bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Verbal and Visuospatial Learning and Memory Function in Children With Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Authors: Willford Jennifer A. , Richardson Gale A. , Leech Sharon L. , Day Nancy L.
Published: March 2004

Abstract: Background: This study investigated the effects of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on learning and memory in 14‐year‐old adolescents. The Children's Memory Scale was used to assess learning and memory function in the verbal/auditory and visual/spatial domains. In addition, both short‐ and long‐term memory function were assessed.

Methods: Data were collected as part of the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project, a longitudinal study including 580 children and their mothers. Women were assessed during each trimester of pregnancy and with their children from birth to 16 years of age. At age 14, memory function was evaluated using the Children's Memory Scale, an assessment tool that measures learning and immediate and delayed memory function in the verbal and visual‐spatial domains.

Results: Prenatal alcohol exposure during the first trimester predicted deficits in learning, short‐term memory, and long‐term memory, specifically in the verbal domain. Deficits in performance were specific to learning and memory of word‐pairs. In addition, deficits in memory were mediated by learning performance.

Conclusions: Results demonstrated that prenatal alcohol exposure lead to deficits in encoding processes as indicated by deficits in verbal learning. Initial deficits in acquisition were responsible for deficits in immediate and delayed recall of verbal information in children who were exposed to alcohol during pregnancy but did not have fetal alcohol syndrome.
Cumulative Lifelong Alcohol Consumption Alters Auditory Brainstem Potentials
Authors: Smith Elisabeth Stephanie , Riechelmann Herbert
Published: March 2004

Abstract: Background: Alcohol is one of the most widely abused substances in the United States and Europe. It is believed that alcohol causes brain damage that may influence the central auditory tracts. Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) are a common method for measuring central auditory pathways. Therefore, the influence of cumulative lifelong alcohol consumption on BAEPs in subjects with normal hearing was investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Methods: BAEPs were measured in 38 male subjects, 19 of whom were head and neck tumor patients with an ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) scale of zero and 19 plastic surgery patients. A self‐report questionnaire on alcohol and nicotine consumption together with blood tests and pure tone audiometry were obtained for all subjects before the BAEP measurement.

Results: The alcohol consumption of the head and neck tumor patients corresponded to high‐risk, dangerous, and risky alcohol consumption behavior, whereas that of the plastic surgery patients corresponded to risky and low‐risk consumption behavior. In this way, a wide spectrum of alcohol consumption was covered. The latency I–V of the high‐risk, dangerous, and risky drinkers was found to be significantly delayed compared with low‐risk drinkers. A logarithmic relationship between BAEP latencies and cumulative lifelong alcohol consumption was obtained.

Conclusion: Alcohol consumption leads to damage in the brainstem. The logarithmic behavior between BAEP latencies and cumulative lifelong alcohol consumption reveals that even alcohol consumption within the range of low‐risk drinkers may alter auditory evoked brainstem potentials significantly.
Effect of Duration of Maternal Alcohol Consumption on Calcium Metabolism and Bone in the Fetal Rat
Authors: Keiver Kathy , Weinberg Joanne
Published: March 2004

Abstract: Background: Prenatal ethanol exposure can retard fetal growth and delay skeletal development. Ethanol also impairs maternal calcium (Ca) homeostasis and this impairment could mediate some of ethanol's effects on the fetal skeleton. Our previous studies suggest that the duration of maternal ethanol consumption may be an important factor for determining the severity of ethanol's effects on Ca homeostasis and fetal skeletal development. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to determine the effect of the duration of maternal ethanol consumption on fetal growth and skeletal development and to investigate the possibility that ethanol's effects may be related to perturbations in fetal/maternal Ca homeostasis.

Methods: Rats were fed ethanol (36% ethanol‐derived calories) in liquid diets for 3 weeks (days 1–21 of gestation) or 6 weeks (for 3 weeks before and throughout gestation). Fetuses were collected on day 21 of gestation, and body weight and length were measured. Fetuses were stained to determine the degree of skeletal ossification, and fetal blood was analyzed for ethanol, Ca (total and ionic Ca), albumin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and osteocalcin.

Results: Maternal ethanol consumption decreased fetal growth and delayed fetal skeletal development. Although there was a trend for fetal body length and serum osteocalcin levels to be more severely affected with an increased duration of maternal ethanol consumption, duration had no effect on fetal body weight or skeletal ossification. Fetal Ca homeostasis was also affected by ethanol exposure, with fetal hypocalcemia apparent after 6 weeks of maternal ethanol intake. A significant inverse relationship was found between fetal blood Ca levels and blood alcohol concentration (BAC), suggesting that the severity of the fetal hypocalcemia may have been related to differences in fetal BAC, rather than duration of maternal ethanol intake. Fetal serum PTH levels did not differ significantly among treatment groups indicating that the fetal hypocalcemia was not caused by a decrease in PTH levels.

Conclusions: Prenatal ethanol exposure impaired Ca homeostasis and skeletal development in the fetal rat. The severity of ethanol's effects was only marginally dependent on the duration of maternal ethanol consumption per se and seemed to be more related to the relative exposure of the fetus to ethanol (fetal BAC). The relationship between the ethanol‐induced fetal hypocalcemia and skeletal effects remains to be determined.
Inhibitory Effect of Alcohol on Osteogenic Differentiation in Human Bone Marrow–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Gong Zhaodi , Wezeman Frederick H.
Published: March 2004

Abstract: Background: Alcohol‐induced osteoporosis is characterized by a considerable suppression of osteogenesis. The objective of this investigation was to determine the effect of alcohol on gene expression, protein synthesis, and mineralization in human bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells induced toward osteogenic differentiation in vitro.

Methods: Human bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells induced toward osteogenesis were cultured in the presence or absence of 50 mM alcohol. Stem cells were characterized by using SH2 antibody to the cell‐surface antigen CD105/endoglin, and their proliferation in the presence of alcohol was quantified. The expression of genes for early, middle, and late markers of the osteogenic lineage was quantified by Northern analysis, and bone matrix protein synthesis was assayed. The effect of alcohol on cell‐mediated matrix mineralization in terminally differentiated cultures was determined by von Kossa staining.

Results: Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting analysis of human mesenchymal stem cells separated with a Percoll gradient proved 99% homogeneity by using SH2 antibody to the surface antigen CD105. Dose‐dependent inhibition of proliferation of these stem cells occurred at concentrations greater than 50 mM alcohol. Gene expression of osteoblast‐specific factor 2/core binding factor a1 (Osf2/Cbfa1), type I collagen, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin (early, middle, and late markers for osteogenesis, respectively) was analyzed with and without osteogenic induction and treatment with 50 mM alcohol. After induction, Osf2/Cbfa1 levels were unresponsive to alcohol. To determine the effect of alcohol on human mesenchymal stem cell progression along the osteogenic pathway, messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for type I collagen, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin were examined after osteogenic induction. After osteogenic induction, alcohol down‐regulated the gene expression of type I collagen and significantly reduced its synthesis. Alcohol did not alter mRNA expression of alkaline phosphatase, a midstage marker for osteogenesis, but significantly decreased its activity compared with osteogenic induction alone. After induction, osteocalcin remained unchanged by alcohol at both the mRNA and protein levels. Histochemistry revealed decreased alkaline phosphatase staining and fewer alkaline phosphatase–positive cells in alcohol‐treated human mesenchymal stem cell cultures. von Kossa staining revealed a reduction in the number of mineralizing nodules in stem cell cultures after alcohol treatment.

Conclusions: Collectively, the data suggest that alcohol alters osteogenic differentiation in human bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cell cultures during lineage progression and provide further insight into alcohol‐induced reduced bone formation.
A Follow‐up Survey on Seizures Induced by Animated Cartoon TV Program “Pocket Monster”
Authors: Ishiguro Yoshiko , Takada Hiroyuki , Watanabe Kazuyoshi , Okumura Akihisa , Aso Kosaburo , Ishikawa Tatsuya
Published: March 2004

Summary:  Purpose
: To identify the short‐term outcome of patients who had seizures while watching an animated cartoon TV program, “Pocket Monster,” on December 16, 1997.

Methods: One and three years after the incident, questionnaires were sent to physicians of each patient about seizure recurrence, EEGs, and medication.

Results: Among 103 patients in whom epileptic seizures occurred during the TV program and information on the outcomes was available, 25 (24%) patients had a history of unprovoked seizures before the incident (Epilepsy Group), and 78 (76%) did not (Non‐Epilepsy Group). Twenty‐three (22%) patients were reported to have seizures after the incident, and 15 of them had visually induced seizures. Patients of the Epilepsy Group had more seizure recurrence than did those of the Non‐Epilepsy Group (56% vs. 9%; p < 0.0001), either for unprovoked (44% vs. 4%; p < 0.0001) or visually induced seizures (28% vs. 9%; p < 0.05). Of nine patients of the Non‐Epilepsy Group who had seizures after the incident, only three developed recurrent unprovoked seizures. In the Non‐Epilepsy Group, no difference was found in seizure recurrence between patients in whom valproate (VPA) was prescribed immediately after the incident and in those without medication (one of five (20%) vs. seven of 73 (10%); p > 0.05). EEG was performed at least once in 98 patients after the incident. Photoparoxysmal response (PPR) was present in 45 (46%) patients, and spontaneous epileptiform discharges, in 49 (50%). PPR did not have any correlation with recurrence of seizures, neither spontaneous nor visually induced seizures, whereas spontaneous epileptiform discharges showed a good correlation with seizure recurrence (34% vs. 8%; p < 0.01), including visually induced seizures (24% vs. 2%; p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Short‐term outcomes showed that 70 (68%) of 103 patients who had a seizure during the incident had no seizures before and during ≤3 years of follow‐up.
Development of Amygdaloid Kindling in Histidine Decarboxylase–deficient and Histamine H1 Receptor–deficient Mice
Authors: Hirai Tadashi , Okuma Chihiro , Harada Chie , Mio Mitsunobu , Ohtsu Hiroshi , Watanabe Takeshi , Kamei Chiaki
Published: March 2004

Summary:  Purpose: This study attempted to clarify the role of histamine or histamine H1 receptors in the development of amygdaloid kindling by using histidine decarboxylase (HDC)‐deficient and histamine H1 receptor (H1R)‐deficient mice.

Methods: Under pentobarbital anesthesia, mice were fixed to a stereotaxic apparatus, and bipolar electrodes were implanted into the right amygdala. Electrodes were connected to a miniature receptacle, which was embedded in the skull with dental cement. A bipolar electroencephalogram was recorded; bipolar stimulation of the amygdala was applied every day with a constant‐current stimulator and continued until a generalized convulsion was obtained.

Results: The development of amygdaloid kindling in HDC‐deficient and H1R‐deficient mice was significantly accelerated compared with that in their respective wild‐type mice. In addition, the afterdischarge (AD) duration and generalized seizure duration in HDC‐deficient and H1R‐deficient mice were prolonged. Intraperitoneal injection of histidine resulted in an inhibition of amygdaloid kindled seizures in wild‐type mice at doses that caused an increase in the histamine contents of the brain. However, no significant effect was observed with histidine in H1R‐deficient mice at the same dose.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that histaminergic mechanisms through H1 receptors play a crucial role not only in amygdaloid kindled seizures but also in the development of amygdaloid kindling.
Identification of Abnormal Neuronal Metabolism Outside the Seizure Focus in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Mueller Suzanne G. , Laxer Kenneth D. , Cashdollar Nathan , Flenniken Derek L. , Matson Gerald B. , Weiner Michael W.
Published: March 2004

Summary:  Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify metabolically abnormal extrahippocampal brain regions in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with (TLE‐MTS) and without (TLE‐no) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence for mesial‐temporal sclerosis (MTS) and to assess their value for focus lateralization by using multislice 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI).

Methods: MRSI in combination with tissue segmentation was performed on 14 TLE‐MTS and seven TLE‐no and 12 age‐matched controls. In controls, N‐acetylaspartate/(creatine + choline) [NAA/(Cr+Cho)] of all voxels of a given lobe was expressed as a function of white matter content to determine the 95% prediction interval for any additional voxel of a given tissue composition. Voxels with NAA/(Cr+Cho) below the lower limit of the 95% prediction interval were defined as “pathological” in patients and controls. Z‐scores were used to identify regions with a higher percentage of pathological voxels than those in controls.

Results: Reduced NAA/(Cr+Cho) was found in ipsilateral temporal and parietal lobes and bilaterally in insula and frontal lobes. Temporal abnormalities identified the epileptogenic focus in 70% in TLE‐MTS and 83% of TLE‐no. Extratemporal abnormalities identified the epileptogenic focus in 78% of TLE‐MTS but in only 17% of TLE‐no.

Conclusions: TLE is associated with extrahippocampal reductions of NAA/(Cr+Cho) in several lobes consistent with those brain areas involved in seizure spread. Temporal and extratemporal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions might be helpful for focus lateralization.
Semiologic Value of Ictal Autoscopy
Authors: Maillard Louis , Vignal Jean Pierre , Anxionnat Rene , Taillandier Luc , Vespignani Hervé
Published: March 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Autoscopy is a pathologic perception of one's body or one's face image within space, either from an internal (“as in a mirror”) or from an external (“out‐of‐body experience”) point of view. Among various psychiatric and neurologic disorders, partial epilepsy is the main etiology. However, the significance of this rare ictal symptom remains controversial. We report this phenomenon in three epilepsy patients and discuss its semiologic value and neuropsychological significance.

Methods: Interictal EEG and/or video‐EEG monitoring was performed, as well as neuropsychological examination and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Results: The three patients had a lesion involving, or limited to, the right parietal region on cerebral MRI. All three patients experienced autoscopy associated with other ictal signs supporting a right parietal lobe origin of seizures. In one patient, seizure origin was documented with video and surface EEG ictal recordings.

Conclusions: Autoscopy was shown to have an ictal mechanism and was associated with seizures arising from the nondominant parietal region. We hypothesize that ictal autoscopy may result from disruption of the normal integration of body representation.
On the Targeting and Redistributive Efficiencies of Alternative Transfer Instruments
Authors: Coady David , Skoufias Emmanuel
Published: March 2004

The distributional characteristic provides an attractive alternative to conventional approaches used to evaluate the targeting performance of transfer programs. We decompose it into two components that are useful both conceptually and empirically; one capturing the targeting efficiency of the instrument, the other its redistributive efficiency. The redistributive index can also be generalized for the purposes of evaluating the degree of progressivity in tax‐benefit structures. For illustrative purposes, we present an empirical application of the distributional characteristic and its decomposition using Mexican data. The welfare gains from using categorical targeting and means testing reflect improvements in redistributive and targeting efficiency respectively.
A Method of Calculating Regional Consumer Price Differentials with Illustrative Evidence from India
Authors: Coondoo D. , Majumder A. , Ray R.
Published: March 2004

In this paper we propose a method of estimating multilateral regional price index numbers from a given household level data set on item‐wise unit values/prices. The method is closely related to the Country‐Product Dummy variable model of Summers (1973). This method is likely to be particularly useful in studies of regional comparisons of poverty and inequality, optimal commodity taxes and tax reforms. To illustrate the method, we use it to calculate the regional consumer price index numbers for Eastern, Western and Southern India (taking Northern India as the reference region) separately for three categories of rural and urban households, viz., all households and those below and above the poverty line, using household level unit records of the NSS 50th round (1993–94) Consumer Expenditure Survey.
The Impacts of Unemployment on Alternative Poverty Rates
Authors: DeFina Robert H.
Published: March 2004

The analysis uses March Current Population Survey data to estimate state‐level cross‐section/time‐series models of the effects of the unemployment rate on alternative poverty rates. The measures include the official headcount rate, and alternatives based higher thresholds, revised equivalence scales and income defined as inclusive and exclusive of taxes and cash and in‐kind transfers. The estimated effects turn critically on the measurement approaches, both for the total sample population and for four population sub‐groups. For several alternative poverty rate measures, the unemployment rate has no significant impact on poverty. By contrast, real per‐capita median earnings have strong and consistently negative effects on the poverty rates of all groups studied. The findings thus provide important lessons for researchers exploring the links between economic conditions and poverty, and for policy makers developing poverty reduction strategies.
Volume and Quality of Infrastructure and the Distribution of Income: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Calderón César , Chong Alberto
Published: March 2004

We provide evidence on the link between infrastructure development and the distribution of income for the period 1960–97. We use roads, railways, telecommunications, and energy measures. The approach is comprehensive as individual measures and composite indices are used. Cross‐country and panel regressions are applied. In the latter, we apply GMM dynamic methods to minimize for endogeneity problems. We find that both quantity and quality of infrastructure are negatively linked with income inequality. The quantitative link tends to be stronger in developing countries than the qualitative link. These findings hold when using different econometric methods and most infrastructure measures.
Child Poverty in Wealthy Countries
Authors: Johnson David S. , Torrey Barbara Boyle
Published: March 2004

Review of Child Well‐Being, Child Poverty and Child Policy in Modern Nations by Koen Vleminckx and Timothy M. Smeeding and The Dynamics of Child Poverty in Industrialized Countries by Bruce Bradbury, Stephen P. Jenkins, and John Micklewright
Effects of Maternal Characteristics on Cesarean Delivery Rates among U.S. Department of Defense Healthcare Beneficiaries, 1996–2002
Authors: Linton Andrea , Peterson Michael R. , Williams Thomas V.
Published: March 2004

Abstract:  Background: National rates of cesarean birth continue a three decade‐long escalation, despite widespread recognition that a reduction in the use of the procedure is a continuing appropriate public health goal, as evidenced by the Healthy People 2010 reduction targets. Nonclinical factors associated with cesarean delivery include maternal age, race, socioeconomic status, and insurance coverage. This study compared cesarean delivery rates and trends for the U.S. Department of Defense healthcare beneficiary population from 1996 to 2002 with those observed nationally, and assessed the association of these nonclinical factors with cesarean rate variation in the U.S. Department of Defense healthcare beneficiary population. Methods: Hospital discharge and claims records for babies born in the military and civilian hospitals that comprise the Department of Defense healthcare network were used to calculate total and primary cesarean delivery rates and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) rates from 1996 to 2002. Annual cesarean rates for subgroups defined by maternal age, race, and socioeconomic status were calculated to examine rate variations and rate trends within the study population. Pooled data from 1999 to 2002 were used to compare rates across socioeconomic status, stratified by age and race. Statistical significance of the differences calculated for subgroups was assessed using chi‐square. Results: Total and primary cesarean delivery rates among the U.S. Department of Defense population were lower than those reported nationally for every year examined. Cesarean delivery and VBAC rate trends in the national and Department of Defense populations were similar. Within the Department of Defense population, total cesarean delivery increased with increasing maternal age and was more highly associated with racial minorities relative to white women. The higher socioeconomic subgroup (defined as active duty, retired, and warrant officers and their families in this study) was generally associated with reduced cesarean delivery rates. Conclusions: Cesarean deliveries are performed less frequently for the U.S. Department of Defense healthcare beneficiary population relative to the national population. Associations between socioeconomic factors and cesarean rates reported for the national population were not apparent in the study population. The consistent pattern of rate variation across racial subgroups in the Department of Defense population suggests that factors beyond those examined in this study are needed to explain the elevated cesarean rates for racial minorities. (BIRTH 31:1 March 2004)
A Negative Birth Experience: Prevalence and Risk Factors in a National Sample
Authors: Waldenström Ulla , Hildingsson Ingegerd , Rubertsson Christine , Rådestad Ingela
Published: March 2004

Abstract:  Background: A woman's dissatisfaction with the experience of labor and birth may affect her emotional well‐being and willingness to have another baby. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of a negative birth experience in a national sample. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study of 2541 women recruited from all antenatal clinics in Sweden during 3 weeks spread over 1 year was conducted. Data were collected by three questionnaires, which measured women's global experience of labor and birth 1 year after the birth, and obtained information on possible risk factors during pregnancy and 2 months after the birth. Results: Seven percent of the women had a negative birth experience. The following risk factors were found: (1) factors related to unexpected medical problems, such as emergency operative delivery, induction, augmentation of labor, and infant transfer to neonatal care; (2) factors related to the woman's social life, such as unwanted pregnancy and lack of support from partner; (3) factors related to the woman's feelings during labor, such as pain and lack of control; and (4) factors that may be easier to influence by the caregivers, such as insufficient time allocated to the woman's own questions at antenatal checkups, lack of support during labor, and administration of obstetric analgesia. Conclusions: Many risk factors were related to unexpected medical problems and participants’ social background. Of the established methods to improve women's birth experience, childbirth education and obstetric analgesia seemed to be less effective, whereas support in labor and listening to the woman's own issues may be underestimated. (BIRTH 31:1 March 2004)
Is Cooperative Breeding Associated With Bigger Brains? A Comparative Test in the Corvida (Passeriformes)
Authors: Iwaniuk Andrew N. , Arnold Kathryn E.
Published: March 2004

The cognitive demands of a social existence favour the evolution of relatively large brains and neocortices in primates. Comparable tests of sociality and brain size/structure in birds have not been performed, despite marked similarities in the social systems of birds and mammals. Here, we test whether one aspect of avian sociality, cooperative breeding, is associated with an increase in brain size across 155 species of the passeriform parvorder Corvida. Using conventional and phylogeny‐corrected statistics, we examined the correlated evolution of relative brain size and: the presence/absence of cooperative breeding, percentage of nests that are cooperative and cooperatively breeding group size. Most of the comparisons yielded non‐significant results, which suggests that cooperative breeding is not related to relative brain size in this parvorder. There are a number of potential explanations for our findings. First, changes in brain region size may be correlated with cooperative breeding without affecting overall brain size. Secondly, cooperatively breeding birds might not possess more complex social behaviour than non‐cooperatively breeding birds. Thirdly, relatively large brains might be ancestral in this parvorder. This may predispose them to evolve the range of complex behaviours found in this group, including extreme sociality. Finally, ecological and/or developmental factors might play a more significant role than social behaviour in the diversification of avian brain size. Assessing these alternatives requires more information on the neural and cognitive differences between bird species.
Female Size Influences Mate Preferences of Male Guppies
Authors: Dosen Laura D. , Montgomerie Robert
Published: March 2004

Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) have a promiscuous mating system in which female choice for brightly coloured males plays an important role. Consequently, much research on guppies has examined how mate choice by females has lead to the evolution of male colour patterns. Much less attention has been devoted to mate choice by males in this species. In this study, we show that male guppies are choosy when selecting a female to associate with, significantly preferring the larger female when presented with two females that differed by ≥2 mm in standard length (SL). The strength of their preference for each female increased with absolute female size. The relative sizes of the females, however, also influenced male mating preferences: males showed stronger preferences for the larger female as the difference in SL between the two females increased. Such a preference for larger females is not unexpected as fecundity generally increases with body size in female fish. Thus, males choosing to mate with the larger female should have higher reproductive success. An apparent, but non‐significant anomaly, whereby males appear to prefer the smaller of the two females when the difference between female SL was <4 mm, deserves further investigation.
Social Environment Affects Peripheral Oxytocin and Cortisol during Stress Responses in Guinea‐Pigs
Authors: Machatschke Ivo H. , Wallner Bernard , Schams Dieter , Dittami John
Published: March 2004

Numerous studies have demonstrated interactions between oxytocin (OT) secretion, adrenal activity, an animal's social environment, and stress responses. In the present study, we hypothesized that partner preference and pair bonding cause increased peripheral OT, which down‐regulates the adrenal and behavioral response in stress. In addition, we tested whether these interactions depended on sex, the social environment of the individual, or the type of stressor. Experiments were carried out on guinea‐pigs held in sexual‐pairs or stressed by isolation. Among the paired individuals choice tests were carried out to document partner preference. Female preference for a male was expressed by spatial cohesion. Stress responses to abiotic stimuli were examined and compared between isolated and cohabited animals with or without preference. Results show that OT of cohabited animals was significantly higher than during isolation. OT levels were further increased in males preferred by females. Cortisol (CORT) levels were elevated in isolated animals. There were no significant differences between pairs with and without female preference. Behaviorally, partner preferences were expressed by high amounts of tactile contact. The stress‐induced behavioral immobility response after exposure to a noise stressor was significantly reduced in preferred males and to a lesser extent in their female partners. Only females with preferences showed an endocrine stress response. Their levels of OT increased. There was no consistent post‐stressor release of CORT. The data indicate that the social environment of an individual, here expressed as preference or isolation, influences peripheral OT secretion. Behavioral stress responses were similarly affected by social factors without a clear involvement of peripheral CORT or OT.
Big cat scan: Magnetic resonance imaging of the tiger
Authors: Snow Thomas M , Litster Annette L , Gregory Richard JW , Hanger Jonathan J
Published: March 2004

In August 2002, we performed MRI scans on a female juvenile Bengal tiger. We present the clinical course, imaging and autopsy findings, and some comparative anatomy of the tiger brain and skull. Magnetic resonance images of a tiger have not previously been published.
Sequential audits of unacceptable delays in radiation therapy in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Kenny Liz , Lehman Margot ,   Faculty of Radiation Oncology, RANZCR
Published: March 2004

Delays in accessing radiation treatment are of concern in Australia and New Zealand, both in terms of the proportion of patients who are actually able to access care, and in the timeliness of starting treatment. For those who are able to access treatment, one in three patients experience an unacceptable delay in starting treatment, and only one in four patients starts radiotherapy within standard good practice times. During the year 2002, more than 15 000 Australians who potentially could have benefited from radiotherapy, did not receive this treatment. For those who were able to access radiotherapy treatment, worsening delays were experienced in Australia, with greater than 40% of patients receiving curative treatment, 30% receiving palliative treatment, and 56% receiving emergency treatment starting outside of standard good practice times. Delays of up to 151 days were experienced in Australia. In Australia, delays in implementing recommendations to improve the infrastructure are resulting in a declining service for cancer patients. In New Zealand, the situation, in general, is improving, although there needs to be an ongoing commitment to grow the service according to the population needs. Urgent implementation of strategic planning is required.
Shocking abdominal trauma: Review of an uncommon disorder of small intestine perfusion
Authors: Koh Eamon SC , Thomas Richard
Published: March 2004

‘Shock bowel’ is a rare disorder of gastrointestinal physiology with characteristic radiological features. It usually occurs in the setting of blunt abdominal trauma and hypovolaemia, with complete reversibility of these findings following resuscitation. We present a case demonstrating the classic features of this complex of imaging findings thought to be caused by end‐organ hypoperfusion.
Multiplanar reconstruction in adult intussusception: Case report and literature review
Authors: Dawes Laughlin C , Hunt Roland , Wong James K , Begg Stuart
Published: March 2004

We describe the use of computed tomography (CT) with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) in positive diagnosis of a case of enteric intussusception in an adult. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of the use of MPR in this setting. Intussusception in adults is an uncommon cause of bowel obstruction that usually presents with non‐specific symptoms. An underlying lesion is found in most cases. Multiplanar reconstruction should be used to confirm the diagnosis of intussusception when suspected on axial views, and should increase the yield of positive diagnoses when used in the assessment of a complex abdominal mass involving the bowel.
The search for the good in nursing? The burden of ethical expertise1
Authors: Nelson Sioban
Published: March 2004

Abstract This paper examines the increasing trend by nursing scholars such as Patricia Benner to conceptualize ethics as a contextual and embodied ‘way of knowing’, embedded in nursing expertise. The intellectual origins of this development and its debt to neo‐Aristotelian thinkers such as philosopher Charles Taylor are discussed. It will be argued that rather than revealing a truth about ethical expertise, the emergence of the ‘expert’ nurse as a moral and ethical category is the result of the elaboration of neo‐Thomist discourses in the educational and professional shaping of nurses. These discourses act on and are enacted by the individual nurse through his or her participation in specific ethical exercises that result in the constitution of the desired subjectivity – or ‘expertise’. Central to this shaping are particular notions of ‘the good’ and its relationship to knowledge, skill and practice. Critiques of these neo‐Aristotelian perspectives are discussed and applied to the notion of moral expertise in nursing, and the claims made by its proponents concerning the ‘ethical’ distinction between experienced and expert nurses. Finally, a call is made for a more pluralistic approach to ethics.
Marginalization and symbolic violence in a world of differences: war and parallels to nursing practice
Authors: Hall Joanne M.
Published: March 2004

AbstractMarginalization has been used as a guiding concept for nursing research, theory and practice. Its properties have been identified and updated in 1994 and 1999, respectively. This article re‐examines marginalization, considering it to be a concept that changes with pivotal historical events. The events of September 11, 2001, and the war between the US/UK and Iraq are such pivotal events. The notion of the linguistic habitus and symbolic violence as outlined by Bourdieu provide new insights about the dynamics of marginalization. Specifically noted is the marginalization of persons and cultures based on their designation by the current US administration, and as interpreted through mainstream media, as actual or potential ‘terrorists’. A parallel situation in nursing is discussed, beginning with nursing's own marginality, related to the dynamics of symbolic violence. Nursing is argued to be vulnerable to having essential words and practices co‐opted by dominant institutions and altered in meaning, that is, made incongruent with the discipline's emphasis on core values of confidentiality, equity and care. In response to marginalization and exteriorization those affected can use voice and testimony to ‘recreate the centre’. Suggestions for protecting our practices and philosophy are included.
Education for All: How Much Will It Cost?
Authors: Delamonica Enrique , Mehrotra Santosh , Vandemoortele Jan
Published: March 2004

In 1990, a target of universal access to basic education by the year 2000 was set by two global conferences. Ten years later, however, it was clear that the target had not been met. Too many countries had made insufficient progress, and although many of the reasons for this inadequate progress were country‐specific, one factor stood out in virtually all countries: inadequate public finance for primary education. In 2000, the Millennium Summit set a new target date for achieving ‘education for all’ of 2015. This article updates the global and regional cost estimates for reaching that target. The estimates are based on the most recent country‐by‐country data on budgetary expenditure, population and enrolment trends, and unit cost. The annual additional cost of achieving ‘education for all’ in developing countries by 2015 is estimated at US$ 9.1 billion. Although this is affordable at the global level, individual countries will need considerably more resources than are currently available. However, official development assistance (ODA) has been declining, and the share of ODA allocated to basic education has changed little over the past decade. Therefore, although affordable, the target of universal basic education by 2015 is likely to be missed, just as it was in 2000, without a major change both in ODA and national budgets.
Sustaining Livelihoods on Mongolia's Pastoral Commons: Insights from a Participatory Poverty Assessment
Authors: Mearns Robin
Published: March 2004

Under the socialist regime that prevailed until the start of the 1990s, Mongolia made great progress in improving human development indicators, and poverty was virtually unknown. Political and economic transition in the 1990s ushered in a rapid rise in asset and income inequality, and at least a third of the population has been living in poverty since 1995. Many workers made redundant from uneconomic state‐owned enterprises were absorbed into the extensive livestock sector in rural areas and by the growing informal economy in urban areas. The livestock sector grew dramatically, with herders accounting for over a third of the total population and half of the active labour force by the late 1990s. Three consecutive years of drought and harsh winters in 1999–2002 then drastically reduced the national herd. These trends are viewed against a backdrop of relative neglect of the livestock sector in development priorities and a concomitant decline in agricultural productivity. Pressures on common pasture have mounted, and conflict over grazing is becoming endemic. In such a context, sustainable management of Mongolia's pastoral commons should be central to the country's economic development agenda in general, and to its poverty reduction strategy in particular. This article draws on the findings of a country‐wide participatory poverty assessment conducted in 2000. Blending quantitative and qualitative data, these findings help to bring into sharper relief the broad outlines of an integrated approach to building secure and sustainable livelihoods both on and off the pastoral commons.
Law and Disorder: Local Implementation of Mongolia's Land Law
Authors: Fernandez‐Gimenez Maria E. , Batbuyan B.
Published: March 2004

With the dismantling of herding collectives in Mongolia in 1992, formal regulatory institutions for allocating pasture vanished, and weakened customary institutions were unable effectively to fill the void. Increasing poverty and wealth differentiation in the herding sector, a wave of urban–rural migration, and the lack of formal or strong informal regulation led to a downward spiral of unsustainable grazing practices. In 1994, Mongolia's parliament passed the Land Law, which authorized land possession contracts (leases) over pastoral resources such as campsites and pastures. Implementation of leasing provisions began in 1998. This article examines the implications of the Law's implementation at the local level, based on interviews with herders and officials in all levels of government, and a resurvey of herding households. Amongst many findings, the research shows that poorer herders were largely overlooked in the allocation of campsite leases; that the poor had become more mobile and the wealthy more sedentary; that there had been a sharp decline in trespassing following lease implementation, but that many herders and officials expected pasture leasing to lead to increased conflict over pastures. The Land Law provides broad regulatory latitude and flexibility to local authorities, but the Law's lack of clarity and poor understanding of its provisions by herders and local officials limit its utility. The existing legal framework and local attitudes stand in clear opposition to the implied goal of land registration and titling — an all‐embracing land market and the supremacy of private property rights.
Pastoralism and Protected Area Management in Mongolia's Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park
Authors: Bedunah Donald J. , Schmidt Sabine M.
Published: March 2004

The Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park was established in south central Mongolia in 1993 and is used by over 1100 families with pastoralism as their main means of livelihood. Research conducted in 1998–2000 to analyse grazing management problems identified a number of issues and concerns, including a significant increase in the number of herders and the size of the herd; variations in herd size reflecting differences in wealth; problems with marketing of livestock or livestock products; declining stock movements because of transportation costs and loss of water sources; and significant competition and conflicts for grazing areas. The socio‐economic problems associated with Mongolia's transition to a market system, coupled with the expansion of protected areas, mean that herders have to adapt to both the current economic system and changes in land use. Although some aspects of the development of the park can be seen as a positive influence on maintaining pastoral livelihoods in this area, the national goal of protecting 30 per cent of the country, doubling the area of Mongolia currently under protected area status, could have negative effects on pastoral livelihoods, unless ministry officials, protected area administrators and pastoralists can work effectively to solve resource problems.
Relative risk aversion, relative prudence and comparative statics under uncertainty: The case of (μ, σ)‐preferences
Authors: Eichner Thomas , Wagener Andreas
Published: March 2004

From the expected‐utility approach, relative risk aversion being smaller than one and relative prudence being smaller than two emerge as preference restrictions that fully determine the optimal responses of decisions under uncertainty to certain shifts in probability distributions. We characterize the magnitudes of relative risk aversion and relative prudence in terms of the two‐parameter, mean‐standard deviation approach. We demonstrate that this characterization is instrumental in obtaining comparative static results in the two‐parameter setting. We further relate our findings to the results in the expected‐utility framework.
Factor Endowments and the Private Provision of Public Goods
Authors: Vicary Simon
Published: March 2004

The paper examines the consequences of increasing the size of the community in the standard model of the private provision of public goods when costs are variable. In contrast to an economy with fixed costs, the provision of the public good can fall with a larger community, and an increased provision of the public good is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for individual utility to rise. The paper also contributes to the literature on immiserizing growth in that it shows that capital accumulation can possibly result in lower utility for all individuals.
Confronting Ghosts of the Christ‐Haunted South: Teaching Theology through Teaching Story
Authors: Smith Lawanda
Published: March 2004

Abstract. Southern fiction writer Flannery O’Connor once characterized the South as Christ‐haunted, and having taught in the South for eight years now, I have come to appreciate O’Connor's evaluation. Most of the students I encounter understand one predominant way to practice Christian faith: assent to propositional theology. Most of them either accept this view uncritically or reject Christian thought completely, seeing it as stifling. My goal is to introduce the diversity of Christian thought in a non‐threatening way. Knowing story's potential to draw people into community as well as to transform consciousness, I believe story offers a less threatening way to invite students to explore diversity. This paper describes a course titled “Christian Thought and Contemporary Short Fiction,” a course I developed to try to introduce students to a variety of ways to understand Christian thought and practice Christian faith. The paper describes development and facilitation of the course, including student responses to the course content and evaluation of the course.
International Organizations in Transfer of Infectious Diseases: Iterative Loops of Adoption, Adaptation, and Marketing
Authors: Walt Gill , Lush Louisiana , Ogden Jessica
Published: March 2004

Over the past few years increasing attention has been given to the role of international organizations in the diffusion of policy ideas and promotion of particular macro‐level policies. Much of the attention has been on the ideological driving forces behind such policies, and on the extent to which the policies are externally imposed. There has been limited discussion on the bread‐and‐butter, technical policies of international organizations, and how they devise, adopt, adapt, and then promote what come to be seen as policies of global “best practice.” This paper seeks to redress this gap by looking at the process of transfer of two infectious disease policies between international and national levels. It demonstrates that international organizations play different roles in policy transfer at particular stages in the process. The paper suggests that health policy transfer is a long adaptive process, made up of several iterative loops, as research and clinical practices developed in one or more countries are adopted, adapted, and taken up by international organizations which then mobilize support for particular policies, market, and promote them. Assumptions that new ideas about policies flow “rationally” into existing decision making are challenged by the processes analyzed here. Policy transfer, given the experience of these infectious diseases policies, goes through separate, “bottom‐up,” research‐oriented, and “top‐down” marketing‐oriented loops. Individuals and different configurations of networks play key roles linking these loops. In the process, complex, context‐specific policies are repackaged into simplified guidelines for global best practice, leading to considerable contestation within the policy networks.