bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INVESTMENTS ‘IN THE TERRITORY’ OF THE HOST STATE
Authors: Knahr Christina
Published: September 2009

Many bilateral as well as multilateral investment treaties contain in their provisions on the definition of investment a requirement that the investment has to be made in the territory of the host State, while other treaties do not contain language to that effect. This issue has been addressed briefly in some International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) cases but has not played a major role among the judicial requirements usually examined by tribunals. In two recent North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Chapter 11 cases, Bayview v Mexico and Canadian Cattlemen for Fair Trade v United States, the tribunals for the first time rejected jurisdiction because the claimants had not made an investment in the territory of the respondent State. This chapter analyzes the reasoning and the findings of the tribunals in these two cases and tries to determine the relevance of the territorial nexus in investment arbitration. While the focus will be on Bayview and the Canadian Cattlemen Claims, previous ICSID cases that have addressed the issue is also considered.
JURISDICTION, COMPETENCE, AND ADMISSIBILITY OF CLAIMS IN ICSID ARBITRATION PROCEEDINGS
Authors: Zeiler Gerold
Published: September 2009

This chapter attempts to determine the exact meaning of the terms ‘jurisdiction’ and ‘competence’, add a full understanding of the notion of admissibility, apply this understanding, and, thereby, come to a clearer picture of how to deal with these issues. Most importantly, this should lead to an answer about what truly qualifies as an objection of inadmissibility and when it should be brought.
THE SCOPE OF ICSID REVIEW: REMARKS ON SELECTED PROBLEMATIC ISSUES OF ICSID DECISIONS
Authors: Kalnina Ieva , Di Pietro Domenico
Published: September 2009

This chapter examines the relationship between the concerns raised about the quality and consistency of ICSID awards, on the one hand, and, on the other, the existence and efficiency of any respective remedy. It begins with a review of the four generations of annulment proceedings followed by a review of ICSID arbitral awards. It then considers the use of precedent in ICSID arbitration, ICSID control over quality and consistency of arbitral awards, and remedies for consistency and legitimacy lacunae inherent in Article 52.
DENOUNCING ICSID
Authors: Rastegar Keyvan
Published: September 2009

The legal academy is coming to embrace the opposite position of indeterminacy, not only as a matter of practical reality and ensuing theoretical introspection, but as more intuitive and plausible to begin with. In search of a single easy case to refute its claim, the modern critical position holds that the law governing every case can be construed bona fide and lege artis to irreconcilable ends. Its sophisticated form carefully rejects ‘anything goes’, emphasizing that infinite legal interpretations are flawed. Nonetheless, it contends that in each case, there remain at least two methodologically sound solutions, which conflict in result. This chapter advances the claim of legal indeterminacy, but in technical detail. It considers the interplay of Articles 71 and 72 of the ICSID Convention, which expressly govern denunciation, and Article 25, which governs submission to jurisdiction.
CHANCELLOR WIRTH AND THE MOLOGALES CONCESSION 1923–1927: THE GERMAN-SPEAKING ORIGINS OF THE 1965 ICSID CONVENTION
Authors: Veeder V.V.
Published: September 2009

Dr Joseph Wirth was Chancellor of the Weimar Republic for eighteen momentous months in Germany's history from May 1921 to November 1922. Earlier, Wirth had worked as a teacher and then as an international investor. It is a rare person who can pursue all such activities successfully; and ultimately, with the demise of the Weimar Republic, Wirth failed as a German politician and was forced into exile in 1933. As a statesman and investor, however, his work from 1921 to 1927 suggests that one of the ICSID Convention's significant origins may lie in German-speaking specialists advocating treaty-based transnational arbitration in Berlin and Moscow, beginning with the Brest-Litovsk Treaties between Soviet Russia and Imperial Germany in August 1918 and culminating, via the 1921 Provisional Treaty and the 1922 Rapallo Treaties, in the 1925 Soviet-German Commercial Treaty with its innovative chapter on state-sponsored institutional arbitration. This chapter presents the story of that strange journey.
LOCAL REMEDIES AND THE STANDARDS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT
Authors: Kriebaum Ursula
Published: September 2009

This chapter examines the alleged requirement to resort to local remedies before a violation of a substantive standard of international investment law can be diagnosed, despite a waiver of the requirement to exhaust local remedies as, for example, contained in Article 26 ICSID. It begins by briefly outlining the function of the local remedies rule in international law and the waiver contained in Article 26 of the ICSID Convention. It then considers the related practice of arbitral tribunals. Finally, it discusses considerations of principle which the cases canvass as well as a number of related questions will be discussed.
DO UMBRELLA CLAUSES APPLY TO UNILATERAL UNDERTAKINGS?
Authors: Gritón Salias María Cristina
Published: September 2009

This chapter shows that tribunals overwhelmingly accept the application of umbrella clauses to obligations assumed unilaterally by host States. It follows that, where a treaty for the protection of investments containing an umbrella clause is applicable, the violation of a unilateral undertaking, made through legislation or otherwise, would amount to a violation of the treaty.
BIT BY BIT: THE SILENT LIBERALIZATION OF THE CAPITAL ACCOUNT
Authors: Waibel Michael
Published: September 2009

This chapter explores the relationship between free transfer clauses and exchange restrictions. The transfer of funds provision is a common feature of bilateral investment treaties (BITs). The free transfer provision is particularly important in difficult economic times, when the host country faces complex policy trade-offs. It argues that over the past two decades, the rise of a new generation of BITs has led to a patchwork liberalization of the capital account. This liberalization is slow and gradual, but the general direction is clear: greater openness. Taken together, the universe of existing BITs and free trade agreements (FTAs) substantially limits countries' freedom to impose restrictions on the capital account. This liberalization does not appear to follow general principles other than increased openness. It risks undermining macroeconomic stability and complicating the resolution of future financial crises.
THE CANADIAN APPROACH TO INVESTMENT PROTECTION: HOW FAR WE HAVE COME!
Authors: Fortier L. Yves
Published: September 2009

This chapter has two main objectives. The first is to provide an overview of the evolution of Canada's approach to investment protection, with particular focus on dispute settlement. The second objective is to identify the essential elements that now underpin Canada's approach to investment protection. It argues that principles central to the Canadian legal system, such as procedural fairness and due process, are now incorporated as quasi sine qua nons in Canada's approach to investment protection. These principles are consonant with the ICSID Convention's objectives to settle investment disputes in an orderly manner and to protect, to the same extent and with the same vigour, the investor and the host State in the general interest of development.
CONFLICT OF NORMS STEMMING FROM INTRA-EU BITS AND EU LEGAL OBLIGATIONS: SOME REMARKS ON POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Authors: Wierzbowski Marek , Gubrynowicz Aleksander
Published: September 2009

This chapter seeks to determine the extent to which obligations stemming from the EU legal order conflict with the norms of intra-EU BITs as well as to analyse possible solutions that could eventually be adopted to reconcile such conflicts. The chapter is divided into three different parts. Section B seeks to determine the causes as well as the principal areas where the norms stemming from the EU legal orders could eventually conflict with BIT clauses. Section C examines the relations between EU law and intra-EU BITs in the light of recent arbitration awards (mainly Eastern Sugar BV v Czech Republic). Section D offers a possible resolution, concluding that, taking into account the matter as it stands at present, the idea of a new institution that would help to stabilize the jurisprudence and to establish amicable and constructive relations with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) (working title: ‘the European Investment Court’) should be carefully examined.
THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND INVESTMENT PROTECTION
Authors: Tomuschat Christian
Published: September 2009

This chapter considers the option of investors' submitting their claims to human rights bodies. It shows that only the European Court of Human Rights provides an alternative that could seriously be considered. Outside Europe, ICSID remains the only viable procedural mechanism if no other dispute settlement procedure has been agreed upon by the parties.
JOINT TORTFEASORS IN INVESTMENT LAW
Authors: Wittich Stephan
Published: September 2009

This chapter addresses an issue of the law of international responsibility that arose in a well-known investment arbitration case, CME v Czech Republic. It shows the generally cautious attitude in theory and practice towards the principle of joint tortfeasors in international law. The main problem is the unclear contours of that principle. Joint tortfeasors may, in principle, play a useful role in a case where an internationally wrongful act was caused by several actors. In fact, it has frequently been invoked in the context of concurrent causes, in case of complicity or of a plurality of responsible persons, but the uncertain requirements of, and conditions inherent in, this principle have prevented the development of a generally applicable concept of joint tortfeasors.
INTERPRETING INVESTMENT TREATIES: EXPERIENCES AND EXAMPLES
Authors: Wälde Thomas W.
Published: September 2009

This chapter focuses on particular challenges in the interpretation of investment treaties before international tribunals. Interpretation of authoritative texts (divine, legal, or scholarly) is always difficult and apt to provoke engaged challenges. This is even more so if the community within which and for which application takes place does not share a widespread homogeneity of political, ideological, religious, or professional values. Investment arbitration by ad hoc tribunals is a novel and therefore unfamiliar form of international adjudication; as a result, it needs to make more effort to achieve political legitimacy — whatever the legal legitimacy founded on international treaties. The best approach is a resolutely technical and professional approach, that is, an approach that employs increasingly detailed drafting techniques in treaty-making, but also a predominantly textual approach linked to identifiable common elements of modern practice in interpretation.
CONTEMPORARY LAW OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT: REVISITING THE STATUS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
Authors: Dolzer Rudolf
Published: September 2009

This chapter reviews the evolution of the intersection between procedure and substance from a contemporary perspective. For a long time, it was widely considered that the position expressed by the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) that ‘any contract which is not a contract between States in their capacity as subjects of international law is based on municipal law of some country’ might exclude the application of international law. The modern understanding accepts that the law of the host State will apply. It can today be added, however, that international law operates as a framework which domestic law must respect. The convergence of the parallel developments underlining the need for and acceptance of rules of international law has led to a renewed consensus.
Justice
Authors: Cavill P. R.
Published: September 2009

Chapter 3 sets the enactment and enforcement of parliamentary legislation within the framework of the crown's responsibility to dispense justice and to uphold the law. It first discusses contextual factors that influenced the content and scope of royal law‐making. Next it identifies the problems law reform and discusses the remedies it designed in the light of theory and practice. Particular attention is paid to the judicial role of the royal council. Responses in parliament to reforms are interpreted through the principles of equity and due process. Then the crown's interest in enforcing the financial penalties laid down in statutory regulations is discussed. Particular notice is given to the role of informers. In conclusion, contemporary criticism of royal policy is considered.
Efficiently finding genome-wide three-way gene interactions from transcript- and genotype-data
Authors: Kayano Mitsunori , Takigawa Ichigaku , Shiga Motoki , Tsuda Koji , Mamitsuka Hiroshi
Published: September 2009

Motivation: We address the issue of finding a three-way gene interaction, i.e. two interacting genes in expression under the genotypes of another gene, given a dataset in which expressions and genotypes are measured at once for each individual. This issue can be a general, switching mechanism in expression of two genes, being controlled by categories of another gene, and finding this type of interaction can be a key to elucidating complex biological systems. The most suitable method for this issue is likelihood ratio test using logistic regressions, which we call interaction test, but a serious problem of this test is computational intractability at a genome-wide level.

Results: We developed a fast method for this issue which improves the speed of interaction test by around 10 times for any size of datasets, keeping highly interacting genes with an accuracy of ∼85%. We applied our method to ∼3 × 108 three-way combinations generated from a dataset on human brain samples and detected three-way gene interactions with small P-values. To check the reliability of our results, we first conducted permutations by which we can show that the obtained P-values are significantly smaller than those obtained from permuted null examples. We then used GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) to generate gene expression datasets with binary classes to confirm the detected three-way interactions by using these datasets and interaction tests. The result showed us some datasets with significantly small P-values, strongly supporting the reliability of the detected three-way interactions.

Availability: Software is available from http://www.bic.kyoto-u.ac.jp/pathway/kayano/bioinfo_three-way.html

Contact:  kayano@kuicr.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Treatment with at Homeopathic Complex Medication Modulates Mononuclear Bone Marrow Cell Differentiation
Authors: Cesar Beatriz , Abud Ana Paula R. , de Oliveira Carolina C. , Cardoso Francolino , Di Bernardi Raffaello Popa , Guimarães Fernando S. F. , Gabardo Juarez , de Freitas Buchi Dorly
Published: September 2009

A homeopathic complex medication (HCM), with immunomodulatory properties, is recommended for patients with depressed immune systems. Previous studies demonstrated that the medication induces an increase in leukocyte number. The bone marrow microenvironment is composed of growth factors, stromal cells, an extracellular matrix and progenitor cells that differentiate into mature blood cells. Mice were our biological model used in this research. We now report in vivo immunophenotyping of total bone marrow cells and ex vivo effects of the medication on mononuclear cell differentiation at different times. Cells were examined by light microscopy and cytokine levels were measured in vitro. After in vivo treatment with HCM, a pool of cells from the new marrow microenvironment was analyzed by flow cytometry to detect any trend in cell alteration. The results showed decreases, mainly, in CD11b and TER‐119 markers compared with controls. Mononuclear cells were used to analyze the effects of ex vivo HCM treatment and the number of cells showing ring nuclei, niche cells and activated macrophages increased in culture, even in the absence of macrophage colony‐stimulating factor. Cytokines favoring stromal cell survival and differentiation in culture were induced in vitro. Thus, we observe that HCM is immunomodulatory, either alone or in association with other products.
Corporate Social Responsibility in Developing Countries
Authors: Visser Wayne
Published: September 2009

This article maps out the crucial role and responsibilities for business in fighting poverty and acting responsibly in developing countries. It begins by proposing different ways to categorize the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing countries. It then reviews the research which has been conducted at a global and regional level, before considering the main CSR drivers in developing countries. Finally, it proposes a model of CSR in developing countries, before concluding with a summary and recommendations for future research. What is clear from this article is that CSR in developing countries is a rich and fascinating area of enquiry, which is becoming ever more important in CSR theory and practice. And since it is profoundly under-researched, this enquiry also represents a tremendous opportunity for improving the knowledge and understanding about CSR.
Conclusion
Authors: Crane Andrew , McWilliams Abagail , Matten Dirk , Moon Jeremy , Siegel Donald S.
Published: September 2009

As a field of inquiry, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is still in an embryonic stage. The study of CSR has been hampered by a lack of consensus on the definition of the phenomenon, unifying theory, measures, and unsophisticated empirical methods. Globalization has also added to the complexity of CSR issues to be addressed. Despite these concerns, there is still some excellent research on this topic, which has been gathered in this volume. Specifically, this volume contains findings from numerous experts in a wide variety of social science disciplines and fields in business administration, who have summarized the body of CSR literature and also outlined an agenda for additional research. It is important to note that CSR practices and product features are not always totally transparent and observable to the consumer and other stakeholders. This makes it difficult for consumers and other stakeholders to evaluate the firm's social performance.
Suppression of Two Tungro Viruses in Rice by Separable Traits Originating from Cultivar Utri Merah
Authors: Encabo Jaymee R. , Cabauatan Pepito Q. , Cabunagan Rogelio C. , Satoh Kouji , Lee Jong-Hee , Kwak Do-Yeon , De Leon Teresa B. , Macalalad Reena Jesusa A. , Kondoh Hiroaki , Kikuchi Shoshi , Choi Il-Ryong
Published: September 2009

Rice tungro disease (RTD) is caused by Rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV) and Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) transmitted by green leafhoppers. Rice cv. Utri Merah is highly resistant to RTD. To define the RTD resistance of Utri Merah, near-isogenic lines (NIL, BC5 or BC6) developed from Utri Merah and susceptible cv. Taichung Native 1 (TN1) were evaluated for reactions to RTSV and RTBV. TW16 is an NIL (BC5) resistant to RTD. RTBV was able to infect both TN1 and TW16 but the levels of RTBV were usually significantly lower in TW16 than in TN1. Infection of RTSV was confirmed in TN1 by a serological test but not in TW16. However, the global gene-expression pattern in an RTSV-resistant NIL (BC6), TW16-69, inoculated with RTSV indicated that RTSV can also infect the resistant NIL. Infection of RTSV in TW16 was later confirmed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction but the level of RTSV was considerably lower in TW16 than in TN1. Examination for virus accumulation in another NIL (BC6), TW16-1029, indicated that all plants of TW16-1029 were resistant to RTSV, whereas the resistance to RTBV and symptom severity were segregating among the individual plants of TW16-1029. Collectively, these results suggest that RTD resistance of Utri Merah involves suppression of interacting RTSV and RTBV but the suppression trait for RTSV and for RTBV is inherited separately.
Sustainable exploitation of temperate fish stocks
Authors: Sparholt Henrik , Cook Robin M.
Published: September 2009

The theory of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) underpins many fishery management regimes and is applied principally as a single species concept. Using a simple dynamic biomass production model we show that MSY can be identified from a long time series of multi-stock data at a regional scale in the presence of species interactions and environmental change. It suggests that MSY is robust and calculable in a multispecies environment, offering a realistic reference point for fishery management. Furthermore, the demonstration of the existence of MSY shows that it is more than a purely theoretical concept. There has been an improvement in the status of stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, but our analysis suggests further reductions in fishing effort would improve long-term yields.
A foraging advantage for dichromatic marmosets (
Callithrix geoffroyi
) at low light intensity
Authors: Caine Nancy G. , Osorio Daniel , Mundy Nicholas I.
Published: September 2009

Most New World monkey species have both dichromatic and trichromatic individuals present in the same population. The selective forces acting to maintain the variation are hotly debated and are relevant to the evolution of the ‘routine’ trichromatic colour vision found in catarrhine primates. While trichromats have a foraging advantage for red food compared with dichromats, visual tasks which dichromats perform better have received less attention. Here we examine the effects of light intensity on foraging success among marmosets. We find that dichromats outperform trichomats when foraging in shade, but not in sun. The simplest explanation is that dichromats pay more attention to achromatic cues than trichromats. However, dichromats did not show a preference for foraging in shade compared with trichromats. Our results reveal several interesting parallels with a recent study in capuchin monkeys (
Cebus capucinus
), and suggest that dichromat advantage for certain tasks contributes to maintenance of the colour vision polymorphism.
Control of airborne infectious diseases in ventilated spaces
Authors: Nielsen Peter V.
Published: September 2009

We protect ourselves from airborne cross-infection in the indoor environment by supplying fresh air to a room by natural or mechanical ventilation. The air is distributed in the room according to different principles: mixing ventilation, displacement ventilation, etc. A large amount of air is supplied to the room to ensure a dilution of airborne infection. Analyses of the flow in the room show that there are a number of parameters that play an important role in minimizing airborne cross-infection. The air flow rate to the room must be high, and the air distribution pattern can be designed to have high ventilation effectiveness. Furthermore, personalized ventilation may reduce the risk of cross-infection, and in some cases, it can also reduce the source of infection. Personalized ventilation can especially be used in hospital wards, aircraft cabins and, in general, where people are in fixed positions.
Computer animations stimulate contagious yawning in chimpanzees
Authors: Campbell Matthew W. , Carter J. Devyn , Proctor Darby , Eisenberg Michelle L. , de Waal Frans B. M.
Published: September 2009

People empathize with fictional displays of behaviour, including those of cartoons and computer animations, even though the stimuli are obviously artificial. However, the extent to which other animals also may respond empathetically to animations has yet to be determined. Animations provide a potentially useful tool for exploring non-human behaviour, cognition and empathy because computer-generated stimuli offer complete control over variables and the ability to program stimuli that could not be captured on video. Establishing computer animations as a viable tool requires that non-human subjects identify with and respond to animations in a way similar to the way they do to images of actual conspecifics. Contagious yawning has been linked to empathy and poses a good test of involuntary identification and motor mimicry. We presented 24 chimpanzees with three-dimensional computer-animated chimpanzees yawning or displaying control mouth movements. The apes yawned significantly more in response to the yawn animations than to the controls, implying identification with the animations. These results support the phenomenon of contagious yawning in chimpanzees and suggest an empathic response to animations. Understanding how chimpanzees connect with animations, to both empathize and imitate, may help us to understand how humans do the same.
Long-term social bonds promote cooperation in the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
Authors: St-Pierre Angèle , Larose Karine , Dubois Frédérique
Published: September 2009

Reciprocal altruism, one of the most probable explanations for cooperation among non-kin, has been modelled as a Prisoner's Dilemma. According to this game, cooperation could evolve when individuals, who expect to play again, use conditional strategies like tit-for-tat or Pavlov. There is evidence that humans use such strategies to achieve mutual cooperation, but most controlled experiments with non-human animals have failed to find cooperation. One reason for this could be that subjects fail to cooperate because they behave as if they were to play only once. To assess this hypothesis, we conducted an experiment with monogamous zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) that were tested in a two-choice apparatus, with either their social partner or an experimental opponent of the opposite sex. We found that zebra finches maintained high levels of cooperation in an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game only when interacting with their social partner. Although other mechanisms may have contributed to the observed difference between the two treatments, our results support the hypothesis that animals do not systematically give in to the short-term temptation of cheating when long-term benefits exist. Thus, our findings contradict the commonly accepted idea that reciprocal altruism will be rare in non-human animals.
Hormone- and Light-Mediated Regulation of Heat-Induced Differential Petiole Growth in Arabidopsis
Authors: van Zanten Martijn , Voesenek Laurentius A.C.J. , Peeters Anton J.M. , Millenaar Frank F.
Published: September 2009

Plants react quickly and profoundly to changes in their environment. A sudden increase in temperature, for example, induces differential petiole growth-driven upward leaf movement (hyponastic growth) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). We show that accessions that face the strongest fluctuations in diurnal temperature in their natural habitat are least sensitive for heat-induced hyponastic growth. This indicates that heat-induced hyponastic growth is a trait subject to natural selection. The response is induced with kinetics remarkably similar to ethylene- and low light-induced hyponasty in several accessions. Using pharmacological assays, transcript analysis, and mutant analyses, we demonstrate that ethylene and the photoreceptor protein phytochrome B are negative regulators of heat-induced hyponastic growth and that low light, phytochrome A, auxin, polar auxin transport, and abscisic acid are positive regulators of heat-induced hyponastic growth. Furthermore, auxin, auxin polar transport, phytochrome A, phytochrome B, and cryptochromes are required for a fast induction of heat-induced hyponastic growth.
Cohabitation and Housework: The Effects of Marital Intentions
Authors: Ciabattari Teresa
Published: September 2009

This study asks how cohabiters’ housework patterns vary by their marital intentions. I draw on interactionist theories that view housework as an activity that produces gender and family to hypothesize that cohabiters who are more invested in their relationships will spend more time on housework. Analyzing the 1987–1988 National Survey of Families and Households (N = 348), I find that, controlling for sociodemographic and household differences, men who are least committed to their relationships spend the least time on housework, whereas women's housework time is not affected by marital intentions.
Family Time and the Psychosocial Adjustment of Adolescent Siblings and Their Parents
Authors: Crouter Ann C. , Head Melissa R. , Mchale Susan M. , Tucker Corinna Jenkins
Published: September 2009

This study examined the implications of family time for firstborn and secondborn adolescent offspring, mothers, and fathers in 192 dual‐earner families, defining family time as time shared by the foursome in activities across 7 days. Data were gathered in daily telephone interviews. For firstborns, higher levels of family time at Time 1 predicted less involvement in risky behavior 2 years later, controlling for Time 1 risky behavior. Longitudinal analyses predicting depressive symptoms revealed family time X parent education interactions for firstborns, fathers, and mothers, suggesting that the implications of family time depended on social class. The pattern of results suggests that family time is protective when chosen by family members but not when it represents a default use of time.
Disclosure and Relationship Satisfaction in Families
Authors: Finkenauer Catrin , Engels Rutger C. M. E. , Branje Susan J. T. , Meeus Wim
Published: September 2009

The present study developed a theoretical framework for understanding the social mechanisms underlying disclosure and its link with relationship satisfaction in a full family design. A study among 262 intact families, consisting of 2 children and 2 adults and involving 1,048 individuals, applied the social relations model. Results showed that disclosure was more important to satisfaction in horizontal relationships than vertical ones. Further, relationship‐specific disclosure was more important to satisfaction than dispositional disclosure. These results have implications for the examination of relationship regulation and maintenance in (non)voluntary relationships and the development of psychosocial problems in parent‐ child relationships.
Diverse effects of bacterial cell wall components on mast cell degranulation, cysteinyl leukotriene generation and migration
Authors: Wierzbicki Maciej , Brzezińska‐Błaszczyk Ewa
Published: September 2009

Nowadays there is more and more evidence that mast cells take part in antibacterial defence. Mast cells have the ability to kill bacteria via phagocytose‐dependent or phagocytose‐independent ways and express antimicrobial peptides that can directly kill pathogens at their site of entry. What is more, mast cells are capable of processing bacterial antigens for presentation through class I and II MHC molecules. Some data indicate that these cells can release various proinflammatory mediators in response to activation with bacteria and/or their products, however this information is still far from complete. Therefore, in this study we examined the ability of PGN from Staphylococcus aureus, LPS from Eschericha coli and LAM from Mycobacterium smegmatis to stimulate mature rat mast cell degranulation as well as cysteinyl LT generation. We also studied the influence of these bacterial components on mast cell migration. We found that PGN, LPS and LAM all failed to induce mast cell degranulation and histamine release. At the same time, activation of mast cells with these bacterial antigens resulted in generation and release of significant amounts of LT. Moreover, we documented that, even in the presence of laminin, none of the bacterial antigens used stimulated mast cell migration. However, PGN did induce migration of RANTES‐primed mast cells, and LPS did stimulate mast cell migratory response after priming with IL‐6. Our results show that PGN, LPS and LAM might be among the important bacterial antigens involved in mast cell activation during bacterial infection.
Significance of thymidylate synthase for resistance to pemetrexed in lung cancer
Authors: Ozasa Hiroaki , Oguri Tetsuya , Uemura Takehiro , Miyazaki Mikinori , Maeno Ken , Sato Shigeki , Ueda Ryuzo
Published: September 2009

Pemetrexed (MTA) is a multitargeted antifolate with promising clinical activity in lung cancer. We exposed the small cell lung cancer cell line PC6 to stepwise‐increasing pemetrexed concentrations of 0.4, 1.6, and 4.0 μm, and established three pemetrexed‐resistant lung cancer cell lines: PC6/MTA‐0.4, PC6/MTA‐1.6, and PC6/MTA‐4.0 cells. To investigate the mechanisms of acquired resistance to pemetrexed, we measured the expression levels of the thymidylate synthase (TS), reduced folate carrier (RFC), and folylpoly‐gamma‐glutamate synthetase (FPGS) genes. TS gene expression was significantly increased in PC6/MTA‐1.6 and PC6/MTA‐4.0 cells relative to parental cells in a pemetrexed dose‐dependent manner. In contrast, the levels of RFC gene expression in PC6/MTA‐0.4 cells and FPGS in PC6/MTA‐1.6 cells were significantly decreased, whereas the levels of both genes were restored in PC6/MTA‐4.0 cells. Knockdown of TS expression using siRNA enhanced pemetrexed cytotoxicity in PC6/MTA‐4.0 cells. The expression level of the TS gene was significantly correlated with the concentration of pemetrexed for 50% cell survival (IC50) in 11 non‐small cell lung cancer cell lines. These results suggest that the alteration of molecular pharmacological factors in relation with pemetrexed resistance is dose‐dependent, and that up‐regulation of the expression of the TS gene may have an important role in the acquired resistance to pemetrexed. In addition, TS may be a predictive marker for pemetrexed sensitivity in lung cancer. (Cancer Sci 2009)
Cost‐effectiveness of interventions to prevent alcohol‐related disease and injury in Australia
Authors: Cobiac Linda , Vos Theo , Doran Christopher , Wallace Angela
Published: September 2009

Aims To evaluate cost‐effectiveness of eight interventions for reducing alcohol‐attributable harm and determine the optimal intervention mix.

Methods Interventions include volumetric taxation, advertising bans, an increase in minimum legal drinking age, licensing controls on operating hours, brief intervention (with and without general practitioner telemarketing and support), drink driving campaigns, random breath testing and residential treatment for alcohol dependence (with and without naltrexone). Cost‐effectiveness is modelled over the life‐time of the Australian population in 2003, with all costs and health outcomes evaluated from an Australian health sector perspective. Each intervention is compared with current practice, and the most cost‐effective options are then combined to determine the optimal intervention mix.

Measurements Cost‐effectiveness is measured in 2003 Australian dollars per disability adjusted life year averted.

Findings Although current alcohol intervention in Australia (random breath testing) is cost‐effective, if the current spending of $71 million could be invested in a more cost‐effective combination of interventions, more than 10 times the amount of health gain could be achieved. Taken as a package of interventions, all seven preventive interventions would be a cost‐effective investment that could lead to substantial improvement in population health; only residential treatment is not cost‐effective.

Conclusions Based on current evidence, interventions to reduce harm from alcohol are highly recommended. The potential reduction in costs of treating alcohol‐related diseases and injuries mean that substantial improvements in population health can be achieved at a relatively low cost to the health sector.
Species conservation on human‐dominated landscapes: the case of crowned crane breeding and distribution outside protected areas in Uganda
Authors: Olupot William , Mugabe Hamlet , Plumptre Andrew J.
Published: September 2009

Species primarily dependent on habitats outside protected areas have to cope with the direct pressure of human utilization or harassment, and the indirect pressure of habitat modification. In Uganda, wetlands mainly used by cranes occur mostly outside protected areas. The country’s wetlands are however under heavy modification, and this and other pressures are thought to have reduced crane populations to 10–30% of the number in the early 1970s. From January 2005 to January 2006, we assessed the status of crane breeding and distribution in the country. Breeding and foraging sites were assessed through a nationwide newspaper survey, and visits to wetlands. We established occurrence of 21 nests during the study period, and crane use of 27 out of 30 districts surveyed. Crane harassment and trapping were common during breeding, as was crop damage by cranes. This is the first attempt to show the distribution of crane breeding outside protected areas throughout the country. In addition to maintaining suitable breeding habitat, survival of cranes in Uganda lies in part in community engagement and punishing crimes related to hunting and destruction of nests.
Effects of secondary tuber harvest on populations of devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) in the Kalahari savannas of South Africa
Authors: Stewart Kristine M.
Published: September 2009

Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) is an internationally traded species that is harvested for its secondary tubers. Root extracts are used to treat arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. This study examined population structure, density, growth, mortality, and seed and fruit production in harvested and unharvested populations in the Kalahari savannas of South Africa over 4 years. Plant density and population structure differed significantly between overgrazed and grass‐dominated areas, suggesting that the differences may be due to competition for water and nutrients. Experimental removal of secondary tubers (harvest) was not a significant factor for mortality in any of the harvested size classes. Harvest also did not affect growth, although plants in the 3–4 cm size class grew more in both the harvested and unharvested populations. Fruit production was variable; fruits matured only after sufficient rains. Under the conditions of this study, the species appears to be resilient to harvest, with both harvested and unharvested plants surviving. After harvest, both groups recovered and grew (on average) at the same rate. Because of the spatially variable habitat and the plasticity of the plants themselves, a large number of plants over a wide area are required to better understand the species’ life history.
Performance of seedlings of the invasive alien tree Schinus molle L. under indigenous and alien host trees in semi‐arid savanna
Authors: Iponga Donald M. , Milton Suzanne J. , Richardson David M.
Published: September 2009

We assessed the importance of host trees in influencing invasion patterns of the alien tree Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae) in semi‐arid savanna in South Africa. Recruitment of S. molle is dependent on trees in its invaded habitat, particularly Acacia tortilis Hayne. Another leguminous tree, the invasive alien mesquite (Prosopis sp.), has become common in the area recently, but S. molle rarely recruits under canopies of this species. Understanding of the association between these species is needed to predict invasion dynamics in the region. We conducted experiments to test whether: (i) seedling survival of S. molle is better beneath A. tortilis than beneath mesquite canopies; (ii) growth rates of S. molle seedlings are higher beneath A. tortilis than beneath mesquite. Results showed that growth and survival of S. molle did not differ significantly beneath the native A. tortilis and the alien Prosopis species. This suggests that microsites provided by canopies of mesquite are as good for S. molle establishment as those provided by the native acacia. Other factors, such as the failure of propagules to arrive beneath mesquite trees, must be sought to explain the lack of recruitment beneath mesquite.
Patterns of elephant impact on woody plants in the Hluhluwe‐Imfolozi park, Kwazulu‐Natal, South Africa
Authors: Boundja Roger Patrick , Midgley Jeremy J.
Published: September 2009

This study identifies patterns of elephantLoxodonta africana africanaimpacts upon tree species and woody plant communities in Hluhluwe‐Imfolozi Park, a South African savannahs/woodlands area. Elephants were reintroduced there from 1981, following more than 80 years of absence. Data were collected in 2003 on elephant impact on woodland in the Park. Different vegetation types were susceptible to different types and levels of damage by elephants, suggesting that elephants will not homogenize the vegetation. Elephants targeted larger stems for all types of damage, with a strong preference for some of the less abundant species such asAlbizia versicolor(breaking and toppling) andCordia caffraandSchotia brachypetala(debarking). Elephant impacts tended to be distributed evenly across the park landscape, irrespective of stem density or proximity to permanent water. Overall, elephants have little impact on slowing or reversing the spread of undesirable woody species, but are having a marked impact on certain less common tree species and larger tree size‐classes in the Hluhluwe‐Imfolozi Park.
Synergistic association between alcohol intake and body mass index with serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase levels in older adults: the Rancho Bernardo Study
Authors: LOOMBA R. , BETTENCOURT R. , BARRETT‐CONNOR E.
Published: September 2009

Background  The association between body‐mass‐index (BMI), alcohol consumption and their joint effect in increasing the risk of elevated serum alanine (ALT) and aspartate (AST) is unclear in older community‐dwelling adults.

Aim  To determine the association between alcohol, BMI, and their combined effect with serum ALT and AST in older community‐dwelling adults in the United States.

Methods  A cross‐sectional, population‐based study in participants (n = 2364) from the Rancho Bernardo Study (54% women; mean age: 70 years, BMI: 25 kg/m2, alcohol users: 63%) who attended a research visit in 1984–87. BMI was recorded by a trained nurse and alcohol use ascertained by a validated questionnaire. Odds‐ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of elevated serum ALT and AST (defined as ≥30 U/L in men and ≥19 U/L in women) were calculated for alcohol and BMI separately and their joint exposure using logistic regression models.

Results  In multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for age, alcohol use, total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, systolic blood pressure, and diabetes mellitus, obesity independently increased the odds of elevated ALT in this cohort of older men and women by 3.0 (95% CI, 1.7–5.3) and 1.8 (95% CI, 1.1–2.7) respectively. Joint effects of consuming >3 alcoholic drinks/day and obesity raised the odds of elevated ALT by 8.9 (95% CI, 2.4–33.1) and AST by 21‐fold (95% CI, 2.6–170.1), demonstrating synergism. Obese participants had higher odds of elevated ALT even at 0 ≤ 1 drink/day.

Conclusions  In older men and women, the combination of obesity with alcohol is synergistic in increasing the risk of liver injury.
Development of the GerdQ, a tool for the diagnosis and management of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease in primary care
Authors: JONES R. , JUNGHARD O. , DENT J. , VAKIL N. , HALLING K. , WERNERSSON B. , LIND T.
Published: September 2009

Background  Accurate diagnosis and effective management of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can be challenging for clinicians and other health care professionals.

Aim  To develop a patient‐centred, self‐assessment questionnaire to assist health care professionals in the diagnosis and effective management of patients with GERD.

Methods  Questions from patient‐reported GERD instruments, previously documented in terms of content validity and psychometric properties (RDQ, GSRS and GIS) and data on the diagnosis of GERD in primary and secondary care were used in the formal development of a diagnostic and management tool, the GerdQ, involving psychometric validation and piloting in patient focus groups.

Results  Analyses of data from over 300 primary care patients, moderated by patient input from qualitative interviews, were used to select specific items from the existing instruments to create a new six‐item diagnostic and management tool (GerdQ). ROC analysis indicated a sensitivity for GerdQ of 65% and a specificity of 71% for the diagnosis of GERD, similar to that achieved by gastroenterologists.

Conclusion  The GerdQ is a potentially useful tool for family practitioners and other health care professionals in diagnosing and managing GERD without initial specialist referral or endoscopy.
A Phase I/II study of the safety and efficacy of the addition of sirolimus to tacrolimus/methotrexate graft versus host disease prophylaxis after allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation in paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)
Authors: Pulsipher Michael A. , Wall Donna A. , Grimley Michael , Goyal Rakesh K. , Boucher Kenneth M. , Hankins Patricia , Grupp Stephan A. , Bunin Nancy
Published: September 2009

Sirolimus has been shown to have activity against human acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at serum levels used for immunosuppression. We hypothesized that the addition of sirolimus to a tacrolimus/methotrexate graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis regimen would decrease relapse after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and initiated a phase I/II study to demonstrate safety, feasibility, and efficacy. The study cohort included 18 patients in high‐risk (HR) first complete remission (CR1), 16 in HR CR2, 17 in intermediate risk (IR) CR2, and 12 in CR3+. The 2‐year event‐free survival (EFS) of the cohort was 66% (standard error 6·4). EFS of risk groups was 74%, 81%, 44% and 46% for CR1, IR CR2, HR CR2 and CR3+ patients respectively, and did not differ by stem cell source. Cumulative incidence of acute GVHD grade II–IV and III–IV was 38% and 21% respectively, while the cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 32%. Cumulative incidence of transplant‐related mortality and relapse was 10% and 25% respectively. Significant toxicities included veno‐occlusive disease [seven patients (11%)], transplant‐associated microangiopathy (three patients), and idiopathic pneumonitis (one patient). In summary, sirolimus‐based GVHD prophylaxis can be given safely in this population and early survival results are promising. A phase III trial to test whether sirolimus decreases relapse and improves outcome after transplantation for ALL is ongoing.