bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Allometry and performance: the evolution of skull form and function in felids
Authors: SLATER G. J. , VAN VALKENBURGH B.
Published: September 2009

Allometric patterns of skull‐shape variation can have significant impacts on cranial mechanics and feeding performance, but have received little attention in previous studies. Here, we examine the impacts of allometric skull‐shape variation on feeding capabilities in the cat family (Felidae) with linear morphometrics and finite element analysis. Our results reveal that relative bite force diminishes slightly with increasing skull size, and that the skulls of the smallest species undergo the least strain during biting. However, larger felids are able to produce greater gapes for a given angle of jaw opening, and they have overall stronger skulls. The two large felids in this study achieved increased cranial strength by increasing skull bone volume relative to surface area. Allometry of skull geometry in large felids reflects a trade‐off between the need to increase gape to access larger prey while maintaining the ability to resist unpredictable loading when taking large, struggling prey.
Spatiotemporal frequency and speed tuning in the owl visual wulst
Authors: Pinto Lucas , Baron Jerome
Published: September 2009

The avian visual wulst is hodologically equivalent to the mammalian primary visual cortex (V1). In contrast to most birds, owls have a massive visual wulst, which shares striking functional similarities with V1. To provide a better understanding of how motion is processed within this area, we used sinusoidal gratings to characterize the spatiotemporal frequency and speed tuning profiles of 131 neurones recorded from awake burrowing owls. Cells were found to be clearly tuned to both spatial and temporal frequencies, and in a way that is similar to what has been reported in the striate cortex of primates and carnivores. Our results also suggest the presence of spatial frequency tuning domains in the wulst. Speed tuning was assessed by several methods devised to measure the degree of dependence between spatial and temporal frequency tuning. Although many neurones were found to be independently tuned, a significant proportion of cells showed at least some degree of dependence, compatible with the idea that some kind of initial transformation towards an explicit representation of speed is being carried out by the owl wulst. Interestingly, under certain constraints, a higher incidence of spatial frequency‐invariant speed tuned profiles was obtained by combining our experimentally measured responses using a recent cortical model of speed tuning. Overall, our findings reinforce the notion that, like V1, the owl wulst is an important initial stage for motion processing, a function that is usually attributed to areas of the tectofugal pathway in lateral‐eyed birds.
Lateral habenula projections to dopamine and GABA neurons in the rat ventral tegmental area
Authors: Omelchenko Natalia , Bell Roland , Sesack Susan R.
Published: September 2009

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons and their forebrain projections are critically involved in reward processing and cognitive functions. Descending projections from the lateral habenula (LHb) play a central role in inhibiting DA cell activity in response to the absence of expected rewards. As LHb efferents are reportedly glutamatergic, their ability to inhibit DA cells would theoretically require a disynaptic connection involving VTA GABA neurons and their local collateral inputs to DA cells. We therefore used anterograde tract‐tracing from the LHb to investigate the relative selectivity of LHb synapses onto GABA versus DA VTA neurons. LHb axons were visualized using immunoperoxidase, and DA and GABA cells were marked by immunogold‐silver labeling for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) or GABA, respectively. By ultrastructural analysis, 16% of LHb axons were observed to form synaptic contacts in the VTA, and most of these were of an intermediate morphological type that did not exhibit definitive asymmetric or symmetric character. LHb axons synaptically targeted TH‐ and GABA‐labeled dendrites to a comparable extent (45 and 52% observed incidence, respectively). Pre‐embedding immunogold labeling for the vesicular glutamate transporter type 2 and post‐embedding immunogold staining for GABA confirmed that approximately 85% of LHb terminals were glutamatergic and not GABAergic. These results suggest that the robust inhibition of DA cells evoked by the LHb is unlikely to arise from a selective innervation of VTA GABA neurons. Moreover, the LHb may mediate a direct excitation of DA cells that is over‐ridden by indirect inhibition originating from an extrinsic source.
The turnover of medium‐chain‐length polyhydroxyalkanoates in Pseudomonas putida KT2442 and the fundamental role of PhaZ depolymerase for the metabolic balance
Authors: De Eugenio Laura Isabel , Escapa Isabel F. , Morales Valle , Dinjaski Nina , Galán Beatriz , García José Luis , Prieto María A.
Published: September 2009

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable polymers produced by a wide range of bacteria, including Pseudomonads. These polymers are accumulated in the cytoplasm as carbon and energy storage materials when culture conditions are unbalanced and hence, they have been classically considered to act as sinks for carbon and reducing equivalents when nutrients are limited. Bacteria facing carbon excess and nutrient limitation store the extra carbon as PHAs through the PHA polymerase (PhaC). Thereafter, under starvation conditions, PHA depolymerase (PhaZ) degrades PHA and releases R‐hydroxyalkanoic acids, which can be used as carbon and energy sources. To study the influence of a deficient PHA metabolism in the growth of Pseudomonas putida KT2442 we have constructed two mutant strains defective in PHA polymerase (phaC1)‐ and PHA depolymerase (phaZ)‐coding genes respectively. By using these mutants we have demonstrated that PHAs play a fundamental role in balancing the stored carbon/biomass/number of cells as function of carbon availability, suggesting that PHA metabolism allows P. putida to adapt the carbon flux of hydroxyacyl‐CoAs to cellular demand. Furthermore, we have established that the coordination of PHA synthesis and mobilization pathways configures a functional PHA turnover cycle in P. putida KT2442. Finally, a new strain able to secrete enantiomerically pure R‐hydroxyalkanoic acids to the culture medium during cell growth has been engineering by redirecting the PHA cycle to biopolymer hydrolysis.
Deep sequencing reveals exceptional diversity and modes of transmission for bacterial sponge symbionts
Authors: Webster Nicole S. , Taylor Michael W. , Behnam Faris , Lücker Sebastian , Rattei Thomas , Whalan Stephen , Horn Matthias , Wagner Michael
Published: September 2009

Marine sponges contain complex bacterial communities of considerable ecological and biotechnological importance, with many of these organisms postulated to be specific to sponge hosts. Testing this hypothesis in light of the recent discovery of the rare microbial biosphere, we investigated three Australian sponges by massively parallel 16S rRNA gene tag pyrosequencing. Here we show bacterial diversity that is unparalleled in an invertebrate host, with more than 250 000 sponge‐derived sequence tags being assigned to 23 bacterial phyla and revealing up to 2996 operational taxonomic units (95% sequence similarity) per sponge species. Of the 33 previously described ‘sponge‐specific’ clusters that were detected in this study, 48% were found exclusively in adults and larvae – implying vertical transmission of these groups. The remaining taxa, including ‘Poribacteria’, were also found at very low abundance among the 135 000 tags retrieved from surrounding seawater. Thus, members of the rare seawater biosphere may serve as seed organisms for widely occurring symbiont populations in sponges and their host association might have evolved much more recently than previously thought.
Narrow‐band imaging cystoscopy to evaluate the response to bacille Calmette‐Guérin therapy: preliminary results
Authors: Herr Harry W.
Published: September 2009

Study Type – Diagnostic (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 2b

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether narrow‐band imaging cystoscopy (NBIC) can identify bladder tumour suspected on follow‐up white‐light cystoscopy (WLC) after intravesical bacille Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) therapy, as BCG causes an intense reaction in the bladder, appearing as red lesions on WLC, which might be residual tumour or BCG‐induced inflammation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Sixty‐one patients with high‐risk non‐muscle‐invasive bladder tumours were evaluated 3 months after starting induction BCG therapy. All patients had abnormal erythematous lesions on WLC, suspected to be residual carcinoma in situ. After WLC, they were evaluated by NBIC, urine cytology and biopsy, followed by transurethral resection of all visible lesions.

RESULTS

Of the 61 patients, 22 (36%) had residual tumour. NBIC correctly identified tumour in 21 patients, but another 10 had unnecessary biopsy (NBIC positive, negative biopsy). Only one of 30 patients who had negative NBIC findings had tumour. NBIC outperformed urine cytology in detecting residual tumour after BCG therapy.

CONCLUSION

NBIC appears to better identify patients who have suspected residual tumour on follow‐up WLC at 3 months after BCG therapy.
Transabdominal ultrasonography of detrusor wall thickness in women with overactive bladder
Authors: Chung Shiu‐Dong , Chiu Bin , Kuo Hann‐Chorng , Chuang Yao‐Chi , Wang Chung‐Cheng , Guan Zhonghong , Chancellor Michael B.
Published: September 2009

Study Type – Diagnostic (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To determine the clinical usefulness of measuring detrusor wall thickness (DWT) as a noninvasive test in women with overactive bladder (OAB).

PATIENTS, SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We prospectively enrolled 122 women with dry OAB, wet OAB, and women with no OAB symptoms (control group). A 3‐day voiding diary was used to differentiate between wet and dry OAB. Transabdominal ultrasonography (TAUS) measurements of DWT were taken at bladder volumes of 250–300 mL and the maximal bladder capacity by both catheter‐ and natural‐filling. Video‐urodynamic studies (VUDS) were used to classify bladder dysfunction in 88 of the women.

RESULTS

The mean (range) age of the women was 58 (20–94) years. There were 39 ‘normal’ controls, 44 women had dry OAB, and 39 had wet OAB. Of the 88 women who had VUDS, 28 had a ‘normal’ test, 30 had increased bladder sensation (IBS), and 30 had detrusor overactivity (DO). The mean DWT at 250–300 mL among three symptomatic subgroups or urodynamic subgroups showed no significant difference by either catheter‐ or natural‐filling methods. The women with wet OAB had significantly greater DWTs than the controls at maximal bladder volume. The maximal bladder capacity was significantly greater in ‘normal’ women than in those with OAB. If we corrected maximal bladder volume to 250 mL, DWT at corrected 250 mL showed no significant difference among three symptomatic subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

DWT measured by TAUS in women with OAB and without OAB was not different and did not differ with urodynamic status. Thus, TAUS measurement of DWT is not recommended as a useful diagnostic test for DO in women with OAB.
Brain activation during upright and inverted encoding of own‐ and other‐age faces: ERP evidence for an own‐age bias
Authors: Melinder Annika , Gredebäck Gustaf , Westerlund Alissa , Nelson Charles A.
Published: September 2009

We investigated the neural processing underlying own‐age versus other‐age faces among 5‐year‐old children and adults, as well as the effect of orientation on face processing. Upright and inverted faces of 5‐year‐old children, adults, and elderly adults (> 75 years of age) were presented to participants while ERPs and eye tracking patterns were recorded concurrently. We found evidence for an own‐age bias in children, as well as for predicted delayed latencies and larger amplitudes for inverted faces, which replicates earlier findings. Finally, we extend recent reports about an expert‐sensitive component (P2) to other‐race faces to account for similar effects in regard to other‐age faces. We conclude that differences in neural activity are strongly related to the amount and quality of experience that participants have with faces of various ages. Effects of orientation are discussed in relation to the holistic hypothesis and recent data that compromise this view.
Social categories guide young children’s preferences for novel objects
Authors: Shutts Kristin , Banaji Mahzarin R. , Spelke Elizabeth S.
Published: September 2009

To whom do children look when deciding on their own preferences? To address this question, 3‐year‐old children were asked to choose between objects or activities that were endorsed by unfamiliar people who differed in gender, race (White, Black), or age (child, adult). In Experiment 1, children demonstrated robust preferences for objects and activities endorsed by children of their own gender, but less consistent preferences for objects and activities endorsed by children of their own race. In Experiment 2, children selected objects and activities favored by people of their own gender and age. In neither study did most children acknowledge the influence of these social categories. These findings suggest that gender and age categories are encoded spontaneously and influence children’s preferences and choices. For young children, gender and age may be more powerful guides to preferences than race.
The effect of different educational interventions on schoolchildren's knowledge of earthquake protective behaviour in Israel
Authors: Soffer Yechiel , Goldberg Avishay , Avisar‐Shohat Galit , Cohen Robert , Bar‐Dayan Yaron
Published: September 2009

Knowledge of appropriate behaviour during an earthquake is crucial for prevention of injury and loss of life. The Israeli Home Front Command conducts a yearly earthquake education programme in all Israeli schools, using three types of educational interventions: lectures, drills and a combination of the two. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in providing students with knowledge. We distributed a questionnaire to 2,648 children from the 5th and 6th grades in 120 schools nationwide. Knowledge scores for both 5th and 6th grades were increased, regardless of type of intervention, compared to the non‐exposure group. A combined intervention of lectures and drills resulted in the highest knowledge scores. Our findings suggest that for the age group studied a combination of lectures and drills will likely prepare students best for how to behave in the event of an earthquake.
Framework for integrating indigenous and scientific knowledge for disaster risk reduction
Authors: Mercer Jessica , Kelman Ilan , Taranis Lorin , Suchet‐Pearson Sandie
Published: September 2009

A growing awareness of the value of indigenous knowledge has prompted calls for its use within disaster risk reduction. The use of indigenous knowledge alongside scientific knowledge is increasingly advocated but there is as yet no clearly developed framework demonstrating how the two may be integrated to reduce community vulnerability to environmental hazards. This paper presents such a framework, using a participatory approach in which relevant indigenous and scientific knowledge may be integrated to reduce a community's vulnerability to environmental hazards. Focusing on small island developing states it presents an analysis of the need for such a framework alongside the difficulties of incorporating indigenous knowledge. This is followed by an explanation of the various processes within the framework, drawing on research completed in Papua New Guinea. This framework is an important first step in identifying how indigenous and scientific knowledge may be integrated to reduce community vulnerability to environmental hazards.
The transformation of lieux de mémoire: The Nyabarongo River in Rwanda, 1992–2009
Authors: Meierhenrich Jens
Published: October 2009

This article takes the Nyabarongo river as a lens through which to tentatively reflect on the transformation of lieux de memoire in post‐genocide Rwanda in the period 1992–2009. It is culled from a larger, multi‐year project on the construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of collective memory in Rwanda that revolves around a systematic, historical, and spatial analysis of the hundreds of genocide memorials, informal and otherwise, that have been created — and some that have disappeared — in the last fifteen years.
GRAPHICAL SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS WITH DIFFERENT METHODS OF IMPUTATION FOR A TRIAL WITH PROBABLE NON‐IGNORABLE MISSING DATA
Authors: Weatherall M. , Pickering R.M. , Harris Scott
Published: September 2009

Graphical sensitivity analyses have recently been recommended for clinical trials with non‐ignorable missing outcome. We demonstrate an adaptation of this methodology for a continuous outcome of a trial of three cognitive‐behavioural therapies for mild depression in primary care, in which one arm had unexpectedly high levels of missing data. Fixed‐value and multiple imputations from a normal distribution (assuming either varying mean and fixed standard deviation, or fixed mean and varying standard deviation) were used to obtain contour plots of the contrast estimates with their P‐values superimposed, their confidence intervals, and the root mean square errors. Imputation was based either on the outcome value alone, or on change from baseline. The plots showed fixed‐value imputation to be more sensitive than imputing from a normal distribution, but the normally distributed imputations were subject to sampling noise. The contours of the sensitivity plots were close to linear in appearance, with the slope approximately equal to the ratio of the proportions of subjects with missing data in each trial arm.
EXPONENTIAL SMOOTHING AND NON‐NEGATIVE DATA
Authors: Akram Muhammad , Hyndman Rob J. , Ord J. Keith
Published: September 2009

The most common forecasting methods in business are based on exponential smoothing, and the most common time series in business are inherently non‐negative. Therefore it is of interest to consider the properties of the potential stochastic models underlying exponential smoothing when applied to non‐negative data. We explore exponential smoothing state space models for non‐negative data under various assumptions about the innovations, or error, process. We first demonstrate that prediction distributions from some commonly used state space models may have an infinite variance beyond a certain forecasting horizon. For multiplicative error models that do not have this flaw, we show that sample paths will converge almost surely to zero even when the error distribution is non‐Gaussian. We propose a new model with similar properties to exponential smoothing, but which does not have these problems, and we develop some distributional properties for our new model. We then explore the implications of our results for inference, and compare the short‐term forecasting performance of the various models using data on the weekly sales of over 300 items of costume jewelry. The main findings of the research are that the Gaussian approximation is adequate for estimation and one‐step‐ahead forecasting. However, as the forecasting horizon increases, the approximate prediction intervals become increasingly problematic. When the model is to be used for simulation purposes, a suitably specified scheme must be employed.
LEVERAGE ADJUSTMENTS FOR DISPERSION MODELLING IN GENERALIZED NONLINEAR MODELS
Authors: Smyth Gordon K. , Verbyla Arūnas P.
Published: September 2009

For normal linear models, it is generally accepted that residual maximum likelihood estimation is appropriate when covariance components require estimation. This paper considers generalized linear models in which both the mean and the dispersion are allowed to depend on unknown parameters and on covariates. For these models there is no closed form equivalent to residual maximum likelihood except in very special cases. Using a modified profile likelihood for the dispersion parameters, an adjusted score vector and adjusted information matrix are found under an asymptotic development that holds as the leverages in the mean model become small. Subsequently, the expectation of the fitted deviances is obtained directly to show that the adjusted score vector is unbiased at least to O(1/n). Exact results are obtained in the single‐sample case. The results reduce to residual maximum likelihood estimation in the normal linear case.
Inequality and Union Membership: The Influence of Relative Earnings and Inequality Attitudes
Authors: Checchi Daniele , Visser Jelle , Van De Werfhorst Herman G.
Published: October 2009

Using surveys from the International Social Survey Programme covering the period 1985–2002 for seven European countries (West and East Germany, Sweden, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands and Great Britain), we examine the effect of relative earnings on union membership and show that union density is higher among workers in the intermediate earnings group than among low or high earners. Next, we examine the association of inequality attitudes with union membership and demonstrate that union membership is not only motivated by instrumental considerations related to relative earnings, but also by normative concerns about inequality. We interpret our findings suggesting that rising earnings inequality is in itself a source of union decline.
Machiavellianism in public accountants: some additional Canadian evidence
Authors: Shome Anamitra , Rao Hema
Published: September 2009

The current study surveys practising Canadian public accountants in Canada in both Big 4 and non‐Big 4 firms to determine their orientation with respect to Machiavellianism, defined as ‘attending to one's interests much more than to others'. Results indicate that while there are no significant differences in Machiavellianism between public accountants in the upper‐level positions (managers and partners), partners are significantly less Machiavellian than seniors. These results are consistent with previous studies on Canadian public accountants.
Resonance tropes in corporate philanthropy discourse
Authors: Spence Crawford , Thomson Ian
Published: September 2009

This paper explores corporate charitable giving disclosures in order to question the extent to which corporations can claim that their philanthropy activities are charitable at all. Exploration of these issues is carried out by means of a tropological analysis that focuses on the different linguistic tropes within the philanthropy disclosures of 52 companies, namely metaphor and synecdoche. The results reveal a number of complex and contradictory things. Primarily, the master metaphor of ‘altruism’ projected by the corporate disclosures is ideologically at odds with the more business case‐oriented discourse that shapes the disclosures. This contradiction is put into starker contrast by the existence of a root metaphor, whereby the recipients of corporate philanthropy are presented as the ‘deserving poor’. Synecdochal devices are present within the corporate disclosures, whereby employee initiatives that are independent of corporate strategies are used to confer attributes onto the disclosures that bolster the master metaphor of ‘altruism’. As such, corporate philanthropy is presented by the paper as a structurally incoherent discourse and yet one that has implications for both extracting greater value from various societal groups and in defining, on behalf of civil society, what is a worthy cause.
Implementation, communication and benefits of corporate codes of ethics: an international and longitudinal approach for Australia, Canada and Sweden
Authors: Svensson Göran , Wood Greg , Singh Jang , Callaghan Michael
Published: September 2009

This paper examines the implementation, communication and benefits of corporate codes of ethics by the top companies operating in Australia, Canada and Sweden. It provides an international comparison across three continents. It is also based on a longitudinal approach where three national surveys were performed in 2001–2002 and replications of the same surveys were performed in 2005–2006. The empirical findings of this research show in all three countries that large organisations indicate a substantial interest in corporate codes of ethics. There are, however, differences in the ways that the companies in each country implement and communicate their corporate codes of ethics and the benefits that they see being derived from them. The longitudinal comparison between 2001–2002 and 2005–2006 indicates changes in the implementation, communication and benefits of corporate codes of ethics in the three countries.
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY WITHIN AND BETWEEN EUROPEAN NATIONS: THE ROLE OF MARKET POTENTIAL AND DENSITY ACROSS SPACE AND TIME*
Authors: Brakman Steven , Garretsen Harry , Van Marrewijk Charles
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT In explaining the uneven spatial distribution of economic activity, urban economics, and new economic geography (NEG) dominate recent research in economics. A main difference between these two approaches is that NEG stresses the role of spatial linkages whereas urban economics does not do so. We estimate simple versions of these two views on economic geography and also establish if the relevance of spatial linkages varies across aggregation levels or time. For our sample of 14 European countries and 213 corresponding regions, we find that spatial linkages are more important at the country level and that its relevance varies across time.
Economic Transnationalism and its Ambiguities: The Case of Romanian Migration to Italy
Authors: Ban Cornel
Published: September 2009

Taking the case of migratory flows between Romania and Italy as a case study, this article investigates the ways in which spaces of economic transnationalism emerge and are reproduced over time. While the article finds that the role of the state in regulating the flow of money, people and goods across borders remains significant, it nevertheless provides evidence that state authority is systematically challenged by private actors even in the case of migration phenomena with a remarkably short history such as that of Romanians in Italy. Particularly interesting in this respect are labor recruiting networks in which informal headhunter operations, public officials and mobile manufacturing firms interact in surprising ways. While economic forms of transnationalism are the main focus of this investigation, the ways in which transnational capital and labor flows facilitated the symbolic reaffirmation of social institutions in the sending locality are also investigated.
Japanese‐Brazilians and the Future of Brazilian Migration to Japan
Authors: McKenzie David , Salcedo Alejandrina
Published: September 2009

The number of Japanese‐Brazilians working in Japan grew from less than 15,000 in 1989 to more than 300,000 in 2006. This rapid growth in migration was initiated by a law change in Japan allowing third‐generation Japanese‐Brazilians to work in Japan, the “push” of poor economic conditions in Brazil, and the “pull” of a booming economy in Japan. Cultural links between Japan and the Japanese‐Brazilians, together with the development of highly efficient organized labour recruitment networks, have acted to foster this, leading to the creation of what some experts believe to be a self‐sustaining migration system. We use a new representative survey of Japanese‐Brazilians to examine the sustainability of this migration flow. We find both the economic and cultural reasons for emigration to be weakening. Japanese‐Brazilians now occupy the upper tiers of the income and occupational distributions in Brazil, and the majority of the third‐generation are not participating in many aspects of the Japanese community in Brazil. Moreover, demographic analysis shows that over the next 20 years, the share of migration‐age Japanese‐Brazilians who are fourth‐generation will rise considerably, with such individuals not eligible to migrate under current Japanese immigration law. As a consequence, we predict the rapid growth in the Japanese‐Brazilian population in Japan will soon turn to a gradual decline in migrant numbers, and in the long term, erode the stability of this new migration system.
International Migration and Development in Asia: Exploring Knowledge Frameworks
Authors: Asis Maruja M.B. , Piper Nicola , Raghuram Parvati
Published: September 2009

There is revived interest and debate on the relation between international migration and development, with Asia emerging as one important locus for such deliberations. A number of institutions, journals, people and organizations have emerged as key players in these discussions but so far there have been few attempts to investigate the information gathered from the perspective of “knowledge production”. This paper’s objective, therefore, is to outline some of the ways in which knowledge about migration and development is being produced in Asia. We focus on selected aspects of knowledge production to identify the lenses through which much of the work is currently generated and the research imagination resulting from existing approaches.
Attention to novelty in behaviorally inhibited adolescents moderates risk for anxiety
Authors: Reeb‐Sutherland Bethany C. , Vanderwert Ross E. , Degnan Kathryn A. , Marshall Peter J. , Pérez‐Edgar Koraly , Chronis‐Tuscano Andrea , Pine Daniel S. , Fox Nathan A.
Published: September 2009

Background:  Individual differences in specific components of attention contribute to behavioral reactivity and regulation. Children with the temperament of behavioral inhibition (BI) provide a good context for considering the manner in which certain components of attention shape behavior. Infants and children characterized as behaviorally inhibited manifest signs of heightened orienting to novelty. The current study considers whether this attention profile moderates risk for clinical anxiety disorders among adolescents with a history of BI.

Methods:  Participants were assessed at multiple time points for BI, beginning in early childhood. At adolescence, event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a three‐stimulus auditory novelty oddball task, which employed frequent standard and infrequent deviant tones as well as a set of complex, novel sounds. Clinical diagnosis was carried out using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School‐Age Children‐Present and Lifetime Version (K‐SADS‐PL). P3 and mismatch negativity (MMN) components were examined at midline frontal, central, and parietal electrode sites.

Results:  Individuals who displayed high levels of BI during childhood and increased P3 amplitude to novelty in adolescence were more likely to have a history of anxiety disorders compared to behaviorally inhibited adolescents with lower P3 amplitudes. Groups did not differ on measures of MMN.

Conclusions:  Increased neural responses to novelty moderate risk for anxiety disorders amongst individuals with a history of BI.
Determining soil organic carbon for agricultural soils: a comparison between the Walkley & Black and the dry combustion methods (north Belgium)
Authors: Meersmans J. , Van Wesemael B. , Van Molle M.
Published: September 2009

Mapping soil organic carbon (SOC) and establishing any change over time are important because of CO2 fluxes between soil and atmosphere and cropland decreases in SOC. The latter is one of the main causes of soil fertility decline and increased erodibility. As most analytical methods underestimate total SOC content, correction factors are needed to avoid methodological bias when comparing SOC data from sampling campaigns using different analytical procedures. The traditional method for SOC analysis used to be, and in most cases still is wet oxidation in potassium dichromate, better known as the Walkley & Black method. In this study, we aim to estimate correction factors for the classic and modified version of the Walkley & Black method for different land use and soil type combinations for agricultural soils in north Belgium. General correction factors of 1.47 for the classic Walkley & Black method and 1.20 for the modified Walkley & Black method are proposed. The results show that sandy grassland soils are characterised by lower recoveries than silt loam grassland soils. Furthermore, the correction factor appears to increase with soil wetness.
Collective action in water‐point management: The case of pastoral and agropastoral communities in eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Beyene Fekadu
Published: September 2009

This paper explores collective activities in water‐point management by pastoral and agropastoral herders. It examines conditions that strengthen or weaken cooperative behaviour. By employing a comparative case study approach, the paper covers three types of water‐points: ponds, cisterns and water wells. Results show that factors beyond the expectation of economic benefits influence the development of cooperative behaviour, including embedded social relationships, which provide a basis for sanctions. However, the absence of clear allocation rules and of secure property rights discourages sustained contribution of inputs. The study also finds that the contribution, and the ultimate benefits gained, by the members of the group are dependent on limited technological options and other attributes of the water‐points they manage. Interestingly, divergence of interests (between economic elites and poor herders) in institutional change precluding the establishment of cisterns negatively affects the livelihoods of the poor (agro) pastoralists. Where internal capacity is limited, assisted collective action that builds on diverse local interests could contribute to sustainable management of collectively used water‐points. The study concludes that both economic incentives and socio‐cultural norms affect collective action in a more complex way than the theory of determinants of collective action predicts.
What drives large South African corporations to invest in sub‐Saharan Africa? CEO's perspectives and implications for FDI policies
Authors: Dippenaar Adriaan
Published: September 2009

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing into Africa is highly diverse in terms of the origin of the investors, size of the firms, and the sectors of activity. The motivations and factors driving firms' decisions to invest in Africa are equally diverse. A direct survey of senior management in South African firms that are operating in sub‐Saharan Africa reveals that the drivers of foreign investment as well as the risks and the strategies to overcome them differ markedly between sectors. A further finding is that there is a limited pool of FDI promotion policies and incentives that governments can institute that are effective in impacting South African corporations' investment decisions. As a consequence, broad‐based FDI promotion policies aimed at attracting FDI across all investor groups are likely to have limited impact in attracting FDI from any particular investor group, or in attracting any FDI from multinational companies similar to the South African companies studied here. Such broad based policies probably need to be complemented with policies targeting those specific firms or sectors which countries hope to attract.
Handling uncertainty: Policy and organizational practices in Tanzania's small‐scale gold mining sector
Authors: Jønsson Jesper Bosse , Fold Niels
Published: September 2009

Small‐scale mining supports the livelihoods of several hundred thousand rural households in Africa. Nonetheless, the understanding of the organizational dynamics of small‐scale miners' activities is modest. The paper outlines the small‐scale mining codes in Tanzania and contrasts them to prevalent organizational practices in two Tanzanian small‐scale mining settlements. It is argued that there is a need to adjust the regulatory mechanisms to well‐consolidated practices: If basic practices differ substantially from official prescriptions of the mining codes over an extended period of time, certain elements of the regulatory framework need reconsideration. The paper examines three pertinent operational components that vary in form and managing practices between the two study sites: dealing with licence acquisition, accessing working capital, and sharing output. These components are considered vital for the proper manoeuvring of local small‐scale mining operators and the reasons for the variations are essential to understand for policymakers and development practitioners. By incorporating prevalent practices and context‐dependent variations in some of the crucial organizational components, it is possible to design a robust and resilient regulatory framework for small‐scale mining. A number of policy adjustments are consequently proposed.
Labour challenges and mercury management at gold mills in Zimbabwe: Examining production processes and proposals for change
Authors: Spiegel Samuel J.
Published: September 2009

The use of mercury in small‐scale gold mining has been a growing concern in many parts of Africa. However, although the negative effects of mercury pollution are increasingly reported, little has been written about how labour relationships and gold production challenges in mining communities affect mercury management practices. This article provides an integrative analysis of small‐scale gold extraction processes, labour challenges, and mercury use at gold mills in Zimbabwe, focusing on a gold rush area in Mashonaland West Province. It examines practices employed by miners who have limited economic capacities to upgrade technologies, and how the complex relationships between miners, mill owners and government regulators affect environmental performance. The study draws attention to how poor environmental management practices relate to labour inequities, low gold recovery as well as the informal gold trade dynamics amid the country's economic crisis. Results of a United Nations‐supported stakeholder consultation process are discussed, with proposals for improving labour conditions and reducing environmental risk. The article highlights why the government should develop and support local programs to assist miners, as well as the decisive roles mill owners could take in ensuring improved standards on their sites.
Variation in Almotriptan Effectiveness According to Different Prophylactic Treatments
Authors: Bermejo Pedro Emilio , Dorado Rodolfo , Gomez‐Arguelles Jose Maria
Published: September 2009

Objective.— To evaluate the effect of different migraine prophylaxis medications on subject responsiveness to almotriptan.

Background.— There is evidence supporting an increase of responsiveness of symptomatic medications for migraine attacks by some prophylactic treatments although this has not been probed.

Methods.— A total of 345 patients (230 women, mean age 37.3) with episodic or chronic migraine were classified according to the prophylaxis they were taking in the following groups: (1) no prophylactic medication; (2) propranolol; (3) topiramate; (4) flunarizine. Decrease in Analogical Visual Scale and pain‐free at 2 hours after almotriptan intake was assessed at 2 months. Side effects and discontinuation or treatment were also assessed.

Results.— Headache severity was reduced 4.2 in control group, 5.3 in propranolol group, 4.1 in topiramate group, and 4.0 in flunarizine group, whereas pain‐free status was achieved in 37.3%, 48.7%, 36.1%, and 38.1% respectively. These two parameters were statistically significative between propranolol and control groups. Side effects were similar in all groups.

Conclusions.— Our results displayed a higher efficacy of almotriptan in propranolol group and we hypothesized it may be due to a common mechanism of action at serotoninergic receptors.
PTSD, Combat Injury, and Headache in Veterans Returning From Iraq/Afghanistan
Authors: Afari Niloofar , Harder Laura H. , Madra Naju J. , Heppner Pia S. , Moeller‐Bertram Tobias , King Clay , Baker Dewleen G.
Published: September 2009

Objective.— To examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, combat injury, and headache in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans at the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

Background.— Previous investigations suggest that a relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and primary headache disorders exists and could be complicated by the contribution of physical injury, especially one that results in loss of consciousness. These associations have not been systematically examined in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans.

Methods.— In this observational cross‐sectional study, a battery of self‐report, standardized questionnaires was completed by 308 newly registered veterans between March and October 2006. The Davidson Trauma Scale was used to determine the degree of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and combat‐related physical injury was assessed by self‐report. The presence of headache was based on a symptom checklist measure and self‐reported doctor diagnoses. Logistic regression analysis was performed to predict presence of headache and determine odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals associated with demographic, military, in‐theatre, and mental health characteristics.

Results.— About 40% of the veterans met the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder; 40% self‐reported current headache, 10% reported a physician diagnosis of migraine, 12% a physician diagnosis of tension‐type headache, and 6% reported both types of headache. Results from the logistic regression model indicated that combat‐related physical injury (odds ratio: 2.25; 95% confidence interval: 1.17‐4.33) and posttraumatic stress disorder (odds ratio: 4.13; 95% confidence interval: 2.44‐6.99) were independent predictors of self‐reported headache. Additional analyses found that veterans with both tension and migraine headache had higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (chi‐square [d.f. = 3] = 15.89; P = .001) whereas veterans with migraine headache alone had higher rates of combat‐related physical injury (chi‐square [d.f. = 9] = 22.00; P = .009).

Conclusion.— Posttraumatic stress disorder and combat‐related physical injury were related to higher rates of self‐reported headache in newly returning veterans. Our finding that posttraumatic stress disorder and injury during combat are differentially related to migraine and tension‐type headache, point to a complex relationship between physical and psychological trauma and headache. These findings have implications for a comprehensive approach to interventions for headache and the physical and psychological sequelae of trauma.
DIVERSITY AND MORPHOLOGY OF SKELETONEMA SPECIES IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL, SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN1
Authors: Bergesch Marli , Garcia Marines , Odebrecht Clarisse
Published: September 2009

We examined the morphology of Skeletonema species occurring in coastal waters of southern Brazil, on the basis of LM, SEM, and TEM analyses of six isolated strains and of 13 field samples from the Patos Lagoon estuary and the adjacent Cassino Beach. We concluded that the genus Skeletonema is highly diverse in coastal waters of southern Brazil, with the occurrence of four confirmed species: S. costatum, S. pseudocostatum, S. potamos, and S. tropicum. In addition, EM details must still be provided for S. menzelii, and genetic studies should be conducted to confirm the identity of S. cf. grethae and S. subsalsum. The high diversity in this geographic area can be attributed to the proximity of the Subtropical Convergence and to the freshwater ecosystems of Patos Lagoon and La Plata River that favor the presence of warm‐, cold‐, and brackish‐water species.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE MINUS MATING‐TYPE SPECIFIC GENE MTD1 FROM GONIUM PECTORALE (VOLVOCALES, CHLOROPHYTA)1
Authors: Hamaji Takashi , Ferris Patrick J. , Nishii Ichiro , Nozaki Hisayoshi
Published: September 2009

Gonium pectorale O. F. Müll. (Volvocales, Chlorophyta), a colonial 8‐ or 16‐cellular alga, is phylogenetically important as an intermediate form between isogametic unicellular Chlamydomonas and oogamous Volvox. We identified the mating‐type specific gene GpMTD1, from G. pectorale, the first homologue of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii MTD1 (CrMTD1). The GpMTD1 gene was found to be present only in the minus mating‐type locus and was expressed specifically in the gametic phase as is the case for CrMTD1, suggested to participate in development of the minus gametes. This gene is useful as a probe in analyzing the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library for resolving genomic structures of the mating‐type loci in isogamous and oogamous colonial volvocaleans.
GENETIC POPULATION STRUCTURE OF PSEUDO‐NITZSCHIA PUNGENS (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND THE NORTH SEA1
Authors: Adams Nicolaus G. , Trainer Vera L. , Rocap Gabrielle , Herwig Russell P. , Hauser Lorenz
Published: September 2009

Several species of the diatom Pseudo‐nitzschia produce the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA). Consumption of fish and shellfish that have accumulated this potent excitotoxin has resulted in severe illness and even death in humans, marine mammals, and seabirds. Pseudo‐nitzschia pungens (Grunow ex Cleve) Hasle is a cosmopolitan diatom commonly occurring in the waters of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and the eastern North Atlantic, including the North Sea. However, genetic and physiological relationships among populations throughout this large geographic distribution have not been assessed. Population genetic parameters (e.g., Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, linkage equilibrium, FST) calculated for P. pungens collected from the Juan de Fuca eddy region in the PNW indicated the presence of two distinct groups that were more divergent from each other than either was from a P. pungens sample from the North Sea. Geographic heterogeneity was also detected within each of the two PNW groups. These results suggested that the populations of P. pungens recently mixed in the Juan de Fuca eddy region (a seasonally retentive feature off the coasts of Washington State, USA, and Vancouver Island, Canada) but did not exchange genetic material by sexual reproduction. Alternatively, these two groups may be cryptic (morphologically identical, but reproductively isolated) species. Identifying cryptic diversity in Pseudo‐nitzschia is important for bloom prediction and aiding the identification of molecular markers that can be used for rapid detection assay development.
LOCALIZATION OF MICROCYSTIN SYNTHETASE GENES IN COLONIES OF THE CYANOBACTERIUM MICROCYSTIS USING FLUORESCENCE IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION1
Authors: Metcalf James S. , Reilly Marianne , Young Fiona M. , Codd Geoffrey A.
Published: September 2009

To better understand the production of microcystins (MCs) in Microcystis colonies, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods were developed to detect DNA involved in the synthesis of these cyanobacterial hepatotoxins. Using colonies of Microcystis aeruginosa (Kütz.) Kütz. isolated from environmental blooms of cyanobacteria and from a colony‐forming, MC‐producing laboratory strain of Microcystis, amplified PCR products were observed, coincident with positive controls. The total MC content of individual colonies of Microcystis, determined by ELISA, showed a positive correlation with colony cross‐sectional area. FISH analysis of Microcystis colonies gave high fluorescence in comparison to negative controls, indicating the presence of MC synthetase DNA (mcyA) in situ. FISH analysis for MC synthetase genes has the potential to be developed into an effective early warning tool for drinking and recreational water management.