bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measurement Error in Access to Markets*
Authors: Escobal Javier , Laszlo Sonia 
Published: February 2008

AbstractMicroeconometric studies increasingly utilize travel times to markets as a determinant of economic behaviour. These studies typically use self‐reported measures from surveys, often characterized by measurement error. This paper is the first validation study of access to markets data. Unique data from Peru allow comparison of self‐reported variables with scientifically calculated variables. We investigate the determinants of the deviation between imputed and self‐reported data and show that it is non‐classical and dependent on observable socio‐economic variables. Our results suggest that studies using self‐reported measures of access may be estimating biased effects.
What happened to Irish industry after the British industrial revolution? Some evidence from the first UK Census of Production in 19071
Authors: BIELENBERG A. 
Published: February 2008

SUMMARYThis article examines Ireland's relative position within the UK industrial sector in the early twentieth century, by critically evaluating the Irish component of the First UK Census of Production. Firstly, Ireland's employment, net output shares, and net output per person are compared to the UK results. Secondly, by supplementing and adjusting the census evidence, a new estimate of the size of the industrial workforce is constructed, which is then used to produce a new estimate of Irish industrial output. From this it is possible to estimate the contribution of industry to Irish GDP, which can then be compared to its contribution in other European economies.
Depression and anxiety amongst multiple sclerosis patients
Authors: Beiske A. G. , Svensson E. , Sandanger I. , Czujko B. , Pedersen E. D. , Aarseth J. H. , Myhr K. M. 
Published: February 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety amongst multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and the associations with demographic and clinical characteristics. The current treatment for depression and anxiety was also evaluated amongst the MS patients.A total of 140 MS patients from Eastern Norway underwent neuropsychiatric and clinical examinations, with registration of symptoms of depression and anxiety (Hopkins Symptom Checklist‐25), as well as information about any help seeking for depression were obtained.A total of 31.4% patients reported symptoms of depression, whilst 19.3% reported anxiety; both symptoms were significantly higher than that amongst the general population (P < 0.001). Fatigue and younger age at onset were significantly associated with symptoms of depression, whilst fatigue and pain, lower Expanded Disability Status Scale score and younger age at onset were associated with symptoms of anxiety. The proportion of reported treatment of depression was 15.9% and for anxiety 11.1%. Of untreated patients with symptoms, 18.2% expressed the need for treatment.A greater focus on depression and anxiety amongst MS patients is needed to establish the appropriate treatment for patients suffering from MS.
The efficacy of ‘0.05% Clobetasol + 2.5% zinc sulphate’ cream vs. ‘0.05% Clobetasol alone’ cream in the treatment of the chronic hand eczema: a double‐blind study
Authors: Faghihi G , Iraji F , Shahingohar A , Saidat AH 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground  Many therapeutic modalities have been suggested for treatment of the chronic hand eczema. Despite good immediate efficacy of some of these treatments, there is high recurrence of the dermatitis following cessation of the treatment.Aim  Regarding the beneficial effects of the zinc sulfate on the skin, we designed a double blind study to evaluate the efficacy of the ‘0.05% Clobetasol + 2.5% zinc sulphate’ cream versus ‘0.05% Clobetasol alone’ cream in the treatment of the chronic hand eczema.Subjects and Methods  This study was a double‐blind, right to left, prospective, clinical trial. In total, 47 patients with chronic hand eczema admitted to dermatology center of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences were selected and their right hand or left hand were selected at random to be treated with either the ‘0.05% Clobetasol + 2.5% zinc sulphate’ cream or ‘0.05% Clobetasol alone’ cream twice daily for 2 weeks. All of the patients were treated for 2 weeks and were followed up at weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8 after starting the treatment. For determining the severity of chronic hand eczema, we assessed and scored 4 different characteristics of the lesions including redness; scaling; lichenification and pruritus. The data were analyzed using SPSS program (release 13) and statistical tests including Mann‐Whitney test.Results  Overall, 47 patients (94 samples) were evaluated. All of these patients had similar and symmetrical lesions on their right and left hands. Out of them, 35 patients were females and 12 patients were male. In all of the evaluated characterisitics, the ‘0.05% Clobetasol + 2.5% zinc sulphate’ cream was more effective than ‘0.05% Clobetasol alone’ cream (P < 0.05). The recurrence rate of eczema was significantly lower in the group treated with this combination treatment (P < 0.05).Conclusion  With regard to the encouraging results of the combination treatment with Clobetasol + zinc sulphate, we suggest that in a more extensive clinical trial, the efficacy of this treatment against chronic hand dermatitis be evaluated. In addition, evaluation of this combination therapy against other inflammatory dermatosis seems to be logical.
Financial Integration in the EU: the First Phase of EU Endorsement of International Accounting Standards*
Authors: DEWING IAN , RUSSELL PETER O. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIn 2002 the EU adopted the Regulation which required European listed companies to prepare their consolidated accounts in accordance with international accounting standards from 2005 onwards. A novel set of structures for the endorsement of international accounting standards for use in the EU was put in place. This article examines the first phase of endorsement of international accounting standards in the context of the novel endorsement structures. The article concludes that problems over the endorsement of IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement reveals a number of significant policy implications for the EU including the difficulty of forming a European view, the role of private actors in EU regulation, and the issue that international standards largely reflect Anglo‐Saxon accounting practices rather than continental European practices.
Three Worlds of Compliance or Four? The EU‐15 Compared to New Member States*
Authors: FALKNER GERDA , TREIB OLIVER 
Published: February 2008

AbstractStarting from the findings of an earlier compliance study covering the 15 ‘old’ Member States of the European Union, which identified three ‘worlds of compliance’, this article seeks to establish whether or not the new Member States from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) represent a separate world of compliance. We present empirical findings from a research project on the implementation of three EU Directives from the field of working time and equal treatment in four CEE countries. The evidence suggests that the new Member States display implementation styles that are similar to a few countries in the EU‐15. The expectation that the new Member States might behave according to their own specific logic, such as significantly decreasing their compliance efforts after accession in order to take ‘revenge’ for the strong pressure of conditionality, is not supported by our case studies. Instead, all four new Member States appear to fall within a group that could be dubbed the ‘world of dead letters’. It is crucial to highlight, however, that this specific ‘world of compliance’, characterized by politicized transposition processes and systematic application and enforcement problems, also includes two countries from the EU‐15.
Governance Areas in EU Direct Tax Policy*
Authors: RADAELLI CLAUDIO M. , KRAEMER ULRIKE S. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractConventional scholarship on international taxation tends to address competition. It focuses on governments and does not integrate purposeful political strategy with the ideational dimension of policy change. In this article we examine co‐operation, use a multi‐actor perspective to explain the selection of modes of governance and bridge the gap between the strategic and ideational components of policy change. We show how a political strategy pursued by the Commission has led to the emergence of two functionally differentiated governance arenas, dealing with different definitions of tax problems and operating with modes of governance that suit the internal logic of individual arenas. We then examine the limitations of political strategy, by showing how a third governance arena dominated by the European Court of Justice has become increasingly important, with little control exercised by the Commission and the Member States.
Political Communication in a European Public Space: Language, the Internet and Understanding as Soft Power*
Authors: ROSE RICHARD 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis article demonstrates that the European Union's linguistic diversity policy is a barrier to greater popular participation in a European public space. It sets out three political communication models: elite discourse, aggregative democracy and deliberation in a European public space; each has different linguistic requirements. It presents survey evidence showing that Europeans are ‘voting with their mouths’ for a singlelingua franca, resulting in English as a foreign language (EFL) becoming the most widely understood language in the EU and its use on the internet for transnational as well as domestic communication. More than one‐third of Europeans now have the basic prerequisites for participation in a European public space: they are internet users and know thelingua francaof Europe, EFL. The EU's linguistic diversity policy is even more a barrier for participation in a global public space in which EFL is now thelingua francaof Asia and other continents. It concludes that knowledge of EFL does not confer soft power on Anglophones but on Europeans using it in interactions with monoglot American and English speakers.
Thinking about the Recent Past and the Future of the EU*
Authors: TSEBELIS GEORGE 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAfter the referendums in France and the Netherlands, the European Union was in disarray. However, political elites in all countries were insisting in the adoption of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe, which in turn was a slight modification of the text adopted in the European Convention. The solution was found in the IGC of Brussels in 2007, where the substance of the Treaty was adopted, and symbolic details (flag, anthem) were dropped out. The article explains the impact of the institutions adopted in the Convention, and argues that these institutions would help political decision‐making in the EU. It then explains how such significant results became possible (because of the important role of the Presidium in terms of agenda‐setting). Finally it argues that the text of the Constitution became a focal point for all negotiating governments. This is why elites came back to it despite the public disapproval of the referendums.
Viability of probiotic micro‐organisms (Lactobacillus casei Shirota and Bifidobacterium animalis subspp. lactis) in a milk‐based dessert with cranberry sauce
Authors: MAGARIÑOS HAROLDO , CARTES PAULA , FRASER BERNARDO , SELAIVE SADE , COSTA MARCIA , FIGUEROLA FERNANDO , PIZARRO OLIVIA 
Published: February 2008

The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival of two probiotic micro‐organisms, Lactobacillus casei Shirota and Bifidobacterium animalis subspp. lactis, in a milk‐based dessert (2.7% fat) with cranberry sauce added. B. lactis had a final concentration of 1.99 × 106 cfu/g after 21 days of study, with a logarithmic decrease of 8.87%. On other hand, L. casei Shirota had a final concentration of 2.05 × 107 cfu/g at the end of the same period, a logarithmic decrease of 8.41%. Statistical analysis showed that significant differences existed between both micro‐organisms and over various storage times, the more viable micro‐organism being L. casei Shirota, which decreased less than one logarithmic cycle after 21 days.
Enterobacter sakazakii survives spray drying
Authors: ARKU BENEDICT , MULLANE NIALL , FOX EDWARD , FANNING SÉAMUS , JORDAN KIERAN 
Published: February 2008

Four strains of Enterobacter sakazakii were inoculated into 35% reconstituted skim milk at 107 and 102 cfu/g dry wt. After spray‐drying in a Buchi mini spray drier (inlet 160°C and outlet 90°C), the resulting powders were analysed for E. sakazakii by enrichment and enumeration. In all cases, E. sakazakii survived the spray drying process and were detected in the powders with a low inoculum and enumerated in all the powders with the high inoculum for at least 12 weeks. The results emphasize that the controls in place to prevent E. sakazakii from getting to the spray drier are essential.
Variant autonomic regulation during active standing in Swedish and Japanese junior high school children
Authors: Kajiura Mitsugu , Tanaka Hidetaka , Borres Magnus , Thulesius Olav , Yamaguchi Hitoshi , Tamai Hiroshi 
Published: February 2008

SummaryThe present investigation is about cardiovascular responses and relevant autonomic function in Swedish and Japanese pubertal children on active standing using non‐invasive continuous beat‐to‐beat finger arterial pressure (FAP) monitoring and power spectral analysis. Examined were 54 Swedish and 57 Japanese children (13–15 years). FAP and heart rate (HR) was continuously recorded in the supine position and during standing. Supine FAP was significantly higher in Swedish compared with Japanese children (121/62 versus 103/53 mmHg, P < 0·001). Swedish children showed a higher increase in arterial pressure and HR upon uprising, resulting in a higher vasoconstrictor index (5·04 ± 0·22 versus 2·31 ± 0·11 mmHg s−1, P < 0·001, respectively). There were also higher increases in arterial pressure and HR in the following steady state period (1–7 min) between the two groups. These differences were also found after adjustment of body weight and height. Frequency domain analysis of HR and arterial pressure variability indicated significantly higher low/high frequency power of HR and low frequency power of arterial pressure. These results suggest that Swedish pubertal children have higher basal blood pressure and enhanced cardiovascular sympathetic responses. These differences in the two cohorts might be caused by genetic factors.
THE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY SET AND ITS PROXY VARIABLES
Authors: Adam Tim , Goyal Vidhan K. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe use a real options approach to evaluate the performance of several proxy variables for a firm's investment opportunity set. The results show that, on a relative scale, the market‐to‐book assets ratio has the highest information content with respect to investment opportunities. Although both the market‐to‐book equity and the earnings–price ratios are related to investment opportunities, they do not contain information that is not already contained in the market‐to‐book assets ratio. Consistent with this finding, a common factor constructed from several proxy variables does not improve the performance of the market‐to‐book assets ratio.
Joint Effects of Adiposity and Physical Activity on Incident Mobility Limitation in Older Adults
Authors: Koster Annemarie , Patel Kushang V. , Visser Marjolein , Van Eijk Jacques Th. M. , Kanaya Alka M. , De Rekeneire Nathalie , Newman Anne B. , Tylavsky Frances A. , Kritchevsky Stephen B. , Harris Tamara B. ,   for the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study
Published: February 2008

OBJECTIVES: To examine joint associations of physical activity and adiposity measures (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, percentage body fat) with incident mobility limitation.DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study.SETTING: Memphis, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand nine hundred and eighty‐two black and white men and women aged 70 to 79 participating in the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study.MEASUREMENTS: Mobility limitation was defined as reported difficulty walking one‐quarter of a mile or climbing 10 steps during two consecutive semiannual assessments over 6.5 years. Three measures of adiposity were included in this study: BMI, total percentage body fat, and waist circumference. Physical activity was assessed using a modified leisure‐time physical activity questionnaire.RESULTS: Forty‐six percent of the cohort developed mobility limitation. White and black men with a high BMI (≥30 kg/m2), high total percentage body fat (>31.3%), or high waist circumference (≥102 cm) had an approximately 60%, 40%, and 40%, respectively, higher risk of incident mobility limitation than those with low adiposity. In women, high adiposity was also associated with a significantly higher mobility limitation risk than in those with low adiposity. Low physical activity (lowest quartile) was associated with a 70% higher risk of mobility limitation in all groups. Persons with high adiposity and low physical activity were at particularly high risk of mobility limitation. People with high adiposity who were physically active had an equally high risk of mobility limitation as inactive people with low adiposity.CONCLUSION: High adiposity and low self‐reported physical activity predicted the onset of mobility limitation in well‐functioning older persons. Preventing weight gain in old age and promoting physical activity in obese and non‐obese older persons may therefore be effective strategies to prevent mobility loss and future disability.
Dermatofibroma on the Palmar Surface of the Hand
Authors: Gencoglan Gulsum , Karaarslan Isil Kilinc , Dereli Tugrul , Kazandi Ali Can 
Published: February 2008

Case 1: A 58‐year‐old man presented with a solitary asymptomatic nodule on his thumb (Figure A). After trauma with a rusty nail approximately 20 years ago, he had developed a small papule, which had enlarged gradually for a few days initially before stabilizing. His personal and family medical histories were unremarkable. Dermatologic examination revealed a 1‐cm crater‐like nodule on the left palmar area. This was a firm and nontender lesion that was fixed to the overlying skin but moved freely from underlying structures. There were no similar lesions elsewhere on his body. Case 2: A 52‐year‐old man presented with a nodular lesion on the left palmar surface of his thumb. The 0.8‐cm lesion was lightly colored, with a central cup‐shaped epidermal depression and thin epidermis. The patient described an insect bite to the area 15 years earlier as the precipitating event. The firm and nontender lesion was fixed to the overlying skin but moved freely from underlying structures (Figure B). Case 3: A 36‐year‐old man consulted for a nodular lesion, located on his left palmar surface, that had not enlarged or changed since appearing 3 years ago. He described mechanical trauma to the area as precipitating the lesion. Clinical examination revealed a 0.6‐cm, well‐circumscribed nodule, with a dome shape and colored skin. Clinically, the nodular lesion appeared to be a benign tumor (Figure C). In each case, the nodule was excised totally and histopathologic examination revealed a well‐circumscribed, nonencapsulated nodule within the mid‐dermis. Thick, acellular collagen bundles were arranged randomly in short fascicles through the center of the lesion. Cellular areas consisting of histiocytes and fibroblasts with a storiform pattern at the periphery of lesion were observed, but nuclear atypia and mitotic activity were not. Results of immunohistochemical stain with CD34 were negative, but in all cases were strongly positive for Factor XIIIa. Slight epidermal hyperplasia was present with orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis and flattened rete ridges in the overlying epidermis (Figure A‐1, Figure B‐1, Figure C‐1). The subcutaneous fat and adjacent skin were normal. No folliculosebaceous units at the periphery of the lesion were seen, but a few eccrine sweet glands were noted. No recurrence appeared in 18 months of follow‐up. (A‐C) Palmar dermatofibromas. (A‐1–C‐1) Sections show thick, cellular collagen bundles arranged randomly in short fascicles through the center of each lesion; other cellular areas consist of histiocytes and fibroblasts with a storiform pattern at the lesion periphery (hematoxylineosin stain, original magnification ×100). image
An Unusual Presentation of Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid
Authors: De Dipankar , Dogra Sunil , Saikia Uma Nahar , Kanwar Amrinder Jit 
Published: February 2008

A 68‐year‐old woman presented with recurrent mucocutaneous blisters of 6 years' duration and progressive loss of scalp hair of 2 years' duration. The disease had started as tense blisters associated with a burning sensation over the lower part of her back, gradually followed by involvement of her chest, upper part of her back, and arms. The blisters persisted for weeks before rupturing spontaneously. Four years later, she developed tense oral blisters, resulting in painful persistent erosions. At about the same time, blisters on her scalp developed, followed by erosions and hair loss. No other mucosal sites were involved. She had no symptoms of photosensitivity, joint pain, dysphagia, weight loss, or other systemic complaints. On examination, multiple tense bullae and well‐defined deep erosions were seen over the hard and soft palates (Figure 1). Cutaneous examination revealed a few tense bullae on normal‐looking skin over her abdomen (Figure 2 inset) and arms and areas of scarring at the site of healed lesions on her back. Her scalp had bullae of similar morphology, crusted erosions, and cicatricial alopecia at the site of previous lesions involving a large area of scalp (Figure 2). Examination of the other mucosae did not reveal any abnormality. Histologic studies with hematoxylin and eosin stain of a skin biopsy specimen revealed deroofed subepidermal bullae with dense dermal inflammatory infiltrate predominantly composed of eosinophils (Figure 3). Direct immunofluorescence of a biopsy specimen from perilesional skin revealed linear deposits of immunoglobulins M and G and of C3 at the dermoepidermal junction which was consistent with mucous membrane pemphigoid. This patient was prescribed prednisolone 30 mg daily and dapsone 100 mg daily, following which there were no new blisters. At 3 months' follow‐up, previous erosions had partially healed. Tense intact blisters and erosions visible over the hard palate. image Cicatricial alopecia. Note crusted erosion over the vertex. Inset shows a tense blister over the abdomen. image Skin biopsy specimen taken from the margin of a blister shows deroofed subepidermal blister with dense eosinophilic infiltrate in the dermis (hematoxylineosin stain, original magnification ×550). image