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Terms modified by Last Selected AbstractsTEMPERATURE PROXY RECORDS COVERING THE LAST TWO MILLENNIA: A TABULAR AND VISUAL OVERVIEWGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2009FREDRIK CHARPENTIER LJUNGQVIST ABSTRACT. Proxy data are our only source of knowledge of temperature variability in the period prior to instrumental temperature measurements. Until recently, very few quantitative palaeotemperature records extended back a millennium or more, but the number is now increasing. Here, the first systematic survey is presented, with graphic representations, of most quantitative temperature proxy data records covering the last two millennia that have been published in the peer-reviewed literature. In total, 71 series are presented together with basic essential information on each record. This overview will hopefully assist future palaeoclimatic research by facilitating an orientation among available palaeotemperature records and thus reduce the risk of missing less well-known proxy series. The records show an amplitude between maximum and minimum temperatures during the past two millennia on centennial timescales ranging from c. 0.5 to 4°C and averaging c. 1.5,2°C for both high and low latitudes, although these variations are not always occurring synchronous. Both the Medieval Warm Period, the Little Ice Age and the 20th century warming are clearly visible in most records, whereas the Roman Warm Period and the Dark Age Cold Period are less clearly discernible. [source] GREEN ALGAE AND LAND PLANTS,AN ANSWER AT LAST?JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Russell L. Chapman First page of article [source] Late or very late stent thrombosis can also occur with bare metal stentsCATHETERIZATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS, Issue 2 2007Andres Rosas Ramos MD Abstract The issue of late stent thrombosis (LAST) has become a subject of highly polemical debate over the past few months. Yet, both acute and LAST has always been a potential complication. The objective of this manuscript is to remind the readers, by means of two case reports, that thrombosis of bare metal stents may occur even very late after stent implantation. In the first case, stent thrombosis occurred after five years. In the second case, it occurred three years after the stenting procedure in a bare metal stent implanted in the circumflex artery of a patient who had also received two drug-eluting stents in the left anterior descending coronary artery. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Influence of lanthanum stearate on the crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropyleneASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2009Xiaojing Guo Abstract The influence of a nucleating agent, lanthanum stearate (LaSt), on the crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM) and wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXD). It was found that LaSt can act as a ,-nucleating agent and induce the formation of a high content of ,-form during the crystallization of iPP. The content of ,-form is greatly affected by crystallization temperature and cooling rate. High crystallization temperature and low cooling rate are favorable to the formation of ,-form. The results of isothermal crystallization kinetics show that LaSt shortens the crystallization half time (t1/2) and accelerates the crystallization of iPP. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Animal Magnetism and Curriculum HistoryCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 2 2007BERNADETTE BAKER ABSTRACT This article elaborates the impact that crises of authority provoked by animal magnetism, mesmerism, and hypnosis in the 19th century had for field formation in American education. Four layers of analysis elucidate how curriculum history's repetitive focus on public school policy and classroom practice became possible. First, the article surveys external conditions of possibility for the enactment of compulsory public schooling. Second, "internal" conditions of possibility for the formation of educational objects (e.g., types of children) are documented via the processes of différance that were generated from within the experiences of confinement. Third, the article maps how these were interpenetrated by animal magnetic debates that were lustered and planished in education's emerging field, including impact upon behavior management practices, the contouring of expertise and authority, the role of Will in intelligence testing and child development theories, and the redefinition of public and private. Last, the article examines implications for curriculum history, whether policy- or practice-oriented, especially around the question of influence, the theorization of child mind, and philosophies of Being. [source] Long-Term Follow-Up After Autologous Fat Grafting: Analysis of Results from 116 Patients Followed at Least 12 Months After Receiving the Last of a Minimum of Two TreatmentsDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 12 2000Sorin Eremia MD Background. The effectiveness of long-term results for correction of facial rhytides with single or multiple autologous fat transplants remains controversial. Objective. This study is a retrospective review of short- and long-term results for 116 patients who underwent multiple autologous fat grafting sessions into the nasolabial and melolabial (lateral oral commissure) fold, and in some cases additional sites such as lips and glabella. Methods. Criteria for inclusion into the study included at least two treatment sessions and at least a 12-month follow-up evaluation after the last treatment received. A 14-gauge needle cannula was used to aspirate the donor fat and to inject the fat grafts. Results. For the nasolabial and melolabial folds, short-term results at 3,4 months were uniformly excellent. Gradual correction loss was noted between 5 and 8 months, with 25% of patients still rated as excellent and 40% as good. Most patients continued to show correction loss between 9 and 14 months. Only 3,4% of the patients truly maintained long-term correction for more than 14 months. Multiple re-treatments did not significantly increase the percent of patients showing long-term results. For the glabella, the results were very disappointing, with most patients showing complete loss of correction after 3,4 months. For lip augmentation, correction loss was slower than in the glabella, but most patients showed complete loss of correction by 5,8 months. Complications were minimal. Conclusion. Autologous fat grafting is most effective for relatively short-term improvement of facial aging changes in the nasolabial and oral commissures areas. It is less effective for lip augmentation and completely ineffective for the glabella area. [source] Microglia and inflammation: Impact on developmental brain injuriesDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 2 2006Li-Jin Chew Abstract Inflammation during the perinatal period has become a recognized risk factor for developmental brain injuries over the past decade or more. To fully understand the relationship between inflammation and brain development, a comprehensive knowledge about the immune system within the brain is essential. Microglia are resident immune cells within the central nervous system and play a critical role in the development of an inflammatory response within the brain. Microglia are critically involved with both the innate and adaptive immune system, regulating inflammation and cell damage within the brain via activation of Toll-like receptors, production of cytokines, and a myriad of other intracellular and intercellular processes. In this article, microglial physiology is reviewed along with the role of microglia in developmental brain injuries in humans and animal models. Last, microglial functions within the innate and adaptive immune system will be summarized. Understanding the processes of inflammation and microglial activation is critical for formulating effective preventative and therapeutic strategies for developmental brain injuries. MRDD Research Reviews 2006;12:105,112. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Trying to Make the MAGIC Last: American Diplomatic Codebreaking in the Early Cold WarDIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Issue 5 2007David Alvarez First page of article [source] Purification and cDNA Cloning of Lysozyme II from Cabbage Butterfly, Artogeia rapae LarvaeENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005BANG In Seok ABSTRACT Last instar larvae of cabbage butterfly Artogeia rapae respond to injection of bacteria with a set of inducible antibacterial peptides/proteins. The inducible peptides/proteins are related to the known hinnavins (I and II) and lysozymes (I and II). The lysozyme II has been isolated by heat treatment, cation exchange, and reversed-phase chromatography from immunized hemolymph of last instar larvae. The lysozyme II gene of A. rapae was isolated and its nucleotide sequence was determined by the RACE-PCR from immunized fat body with E. coli. It has an open reading frame of 414 bp nucleotide corresponding to 138 amino acids including an 18 amino acid signal sequence. The molecular weight and the isoelectric point of Artogeia lysozyme II without a signal peptide were 13,649.38 Da and 9.11, respectively. It is great similarity with Manduca lysozyme among other lepidopteran. [source] A Taxonomic Study on the Larvae of the Genus Pyrrhalta Joannis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) from KoreaENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2004Jin Young PARK ABSTRACT Last instar larvae of Pyrrhalta annulicornis, P. fuscipennis, P. humeralis, P. lineola and P. maculicollis are described and illustrated for the first time in Korea. Their taxonomic remarks, tubercle patterns and a key are also given. [source] Nanostructure and nanomechanics of live Phaeodactylum tricornutum morphotypesENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Grégory Francius Summary The ultrastructure and mechanical properties of the fusiform, triradiate and ovoid morphotypes of Phaeodactylum tricornutum were investigated using atomic force microscopy. Using topographic imaging, we showed that the surface of the ovoid form is rougher than those of the two other specimens, and coated with an outer layer of extracellular polymers. Using spatially resolved force,indentation curves, we found that the valve of the ovoid form is about five times stiffer (Young modulus of ,500 kPa) than those of the other forms (,100 kPa), a finding fully consistent with the fact that only the ovoid form has a silica valve, whereas the valves in the other two consist mostly of organic material. Notably, the girdle region of both fusiform and ovoid forms was five times softer than the valve, suggesting that this region is poor in silica and enriched in organic material. For the triradiate form, we showed the arms to be softer than the core region, presumably as a result of organelle localization. Last, we observed mucilaginous footprints of moderate stiffness (,100 kPa) in the vicinity of ovoid diatoms, which we believe are secreted extracellular polymers. [source] European Schoolnet: enabling school networkingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 4 2009SANTI SCIMECA School networking is increasingly important in a globalised world, where schools themselves can be actors on an international stage. This article builds on the activities and experience of the longest established European initiative in this area, European Schoolnet (EUN), a network of 31 Ministries of Education. First, we offer an introduction covering school networks. We then describe the case of European Schoolnet, its history, role, and relationship with other school networks in the world. We then describe the underlying structure of EUN school networks and their basic characteristics. Using these basic characteristics as a framework, we consider a number of eTwinning, European Schoolnet networks: Network of Innovative Schools (ENIS) and myEUROPE. Last, we identify key features of network literacy, potential future trends in school networks, and areas where further research is needed in this field, and offer some recommendations. [source] Distribution of SIBLING proteins in the organic and inorganic phases of rat dentin and boneEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2008Bingzhen Huang The SIBLING protein family is a group of non-collagenous proteins (NCPs) that includes dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and osteopontin (OPN). In the present study, we compared these four proteins in different phases of rat dentin and bone. First, we extracted NCPs in the unmineralized matrices and cellular compartments using guanidium-HCl (G1). Second, we extracted NCPs closely associated with hydroxyapatite using an EDTA solution (E). Last, we extracted the remaining NCPs again with guanidium-HCl (G2). Each fraction of Q-Sepharose ion-exchange chromatography was analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate,polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS,PAGE), Stains-All stain, and with western immunoblotting. In dentin, the NH2 -terminal fragment of DSPP and its proteoglycan form were primarily present in the G1 extract, whereas the COOH-terminal fragment of DSPP was present exclusively in the E extract. The processed NH2 -terminal fragment of DMP1 was present in G1 and E extracts, whereas the COOH-terminal fragment of DMP1 existed mainly in the E extract. Bone sialoprotein was present in all three extracts of dentin and bone, whereas OPN was present only in the G1 and E extracts of bone. The difference in the distribution of the SIBLING proteins between organic and inorganic phases supports the belief that these molecular species play different roles in dentinogenesis and osteogenesis. [source] THE POPULATION GENETICS OF ADAPTATION: THE ADAPTATION OF DNA SEQUENCESEVOLUTION, Issue 7 2002H. Allen Orr Abstract I describe several patterns characterizing the genetics of adaptation at the DNA level. Following Gillespie (1983, 1984, 1991), I consider a population presently fixed for the ith best allele at a locus and study the sequential substitution of favorable mutations that results in fixation of the fittest DNA sequence locally available. Given a wild type sequence that is less than optimal, I derive the fitness rank of the next allele typically fixed by natural selection as well as the mean and variance of the jump in fitness that results when natural selection drives a substitution. Looking over the whole series of substitutions required to reach the best allele, I show that the mean fitness jumps occurring throughout an adaptive walk are constrained to a twofold window of values, assuming only that adaptation begins from a reasonably fit allele. I also show that the first substitution and the substitution of largest effect account for a large share of the total fitness increase during adaptation. I further show that the distribution of selection coefficients fixed throughout such an adaptive walk is exponential (ignoring mutations of small effect), a finding reminiscent of that seen in Fisher's geometric model of adaptation. Last, I show that adaptation by natural selection behaves in several respects as the average of two idealized forms of adaptation, perfect and random. [source] A plaidoyer for cutaneous enzymology: our view of some important unanswered questions on the contributions of selected key enzymes to epidermal homeostasisEXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2008John M. Wood Abstract:, This review highlights the importance of enzymology, a field of great neglect in current cutaneous biology research. It was therefore the aim by using selected examples of epidermal enzymes and their action including some open questions to demonstrate the importance of this area. Clearly a thorough understanding of basic knowledge in this field is needed which in turn offers a plethora of innovative research projects for a curious mind. Moreover, in order to gain the closest understanding to the truth instead of generating esoteric results, emphasis is put forward on a holistic view utilizing a combination of modern and sometimes old methods to get the answer. Last but not least the bench work is only useful for the welfare of our patients if we can apply our basic knowledge. [source] A new methodology to guarantee the structural integrity of Al2O3/SiC composite using crack healing and a proof testFATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 7 2007M. ONO ABSTRACT Structural ceramics are brittle and sensitive to flaws. As a result, the structural integrity of a ceramic component may be seriously affected by inherent flaws. Self-crack-healing is an excellent answer to this problem. At the moment, however, there is no technique to heal embedded flaws. Therefore, a technique to guarantee the reliability of ceramic components is demanded, and thus a technique using crack healing followed by proof test was developed by K. Ando et al. to accomplish this. With this technique, testing the mechanical behaviour of the crack-healed zone is very important for ensuring the structural integrity of a ceramic component. In this study, first Al2O3/SiC composite with an excellent crack-healing ability was sintered. Second, a crack was introduced on the sample (3 mm × 4 mm × 36 mm), which reduced the bending strength by about 80%, and subsequently the crack was healed. Third, a proof test was carried out on the crack-healed sample. Last, using the crack-healed and proof-tested sample, a fracture test was carried out up to 1373 K. The measured minimum fracture stress (,Fmin) was compared with the theoretical minimum strength (,G) from room temperature (R.T.) to 1373 K. It was concluded that ,G showed good agreement with ,Fmin up to 1373 K and that the crack healing followed by proof test was an excellent technique to increase the survival probability by administering a proof test and to guarantee the reliability of Al2O3/SiC composite. [source] Offspring performance and the adaptive benefits of prolonged pregnancy: experimental tests in a viviparous lizardFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Geoffrey M While Summary 1Offspring locomotor performance has been shown to influence fitness related traits in a wide range of taxa. One potential mechanism by which viviparous animals can increase the performance (e.g. sprint speed) of their offspring is by prolonging pregnancy (beyond that required for complete development). However, to date studies examining this potentially important maternal effect have been largely descriptive. 2The skink Egernia whitii is an ideal candidate species to examine the consequences of delayed parturition on the performance of offspring as it routinely gives birth asynchronously despite synchronous offspring development. 3Using correlative data from a natural population and experimental manipulations of birthing asynchrony, we tested the prediction that, within litters, last born offspring have a better locomotor performance than first born offspring. 4We show that prolonged pregnancy does significantly influence average offspring locomotor performance; however, contrary to predictions, the direction of this effect is dependent on gestation length and thus offspring date of birth. Last born offspring had significantly poorer performance than first born offspring in litters early in the season with this pattern reversed late in the season. 5These results do not support the hypothesis that prolonged retention of fully formed offspring consistently increases offspring performance; however, they may help us understand the asymmetries in offspring competitive ability generated by birthing asynchrony. [source] Rates Of Postglacial rock weathering on glacially scoured outcrops (Abisko,Riksgränsen area, 68°N)GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3-4 2002Françoise André, Marie Ice,polished quartz veins, feldspar phenocrysts and quartzite layers were used as reference surfaces to assess the impact of Postglacial rock weathering in Lapland (68°N). Over 3200 measurements were carried out on roches moutonées and glaciofluvially scoured outcrops distributed within three study areas covering 8 km2. Inferred weathering rates demonstrate that 10,000 years of Holocene weathering did not significantly modify the geometry of Weichselian rock surfaces. However, rates of general surface lowering range from 1 to 25, depending on the rock type, with average values at 0.2 mm ka,1 for homogeneous crystalline rocks (irrespective of their acidity and grain size), 1 mm ka,1 for biotite,rich crystalline rocks, and 5 mm ka,1 for carbonate sedimentary rocks. Accelerated rates were recorded in weathering pits and along joints with values up to ten times higher than on the rest of the rock surface. Comparisons with cold and temperate areas suggest that solution rates of carbonate rocks are highly dependent on climate conditions, whilst granular disintegration of crystalline rocks operates at the same rate whatever the environment. It probably means that microgelivation is not efficient on ice,polished crystalline outcrops even under harsh climate conditions, and that granular disintegration proceeds under various climates from the same ubiquitous combination of biochemical processes. Last, the weathering state of Late,Weichselian roches moutonées can be usefully compared to that of Preglacial tors of the nearby Kiruna area. [source] PI3K-FRAP/mTOR pathway is critical for hepatocyte proliferation whereas MEK/ERK supports both proliferation and survivalHEPATOLOGY, Issue 5 2002Alexandre Coutant Growth factors are known to favor both proliferation and survival of hepatocytes. In this work, we investigated the role of 2 main signaling pathways, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal,regulated kinase (ERK), in these processes. First, evidence was provided that the PI3K cascade as well as the MEK/ERK cascade is a key transduction pathway controlling hepatocyte proliferation, as ascertained by arrest of DNA synthesis in the presence of LY294002, a specific PI3K inhibitor. Inhibition of FRAP/mTOR by rapamycin also abrogated DNA replication and protein synthesis induced by growth factor. We showed that expression of cyclin D1 at messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels was regulated by this pathway. We highlighted that 4E-BP1 phosphorylation was not activated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) but was under an insulin-regulation mechanism through a PI3K-FRAP/mTOR activation that could account for the permissive role of insulin on hepatocyte proliferation. No interference between the MEK/ERK pathway and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation was detected, whereas p70S6K phosphorylation induced by EGF was under a U0126-sensitive regulation. Last, we established that the antiapoptotic function of EGF was dependent on MEK, whereas LY294002 and rapamycin had no direct effect on cell survival. Taken together, these data highlight the regulation and the role of 2 pathways that mediate growth-related response by acting onto distinct steps. In conclusion, hepatocyte progression in late G1 phase induced by EGF generates survival signals depending on MEK activation, whereas PI3K and MEK/ERK cascades are both necessary for hepatocyte replication. [source] Regulatory T cells and autoimmune diseaseIMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2005Silke Paust Summary:, Although T-cell clones bearing T-cell receptors with high affinity for self-peptide major histocompatibility complex (MHC) products are generally eliminated in the thymus (recessive tolerance), the peripheral T-cell repertoire remains strongly biased toward self-peptide MHC complexes and includes autoreactive T cells. A search for peripheral T cells that might exert dominant inhibitory effects on autoreactivity has implicated a subpopulation of CD4+CD25+ T cells called regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here, we discuss the role of cytokines and costimulatory molecules in the generation, maintenance, and function of Tregs. We also summarize evidence for the involvement of Tregs in controlling autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Last, we discuss our recent definition of the potential role of B7 expressed on activated T-effector cells as a target molecule for Treg-dependent suppression. These observations suggest that the engagement of B7 on effector T cells transmits an inhibitory signal that blocks or attenuates effector T-cell function. We restrict our comments to the suppression mediated by cells within the CD4 lineage; the impact of the cells within the CD8 lineage that may suppress via engagement of Qa-1 on effector T cells is not addressed in this review. [source] Things Still To Be Done on the Still-Face EffectINFANCY, Issue 4 2003E. Z. Tronick Adamson and Frick (2003/this issue) have written a fine and challenging review of the research on the still-face. Of special value is their placement of the face-to-face still-face (FFSF) paradigm in a historical framework, which permits us to see how much about the still-face effect and infant functioning we have learned in the past 30 years. Their review led me to think about several issues. First was the issue of whether or not to standardize the FFSF paradigm. Second, Adamson and Frick argue the still-face put the "infant's reaction in a new interpretive frame," but it is a reaction that still challenges our "understanding of young infants' social, emotional, and cognitive capacities." Thus, I would like to discuss explanations of the still-face effect. Last, I discuss some suggestions for further research. For an elaborated version of this article, additional archival material is located at http:www.infancyarchives.com. [source] The Effect of Excessive Crying on the Development of Emotion RegulationINFANCY, Issue 2 2002Cynthia A. Stifter The goal of this study was to examine the effect of excessive crying in early infancy on the development of emotion self-regulation. Cry diaries were used to categorize excessive criers and typical criers at 6 weeks of age. At 5 and 10 months of age, infants and mothers participated in procedures to elicit infant reactivity and regulation during a frustration task and maternal sensitivity and intrusiveness during a free-play session. Last, maternal ratings of temperament were obtained. Results revealed excessive criers to show higher levels of negative reactivity than typical criers. Excessive criers also demonstrated lower regulation, but this finding was only significant for male infants. Boys in the excessive criers group exhibited the lowest level of emotion self-regulation. Maternal behavior and ratings of temperament at 5 and 10 months failed to distinguish the 2 cry groups. The findings suggest that excessive crying may influence the developmental trajectory of the ability of boys to self-regulate emotion. The hypothesized processes involved in this outcome are discussed. [source] Virtual team collaboration: building shared meaning, resolving breakdowns and creating translucenceINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009Pernille Bjørn Abstract Managing international teams with geographically distributed participants is a complex task. The risk of communication breakdowns increases due to cultural and organizational differences grounded in the geographical distribution of the participants. Such breakdowns indicate general misunderstandings and a lack of shared meaning between participants. In this paper, we address the complexity of building shared meaning. We examine the communication breakdowns that occurred in two globally distributed virtual teams by providing an analytical distinction of the organizational context as the foundation for building shared meaning at three levels. Also we investigate communication breakdowns that can be attributed to differences in lifeworld structures, organizational structures, and work process structures within a virtual team. We find that all communication breakdowns are manifested and experienced by the participants at the work process level; however, resolving breakdowns may require critical reflection at other levels. Where previous research argues that face-to-face interaction is an important variable for virtual team performance, our empirical observations reveal that communication breakdowns related to a lack of shared meaning at the lifeworld level often becomes more salient when the participants are co-located than when geographically distributed. Last, we argue that creating translucence in communication structures is essential for building shared meanings at all three levels. [source] A minimization principle for finite strain plasticity: incremental objectivity and immediate implementationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 12 2002Eric Lorentz Abstract A finite strain plasticity formulation is proposed which meets several requirements that often appear contradictory. On a physical ground, it is based on a multiplicative split of the deformation, hyperelasticity for the reversible part of the behaviour and the maximal dissipation principle to define the evolution laws. On a numerical ground, it is incrementally objective and the integration over a time increment can be expressed as a minimization problem, a proper framework to examine the questions of existence and uniqueness of the solutions. Last but not least, the implementation is immediate since it relies on the same equations for finite and infinitesimal transformations. Finally, the formulationis applied to von Mises plasticity with isotropic linear hardening and introduced in the finite element software Code_Aster®. The numerical computation of a cantilever beam shows that it leads to results in good agreement with those obtain with common approaches. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Can a Global Peace Last Even If Achieved?INTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 3 2005Huntington, the Democratic Peace Current events have surfaced new challenges in the international state system. These are alternatively characterized as state versus substate conflicts, religious conflicts or the outgrowth of the rise in fundamentalism, class struggle between the West and the Third World resulting from globalization, and the lack of democratic government in those states that breed terrorists. Whereas religious conflict is difficult to fix if true and globalization hard to stop, the democratic peace offers promise because changing the form of government is a conceivable goal. But would it help? Samuel Huntington provides an interesting, if unintended, challenge to the democratic peace in both The Third Wave and The Clash of Civilizations. If democracy is reversible under some circumstances, can it really lead to a lasting peace? If there are cultural divisions in the world, are these necessarily united by polity? If racism is real, does polity really eliminate it? Based on Huntington, the democratic peace falters. [source] Surgical site infection , a European perspective of incidence and economic burdenINTERNATIONAL WOUND JOURNAL, Issue 4 2004Article first published online: 9 DEC 200 L'infection du site opératoire- une perspective Européenne de l'incidence et du coût économique Cette etude retrospective des taux rapportés d'infections du site opératoirea été développée afin d'obtenir une échelle d'estimation du probléme et de son incidence économique. Les rechercehs preliminaries dans la literature avaient montré des données incompletes si l'on suivait les données du National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System. En élargissant les recherches, les etudes ont été sélectionnées selon le nombre de parameters rapporté, parmi ceux identifies comme critiques pour déterminer précisément les taux d'infection des sites opératoires. Quarante-huit etudes ont été analysées. Aucune des etudes revues ne rapportait tous les items nécesaires à une analyse comparative des taux d'infection du site opératoire. Les variations estimées entre les etudes seléctionnées étaient importantes- 15,20%- une consequence de l'inconstance des méthodes de recollection des données, des critèrres de surveillance et des larges variations des techniques chirurgicales étudiées- souvent non précisées. L'infection du site opératoire contribue largement aux coûts économiques des techniques chirurgicales, avec une moyenne estimée entre 1·47 et 19·1 milliards d'Euros. Cette anjalyse suggère que les taux reels des infections des sites opératoires a été souvent sous-estimée. En consequence, les charges économiques associées le sont aussi. Une amelioration significative dans le protocole d'étude, la recollection des données,leur analyse et leur diffusion sera nécessaire pour permettre que les taux de base d'infections des sites opératoires soient plus précisément évalués afin d'en tirer des consequences sur l'évaluation économique. Chirurgische Wundinfektionen- eine europäische Perspektive bezüglich Inzidienz und ökonomischer Last Diese retrospektive Übersicht bisher publizier chirurgischer Wundinfektionsraten in Europa hatte zum Ziel, eine Einschätzung der Probleme sowie der damit verbundenen ökonomischen Belastung zu evaluieren. Primäre Literaturrecherchen offenbarten unvollständige Datensätze wenn die formulierten Kriterien zur Überwachung nationaler nosokomialer Infektionen angewandt werden. Nach einer erweiterten Literaturrecherche wurden daraufhin die Studien ausgewählt, deren berücksichtigte Parameter den Kriterien zur Ermittlung chirurgischen Infektionsraten am kritischsten entsprachen. 48 Studien wurden analysiert. Keine der ausgewählten Studien berücksichtigte alle Faktoren, die für einen exakten Einschätzung der chirurgischen Wundinfektionsrate notwendig gewesen wäre. Das geschätzte Ausmaß innerhalb der analysierten Studien variierte zwischen 1·5-20%, eine Konsequenz aus Unbeständigkeiten in der Methodik zur Datenerfassung, die einerseits auf den Überwachungskriterien als auch auf den oft unspezifischen Variationen in den angewandten chirurgischen Verfahren beruhte. Dabei trägt die chirurgische Wundinfektionsrate einen wesentlich Anteil an den ökonomischen Kosten chirurgischer Maßnahmen - geschätzte 1,47 bis 19,1 Billionen Euro. Die Analysen lassen vermuten, dass die tatsächliche Rate an Chirurgischen Wundinfektionen unbekannt ist und die angegebenen Daten unterrepräsentiert sind. Konsequenterweise werden auch die ökonomischen Kosten unterschätzt. Eine signifikante Verbesserung des Studiendesigns, der Datensammlungen, Analysen und Berichte sind notwendig damit in Zukunft genauere Infektionsraten chirurgischer Wunden sichergestellt und effektivere Kostenanalysen erstellt werden können. Qualità della vita in relazione allo stato di salute in pazienti con linfedema. Una revisione della letteratura. Questo lavoro revisiona gli studi qualitativi e quantitativi che hanno valutato la qualità della vita (HRQoL) in pazienti con linfedema. Gli studi qualitativi rivelano un numero di fattori che possono influire sulla qualità della vita. Questi includono una carenza di riconoscimento del linfedema da parte del personale medico ed una scarsa informazione fornita ai pazienti. La risposta emotiva include uno stato di shock, paura, fastidio, frustrazione ed immagine negativa. Il trattamento può essere costoso in termini di tempo e distruzione della vita di relazione. Gli studi quantitativi mostrano che i pazienti con linfedema manifestano elevati livelli di disturbi funzionali, ridotto controllo psicologico, ansietà e depressione rispetto alla popolazione generale. Il volume accentuato dell'arto risulta in minima parte influire sull'impatto del linfedema del paziente. I fattori che portano ad un deficit nella qualità della vita includono la frequenza degli episodi di stato infiammatorio, la presenza di dolore, la qualità della cute, il linfedema nella mano predominante e la ridotta mobilità dell'arto. Esiste una certa evidenza che l'adozione di linee guida concentrate sul paziente possono migliorare la qualità della vita dei pazienti con linfedema conseguante a tumore del seno. HRQoL è un fattore importante nella gestione dei pazienti con linfedema. Ulteriori studi devono esaminare il modo in cui il linfedema interagisce con i pazienti al di fuori di quelli affetti da tumore al seno, e le conseguenze verso i pazienti che subiscono differenti protocolli di terapia. Infección en zonas quirúrgicas: Perspectiva europea de incidencia y carga económica El objetivo de esta revisión retrospectiva de las tasas de infección en zonas quirúrgicas, comunicadas en Europa, era obtener una escala estimativa del problema y su subsiguiente carga económica. Las búsquedas bibliográficas preliminares revelaron series de datos incompletos al aplicar los criterios del Sistema Nacional de Vigilancia de Infecciones Nosocomiales. Tras un ampliación de la búsqueda bibliográfica se seleccionaron estudios, de acuerdo al número de parámetros descritos de aquellos identificados como críticos, para la determinación exacta de tasas de infección en zonas quirúrgicas. Se analizaron 48 estudios. Ninguno de los estudios revisados registraba todos los datos necesarios para permitir una evaluación comparativa de las tasas de infecciones en zonas quirúrgicas. El margen estimado a partir de los estudios seleccionados analizados varió ampliamente, del 1,5 al 20%, a consecuencia de discordancias en los métodos de recogida de datos, los criterios de vigilancia y las amplias variaciones de las intervenciones quirúrgicas investigadas, a menudo no especificadas. Las infecciones en zonas quirúrgicas contribuyen en gran medida a los costes económicos de las intervenciones quirúrgicas; el margen estimado es de 1,47 a 19,1 mil millones ,. El análisis permite suponer que, probablemente, la tasa real de infecciones en zonas quirúrgicas, actualmente desconocida, haya sido infraestimada previamente. En consecuencia, también es probable que dicha infraestimación haya afectado la carga económica asociada. Una mejora significativa del diseño de los estudios, de la recogida de datos, los análisis y los informes será necesaria para garantizar que las tasas basales de infección en zonas quirúrgicas se valoren con más exactitud para permitir la evaluación coste-efectividad en el futuro. [source] Domestic and Foreign Earnings, Stock Return Variability, and the Impact of Investor SophisticationJOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 3 2005JEFFREY L. CALLEN ABSTRACT We examine the importance of foreign earnings relative to domestic earnings for a sample of U.S. multinationals using variance decomposition. Our methodology represents an alternative and complementary approach over the prior literature, which is based on traditional regressions and earnings response coefficients. We document that domestic earnings are more important in explaining the variance of unexpected returns than are foreign earnings and that the relative importance of domestic earnings is a decreasing function of investor sophistication. Last, we classify institutional investors as either short- or long-term oriented following Bushee [1998]. We find that the variance contribution of foreign earnings increases with the level of investment by long-term investors. In contrast, there is no significant relation between the degree of ownership by short-term (or transient) investors and the variance contribution of domestic and foreign earnings. Overall, our results are consistent with Thomas's [1999] finding that investors on average underestimate the persistence of foreign earnings. [source] Qualitative Analysis of Medicare Claims in the Last 3 Years of Life: A Pilot StudyJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2005Amber E. Barnato MD Objectives: To study end-of-life care of a representative sample of older people using qualitative interpretation of administrative claims by clinicians and to explore whether this method yields insights into patient care, including continuity, errors, and cause of death. Design: Random, stratified sampling of decedents and all their Medicare-covered healthcare claims in the 3 years before death from a 5% sample of elderly fee-for-service beneficiaries, condensation of all claims into a chronological clinical summary, and abstraction by two independent clinicians using a standardized form. Setting: United States. Participants: One hundred Medicare fee-for-service older people without disability or end-stage renal disease entitlement who died in 1996 to 1999 and had at least 36 months of continuous Part A and Part B enrollment before death. Measurements: Qualitative narrative of the patient's medical course; clinician assessment of care continuity and apparent medical errors; cause, trajectory, and place of death. Results: The qualitative narratives developed by the independent abstracters were highly concordant. Clinicians felt that 75% of cases lacked continuity of care that could have improved the quality of life and the way the person died, and 13% of cases had a medical error identified by both abstracters. Abstracters disagreed about assignment of a single cause of death in 28% of cases, and abstracters and the computer algorithm disagreed in 43% of cases. Conclusion: Qualitative claims analysis illuminated many problems in the care of chronically ill older people at the end of life and suggested that traditional vital statistics assignation of a single cause of death may distort policy priorities. This novel approach to claims review is feasible and deserves further study. [source] Perspective: Assessing the Clinical Utility of Serum CTX in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis and Its Use in Predicting Risk of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009Sanford Baim Abstract Bone turnover markers (BTMs) have become increasingly important in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO). In bisphosphonate-treated women with PMO, BTMs can provide early indications of treatment efficacy, are predictors of BMD response and fracture risk reduction, and are potentially useful for monitoring patient compliance. The bone resorption marker serum C-telopeptide cross-link of type 1 collagen (sCTX) has shown high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of increased bone resorption. Recently, sCTX has been singled out as a potential indicator of risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in patients receiving oral bisphosphonates who require oral surgery. However, whether BTMs are capable of predicting ONJ risk and whether sCTX is usable for this purpose are controversial questions. This article presents an overview of the current literature regarding critical issues affecting the clinical utility of BTMs (including variability and reference ranges) and the current applications of BTMs in PMO management, with a focus on sCTX. Last, the appropriateness of using sCTX to predict ONJ risk in women receiving oral bisphosphonates for PMO is evaluated. [source] CÔTE D'IVOIRE: Election Date At LastAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL SERIES, Issue 8 2010Article first published online: 20 SEP 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||