bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparison of methods of pathogen inactivation of FFP
Authors: Rock G. 
Published: July 2010

Introduction  Current methods for pathogen inactivation of plasma involve four major processes using solvent–detergent (SD), methylene blue (MB), amotosalen and riboflavin as additives. Three of these methods involve the use of visible or ultraviolet light.Methods  A comparison of the four methods was made using publications in Medline, Pubmed, Embase and Biosis to obtain data on the logistics of use, the quality of the plasma proteins and the effectiveness of pathogen inactivation.Results  Three of the methods, MB, amotosalen and riboflavin, are designed for use in a blood bank; the SD method is generally applied at a centralized manufacturing centre and involves large plasma pools. All methods result in a reduction in protein values with the per cent retention of FVIII activity in the range of 67–78% and fibrinogen of 65–84%. Protein S and alpha2‐antiplasmin are lower following solvent–detergent treatment. Alterations in fibrinogen structure have been reported with methylene blue.Discussion  Three of the methods are designed for small volume use in a blood bank. All four methods have some effect on the coagulant proteins; however, the final concentrations are within regulated limits. While there is variability in the effectiveness against pathogens, direct comparison is difficult because of the methodologies used. Nonetheless, all are effective in inactivating HIV and other lipid‐enveloped pathogens. Clinical studies on the effectiveness of these products are surprisingly sparse, and no randomized clinical trials have yet been performed with amotosalen or riboflavin plasmas.
Complete hydatidiform mole with coexisting dichorionic diamniotic twins following testicular sperm extraction and intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Authors: Yamada Takahiro , Matsuda Takao , Kudo Masataka , Yamada Takashi , Moriwaki Masashi , Nishi Shinya , Ebina Yasuhiko , Yamada Hideto , Kato Hidenori , Ito Tomoo , Wake Norio , Sakuragi Noriaki , Minakami Hisanori 
Published: July 2010

AbstractWe present the first report of complete hydatidiform mole (HM) with coexisting dichorionic diamniotic twins. This pregnancy was achieved after testicular sperm extraction and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for azoospermia in the woman's husband. Standard in vitro fertilization may cause multisperm fertilization and increase triploid partial HM and complete HM, which arise from dispermic fertilization. In contrast, ICSI can avoid multisperm fertilization. In our case, paternal isodisomy in the molar tissue was confirmed by microsatellite analysis suggesting that it resulted from duplication of a haploid paternal genome following monospermic fertilization of an inactivated oocyte or from monospermic fertilization of an inactivated oocyte with a diploid sperm. Although the patient was eager to continue the pregnancy, the size of the HM component increased rapidly and termination of the pregnancy was required for pre‐eclampsia‐like symptoms at 15 weeks of gestation. After the operation, chemotherapy was initiated for persistent trophoblastic disease.
A low glycaemic diet improves oral glucose tolerance but has no effect onβ‐cell function in C57BL/6J mice
Authors: Andersson U. , Rosén L. , Wierup N. , Östman E. , Björck I. , Holm C. 
Published: July 2010

Aim:Clinical studies have suggested a role for dietary glycaemic index (GI) in body weight regulation and diabetes risk. Here, we investigated the long‐term metabolic effects of low and high glycaemic diets using the C57BL/6J mouse model.Methods:Female C57BL/6J mice were fed low or high glycaemic starch in either low‐fat or medium‐fat diets for 22 weeks. Oral and intravenous glucose tolerance tests were performed to investigate the effect of the experimental diets on glucose tolerance and insulin resistance.Results:In this study, a high glycaemic diet resulted in impaired oral glucose tolerance compared to a low glycaemic diet. This effect was more pronounced in the group fed a medium‐fat diet, suggesting that a lower dietary fat content ameliorates the negative effect of a high glycaemic diet. No effect on body weight or body fat content was observed in either a low‐fat diet or a medium‐fat diet. Static incubation of isolated islets did not show any differences in basal (3.3 mM glucose) or glucose‐stimulated (8.6 and 16.7 mM glucose) insulin secretion between mice fed a low or high glycaemic diet.Conclusion:Together, our data suggest that the impaired glucose tolerance seen after a high glycaemic diet is not explained by alteredβ‐cell function.
The Gender Gap in Funeral Directors: Burying Women with Ready‐to‐Embalm Laws?
Authors: Cathles Alison , Harrington David E. , Krynski Kathy 
Published: July 2010

AbstractOver the last few decades, the gender composition of funeral directors in the United States has changed dramatically as women have entered this traditionally male‐dominated occupation. To practise as funeral directors, women (and men) must be licensed in all but one state. The most extensive training requirements exist in the 27 states with ‘ready‐to‐embalm’ laws, which require funeral directors to be embalmers. Using a sample of 45,989 licensing records from 40 states, we find that 18.1 per cent of funeral directors were women in 2006. However, the proportion is significantly lower in states with ready‐to‐embalm laws. Our regressions imply that these laws reduce the proportion of female funeral directors by 24 per cent. More generally, we find that the number of funeral directors per capita is 17 per cent lower, on average, in states with ready‐to‐embalm laws.
Licensing Exam Difficulty and Entry Salaries in the US Market for Lawyers
Authors: Pagliero Mario 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThis article provides evidence of a correlation between licensing exam difficulty and salaries in a regulated profession. Exam difficulty is positively correlated with salaries across states and over time, both at the aggregate and individual state levels. The magnitude of this correlation is substantial: a 1 per cent increase in exam difficulty implies a 1.7 per cent increase in median entry‐level salaries. Exam difficulty does not significantly affect the inter‐quartile difference in salaries.
Offshoring Professional Services: Institutions and Professional Control
Authors: Yu Kyoung‐Hee , Levy Frank 
Published: July 2010

AbstractWe examine the reasons why one might expect it to be more difficult to offshore professional work than manufacturing work in a globalized world. We then provide data on the variations in a specific case — the offshoring of diagnostic radiology from the USA, UK and Singapore. We show that existing theories on the ‘offshorability’ of jobs have not captured how national institutions and occupational regulations continue to define professional work. We then review the question of supply from India's perspective and report that both macro‐institutional and organizational contexts make it complicated for Indian doctors to supply much of this service.
UNION WAGE DIFFERENTIALS IN AN ERA OF DECLINING UNIONIZATION†
Authors: Stewart Mark B. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the change in union wage differentials in Britain between 1984 and 1990, a period of considerable legislative change and marked decline in unionization. Small falls in union differentials are found for manual workers, together with a sharp decline in the premium associated with, and incidence of, the pre‐entry closed shop. The decline in the average differentials is found to be largely due to the inability of unions to establish differentials in new establishments. No link is found between the differential and the probability of closure and no evidence of decline in raw differentials in a matched panel.
TRADE UNIONS AND THE DISPERSION OF EARNINGS IN BRITISH ESTABLISHMENTS, 1980–90†
Authors: Gosling Amanda , Machin Stephen 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThe relationship between unions and earnings dispersion is examined using establishment‐level data from the 1980, 1984 and 1990 Workplace Industrial Relations Surveys. Initially the cross‐sectional relationship is examined using the 1990 data. The earnings dispersion of skilled and semiskilled workers is seen to be lower across unionized establishments than across non‐union establishments; secondly, within‐establishment earnings dispersion is lower in plants which recognize trade unions for collective bargaining purposes than in those that do not. All three surveys are then utilized to ascertain to what extent the decline in unionization in Britain has contributed to the rise in earnings inequality of semi‐skilled workers. There was a sizeable and important widening of the gap in the dispersion of earnings across union and non‐union plants between 1980 and 1990. For semi‐skilled earnings, the decline in the share of plants with recognized unions can account for 11‐17 percent of the rise in earnings inequality over this time period. The importance of falling union activity (as measured by union recognition) seemed to accelerate through the 1980s. Between 1980 and 1984 the relatively small falls in aggregate recognition explain less than 10 percent of the inequality increase, whereas between 1984 and 1990 about one‐quarter of the increase can be accounted for by the fall in unionization. The majority of the rise in earnings inequality is, however, due to a large increase in earnings dispersion across non‐union establishments.
GALTONIAN REGRESSION ACROSS COUNTRIES AND THE CONVERGENCE OF PRODUCTIVITY†
Authors: Hart Peter E. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTSA Galton model, in logarithmic form is used to explain the convergence of countries' productivities over time, including β and σ convergence. The ‘regression fallacy’ does not arise. When comparing growths and levels of productivity, countries should be classified by their initial levels of productivity, preferably after logarithmic transformation. Errors in the data may justify using an error‐in‐variables model, or the geometric mean of the original and reverse regressions, but this is not certain.
MALE OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY IN BRITAIN*
Authors: Harper Barry 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTSThis paper examines the role of pay, human capital and mismatch in the decision to quit an occupation. Particular emphasis is given to human capital accumulation where occupations provide a fixed amount of training opportunities. An occupational quits equation is estimated using micro data from the National Training Survey, 1974. Education, training, pay and lifecycle effects are found to have a significant impact on the quit decision. The determinants of intra‐firm promotion and inter‐firm occupational mobility are also examined.
PRACTITIONERS CORNER: Lag Order and Critical Values of a Modified Dickey‐Fuller Test
Authors: Cheung Yin‐Wong , Lai Kon S. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTSThis study examines some finite‐sample properties of a new modified Dickey‐Fuller test, called the DF‐GLS test, which has been shown to be more powerful than standard unit‐root tests. The study shows the lag order can significantly affect the critical values of the test. This points to the importance of correcting for the lag order effect in implementing the DF‐GLS test. Approximate lag‐adjusted finite‐sample critical values for the DF‐GLS test are provided, which can be straightforwardly computed from response surface equations.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FORCES IN SECTORAL WAGE FORMATION: EVIDENCE FROM THE NETHERLANDS
Authors: Graafland Johan J. , Lever Marcel H. C. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relative importance of internal (sector‐specific) and external (labour market) forces in sectoral wage formation in the Netherlands (1967–90). The results show that wages are largely determined by external forces, although internal forces are significant as well. The impact of the number of insiders, which plays a role in unemployment persistance, is not significant. Separate estimation results show that the impact of internal forces and of unemployment is weaker in the industrial sectors than in the service sectors. This casts doubt on the presumption that insider power increases the impact of internal forces on wage formation.
EARNINGS, INDEPENDENCE OR UNEMPLOYMENT: WHY BECOME SELF‐EMPLOYED?
Authors: Taylor Mark P. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThis paper attempts to estimate the role played by three key variables (namely expected earnings, the desire for independence and the ability to find paid employment) on the paid employee/self‐employment decision using a simple three stage utility maximization model. The empirical results suggest that individuals are attracted to self‐employment because of higher expected earnings relative to paid employment and by the freedom from managerial constraints that it offers. Evidence is also produced supporting the prosperity pull argument for self‐employment. Marital status, parents employment status, housing equity and occupational status clearly emerge as significant determinants of labour market choice.
ARE THE OUTPUT EFFECTS OF MONETARY POLICY ASYMMETRIC? EVIDENCE FROM A SAMPLE OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Authors: Karras Georgios 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThis paper examines whether the effects of monetary policy on output in Europe are asymmetric. Data from the 1953–90 period are used to identify money‐supply shocks and their effects on output for a panel of 18 European countries. Many different specifications and estimation methods strongly support asymmetry: negative money‐supply shocks are shown to have a statistically significant effect on output, whereas the effect of positive shocks is statistically insignificant. A similar asymmetry governs the output effects of interest rate changes. The sources of these asymmetries are traced to similar behavior for consumption and investment. These findings imply that positive money‐supply shocks may be an ineffective anti‐recession policy, and more generally, that the monetary component of the optimal stabilization policy should be less activist than generally thought.
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO MODELLING ZERO EXPENDITURE: AN APPLICATION TO SPANISH DEMAND FOR TOBACCO*
Authors: García Jaume , Labeaga José M. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to emphasise the importance of double‐hurdle models in the estimation of tobacco demand equations. Using data from the Spanish Family Expenditure Survey (EPF), Tobit, P‐Tobit and first hurdle dominance models are shown to be restrictive. This dataset also confirms the existence of separate individual decisions on participation and consumption. We propose to estimate a dependent version of a double‐hurdle model, although independence is not restrictive once additional powers of total expenditure are included in the specification of the second hurdle. Several misspecification tests are also conducted among the different models.
How Stable is the Forecasting Performance of the Yield Curve for Output Growth?*
Authors: Giacomini Raffaella , Rossi Barbara 
Published: July 2010

AbstractWe provide an extensive evaluation of the predictive performance of the US yield curve for US gross domestic product growth by using new tests for forecast breakdown, in addition to a variety of in‐sample and out‐of‐sample evaluation procedures. Empirical research over the past decades has uncovered a strong predictive relationship between the yield curve and output growth, whose stability has recently been questioned. We document the existence of a forecast breakdown during the Burns–Miller and Volker monetary policy regimes, whereas during the early part of the Greenspan era the yield curve emerged as a more reliable model to predict future economic activity.
A study on the association with hepatitis B and hepatitis C in 1557 patients with lichen planus
Authors: Birkenfeld S , Dreiher J , Weitzman D , Cohen AD 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  Previous reports have demonstrated contradicting results on the association between lichen planus and hepatitis.Objectives  The aim of this study was to investigate the association between lichen planus and viral hepatitis.Methods  Patients with lichen planus were compared with controls regarding the prevalence of viral hepatitis in a case‐control study using logistic multivariate regression models. The study was performed utilizing the medical database of Clalit Health Services.Results  The study included 1557 lichen planus patients over the age of 20 years and 3115 age‐ and gender‐matched controls. The prevalence of hepatitis C in patients with lichen planus was higher than that in the control group (1.9%, 0.4% respectively, P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, lichen planus was associated with hepatitis C (OR 4.19, 95% CI 2.21; 7.93). The prevalence of hepatitis B in patients with lichen planus was similar to that in the control group (0.9%, 0.5% respectively, P = 0.12). A multivariate analysis revealed that lichen planus was not associated with hepatitis B (OR 1.69, 95% CI 0.82; 3.47).Conclusion  Lichen planus is associated with hepatitis C but not with hepatitis B. Physicians who care for patients with lichen planus should consider screening patients with lichen planus for hepatitis C.
The clinical features of late onset acne compared with early onset acne in women
Authors: Choi CW , Lee DH , Kim HS , Kim BY , Park KC , Youn SW 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  Little is known about the clinical characteristics of acne based on the age of onset.Objectives  The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients according to the age of onset of acne and evaluate whether the findings were related to regional differences in the density of Propionibacterium acnes or the levels of sebum secretion.Methods  A total of 89 women were recruited. The acne lesions were assessed by counting the lesions using standard digital photographs. Digital fluorescent photography for the evaluation of the density of P. acnes were taken and quantitative measurements of facial sebum secretion were performed.Results  In women with acne, the age of onset was negatively correlated with the number of comedones and the proportion of comedones. By comparing the number of comedones and the proportion of comedones, onset of acne after 21 years of age was defined as late onset acne. In the patients with late onset acne, the number of comedones, the total number of acne lesions and the proportions of comedones were significantly less than in the patients with early onset acne. However, there were no significant differences in the fluorescence density of P. acnes or the level of sebum secretion between the two groups.Conclusions  The results of this study, using objective evaluation tools, suggest that late onset acne has different clinical characteristics. Other possible factors might explain the clinical differences in late onset acne.
Impact of bowel obstruction at the time of initial presentation in women with ovarian cancer
Authors: Rauh‐Hain JA , del Carmen M , Horowitz NS , Alarcon IA , Ko E , Goodman AK , Olawaiye AB 
Published: July 2010

Objective  To determine whether the presence of bowel obstruction at the time of initial presentation has any prognostic significance in these women.Design  Retrospective cohort study.Setting  Dedicated gynaecological oncology service of a large tertiary institution.Population  Women who had a bowel obstruction as part of their initial presentation of ovarian cancer were identified between 1995 and 2007. Each woman was matched with four control women (with disease but no obstruction).Methods  Women with disease were compared with controls to determine the impact, if any, of bowel obstruction at presentation. Several prognostic variables including bowel obstruction were also evaluated in a Cox proportional hazard model.Main outcome measures  Progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).Results  Forty‐eight women with disease and 192 controls were identified during the study period. The median follow‐up period was 19 months among women with disease versus 20 months in controls. No differences were seen in demographics and clinical characteristics of the women. Optimal cytoreduction rate was similar between the two groups (75% versus 78%, P = 0.7). Patients with bowel obstruction had a shorter PFS and OS compared with controls [19 months versus 21 months (P = 0.01) and 22 versus 35 months (P = 0.008)], respectively. Bowel obstruction at presentation was an independent prognostic variable with a hazard ratio of 1.5 (P = 0.009). Other prognostic variables were age, stage and extent of surgical cytoreduction.Conclusions  Bowel obstruction at the time of initial presentation is an adverse prognostic factor in women with ovarian cancer.
Relationship of donor HLA antibody strength to the development of transfusion‐related acute lung injury
Authors: Hashimoto Shiho , Nakajima Fumiaki , Kamada Hiromi , Kawamura Kumiko , Satake Masahiro , Tadokoro Kenji , Okazaki Hitoshi 
Published: July 2010

BACKGROUND: Antibodies against the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) in donors' blood are implicated in the development of transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI). Screening of female donors for HLA antibodies has been introduced to prevent TRALI; however, the relationship of HLA antibody strength in the transfused components to the development of TRALI has not been evaluated in detail.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Donors involved in 1038 cases of nonhemolytic transfusion reactions (NHTRs) including 283 cases of TRALI were screened for HLA antibodies by the fluorescence beads method. HLA antibody specificity and strength were analyzed in detail. The usefulness of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for screening HLA antibodies was also evaluated.RESULT: Among 21 cases of TRALI, four cases of possible TRALI, and five cases of other NHTRs, the sum of mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of donors' HLA antibodies to patients' cognate antigen(s) was determined in 18, four, and three cases, respectively. The sum of MFI in TRALI cases was significantly higher than that in other NHTR cases (p < 0.05). When HLA antibody–positive samples were reevaluated by ELISA, the ELISA optical density ratio was significantly higher in donors' samples associated with TRALI than in those associated with other NHTRs (p < 0.01)CONCLUSIONS: A correlation between the HLA antibody strength and development of TRALI was indicated. The antibody strength measured by ELISA could be used as the basis for the screening of HLA antibodies in place of the fluorescence beads method. This study provided clues to the establishment of a cutoff value for HLA antibody screening in an evidence‐based manner for the prevention of TRALI.