bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TRPV1 in colitis: is it a good or a bad receptor? – a viewpoint
Authors: Storr M.
Published: May 2007

Abstract  The role of the transient receptor potential vanilloid‐1 (TRPV1) receptor has been repeatedly investigated in animal models of inflammation. The present issue of Neurogastroenterology and Motility includes another report on this issue and not unexpectedly, many questions on the precise role of TRPV1 receptors in inflammation remain unanswered. This Editorial Viewpoint discusses the present knowledge on TRPV1 receptor involvement in intestinal inflammation and discusses the question whether the TRPV1 has to be regarded as the good or the bad receptor in this context. Since TRPV1 activation turns out being a valuable approach, translation of this knowledge to human disease is highly recommended.
User involvement in the development of a research bid: barriers, enablers and impacts1
Authors: Staniszewska Sophie , Jones Nicola , Newburn Mary , Marshall Shanit
Published: May 2007

Objective  To involve users in the development of a research bid to examine parents’ experiences of having a pre‐term baby, and to examine the barriers, enablers and impacts of user involvement.

Design  A mainly collaborative approach to user involvement was adopted, although different types of involvement were evident at different stages of the project. Users’ experiences and perspectives provided the focus for the regular meetings which underpinned the writing of the research bid. The researcher acted as a facilitator in the development of the bid, with input from users and the wider advisory group.

Main outcomes  User involvement had an important impact on the development of the research aims, methods and on ethical aspects. Through careful collaboration a research bid was produced which was rooted in users’ experiences, whilst also addressing key research questions. Key enablers for involvement included good working relationships, funding for the lead researchers time. Barriers included lack of financial support for users, the time‐consuming nature of involvement and the language of research.

Conclusions  If user involvement remains an international policy imperative with little if any support at the vital stage of bid development, policy‐makers, service user organizations, researchers, health service providers and commissioners will need to recognize the limited nature of involvement that may result and the impact this would have on the evidence base. Researchers will need to recognize the resource implications of involvement at this point, and user groups will need to decide whether to participate when there is the greatest chance of influencing research but little or no funding.
Allergenic pollen and pollen allergy in Europe
Authors: D’Amato G. , Cecchi L. , Bonini S. , Nunes C. , Annesi‐Maesano I. , Behrendt H. , Liccardi G. , Popov T. , Van Cauwenberge P.
Published: May 2007

The allergenic content of the atmosphere varies according to climate, geography and vegetation. Data on the presence and prevalence of allergenic airborne pollens, obtained from both aerobiological studies and allergological investigations, make it possible to design pollen calendars with the approximate flowering period of the plants in the sampling area. In this way, even though pollen production and dispersal from year to year depend on the patterns of preseason weather and on the conditions prevailing at the time of anthesis, it is usually possible to forecast the chances of encountering high atmospheric allergenic pollen concentrations in different areas.

Aerobiological and allergological studies show that the pollen map of Europe is changing also as a result of cultural factors (for example, importation of plants such as birch and cypress for urban parklands), greater international travel (e.g. colonization by ragweed in France, northern Italy, Austria, Hungary etc.) and climate change. In this regard, the higher frequency of weather extremes, like thunderstorms, and increasing episodes of long range transport of allergenic pollen represent new challenges for researchers.

Furthermore, in the last few years, experimental data on pollen and subpollen‐particles structure, the pathogenetic role of pollen and the interaction between pollen and air pollutants, gave new insights into the mechanisms of respiratory allergic diseases.
Molecular and Serological Evidence for Anaplasma platys and Babesia sp. Infection in a Dog, Imported in Belgium, from Southern Spain
Authors: Heyman P. , Duh D. , Van Der Kuylen B. , Cochez C. , Van Esbroeck M. , Vandenvelde C. , Avsic‐Zupanc T.
Published: May 2007

This case report describes a dog suffering from a co‐infection with Babesia and Anaplasma parasites. Anaplasma platys was found to be responsible for the anaplasmosis by molecular biology techniques, while microscopical and serological evidence was found for a coexistent babesiosis, although this could not be confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, the possible risk of import of exotic pathogens is highlighted.
Recurrent Uveitis in Horses: Vitreal Examinations with Ultrastructural Detection of Leptospires
Authors: Brandes K. , Wollanke B. , Niedermaier G. , Brem S. , Gerhards H.
Published: May 2007

This study documents the examination of 17 horses (both sexes, 3–18 years old) suffering from spontaneous equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). Vitreal samples obtained by pars plana vitrectomy were examined macroscopically and ultrastructurally, and in most cases also by cultural examination, by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and by polymerase chain reaction. In 24% (4/17) of the animals, ultrastructural examination by electron microscopy revealed intact leptospiral bacteria in the vitreous. The leptospires were detected freely in the vitreous and also incorporated by a phagocyte. They were surrounded by a rim of proteinaceous material which was reduced around a phagocytosed leptospira. Ninety‐four per cent (16/17) of the vitreal samples presented significant antibody levels in the MAT, mostly against leptospiral serovar Grippotyphosa. Seventy‐five per cent (9/12) of bacterial culture examinations were positive for leptospira. Polymerase chain reaction was positive in all (16/16) examinations performed. Our findings support previous reports suggesting that leptospires play an important role in the pathogenesis of ERU. Interestingly, this study found leptospires after secondary and later acute episodes. A persistent leptospiral infection is therefore suggested as the cause of ERU.
Immunohistochemical Expression of Cyclooxygenase‐2 in Canine Ovarian Carcinomas
Authors: Borzacchiello G. , Russo V. , Russo M.
Published: May 2007

Ovarian tumours among domestic animals are frequently encountered in bitch. Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) expression has been evaluated in different kind of canine primary epithelial neoplasms. Eleven canine ovarian carcinomas and two normal samples were evaluated immunohistochemically for COX‐2 expression. Nine of 11 carcinoma samples (81%) expressed COX‐2 enzyme isoform. The immunoreactivity was intracytoplasmically recorded and the intensity ranged from faint to strong. Our results show that COX‐2 is expressed in canine ovarian carcinoma, suggesting a potential role of COX‐2 in canine ovarian carcinogenesis.
Acclimations of macroalgae as reflected in photosynthetic parameters derived from PAM fluorometry, and possible implications for abundance patterns
Authors: Saroussi Shai , Beer Sven
Published: May 2007

The presences of the common macroalgae Ulva sp. and Jania rubens vary between seasons along the Israeli Mediterranean intertidal zone. To reveal some of the potential acclimation mechanisms of these algae, we examined their photosynthetic traits during the year using rapid light curves (RLC) derived from pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry. In addition, the relationships between those photosynthetic traits and the relative abundances of the two algae were investigated. Ulva sp. showed high maximal electron transport rates (ETRmax) (49.7–68.8 μmol electrons m−2 s−1) and onsets of light saturation values (Ek) (75.8–85.6 μmol photons m−2 s−1) in the winter months of December–February, while low values were found in the summer months of June–July (5.2–20.6 μmol electrons m−2 s−1 and 6.0–23.7 μmol photons m−2 s−1, respectively). At noon time (during the highest irradiance of the day), the maximal effective quantum yield (Y0) did not vary significantly during the year. These results indicate that seasonal irradiance influences the number of reaction centres per thallus area. Both algae showed depressions in Y0 at noon (23.8% for Ulva sp. and 20.3% for Jania rubens), indicating an efficient non‐photochemical quenching mechanism. A positive correlation between the relative abundance and the photosynthetic parameter Y0 was found for Jania rubens when Y0 was sampled in the morning or noon, indicating that growth rate and primary production for this alga can be estimated from RLCs. No such correlation was found for Ulva sp., indicating that, in addition to photosynthetic traits, the relative seasonal abundance of this alga is influenced by other factors such as grazing and/or catastrophic events.
Allergy to tea tree oil: Retrospective review of 41 cases with positive patch tests over 4.5 years
Authors: Rutherford Tim , Nixon Rosemary , Tam Mei , Tate Bruce
Published: May 2007

Tea tree oil use is increasing, with considerable interest in it being a ‘natural’ antimicrobial. It is found in many commercially available skin and hair care products in Australia. We retrospectively reviewed our patch test data at the Skin and Cancer Foundation Victoria over a 4.5‐year period and identified 41 cases of positive reactions to oxidized tea tree oil of 2320 people patch‐tested, giving a prevalence of 1.8%. The tea tree oil reaction was deemed relevant to the presenting dermatitis in 17 of 41 (41%) patients. Of those with positive reactions, 27 of 41 (66%) recalled prior use of tea tree oil and eight of 41 (20%) specified prior application of neat (100%) tea tree oil. Tea tree oil allergic contact dermatitis is under‐reported in the literature but is sufficiently common in Australia to warrant inclusion of tea tree oil, at a concentration of 10% in petrolatum, in standard patch‐test series. Given tea tree oil from freshly opened tea tree oil products elicits no or weak reactions, oxidized tea tree oil should be used for patch testing.
Cutis verticis gyrata: Three cases with different aetiologies that demonstrate the classification system
Authors: Larsen Fiona , Birchall Nicholas
Published: May 2007

Cutis verticis gyrata describes a scalp condition where there are convoluted folds and deep furrows that resemble the surface of the cerebral cortex. We report three cases of cutis verticis gyrata that demonstrate the current classification structure. The first case is the most commonly described primary non‐essential acquired form, appearing in the scalp of an 11‐year‐old girl with mental retardation. The second case is the primary non‐essential congenital form, presenting at birth in a baby with Noonan's syndrome. An association between cutis verticis gyrata and Noonan's syndrome has been rarely described. The third case illustrates secondary cutis verticis gyrata, occurring in a 27‐year‐old man with discoid eczema.
Trichodysplasia spinulosa associated with chemotherapy for acute lymphocytic leukaemia
Authors: Sadler Genevieve M , Halbert Anne R , Smith Nicholas , Rogers Maureen
Published: May 2007

We report two boys with trichodysplasia spinulosa associated with chemotherapy for acute lymphocytic leukaemia. Trichodysplasia spinulosa is a cutaneous viral infection of immunosuppressed patients that causes abnormal hair follicle maturation. Our patients presented with widespread papules, some extruding a central keratin spicule, which were most prominent on the face. Histopathology demonstrated hair follicles dilated by a proliferation of large eosinophilic cells containing numerous abnormal trichohyaline granules. Electron microscopy in case 1 revealed 30‐nm viral particles in the stratum corneum consistent with a papovavirus. In case 1, the eruption persisted despite topical salicyclic acid 4%, ammonium lactate 17.5%, tretinoin 0.05% and oral acitretin. However, it resolved once the patient's immune function returned to normal (total duration of 2 years). In case 2, the eruption spontaneously resolved after 9 months. This case report discusses the characteristic clinicopathological features of trichodysplasia spinulosa and, for the first time, follows the condition's natural history.
Roles of putative neurotransmitters in the regulation of gastric and intestinal slow waves in conscious dogs
Authors: Liu Shi , Xu Junying , Chen Jiande DZ
Published: May 2007

Background and Aims:  Slow waves play an important role in controlling the frequency and propagation of gastrointestinal contractions. However, mechanisms involved in the modulation of slow wave activity in vivo are still unclear. In this study, the roles of different neurotransmitters in the regulation of gastrointestinal slow waves were investigated in conscious dogs.

Methods:  Female dogs implanted with electrodes in the stomach and the small bowel were used in a seven‐session study. Gastrointestinal myoelectrical activity was recorded at baseline and after i.v. saline, atropine, atropine methyl nitrate, guanethidine, Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine (L‐NNA), ondansetron or naloxone.

Results:  Both atropine and atropine methyl nitrate induced tachygastria, bradygastria and arrhythmia. No difference was noted in the effects between atropine and atropine methyl nitrate. L‐NNA increased the dominant frequency of small‐intestinal slow waves but had no effect on gastric slow waves. Guanethidine, ondansetron and naloxone did not affect the dominant frequency, power or percentage of normal gastrointestinal slow waves.

Conclusion:  Acetylcholine acting at muscarinic receptors seems to play an important role in the regulation of gastric slow waves. Nitric oxide may play a role in modulating intestinal slow waves but not gastric slow waves. Sympathetic pathways, 5‐HT3 receptors and opioid receptors (especially μ‐opioid receptors) do not play a role in the regulation of gastric or intestinal slow waves under normal physiological conditions.
Traumatic pneumatocoele
Authors: MAIMON Nimrod M. , DAY Anna
Published: May 2007

Abstract:  An 18‐year‐old patient had a large traumatic pulmonary pneumatocoele diagnosed 5 years after being involved in motor vehicle accident. She had minimal symptoms and CXR and pulmonary function tests were unremarkable; diagnosis was by CT scan.
Mycoplasma pneumonia: Clinical and radiographic features in 39 children
Authors: HSIEH SHU‐CHIANG , KUO YUNG‐TING , CHERN MING‐SHENG , CHEN CHIA‐YUEN , CHAN WING P. , YU CHUN
Published: May 2007

Background: The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate the clinical and chest radiographic features of pediatric patients with serologically proven Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (mycoplasma pneumonia).

Methods: The clinical records and chest radiographs of 39 consecutive patients (19 male, 20 female; age 3–13 years) with serologically positive IgG and IgM mycoplasma pneumonia were reviewed.

Results: More than 90% of patients presented with fever and cough and 48% of patients had leukocyte count >10 000/mm3. A C‐reactive protein (CRP) level >0.375 mg/dL was noted in 28 patients (72%). Chest radiographs displayed four different patterns: (i) peribronchial and perivascular interstitial infiltrates (n= 19, 49%); (ii) airspace consolidations (n= 15, 38%); (iii) reticulonodular opacification (n= 3, 8%); and (iv) nodular or mass‐like opacification (n= 2, 5%). Bilateral peribronchial perivascular interstitial infiltrations in central and middle lung zones were frequently seen (n= 19, 49%). Other radiological features were bilateral lesions in 51% of patients, pleural effusion in 23%, and hilar lymphadenopathy in 13%. Means of duration for treatment response and hospitalization were 2.5 and 5 days, respectively.

Conclusion: There are various radiological features of mycoplasma pneumonia in children. Bilateral peribronchial and perivascular interstitial infiltrates were most frequently seen in the present patients.
Assessment of variables affecting flow propagation velocity of the left ventricle in healthy children
Authors: HASHIMOTO IKUO , UESE KEI‐ICHIRO , WATANABE SAYAKA , WATANABE KAZUHIRO , HIRONO KEIICHI , ICHIDA FUKIKO , MIYAWAKI TOSHIO
Published: May 2007

Background: The purpose of the present study was to establish the normal values of flow propagation velocity (FPV) in healthy children and examine the variables that affect FPV in clinical situations.

Methods: Two hundred and thirty‐ five healthy children and adolescents were assessed (aged 0–22.6 years, mean age 7.4 ± 5.4 years; male, n = 142; female, n = 93). FPV was obtained from an apical four‐chamber view and determined as the slope of aliasing velocity of early diastolic transmitral flow on the color M‐mode using Aloka SSD‐5500 with 5.0 MHz transducer. Aliasing velocity was set at 50–70% of the peak transmitral flow velocity. Peak transmitral flow velocities in early diastole (E) and during atrial contraction (A), and the ratio of early to late peak velocity (E/A) were obtained. Tei index was also measured for analysis of general left ventricular performance. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was obtained from conventional echo measurement. E, E/A, Tei index and LVMI were compared with FPV in healthy subjects.

Results: FPV obtained from all subjects ranged from 23.7 to 96.0 cm/s (61.3 ± 13.6 cm/s). Normal value of FPV was less dependent on age, body size, heart rate and left ventricular dimension. In contrast, although there was no significant correlation between FPV and ejection fraction, statistically significant correlation was found between FPV, LVMI (P = 0.0008) and Tei index (P = 0.025).

Conclusions: FPV is independent of age, body size and heart rate and is useful to assess left ventricular relaxation in children.
Serum zinc levels in children with acute gastroenteritis
Authors: ÖLMEZ AKGÜN , YALÇIN S. SONGÜL , YURDAKÖK KADRIYE , COSKUN TURGAY
Published: May 2007

Background: The aim of the present study was to determine the serum zinc levels on admission and 7–10 days after clinical recovery from acute gastroenteritis of <8 days’ duration.

Methods: This prospective study included 82 infants aged 2–24 months who had no associated bacterial infection, chronic disease, prior antibiotic use, moderate or severe malnutrition or dysentery. Forty‐one healthy children formed the control group.

Results: The mean serum zinc level on admission (Zn1) was 11.85 ± 2.83 μmol/L and at 7–10 days after recovery (Zn2) was 10.92 ± 2.17 μmol/L; mean serum zinc level of the control group was 11.81 ± 3.45 μmol/L. Zn2 was significantly lower than Zn1, but there was no statistical difference between the mean of the control group and Zn1 and Zn2. When dehydrated patients were excluded from the patient group, Zn1 and Zn2 did not differ. Although asymptomatic, 39% of the control group had low zinc. Serum zinc levels were not affected by sex, age, clinical characteristics of the patients or severity of gastroenteritis.

Conclusion: Serum zinc levels of the patients admitted with acute gastroenteritis without any other disease and without moderate or severe malnutrition were not affected by disease state. Gastroenteritis did not further decrease serum zinc levels in patients with asymptomatic or subclinical zinc deficiency.
Clinical spectrum of tuberculous pleural effusion in children
Authors: CHIU CHIH‐YUNG , WU JUN‐HO , WONG KIN‐SUN
Published: May 2007

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and potentially diagnostic specimens of pediatric patients with tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) to make a prompt diagnosis.

Methods: Children who had TPE from September 1997 to December 2003 were retrospectively reviewed at a tertiary pediatric facility in northern Taiwan.

Results: There were seven boys and six girls and their ages ranged from 10 to 17 years (average, 14.6 years). Tuberculosis contact history was identified in only six patients (46%). Fever (12/92%), cough (9/69%) and malaise (6/46%) were the most common symptoms. Normal leukocyte count was found in 12 patients (92%). Chest radiograph review showed unilateral pleural effusion in 12 patients (92%) but parenchymal involvement was found in nine patients (69%). Most of the pleural fluid analysis showed a lymphocytic exudative effusion (5/6). The acid‐fast bacilli (AFB) stain of sputum, gastric washing, and pleural aspirate was positive in six of 11 (55%), two of seven (29%), and one of five (20%) patients, respectively. Culture of sputum, gastric washing, and pleural aspirate yielded Mycobacterium tuberculosis in four of 11 (36%), two of seven (29%), and two of five (40%) patients, respectively. A total of 6 to 9 months of multiple‐drug therapy for tuberculosis was successful without sequale.

Conclusions: Tuberculous pleural effusion usually presents as an acute illness and should always be considered in the differential diagnosis for older children and adolescents with pneumonia. A normal leukocyte count with a lymphocytic exudative effusion may provide a clue to the correct diagnosis of TPE. Diagnostic specimen of sputum seems more effective and sensitive in childhood TPE, especially those having pulmonary involvement.
Role of psychological factors in studying recovery from a transactional stress‐coping approach: Implications for mental health nursing practices
Authors: Provencher Helene L.
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACT:  Over the last decade, the experience of recovering from psychiatric disabilities has received increased attention in mental health nursing. Recovery is a complex experience that can be understood in terms of construct, process, and outcomes. New theoretical frameworks are needed to better understand antecedents, process variables, and outcomes related to recovery. Considering that recovery is a stressful and challenging experience, the transactional stress‐coping theory appears relevant to explore the appraisal and coping processes involved in recovery. Based on this theory, a new framework has been built to better understand the phenomenon of stress in recovery. More specifically, a review of the recovery literature had led to the identification of several key recovery concepts, which were then linked to major stress‐coping concepts, namely contextual factors, potential stressors, primary and secondary appraisals, coping strategies, and short‐term and long‐term outcomes. This paper focuses on specific types of personal characteristics that are included in the broad category of contextual factors, namely psychological factors. These factors may act as coping resources, helping people to deal successfully with events interfering with the achievement of recovery goals. The main purpose of this paper is to offer a detailed discussion about how mental health nursing practices may promote the role of psychological factors within the stress‐coping process. Three categories of psychological factors are discussed: views about oneself, psychological empowerment, and personal/philosophical orientations in life. A brief summary of the new framework is first offered to introduce its major concepts and basic mechanisms.
Consumer advocate and clinician perceptions of consumer participation in two rural mental health services
Authors: Kidd Susan , Kenny Amanda , Endacott Ruth
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACT:  Consumer participation has been heralded as the integration of consumer perspectives into standard mental health care. Using a qualitative descriptive method, this study had two broad aims. First, the study aimed to explore the perceptions of consumer advocates and clinicians regarding consumer participation in two new regional mental health services. Second, the study aimed to explore how broad policy initiatives, related to consumer participation, are enacted at a service delivery level. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 10 participants, recruited from the steering committees of both services. Although all participants uniformly commended consumer participation as a reality in mental health services, its breadth and depth of influence was not enacted. A systemic change to the way consumer participation is funded and incorporated into mental health services is required. The incorporation of consumers as stakeholders within mental health services requires commitment to the idea, the establishment of clear purposes and roles, and commensurate funding to enable consumers to be stakeholders with similar resources to other stakeholder groups.
Microbial communities and geochemical dynamics in an extremely acidic, metal‐rich stream at an abandoned sulfide mine (Huelva, Spain) underpinned by two functional primary production systems
Authors: Rowe Owen F. , Sánchez‐España Javier , Hallberg Kevin B. , Johnson D. Barrie
Published: May 2007

An extremely acidic (pH 2.5–2.75) metal‐rich stream draining an abandoned mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, Spain, was ramified with stratified macroscopic gelatinous microbial growths (‘acid streamers’ or ‘mats’). Microbial communities of streamer/mat growths sampled at different depths, as well as those present in the stream water itself, were analysed using a combined biomolecular and cultivation‐based approach. The oxygen‐depleted mine water was dominated by the chemolithotrophic facultative anaerobe Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, while the streamer communities were found to be highly heterogeneous and very different to superficially similar growths reported in other extremely acidic environments. Microalgae accounted for a significant proportion of surface streamer biomass, while subsurface layers were dominated by heterotrophic acidophilic bacteria (Acidobacteriacae and Acidiphilium spp.). Sulfidogenic bacteria were isolated from the lowest depth streamer growths, where there was also evidence for selective biomineralization of copper sulfide. Archaeal clones (exclusively Euryarchaeota) were recovered from streamer samples, as well as the mine stream water. Both sunlight and reduced inorganic chemicals (predominantly ferrous iron) served as energy sources for primary producers in this ecosystem, promoting complex microbial interactions involving transfer of electron donors and acceptors and of organic carbon, between microorganisms in the stream water and the gelatinous streamer growths. Microbial transformations were shown to impact the biogeochemical cycling of iron and sulfur in the acidic stream, severely restricting the net oxidation of ferrous iron even when the initially anoxic waters were oxygenated by indigenous acidophilic algae. A model accounting for the biogeochemistry of iron and sulfur in the mine waters is described, and the significance of the acidophilic communities in regulating the geochemistry of acidic, metal‐rich waters is described.
Sustainable Leadership and Development in Education: creating the future, conserving the past
Authors: HARGREAVES ANDY
Published: May 2007

This article addresses how to reconcile the creative and innovative emphases of future knowledge societies with the needs and demands for longer term sustainable development of enduring and worthwhile practices — within education and beyond it. Drawing on a theoretical framework of organisational memory and sustainability, the article argues that most change efforts deny or demean the past in an attempt to promise a better future, and need instead to build improvement efforts in ways that connect their future and their past.
Learning in the Age of Networked Intelligence
Authors: TUOMI ILKKA
Published: May 2007

The article presents ten theoretically substantiated ‘theses’ on future education and learning, highlighting emerging trends that will shape educational systems. The focus is on the impact of innovation economy and knowledge society on learning. Specifically, the article elaborates the changing dynamics of production models since the first industrial revolution, arguing that in the last few years we have been in the midst of a globalisation process that is qualitatively different from the earlier ones. This new model has consequences, for example, for skill demands and their regional distribution. More fundamentally, this ‘third globalisation’ makes innovation the key source of economic value, pushing educational systems from adaptive towards creative learning models. In implementing such creative pedagogies, traditional models of innovation become inadequate. The article therefore describes recent developments in innovation research and outlines a new theoretical view on innovation which connects innovation with social change and learning. This ‘downstream’ innovation model highlights the active and creative role of user communities in making innovations real. As the economic and social importance of ‘downstream’ innovation is becoming increasingly visible, educational institutions and learning activity will change. Policymakers will have to answer the question: Why will we need education in the future?
Optimization of parameters in the emulsification process by two different methods
Authors: CARLOTTI M.E. , PATTARINO F. , GASCO M.R. , BRUSASCA P.
Published: May 2007

Synopsis

An O/W emulsion with a lipopeptidic emulsifier was optimized by means of two different methods, specifically by experimental design and by selective variation of the parameters. Two optimized emulsions were obtained; they had similar values of emulsification (time and rate of homogenization) and amounts of components.

Une émulsion O/E, avec un lipopeptide comme tensioactif, a été optimisée par deux méthodes d'optimisation différentes, notamment par l'experimental design et par la variation selective de certain paramètres. Deux émulsions optimisées ont été ainsi obtenues: ces émulsions ont des valeurs d'emulsification (temp et vitesse d'homogénéisation) et des quantités des composantes très proches.
The Corporatization and Commercialization of Local Body Entities: A Study of Reported Financial Performance
Authors: Hooks Jill , Van Staden Chris
Published: May 2007

This research examines the financial performance of three entities over a fifteen‐year period. The aim is to determine the influence of corporatization, commercialization and ownership form on the reported financial performance of the three entities. Underpinning this is the premise, derived from the literature, that financial performance and funding can be expected to change following corporatization and commercialization and will reflect the effects of the form of corporate ownership.

A comparison of four performance measures shows that the reported financial performance of the entities improved following corporatization and that their gearing changed. Although the entities were initially similar and faced the same regulatory changes, there were definite differences in the resulting financial performance and gearing between the three entities. In general, by the end of the study period the privatized company was the largest and the one with the highest gearing, the highest ROA and the highest profit margin, whereas the public (council‐owned) company was the smallest and had the lowest profitability. The trust‐owned company performed in between these two, but on average its performance was closer to that of the public company. The study concludes that corporatization, commercialization and ownership form influenced financial performance and the level of debt funding.
Enculturated chimpanzees imitate rationally
Authors: Buttelmann David , Carpenter Malinda , Call Josep , Tomasello Michael
Published: May 2007

Human infants imitate others’ actions ‘rationally’: they copy a demonstrator's action when that action is freely chosen, but less when it is forced by some constraint (Gergely, Bekkering & Király, 2002). We investigated whether enculturated chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) also imitate rationally. Using Gergely and colleagues’ (2002) basic procedure, a human demonstrator operated each of six apparatuses using an unusual body part (he pressed it with his forehead or foot, or sat on it). In the Hands Free condition he used this unusual means even though his hands were free, suggesting a free choice. In the Hands Occupied condition he used the unusual means only because his hands were occupied, suggesting a constrained or forced choice. Like human infants, chimpanzees imitated the modeled action more often in the Hands Free than in the Hands Occupied condition. Enculturated chimpanzees thus have some understanding of the rationality of others’ intentional actions, and use this understanding when imitating others.
The leptin melanocortin pathway and the control of body weight: lessons from human and murine genetics
Authors: Oswal A. , Yeo G. S. H.
Published: May 2007

The recent rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity across the world is undoubtedly due to changes in diet and lifestyle. However, it is also indisputable that different people react differently to this change in environment and this variation in response is likely to be genetically determined. While for the majority of people this effect is presumed to be polygenic in origin, there is now strong evidence for a small number of genes having a large effect in some families with severe obesity. Studies of these families, coupled with parallel studies in murine models, have provided novel insights into the molecules involved in the regulation of appetite, energy expenditure and nutrient partitioning. We review here the lessons we have learnt from mouse models of obesity, both naturally occurring and artificially generated through targeted gene deletions, and more importantly from human monogenic syndromes of obesity. These have illuminated the critical role in which the central leptin melanocortin pathway plays in the control of mammalian food intake and body weight.
On the Adoption of Genetically Modified Seeds in Developing Countries and the Optimal Types of Government Intervention
Authors: Basu Arnab K. , Qaim Matin
Published: May 2007

Given the proprietary nature of most genetically modified (GM) seed technologies, the question arises as to how farmers in developing countries can gain proper access. Based on empirical observations, a theoretical model is developed, focusing on farmers' adoption decisions in response to pricing strategies of a foreign monopolist and a domestic supplier of conventional seeds. Government interventions, such as seed subsidies, encouragement of R&D, and intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement, and their effects on GM coverage and national welfare are analyzed. The possibility of the government obtaining a license to distribute GM seeds domestically through a transfer to the monopolist is also considered.
Structural Estimation of Rank‐Order Tournament Games with Private Information
Authors: Vukina Tomislav , Zheng Xiaoyong
Published: May 2007

In this article we propose and solve a game‐theoretic model of a rank‐order tournament with private information. Using the contract settlement data from a poultry company, we estimate a fully structural model of a symmetric Nash equilibrium of this game. We show that growers' equilibrium effort depends on four factors: the spread in piece rates between the performance brackets, the number of players in each tournament, the number of performance brackets used, and the density of growers' private shocks. We use estimates to simulate how changes in the tournament characteristics affecting equilibrium effort impact the growers' and the integrator's welfare.
Risk, Wealth, and Sectoral Choice in Rural Credit Markets
Authors: Boucher Steve , Guirkinger Catherine
Published: May 2007

We model the role of the informal credit sector in developing countries. The informational advantage of informal lenders is portrayed as the ability to monitor borrowers. Monitoring reduces the incentive problem and allows for contracts with lower collateral. This enables informal lenders to serve both individuals who cannot post the collateral required by the formal sector and those who are able but do not want to post collateral. The model is consistent with the conventional view of the informal sector as recipient of spillover demand from the formal sector. It also shows that the informal sector may provide partial insurance as the lower collateral requirement implies greater consumption smoothing for borrowers.
Exploring inclusive education: early steps for prospective secondary school teachers
Authors: Pearson Sue
Published: May 2007

Recent changes in the structure of initial teacher education have resulted in teacher training institutions having to think again about how they address the issue of inclusion within their provision. In this article, Sue Pearson, who co‐ordinates the MA (SEN) programme in the School of Education at the University of Leeds, and who contributes to Post Graduate Certificate in Education training, reports on developments in the training of secondary phase geography teachers. The article examines the planning, development and evaluation of a session which was designed to complement students' school‐based experiences and other university‐based sessions. The activity was co‐taught by the geography and inclusive education tutors. The tutors used activity theory to analyse the elements of inclusive education and drew upon the literature related to the training of health professionals to design the session. This led to the adoption of a problem‐based learning approach involving simulation activity. Sue Pearson provides details of the planned session together with evaluations from the tutors and students. She argues that this type of session, early in the university‐based part of the course, provides a productive environment in which prospective teachers can be alerted to some of the complexities and uncertainties of inclusive education. While the initiative described here was matched to circumstances at the University of Leeds, the collaboration between tutors, the planning process and the style of activity have wider implications.
Description, Ascription, and Action in the Criminal Law
Authors: D'ALMEIDA LUÍS DUARTE
Published: May 2007

Abstract.  My main purpose is to suggest that H. L. A. Hart's infamous “ascriptivism”1 may be of considerable pertinence to the assessment of the nature of justificatory claims in the criminal law; in passing, I argue that ascriptivism gives no cause for infamy. My suggestion is developed in Part III: As it depends on some reformulation and endorsement of Hart's ideas, I discuss the “ascriptive” and “defeasible” character of the concept of action in Part II, and therein try to dismiss some of the severe criticism that ascriptivism has given rise to since its proposal. This criticism, I shall argue, often relies upon a poor or uncharitable interpretation of Hart's instrumental characterization of the “defeasibility” of legal concepts; for this reason, Part I is dedicated to a reconstructive elucidation of Hart's account of “conceptual defeasibility.”2
The Optimal Discovery Procedure: A New Approach to Simultaneous Significance Testing
Authors: Storey John D.
Published: May 2007

The Neyman–Pearson lemma provides a simple procedure for optimally testing a single hypothesis when the null and alternative distributions are known. This result has played a major role in the development of significance testing strategies that are used in practice. Most of the work extending single-testing strategies to multiple tests has focused on formulating and estimating new types of significance measures, such as the false discovery rate. These methods tend to be based on p-values that are calculated from each test individually, ignoring information from the other tests. I show here that one can improve the overall performance of multiple significance tests by borrowing information across all the tests when assessing the relative significance of each one, rather than calculating p-values for each test individually. The ‘optimal discovery procedure’ is introduced, which shows how to maximize the number of expected true positive results for each fixed number of expected false positive results. The optimality that is achieved by this procedure is shown to be closely related to optimality in terms of the false discovery rate. The optimal discovery procedure motivates a new approach to testing multiple hypotheses, especially when the tests are related. As a simple example, a new simultaneous procedure for testing several normal means is defined; this is surprisingly demonstrated to outperform the optimal single-test procedure, showing that a method which is optimal for single tests may no longer be optimal for multiple tests. Connections to other concepts in statistics are discussed, including Stein's paradox, shrinkage estimation and the Bayesian approach to hypothesis testing.
Dimension Reduction and Coefficient Estimation in Multivariate Linear Regression
Authors: Yuan Ming , Ekici Ali , Lu Zhaosong , Monteiro Renato
Published: May 2007

We introduce a general formulation for dimension reduction and coefficient estimation in the multivariate linear model. We argue that many of the existing methods that are commonly used in practice can be formulated in this framework and have various restrictions. We continue to propose a new method that is more flexible and more generally applicable. The method proposed can be formulated as a novel penalized least squares estimate. The penalty that we employ is the coefficient matrix's Ky Fan norm. Such a penalty encourages the sparsity among singular values and at the same time gives shrinkage coefficient estimates and thus conducts dimension reduction and coefficient estimation simultaneously in the multivariate linear model. We also propose a generalized cross-validation type of criterion for the selection of the tuning parameter in the penalized least squares. Simulations and an application in financial econometrics demonstrate competitive performance of the new method. An extension to the non-parametric factor model is also discussed.
Use‐dependent control of presynaptic calcium signalling at central synapses
Authors: Scott Ricardo
Published: May 2007

Voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels activated by action potentials evoke Ca2+ entry into presynaptic terminals thus briefly distorting the resting Ca2+ concentration. When this happens, a number of processes are initiated to re‐establish the Ca2+ equilibrium. During the post‐spike period, the increased Ca2+ concentration could enhance the presynaptic Ca2+ signalling. Some of the mechanisms contributing to presynaptic Ca2+ dynamics involve endogenous Ca2+ buffers, Ca2+ stores, mitochondria, the sodium–calcium exchanger, extraterminal Ca2+ depletion and presynaptic receptors. Additionally, subthreshold presynaptic depolarization has been proposed to have an effect on release of neurotransmitters through a mechanism involving changes in resting Ca2+. Direct evidence for the role of any of these participants in shaping the presynaptic Ca2+ dynamics comes from direct recordings of giant presynaptic terminals and from fluorescent Ca2+ imaging of axonal boutons. Here, some of this evidence is presented and discussed.
The asymmetry of avian egg‐shape: an adaptation for reproduction on dry land
Authors: Mao Kun‐Ming , Murakami Ayako , Iwasawa Atsushi , Yoshizaki Norio
Published: May 2007

The present study describes the biological meaning of the asymmetrical shape in avian reproduction using quail. During the incubation of eggs, water was gradually lost and the air chamber which appeared in between the inner and outer shell membranes at the blunt end expanded, so that the angle made by the long egg‐axis and the horizontal line increased, presumably because the centre of gravity of the egg contents moved toward the sharp end. The increase in angle occurred in both fertile and infertile eggs, suggesting that this phenomenon occurs irrespective of fertility and is due to the asymmetrical shape. The increase in the volume of the air chamber resulted in an increase in the area of the inner shell membrane at the chamber to satisfy the amount of gas exchange needed by the developing embryo for better hatching. We isolated a 300‐kDa protein from the inner shell membrane. It was produced by cells in the luminal epithelium of the oviductal isthmus and was found in the cortex of the fibres of shell membranes and a lining surrounding the air chamber. The lining comprised a medial layer between the inner and outer shell membranes in uterine eggs. The asymmetrical ellipsoid produces the air chamber at the blunt end of the avian egg during its sojourn in the oviductal isthmus, to maintain the blunt end up after oviposition and to raise that end during incubation in a dry environment, leading to high hatchability.
Thinking ahead: The role and roots of prediction in language comprehension
Authors: Federmeier Kara D.
Published: May 2007

Reviewed are studies using event‐related potentials to examine when and how sentence context information is used during language comprehension. Results suggest that, when it can, the brain uses context to predict features of likely upcoming items. However, although prediction seems important for comprehension, it also appears susceptible to age‐related deterioration and can be associated with processing costs. The brain may address this trade‐off by employing multiple processing strategies, distributed across the two cerebral hemispheres. In particular, left hemisphere language processing seems to be oriented toward prediction and the use of top‐down cues, whereas right hemisphere comprehension is more bottom‐up, biased toward the veridical maintenance of information. Such asymmetries may arise, in turn, because language comprehension mechanisms are integrated with language production mechanisms only in the left hemisphere (the PARLO framework).
Calcite and dolomite dissolution rates in the context of microbe–mineral surface interactions
Authors: DAVIS K. J. , NEALSON K. H. , LÜTTGE A.
Published: May 2007

Although microbes have been shown to alter the dissolution rate of carbonate minerals, a mechanistic understanding of the consequences of microbial surface colonization on carbonate dissolution has yet to be achieved. Here we report the use of vertical scanning interferometry (VSI) to study the effect of Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 surface colonization on the dissolution rates of calcite (CaCO3) and dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) through qualitative analysis of etch pit development and quantitative measurements of surface‐normal dissolution rates. By quantifying and comparing the significant processes occurring at the microbe–mineral interface, the dominant mechanism of mineral dissolution during surface colonization was determined. MR‐1 attachment under aerobic conditions was found to influence carbonate dissolution through two distinct mechanistic pathways: (1) inhibition of carbonate dissolution through interference with etch pit development and (2) excavation of carbonate material at the cell–mineral interface during irreversible attachment to the mineral surface. The relative importance of these two competing effects was found to vary with the solubility of the carbonate mineral studied. For the faster‐dissolving calcite substrates, inhibition of dissolution by attachment and subsequent extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production was the dominant effect associated with MR‐1 surface colonization. This interference with etch pit development resulted in a 40–70% decrease in the surface normal dissolution rate relative to cell‐free controls, depending primarily on the concentration of cells in solution. However, in the case of the slower‐dissolving dolomite substrates, carbonate material displaced during the entrenchment of cells on the surface far outweighed the abiotic dissolution rate. Therefore, during the initial stages of surface colonization, dolomite dissolution rates were actually enhanced by MR‐1 attachment. This study demonstrates the dynamic and competitive relationship between microbial surface colonization and mineral dissolution that may be expected to occur in natural environments.