bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DEC‐205 expression on migrating dendritic cells in afferent lymph
Authors: Gliddon Daniel R. , Hope Jayne C. , Brooke Gareth P. , Howard Christopher J.
Published: February 2004

Previous studies have identified a 210 000‐molecular weight molecule expressed at a high level on the surface of dendritic cells (DCs) in afferent lymph of cattle and evident on cells with the morphology of DCs in lymphoid tissues. Expression is either absent from other immune cells or is present at a lower level. The molecular weight and cellular distribution suggested that the molecule, called bovine WC6 antigen (workshop cluster), might be an orthologue of human DEC‐205 (CD205). To establish whether this was the case, the open reading frame of bovine DEC‐205 was amplified, by polymerase chain reaction, from thymic cDNA (accession no. AY264845). The cDNA sequence of bovine DEC‐205 had 86% and 78% nucleic acid identity with human and mouse molecules, respectively. COS‐7 cells transfected with a plasmid containing the cattle DEC‐205 coding region expressed a molecule that stained with WC6‐specific monoclonal antibody, showing that ruminant WC6 is an orthologue of DEC‐205. Two‐colour flow cytometry of mononuclear cells from afferent lymph draining cattle skin, and from blood, confirmed the high level of expression on large cells in lymph that were uniformly DC‐LAMP positive and major histocompatibility complex class II positive. Within this DEC‐205+ DC‐LAMP+ population were subpopulations of cells that expressed the mannose receptor or SIRPα. The observations imply that DCs in afferent lymph are all DEC‐205high, but not a uniform population of homogeneous mature DCs.
National Minority, National Mentality, and Communal Ethnicity: Changes in Ethnic Identity of Former Soviet Union Jewish Emigrants on the Israeli Kibbutz
Authors: Mittelberg David , Borschevsky Nikolay
Published: February 2004

In this paper we examine and compare the ethnic identity of the Jews in the former Soviet Union (FSU) and the process of change in ethnic identity among the new immigrantsfromthe FSU. This analysis considers the role of the kibbutz as the first experience of Jewish community in their lives, as well as the location of the first phase of their process of absorption and resocialization into new and unfamiliar surroundings. The data are drawn through a longitudinal research design, with a pre‐ and post‐analysis of changes in the ethnicity of migrants studied from their arrival on the Israeli kibbutz until the completion of the five‐month kibbutz programme. We found that pre‐migration Soviet Jews defined their ethnicity as a discriminatednational minoritywith aweak symbolic ethnicitycontent. The ambivalent nature of the ethnicity of Jews while in the FSU was expressed in the fact that although a majority were deculturized from traditional dimensions of Jewish life, they nevertheless felt they belonged to a specific ethnic group.

Post‐migration ethnicity was found to be remarkably altered; the former ambivalence was dissolved. On the macro‐level, membership in the economically and politically successful Russian‐speaking group of Israeli society is a source of self esteem, rather than a sign of shameful otherness. On the micro‐level of ethnicity, the encounter in the initial phase of absorption in Israel, within the kibbutz Jewish community, often demands a re‐examination of their private concept of Jewishness, serving as a first step in resolving their ambivalent ethnic identity. Consequently, their new ethnic identity may now well have weaker boundaries, but a more positive (non‐alienating) content than that left behind.
Nutrition pathways to the symphysis pubis
Authors: Gonçalves da Rocha Rodrigo Carvalho , Chopard Renato Paulo
Published: February 2004

The blood supply of the symphysis pubis is still the subject of some debate. Classic anatomy books state that this joint is avascular, whereas some published works have shown blood vessels in young specimens. As several articular discs such as the knee menisci are known to have blood vessels in their peripheries, we decided to investigate the possible nutrition pathways to the interpubic disc and ligaments. We used 60 Wistar rats, male and female, aged between 28 and 32 days, or between 90 and 100 days. Samples were processed using a variety of techniques: regular histology, immunohistochemestry, India ink injection and corrosion casting. The interpubic disc consisted of an inner bearing portion and an outer fibrous rim. The interpubic ligaments and the fibrous rim were well vascularized in all groups. Marrow contacts between the interpubic disc and the subchondral bone were also observed. Blood vessels formed an authentic arterial circle embracing the joint, from which blood vessels branched into capillary loops facing the avascular inner bearing portion of the disc. These results confirm the need for future studies on the human symphysis pubis, to provide more details on its structure, which would enable clinicians such as physiotherapists to improve prognosis and treatment design. Future studies may also explain the pathways down which the hormone relaxin reaches its targets within this joint.
Specific changes of somatostatin mRNA expression in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of diabetic rats
Authors: XiaoMing Zhang , Xi Zhu , Fang Shen , Jilin Zhou
Published: February 2004

Most current studies of diabetic encephalopathy have focused on brain blood flow and metabolism, but there has been little research on the influence of diabetes on brain tissue and the causes of chronic diabetic encephalopathy. The technique of molecular biology makes it possible to explore the mechanism of chronic diabetic encephalopathy by testing the distribution of somatostatin in the brain. We have therefore analysed, by in situ hybridization histochemistry, the changes in somatostatin (SST) mRNA in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of rats made diabetic by the injection of streptozotocin. Ten Sprague–Dawley control rats were compared with ten streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats. The weight, blood glucose and urine glucose did not differ between the two groups before the injection of streptozotocin. Four weeks after the injection of streptozotocin the weight, blood glucose and urine glucose of the diabetic rats were, respectively, 199.1 ± 15.6 g, 23.7 ± 3.25 mmol L−1 and (++) to (+++) whereas those of the control group were 265.5 ± 30.3 g, 4.84 ± 0.63 mmol L−1 and (–). Somatostatin mRNA was reduced in the diabetic rats. The number of SST mRNA‐positive neurons and the optical density of positive cells in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of the diabetic rats were 80.6 ± 17.5 mm−2 and 76.5 ± 17.6 compared with 150.5 ± 21.1 mm−2 and 115.1 ± 18.5 in the control rats. The induction of diabetes is thus associated with a decreased expression of SST mRNA in the hippocampus and frontal cortex, which might be an important component of chronic diabetic encephalopathy.
Egg dumping and life history strategy of Callosobruchus maculatus
Authors: Wang Mei‐Hui , Horng Shwu‐Bin
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  Previous studies have demonstrated that female Callosobruchus maculatus adjust oviposition rates to cope with changes in host availability. A female lays fewer eggs when host availability is low, and hence decreases larval competition. However, females will also dump eggs on unsuitable substrates under conditions of host deprivation. Because the female does not feed as an adult, egg dumping possibly wastes energy and may thus be a maladaptive behaviour. In this study, the effect of mating and age on the egg‐dumping behaviour and the life history strategy of the female are explored. Under host‐deprived conditions, mating is seen to trigger egg‐dumping behaviour. Also, females mated at 6 days dump significantly fewer eggs and live longer than females mated at 0 or 3 days. Thus, a trade‐off between fecundity and longevity is seen among females subjected to different manipulations. In addition, 6‐day‐old virgin females contain more mature eggs than females mated at 6 days can produce when deprived of hosts. This finding indicates that the female reallocates internal energy resources by oosorption in a resource‐limited environment. To test the maladaptive hypothesis, mated females were deprived of a host for 6 days and then given sufficient hosts each day. The results show that the more eggs dumped by a female in the first 6 days, the more eggs are laid later on beans. Egg dumping is thus not maladaptive.
Effect of [His7]‐corazonin on the number of antennal sensilla in Locusta migratoria
Authors: Yamamoto‐Kihara Mami , Hata Tamako , Breuer Michael , Tanaka Seiji
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  Certain types of antennal sensilla are known to be more abundant in solitarious individuals than in gregarious ones in the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria. We tested the hypothesis that injection of a neurohormone, [His7]‐corazonin, into isolated‐reared nymphs of this species mimics the effect of crowding on the frequencies of various types of antennal sensilla. One nmol of the hormone was injected into nymphs on two occasions, on the third days of the second and third stadia, respectively. Upon adult emergence, the numbers of different types of sensilla on the eighth antennal segment were compared with those of oil‐injected controls. [His7]‐corazonin did not influence the numbers of basiconic sensilla type A, basiconic sensilla type B and trichoid sensilla significantly compared to oil‐injected controls. However, the number of coeloconic sensilla was reduced significantly by the hormone injections. Because the length of the antennal segment was not affected by the hormone injection, it appears that the hormone influenced the development of coeloconic sensilla. The results support the hypothesis tested and are consistent with the idea that [His7]‐corazonin plays an important role in the control of phase polymorphism in L. migratoria.
Law in Culture
Authors: Cotterrell Roger
Published: February 2004

Abstract. The relationship of law and culture has long been a concern of legal anthropology and sociology of law. But it is recognised today as a central issue in many different kinds of juristic inquiries. All these recent invocations of the concept of culture indicate or imply problems at the boundaries of established thought about either the nature of law or the values that law is thought to express or reflect. The consequence is that legal theory must, it seems, now systematically take account of the notion of culture. The present paper asks how this might best be done. I argue that a concept of culture, as such, is of limited utility for legal theory because the term “culture” embraces a too indefinite and disparate range of phenomena. But legal theory needs conceptual resources to consider at a general level the relations of law and culture. This paper suggests that these resources should include, above all, a rigorous distinguishing of different abstract types of community. Legal theory requires a sociologically‐informed concept of community. What is encompassed by the vague idea of culture is actually the content of different types of social relations of community and the networks (combinations) in which they exist.
Can Philosophy Help Legal Doctrine?
Authors: Peczenik Aleksander
Published: February 2004

Abstract. Legal doctrine is a kind of legal research, occupying the central position in professional legal writing, e.g., handbooks, monographs, commentaries and legal textbooks etc. It consists of a description of the literal sense of legal statutes, precedents etc., intertwined with many moral and other substantive reasons. Legal doctrine has normative components, and produces coherence in the law in many aspects. It also produces some justice. However, legal doctrine has faced repeated criticism, not least from minimalist philosophers.

The author proposes a “Copernican revolution” as regards the relation of legal theory to philosophy. Instead of attempting to make legal theory follow one of the notoriously controversial moral theories, he tries to adjust philosophy to legal theory. In the search for philosophy adjusted to legal doctrine, he prefers cautious (weak) philosophical positions to courageous (strong) ones. He also assumes a society‐centered theory of normativity, a coherentist theory of legal knowledge and a coherentist theory of justice.

However, a law theorist has no chance to elaborate such theories in detail. Hence, the author poses the following questions to philosophers: How can a law theorist assume society‐centered normativity without being forced to enter the controversies around collectivism? How can a law theorist assume the common core of morality for society without being forced to enter technical controversies in political philosophy? How can the law theorist base his thinking on the coherence theory of law without being forced to enter technical controversies around the concept of coherence? How can the law theorist avoid hopeless ontological controversies?
The PCR amplification and characterization of entire Pseudomonas syringae hrp/hrc clusters
Authors: Gropp Susan J. , Guttman David S.
Published: February 2004

We describe the use of degenerate primers to amplify the core hrp/hrc region of P. syringae pv. phaseolicola NPS3121. 18 826 bp were amplified using long‐range PCR, digested and shotgun sequenced. Sequence analysis finds a hypervariable region between the hrpU and hrpC operons, and indications of positive selection on the hrpE locus. The primers were also shown to work on four other, widely divergent P. syringae strains. These primers should be of great utility for the characterization of hrp/hrc clusters from any P. syringae strain.
Down‐regulation of photosystem I by Erwinia carotovora‐derived elicitors correlates with H2O2 accumulation in chloroplasts of potato
Authors: Montesano Marcos , Scheller Henrik V. , Wettstein Rodolfo , Palva E. Tapio
Published: February 2004

Identification of Solanum tuberosum genes responsive to culture filtrates (CF) from Erwinia carotovora ssp. carotovora resulted in isolation of psaD, a nuclear gene encoding the PSI‐D subunit of photosystem I (PSI). This gene was rapidly and markedly down‐regulated in CF‐treated or wounded plants. Down‐regulation of psaD transcripts was also triggered by signal molecules involved in plant defence such as methyl jasmonate. The CF‐induced down‐regulation of psaD transcripts was correlated with an accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in chloroplasts and a down‐regulation of the NADP+ photoreduction activity mediated by PSI. These results suggest that the CF‐induced down‐regulation of PSI may be related to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in chloroplasts of plant cells responding to E. c. carotovora.
Activation of a mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway in Arabidopsis by chitin
Authors: Wan Jinrong , Zhang Shuqun , Stacey Gary
Published: February 2004

Chitin, a polysaccharide composed of β‐1→4‐linked N‐acetyl‐d‐glucosamine, has been shown or implicated as a signal in plant defence and development. However, the key components of chitin perception and downstream signalling in non‐leguminous plants are largely unknown. In recent years, mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and their cascades were shown to transduce various extracellular stimuli into internal cellular responses. To investigate the possible involvement of MAPKs in chitin signalling in plants, the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was treated with crab‐shell chitin and also with the purified chitin oligomers (degree of polymerization, d.p. = 2–8). Both mRNA levels and kinase activity of two MAPK genes, AtMPK6 and AtMPK3, were monitored after treatment. The mRNA of AtMPK3 was strongly up‐regulated by both chitin and its larger oligomers (d.p. = 6–8), but the mRNA of AtMPK6 did not appear to be regulated by these treatments. However, the kinase activity of both MAPKs was induced by chitin and the larger oligomers (d.p. = 6–8), with AtMPK6 much more strongly induced. In addition, WRKY22, WRKY29, WRKY33 and WRKY53, which encode four WRKY transcription factors that recognize TTGAC(C/T) W‐box elements in promoters of numerous plant defence‐related genes, were up‐regulated by these treatments. WRKY33 and WRKY53 expression was induced by the transgenic expression of the tobacco MAPKK NtMEK2 active mutant NtMEK2DD, suggesting a potential role for these WRKY transcription factors in relaying the signal generated from the MAPK cascade to downstream genes. These data suggest that AtMPK6/AtMPK3 and WRKY transcription factors (such as WRKY33 and WRKY53) may be important components of a pathway involved in chitin signalling in Arabidopsis plants.
Prostaglandin E2 is a potent regulator of interleukin‐12‐ and interleukin‐18‐induced natural killer cell interferon‐γ synthesis
Authors: Walker William , Rotondo Dino
Published: February 2004

Synthesis of interferon (IFN)‐γ by natural killer (NK) cells is an important pro‐inflammatory event with interleukin (IL)‐12 and IL‐18 playing major inductive roles. However, other temporal events are likely to regulate such processes and as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is ubiquitous during inflammation this study tested the hypothesis that PGE2 was capable of directly modulating cytokine‐induced NK cell IFN‐γ synthesis in the absence of other immune cells. Using homogenous NK cell lines to establish direct effects, PGE2 (0·1–1 µm) was found to suppress NK cell IFN‐γ synthesis and antagonized the potent synergistic IFN‐γ‐inducing effects of IL‐12 and IL‐18. The actions of PGE2 were mimicked by synthetic PGE2 analogues including misoprostol and butaprost. The selective EP2 receptor agonist butaprost, but not the EP1/EP3 agonist sulprostone, suppressed IFN‐γ synthesis and exclusively competed with PGE2 for receptor binding on NK cells. Further analysis showed that PGE2 did not modulate IL‐12 receptor mRNA expression and the effects of PGE2 could be mimicked by the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3‐iosobutyl‐1‐methylxanthine. The absence of demonstrable receptor modulation coupled with the observed suppression of IFN‐γ synthesis by both EP2 receptor‐selective agonists and IBMX suggest that PGE2 acts directly on NK cells via EP2 receptors with its downstream effects on cAMP metabolism. This conclusion is further supported by findings that PGE2 and its analogues consistently elevated levels of cAMP in NK cells. The ability of PGE2 to antagonize the potent inductive signal provided by the combination of IL‐12 and IL‐18 supports the concept that PGE2 may play an important role in limiting innate inflammatory processes in vivo through direct suppression of NK cell IFN‐γ synthesis.
Allelic distribution of human leucocyte antigen in historical and recently diagnosed tuberculosis patients in Southern Italy
Authors: Ruggiero Giuseppina , Cosentini Elena , Zanzi Delia , Sanna Veronica , Terrazzano Giuseppe , Matarese Giuseppe , Sanduzzi Alessandro , Perna Francesco , Zappacosta Serafino
Published: February 2004

This study addresses the analysis of the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) allele distribution in 54 historical and in 68 recently diagnosed tuberculosis (TB) patients. The historical cohort was characterized by the presence of large fibrocavernous lesions effectively treated with therapeutic pneumothorax during the period 1950–55. Patients and healthy controls enrolled in the study were from the Campania region of southern Italy. No significant association between HLA alleles and TB in the population of recently diagnosed TB patients was observed. On the contrary, among the historical TB patients there was a strong association with an increased frequency of the HLA‐DR4 allele alone and/or in the presence of the HLA‐B14 allele (P = 0·000004; Pc = 0·0008), as well as with a decreased frequency of the HLA‐A2+,‐B14−,DR4− allele association (P = 0·00005; Pc = 0·01). In order to exclude any interference from age‐related factors, these results were confirmed by comparing the historical cohort of TB patients with an age‐matched healthy control population of the same ethnic origin (P = 0·00004; Pc = 0·008; and P = 0·0001; and Pc = 0·02, respectively).
CD40 is required for the optimal induction of protective immunity to Mycobacterium avium
Authors: Flórido Manuela , Gonçalves Ana Sofia , Gomes M. Salomé , Appelberg Rui
Published: February 2004

C57Bl/6 mice and mice deficient in the CD40 molecule were infected with three strains of Mycobacterium avium. Two of the M. avium strains proliferated more extensively in CD40‐deficient (CD40−/−) mice than in control mice. The increased susceptibility to infection of CD40−/− mice was associated with the generation of poorer interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) p40 and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) responses as compared to the controls, suggesting a role for CD40 in the development of protective immunity. In contrast, direct triggering of CD40 on infected macrophages failed to induce any anti‐mycobacterial activity in infected macrophages.
Restricted cytokine production from mouse peritoneal macrophages in culture in spite of extensive uptake of plasmid DNA
Authors: Yasuda Kei , Kawano Hiroki , Yamane Ikuko , Ogawa Yoshiyuki , Yoshinaga Takaharu , Nishikawa Makiya , Takakura Yoshinobu
Published: February 2004

The production of inflammatory cytokines from macrophages (Mφ), upon stimulation with plasmid DNA (pDNA) containing CpG motifs, is a critical process for DNA‐based therapies such as DNA vaccination and gene therapy. We compared Mφ activation, following stimulation with naked pDNA, based on the production of cytokines from cell lines (RAW264.7 and J774A1) and peritoneal Mφs in primary culture. The Mφ cell lines RAW264.7 and J774A1 produced a significant amount of tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) upon stimulation with naked pDNA and this response required endosomal acidification. On the other hand, peritoneal Mφs (both resident and elicited) in primary culture did not secrete TNF‐α or interleukin‐6, although they contain the mRNA of toll‐like receptor‐9 (TLR‐9) and are able to respond to CpG oligodeoxynucleotides. This unresponsiveness was not a result of impaired cellular uptake of pDNA because the primary cultured Mφs showed a higher uptake of pDNA than the RAW264.7 and J774A1 cell lines. These findings have important implications for Mφ activation by naked pDNA as it has been generally assumed that pDNA that contains CpG motifs is a potent agent for inducing inflammatory cytokines in vivo, based on evidence from in vitro studies using Mφ cell lines.
Factors affecting the susceptibility of the mouse pituitary gland to CD8 T‐cell‐mediated autoimmunity
Authors: De Jersey James , Carmignac Danielle , Le Tissier Paul , Barthlott Thomas , Robinson Iain , Stockinger Brigitta
Published: February 2004

We have previously shown, in a transgenic mouse model, that the pituitary gland is susceptible to CD8 T‐cell‐mediated autoimmunity, triggered by a cell‐specific model autoantigen, resulting in pan‐anterior pituitary hypophysitis and dwarfism. In the present study, we now demonstrate that antigen dose, the T‐cell precursor frequency, the degree of lymphopenia and the context of target antigen expression, are important parameters determining the time course and extent of the pathological consequences of CD8 T‐cell‐mediated autoimmunity. Furthermore, our data indicate that the pituitary gland is susceptible to CD8 autoimmunity following an inflammatory insult such as a viral infection. As lymphocytic hypophysitis may be manifest in other autoimmune conditions, and the pituitary gland may be susceptible to T‐cell‐mediated pathology after immunization with a virus expressing soluble pituitary antigen, it is important to consider that strategies based on vaccination against soluble pituitary gonadotrophins could have other unexpected endocrine consequences.
Infectivity and attenuation of Leishmania donovani promastigotes II: Association of the loss of parasite infectivity with the terminal galactosylation of precursor acceptors present in virulent parasites by the developmentally regulated galactosyltransferase
Authors: Bhaumik S. , Basu R. , Roy S. , De T.
Published: February 2004

The β1‐4 galactosyltransferase enzyme of the Leishmania donovani promastigotes, was found to be developmentally regulated and expressed only in the attenuated parasites. The enzymatic product of soluble determinants of virulent promastigotes and the galactosyltransferase enzyme was found to stimulate the macrophage burst activity but inhibit in vitro intracellular parasitism. In contrast, removal of terminal galactose moieties from soluble determinants of attenuated parasites resulted in the inhibition of macrophage respiratory burst activity but did not now inhibit intracellular parasitism. We propose that the terminal galactosylation of acceptor substrates present in virulent parasites by the developmentally regulated galactosyltransferase is associated with loss of parasite virulence.
A Versatile Birth—Death Model Applicable to Four Distinct Problems
Authors: Gani J.
Published: February 2004

This paper revisits a simple birth–death model which arises in slightly different forms in four distinct stochastic problems. These are the barbershop queue, coupon collecting, vocabulary usage and geological dating. Discrete and continuous time Markov chains are used to characterize these problems. Somewhat different questions are posed for each particular case, and practical results are derived for each process. The paper concludes with some comments on the versatility of this applied probability model.
The Distribution of Species Numbers in a Controlled Environment
Authors: Whittle Peter
Published: February 2004

A model is proposed in which a population of projects is induced to distribute itself optimally over a number of modes (‘species’), consistently with resource constraints, by manipulation of a price vector. A control rule for the price vector is suggested which is shown by the use of a Liapunov function to achieve convergence to the optimum. For a stochastic version of the problem this Liapunov function has a distributional interpretation, leading to the conclusion that the numbers in the various surviving modes are distributed as independent gamma variables in an open model.
Asymptotics and Criticality for a Correlated Bernoulli Process
Authors: Heyde C.C.
Published: February 2004

A generalized binomial distribution that was proposed by Drezner & Farnum in 1993 comes from a correlated Bernoulli process with interesting asymptotic properties which differ strikingly in the neighbourhood of a critical point. The basic asymptotics and a short‐range/long‐range dependence dichotomy are presented in this note.
Ultimate Extinction of the Promiscuous Bisexual Galton—Watson Metapopulation
Authors: Cornell Stephen J. , Isham Valerie S.
Published: February 2004

A variant of a sexual Gallon–Watson process is considered. At each generation the population is partitioned among n‘hosts’ (population patches) and individual members mate at random only with others within the same host. This is appropriate for many macroparasite systems, and at low parasite loads it gives rise to a depressed rate of reproduction relative to an asexual system, due to the possibility that females are unmated. It is shown that stochasticity mitigates against this effect, so that for small initial populations the probability of ultimate extinction (the complement of an ‘epidemic’) displays a tradeoff as a function of n between the strength of fluctuations which overcome this ‘mating’ probability, and the probability of the subpopulation in one host being ‘rescued’ by that in another. Complementary approximations are developed for the extinction probability: an asymptotically exact approximation at large n, and for small n a short‐time probability that is exact in the limit where the mean number of offspring per parent is large.
Existence and Uniqueness of Q‐Processes with a Given Finite μ‐Invariant Measure
Authors: Pollett Phil , Zhang Hanjun
Published: February 2004

Let Q be a stable and conservative Q‐matrix over a countable state space S consisting of an irreducible class C and a single absorbing state 0 that is accessible from C. Suppose that Q admits a finite μ‐subinvariant measure m on C. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for there to exist a Q‐process for which m is μ‐invariant on C, as well as a necessary condition for the uniqueness of such a process.
Subexponential Distributions — Large Deviations with Applications to Insurance and Queueing Models
Authors: Baltrūnas Aleksandras , Klüppelberg Claudia
Published: February 2004

This paper presents a fine large‐deviations theory for heavy‐tailed distributions whose tails are heavier than exp(−√t and have finite second moment. Asymptotics for first passage times are derived. The results are applied to estimate the finite time ruin probabilities in insurance as well as the busy period in a GI/G/1 queueing model.
Long‐Range Dependence of Markov Renewal Processes
Authors: Vesilo R.A.
Published: February 2004

This paper examines long‐range dependence (LRD) and asymptotic properties of Markov renewal processes generalizing results of Daley for renewal processes. The Hurst index and discrepancy function, which is the difference between the expected number of arrivals in (0, t] given a point at 0 and the number of arrivals in (0, t] in the time stationary version, are examined in terms of the moment index. The moment index is the supremum of the set of r > 0 such that the rth moment of the first return time to a state is finite, employing the solidarity results of Sgibnev. The results are derived for irreducible, regular Markov renewal processes on countable state spaces. The paper also derives conditions to determine the moment index of the first return times in terms of the Markov renewal kernel distribution functions of the process.
Dismissing‐avoidant pattern of attachment and mimicry reactions at different levels of information processing
Authors: Sonnby‐Borgström Marianne , Jönsson Peter
Published: February 2004

Sonnby‐Borgström, M. & Jönsson, P. (2004). Dismissing‐avoidant pattern of attachment and mimicry reactions at different levels of information processing. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45, 103–113.

Individuals with a dismissing‐avoidant pattern of attachment are assumed to repress anxiety‐related signals, a disposition hypothesized to interfere with facial mimicry and emotional contagion. Further, they are assumed to have one internal working model associated with anxiety, operating out of awareness at early, automatic stages of information processing, and another positive model operating at later, cognitively controlled stages of processing. The main aim of the present investigation was to compare facial mimicry in dismissing‐avoidant and non‐dismissing subjects at different levels of information processing. Pictures of happy and angry faces were exposed to 61 subjects at three different exposure times (17, 56, and 2,350 ms) in order to elicit facial muscle reactions, first at automatic levels and then at a more controlled levels. Corrugator activity (“frowning muscles”) represented negative emotions and zygomaticus activity (“smiling muscles”) positive emotions. The dismissing‐avoidant subjects scored significantly lower on emotional empathy than the non‐dismissing subjects. At the automatic level the dismissing‐avoidant subjects showed “normal” corrugator responses (negative emotions) upon exposure to angry faces. At the cognitively controlled level of processing (2,350 ms) a significant interaction effect was shown between Faces × Muscles × Attachment pattern. The dismissing‐avoidant subjects showed no corrugator response and an increased zygomaticus response (“smiling reaction”) to the angry face, whereas the non‐dismissing subjects reacted with a significant mimicking reaction. The dismissing‐avoidant subjects’ tendency to “smiling” in response to the angry face at the controlled level (2,350 ms) may be interpreted as a repression of their earlier, automatically evoked (56 ms) negative emotional reaction.
Relations between enabling skills and reading comprehension: A follow‐up study of Latvian students from first to second grade
Authors: Sprugevica Ieva , Høien Torleiv
Published: February 2004

Sprugevica, I. & Høien, T. (2004). Relations between enabling skills and reading comprehension: A follow‐up study of Latvian students from first to second grade. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45, 115–122.

In order to examine the relationships among various phonological skills and reading comprehension, Latvian children were followed from grade 1 to grade 2 and were tested with a battery of phonological, word reading, and reading comprehension tasks. A principal component analysis of the phonological tasks revealed three salient factors: a phonemic awareness factor, a rapid naming factor, and a short‐term memory factor. In order to analyze the relationship between various phonological skills and reading comprehension, a structural modeling analysis was performed. Phonemic awareness and rapid naming explained approximately the same amount of unique variance in reading comprehension, but phonemic awareness had most predictive power indirectly via word decoding. Only rapid naming had a significant direct impact on reading comprehension.
Effects of age and anxiety on episodic memory: Selectivity and variability
Authors: Li Juan , Nilsson Lars‐Göran , Wu Zhenyun
Published: February 2004

Li, J., Nilsson, L.‐G. & Wu, Z. (2004). Effects of age and anxiety on episodic memory: Selectivity and variability. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45, 123–129.

Selective age‐related differences in source memory relative to item memory, and individual differences in memory performance in relation to anxiety were explored with high‐ and low‐anxious subjects screened from normal young and elderly adults. They were read false facts about the locations of well‐known and unknown sights in a male or female voice. Intentional and incidental learning instructions were administered for source memory. Selective age‐related deficits in source memory were observed under both encoding conditions. Higher level of anxiety was related to lower memory performance only in the old group; this relation was stronger in source recall. The findings suggest that the presence of such selectivity is unrelated to the tradeoff between item encoding and source encoding. Anxiety affects the variability, and mediates the selectivity of age effects on episodic memory.
Assessing Type A behavior in children: A longitudinal exploration of the overlap between Type A behavior and hyperactivity
Authors: Nyberg Lilianne , Bohlin Gunilla , Hagekull Berit
Published: February 2004

Nyberg, L., Bohlin, G. & Hagekull, B. (2004). Assessing Type A behavior in children: A longitudinal exploration of the overlap between Type A behavior and hyperactivity. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45, 145–156.

Child Type A behavior and its relation to hyperactivity were investigated developmentally using a longitudinal normal sample of 91 children (46 boys and 45 girls) between the ages of 4 and 8–9. In light of the overlap found in several studies between Type A behavior, as measured by the Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH) questionnaire, and hyperactivity measured by questionnaires, an attempt was made to measure Type A behavior as distinct from hyperactivity using behavioral observations. The MYTH questionnaire and behavioral observations were used to assess Type A behavior and questionnaire‐based measures and behavioral observations were used to assess hyperactivity. Predictions were made regarding individual stability in phenomena and in measures. The results indicated considerable stability in the respective Type A and hyperactivity measures over time, and further, that behavioral observations make it possible to measure Global Type A behavior and Type A Competitiveness as distinct from hyperactivity, although the status of Type A Impatience at early ages is not yet settled. The MYTH and the observed Type A behavior showed differential relations to external criteria, such as achievement measures and problem behavior. This has implications for future measurement and perhaps conceptualization of Type A behavior in children, and thereby also for studying the developmental aspects of Type A behavior.
Tool hoards and Neolithic use of the landscape in north‐eastern Ireland
Authors: Bamforth Douglas B. , Woodman Peter C.
Published: February 2004

Summary.  Archaeologists frequently suggest that the Neolithic occupants of Ireland and Britain may not have been fully settled farmers, but were, instead, at least partially nomadic pastoralists. However, human use of any landscape is more complex than the current debate suggests, and this debate has included few systematic studies designed to evaluate this issue in detail. This paper examines hoards (or ‘caches’) of flaked stone tools in County Antrim, Ireland, to consider the links between anticipatory tool storage and human land‐use patterns. Our data imply regular human movements over the study area, possibly linked to transhumant use of different altitudinal zones, with functionally and, sometimes, technologically specific classes of tools stored in different areas. However, the larger context of data on the Irish Neolithic clearly indicates that these movements were part of a way of life centred on permanent horticultural homesteads.
Land use in prehistoric malta. A re‐examination of the maltese ‘cart ruts’
Authors: Sagona Claudia
Published: February 2004

Summary.  This paper explores the manufacture and function of the so‐called ‘cart ruts’ within the harsh environment of Malta and proposes that they were deliberately constructed in order to push the boundaries of available arable land and are better identified as field furrows. Using comparative ethnographic evidence as well as archaeological data from European contexts, it is argued that the driving force, which necessitated their manufacture in Malta, lay in socio‐economic pressures. It is argued that the ruts are of high antiquity, products of Temple Period intensification and marginalism in land use.
Wessex cowboys?
Authors: Cunliffe Barry
Published: February 2004

Summary.  Recent excavations in Wessex, and the full publication of many of them, have produced a rich variety of evidence reflecting on the dramatic economic and social changes which were taking place in the period c.1300–600 BC. The underlying trajectory is increased agro‐pastoral production, the development of secondary products and the acceptance of new consumption practices. The evidence is presented and a series of scenarios are offered to explain the observed changes.
Reinstatement of Controls at the Internal Borders of Europe: Why and Against Whom?
Authors: Groenendijk Kees
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  Each of the successive arrangements on abolition of controls at the internal borders in Europe provided for the possibility of temporary reinstatement of border controls. The actual use of this power may tell us about the functions of border controls. This article analyses on which occasions the governments of the Schengen states did actually use this power after 1995, and what is known about the effects of those temporary controls. It appears that the actual use varied considerably in time and between the Member States. In most cases the temporary controls aimed not at reducing illegal immigration or preventing serious crimes, but at the protection of meetings of political leaders. The individuals checked or stopped at the borders are predominantly union citizens, not third‐country nationals. It is contended that the controls at land borders are not considered as an effective instrument of crime or immigration control. They may have a highly symbolic function: showing the public that the state is protecting its citizens against undesired events.
Between Immigration and Policing: Cross Recognition
Authors: Nicol Andrew
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  This article looks at the development of the UK's policies towards asylum‐seekers who are to be returned to some country other than the one where they fear persecution (its ‘safe third country’ policy). The Dublin Convention of 1990 addressed some of the problems which this policy created, but left others unresolved. Domestic legislation has progressively reduced the opportunities for challenging safe third‐country removals, especially to an EU state. The incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law has generated new possibilities for challenging safe third‐country decisions where removal might damage physical or mental health. Articles 3 and 8 have been invoked in particular. The Dublin machinery established ‘rules’ to decide which member state was responsible for considering the asylum claim and the procedure to be followed. The article examines why the UK courts have said that these provisions are not justiciable in the English courts. Finally the article considers whether the experience with Dublin provides any useful guidance as to the approach that will be taken to European arrest warrants and extradition requests.
The Immigration and Asylum Agenda
Authors: Brinkmann Gisbert
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  An area of freedom, security and justice was created by the Treaty of Maastricht of 1991/1993. Immigration and asylum of third‐country nationals was inserted into Title IV EC by the Treaty of Amsterdam of 1997/1999. The European Council of Tampere of October 1999 provided a substantive input. The proposals of the European Commission cover almost all aspects of immigration and asylum and, in line with the Tampere conclusions, are oriented at the status of EU citizens. A common European migration and asylum policy has been realised at an astonishing speed, though some core instruments have not yet been adopted. During the negotiations the proposals have been watered down and thus provide only relatively low standards, in particular as regards access to employment, which is an important requisite for the integration of migrants.
After September 11th: the Fight Against Terrorism in National and European Law. Substantive and Procedural Rules: Some Examples
Authors: Jimeno‐Bulnes Mar
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  The terrorist attacks suffered by the United States of America on 11 September 2001 have caused a considerable increase in legislation at national and European level with the same objective: the fight against terrorism. The special nature of this crime makes judicial cooperation among states indispensable. In this context, both kinds of instruments are contemplated in order to provide the necessary measures especially—and not especially—addressed to prevent and repress terrorism: they give place to substantial and procedural rules, such as the European Arrest Warrant in the territory of the European Union. But in this claimed fight against terrorism there are also two important risks, namely the creation of a kind of ‘Security Criminal Law’ from a material point of view and the arguable breach of human rights infringed by some of those procedural measures.
‘Governance’ as a bridge between disciplines: Cross‐disciplinary inspiration regarding shifts in governance and problems of governability, accountability and legitimacy
Authors: Kersbergen Kees Van , Waarden Frans Van
Published: February 2004

Abstract. Modern societies have in recent decades seen a destabilization of the traditional governing mechanisms and the advancement of new arrangements of governance. Conspicuously, this has occurred in the private, semi‐private and public spheres, and has involved local, regional, national, transnational and global levels within these spheres. We have witnessed changes in the forms and mechanisms of governance by which institutional and organizational societal sectors and spheres are governed, as well as in the location of governance from where command, administration, management and control of societal institutions and spheres are conducted. We have also seen changes in governing capabilities (i.e., the extent to which societal institutions and spheres can, in fact, be steered), as well as in styles of governance (i.e., the processes of decision making and implementation, including the manner in which the organizations involved relate to each other). These shifts tend to have significant consequences for the governability, accountability, responsiveness and legitimacy of governance institutions. These developments have been generating a new and important research object for political science (including international relations). One of the crucial features of these developments is that they concern a diversity of sectors. In order to get a thorough understanding of ‘shifts in governance’, political science needs, and is also likely to adopt, a much stronger multidisciplinary orientation embracing politics, law, public administration, economics and business administration, as well as sociology, geography and history.
Counting parties and identifying dominant party systems in Africa
Authors: Bogaards Matthijs
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  By most definitions, the third wave of democratisation has given rise to dominant parties and dominant party systems in Africa. The effective number of parties, the most widely used method to count parties, does not adequately capture this fact. An analysis of 59 election results in 18 sub‐Saharan African countries shows that classifications of party systems on the basis of the effective number of parties are problematic and often flawed. Some of these problems are well known, but the African evidence brings them out with unusual clarity and force. It is found that Sartori's counting rules, party system typology and definition of a dominant party are still the most helpful analytical tools to arrive at an accurate classification of party systems and their dynamics in general, and of dominant party systems in particular.
Actor alignments in European Union decision making
Authors: Thomson Robert , Boerefijn Jovanka , Stokman Frans
Published: February 2004

Abstract. What is the structure of the political space in which decision‐making actors operate in the European Union? Are there consistent alignments of actors? This article addresses these questions by examining a new data set containing information on the preferences of the Commission, the Member States and the European Parliament on 174 issues raised during talks on 70 recent Commission proposals. To a limited extent, the preference alignments can be described in terms of two underlying dimensions. However, these conceptual structures are weak. The first dimension is defined by the position of the European Commission and European Parliament at one end and the reference point at the other; the second dimension by a division between the Northern and Southern Member States. The meaning of these dimensions is investigated by identifying the substance of the policy issues on which these actor alignments are found. The Commission‐reference point dimension is interpreted in terms of policy change rather than, as has previously been suggested, the level of integration. The North‐South dimension corresponds to diverging views on the use of regulatory versus market‐based solutions to policy problems. The weakness of these conceptual structures, it is argued, is due to the sectoral nature of European Union decision making. This lack of structure is likely to have a positive effect on support for the system among its members, since the benign effects of ideology at the national level cannot be expected to apply at the European Union level.
Development of clinical guidelines for prone positioning in critically ill adults
Authors: Rowe Catherine
Published: February 2004

• Literature reveals evidence that prone positioning can improve the oxygenation of critically ill patients suffering from acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome

• Multicentre evidence, however, does not support the claim that it improves patients' outcome

• The implementation of multiprofessional guidelines by which to direct the manoeuvre will facilitate the safe and effective management of patients in the prone position. They will thus heighten multiprofessional awareness of the technique and promote its proactive use at such time so as to achieve maximum clinical benefit