The changing global distribution and prevalence of canine transmissible venereal tumour.

BACKGROUND: The canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT) is a contagious cancer that is naturally transmitted between dogs by the allogeneic transfer of living cancer cells during coitus. CTVT first arose several thousand years ago and has been reported in dog populations worldwide; however, its precise distribution patterns and prevalence remain unclear. RESULTS: We analysed historical literature and obtained CTVT prevalence information from 645 veterinarians and animal health workers in 109 countries in order to estimate CTVT's former and current global distribution and prevalence. This analysis confirmed that CTVT is endemic in at least 90 countries worldwide across all inhabited continents. CTVT is estimated to be present at a prevalence of one percent or more in dogs in at least 13 countries in South and Central America as well as in at least 11 countries in Africa and 8 countries in Asia. In the United States and Australia, CTVT was reported to be endemic only in remote indigenous communities. Comparison of current and historical reports of CTVT indicated that its prevalence has declined in Northern Europe, possibly due to changes in dog control laws during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Analysis of factors influencing CTVT prevalence showed that presence of free-roaming dogs was associated with increased CTVT prevalence, while dog spaying and neutering were associated with reduced CTVT prevalence. Our analysis indicated no gender bias for CTVT and we found no evidence that animals with CTVT frequently harbour concurrent infectious diseases. Vincristine was widely reported to be the most effective therapy for CTVT. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a survey of the current global distribution of CTVT, confirming that CTVT is endemic in at least 90 countries worldwide. Additionally, our analysis highlights factors that continue to modify CTVT's prevalence around the world and implicates free-roaming dogs as a reservoir for the disease. Our analysis also documents the disappearance of the disease from the United Kingdom during the twentieth century, which appears to have been an unintentional result of the introduction of dog control policies.This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final version of this article has been published by BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1746-6148/10/168

Determinants of Unlawful File Sharing: A Scoping Review

We employ a scoping review methodology to consider and assess the existing evidence on the determinants of unlawful file sharing (UFS) transparently and systematically. Based on the evidence, we build a simple conceptual framework to model the psychological decision to engage in UFS, purchase legally or do nothing. We identify social, moral, experiential, technical, legal and financial utility sources of the decision to purchase or to file share. They interact in complex ways. We consider the strength of evidence within these areas and note patterns of results. There is good evidence for influences on UFS within each of the identified determinants, particularly for self-reported measures, with more behavioral research needed. There are also indications that the reasons for UFS differ across media; more studies exploring media other than music are required

Understanding why women seek abortions in the US

BACKGROUND: The current political climate with regards to abortion in the US, along with the economic recession may be affecting women’s reasons for seeking abortion, warranting a new investigation into the reasons why women seek abortion. METHODS: Data for this study were drawn from baseline quantitative and qualitative data from the Turnaway Study, an ongoing, five-year, longitudinal study evaluating the health and socioeconomic consequences of receiving or being denied an abortion in the US. While the study has followed women for over two full years, it relies on the baseline data which were collected from 2008 through the end of 2010. The sample included 954 women from 30 abortion facilities across the US who responded to two open ended questions regarding the reasons why they wanted to terminate their pregnancy approximately one week after seeking an abortion. RESULTS: Women’s reasons for seeking an abortion fell into 11 broad themes. The predominant themes identified as reasons for seeking abortion included financial reasons (40%), timing (36%), partner related reasons (31%), and the need to focus on other children (29%). Most women reported multiple reasons for seeking an abortion crossing over several themes (64%). Using mixed effects multivariate logistic regression analyses, we identified the social and demographic predictors of the predominant themes women gave for seeking an abortion. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings demonstrate that the reasons women seek abortion are complex and interrelated, similar to those found in previous studies. While some women stated only one factor that contributed to their desire to terminate their pregnancies, others pointed to a myriad of factors that, cumulatively, resulted in their seeking abortion. As indicated by the differences we observed among women’s reasons by individual characteristics, women seek abortion for reasons related to their circumstances, including their socioeconomic status, age, health, parity and marital status. It is important that policy makers consider women’s motivations for choosing abortion, as decisions to support or oppose such legislation could have profound effects on the health, socioeconomic outcomes and life trajectories of women facing unwanted pregnancies

A comparative analysis of marketing management in British and German university libraries

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DX192806 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Związek pomiędzy reprezentacją kobiet na poziomie strategicznym i konkurencyjnością firmy : przykłady z firm logistyki towarowej z Pakistanu i Kanady

The comparative study investigates the impact of various attributes such as feminine leadership style, gender diversity, and autonomy linked with the female representation at strategic level on the performance and competitiveness of the Cargo Logistic Firms in the contrasting economies; Pakistan and Canada. Previous studies offered limited insight due to unidimensional while this study takes multivariate approach, considering; variable of interest examined in terms of economies and gender. Cross-sectional research design following semi-structured questionnaire circulated among targeted audience by combining of stratified (probability) and convenience, purposive, and snowball (non-probability) sampling technique at layers of management. The combined sample size is 631 employees. The results showed that females prefer more flexible leadership style in comparison to males. Organisations having high gender diversity and female representation at strategic level are more progressive and innovative. Interestingly, in developing economies, rapid career growth chances are higher for females. Females are more people oriented while male are more task-oriented. Males have high desire for autonomy at workplace.W artykule przedstawiono badanie porównawcze, które analizuje wpływ różnych atrybutów ściśle związanych z reprezentacją kobiet na poziomie strategicznym, wpływającym na ogólną konkurencyjność przewoźników towarowych w gospodarkach Pakistanu i Kanady będących przeciwieństwami. Poprzednie badania przyniosły ograniczone spostrzeżenia ze względu na jednowymiarowość, podczas gdy niniejsze badanie ma podejście wielowymiarowe, biorąc pod uwagę jednocześnie: różnorodność płci, styl przywództwa i gospodarki. Projekt przekrojowego badania przeprowadzonego według kwestionariusza półstruktury krążył wśród odbiorców docelowych, łącząc technikę próbkowania warstwowego (prawdopodobieństwa) i wygodnego, celowego oraz kuli śnieżnej (niebędącego prawdopodobieństwem) na warstwach zarządzania. Łączna wielkość próby to 631 pracowników. Wyniki wykazały, że kobiety wolą bardziej elastyczny styl przywództwa niż mężczyźni. Coraz bardziej postępowe i innowacyjne są organizacje mające dużą różnorodność płci i reprezentacje kobiet na poziomie strategicznym. Co ciekawe, w krajach rozwijających się szanse szybkiego wzrostu kariery są większe u kobiet. Kobiety są bardziej nastawione na ludzi, podczas gdy mężczyźni są bardziej zorientowani na zadanie. Mężczyźni mają duże pragnienie autonomii w miejscu pracy