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Kinds of The World Selected AbstractsA History of Corporate Governance around the World, National Bureau of Economic Research , Edited by Randall K MorckCORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2009Anne Simpson No abstract is available for this article. [source] The consensus statement on the locoregional treatment of abdominal sarcomatosis,JOURNAL OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY, Issue 4 2008Carlo Riccardo Rossi MD Abstract Abdominal sarcomatosis (AS) is a rare condition characterized by soft tissue sarcoma spreading throughout the abdomen, in the absence of extra-abdominal dissemination. Retroperitoneal sarcomas, pelvic sarcomas, particularly uterine leiomyosarcoma, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) most frequently give rise to AS. Systemic chemotherapy is the standard of care for AS from non-GIST sarcomas, but with an essentially palliative aim and major limitations. Innovative targeted therapies has deeply affected the natural history of GIST, at least in prolonging significantly survival in responsive patients. In this context, the notion that abdominal spread in the lack of extra-peritoneal lesions may typically occur in a number of patients, along with the dismal prognosis generally carried by AS, has prompted a few centers to perform cytoreductive surgery and perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy. To date, the rarity of these presentations makes it difficult to evaluate the clinical results and the role of combined local-regional treatment is still a matter of debate. This article presents the results of a group of experts from around the World trying to achieve a consensus statement in AS comprehensive management. A questionnaire was placed on the website of the 5th International Workshop on Peritoneal Surface Malignancy and the experts voted via internet. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;98:291,294. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Credit Market Regulation and Labor Market Performance Around the WorldKYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 4 2006Horst Feldmann SUMMARY Using data from 74 industrial, developing and transition countries for the years 2000 to 2003, this paper empirically analyzes whether and to what extent credit market regulations affect the performance of the labor market. According to the regression results, anti-competitive credit market regulations have an adverse, though generally modest, impact on the labor market. Specifically, restrictions on credit extended to the private sector, on the private ownership of banks, on competition from foreign banks, and on the free determination of interest rates appear to lower the level of employment and increase unemployment, particularly among young people. [source] Keeping the Peace: Conflict Resolution and Peaceful Societies around the WorldAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 2 2006LESLIE E. SPONSEL Keeping the Peace: Conflict Resolution and Peaceful Societies around the World. Graham Kemp and Douglas P. Fry, eds. New York: Routledge, 2004. 231 pp. [source] Spelling and Society: The Culture and Politics of Orthography Around the World by Mark SebbaTHE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN CULTURE, Issue 2 2008Susan J. Behrens No abstract is available for this article. [source] Individualism and Momentum around the WorldTHE JOURNAL OF FINANCE, Issue 1 2010ANDY C.W. CHUI ABSTRACT This paper examines how cultural differences influence the returns of momentum strategies. Cross-country cultural differences are measured with an individualism index developed by Hofstede (2001), which is related to overconfidence and self-attribution bias. We find that individualism is positively associated with trading volume and volatility, as well as to the magnitude of momentum profits. Momentum profits are also positively related to analyst forecast dispersion, transaction costs, and the familiarity of the market to foreigners, and negatively related to firm size and volatility. However, the addition of these and other variables does not dampen the relation between individualism and momentum profits. [source] Agency Problems and Dividend Policies around the WorldTHE JOURNAL OF FINANCE, Issue 1 2000Rafael La Porta This paper outlines and tests two agency models of dividends. According to the "outcome model," dividends are paid because minority shareholders pressure corporate insiders to disgorge cash. According to the "substitute model," insiders interested in issuing equity in the future pay dividends to establish a reputation for decent treatment of minority shareholders. The first model predicts that stronger minority shareholder rights should be associated with higher dividend payouts; the second model predicts the opposite. Tests on a cross section of 4,000 companies from 33 countries with different levels of minority shareholder rights support the outcome agency model of dividends. [source] "From Appalachia to the World" Goes to SpaceARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 7 2010Yukihiko Nosé MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] A USB kit for digital I/O applications in a digital electronics lab designed by using PIC16C765 microcontrollerCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009Ali Buldu Abstract In this article, a USB Kit is designed by using Microchip's PIC16C765 microcontroller that has a low-speed USB serial interface engine. It is used to communicate with and/or through USB port for digital I/O applications in a Digital Electronics Lab. In this education kit, two groups of keys (switches) and a group of LED are used to realize the experiments about logic gate applications included in Electronics and Computer Education Department's curriculum of Marmara University and also included in other faculties' curriculums related to the engineering science all around the world. In designed board, one of the key groups is 8-bit software-controlled by using simulator interface and the other is 8-bit user-controlled by using real switches existing on the board. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 17: 131,138, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae20172 [source] Investigative Visual Analysis of Global TerrorismCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2008Xiaoyu Wang Abstract Recent increases in terrorist activity around the world have made analyzing and understanding such activities more critical than ever. With the help of organizations such as the National Center for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), we now have detailed historical information on each terrorist event around the world since 1970. However, due to the size and complexity of the data, identifying terrorists' patterns and trends has been difficult. To better enable investigators in understanding terrorist activities, we propose a visual analytical system that focuses on depicting one of the most fundamental concepts in investigative analysis, the five W's (who, what, where, when, and why). Views in our system are highly correlated, and each represents one of the W's. With this approach, an investigator can interactively explore terrorist activities efficiently and discover reasons of attacks (why) by identifying patterns temporally (when), geo-spatially (where), between multiple terrorist groups (who), and across different methods or modes of attacks (what). By coupling a global perspective with the details gleaned from asking these five questions, the system allows analysts to think both tactically and strategically. [source] Protection of the young child's brain: personal observations and thoughts in postwar stress syndrome and in natural catastrophesACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 4 20006 May 199, The Nils Rosén von Rosenstein Lecture at Uppsala University This paper calls attention to the plight of children exposed to various traumas associated with wars and other natural disasters around the world. Little systematic attention has been paid to the mental health needs of child survivors of armed conflict. Our observations since 1968 and experiences around the world suggest that there are significant differences in the degree to which children have been prepared in anticipation of exposure to violence and in interventions applied after their exposure. It is the author's impression that prevention and intervention can be quite powerful when employed in these situations. [source] InterGrid: a case for internetworking islands of GridsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 8 2008Marcos Dias de Assunção Abstract Over the last few years, several nations around the world have set up Grids to share resources such as computers, data, and instruments to enable collaborative science, engineering, and business applications. These Grids follow a restricted organizational model wherein a Virtual Organization (VO) is created for a specific collaboration and all interactions such as resource sharing are limited to within the VO. Therefore, dispersed Grid initiatives have led to the creation of disparate Grids with little or no interaction between them. In this paper, we propose a model that: (a) promotes interlinking of islands of Grids through peering arrangements to enable InterGrid resource sharing; (b) provides a scalable structure for Grids that allow them to interconnect with one another and grow in a sustainable way; (c) creates a global Cyberinfrastructure to support e-Science and e-Business applications. This work identifies and proposes architecture, mechanisms, and policies that allow the internetworking of Grids and allows Grids to grow in a similar manner as the Internet. We term the structure resulting from such internetworking between Grids as the InterGrid. The proposed InterGrid architecture is composed of InterGrid Gateways responsible for managing peering arrangements between Grids. We discuss the main components of the architecture and present a research agenda to enable the InterGrid vision. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Capital Investment and Earnings: International EvidenceCORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2009Ahmet Can Inci ABSTRACT Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: We examine the nature of the dynamic linkage (causality) between earnings and capital investment using firm-level data from around the world to see whether the legal environment, including corporate governance and monitoring mechanisms, and financial development are important in the profitability of capital investment. Research Findings/Insights: Using firms in 40 countries over the period 1988,2004, we find that the causality from earnings to capital investment is positive and strong in almost all countries, irrespective of the type of legal system and the degree of financial development. However, the causality from capital investment to earnings is generally negative for firms in civil law and financially undeveloped countries, while the causality is generally positive in common law and financially developed countries. Therefore, our international cross-country study enables us to find that the legal system and financial development are factors in the determination of the profitability of capital investment. Theoretical/Academic Implications: Our findings imply that internal financing is a significant constraint for capital investment, which provides support for the pecking order theory even for financially developed markets and for the free cash flow theory. Common law and financially developed countries tend to provide better shareholder protection with more efficient corporate governance and better investment decisions. Practitioner/Policy Implications: To encourage managers to make capital investments in value-increasing projects, it is important to further improve a legal environment that includes corporate governance, monitoring, and incentive mechanisms. Financial development that includes effective financial regulatory agencies should be sought. [source] The integration of corporate governance in corporate social responsibility disclosuresCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2010Ans Kolk Abstract In recent years, not only has attention to corporate governance increased but also the notion has broadened considerably, and started to cover some aspects traditionally seen as being part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR, corporate governance and their interlink seem particularly relevant for multinational enterprises (MNEs), which, due to their activities in multiple contexts around the world and concomitant visibility, generally face higher demands to be transparent and disclose information about such issues. Insights into whether and in which cases disclosures on the two topics actually merge has been very limited, however. This paper analyses to what extent corporate governance has become integrated in MNEs' disclosure practices on CSR. Based on an analysis of CSR reporting of Fortune Global 250 companies, findings show that more than half of them have a separate corporate governance section in their CSR report and/or explicitly link corporate governance and CSR issues. We also found that MNEs that disclose information on a wider variety of social and environmental issues and frame CSR with a focus on internal issues are more inclined to integrate corporate governance into their CSR reporting. This integration seems to be a global phenomenon that cuts across countries and sectors. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] The Marine Stewardship Council: A multi-stakeholder approach to sustainable fishingCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2004Alexia Cummins Established by WWF and Unilever in 1997, the Marine Stewardship Council is an example of a successful NGO,business partnership, independent since 1999. At a time when awareness of the general public on environmental issues and particularly overfishing is increasing, it offers an eco-labelling programme designed to reward sustainable and well managed fisheries with a visible environmental endorsement. The MSC is the only international fisheries organization working to provide a market-based incentive, encouraging consumers to make the best environmental choice in seafood, by setting a standard against which independent accredited certification bodies assess fisheries. It devotes time and attention to bringing a broad spectrum of stakeholders to the table, maintaining dialogue with all sectors. As more fisheries engage in the certification process, valuable lessons have been learnt on the importance of stakeholder input. Market leading supermarkets recognize that consumers expect retailers to make responsible purchasing decisions as part of their corporate social responsibility. As a key part of this they have become supporters of the MSC, enabling it to achieve the market exposure it requires to highlight the issue of overfishing and the need to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks around the world. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Creative Management: A Predicted Development from Research into Creativity and ManagementCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2007Fangqi Xu A proposal is made for the establishment of a conceptual domain of Creative Management by fusion of two related bodies of knowledge, that of management studies and creativity. Through an examination of examples from around the world, we show how Creative Management is appearing in embryonic form as a global possibility, emerging from and enriching the predominantly American contributions of earlier stages. We suggest that such a development will take management studies forward from its historical trajectory, through the global convergence of organizational theories and practices. The proposed synthesis of creativity and management indicates the possibilities of a new stage in management incorporating humanistic, socio-technical and knowledge management components. Collectively, the conceptual shift is towards what we have labelled Toyotaoism, in acknowledgement of practices and theorizing developed from the integration of Western and Eastern belief systems and theories in action. [source] Compassion and Repression: The Moral Economy of Immigration Policies in FranceCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Didier Fassin Immigration policies in Europe in the last three decades have become increasingly restrictive. During the 1990s, political asylum lost much of its legitimacy, as new criteria based on humanitarian claims became more common in appeals for immigration. Asylum seekers were increasingly identified as illegal immigrants and therefore candidates for expulsion, unless humanitarian reasons could be found to requalify them as victims deserving sympathy. This substitution of a right to asylum by an obligation in terms of charity leads to a reconsideration of Giorgio Agamben's separation of the humanitarian and the political, suggesting instead a humanitarianization of policies. Sangatte Center, often referred to as a transit camp, became a symbol of this ambiguous European treatment of the "misery of the world" and serves here as an analytical thread revealing the tensions between repression and compassion as well as the moral economy of contemporary biopolitics. [source] Making White: Constructing Race in a South African High SchoolCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 1 2002Nadine Dolby As a social and cultural phenomenon, race is continually remade within changing circumstances and is constructed and located, in part, in institutions' pedagogical practices and discourses. In this article I examine how the administration of a multiracial, working-class high school in Durban, South Africa produces "white" in an era of political and social transition. As the population of Fernwood High School (a pseudonym) shifts from majority white working class to black working class, the school administration strives to reposition the school as "white," despite its predominantly black student population. This whiteness is not only a carryover from the apartheid era, but is actively produced within a new set of circumstances. Using the discourses and practices of sports and standards, the school administration attempts to create a whiteness that separates the school from the newly democratic nation-state of South Africa. Despite students' and some staff's general complacency and outright resistance, rugby and athletics are heralded as critical nodes of the school's "white" identity, connecting the school to other, local white schools, and disconnecting it from black schools. Dress standards function in a similar manner, creating an imagined equivalence between Fernwood and other white schools in Durban (and elite schools around the world), and disassociating Fernwood from black schools in South Africa and the "third world" writ large. This pedagogy of whiteness forms the core of the administration's relationship with Fernwood students, and maps how race is remade within a changing national context. [source] REPRODUCTIVE TOURISM IN ARGENTINA: CLINIC ACCREDITATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSUMERS, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND POLICY MAKERSDEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS, Issue 2 2010ELISE SMITH ABSTRACT A subcategory of medical tourism, reproductive tourism has been the subject of much public and policy debate in recent years. Specific concerns include: the exploitation of individuals and communities, access to needed health care services, fair allocation of limited resources, and the quality and safety of services provided by private clinics. To date, the focus of attention has been on the thriving medical and reproductive tourism sectors in Asia and Eastern Europe; there has been much less consideration given to more recent ,players' in Latin America, notably fertility clinics in Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. In this paper, we examine the context-specific ethical and policy implications of private Argentinean fertility clinics that market reproductive services via the internet. Whether or not one agrees that reproductive services should be made available as consumer goods, the fact is that they are provided as such by private clinics around the world. We argue that basic national regulatory mechanisms are required in countries such as Argentina that are marketing fertility services to local and international publics. Specifically, regular oversight of all fertility clinics is essential to ensure that consumer information is accurate and that marketed services are safe and effective. It is in the best interests of consumers, health professionals and policy makers that the reproductive tourism industry adopts safe and responsible medical practices. [source] Securing the World and Challenging Civil Society: Before and After the ,War on Terror'DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2010Jude Howell ABSTRACT Following President Bush's declaration of a ,War on Terror' in 2001, governments around the world introduced a range of counter-terrorist legislation, policies and practices. These measures have affected not only human rights and civil liberties but also civil society and aid frameworks. Although the Obama administration has renounced the language of the ,War on Terror' and taken steps to revoke aspects such as water-boarding and the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, the bulk of the legislation and practices associated with the post-9/11 global security framework remain. The cluster of papers which follow provide detailed studies of the effects of the War on Terror regime on civil society in four contexts: the USA, Spain, Kenya and Uzbekistan. In this way it lays a basis for civil society actors and aid agencies to reflect more strategically on how they should engage with security debates and initiatives in a way that best protects the spaces of civil society and the interests of minority and vulnerable groups. This introduction sets out the three key themes pursued throughout the cluster articles, namely, the selective impact of counter-terrorist measures on civil society; the particularity of civil society responsiveness to these measures; and the role of aid and diplomacy in pursuing security objectives and its consequences for civil society. [source] Gender, Vulnerability, and the Experts: Responding to the Maldives TsunamiDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 5 2007Emma Fulu ABSTRACT This article examines the initial response by national and international agencies to gender issues during the aftermath of the Maldives tsunami, arguing that it was, in general, inadequate. Some agencies took a gender blind approach, ignoring different impacts on men and women, as well as the effects of complex gender relations on relief and recovery efforts. Other agencies paid greater attention to gender relations in their response but tended to focus exclusively on the universal category of the ,vulnerable woman' requiring special assistance, whilst at the same time ignoring men's vulnerabilities. This article argues that such language entrenched women as victims, excluding them from leadership and decision-making roles and as such served to reinforce and re-inscribe women's trauma. It is suggested that it is partly because of the nature of international bureaucracies and the fact that this disaster drew foreign ,experts' from around the world that the response neglected or over-simplified gender issues. [source] Global Guideline for Type 2 Diabetes: recommendations for standard, comprehensive, and minimal careDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 6 2006IDF Clinical Guidelines Task Force Abstract The Clinical Guidelines Task Force of the International Diabetes Federation has created an evidence-based Global Guideline for the care of people with Type 2 diabetes around the world. The recommendations developed for three levels of care (standard, comprehensive, and minimal), which can be applied in settings with different resources, are presented here. The source document is published elsewhere. [source] Fine-needle aspiration biopsy: A historical overviewDIAGNOSTIC CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 11 2008Marilin Rosa M.D. Abstract Fine needle aspiration biopsy is a safe, inexpensive and accurate technique for the diagnosis of benign and malignant conditions. Its increase in popularity in the present days has made it a technique used on daily basis in the majority of medical centers in United States and around the world. However, the situation was not always like this. In its beginnings the procedure suffered from all kinds of criticism and attacks. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide an overview about the development of this technique from its birth to our days. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:773,775. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Pathological gambling: an increasing public health problemACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 4 2001Article first published online: 7 JUL 200 Gambling has always existed, but only recently has it taken on the endlessly variable and accessible forms we know today. Gambling takes place when something valuable , usually money , is staked on the outcome of an event that is entirely unpredictable. It was only two decades ago that pathological gambling was formally recognized as a mental disorder, when it was included in the DSM-III in 1980. For most people, gambling is a relaxing activity with no negative consequences. For others, however, gambling becomes excessive. Pathological gambling is a disorder that manifests itself through the irrepressible urge to wager money. This disorder ultimately dominates the gambler's life, and has a multitude of negative consequences for both the gambler and the people they interact with, i.e. friends, family members, employers. In many ways, gambling might seem a harmless activity. In fact, it is not the act of gambling itself that is harmful, but the vicious cycle that can begin when a gambler wagers money they cannot afford to lose, and then continues to gamble in order to recuperate their losses. The gambler's ,tragic flaw' of logic lies in their failure to understand that gambling is governed solely by random, chance events. Gamblers fail to recognize this and continue to gamble, attempting to control outcomes by concocting strategies to ,beat the game'. Most, if not all, gamblers try in some way to predict the outcome of a game when they are gambling. A detailed analysis of gamblers' selfverbalizations reveals that most of them behave as though the outcome of the game relied on their personal ,skills'. From the gambler's perspective, skill can influence chance , but in reality, the random nature of chance events is the only determinant of the outcome of the game. The gambler, however, either ignores or simply denies this fundamental rule (1). Experts agree that the social costs of pathological gambling are enormous. Changes in gaming legislation have led to a substantial expansion of gambling opportunities in most industrialized countries around the world, mainly in Europe, America and Australia. Figures for the United States' leisure economy in 1996 show gross gambling revenues of $47.6 billion, which was greater than the combined revenue of $40.8 billion from film box offices, recorded music, cruise ships, spectator sports and live entertainment (2). Several factors appear to be motivating this growth: the desire of governments to identify new sources of revenue without invoking new or higher taxes; tourism entrepreneurs developing new destinations for entertainment and leisure; and the rise of new technologies and forms of gambling (3). As a consequence, prevalence studies have shown increased gambling rates among adults. It is currently estimated that 1,2% of the adult population gambles excessively (4, 5). Given that the prevalence of gambling is related to the accessibility of gambling activities, and that new forms of gambling are constantly being legalized throughout most western countries, this figure is expected to rise. Consequently, physicians and mental health professionals will need to know more about the diagnosis and treatment of pathological gamblers. This disorder may be under-diagnosed because, clinically, pathological gamblers usually seek help for the problems associated with gambling such as depression, anxiety or substance abuse, rather than for the excessive gambling itself. This issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica includes the first national survey of problem gambling completed in Sweden, conducted by Volberg et al. (6). This paper is based on a large sample (N=9917) with an impressively high response rate (89%). Two instruments were used to assess gambling activities: the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised (SOGS-R) and an instrument derived from the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling. Current (1 year) and lifetime prevalence rates were collected. Results show that 0.6% of the respondents were classified as probable pathological gamblers, and 1.4% as problem gamblers. These data reveal that the prevalence of pathological gamblers in Sweden is significantly less than what has been observed in many western countries. The authors have pooled the rates of problem (1.4%) and probable pathological gamblers (0.6%), to provide a total of 2.0% for the current prevalence. This 2% should be interpreted with caution, however, as we do not have information on the long-term evolution of these subgroups of gamblers; for example, we do not know how many of each subgroup will become pathological gamblers, and how many will decrease their gambling or stop gambling altogether. Until this information is known, it would be preferable to keep in mind that only 0.6% of the Swedish population has been identified as pathological gamblers. In addition, recent studies show that the SOGS-R may be producing inflated estimates of pathological gambling (7). Thus, future research in this area might benefit from the use of an instrument based on DSM criteria for pathological gambling, rather than the SOGS-R only. Finally, the authors suggest in their discussion that the lower rate of pathological gamblers obtained in Sweden compared to many other jurisdictions may be explained by the greater availability of games based on chance rather than games based on skill or a mix of skill and luck. Before accepting this interpretation, researchers will need to demonstrate that the outcomes of all games are determined by other factor than chance and randomness. Many studies have shown that the notion of randomness is the only determinant of gambling (1). Inferring that skill is an important issue in gambling may be misleading. While these are important issues to consider, the Volberg et al. survey nevertheless provides crucial information about gambling in a Scandinavian country. Gambling will be an important issue over the next few years in Sweden, and the publication of the Volberg et al. study is a landmark for the Swedish community (scientists, industry, policy makers, etc.). This paper should stimulate interesting discussions and inspire new, much-needed scientific investigations of pathological gambling. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Guido Bondolfi and Robert Ladouceur Invited Guest Editors References 1.,LadouceurR & WalkerM. The cognitive approach to understanding and treating pathological gambling. In: BellackAS, HersenM, eds. Comprehensive clinical psychology. New York: Pergamon, 1998:588 , 601. 2.,ChristiansenEM. Gambling and the American economy. In: FreyJH, ed. Gambling: socioeconomic impacts and public policy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1998:556:36 , 52. 3.,KornDA & ShafferHJ. Gambling and the health of the public: adopting a public health perspective. J Gambling Stud2000;15:289 , 365. 4.,VolbergRA. Problem gambling in the United States. J Gambling Stud1996;12:111 , 128. 5.,BondolfiG, OsiekC, FerreroF. Prevalence estimates of pathological gambling in Switzerland. Acta Psychiatr Scand2000;101:473 , 475. 6.,VolbergRA, AbbottMW, RönnbergS, MunckIM. Prev-alence and risks of pathological gambling in Sweden. Acta Psychiatr Scand2001;104:250 , 256. 7.,LadouceurR, BouchardC, RhéaumeNet al. Is the SOGS an accurate measure of pathological gambling among children, adolescents and adults?J Gambling Stud2000;16:1 , 24. [source] "Demographic Futures for Christianity and the World Religions"DIALOG, Issue 1 2004By Todd M. Johnson Abstract:, Since before 1970 Christian researchers have been tracking the massive demographic shift of Christianity to the Southern Hemisphere and noting the increasingly religious nature of populations around the world. At the same time, writers on the future of religion have been drawn to extreme portrayals of decline or revival of religion. However, the world's religious situation is replete with detailed information, drawn from enormous data collections on religious affiliation and questions about religion in government censuses. Quantitative tools, utilizing this information in the context of demography provide a more nuanced view of humankind's religious future. Demographic trends coupled with conservative estimates of conversions and defections envision over 80% of the world's population will continue to be affiliated with religions 200 years into the future. This religious future will have a profound influence on Christian theology, relations between religions, and the interaction between religion and politics. [source] Nutritional Response to the 1998 Bangladesh Flood Disaster: Sphere Minimum Standards in Disaster ResponseDISASTERS, Issue 3 2002Max R. O'Donnell In this study we use a cross,sectional survey to evaluate the nutritional response to the 1998 Bangladesh Flood Disaster by 15 relief agencies using standards developed by the Sphere Project. The Sphere Project is a recent attempt by agencies around the world to establish universal minimum standards for the purpose of ensuring quality and accountability in disaster response. The main outcomes measured were resources allocated to disaster relief, types of relief activities and percentage of agencies meeting selected Sphere food aid and nutrition indicators. Although the process of nutritional response was measured, specific nutritional and health outcomes were not assessed. This review found that self,reported disaster and nutritional resources varied widely between implementing agencies, ranging from US$58,947 to $15,908,712. The percentage of resources these agencies allocated to food aid and nutritional response also varied, ranging from approximately 6 to 99 per cent of total resources. Agencies met between 8 and 83 per cent of the specific Sphere indicators which were assessed. Areas in which performance was poor included preliminary nutritional analysis; beneficiary participation and feedback; disaster preparedness during non,emergency times; monitoring of local markets and impact assessment. Agencies were generally successful in areas of core humanitarian response, such as targeting the vulnerable (83 per cent) and monitoring and evaluating the process of disaster response (75 per cent). The results here identify both strengths and gaps in the quality of humanitarian response in developing nations such as Bangladesh. However, they also raise the question of implementing a rights,based approach to disaster response in nations without a commitment to meeting positive human rights in non,disaster times. [source] Cancer of the esophagus and gastric cardia: recent advances,DISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, Issue 1 2004G. N. J. Tytgat SUMMARY., Esophageal cancer and cancer of the gastric cardia, in particular adenocarcinomas, have shown a rapid and largely unexplained increase in incidence in many developed countries around the world. These diseases have a poor prognosis and current therapies have a modest impact on survival. This review presents recent advances in the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, staging, prevention and treatment of resectable and advanced disease. Although significant progress has been made in these areas of research and patient management over the past years, prognosis for most patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer or cancer of the gastric cardia remains poor. New diagnostic procedures, improved surgical procedures, combined treatment modalities and new treatment modalities are being evaluated and may be expected to contribute to improved patient outcomes and better palliation of symptoms in the future. [source] Predicting the number of ecologically harmful exotic species in an aquatic systemDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 2 2008Anthony Ricciardi ABSTRACT Most introduced species apparently have little impact on native biodiversity, but the proliferation of human vectors that transport species worldwide increases the probability of a region being affected by high-impact invaders , i.e. those that cause severe declines in native species populations. Our study determined whether the number of high-impact invaders can be predicted from the total number of invaders in an area, after controlling for species,area effects. These two variables are positively correlated in a set of 16 invaded freshwater and marine systems from around the world. The relationship is a simple linear function; there is no evidence of synergistic or antagonistic effects of invaders across systems. A similar relationship is found for introduced freshwater fishes across 149 regions. In both data sets, high-impact invaders comprise approximately 10% of the total number of invaders. Although the mechanism driving this correlation is likely a sampling effect, it is not simply the proportional sampling of a constant number of repeat-offenders; in most cases, an invader is not reported to have strong impacts on native species in the majority of regions it invades. These findings link vector activity and the negative impacts of introduced species on biodiversity, and thus justify management efforts to reduce invasion rates even where numerous invasions have already occurred. [source] Tafoni development in a cryotic environment: an example from Northern Victoria Land, AntarcticaEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2008Andrea Strini Abstract Tafoni are a type of cavernous weathering widespread around the world. Despite the extensive distribution of the tafoni, their genesis is not clear and is still a matter of debate, also because they occur in such different climatic conditions and on so many different types of substrate. Geomorphological characterization of more than 60 tafoni in three different Antarctic sites (two coastal and one inland) between 74 and 76° S with sampling of weathering products and salt occurrences are described together with thermal data (on different surfaces) and wind speed recorded in different periods of the year in a selected tafone close to the Italian Antarctic station. The aim of this present study is to provide further information to help understand the processes involved in the growth of tafoni in a cryotic environment, and the relationship of these processes to climate, with particular attention to the thermal regime and the role of wind. The new data presented in this paper suggest that there is no single key factor that drives the tafoni development, although thermal stress seems the most efficient process, particularly if we consider the short-term fluctuations. The data also confirm that other thermal processes, such as freezing,thawing cycles and thermal shock, are not really effective for the development of tafoni in this area. The wind speed measured within the tafoni is half that recorded outside, thus favouring snow accumulation within the tafoni and therefore promoting salt crystallization. On the other hand, the wind effect on the thermal regime within the tafoni seems negligible. While both salt weathering and thermal stress appear active in this cryotic environment, these are azonal processes and are therefore active in other climatic areas where tafoni are widespread (such as the Mediterranean region). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Multi-phase evolution of gnammas (weathering pits) in a Holocene deglacial granite landscape, Minnesota (USA)EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 2 2008David Domínguez-Villar Abstract The morphometry of 85 gnammas (weathering pits) from Big Stone County in western Minnesota allows the assessment of the relative ages of the gnamma population. The ratio between maximum and minimum depths is independent of the initial size of the cavity and only depends on the weathering evolution. Therefore, the distribution of depth ratios can be used to assess the gnamma population age and the history of weathering. The asymmetrical distribution of depth ratios measured in Big Stone County forms three distinct populations. When these sets are analyzed independently, the correlation (r2) between maximum and minimum depths is greater than 0·95. Each single population has a normal distribution of depth ratios and the average depth ratios (, -value) for each population are ,1 = 1·60 ± 0·05, ,2 = 2·09 ± 0·04 and ,3 = 2·42 ± 0·08. The initiation of gnamma formation followed the exhumation of the granite in the region. This granite was till and saprolite covered upon retreat of the ice from the Last Glacial Maximum. Nearby outcrops are striated, but the study site remained buried until it was exhumed by paleofloods issuing from a proglacial lake. These Holocene-aged gnammas in western Minnesota were compared with gnammas of other ages from around the world. Our new results are in accordance with the hypothesis that , -values represent the evolution of gnammas with time under temperate- to cold-climate dynamics. Phases of the formation of new gnammas may result from changes in weathering processes related to climate changes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||