bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monophyly, phylogeny and systematic position of the †Synechodontiformes (Chondrichthyes, Neoselachii)
Authors: Klug Stefanie
Published: June 2009

Klug, S. (2009). Monophyly, phylogeny and systematic position of the †Synechodontiformes (Chondrichthyes, Neoselachii). —Zoologica Scripta, 39, 37–49.

Identifying the monophyly and systematic position of extinct sharks is one of the major challenges in reconstructing the phylogeny and evolutionary history of sharks in general. Although great progress has been accomplished in the last few decades with regard to resolving the interrelationships of living sharks, a comprehensive phylogeny identifying the systematic position of problematic or exclusively fossil taxa is still lacking. Fossil taxa traditionally assigned to synechodontiform sharks are very diverse with a fossil record extending back into the Palaeozoic but with uncertain inter‐ and intrarelationships. Here, phylogenetic analyses using robust cladistic principles are presented for the first time to evaluate the monophyly of this group, their intrarelationships and their systematic position within Neoselachii. According to the results of this study, taxa assigned to this group form a monophyletic clade, the †Synechodontiformes. This group is sister to all living sharks and displays a suite of neoselachian characters. Consequently, the concept of neoselachian systematics needs to be enlarged to include this completely extinct group, which is considered to represent stem‐group neoselachians. The origin of modern sharks can be traced back into the Late Permian (250 Mya) based on the fossil record of †Synechodontiformes. The systematic position of batoids remains contradictory, which relates to the use of different data (molecular vs. morphological) in phylogentic analyses.
Alendronate decreases the fracture risk in patients with prostate cancer on androgen‐deprivation therapy and with severe osteopenia or osteoporosis
Authors: Planas Jacques , Trilla Enrique , Raventós Carles , Cecchini Lluis , Orsola Anna , Salvador Carles , Placer Jose , Encabo Gloria , Morote Juan
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate changes in bone mass and fracture risk in patients with prostate cancer on androgen‐deprivation therapy (ADT) and with a basal T‐score of >−2.0, who were treated with an oral bisphosphonate, as such patients treated with ADT are at increased risk of bone loss and bone fracture.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We selected 61 patients with prostate cancer treated with ADT; 31 were treated with oral alendronate 70 mg once‐weekly and a control group of 30 were not. At baseline and 12 months we measured bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. All patients had severe osteopenia or osteoporosis at baseline. The risk of femoral neck fracture was calculated at baseline and 12 months (Z‐score 2.7).

RESULTS

Patients treated with alendronate had a significant increase in BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck after 1 year of follow‐up, with mean (sd) values of 1.06 (0.26) vs 1.01 (0.21) g/cm2 at baseline (P < 0.001), and 0.75 (0.07) vs 0.73 (0.07) g/cm2 (P = 0.03), respectively, while the control group had a significant loss of BMD at the total hip of 0.79 (0.14) vs 0.81 (0.13) g/cm2 (P = 0.03). BMD was significantly improved at the three locations in patients treated with alendronate compared with the control group, with differences at the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip of 0.05 (0.07) vs 0.01 (0.10) (P = 0.001), 0.01 (0.04) vs −0.002 (0.03) (P = 0.04) and 0.01 (0.04) vs −0.01 (0.02) g/cm2, respectively (P = 0.001). Patients treated with alendronate had a significant decrease in the fracture risk at the femoral neck, by −0.54 (1.29) (P = 0.04) after 1 year of follow‐up.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with once‐weekly 70 mg alendronate significantly improved the BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck in patients with prostate cancer with severe osteopenia or osteoporosis and on ADT, and significantly decreased the risk of femoral neck fracture.
Population‐based prostate‐specific antigen testing in the UK leads to a stage migration of prostate cancer
Authors: Moore Alison L. , Dimitropoulou Polyxeni , Lane Athene , Powell Philip H. , Greenberg David C. , Brown Clement H. , Donovan Jenny L. , Hamdy Freddie C. , Martin Richard M. , Neal David E.
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVE

To determine, within the UK, the stage and grade of prostate cancers that would be found through population‐based prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing and biopsy.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In the ‘Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment’ trial (ProtecT), men aged 50–69 years were recruited from nine cities in the UK and from randomly selected practices of general practitioners. Those with a PSA level of >3 ng/mL were offered a prostate biopsy. Age, PSA, stage and grade at diagnosis of ProtecT participants with cancer were compared with contemporaneous incident cases aged 50–69 years (age‐restricted Cancer Registry cases) registered with the Eastern Cancer Registration and Information Centre (ECRIC).

RESULTS

Within ProtecT, 94 427 men agreed to be tested (50% of men contacted), 8807 (≈9%) had a raised PSA level and 2022 (23%) had prostate cancer; 229 (≈12%) had locally advanced (T3 or T4) or metastatic cancers, the rest having clinically localized (T1c or T2) disease. Within ECRIC, 12 661 cancers were recorded over the same period; 3714 were men aged 50–69 years at diagnosis. Men in ProtecT had a lower age distribution and PSA level, and the cancers were of lower stage and grade (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). If population‐based PSA testing were introduced in the UK, ≈2660 men per 100 000 aged 50–69 years would be found to have prostate cancer, compared to current rates of ≈130 per 100 000. If half of men accepted PSA testing, ≈160 000 cancers would be found, compared to 30 000 diagnosed each year at present.

CONCLUSIONS

Population‐based PSA testing resulted in a significant downward stage and grade migration, and most such cancers were of low stage and grade, which could lead to risks of over‐treatment for some men.
Interval from prostate biopsy to robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy: effects on perioperative outcomes
Authors: Martin George L. , Nunez Rafael N. , Humphreys Mitchell D. , Martin Aaron D. , Ferrigni Robert G. , Andrews Paul E. , Castle Erik P.
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether shorter intervals (<4 and 6 weeks) between prostate biopsy and robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) have a detrimental effect on perioperative outcomes, as recent studies showed that open RP shortly after prostate biopsy does not adversely influence surgical difficulty or efficacy, but RARP relies solely on visual cues rather than tactile sensation to determine posterior surgical planes of dissection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A series of 559 patients undergoing RARP from March 2004 to July 2007 was retrospectively reviewed. The interval between prostate biopsy and RARP was determined and patients with intervals of ≤4 weeks were compared to those >4 weeks. Patient characteristics and perioperative outcomes were analysed to determine statistically significant differences between the groups. This comparison was then repeated with a ≤6‐ vs >6‐week interval, and examined with a multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

In the ≤4‐week group (27 patients) vs the >4‐week group (509 patients), there was a significantly (P < 0.05) higher rate of complications (18.5% vs 6.9%). In the ≤6‐week group (81 patients) vs the >6‐week group (455 patients) there was a smaller but still significantly higher rate of complications (13.6% vs 6.4%). These results were still significant when controlling for patient and disease characteristics and the ‘learning curve’. There was also a significantly higher rate of transfusion in the ≤6‐week group (3.7%) than the >6‐week group (0.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that RARP should be delayed after prostate biopsy; RARP within 6 weeks of biopsy was associated with a greater risk of complications even when controlling for disease and patient characteristics.
Drug treatment of urological symptoms: estimating the magnitude of unmet need in a community‐based sample
Authors: Hall Susan A. , Link Carol L. , Hu Jim C. , Eggers Paul W. , McKinlay John B.
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVE

To examine, in a community‐based sample, the use of prescription drugs for lower urinary tract symptoms/benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH), overactive bladder, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and painful bladder syndrome; and to determine whether the use of recommended medications varied by sociodemographics, symptom severity, access to care, and other factors.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In a cross‐sectional analysis of data obtained from 5503 men and women residents participating in the Boston Area Community Health Survey of Boston, MA, urological symptoms were ascertained by in‐person interviews conducted during 2002–2005, using validated symptom scales. Medication use in the past 4 weeks was captured using a combination of drug‐inventory methods and self‐report.

RESULTS

Compared to the prevalence of symptoms, the prevalence of use of medications for urological conditions was very low among men and women. The highest prevalence of use was among men with moderate‐to‐severe LUTS/BPH symptoms, where 9.6% used recommended drugs. Use of medications did not vary consistently by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status, but was often associated with symptom severity. More frequent and more recent use of medical care was also associated with greater use of urological medications.

CONCLUSIONS

Only a small proportion of community‐dwelling men and women with urological symptoms are receiving recommended effective drug treatments for urological conditions. While not all persons are candidates for drug treatment, our results suggest that there is a substantial unmet need in the general population.
Adequacy of lymphadenectomy among men undergoing robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Cooperberg Matthew R. , Kane Christopher J. , Cowan Janet E. , Carroll Peter R.
Published: June 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To compare rates of lymph node dissection (LND) and nodal yields between patients treated with open radical retropubic prostatectomy (ORRP) and robot‐assisted RRP (RARP) in a contemporary single‐institution series.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from 1278 consecutive patients (716 ORRP and 562 RARP) from one institution were accrued prospectively in an institutional database, and the data analysed retrospectively. Disease risk was assessed using the Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment (CAPRA) score. The likelihood of LND, nodal yield, and likelihood of node positivity were compared between ORRP and RARP.

RESULTS

Of patients treated with ORRP and RARP, 47.8% and 31.8% had LND, respectively, with more receiving LND over time in both surgical approaches. Men undergoing LND had a higher disease risk than those not undergoing LND (mean CAPRA score 4.3 vs 2.1, P < 0.01), and there was no difference in risk between those undergoing ORRP or RARP (mean CAPRA score 3.0 vs 2.9, P = 0.29). The mean (sd) nodal yield was 14.4 (8.7) for ORRP and 9.3 (5.4) for RARP (P < 0.01). Among patients undergoing LND, 5.8% of ORRP and 4.1% of RARP patients had positive nodes (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The indications for LND and template dissection should be the same regardless of surgical approach. The nodal yield was adequate using both approaches; the yield was higher among ORRP than RARP patients, but the difference was not large, and is less remarkable than the wide variation in yield within each approach. Several factors might explain this variation.
National prevalence of urogenital pain and prostatitis‐like symptoms in Australian men using the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index
Authors: Ferris Jason A. , Pitts Marian K. , Richters Juliet , Simpson Judy M. , Shelley Julia M. , Smith Anthony M.
Published: June 2009

Study Type – Prognosis (cohort) Level of Evidence 2a

OBJECTIVE

To provide a summary, using the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index (NIH‐CPSI), of the prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms in a population‐based sample of Australian men.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Participants were Australian men aged 16–64 years recruited as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Health and Relationships: a nationally representative study. In all, 1346 men completed an extensive questionnaire which included the NIH‐CPSI. The index identifies six types of urogenital pain, the presence of urinary problems, and effects on quality of life. Men who reported perineal and/or ejaculatory pain or discomfort and a total NIH‐CPSI pain score of ≥4 were considered as having prostatitis‐like symptoms.

RESULTS

Based on a weighted population of 1373 men, some form of urogenital pain was reported by 105 (7.6%) men; with 2.8% of men reporting more than one type of urogenital pain. The mean (range) NIH‐CPSI pain score for men reporting pain was 6.2 (5.6–6.8); for all men the mean score was 0.5 (0.4–0.6). About 20% of men (284) were considered to have urinary problems. The mean urinary symptom score for all men was 0.9 (0.9–1.0). The mean total NIH‐CPSI score for men reporting pain was 13.3 (12.0–14.7) and for all men it was 2.6 (2.3–2.8). The estimated prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms was ≈2%.

CONCLUSIONS

Using the NIH‐CPSI the estimated prevalence for urogenital pain in Australian men is 8%; an estimated 3% of men experience pain from more than one urogenital location. The estimated prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms in Australian men is 2%. Almost a third of Australian men experiencing urogenital pain or prostatitis‐like symptoms would be less than satisfied if this was to be ongoing for the rest of their life.
A proof‐of‐concept study of the effectiveness of a removable device for offloading in patients with neuropathic ulceration of the foot: the Ransart boot
Authors: Dumont I. J. , Lepeut M. S. , Tsirtsikolou D. M. , Popielarz S. M. , Cordonnier M. M. , Fayard A. J. , Devemy F. , Fernandez E. , Basuyaux O. , Jeffcoate W. J.
Published: June 2009

Aim  To undertake a proof‐of‐concept study to determine whether a removable offloading device (the Ransart boot) for the management of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) was as effective as reports of non‐removable devices.

Research design and methods  This observational study used the Ransart boot for patients with DFU, in seven specialist centres. If a patient had two or more ulcers, one was selected as the index ulcer. Ulcers were classified by the University of Texas (UT) system.

Results  There were 135 patients (mean age 60.3 ± 11.4 years); 96 (71.1%) male. Median ulcer duration at presentation was 90 [interquartile range (IQR) 30–1825] days. Seven were lost to follow‐up, seven developed other major illnesses and four died; outcomes were documented in the remaining 117. Eighty‐two (70.1% of 117) healed, after a median (IQR) 60 (43–99) days, while 22 (18.8%) ulcers were resolved by amputation (one major). The remaining 13 (11.1%) patients were judged non‐compliant. There was a close correlation between ulcer classification at baseline and both time to healing (P < 0.001 χ2‐test) and amputation (P < 0.001; Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient). There was a positive correlation between ulcer duration at presentation and time to healing (P < 0.02), UT class (P < 0.01), glycated haemoglobin (P < 0.02) and amputation (P < 0.04).

Conclusions  Time to healing and incidence of amputation were comparable with those previously reported for non‐removable devices. Given that a removable device is much more acceptable to the patient, the effectiveness, cost and acceptability of the removable devices, such as the Ransart boot, need to be compared with a non‐removable device in a randomized trial.
J‐shaped relationship between waist circumference and subsequent risk for Type 2 diabetes: an 8‐year follow‐up of relatively lean Japanese individuals
Authors: Sakurai M. , Miura K. , Takamura T. , Ishizaki M. , Morikawa Y. , Nakamura K. , Yoshita K. , Kido T. , Naruse Y. , Kaneko S. , Nakagawa H.
Published: June 2009

Aims  This study investigated the relationship between waist circumference and the subsequent incidence of Type 2 diabetes and the association with insulin resistance and pancreatic B‐cell function in relatively lean Japanese individuals.

Methods  The study participants were 3992 employees (2533 men and 1459 women, aged 35–55 years) of a metal‐products factory in Japan. The incidence of diabetes was determined in annual medical examinations during an 8‐year follow‐up. We calculated age‐ and sex‐adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) according to the sex‐specific quintile of waist circumference at baseline. Differences in baseline insulin resistance [homeostatis model assessment (HOMA)‐IR] and pancreatic B‐cell function (HOMA‐B) were compared between participants who developed diabetes and those who did not.

Results  During the follow‐up, 218 participants developed diabetes. Age‐ and sex‐adjusted HRs across the quintiles of waist circumference were 1.78, 1.00 (reference), 1.59, 3.11 and 3.30, respectively (P for trend, < 0.0001). The HR for the lowest quintile was significantly higher than that for the second quintile. Among participants with waist circumference of the lowest quintile, HOMA‐B was lower in those who developed diabetes than in those who did not [33.1 (24.1–45.0) vs. 54.3 (37.9–74.6) median (interquartile range), P < 0.0001], but HOMA‐IR did not differ between these groups.

Conclusions  There was a J‐shaped relationship between waist circumference and subsequent risk for Type 2 diabetes in relatively lean Japanese individuals; lower pancreatic B‐cell function may also increase the risk of diabetes in very lean Japanese people.
‘ALMOST TRUE’: PETER RINDISBACHER'S EARLY IMAGES OF RUPERT'S LAND, 1821–26
Authors: PEERS LAURA
Published: June 2009

This article examines early watercolours and sketches by Peter Rindisbacher, who in 1821, emigrated with his family from Switzerland to the Red River Settlement in Winnipeg, Canada. Rindisbacher's work has been praised, and made use of, for its detailed renderings of clothing and objects typical of the Northwestern fur trade. The article examines both the materiality of the images and the materiality within them, in order to understand his European mindset and training and consider their implications for the veracity of his work, which reflects European stereotypes of Aboriginal people. Viewers' responses to Rindisbacher's images are also explored, and the correlation between the assumption of veracity in these images and expectations about the ‘frontier’ is noted. Rindisbacher's images both reflect such expectations, and complicate them.
BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE TRADE PRACTICES COMMISSION: THE ROLE OF PROFESSOR ROBERT BAXT, AO
Authors: Corones Stephen , Merrett David , Round David
Published: June 2009

Bob Baxt, the third chairman of the Trade Practices Commission, served for a single three‐year term from 1988 to 1991. He followed Bob McComas, who had deliberately adopted a non‐litigious approach to preserving the competitive process. Baxt was far more proactive and sought to push the frontiers of investigation and precedent, and perhaps, more significantly, to influence opinion about the need to expand the coverage of the Trade Practices Act. This article examines Baxt's role in teaching his interdisciplinary Trade Practices Workshops, the political context of his tenure, and his handling of the Queensland Wire case.
Climate change: a rational choice politics view*
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey
Published: June 2009

Reduction in carbon dioxide emissions constitutes a global public good; and hence there will be strong incentives for countries to free ride in the provision of CO2emission reductions. In the absence of more or less binding international agreements, we would expect carbon emissions to be seriously excessive, and climate change problems to be unsolvable. Against this obvious general point, we observe many countries acting unilaterally to introduce carbon emission policies. That is itself an explanatory puzzle, and a source of possible hope. Both aspects are matters of ‘how politics works’– i.e. ‘public choice’ problems are central. The object of this paper is to explain the phenomenon of unilateral policy action and to evaluate the grounds for ‘hope’. One aspect of the explanation lies in the construction of policy instruments that redistribute strategically in favour of relevant interests. Another is the ‘expressive’ nature of voting and the expressive value of environmental concerns. Both elements – elite interests and popular (expressive) opinion – are quasi‐constraints on politically viable policy. However, the nature of expressive concerns is such that significant reductions in real GDP are probably not sustainable in the long term – which suggests that much of the CO2reduction action will be limited to modest reductions of a largely token character. In that sense, the grounds for hope are, although not non‐existent, decidedly thin.
Flexible Contract Workers in Inferior Jobs: Reappraising the Evidence
Authors: Green Colin , Kler Parvinder , Leeves Gareth
Published: June 2009

There is concern that the increase in flexible employment contracts witnessed in many OECD economies is evidence of a growth in low‐pay, low‐quality jobs. In practice, it is difficult to evaluate the ‘quality’ of flexible jobs. Previous research has primarily investigated objective measures of job quality such as wages and training or subjective measures such as job satisfaction. We jointly evaluate these elements of flexible employment contracts using a job quality index. Analysis of this index demonstrates that flexible jobs are of a lower quality. Differences in the subjective and objective assessment of factors like pay and hours are evident.
Workplace Change and Employee Mental Health: Results from a Longitudinal Study
Authors: Loretto Wendy , Platt Stephen , Popham Frank
Published: June 2009

This study is intended to improve understanding of the impact of workplace change on employee mental health and well‐being. We construct and test a comprehensive measure of organizational change, which is then applied in a prospective longitudinal study of nearly 5400 employees in six UK National Health Service Trusts. Self‐rated mental health was assessed using the 12‐item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Just under a quarter of the sample were at increased risk of psychiatric morbidity (‘cases’). After controlling for a wide range of personal characteristics and work variables, it was found that respondents who reported an increase in the amount of work over the previous year were more likely to be classed as GHQ cases, whereas increased training and promotion and improved job security had a beneficial effect on employee mental health (less likelihood of being GHQ cases). Quantity or degree of change showed a somewhat ambiguous relationship with GHQ status. Our findings challenge the assumption that change will necessarily have an adverse effect on health, indicating areas, such as promotion and development, where a positive impact might be anticipated.
GAMBLING WITH TAX DOLLARS
Authors: Santore Rudy
Published: June 2009

Municipalities often spend money in the hopes of generating new tax revenue. Because the estimated increase in tax revenues is uncertain, these policies are essentially gambles with tax dollars. This paper shows that it is possible for a welfare‐maximizing government to exhibit risk‐loving behavior even though individual taxpayers are risk‐averse. This risk‐loving behavior may occur when the government has the option to provide an indivisible public good, such as a park. Interestingly, the poorest and wealthiest municipalities do not find gambles optimal. For communities that find gambles optimal, both the provision of the public good and tax rates are affected.
Genes in Context
Authors: Champagne Frances A. , Mashoodh Rahia
Published: June 2009

Interactions between genes and the environment are a critical feature of development. Insights into the dynamic interplay between these factors have come from laboratory studies exploring experience-dependent changes in gene function, which illustrate the importance of environmental factors in determining activity of the genome. These studies have implications for our understanding of the origins of individual differences in behavior and may provide new ways of thinking about the transmission of traits across generations. Here we will highlight how these new findings illustrate the importance of putting genes in context.
Thinking About Me
Authors: Neiworth Julie J.
Published: June 2009

Humans seem unique in their consideration of others' goals, motivations, intentions, and needs. But the human form of social awareness did not spring from nowhere; certain mechanisms shared across primates formed the foundation from which these processes derived. A review of recent nonhuman primate research points to particular ancestral mechanisms, including an interest in images moving in synchrony with self, a mirror neuron system that responds in the same way to actions made by the self and by others, and inherited social tolerance that provided the bases for social thinking. Still there is a gap in tracking social awareness from these basic beginnings to the ability to think about self and other with respect to intentions and goals. Comparative and clinical work will fill in this gap and will map brain processes onto social thinking.
Does Bilingualism Change Native-Language Reading?
Authors: Van Assche Eva , Duyck Wouter , Hartsuiker Robert J. , Diependaele Kevin
Published: June 2009

Becoming a bilingual can change a person's cognitive functioning and language processing in a number of ways. This study focused on how knowledge of a second language influences how people read sentences written in their native language. We used the cognate-facilitation effect as a marker of cross-lingual activations in both languages. Cognates (e.g., Dutch-English schip [ship]) and controls were presented in a sentence context, and eye movements were monitored. Results showed faster reading times for cognates than for controls. Thus, this study shows that one of people's most automated skills, reading in one's native language, is changed by the knowledge of a second language.
HPABM: A Hierarchical Parallel Simulation Framework for Spatially‐explicit Agent‐based Models
Authors: Tang Wenwu , Wang Shaowen
Published: June 2009

A Hierarchical Parallel simulation framework for spatially‐explicit Agent‐Based Models (HPABM) is developed to enable computationally intensive agent‐based models for the investigation of large‐scale geospatial problems. HPABM allows for the utilization of high‐performance and parallel computing resources to address computational challenges in agent‐based models. Within HPABM, an agent‐based model is decomposed into a set of sub‐models that function as computational units for parallel computing. Each sub‐model is comprised of a sub‐set of agents and their spatially‐explicit environments. Sub‐models are aggregated into a group of super‐models that represent computing tasks. HPABM based on the design of super‐ and sub‐models leads to the loose coupling of agent‐based models and underlying parallel computing architectures. The utility of HPABM in enabling the development of parallel agent‐based models was examined in a case study. Results of computational experiments indicate that HPABM is scalable for developing large‐scale agent‐based models and, thus, demonstrates efficient support for enhancing the capability of agent‐based modeling for large‐scale geospatial simulation.
Gendered, Invisible Work in Non‐profit Social Service Organizations: Implications for Worker Health and Safety
Authors: Kosny Agnieszka , MacEachen Ellen
Published: June 2009

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) play an important role in the provision of health and social services. In Canada the nonprofit sector includes 7.5 million volunteers and employs over 1.6 million paid workers. The sector is overwhelmingly female‐dominated — women make up over 80 per cent of workers in these nonprofit services. Work performed by women has traditionally been undervalued and invisible. It has often been considered safe by researchers, employers, policymakers and sometimes even workers themselves. Although there is some indication that jobs in the restructuring social services sector can be characterized by constant demand, high stress and violence, research into the working conditions and health hazards of these types of jobs has not been a priority. Using data from a qualitative study examining work in NPOs, we trace the ways that work performed in these workplaces is both gendered and invisible. We identify three types of invisible labour. ‘Background work’ facilitates and supports more visible and recognized organizational activities. Certain organizational language obscures the full spectrum of work that takes place in the organizations and the risks it may involve. ‘Empathy work’ includes the relationship building, counselling and crisis intervention that comprise key components of social service delivery. ‘Emotional labour’ involves the management of client emotions and workers' own emotions in the process of working with clients and delivering care under conditions of scarcity and contraction. The invisibility of these activities means that much of the day‐to‐day work done in the organizations, while particularly important in the context of social service restructuring, is taken‐for‐granted and undervalued by organizational outsiders. As a result, many of the hazards present in the jobs are hidden from view and workers' health may be compromised. We argue that the invisibility and taken‐for‐grantedness of certain types of work in NPOs is reflected in, and constitutive of, particular exclusions and shortcomings of current occupational health and safety systems designed to protect the health of workers.
SELF‐SACRIFICE TO SAVE THE LIFE OF ANOTHER IN JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS1
Authors: DAVID LITWA M.
Published: June 2009

Although both the Jewish and Christian traditions permit and even valorize self‐sacrificial death for the sake of God (martyrdom), and for other people, they diverge on the issue of self‐sacrificial death for the sake of a single individual. The Jewish tradition prohibits such self‐sacrifice on the basis of the principles that (1) God owns the body and that (2) one cannot exchange one's life for another's. Christian ethics, in contrast, permits sacrificing one's life to save a single person based on the model of Christ's self‐sacrificial love. This ethical disagreement exposes a fundamental theological disagreement between the two traditions concerning what constitutes the imago Dei.
A new genus and species of lungless salamander (family Plethodontidae) from the Appalachian highlands of the south‐eastern United States
Authors: Camp C. D. , Peterman W. E. , Milanovich J. R. , Lamb T. , Maerz J. C. , Wake D. B.
Published: June 2009

We describe a striking new species of the lungless salamander family Plethodontidae from the Appalachian foothills of northern Georgia, USA. This miniature species, c. 25–26 mm (adult standard length), is so distinctive genetically and morphologically that we erect a new genus, the first new genus of amphibian described from the US in nearly 50 years. It is unique among plethodontids from eastern North America in displaying sexual colour dimorphism. Although certain miniaturized plethodontids exhibit a reduced number (four) of digits on the pes, this species possesses a full complement of five toes. A plethodontid phylogeny derived from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences places it in the tribe Spelerpini as the sister taxon to Eurycea. Genetic divergence between the new species and Eurycea for the nuclear gene Rag‐1 (4.7%) is among the higher levels observed between long‐established spelerpine genera (2.6–5.3%). This new form appears to be rare and is of immediate conservation concern.
Tolerant majorities, loyal minorities and ‘ethnic reversals’: constructing minority rights at Versailles 1919*
Authors: RIGA LILIANA , KENNEDY JAMES
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT. The 1919 Versailles Peace Conference created new states in East Central Europe (ECE), but the imperfect implementation of the ‘one nation, one state’ formula resulted in more than twenty‐five million ‘unassimilable’ minorities. With the introduction of majoritarian democracy, this gave rise to what we term ‘ethnic reversals’: ‘formally dominant majorities’ suffered status decline, while previously ‘minoritised majorities’ found new political powers. Accordingly, the 1919 Minorities Treaties sought to manage these ‘ethnic reversals’ by instituting a liberal minority rights regime that tried to create both ‘tolerant majorities’ and ‘loyal minorities’. While the Treaties reflected the influences of Anglo‐American and Anglo‐American Jewish elites – the most notable voices of liberalism in an age of ethnic homogenisation – we suggest that in contexts of historical diversity with little institutionalised liberalism, ‘ethnic reversals’ raise issues that cannot be resolved within liberal conceptions of minority rights that rely solely or primarily on cultural protections.
Exploding a myth: the capsule dehiscence mechanism and the function of pseudostomata in Sphagnum
Authors: Duckett Jeffrey G. , Pressel Silvia , P’ng Ken M. Y. , Renzaglia Karen S.
Published: June 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02973.xCommentary p 921
Congenital perisylvian dysfunction – is it a spectrum?
Authors: CLARK MARIA , CHONG WUI K , COX TIM , NEVILLE BRIAN GR
Published: June 2009

Aim  This study examines the overlap between children with bulbar cerebral palsy (Worster–Drought syndrome [WDS]) and perisylvian polymicrogyria.

Method  A total of 121 children (81 males, 40 females; mean age 5y 5mo, SD 3y 6mo; age range 1mo–15y 4mo) were studied using retrospective clinical data and magnetic resonance imaging. In all, 70 children had WDS with normal perisylvian imaging, 31 had congenital bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (CBPP), and 20 had congenital unilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (CUPP).

Results  All groups shared aetiological markers (male sex, congenital contractures, low familial incidence, excess antenatal events). There was a common phenotype of pseudobulbar palsy with mild limb pyramidal signs in all children with WDS, 90% of those with CBPP, and one‐third of those with CUPP, often also associated with learning disability*, epilepsy, and behavioural difficulties. A further 15% of children with CUPP acquired this phenotype through an epileptic encephalopathy. Pseudobulbar palsy rather than polymicrogyria was more predictive of additional impairments other than epilepsy.

Interpretation  We propose that congenital perisylvian dysfunction is a spectrum encompassing the WDS phenotype and perisylvian polymicrogyria imaging abnormalities. As with other prenatal brain abnormalities, there is not necessarily concordance between imaging and clinical findings, although the phenotype is often more severe to manifest imaging abnormality. Clinical phenotype is the best indicator of prognosis. Epileptic encephalopathy can cause an acquired form of perisylvian dysfunction where there is.
Measuring the quality of life of children with cerebral palsy: comparing the conceptual differences and psychometric properties of three instruments
Authors: DAVIS ELISE , SHELLY AMY , WATERS ELIZABETH , DAVERN MELANIE
Published: June 2009

Aim  To compare the conceptual differences, internal consistency, and validity of the Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children (CP QOL‐Child), the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), and a European generic health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaire (10‐domain version; KIDSCREEN‐10) for children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method  Two hundred and four primary caregivers (185 females [91%], 19 males [9%]) of children with CP aged 4 to 12 years (mean 8y 4mo [SD 2.51]; 112 males [55%], 92 females [46%], Gross Motor Function Classification System level I=18%, II=28%, III=14%, IV=11%, V=28%) provided demographic data and completed the CP QOL‐Child, CHQ, and KIDSCREEN‐10. Fifty‐four children with CP aged 9 to 12 years completed the CP QOL‐Child and KIDSCREEN‐10.

Results  The KIDSCREEN‐10 and CP QOL‐Child were developed to measure general HRQOL and CP‐specific QOL respectively, whereas the CHQ was developed to measure functional health and well‐being. In terms of internal consistency, KIDSCREEN‐10 (Cronbach’s α=0.86) and CP QOL‐Child (0.74–0.91) outperformed the CHQ (0.18–0.96). In terms of validity, all instruments were moderately correlated. Floor and ceiling effects, although minimal or not evident for KIDSCREEN‐10 and CP QOL‐Child (1–4.9%), were apparent for CHQ (0.5–62.9%).

Interpretation  Conceptually and psychometrically, KIDSCREEN‐10 and CP QOL‐Child performed more strongly than the CHQ, for children with CP. The choice between these two instruments will depend on the questions posed and outcomes sought by the researcher or clinician.
Increased vulnerability of hippocampal pyramidal neurons to the toxicity of kainic acid in OASIS‐deficient mice
Authors: Chihara Kazuyasu , Saito Atsushi , Murakami Tomohiko , Hino Shin‐ichiro , Aoki Yuri , Sekiya Hiroshi , Aikawa Yuji , Wanaka Akio , Imaizumi Kazunori
Published: June 2009

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response is a defense system for dealing with the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER lumen. Old astrocyte specifically induced substance (OASIS) is known to be expressed in astrocytes and involved in the ER stress response; however the function of OASIS in the injured brain has remained unclear. In this study, we examined the roles of OASIS in neuronal degeneration in the hippocampi of mice intraperitoneally injected with kainic acid (KA). OASIS mRNA was strongly induced in response to KA injection, with a similar time course to the induction of ER molecular chaperone immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein mRNA. In situ hybridization showed that KA injection causes induction of immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein mRNA in glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive astrocytes as well as in pyramidal neurons, although up‐regulation of OASIS mRNA was only detected in glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive astrocytes. Primary cultured astrocytes, but not the neurons of OASIS−/− mice, revealed reduced vulnerability to ER stress. Furthermore, pyramidal neurons in the hippocampi of OASIS−/− mice were more susceptible to the toxicity induced by KA than those of wild‐type mice. Taken together, these data suggest that OASIS expressed in astrocytes plays important roles in protection against the neuronal damage induced by KA.
Tryptophan is a marker of human postmortem brain tissue quality
Authors: Grünblatt Edna , Monoranu Camelia Maria , Apfelbacher Manuela , Keller Daniela , Michel Tanja M. , Alafuzoff Irina , Ferrer Isidro , Al‐Saraj Safa , Keyvani Kathy , Schmitt Andrea , Falkai Peter , Schittenhelm Jens , McLean Catriona , Halliday Glenda M. , Harper Clive , Deckert Jürgen , Roggendorf Wolfgang , Riederer Peter
Published: June 2009

Postmortem human brain tissue is widely used in neuroscience research, but use of tissue originating from different brain bank centers is considered inaccurate because of possible heterogeneity in sample quality. There is thus a need for well‐characterized markers to assess the quality of postmortem brain tissue. Toward this aim, we determined tryptophan (TRP) concentrations, phosphofructokinase‐1 and glutamate decarboxylase activities in 119 brain tissue samples. These neurochemical parameters were tested in samples from autopsied individuals, including control and pathological cases provided by 10 different brain bank centers. Parameters were assessed for correlation with agonal state, postmortem interval, age and gender, brain region, preservation and freezing methods, storage conditions and storage time, RNA integrity, and tissue pH value. TRP concentrations were elevated significantly (p = 0.045) with increased postmortem interval; which might indicate increased protein degradation. Therefore, TRP concentration might be one useful and convenient marker for estimating the quality of human postmortem brain tissue.
Parkin deficiency increases the resistance of midbrain neurons and glia to mild proteasome inhibition: the role of autophagy and glutathione homeostasis
Authors: Casarejos Maria J. , Solano Rosa M. , Rodriguez‐Navarro José A. , Gómez Ana , Perucho Juan , Castaño Jose G. , De Yébenes Justo García , Mena Maria A.
Published: June 2009

Parkin mutations in humans produce parkinsonism whose pathogenesis is related to impaired protein degradation, increased free radicals and abnormal neurotransmitter release. In this study, we have investigated whether partial proteasomal inhibition by epoxomicin, an ubiquitin proteasomal system (UPS) irreversible inhibitor, further aggravates the cellular effects of parkin suppression in midbrain neurons and glia. We observed that parkin null (PK‐KO) midbrain neuronal cultures are resistant to epoxomicin‐induced cell death. This resistance is due to increased GSH and DJ‐1 protein levels in PK‐KO mice. The treatment with epoxomicin increases, in wild type (WT) cultures, the pro‐apoptotic Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio, the phosphorylation of tau, and the levels of chaperones heat‐shock protein 70 and C‐terminal Hsc‐interacting protein, but none of these effects took place in epoxomicin‐treated PK‐KO cultures. Poly‐ubiquitinated proteins increased more in WT than in PK‐KO‐treated neuronal cultures. Parkin accumulated in WT neuronal cultures treated with epoxomicin. Markers of autophagy, such as LC3II/I, were increased in naïve PK‐KO cultures, and further increased after treatment with epoxomicin, implying that the blockade of the proteasome in PK‐KO neurons triggers the enhancement of autophagy. The treatment with l‐buthionine‐S,R‐sulfoximine and the inhibition of autophagy, however, reverted the increase resistance to epoxomicin of the PK‐KO cultures. We also found that PK‐KO glial cells, stressed by growth in defined medium and depleted of GSH, were more susceptible to epoxomicin induced cell death than WT glia treated similarly. This susceptibility was linked to reduced GSH levels and less heat‐shock protein 70 response, and to activation of p‐serine/threonine kinase protein signaling pathway as well as to increased poly‐ubiquitinated proteins. These data suggest that mild UPS inhibition is compensated by other mechanisms in PK‐KO midbrain neurons. However the depletion of GSH, as happens in stressed glia, suppresses the protection against UPS inhibition‐induced cell death. Furthermore, GSH inhibition regulated differentially UPS activity and in old PK‐KO mice, which have depletion of GSH, UPS activity is decreased in comparison with that of old‐WT.
FIRST RECORD OF THE CIRRIPEDE GENUS STRAMENTUM (THORACICA, SCALPELLIFORMES) FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS OF JAPAN
Authors: NOMURA SHIN‐ICHI , MAEDA HARUYOSHI , HARADA SHIGEO , TANAKA GENGO
Published: June 2009

Abstract:  The scalpelliform genus Stramentum is described from upper Turonian–Coniacian (Upper Cretaceous) strata in the Mikasa area, Hokkaido (Japan), documenting the first record of the genus from the north‐west Pacific Realm. The single articulated skeleton, which is horizontally embedded in a dark grey laminated mudstone, is specifically indeterminate because capitular plates are missing. However, peduncular morphology resembles that of S. (S.) pulchellum (Sowerby Jr), which has been described from the Cenomanian–Turonian of Europe. The present record from Japan demonstrates that this cirripede genus had a wider geographic distribution than previously assumed during the youngest phase of its radiation.
MORE COSTLY OR MORE PRODUCTIVE? MEASURING CHANGES IN COMPETITIVENESS IN MANUFACTURING ACROSS REGIONS IN CHINA
Authors: Chen Vivian W. , Wu Harry X. , Van Ark Bart
Published: June 2009

Using a newly constructed industry‐by‐region dataset based on China's two censuses, this paper examines the trend of average labor compensation (ALC), labor productivity (ALP) and unit labor cost (ULC) in 28 manufacturing industries across 29 provinces in China for 1995 and 2004. Findings show that at the aggregate level, ALP growth was generally faster than that of ALC and hence resulted in a significant decline in ULC for all regions in China. Furthermore, less developed regions exhibited stronger productivity growth relative to labor cost increase than more developed regions, thus leading to a convergence in ULC levels across provinces and regions over this period. Comparing individual industries, we observe a substantial variation in growth rates and convergence trends across regions. Logit regression analysis confirms that labor‐intensive industries are more likely to converge in ALP, ALC and ULC, whereas capital/skill‐intensive industries tended to diverge. This finding is further confirmed by estimating a convergence regression, which suggests that misallocation of resources due to market imperfections or institutional barriers is likely to be the main factor behind the divergence of ULC.
Roll call analysis of voting in the European Union Council of Ministers after the 2004 enlargement
Authors: MATTILA MIKKO
Published: June 2009

Voting and coalitions in the Council of Ministers in the enlarged European Union are analysed for the period during which the EU had 25 Member States, based on Council's roll call records. In terms of frequency of voting in the Council, the new EU Member States did not differ from their older counterparts in any significant way. However, enlargement has had an impact on the Council interaction. A spatial roll call model shows that the Council's political space is comprised of two main dimensions. The first reflects the north‐south cleavage found in the Council even before the 2004 enlargement, while the second is related to enlargement and indicates a cleavage between the new and old Member States. Thus in the enlarged Union, the north‐south dimension is replaced by a north‐south‐east pattern.
Donatello's decapitations and the rhetoric of beheading in Medicean Florence*
Authors: Terry Allie
Published: June 2009

While Donatello's bronze sculptures of Judith and David are stylistically discrete, and may have been originally created in and for different contexts, they are firmly connected to one another through their content: both figures clearly are characterized as active agents of decapitation. As this article argues, the Medici fostered a familial association with the iconographic, symbolic and practical language of decapitation in Florence since the Albizzi coup of 1433–4, when the family came to be associated with the feast of St John the Baptist's martyrdom, through the placement of the Donatello sculptures in the family palace in the 1460s. Although rarely mentioned in the vast art‐historical literature on the Medici, visual allusions to beheadings in paint, performance and sculpture served a rhetorical function in Florence to describe the shifting political status of Cosimo de'Medici and his family. By outlining a cultural map by which this visual rhetoric of decapitation may be charted in relation to the Medici family, this article contributes yet a further layer of meaning to the Donatello sculptures within the larger context of early Medici patronage and politics and offers a new methodological approach for the investigation of early modern Florentine visual culture.