bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction assays for the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection in Russia
Authors: Shipitsyna E. , Zolotoverkhaya E. , Chen C.Y. , Chi K.H. , Grigoryev A. , Savicheva A. , Ballard R. , Domeika M. , Unemo M. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractBackground  In Russia, the microscopy‐ and culture‐based diagnostics of trichomoniasis is mainly suboptimal. Recent years, domestically produced diagnostic PCR assays have been implemented; however, any evaluation of these PCRs has never been internationally reported.Objective  To assess the performance characteristics of PCR assays developed and currently used in Russia to detect Trichomonas vaginalis.Materials and methods  Five PCR assays were assessed on 448 samples (317 vaginal and 131 male urethral) collected from symptomatic attendees of youth centres (n = 415) and patients of a dermatovenereological dispensary that were previously diagnosed with trichomoniasis (n = 33). As reference assay, a sensitive and specific real‐time multiplex PCR was used.Results  T. vaginalis DNA was detected in five (all females) of the 415 patients of youth centres (1.2%). All 33 patients previously diagnosed at the venereological dispensary proved to be true positive. For 445 (99.3%) of these 448 samples identical results were obtained by all PCRs, 35 positive and 410 negative. The three discordant samples were positive in all PCRs except one conventional PCR assay. The sensitivities of the PCRs were 94.3–100% and 66.7–100% for vaginal and urethral swabs, respectively. All evaluated assays were 100% specific. The detection limits of the different PCRs ranged from 0.1 to 5 genome equivalents per reaction.Conclusion  The PCR assays currently used in Russia for the detection of T. vaginalis have in general high sensitivities and excellent specificities for both vaginal samples and urethral samples from males.
Olympic and world sport: making transnational society?
Authors: Giulianotti Richard , Brownell Susan 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis paper introduces the special issue of the British Journal of Sociology on the subject of the transnational aspects of Olympic and world sport. The special issue is underpinned by the perspective that because sport provides a space for the forging of transnational connections and global consciousness, it is increasingly significant within contemporary processes of globalization and the making of transnational society. In this article, we examine in turn eight social scientific themes or problems that are prominent within the special issue: globalization, glocalization, neo‐liberal ideologies and policies, transnational society, securitization, global civil society, transnational/global public sphere, and fantasy/imagination. We conclude by highlighting five ‘circles’ of future research inquiry within world sport that should be explored by social scientists.
Mapping the global football field: a sociological model of transnational forces within the world game
Authors: Giulianotti Richard , Robertson Roland 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis paper provides a sociological model of the key transnational political and economic forces that are shaping the ‘global football field’. The model draws upon, and significantly extends, the theory of the ‘global field’ developed previously by Robertson. The model features four quadrants, each of which contains a dominant operating principle, an ‘elemental reference point’, and an ‘elemental theme’. The quadrants contain, first, neo‐liberalism, associated with the individual and elite football clubs; second, neo‐mercantilism, associated with nation‐states and national football systems; third, international relations, associated with international governing bodies; and fourth, global civil society, associated with diverse institutions that pursue human development and/or social justice. We examine some of the interactions and tensions between the major institutional and ideological forces across the four quadrants. We conclude by examining how the weakest quadrant, featuring global civil society, may gain greater prominence within football. In broad terms, we argue that our four‐fold model may be utilized to map and to examine other substantive research fields with reference to globalization.
Planning for the worst: risk, uncertainty and the Olympic Games
Authors: Boyle Philip , Haggerty Kevin D. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractSecurity for the Olympic Games has become undeniably visible in recent years. A certain degree of this visibility became unavoidable after the 1972 Munich Olympics when military personnel and hardware became standard elements of Olympic security. Yet, this visibility is qualitatively different today in that it is often deliberately fashioned for public consumption. This article argues that this expressive dimension of security at the Games provides a window into wider issues of how authorities ‘show’ that they can deliver on the promise of maximum security under conditions of radical uncertainty. The latter sections of this article examine three ways in which this promise is extended: the discursive work of managers of unease, the staging of highly stylized demonstration projects, and the fabrication of fantasy documents. We focus on how officials emphasize that they have contemplated and planned for all possible security threats, especially catastrophic threats and worst‐case scenarios. Actually planning for these events is epistemologically and practically impossible, but saying and showing that authorities are ‘planning for the worst’ are discursive ways of transforming uncertainty into apparently manageable risks that are independent of the functional activities they describe. As such, our analysis provides insights into the much broader issue of how authorities sustain the appearance of maximum security in order to maintain rhetorical control over what are deemed to be highly uncertain and insecure situations. Such performances may paradoxically amplify uncertainty, thus recreating the conditions that foster the ongoing securitization of everyday life.
The bid, the lead‐up, the event and the legacy: global cultural politics and hosting the Olympics
Authors: Rowe David 
Published: June 2012

AbstractHosting mega sport events, especially the Olympics, demands an extensive engagement with global civil society given the voluntary, highly mediated exposure of host cities and nations to the world. The philosophy of Olympism requires ethical authority in demonstrating ‘fitness’ to host the Games, so demanding intensive strategic image management. Offensive and defensive mobilization of image‐dependent ‘species of power’ in the field of sport (in a Bourdieusian sense) in conducting ‘wars of position and movement’ (following Gramsci) within global civil society are, then, crucial features of competitive manoeuvres around staging major sport events.The main empirical focus of this article is on the case of the Sydney 2000 (‘Millennial’) Games, in illustrating the socio‐political dynamics of bidding and hosting in the context of a major civil societal matter of concern – Australia's continuing failure to achieve reconciliation with, and equality for, its indigenous peoples. Ironically, though, it was in the domain of human rights that Sydney had an advantage over its closest competitor in the 1993 bidding process – China. The strategies deployed to secure the consent of Australian Aborigines to the Games are addressed in analysing the means by which the Sydney 2000 Games avoided major disruption and international criticism. A second, briefer case analysis is then presented of the disputation concerning Beijing's successful bid for the 2008 Olympics, which saw them influentially described by one (US) political activist as the ‘Genocide Games’ and the subject of international protests surrounding the Torch Relay. It is concluded that the contrasting levels of public, mediated discord in these two Olympiads in which human rights were key issues related, significantly though not exclusively, to the Chinese authorities' difficulties in ‘winning consent’ through strategic incorporation of the most conspicuous, non‐state oppositional forces within Western‐dominated global civil society in its most immediate, unruly, and mediatized form.
Human rights and the Beijing Olympics: imagined global community and the transnational public sphere1
Authors: Brownell Susan 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe Olympic Games are increasingly used by non‐governmental organizations to demand transnational forms of accountability from public authorities. This article assesses the effectiveness of transnational public opinion surrounding the Beijing 2008 Olympics, when the pressure of Western public opinion was exerted upon the government of the world's most populous non‐Western nation to improve its human rights record. Utilizing the concepts of ‘imagined global community’ and ‘transnational public sphere’, it finds that the Olympic Games had helped to call into existence a transnational public that ran up against the obstacle posed by the incomplete formation of supra‐national forms of governance. The International Olympic Committee, a non‐governmental organization, was a weak substitute. Because of the strong desire of Chinese people to take part in transnational deliberations, the article concludes with optimism about the potential of transnational public spheres that include Chinese people to develop toward more effective forms of transnational governance. But the IOC must strengthen the voice of its non‐Western members, and Western interlocutors, including the media, must accept their share of the responsibility for creating the conditions for egalitarian dialogue.
Football's Coming Home?: Digital reterritorialization, contradictions in the transnational coverage of sport and the sociology of alternative football broadcasts
Authors: David Matthew , Millward Peter 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis article critically utilizes the work of Manuel Castells to discuss the issue of parallel imported broadcasts (specifically including live‐streams) in football. This is of crucial importance to sport because the English Premier League is premised upon the sale of television rights broadcasts to domestic and overseas markets, and yet cheaper alternative broadcasts endanger the price of such rights. Evidence is drawn from qualitative fieldwork and library/Internet sources to explore the practices of supporters and the politics involved in the generation of alternative broadcasts. This enables us to clarify the core sociological themes of ‘milieu of innovation’ and ‘locale’ within today's digitally networked global society.
Cross‐sectional and longitudinal abnormalities in brain structure in children with severe mood dysregulation or bipolar disorder
Authors: Adleman Nancy E. , Fromm Stephen J. , Razdan Varun , Kayser Reilly , Dickstein Daniel P. , Brotman Melissa A. , Pine Daniel S. , Leibenluft Ellen 
Published: June 2012

Background:  There is debate as to whether chronic irritability (operationalized as severe mood dysregulation, SMD) is a developmental form of bipolar disorder (BD). Although structural brain abnormalities in BD have been demonstrated, no study compares neuroanatomy among SMD, BD, and healthy volunteers (HV) either cross‐sectionally or over time. Furthermore, the developmental trajectories of structural abnormalities in BD or SMD are unknown. This study provides such data in BD, SMD, and HV.Methods:  An optimized, modulated voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) analysis was conducted on structural MRI scans from 201 children (78 SMD, 55 BD, and 68 HV). In addition, 92 children (31 SMD, 34 BD, and 27 HV) were rescanned after 2 years (mean interval 1.99 ± 0.94 years), to compare time‐related changes among the three groups.Results:  Cross‐sectionally, the groups differed in gray matter (GM) volume in presupplementary motor area (pre‐SMA), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), insula, and globus pallidus. The cortical differences were driven mainly by increased GM volume in HV compared with BD and SMD. In globus pallidus, there was increased GM in BD compared with HV and SMD. Longitudinally, group‐by‐time interactions were evident in two clusters in the superior/inferior parietal lobule (R SPL/IPL) and in the precuneus. In both clusters, the interactions were driven by an abnormal increase in volume in BD.Conclusions:  Cross‐sectionally, both BD and SMD are associated with structural abnormalities in frontal cortex, insula, and basal ganglia. Although some of these deficits overlap (insula and DLPFC), others differentiate SMD and BD (pre‐SMA and globus pallidus). Abnormal developmental trajectories in lateral parietal cortex and precuneus are present in, and unique to, BD. Because of the high proportion of co‐occurring ADHD in the SMD subjects, we could not separate effects of ADHD from those of SMD, and future research including a nonirritable ADHD group must address this issue.
A question of national identity or minority rights? The changing status of the Irish language in Ireland since 1922
Authors: Mac Giolla Chríost Diarmait 
Published: May 2012

AbstractWhen the Irish Free State was founded in 1922, the Irish language was a substantial feature of the politics that led up to this event. Subsequently the language was recognised as the national and first official language of the Irish Free State. Since then, the de jure position of Irish appears to have evolved. Most recently, legislation was introduced in the Republic of Ireland, and statutory duties were placed upon certain public bodies with regard to the Irish language in Northern Ireland. This article examines this historical shift in the status of Irish in the two political jurisdictions in Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland [as a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK)], and explains its significance.
Daphnetin prevents chronic unpredictable stress‐induced cognitive deficits
Authors: Liao Min‐Jing , Lin Lian‐Feng , Zhou Xing , Zhou Xiao‐Wen , Xu Xiao , Cheng Xin , Gao Qin , Luo Huan‐Min 
Published: June 2012

AbstractChronic exposure to stress hormones might impair cognitive functions such as learning and memory, which were associated with many mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to screen for effective compounds to prevent cognitive deficits induced by chronic stress. Daphnetin was found to protect the cortical neurons against dexamethasone‐induced reduction of cell viability in a dose‐dependent manner in vitro. We further evaluated its effects on chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) mice in vivo. Two and 8 mg/kg administration of daphnetin could improve the performance of stress mice in Morris water maze tests and forced swimming tests. The results suggested that daphnetin might be a potent compound to treat cognitive deficits induced by CUS.
N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor involvement in central nervous system prostaglandin production during the relapse phase of chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (CR EAE)
Authors: Bolton Christopher , Wood Elizabeth G. , Ayoub Samir S. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractOur previous studies have established that major changes in central nervous system (CNS) prostaglandin (PG) levels occur during the relapse phase of chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (CR EAE), an animal model of the human demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis. PG production is controlled through a series of enzymic pathways that, in EAE, are influenced by neuroantigen‐driven autoimmune events. In non‐immune‐based models of CNS disease, endogenous glucocorticoids have been proposed as instigators of PG synthesis via activation of the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Glucocorticoids have an important regulatory role in the pathogenesis EAE and the NMDA receptor is intimately involved in many of the characteristic neuroinflammatory processes that govern the disease. Therefore, the alterations in prostanoid concentrations during the relapse stage of CR EAE may ultimately be governed by glucocorticoid‐induced NMDA receptor activation. The current investigation has examined the proposed glucocorticoid–NMDA receptor link by determining the effects of the receptor antagonist, (+) MK‐801, on CNS PGE
2 and PGD
2 levels in Biozzi mice with relapse symptoms of CR EAE. Prostanoid concentrations in the cerebral cortex were not altered by drug administration, and in cerebellar tissues, a vehicle effect negated any drug‐induced changes. However, the level of PGD
2 in spinal cords from (+) MK‐801‐dosed mice was significantly lower, compared to controls, but PGE
2 concentrations remained unchanged. The results suggest that glucocorticoid–NMDA receptor‐linked events are not primarily responsible for PG generation in the brain but may influence prostanoid production in discrete areas of the CNS.
A stochastic local search algorithm for constrained continuous global optimization
Authors: Melo Wendel A.X. , Fampa Marcia H.C. , Raupp Fernanda M.P. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis paper presents a new stochastic local search algorithm known as feasible–infeasible search procedure (FISP) for constrained continuous global optimization. The proposed procedure uses metaheuristic strategies for combinatorial optimization as well as combined strategies for exploring continuous spaces, which are applied to an efficient process in increasingly refined neighborhoods of current points. We show effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed procedure on a standard set of 13 well‐known test problems. Furthermore, we compare the performance of FISP with SNOPT (sparse nonlinear optimizer) and with few successful existing stochastic algorithms on the same set of test problems.
CULTURE, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, AND DIVIDEND POLICY: INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE
Authors: Bae Sung C. , Chang Kiyoung , Kang Eun 
Published: June 2012

AbstractWe find that Hofstede's cultural dimensions—uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and long‐term orientation—remain significant in the determination of firms’ dividend policies, even after controlling for corporate governance. We also show that this association varies with the strength of corporate governance, measured by the degree of investor protection. Hence, national culture and investor protection independently affect firms’ dividend payouts but also interact with each other, such that strong investor protection induces higher dividend payouts in high uncertainty avoiding and/or highly masculine cultures. Our results provide strong evidence that cultural differences matter and offer additional power in explaining variations in dividend policies.
The Warden's Dilemma: Self-Sacrifice and Compromise in Asymmetric Interactions
Authors: Fierke K. M. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractMany of the violent conflicts of the post-Cold War period have involved peoples who have historically been victims of interstate politics. Compromise is highly problematic in contexts of this kind, given that sovereign powers tend to attach the label ‘terrorism’ to acts of resistance and the resistance tends to claim an experience of injustice. Given a situation where compromise is seen by actors on both sides to be impossible, how would anything other than a ‘rotten compromise’ be possible? The article develops a framework called the Warden's Dilemma which is then put to use in the empirical exploration of two historical cases: the hunger strikes in Northern Ireland in 1980–81 and the martyrdom of Polish Solidarity's priest, Jerzy Popieluszko, a few years later.
Treatment of diabetic foot ulcers using cultured allogeneic keratinocytes—A pilot study
Authors: You Hi‐Jin , Han Seung‐Kyu , Lee Jin‐Woo , Chang Hak 
Published: June 2012

AbstractDiabetic foot ulcers often pose a difficult treatment problem. Repeated applications of cell‐based products have been reported to result in acceleration of diabetic wound healing. The purpose of this clinical trial study was to report preliminary findings of the efficacy and safety of the cultured allogeneic keratinocyte sheets in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Fifty‐nine patients with diabetic foot ulcers were randomized to either the keratinocyte treatment group (n = 27) or the control group treated with vaseline gauze (n = 32). Except for the application of keratinocytes, treatment of study ulcers was identical for patients in both groups. Either keratinocyte sheet or vaseline gauze was applied at the beginning of the study and weekly thereafter for a maximum of 11 weeks. The maximum follow‐up period for each patient was 12 weeks. Complete ulcer healing was achieved in 100% of the treatment group and 69% of the control group (p < 0.05). The Kaplan–Meier median times to complete closure were 35 and 57 days for the keratinocyte and control groups, respectively. No adverse events related to the treatment occurred. These results indicate that cultured allogeneic keratinocytes may offer a safe and effective treatment for diabetic foot ulcers.
Functional and Patient‐Reported Outcomes in Symptomatic Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Following Percutaneous Decompression
Authors: Mekhail Nagy , Costandi Shrif , Abraham Benjamin , Wadie Samuel Samuel 
Published: June 2012

AbstractBackground:  Neurogenic claudication due to symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a painful condition causing significant functional disability. While the cause of LSS is multifactorial, thickened ligamentum flavum (LF) accounts for up to 85% of spinal canal narrowing. mild percutaneous lumbar decompression allows debulking of the hypertrophic LF while avoiding the morbidities frequently associated with more invasive surgical procedures.Methods:  In this prospective case series study, consecutive LSS patients presenting with neurogenic claudication were treated with percutaneous lumbar decompression. Efficacy was evaluated using the Pain Disability Index (PDI) and Roland‐Morris Disability Questionnaire. Pre‐ and postprocedure Standing Time, Walking Distance, and Visual Analog Score (VAS) were also monitored. Significant device‐ or procedure‐related adverse events were reported.Results:  The mild procedure was successfully performed on forty patients. At twelve months, both PDI and Roland‐Morris showed significant improvement of 22.6 points (ANOVA, P < 0.0001) and 7.7 points (ANOVA, P < 0.0001), respectively. Walking Distance, Standing Time, and VAS improvements were also statistically significant, increasing from 246 to 3,956 feet (ANOVA, P < 0.0001), 8 to 56 minutes (ANOVA, P < 0.0001), and 7.1 to 3.6 points (ANOVA, P < 0.0001), respectively. Tukey HSD test found improvement in all 5‐outcome measures to be significant from baseline at each follow‐up interval. No significant device‐ or procedure‐related adverse events were reported.Conclusion:  This study demonstrated significant functional improvement as well as decreased disability secondary to neurogenic claudication after mild procedure. Safety, cost‐effectiveness, and quality‐of‐life outcomes are best compared with comprehensive medical management in a randomized controlled fashion and, where ethical, to open lumbar decompression surgery.