bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of dartos fascia and tunica vaginalis pedicle wrap for the tubularized incised plate in primary hypospadias repair
Authors: Chatterjee Uday S. , Mandal Manas K. , Basu Supriyo , Das Ranjit , Majhi Tapas 
Published: November 2004

OBJECTIVESTo report a prospective comparative study on using dartos fascia, i.e. subcutaneous tissue of penile skin and tunica vaginalis pedicled wrap (TVPW) from the parietal layer of the tunica vaginalis of the testis, for a one‐stage tubularized incised‐plate (TIP) repair for hypospadias.PATIENTS AND METHODSForty‐nine patients (mean age 4.6 years, range 1–22) with hypospadias of different types (varying from coronal to penoscrotal) were repaired in one of three hospitals over 3 years. All patients were repaired using the TIP technique, with dartos fascia wrap used in 20 and TVPW in 29, without using a loupe or microscope during surgery. Urinary diversion and splinting were provided by a urethral catheter. The operative duration for both groups was similar at ≈ 2 h.RESULTSIn the dartos fascia group there were three (15%) fistulae, but there were none in the TVPW group.CONCLUSIONSAlthough the dissection for TVPW seems to be cumbersome theoretically, it is not difficult. The combination of TIP and TVPW in primary repair may be a good alternative to other techniques.
Involvement of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (HT)7 receptors in the 5‐HT excitatory effects on the rat urinary bladder
Authors: Palea Stefano , Lluel Philippe , Barras Martine , Duquenne Chantal , Galzin Anne‐Marie , Arbilla Sonia 
Published: November 2004

OBJECTIVETo investigate the in vitro and in vivo effects of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) on the rat urinary bladder and to characterize the receptors involved in mediating these pharmacological effects by using selective antagonists.MATERIALS AND METHODSFemale Wistar rats (250–350 g) were used for all studies. In vitro, detrusor muscle strips were mounted between two platinum electrodes in organ baths filled with a modified Krebs’ solution bubbled with 95% O2 and 5% CO2 at 37 °C. After equilibration and a contraction to 80 mmol/L KCl, strips were exposed to electrical field stimulation for 30 min and incubated with the antagonist or vehicle for a further 30 min, then a 5‐HT concentration‐response curve (CRC) was obtained. In vivo, rats were anaesthetized with pentobarbital, and the ureters and urethra ligated, the bladder catheterized and infused with saline. 5‐HT (3–100 µg/kg intravenous) dose‐dependently increased intravesical pressure (IVP). After administering 5‐HT at 30 µg/kg three times at 10 min intervals (controls), one dose of antagonist was perfused for 5 min and, after a further 5 min, 30 µg/kg 5‐HT was tested again. This cycle was repeated four times using increasing doses of the antagonist to be tested.RESULTS In vitro, 5‐HT (0.01–100 µmol/L) induced a concentration‐dependent enhancement of the neurogenic response, with a mean (sd) pEC50 of 6.36 (0.15) and Emax of 41.1 (4.6)% KCl (eight rats). In unstimulated tissues, 5‐HT induced no contractile effect. Selective 5‐HT4, 5‐HT3 and 5‐HT1A receptor antagonists had no effect on the 5‐HT potentiating effects. The potentiating effect of 5‐HT was antagonized by mesulergine at 0.3 µmol/L, R(+)lisuride at 0.3 µmol/L and the selective 5‐HT7 receptor antagonist SB‐258741 at 0.3 µmol/L. In vivo, in anaesthetized rats, IVP increases induced by repeated doses of 30 µg/kg 5‐HT were reproducible. R(+)lisuride (3–100 µg/kg) dose‐dependently inhibited the 5‐HT‐induced increase of IVP. At the maximum dose tested, R(+)lisuride almost totally inhibited the 5‐HT effect.CONCLUSIONSIn rat isolated detrusor muscle the 5‐HT7 receptor antagonists SB‐258741, R(+)lisuride and mesulergine blocked the 5‐HT potentiating effect with the expected potency. Moreover, in anaesthetized rats, R(+)lisuride abolished 5‐HT effects on IVP at doses that antagonize physiological effects known to be mediated by 5‐HT7 receptor activation in several animal species. These results suggest the involvement of 5‐HT7 receptors in the modulation of rat bladder contraction both in vitro and in vivo.
Compatible Prior Distributions for Directed Acyclic Graph Models
Authors: Roverato Alberto , Consonni Guido 
Published: November 2004

SummaryThe application of certain Bayesian techniques, such as the Bayes factor and model averaging, requires the specification of prior distributions on the parameters of alternative models. We propose a new method for constructing compatible priors on the parameters of models nested in a given directed acyclic graph model, using a conditioning approach. We define a class of parameterizations that is consistent with the modular structure of the directed acyclic graph and derive a procedure, that is invariant within this class, which we name reference conditioning.
Power Transformations to Induce Normality and their Applications
Authors: Chen Willa W. , Deo Rohit S. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryRandom variables which are positive linear combinations of positive independent random variables can have heavily right-skewed finite sample distributions even though they might be asymptotically normally distributed. We provide a simple method of determining an appropriate power transformation to improve the normal approximation in small samples. Our method contains the Wilson–Hilferty cube root transformation for χ2 random variables as a special case. We also provide some important examples, including test statistics of goodness-of-fit and tail index estimators, where such power transformations can be applied. In particular, we study the small sample behaviour of two goodness-of-fit tests for time series models which have been proposed recently in the literature. Both tests are generalizations of the popular Box–Ljung–Pierce portmanteau test, one in the time domain and the other in the frequency domain. A power transformation with a finite sample mean and variance correction is proposed, which ameliorates the small sample effect. It is found that the corrected versions of the tests have markedly better size properties. The correction is also found to result in an overall increase in power which can be significant under certain alternatives. Furthermore, the corrected tests also have better power than the Box–Ljung–Pierce portmanteau test, unlike the uncorrected versions.
Never Give up on the Good Times: Student Attrition in the UK*
Authors: Johnes Geraint , McNabb Robert 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe determinants of students’ propensity to drop out of university are analysed using individual records of all students passing through the central applications process in 1993. The data set comprises about 100,000 individuals and allows a much more thorough analysis of student wastage than has been possible in the past. The main reasons for attrition, academic failure (‘involuntary’ attrition) and ‘voluntary’ dropout, are modelled. The results highlight, inter alia, the importance of matching and peer group effects, both of which have been found to be important determinants of student outcomes in the US but which have been subject to little empirical scrutiny for the UK.
Forecast Pooling for European Macroeconomic Variables*
Authors: Marcellino Massimiliano 
Published: November 2004

AbstractWe compare alternative forecast pooling methods and 58 forecasts from linear, time‐varying and non‐linear models, using a very large dataset of about 500 macroeconomic variables for the countries in the European Monetary Union. On average, combination methods work well but single non‐linear models can outperform them for several series. The performance of pooled forecasts, and of non‐linear models, improves when focusing on a subset of unstable series, but the gains are minor. Finally, on average over the EMU countries, the pooled forecasts behave well for industrial production growth, unemployment and inflation, but they are often beaten by non‐linear models for each country and variable.
Restoration of CD4 T‐cell responses to cytomegalovirus is short‐lived in severely immunodeficient HIV‐infected patients responding to highly active antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Keane NM , Price P , Lee S , Almeida CA , Stone SF , James I , French MA 
Published: November 2004

ObjectivesTo define the level of pathogen‐specific immune reconstitution persisting over 3 to 5 years of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV‐infected patients who began therapy with CD4 T‐cell counts below 50 cells/μL.MethodsCytomegalovirus (CMV)‐specific T‐cell responses were analysed in adult HIV‐1‐infected patients with nadir CD4 T‐cell counts below 50 cells/μL before HAART. CMV‐specific CD4 T‐cell responses were measured by interferon‐γ enzyme‐linked immunospot assay (ELISpot assay), lymphoproliferation and interferon‐γ levels in cell culture supernatants.ResultsCD4 T‐cell responses to CMV were low in untreated patients and remained low during the first year on HAART, but increased progressively to levels similar to those found in HIV‐seronegative CMV‐seropositive controls at 3 years. Responses then declined markedly and at 5 years were lower than controls. This could not be explained by changes in CD4 or CD8 T‐cell counts or plasma HIV RNA levels. Interferon‐γ and interleukin‐5 responses to a mitogen were maintained or elevated.ConclusionsCMV‐specific CD4 T‐cell responses were found to decline after 3–5 years on HAART and may provide inadequate long‐term protection against CMV disease in patients who are severely immunodeficient prior to treatment.
Findings from the British HIV Association's national clinical audit of first‐line antiretroviral therapy and survey of treatment practice and maternity care, 2002
Authors: Brook M G , Curtis H , Johnson M A ,   on behalf of the British HIV Association Clinical Audit Committee
Published: November 2004

ObjectivesTo assess the impact of and adherence to the British HIV Association (BHIVA) guidelines in routine clinical practice in the UK and Ireland.MethodsA self‐completed postal survey of practice with regard to HIV management and maternity care of HIV‐positive women was carried out. A case‐note review of all patients starting their first antiretroviral (ART) therapy (up to a maximum of 25 patients) between April and September 2002 was also performed.ResultsA total of 113 treatment centres participated. Ninety‐nine units (88%) use the BHIVA ART guidelines as part of their treatment policy. Problems revealed by the survey include limited access to some ARTs in a small number of units and a wait longer than 4 weeks before the first assessment of patients started on ART in some units. Thirty‐one centres (33%) felt that their maternity services had reached the government target of >90% antenatal HIV testing by October 2002. A total of 942 case‐notes audited showed shortfalls in reported pretreatment testing of blood glucose, lipids and hepatitis C virus. Three patients had not strictly met the BHIVA guidelines for starting ART, but all had a high viral load (>100 000 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL). The majority (844 patients; 90%) had started on recommended therapies, most commonly two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. The other 98 patients (10%) were given a variety of nonstandard triple or quadruple ART.ConclusionsThis audit again shows a high rate of consistency and quality of care of patients with HIV across the UK and Ireland. Problems with pretreatment assessment and early follow up of patients starting ART have been found.
Ethical Responsibility and the Historian: On the Possible End of a History “of a Certain Kind”
Authors: JENKINS KEITH 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTIn this article I try to answer the question posed by History and Theory's“call for papers”; namely, “do historians as historians have an ethical responsibility, and if so to whom and to what?” To do this I draw mainly (but not exclusively and somewhat unevenly) on three texts: Alain Badiou's Ethics: An Essay on the Understanding of Evil, J. F. Lyotard's The Differend, and Edward Said's Representations of the Intellectual; Jacques Derrida and Richard Rorty have a presence too, albeit a largely absent one. Together, I argue that these theorists (intellectuals) enable me to draw a portrait of an ethically responsible intellectual. I then consider whether historians qua historians have some kind of ethical responsibility—to somebody or to something—over and above that of the intellectual qua intellectual; I reply negatively. And this negative reply has implications for historians. For if historians are to be intellectuals of the type I outline here, then they must end their present practices insofar as they do not fulfill the criteria for the type of ethical responsibility I have argued for. Consequently, to be “ethical” in the way suggested perhaps signals—as the subtitle of my paper suggests—the possible end of a history “of a certain kind” and, as the inevitable corollary, the end of a historian “of a certain kind” too.
A Declaration of the Responsibilities of Present Generations Toward Past Generations
Authors: DE BAETS ANTOON 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTHistorians study the living and the dead. If we can identify the rights of the living and their responsibilities to the dead, we may be able to formulate a solid ethical infrastructure for historians. A short and generally accepted answer to the question of what the rights of the living are can be found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The central idea of human rights is that the living possess dignity and therefore deserve respect. In addition, the living believe that the dead also have dignity and thus deserve respect too. When human beings die, I argue, some human traces survive and mark the dead with symbolic value. The dead are less than human beings, but still reminiscent of them, and they are more than bodies or objects. This invites us to speak about the dead in a language of posthumous dignity and respect, and about the living, therefore, as having some definable core responsibilities to the dead. I argue further that these responsibilities are universal. In a Declaration of the Responsibilities of Present Generations toward Past Generations, then, I attempt to cover the whole area. I identify and comment on four body‐ and property‐related responsibilities (body, funeral, burial, and will), three personality‐related responsibilities (identity, image, and speech), one general responsibility (heritage), and two consequential rights (memory and history). I then discuss modalities of non‐compliance, identifying more than forty types of failures to fulfill responsibilities toward past generations. I conclude that the cardinal principle of any code of ethics for historians should be to respect the dignity of the living and the dead whom they study.
Voicing the Silent Fear: South Asian Women's Experiences of Domestic Violence
Authors: Gill Aisha 
Published: November 2004

Abstract: This article examines the subjective experiences of South Asian women in the United Kingdom who have suffered domestic violence, and identifies some of the risk factors for domestic violence within this community. The study, based on in‐depth interviews with 18 Asian women, describes and analyses several aspects of domestic violence in relation to South Asian women. The guiding research questions are: how do Asian women interpret their experiences of domestic violence, and to whom do they report it? This article presents data that suggest that abusive acts against Asian women arise out of a multiplicity of cultural circumstances influenced by power relations. Abusive acts are not therefore limited to a single characteristic, such as physical abuse, or to a particular relationship. Recurrent themes emerge from the women's accounts, revealing their definitions of domestic violence and showing how some continue to play down the levels of violence they experience.The article voices the concerns of and hardships experienced by victims and survivors of domestic violence, in their own words. Finally, the article offers an analysis of the ways in which notions of honour and shame are used both as tools to constrain women's self‐determination and independence, and as catalysts for domestic violence when these notions of family and community are challenged by women.
Corporate governance, industrial relations and trends in company‐level restructuring in Europe: convergence towards the Anglo‐American model?
Authors: Edwards Tony 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTThis article addresses the issue of how patterns of corporate restructuring are shaped by national systems of corporate governance and industrial relations. Using case studies of three multinationals, it sheds light on the question of whether the way in which restructuring takes place is converging towards the norms characteristic of the Anglo‐American model. It is argued that considerable changes are evident among national systems, but that these changes are not all occurring at the same pace, nor are all countries moving in the same direction. Consequently, the way that multinational companies restructure their activities varies markedly according to both the business system in their country of origin and the various host systems in which they are located.
Re‐evaluating the concept of working time: an analysis of recent case law
Authors: Kenner Jeff 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTControversy abounds the Working Time Directive seven years since its implementation as the European Commission seeks to unpick the compromise that led to the notorious individual opt‐out from maximum weekly working time. This article explores the roots of that controversy in the context of the Court of Justice’s expansive interpretation of the concept of ‘working time’. To what extent is it possible to maintain a health and safety guarantee but allow for more flexibility in the organisation of working time for individual workers in an increasingly heterogeneous working environment?
Consolidating segmentation: post‐Socialist employment relations in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Martin Roderick , Cristescu‐Martin Anamaria M. 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTThe article argues that, of the four major potential mechanisms for integration—the state, tripartite social partnerships, employer and employee organisations and shared values—in Central and Eastern Europe only the trade unions are contributing significantly towards national employment relations convergence. Against a background of imminent European Union accession, incorporation into global production systems, economic growth and gradual improvement in real incomes, four divergent employment relations systems are thus emerging: the state budget, privatised or about to be privatised, private and multinational.
Bookshelf 2004
Authors: Hoque Kim 
Published: November 2004

Books reviewed:Ola Bergstrom and Donald Storrie (eds). Contingent Employment in Europe and the United States. Reviewed by Ian KirkpatrickTonia Novitz. International and European Protection of the Right to Strike. Reviewed by Lord McCarthyDeborah Foster and Peter Scott (eds). Trade Unions in Europe—Meeting the Challenge. Reviewed by Michael GoldJeff Kenner. EU Employment Law. From Rome to Amsterdam and Beyond. Reviewed by Simon DeakinVladimir Gimpelson and Douglas Lippoldt. The Russian Labour Market: Between Transition and Turmoil. Reviewed by Gregory Schwartz
How can studies of memory and language enhance the authenticity, validity and reliability of interviews?
Authors: Dockrell Julie E. 
Published: November 2004

SummaryGathering reliable and valid information is the cornerstone of applicable research. Interviews provide a basis for collecting information about an individual's experiences, attitudes and beliefs. Yet interviews place significant demands on an individual's cognitive and linguistic skills. Such demands have implications for interviews with children and people with specific and general learning disabilities. In order to provide a range of views in research and practice specific attention must be paid to the mechanisms that limit participation or result in unreliable reports. This paper examines the ways in which studies of memory and language can provide relevant data to help interpret interviews and support the development of techniques to enhance the reliability and validity of the information provided.
Carbon sequestration in temperate grassland ecosystems and the influence of management, climate and elevated CO2
Authors: Jones M. B. , Donnelly Alison 
Published: November 2004

SummaryThe substantial stocks of carbon sequestered in temperate grassland ecosystems are located largely below ground in roots and soil. Organic C in the soil is located in discrete pools, but the characteristics of these pools are still uncertain. Carbon sequestration can be determined directly by measuring changes in C pools, indirectly by using13C as a tracer, or by simulation modelling. All these methods have their limitations, but long‐term estimates rely almost exclusively on modelling. Measured and modelled rates of C sequestration range from 0 to > 8 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. Management practices, climate and elevated CO2strongly influence C sequestration rates and their influence on future C stocks in grassland soils is considered. Currently there is significant potential to increase C sequestration in temperate grassland systems by changes in management, but climate change and increasing CO2concentrations in future will also have significant impacts. Global warming may negate any storage stimulated by changed management and elevated CO2, although there is increasing evidence that the reverse could be the case.ContentsI.Introduction2II.Carbon in temperate grasslands2III.The process of carbon sequestration in soils4IV.Tracking carbon movement9V.Models of soil carbon dynamics10VI.Management effects on carbon sequestration11VII.Climate‐change effects on carbon sequestration12VIII.Response to elevated CO213IX.Conclusions14References14
The use of video information in obtaining consent for female sterilisation: a randomised study
Authors: Mason Victoria , McEwan Alec , Walker David , Barrett Steve , James David 
Published: November 2004

Hypothesis
Providing additional information by video in addition to the standard consultation in women requesting sterilisation increases patients' knowledge about the procedure with no change in anxiety levels.Design
Randomised control trial in 6 weeks.Population
Women requesting sterilisation (n= 31).Setting
Gynaecology clinics in two teaching hospitals.Methods
Comparison of providing additional information by video in addition to the standard consultation with the standard consultation.Main outcome measures
Patients' knowledge of sterilisation, anxiety levels and acceptance of the video approach.Results
Women receiving video information as well as the standard consultation had significantly higher knowledge scores compared with women only receiving the conventional consultation. Women undergoing a conventional consultation (no video) in a nurse‐led dedicated sterilisation clinic had significantly higher knowledge scores than women having their consultation in a general gynaecological clinic. There were no differences in anxiety levels between the groups. Information giving by video was acceptable to the majority of women.Conclusion
Videos are a reliable and consistent method of delivering information to women requesting female sterilisation.
Microsatellite DNA markers for the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus F.
Authors: Lagisz M. , Wolff K. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSix microsatellite DNA loci were isolated from the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus F. (Coleoptera, Carabidae) to study population structure. Each locus was polymorphic, with the number of alleles ranging from three to six. Observed heterozygosity varied between 0.20 and 0.67. All six loci were tested for amplification in the closely related P. quadrifoveolatus and they were shown to be polymorphic. The primers developed were used in multiplex polymerase chain reactions.