Declining union density in many industrialized countries raises the interest in alternative ways of labor relations and worker representation. Provided that workplace representation has desirable social consequences; for a policy maker its effect on firm productivity is crucial for evaluating its usefulness. German works councils are the most powerful form of institutionalized work place repres...

Fracture healing is a complex physiological process. It is regulated by cells, mediators and growth factors, with different phases of activity occurring over time, till normal bone formation is established [1]. Cellular recruitment, proliferation and differentiation under the guidance of signalling molecules with the involvement of extracellular matrix play an important role in creating the fou...

In this paper we use British Household Panel Survey data to examine the relationship between unionization and unpaid overtime in Britain. The findings indicate that in the for-profit, non-caring sector of the economy, union covered employees supply fewer unpaid overtime hours than noncovered ones due to union protection and the weakening of economic incentives caused by union bargaining. On the...

Introduction Acceptable results of scaphoid fracture have been reported associated with development of surgical procedures and improvement of fixation screws. However, some scaphoid fractures result in nonunion after surgery. Nonunion of scaphoid fracture causes osteoarthritis of the wrist. Therefore, it is important to achieve union. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed the salvag...

Delayed bone healing and non-union occur in approximately 10% of long bone fractures. Despite intense investigations and progress in understanding the processes governing bone healing, the specific pathophysiological characteristics of the local microenvironment leading to non-union remain obscure. The clinical findings and radiographic features remain the two important landmarks of diagnosing ...

Background:Locking plate fixation is increasingly used for first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP-I) arthrodesis. Still there is few comparable clinical data regarding this procedure. Methods:We retrospectively evaluated 60 patients who received an arthrodesis of the MTP-I between January 2008 and June 2010. With 20 patients each we performed a locking plate fixation with lag screw, arthrodesis w...

Non-union of fractures of the scaphoid bone usually results from failure to recognise or adequately to treat a fresh fracture. It is important to differentiate delayed union from established non-union. In the former, even if a year has elapsed since fracture, and even if the radiograph shows a wide cystic fracture line with or without avascular changes in the proximal fragment, union is still p...