bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diabetes service provision: a qualitative study of newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patients’ experiences and views
Authors: Lawton J. , Parry O. , Peel E. , Douglas M.
Published: August 2005

Aims  To explore newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patients’ views about Scottish diabetes services at a time when these services are undergoing a major reorganization. To provide recommendations to maximize opportunities brought by the devolvement of services from secondary to primary healthcare settings.

Methods  Qualitative panel study with 40 patients newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, recruited from hospital clinics and general practices in Lothian, Scotland. Patients were interviewed three times over 1 year. The study was informed by grounded theory, which involves concurrent data collection and analysis.

Results  Patients were generally satisfied with diabetes services irrespective of the types of care received. Most wanted their future care/review to be based in general practice for reasons of convenience and accessibility, although they disliked it when appointments were scheduled for different days. Many said they lacked the knowledge/confidence to know how to manage their diabetes in particular situations, and needed access to healthcare professionals who could answer their questions promptly. Patients expressed a need for primary care professionals who had diabetes expertise, but who had more time and were more accessible than general practitioners. Patients who had encountered practice lead nurses for diabetes spoke particularly positively of these professionals.

Conclusions  Nurses with diabetes training are particularly well placed to provide information and support to patients in primary care. Ideally, practices should run ‘one‐stop’ diabetes clinics to provide structured care, with easily accessible dietetics, podiatry and retinopathy screening. Newly diagnosed patients may benefit from being made more aware of specific services provided by charitable organizations such as Diabetes UK.
Metformin reduces C–reactive protein but not complement factor C3 in overweight patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Carter A. M. , Bennett C. E. , Bostock J. A. , Grant P. J.
Published: August 2005

Aims  To determine the influence of metformin treatment on plasma C‐reactive protein (CRP) and complement factor C3.

Methods  A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial of metformin in patients with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes mellitus and body mass index > 25 kg/m2. CRP and C3 were analysed in stored plasma samples by in‐house ELISAs. Patients attended two baseline visits before randomization and subsequently attended at 3, 6, 12 and 24 weeks post randomization. All patients gave informed consent according to a protocol approved by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Committee.

Results  Baseline CRP in the patients randomized to placebo [1.33 (0.79, 2.25) mg/l] and metformin [1.24 (0.89, 1.71) mg/l] were similar (P = 0.8). Baseline CRP correlated with baseline C3 (r = 0.366) and HbA1c (r = 0.327). The difference in ratios of CRP levels at each visit to baseline between placebo‐ (n = 16) and metformin‐treated (n = 26) subjects was significantly different at the 12‐week (P = 0.002) and 24‐week (P = 0.03) visits. The difference in CRP ratios between the two treatment groups remained significant after accounting for glycaemic control at both visits (P = 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively). Baseline C3 was correlated with CRP. Baseline C3 was lower in the placebo‐treated group [0.97 (0.88, 1.05) mg/ml] compared with the metformin‐treated group [1.09 (1.02, 1.17) mg/ml, P = 0.03]. There was no difference in the mean change in C3 at any visit from baseline between placebo‐ and metformin‐treated groups.

Conclusion  Metformin may have a specific interaction with mechanisms involved in CRP synthesis or secretion, not directly related to improved insulin sensitivity and dampening of chronic inflammation.
Can a screening programme for diabetes be applied to another population?
Authors: Glümer C. , Borch‐Johnsen K. , Colagiuri S.
Published: August 2005

Aims  To compare the performance of a Danish diabetes screening protocol in populations from Denmark and Australia.

Methods  The populations used were the Inter99 population from Denmark and the AusDiab population from Australia. The Inter99 study included 6270 individuals aged 30–60 years, randomly selected from Copenhagen County. The AusDiab study included 7079 individuals also aged 30–60 years, randomly selected from throughout Australia. In both studies, all individuals without known diabetes underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Screening using a Danish risk score as an initial step was followed by measurement of fasting plasma glucose (FPG).

Results  The characteristics of the study populations showed some differences in risk profile, with more individuals in the AusDiab study being obese, whilst in the Danish cohort, mean blood pressure was higher, less people took anti‐hypertensive medication and there was a higher prevalence of screen‐detected diabetes. Comparing the Australian and Danish populations, overall performance of the screening protocol was similar—area under area receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve 0.75 vs. 0.77, sensitivity 71 vs. 76% and positive predictive value (PPV) 6 vs. 9%. Small but statistically significant differences were observed in specificity (70 vs. 66%; P < 0.001) and percentage of the population requiring further testing (31 vs. 36%; P < 0.001). Combining the risk score with FPG ≥ 6.1 mmol/l showed a similar pattern. Again, specificity was slightly but significantly higher in the Australian population (95 vs. 93%; P < 0.001) and percentage of the population requiring further testing was lower (5 vs. 8%; P < 0.001).

Conclusions  The Danish risk score performed well when applied to a geographically different Caucasian population and is a suitable tool for detecting people at high risk of undiagnosed diabetes.
Heel ulcers don't heal in diabetes. Or do they?
Authors: Chipchase S. Y. , Treece K. A. , Pound N. , Game F. L. , Jeffcoate W. J.
Published: August 2005

Aim  To obtain information on outcome of heel ulcers in diabetes.

Methods  Data were recorded prospectively on all patients with heel ulcers who were referred to a specialist multidisciplinary clinic between 1 January 2000 and 30 November 2003. Outcomes were assessed on 31 March 2004.

Results  There were 157 heel ulcers in the patients referred in the period. Three ulcers were excluded from analysis because of associated osteomyelitis. Of 154 remaining ulcers (121 limbs; 97 patients, 55 male; mean age 68.5 ± 12.8 sd years), 101 (65.6%) healed after a median (range) 200 (24–1225) days. Of 53 non‐healed ulcers, 11 (7.1% of 154) were resolved by major amputation, 30 (19.5% of 154) were unhealed at time of patient's death, and 12 (7.8% of 154) remained unhealed. Ulcers healed in 59 of 97 affected patients (60.8%). Twenty‐six patients (26.8% of 97) died during the period, of whom 20 died with ulcers unhealed. Worse outcomes were observed in larger ulcers (P = 0.001, Mann–Whitney U‐test = 1883.5) and limbs with clinical evidence of peripheral arterial disease (P = 0.001, Mann–Whitney U‐test = 1163.00). Backward step‐wise logistic regression analysis showed 70.1% of healing could be predicted from these two baseline characteristics.

Conclusions  The common perception that ‘heel ulcers don't heal’ is not reflected in clinical practice. Outcome is generally favourable even in a population often affected by serious comorbidity and with limited life expectancy. These data can be used to help define management plans, as well as a basis for counselling of the individual patient.
Relating to knowledge: challenges in generating and using theory for practice in family therapy*
Authors: Flaskas Carmel
Published: August 2005

This paper explores knowledge and how family therapy relates to its own knowledge. It begins with the identification of particular puzzles that have emerged through the author's involvement in family therapy, and ends with a reflection on these same puzzles following the main theoretical exploration. The exploration first considers the issue of the generation of knowledge in the context of practice disciplines, and then discusses disciplinarity and the dynamics of competitiveness and oppositionality that go alongside this social structuring of knowledge. This discussion paves the way for an exploration of these dynamics in family therapy, including the competitiveness in relation to different models within family therapy, and the tendency for theory development to be represented in terms of discontinuity rather than continuity. The relationship between theory and practice is recast through this investigation, and an argument is made for using a layered epistemology to inform our relationship to knowledge.
A model to coordinate understanding of active autonomous learning
Authors: Stratton Peter
Published: August 2005

Family therapy has enthusiastically taken up certain concepts for adult education but has not benefited from the full range of ideas that are now both available and compatible with current epistemologies. Good practice in formulating learning objectives is discussed and the objectives of this article are specified. Areas of psychology that are relevant to adult learning are reviewed, and concepts of adult education that are important in the training of family therapists are considered. A model of a spiral process of learning that has been developed within the Leeds Family Therapy and Research Centre is proposed. The model coordinates the principles of adult learning described in the article and may be used as a framework for considering whether training will achieve its learning objectives as well as allowing people engaged in learning to gain further insight into how they learn. Readers are encouraged to use the principles of active reflective learning during their processing of the article.
Comparing qualitative research methodologies for systemic research: the use of grounded theory, discourse analysis and narrative analysis
Authors: Burck Charlotte
Published: August 2005

Many of the qualitative research methods developed in the social sciences are well suited to explore research questions pertinent for the systemic field, and make a good fit with systemic thinking. In this paper I briefly outline the value of qualitative research for systemic psychotherapies. I explore some parallel developments in the field of qualitative research and systemic therapy which can inform each other. Three qualitative methodologies, a grounded theory approach, discourse analysis and narrative analysis, particularly useful for the research of subjective experience and meaning, are briefly outlined. To compare and contrast these methodologies, I discuss their application to a pilot study concerning the experiences of living life in more than one language. I demonstrate how each research methodology can highlight different aspects of qualitative research material and address different research questions. The challenge of how these methodologies may be further developed for systemic research is posed.
Using video and role‐play to introduce medical students to family therapy: is watching better than appearing?
Authors: Wannan Gary , York Ann
Published: August 2005

Family therapists emphasize introducing members of the caring professions to systemic ideas. Doctors in training usually gain some experience of systemic therapy. In this study two participatory styles of learning were used with medical students. Six groups of forty students were randomly allocated to learn about family therapy either by watching a video of a family or through role‐play. The two mediums used are feasible, scored similarly on students' level of satisfaction, and result in gains in the students' knowledge of systemic principles.
Biodegradation of atrazine in transgenic plants expressing a modified bacterial atrazine chlorohydrolase (atzA) gene
Authors: Wang Lin , Samac Deborah A. , Shapir Nir , Wackett Lawrence P. , Vance Carroll P. , Olszewski Neil E. , Sadowsky Michael J.
Published: August 2005

Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in the USA. Atrazine chlorohydrolase (AtzA), the first enzyme in a six‐step pathway leading to the mineralization of atrazine in Gram‐negative soil bacteria, catalyses the hydrolytic dechlorination and detoxification of atrazine to hydroxyatrazine. In this study, we investigated the potential use of transgenic plants expressing atzA to take up, dechlorinate and detoxify atrazine. Alfalfa, Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco were transformed with a modified bacterial atzA gene, p‐atzA, under the control of the cassava vein mosaic virus promoter. All transgenic plant species actively expressed p‐atzA and grew over a wide range of atrazine concentrations. Thin layer chromatography analyses indicated that in planta expression of p‐atzA resulted in the production of hydroxyatrazine. Hydroponically grown transgenic tobacco and alfalfa dechlorinated atrazine to hydroxyatrazine in leaves, stems and roots. Moreover, p‐atzA was found to be useful as a conditional‐positive selection system to isolate alfalfa and Arabidopsis transformants following Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. Our work suggests that the in planta expression of p‐atzA may be useful for the development of plants for the phytoremediation of atrazine‐contaminated soils and soil water, and as a marker gene to select for the integration of exogenous DNA into the plant genome.
A functional antibody lacking N‐linked glycans is efficiently folded, assembled and secreted by tobacco mesophyll protoplasts
Authors: Nuttall James , Ma Julian K.‐C. , Frigerio Lorenzo
Published: August 2005

A potential drawback in the use of plants as an expression platform for pharmaceutical proteins such as antibodies is that plant‐specific N‐glycosylation can result in proteins with altered function and potential antigenicity. In many cases, the N‐glycans are essential for the correct folding, assembly and transport of the recombinant proteins. We tested whether progressive removal of glycosylation sites had a detrimental effect on the synthesis, assembly and secretion of a plant‐made immunoglobulin G, Guy's 13. Our results indicate that the plant secretory pathway can cope well with aglycosylated antibody chains. The immunoglobulin without N‐linked glycans is correctly assembled and secreted by tobacco protoplasts. Capture enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay also shows that antigen‐binding properties are unaffected. Our results therefore suggest one possible alternative to the engineering of a humanized glycosylation machinery in plants.
Oral immunotherapy against a pollen allergy using a seed‐based peptide vaccine
Authors: Takagi Hidenori , Saito Saburo , Yang Lijun , Nagasaka Seiji , Nishizawa Naoko , Takaiwa Fumio
Published: August 2005

Peptide immunotherapy using dominant T‐cell epitopes is safer and more effective than conventional immunotherapy for the treatment of immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐mediated allergic diseases. When allergenic T‐cell epitope peptides are expressed in the edible part of transgenic plants, successful mucosal immune tolerance to these allergens may be attainable by the consumption of these plants. In this study, we generated transgenic rice seed that accumulated high concentrations (about 60 µg per grain) of polypeptide consisting of seven dominant human T‐cell epitopes derived from the Japanese cedar pollen allergens, Cry j 1 and Cry j 2, in the endosperm. Oral administration of these transgenic rice seeds to B10.S mice before or after they were immunized with Cry j 1 holoprotein reduced not only their T‐cell proliferative response to Cry j 1, but also their serum IgE levels, proving the efficacy of oral immunotherapy for the treatment of pollinosis.
Matrix attachment regions and regulated transcription increase and stabilize transgene expression
Authors: Abranches Rita , Shultz Randall W. , Thompson William F. , Allen George C.
Published: August 2005

Transgene silencing has been shown to be associated with strong promoters, but it is not known whether the propensity for silencing is caused by the level of transcription, or some other property of the promoter. If transcriptional activity fosters silencing, then transgenes with inducible promoters may be less susceptible to silencing. To test this idea, a doxycycline‐inducible luciferase transgene was transformed into an NT1 tobacco suspension culture cell line that constitutively expressed the tetracycline repressor. The inducible luciferase gene was flanked by tobacco Rb7 matrix attachment regions (MAR) or spacer control sequences in order to test the effects of MARs in conjunction with regulated transcription. Transformed lines were grown under continuous doxycycline (CI), or delayed doxycycline induction (DI) conditions. Delayed induction resulted in higher luciferase expression initially, but continued growth in the presence of doxycycline resulted in a reduction of expression to levels similar to those found in continuously induced lines. In both DI and CI treatments, the Rb7 MAR significantly reduced the percentage of silenced lines and increased transgene expression levels. These data demonstrate that active transcription increases silencing, especially in the absence of the Rb7 MAR. Importantly, the Rb7 MAR lines showed higher expression levels under both CI and DI conditions and avoided silencing that may occur in the absence of active transcription such as what would be expected as a result of condensed chromatin spreading.
Molecular genetics of fructan metabolism in perennial ryegrass
Authors: Chalmers Jaye , Lidgett Angela , Cummings Nicholas , Cao Yingying , Forster John , Spangenberg German
Published: August 2005

Fructans are the main storage carbohydrates of temperate grasses, sustaining regrowth immediately after defoliation, as well as contributing to the nutritive value of feed. Fructan metabolism is based on the substrate sucrose and involves fructosyltransferases (FTs) for biosynthesis and fructan exohydrolases (FEHs) for degradation. Sucrose is also utilized by invertases (INVs), which hydrolyse it into its constituent monosaccharides for use in metabolism. The isolation, molecular characterization, functional analysis, and phylogenetic relationships of genes encoding FTs, FEHs, and INVs from temperate grasses are reviewed, with an emphasis on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The roles these enzymes play in fructan accumulation and remobilization, and future biotechnological applications in molecular plant breeding are discussed.
What is Happening to Middle Management?
Authors: Dopson Sue , Stewart Rosemary
Published: August 2005

SUMMARY For many years middle managers’ work, career and future role have been the subject of gloomy descriptions, assertions and predictions. These are described and compared with studies, including our own, that give a more optimistic picture of what is happening to middle management. We also cite survey information about numbers, salaries and job mobility of UK managers, including middle managers. We argue that before generalizations, either optimistic or pessimistic, can justifiably be made, attention needs to be paid to the complexity of changes affecting middle managers’ jobs, to the diversity of organizations in which middle management work and the complexity of individual reactions to these changes.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: REFLECTIONS ON SOCIAL DEMOCRACY & NATIONALISM IN THE COMMON EUROPEAN HOME
Authors: PRINS GWYN
Published: August 2005

That Assembly, since the destruction of the orders, has no fundamental law, no strict convention, no respected usage to restrain it…‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread’. In such a state of unbounded power for undefined and undefinable purposes, the evil of a moral and almost physical inaptitude of the man to the function must be the greatest we can conceive to happen in the management of human affairs.2
TURBULENT PRIESTS: CHRISTIAN OPPOSITION TO THE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT SINCE 1979
Authors: BAKER D. L.
Published: August 2005

The restoration of the Church may well become a serious political cause.

[Roger Scruton, The Meaning of Conservatism (1980).]
An Introduction to the Basic Principles of Health Economics for those Involved in the Development and Delivery of Headache Care
Authors: Kernick D
Published: August 2005

Against a background of increasing demands on limited resources, health economics is gaining an increasing impact on decision making and a basic understanding of the subject is important for all those involved in headache research and service delivery at whatever level. This paper is not intended as a review of the literature in the area of headache economics but discusses some general principles of health economics from the perspective of headache, with a focus on cost of illness studies and economic evaluation.
Induction of Long-Lasting Changes of Visual Cortex Excitability by Five Daily Sessions of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in Healthy Volunteers and Migraine Patients
Authors: Fumal A , Coppola G , Bohotin V , Gérardy P-Y , Seidel L , Donneau A-F , Vandenheede M , Maertens de Noordhout A , Schoenen J
Published: August 2005

We have shown that in healthy volunteers (HV) one session of 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the visual cortex induces dishabituation of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) on average for 30 min, while in migraineurs one session of 10 Hz rTMS replaces the abnormal VEP potentiation by a normal habituation for 9 min. In the present study, we investigated whether repeated rTMS sessions (1 Hz in eight HV; 10 Hz in eight migraineurs) on 5 consecutive days can modify VEPs for longer periods. In all eight HV, the 1 Hz rTMS-induced dishabituation increased in duration over consecutive sessions and persisted between several hours ( n = 4) and several weeks ( n = 4) after the fifth session. In six out eight migraineurs, the normalization of VEP habituation by 10 Hz rTMS lasted longer after each daily stimulation but did not exceed several hours after the last session, except in two patients, where it persisted for 2 days and 1 week. Daily rTMS can thus induce long-lasting changes in cortical excitability and VEP habituation pattern. Whether this effect may be useful in preventative migraine therapy remains to be determined.
Need for Analgesics/drugs of Abuse: A Comparison Between Headache Patients and Addicts by the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ)
Authors: Ferrari A , Cicero AFG , Bertolini A , Leone S , Pasciullo G , Sternieri E
Published: August 2005

Our aim was to compare the need for analgesics/drugs of abuse between headache patients—chronic and episodic headache sufferers—and addicts, by the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ). This is a self-completion 10-item instrument to measure dependence upon a variety of substances. We administered the LDQ questionnaire to 122 chronic daily headache (CDH) sufferers who had been taking one dose of analgesic drug every day for at least 1 year; 71 subjects suffering from episodic headache (EH) using analgesics only occasionally; 115 consecutive drug addicts (DA) with a diagnosis of substance dependence. The mean LDQ total score was similar in the CDH (11.58 ± 6.35) and DA (10.37 ± 6.51) groups, and for both it was significantly higher than the score in the EH (5.61 ± 3.00) group ( P < 0.001). The CDH group had the highest scores, and higher scores than the DA group (Z = −8.18, P < 0.001) in item 8, assessing the primacy of effect over the kind of analgesic used, and in item 10 (Z = −5.03, P < 0.001), asking if it is difficult to live without the analgesic; the DA group had the highest scores, and higher scores than the CDH group, in item 9 (Z = −5.07, P < 0.001) addressing the need for the continued administration of the drug to maintain well-being, and in item 3 (Z =−2.39, P < 0.05), exploring compulsion to start the use of the drug. The EH group had lower scores in all items ( P < 0.05) except for item 9, where there was no difference from CDH group; the EH group had also lower scores ( P < 0.001) than the DA group, except for item 8, where, instead, the score was higher than in the DA group (Z = −5.33, P < 0.001). A strong link develops between chronic headache patients and the analgesics they use. This sort of ‘dependence’ appears to be a consequence of headache, originating from the necessity for the analgesic to cope with everyday life.
Genetic predisposition – understanding underlying mechanisms of onychomycosis
Authors: Faergemann J , Correia O , Nowicki R , Ro B‐I
Published: August 2005

Background  There are numerous factors that predispose to onychomycosis including genetic predisposition, diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression, vascular disease and psoriasis.

Objectives  The aims of this workshop were to discuss current knowledge of genetic risk factors and the approaches that should be used to investigate underlying mechanisms.

Results  The high prevalence of onychomycosis within certain families was initially attributed to intrafamilial transmission. However, the low prevalence of infection in people marrying into infected families together with the high prevalence among their offspring suggested a genetic basis.

The state‐of‐the‐art pedigree study by Zaias et al. suggested that Trichophyton rubrum infection shows an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. A consensus was reached that epidemiological and genetic studies are required to investigate this issue further.

For epidemiological studies, families in which two or three generations are infected with T. rubrum should be selected. Patients with T. rubrum on different body sites should be included, and the presence of associated diseases or other common features in these individuals should be investigated to identify trigger factors.

Conclusion  Genetic studies should explore the mode of inheritance of onychomycosis and look for the disease gene(s). Serum samples from patients and age–sex matched controls must be analysed centrally.

The results of these studies will make it possible to develop therapeutic, preventive and prophylatic measures and to provide patients and their families with information.
Heterogeneity of dimer excision in young and senescent human dermal fibroblasts
Authors: Boyle Jennifer , Kill Ian R. , Parris Christopher N.
Published: August 2005

We have examined the relationship between nucleotide excision of the main UV‐induced photoproduct, the cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer andin vitrocellular senescence. Anin situsemiquantitative immunocytochemical assay has demonstrated that, following a UV‐C dose of 15 J m−2, young human dermal fibroblasts maintained in a high level of serum are more efficient than senescent fibroblasts in the removal of dimers. However, in G0‐arrested cultures (serum‐starved), young fibroblasts are compromised in their ability to remove dimers and are significantly less efficient than senescent cells in this process. Supplementation of the culture medium with 0.1 mmdeoxyribonucleosides enhances the removal of dimers in both young and senescent fibroblasts in proliferating or serum‐starved cells. These data indicate that overall there is a modest but significant reduction in nucleotide excision of dimer photoproducts in cells as they agein vitro. In addition, G0‐arrested young cells exhibit reduced removal of dimers, although this can be complemented by deoxyribonucleoside addition. In addition, thisin situassay has revealed heterogeneity in both susceptibility to UV‐C‐induced damage and excision. Overall, we provide evidence of reduced UV‐induced damage excision in senescent compared with young fibroblasts, and demonstrate modulation of these processes in young and senescent cells under specific growth conditions.
Parasympathetic versus sympathetic control of the cardiovascular system in young patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Javorka Michal , Javorkova Jana , Tonhajzerova Ingrid , Javorka Kamil
Published: August 2005

Autonomic neuropathy and cardiovascular dysregulation are common complications of the diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that cardiovascular regulation is abnormal in young patients with type 1 DM. Patients with type 1 DM (17, 10 females, 7 males) aged 12·9–31·5 years (mean ± SEM: 22·4 ± 1·0 years) were investigated. The mean duration of DM was 12·4 ± 1·2 years. The control group consisted of 17 healthy probands matched for sex and age. The length of R–R intervals was measured using telemetric system (VariaCardio TF4; Sima Media) where ECG signal (sampling frequency 1000 Hz) from thoracic belt was transferred into PC for further analysis. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was monitored beat‐to‐beat using volume–clamp method by Finapres 2300 (Ohmeda). Spectral power in HF band of HRV (HRV–HF) was taken as an index of parasympathetic control and spectral power in LF band of systolic BPV (BPV–LF) as an index of sympathetic control. In young patients with type 1 DM significant reduction of spectral power in HF band of the heart rate variability was found, whereas no significant difference between DM group and control group was observed in spectral power in LF band of blood pressure variability. In conclusion, we found impaired parasympathetic control of heart rate in young patients with type 1 DM. No differences in blood vessels sympathetic control were detected using spectral analysis of BPV. We suggest that abnormalities in cardiac parasympathetic regulation precede impairment of blood vessels sympathetic control in young diabetics.
Lack of acute cardioprotective effect from preischaemic erythropoietin administration in a porcine coronary occlusion model
Authors: Kristensen Jens , Maeng Michael , Rehling Michael , Berg Jette S. , Mortensen Ulrik M. , Nielsen Søren S. , Nielsen Torsten T.
Published: August 2005

Background:  Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) has been proposed to possess important tissue protective, apart from haematopoietic, effects. Cardioprotective effects have thus been reported in rodents exposed to myocardial ischaemia. Pathways common to the mediation of ischaemic preconditioning may be involved. Before clinical testing such possible cardioprotective effects needs assessment in an experimental large animal model with closer similarity to human ischaemic pathophysiology.

Methods:  A control group and two rhEPO groups were studied. EPO1 pigs were given EPO corresponding to the early window and EPO2 pigs to the early and late window of ischaemic preconditioning in a closed chest, catheter‐based, porcine coronary occlusion model (45 min of occlusion of the left anterior descending artery). Infarct size as a proportion of the ischaemic area (IS/AAR) was measured in vivo by myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and postmortem by a histochemical procedure (at 150 min of reperfusion).

Results:  IS/AAR did not differ significantly between control (C), EPO1 and EPO2 groups, neither measured by MPI (mean ± SD for C: 0·87 ± 0·13; EPO1: 0·92 ± 0·08; EPO2: 0·87 ± 0·11), nor histochemically (mean ± SD for C: 0·64 ± 0·20; EPO1: 0·75 ± 0·17; EPO2: 0·80 ± 0·07). In the EPO2 group mean arterial pulmonary pressure and dP/dtmax were increased compared with control group.

Conclusion:  Despite promising results from studies in rodents, rhEPO did not reduce infarct size measured after 2·5 h of reperfusion in our porcine model.
Explaining House Prices in Australia: 1970–2003*
Authors: ABELSON PETER , JOYEUX ROSELYNE , MILUNOVICH GEORGE , CHUNG DEMI
Published: August 2005

This paper aims to explain changes in real house prices in Australia from 1970 to 2003. We develop and estimate a long‐run equilibrium model that shows the real long‐run economic determinants of house prices and a short‐run asymmetric error correction model to represent house price changes in the short run. We find that, in the long run, real house prices are determined significantly and positively by real disposable income and the consumer price index. They are also determined significantly and negatively by the unemployment rate, real mortgage rates, equity prices and the housing stock. Employing our short‐run asymmetric error correction model, we find that there are significant lags in adjustment to equilibrium. When real house prices are rising at more than 2 per cent per annum, the housing market adjusts to equilibrium in approximately four quarters. When real house prices are static or falling, the adjustment process takes six quarters.
Empirical Regularities in Cross‐Country Alcohol Consumption*
Authors: SELVANATHAN S. , SELVANATHAN E.A.
Published: August 2005

This paper analyses the demand for the three beverages: beer, wine and spirits, within alcohol, at a cross‐country level for 10 countries: Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the US. A number of empirical regularities were found at the cross‐country level. This includes: (i) the demand theory hypotheses, homogeneity and symmetry are generally acceptable; (ii) the additive utility hypothesis is also acceptable even for such narrowly defined commodities; (iii) in nine out of the 10 countries, beer is considered as a necessity, in half of the countries wine is a necessity and in all the countries spirits are a luxury; and (iv)in all the countries, the demand for beer, wine and spirits are price inelastic.
A Neo‐Heckscher–Ohlin Model of Trade with Endogenous Production Patterns*
Authors: TOMBAZOS CHRISTIS G. , YANG XIAOKAI , ZHANG DINGSHENG
Published: August 2005

We propose a Neo‐Heckscher–Ohlin (HO) model of trade that combines comparative endowment advantage, comparative technological advantage, international capital mobility and trade costs. Using an inframarginal approach, we produce a partition of the exogenous parameter space in a host of parameter value subsets that demarcate the various equilibrium patterns of production and trade. The results are startling! They suggest that production within the diversification cone – a key assumption of the Heckscher–Ohlin theory that is required for its core propositions (such as factor price equalisation) to hold – may only prevail on the razor's edge, or under exceptional circumstances. In addition, our findings nominate a mechanism by which improvements in transaction efficiency facilitate international trade thereby stimulating cross‐country division of labour. Contrary to other generalisations of the Heckscher–Ohlin (such as the various derivatives of the Kemp–Jones model of trade), our model does not assume a purely Ricardian character: comparative endowment advantage may determine the pattern of trade even in the presence of opposing technological differences, as long as total factor productivity coefficients adjusted for transaction efficiency and factor intensity do not confer unambiguous comparative (technological) advantage. Still, ‘intensity‐efficiency’‐adjusted comparative technological advantage supersedes factor endowments in determining the flow of trade.
Goods and Services Tax Effects on Goods and Services Included in the Consumer Price Index Basket*
Authors: VALADKHANI ABBAS
Published: August 2005

This paper quantifies the magnitude and duration of the goods and services tax (GST) effect on the quarterly growth rate of the 11 groups of the consumer price index (CPI) in Australia using the Box and Tiao intervention analysis. It was found that prices did not increase significantly before or after the introduction of GST, beyond what could have been expected on the basis of the discernible systematic pattern of fluctuation in the data. Furthermore, the varying one‐off effect of GST on prices was significant in seven out of 11 CPI groups; the effect was found insignificant for the other four CPI groups.
Affordable Rental Housing: Lost, Stolen and Strayed*
Authors: YATES JUDITH , WOOD GAVIN
Published: August 2005

This paper contributes to an exploration of the potential causes (as distinct from existence) of social and spatial polarisation. It focuses on the changing provision of low‐rent housing in a spatial context, and hence on the role that the private rental market plays in the residential choices available to lower income households. The paper applies multinomial logit estimation to panel data to determine the factors that affect the probability that an existing rental dwelling remains at the same real rent value over the decade from 1991 to 2001, filters down or up or exits from the private rental market. It tests the hypothesis that the outcome is affected by neighbourhood characteristics.
Planning for Restoration: A Decision Analysis Approach to Prioritization
Authors: Cipollini Kendra A. , Maruyama Aimee L. , Zimmerman Christopher L.
Published: August 2005

Ecological restoration often relies on the use of expert opinion to make management decisions in the face of uncertainty. The quantification of expert opinion can be difficult, especially when more than one expert is consulted and experts are not in agreement. Decision analysis can provide a framework to systematically deconstruct a complex problem and provide greater objectivity to restoration decisions. We utilized decision analysis techniques to identify restoration objectives and to quantify expert opinions to prioritize restoration activities at 112 prairie openings in the Edge of Appalachia Preserve in southern Ohio, U.S.A. We first created an objectives hierarchy to model how decision‐makers decide which prairies to manage. We then determined how to measure each component of the hierarchy and sampled all prairies for percent woody cover, geology, indicator species index (an index of plant species richness), slope, aspect, and distance to nearest prairie. We modeled seven different experts’ preferences for managing prairies with varying values for each of these ecological measures. We then interviewed the same decision‐makers to determine relative weights for each component of the objectives hierarchy using trade‐off analysis. By combining the weights, preference relationships, and sampling data, we were able to rank each prairie and management unit based on its management priority. Experts had similar preferences except for the measure of distance to nearest prairie. We found that decision‐makers gave different weights to each of the different components of the hierarchy. Generally, experts weighted percent woody cover, indicator species index, and geology more highly than slope, aspect, and distance to nearest prairie. Despite these differences, priorities for management, once all factors were weighted and combined, were similar.
“How Local Is Local?”—A Review of Practical and Conceptual Issues in the Genetics of Restoration
Authors: McKay John K. , Christian Caroline E. , Harrison Susan , Rice Kevin J.
Published: August 2005

In plant conservation, restoration (the augmentation or reestablishment of an extinct population or community) is a valuable tool to mitigate the loss of habitat. However, restoration efforts can result in the introduction of novel genes and genotypes into populations when plant materials used are not of local origin. This movement is potentially important because many plant species are subdivided into populations that are adapted to local environmental conditions. Here we focus on genetic concerns arising from ongoing restoration efforts, where often little is known about “How local is local?” (i.e., the geographic or environmental scale over which plant species are adapted). We review the major issues regarding gene flow and local adaptation in the restoration of natural plant populations. Finally, we offer some practical, commonsense guidelines for the consideration of genetic structure when restoring natural plant populations.
Patterns of Plant Species Diversity in Remnant and Restored Tallgrass Prairies
Authors: Polley H. Wayne , Derner Justin D. , Wilsey Brian J.
Published: August 2005

To restore diversity of native vegetation, we must understand factors responsible for diversity in targeted communities. These factors operate at different spatial scales and may affect the number and relative abundances of species differently. We measured diversity of plant species and functional groups of species in replicated plots within paired restored and remnant (relic) tallgrass prairies at three locations in central Texas, U.S.A. To determine the contributions of species abundances and of spatial patterns of diversity to differences between prairie types, we separated diversity into richness and evenness (relative biomass) and into within‐plot (α), among‐plot (β), and prairie (γ) components. Species diversity was greater in remnant than in restored prairies at all spatial scales. At the γ scale, both species richness and species evenness were greater in remnants because of greater spatial variation in species composition. At the α scale, remnants were more diverse because of greater richness alone. Mean α richness correlated positively with the size of the species pool in restored prairies only, implying that in remnants, α richness was influenced more by colonization dynamics than by the number of species available for colonization. Plots in remnant prairies contained more functional groups and fewer species per group than did plots in restored prairies, suggesting that resource partitioning was greater in relic prairies. Our results are consistent with the interpretation that local ecological processes, like resource partitioning and limitations on seed dispersal, contribute to the greater diversity of remnant than restored prairies in central Texas. Restoration practices that limit abundances of competitive dominants, increase the number of species in seed mixtures, and increase the proximity of plants of different functional groups thus may be required to better simulate the plant diversity of tallgrass prairies.
Restoration of Araucaria Forest: The Role of Perches, Pioneer Vegetation, and Soil Fertility
Authors: Zanini Lessandra , Ganade Gislene
Published: August 2005

The Araucaria forest is Brazil's highly threatened subtropical forest ecosystem that has been disappearing in recent decades. Restoration programs involving this forest type are scarce, and there is a lack of scientific information on how ecological processes such as competition, facilitation, and seed dispersal influence natural forest restoration. This work aims to investigate how use of perches to attract seed dispersers and the influence of pioneer vegetation and soil fertilization could affect the colonization of woody species in a degraded area. An experiment was conducted in an abandoned field where the natural establishment of seeds and seedlings of woody species was monitored under factorial combinations of the following treatments: (1) pioneer vegetation (presence and absence); (2) soil fertility (addition of NPK and control); and (3) perches (presence and absence). Seed and seedling abundance, seed and seedling species richness, and seedling mortality were recorded monthly during 12 months. Seed abundance and species richness were significantly greater in places with perches than in control plots. These results were consistent over the year and more pronounced when the surrounding forest produced a higher amount of fruit. Species richness and abundance of seedlings were significantly greater in places with perches than in control plots, and in places with vegetation than without. Soil fertility did not influence seedling establishment. Facilitation and seed dispersal are important factors affecting the colonization of woody species in this subtropical area. Nutrient availability neither regulates the facilitation process nor influences species replacement during the early stages of Araucaria forest succession.
Replacing Sources with Sinks: When Do Populations Go Down the Drain?
Authors: Keagy Jason C. , Schreiber Sebastian J. , Cristol Daniel A.
Published: August 2005

We investigate the scenario in which some amount of higher quality habitat is destroyed and is then replaced by some undetermined amount of lower quality habitat. We examined how much low‐quality habitat would need to be created to maintain the equilibrium population abundance in the entire geographic area. Using a source–sink model, we find that (1) the number of hectares of created habitat per hectare of destroyed habitat must equal the ratio of the high‐quality habitat's productivity to the low‐quality habitat's productivity, however, (2) if the created habitat is a sink, then there is a threshold fraction of destroyed high‐quality habitat below which the initial population abundance cannot be maintained through the creation of habitat. We illustrate these results using data on Red‐winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in two different regions where high‐quality habitat is being replaced by or converted into lower quality habitat.
Restoring Fire to Long‐UnburnedPinus palustrisEcosystems: Novel Fire Effects and Consequences for Long‐Unburned Ecosystems
Authors: Varner J. Morgan , Gordon Doria R. , Putz Francis E. , Hiers J. Kevin
Published: August 2005

Biologically rich savannas and woodlands dominated byPinus palustrisonce dominated the southeastern U.S. landscape. With European settlement, fire suppression, and landscape fragmentation, this ecosystem has been reduced in area by 97%. Half of remnant forests are not burned with sufficient frequency, leading to declines in plant and animal species richness. For these fire‐suppressed ecosystems a major regional conservation goal has been ecological restoration, primarily through the reinitiation of historic fire regimes. Unfortunately, fire reintroduction in long‐unburned Longleaf pine stands can have novel, undesirable effects. We review case studies of Longleaf pine ecosystem restoration, highlighting novel fire behavior, patterns of tree mortality, and unintended outcomes resulting from reintroduction of fire. Many of these pineland restoration efforts have resulted in excessive overstory pine mortality (often >50%) and produced substantial quantities of noxious smoke. The most compelling mechanisms of high tree mortality after reintroduction of fire are related to smoldering combustion of surface layers of organic matter (duff) around the bases of old pines. Development of effective methods to reduce fuels and competing vegetation while encouraging native vegetation is a restoration challenge common to fire‐prone ecosystems worldwide that will require understanding of the responses of altered ecosystems to the resumption of historically natural disturbances.