bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Size selectivity in the diet of the young cuttlefish Sepia officinalis (Mollusca: Sepiidae)
Authors: Blanc A. , Daguzan J.
Published: July 2002

The prey size of young cuttlefish was investigated by measuring the size of entire animals, carapace, periopods, and otoliths in the stomach contents of specimens from Morbihan Bay in 1994–1996. The young of the Sepia species consumed a wide range of prey sizes. The size of all isopods and amphipods was less than the 50% of those of the Sepia. The size ratio of brachyurans varied between 14 and 37% of the dorsal mantle length of the cuttlefish. The young could catch fish species which were three times larger than itself.
Age and growth of the four-spotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) in eastern Mediterranean waters
Authors: Vassilopoulou V. , Ondrias I.
Published: July 2002

This paper analyses the age and growth pattern of the four-spotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii), collected in the north Aegean Sea. The otoliths of the species exhibit bilateral asymmetry. Our data indicates that males have shorter lifespans (0–6 y) than females (0–8 y) and reach lower asymptotic lengths. A significant difference in growth rate exists between the two sexes after the first year of life. Growth in length is greater in females than males, whereas males appeared to be heavier than females of the same size. The latter was also corroborated by the higher accumulation of lipids in the muscle of males in relation to females. The growth rate of the species in the Atlantic was higher than in the Mediterranean. The oligotrophic character of the study area seemed to have a negative effect on the growth of megrims.
Distribution, diversity and abundance of epibenthic fauna in the North Sea
Authors: Jennings Simon , Lancaster John , Woolmer Andrew , Cotter John
Published: July 2002

The assemblages of attached and freeliving epibenthic species in the North Sea are described, based on analysis of samples collected with a small beam trawl. Clustering of survey sites based on the presence or absence of attached species indicated that three regions had characteristic assemblages: the northern North Sea, the central North Sea from 55 to 57°N and the southern North Sea. Clustering of sites based on counts of free-living epibenthic species also revealed that the sites formed three major groups but these corresponded to regions in the north-east North Sea, the northern and western central North Sea and the southern and eastern central North Sea. Species which contributed most to the similarity within and dissimilarity between groups were identified. The environmental factors which best accounted for the grouping of sites were depth, winter temperature and the temperature difference between winter and summer for attached species and depth and the temperature difference between winter and summer for free-living species. The species richness of attached and free-living epibenthic species was higher in the central and northern North Sea than in the south. The number of abundant (Hill's N1) and very abundant (Hill's N2) free-living species also increased from south to north.
The influence of ice on polar nearshore benthos
Authors: Barnes David K.A.
Published: July 2002

Polar benthic communities are subject to a range of disturbance levels from a variety of sources, principal amongst which is ice. This occurs in four main forms: the ice-foot, ice scour, anchor ice and fast ice, each of which influences benthos in a very different temporal and spatial manner. The four described forms of ice disturbance are all seasonal, but combined, influence communities throughout the year. The magnitude of ice mediated disturbance is often catastrophic and as a result both dominates benthic community structure and makes recolonization and development rates critical. This disturbance extremity results in high temporal and spatial heterogeneity, very low intertidal zone diversity and in places low mid–sublittoral diversity. It may also, however, be important in generating and maintaining the typically high sublittoral zone diversity observed at many polar localities. Intermediate frequencies or magnitudes of disturbance have been controversially discussed as important in maintaining diversity by prevention of space monopolization by overgrowth dominants in such environments as the deep sea. The shelf areas examined to date certainly suggest intermediate disturbance is important in maintaining polar sublittoral zone diversity. The combination of slow colonization and development with high frequencies of disturbance means most polar nearshore environments that have been described are permanently in a state of change or recovery.
Ophlitaspongia and Ophlitaspongia papilla reinstated, and a new species of Ophlitaspongia described (Porifera: Demospongiae: Microcionidae)
Authors: Howson C.M. , Chambers S.J.
Published: July 2002

A new species of Ophlitaspongia (Porifera: Microcionidae) from wave-exposed sublittoral rock in the north-east Atlantic is described and compared to the two other species recorded from the genus in the north-east Atlantic. The species known as Ophlitaspongia seriata is considered to be a junior synonym of Halichondria panicea. Consequently, the name O. papilla has been reinstated. The other recorded species O. basifixa, is from deep water. Ophlitaspongia basifixa has characters which differentiate it from Ophlitaspongia sp. nov. The genus Ophlitaspongia has been separated from related genera and reinstated for species in the North Atlantic.
Enteromorpha intestinalis—a refuge for the supralittoral rockpool harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus brevicornis
Authors: McAllen Rob
Published: July 2002

Supralittoral rockpools form an extreme environment due to severe fluctuations in salinity, temperature and oxygen concentration. The only seaweed species in supralittoral rockpools around Great Cumbrae, Firth of Clyde was the green alga Enteromorpha intestinalis. Only two animal species were recorded permanently over a three year period in this environment; the orange harpacticoid copepod, Tigriopus brevicornis, and the chironomid larva, Halocladius fucicola. The present study demonstrates the role of the hollow thallus of E. intestinalis in the lifestyles of T. brevicornis (adults and nauplii) and H. fucicola. The thallus provides a moist refuge reducing desiccation when the rockpools completely dry out. Several hundred individuals of T. brevicornis have been observed in a single E. intestinalis thallus. This observation may explain how the species can successfully recolonize completely evaporated supralittoral rockpools after several weeks. The study also raises questions about the reliability of previous population estimates of Tigriopus spp. in light of this constantly overlooked refuge.
First record of the oilfish Ruvettus pretiosus (Pisces: Gempylidae) in the northern Adriatic Sea
Authors: Bettoso Nicola , Dulicié Jakov
Published: July 2002

A specimen of the oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus, was captured from the northern Adriatic (Gulf of Trieste) and represents the northernmost extension in range of this species in the Adriatic Sea.
Characterization of an interspersed repetitive DNA

element in the genome of Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: ARAYA J. , CANO M. I. , GOMES H. B. M. , NOVAK E. M. , REQUENA J. M. , ALONSO C. , LEVIN M. J. , GUEVARA P. , RAMIREZ J. L. , DA SILVEIRA J. FRANCO
Published: July 2002

We report the molecular characterization of a middle repetitive
DNA

sequence, named C6, isolated from the Trypanosoma

cruzi genome. C6 appears to be a composite repeated element since
3

subregions may be defined within it on the basis

of sequence similarities with other T. cruzi genomic sequences.

Sequences homologous to C6 are interspersed in the

genome and can be mapped out on most chromosomal bands of different

T. cruzi strains. The copy number of the C6

element is about 1000 per haploid genome. Given the species specificity
and

different genomic distribution of C6

homologous sequences among the T. cruzi strains the C6 element
could

be a useful probe for diagnosis and typing of

parasites. C6 is a polymorphic marker with potential as a tool for

physical mapping of the T. cruzi genome.
On the interpretation of age–prevalence curves for

trypanosome infections of tsetse flies
Authors: WOOLHOUSE M. E. J. , HARGROVE J. W.
Published: July 2002

Epidemiological models are used to analyse 8 published

data sets reporting age–prevalence curves for trypanosome

infections of the tsetse fly Glossina pallidipes.

A model assuming a fixed maturation period and a rate of

infection which

is independent of fly age is adequate for Trypanosoma

vivax-type infections, explaining 98% of observed variance in

prevalence by site and age, allowing that the rate of infection

may be site dependent. This model is not adequate for

T. congolense-type infections and the fit can be

improved by allowing (i) the rates of infection to decline with

age (although

non-teneral flies remain susceptible), (ii) a fraction of

resistant flies, which may vary between sites, (iii) increased

mortality of infected flies and (iv) variation in the maturation

period. Models with these features can explain up to 97% of observed

variance. Parameter estimates from published experimental

data suggest that all may contribute in practice but that (i)

and/or (ii) are likely to be the most important.
In vitro cultivation and developmental cycle in

culture of a parasitic dinoflagellate (Hematodinium sp.)

associated with mortality of the Norway lobster (Nephrops

norvegicus) in British waters
Authors: APPLETON P. L. , VICKERMAN K.
Published: July 2002

Dinoflagellates are common and often important parasites

of aquatic organisms, but their developmental cycles are poorly

known and have not been established in in vitro

culture. The parasitic dinoflagellate (Hematodinium

sp.) associated with

mortality of the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus)

in British waters has been cultivated in vitro in

10% foetal calf

serum in a balanced Nephrops saline. In culture

the parasite undergoes a characteristic cycle of development.

Circulating sporoblasts from the host's haemolymph

in vitro generate 2 kinds of flagellated uninucleate

dinospore, macrospores and

microspores, either of which will, after 5 weeks in fresh

medium, germinate to produce multinucleate unattached

filamentous trophonts. These trophonts multiply by

fragmentation and growth and may be serially subcultured in this

form, at 2 week intervals, indefinitely. If not subcultured,

the filamentous trophonts give rise to colonies of radiating

filaments (‘gorgonlocks’) which subsequently

attach to the substratum to form flattened web-like

‘arachnoid’ multi-nucleate trophonts. Arachnoid

trophonts become arachnoid sporonts when they synthesize

trichocysts and flagellar hairs and may give rise to secondary arachnoid sporonts or to dinospores which initiate a new cycle.
Adonia variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) bears
maternally inherited Flavobacteria that kill males only
Authors: HURST G. D. D. , BANDI C. , SACCHI L. , COCHRANE A. G. , BERTRAND D. , KARACA I. , MAJERUS M. E. N.
Published: July 2002

Inherited bacteria that parasitically distort the pattern of sex
allocation of their host, biasing allocation towards female
progeny, are found in many arthropods. One such manipulation is male-killing,
where male progeny of infected females
die during embryogenesis. We here provide evidence for a male-killing bacterium
in the coccinellid beetle, Adonia
variegata. We then address 3 questions. First, is this male-killing
bacterium one that is found in other hosts, or does it
represent a new transition to male-killing within the eubacteria? Using
the sequence of the 16S rDNA of the bacterium,
we found that the male-killing bacterium is a member of the Flavobacteria–Bacteroides
group, most closely related to the
male-killing bacterium in another ladybird beetle, Coleomegilla maculata.
Secondly, is there any evidence that this
bacterium affects female host physiology? In a paired test under nutritional
stress, we found no evidence for a physiological
benefit to infection, and weak evidence of a physiological cost, in terms
of reduced fecundity. Thirdly, is there any evidence
of host involvement in the transmission of the bacterium to the germ line?
We found no evidence of host involvement.
Rather, bacteria migrated to the ovariole independently of host cells.
We conclude that the bacterium is a parasite, and
discuss how 2 different species of ladybird come to be infected with 1
lineage of bacterium, and why case studies of male-killing bacteria have generally found little evidence of any symbiont contribution
to host physiological functioning.
Ca2+ and calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase from
Leishmania donovani
Authors: BANERJEE C. , SARKAR D. , BHADURI A.
Published: July 2002

A protein phosphatase exclusively dependent upon micromolar amounts of Ca2+ and calmodulin has been identified and
partially purified from Leishmania spp. Complete obliteration of its activity is observed in the presence of calmodulin
antagonists such as trifluoperazine, fluphenazine and calmidazolium. Relative insensitivity to okadaic acid and lack of
activation in the absence of Ca2+ and calmodulin distinguishes this enzyme from PP1, PP2A and PP2C-type protein
phosphatases. Cross-reactivity of the enzyme was observed with antibodies that recognize both the A and B chains of
calcineurin, a PP2B type Ca2+ and calmodulin-dependent phosphatase from brain. FK506, an immunosuppresive drug
that inhibits the enzyme from other sources inhibited the enzyme only in the presence of exogenous FK binding protein,
whereas Cyclosporin A inhibited the enzyme in crude preparations. Taken together these results reveal the presence of
a Ca2+ and calmodulin-dependent phosphatase from Leishmania. This is the first report of the presence of a PP2B-type
protein phosphatase from a pathogenic protozoa.
The ABA-1 allergen of Ascaris lumbricoides: sequence
polymorphism, stage and tissue-specific expression, lipid
binding function, and protein biophysical properties
Authors: XIA Y. , SPENCE H. J. , MOORE J. , HEANEY N. , McDERMOTT L. , COOPER A. , WATSON D. G. , MEI B. , KOMUNIECKI R. , KENNEDY M. W.
Published: July 2002

The ABA-1 protein of Ascaris lumbricoides (of humans) and Ascaris suum (of pigs) is abundant in the pseudocoelomic fluid
of the parasites and also appears to be released by the tissue-parasitic larvae and the adult stages. The genes encoding the
polyprotein precursor of ABA-1 (aba-1) were found to be arranged similarly in the two taxa, comprising tandemly
repeating units encoding a large polyprotein which is cleaved to yield polypeptides of approximately 15 kDa which fall
into 2 distinct classes, types A and B. The polyprotein possibly comprises only 10 units. The aba-1 gene of A. lumbricoides
is polymorphic, and the majority of substitutions observed occur in or near predicted loop regions in the encoded proteins.
mRNA for ABA-1 is present in infective larvae within the egg, and in all parasitic stages, but was not detectable in
unembryonated eggs. ABA-1 mRNA was confined to the gut of adult parasites, and not in body wall or reproductive
tissues. Recombinant protein representing a single A-type unit for the A. lumbricoides aba-1 gene was produced and found
to bind retinol (Vitamin A) and a range of fatty acids, including the pharmacologically active lipids lysophosphatidic acid,
lysoplatelet activating factor, and there was also evidence of binding to leukotrienes. It failed to bind to any of the
anthelmintics screened. Differential Scanning Calorimetry showed that the recombinant protein was highly stable, and
unfolded in a single transition at 90·4 °C. Analysis of the transition indicated that the protein occurs as a dimer and that
the dimer dissociates simultaneously with the unfolding of the monomer units.
RFLP analysis of PCR-amplified small subunit ribosomal
DNA of three fish microsporidian species
Authors: LEIRO J. , SISO M. I. G. , PARAMA A. , UBEIRA F. M. , SANMARTIN M. L.
Published: July 2002

The phylogenetic relationships of the microsporidian species Microgemma caulleryi, Pleistophora finisterrensis and
Tetramicra brevifilum were investigated on the basis of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of
PCR-amplified small-subunit rDNA (SSUrDNA). Using PCR primers specific for microsporidian SSUrDNA, a single
product was obtained from each species, and heteroduplex analysis indicated a high degree of sequence homology among
the 3 products. In RFLP analysis of the PCR-amplified SSUrDNA, the enzymes AluI and DdeI gave restriction patterns
that differed among all 3 species. Phylogenetic analysis using restriction patterns as differential characters indicated that
Microgemma caulleryi and Tetramicra brevifilum are more closely related to each other than to Pleistophora finisterrensis.
Proteasome inhibitors block intracellular growth and replication of Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: SHAW M. K. , HE C. Y. , ROOS D. S. , TILNEY L. G.
Published: July 2002

Lactacystin, a specific inhibitor of proteasomes in eukaryotic cells, did not block parasite entry or the establishment of the
parasitophorous vacuole, but did inhibit parasite growth and daughter cell budding, as well as DNA synthesis. Two other
proteasome inhibitors, MG-132 and proteasome inhibitor 1, also blocked parasite growth and intracellular development.
Adding lactacystin to established, dividing parasites, rapidly blocked parasite growth and daughter cell budding at all
stages in the process. Pre-treating host cells with lactacystin did not block parasite entry or development. Moreover, under
the conditions used, the host cells appeared not to be adversely affected indicating that host cell proteasome activity was
not essential for parasite entry or development. Concomitant with these effects on parasite growth and division were
morphological changes in the parasite including the appearance of whorls of ER-derived membranes presumably related
to the failure to breakdown misfolded proteins. These changes were specific to lactacystin and were not seen in parasites
treated with other protease inhibitors. Although the ER-derived structures resembled autophagic bodies, similar structures
could not be induced by serum starvation nor did the membranous whorls acidify or undergo morphological changes
consistent with autophagosomal maturation. These results highlight the possible role of proteasome activity in Toxoplasma
in intracellular development and the regulation of parasite replication. However, how the dividing parasite recycles its
organelles and the functional relationship between any lysosomal–autophagic pathway and proteasomes in the parasite
remains unresolved.
Hegesias; the Death-Persuader; or, the Gloominess of Hedonism
Authors: Matson Wallace I.
Published: July 2002

Hegesias (3d c.BC), as hedonist, held that the sage will kill himself. For: One should pursue pleasure and avoid pain. But life is virtually certain to contain more pain than pleasure. Therefore death, which is neither pleasurable nor painful, is better than life.

The flaw in the argument lies in the underlying game-theoretical model of life as a game in which play and payoff are distinct. Hegesias's conclusion, that life is not ‘worth living,’ is inescapable by any philosophy so based, including John Rawls's. Why shouldn't his rational persons behind the veil of ignorance opt for prenatal suicide?
Alternate Possibilities and their Entertainment
Authors: Roush S.
Published: July 2002

In this paper it is argued that Frankfurt's and Strawson's defenses of compatibilism are insufficient due to neglected features of the role of alternate possibilities in assigning moral responsibility. An attempt is made to locate more adequately the genuine source of tension between free will and determinism, in a crowding phenomenon in the view of an action which our concept of responsibility has not grown up coping with. Finally, an argument is made that due to the nature of belief we can believe the thesis of determinism only if it is false, lending support to incompatibilism.
Schizophrenia and familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification: a case report
Authors: CHABOT B. , ROULLAND C. , DOLLFUS S.
Published: July 2002

Background. Familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (FIBGC) is generally associated with neurological and psychiatric symptoms. An association between FIBGC and schizophrenia has been described but it remains uncertain. We studied the relationship between the presence and extent of basal ganglia calcification and schizophrenia in a multiply affected family.

Method. Symmetrical basal ganglia calcifications (BGC) were detected on computerized tomography (CT) in a schizophrenic proband and led us to carry out CTs and standardized psychiatric evaluations (SADS – Endicott & Spitzer, 1978) in all available first-degree relatives (mother and six siblings).

Results. Five subjects had BGC, including three subjects diagnosed as schizophrenic. Three subjects had no BGC and none of them was diagnosed as schizophrenic. We subdivided the BGC into three groups: massive (pallidum, striatum and dentate nuclei affected); medium (pallidum and striatum); and mild (pallidum only). The two subjects with massive BGC and one of the two with medium BGC had schizophrenia. The subject with mild BGC had no psychotic symptoms.

Conclusion. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that BGC favours the occurrence of a schizophrenia-like syndrome and that the risk of occurrence of this syndrome is proportional to the extent of calcification. These findings support the hypothesis that schizophrenia is determined by a disruption of thalamo–cortico–striatal circuits.
The association between psychosis and problematical drug use among Australian adults: findings from the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being
Authors: DEGENHARDT LOUISA , HALL WAYNE
Published: July 2002

Background. The present paper aimed to: (a) provide Australian estimates of the population-level association between psychotic ‘caseness’ and substance use; (b) examine liability to problematical substance use according to ‘caseness’ via the conditional prevalence (prevalence among users); and (c) examine associations between problematical substance use and the number of psychotic symptoms using ordinal logistic regression.

Method. Data were from the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being (NSMHWB), a stratified multi-stage probability sample of Australian adults, using a subset of persons under the age of 50 years (N = 6722). A screener assessed the presence of characteristic psychotic symptoms. Associations between ‘case’ status and DSM-IV alcohol, cannabis and other drug use disorders were examined. Ordinal logistic regressions predicting psychosis scores were carried out, including demographic, mental health and drug use variables.

Results. Ninety-nine persons (1·2 %) screened positively for psychosis. Regular tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use were much more common among persons screening positively, as were alcohol, cannabis and other drug use disorders. Among alcohol and cannabis users, psychosis ‘cases’ were much more likely to be dependent. Ordinal logistic regressions revealed that regular tobacco use, cannabis and alcohol dependence, and opiate abuse were predictors of psychosis scores.

Conclusions. The mental health risks of problematical substance use need to be disseminated to persons at risk of, or suffering from, psychotic illness, and to heavy substance users. Work is needed to develop effective treatment approaches for problematical substance use among persons with psychosis.
Treatment resistant depression and Axis I co-morbidity
Authors: PETERSEN T. , GORDON J. A. , KANT A. , FAVA M. , ROSENBAUM J. F. , NIERENBERG A. A.
Published: July 2002

Background. Treatment resistant depression (TRD) continues to present a formidable challenge to clinicians, accounts for over half of the annual costs associated with treatment for depression and causes great frustration to patients. Although there have been studies attempting to define TRD, little information is available as to the cause of TRD. One suggestion is that patients with TRD have a greater frequency of co-morbid psychiatric disorders, which explains their resistance to standard antidepressant treatments. The objective of this study was to compare the co-morbidity of Axis I disorders between a sample of TRD patients and a sample of non-TRD patients.

Methods. TRD and non-TRD patients, recruited from two separate antidepressant treatment studies, were assessed for Axis I co-morbidity using the SCID-P for the DSM-III-R. Patients for the two samples were then matched for baseline HAM-D-17 total score and gender.

Results. Results reveal that non-TRD patients had a higher rate of both lifetime and current generalized anxiety disorder co-morbidity than did the TRD patients. No other statistically significant differences in Axis I co-morbidity were found.

Conclusions. These findings do not support the idea that current or lifetime Axis I co-morbidity is more common in TRD than non-TRD patients. In fact, the only statistical difference showed non-TRD patients with higher co-morbidity rates.
EDITORIAL: Systematic reviews and meta-analysis
Authors: LEWIS G. , CHURCHILL R. , HOTOPF M.
Published: July 2002

Conclusions about medical interventions or the causes of disease are based upon reviews of the
scientific literature. Single studies usually have limited statistical power or may be difficult to
interpret or generalize and so the findings from a single study can rarely justify a change in clinical
practice or in an aetiological theory. Even when planning larger studies or mega-trials (Yusuf et al.
1984), a thorough review of existing literature is needed and the results of the study need to be
placed in that context, though single studies can exert an important and powerful influence.
Life events, difficulties and depression among women

in an urban setting in Zimbabwe
Authors: BROADHEAD JEREMY C. , ABAS MELANIE A.
Published: July 2002

Background. A previous paper (Abas & Broadhead, 1997)

reported that among 172 women

randomly selected from a Zimbabwean township 30·8% had a

depressive or anxiety disorder during

the previous year. Compared with London, the higher annual

prevalence of disorders in Harare

could mostly be accounted for by an excess of onset cases in the

study year (annual incidence of

depression 18%). This paper reports on the role of life events and

difficulties in the aetiology of

depression among these women.

Method. Randomly selected women (N=172) from a

township in Harare were interviewed with a

Zimbabwean modification of the Bedford College Life Events and

Difficulties Schedule (LEDS).

Results. Events and difficulties proved critical in

provoking the onset of depression in Harare. Far

more events occurring in Harare were severe or disruptive. Furthermore,

a proportion of the Harare

severe events were more threatening than have been described in London.

As in London, certain

types of severe event were particularly depressogenic, i.e. those

involving the woman's humiliation,

her entrapment in an ongoing difficult situation, or bereavement.

However, more severe events in

Harare involved these specific dimensions.

Conclusions. Results indicate a common mechanism for the

development of depression, as defined

by international criteria, between Zimbabwe and London. The high

frequency of severe events, and

their especially adverse qualities, offer an explanation for the

high incidence of depression in Harare.
Dysfunctional parenting as a risk factor to lifetime depression in
a
sample of employed Japanese adults: evidence for the ‘affectionless

control’ hypothesis
Authors: SATO T. , SAKADO K. , UEHARA T. , NARITA T. , HIRANO S. , NISHIOKA K. , KASAHARA Y.
Published: July 2002

Background. Although many case–control
studies have replicated an association between
dysfunctional parenting and a lifetime diagnosis of depression,
few epidemiological studies have
explored the association. In addition, little is known about the
association in non-western countries.

Methods. Using logistic regression analyses, additive and
interactive contributions of parental child-rearing behaviours, as
measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), toward the risk for

having a lifetime diagnosis of major depressive disorder were explored
in 418 employed Japanese
adults. The diagnosis was provided by using the Inventory to Diagnose
Depression, lifetime version.
The analyses were conducted for male and female subjects separately.

Results. Parental care rather than parental protection
was primary in predicting lifetime depression
in both male and female subjects. An interactive combination of low care
and high protection
(‘affectionless control’) was a significant risk factor
for lifetime depression in male respondents'
reporting child-rearing behaviours of both parents and female
respondents' reporting paternal
child-rearing behaviours. Model improvements when entering the PBI scores
were larger in male
subjects than in female subjects.

Conclusions. The results suggested that a combination of
low care and over-protection increases a
risk to lifetime depression even in a non-clinical sample; that an
association between dysfunctional
parenting (particularly low care) and the development of depression is

independent of culture; and
that Japanese boys are more sensitive than Japanese girls to
dysfunctional parenting as regards the development of depression.
Response of hostile individuals to stressful change in
their working lives: test of a psychosocial vulnerability model
Authors: KIVIMÄKI M. , VAHTERA J. , KOSKENVUO M. , UUTELA A. , PENTTI J.
Published: July 2002

Background. According to the psychosocial vulnerability
model,
the health of hostile individuals is
at greater risk than that of non-hostile individuals, due partly to
lesser ability of the former to cope
with psychosocial stress situations. We examined whether hostile
individuals were more vulnerable
than others to health problems when faced with stressful changes in their
working lives.

Methods. Hostility, sickness absence and psychosocial
stressors in 866 local government employees
over a 5-year period, which included severe economic decline, were investigated.
Hostility was
measured by a questionnaire. Data on medically certified sickness absence
were obtained from the
records of the local authority. Information about exposure to psychosocial
stressors after
assessment of hostility was also derived from these records, and from reports
from the subjects.

Results. Exposure to stressors during the period of
economic decline was related to increased rates
of sickness absence. In men, hostility increased risk of sickness
absence after exposure to stressors
only in cases of absence because of trauma. In women, hostility
increased risk of absence through
sickness overall and absence because of musculoskeletal disorders in
individuals facing stressors
such as severe organizational downsizing, high or increased levels of job
demands or negative
change in work. Findings were adjusted for sickness absence at the
beginning of the decline, socio-economic background and behavioural risk
factors.

Conclusions. The psychosocial vulnerability model was partly

supported. However, heightened
vulnerability through hostility may differ between the sexes, since it

was more evident in the women studied than in the men.
Strategies to increase compliance with out-patient
aftercare among patients referred to a psychiatric
emergency department: a multi-centre controlled intervention study
Authors: SPOOREN D. , VAN HEERINGEN C. , JANNES C.
Published: July 2002

Background. Compliance with referral for out-patient
aftercare of psychiatric emergency patients is
limited. This study investigated the efficacy of a combination of
several referral strategies (fixed
appointment, involvement of the family, presence of the aftercare
person, motivational counselling)
in increasing referral and treatment compliance of patients referred
to the psychiatric emergency department of three general hospitals.

Methods. A randomized controlled design was used to assess

the effect of this experimental
condition on referral compliance and on continuation of aftercare treatment.

Results. A significant beneficial effect on compliance
with the referral was found in two hospitals
and a near-significant effect in the third. After 3 months of aftercare,
the influence of the
experimental procedure on adherence to therapy was still significant
in two hospitals, but not in the third.

Conclusions. Helping the patient to attend an initial
appointment can be achieved by a combination
of practical and organizational arrangements.
Aspects of dysphoria and symptoms of schizophrenia
Authors: NORMAN R. M. G. , MALLA A. K. , CORTESE L. , DIAZ F.
Published: July 2002

Background. In the past it has been postulated that dysphoric
emotions may be related to positive
and/or negative symptoms in schizophrenia. The results of several recent
studies have suggested
that composite dysphoria indices are more strongly related to positive
than negative symptoms. In
the current study we use part correlation techniques to examine the possible
unique contributions
of two aspects of dysphoria – depression and anxiety – to three
syndromes of symptoms (reality
distortion, disorganization and psychomotor poverty) within schizophrenia.

Methods. Data were obtained from 60 patients with a DSM-III-R
diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Symptoms of schizophrenia were assessed using the SAPS and SANS and dysphoria
was assessed
using both self-report (BDI and BAI) and observer ratings (HRSD and HARS).
Assessment of
schizophrenia symptoms and ratings of depression and anxiety were completed
by different
observers. In addition, drug induced extrapyramidal side effects were rated.

Results. Part correlations showed that unique aspects of anxiety
(particularly physiological arousal)
were correlated with reality distortion while unique aspects of depression
(including psychomotor
slowing and loss of social interest) were related to psychomotor poverty.
At least part of the latter
relationship may be due to extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptic medication.

Conclusions. Although there is considerable overlap between
anxiety and depression, it appears that
the unique arousing or activating aspects of anxiety are related to the
experience of reality distortion
symptoms in schizophrenia and the unique slowing and withdrawal aspects
of depression are
particularly related to psychomotor poverty. Possible reasons for these
relationships are discussed.
Recovery rates in generalized anxiety disorder
following psychological therapy: an analysis of
clinically significant change in the STAI-T across
outcome studies since 1990
Authors: FISHER PETER L. , DURHAM ROBERT C.
Published: July 2002

Background. There have been six randomized controlled trials of psychological therapy with
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) using DSM-III-R and DSM-IV. All have used the Trait version
of the Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) as one of several outcome measures.
Each study, however, employed different methods of calculating the clinical significance of
outcomes making it difficult to reach a balanced appraisal of the efficacy of psychological treatment.

Methods. Raw data on STAI-T scores at pre-, post- and follow-up were obtained for each of the six
studies (total N=404). Jacobson methodology for defining clinically significant change (criterion
c, reliable change index = 8, cut-off point = 46) was used to allocate each patient to one of four
outcomes: worse, unchanged, improved and recovered. The proportion of patients in each category
was calculated for treatment conditions in each study and also for aggregate data across types of
treatment.

Results. A recovery rate of 40% was found for the sample as a whole with 12 of the 20 treatment
conditions obtaining very modest recovery rates of 30% or less. Two treatment approaches –
individual cognitive behavioural therapy and applied relaxation – do relatively well with overall
recovery rates at 6-month follow-up of 50–60%.

Conclusions. Jacobson methodology, in distinguishing between improvement and recovery on a
standardized measure of general vulnerability to anxiety, provides a stringent but clinically more
meaningful evaluation of the efficacy of psychological therapies with GAD than has been available
hitherto. Systematic focus on either excessive worry or physiological arousal gives worthwhile
results.
Factor analysis of symptoms in schizophrenia:
differences between White and Caribbean patients in
Camberwell
Authors: HUTCHINSON G. , TAKEI N. , SHAM P. , HARVEY I. , MURRAY R. M.
Published: July 2002

Background. The incidence of schizophrenia among African-Caribbeans living in Britain has been
frequently reported to be increased. We sought to determine whether the symptom profile in
schizophrenic patients from this group differed from that of their White counterparts.

Methods. Factor analysis was applied to symptom data obtained by the Present State Examination
(PSE) from a group of White (N=96) and Afro-Caribbean (N=64) patients who satisfied
Research Diagnostic Criteria criteria for broad schizophrenia. We identified six symptom
dimensions: mania, depression, first-rank delusions, other delusions, hallucinations and one which
comprised both manic and catatonic symptoms.

Results. The only difference between the two ethnic groups was seen on the mixed mania-catatonia
dimension with the Afro-Caribbean group being over-represented. There were no other significant
differences between the groups. Discriminant analysis, however, revealed no significant differences
between the groups in any dimension.

Conclusions. These results indicate that there are no differences between White and African-Caribbean patients with schizophrenia in terms of the core symptoms of the disorder, however, the
African-Caribbean patients may present with more symptoms of a mixed affective nature.
The moving parts of voltage-gated ion channels
Authors: YELLEN GARY
Published: July 2002

Ion channels, like many other proteins, have moving parts that perform useful
functions. The channel proteins contain an aqueous, ion-selective pore that
crosses the plasma membrane, and they use a number of distinct ‘gating’
mechanisms to open and close this pore in response to biological stimuli such as
the binding of a ligand or a change in the transmembrane voltage.

This review is written at a watershed in our understanding of ion channels.

1. INTRODUCTION 240

1.1 Basic structure of voltage-activated channels 241

1.2 What are the physical motions of the channel protein during gating? 243

1.3 Gating involves several distinct mechanisms of activation and inactivation 246

2. ACTIVATION GATING 246

2.1 Early evidence for an activation gate at the intracellular mouth 247

2.1.1 Open channel blockade 247

2.1.2 The ‘ foot-in-the-door’ effect 249

2.1.3 Trapping of blockers behind closed activation gates 249

2.2 Site-directed mutagenesis and the difficulty of inferring structural roles from functional effects 250

2.3 State-dependent cysteine modification as a reporter of position and motion 251

2.4 Localization of activation gating 254

2.4.1 The trapping cavity 254

2.4.2 The activation gate 255

2.4.3 Is there more than one site of activation gating? 258

3. INACTIVATION GATING 259

3.1 Ball-and-chain (N-type) inactivation 261

3.1.1 Nature of the ‘ball’ – a tethered blocking particle 262

3.1.2 The ball receptor 263

3.1.3 The chain 264

3.1.4 Variations on the N-type inactivation theme: multiple balls, foreign balls, anti-balls 265

3.2 C-type inactivation 266

3.2.1 C-type inactivation and the outer mouth of the K+channel 266

3.2.2 The selectivity filter participates in C-type inactivation 267

3.2.3 A consistent structural picture of C-type inactivation 269

3.3 By what mechanism do other voltage-gated channels inactivate? 272

4. THE VOLTAGE SENSOR 273

4.1 Quantitative principles of voltage-dependent gating 276

4.2 S4 (and its neighbours) as the principal voltage sensor 277

4.2.1 Mutational effects on voltage-dependence and charge movement 277

4.2.2 Evidence for the translocation of S4 279

4.2.3 Real-time monitoring of S4motion by fluorescence 282

4.3 Coupling between the voltage sensor and gating 283

5. CONCLUSION 284

6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 287

7. REFERENCES 287
Could God's purpose be the source of life's meaning?
Authors: METZ THADDEUS
Published: July 2002

In this paper, I explore the traditional religious account of what can make
a life meaningful, namely, the view that one's life acquires significance insofar as
one fulfils a purpose God has assigned. Call this view ‘purpose theory’. In the
literature, there are objections purporting to show that purpose theory entails the
logical absurdities that God is not moral, omnipotent, or eternal. I show that there
are versions of purpose theory which are not vulnerable to these reductio
arguments. However, I then contend that there is a problem facing purpose theory
which no version can avoid. I argue that the best reason for holding a God-centred
theory of life's meaning logically precludes the possibility of purpose theory being
the correct version of it. More specifically, I argue that if a relationship with God is
necessary for one's life to acquire meaning, this must be because God would have
properties such as atemporality and simplicity, perfections which are incompatible
with purposiveness. I conclude that religious thinkers have good reason to develop
other theories of the way God could confer meaning on our lives.
Religious pluralism
Authors: ROWE WILLIAM L.
Published: July 2002

According to religious pluralism, the profound differences among the
chief objects of adoration in the great religious traditions are largely due to the
different ways in which a single transcendent reality is experienced and conceived
in human life. The most prominent developer and defender of religious pluralism in
the twentieth century is John Hick. Hick uses the expression ‘the Real’ to designate
the transcendent reality ‘authentically experienced’ as the different gods and
impersonal absolutes worshipped in the major religious traditions. A central claim Hick
makes is that, apart from some purely formal characteristics, the Real is ineffable in
that the intrinsic properties making up its nature are beyond the scope of any human
concepts. I explore this central claim and argue that it implies the dubious, if not
incoherent, view that the Real in itself has neither one of many pairs of contradictory
properties.
Cynthia B. Roy, Interpreting as a discourse
process. (Oxford studies in sociolinguistics.) New
York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Pp. v,
141. Hb $35.00.
Authors: Jacobson Holly E.
Published: July 2002

As indicated by the title, this book steers away
from traditional, atheoretical, praxis-oriented frameworks
for studying interpreting. Its strength lies in its call
for research that describes interpreted events
as a means of moving away from prescriptive approaches
to the discipline. The book discusses Roy's own application
of discourse theory in her analysis of a videotaped interpreted
event. The languages represented in that event are American
Sign Language (ASL) and English, but the conclusions and
recommendations made by the author are equally relevant
to both signed and spoken language researchers, interpreters,
interpreter trainers, and interpreters in training. Drawing
on research in interactional sociolinguistics, Conversation
Analysis, and ethnography of communication, Roy provides
a rich description and analysis of a 30-minute meeting
between a deaf student and a professor at a U.S. university.
Through her analysis, Roy challenges the belief that interpreters
serve as a conduit providing direct interaction between
primary interlocutors.
DeGraff, Michel (ed.), Language creation and
language change: Creolization, diachrony and development.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999. Pp x + 573. Hb $65.00.
Authors: Haegeman Liliane
Published: July 2002

As the title suggests, the collection under review
focuses on two related issues in current linguistic research:
language change – with emphasis on diachronic syntax
– and what seems to be the more elusive question
of “language creation” as instantiated in Creole
genesis. The central empirical domain of the latter inquiry,
creolization, constitutes the link between the contributions,
which are all written against a coherent, broadly generative
theoretical background.
Précis of Neural organization: Structure, function, and dynamics
Authors: Arbib Michael A. , Érdi Péter
Published: July 2002

Neural organization: Structure, function, and dynamics shows how theory and experiment can supplement each other in an integrated, evolving account of the brain's structure, function, and dynamics. (1) Structure: Studies of brain function and dynamics build on and contribute to an understanding of many brain regions, the neural circuits that constitute them, and their spatial relations. We emphasize Szentágothai's modular architectonics principle, but also stress the importance of the microcomplexes of cerebellar circuitry and the lamellae of hippocampus. (2) Function: Control of eye movements, reaching and grasping, cognitive maps, and the roles of vision receive a functional decomposition in terms of schemas. Hypotheses as to how each schema is implemented through the interaction of specific brain regions provide the basis for modeling the overall function by neural networks constrained by neural data. Synthetic PET integrates modeling of primate circuitry with data from human brain imaging. (3) Dynamics: Dynamic system theory analyzes spatiotemporal neural phenomena, such as oscillatory and chaotic activity in both single neurons and (often synchronized) neural networks, the self-organizing development and plasticity of ordered neural structures, and learning and memory phenomena associated with synaptic modification. Rhythm generation involves multiple levels of analysis, from intrinsic cellular processes to loops involving multiple brain regions. A variety of rhythms are related to memory functions. The Précis presents a multifaceted case study of the hippocampus. We conclude with the claim that language and other cognitive processes can be fruitfully studied within the framework of neural organization that the authors have charted with John Szentágothai.
Dreaming and REM sleep are controlled by different brain mechanisms
Authors: Solms Mark
Published: July 2002

The paradigmatic assumption that REM sleep is the physiological equivalent of dreaming is in need of fundamental revision. A mounting body of evidence suggests that dreaming and REM sleep are dissociable states, and that dreaming is controlled by forebrain mechanisms. Recent neuropsychological, radiological, and pharmacological findings suggest that the cholinergic brain stem mechanisms that control the REM state can only generate the psychological phenomena of dreaming through the mediation of a second, probably dopaminergic, forebrain mechanism. The latter mechanism (and thus dreaming itself) can also be activated by a variety of nonREM triggers. Dreaming can be manipulated by dopamine agonists and antagonists with no concomitant change in REM frequency, duration, and density. Dreaming can also be induced by focal forebrain stimulation and by complex partial (forebrain) seizures during nonREM sleep, when the involvement of brainstem REM mechanisms is precluded. Likewise, dreaming is obliterated by focal lesions along a specific (probably dopaminergic) forebrain pathway, and these lesions do not have any appreciable effects on REM frequency, duration, and density. These findings suggest that the forebrain mechanism in question is the final common path to dreaming and that the brainstem oscillator that controls the REM state is just one of the many arousal triggers that can activate this forebrain mechanism. The “REM-on” mechanism (like its various NREM equivalents) therefore stands outside the dream process itself, which is mediated by an independent, forebrain “dream-on” mechanism.