bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Not enough niches: non‐equilibrial processes promoting species coexistence in diverse ant communities
Authors: ANDERSEN ALAN N.
Published: February 2008

Abstract Explanations for species coexistence in ant communities have traditionally focused on niche partitioning, particularly relating to differences in diet, foraging times and nesting requirements. Although niche separation is undoubtedly important, it seems insufficient to account for the high levels of local species richness that are commonly observed. This paper explores alternative explanations for ant species coexistence, focusing on factors that prevent competitive exclusion in diverse ant communities experiencing high levels of behavioural dominance, such as characteristically occurs in Australia. Very high species densities require two conditions to be met: first, a large number of species must successfully establish; and second, there must be a high rate of species persistence once established. In this context I advance five propositions based around three sets of arguments. First, ant sociality and modularity confers a high level of persistence once colonies are established, so that species coexistence is determined to a significant extent by processes operating at the establishment phase, rather than just by interactions between established colonies. Second, competitive outcomes are highly conditioned by environmental variation, which severely limits competitive exclusion. Finally, dominant species are highly patchy in space, and cannot comprehensively monopolize resources, such that there will usually be room for low densities of subordinate species. These propositions have relevance to neutral theories of community ecology, and to understanding intercontinental differences in local species richness.
First‐episode psychosis: A literature review
Authors: Reed Simone I.
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT:  This paper reports on a literature review of the impacts of first‐episode psychosis on both the patient and their family and carers. The discussion focuses on the effects on the patient experiencing psychotic symptoms for the first time, including disruption to their environment, social connectedness, and future plans. Patients experiencing these symptoms can experience fear, distress, and isolation. Many of these patients are also at greater risk to themselves and others. The family and carers witnessing this psychosis may experience fear, guilt, and often carry the emotional and physical burden of care. Early intervention and treatment are crucial to potentially achieving better clinical outcomes, and to alleviating the psychological impact on patients and their families. The nurse's role in the treatment of the patient experiencing first‐episode psychosis is to facilitate early intervention through recognition of symptoms and ongoing assessment, work to reduce a patient's risks, manage treatments, and work with the patient to reduce the risk of relapse.
Determining the effectiveness of mental health services from a consumer perspective: Part 1: Enhancing recovery
Authors: Happell Brenda
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT:  The routine use of standardized instruments to measure consumer outcomes is now part of mental health policy throughout Australia. However, it has been broadly criticized for (i) not involving consumer input into the design of instruments; and (ii) not reflecting the aspects of care and treatment considered beneficial for recovery by consumers themselves. The importance of the concept of recovery is increasingly considered in the literature. Despite this, there is a paucity of research describing the effectiveness of services in promoting recovery from the perspective of consumers of mental health services. The aim of this study is to explore consumer perspectives in relation to the factors that promote and impede recovery, and the principles that ideally should underpin the evaluation of services. Focus group interviews were conducted with consumers of mental health services (n = 16) from one rural and one metropolitan mental health service in Victoria, Australia. This paper presents Part 1 of the findings, pertaining to aspects of mental health services that enhance recovery. Two main themes arose during the data analysis process: (i) treatment; and (ii) support and social connectedness. Various treatment strategies, including medication and spiritual involvement, were considered helpful. However, support from both staff and peers emerged as a more important and influential factor.
Differential activation of PKCδ in the substantia nigra of rats following striatal or nigral 6‐hydroxydopamine lesions
Authors: Hanrott Katharine , Murray Tracey K. , Orfali Zeina , Ward Mark , Finlay Clare , O'Neill Michael J. , Wonnacott Susan
Published: February 2008

Parkinsonian neurodegeneration is associated with heightened levels of oxidative stress and the activation of apoptotic pathways. In an in vitro cellular model, we reported that 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) induces apoptotic cell death via the induction of mitochondrial dysfunction, the activation of caspase 3 and the consequent proteolytic activation of the redox‐sensitive kinase, protein kinase C (PKC)δ, in PC12 cells. Here we have investigated the involvement of PKCδ in 6‐OHDA‐induced cell death in vivo. The nigrostriatal pathway of rats was lesioned by unilateral infusion of 6‐OHDA into either the striatum or substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Infusion into the SNpc resulted in rapid loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)‐positive cells (87% decrease after 4 days), consistent with a necrotic‐like mode of cell death. In contrast, striatal infusion initiated a slower, progressive decline in TH immunoreactivity (25% decrease in the SNpc after 4 days); cell appearance was characteristic of apoptosis. This is consistent with a transient increase in active caspase 3 immunoreactivity at 4 days post‐infusion, and a concomitant proteolytic activation of PKCδ in the SNpc of striatal‐lesioned rats. Cleavage of PKCδ did not occur in the striatum or cerebellum of lesioned animals, or in the SNpc of sham‐operated controls. No increase in caspase 3 immunoreactivity or proteolytic activation of PKCδ was detected in nigral‐lesioned rats. These results suggest that after 6‐OHDA infusion into the striatum, retrograde neurotoxicity induces caspase 3‐dependent PKCδ proteolytic activation in the cell bodies of the SNpc, implicating this kinase in the neurodegenerative process.
Risk factors for laryngospasm in children during general anesthesia
Authors: FLICK RANDALL P. , WILDER ROBERT T. , PIEPER STEPHEN F. , VanKOEVERDEN KEVIN , ELLISON KYLE M. , MARIENAU MARY E.S. , HANSON ANDREW C. , SCHROEDER DARRELL R. , SPRUNG JURAJ
Published: February 2008

Background:  Laryngospasm is a common and often serious adverse respiratory event encountered during anesthetic care of children. We examined, in a case control design, the risk factors for laryngospasm in children.

Material and Methods:  The records of 130 children identified as having experienced laryngospasm under general anesthesia were examined. Cases were identified from those prospectively entered into the Mayo Clinic performance improvement database between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2005. Potential demographic, patient, surgical and anesthetic related risk factors were determined in a 1 : 2 case–control study.

Results:  No individual demographic factors were found to be significantly associated with risk for laryngospasm. However, multivariate analysis demonstrated significant associations between laryngospasm and intercurrent upper respiratory infection (OR 2.03 P = 0.022) and the presence of an airway anomaly (OR = 3.35, P = 0.030). Among those experiencing laryngospasm during maintenance or emergence, the use of a laryngeal mask airway was strongly associated even when adjusted for the presence of upper respiratory infection and airway anomaly (P = 0.019). Ten patients experienced postoperatively one or more complications whereas only three complications were observed among controls (P = 0.008). No child required cardiopulmonary resuscitation and there were no deaths in either study cohort.

Conclusions:  In our pediatric population, the risk of laryngospasm was increased in children with upper respiratory tract infection or an airway anomaly. The use of laryngeal mask airway was found to be associated with laryngospasm even when adjusted for the presence of upper respiratory tract infection and airway anomaly.
Repair of sinus venosus defect in a patient with untreated vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation
Authors: AHMAD NARGIS S. , WALKER ISABEAU A. , BREW STEFAN
Published: February 2008

The vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation (VGAM) is a rare cerebral arteriovenous shunt, which may be associated with a congenital cardiac defect. Embolisation of the VGAM may be undertaken in the neonatal period if necessary, but is safer in infancy. Recent advances in neuroradiology have changed the prognosis for this group with many patients achieving survival with normal development. This case report describes a patient with a sinus venosus defect (SVD) and a VGAM and considers both the optimal timing of treatment of the two malformations and the conduct of anaesthesia for open repair of the SVD in the presence of an untreated VGAM.
A national survey of propofol infusion use by paediatric anaesthetists in Great Britain and Ireland
Authors: HILL MATTHEW , PEAT WILLIAM , COURTMAN SIMON
Published: February 2008

Background:  Since the introduction of propofol in 1977, it has been widely used for the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia and for sedation on the intensive care unit. Recently, case reports of suspected propofol infusion syndrome (PRIS) following short term infusions have been published. We set out to obtain a picture of the current use of propofol infusions by paediatric anaesthetists in Great Britain and Ireland.

Methods:  A questionnaire concerning the use of propofol infusions was sent to 388 paediatric anaesthetists.

Results:  A total of 242 (62%) replies were received. 26% of anaesthetists used propofol infusions with at least a monthly frequency. 136 (56%) anaesthetists thought that propofol infusions were of benefit in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting. The majority of anaesthetists did not state a maximum infusion rate or length of infusion. Of those anaesthetists who answered the questions the maximum rate used was 30 mg·kg−1·h−1 and the longest time considered for an infusion was 72 h. Only 5 (2%) anaesthetists regularly used BIS monitoring, although 106 (44%) expressed a desire to use it if it was freely available in their hospitals. Modifications to infusions from 1% to 2% propofol were used by 38 (16%) anaesthetists and 28 (12%) used glucose infusions intra‐operatively.

Conclusions:  There is a wide variety in the use of propofol infusions by paediatric anaesthetists. The mechanisms underlying PRIS are poorly understood and require further work to ensure propofol infusions are used appropriately for anaesthesia in children.
The preventative analgesic effect of preincisional peritonsillar infiltration of two low doses of ketamine for postoperative pain relief in children following adenotonsillectomy. A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study
Authors: HONARMAND AZIM , SAFAVI MOHAMMAD REZA , JAMSHIDI MAJID
Published: February 2008

Background:  In literature, the use of ketamine for the preventative analgesia in the management of postoperative pain is controversial. The purpose of the present study was the clinical assessment of the efficacy of preincisional peritonsillar infiltration of two doses of ketamine on postoperative pain relief compared with peritonsillar saline in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy.

Methods/materials:  Seventy‐five ASA physical status I and II patients, aged 3–12 years, scheduled for adenotonsillectomy were enrolled in this randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study. Patients were divided into three groups of 25 each and received a local peritonsillar infiltration of 0.9% saline (group S), ketamine 0.5 mg·kg−1 (group K1), or ketamine 1 mg·kg−1 (group K2). All medications were 2 ml in volume which was applied 1 ml per tonsil 3 min prior to tonsillectomy. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (CHEOPS) and Wilson sedation scale were used to evaluate pain levels and sedative conditions, respectively.

Results:  Group S had significantly higher CHEOPS scores than group K1 and K2. Both K1 and K2 groups had comparable scores, which were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). During 24 h after surgery, 16 patients in group S and no patients in groups K1 or K2 needed analgesics (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:  A 0.5 or 1 mg·kg−1 dose of ketamine given at approximately 3 min before surgery by peritonsillar infiltration provides efficient pain relief during 24 h after surgery without side‐effects in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy.
Rocuronium‐induced withdrawal movements associated with different Rocuronium injection method
Authors: BAEK SEUNG‐HOON , WOO CHUL‐MIN , LEE HYEON‐JEONG , YOON JI‐YOUNG , KWON JAE‐YOUNG , SHIN SANG‐WOOK
Published: February 2008

Objectives:  One hundred and twenty patients (3–15 years old) were randomly enrolled (four groups: each group = 30 patients) in the study.

Aim:  The aim of this study was to compare the incidence and intensity of rocuronium‐induced withdrawal movements in children injected with a typical intravenous bolus injection of rocuronium or with an infusion injection of rocuronium.

Background:  Intravenous bolus injection of rocuronium produces pain and withdrawal movement.

Methods:  Immediately after loss of consciousness by thiopental sodium (5 mg·kg−1), 0.6 mg·kg−1 (B0.6, I0.6) or 0.9 mg·kg−1 rocuronium (B0.9, I0.9) was injected by different method, either a bolus injection over 5 s (B0.6, B0.9) or an infusion injection lasting for 1 min (I0.6, I0.9). The withdrawal movement of the patients to the injection of rocuronium was assessed (four‐grade score: 0–3). Intubating condition was assessed. Rocuronium‐induced muscle relaxation time was measured by single twitch stimulation fade out.

Results:  The incidence (group B: 100%, group I: 33.3%) and the intensity of the withdrawal movements were significantly lower in the infusion groups compared with the bolus groups (P < 0.05). The intubating conditions for all groups were clinically acceptable (good to excellent). There was no significant difference in the muscle relaxation time between the different injection groups (I0.6; 105.6 ± 7.7 vs B0.6; 114.6 ± 8.0, I0.9; 69.2 ± 3.6 vs B0.9; 73.4 ± 1/0).

Conclusions:  The infusion injection of rocuronium for tracheal intubation significantly reduced the incidence and intensity of withdrawal movement on injection of rocuronium, and it neither delays the onset of muscle relaxation nor deteriorates the intubating condition.
Analysis of methanotrophic communities in landfill biofilters using diagnostic microarray
Authors: Gebert Julia , Stralis‐Pavese Nancy , Alawi Mashal , Bodrossy Levente
Published: February 2008

Biofilters operated for the microbial oxidation of landfill methane at two sites in Northern Germany were analysed for the composition of their methanotrophic community by means of diagnostic microarray targeting the pmoA gene of methanotrophs. The gas emitted from site Francop (FR) contained the typical principal components (CH4, CO2, N2) only, while the gas at the second site Müggenburger Straße (MÜ) was additionally charged with non‐methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). Methane oxidation activity measured at 22°C varied between 7 and 103 μg CH4 (g dw)−1 h−1 at site FR and between 0.9 and 21 μg CH4 (g dw)−1 h−1 at site MÜ, depending on the depth considered. The calculated size of the active methanotrophic population varied between 3 × 109 and 5 × 1011 cells (g dw)−1 for biofilter FR and 4 × 108 to 1 × 1010 cells (g dw)−1 for biofilter MÜ. The methanotrophic community in both biofilters as well as the methanotrophs present in the landfill gas at site FR was strongly dominated by type II organisms, presumably as a result of high methane loads, low copper concentration and low nitrogen availability. Within each biofilter, community composition differed markedly with depth, reflecting either the different conditions of diffusive oxygen supply or the properties of the two layers of materials used in the filters or both. The two biofilter communities differed significantly. Type I methanotrophs were detected in biofilter FR but not in biofilter MÜ. The type II community in biofilter FR was dominated by Methylocystis species, whereas the biofilter at site MÜ hosted a high abundance of Methylosinus species while showing less overall methanotroph diversity. It is speculated that the differing composition of the type II population at site MÜ is driven by the presence of NMVOCs in the landfill gas fed to the biofilter, selecting for organisms capable of co‐oxidative degradation of these compounds.
Global impact of Vibrio cholerae interactions with chitin
Authors: Pruzzo Carla , Vezzulli Luigi , Colwell Rita R.
Published: February 2008

The interaction of Vibrio cholerae with chitin exemplifies for microbial ecology a successful bacteria–substrate interaction with complex and significant influence on the lifestyle of the bacterium. Chitin is one of the most abundant polymers on earth and possibly the most abundant in the aquatic environment, where its association with V. cholerae has provided the microorganism with a number of advantages, including food availability, adaptation to environmental nutrient gradients, tolerance to stress and protection from predators. Emergent properties of V. cholerae–chitin interactions occur at multiple hierarchical levels in the environment and include cell metabolic and physiological responses e.g. chemotaxis, cell multiplication, induction of competence, biofilm formation, commensal and symbiotic relationship with higher organisms, cycling of nutrients, and pathogenicity for humans and aquatic animals. As factors mediating virulence of V. cholerae for humans and aquatic animals derive from mechanisms of adaptation to its environment, at different levels of hierarchical scale, V. cholerae interactions with chitin represent a useful model for examination of the role of primary habitat selection in the development of traits that have been identified as virulence factors in human disease.
Biochemical and functional characterization of anti‐HIV antibody–ELP fusion proteins from transgenic plants
Authors: Floss Doreen M. , Sack Markus , Stadlmann Johannes , Rademacher Thomas , Scheller Jürgen , Stöger Eva , Fischer Rainer , Conrad Udo
Published: February 2008

The stability and recovery of recombinant proteins expressed in plants are improved by fusion to elastin‐like peptides (ELPs). In order to test the suitability of ELP for the production of pharmaceutical proteins, transgenic plants were created that individually expressed the light and heavy chains of the broadly neutralizing anti‐human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (anti‐HIV‐1) monoclonal antibody 2F5, which is being evaluated as a microbicide component. The antibody chains were expressed both with and without a C‐terminal ELP fusion. Crossing these plants in all combinations resulted in transgenic lines producing the full antibody in four formats, with ELP on either the light or heavy chains, on both or on neither. Characterization of the affinity‐purified antibodies by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy showed that the kinetic binding parameters were identical to those of a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell counterpart lacking ELP. N‐Glycan analysis showed that all four derivatives contained predominantly oligo‐mannose‐type N‐glycans and that the ELP fusions had no significant effect on N‐glycan structure. It was concluded that ELP fusion to the light chain, heavy chain or both chains of a plant‐derived antibody had no adverse affects on protein quality, but had a positive impact on the yield. ELP fusions do not interfere with folding, assembly, trafficking in the secretory pathway or post‐translational modification, but enhance stability whilst at the same time simplifying recovery.
Social identity, status characteristics and social networks: Predictors of advice seeking in a manufacturing facility
Authors: Copeland Martin P. , Reynolds Katherine J. , Burton Jamie B.
Published: February 2008

In the sociological tradition, status characteristics and patterns of interpersonal relations within a social network are considered important in explaining organizational behaviour (e.g. influence, cooperation). In the social identity tradition, perceptions of shared psychological group membership and group prototypicality are considered important in explaining many of the same organizational behaviours. The present paper explores core variables within each of these perspectives as predictors of advice seeking among supervisors in a manufacturing facility. Dyadic measures of group assignment are found to better predict advice seeking than measures taken at the individual level. Identification with work groups predicted advice seeking from those perceived to be in the same group, and also from structural equivalents. Implications for theory and further research are discussed.
An ethical evaluation of product placement: a deceptive practice?
Authors: Hackley Chris , Tiwsakul Rungpaka Amy , Preuss Lutz
Published: February 2008

Product placement, the practice of placing brands into non‐advertising media, is a growing marketing phenomenon, which has received relatively little attention from business ethicists. Such attention is timely because the UK regulatory framework for television product placement is under review at the time of writing. In this paper, we seek to locate product placement in relation to traditional frameworks of marketing ethics. We suggest that this location is problematic because product placement is a form of marketing communication in which the message, the sender and the precise intention behind a brand seen in a television (TV) show, movie or computer game are often implicit. We suggest that the possibilities for an ethically principled regulation of product placement rest on two key issues: (1) the extent to which programme makers, media owners and brand owners make their product placement strategies explicit to audiences, and (2) the degree of commercial sophistication, which regulators attribute to non‐expert entertainment audiences.
A reluctant stakeholder? On the perception of corporate social responsibility among European trade unions
Authors: Preuss Lutz
Published: February 2008

Seen from a national business system perspective, the notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) emerges as a specifically US‐American response to challenges regarding the corporate place in society. With the spread of American capitalism, however, CSR is bound to come into contact – and conflict – with other approaches to the role of business in society that have been shaped by different national cultures. Within Europe, one such area of potential conflict concerns the role of organised labour in representing employee interests. Studying the perceptions held by European trade unions on stakeholding, as one of the important concepts in the CSR discourse, does indeed reveal a considerable degree of union scepticism of CSR and its terminology. There is, however, also embryonic evidence of at least some unions attempting to link the CSR discourse to traditional union goals. Furthermore, national differences in union responses to CSR are beginning to emerge, which may, in turn, further shape the evolution of national business systems in Europe.
Framing Persuasive Appeals: Episodic and Thematic Framing, Emotional Response, and Policy Opinion
Authors: Gross Kimberly
Published: February 2008

Those seeking to frame political issues to their advantage recognize the power of emotional appeals. Yet the study of framing has focused mainly on the cognitive effects of framing rather than on its emotional effects. This study presents the results of two experiments designed to explore the effect of episodic and thematic framing on emotional response and policy opinion. Participants were randomly assigned to read a column arguing against mandatory minimum sentencing that employed either a thematic or one of two episodic frames featuring a woman who received a harsh sentence under the policy. Episodic framing was more emotionally engaging. Furthermore, the specific emotions elicited by the episodic frame—sympathy and pity for the woman featured in the column—were associated with increased opposition to mandatory minimum sentencing. Yet the thematic frame was actually more persuasive once this indirect effect of frame on emotional response was taken into account. The results are consistent with the conclusion that framing effects on policy opinion operate through both affective and cognitive channels. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.
The Italian Case: From Employment Regulation to Welfare Reforms?
Authors: Lodovici Manuela Samek , Semenza Renata
Published: February 2008

This article on the Italian case is based on recent trends in labour market reform. We critically review the reform approach adopted in recent years, mainly centred on marginal legislative reforms in employment contracts. The diffusion of flexible labour contracts, especially among the younger generations and women, together with a welfare system still based on employment seniority and job characteristics, have reinforced the segmentation of the Italian labour market and social inequalities. The absence of a negotiating strategy in introducing reforms has also increased social conflict. These trends ask for a comprehensive reform of the welfare system and for active policies to support labour market transitions, a reform which is increasingly considered in the current political debate.
The ‘Lombardy Model’: Subsidiarity‐informed Regional Governance
Authors: Colombo Alessandro
Published: February 2008

This article provides a concise overview of the Lombardy region's experience of government during the past twelve years. During this period, legislative, political and administrative strategic decisions have been informed by a distinctive vision, anchored in the principle of subsidiarity. The main characteristics of the emerging governance model are discussed: its political, juridical and social contexts; its underlying principles; its main policy goals, instruments and initiatives; and its criticalities and challenges.
WHITHER INTERNALISM? HOW INTERNALISTS SHOULD RESPOND TO THE EXTENDED MIND HYPOTHESIS
Authors: BARTLETT GARY
Published: February 2008

Abstract:A new position in the philosophy of mind has recently appeared: the extended mind hypothesis (EMH). Some of its proponents think the EMH, which says that a subject's mental states can extend into the local environment, shows that internalism is false. I argue that this is wrong. The EMH does not refute internalism; in fact, it necessarily does not do so. The popular assumption that the EMH spells trouble for internalists is premised on a bad characterization of the internalist thesis—albeit one that most internalists have adhered to. I show that internalism is entirely compatible with the EMH. This view should prompt us to reconsider the characterization of internalism, and in conclusion I make some brief remarks about how that project might proceed.
SORTS OF NATURALISM: REQUIREMENTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL THEORY
Authors: TONER CHRISTOPHER
Published: February 2008

Abstract:In this article I investigate several “sorts of naturalism” that have been advanced in recent years as possible foundations for virtue ethics: those of Michael Thompson, Philippa Foot, Rosalind Hursthouse, John McDowell, and Larry Arnhart. Each of these impressive attempts fails in illuminatingly different ways, and in the opening sections I analyze what has gone variously wrong. I next use this analysis to articulate four criteria that any successful Aristotelian naturalism must meet (my goal is to showwhat naturalism mustdeliver, not yet to showthat it candeliver it). I then look at Alasdair MacIntyre's approach, which begins with our natural trajectory from complete dependency toward becoming independent practical reasoners; I argue that this sort of naturalism meets the aforementioned criteria and thus provides a good example of what Aristotelian naturalists must do. I close with a consideration of two important objections to any broadly MacIntyrean sort of naturalism.
HOBBES ON MIRACLES
Authors: WHIPPLE JOHN
Published: February 2008

Abstract: In this paper I provide an interpretation of Hobbes's account of miracles in Leviathan. Four main theses are defended: (i) that Hobbes affirms a single account of miracles, not several non‐equivalent accounts, (ii) that Hobbes's main objective is political – he wants to explain how the doctrine of miracles must be understood in order for it not to pose a threat to political stability, (3) that Hobbes's discussion is not designed to undermine the doctrine of miracles in its entirety, and (4) that Hobbes's considered view of miracles is compatible with the modern scientific worldview to which he is committed.
The essential synthesis of problem frames and assurance cases
Authors: Strunk Elisabeth A. , Knight John C.
Published: February 2008

Abstract: Problem frames and assurance cases are two current research areas that can improve – and have improved – system dependability, in critical and noncritical systems alike. While these two techniques are effective separately, their synthesis is much more powerful. This paper describes the synthesis of these two techniques and the rationale behind the synthesis, the particular pieces that influence each other, and the beginning of a process to integrate the two in software system development. A detailed example of the application of the synthesis is also provided.
California's Health Insurance Act of 2003: View of the Market
Authors: ABRAHAM STEVEN E. , VOOS PAULA B.
Published: February 2008

This “play or pay” mandate would have required California employers to either provide medical insurance for their employees or pay into a state insurance fund. Although the law ultimately did not go into effect, movements in shareholder wealth provide evidence about the differential effects of such health‐care mandates on various types of employers. Large or unionized firms had no negative effects; expected profits declined most for firms with 50–199 employees.
Help to move on – but to what? Young people with learning difficulties moving on from out‐of‐area residential schools or colleges
Authors: Heslop Pauline , Abbott David
Published: February 2008

Accessible summary

Some young people with learning difficulties go to school or college a long way from home. They live at their residential school or college most of the time. They only go home in the holidays.

It can be difficult for young people when they leave these schools or colleges.

Pauline Heslop and David Abbott worked on a project called ‘Help To Move On’. They found out what happened when young people move on from their residential school or college.

Most young people had to go back to their home area when they left school or college.

Sometimes going back to their home area caused problems. They hadn’t lived there  for two or three years. Services weren’t set up for them there. They didn’t have any  friends there anymore.

Some young people didn’t know where they were going next. They had to leave  school or college but they didn’t have a place to go to. They didn’t have plans for  things to do in the daytime.

A few young people got good support. Workers listened to what they wanted to do.  They visited different places. They moved somewhere they liked. They knew some  of the people in their new place. They had lots of things to do in the day.

The main thing that young people said helped with all the changes was that there  were good links between their school/college and the places that they were moving  on to.

Plain facts

A summary of the research is available in the Plain Facts series. Plain Facts produce research findings in illustrated plain language formats. For a free Plain Facts summary, please contact Marilyn Baker at the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol, 3 Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TX.

This article describes research undertaken between 2004 and 2006 about the issues faced by 15 young people with a wide range of learning difficulties in out‐of‐area residential schools and colleges at transition. The process of transition planning was hampered by the distance between the school/college and the ‘home authority’ of the young person; there was a wide variation in who took the lead on co‐ordinating planning for transition; and involvement in decision‐making by the young people was often a passive, rather than active process. Four of the fifteen young people left their school/college without knowing where they were going to move on to. None moved into any accommodation other than the family home or residential accommodation. Half moved on to attend a mainstream FE college, with little or no sense of future progression into work for most. The key messages of the article relate to the importance of continuity to young people, the need for more creativity in minimising the effects of distance, and how vital good forward planning is to help young people ‘move on’.
‘Does your granny eat grass?’ On mass migration, care drain and the fate of older people in rural Albania
Authors: VULLNETARI JULIE , KING RUSSELL
Published: February 2008

Older people have been the main social casualties of the collapse of the Albanian communist system and the ensuing mass emigration of younger generations since 1990. Some have had to forage for survival on a near‐starvation diet, making broth from grass and weeds. For others, remittances from emigrant children ensure adequate material well‐being, but a loss of locally‐based trans‐generational care and of intimate family relations occurs. Rates of emigration have been highest in the southern uplands, where our fieldwork took place. Migration has been mainly to Greece, but also to Italy and elsewhere. Interviews with elderly ‘residual households’ ‐ single people and couples ‐ reveal stories of loneliness and abandonment; cross‐generational rupture of hitherto tight family structures is seen as emotionally painful because of the impossibility of enjoying mutual benefits of care sustained by geographical proximity. Profoundly upsetting is the denial of the practice of grand‐parenting, which the older generation see as their raison d'être. Cost of travel, visa regimes and emigrants’ irregular status conspire to prevent international visits. Finally, we examine various strategies of overcoming the ‘care drain’ produced by this situation, one of which is for older people to try to join their migrant children and grandchildren abroad.
‘This is Our City’: branding football and local embeddedness
Authors: EDENSOR TIM , MILLINGTON STEVE
Published: February 2008

In 2005, with a view to cultivating the loyalties of local supporters rather than attracting new support, Manchester City Football Club launched its Our City branding campaign. The campaign suggests that ‘real’ Mancunians support City and not local rivals like Manchester United, which it implicitly conceives of as a global, non‐local, corporate entity. By building on established fan culture and the myths surrounding the local and the global, City is portrayed as ‘authentic’, ‘cool’ and rooted in a traditional ‘working‐class community’. Contending that football is a revealing field in which to explore contemporary formations of identity, in this article we critically explore the relationship between branding, place and identity. We describe the campaign, explore the myths with which the Our City campaign is aligned and discuss the embedded contexts that constrain the global branding of football.
‘Going to Brazil’: transnational and corporeal movements of a Canadian‐Brazilian martial arts community
Authors: JOSEPH JANELLE
Published: February 2008

In this article I use a case study of capoeira (an Afro‐Brazilian martial art/dance/game) in Canada to bring together sport and transnationality literatures. I show that understandings of transnationality can be extended through both investigating people born and raised in the North, since they play an important role in creating transnational spaces, and attending to the corporeal means that people deploy to connect to a homeland or ‘travel’ to a foreign country. Through adopting a particular racialized/ national style of movement, those who ‘stay put’ in the North can ‘move’ across ethnic boundaries, if not geopolitical borders. Real (international), imagined (virtual and emotional), and corporeal (embodied) ‘travel’ to Brazil are key experiences of the senior capoeirista (capoeira devotee). Sporting activities provide an exceptional window onto transnationality studies, given that ways of moving are fundamental to social, cultural and national identities.
Cross‐cultural civility in global civil society: transnational cooperation in Chinese NGOs
Authors: CHAN STEPHANIE
Published: February 2008

Transnational networks and organizations are often hailed as embodiments and carriers of global civil society, yet these assessments remain incomplete due to a lack of empirical research on their internal dynamics. In this article, I investigate whether or not transnational NGOs embody the cooperation across multiple social, cultural and political cleavages central to definitions of global civil society by exploring how multiple memberships are negotiated in the context of their everyday tasks. Using organizational documents and interview data with staff of two Protestant Christian development NGOs in China, I analyse how actors within these transnational organizations successfully manage their multiple memberships in national polities, national cultures, religious communities and a world culture. While multiple memberships exhibit the potential both to enable and to constrain an NGO's organizational tasks, the key to making such ties enabling are staff who act as skilful cross‐cultural brokers. Thus, the type of social capital required to render multiple memberships beneficial and not harmful to the organizations also makes these organizations true indicators of a developing global civil society.
Direct analysis of tau from PSP brain identifies new phosphorylation sites and a major fragment of N‐terminally cleaved tau containing four microtubule‐binding repeats
Authors: Wray Selina , Saxton Malcolm , Anderton Brian H. , Hanger Diane P.
Published: February 2008

Tangles containing hyperphosphorylated aggregates of insoluble tau are a pathological hallmark of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Several phosphorylation sites on tau in PSP have been identified using phospho‐specific antibodies, but no sites have been determined by direct sequencing due to the difficulty in enriching insoluble tau from PSP brain. We describe a new method to enrich insoluble PSP‐tau and report eight phosphorylation sites [Ser46, Thr181, Ser202, Thr217, Thr231, Ser235, Ser396/Ser400 (one site) and Thr403/Ser404 (one site)] identified by mass spectrometry. We also describe a 35 kDa C‐terminal tau fragment (tau35), lacking the N‐terminus of tau but containing four microtubule‐binding repeats (4R), that is present only in neurodegenerative disorders in which 4R tau is over‐represented. Tau35 was readily detectable in PSP, corticobasal degeneration and 4R forms of fronto‐temporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17, but was absent from control, Alzheimer’s disease and Pick’s disease brain. Our findings suggest the aggregatory characteristics of PSP‐tau differ from those of insoluble tau in Alzheimer’s disease brain and this might be related to the presence of a C‐terminal cleavage product of tau.
P2X7pre‐synaptic receptors in adult rat cerebrocortical nerve terminals: a role in ATP‐induced glutamate release
Authors: Marcoli Manuela , Cervetto Chiara , Paluzzi Paola , Guarnieri Stefania , Alloisio Susanna , Thellung Stefano , Nobile Mario , Maura Guido
Published: February 2008

Although growing evidence suggests that extracellular ATP might play roles in the control of astrocyte/neuron crosstalk in the CNS by acting on P2X7receptors, it is still unclear whether neuronal functions can be attributed to P2X7receptors. In the present paper, we investigate the location, pharmacological profile, and function of P2X7receptors on cerebrocortical nerve terminals freshly prepared from adult rats, by measuring glutamate release and calcium accumulation. The preparation chosen (purified synaptosomes) ensures negligible contamination of non‐neuronal cells and allows exposure of ‘nude’ release‐regulating pre‐synaptic receptors. To confirm the results obtained, we also carried out specific experiments on human embryonic kidney 293 cells which had been stably transfected with rat P2X7receptors. Together, our findings suggest that (i) P2X7receptors are present in a subpopulation of adult rat cerebrocortical nerve terminals; (ii) P2X7receptors are localized on glutamatergic nerve terminals; (iii) P2X7receptors play a significant role in ATP‐evoked glutamate efflux, which involves Ca2+‐dependent vesicular release; and (iv) the P2X7receptor itself constitutes a significant Ca2+‐independent mode of exit for glutamate.
PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE STYLONEMATALES (STYLONEMATOPHYCEAE, RHODOPHYTA): BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS DO NOT APPLY TO STYLONEMA ALSIDII1
Authors: Zuccarello Giuseppe C. , West John A. , Kikuchi Norio
Published: February 2008

The Stylonematales is the sole order of the Stylonematophyceae. The order consists of a mixture of filamentous or unicellular taxa that are small, grow on various surfaces, and are described from many floras, indicating that they may be cosmopolitan. Such ubiquity has been proposed to be due to properties of microorganisms, such as large population sizes, rather than human‐derived phenomena. While their small nature makes most records fortuitous, we targeted these red algae to get a better understanding of their global distribution, genetic variation, and phylogeographic relationships. Our results indicated that the genera are mostly well supported, except for the position of Stylonema cornu‐cervi with Goniotrichopsis reniformis, while intergeneric relationships are mostly unsupported. The most commonly isolated species was Stylonema alsidii. Within this species, several well‐supported clades were present. The phylogeographic relationships in S. alsidii showed no obvious biogeographic pattern, with supported clades containing samples from disparate locations, and multiple samples from the same area not grouping together. Some clades showed little genetic variation and wide distributions, possibly indicating human‐derived dispersal. Other clades, also with wide distribution, showed more genetic structure and could be candidates for groups formed by natural long‐distance dispersal. While all issues on ubiquity cannot be answered with this data set, it would appear that at least S. alsidii is a true ubiquitous taxon. The sister relationship of Rufusia pilicola to the remaining Stylonematophyceae, the presence of the carbohydrate floridoside, and this species’ unusual habitat indicate that it belongs to a new order, Rufusiales.
MICROALGAE AND CYANOBACTERIA: FOOD FOR THOUGHT1
Authors: Gantar Miroslav , Svirčev Zorica
Published: February 2008

In non‐Western civilizations, cyanobacteria have been part of the human diet for centuries. Today, microalgae and cyanobacteria are either produced in controlled cultivation processes or harvested from the natural habitats and marketed as food supplements around the world. Cyanobacteria produce a vast array of different biologically active compounds, some of which are expected to be used in drug development. The fact that some of the active components from cyanobacteria potentially have anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti‐inflammatory, and other effects is being used for marketing purposes. However, introduction of these products in the form of whole biomass for alimentary purposes raises concerns regarding the potential toxicity and long‐term effects on human health. Here, we review data on the use of cyanobacteria and microalgae in human nutrition and searched for available information on legislature that regulates the use of these products. We have found that, although the quality control of these products is most often self‐regulated by the manufacturers, different governmental agencies are introducing strict regulations for placing novel products, such as algae and cyanobacteria, on the market. The existing regulations require these products to be tested for the presence of toxins, such as microcystin; however, other, sometimes novel, toxins remain undetected, and their long‐term effects on human health remain unknown.
Lower Levels of Serum Albumin and Total Cholesterol Associated with Decline in Activities of Daily Living and Excess Mortality in a 12‐Year Cohort Study of Elderly Japanese
Authors: Okamura Tomonori , Hayakawa Takehito , Hozawa Atsushi , Kadowaki Takashi , Murakami Yoshitaka , Kita Yoshikuni , Abbott Robert D. , Okayama Akira , Ueshima Hirotsugu ,   for the NIPPON DATA80 Research Group
Published: February 2008

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between levels of serum albumin and total cholesterol (TC) and risk of subsequent mortality and future decline in activities of daily living (ADLs) in elderly people.

DESIGN: Population‐based cohort study.

SETTING: National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non‐Communicable Disease and Its Trends in the Aged, 1980.

PARTICIPANTS: One thousand eight hundred forty‐four Japanese individuals aged 60 to 74 randomly selected throughout Japan and followed for 12.4 years.

MEASUREMENTS: Decline in ADLs and mortality.

RESULTS: After adjusting for other covariates, the multivariable odds ratios (ORs) of impaired ADLs were highest in the lowest albumin quartile (≤40 g/L) for women. The multivariable OR of having a composite outcome of death or impaired ADL for the lowest albumin quartile compared with the highest was 1.56 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.94–2.57) for men and 3.06 (95% CI=1.89–4.95) for women. Serum albumin was significantly and inversely associated with a composite outcome of death or impaired ADLs in the group below the median of TC in both sexes (multivariable OR for 1‐g/L increase in serum albumin=0.88 for men (95% CI=0.79–0.97) and 0.79 for women (95% CI=0.72–0.87)), which was not significantly associated in the group with TC at or above the median.

CONCLUSION: In the Japanese general population, low‐normal serum albumin and TC levels are associated with loss of activity during old age, especially for women.