 ± 5.0 years; time away from the exposure source = 6.8 ± 4.6 years) and controls (n = 18; 46.1 ± 8.4 years old) were examined using two arrangement tests, D‐15 and D‐15d, in the traditional way, and also in a triadic procedure. From each subject’s ‘odd‐one‐out’ choices, matrices of inter‐cap subjective dissimilarities were derived and processed by non‐metric multidimensional scaling (MDS). D‐15d results differed significantly between the Hg‐group and the control group (p < 0.05), with the impairment predominantly along the tritan axis. 2D perceptual color spaces, individual and group, were reconstructed, with the dimensions interpreted as the red‐green (RG) and the blue‐yellow (BY) systems. When color configurations from the Hg‐group were compared to those of the controls, they presented more fluctuations along both chromatic dimensions, indicating a statistically significant difference along the BY axis. In conclusion, the present findings confirm that color vision impairments persist in subjects that have received long‐term occupational exposure to Hg‐vapor although, at the time of testing, they were presenting mean urinary concentration within the normal range for non‐exposed individuals. Considering the advantages of the triadic procedure in clinical evaluation of acquired color vision deficiencies, further studies should attempt to verify and/or improve its efficacy.
2‐Methoxystypandrone represses RANKL‐mediated osteoclastogenesis by down‐regulating formation of TRAF6–TAK1 signalling complexes
Authors: Chiou WF , Liao JF , Huang CY , Chen CC 
Published: September 2010

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 2‐Methoxystypandrone (2‐MS) is a naphthoquinone isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum, a Chinese herb used to treat bone diseases. Here we have determined whether 2‐MS antagonised osteoclast development and bone resorption.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH RAW264.7 cells were treated with receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) ligand (RANKL) to induce differentiation into osteoclasts. RT‐PCR and Western blot were used to analyse osteoclast‐associated gene expression and signalling pathways.KEY RESULTS The number of multinuclear osteoclasts, actin rings and resorption pit formation were markedly inhibited by 2‐MS, targeting osteoclast differentiation at an early stage and without significant cytotoxicity. The anti‐resorption effect of 2‐MS was accompanied by decreasing dendritic cell‐specific transmembrane protein and matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) mRNA expression. RANKL‐increased MMP‐9 gelatinolytic activity was also attenuated by concurrent, but not by subsequent addition of 2‐MS. 2‐MS markedly inhibited not only the RANKL‐triggered nuclear translocations of NF‐κB, c‐Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1), but also the subsequent NFATc1 induction. Degradation of IκB and phosphorylation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases were also suppressed. RANKL facilitated the formation of singaling complexes of tumour necrosis factor receptor‐associated factor 6 and transforming growth factor β‐activated kinase 1 (TRAF6–TAK1), important for osteoclastogenesis and formation of such signalling complexes was prevented by 2‐MS.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The anti‐osteoclastogenic effects of 2‐MS could reflect the block of RANKL‐induced association of TRAF6–TAK1 complexes with consequent decrease of IκB‐mediated NF‐κB and mitogen‐activated protein kinases‐mediated c‐Fos activation pathways and suppression of NFATc1 and other gene expression, essential for bone resorption.
Insulin resistance in penile arteries from a rat model of metabolic syndrome
Authors: Contreras Cristina , Sánchez Ana , Martínez Pilar , Raposo Rafaela , Climent Belén , García‐Sacristán Albino , Benedito Sara , Prieto Dolores 
Published: September 2010

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Metabolic and cardiovascular abnormalities accompanying metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension, are all associated with endothelial dysfunction and are independent risk factors for erectile dysfunction. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the vascular effects of insulin in penile arteries and whether these effects are impaired in a rat model of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Penile arteries from obese Zucker rats (OZR) and their counterpart, lean Zucker rats (LZR), were mounted on microvascular myographs and the effects of insulin were assessed in the absence and presence of endothelium and of specific inhibitors of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) and mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK). Insulin‐induced changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration [Ca2+]i were also examined.KEY RESULTS OZR exhibited mild hyperglycaemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertryglyceridemia and hyperinsulinemia. Insulin induced endothelium‐ and NO‐dependent relaxations in LZR that were impaired in OZR. Inhibition of PI3K reduced relaxation induced by insulin and by the β‐adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline, mainly in arteries from LZR. Antagonism of endothelin 1 (ET‐1) receptors did not alter insulin‐induced relaxation in either LZR or OZR, but MAPK blockade increased the responses in OZR. Insulin decreased [Ca2+]i, a response impaired in OZR.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Insulin‐induced relaxation was impaired in penile arteries of OZR due to altered NO release through the PI3K pathway and unmasking of a MAPK‐mediated vasoconstriction. This vascular insulin resistance is likely to contribute to the endothelial dysfunction and erectile dysfunction associated with insulin resistant states.