bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Firm wage differentiation in Eastern Germany A non‐parametric analysis of the wage spread
Authors: Görzig Bernd , Gornig Martin , Werwatz Axel
Published: March 2008

In Eastern Germany, wage differentiation between firms has clearly grown, parallel to individual wage differentials. Nevertheless, the wage spread between firms is still much less than in Western Germany. In this paper, a non‐parametric decomposition is used to analyze the difference between the wages spread in the two parts of Germany. Only part of the difference can be explained by different economic structures in Eastern Germany. By far, the greater part of the difference in the wage spread between firms in the two parts of the country is due to the fact that differences in wages paid by firms of the same type in Eastern Germany are much less than those of their counterparts in Western Germany. A striking result of the analysis is that the gap in the wage variance between Eastern and Western Germany is increasing.
Growth, reform indicators and policy complementarities1
Authors: De Macedo Jorge Braga , Martins Joaquim Oliveira
Published: March 2008

In order to assess the growth implications of policy complementarities, this paper applies second‐best results to reform indicators. During the transition from central planning to EU integration, which corresponds to a policy cycle, a complementarity index based on structural indicators compiled by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) decreases and then increases while the level of reforms tends to rise throughout. Corrected for initial conditions, the extent of macroeconomic stabilization and endogeneity, the level of reforms and changes in their complementarity are found to be positively related to output growth. The study uses panel data for 27 countries between 1989 and 2004.
GOETHE'S LEGACY ?‘EINS UND ALLES’ AND ITS CAREER IN SCHOLARSHIP*
Authors: Sachers Regina
Published: March 2008

This article examines the status of the poem ‘Eins und Alles’ in Goethe's intellectual legacy. Looking separately at the history of its composition and publication, it will become obvious that initially ‘Eins und Alles’ was an attempt to combine monism with an appropriate conception of the individual. As such the poem shows an ambivalent mix of Spinozist and Leibnizian thinking on the role of a subject as individual substance, and is evidence of a late stage of Goethe's engagement with German Idealism in general and Schelling in particular. Furthermore, throughout the process of its composition and first publication, ‘Eins und Alles’ was closely connected to Goethe's autobiographical work in his scientific journals, and in its second publication in 1827 in the collection Gott und Welt the poem maintained some of this scientific background. It was Eckermann's addition of ‘Vermächtnis’ to that collection in 1836 that confirmed the juxtaposition of the last couplet of ‘Eins und Alles’ and the opening lines of ‘Vermächtnis’. Thus, when critics interpret ‘Eins und Alles’ exclusively in the context of ‘Vermächtnis’ they not only establish an anachronistic reading but also develop a suggestion made by Eckermann turning ‘Eins und Alles’ into one of a pair of poems defining Goethe's legacy and therefore creating a particular and influential picture of the poet in the public's mind.
GERMANY'S WAR IN CHINA: MEDIA COVERAGE AND POLITICAL MYTH
Authors: Lü Yixu
Published: March 2008

This essay examines the coverage of the Boxer uprising in the German mainstream press in 1900 as a shaper and reflection of public opinion. Through comparative analyses of contrasting strategies of reporting in three major daily papers with different readerships, the Kölnische Zeitung, the Frankfurter Zeitung and the Berliner Morgenpost, it shows how certain events emerge as ‘key experiences’, resulting in a surprisingly convergent, patriotic narrative for the literate German public. This stresses both Germany's moral obligation to civilise the ‘backward’ and also its duty to punish the ‘barbaric’. The essay further reveals a tendency in the relevant journalism to celebrate Germany's rise to enhanced status as a colonial power. This, in turn, is cast as a second foundation myth, elevating the nation to the eminence of a ‘Weltmacht’ in rivalry with its new ally, France.
THE OBJECT OF DESIRE SPEAKS: INGEBORG BACHMANN'S ‘UNDINE GEHT’ AND LUCE IRIGARAY 'S ‘WOMAN’
Authors: Markotic Lorraine
Published: March 2008

This article presents a detailed examination of Ingeborg Bachmann's ‘Undine geht’. It argues for the uniqueness of this work: the text's astonishing ability to depict an object who is also a subject, able to articulate her otherness. Undine is a speaking and desiring subject at the same time as she remains an object of projection. The article compares Bachmann's short story with Irigaray's extensive philosophical and feminist project, showing the many ways in which ‘Undine geht’ anticipates (and is ultimately more successful than) Irigaray's concept of ‘woman’ and her mimetic strategy. Bachmann's Undine subversively mimes what she represents; she both incarnates and eludes her representation as man's imaginary other. While ‘Undine geht’ appears to provide an alternative conception of female subjectivity or to articulate repressed female desire, it ultimately explores the radical complexity of these concepts.

Bachmann's short story illustrates, moreover, the salience of Irigaray's attempt to examine the way in which language constructs and reproduces sexual difference. ‘Undine geht’ goes further, however, by also exploring the constitutive role of narrative and culture in subjectivity. The text is less an account of a female figure who finds her voice than of the difficulty and impediments to so doing.
TRASH OBJECTS, HISTORY AND MEMORY: THEORISING RUBBISH WITH WOLFGANG HILBIG
Authors: Pye Gillian
Published: March 2008

In his short story Die Kunde von den Bäumen (1994, first published 1992), Wolfgang Hilbig (1941–2007) uses trash to explore memory and the everyday in the GDR. This article begins by considering trash as mediator of cultural memory, illustrating this with the example of an exhibition of GDR artefacts. This is followed by an analysis of Aleida Assmann's concept of the ‘Spur’, revealing the friction between rubbish as historical metonym and as metaphor for historical experience. This is then explored in a reading of Die Kunde von den Bäumen. It is argued that Hilbig uses the absence inscribed in trash to explore the dislocation between everyday experience, political power and the historical past. However, trash is also shown to operate as a powerful and ambiguous metaphor, which can tend towards the sentimental. This shows that the attractions of trash as both metonym and metaphor need to be tempered with an awareness of absence. Returning to the exhibiting of GDR trash objects at the DHM, it is argued that the metaphorical and metonymic are conflated in such a way as to mask the dislocations of experience in the GDR, ultimately constructing a sentimental and consumer‐driven image of harmony.
Forging Glocal Governance? Urban Infrastructures as Networked Financial Products
Authors: TORRANCE MORAG I.
Published: March 2008

Urban infrastructure provisions are increasingly shifting from public good to private property, with cities and regions valued merely on a quarter‐to‐quarter basis. The argument in this article is threefold. The urban infrastructure landscape is undergoing financialization. Additionally, building on Graham and Marvin who describe how infrastructure networks are being unbundled locally, these infrastructures are simultaneously being interlinked internationally via specialist global infrastructure funds. Third, non‐local owners, by abiding by contractual obligations, play an increasing role in the governance of infrastructure projects at the urban scale, and a ‘glocal’ form of governance is developing. These arguments are illustrated by an investigation of the privatized toll road 407 in the Greater Toronto Area, where the leading investment bank in ‘infrastructure’ is one of the global owners. With increased use of the international norms of commercial law and the fluctuating cycle of local, national and supranational politics, a toll‐pricing controversy occurred wherein provincial politics challenged a ‘self‐regulating’ contract encouraging the private owners to increase the toll charges when both the traffic and toll thresholds were met, so as to create congestion relief on this particular road. Road users, provincial and federal Canadian governments, and even the European Union were involved.

La fourniture d’infrastructures urbaines est de plus en plus souvent transférée du domaine public vers le privé, la valeur des villes et régions étant estimée simplement d’un trimestre sur l’autre. L’argumentation de cet article se présente en trois volets : le paysage des infrastructures urbaines connaît une financiarisation ; par ailleurs, dans le prolongement de la description de Graham et Marvin concernant la désintégration locale des réseaux d’infrastructures, ces dernières se trouvent directement liées au niveau mondial via des fonds internationaux spécialisés en infrastructures; enfin, les propriétaires non‐locaux jouent, en respectant les obligations contractuelles, un rôle accru dans la gouvernance des projets d’infrastructure à l’échelle urbaine, ce qui génère une forme ‘glocale’ de gouvernance. Ces propos sont illustrés par une étude sur l’autoroute privée 407 de la banlieue de Toronto, la principale banque d’investissement en ‘infrastructure’ en étant l’un des propriétaires internationaux. Compte tenu de l’application plus fréquente de normes de droit commercial internationales et du cycle fluctuant des politiques locales, nationales et supranationales, la tarification du péage a fait l’objet d’une controverse, la politique provinciale mettant en cause un contrat ‘autorégulateur’ qui encourageait les propriétaires privés à augmenter les péages en fonction de seuils de circulation et de tarifs, de manière à créer un décongestionnement du trafic sur cette autoroute. Les usagers, les gouvernements canadiens provincial et fédéral, et même l’Union européenne, ont été parties prenantes.
The Only Class in Town? Gentrification and the Middle‐Class Colonization of the City and the Urban Imagination
Authors: WATT PAUL
Published: March 2008

This essay argues that Tom Slater's article makes several important points regarding what he rightly suggests is the disappearance of a critical edge from much of the recent gentrification literature. It explores one of these points in greater depth, i.e. the notion that the working class occupy a ‘backstage’ role vis‐à‐vis the analysis of gentrification. This is done via a discussion of gentrification and London's class structure in relation to the work of Tim Butler and Chris Hamnett. The essay makes a plea for more ‘bottom up’ accounts of gentrification which focus upon the urban working class, especially in relation to contemporary processes of policy‐driven state‐led gentrification.

Dans son article, Tom Slater présente plusieurs points importants sur ce qu'il suggère, à juste titre, être la disparition d'une ‘acuité’ critique dans la plupart des publications récentes sur la ‘gentrification’. Cet essai approfondit l'un de ces points, à savoir l'idée que la classe ouvrière occupe une place ‘en coulisses’ dans les études sur la ‘gentrification’. Pour ce faire, la ‘gentrification’ et la structure de classe à Londres sont analysés par rapport au travail de Tim Butler et Chris Hamnett. La conclusion appelle à davantage de récits du processus qui viennent ‘d'en bas’ en s'intéressant à la classe ouvrière urbaine, en particulier par rapport aux processus contemporains la ‘gentrification’ mené par l'État et orienté par la politique publique.
A Response to ‘The Eviction of Critical Perspectives from Gentrification Research’
Authors: SHAW KATE
Published: March 2008

This short essay supports Tom Slater's argument that displacement has been decoupled from gentrification in the recent literature and that this has contributed to de‐politicized analyses of urban change. It also observes that meanings of gentrification have evolved to include the production of space for middle‐class consumption that does not involve direct displacement. The essay argues that these developments do not negate the fundamental class character of gentrification. On the contrary, it suggests that pointedly neoliberal urban policies and increasingly exclusive housing markets and ‘public’ spaces are re‐politicizing public debates.

Ce court article soutient le propos de Tom Slater sur le fait que le déplacement a été dissocié de la ‘gentrification’ dans les publications récentes, participant ainsi à des analyses du changement urbain dépolitisées. On observe que les significations de la ‘gentrification’ ont évolué pour inclure la production d'espace à consommer par les classes moyennes qui n'implique pas de déplacement direct. Ces évolutions ne renient pas le caractère de classe fondamental de la ‘gentrification’. En revanche, les politiques urbaines ostensiblement néolibérales, de même que les marchés du logement et les espaces ‘publics’ de plus en plus exclusifs, sont en train de re‐politiser les débats publics.
On ‘The Eviction of Critical Perspectives’
Authors: SMITH NEIL
Published: March 2008

Critiques of gentrification and the highlighting of the resulting displacement and evictions have become quite unfashionable as an aging group of urban scholars, especially in the UK, is increasingly enamoured by ‘regeneration’ and other policy‐driven questions. Without question there has been an ‘eviction of critical perspectives’, as Slater suggests, lubricated by a broader neoliberal shift, concerning this major process of class‐based city rebuilding.

Les critiques sur la ‘gentrification’, ainsi que la mise en évidence du déplacement et des évictions qui en découlent, sont plutôt passées de mode tandis qu'un groupe d'anciens chercheurs urbains, notamment au Royaume‐Uni, est davantage séduit par la ‘régénération’ et d'autres sujets liés à la politique publique. Indubitablement, comme le suggère Slater, on a assistéà une ‘éviction des perspectives critiques’, facilitée par un décalage néolibéral général, à l'égard de ce processus majeur de reconstruction urbaine fondé sur les classes.
Plural Governance, Participation and Democracy in Cities
Authors: BEAUMONT JUSTIN , NICHOLLS WALTER
Published: March 2008

In recent years there has been a growing interest in new participatory forms of urban governance. This introduction provides readers with a basic review of current debates in the literature and a summary of the articles presented in the symposium. The introduction highlights two major tensions in the literature. First, many scholars operate under an assumption that plural actors can achieve a lasting and rational consensus on certain issues. Others believe that where there is consensus, there is also a silenced margin. For these critics, rather than focusing on building power‐laden consensus, it is better to recognize and respect conflict and difference as normal parts of the governance process. Second, the introduction considers some of the possibilities for cross‐national comparisons of participatory governance regimes. Scholars should not limit their analyses to institutional designs across countries but assess the importance of particular sociopolitical contexts in giving formal institutions their actual meanings and functions.

Dernièrement, les nouvelles formes participatives de gouvernance urbaine ont fait l'objet d'un intérêt accru. Ce texte introductif présente un bilan rapide des débats qui animent la littérature actuelle, ainsi qu'une synthèse des articles proposés pour le symposium. On trouve deux lignes d'opposition principales dans les publications. En premier lieu, de nombreux chercheurs partent du principe qu'une pluralité d'acteurs peut atteindre un consensus durable et rationnel sur certains sujets. D'autres sont convaincus que s'il y a consensus, une minorité est également réduite au silence ; selon eux, au lieu de se consacrer à bâtir un consensus dans un rapport de force, il vaut mieux admettre et respecter conflit et différence comme des composantes normales du processus de gouvernance. En second lieu, cette introduction envisage certaines possibilités de comparaisons transnationales de systèmes de gouvernance participative; les spécialistes ne devraient pas limiter leurs analyses aux concepts institutionnels internationaux, mais évaluer plutôt l'importance des contextes sociopolitiques particuliers lorsqu'il s'agit de donner aux institutions formelles leur sens et fonctions réels.
Towards Radicalized Communicative Rationality: Resident Involvement and Urban Democracy in Rotterdam and Antwerp
Authors: BEAUMONT JUSTIN , LOOPMANS MAARTEN
Published: March 2008

What are the theoretical tools at our disposal for helping explain local participatory processes in the context of the governance of social and ethnic diversity in cities? Conventional wisdom within urban scholarship often has it that new modes of governance are, by definition, more conducive to participatory practice in cities. In this article we take issue with this assumption with reference to political process derived from Habermas and Mouffe as well as detailed case material on participation in the Delfshaven district of Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and in the Antwerp‐North district (Belgium). While we are sympathetic with the ideals of Habermas given the highly fragmented, individualized and conflictive politics observed in Antwerp, we equally do not see the alternative in the bureaucratic form of rationality we see in Rotterdam. We therefore argue for a radicalized communicative rationality, combining a Habermas‐inspired ideal speech situation with more organic, grassroots and bottom‐up processes in line with Mouffe. Our ‘hybridized’ conception of participation transcends the pervasive tendency to treat Habermas and Mouffe, among others, as epistemologically distinct and concerned with incommensurable conceptions of social power. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of our argument for theorizing governance and participation in cities.

Quels sont les outils théoriques dont nous disposons pour expliquer les processus participatifs locaux dans le cadre de la gouvernance d'une diversité sociale et ethnique dans les villes ? On pense généralement chez les experts urbains que les nouveaux modes de gouvernance sont, par définition, plus favorables à la démarche participative dans les villes. L'article s'oppose à ce postulat en se référant au processus politique selon Habermas et Mouffe, et en partant d'informations précises sur la participation dans les cas de l'arrondissement de Delfshaven à Rotterdam (Pays‐Bas) et du quartier d'Anvers‐Nord (Belgique). Si nous rejoignons les idéaux de Habermas par rapport aux politiques particulièrement fragmentées, individualisées et conflictuelles observées à Anvers, nous ne trouvons pas l'alternative dans la forme bureaucratique de rationalité constatée à Rotterdam. En conséquence, nous défendons une rationalité communicative radicalisée qui associe une situation de discours idéal inspirée par Habermas et des processus plus organiques, basiques et de bas en haut, cohérents avec Mouffe. Cette conception ‘hybride’ de la participation transcende la tendance systématique à considérer Habermas et Mouffe, entre autres, comme étant distincts sur le plan épistémologique et s'intéressant à des concepts du pouvoir social incommensurables. Pour finir, sont analysées les implications de notre argumentation pour la théorisation de la gouvernance et de la participation dans les grandes villes.
A Zn(II)–glycine complex suppresses UVB‐induced melanin production by stimulating metallothionein expression
Authors: Ochiai Y. , Kaburagi S. , Okano Y. , Masaki H. , Ichihashi M. , Funasaka Y. , Sakurai H.
Published: March 2008

Synopsis

Oxidative stress caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the skin, induces the secretion of melanocyte growth and activating factors from keratinocytes, which results in the formation of cutaneous hyper‐pigmentation. Thus, increasing the anti‐oxidative ability of skin cells is expected to be a good strategy for skin‐lightening cosmetics. Metallothionein (MT) is one of the stress‐induced proteins and is known to exhibit a strong anti‐oxidative property. We previously reported that a zinc(II) complex with glycine (Zn(II)(Gly)2) effectively induces MT expression in cultured human keratinocytes. To determine its potential as a new skin lightening active, we examined whether Zn(II)(Gly)2 regulates the release of melanocyte‐activating factors from UVB‐irradiated keratinocytes and affects melanin production in a reconstructed human epidermal equivalent. Conditioned medium from UVB‐irradiated keratinocytes accelerated melanocyte proliferation to 110%, and that increase could be prevented by pre‐treatment with Zn(II)(Gly)2. In addition, Zn(II)(Gly)2 significantly reduced both the production of prostaglandin E2 and proopiomelanocortin expression in UVB‐irradiated keratinocytes. Zn(II)(Gly)2 also decreased melanin production in a reconstructed human epidermal equivalent. These results indicate that MT‐induction in the epidermis effectively up‐regulates tolerance against oxidative stress and inhibits the secretion of melanocyte growth and activating factors from keratinocytes. Thus, Zn(II)(Gly)2 is a good candidate as a new skin‐lightening active.
Kinetics of moisturizing and firming effects of cosmetic formulations
Authors: Xhauflaire‐Uhoda E. , Fontaine K. , Piérard G.E.
Published: March 2008

Synopsis

The assessment of cosmetic efficacy is rarely performed in studies comparing different concentrations of active compounds. The aim of the present study was to determine the skin hydrating and the skin firming dose–response effects of cosmetic formulations enriched in compounds derived from algae and fish collagen. A series of factors were studied including the type of formulation (cream or serum), the concentration in active ingredients, the effect of repetitive applications, as well as any residual effect of the formulations after stopping their applications. The serum enriched in marine compounds showed a better moisturizing effect in short term. The cream appeared more active later, particularly following repeat applications. A sustained tensor (firming) effect was observed during treatment with both the lotion and the cream. However, no remnant firming effect was perceived after stopping treatment.
Individual Differences in Religion and Spirituality: An Issue of Personality Traits and/or Values
Authors: SAROGLOU VASSILIS , MUÑOZ‐GARCÍA ANTONIO
Published: March 2008

Personality, in terms of both strict personality traits (five factors) and their cultural adaptations (e.g., values), has systematically been found to predict religion. This article focuses on three issues that still remain unclear: predictiveness of personality facets versus the five factors; predictiveness of values versus personality; and similarities and differences between religiosity and spirituality in their associations with personality and values. We administered the NEO‐PI‐R, the Schwartz Value Survey, and religious measures to Spanish students (N = 256). The personality facets provided additional and subtler information than the five factors on individual differences in religion and spirituality. When the overlap between personality and values was controlled for, values were almost unique predictors of these differences. Spirituality shared with religion both a prosocial tendency (with even some intensification) and conscientiousness, but not the emphasis on conservation versus openness to change and to experience.
Racial Diversity, Gender Equality, and SES Diversity in Christian Congregations: Exploring the Connections of Racism, Sexism, and Classism in Multiracial and Nonmultiracial Churches
Authors: YANCEY GEORGE , KIM YE JUNG
Published: March 2008

We explore the possibility that racially inclusive churches are also more inclusive in SES and supportive of gender equality. We used the Lilly Survey of Congregations to compare SES diversity and attitudes toward female leadership between multiracial and nonmultiracial churches. Findings indicate that multiracial churches promote SES diversity, but not necessarily gender equality. The relationship is straightforward as it concerns SES diversity, as multiracial churches are more likely to exhibit SES diversity than nonmultiracial churches. However, we found that a good deal of the propensity of multiracial churches to support gender equality is tied to the size of cities in which they are located. Further, theology acts as a suppressor variable in that conservative multiracial churches are less supportive of gender equality than other conservative churches, while progressive multiracial churches are more supportive of gender equality than other progressive churches.
Stress, Religious Coping Resources, and Depressive Symptoms in an Urban Adolescent Sample
Authors: CARLETON RUSSELL A. , ESPARZA PATRICIA , THAXTER PETER J. , GRANT KATHRYN E.
Published: March 2008

We surveyed low‐income urban adolescents about their total exposure to urban stressors and their use of religious coping resources, specifically in the areas of social support, spiritual support, and community service opportunities provided by their congregations. Additionally, we assessed their current levels of depressive symptomatology. Among females, the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms was moderated by the use of spiritual support and community service opportunities. The moderating relationship was such that at low levels of stress, high usage of these resources protected against the development of depressive symptoms. At high levels of stress, however, the protective relationship was lost. Lastly, when the social support aspects of religious coping were statistically controlled, the moderation effect disappeared, suggesting that within this sample, the social support seeking aspects of the resources, rather than their religious nature, was responsible for the effects.
Quest Religion, Anti‐Fundamentalism, and Limited Versus Universal Compassion
Authors: BATSON C. DANIEL , DENTON DREW M , VOLLMECKE JASON T
Published: March 2008

Goldfried and Miner (2002)

claimed to provide evidence that those high in quest religion are less likely to help a religiously closed‐minded person even when the help does not promote closed‐mindedness. As a result, they concluded that quest religion is associated with limited, not universal, compassion. An experiment modeled on theirs but avoiding several methodological problems suggested a very different conclusion. Although participants high in quest religion helped a religiously closed‐minded person less when doing so promoted closed‐mindedness, they were no less likely to help such a person when it did not promote closed‐mindedness. These results suggest that quest religion is associated with antipathy toward promoting closed‐mindedness, not with antipathy toward religiously closed‐minded persons. The scope of compassion associated with quest religion does not appear to be limited in the way Goldfried and Miner claimed.
The influence of poorly interconnected fault zone flow paths on spring geochemistry
Authors: ROWLAND J. C. , MANGA M. , ROSE T. P.
Published: March 2008

Thermal springs commonly occur along faults because of the enhanced vertical permeability afforded by fracture zones. Field and laboratory studies of fault zone materials document substantial heterogeneities in fracture permeabilities. Modeling and field studies of springs suggest that spatial variations in permeability strongly influence spring locations, discharge rates and temperatures. The impact of heterogeneous permeability on spring geochemistry, however, is poorly documented. We present stable isotope and water chemistry data from a series of closely spaced thermal springs associated with the Hayward Fault, California. We suggest that substantial spatial variations observed in δ18O and chloride values reflect subsurface fluid transport through a poorly connected fracture network in which mixing of subsurface waters remains limited. Our measurements provide insight into the effect of fracture zone heterogeneities on spring geochemistry, offer an additional tool to intuit the nature of tectonically induced changes in fault zone plumbing, and highlight the need to consider local variations when characterizing fracture zone fluid geochemistry from spring systems with multiple discharge sites.
Early risk indicators of internalizing problems in late childhood: a 9‐year longitudinal study
Authors: Ashford Janka , Smit Filip , Van Lier Pol A.C. , Cuijpers Pim , Koot Hans M.
Published: March 2008

Background:  Longitudinal studies on risk indicators of internalizing problems in childhood are in short supply, but could be valuable to identify target groups for prevention.

Methods:  Standardized assessments of 294 children’s internalizing problems at the age of 2–3 years (parent report), 4–5 years (parent and teacher report) and 11 years (parent and teacher) were available in addition to risk indicators from the child, family and contextual domain.

Results:  Low socioeconomic status, family psychopathology at child age 2–3, parenting stress at child age 4–5 years, and parents’ reports of child internalizing problems at age 4–5 years were the strongest predictors of internalizing problems at the age of 11. If these early risk factors were effectively ameliorated through preventive interventions, up to 57% of internalizing cases at age 11 years could be avoided.

Conclusions:  Predictors from as early as 2–5 years of age are relevant for identifying children at risk of internalizing problems in late childhood. The methodological approach used in this study can help to identify children who are most in need of preventive interventions and help to assess the potential health gain and efficiency of such interventions.
Self/nonself perception and recognition mechanisms in plants: a comparison of self‐incompatibility and innate immunity
Authors: Sanabria Natasha , Goring Daphne , Nürnberger Thorsten , Dubery Ian
Published: March 2008

Analyses of emerging concepts indicate that parallels exist between self‐incompatibility and pathogen recognition. In the case of surveillance of ‘nonself’, plant immune responses are triggered either by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that detect conserved pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or by resistance (R) proteins recognizing isolate‐specific pathogen effectors. PAMP detection is an important component of innate immunity in plants and serves as an early warning system for the presence of potential pathogens and activation of plant defense mechanisms. In the Brassicaceae, the recognition of ‘self’ and self‐incompatibility are components of a receptor‐ligand based mechanism that utilizes an S receptor kinase (SRK) to perceive and reject ‘self’‐pollen. SRK is an S‐domain receptor‐like kinase (RLK), which in turn is part of the RLK family, some members of which represent PRRs involved in the detection of PAMPs. S‐domain RLKs also occur in species that do not exhibit self‐incompatibility and are up‐regulated in response to wounding, PAMPs and pathogen recognition. Although evolution may have driven expansion of certain RLK families to serve roles in particular physiological processes, this may not exclude these receptor types from functioning in different programs. Recent findings on self/nonself recognition are reviewed and conceptual and mechanistic links between microbial recognition and self‐incompatibility are discussed.
P300 amplitude age reductions are not caused by latency jitter
Authors: Walhovd Kristine B. , Rosquist Hannah , Fjell Anders M.
Published: March 2008

Studies of the event‐related potentials (ERPs) P3a/P3b have given insights into age effects on cognitive processes in the brain, and it has been established that latency increases and amplitude decreases with age. However, if latency jitter, that is, variation in single trial latencies, is larger in elderly than in younger participants, this may create an artificial age–amplitude correlation. The aim of this article is to test whether correction for latency jitter affects the P3a/P3b age correlations. One hundred thirty‐three healthy adults (20–88 years old) went through a 3‐stimuli visual oddball paradigm. Latency jitter was corrected by use of a Maximum Likelihood Estimation method. The results showed that corrections for latency jitter did not significantly affect the correlations between P3a/P3b and age. It is concluded that previous reports of amplitude reduction as a function of age seem to be valid regardless of whether latency jitter correction has been applied.
Preliminary evidence that morning vaccination is associated with an enhanced antibody response in men
Authors: Phillips Anna C. , Gallagher Stephen , Carroll Douglas , Drayson Mark
Published: March 2008

Variation in response to vaccination, particularly in vulnerable groups, provides a strong rationale for developing vaccine adjuvants. If there were consistent diurnal variation in immune response, this could inform a simple intervention for enhancing vaccine efficacy. Data from two studies are presented examining morning versus afternoon vaccine administration; in the first, hepatitis A vaccine was administered to young adults, and in the second, influenza vaccine to older community‐based adults. Men, but not women, vaccinated in the morning mounted a better peak antibody response to both hepatitis A and the A/Panama influenza strain. These results indicate that it would be worthwhile testing this effect in a large randomized control trial with vaccination during time periods representing the extremes of hormonal and cytokine diurnal rhythms.
Economic Constraints and Strategic Choices: The Case of the Frente Amplio of Uruguay’s First Year in Office
Authors: PANIZZA FRANCISCO
Published: March 2008

The article analyses the economic constraints and strategic choices that shaped the economic policies of the Frente Amplio of Uruguay’s first year in office. It argues that the economic strategy of the Frente Amplio’s administration can be described as the adoption, completion and correction of the incomplete free market reforms enacted by previous right of centre administrations and that this strategy can be explained as the product of two interrelated factors: first, a pragmatic compromise between partially conflicting visions of economic development; and, second, a political strategy that has sought to consider the demands of the different socio‐political constituencies which make up the coalition.
Inventing Tradition at Gunpoint: Culture, Caciquismo and State Formation in the Región Mixe, Oaxaca (1930–1959)
Authors: SMITH BENJAMIN
Published: March 2008

This article examines the links between the creation of a post‐revolutionary Mexican culture and the maintenance of traditional forms of cacical control. Taking as a case study Luis Rodríguez, a cacique from the state of Oaxaca, it is argued that he utilised state notions of indigenismo and indigenous cultural production to assert and maintain his position as the strongman of the Mixe ethnic group. However, despite the employment of state discourses, Rodríguez’s fiefdom was never subsumed into the corporate revolutionary state. Rather, these claims of ethnic unity were used as a smokescreen to deter state intervention. As a result, Rodríguez was forced to use intimidation and violence to control pueblos outside his immediate sphere of influence during the 1940s and 1950s.
State Government, Political Competition and Education Reform: Comparative Lessons from Brazil
Authors: BORGES ANDRÉ
Published: March 2008

The article explores the connection between democratisation, decentralisation and sub‐national policy making. It seeks to explain variation in the policy choices that were made by Brazilian state governments in the definition of school governance structures following the return to democracy. Whereas some state governments decided to institute the election of school principals by parents, students and teachers, others decided on the maintenance of opaque and discretionary practices that secured the distribution of school posts according to political criteria. The research relies on primary comparative evidence from three states: Bahia, Ceará and Minas Gerais. The argument is that the institutional choices made by state governments depended on the structure of political competition and on the extent and intensity of elite divisions at the state level.
Genetic inactivation of p62 leads to accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau and neurodegeneration
Authors: Ramesh Babu J. , Lamar Seibenhener M. , Peng Junmin , Strom Anna‐Lena , Kemppainen Robert , Cox Nancy , Zhu Haining , Wooten Michael C. , Diaz‐Meco María T. , Moscat Jorge , Wooten Marie W.
Published: March 2008

The signaling adapter p62 plays a coordinating role in mediating phosphorylation and ubiquitin‐dependent trafficking of interacting proteins. However, there is little known about the physiologic role of this protein in brain. Here, we report age‐dependent constitutive activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β, protein kinase B, mitogen‐activated protein kinase, and c‐Jun‐N‐terminal kinase in adult p62−/− mice resulting in hyperphosphorylated tau, neurofibrillary tangles, and neurodegeneration. Biochemical fractionation of p62−/− brain led to recovery of aggregated K63‐ubiquitinated tau. Loss of p62 was manifested by increased anxiety, depression, loss of working memory, and reduced serum brain‐derived neurotrophic factor levels. Our findings reveal a novel role for p62 as a chaperone that regulates tau solubility thereby preventing tau aggregation. This study provides a clear demonstration of an Alzheimer‐like phenotype in a mouse model in the absence of expression of human genes carrying mutations in amyloid‐beta protein precursor, presenilin, or tau. Thus, these findings provide new insight into manifestation of sporadic Alzheimer disease and the impact of obesity.
FK506 binding protein 12 differentially accelerates fibril formation of wild type alpha‐synuclein and its clinical mutants A30P or A53T
Authors: Gerard Melanie , Debyser Zeger , Desender Linda , Baert Johan , Brandt Inger , Baekelandt Veerle , Engelborghs Yves
Published: March 2008

Aggregation of alpha‐synuclein (α‐SYN) plays a key role in Parkinson’s disease. We have previously shown that aggregation of α‐SYNin vitrois accelerated by addition of FK506 binding proteins (FKBP) and that this effect can be counteracted by FK506, a specific inhibitor of these enzymes. In this paper, we investigated in detail the effect of FKBP12 on early aggregation and on fibril formation of wild‐type, A53T and A30P α‐SYN. FKBP12 has a much smaller effect on the fibril formation of these two clinical mutants α‐SYN. Using an inactive enzyme, we were able to discriminate between catalytic and non‐catalytic effects that differentially influence the two processes. A model explaining non‐linear concentration dependencies is proposed.
In brain, Axl recruits Grb2 and the p85 regulatory subunit of PI3 kinase; in vitro mutagenesis defines the requisite binding sites for downstream Akt activation
Authors: Weinger Jason G. , Gohari Pouyan , Yan Ying , Backer Jonathan M. , Varnum Brian , Shafit‐Zagardo Bridget
Published: March 2008

Axl is a receptor tyrosine kinase implicated in cell survival following growth factor withdrawal and other stressors. The binding of Axl’s ligand, growth arrest‐specific protein 6 (Gas6), results in Axl autophosphorylation, recruitment of signaling molecules, and activation of downstream survival pathways. Pull‐down assays and immunoprecipitations using wildtype and mutant Axl transfected cells determined that Axl directly binds growth factor receptor‐bound protein 2 (Grb2) at pYVN and the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase (PI3 kinase) at two pYXXM sites (pY779 and pY821). Also, p85 can indirectly bind to Axl via an interaction between p85’s second proline‐rich region and the N‐terminal SH3 domain of Grb2. Further, Grb2 and p85 can compete for binding at the pY821VNM site. Gas6‐stimulation of Axl‐transfected COS7 cells recruited activated PI3 kinase and phosphorylated Akt. An interaction between Axl, p85 and Grb2 was confirmed in brain homogenates, enriched populations of O4+ oligodendrocytes, and O4− flow‐through prepared from day 10 mouse brain, indicating that cells with active Gas6/Axl signal through Grb2 and the PI3 kinase/Akt pathways.
Distinct changes in neuronal and astrocytic amino acid neurotransmitter metabolism in mice with reduced numbers of synaptic vesicles
Authors: Bogen Inger Lise , Risa Øystein , Haug Kristin H. , Sonnewald Ursula , Fonnum Frode , Walaas S. Ivar
Published: March 2008

The relations between glutamate and GABA concentrations and synaptic vesicle density in nerve terminals were examined in an animal model with 40–50% reduction in synaptic vesicle numbers caused by inactivation of the genes encoding synapsin I and II. Concentrations and synthesis of amino acids were measured in extracts from cerebrum and a crude synaptosomal fraction by HPLC and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMRS), respectively. Analysis of cerebrum extracts, comprising both neurotransmitter and metabolic pools, showed decreased concentration of GABA, increased concentration of glutamine and unchanged concentration of glutamate in synapsin I and II double knockout (DKO) mice. In contrast, both glutamate and GABA concentrations were decreased in crude synaptosomes isolated from synapsin DKO mice, suggesting that the large metabolic pool of glutamate in the cerebral extracts may overshadow minor changes in the transmitter pool. 13C NMRS studies showed that the changes in amino acid concentrations in the synapsin DKO mice were caused by decreased synthesis of GABA (20–24%) in cerebral neurons and increased synthesis of glutamine (36%) in astrocytes. In a crude synaptosomal fraction, the glutamate synthesis was reduced (24%), but this reduction could not be detected in cerebrum extracts. We suggest that lack of synaptic vesicles causes down‐regulation of neuronal GABA and glutamate synthesis, with a concomitant increase in astrocytic synthesis of glutamine, in order to maintain normal neurotransmitter concentrations in the nerve terminal cytosol.
Immunoproteasome responds to injury in the retina and brain
Authors: Ferrington Deborah A. , Hussong Stacy A. , Roehrich Heidi , Kapphahn Rebecca J. , Kavanaugh Shannon M. , Heuss Neal D. , Gregerson Dale S.
Published: March 2008

It is well known that immunoproteasome generates peptides for MHC Class I occupancy and recognition by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). The present study focused on evidence for alternative roles for immunoproteasome. Retina and brain were analyzed for expression of immunoproteasome subunits using immunohistochemistry and western blotting under normal conditions and after injury/stress induced by CTL attack on glia (brain) or neurons (retina). Normal retina expressed substantial levels of immunoproteasome in glia, neurons, and retinal pigment epithelium. The basal level of immunoproteasome in retina was two‐fold higher than in brain; CTL‐induced retinal injury further up‐regulated immunoproteasome expression. Immunoproteasome up‐regulation was also observed in injured brain and corresponded with expression in Purkinje cells, microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. These results suggest that the normal environment of the retina is sufficiently challenging to require on‐going expression of immunoproteasome. Further, immunoproteasome up‐regulation with retinal and brain injury implies a role in neuronal protection and/or repair of damage.
Vertical imbalance induced by prism‐ballasted soft toric contact lenses fitted unilaterally
Authors: Nilsson M. , Stevenson S. B. , Leach N. , Bergmanson J. P. , Brautaset R. L.
Published: March 2008

Fitting a prism‐ballasted soft toric contact lens unilaterally may potentially induce a vergence error that the subject cannot compensate. In the present study, a prism‐ballasted (1.5Δ base down) soft toric contact lens was fitted in the right eye only of 10 subjects with normal binocular vision. The effect on binocular vision was evaluated by measuring vertical phoria adaptation and vertical fixation disparity adaptation. The results show that the vertical vergence error induced was well compensated and fully adapted to. However, care might be needed when fitting these lenses unilaterally in subjects with vertical phoria‐related problems.
Clinical and experimental findings in Acanthamoeba keratitis with Heidelberg Retina Tomograph III‐RCM
Authors: Chen Zhang , Shijing Deng , Zhiqun Wang , Ran Li , Xuguang Sun
Published: March 2008

Purpose:  To observe Acanthamoeba cysts and trophozoites in the corneal tissue of patients and rabbits with Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), using the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph III Rostock‐cornea‐module (HRTIII‐RCM).

Methods:  Eight eyes of seven patients with clinical and laboratory diagnosis of AK, presenting to the Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology between July and December 2006, were included in this study. The laboratory diagnosis in all cases was established by a cytological analysis and culture of the corneal scraping. The scanning with HRTIII‐RCM was performed on all the patients. Acanthamoeba cysts and trophozoites in the corneas of three rabbits were observed with the HRTIII‐RCM after a suspension of trophozoites was injected into the corneal stromal layer of the rabbits.

Results:  Acanthamoeba cysts or trophozoites were observed with the HRTIII‐RCM in the corneas of all the patients. The size and shape of Acanthamoeba in the tissue of the rabbit corneas was consistent with that in the patients’ eyes. The Acanthamoeba cyst presented a round high‐contrast particle, 15–20 μm in diameter, with a double wall. In contrast, the trophozoite presented an irregular high‐contrast particle, without an apparent wall, 25–40 μm in diameter and with a round conspicuous nucleus.

Conclusions:  HRTIII‐RCM is a useful non‐invasive clinical technique to help to diagnose and monitor the response of AK to therapy.
GC/MS ANALYSIS OF FATTY ACIDS FROM ANCIENT HEARTH RESIDUES AT THE SWAN POINT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE*
Authors: KEDROWSKI B. L. , CRASS B. A. , BEHM J. A. , LUETKE J. C. , NICHOLS A. L. , MORECK A. M. , HOLMES C. E.
Published: March 2008

Gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is used to analyse soil residues from hearth sites in Swan Point, Alaska. An experimental hearth is also prepared by burning animal bones to study the characteristics of bone fires and the lipid residues that they leave embedded in soil. Hearth soil samples are derivatized with HCl in methanol to convert bound and unbound fatty acids into methyl esters. Concentrations of saturated fatty acid methyl esters in the samples are determined and their ratios analysed. The fatty acid patterns found in ancient campfires are consistent with burning bones of large ruminants as well as monogastric herbivores.
The Role of Portfolio Shocks in a Structural Vector Autoregressive Model of the Australian Economy*
Authors: FRY RENÉE , HOCKING JAMES , MARTIN VANCE L.
Published: March 2008

Domestic and foreign equity shocks on the Australian economy are analysed within a five‐variate structural vector autoregressive model, with identification achieved through long‐run restrictions based on the natural rate hypothesis, monetary neutrality, long‐run portfolio balance and purchasing power parity. The results show that real equity values were undervalued by 19 per cent by June 2005, with the gap narrowing thereafter. Foreign crises are important factors explaining this deterioration. The real wealth effects of equity market shocks impact significantly upon financial and goods market prices, whereas output tends to be immune. The model is also able to address puzzles that exist in the vector autoregression literature.