bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Raman spectroscopy breaking terrestrial barriers!
Authors: Popp J. , Schmitt M. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThis paper gives a summary of the Special Issue on ‘Raman spectroscopy breaking terrestrial barriers?’ It summarizes the papers collected and introduces to the field of Raman spectroscopy applied to planetary missions. The contributions in this issue convincingly prove that Raman spectroscopy will be essential for future planetary missions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The construction of a firm's governance structure in a setting of uncertainty
Authors: O'Donoghue Erik J. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWhy does the firm look the way it does? Why does it have the structures it has? In particular, what is the function of the board of directors? Many papers have tried, and failed, to link the board's structure to the performance of the firm. Might the board have an alternative rationale for existence? In this paper, I explore the possibility of the board being used as a signaling device. The management, having information about the state of the world the investor does not, constructs a signal (the board of directors) to promote efficiency in an uncertain world. The construction of the board signals the state of the world to the investor, reducing the uncertainty, and thereby attracting necessary capital to the firm. I then examine the size of the signal with respect to other key firm characteristics. I find that the size of the signal diminishes as investors become more concentrated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fundamental analysis of stocks by two‐stage DEA
Authors: Abad Cristina , Thore Sten A. , Laffarga Joaquina 
Published: June 2004

AbstractFundamental analysis of stocks links financial data to firm value in two consecutive steps: a predictive information link tying current financial data to future earnings, and a valuation link tying future earnings to firm value. At each step, a large number of causal factors have to be factored into the evaluation. To effect these calculations, we propose a new two‐stage multi‐criteria procedure, drawing on the techniques of data envelopment analysis. At each stage, a piecewise linear efficiency frontier is fitted to the observed data. The procedure is illustrated by a numerical example, analyzing some 30 stocks in the Spanish manufacturing industry in the years 1991–1996. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new relative skill measure for games with chance elements
Authors: Dreef Marcel , Borm Peter , van der Genugten Ben 
Published: June 2004

AbstractAn interesting aspect of games is the relative extent to which a player can positively influence his results by making appropriate strategic choices. This question is closely related to the issue of how to distinguish between games of skill and games of chance. The distinction between these two types of games is definitely interesting from a juridical point of view.In this paper we present a modification of an existing measure of the skill level of a game, which has served as a juridical tool for the classification of games. The main difference is that this new definition does not automatically classify incomplete information games without chance moves as games of skill. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Industry, management capabilities and firms' competitiveness: An empirical contribution
Authors: Molina Miguel Acosta , del Pino Idaira Barrios , Rodríguez Alicia Correa 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge of strategic factors that explain the competitive position reached by firms in their activity sector.We have used a survey carried out in 1999 on 287 executives that belong to the service sector in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. We have analysed the differential factors that distinguish the strategic performance of competitive vis‐à‐vis non‐competitive firms, by jointly assessing the variables representative of the sector (five competitive forces defined by Porter) and variables of an internal feature. Finally, we have moved the level of analysis from the industry to the firm; specifically, we have focused on managerial capabilities due to the significant role played by managers in the strategic decision‐making process.The use of cluster analysis to classify firms depending on their degree of competitiveness and the application of the See5 induction algorithm of rules and decision trees to determine the differential factors that distinguish competitive from non‐competitive firms, provide a methodological framework for the most significant contributions of this work. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Delegation in first‐price all‐pay auctions
Authors: Konrad Kai A. , Peters Wolfgang , Wärneryd Karl 
Published: June 2004

AbstractIn a first‐price all‐pay auction buyers have an incentive to delegate the bidding to agents and to provide these agents with incentives to make bids that differ from the bids the buyers would like to make. Both buyers are better off in this strictly non‐cooperative delegation equilibrium and the delegation contracts are asymmetric, even if the buyers and the auction are perfectly symmetric. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The economics of managerialism and the drive for efficiency in policing
Authors: Drake Leigh M. , Simper Richard 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThe UK has recently proposed to develop a set of criteria whereby the economic analysis of police force efficiency is to be made standard. This follows a strategy of aiming for improvement through managerialism and best value performance indicators, similar to those implemented by US police forces after the Government Performance and Results Act 1993. In this paper we attempt to put this recent development of efficiency targeting into a UK historical/evolutionary context and provide one of the first attempts to use data envelopment analysis to analyse the allocative, as well as technical efficiency, of police forces in England and Wales. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sewer plant operating efficiency, patronage, and competition
Authors: Southwick Lawrence 
Published: June 2004

AbstractSewer treatment plants in New York State, US, are studied for efficiency and economies of scale. Substantial economies of scale are found. The degree of inefficiency for each plant is then computed and this inefficiency is related to the degree of market concentration in that county. The result found is that greater concentration induces a reduction in efficiency. This is argued to be consistent with the Tiebout Hypothesis. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Proxy contest, board reelection, and managerial turnover—yes, the proxy contest outcome matters
Authors: Yen Gili , Chen Ching‐Lung 
Published: June 2004

AbstractIn a previous study based on a matched sample analysis, it is found that in Taiwan top management turnover rate for the listed firms in the presence of a proxy contest is much higher than the ones without a proxy contest. In other words, the hypothesis of job security has gained empirical support. Taking account of the proxy contest outcomes, the present study extends the sample years, i.e. 1994–1999, to further examine the impact of proxy contest on managerial turnover. In conformity with expectations, the major empirical findings can be summarized as follows: the highest turnover rate of top management is observed in the firms of which the dissidents win majority seats; the second highest turnover rate is observed in the firms of which the dissidents win some seats; whereas the lowest turnover rate is observed in the firms of which the dissidents win no seats. Empirical findings of this kind provide further support to the view that proxy contest has played an effective monitoring role in disciplining incumbent management. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Top executive turnovers: Separating decision and control rights
Authors: Neumann Robert , Voetmann Torben 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThis paper examines the relationship between performance and top executive turnovers using a sample of 81 turnovers and matching companies listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. We find that poor market performance increases the probability of management replacements and that forced layoffs are value‐increasing events while voluntary resignations are value‐decreasing events. Large shareholders as active monitors, or part of corporate control, are not exhibited in the results. If large shareholders have any influence on CEO turnovers it is not revealed in our data. Indeed, separating control rights from decision rights does not appear to affect managerial turnovers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bent knees and tiptoeing: Late manifestations of end‐stage Parkinson's disease
Authors: Djaldetti Ruth , Hellmann Mark , Melamed Eldad 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe describe a unique gait phenomenon of bent knees in 9 patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease (mean age, 73.1 ± 11.1 years), 3 of whom also manifested tiptoeing. The bent‐knee posture appeared only during ambulation; in the recumbent position, full or nearly full extension was possible in all patients. The abnormality emerged after long‐standing disease (6–23 years from onset) and failed to respond to dopaminergic treatment. Most of the patients also had bent spine (camptocormia). The pathogenesis of these phenomena are unknown, but they might represent a rare type of dystonia.© 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Audiovisual cues can enhance sit‐to‐stand in patients with Parkinson's disease
Authors: Mak Margaret K.Y. , Hui‐Chan Christina W.Y. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe investigated whether preparatory signals, in the form of audiovisual cues, could enhance the performance of sit‐to‐stand (STS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Fifteen patients and fifteen control subjects similar in age, gender, weight, and height were examined. All subjects were instructed to carry out STS under self‐initiated and cue‐initiated conditions. A PEAK Motion Analysis System and two force plates were synchronized to record kinematic and kinetic data. In patients with PD, the addition of audiovisual cues was found to increase hip flexion and knee extension torques and decrease the time‐to‐peak joint torques, as well as increase peak horizontal and vertical velocities of the body center of mass and decrease the time taken to complete STS. Consequently, the performance of STS in these patients approached that of control subjects. In fact, during cue‐initiated STS, no difference was found between the patient and control groups for the time‐to‐peak of all joint torques, the peak horizontal and vertical velocities, and the time taken to complete STS. Our findings thus demonstrated that audiovisual cues were effective in enhancing STS in patients with PD. These feed‐forward signals could have enhanced the defective motor preparatory phase, thus leading to improved performance of the STS task. These findings provide a scientific basis for the use of audiovisual signals to enhance STS performance in patients with PD. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Hemiballismus from a parietal stroke in a Parkinson patient
Authors: Al‐Yacoub Motasem , Friedman Joseph H. , Fernandez Hubert H. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractStroke‐induced hemiballismus (HB) has been reported to improve motor function in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). We report on a patient who developed HB from a parietal infarct. The HB was improved by very low‐dose clozapine but the HB did not improve the parkinsonism. This suggests that HB itself, whether from a lesion in the subthalamic nucleus or elsewhere, is not what improves motor function in PD; instead, the physiological function of the damaged structure is the determining factor. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
An urge to move with L‐thyroxine: Clinical, biochemical, and polysomnographic correlation
Authors: Tan Eng‐King , Ho Su‐Chin , Koh Leonard , Pavanni Ratnagopal 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe report on the cause and effect relationship of restless legs syndrome (RLS) with L‐thyroxine treatment in a hypothyroid patient with low serum ferritin. Upon challenge and withdrawal of L‐thyroxine, there was a significant change in the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group severity score (26/40 to 6/40), the periodic limb movements (PMLS) index (20/hour to 10/hour), the number of arousals due to PLMS (59 to 22), sleep efficiency (74 to 85%), and biochemical parameters. RLS symptoms can complicate thyroxine replacement in at‐risk hypothyroid patients with low serum ferritin. Early diagnosis and iron replacement could significantly reduce patient morbidity. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Assuring interrater reliability for the UPDRS motor section: Utility of the UPDRS teaching tape
Authors: Goetz Christopher G. , Stebbins Glenn T. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe assessed rates of successful certification on the motor section of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRSm) after training with the UPDRS Teaching Tape. The most frequently used clinical scale for PD is the UPDRS, and most clinical trials rely on the motor examination as the primary outcome measure. Whereas the Movement Disorder Society's UPDRS Teaching Tape has been used widely as a training format, outcome data are lacking. We examined data sets from four multicenter studies that required raters to pass the certification exercise of the UPDRS Teaching Tape. Raters viewed the Teaching Tape showing examples of all rating levels for all items (38 minutes), and then took the certification exercise, rating 4 subjects with PD (20 minutes). Certification required scores on all 4 subjects that fit within the 95% confidence interval range established by three experts. We calculated the numbers of raters successfully certified after one or more rating attempts. Only one‐half of 226 raters that participated successfully completed certification on their first attempt, but all completed by the third attempt. North American raters scored better than Europeans raters. The most difficult case to rate was the subject with the least impairment. Standardized methods for training UPDRSm application are essential to ensure that raters use the scale uniformly. Raters have the greatest difficulty with the mildest impairment, making training especially important to studies of early PD. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Transient parkinsonism: Induced by progesterone or pregnancy?
Authors: Demirkiran Meltem , Aslan Kezban , Bicakci Sebnem , Bozdemir Hacer , Özeren Ali 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe report on the development of transient parkinsonism after progesterone injection in a pregnant patient with a risk of abortion. Etiological possibilities are discussed, including pregnancy itself, possible toxic effects of the dead fetus, and progesterone injection. Progesterone‐induced parkinsonism seems the most likely diagnosis in this case. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Prevalence of tremor in multiple sclerosis and associated disability in the Olmsted County population
Authors: Pittock Sean J. , McClelland Robyn L. , Mayr William T. , Rodriguez Moses , Matsumoto Joseph Y. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe applied a clinical tremor rating scale and measures of disability to 200 of 201 multiple sclerosis patients from a prevalence cohort in Olmsted County, Minnesota. In a community‐based sample, tremor was found clinically in 51 (25%) patients, although only 6 (3%) patients had severe tremor. Within the population as a whole, tremor was strongly associated with impairment disability and handicap. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Comparison of diffusion‐weighted imaging and [123I]IBZM‐SPECT for the differentiation of patients with the Parkinson variant of multiple system atrophy from those with Parkinson's disease
Authors: Seppi Klaus , Schocke Michael F.H. , Donnemiller Eveline , Esterhammer Regina , Kremser Christian , Scherfler Christoph , Diem Anja , Jaschke Werner , Wenning Gregor K. , Poewe Werner 
Published: June 2004

AbstractBoth dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) binding single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with [123I]iodobenzamide (IBZM) and diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) have been shown to contribute to the differential diagnosis of patients with the Parkinson variant of multiple system atrophy (MSA‐P) and Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to compare these two routinely available functional imaging modalities in differentiating patients with MSA‐P from PD. For this purpose, results obtained by DWI and IBZM‐SPECT were intraindividually compared in a cross‐sectional study of 15 MSA‐P and 17 PD patients matched for age and disease duration. The activity ratios of striatal to frontal cortex uptake (S/FC ratio) were used as a semiquantitative measure of the relative density of basal ganglia dopamine receptors labeled by IBZM. Regional apparent diffusion coefficients (rADC) were determined in the striatum. MSA‐P patients had significantly lower S/FC ratios and significantly higher striatal rADCs than both PD patients and healthy volunteers. There were no significant differences in S/FC ratios and striatal rADC between PD patients and healthy volunteers. Sensitivity of IBZM‐SPECT versus DWI for the differentiation of MSA‐P from PD was 80% versus 93%, specificity 71% versus 100%, the predictive accuracy 75% versus 97%, the positive predictive value 71% versus 100%, and the negative predictive value 80% versus 94%. Striatal rADCs had a significant higher overall predictive accuracy than D2R binding with IBZM. In summary, our data suggest that DWI may be more accurate compared to IBZM‐SPECT in the differential diagnosis of MSA‐P versus PD. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Brain parenchyma sonography detects preclinical parkinsonism
Authors: Walter Uwe , Klein Christine , Hilker Ruediger , Benecke Reiner , Pramstaller Peter P. , Dressler Dirk 
Published: June 2004

AbstractSubstantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity on brain parenchyma sonography (BPS) is highly characteristic for idiopathic PD. We studied 7 symptomatic and 7 asymptomatic parkin mutation carriers (PMC) from a large kindred with adult‐onset parkinsonism. BPS revealed larger SN echogenic sizes in PMC with parkin mutations on both alleles (homozygous, compound‐heterozygous), compared to PMC with only one mutated allele (Mann–Whitney U test, P = 0.007). In symptomatic PMC, larger SN echogenic size was correlated with younger age at onset of the disease (Spearman rank correlation, Rho = −0.937, P = 0.002) but not with age, disease duration, or disease severity. BPS demonstrated SN hyperechogenicity, in concordance with abnormal nigrostriatal 18F‐dopa positron emission tomography (PET), in all symptomatic and 3 asymptomatic PMC. In 2 asymptomatic PMC, PET and BPS were normal. However, in another 2 asymptomatic PET‐normal PMC, SN hyperechogenicity could be detected. Data suggest SN hyperechogenicity as an early marker to detect preclinical parkinsonism. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Neuronal activity in the globus pallidus of multiple system atrophy patients
Authors: Pereira Luiz C.M. , Palter Vanessa N. , Lang Anthony E. , Hutchison William D. , Lozano Andres M. , Dostrovsky Jonathan O. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThe pathophysiological changes in neural activity that characterize multiple system atrophy (MSA) are largely unknown. We recorded the activity of pallidal neurons in 3 patients with clinical and radiological features of MSA who underwent unilateral microelectrode‐guided pallidotomy for disabling parkinsonism. Findings in these patients were compared with 4 control patients with a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). The position, firing rates, and firing patterns of single neurons in the pallidal complex were analyzed in both MSA and PD patients. The mean spontaneous firing rate of neurons in the internal segment of the globus pallidus internus (GPii) was significantly lower in MSA than in PD patients. There were no significant differences between MSA and PD patients, however, in firing rates of neurons in the external globus pallidus (GPe) or in the external segment of GPi (GPie). In addition, no significant differences in firing pattern were found between MSA and PD patients. In conclusion, this study has shown that firing rates of neurons in GPii but not in GPie and GPe are different in MSA patients compared with that in PD patients, a finding that may reflect the poor clinical results of pallidotomy reported in patients with MSA. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
A foot deformity from a Romano‐British cemetery at Gloucester, England, and the current evidence fortalipesin palaeopathology
Authors: Roberts C. A. , Knüsel C. J. , Race L. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractA male skeleton from the Romano‐British site at Kingsholm, Gloucester, is described with abnormalities in the humerus, femur, tibia, fibula and foot. Computed tomography of the femora to enable cross‐sectional analysis suggested altered normal gait to compensate for the deformity. Differential diagnoses are considered and a diagnosis of clubfoot deformity is suggested. Palaeopathological evidence for clubfoot is rare in the literature but the cases reported to date are reviewed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular identification and characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in ancient Egyptian mummies
Authors: Zink A. R. , Sola C. , Reischl U. , Grabner W. , Rastogi N. , Wolf H. , Nerlich A. G. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractA considerable number of molecular studies have provided evidence for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) DNA in ancient skeletal and mummified material. Moreover first studies on the differentiation of sub‐types of the MTB (M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. africanum, M. microti, M. canettii) have successfully been performed on ancient tissue samples. In our present study we extend previous analyses and investigate bone and soft tissue samples from 118 ancient Egyptian mummies and skeletons from the Pre‐ to Early Dynastic site of Abydos and different tomb complexes in Thebes West, which were built and used between the Middle and New Kingdom until the Late Period (c. 2050–500 BC). The samples were tested for the presence of MTB DNA and further identified by spoligotyping. Twenty‐six samples provided molecular evidence for the presence of ancient mycobacterial DNA by amplification of a 123 base pair fragment of the repetitive element IS6110. Out of the 26 positive samples, 12 provided a complete spoligotyping signature, which was compared to an international database. Ten further cases showed an incomplete, patchy hybridization pattern, while in four cases no spoligotyping signature could be obtained. Interestingly, they all show either a M. tuberculosis or M. africanum pattern, but none revealed a M. bovis specific pattern. In the material from a Middle Kingdom tomb (used exclusively between c. 2050–1650 BC) several samples revealed a M. africanum type specific spoligotyping signature, while samples from later periods provided patterns typical for M. tuberculosis. This study clearly shows that spoligotyping can be used for the characterization of members of the MTB in historic tissue samples. In addition, our results do not support the theory that M. tuberculosis originated from the M. bovis type. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.