bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dark‐rearing‐induced reduction of GABA and GAD and prevention of the effect by BDNF in the mouse retina
Authors: Lee Eun‐Jin , Gibo Tricia L. , Grzywacz Norberto M.
Published: October 2006

Gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important retinal neurotransmitter. We studied the expression of GABA, glutamate decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) and GAD67 by immunocytochemistry and Western blot, in the retinas of control and dark‐reared C57BL/6J black mice. This study asked three questions. First, is visual input necessary for the normal expression of GABA, GAD65 and GAD67? Second, can the retina recover from the effects of dark‐rearing if returned to a normal light–dark cycle? Third, does BDNF prevent the influence of dark‐rearing on the expression of GABA and GAD? At postnatal day 10 (P10), before eye opening, GABA immunoreactivity was present in the ganglion cell layer (GCL), in the innermost rows of the inner nuclear layer (INL) and throughout the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of control and dark‐reared retinas. In P30 control retinas, GABA immunoreactivity showed similar patterns to those at P10. However, in P30 dark‐reared retinas, the density of GABA‐immunoreactive cells was lower in both the INL and GCL than in control retinas. In addition, visual deprivation retarded GABA immunoreactivity in the IPL. Western blot analysis showed corresponding differences in the levels of GAD65 but not of GAD67 expression between control and dark‐rearing conditions. In our study, dark‐rearing effects were reversed when the mice were put in normal cyclic light–dark conditions for 2 weeks. Moreover, dark‐reared retinas treated with BDNF showed normal expression of both GABA and GAD65. Our data indicate that normal expression of GABA and GAD65 is dependent on visual input. Furthermore, the data suggest that BDNF controls this dependence.
BDNF occludes GABABreceptor‐mediated inhibition of GABA release in rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons
Authors: Mizoguchi Yoshito , Kitamura Akihiko , Wake Hiroaki , Ishibashi Hitoshi , Watanabe Miho , Nishimaki Takuya , Nabekura Junichi
Published: October 2006

During the development of the rat hippocampus, both γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)Bautoreceptors and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) play important roles in the formation of GABAergic synapses as well as in the GABAAreceptor‐mediated transmissions. While a number of studies have reported rapid effects of BDNF on GABAAreceptor‐mediated responses, the interactions between GABABautoreceptors and BDNF are less clear. Using conventional whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings, we demonstrated here that BDNF significantly occludes baclofen‐induced suppression of GABAAreceptor‐mediated transmissions in each of the preparations including hippocampal slices prepared from P14 rats, hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons isolated from P14 and P21 rats, and cultured hippocampal pyramidal neurons. This effect of BDNF was rapid and reversible, and was mediated via the activation of presynaptic TrkB receptor tyrosine kinases, and subsequent activation of phospholipase C and protein kinase C. On the contrary, in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons isolated from P7 rats, BDNF failed to occlude the GABABreceptor‐mediated inhibition of GABA release. Thus, the ability of BDNF to occlude the GABABreceptor‐mediated inhibition of GABA release develops between P7 and P14. This demonstrates a novel aspect of the effects of BDNF on inhibitory transmissions in rat hippocampus, which may have some functional roles in the induction of developmental plasticity and/or pathophysiology of epilepsy.
Speech‐ and sound‐segmentation in dyslexia: evidence for a multiple‐level cortical impairment
Authors: Kujala T. , Halmetoja J. , Näätänen R. , Alku P. , Lyytinen H. , Sussman E.
Published: October 2006

Developmental dyslexia involves deficits in the visual and auditory domains, but is primarily characterized by an inability to translate the written linguistic code to the sound structure. Recent research has shown that auditory dysfunctions in dyslexia might originate from impairments in early pre‐attentive processes, which affect behavioral discrimination. Previous studies have shown that whereas dyslexic individuals are deficient in discriminating sound distinctions involving consonants or simple pitch changes, discrimination of other sound aspects, such as tone duration, is intact. We hypothesized that such contrasts that can be discriminated by dyslexic individuals when heard in isolation are difficult to identify when occurring within words or structurally similar complex sound patterns. In the current study, we addressed how segments of pseudo‐words and their non‐speech counterparts are processed in dyslexia. We assessed the detection of long‐duration differences in segments of these stimuli and identified the brain processes that could be associated with the behavioral results. Consistent with previous studies, we found no early cortical sound‐duration discrimination deficit in dyslexia. However, differences between impaired and non‐impaired readers were found in the brain processes associated with sound‐change recognition as well as in the behavioral performance. This suggests that even when the early, automatic, sound discrimination processes are intact in dyslexic individuals, deficits in the later, attention‐dependent processes may lead to impaired perception of speech and other complex sounds.
Altered neuronal responses and regulation of neurotrophic proteins in the medial septum following fimbria‐fornix transection in CNTF‐ and leukaemia inhibitory factor‐deficient mice
Authors: Naumann Thomas , Steup Andreas , Schnell Oliver , Schubert Klaus Oliver , Zhi Qixia , Guijarro Christian , Kirsch Matthias , Hofmann Hans‐Dieter
Published: October 2006

Degeneration of axotomized GABAergic septohippocampal neurones has been shown to be enhanced in ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF)‐deficient mice following fimbria‐fornix transection (FFT), indicating a neuroprotective function of endogenous CNTF. Paradoxically, however, the cholinergic population of septohippocampal neurones was more resistant to axotomy in these mutants. As leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) has been identified as a potential neuroprotective factor for the cholinergic medial septum (MS) neurones, FFT‐induced responses were compared in CNTF–/–, LIF–/–and CNTF/LIF double knockout mice. In CNTF–/–mice, FFT‐induced cholinergic degeneration was confirmed to be attenuated as compared with wildtype mice. The expression of both LIF and LIF receptor β was increased in the MS providing a possible explanation for the enhanced neuronal resistance to FFT in these animals. However, ablation of the LIF gene also produced paradoxical effects; following FFT in LIF–/–mice no loss of GABAergic or cholinergic MS neurones was detectable during the first postlesional week, suggesting that other efficient neuroprotective mechanisms are activated in these animals. In fact, enhanced activation of astrocytes, a source of neurotrophic proteins, was indicated by increased up‐regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin expression. In addition, mRNA levels for neurotrophin signalling components (e.g. nerve growth factor, p75NTR) were differentially regulated. The positive effect on axotomized cholinergic neurones seen in CNTF–/–and LIF–/–mice as well as the increased up‐regulation of astrogliose markers was abolished in CNTF/LIF double knockout animals. Our results indicate that endogenous CNTF and LIF are involved in the regulation of neuronal survival following central nervous system lesion and are integrated into a network of neurotrophic signals that mutually influence their expression and function.
Posterior parahippocampal gyrus lesions in the human impair egocentric learning in a virtual environment
Authors: Weniger Godehard , Irle Eva
Published: October 2006

Functional imaging studies have shown that the posterior parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) is involved in allocentric (world‐centered) object and scene recognition. However, the putative role of the posterior PHG in egocentric (body‐centered) spatial memory has received only limited systematic investigation. Thirty‐one subjects with pharmacoresistant medial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and temporal lobe removal were compared with 19 matched healthy control subjects on a virtual reality task affording the navigation in a virtual maze (egocentric memory). Lesions of the hippocampus and PHG of TLE subjects were determined by three‐dimensional magnetic resonance imaging volumetric assessment. The results indicate that TLE subjects with right‐sided posterior PHG lesions were impaired on virtual maze acquisition when compared with controls and TLE subjects with anterior PHG lesions. Larger posterior PHG lesions were significantly related to stronger impairments in virtual maze performance. Our results point to a role of the right‐sided posterior PHG for the representation and storage of egocentric information. Moreover, access to both allocentric and egocentric streams of spatial information may enable the posterior PHG to construct a global and comprehensive representation of spatial environments.
Cajal–Retzius cells switch from expressing γ‐less to γ‐containing GABAA receptors during corticogenesis
Authors: Cheng Qing , Yeh Pamela W. L. , Yeh Hermes H.
Published: October 2006

Cajal–Retzius cells are implicated in regulating neuronal migration and lamination during corticogenesis. In rodents, Cajal–Retzius cells are transient, being prevalent in the marginal zone of the embryonic neocortex and declining over the first two postnatal weeks. While studies have examined in postnatal neocortex the properties of GABAA receptors in Cajal–Retzius cells, less is known about their disposition at embryonic stages. Here, we combined patch‐clamp electrophysiology and single‐cell mRNA profiling to probe the expression of GABAA receptors in Cajal–Retzius cells. In embryonic neocortical slices, GABA elicited GABAA receptor‐mediated current responses that were diazepam‐insensitive and inhibited by Zn2+, a pharmacological profile consistent with expression of γ‐less GABAA receptor isoforms. Non‐Cajal–Retzius cells in the same embryonic slices, on the other hand, were robustly potentiated by diazepam and were insensitive to Zn2+, typical of γ‐containing GABAA receptor isoforms, as were Cajal–Retzius cells in the postnatal neocortex. Single‐cell mRNA profiling and immunohistochemistry confirmed expression of GABAA receptor γ subunit transcript and protein, respectively, in individual reelin‐expressing cells in the postnatal cortex but not in their embryonic counterparts. We conclude that Cajal–Retzius cells express γ‐less GABAA receptors at embryonic stages and switch to expressing γ‐containing GABAA receptor isoforms during postnatal neocortical development.
Multi‐extent analysis of the relationship between pteridophyte species richness and climate
Authors: Bickford Sophia A. , Laffan Shawn W.
Published: October 2006

Aim  To determine the relationship between the distribution of climate, climatic heterogeneity and pteridophyte species richness gradients in Australia, using an approach that does not assume potential relationships are spatially invariant and allows for scale effects (extent of analysis) to be explicitly examined.

Location  Australia, extending from 10° S to 43° S and 112° E to 153° E.

Method  Species richness within 50 × 50 km grid cells was determined using point distribution data. Climatic surfaces representing the distribution and availability of water and energy at 1 km and 5 km cell resolutions were obtained. Climate at the 50 km resolution of analysis was represented by their mean and standard deviation in that area. Relationships were assessed using geographically weighted linear regression at a range of spatial bandwidths to investigate scale effects.

Results  The parameters and the predictive strength of all models varied across space at all extents of analysis. Overall, climatic variables representing water availability were more highly correlated to pteridophyte richness gradients in Australia than those representing energy. Their variance in cells further increased the strength of the relationships in topographically heterogeneous regions. Relationships with water were strong across all extents of analysis, particularly in the tropical and subtropical parts of the continent. Water availability explained less of the variation in richness at higher latitudes.

Main conclusions  This study brings into question the ability of aspatial and single‐extent models, searching for a unified explanation of macro‐scaled patterns in gradients of diversity, to adequately represent reality. It showed that, across Australia, there is a positive relationship between pteridophyte species richness and water availability but the strength and nature of the relationship varies spatially with scale in a highly complex manner. The spatial variance, or actual complexity, in these relationships could not have been demonstrated had a traditional aspatial global regression approach been used. Regional scale variation in relationships may be at least as important as more general relationships for a true understanding of the distribution of broad‐scale diversity.
People, species richness and human population growth
Authors: Evans Karl L. , Van Rensburg Berndt J. , Gaston Kevin J. , Chown Steven L.
Published: October 2006

Aim To investigate how the magnitude of conservation conflicts arising from positive relationships between human population size and species richness is altered during a period of marked human population growth (2% year−1).

Location South Africa.

Methods Anuran and avian species richness were calculated from atlas distribution maps, and human population was measured in 1996 and 2001, all at a quarter‐degree resolution. We investigated the relationships between human population size in, and its change during, these two periods and environmental energy availability. We then investigated the nature of relationships between species richness and human population size in both time periods, and its change during them; these analyses were conducted both with and without taking environmental energy availability into account. Finally, we investigated the nature of the relationships between human population size, and its change, and the proportion of protected land. Analyses were conducted both without and with taking spatial autocorrelation into account; the latter was achieved using mixed models that fitted a spatial covariance structure to the data.

Results Change in human population size between 1996 and 2001 exhibited marked spatial variation, with both large increases and decreases, but was poorly correlated with environmental energy availability. The nature of the relationship between human population size and environmental energy availability did not, however, exhibit statistically significant differences regardless of whether the former was measured in 1996 or 2001. Similarly, relationships between species richness and human population size did not exhibit significant differences between the two periods. The strengths of the species–human relationships were markedly reduced when energy availability was taken into account. Change in human population size was poorly correlated with species richness. The proportion of protected land was negatively, albeit rather weakly, correlated with human population size in 1996 and 2001, and with its change between these two periods.

Main conclusions Positive species–human relationships arise largely, but not entirely, because both species richness and human population size exhibit similar responses to environmental energy availability. During a period of rapid human population growth, and marked changes in the spatial variation in human population size, positive correlations remained between human population size and both anuran and avian species richness. The slope of these correlations did not, however, alter, and the most species‐rich areas are not those with the largest increases in human population. Despite marked population growth, the magnitude of conservation conflicts arising from positive species–human relationships thus appears to have remained largely unchanged.
Infant word segmentation revisited: edge alignment facilitates target extraction
Authors: Seidl Amanda , Johnson Elizabeth K.
Published: October 2006

In a landmark study,

Jusczyk and Aslin (1995

) demonstrated that English‐learning infants are able to segment words from continuous speech at 7.5 months of age. In the current study, we explored the possibility that infants segment words from the edges of utterances more readily than the middle of utterances. The same procedure was used as in

Jusczyk and Aslin (1995

); however, our stimuli were controlled for target word location and infants were given a shorter familiarization time to avoid ceiling effects. Infants were familiarized to one word that always occurred at the edge of an utterance (sentence‐initial position for half of the infants and sentence‐final position for the other half) and one word that always occurred in sentence‐medial position. Our results demonstrate that infants segment words from the edges of an utterance more readily than from the middle of an utterance. In addition, infants segment words from utterance‐final position just as readily as they segment words from utterance‐initial position. Possible explanations for these results, as well as their implications for current models of the development of word segmentation, are discussed.
Young children's understanding of multiple object identity: appearance, pretense and function
Authors: Abelev Maxim , Markman Ellen
Published: October 2006

Evidence from theory‐of‐mind tasks suggests that young children have substantial difficulty thinking about multiple object identity and multiple versions of reality. On the other hand, evidence from children's understanding of pretense indicates that children have little trouble understanding dual object identity and counterfactual scenarios that are involved in pretend play. Two studies reported here show that this competence is not limited to pretend play. Three‐year‐olds also understand the dual identity involved in unusual functional use (X is being used as Y), even though they have difficulty understanding deceptive appearance (X looks like Y). We suggest that children are able to distinguish extrinsic object properties from intrinsic ones (function vs. category‐membership) better than they can distinguish superficial object properties from deep ones (appearance vs. category‐membership).
Children use categories to maximize accuracy in estimation
Authors: Duffy Sean , Huttenlocher Janellen , Crawford L. Elizabeth
Published: October 2006

The present study tests a model of category effects upon stimulus estimation in children. Prior work with adults suggests that people inductively generalize distributional information about a category of stimuli and use this information to adjust their estimates of individual stimuli in a way that maximizes average accuracy in estimation (see Huttenlocher, Hedges & Vevea, 2000). However, little is known about the developmental origin of this cognitive process. In the present study, 5‐ and 7‐year‐old children viewed stimuli that varied in size and reproduced each from memory. Consistent with the predictions of a Bayesian model of category effects on estimation, responses were adjusted toward the central value of the stimulus distribution. Additionally, the dispersion of the stimulus distribution affected the pattern of bias and variability of responses in a way that is predicted by the model. The results suggest that, like adults, children use categories for increasing average accuracy in estimating inexact stimuli.
Governance for Sustainability*
Authors: Elkington John
Published: October 2006

Corporate governance is fundamentally about such questions as what business is for—and in whose interests companies should be run, and how. Wider issues such as business ethics through entire value chains, human rights, bribery and corruption, and climate change are among the great issues of our time that increasingly cross‐cut the rarefied worlds of corporate boardrooms. As a result, a growing proportion of SustainAbility’s work has seen the fusion of corporate governance with such wider societal concerns. This paper reviews the increasingly complex cross‐connects between the rapidly mutating governance agenda and the burgeoning world of corporate responsibility, social entrepreneurship and sustainable development. We will move through three stages: (1) a brief review of work that SustainAbility has done in the area of corporate governance; (2) the three great waves of societal pressure on business since 1960, and where things seem likely to head next; and (3) some headline conclusions that emerged in this field from the World Economic Forum’s 2006 annual summit in Davos.
Dissonance between the digitally created words of school and home
Authors: Dowdall Clare
Published: October 2006

This article considers the potential for dissonance that one 12‐year‐old child (Clare) may experience as a text producer using new technologies, when working across a range of contexts. In this ongoing case study, two types of text are explored: a computer‐generated text produced as a homework task for school, and texts produced using an Internet‐based social network site called ‘Bebo’. Key features of Clare's text production in both contexts are identified and compared in an attempt to establish the dissonance that may be experienced as she switches from one context to another. However, by placing the texts alongside each other, it can be seen that although they look markedly different, the acts of composing the texts bear some significant resemblance. The article concludes by suggesting that experiences of dissonance in relation to text production may in fact be lodged more firmly with the recipient of any text, when it fails to meet their social, cultural and linguistic expectations, than with the child composer.
Golden times of writing: the creative compliance of writing journals
Authors: Lambirth Andrew , Goouch Kathy
Published: October 2006

This paper examines the history, rationale, uses and abuses of writing journals in primary classrooms. We argue that writing journals form part of a pedagogy derived from an understanding of how children can be motivated to express themselves, independently of teachers. Moreover, they demonstrate the power of welcoming children's home cultures into the classroom. However, we also wish to argue that the use of writing journals is part of the teaching profession's ‘creative compliance’ that can still contribute to the marginalisation of effective educational practice. We document how, in some schools in England, writing journals have been reduced to token gestures towards creativity and independence and in effect collude with and support what is increasingly becoming a pedagogical hegemony.
Differential recognition of children's cultural practices in middle primary literacy classrooms
Authors: Nixon Helen , Comber Barbara
Published: October 2006

This paper argues that teachers' recognition of children's cultural practices is an important positive step in helping socio‐economically disadvantaged children engage with school literacies. Based on 21 longitudinal case studies of children's literacy development over a 3‐year period, the authors demonstrate that when children's knowledges and practices assembled in home and community spheres are treated as valuable material for school learning, children are more likely to invest in the work of acquiring school literacies. However, they also show that while some children benefit greatly from being allowed to draw on their knowledge of popular culture, sports and the outdoors, other children's interests may be ignored or excluded. Some differences in teachers' valuing of home and community cultures appeared to relate to gender dimensions.
Help for a dyslexic learner from an unlikely source: the study of Ancient Greek
Authors: Chanock Kate
Published: October 2006

This paper recounts the process by which a severely reading‐disabled adult student taught himself to read and write Ancient Greek, and in so doing, improved his ability to read and write in English. Initially, Keith's reading and writing were slow, difficult and inaccurate, accompanied by visual disturbance. However, motivated by a strong interest in Ancient Greek literature and philosophical ideas, Keith enlisted me (his Faculty's academic skills adviser) to help him learn the language. Working on transliteration focused Keith's attention on the alphabetic principle separately from meaning, while practising translation focused on the formal markers of meaning. Relieved of the stress of performing under pressures of time and others' expectations, Keith made good progress with Greek and, after 6 months, found himself reading more fluently in English, without visual disturbance. This paper seeks to contribute to our knowledge of how adults learn to read, looking at the interplay of motivation, phonological awareness, knowledge of how form conveys meaning, and the learning environment. It both draws upon, and raises questions for, the neuroscientific study of dyslexia.
An Exact Gibbs Sampler for the Markov-Modulated Poisson Process
Authors: Fearnhead Paul , Sherlock Chris
Published: October 2006

A Markov-modulated Poisson process is a Poisson process whose intensity varies according to a Markov process. We present a novel technique for simulating from the exact distribution of a continuous time Markov chain over an interval given the start and end states and the infinitesimal generator, and we use this to create a Gibbs sampler which samples from the exact distribution of the hidden Markov chain in a Markov-modulated Poisson process. We apply the Gibbs sampler to modelling the occurrence of a rare DNA motif (the Chi site) and to inferring regions of the genome with evidence of high or low intensities for occurrences of this site.
Bounds on Causal Effects in Three-Arm Trials With Non-Compliance
Authors: Cheng Jing , Small Dylan S.
Published: October 2006

The paper considers the analysis of three-arm randomized trials with non-compliance. In these trials, the average causal effects of treatments within principal strata of compliance behaviour are of interest for better understanding the effect of the treatment. Unfortunately, even with the usual assumptions, the average causal effects of treatments within principal strata are not point identified. However, the observable data do provide useful information on the bounds of the identification regions of the parameters of interest. Under two sets of assumptions, we derive sharp bounds for the causal effects within principal strata for binary outcomes and construct confidence intervals to cover the identification regions. The methods are illustrated by an analysis of data from a randomized study of treatments for alcohol dependence.
Simulation of Real‐Valued Discrete‐Time Periodically Correlated Gaussian Processes with Prescribed Spectral Density Matrices
Authors: Soltani A. R. , Azimmohseni M.
Published: October 2006

Abstract.  In this article, we provide a spectral characterization for a real‐valued discrete‐time periodically correlated process, and then proceed on to establish a simulation procedure to simulate such a Gaussian process for a given spectral density. We also prove that the simulated process, at each time index, converges to the actual process in the mean square.
CUSUM of Squares‐Based Tests for a Change in Persistence
Authors: Leybourne Stephen , Taylor Robert , Kim Tae‐Hwan
Published: October 2006

Abstract. Using standardized cumulative sums of squared sub‐sample residuals, we propose a new ratio‐based test of the null hypothesis that a time series exhibits no change in its persistence structure [specifically that it displays constantI(1) behaviour] against the alternative of a change in persistence from trend stationarity to difference stationarity, or vice versa. Neither the direction nor location of any possible change under the alternative hypothesis need be assumed known. A key feature of our proposed test which distinguishes it from extant tests for persistence change [certain of which test the null hypothesis of constantI(0) behaviour while others, like our proposed test, test the null hypothesis of constantI(1) behaviour] is that it displays no tendency to spuriously over‐reject when applied to series which, although not constantI(1) series, do not display a change in persistence [specifically are constantI(0) processes]. Moreover, where our ratio test correctly rejects the null of no persistence change, the tail in which the rejection occurs can also be used to identify the direction of change since, even in relatively small samples, the test almost never rejects in the right [left] tail when there is a change fromI(0) toI(1) [I(1) toI(0)]. Again this useful property is not shared by existing tests. As a by‐product of our analysis, we also propose breakpoint estimators which are consistent where the timing of the change in persistence is unknown.
Work, organisation and Enterprise Resource Planning systems: an alternative research agenda
Authors: Dery Kristine , Grant David , Harley Bill , Wright Christopher
Published: October 2006

This paper reviews literature that examines the design, implementation and use of Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs). It finds that most of this literature is managerialist in orientation, and concerned with the impact of ERPs in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and business performance. The paper seeks to provide an alternative research agenda, one that emphasises work‐ and organisation‐based approaches to the study of the implementation and use of ERPs.
ERPs as ‘technologies‐in‐practice’: social construction, materiality and the role of organisational factors
Authors: Dery Kristine , Hall Richard , Wailes Nick
Published: October 2006

Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) often fail to deliver the organisational benefits anticipated. This paper uses Orlikowski's ‘technology‐in‐practice’ framework to analyse the impact of an ERP on branch managers in a large bank. While this framework provides important insights into the impact of ERPs, the case also highlights the significance of organisational factors in shaping how users enact technology at work.
Respectability, Roughness and ‘Race’: Neighbourhood Place Images and the Making of Working‐Class Social Distinctions in London
Authors: WATT PAUL
Published: October 2006

Housing has come to play an important role in demarcating the contours of social polarization in inner London, notably via the widening socio‐spatial divide between an impoverished working class located in council housing estates and affluent home‐owning gentrifiers. In mass media and policy discourses, the former are routinely represented as an unruly urban ‘underclass’, a representation that homogenizes council tenants and marginalizes their voices. This article aims to move beyond a narrow underclass perspective by providing an in‐depth analysis of neighbourhood place images and social identity based on interviews with white working‐class council tenants in the inner London Borough of Camden. Drawing on debates around social distinction and place, the article illustrates a complex set of neighbourhood images rooted in narratives of urban decline as well as notions of belonging and knowing people. The article examines these place images in relation to the longstanding status distinction between respectability and roughness, as well as ‘race’. In conclusion, the defensive and exclusionary elements of neighbourhood images are related to processes of social deprivation and insecurity that have affected working‐class council tenants in Camden.
Sitosterol xanthomatosis
Authors: Guirado SSS , Conejo‐Mir JS , Muñoz MA , Wite JB , Fernandez‐Freire LR , Ortíz JV
Published: October 2006

Background  Sitosterolaemia is a lipid disorder in which plasma plant sterol levels are extremely elevated. Sitosterolaemia is clinically characterized by tuberous and tendon xanthomas, premature vascular disease and arthritis.

Objective  To report a case of sitosterolaemia diagnosed by cutaneous manifestations and to review this rare disease.

Methods  We report the case of a 60‐year‐old woman who presented with cutaneous xanthomas, arterial hypertension and polyarthralgias. The patient had had hypercholesterolaemia for many years without reduction of serum cholesterol, despite treatment with fenofibrate.

Results  Ezetimibe therapy was started, decreasing sitosterol plasmatic levels and tuberous xanthomas after 3 months of treatment.

Conclusion  It is important to detect levels of sitosterol in plasma in patients with premature vascular disease, presence of xanthomas, and uncontrolled hypercholesterolaemia. Ezetimibe therapy is effective.
Psoriasis under the microscope
Authors: Cribier BJ
Published: October 2006

Histopathology is a major diagnostic tool in dermatology, particularly in psoriasiform diseases. Morphological studies showed that the initial event in psoriatic lesions is perivascular infiltrate, followed by dilatation of superficial papillary vessels. Proliferation of keratinocytes and neutrophil exocytosis are secondary events.

Fully developed psoriasis has a very characteristic pattern, which includes elongation of rete ridges leading to regular acanthosis, oedema of the papillary dermis associated with tortuous dilated vessels, thinning of suprapapillar area, decreased thickness of granular layer, and exocytosis of neutrophils in the spinous layer (Kogoj's pustule) or in the cornified parakeratotic layer (Munro microabscesses). Pustular psoriasis is characterized by large or confluent intra‐epidermal multilocular pustules.

Whatever the clinical variant of psoriasis, common morphological signs suggest that it is basically a unique pathological process, with many possible presentations according to various factors such as age, size and localization of lesions, or therapy. Similar microscopic elementary lesions indicate that Hallopeau's acrodermatitis continua, Reiter's disease and geographical tongue are variants of psoriasis.

Because of the many faces of the disease, psoriasis can resemble many other squamous or pustular disorders. Differential diagnosis by microscopic analysis is based on pattern analysis, PAS (Periodic Acid Schiff) staining to rule out fungal infection, and immunohistochemistry to characterize lymphocytic infiltrate.

Psoriasis is one of the most common inflammatory skin diseases. In its characteristic presentation, psoriasis comprises well‐circumscribed red scaly papules and plaques. In this form, the disease is generally easy to identify, especially when the elbows, knees and scalp are affected. Nevertheless, the term ‘psoriasis’ includes more clinical variants than any other inflammatory dermatosis: psoriasis vulgaris vs. pustular, localized vs. generalized, topographic variants, mucous membranes involvement, hair and nail lesions. Although some of these conditions might be extremely different from psoriasis vulgaris, common pathological findings can be identified in all of them. Microscopic analysis of psoriatic lesions may therefore help clinicians to make the diagnosis and to understand that, whatever the clinical presentation, signs and symptoms are mainly due to a unique pathological process.
Psychological distress and adherence in patients with psoriasis
Authors: Richards HL , Fortune DG
Published: October 2006

This paper provides an update on research literature concerning psoriasis and its interrelationships with psychological distress in the form of depression and adherence to medication. While recent literature has provided comprehensive reviews of the areas of both adherence to medication and consequences, mechanisms and interventions in psoriasis from a psychological perspective this article will provide a summary of the area and some practical and useable psychological strategies that may have utility in everyday dermatology practice.
Comorbidities in psoriasis
Authors: Christophers E
Published: October 2006

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disease. Epidemiological data demonstrate an association with a number of distinct disorders of the joints (psoriatic arthritis), the intestine (Crohn's disease), and skin (pustular disorders), as well as increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Systemic risk factors include obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes. There is evidence that chronic inflammation may be causative. For dermatologists it has become mandatory to closely monitor psoriasis patients for comorbidities. Early anti‐inflammatory treatment regimens may prove to be preventive.
A paradigm for the systemic treatment of plaque psoriasis
Authors: Ortonne J‐P
Published: October 2006

Clinical guidelines are prominent in the medical practice. Many practice guidelines have recently been published for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. Although they provide useful information on how the different treatments should be applied, unfortunately, most of them do not give instructions on the sequence in which these treatments should be prescribed. In the light of recent publications proposing algorithms and the clinician's paradigm in the treatment of psoriasis, three key questions are discussed in this paper: How do we evaluate the severity of psoriasis? Which treatment should be given in order of preference? And how do we make the therapeutic decision? It is generally agreed that each patient requires an individualized treatment plan and that the decision to undertake systemic treatment and the choice of the specific treatment plan must ultimately and mutually be made by both the patient and the physician.
New and past geochemical data on fresh to brine waters of the Salar de Atacama and Andean Altiplano, northern Chile
Authors: BOSCHETTI T. , CORTECCI G. , BARBIERI M. , MUSSI M.
Published: October 2006

The paper deals with the major chemistry and stable isotopes (hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, sulfur, strontium) of waters and solutes from the Salar de Atacama basin (Rio Pedro, Honar Creek and Laguna Chaxa) and Andean Altiplano (Laguna Miñique and Laguna Miscanti). The water inflows of the Salar are chemically quite different, the Rio San Pedro being of Na‐Cl type and the Honar Creek of Na‐HCO3 type, in keeping with the sedimentary‐evaporitic and volcanic nature of the catchment rocks respectively. The δ34S and δ18O values of sulfate and the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of strontium in the streams match those of drained rocks, whereas the δ13C values of dissolved carbonate are largely controlled by vegetation. The lagoons are evaporated meteoric water bodies, and the relative air humidity estimated from the slope of the isotopic evaporation line is in accordance with historical data on air humidity in the area. The Laguna Chaxa is Na‐Cl rich, and its isotopic composition are consistent with a mixed sedimentary‐volcanic provenance of sulfur and strontium solutes. The Laguna Miñique is Na‐SO4 rich, and its sulfate δ34S is nearly identical to that of Laguna Chaxa. The δ13C(HCO3) values are quite different in the Laguna Chaxa and Laguna Miñique, with the former being notably enriched in 13C probably because of preferential uptake of 12C by the high biological productivity occurring in the lagoon. The limited set of new data is interpreted in the context of a much larger literature database. In particular, previous chemical data on inflows and brines in the Salar de Atacama were revisited, and compared with evaporation path models and mineral stability diagrams (boron, lithium and Mg‐minerals) computed using updated software and thermodynamic databases. The modeling shows that the removal of boron and lithium from sulfate‐rich brines possibly occurs, respectively, as ulexite and sulfate salts, and carnallite should be the final magnesium phase of the brine evolution.
A high‐resolution anatomical rat atlas
Authors: Bai Xueling , Yu Li , Liu Qian , Zhang Jie , Li Anan , Han Dao , Luo Qingming , Gong Hui
Published: October 2006

This paper reports the availability of a high‐resolution atlas of the adult rat. The atlas is composed of 9475 cryosectional images captured in 4600 × 2580 × 24‐bit TIFF format, constructed using serial cryosection‐milling techniques. Cryosection images were segmented, labelled and reconstructed into three‐dimensional (3D) computerized models. These images, 3D models, technical details, relevant software and further information are available at our website,http://vchibp.vicp.net/vch/mice/.
Early adolescent outcomes for institutionally‐deprived and non‐deprived adoptees. I: Disinhibited attachment
Authors: Rutter Michael , Colvert Emma , Kreppner Jana , Beckett Celia , Castle Jenny , Groothues Christine , Hawkins Amanda , O'Connor Thomas G , Stevens Suzanne E , Sonuga‐Barke Edmund J.S.
Published: October 2006

Background:  Disinhibited attachment is an important sequel of an institutional rearing, but questions remain regarding its measurement, its persistence, the specificity of the association with institutional rearing and on whether or not it constitutes a meaningful disorder.

Method:  Children initially reared in profoundly depriving institutions in Romania and subsequently adopted into UK families were compared with respect to findings at 11 years with children who had not experienced institutional deprivation and who had been adopted within the UK before the age of 6 months. Measures included parental reports, a Strange Situation procedure modified for use in the home and systematic standardised investigator ratings of the children's behaviour.

Results:  Disinhibited attachment, as reported by parents, showed a high degree of persistence from 6 to 11, but also a reduction over time in its frequency. Investigator ratings validated the parental reports but suggested that much of the fall in rate of disinhibited attachment was a function of the parental measure being less developmentally appropriate at 11 than it had been at 6. Disinhibited attachment was strongly associated with institutional rearing but there was not a significant increase in relation to duration of institutional deprivation beyond the age of 6 months. Mild, but not marked, disinhibited attachment was quite frequent in non‐institutionalised adopted children but both the course and correlates indicated that its meaning was probably quite different. In the institution‐reared children, disinhibited attachment was associated with a marked increase in service usage and associations with other forms of psychopathology.

Conclusions:  Disinhibited attachment constitutes a valid, and handicapping, clinical pattern that is strongly associated with an institutional rearing.
Early adolescent outcomes of institutionally‐deprived and non‐deprived adoptees. II: Language as a protective factor and a vulnerable outcome
Authors: Croft Carla , Beckett Celia , Rutter Michael , Castle Jenny , Colvert Emma , Groothues Christine , Hawkins Amanda , Kreppner Jana , Stevens Suzanne E. , Sonuga‐Barke Edmund J. S.
Published: October 2006

Background:  There is uncertainty about the extent to which language skills are part of general intelligence and even more uncertainty on whether deprivation has differential effects on language and non‐language skills.

Methods:  Language and cognitive outcomes at 6 and 11 years of age were compared between a sample of 132 institution‐reared Romanian children adopted into UK families under the age of 42 months, and a sample of 49 children adopted within the UK under the age of 6 months who had not experienced either institutional rearing or profound deprivation.

Results:  The effects of institutional deprivation were basically similar for language and cognitive outcomes at age 6; in both there were few negative effects of deprivation if it ended before the age of 6 months and there was no linear association with duration of deprivation within the 6 to 42 month range. For the children over 18 months on arrival (range 18–42 months), the presence of even very minimal language skills (imitation of speech sounds) at the time of arrival was a strong beneficial prognostic factor for language and cognitive outcomes, but not for social/emotional/behavioural outcomes. Individual variations in adoptive parent characteristics were unrelated to differences in language or cognitive outcomes, possibly as a consequence of the limited variability in the adoptive family group.

Conclusions:  Minimal language probably indexes some form of cognitive reserve that, in turn, indexes the degree of institutional deprivation.
Where to B in dZ/dt
Authors: Lozano David L. , Norman Greg , Knox Dayan , Wood Beatrice L. , Miller Bruce D. , Emery Charles F. , Berntson Gary G.
Published: October 2006

The B point on the impedance cardiograph waveform corresponds to the opening of the aortic valve and is an important parameter for calculating systolic time intervals, stroke volume, and cardiac output. Identifying the location of the B point is sometimes problematic because the characteristic upstroke that serves as a marker of this point is not always apparent. Here is presented a reliable method for B point identification, based on the consistent relationship between the R to B interval (RB) and the interval between the R‐wave and the peak of the dZ/dt function (RZ). The polynomial function relating RB to RZ (RB=1.233RZ−0.0032RZ2−31.59) accounts for 90%–95% of the variance in the B point location across ages and gender and across baseline and stress conditions. This relation affords a rapid approximation to B point measurement that, in noisy or degraded signals, is superior to visual B point identification and to a derivative‐based estimate.
PC12 cells regulate inducible cyclic AMP (cAMP) element repressor expression to differentially control cAMP response element‐dependent transcription in response to nerve growth factor and cAMP
Authors: Chang Jay H. , Vuppalanchi Deepika , Van Niekerk Erna , Trepel Jane B. , Schanen N. Carolyn , Twiss Jeffery L.
Published: October 2006

Both cyclic AMP (cAMP) and nerve growth factor (NGF) have been shown to cause rapid activation of cAMP response element‐binding protein (CREB) by phosphorylation of serine 133, but additional regulatory events contribute to CREB‐targeted gene expression. Here, we have used stable transfection with a simple cAMP response element (CRE)‐driven reporter to address the kinetics of CRE‐dependent transcription during neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. In naive cells, dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) generated a rapid increase in CRE‐driven luciferase activity by 5 h that returned to naive levels by 24 h. Luciferase induction after NGF treatment was delayed until 48 h when CRE‐driven luciferase expression became TrkA dependent. Blocking histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity accelerated NGF‐dependent CRE‐driven luciferase expression by at least 24 h and resulted in a sustained cAMP‐dependent expression of CRE‐driven luciferase beyond 24 h. Inhibition of protein synthesis before stimulation with NGF or dbcAMP indicated that both stimuli induce expression of a transcriptional repressor that delays NGF‐dependent and attenuates cAMP‐dependent CRE‐driven transcription. NGF caused a rapid but transient HDAC‐dependent increase in inducible cAMP element repressor (ICER) expression, but ICER expression was sustained with increased cAMP. Depletion of ICER from PC12 cells indicated that HDAC‐dependent ICER induction is responsible for the delay in CRE‐dependent transcription after NGF treatment.