bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dopamine action in the substantia nigra pars reticulata: iontophoretic studies in awake, unrestrained rats
Authors: Windels François , Kiyatkin Eugene A.
Published: September 2006

Dopamine (DA) neurons located in the substantia nigra pars compacta release DA not only via axonal terminals, affecting neurotransmission within the striatum, but also via dendrites, some of which densely protrude into the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr). Although the interaction of dendritically released DA with somatodendritic autoreceptors regulates DA cell activity, released DA may also affect SNr neurons. These cells, however, lack postsynaptic DA receptors, making it unclear how locally released DA modulates their activity. Although previous work in brain slices suggests that DA might modulate the activity of GABA inputs, thus affecting SNr neurons indirectly, it remains unclear how increased or decreased DA release might affect these cells exposed to normal afferent inputs. To explore this issue, we examined the effects of iontophoretic DA and amphetamine on SNr neurons in awake, unrestrained rats. DA had no consistent effects on SNr cells but amphetamine, known to induce DA release, dose‐dependently inhibited most of them. This effect was blocked by SCH23390, a selective D1 receptor blocker, which itself strongly increased neuronal discharge rate. As GABA input is a major factor regulating the activity of SNr neurons, our data suggest that dendritically released DA, by interacting with D1 receptors on striato‐nigral and pallido‐nigral afferents, is able to decrease this input, thus releasing SNr neurons from tonic, GABA‐mediated inhibition. Surprisingly, a full DA receptor blockade (SCH23390 + eticlopride) did not result in the expected increase in SNr discharge rate, suggesting that other mechanisms are responsible for behavioral abnormalities following acute disruption of DA transmission.
Kv4 channels sensitive to BmTX3 in rat nervous system: autoradiographic analysis of their distribution during brain ontogenesis
Authors: Vacher Hélène , Diochot Sylvie , Bougis Pierre E. , Martin‐Eauclaire Marie‐France , Mourre Christiane
Published: September 2006

The binding site distribution of sBmTX3, a chemically synthesized toxin originally purified from the venom of the scorpionButhus martensi, was investigated in adult and developing rat brain, using patch‐clamp experiments and quantitative autoradiography. The molecular basis of these sBmTX3 sites was analysed by electrophysiology on transient Kv currents recorded in mammalian transfected cells. The rapidly activating and inactivating Kv4.1 current was inhibited by sBmTX3 (IC50, 105 nm). The inhibition was less effective on Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 channels and the toxin did not affect other transient currents such as Kv1.4 and Kv3.4. The distribution of the125I‐sBmTX3 binding sites was heterogeneous, with a 113‐fold difference between the highest and the lowest densities in adult rat brain. The site density was particularly important in the caudate–putamen and accumbens nucleus, thalamus, hippocampal formation and cerebellum. The affinity of sBmTX3 remained constant during brain ontogenesis. The level of sBmTX3 binding sites was very low in prenatal and postnatal stages to postnatal day (P)12 but drastically increased from P15 in the major part of the studied structures except in the CA3 hippocampal field where the density was very high from P6. Thus, the distribution of sBmTX3 binding sites in rat brain and its electrophysiological characteristics suggest that sBmTX3 specifically binds to the Kv4 subfamily of K channels.
Comparison of chitinolytic enzymes from an alkaline, hypersaline lake and an estuary
Authors: LeCleir Gary R. , Buchan Alison , Maurer John , Moran Mary Ann , Hollibaugh James T.
Published: September 2006

We examined the genetic and physiological characteristics of chitin degrading enzymes expressed by fosmids cloned from two strains of chitinolytic gammaproteobacteria isolated from alkaline, hypersaline Mono Lake, California; and from a metagenomic library derived from an estuarine bacterial community (Dean Creek, Sapelo Island, GA, USA). The Mono Lake chitinolytic enzymes presented unique adaptations in terms of halo‐ and alkalitolerance. The sequence from one of the Mono Lake isolates (strain 12A) was a conventional family 18 glycosyl hydrolase; however, the expressed protein had a novel secondary activity peak at pH 10. We obtained a novel family 20 glycosyl hydrolase sequence from Mono Lake strain AI21. The activity of the expressed protein had a pH optimum of 10, several pH units higher than any other enzyme currently assigned to this family, and the enzyme retained 80% of its activity at pH 11. The enzyme was also halotolerant, retaining activity in salt solutions of up to 225 g l−1. Sequence analysis indicated a molecular weight of ∼90 kDa for the protein, and that it contained two active sites. Culture supernatant contained two chitinolytic proteins, 45 and 31 kDa, suggesting possible post‐expression modification of the gene product. In contrast, the sequence found in the estuarine metagenomic library and the functional characteristics of the protein expressed from it were those of a conventional family 18 glycosyl hydrolase.
217 000‐year‐old DNA sequences of green sulfur bacteria in Mediterranean sapropels and their implications for the reconstruction of the paleoenvironment
Authors: Coolen Marco J. L. , Overmann Jörg
Published: September 2006

Deep‐sea sediments of the eastern Mediterranean harbour a series of dark, organic carbon‐rich layers, so‐called sapropels. Within these layers, the carotenoid isorenieratene was detected. Since it is specific for the obligately anaerobic phototrophic green sulfur bacteria, the presence of isorenieratene may suggest that extended water column anoxia occurred in the ancient Mediterranean Sea during periods of sapropel formation. Only three carotenoids (isorenieratene, β‐isorenieratene and chlorobactene) are typical for green sulfur bacteria and thus do not permit to differentiate between the ∼80 known phylotypes. In order to reconstruct the paleoecological conditions in more detail, we searched for fossil 16S rRNA gene sequences of green sulfur bacteria employing ancient DNA methodology. 540 bp‐long fossil sequences could indeed be amplified from up to 217 000‐year‐old sapropels. In addition, such sequences were also recovered from carbon‐lean intermediate sediment layers deposited during times of an entirely oxic water column. Unexpectedly, however, all the recovered 16S rRNA gene sequences grouped with freshwater or brackish, rather than truly marine, types of green sulfur bacteria. It is therefore feasible that the molecular remains of green sulfur bacteria originated from populations which thrived in adjacent freshwater or estuarine coastal environments rather than from an indigenous pelagic population.
The fulvettas (Alcippe, Timaliidae, Aves): a polyphyletic group
Authors: Pasquet Eric , Bourdon Estelle , Kalyakin Mikhail V. , Cibois Alice
Published: September 2006

The phylogeny of fulvettas (Alcippe, Timaliidae) was investigated using molecular data. Fifteen species of the genus, other timaliids and Sylvioidea were used. ML and Bayesian analyses were done on separate and combined cyt‐b and Nd2 DNA data sets. The polyphyly of the genus is confirmed. The clades correspond to the taxonomy of Wolters. We recommend that this polyphyly be taken into account when conducting phylogenetic analyses with incomplete taxonomic sampling.
The rising prevalence of androgen deprivation among older American men since the advent of prostate‐specific antigen testing: a population‐based cohort study
Authors: Barry Michael J. , Delorenzo Michael A. , Walker‐Corkery Elizabeth S. , Lucas F. Lee , Wennberg David C.
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of efforts in the early detection of prostate cancer using prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) testing in the USA, by estimating the regional prevalence of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) among older men in 1993–2000, and correlating the prevalence with early detection and aggressive treatment rates in 1987–91, as some authors predicted that ADT, a treatment traditionally reserved for advanced prostate cancer, would become less common over time as a result of such efforts.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A sample of 5% of men who were Medicare beneficiaries was used in this prospective population‐based cohort study. The main outcome measures were the overall prevalence of ADT (medical and surgical) in the cohort from 1993 to 2000, and correlations between rates of prostate procedures in the 306 USA hospital referral regions in 1987–91 and prevalence of ADT in those regions from 1993 to 2000.

RESULTS

The prevalence of ADT among these men in the USA increased steadily from 1.8% in 1993 to 2.9% in 2000 (P < 0.001). Regions with higher rates of prostate biopsy in 1987–91 had a higher prevalence of ADT in 1993, 1995 and 1997 (P < 0.05). Regions with higher rates of transurethral prostatectomy in 1987–91 had a higher prevalence of ADT in 1993–2000 (P < 0.01). Regions with higher rates of radical prostatectomy in 1987–91 had higher rates of ADT in 1993–99 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Widespread early detection and aggressive treatment for prostate cancer in the USA has been associated with more, not less, ADT among older men over time.
A simple way to estimate mean plasma glucose and to identify Type 2 diabetic subjects with poor glycaemic control when a standardized HbA1c assay is not available
Authors: Ozmen S. , Cil T , Atay A. E. , Tuzcu A. K. , Bahceci M.
Published: September 2006

Aims  To evaluate the relationship between HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) levels, and to estimate the mean plasma glucose (mPG) derived from FPG and PPG that would predict Type 2 diabetic subjects with poor glycaemic control.

Methods  FPG, PPG and HbA1c values from 565 Type 2 diabetic patients (247 men and 318 women) were recorded. Linear regression analysis and Pearson's correlation was used to determine the relationship between HbA1c, FPG and PPG. FPG and PPG were included as explanatory variables of HbA1c in linear regression analysis.

Results  The American Diabetes Association's objective of achieving an HbA1c level < 7.0% was obtained in 26.2% of the patients. The coefficients of FPG and PPG which determined HbA1c were similar. Therefore, mPG was calculated using the equation (FPG + PPG)/2. Pearson's correlation coefficient for HbA1c and FPG, PPG and mPG were 0.723 (P < 0.0001), 0.734 and 0.761 (P < 0.0001), respectively. A mPG cut‐off value of 10 mmol/l predicted an HbA1c > 7% in the whole population, with a sensitivity of 84.2% and specificity of 80.4%. The area was high (0.90) in receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis performed to examine the performance of mPG to predict HbA1c > 7%.

Conclusions  The mPG derived from FPG and PPG correlates strongly with HbA1c. We therefore suggest that using a cut‐off of 10 mmol/l for mPG may be appropriate in diabetes management in the primary‐care setting, where most management of Type 2 diabetes occurs.
The Risk‐Relevance of Accounting Data: Evidence from the Spanish Stock Market
Authors: Giner Begoña , Reverte Carmelo
Published: September 2006

This paper analyses the relevance of accounting fundamentals to inform about equity risk as measured by the cost of equity capital. Assuming the latter is a summary measure of how investors make decisions regarding the allocation of resources, the strength of the association between the cost of capital and the accounting‐based measures of risk indicates how important these measures are for market participants when making economic decisions. To infer the cost of equity capital, we use the O'Hanlon and Steele's method, which is based on the residual income valuation model. Moreover, we use the insights from this model to provide a theoretical underpinning for the choice of the accounting variables related to risk. The sample refers to the non‐financial firms listed in the Madrid Stock Exchange along the period 1987–2002. Our results support our initial expectations regarding the association between the cost of equity capital and the accounting‐based risk variables, thereby supporting the usefulness of fundamental analysis to determine the risk inherent in share's future payoffs. In particular, we highlight the role of investing risk, which has been ignored in previous research. Our results are also robust to measures of risk other than the cost of capital such as the variability in total returns and the firm's systematic risk (β).
Framing the Field of Homeland Security: The Case of Norway*
Authors: Lægreid Per , Serigstad Synnøve
Published: September 2006

abstract  This paper takes as a point of departure a notion of reorganization as a way of managing risk. It examines the reorganization process in the Norwegian central administration for homeland security. As a central theme the paper explores why the proposal to radically reorganize the administration by replacing a network model with a hierarchical model resulted in a much more modest change to a hybrid agency model. The descriptive part of the paper traces the reorganization process, starting with the initiative taken by the Ministry of Justice in 1999 to establish a public commission and ending with the final parliamentary resolution in 2002. Despite the 9/11 terrorist attack that occurred in the middle of the process and its implications for security, only minor changes were made to existing arrangements. A striking feature of the process was negative coordination, indicating that the wish to coordinate was greater than the willingness to be coordinated. To understand why this was so, we look at bureaucratic politics and bargaining between different interests, at institutional identities and strong cultures and traditions within different governmental bodies. We focus especially on framing processes within and between organizational fields.
Islam and socially responsible business conduct: an empirical study of Dutch entrepreneurs
Authors: Graafland Johan , Mazereeuw Corrie , Yahia Aziza
Published: September 2006

This paper explores the relationship between the Islamic religion and the level of socially responsible business conduct (SRBC) of Islamic entrepreneurs. The authors find that the common ideas of SRBC correspond with the view of business in Islam, although there are also some notable differences. They also find that Muslim entrepreneurs attach a higher weight to specific elements of SRBC than do non‐Muslims. However, they also find that Muslims are less involved with applying SRBC in practice than non‐Muslim managers.
Corporate social responsibility: making sense through thinking and acting
Authors: Cramer Jacqueline , Van Der Heijden Angela , Jonker Jan
Published: September 2006

This article investigates how companies make sense of CSR. It is based on an explorative comparative case study of 18 companies in the Netherlands using background information, interviews and annual reports. Initially, the sensemaking process of CSR is guided and coordinated by change agents who are specifically appointed to explore the implementation of CSR in their company. These change agents initiate the CSR process within their own organisations. The meaning they develop stems from their personal and organisational values and frames of reference. By attuning the vocabulary of CSR to the language of their colleagues, they aim to gain support for this undertaking in their organisation. This sensemaking procedure can be divided into pragmatic, external, procedural, policy‐oriented and value‐driven processes. The capability of an organisation to embed CSR is the result of trial and error, personal preferences and the use of language by the change agent that fits the (dynamic) situation at hand. Thus, each organisation needs a tailor‐made approach to implement CSR successfully.
Investors’ Perceptions of Managerial Opportunism in Corporate Acquisitions: the moderating role of environmental conditions
Authors: Kang Eugene
Published: September 2006

I argue and found that the effectiveness of a firm’s monitoring mechanisms to prevent managerial opportunism in acquisitions becomes more important under high environmental complexity and/or dynamism because of the increased information asymmetry between investors and top executives under these conditions. I also found that increased monitoring under non‐complex and/or stable environments may be viewed negatively by investors, and that symbolic information about governance arrangements affects investors’ evaluations of managerial opportunism in acquisitions. The results highlight the need for more research on factors that influence the explanatory power of agency theory.
Comparing Mutual Fund Governance and Corporate Governance
Authors: Radin Robert F. , Stevenson William B.
Published: September 2006

Governance of public corporations in the United States has operated under the agency model with regulatory strengthening since the passage of Sarbanes‐Oxley legislation. With this foundation in place, boards are empowered to utilise their power and influence and can effectively monitor the actions of management, intervening where necessary. In effect, the rules of engagement embodied in the structure and the law guide interactions and empowerment. The governance model of the mutual funds industry, representing over 8 trillion dollars, is often viewed as a mirror of the corporate world, but upon closer analysis is found to have significant structural differences that dilute the authority of directors. The two models are compared and analysed with recommendations made to strengthen the oversight of mutual funds.
Schizotypy
Authors: Lenzenweger Mark F.
Published: September 2006

Schizophrenia is the most devastating form of psychopathology known to humankind, and it has been slow to yield clues to its origins. Meehl's (1962 , 1990 ) model detailed the nature of the latent liability for schizophrenia known as schizotypy and provided a major organizing function for research on schizophrenia. The schizotypy model integrates genetic and environmental contributions to liability as well as accounting for a range of clinical outcomes, all deriving from a genuine liability for the illness. Schizotypy, as a latent personality organization that harbors the liability for schizophrenia, provides a framework for detecting fundamental features of liability to schizophrenia prior to the onset of clinical illness. The schizotypy model is reviewed, the strategic benefits of it are discussed, and methods for detecting schizotypy are presented. A focus on perceptual aberrations—a schizotypic feature—in individuals unaffected by schizophrenia has yielded valuable clues to preclinical disturbances in neurocognitive processes, risk for schizophrenia among biological relatives, and genomic substrates, all of which are of interest to schizophrenia researchers.
Metacognitive Experiences and Human Judgment
Authors: Sanna Lawrence J. , Schwarz Norbert
Published: September 2006

Theories of judgment have emphasized the influence of what comes to mind—the content of people's thoughts. But recent research shows that metacognitive experiences accompanying thinking, like a sense of the ease or difficulty with which information comes to mind, qualify the conclusions that people derive from thought content. The case of hindsight bias and attempts to remove that bias (debiasing) illustrate this. After an event outcome is known, people display hindsight bias by exaggerating its inevitability, believing they “knew it all along.” The magnitude of hindsight bias varies with the ease or difficulty that known or alternative outcomes come to mind; the usually observed hindsight bias may even reverse when outcomes are difficult to bring to mind or increase when alternatives are difficult to bring to mind. Implications of metacognitive experiences can extend to other biases and their debiasing, as well as to how people make sense of the past more generally.
Young Children's Conception of the Biological World
Authors: Inagaki Kayoko , Hatano Giyoo
Published: September 2006

What are the components of children's biological-knowledge system before systematic teaching at school? Can this knowledge system be called naive biology? We propose that young children's biological-knowledge system has at least two essential components—(a) the knowledge needed to identify biological entities and phenomena and (b) teleological and vitalistic causality—and that these components constitute a form of biology. We discuss how this naive biology serves as the basis for performance and learning in socially and culturally important practices, such as health practices and biology instruction.
Culture and the Development of Self-Knowledge
Authors: Wang Qi
Published: September 2006

Although a great deal of work in the past decades has shown cultural variations in self-knowledge among adults, not until recently have researchers started to examine developmental processes and mechanisms that give rise to the variations. I discuss our research on the development of two kinds of self-knowledge: autobiographical memory and self-concept. Our findings indicate that children develop culture-specific self-knowledge early in life; the two kinds of self-knowledge reinforce each other at both individual and cultural levels; and early narrative practices constitute an important resource from which children draw cultural views about the self to incorporate into their self-understanding and remembering.
Young Natural-Number Arithmeticians
Authors: Gelman Rochel
Published: September 2006

When preschoolers count to check their arithmetic predictions, their counts are better than when they simply count a set of items on count-only tasks. This is so even for 2 1/2- and 3-year-olds dealing with small values. Such results lend support to the view that learning about verbal counting benefits from a nonverbal count-arithmetic system and challenge theories that place understanding of verbal counting at 4 1/2 or 5 years. That preschoolers readily engage in predicting-and-checking number tasks has implications for educational programs.
The Impact of Motor Activity and Inactivity on the Brain
Authors: Woodlee Martin T. , Schallert Timothy
Published: September 2006

Since Donald Hebb's pioneering observations in the 1940s, much research has focused on the effects of variations in physical activity and environmental complexity on behavioral performance and brain structure. Beneficial effects on brain health have been linked to physical fitness, skilled training, and exposure to complex environments, though in rodents these effects may be negated by sudden changes in social structure. Such manipulations can alleviate the deficits associated with several nervous-system disorders and aging. But how increased activity produces its beneficial effects is still not fully understood. How does unskilled physical activity (e.g., repetitive exercise) compare to training in skilled activities or exposure to complex environments? In injury states, is task-specific training a better rehabilitative strategy than general exercise? How do changes in motor activity affect specific brain regions, and can the intensity and timing of therapeutic movement be adjusted to produce optimal outcomes? Are the beneficial effects of motor enrichment banked over periods of inactivity and can they be called upon with booster training to treat a later neurological disorder? Are there circumstances in which increased activity is harmful? Enrichment of physical activity shows promise as an easy and healthful means for improving or restoring brain function, and questions like these are now being investigated so that the full potential of increased activity may be harnessed.
CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND THE SUPPLY OF HOUSING STRUCTURE*
Authors: Gyourko Joseph , Saiz Albert
Published: September 2006

ABSTRACT Construction costs account for the bulk of the price of new houses in most markets, but their study has been relatively neglected. We document that there are economically large differences in construction costs across U.S. housing markets. We also estimate a very elastic supply for physical structure; hence, differences in construction activity across markets do not explain the variation in costs. Supply shifters that collectively do account for differences in building costs include the extent of unionization within the construction sector, local wages, local topography in terms of the presence of high hills and mountains, and the local regulatory environment.
SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY AND THE WAGE CURVE REVISITED*
Authors: Longhi Simonetta , Nijkamp Peter , Poot Jacques
Published: September 2006

ABSTRACTMost “wage curve” studies ignore the geography of local labor markets. However, when a local labor market is in close proximity of other labor markets, a local shock that increases unemployment may not lead to lower pay rates if employers fear outward migration of their workers. Hence, the unemployment elasticity of pay will be greater, the more isolated the local labor market is. Wages are also expected to be higher in regions that interact strongly with other regions. These hypotheses are confirmed by means of an estimation of wage curves with data for 327 regions of western Germany over the period 1990–1997.
MULTIPLIER ESTIMATES: TO BIAS OR NOT TO BIAS?*
Authors: Dietzenbacher Erik
Published: September 2006

ABSTRACT It is well known that multiplier estimates within an interindustry context may be biased when the input coefficients are stochastic. Several conditions have been derived under which the estimates were shown to be biased, all with the same sign. In contrast to these analytical results, however, simulations using a stochastic transactions table unexpectedly reported the unbiasedness of multiplier estimates. This note argues that the sample sizes were too small. It is shown that for increased sample sizes the multiplier estimates are all positively and significantly biased, in line with the analytical results, but the biases are very small.
Returns and volatility in the NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas futures market
Authors: Serletis Apostolos , Shahmoradi Asghar
Published: September 2006

In this paper we use autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity‐type models to investigate the determinants of returns and volatility in the New York Mercantile Exchange Henry Hub natural gas futures contract market. Using daily data for the period that natural gas has been traded on the exchange, we find significant evidence of seasonal and open interest effects in both, returns and volatility.
Do Labour Market Programmes Speed up the Return to Work?*
Authors: Røed Knut , Raaum Oddbjørn
Published: September 2006

We evaluate the impact of labour market programmes on unemployment durations in Norway, by means of a distribution‐free mixed proportional competing risks hazard rate model. We find that programme participation, once completed, improves employment prospects, but that there is often an opportunity cost in the form of a lock‐in effect during participation. The average net effect of programme participation on the length of the job search period is found to be around zero. For participants with poor employment prospects, the favourable post‐programme effects outweigh the negative lock‐in effects.
The Hazard Rate of Foreign Direct Investment: A Structural Estimation of a Real‐option Model*
Authors: Pennings Enrico , Altomonte Carlo
Published: September 2006

The hazard rate of investment is derived within a real‐option model, and its properties are analysed so as to directly study the relation between uncertainty and investment. Maximum likelihood estimates of the hazard are calculated using a sample of multinational enterprises (MNEs) that invested in Central and Eastern Europe over the period 1990–98. Employing a standard, non‐parametric specification of the hazard, our measure of uncertainty has a negative effect on investment, but the reduced‐form model is unable to control for nonlinearities in the relationship. The structural estimation of the option‐based hazard is instead able to account for the nonlinearities and exhibits a significant value of waiting, although the latter is independent of our measure of uncertainty. This finding supports the existence of alternative channels through which uncertainty can affect investment.
Testing the Null of Cointegration with Structural Breaks*
Authors: Carrion‐i‐Silvestre Josep Lluís , Sansó Andreu
Published: September 2006

We propose a Lagrange Multiplier‐type statistic to test the null hypothesis of cointegration allowing for the possibility of a structural break, in both the deterministic and the cointegration vectors. Our proposal focuses on the presence of endogenous regressors. The test complements the usual non‐cointegration tests so as to obtain stronger evidence of cointegration. We consider the cases of known and unknown dates of the break. In the latter case, we show that minimizing the Sum of Squared Residuals results in a super‐consistent estimator of the break fraction. Finally, the behaviour of the tests is studied through Monte Carlo experiments.
1. SPOTS OF TIME
Authors: RUNIA EELCO
Published: September 2006

An unapparent connection holds more firmly than an apparent one

—Heraclitus2

How can the subliminal, mysterious, but uncommonly powerful living‐on, the presence, of the past be envisaged? In this essay I argue that presence is not brought about by stories— by, that is, the “storiness” of stories. presence rather shows itself in how the past can force us—and enable us—to rewrite our stories about ourselves. The question then is how we acquire the experiences that can eventually force us to do so. How, and with what kind of things, does the mémoire involontaire—from which presence wells up—get filled? In order to answer this question one might turn it around to the question how we can fill the mémoire involontaire of others. A consideration of the “art of slandering” shows that the mémoire involontaire tends to get filled with things (1) that we believe are “common knowledge,” that (2) are “obliquely” communicated, and that (3) are cast in metonymies. Metonymy offers a much better road to the mémoire involontaire than metaphor because metonymy is better at suggesting that what it conveys is“common knowledge.” Therefore, I propose that presence resides in the metonymical region of language. Instead of being contained in the meaningful content (the “storiness”) of stories, presence resides in what a story inadvertently has to be—in, that is, the things a story has to present in order to present a story. My conclusion is that as presence the past is the exact opposite of what historians think it is. It is indestructible, uncannily close, and—despite its closeness and its durability—utterly impossible to conserve in “representations” that can be taken along in the hand luggage with which we traverse time.
5. PAST AND “PRESENCE”: REVISITING HISTORICAL ONTOLOGY
Authors: BENTLEY MICHAEL
Published: September 2006

The last thirty years have brought about a fundamental revision of historical epistemology. So intense a concentration on the nature of history as a form of inquiry has diminished attention given to the thing that history inquires into: the nature of the past itself. Too readily, that entire domain has turned into a place for dreams, as Hayden White put it: a lost world only available now through the imagination of the author and subject to aesthetic whim. The next thirty years will, I propose, be the period in which ontology returns to the center of historical theory. And nothing short of the reconceptualization of the past—indeed of time itself—must be its objective. It must achieve that objective, moreover, in establishing arguments that are congruent with what revisions of epistemology have taught us about the limits of historical knowledge and the inevitability of textual representation.

This paper enters this field by discussing some of the issues involved in rethinking the place of time in historical constructions since Bergson. It demonstrates the confusions inherent in spatial reductions of temporality, which historians have done so much to entrench rather than eradicate, and argues that historians have yet to accommodate the fundamental conceptual shifts inaugurated by heidegger. It then moves to propose a methodological doctrine to which I have given the name “chronism” and seeks to sketch the utility of such a doctrine for bringing one form of presence—that of authenticity—back into the domain of historical study. Doing so invites a number of conceptual and practical difficulties that the paper will address in its conclusions; these may disturb those who have closed their minds to anything beyond the present. Taking ontology seriously interferes both with structuralist assumptions about the nothingness of time and with some of the styles of historical representation that have become fashionable in the postmodern climate. There may be painful lessons to be learned if we are to rescue the past from its current status as a nonentity.
NAZISM AS A SECULAR RELIGION1
Authors: BABÍK MILAN
Published: September 2006

This article examines the implications of Richard Steigmann‐Gall's recent revisionist representation of Nazism as a Christian (Protestant) movement for the increasingly fashionable accounts of Nazism as a secular or political religion. Contrary to Steigmann‐Gall's contention that Protestant Nazism undermines these accounts, I suggest that his portrayal of Nazism as a variant of Protestant millennialism is not necessarily inconsistent with the secular religion approach. A closer look at the so‐called löwith‐Blumenberg debate on secularization indeed reveals that modern utopianisms containing elements of Protestant millennialism are the best candidates for the label of secularized eschatology. That Steigmann‐gall has reached exactly the opposite conclusion is primarily because his conceptual understanding of secular religion is uninformed by the secularization debate. Insofar as Steigmann‐Gall extracts his model of secular religion from contemporary political religion historiography on Nazism, this article points to a larger problem: a disjunction between historians utilizing the concept, on the one hand, and philosophers and social theorists who have shaped it, on the other.
WRITING GENDER HISTORY: WHAT DOES FEMINISM HAVE TO DO WITH IT?
Authors: Satter Beryl
Published: September 2006

Writing Gender History. By Laura Lee Downs.
Determinants of the Extent of Participatory Employment Practices: Evidence from Japan
Authors: KATO TAKAO
Published: September 2006

Prior studies on the effects of participatory employment practices often assume that once introduced, participatory employment practices change little in their nature and scope over time. Using unique micro data that provide detailed information on various attributes of participatory employment practices of Japanese firms as well as the age of such practices, we provide the first direct and systematic evidence that such practices expand significantly in their scope and nature as they age.
What Factors Lead Management to Support or Oppose Employee Participation—With and Without Works Councils? Hypotheses and Evidence from Germany
Authors: JIRJAHN UWE , SMITH STEPHEN C.
Published: September 2006

This paper provides the first econometric analysis to distinguish between works councils in establishments where managers have a positive or negative view toward employee involvement in decision making. We similarly distinguish between establishments where no council is present in which management supports or does not support worker participation. We stress the potential role of works councils and participation in motivating employees. Our theoretical analysis and empirical results from German manufacturing establishment data show that the structure of the workforce, principal‐agent problems between owners and managers, collective bargaining, direct employee involvement, human resource management practices, and market strategy and innovativeness all play important roles. Some conflicting conclusions in the works council literature may be due to the failure to distinguish among industrial relations participation regimes characterized by cooperative or uncooperative relationships between works councils and management.
Unions and Employee Ownership: A Road to Economic Democracy?*
Authors: YATES JACQUELYN
Published: September 2006

In the relationship between unions and employee share ownership, neither threatened the other, and their combination led to benefits for employees, particularly where unionized employees were majority owners. Companies adding communication, training, and participation reported performance gains. These practices were more common among majority‐owned companies and in companies facing economic threats. Economic performance and benefits were comparable, whether unionized employees owned a majority of the stock, a minority, or none at all.
Worker Participation—Some Under‐Considered Issues
Authors: STRAUSS GEORGE
Published: September 2006

This paper deals with a variety of issues regarding participation that may have received too little attention or that may be viewed from a different perspective. These include the sometimes faddist interest in the topic, participation as a form of bargaining, and alternate research strategies. It also reports on the current status of several once‐publicized participation sites.
Adrenergic Receptor Polymorphisms Associated with Resting Heart Rate: The HyperGEN Study
Authors: Wilk J. B. , Myers R. H. , Pankow J. S. , Hunt S. C. , Leppert M. F. , Freedman B. I. , Province M. A. , Ellison R. C.
Published: September 2006

The association between polymorphisms in the β1, β2 and α2B adrenergic receptor (ADR) genes (ADRB1, ADRB2 and ADRA2B) and resting heart rate was examined in white and African‐American participants of the HyperGEN Study. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, alcohol use, smoking status and daily exercise within strata of race, hypertension status and beta‐blocker use. The Ser49Gly polymorphism of the β1 ADR was associated with resting heart rate in hypertensive African‐Americans and hypertensive whites taking beta‐blockers, with carriers of the Gly allele having a higher mean resting heart rate by 2.7 and 4.4 beats per minute (bpm), respectively. The Arg389Gly polymorphism of the β1 ADR was associated with lower heart rate in the normotensive African‐American sample. A β1 haplotype (Ser49Gly‐Arg389Gly) was modestly associated with resting heart rate in the hypertensive African‐Americans. The α2B C/A polymorphism was associated with heart rate in hypertensive whites, and both whites and African‐Americans taking beta‐blockers, with carriers of the A allele having a higher mean resting heart rate. In summary, each of the ADR gene polymorphisms was associated with heart rate in at least one stratum studied, but there was no consistent association from which one would infer a large genetic contribution to heart rate.
Geographical Variations in TP53 Mutational Spectrum in Ovarian Carcinomas
Authors: Dansonka‐Mieszkowska A. , Ludwig A. H. , Kraszewska E. , Kupryjańczyk J.
Published: September 2006

The TP53 gene mutational spectrum in human tumours shows variations related to tissue of origin, carcinogen exposure or molecular background. We have compared TP53 mutations in ovarian carcinomas from different geographical regions; this study was based on data extracted and verified from the IARC database (R10, 2005), and on our results from 127 carcinomas. In total 873 mutations were evaluated. Tumours from Japan and Korea had a higher frequency of exon 7 mutations (38%vs 25%, p = 0.011) and lower frequency of exon 8 mutations (11%vs 29%, p = 0.0003) than those from Western countries; they were particularly different from Norwegian tumours which showed the lowest proportion of exon 7 (19%, p = 0.001) and highest proportion of exon 8 (37%, p < 0.0001) mutations. There were also differences in the profile of TP53 hotspots. The third hotspot in tumours from Poland was amino acid (AA) 176 (8.2% of substitutions vs 1.7% in other countries, p < 0.001), while in tumours from the UK it was AA 220 (8.9%vs 2.3%, p < 0.001). Codon 273 was the only apparent hotspot in the Norwegian tumours, while it was rarely mutated in Polish and Asian tumours. In contrast to other data tumours from Norway presented with 273HIS codon (82% of mutations at AA 273, p = 0.002), while tumours from the UK shared the 273CYS codon (80%, p < 0.001). Further analysis of TP53 gene mutations in ovarian cancer by geography could provide greater insights.
Dissociation between mane development and sexual maturity in lions (Panthera leo): solution to the Tsavo riddle?
Authors: Gnoske T. P. , Celesia G. G. , Kerbis Peterhans J. C.
Published: September 2006

The mane characteristics of lions Panthera leo in the greater Tsavo ecosystem (GTE) were compared with those of lions from the equatorial middle‐elevation plains (EMEP). Contrary to popular belief, most full‐grown GTE lions are not maneless; 87% had manes, with 49% possessing good manes. The manes of GTE lions, however, were poorer on average, relative to age, than the manes of EMEP lions. For both groups, there was a significant relationship between age and mane type. In EMEP lions, mane development started early and grew to a full mane by age 4–5. In GTE lions, mane development began later and developed more slowly. Delayed onset and a slower rate of development are correlated with the consistently hot Tsavo climate. Poorly maned but fully mature lions mated actively, showing dissociation between mane development and sexual maturity. The correlation between climate and mane development suggests that climatic adaptation results in the inhibition and/or delay in the development of a secondary sexual character without compromising reproductive viability.
Uterine blood flow during supine rest and exercise after 28 weeks of gestation
Authors: Jeffreys RM , Stepanchak W , Lopez B , Hardis J , Clapp JF
Published: September 2006

Objective  To test the null hypothesis that, after 28 weeks of gestation, uterine blood flow during supine rest and supine exercise is no different than uterine blood flow at left‐lateral rest.

Design  In vivo experimental study in pregnant women.

Setting  Department of Obstetrics, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Population  Fourteen, physically active, late‐pregnant women who continued supine exercise throughout gestation.

Methods  Studies were carried out between 29 and 38 weeks of gestation. Maternal blood pressure, maternal heart rate, and ultrasound estimates of volume blood flow in the right ascending branch of the uterine artery were obtained serially at rest in the left‐lateral position, at rest in the supine position, during and immediately after 10 minutes of supine exercise, and again at rest in the left‐lateral position. Exercise sessions included alternating 60‐ to 90‐second periods of abdominal crunches and leg exercise at moderate/high intensity (Borg’s rating of perceived exertion 14 ± 1).

Main outcome measures  Blood pressure, heart rate, and uterine artery volume flow.

Results  Data are presented as the mean ± SD. Maternal heart rate and blood pressure were unchanged at supine rest but increased during supine exercise (heart rate increased from 76 ± 9 to 98 ± 12 beats per minute, mean arterial pressure increased from 81 ± 6 to 102 ± 12 mmHg). Volume flow fell from 410 ± 93 to 267 ± 73 cc/minute after 5 minutes of supine rest and then, during supine exercise, increased to 355 ± 125 cc/minute. Uterine artery luminal diameter and blood flow correlated directly with tissue weights at birth (r2 values between 0.32 and 0.59).

Conclusions  In physically active women, uterine blood flow decreases during both supine rest and supine exercise but the decrease in the former is twice that seen in the latter.
The transcription factor Yin Yang 1 is an activator of BACE1 expression
Authors: Nowak Katrin , Lange‐Dohna Christine , Zeitschel Ulrike , Günther Albrecht , Lüscher Bernhard , Robitzki Andrea , Perez‐Polo Regino , Roßner Steffen
Published: September 2006

The β‐site amyloid precursor protein‐cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a prerequisite for the generation of β‐amyloid peptides, the principle constituents of senile plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). BACE1 expression and enzymatic activity are increased in the AD brain, but the regulatory mechanisms of BACE1 expression are largely unknown. Here we show that Yin Yang 1 (YY1), a highly conserved and multifunctional transcription factor, binds to its putative recognition sequence within the BACE1 promoter and stimulates BACE1 promoter activity in rat pheochromocytoma 12 (PC12) cells, rat primary neurones and astrocytes. In rat brain YY1 and BACE1 are widely expressed by neurons, but there was only a minor proportion of neurones that co‐expressed YY1 and BACE1, suggesting that YY1 is not required for constitutive neuronal BACE1 expression. Resting astrocytes in the untreated rat brain did not display either YY1 or BACE1 immunoreactivity. When chronically activated, however, astrocytes expressed both YY1 and BACE1 proteins, indicating that YY1 is important for the stimulated BACE1 expression by reactive astrocytes. This is further emphasized by the expression of YY1 and BACE1 by reactive astrocytes in proximity to β‐amyloid plaques in the AD brain. Our observations suggest that interfering with expression, translocation or binding of YY1 to its BACE1 promoter‐specific sequence may have therapeutic potential for treating patients with AD.
Dialysis delivery of an adenosine A2Aagonist into the pontine reticular formation of C57BL/6J mouse increases pontine acetylcholine release and sleep
Authors: Coleman Christal G. , Baghdoyan Helen A. , Lydic Ralph
Published: September 2006

In vivomicrodialysis in C57BL/6J (B6) mouse was used to test the hypothesis that activating adenosine A2Areceptors in the pontine reticular formation (PRF) increases acetylcholine (ACh) release and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Eight concentrations of the adenosine A2Areceptor agonist 2‐p‐(2‐carboxyethyl)phenethylamino‐5′‐N‐ethylcarboxamidoadenosine hydrochloride (CGS 21680; CGS) were delivered to the PRF and ACh in the PRF was quantified. ACh release was significantly increased by dialysis with 3 μmCGS and significantly decreased by dialysis with 10 and 100 μmCGS. Co‐administration of the adenosine A2Areceptor antagonist 4‐(2‐[7‐amino‐2‐(2‐furyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[2,3‐a][1,3,5]triazin‐5‐ylamino]ethyl)phenol (ZM 241385; 30 nm) blocked the CGS‐induced increase in ACh release. In a second series of experiments, CGS (3 μm) was delivered by dialysis to the PRF for 2 h while recording sleep and wakefulness. CGS significantly decreased time in wakefulness (−51% in h 1; −54% in h 2), increased time in non‐rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep (90% in h 1; 151% in h 2), and increased both time in REM sleep (331% in h 2) and the number of REM sleep episodes (488% in h 2). The enhancement of REM sleep is consistent with the interpretation that adenosine A2Areceptors in the PRF of the B6 mouse contribute to REM sleep regulation, in part, by increasing ACh release in the PRF. A2Areceptor activation may promote NREM sleep via GABAergic inhibition of arousal promoting neurons in the PRF.