bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Axonal Regeneration and Neuroinflammation: Roles for the Translocator Protein 18 kDa
Authors: Girard C. , Liu S. , Adams D. , Lacroix C. , Sinéus M. , Boucher C. , Papadopoulos V. , Rupprecht R. , Schumacher M. , Groyer G.
Published: September 2011

After a traumatic injury of the nervous system or in the course of a neurodegenerative disease, the speed of axonal regeneration and the control of the inflammatory response are fundamental parameters of functional recovery. Spontaneous regeneration takes place in the peripheral nervous system, although the process is slow and often incomplete. There is currently no efficient treatment for enhancing axonal regeneration, including elongation speed and functional reinnervation. Ligands of the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) are currently under investigation as therapeutic means for promoting neuroprotection, accelerating axonal regeneration and modulating inflammation. The mechanisms of action of TSPO ligands involve the regulation of mitochondrial activity and the stimulation of steroid biosynthesis. In the peripheral nervous system, TSPO expression is strongly up‐regulated after injury, primarily in Schwann cells and macrophages, but also in neurones. Its levels return to low control values when nerve regeneration is completed, strongly supporting an important role in regenerative processes. We have demonstrated a role for the benzoxazine etifoxine in promoting axonal regeneration in the lesioned rat sciatic nerve, either after freeze‐injury or complete transection. Etifoxine is already clinically approved for the treatment of anxiety disorders (Stresam®, Biocodex, Gentilly, France). Daily treatment with etifoxine resulted in a two‐fold acceleration in axonal regeneration, as well as in a marked improvement of both the speed and quality of functional recovery. The neuroregenerative effects of etifoxine are likely to be mediated by TSPO, and they may involve an increased synthesis of pregnenolone and its metabolites, such as progesterone. After freeze‐injury of the sciatic nerve, administration of etifoxine also strongly reduced the number of activated macrophages and decreased the production of the inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor‐α and interleukin‐1β. Thus, this drug offers promise for the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries and axonal neuropathies. It may also be used as a lead compound in the development of new TSPO‐based neuroprotective approaches.
Gene network reconstruction identifies the authentic trans‐prenyl diphosphate synthase that makes the solanesyl moiety of ubiquinone‐9 in Arabidopsis
Authors: Ducluzeau Anne‐Lise , Wamboldt Yashitola , Elowsky Christian G. , Mackenzie Sally A. , Schuurink Robert C. , Basset Gilles J. C.
Published: September 2011

Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) is the generic name of a class of lipid‐soluble electron carriers formed of a redox active benzoquinone ring attached to a prenyl side chain. The length of the latter varies among species, and depends upon the product specificity of a trans‐long‐chain prenyl diphosphate synthase that elongates an allylic diphosphate precursor. In Arabidopsis, this enzyme is assumed to correspond to an endoplasmic reticulum‐located solanesyl diphosphate synthase, although direct genetic evidence was lacking. In this study, the reconstruction of the functional network of Arabidopsis genes linked to ubiquinone biosynthesis singled out an unsuspected solanesyl diphosphate synthase candidate – product of gene At2g34630 – that, extraordinarily, had been shown previously to be targeted to plastids and to contribute to the biosynthesis of gibberellins. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion experiments in tobacco and Arabidopsis, and complementation of a yeast coq1 knockout lacking mitochondrial hexaprenyl diphosphate synthase demonstrated that At2g34630 is also targeted to mitochondria. At2g34630 is the main – if not sole – contributor to solanesyl diphosphate synthase activity required for the biosynthesis of ubiquinone, as demonstrated by the dramatic (75–80%) reduction of the ubiquinone pool size in corresponding RNAi lines. Overexpression of At2g34630 gave up to a 40% increase in ubiquinone content compared to wild‐type plants. None of the silenced or overexpressing lines, in contrast, displayed altered levels of plastoquinone. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that At2g34630 is the only Arabidopsis trans‐long‐chain prenyl diphosphate synthase that clusters with the Coq1 orthologs involved in the biosynthesis of ubiquinone in other eukaryotes.
Costs, equity, efficiency and feasibility of identifying the poor in Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme: empirical analysis of various strategies
Authors: Aryeetey Genevieve Cecilia , Jehu‐Appiah Caroline , Spaan Ernst , Agyepong Irene , Baltussen Rob
Published: September 2011

Objectives  To analyse the costs and evaluate the equity, efficiency and feasibility of four strategies to identify poor households for premium exemptions in Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS): means testing (MT), proxy means testing (PMT), participatory wealth ranking (PWR) and geographic targeting (GT) in urban, rural and semi‐urban settings in Ghana.

Methods  We conducted the study in 145–147 households per setting with MT as our gold standard strategy. We estimated total costs that included costs of household surveys and cost of premiums paid to the poor, efficiency (cost per poor person identified), equity (number of true poor excluded) and the administrative feasibility of implementation.

Results  The cost of exempting one poor individual ranged from US$15.87 to US$95.44; exclusion of the poor ranged between 0% and 73%. MT was most efficient and equitable in rural and urban settings with low‐poverty incidence; GT was efficient and equitable in the semi‐urban setting with high‐poverty incidence. PMT and PWR were less equitable and inefficient although feasible in some settings.

Conclusion  We recommend MT as optimal strategy in low‐poverty urban and rural settings and GT as optimal strategy in high‐poverty semi‐urban setting. The study is relevant to other social and developmental programmes that require identification and exemptions of the poor in low‐income countries.
The Structure of the Atrioventricular Node in the Heart of the Female Laying Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Authors: Parto P.
Published: September 2011

With 5 figures

The electrical impulse for cardiac contraction is generated in the Sinoatrial node (SA node), subsequently spreads to the Atrioventricular node (AV node) and continues in the Atrioventricular bundle (AV bundle). The AV node may not always be present in different avian species and seems to differ in location and contents between species. In this study, the anatomy and histology of the AV node were studied five female adult ostriches (Struthio camelus). Routine paraffin sectioning and transmission electron microscopic method were performed. The study showed that in the ostrich, the AV node is located in the endocardium of the atrial surface of the right atrioventricular valve adjacent to the fibrous ring. The parenchyma of the AV node is formed by small specialized muscle fibres that are spread within a loose connective tissue network. The AV node is not covered by a connective tissue sheath and some arterioles are present. Nerve fibres are seen related to the node. Ultrastructurally, they stain lighter and contain fewer organized myofibrils than usual myocardial cells. The myofibril bundles run parallel to one another and have interspersed mitochondria, which display distinct cristae. The cells have a large euchromatic nucleus with a clear perinuclear area, and they connected by desmosomes. The ostrich is, thus, one of the birds that have the AV node, whose position varies from the other birds.
Reducing fertilization: a management tactic against western flower thrips on roses
Authors: Chow A. , Chau A. , Heinz K. M.
Published: September 2011

Fertilization reduction could be a useful pest management tactic for floriculture crops if it reduced pest populations with minimal impact on crop yield and quality. We evaluated the response of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), to different fertilization levels for cut roses, Rosa hybrida L. cv. ‘Tropicana’, and quantified fertilization effects on (i) abundance of F. occidentalis on cut roses, (ii) biological control of F. occidentalis on cut roses and (iii) nutritional quality of the cut flower crop. We tested a commercially available fertilizer (Peters Excel 15‐5‐15 Cal‐Mag; The Scotts Company, Marysville, OH) at 100% and 33% of the recommended nitrogen level (150 ppm N) for rose production using liquid‐feeding and two control measures: no thrips control measure; release of a predatory mite, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias‐Henriot). To maintain equivalent ratios of macro‐ and micronutrients for all our fertilizer treatments, we varied only the concentration of the fertilizer to the levels specified in our experiments. Lowering fertilization rate from 100% to 33% of the recommended level reduced mean F. occidentalis abundance on cut roses by 30%. Combinations of both bottom‐up (fertilization) and top‐down (biological control) tactics provided better F. occidentalis control than either tactic alone. Flower production was not compromised on plants fertilized with 33% of the recommended level. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium content of the leaf tissue decreased at 33% of the recommended fertilization level, but all values were within optimal ranges for cut roses. We propose that fertility management may be an effective means of reducing thrips numbers on cut roses.
Effect of Low Oxygen Tension Atmosphere and Maturation Media Supplementation on Nuclear Maturation, Cortical Granules Migration and Sperm Penetration in Swine In Vitro Fertilization
Authors: Marques MG , de Barros FRO , Goissis MD , Cavalcanti PV , Viana CHC , Assumpção MEOD , Visintin JA
Published: September 2011

Contents

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of low oxygen tension (5% CO2, 5% O2 and 90% N2) on in vitro oocyte maturation using defined media (0.1% polyvinyl alcohol – PVA) or 10% porcine follicular fluid (PFF)‐supplemented media. To achieve this goal, oocytes were evaluated regarding cortical granules (GCs) migration, nuclear maturation and sperm penetration. Oocytes were in vitro matured under different conditions: 5% or 20% O2 atmosphere and 0.1% PVA‐ or 10% PFF‐supplemented media and evaluated at 0 and 44 h of maturation. To evaluate the migration of CGs and nuclear maturation, by confocal microscopy, oocytes were incubated with 100 μg of FITC‐PNA/ml and 10 μg/ml of propidium iodide. To address sperm penetration, after maturation, in vitro fertilization for 6 h and in vitro culture for 18 h, zygotes were incubated with 10 mg/ml Hoechst 33342. Pronuclei and polar bodies were quantified using an epifluorescence microscope. Atmosphere conditions did not affect the CGs migration, but media supplementation did. Oocytes matured in 10% PFF media had a higher percentage of CGs in the oocyte periphery than oocytes matured in PVA‐supplemented media. However, this fact did not have effect on in vitro sperm penetration levels. No effect of atmosphere conditions and media supplementation was observed on the rates of metaphase II oocytes. Therefore, the use of low oxygen tension in association with PVA maturation media does not improve the in vitro maturation system of porcine oocytes, because its use did not improve nuclear maturation, CGs migration and zygotes monospermic rates.
Molecular change that distinguishes traditional serrated adenomas from sessile serrated adenomas
Authors: Drini Musa , Young Joanne P
Published: September 2011

See article in J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2011; 26: 1565–1569.
Improved neonatal survival and outcomes at borderline viability brings increasing ethical dilemmas
Authors: Kuschel Carl A , Kent Alison
Published: September 2011

With improvements in neonatal intensive care over the past five decades, the limits of viability have reduced to around 24 weeks’ gestation. While increasing survival has been the predominant driver leading to lowering the gestation at which care can be provided, these infants remain at significant risk of adverse long‐term outcomes including neuro‐developmental disability. Decisions about commencing and continuing intensive care are determined in partnership with parents, considering the best interests of the baby and the family. Occasionally, clinicians and parents come to an impasse regarding institution or continuation of intensive care. Inevitably, these ethical dilemmas need to consider the uncertainty of the long‐term prognosis and challenges surrounding providing or withdrawing active treatment. Further reduction in the gestational age considered for institution of intensive care will need to be guided by short‐ and long‐term outcomes, community expectations and the availability of sufficient resources to care for these infants in the neonatal intensive care unit and beyond.
Going against the grain: Liam's story
Authors: Thiele Pauline
Published: September 2011

You might well say, ‘Why would you want to write about your son's death?’ And in response I may ask, ‘Why do you want to read it?’ Perhaps there are no correct answers to our questions, except to say that the only way we learn it, ethically, through the experiences of others as we witness their suffering. Although, for the most part, this journey would leave me feeling professionally abandoned, there were still times of joy, hope and love. I invite you to take this journey with me.
Ethical and legal aspects of management for disorders of sex development
Authors: Warne Garry L , Mann Annabelle
Published: September 2011

Intense controversy surrounds the management of disorders of sex development, particularly in relation to the validity of parental consent for genital surgery and the removal of gonadal tissue carried out during infancy or childhood. Past practices have been heavily criticised on ethical grounds by patient advocacy organisations, who have demanded a moratorium on these kinds of operations unless authorised by a court. Some doctors and hospital administrators have been influenced by the controversy and have referred cases to the Family Court of Australia, where a series of judgements have now established legal precedents that apply across Australia, restricting the circumstances in which parents can give consent for surgery. An alternative approach is to use a hospital‐based Clinical Ethics Response Group and, if necessary, Clinical Ethics Committee, which has lay and legal representatives as well as health professionals, as a semi‐independent committee of review. Finding a solution that protects the human rights and best interests of children is an ongoing challenge.
Stem cells: Research tools and clinical treatments
Authors: Fahey Michael C , Wallace Euan M
Published: September 2011

The term ‘stem cell’ most commonly refers to embryonic stem cells, particularly in the lay media; however, it also describes other cell types. A stem cell represents a cell of multi‐lineage potential with the ability for self‐renewal. It is now clear that the plasticity and immortality of a given stem cell will depend on what type of stem cell it is, whether an embryonic stem cell, a fetal‐placental stem cell or an adult stem cell. Stem cells offer great promise as cell‐based therapies for the future. With evolving technology, much of the socio‐political debate regarding stem cells can now be avoided.
Organ donation in Australia
Authors: Oberender Felix
Published: September 2011

Organ donation in Australia has undergone a series of important changes in the past 3 years. An ethically complex and emotionally profound subject, important questions are being raised about the approach to organ donation by the government, by health‐care professionals and also by the public. This paper highlights some of the changes within the Australian organ donation community and explores several controversies that accompany the widespread implementation of measures aimed at significantly improving organ donation throughout the country.
Ethical advocacy based on caring: A model for neonatal and paediatric nurses
Authors: Spence Kaye
Published: September 2011

Advocacy has been identified as an ideal in nursing practice. National codes (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council) and professional standards (Australian College of Neonatal Nurses) state that nurses are to respect their patients' autonomous choices and act as their advocates. This responsibility includes acting as advocates for the needs and welfare of patients, for the profession of nursing and for the interests of colleagues in nursing. However, ambiguous interpretations of the concept of patient advocacy continue to pose a number of problems for nurses in practice and in particular neonatal practice. Neonatal nurses often perceive themselves primarily as advocates for the rights of helpless and vulnerable infants in their care. Advocacy is underpinned by caring, which is a significant feature in the delivery of quality care for each baby and child. This advocacy may be expressed at the bedside, in committee meetings, in agency discussions or in the public arena.
Clinician views of referring people with negative symptoms to outcome research: A questionnaire survey
Authors: Mairs Hilary , Lovell Karina , Keeley Philip
Published: September 2011

This paper reports on a survey of mental health clinician views of including people with psychosis and negative symptoms in outcome research. A questionnaire was forwarded to clinicians (the majority of whom were mental health nurses) completing post‐registration undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses in psychosocial interventions for psychosis. Fifty questionnaires were returned (a response rate of 84.7%). A total of 47% of respondents indicated that they might refrain from offering this group as potential participants to clinical trials. Thematic analysis suggests views that negative symptoms are not amenable to treatment inform such decisions. The results highlight the potential difficulties faced by researchers investigating new treatments for people with negative symptoms, and suggest further exploration of clinician views of referring this group to research and psychosocial treatments is warranted.
MOVING FORWARD BY LOOKING BACK: COMPARING LABORATORY RESULTS WITH EX ANTE MARKET DATA
Authors: CHERMAK JANIE M. , KRAUSE KATE , BROOKSHIRE DAVID S. , BURNESS H. STU
Published: September 2011

We compare individual consumer response between ex ante market data collected by a water utility and ex post experimentally generated data. The experimentally generated data are matched to each participant's water bill history, which predates the experiment. This differentiates our research from prior efforts, which analyze market and experimental data with similar chronologies. For roughly 70% of the participants there is no statistical difference between water demand elasticities estimated using laboratory data and those estimated from market data. Our results provide initial support for the use of experimental procedures to generate missing data regarding hypothetical consumer response. (JEL C9, D12, Q25)
CAN SUBGAME PERFECT EQUILIBRIUM THREATS FOSTER COOPERATION? AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST OF FINITE‐HORIZON FOLK THEOREMS
Authors: ANGELOVA VERA , BRUTTEL LISA V. , GÜTH WERNER , KAMECKE ULRICH
Published: September 2011

This paper considers extended prisoners' dilemma games in which a second pure strategy equilibrium in the stage game allows for mutual cooperation in all but the last round of the finitely repeated game as an equilibrium outcome. We distinguish a strict and a weak extension of the prisoners' dilemma game in a long and a short horizon treatment. A comparison with the corresponding finitely repeated prisoners' dilemma games shows that the strict additional equilibrium increases cooperation rates while the weak does not. This result is robust to the variation of the time horizon. (JEL C73, C91)
Service Sector Restrictiveness and Economic Performance: An Estimation for the MENA Region
Authors: Bottini Novella , Marouani Mohamed Ali , Munro Laura
Published: September 2011

This article aims to assess barriers to service provision in the banking and telecom sectors of four Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, and the impact of these barriers on firm performance. Our methodology involves the computation of aggregate and modal trade restrictiveness indices (TRIs) by sector, and utilisation of these TRIs as regressors of firms’ economic performance. Our analysis shows that significant regulatory reforms have taken place in the service sectors over the last decade in the MENA region, but that a broad range of restrictions still remain. The most significant change in these service sectors has been the lifting or softening of constraints on foreign equity participation. These regulatory reforms, however, have had varying degrees of impact on market structure depending on the country, the sector and the mode. Moreover, service restrictions have had an impact on economic performance in the three studied sectors. While a rent‐creating effect seems to dominate restrictions on banking and fixed telecom sectors, a cost‐inefficiency effect seems to dominate the mobile telecom sector. Finally, we find evidence of interactions between modal restrictions for banking services. Our results suggest a complementarity between Modes 3 and 1, as well as a substitution effect between Modes 3 and 4 in the banking sector.
The Impact of Bilateral Free Trade Agreements on Bilateral Foreign Direct Investment among Developed Countries
Authors: Jang Yong Joon
Published: September 2011

Previous studies find that a trade treaty positively impacts foreign direct investment (FDI). But does a trade treaty always have positive effects on FDI? What is the effect of bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) on bilateral FDI among developed countries? Based on the Knowledge‐Capital model, I hypothesize that bilateral FTA has negative effects on bilateral FDI in developed–developed country pairs, but positive effects in developed–developing country pairs. To test this hypothesis empirically, I conduct the within estimator, the Difference‐in‐Difference estimator and the Arellano–Bond estimator with panel data of bilateral FTA and outward FDI in 30 OECD countries and 32 non‐OECD countries between 1982 and 2005. The result supports the hypothesis. The existence of bilateral FTA decreases bilateral FDI in the OECD–OECD country pairs but increases bilateral outward FDI in the OECD–non‐OECD country pairs. The finding of negative effects of bilateral FTA on FDI is robust to different country classifications by gross national income (GNI) per capita and secondary school enrolment. Hence, the results are consistent with what Carr et al. (2001) predicts about the effects of trade cost on FDI in developed–developed country pairs and in developed–developing country pairs.
Markups, Bargaining Power and Offshoring: An Empirical Assessment1
Authors: Moreno Lourdes , Rodríguez Diego
Published: September 2011

This paper tests the pro‐competitive effect of imports on product and labour markets for Spanish manufacturing firms in the period 1990–2005. In doing so, it takes into account the type of imported products: final versus intermediate. Markups are estimated following the procedure suggested by Roeger and including an efficient bargaining model. The observed heterogeneity among firms is parametised to consider additional product standardisation and market concentration. The results support the imports as market discipline hypothesis for importers of final goods, while firms that offshore intermediate inputs show similar markups to nonimporters. Additionally, the union bargaining power is smaller for importers and the more homogeneous is the type of goods elaborated by firms.
China’s Macroeconomic Imbalances: Causes and Consequences
Authors: Knight John , Wang Wei
Published: September 2011

In recent years, China has experienced two forms of extreme macroeconomic imbalance: an expenditure imbalance in the sense of very high investment and very low consumption, giving rise to rapid capital accumulation; and an imbalance between expenditure and production, producing external imbalance, i.e. a huge surplus on the current account of the balance of payments. Both imbalances imply a low rate of time discount by both government and society: consumption in the present is forgone in favour of consumption in the future. The paper examines how these imbalances came about and goes on to consider whether they can be sustained and how they might be redressed. There is no evidence that the rapid capital accumulation has reduced the rate of profit on capital and thus the incentive to invest. However, persistent external imbalance poses a threat to investment if it generates excess liquidity and asset bubbles. The current account surplus rose remarkably in the years 2004–07. This was associated with exogenous increases in competiveness and in saving, both attributable to the economic reform policies. On current policies, the surplus is likely to rise again once the world economy recovers from its recession. This poses three sorts of problems, each of which is examined in turn: difficulties for macroeconomic stabilisation policies; risk of capital loss on the foreign exchange holdings; and the threat of retaliation by China’s trading partners. A combination of internal and external policies will be required to redress the imbalance.
Voting on Punishment Systems within a Heterogeneous Group
Authors: NOUSSAIR CHARLES N. , TAN FANGFANG
Published: September 2011

We consider a voluntary contributions game, in which players may punish others after contributions are made and observed. The productivity of contributions, as captured in the marginal‐per‐capita return, differs among individuals, so that there are two types: high and low productivity. Every two or eight periods, depending on the treatment, individuals vote on a punishment regime, in which certain individuals are permitted, but not required, to have punishment directed toward them. The punishment system can condition on type and contribution history. The results indicate that the most effective regime, in terms of contributions and earnings, is one that allows punishment of low contributors only, regardless of productivity. Nevertheless, only a minority of sessions converge to this system, indicating a tendency for the voting process to lead to suboptimal institutional choice.
Global Security Policies against Terrorism and the Free Riding Problem: An Experimental Approach
Authors: COLOMBIER NATHALIE , MASCLET DAVID , MIRZA DANIEL , MONTMARQUETTE CLAUDE
Published: September 2011

The World Trade Center attack has shed light on the urgent need to implement preventing measures against terrorism and to enhance cooperation in the global security system for all countries. However, international coordination cannot be taken for granted. It is often ineffective and likely to fail for several reasons. Perhaps the more prominent reason to explain failure in coordination is that collective actions against terrorism may suffer from the well‐known free riding problem. In this paper we experimentally investigate cooperation dilemma in counterterrorism policies by measuring to what extent international deterrence policy may suffer from free riding. In our game, contributions to the group account do not aim to increase the production of the public good but instead seek to decrease the probability that a stochastic event destroys the good. A country could choose to free ride by investing nothing in the international deterrence policy and instead invest all its resources in its own national protection or even choose to ignore totally terrorism by investing on alternative projects. We also look at the effects of institutions that allow sanctioning and rewarding of other countries to facilitate coordination on deterrence policy. We find that, in absence of institutional incentives and after controlling for risk aversion, most of countries defect by investing very weakly in collective actions against terrorism while largely investing to protect themselves. In contrast, the introduction of punishment/reward incentive systems improves significantly the contribution level to the collective security account.
Breaking Collusion in Auctions through Speculation: An Experiment on CO2 Emission Permit Markets
Authors: MOUGEOT MICHEL , NAEGELEN FLORENCE , PELLOUX BENJAMIN , RULLIÈRE JEAN‐LOUIS
Published: September 2011

The European Emission Trading Scheme (EU‐ETS) has chosen to adopt an auctioning procedure to initially allocate CO2 emission permits. Free allocation of permits will become an exception for the third phase (2013–2020) and most firms will have to buy all their permits on the market or via auctions. The ability of bidders to collude is a key concern about the design of the auction format. To counter collusion, the auction can be open to bidders without compliance obligations (speculators). This paper aims at studying experimentally speculation as a collusion‐breaking device in two different auction mechanisms: the uniform‐price sealed‐bid auction and the ascending clock auction. Our results suggest that a uniform sealed‐bid auction open to speculators should be chosen from a revenue maximization point of view. In this mechanism, compliance agents adopt an aggressive strategy toward speculators. This strategy significantly increases the seller's revenue, compared to the more collusive clock auction. In the latter, on the contrary, bidders accommodate speculators, letting them buy permits in the auction and buying their necessary permits on the secondary market. However, as opening the auction to speculators deteriorates efficiency, the regulator faces a trade‐off between these two objectives.
Identifying a Forward‐looking Monetary Policy in an Open Economy
Authors: Bhuiyan Rokon
Published: September 2011

I identify a forward‐looking monetary policy function in a forecast‐augmented VAR (FOAVAR) model by using forecasted macroeconomic variables, in addition to the realized variables used in a standard VAR. I find that forecasted variables play a greater role than realized variables in a central bank's policy decisions. I also find that a contractionary policy shock in the FOAVAR generates impulse responses of macroeconomic variables that are consistent with the predictions of economic theory, while the same shock causes a price puzzle and a delayed‐overshooting response of the exchange rate in the standard model.
From the Evening‐Land to the Wild East: Symbolic Geography in Three Poems by Georg Trakl
Authors: Millington Richard
Published: September 2011

Although the historical crisis of ‘Western civilisation’ in the period preceding and during the First World War is one of the dominant themes of Expressionist poetry, the terms of East‐West discourse itself seldom feature in its diction, a circumstance that can be related to the movement's universalistic assumptions. Two exceptions to this rule are Georg Trakl's poems ‘Abendländisches Lied’ and ‘Abendland’, in which the poet exploits the time‐space juncture implicit in the compound ‘Abendland’ for his own thematic purposes. The association established in these titles between a culturally loaded space and evening provides the basis for Trakl's articulation of visions of natural and historical decline that within the poems themselves are figured concurrently on several time‐scales: diurnal, seasonal and cultural‐historical. By contrast, the lack of any equivalent association in the title of another poem, ‘Im Osten’, prefigures its portrayal of a sudden and dramatic evacuation of culture from the space it designates. A comparative reading of these three poems reveals not only to what extent and in what ways Trakl poetically revalorises familiar terms of symbolic geography, but also which semantic nuances the terms themselves carried within the context of the late Habsburg Empire.

Obwohl die historische Krise der ‘westlichen Zivilisation’ in der Epoche des Ersten Weltkriegs sowie auch in den Jahren davor zu den Leitthemen der expressionistischen Lyrik gehört, spielt der Ost‐West‐Diskurs in den Texten selbst lexikalisch nur selten eine wichtige Rolle, was als Folge der universalistischen Ansprüche des Expressionismus gedeutet werden kann. Zwei Ausnahmen von dieser Regel bilden Georg Trakls Gedichte ‘Abendländisches Lied’ und ‘Abendland’, in denen der Dichter die implizite Raum‐Zeitverbindung in der Zusammensetzung ‘Abendland’ für eigene thematische Zwecke nutzt. Die in beiden Titeln evozierte Assoziation zwischen einem kulturell besetzten Raum und der Tageszeit ‘Abend’ dient Trakl als Basis für den Ausdruck seiner Visionen von natürlichem und historischem Untergang, die sich in den Gedichten selbst gleichzeitig auf mehreren zeitlichen Ebenen abspielen: tageszeitlich, jahreszeitlich und kulturell‐historisch. Im Gegensatz dazu deutet das Fehlen einer entsprechenden Assoziation im Titel des Gedichtes ‘Im Osten’ auf seine Schilderung einer plötzlichen und dramatischen kulturellen Entleerung des im Titel bezeichneten Raumes hin. Durch eine vergleichende Lektüre dieser drei Gedichte wird deutlich, nicht nur inwiefern und in welcher Weise Trakl vertraute Begriffe der symbolischen Geografie poetisch neu bewertet, sondern auch welche Bedeutungsnuancen die Begriffe selbst im Kontext der späten Habsburgermonarchie hatten.
Reducing maternal mortality in Nepal
Authors: Bhandari A , Gordon M , Shakya G
Published: September 2011

Please cite this paper as: Bhandari A, Gordon M, Shakya G. Reducing maternal mortality in Nepal. BJOG 2011;118 (Suppl. 2):26–30.
Achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Bangladesh
Authors: Chowdhury S , Banu LA , Chowdhury TA , Rubayet S , Khatoon S
Published: September 2011

Please cite this paper as: Chowdhury S, Banu LA, Chowdhury TA, Rubayet S, Khatoon S. Achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Bangladesh. BJOG 2011;118 (Suppl. 2):36–46.

Bangladesh has made commendable progress in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5. Since 1990, there has been a remarkable reduction in maternal and child mortality, with an estimated 57% reduction in child mortality and 66% in maternal mortality. This review highlights that, whereas Bangladesh is on track for achieving MDG 4 and 5A, progress in universal access to reproductive health (5B) is not yet at the required pace to achieve the targets set for 2015. In addition, Bangladesh needs to further enhance activities to improve newborn health and promote skilled attendance at birth.
Achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Sri Lanka
Authors: Senanayake H , Goonewardene M , Ranatunga A , Hattotuwa R , Amarasekera S , Amarasinghe I
Published: September 2011

Please cite this paper as: Senanayake H, Goonewardene M, Ranatunga A, Hattotuwa R, Amarasekera S, Amarasinghe I. Achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Sri Lanka. BJOG 2011;118 (Suppl. 2):78–87.

Sri Lanka has an exemplary record in maternal and child health care. Provision of free education for over 60 years has helped to empower women. Medical care is accessible and provided free of charge. The maternal mortality ratio and the other indices of maternal and neonatal health have shown uninterrupted improvement since 1930. Midwives and the policy to increase their presence has been the key to success. Public health midwives provide care at the doorstep. Institutional midwives carry out the vast majority of deliveries, of which 99% occur in hospitals. Although on target with the Millennium Development Goals, some challenges that still remain are maternal death from postpartum haemorrhage and unsafe abortion, and perinatal deaths due to congenital abnormalities and prematurity.
Dying to give birth: the Pakistan Liaison Committee’s strategies to improve maternal health in Pakistan
Authors: Siddiqui GK , Hussein R , Dornan JC
Published: September 2011

Please cite this paper as: Siddiqui G, Hussein R, Dornan J. Dying to give birth: the Pakistan Liaison Committee’s strategies to improve maternal health in Pakistan. BJOG 2011; 118 (Suppl. 2): 96–99.

Pakistan has one of the worst maternal mortality ratios worldwide: 260–490 women die for every 100 000 live births in Pakistan. The Pakistan Liaison Group (PLG) was formed to work with and through the international office of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). It works with the RCOG representative committee in Pakistan to improve the health of women. It aims to contribute to improving maternal morbidity and mortality through strategies directed at improving the education and training of health professionals. In addition, the PLG aims to promote changes in the legislature to allow for the notification of maternal deaths so that accurate figures can be obtained, and so that health parameters can be accurately assessed and, in the long term, a confidential enquiry into maternal deaths can be initiated.
Achieving millennium development goals 4 and 5: a snapshot of life in rural India
Authors: Mullick SS , Serle E
Published: September 2011

Please cite this paper as: Mullick SS, Serle E. Achieving millennium development goals 4 and 5: a snapshot of life in rural India. BJOG 2011;118 (Suppl. 2):104–107.

The case studies presented here illustrate the poignant reality of life for mothers and children in rural India. We highlight the challenges of achieving millennium development goals (MDGs) 4 and 5, by exploring the reasons behind maternal and childhood mortality using the three‐delays model as a framework. Gender disparities, lack of empowerment of women, poor understanding of life‐threatening illness, the inability to know when and where to seek help, security issues, deficiencies in understanding cultural perceptions, poorly equipped health facilities and a lack of skilled personnel are all highlighted.
The effect of boric acid on acethylcholine, bethanechol and potasssium‐evoked responses on ileum of rat
Authors: Ince S. , Turkmen R. , Yavuz H.
Published: September 2011

1 The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of boric acid on contractions of rat isolated ileum.

2 Contractile responses expressed as Emax and pD2 for acetylcholine (10−3–10−8 m, Ach), bethanechol (10−3–10−8 m) and potassium (10–80 × 10−3 m, KCl) were determined in the absence and presence of boric acid (10−3; 5 × 10−4; 10−4 m).

3 The contractile response to Ach in the presence of verapamil (10−6 or 10−8 m) or in calcium‐free Tyrode’s solution was also determined in the absence and presence of boric acid.

4 Boric acid did not affect the contractile response to Ach, bethanechol or KCl. Single or cumulative treatment of boric acid did not affect ileum muscle contraction evoked by KCl. The atropine‐resistant component of Ach‐induced contraction and 4‐diphenyl‐acetoxy‐N‐methyl‐piperidine methiodide‐resistant component of bethanechol‐induced contraction were not inhibited by boric acid (10−3 m). The contractile response to Ach was reduced in calcium‐free Tyrode’s solution, and the contractile response was not affected by (10−8 m). The addition of boric acid (10−3 m) in combination with verapamil (10−8 m) did not significantly affect the contractile response to Ach.

5 In conclusion, boric acid does not affect contractions induced by Ach, bethanechol or potassium in rat isolated ileum.
Ontogeny of the eodiscoid trilobite Tsunyidiscus acutus from the Lower Cambrian of South China
Authors: DAI TAO , ZHANG XINGLIANG
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  The morphology and ontogeny of the eodiscid trilobite Tsunyidiscus acutus Sun is described on the basis of numerous calcified specimens collected from the Lower Cambrian Shuijingtuo Formation in Yichang and Changyang, Hubei Province, South China. An ontogenetic series is established based on the articulated material including the previously unknown protaspides and meraspides (degrees 0 and 1). The material, revealing some prominent morphological changes such as the number of pygidial axial rings, genal spines retained throughout ontogeny and pygidial pleurae from furrowed to unfurrowed, enables a discussion on the trunk segmentation schedule, indicating that somitogenesis and tagmosis occurred independently during the ontogenetic development of T. acutus.
Estimation of Disease Incidence in Claims Data Dependent on the Length of Follow‐Up: A Methodological Approach
Authors: Abbas Sasch , Ihle Peter , Köster Ingrid , Schubert Ingrid
Published: September 2011

Objective

To analyze the impact of the length of disease‐free intervals on incidence estimation.

Data Source

Statutory health insurance sample in Germany.

Study Design

Overestimation of the incidence in the first quarter of 2008 for three selected diseases, diabetes mellitus, colorectal cancer, and heart failure, depending on different lengths of preceding disease‐free intervals.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Continuously insured from 2000 until 2008 ≥18 years (N = 144,907).

Principal Findings

Compared with an 8‐year disease‐free period, incidence overestimations for diabetes, colorectal cancer, and heart failure were 40, 23, and 43 percent defining a 1‐year, and 5, 9, and 5 percent defining a 5‐year disease‐free period, respectively.

Conclusions

Depending on the specific disease, caution has to be taken while using short disease‐free periods because incidence estimates may be extremely overestimated.
TNF‐α‐induces airway hyperresponsiveness to cholinergic stimulation in guinea pig airways
Authors: Makwana R , Gozzard N , Spina D , Page C
Published: September 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE TNF‐α is an inflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma and it causes airway inflammation, bronchoconstriction and airway hyperresponsiveness to a number of spasmogens following inhalation.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We compared contractions of guinea pig isolated trachea incubated with saline or TNF‐α for 1, 2 or 4 days to electrical field stimulation (EFS), 5‐HT or methacholine. In addition, we compared bronchoconstriction in anaesthetized guinea pigs 6 h after intratracheal instillation of saline or TNF‐α to vagal nerve stimulation, i.v. 5‐HT or methacholine. Differential counts were performed on the bronchoalvelolar lavage fluid (BALF).

KEY RESULTS Maximum contractions to methacholine, 5‐HT and EFS were not different between freshly prepared and saline‐incubated tissues. Exposure to TNF‐α concentration‐dependently potentiated contractions to 5‐HT and EFS, but not methacholine. All contractions were atropine‐sensitive, but not hexamethonium‐sensitive. 5‐HT‐evoked contractions were inhibited by ketanserin or epithelial denudation. Only EFS‐evoked contractions were tetrodotoxin‐sensitive. Vagal stimulation, i.v. 5‐HT or MCh caused a significant atropine‐sensitive, frequency‐ and dose‐dependent bronchoconstriction and decreased blood pressure similarly in both saline and TNF‐α pre‐treated animals. TNF‐α potentiated the bronchoconstriction to vagal stimulation and 5‐HT, but not MCh. The BALF from saline‐treated animals contained predominantly macrophages, whereas that from TNF‐α–treated animals contained neutrophils.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS TNF‐α caused airway hyperresponsiveness to nerve stimulation in vivo and increased contractility in vitro. However, responsiveness to MCh was unchanged, suggesting a pre‐synaptic action of TNF‐α on parasympathetic nerves. TNF‐α‐induced airway hyperresponsiveness to 5‐HT suggested an increased 5‐HT2A receptor‐mediated acetylcholine release from epithelial cells.
Characterization of six microsatellite loci in the mangrove cricket Apteronemobius asahinai
Authors: SATOH Aya , YAMAMOTO Satoshi , HAYAISHI Shuhei , SOTA Teiji
Published: September 2011

The mangrove cricket Apteronemobius asahinai is endemic to mangrove forest floors in China, Southeast Asia and the Ryukyu archipelago (Amamiohsima, Okinawa, Miyako, Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands) of Japan. We developed six polymorphic microsatellite markers for the mangrove cricket from genomic DNA libraries enriched for CA, GA, AAG and ATG motifs. The M13‐tailed primer method was used in the process of screening of amplification and polymorphism of primers. A total of 64 specimens from two populations (one from Okinawa and the other from Iriomote) were genotyped for allelic diversity. The average number of alleles per locus was 4.67 and 6.67 for Okinawa and Iriomote populations, respectively. A significant genetic differentiation was detected between the two populations (pairwise FST 0.2404). These polymorphic microsatellite loci will be useful in ongoing studies of the population genetic structure of the mangrove cricket including several populations in the Ryukyu archipelago.
Seasonal changes in seaweed deposition, seaweed fly abundance, and parasitism at the pupal stage along sandy beaches in central Japan
Authors: YAMAZAKI Kazuo
Published: September 2011

Seasonal relationships among stranded wrack quantity, seaweed fly abundances, and parasitism at the pupal stage were studied along three sandy beaches in central Japan. The seasonal occurrence patterns of puparia of seaweed flies Coelopa frigida and Fucellia spp. generally corresponded to seaweed deposition, which peaked in May–July and October–December. Parasitoids use fly puparia in these seasons. However, the occurrence of seaweed flies and their parasitoids varied among the three sandy beaches and did not correspond to the wrack amounts. These findings suggest that populations of seaweed flies and their parasitoids are seasonally, but not spatially, regulated by bottom‐up processes. The parasitoid assemblage of fly puparia was composed of two Aleochara (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), two Trichopria (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae), and five pteromalid species (Hymenoptera), but the rate of parasitism was less than 20% and might have had little effect on fly populations.
Tetrastichine aphid hyperparasitoids (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Japan
Authors: TAKADA Hajimu , KAMIJO Kazuaki
Published: September 2011

A small collection of aphid hyperparasitic species of Tetrastichinae obtained by rearing mummified aphids in Japan were examined. In addition to the two already known species, three more species were confirmed to occur in Japan. A key to these five Japanese species and their hosts (primary parasitoids, aphids and plants) are provided. The modes of hyperparasitism and host associations of tetrastichine aphid hyperparasitoids are discussed.
Early patterning and blastodermal fate map of the head in the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus
Authors: Birkan Michael , Schaeper Nina D. , Chipman Ariel D.
Published: September 2011

The process of head development in insects utilizes a set of widely conserved genes, but this process and its evolution are not well understood. Recent data from Tribolium castaneum have provided a baseline for an understanding of insect head development. However, work on a wider range of insect species, including members of the hemimetabolous orders, is needed in order to draw general conclusions about the evolution of head differentiation and regionalization. We have cloned and studied the expression and function of a number of candidate genes for head development in the hemipteran Oncopeltus fasciatus. These include orthodenticle, empty spiracles, collier, cap ‘n’ collar, and crocodile. The expression patterns of these genes show a broad conservation relative to Tribolium, as well as differences from Drosophila indicating that Tribolium + Oncopeltus represent a more ancestral pattern. In addition, our data provide a blastodermal fate map for different head regions in later developmental stages and supply us with a “roadmap” for future studies on head development in this species.