bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumours of the brain: multidirectional differentiation does not influence prognosis. A clinicopathological report of 18 patients
Authors: Visée S , Soltner C , Rialland X , Machet M C , Loussouarn D , Milinkevitch S , Pasco‐Papon A , Mercier P , Rousselet M C
Published: March 2005

Aims : To examine the clinical and pathological characteristics of supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNETs) in a retrospective series of 18 patients, according to the strict definition of the World Health Organization classification of tumours that excludes other types of malignant embryonal tumours of the brain.

Methods and results : Eleven children and seven adults with supratentorial PNETs were diagnosed between 1993 and 2002 and their medical records were reviewed. An immunohistochemical study was performed on formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue of 18 primary tumours and five recurrences with antibodies for neuronal (neuron specific enolase, synaptophysin, neurofilament, chromogranin A), epithelial [epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), cytokeratin], glial [glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)], muscle (desmin, h‐caldesmon, α‐smooth muscle actin, myogenin) differentiation and with two anti‐CD99 antibodies. All tumours showed at least one neuronal marker except chromogranin A; a variable number of cells were GFAP+ or EMA+ in 18/23 tumours. Six primary tumours and one recurrence were positive for cytokeratin and/or one muscle antigen except myogenin. CD99 was observed in 33% of the cases. The mean duration of overall survival was 20 months. The estimated overall survival rates were 61% at 1 year, 29% at 2 years, and 18% at 3 years. Two factors of poor prognosis were identified by univariate analysis: a positive cerebrospinal fluid cytology at diagnosis and the absence of complete resection. No distinct immunophenotype was statistically related to survival.

Conclusions : A multidirectional differentiation is a frequent event in supratentorial PNETs but has no apparent influence on the outcome of this aggressive neoplasm.
Collagen and elastic system in the remodelling process of major types of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP)
Authors: Rozin G F , Gomes M M , Parra E R , Kairalla R A , De Carvalho C R R , Capelozzi V L
Published: March 2005

Aims : Structural remodelling in acute and chronic idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) has been extensively investigated, but little attention has been directed to the elastic tissue in these situations. The aim of this study was to determine whether elastic deposition accompanies collagen deposition in the four major histological patterns of IIP: diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), organizing pneumonia (OP), non‐specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP).

Methods and results : We measured, by image analysis, the content of fibres of the collagenous and elastic systems of the alveolar septum in histological slides of open lung biopsies, using the picrosirius‐polarization method and Weigert's resorcin–fuchsin stain, respectively. Five groups were studied: 10 cases of DAD; nine cases of OP; nine cases of NSIP; and 10 cases of UIP. Four normal lungs were used for comparison. The content of collagen fibres was significantly higher in UIP when compared to DAD, NSIP, OP and normal lung. The content of elastic fibres was increased in comparison with normal lungs but this was not significantly different among the histological patterns.

Conclusion : Acute and chronic IIP cause a similar increase in the collagen and elastic contents of the lungs, representing a process of ‘fibroelastosis’ rather than an exclusive process of fibrosis. A profibrogenic mechanism is responsible for the unparallelled collagen augmentation observed in UIP subjects, the nature of which is yet to be determined.
Origin of Aymaras from Bolivia and their relationship with other Amerindians according to HLA genes
Authors: Arnaiz‐Villena A. , Siles N. , Moscoso J. , Zamora J. , Serrano‐Vela J.I. , Gomez‐Casado E. , Castro M.J. , Martinez‐Laso J.
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  Aymara Amerindians from the Titicaca Lake Andean highlands are studied for HLA‐A, HLA‐B, HLA‐DRB1 and HLA‐DQB1 gene frequencies. Genetic distances, neighbour‐joining and correspondence analyses are performed by using other Amerindian and worldwide populations (15384 chromosomes are studied). The HLA genetic profile of Aymaras is different from neighbouring and language‐related Quechuas (Incas). Both Quechuas and Aymaras seem to present an HLA‐DRB1*0901 high frequency, which is present in a very low frequency or absent in Mesoamericans (Mazatecans, Mayans) and most studied Amerindians. Moreover, it is observed a closer relatedness of Aymaras with Amerindians from the Amazon Basin and Chaco lowlands, compared to Quechuans.
Identification of a novel HLA‐DMB allele (DMB*0107) in the Korean population
Authors: Gu H. , Moon S.‐M. , Kim J.‐J. , Ryu H.‐J. , Kwack K. , Kimm K. , Lee J.‐K. , Oh B.
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  A novel allele for human leukocyte antigen‐DMB was identified in the Korean population. DMB*0107 was identical to DMB*0101 at exon 2, apart from three mismatches at nucleotide positions 82 (A→G), 146 (A→T) and 212 (G→A). These mutations resulted in codon changes at positions 10 (Thr→Ala), 31 (Asp→Val) and 53 (Ser→Asn).
Is rhinitis alone or associated with atopic eczema a risk factor for severe asthma in children?
Authors: Solé Dirceu , Camelo‐Nunes Inês C. , Wandalsen Gustavo F. , Melo Karyn C. , Naspitz Charles K.
Published: March 2005

The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of rhinitis (R) and atopic eczema (E) on asthma severity among asthmatic (A) schoolchildren identified by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood written questionnaire (WQ). WQ was applied to parents of 6–7‐yr‐old schoolchildren (SC, n = 3033), and to adolescents (AD, 13–14 yr old, n = 3487), living in São Paulo, Brazil. An affirmative response to ‘has your child/have you had wheezing/whistling in the last year’ identified those with A, and an affirmative response to ‘the last 12 months has your child/have you had sneezing/runny/blocked nose when he/she you did not have a cold/flu?’ identified those with R. Subjects with an affirmative response to ‘has your child/have you had this itchy rash at any time in the past 12 months?’ were identified as having E. Subjects who had R associated with A were identified as AR and those with A associated with R and E as ARE. A who had at least two affirmative responses to questions for asthma severity: speech disturbance, more than four acute attacks, sleep disturbance, and wheezing with exercise were defined as having severe asthma. 22.1% AD and 24.3% SC were identified as A; 47.1% of those AD and 42.0% SC had AR and 10.0% of those AD and 12.8% of SC had ARE. Considering ARE, AR and A groups, speech disturbance during an acute episode of asthma was significantly higher among ARE AD (20.0% vs. 11.5% vs. 8.7%, p < 0.05), and ARE SC (22.1% vs. 13.9% vs. 10.5%, p < 0.05) in comparison with A. Likewise, more than four acute attacks in the last year was significantly higher among ARE AD (24.0% vs. 14.0% vs. 10.5%, p < 0.05) and ARE SC (32.6% vs. 19.4% vs. 12.8%, p < 0.05) as the frequency of sleep disturbance due to wheezing, for AD (61.3% vs. 42.0% vs. 38.4%, p < 0.05) and SC (77.9% vs. 67.3% vs. 58.4%, p < 0.001) and for ‘wheezing associated with exercise’ for AD (72.0% vs. 47.5% vs. 39.9%, p < 0.001) and SC (36.8% vs. 31.4% vs. 14.1%, p < 0.001). Prevalence of severe asthma was higher among ARE AD (57.3% vs. 31.9% vs. 27.0%, p < 0.05) and ARE SC (52.6% vs. 36.9% vs. 22.5%). In patients with A, the presence of R or E are risk factors for severe asthma, and both together (R and E) are a higher risk.
Sesame allergy in Britain: A questionnaire survey of members of the Anaphylaxis Campaign
Authors: Derby C. J. , Gowland M. H. , Hourihane J. O'B.
Published: March 2005

Sesame is a major allergen in countries where it is a common food. It was noted that an increasing number of members of the UK charity, the anaphylaxis campaign, were reporting allergy to sesame. This study, sought to examine features of sesame allergy among members of the Anaphylaxis Campaign (which supports those at potentially life‐threatening risk from allergies) focusing on clinical symptoms and features of the foods implicated. A physician‐designed questionnaire was sent by post to 400 members of the Anaphylaxis Campaign who reported avoidance of sesame. Two hundred and eighty replies were received (70%). Twenty‐three replies (7%) were excluded and 96 replies (24%) came from subjects who avoided sesame but had never reacted to it. One hundred and fifty people (54%) reported 288 reactions to sesame. 89% of reactive subjects reported other atopic diseases and notably 84% were also nut/peanut allergic. One in six (17%) had suffered potentially life‐threatening symptoms, with 65% of severe reactions happening on first known exposure. The age of first reaction ranged from 6 months to 65 yr. The majority of reactions reported (91%) involved foods or dishes which had sesame as a deliberate ingredient, rather than sesame as an accidental contaminant. Respondents represented a well‐informed and highly selected group of people at risk from potentially life‐threatening allergies. Sesame should be identified clearly as an ingredient and separately from nuts and peanuts when it may be an allergen contaminant. People at potential risk need clear allergy diagnosis and informed guidance to enable them to avoid this key allergen more easily.
Putative regulatory T cells are impaired in cord blood from neonates with hereditary allergy risk
Authors: Haddeland Unni , Karstensen Anne B. , Farkas Lorant , Bø Knut Olav , Pirhonen Jouko , Karlsson Malin , Kvåvik Wenche , Brandtzaeg Per , Nakstad Britt
Published: March 2005

The hygiene hypothesis implies that the increasing prevalence of allergy in ‘westernized’ countries is explained by reduced bacterial exposure in early life, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. We therefore wanted to study the effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the generation of regulatory T (TR) cells in neonates, and to analyze differences between neonates with allergy risk because of a family history of atopy (FH+) and controls without such hereditary risk (FH−). Cord blood mononuclear cells from the FH+ and FH− groups were stimulated with β‐lactoglobulin in the presence of LPS. T‐cell phenotypes suggestive of TR cells [CD25+, CD25high and integrin (CD103+)], and the intracellular proliferation antigen Ki‐67 were quantified by flow cytometry. Release of the immunosuppressive cytokine transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) from its inactive complex was determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The analyses revealed the generation of T‐cell phenotypes suggestive of TR cells including a CD25high T‐cell subset which was inversely related to T‐cell proliferation (r = −0.54, p < 0.05) and to activation‐induced release of TGF‐β1 (r = −0.80, p < 0.001). The CD25high T‐cell subset tended to be impaired in the FH+ group (% of CD3+ T cells: FH+, 5.1% vs. FH−, 12.6%), and notably, the FH+ group showed a significantly reduced capacity for generation of both CD25+ (FH+, 16.2% vs. FH−, 34.9%; p < 0.01) and T cells (FH+, 2.1% vs. FH−, 3.9%; p < 0.05). Our findings suggested that early‐life exposure to a dietary antigen in the presence of LPS might modulate the immune system by generating TR cells. This capacity was impaired in neonates with hereditary allergy risk, but clinical follow‐up will be required to determine a possible effect on allergy emergence.
SppA peptidases: family diversity from heterotrophic bacteria to photoautotrophic eukaryotes
Authors: Sokolenko Anna
Published: March 2005

Serine‐type SppA peptidases are found in viruses, archaea, eubacteria and in chloroplasts. The family consists of two homologous groups of proteins, designated SppA1 and SppA2, which differ in molecular weight and domain organization. SppA1 is a high molecular weight protein of 70 kDa with two homologous domains with protease signatures. SppA2 represents a half‐size SppA1 comprised of only one protease domain. The genomes of most heterotrophic and photosynthetic bacteria encode both, SppA1 and SppA2 proteins, while genome of higher plants, Arabidopsis and rice, encode only one protease, SppA1. An intriguing feature of SppA proteases is their similarity to ClpP proteases in catalytically active regions. SppA functions and gene expression differ between heterotrophic and photosynthetic organisms, in which SppA expression is light‐regulated. Apparently, SppA regulation and substrate specificities were modified in photosynthetic organisms and are essential for acclimation of the thylakoid membrane system to light.
Altered gene expression in plants with constitutive expression of a mitochondrial small heat shock protein suggests the involvement of retrograde regulation in the heat stress response
Authors: Rhoads David M. , White Samuel J. , Zhou You , Muralidharan Mrinalini , Elthon Thomas E.
Published: March 2005

Heat stress can negatively affect crop productivity. One way in which plants attempt to alleviate the effects of heat stress is to induce the expression of genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSPs), including small HSPs (sHSPs). We produced transgenic lines of Arabidopsis thaliana expressing a transgene encoding a maize mitochondrial sHSP, ZmHSP22. The transgene, under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, is constitutively highly expressed in these lines. As demonstrated by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and analyses of isolated mitochondria, ZmHSP22 is directed to the mitochondria of Arabidopsis and is processed into the mature form. These transgenic lines demonstrated altered expression of nuclear genes encoding the endogenous mitochondrial sHSP, AtHSP23.6, chloroplast localized AtHSP25.3, class I cytosolic AtHSP17.4, cytosolic AtHSP70‐1 and chloroplast localized AtHSP70‐6, but not cytosolic AtHSP70‐15, following exposure to heat stress. This suggests that the expression of HSPs can be affected by heat‐induced mitochondrial retrograde regulation. Three‐week‐old plants from the transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing ZmHSP22 have increased thermotolerance, as measured by the maintenance of higher leaf mass following successive days with short periods of heat stress.
Isolation and characterization of a dehydrin gene from Cicer pinnatifidum, a drought‐resistant wild relative of chickpea
Authors: Bhattarai Tribikram , Fettig Sebastian
Published: March 2005

Chickpea is an important legume crop of the tropics and subtropics. As it is cultivated mostly during the dry season, drought is the major cause of poor chickpea yields. A wild relative of chickpea, Cicer pinnatifidum, is more tolerant than chickpea itself to various abiotic stresses, including drought. A cDNA clone encoding a dehydrin gene, cpdhn1, was isolated from a cDNA bank prepared from ripening seeds of C. pinnatifidum. Dehydrins are proteins which accumulate in seeds during late embryogenesis and also during stress brought about by drought and other abiotic factors in many plants. The polypeptide deduced to correspond to this gene, cpdhn1, consists of 195 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 20.4 kDa. The polypeptide is a Y2K dehydrin exhibiting two conserved ‘Y’‐segments in the amino‐terminal region and one conserved ‘K’‐segment close to the carboxy terminus. Northern blot analyses showed that cpdhn1 expression was induced not only during seed development, but also in leaves in response to drought, chilling and salinity and also to treatment with ABA or methyl jasmonate. The induction of cpdhn1 expression by methyl jasmonate and ABA indicates that the gene may also be involved in the response to biotic stress. The CpDHN1 protein may thus improve the tolerance of chickpea to a variety of environmental stresses, both abiotic and biotic.
Effect of the Removal of Cumulus Cells on the Nuclear Maturation, Fertilization and Development of Porcine Oocytes
Authors: Wongsrikeao P , Kaneshige Y , Ooki R , Taniguchi M , Agung B , Nii M , Otoi T
Published: March 2005

Contents

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of attachment of cumulus cells to porcine oocytes during the process of maturation and fertilization on the nuclear maturation, fertilization and subsequent development after in vitro fertilization (IVF). In the first experiment, the cumulus cells were removed from cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) at 0, 24 and 42 h after the onset of maturation culture and were then cultured until reaching 42 h of cultivation. In the second experiment, COCs were denuded as described in the first experiment, then fertilized and cultured for 7 days. As a control, cumulus cells were allowed to maintain attachment to the oocytes until the end of IVF. The proportion of oocytes reaching metaphase II significantly increased with the delay in the removal treatment of cumulus cells. The proportion of normal fertilization gradually increased with delay in the removal treatment of cumulus cells from COCs until the end of IVF. However, no significant difference in the proportion of normal fertilization was found between the 42‐h and control groups. The removal treatment of cumulus cells in the 0‐ and 24‐h group significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the proportion of cleaved embryos when compared with the control, and none of them developed to the blastocyst stage. The proportion of development to the blastocyst stage was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the control group than in the 42‐h group (18.1% vs 12.4%; p < 0.05). The present study indicates that the attachment of cumulus cells to the oocyte during maturation and fertilization is important to support oocyte nuclear maturation, fertilization and subsequent embryo development. Particularly, the attachment of cumulus cells to the oocyte during IVF promotes embryonic development.
Possible differences in family patterns in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
Authors: Evans Christine , Street Eddy
Published: March 2005

This paper examines the interactions in three families, one where the daughter had anorexia nervosa and two where the daughters had bulimia nervosa, and proposes some differences in the families’ patterns of enmeshment. It is hypothesized that these may be linked to differences in the development of the mother—child relationship. Implications for the choice of therapeutic strategies are discussed.
Anorexia nervosa: the tyranny of appearances
Authors: Lieberman Stuart
Published: March 2005

This paper explores the possibility that many families of anorexics are overly preoccupied with appearances, valuing what other people think of them more than healthier families do, and that this influences the origin and maintenance of anorexia. This‘rule’is simple and should be open to testing more widely through research.
Postmodernism versus psychotherapy
Authors: Frosh Stephen
Published: March 2005

‘Postmodernism’has made a substantial impact on various schools of psychotherapy, including family therapy.‘Postmodern’therapists tend to focus on the productive capacities of language, developing narrative styles for their work.‘Postmodern’family therapy is differentiated from modernist approaches by its disavowal of truth claims and its encouragement of alternative‘voices’or narratives. In this paper, it is argued that this represents too narrow an approach to psychotherapy and to postmodernism. Postmodernism takes as a central concern the limits of symbolization, so a postmodernist therapy would deal primarily with failures of language. Language‐based therapeutic procedures such as those to be found in family therapy are consequently not postmodernist. This state of affairs should be welcomed, as a truly‘postmodern’mode of therapy would probably celebrate irrationality.
Protection and loss: working with learning‐disabled adults and their families
Authors: Goldberg David , Magrill Leslie , Hale John , Damaskinidou Katy , Paul Jane , Tham Sam
Published: March 2005

This paper describes a method of working with learning‐disabled adults and their families when they encounter entrenched difficulties. Two significant themes are identified: the patterning of life‐cycle transitions and the recurrence of grief. Therapy consists of joining the family members to evolve and develop hypotheses about what is preventing them moving to the next family life‐cycle stage.
Siblings in family therapy
Authors: Gustafsson Per A. , Engquist Marie‐Louise , Karlsson Birgitta
Published: March 2005

The participation of siblings in family therapy was studied from case records in 76 consecutive cases attending a child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinic. Siblings took part in family therapy in two thirds of the cases. Of these, 76 per cent attended only one or two sessions. A sub‐sample of nine families with children below 13 years of age was interviewed. Seven out of 10 evaluated siblings had psychiatric symptoms of some severity at the onset of therapy compared to two after, and all had fewer symptoms after therapy compared to before (p<0.01). Most families thought it relevant for both parents and siblings to take discussing their children's behaviour in front of them and wanted the opportunity of also talking to the therapist without the children being present.
Using rituals in couple therapy in cases of wife battering
Authors: Shamai Michal
Published: March 2005

This article describes the work of a unit specializing in helping couples where there is violence towards the woman. It focuses particularly on ritual, describing couple violence as a type of family ritual, and outlines a number of specific healing rituals which can be substituted for the destructive ritual of violence.
The construction of the gendered self
Authors: Hart Bruce
Published: March 2005

Feminist contributions to systemic approaches to human behaviour have led to gender being defined in interactional terms. Gender is seen not as a fixed quality or trait but as one socially constructed between men and women. This idea is discussed in relation to the gender debate in family therapy, attachment theory and feminist contributions to psychoanalytic thinking. Gender relationships are created as part of a person's internal working models of self and other. The ways in which gender patterns are carried forward are examined, especially with respect to the contradictions between a person's gendered internal working models and their experience. These ideas are explored through case examples.
Homeostatic interactions: a longitudinal study of biological, psychosocial and family variables in children with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Wilson John , Fosson Abe , Kanga Jamshed F. , D'Angelo Sandra L.
Published: March 2005

A two‐Year longitudinal study of thirty‐five children used data gathered from pulmonary function tests, clinical measurements and standardized tests of depression, self‐esteem and family environment to illustrate homeostatic interactions among biological and psychosocial adaptation to cystic fibrosis. Despite physical deterioration over the course of the study, children with cystic fibrosis reported lower depression and higher self‐esteem than population norms, and improvements in psychological functioning. Decline in biological indicators of health was associated with increases on an index based on Family Environmental Scales (FES), subscales of cohesion, expressiveness and organization, and maintenance of high self‐esteem and low depression. Presence of additional major life stressors was associated with deterioration in pulmonary function, higher levels of depression and poorer scores on the FES. These findings suggest that homeostatic interactions between children's health status and family functioning may moderate the physical and psychological sequelae of cystic fibrosis.
Is second order practice possible?
Authors: Wayward Mark
Published: March 2005

This paper looks at the difficulties in applying second order ideas to therapeutic practice. It considers, first, what second order ideas are and how they relate to one another, second, what second order practice looks like, and third, the problems these ideas create when trying to apply them. It is argued that their pure application is impossible given our strong moral beliefs, but that there are good ethical and aesthetic reasons for taking such ideas as far as we can.

‘There are always people who possess a theory they cannot act on.’(Leih Tzu from The Book of Leih Tzu)
Issues arising from intra‐cultural family therapy
Authors: Toledano Amnon
Published: March 2005

Family therapists often consider culture and religion when a family's background or beliefs are different from their own. This paper explores some issues which may arise in family therapy when the family and the therapist come from the same culture or religion (in this particular case, Judaism), especially when this culture is a minority in society.
Using writing assignments with families managing legacies of extreme traumas
Authors: Lange Alfred
Published: March 2005

It is taken for granted that disclosure can be beneficial to both the victims of extreme traumatic events and to their next of kin on the assumption that the past traumatic events must be the main cause of any current dysfunction. There is a danger that other sources of dysfunction, whether or not related to the original trauma, will thereby be neglected. This paper argues for a careful evaluation of the source of dysfunction and for the usefulness of structured writing assignments in the process of therapy. Two case studies of families including survivors of the Holocaust are presented to illustrate the technique of structured writing assignments and its theoretical underpinning.
POLANYI ON TELEOLOGY: ARESPONSETO JOHN APCZYNSKI AND RICHARD GELWICK
Authors: Gulick Walter B.
Published: March 2005

Abstract. Michael Polanyi criticized the neo‐Darwinian synthesis on two grounds: that accidental hereditary changes bringing adaptive advantages cannot account for the rise of discontinuous new species, and that a Ideological ordering principle is needed to explain evolutionary advance. I commend the previous articles by John Apczynski and Richard Gelwick and also argue, more strongly than they, that Polanyi's critique of evolutionary theory is flawed. It relies on an inappropriate notion of progress and untenable analogies from the human process of scientific discovery and the fact that in physical systems minimal potential energy is most stable. Yet within a life of commitment to transcendent values humans can directly experience purpose and meaning, and in developing this notion Polanyi makes his greatest contribution to teleology.
THE EPIC OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE MYSTERY OF SMALL WORKING MEMORY
Authors: Glassman Robert B.
Published: March 2005

Abstract. A partial analogy exists between the lifespan neuropsychological development of individuals and the biological evolution of species: In both of these major categories of growth, progressive emergence of wholes transcends inherently limited part‐processes. The remarkably small purview of each moment of consciousness experienced by an individual may be a crucial aspect of maintaining organization in that individual's cognitive development, protecting it from combinatorial chaos. In this essay I summarize experimental psychology research showing that working memory capacity comprises the so‐called magical number 7±2 items, not only for words and digits but for spatial items and other sorts of cognitive materials, and not only in humans but also in other species. This is so to such an extent that 7±2 may be a “constant of nature.” The small quantity range 7±2 independent items, which builds upon a more elementary, instantaneous working memory capacity of three or four items, is surprisingly independent of the time duration of a cognitive task. Moreover, it is largely independent of ontogeny. Explanations of these powerful facts about working memory are offered here within both a functionalistic framework and a framework of hypothetical neural processes. At the neural level, working memory dynamics may comprise certain brain wave harmonics or topological relationships in the sheetlike cortex. Within the functionalistic framework, I suggest an additional analogy, pertaining to cultural evolution, with Tom Gilbert's work on risk analysis and “the global problematic” that follows from unforeseen consequences of the expansiveness of human ambition. Several connections are drawn with ideas presented by participants in the Chicago Religion and Science Group about how theologies and sciences try to understand the possibility of adaptive exercises of human freedom in the face of the extreme finiteness of each human individual.
HUMAN INDIVIDUALITY AND THE GAP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION
Authors: Reiss Steven
Published: March 2005

Abstract. Personality may play a role in disputes between religion and science. Personality is influenced by sixteen basic desires and core values, which provide the psychological foundation of meaningful experience. How we prioritize these sixteen desires is what makes us individuals. Religious persons may place a low priority on the desire for self‐reliance (they enjoy being in need of others), whereas nonreligious scientists may place a high priority on self‐reliance. These differences may motivate religious persons to find meaning in images of psychologically supportive deities and may motivate nonreligious intellectuals to find meaning in abstract scientific principles. To bridge the schism between religion and science, we need to appreciate the extent to which spirituality is an individual experience.
INEVITABLE HUMANS: SIMON CONWAY MORRIS'S EVOLUTIONARY PALEONTOLOGY
Authors: Rolston Holmes
Published: March 2005

Abstract. Simon Conway Morris, noted Cambridge University paleontologist, argues that in evolutionary natural history humans (or beings rather like humans) are an inevitable outcome of the developing speciating processes over millennia; humans are “inherent” in the system. This claim, in marked contrast to claims about contingency made by other prominent paleontologists, is based on numerous remarkable convergences—similar trends found repeatedly in evolutionary history. Conway Morris concludes approaching a natural theology. His argument is powerful and informed. But does it face adequately the surprising events in such history, particularly notable in unexpected co‐options that redirect the course of life? The challenge to understand how humans are both on a continuum with other species and also utterly different remains a central puzzle in paleontology.
The effects of memory scanning on the late Nd and P300: An interference study
Authors: Singhal Anthony , Fowler Barry
Published: March 2005

Singhal and Fowler (2004)showed that the late negative difference (Nd) waveform elicited during dichotic listening was attenuated by concurrent visual short term memory (STM) scanning, but not long term memory (LTM) scanning. P300 was reduced by both tasks. The present study compared the effects of STM load on the late Nd and P300 by combining dichotic listening and visual memory scanning with varying set sizes. The results showed that the late Nd was sensitive to the introduction of the scanning task, but not to an increase in load. Furthermore, both the auditory and visual P300s were reduced when a second task was introduced, but only the visual P300 decreased as a function of memory‐set size. These data suggest that (a) the auditory late Nd reflects working memory, but not memory scanning, (b) late Nd and P300 reflect parallel but distinct working memory processes, and (c) stimulus modality is an important determinant of P300 amplitude.
Neuroticism, cortisol reactivity, and antibody response to vaccination
Authors: Phillips Anna C. , Carroll Douglas , Burns Victoria E. , Drayson Mark
Published: March 2005

This study examined whether neuroticism was related to the antibody response to influenza vaccination and whether the relationship was mediated by cortisol reactions to acute laboratory mental stress. Antibody status was assessed at baseline and to a trivalent influenza vaccination in 57 students at 5‐week and 5‐month follow‐up. Neuroticism was also measured at baseline. Cortisol was measured at rest and in response to a pressurized mental arithmetic task. At both follow‐ups, higher neuroticism scores were associated with poorer A/Panama antibody response, following adjustment for baseline antibody titer. Higher neuroticism scores were also associated with blunted cortisol reactivity, and blunted cortisol reactivity was associated with poorer A/Panama antibody response, but only at 5 months. However, there was no conclusive evidence that cortisol reactivity mediated the association between neuroticism and antibody response.
The role of school food service in promoting healthy eating at school – a perspective from an ad hoc group on nutrition in schools, Council of Europe
Authors: Mikkelsen Bent Egberg , Rasmussen Vivian Barnekow , Young Ian
Published: March 2005

Changes in the eating habits of young people in Europe and the resulting growth in obesity and overweight are giving cause for concern. The Council of Europe in 2001 decided to establish an ad hoc group consisting of national experts to review the issues. Since then the group has studied current school food practices in Europe in order to be able to issue guidelines targeted at international, national, local and institutional levels. A survey was undertaken on behalf of the Council of Europe and World Health Organization (WHO, European Office) as a starting point. The study was an update of a previous survey carried out in the process of developing the ENHPS healthy eating in school manual and the results were presented at a forum held by the Council of Europe in collaboration with the WHO entitled The European Forum on Eating at School – Making Healthy Choices on the 20th and 21st November 2003. In addition, a number of experts from a range of professional backgrounds, all with a common interest in healthy eating in schools, were invited to present research results and discuss the way forward. The results from the forum have since been compiled into a forum report. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the findings of the European Network of Health Promoting Schools group and its implications for school food service in the future; to discuss, in general, how schools can become a more active arena for the promotion of healthy eating, and how food service can contribute in this respect. The results present an overview of how food provision is organized in primary and secondary schools, at home, outside the school, lunch boxes, kiosk type outlets, vending machines, cash cafeterias and canteens as well as ‘special food promotions’. Data on how school food is financed and operated are presented together with the findings on future consumer demand. The findings and their implications for school food service operators are discussed. Barriers include improving logistics, reviewing the healthiness of food provision, the use of vending machines, involving stakeholders, complying with standards, integrating food and nutrition issues in the curriculum and giving due attention to future consumer demands. In conclusion, the paper presents guidelines on healthy eating at school issued by the Council of Europe on the basis of the forum and the work done in the ad hoc group.
A search for presynaptic β3‐adrenoceptors in the rat
Authors: Żelaszczyk Dorota , Zakrzeska Agnieszka , Kwolek Grzegorz , Malinowska Barbara , Schlicker Eberhard
Published: March 2005

Presynaptically localized adrenoceptors occur on a variety of neurones. In particular, α2‐adrenoceptors, occurring on neurones of the peripheral and central nervous system, inhibit the release of the respective transmitters whereas β2‐adrenoceptors on some types of postganglionic sympathetic neurones facilitate noradrenaline release. Since only little information is available whether there are also presynaptic β3‐adrenoceptors, we examined the effect of β3‐adrenoceptor agonists on noradrenaline release from the resistance vessels and the hippocampus of the rat and on serotonin and acetylcholine release from the rat hippocampus. In rat hippocampal slices preincubated with 3H‐noradrenaline, 3H‐serotonin and 3H‐choline and superfused in the presence of an inhibitor of the neuronal transporter of the respective neurone, the β3‐adrenoceptor agonist CL 316243 did not affect the electrically evoked tritium overflow. The latter was, however, inhibited by at least 50% by agonists of the respective autoreceptors. CL 316243 and another three β3‐adrenoceptor agonists (BRL 37344, ZD 2079 and CGP 12177) failed to affect the electrically evoked tritium overflow also in slices preincubated with 3H‐noradrenaline and superfused in the presence of the α2‐adrenoceptor antagonist rauwolscine whereas prostaglandin E2 caused a marked inhibition. In pithed and vagotomized rats, the increase in diastolic blood pressure induced by electrical stimulation of the sympathetic outflow was also not affected by CL 316243 but markedly inhibited by the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55212–2. CL 316243 and WIN 55212–2 were devoid of an effect on the rise in diastolic blood pressure induced by exogenous noradrenaline. In conclusion, our data suggest that the noradrenergic neurones innervating the resistance vessels of the rat and the noradrenergic, serotoninergic and cholinergic neurones of the rat hippocampus are not endowed with presynaptic β3‐adrenoceptors.
Disruption of a Plant‐Lizard Seed Dispersal System and Its Ecological Effects on a Threatened Endemic Plant in the Balearic Islands
Authors: TRAVESET ANNA , RIERA NURIA
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  The introduction of exotic species to an island can have significant effects on the population density and distribution of native species and on the ecological and evolutionary interactions among them (e.g., plant‐animal mutualisms). The disruption of these interactions can be dramatic, significantly reducing the reproductive success of the species and even leading to their extinction. On Menorca Island (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean), we examined the consequences of the disruption of the mutualism between two endemic species: a perennial shrub, ( Daphne rodriguezii [Texidor]) and a frugivorous lizard (Podarcis lilfordi [Günther]). The lizard became extinct from this island (as well as from Mallorca) as a result of the introduction of carnivorous mammals, which has continued since Roman times. The relict mutualism between D. rodriguezii and the lizard currently persists only in an islet (60 ha) where P. lilfordi is still abundant. We hypothesized that the absence of this lizard from most Menorcan populations is the factor causing the regression of this plant, currently considered at risk of extinction. Through observation and experimentation in the field and laboratory, we found strong evidence that a lack of seed dispersal in Menorca is the main cause of the low seedling recruitment. First, the population with greatest seedling recruitment was that in the islet where lizards were abundant. Second, lizards appeared to be the only dispersers of D. rodriguezii. Lizards consumed large amounts of fruits, without affecting either germination or seedling growth, and moved seeds to sites suitable for plant establishment. Seedlings in Menorca, in contrast, recruited almost exclusively under the parent plants. Third, the effect of other factors that may influence plant population growth (a low fruit set and a high postdispersal seed predation) was similar between the islet and the Menorcan populations. To our knowledge, our results are the first that quantitatively show that a biological invasion can cause a disruption of a specialized plant‐vertebrate mutualism that sets the plant partner on the road to extinction.
Conservation of Vascular Epiphyte Diversity in Mexican Coffee Plantations
Authors: HIETZ PETER
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  Coffee plantations have replaced many lower‐montane forests in the Neotropics, and ongoing intensification is converting traditional polycultures with a variety of shade trees to plantations with no or monospecific shade trees. To evaluate the impact of coffee cultivation on epiphyte diversity, I surveyed vascular epiphytes on shade trees in nine different coffee plantations and compared records with those in four natural forests in central Veracruz, Mexico. Eighty‐nine species occurred in coffee plantations, and 104 species occurred in natural forests. The number of epiphytic species in traditional polycultures with old shade trees, mostly of the genus Inga, was similar to that in forests, but plantations with small trees and sparse shade hosted fewer epiphytes than those with large trees. Epiphyte communities were, however, more homogeneous in coffee plantations than in forests, possibly because of a drier microclimate and the lack of large and long‐lived trees. These results demonstrate the value of traditional polycultures for epiphyte diversity, show the importance of conserving large shade trees, and suggest that these coffee systems may not be suitable for all epiphytes.
The Global Village: Linkages between International Coffee Markets and Grazing by Livestock in a South Indian Wildlife Reserve
Authors: MADHUSUDAN M. D.
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  India's heritage of natural habitats and wild species is under growing threat from its biomass‐dependent rural peoples and its consumeristic urban economy. As the mainstay of its wildlife conservation effort, then, India's wildlife reserves continue to face a range of extractive uses. The Indian conservation/development discourse has, however, drawn a distinction between traditional subsistence use and modern commercial use of natural resources in wildlife reserves. It has also been suggested that subsistence use must be accommodated within Indian wildlife reserves because it caters exclusively to local consumption for livelihood, whereas commercial use warrants greater restriction because it furthers profit‐based goals of distant interests. How valid is such a clear distinction between subsistence use and commercial use? I address this question using the village of Hangala on the boundary of Bandipur National Park in south India as a case study. Hangala's livestock were reared primarily for their inputs of dung and draft power into local agriculture, and customarily grazed in the forests of Bandipur. This practice qualified as subsistence use because all goods and services obtained from livestock grazing in Bandipur catered exclusively to village‐level consumption. In the last two decades, major upheavals in the global coffee markets dramatically boosted profit margins of coffee growers in the hill districts abutting Bandipur. The profits enabled coffee growers to afford expansions of their resource catchment for dung, an important farm manure in short supply in the coffee districts. When this demand reached Hangala, it resulted in large‐scale export of dung, which transformed it from locally produced and locally consumed manure for village agriculture to a high‐value organic fertilizer for commercial export to coffee plantations. Following the dung export, livestock numbers in the region increased, aggravating grazing pressures on the forests. This case study thus challenges politically correct notions that subsistence use is distinguishable from and preferable to commercial use in the context of protected‐area management in India.
Benefits of Conservation of Plant Genetic Diversity to Arthropod Diversity
Authors: BANGERT RANDY K. , TUREK RICHARD J. , MARTINSEN GREGORY D. , WIMP GINA M. , BAILEY JOSEPH K. , WHITHAM THOMAS G.
Published: March 2005

Abstract: We argue that the genetic diversity of a dominant plant is important to the associated dependent community because dependent species such as herbivores are restricted to a subset of genotypes in the host‐plant population. For plants that function as habitat, we predicted that greater genetic diversity in the plant population would be associated with greater diversity in the dependent arthropod community. Using naturally hybridizing cottonwoods ( Populusspp.) in western North America as a model system, we tested the general hypothesis that arthropod alpha (within cross‐type richness) and beta (among cross‐type composition) diversities are correlated with cottonwood cross types from local to regional scales. In common garden experiments and field surveys, leaf‐modifying arthropod richness was significantly greater on either the F1(1.54 times) or backcross (1.46 times) hybrid cross types than on the pure broadleaf cross type ( P. deltoidesMarshallorP. fremontiiWatson). Composition was significantly different among three cross types of cottonwoods at all scales. Within a river system, cottonwood hybrid zones had 1.49 times greater richness than the broadleaf zone, and community composition was significantly different between each parental zone and the hybrid zone, demonstrating a hierarchical concentration of diversity. Overall, the habitats with the highest cottonwood cross‐type diversity also had the highest arthropod diversity. These data show that the genetics of habitat is an important conservation concept and should be a component of conservation theory.
Verifying an Extinction Debt among Lichens and Fungi in Northern Swedish Boreal Forests
Authors: BERGLUND HÅKAN , JONSSON BENGT GUNNAR
Published: March 2005

Abstract: Destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats results in small species populations that face increased risk of extinction. A time delay may be involved in the regional extinction of species, and the number of species that eventually may go extinct in the future is called the “extinction debt.” In boreal Sweden, we examined whether the number of epiphytic crustose lichens and wood‐inhabiting fungi in old‐growth forest remnants diverges from species richness levels in forest patches that have been naturally isolated for millennia. An excess of species in forest remnants could indicate the presence of an extinction debt. Observed species richness in 32 old‐growth forest remnants (also called woodland key habitats [WKHs]) was compared with predicted species richness. To predict species richness we used regression models based on data from 46 isolated old‐growth forest patches in a forest‐wetland matrix. The reference landscape is ancient and assumed to reflect the conditions of insular floras in dynamic equilibrium. Stand factors constituted predictive variables in the models. The observed number of lichen species was higher than expected (i.e., an extinction debt among lichens may exist). By contrast, there was no significant difference between observed and expected species richness among wood‐inhabiting fungi. The species richness of wood‐inhabiting fungi has adjusted to the changes in forest and landscape structure more rapidly than the species richness of lichens. Differences in substrate dynamics between epiphytes on living trees and species growing on decaying logs might explain the difference between species groups. The results also indicate that population densities of red‐listed species were low, which may result in continuing extinctions of red‐listed species. The importance of WKHs might be overvalued because species may be lost if conservation efforts consider only protection and preservation of WKHs.