bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accelerated influx of dendritic cells into the lymph nodes draining skin sites exposed to attenuated cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni in guinea‐pigs
Authors: SATO H. , KAMIYA H.
Published: April 2007

We compared temporal changes in the cell composition of the skin‐draining lymph nodes (SLN) in guinea‐pigs exposed percutaneously to normal or attenuated cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni. Different populations were analysed by flow cytometry of double‐stained cells by monoclonal antibodies to the major histocompatibility complex class II molecule and lymph node cells of guinea‐pigs. Exposure to S. mansoni caused a marked increase in the proportion of B cells and dendritic cells (DC) on day 2, reaching a peak number on day 4. These changes were comparable in both infected and vaccinated animals exposed to normal or attenuated parasites, respectively. Total number of DC, however, showed different kinetics; in infected animals, the number peaked on day 2 and then gradually declined, whereas it reached a higher peak on day 4 in vaccinated animal. Daily injection of bromo‐deoxyuridine after exposure to the parasite reduced the total number of DC in the SLN on day 4. A reduction in DC counts in the contralateral side SLN was also evident in vaccinated animals. Our results indicate that a significant number of newly formed DC are recruited to the skin by 4th day of vaccination, followed by increased efflux to the SLN. It is possible that retention of attenuated S. mansoni in the skin may cause accelerated recruitment of newly formed DC from the bone marrow, and facilitate transport and processing of antigens highly expressed on attenuated parasites.
Efferent connections of the ventral auditory area in the rat cortex: implications for auditory processing related to emotion
Authors: Kimura A. , Donishi T. , Okamoto K. , Imbe H. , Tamai Y.
Published: April 2007

In the rat auditory cortex, ventral (VA) and posterodorsal (PD) areas are the two major auditory fields that receive thalamic afferents from the dorsal division of the medial geniculate body (MGD). VA and PD are presumed to serve distinct functions in tandem as the pair of major cortical recipients of extralemniscal thalamic inputs. To deduce the functional significance of VA, efferent connections of VA were examined with the anterograde tracer biocytin. VA lies primarily in the ventral margin of area Te1 and represents frequencies primarily < 15 kHz [Donishi, T., Kimura, A., Okamoto, K. & Tamai, Y. (2006) Neuroscience, 141, 1553–1567.] Biocytin was iontophoretically injected into cortical regions which were defined as VA based on histological location, auditory response and thalamocortical connectivity. Anterograde labelling revealed two important aspects of cortical projections. First, VA sent a projection to a well‐confined region in the caudal end of the insular cortex (Ins) pivotal for fear memory formation during aversive conditioning. Second, VA sent parallel projections to cortical regions that probably comprise the other nonprimary auditory fields, including PD. The results suggest that VA relays auditory input from the MGD to the Ins for affective memory formation and at the same time dispatches the auditory signal, which may represent emotional content, to the remaining nonprimary auditory fields. PD is assumed to play a pivotal role in auditory spatial processing for directed attention (Kimura et al., 2004). As the counterpart of PD, VA is assumed to give rise to another major stream of cortical information processing, most probably related to emotion.
Acute retinal ganglion cell injury caused by intraocular pressure spikes is mediated by endogenous extracellular ATP
Authors: Resta Valentina , Novelli Elena , Vozzi Giovanni , Scarpa Cristiano , Caleo Matteo , Ahluwalia Arti , Solini Anna , Santini Eleonora , Parisi Vincenzo , Di Virgilio Francesco , Galli‐Resta Lucia
Published: April 2007

Elevated intraocular pressure may lead to retinal ganglion cell injury and consequent visual deficits. Chronic intraocular pressure increase is a major risk factor for glaucoma, a leading blinding disease, and permanent visual deficits can also occur following acute pressure increments due to trauma, acute glaucoma or refractive surgery. How pressure affects retinal neurons is not firmly established. Mechanical damage at the optic nerve head, reduced blood supply, inflammation and cytotoxic factors have all been called into play. Reasoning that the analysis of retinal neurons soon after pressure elevation would provide useful cues, we imaged individual ganglion cells in isolated rat retinas before and after short hydrostatic pressure increments. We found that slowly rising pressure to peaks observed in trauma, acute glaucoma or refractive surgery (50–90 mmHg) did not damage ganglion cells, whereas a rapid 1 min pulse to 50 mmHg injured 30% of these cells within 1 h. The severity of damage and the number of affected cells increased with stronger or repeated insults. Degrading extracellular ATP or blocking the P2X receptors for ATP prevented acute pressure‐induced damage in ganglion cells. Similar effects were observed in vivo. A short intraocular pressure transient increased extracellular ATP levels in the eye fluids and damaged ganglion cells within 1 h. Reducing extracellular ATP in the eye prevented damage to ganglion cells and accelerated recovery of their response to light. These data show that rapid pressure transients induce acute ganglion cell injury and unveil the causal role of extracellular ATP elevation in such injury.
Distinct types of ionic modulation of GABA actions in pyramidal cells and interneurons during electrical induction of hippocampal seizure‐like network activity
Authors: Fujiwara‐Tsukamoto Yoko , Isomura Yoshikazu , Imanishi Michiko , Fukai Tomoki , Takada Masahiko
Published: April 2007

It has recently been shown that electrical stimulation in normal extracellular fluid induces seizure‐like afterdischarge activity that is always preceded by GABA‐dependent slow depolarization. These afterdischarge responses are synchronous among mature hippocampal neurons and driven by excitatory GABAergic input. However, the differences in the mechanisms whereby the GABAergic signals in pyramidal cells and interneurons are transiently converted from hyperpolarizing to depolarizing (and even excitatory) have remained unclear. To clarify the network mechanisms underlying this rapid GABA conversion that induces afterdischarges, we examined the temporal changes in GABAergic responses in pyramidal cells and/or interneurons of the rat hippocampal CA1 area in vitro. The extents of slow depolarization and GABA conversion were much larger in the pyramidal cell group than in any group of interneurons. Besides GABAA receptor activation, neuronal excitation by ionotropic glutamate receptors enhanced GABA conversion in the pyramidal cells and consequent induction of afterdischarge. The slow depolarization was confirmed to consist of two distinct phases; an early phase that depended primarily on GABAA‐mediated postsynaptic Cl– accumulation, and a late phase that depended on extracellular K+ accumulation, both of which were enhanced by glutamatergic neuron excitation. Moreover, extracellular K+ accumulation augmented each oscillatory response of the afterdischarge, probably by further Cl– accumulation through K+‐coupled Cl– transporters. Our findings suggest that the GABA reversal potential may be elevated above their spike threshold predominantly in the pyramidal cells by biphasic Cl– intrusion during the slow depolarization in GABA‐ and glutamate‐dependent fashion, leading to the initiation of seizure‐like epileptiform activity.
Has Globalisation Really had no Effect on Unions?
Authors: Dreher Axel , Gaston Noel
Published: April 2007

For a number of OECD countries, the deterioration of labour market outcomes for less‐skilled workers since the early 1980s has coincided with a steady decline in union membership. Globalisation is commonly believed to have contributed to both developments. However, recent studies fail to find support for the presumption that globalisation adversely affects unions. Revisiting this issue by using a novel globalisation index we find that globalisation has indeed contributed to deunionisation. In delving further into the issue, we find that it is social integration, rather than economic or political integration, that has been the main contributor to the decline in union membership.
Estimating the Institutional and Network Effects of Religious Cultures on International Trade
Authors: Lewer Joshua J. , Van den Berg Hendrik
Published: April 2007

As a social institution, religion directly influences economic behavior, including trade. Religious culture also impacts trade indirectly because it is part of a society's overall culture, which in turn influences many other formal and informal institutions that also directly influence economic activity. Finally, religious cultures support trade networks. Applying panel data for 84 countries for the years 1995–2000 to an augmented gravity model that distinguishes between the direct institutional, indirect institutional, and network effects of religious cultures, we find that only three of the world's eight major religious cultures directly stimulate international trade. However, the majority of the religious cultures seem to indirectly increase trade through their influence on societies' other institutions, and six of the eight major religions have network effects that increase trade.
Wearing Illkarash: Narratives of Image, Identity and Change among Maasai Labour Migrants in Tanzania
Authors: May Ann , Ikayo Francis Ndipapa Ole
Published: April 2007

Tanzania Maasai began large‐scale urban labour migration in the mid‐1990s, impelled by livestock losses from disease, drought and land alienation. Although they were readily hired in cities as night watchmen and security guards, many urban citizens expressed condescending views of the migrants, typifying them as ‘unmodern’, and as curious young warriors who were lazy, naive, drunk and dirty. Interviews with about 200 Maasai proved these discursive characterizations to be largely incorrect. Although the State has tried over the last century to ‘develop’ and settle semi‐nomadic pastoralists, the Maasai image is widely used as part of an instrumentalist agenda, to advertise items from telephones to tourism. Lacking political or social capital, the migrants manipulate and reinforce Maasai identity by continuing to wear traditional garments (illkarash), and by engaging in practices that emphasize their difference from the ‘WaSwahili’, bolster cohesion and solidarity among themselves, and increase their chances of urban employment.
The Tyranny of the Serial: Popular Geopolitics, the Nation, and Comic Book Discourse
Authors: Dittmer Jason
Published: April 2007

Abstract: This paper seeks to theorize the structuring of geopolitical worldviews and attitudes by the comic book medium and by serial popular culture more broadly. Evidence of the use of comic books to promote specific discourses by geopolitical actors is presented, and the conventions that govern the limits of comic book narration are outlined. Among the conventions of production discussed are the role of “continuity” as a structuring force and the serial nature of most comic books. The impact of these conventions is viewed through an examination of Watchmen and Captain America comic books. Both series revolve around issues of political legitimacy and the structuring of geopolitical space, but do so in different ways. This leads to insight connecting seriality with the concept of the nation itself. Finally, a theorization of the limits to comic book and other serialized discourse is outlined, and its ultimately conservative political outcome is described as endemic to the genre.
“Love, Peace and Nato”: Imperial Subject‐Making in Central Europe
Authors: Kuus Merje
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  This paper uses NATO enlargement to examine the processes through which political subjects are made. Starting from the observation that the world's most powerful military alliance is increasingly framed not in terms of military defence, but in terms of democracy, freedom, and “European values”, the paper analyzes how this process works, and with what effects. It shows how NATO is, on the one hand, being made so common‐sense as to be boring—below political debate—while, on the other, being made existential and essential—above debate. The effect is a kind of banal militarism: an unremarkable assumption that the military apparatus is ethically grounded and capable for achieving peace. By showing how this assumption is produced and maintained, the paper highlights a key mechanism in the militarization of political life.
The design of an analogical encoding tool for game‐based virtual learning environments
Authors: Williams Douglas , Ma Yuxin , Feist Steven , Richard Charles E. , Prejean Louise
Published: April 2007

Game‐based virtual learning environments have the potential to provide opportunities for engagement in authentic contexts while completing authentic tasks such as problem solving. However, research in problem‐based learning indicates that scaffolding should be provided for learners to benefit from such learning environments. This paper describes the design of an anagogical encoding tool, a computer‐based scaffold, in a game‐based virtual learning environment. Research on analogical encoding suggests that teaching students to compare cases side‐by‐side to draw out the underlying principles improves knowledge acquisition and transfer. Analogical encoding aids students in attending to the deep underlying structures (ie, principles) of cases, thereby reducing the potential distraction of surface features. This paper intends to translate laboratory research findings on analogical encoding to a scaffolding tool in a game‐based virtual learning environment.
Digital game‐based learning once removed: Teaching teachers
Authors: Becker Katrin
Published: April 2007

In the spring of 2005, the author designed and taught a graduate‐level course on digital game‐based learning primarily for teachers. Teachers cannot be expected to embrace digital games as a tool for learning unless they have a sound understanding of the potential as well as the limitations, and are confident in their ability to use games effectively to enhance learning. The course was designed as an introduction to digital games and gaming for instruction and learning. In it, students explored the theories, the possibilities, considerations and constraints related to the design of instructional games, and the use of learning and commercial entertainment games in classroom and out‐of‐class settings. The design of the course, along with the rationales, will be outlined and participant reaction will be profiled. Suggestions for future course designs are described, as well as key elements crucial for teacher preparation. Ultimately, the success of digital games as a medium for learning depends to a large extent on the abilities of new and practicing teachers to take full advantage of this medium.
Protection and Exchange Rates in a Small Open Economy
Authors: Chipman John S.
Published: April 2007

In a small‐open‐economy model with two tradables and one nontradable, if a price index of these three goods is stabilized and the exchange rate is flexible, conditions are obtained in the cases of two and of three or more factors for an export subsidy or an import tariff to result in currency appreciation. In the case of three or more factors, conditions are obtained under which either an export‐subsidy or an import‐tariff policy (or a combination) can take the place of a flexible exchange rate in accommodating the necessary resource allocation to an exogenous capital outflow, generalizing Keynes’s 1931 proposition.
Status‐Seeking, Catching‐Up, and Comparative Statics in a Dynamic Heckscher–Ohlin Model
Authors: Hu Yunfang , Shimomura Koji
Published: April 2007

This paper examines a two‐country dynamic general equilibrium model with status‐seeking agents. We show that the introduction of status‐seeking behavior brings about new properties in equilibrium dynamics. While there exists a continuum of steady states in the standard dynamic models, the present framework demonstrates that, under some conditions, there uniquely exists an incompletely specialized steady state, which is locally saddle‐point stable. Therefore, catching‐up and overtaking phenomena seen in economic development can be explained, and comparative statics analysis also is made possible. Our comparative statics analysis illustrates, for example, that trade pattern is determined in the Heckscher–Ohlin manner; the patient country acts just like a capital abundant one to export the capital‐intensive good. Furthermore, as distinct from the existing literature, the present study shows that the existence of an incompletely specialized steady state can be ensured even if the two countries conduct different policies.
Endogenous Trade Policies in a Developing Economy
Authors: Hung Nguyen Manh , Quyen Nguyen Van
Published: April 2007

This paper examines the formation of trade policy for a small open developing economy where lobbying activities may be carried out to influence policy‐making decisions. The paper presents a three‐sector economy in which the manufacturing sector can lobby policymakers for favorable policies. Under some plausible conditions, it is demonstrated that lobbying activities carried out by the owners of the specific factor in the manufacturing sector would secure a protectionist trade policy through either an import tariff or an export subsidy. The government also imposes a consumption tax on agricultural products, which further strengthens the protectionist measure applied to the manufacturing sector. In general equilibrium, there will be a movement of labor to the manufacturing sector, an output expansion in the manufacturing sector, and an output contraction in the agricultural sector, exactly as suggested by factual evidence.
Tariff Revenue Competition in a Free Trade Area: The Case of Asymmetric Large Countries
Authors: Furusawa Taiji , Jinji Naoto
Published: April 2007

The striking result has been shown by Richardson that tariff revenue competition between two symmetric member countries of a free trade area (FTA) results in complete elimination of external tariffs if there exists a pure‐strategy Nash equilibrium at all. Richardson also conjectures without building a model that if member countries are asymmetric in market size, there exists a pure‐strategy Nash equilibrium in which both countries set positive external tariffs. We explicitly extend his tariff competition model into the case of asymmetric FTA member countries, and confirm his conjecture. We also show that there exists a mixed‐strategy Nash equilibrium in the case of symmetric countries.
How Effective are Emissions Taxes in an Open Economy?
Authors: Ishikawa Jota , Kuroda Tomohiro
Published: April 2007

This paper compares emissions taxes with other taxes from the viewpoint of emissions reduction in an open economy. Using a simple monopoly model, we show that emissions taxes may not be very effective to protect the environment because of the spillover effects between markets stemming from non‐constant marginal costs and transboundary externalities. Other taxes such as production taxes and tariffs are more effective under certain conditions. Thus, an easy application of emissions taxes should be discreet in the open economy framework.
Moral Hazards, Bankruptcy Costs, and International Financial Capital Mobility*
Authors: Banerji Sanjay , Van Long Ngo
Published: April 2007

Using a model with moral hazard and bankruptcy costs, we show that the direction of intertemporal trade between countries depends on differences in their autarkic distributions of wealth. We also examine the consequences of redistribution policies and bail‐out policies in this framework. We show that, in the presence of bankruptcy cost and capital market imperfections due to moral hazard, the very rich and the very poor do not undertake any risk and choose to be passive lenders. Only individuals whose wealth lies within an intermediate range choose to become entrepreneurs. Redistributive policies influence the supply of entrepreneurship and autarkic interest rates.
A New Dynamic Trade Model of Increasing Returns and Monopolistic Competition
Authors: Kikuchi Toru , Shimomura Koji
Published: April 2007

This paper formulates a two‐country by two‐factor by two‐good dynamic Chamberlin–Heckscher–Ohlin model of international trade with endogenous time preferences. After proving the existence, uniqueness and local saddle‐point stability of the steady state, we examine the relationship between initial factor endowment and trade patterns in the steady state. It will be shown that (i) given that the representative household in each country supplies an equal amount of labor, only intra‐industry trade occurs in the steady state and (ii) other things being equal, the country with higher labor efficiency becomes the net exporter of the labor‐intensive good.
Quasi‐Competitive Cournot Oligopoly with Product Differentiation and Symmetric Firms
Authors: Okuguchi Koji
Published: April 2007

Since Vives (1984), Cheng (1985) and Okuguchi (1987), the equilibria in Bertrand and Cournot oligopolies with product differentiation have been known to differ. Okuguchi (2005) has shown that Bertrand price‐adjusting oligopoly with product differentiation and symmetric firms is quasi‐competitive but not perfectly competitive in the limit state of infinite number of firms. This paper formulates and analyzes two types of Cournot output‐adjusting oligopoly with product differentiation and symmetric firms, in one of which symmetric firms producing the same goods are assumed to collude, and in the other, collusion is ruled out. The limit states are shown to be different in two oligopolies but they are both quasi‐competitive.
Endogenous Timing in a Strategic Trade Policy Game: A Two‐Country Oligopoly Model with Multiple Firms
Authors: Supasri Yordying , Tawada Makoto
Published: April 2007

This paper examines strategic trade policy games where the number of firms in the importing and exporting countries differs and all firms play as Cournot oligopolies. Under the assumption of linear demand and constant marginal cost, we show that, if the number of firms in the exporting country exceeds that in the importing country by more than three, the government of the exporting country chooses to move as a leader, imposing an export tax on firms. The government of the importing country then becomes a follower and imposes an import tariff. This lies contrary to the previous study, which assumed that there is only one firm in each country.
Seven‐up facilitates insect counter‐defense by suppressing cathepsin B expression
Authors: Ahn Ji‐Eun , Guarino Linda A. , Zhu‐Salzman Keyan
Published: April 2007

When challenged by the dietary soybean cysteine protease inhibitor scN, the cowpea bruchid (Callosobruchus maculatus) adapts to the inhibitory effects by readjusting the transcriptome of its digestive system, including the specific activation of a cathepsin B‐like cysteine protease CmCatB. To understand the transcriptional regulation of CmCatB, we cloned a portion of its promoter and demonstrated its activity in Drosophila cells using a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter system. EMSAs detected differential DNA‐binding activity between nuclear extracts of scN‐adapted and ‐unadapted midguts. Two tandem chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter (COUP) elements were identified in the CmCatB promoter that specifically interacted with a protein factor unique to nuclear extracts of unadapted insect guts, where CmCatB expression was repressed. Seven‐up (Svp) is a COUP‐TF‐related transcription factor that interacted with the COUP responsive element. Polyclonal anti‐(mosquito Svp) serum abolished the specific DNA‐binding activity in cowpea bruchid midgut extracts, suggesting that the protein factor is an Svp homolog. Subsequent cloning of a cowpea bruchid Svp (CmSvp) indicated that it shares a high degree of amino acid sequence similarity with COUP‐TF/Svp orphan nuclear receptor family members from varied species. The protein was more abundant in scN‐unadapted insect guts than scN‐adapted guts, consistent with the observed DNA‐binding activity. Furthermore, CmCatB expression was repressed when CmSvp was transiently expressed in Drosophila cells, most likely through COUP binding. These findings indicate that CmSvp may contribute to insect counter‐defense, in part by inhibiting CmCatB expression under normal growth conditions, but releasing the inhibition when insects are challenged by dietary protease inhibitors.
New regionalism in five Swiss metropolitan areas: An assessment of inclusiveness, deliberation and democratic accountability
Authors: KÜBLER DANIEL , SCHWAB BRIGITTE
Published: April 2007

Abstract.  Focusing on area‐wide policy coordination in metropolitan areas, this article examines the democratic consequences of the supposed shift ‘from government to governance’. In the first, theoretical, part it draws upon the debate on old and new routes towards regionalism in order to identify four different types of metropolitan governance. It then develops two working hypotheses – an optimistic and a pessimistic one – in order to analyse the implications of various types of metropolitan governance on inclusiveness, modes of decision making and democratic accountability. In the second part, these hypotheses are tested on the basis of comparative case studies on twenty schemes of area‐wide policy coordination in five Swiss metropolitan areas in the fields of water supply, public transport, social services for drug users and cultural amenities. The results suggest that ‘governance’ is superior to ‘government’ in terms of inclusiveness, that it cannot be seen as significantly linked to the fostering of deliberative decision making, and that it can present serious flaws in terms of accountability. It is noted, however, that a shift ‘from government to governance’ does not intrinsically imply democratic drawbacks. Contextual factors play a strong conditioning role.
Major findings and paths for research: A concluding note
Authors: PAPADOPOULOS YANNIS , WARIN PHILIPPE
Published: April 2007

Abstract. In this concluding note, the editors of this special issue first produce a synthesis of the findings of the empirical cases. Regarding delegation problems in the participatory devices under scrutiny, the conclusions are contrasting, and the outcome depends very much on the institutional design of each procedure, and on the kind of skills that are necessary to participate. Regarding the quality of deliberations, moderately positive conclusions are reached as a rule. With respect to the efficiency of these mechanisms, the results are much more limited: their decisional impact is weak, with the exception of the most elitist mechanisms, and the procedures under scrutiny did not seem to have any lasting integrative or ‘educative’ effects on the participants. Also, the situation with respect to transparency is problematic: there is no link between the degree of formalisation and influence on decisions, and most mechanisms are weakly publicised. In the end, the editors underline shifts in legitimacy principles induced by these procedures and sketch some paths for future research that should include a survey of the interplay between these procedures, the representative framework at large and other kinds of shifts in policy making.
State interventions and natural resource management: A study on social interfaces in a riverine fisheries setting in Kerala, India
Authors: Sunil D. Santha
Published: April 2007

This article attempts to analyse the social interface between formal institutions and local fishing communities along the Pamba‐Achankovil River Basin in Kerala, India. It examines primarily the nature of the relationship between state agencies and traditional fishing communities in the context of (i) enforcing certain formal regulations of resource use and (ii) implementing resource enhancement programmes. The article also analyses the nature of social interfaces that emerge when local level formal organizations, such as cooperatives and gram panchayats, take up resource management or community welfare schemes on behalf of the traditional fisherfolk in the study region. Social interfaces can be understood in terms of social processes, such as cooperation, accommodation and conflicts between various actors involved in fisheries management. The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork. Interview guides and focus group discussions were the primary tools of data collection. The findings show that the relationships between formal institutions and traditional riverine fishing communities lack mutual trust. Conflicts between fishing communities and state agencies emerge when the formal institutions threaten or contradict those elements of local culture that sustain livelihood needs. Conflicts and discontent with a particular formal institution can also lead to the modification or violation of coexisting institutional arrangements.
A systematic integrated approach for crafting poverty reduction and sustainable development projects
Authors: Downs Timothy J.
Published: April 2007

Poverty reduction and sustainable development programmes lack a systematic, integrated approach that serves to frame issues, simplify complexity and guide action. Responding to five common challenges yields such an approach: 1) How diverse groups can work together effectively, mitigating power inequities and corruption; 2) How to prioritize problems more objectively; 3) How to build sufficient contextual understanding of problems; 4) How to compare alternative solutions for relative sustainability; and 5) How to build sufficient societal capacity to sustain solutions. The approach weaves together five strands: Social learning theory and participatory methods to build collaboration; Vulnerability theory to prioritize problems; Systems thinking to understand context; Sustainability assessment to compare alternative solutions; and integrated capacity building to sustain the preferred solution: SVSSC for short. Existing projects often fail to recognize several of these strands and synergy is not exploited, undermining progress. Globally, the approach seeks to strengthen Agenda 21 and Millennium Project plans that are prescriptive. The literature foundation is complemented by case study applications: urban industrial poverty and health risks in Massachusetts, USA (design and implementation using SVSSC); malaria in the Lake Victoria Region, East Africa (framing and design); and watershed stress in Central Mexico (framing and design). The SVSSC model can strengthen governance, can be scaled up or down, applied across different sectors, tailored to existing contexts yet remain adaptive to change.
The Use of Alternative Medicine in Pediatric Patients with Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Hughes R. , Ward D. , Tobin A. M. , Keegan K. , Kirby B.
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  Alternative medicine has been defined as forms of therapy or examination that have no scientific basis and for which no effective or diagnostic reliability has been demonstrated by scientific methods. The use of complementary or alternative medicine is increasing and controlled clinical trials on the subject are few. We performed a questionnaire‐based study of 80 pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis. This questionnaire assessed the duration of treatment, the reason(s) for trying alternative therapy, the approximate cost and the success of the treatment, the duration of the childhood eczema, and whether the child had ever required hospital admission for eczema. Of the total, 34 (42.5%) patients had used alternative medicine. Herbal remedies and homeopathy were used most often. Most treatments were reported to show no benefit and in three instances deterioration was reported. This study has prompted us to enquire routinely regarding alternative medicine use. Alternative therapies are subject to minimal regulation and have been associated with serious side effects. We would recommend enquiries regarding alternative medicine use in all pediatric dermatology patients.
Eruptive Post‐Chemotherapy In Situ Melanomas and Dysplastic Nevi
Authors: Reutter Jason C. , Long Erin M. , Morrell Dean S. , Thomas Nancy E. , Groben Pamela A.
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  A 22‐year‐old white man without a personal or family history of atypical nevi had received chemotherapy for pre‐B‐cell acute lymphocytic leukemia at age 17 that included l‐asparaginase, prednisone, methotrexate, mercaptopurine, daunorubicin, and cytoxan. Two to three months after completing maintenance chemotherapy, the patient reports he developed many moles, which remained stable for approximately 2 years.

Upon examination, two dark, atypical appearing plaques with irregular borders and numerous pink papules of varying shapes and sizes were noted on his chest, back, and abdomen. Histology of specimens of both types of lesions revealed three moderately atypical compound dysplastic melanocytic nevi and three in situ melanomas. The lesions with only features of dysplastic nevi exhibited dermal fibrosis, cytologic atypia, junctional shoulders, lentiginous spread, and focal pigmentation. The lesions with in situ melanomas in addition demonstrated pagetoid spread, extension down adnexal structures, and more severe cytologic atypia.

Malignant melanoma has been associated with chronic immunosuppression, and benign nevi have been reported to erupt after chemotherapy. We report an occurrence of multiple eruptive dysplastic nevi and in situ melanomas appearing shortly after completion of chemotherapy.
Dermatomyositis with a Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris‐like Eruption: An Uncommon Cutaneous Manifestation in Dermatomyositis
Authors: Polat Muhterem , Lenk Nurdan , Üstün Hüseyin , Öztaş Pınar , Artüz Ferda , Allı Nuran
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  A pityriasis rubra pilaris‐like eruption has been described in patients with dermatomyositis. We describe an 11‐year‐old girl with dermatomyositis who had additional clinical findings of pityriasis rubra pilaris. Over a year, she developed muscle weakness, increasing fatigue, and a markedly elevated creatinine kinase level in addition to her cutaneous eruption and was seen in our clinic for these complaints. A year earlier, when a generalized, scaly erythematous eruption had appeared, she had been diagnosed as pityriasis rubra pilaris clinically and histopathologically. Dermatologic examination found scaling erythematous plaques involving the trunk and upper and lower extremities. Islands of unaffected skin were intermingled with erythematous plaques that were characteristic of pityriasis rubra pilaris. A skin biopsy specimen showed the findings of dermatomyositis and that diagnosis was made. The laboratory findings, electromyographic pattern, and muscle biopsy were also consistent with dermatomyositis. Her presentation is interesting, as she had been diagnosed as pityriasis rubra pilaris both clinically and histopathologically 1 year earlier and, although the cutaneous lesions had not changed, a diagnosis of dermatomyositis was made a year later.
Widespread Porokeratotic Eccrine Ostial and Dermal Duct Nevus Along Blaschko Lines
Authors: Cambiaghi Stefano , Gianotti Raffaele , Caputo Ruggero
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  Porokeratotic eccrine ostial and dermal duct nevus is a congenital hamartoma of possible eccrine origin with no malignant potential. It is usually localized at the extremity of a single limb, while wider systematized distribution has rarely been documented. A child with an unusually widespread nevus following Blaschko lines is reported. The disorder had a striking presentation in the form of a systematized linear epidermal nevus composed of multiple tiny filiform keratotic spines, which histologically corresponded to columns of porokeratosis. Serial histopathologic sections of a 4‐mm punch biopsy specimen barely demonstrated an anatomic relationship between the porokeratotic columns and the underlying acrosyringeal duct. This report provides further evidence of porokeratotic eccrine ostial and dermal duct nevus being distributed along Blaschko lines, thus confirming it is a peculiar epidermal nevus due to a mosaic cutaneous condition.
Collagenase Application for Amputation in a Preterm
Authors: ERDEVE OMER , ATASAY BEGUM , ARSAN SAADET
Published: April 2007

Letters to the Editor are welcomed for publication (subject to editing). Letters must be signed by all authors, typewritten double spaced, and must not exceed two pages of text including references. Two copies of all letters should be submitted along with one copy on disk. Letters should not duplicate material submitted or published in other journals. Prepublication proofs will not be provided.
MRI Evaluation of Local Myocardial Treatments: Epicardial Versus Endocardial (Cell‐Fix Catheter) Injections
Authors: CHACHQUES JUAN C. , AZARINE ARSHID , MOUSSEAUX ELIE , EL SERAFI MOHAMED , CORTES‐MORICHETTI MIGUEL , CARPENTIER ALAIN F.
Published: April 2007

Aims:
We compared two procedures for local myocardial treatment: transepicardial versus transendocardial catheter injection. Transepicardial injections were performed under direct surgical visualization whereas transendocardial injections were performed using electrophysiological guidance.

Methods:
A left ventricle (LV) myocardial infarction (MI) was surgically created in 14 sheep. At 3 months, gadolinium was injected IV followed by the injection of super paramagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) into MI. Animals were divided in two groups: transepicardial injection (Group I) versus transendocardial (Group II) using “Cell‐Fix” catheter injection. This catheter was developed to identify by electrophysiology the infarcted area and to stabilize injections suctioning the device to the endocardium. Postgadolinium delayed‐enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to stain the infarct size. SPIO injections were used to assess the magnitude of the treated area. The ratio between SPIO black stained treatment areas and white gadolinium stained infarcted areas was calculated using MRI.

Results:
The electrophysiological recordings by the catheter for the MI versus normal LV wall were: R wave amplitude 4.16 versus 12.08 mV (P = 0.003), slew rate (slope of the signal) 0.36 V/s versus 1.04 V/s (P = 0.008). The ratio of the SPIO diffusion into the MI was 41.2 ± 8.1% for surgical and 63.7 ± 8.2% for percutaneous endocardial injections (P = 0.0132).

Conclusion:
MRI allows evaluation of the extent of local myocardial treatments. The differences shown between epicardial and endocardial injections concerning the distribution of SPIO can be justified by the methodology of injection and by a more precise MI detection by electrophysiology. In conclusion, electrophysiological recordings to guide injections is superior to direct surgical visualization in terms of injecting into infarcted tissue.
Effects of narrowband UV‐B on pharmacodynamic markers of response to therapy: an immunohistochemical study over sequential samples
Authors: Carrascosa Jose‐Manuel , Tapia Gustavo , Bielsa Isabel , Fuente Maria‐Jose , Ferrandiz Carlos
Published: April 2007

Background:  To evaluate the effects of narrow‐band UV‐B (NBUVB) on the immunohistochemical markers of cellular and cytokine activation as well as of abnormal epidermal differentiation and proliferation – pharmacodynamic markers of response to therapy (PMT)– in psoriatic lesions.

Methods:  Clinical assessments and immunohistological staining of formalin‐fixed paraffin sections of biopsies from psoriatic skin were done at baseline and at the end of the treatment period.

Results:  Ten patients with chronic plaque‐type psoriasis were included. After treatment with NBUVB, the total number of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was reduced by an average of 86.6%, 86% and 85% in the epidermis and 70.3%, 70% and 62% in the dermis, respectively. Only the decrease in the number of epidermal CD4+ cells was statistically related with long‐lasting remissions. The mean reduction in the expression of keratinocyte proliferation markers after NBUVB was 62%, 68% and 81% for Ki‐67, cyclin A and cyclin B, respectively. Expression of suprabasal keratin 16 and filaggrin was almost normalized in most cases. All patients in whom expression of keratin16 remained after finishing UV‐B therapy had an early relapse.

Conclusions:  NBUVB is associated with changes in PMT close to those seen after remittive therapies. The normalization of immunohistochemical parameters of differentiation and the reduction/depletion in epidermal CD4+ cells was the most important markers of long‐lasting remissions.
A Vocabulary of Motives: Understanding How Parents Define Quality Time
Authors: Snyder Karrie Ann
Published: April 2007

Although discussions of parenting refer to quality time, parents’ views of quality time have not been explored. Using the Sloan 500 Family Study, this article examines how 220 parents from 110 dual‐parent families define the spending quality time with their families and finds 3 distinct views: Structured‐planning parents saw it as planned family activities, child‐centered parents emphasized heart‐to‐heart talks with their children, and time‐intensive parents believed that all the time they spent with their families was quality time. Mothers and fathers both valued quality time, but, particularly when parents within a household disagreed, mothers more often described having a more active parenting role and assumed greater responsibility for quality time, reflecting a gendered division of parenting within the home.
Parental Beliefs About Nonresident Fathers’ Obligations and Rights
Authors: Lin I‐Fen , McLanahan Sara S.
Published: April 2007

We examine whether parents rely on principles of equity or equality in making judgments about nonresident fathers’ obligations and rights. The data are taken from the first wave of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The analysis sample includes 4,304 new mothers and 3,414 new fathers. Results indicate that fathers perceive obligations and rights as independent concerns (equality principle), whereas mothers see obligations and rights as linked (equity principle). The findings raise questions about previous claims that women favor equality principles, whereas men favor equity principles. They also underscore the importance of considering gender differences in perceptions of fathers’ rights and obligations in designing effective child support and visitation policies.
Early‐Onset Alcohol Use Among Native American Youth: Examining Female Caretaker Influence
Authors: Walls Melissa L. , Whitbeck Les B. , Hoyt Dan R. , Johnson Kurt D.
Published: April 2007

This article investigates the influence of female caretaker substance use on early‐onset youth drinking among Native American families in the Northern Midwest. Data include 603 Native American families, with reports from female caretakers and youths aged 10 – 13 years. Two potential caretaker influences are taken into account: adolescent modeling of caretaker behaviors and the effects of caretaker substance abuse on parenting. Results of bivariate and path analysis provide support for the influence of caretaker substance use on adolescent drinking from both perspectives; these effects vary, however, depending on the type or degree of adult substance use, or both.
Site‐directed mutagenesis of the active site loop of the rhodanese‐like domain of the human molybdopterin synthase sulfurase MOCS3
Authors: Krepinsky Karsten , Leimkühler Silke
Published: April 2007

Sequence alignments of human molybdopterin synthase sulfurase, MOCS3, showed that the N‐terminal domain is homologous to Escherichia coli MoeB, whereas the C‐terminal domain is homologous to rhodanese‐like proteins. Previous studies showed that the activity of the separately purified rhodanese‐like domain of MOCS3 displayed 1000‐fold lower activity in comparison to bovine rhodanese with thiosulfate as sulfur source. When the six amino acid active site loop of MOCS3 rhodanese‐like domain was exchanged with the loop found in bovine rhodanese, thiosulfate:cyanide sulfurtransferase activity was increased 165‐fold. Site‐directed mutagenesis of each individual residue of the active site loop of the MOCS3 rhodanese‐like domain showed that the charge of the last amino acid determines thiosulfate sulfurtransferase activity. Replacing Asp417 by threonine resulted in 90‐fold increased activity, whereas replacing it by arginine increased the activity 470‐fold. Using a fully defined in vitro system containing precursor Z, MOCS2A, E. coli MoaE, E. coli MoeB, Mg‐ATP, MOCS3 rhodanese‐like domain, and thiosulfate, it was shown that sulfur transfer to MOCS2A was also affected by the alterations, but not as drastically. Our studies revealed that in humans and most eukaryotes thiosulfate is not the physiologic sulfur donor for MOCS3, whereas in bacterial homologs, which have an arginine at the last position of the active site loop, thiosulfate can be used as a sulfur source for molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis. The phylogenetic analysis of MoeB homologs showed that eukaryotic homologs are of bacterial origin. Furthermore, it could be shown that an MoeB homolog named MoeZ, where the dual CXXC zinc‐binding motif of the MoeB domain is not present, arose independently several times during evolution.
The intrinsic structure of glucose transporter isoforms Glut1 and Glut3 regulates their differential distribution to detergent‐resistant membrane domains in nonpolarized mammalian cells
Authors: Sakyo Tomoko , Naraba Hiroaki , Teraoka Hirobumi , Kitagawa Takayuki
Published: April 2007

The hexose transporter family, which mediates facilitated uptake in mammalian cells, consists of more than 10 members containing 12 membrane‐spanning segments with a single N‐glycosylation site. We previously demonstrated that glucose transporter 1 is organized into a raft‐like detergent‐resistant membrane domain but that glucose transporter 3 distributes to fluid membrane domains in nonpolarized mammalian cells. In this study, we further examined the structural basis responsible for the distribution by using a series of chimeric constructs. Glucose transporter 1 and glucose transporter 3 with a FLAG‐tagged N‐terminus were expressed in detergent‐resistant membranes and non‐detergent‐resistant membranes of CHO‐K1 cells, respectively. Replacement of either the C‐terminal or N‐terminal cytosolic portion of FLAG‐tagged glucose transporter 1 and glucose transporter 3 did not affect the membrane distribution. However, a critical sorting signal may exist within the N‐terminal half of the isoforms without affecting transport activity and its inhibition by cytochalasin B. Further shortening of these regions altered the critical distribution, suggesting that a large proportion or several parts of the intrinsic structure, including the N‐terminus of each isoform, are involved in the regulation.
Organizational Systems Questionnaire (OSQ) Validity Study
Authors: Billings James C. , Kimball Thomas G. , Shumway Sterling T. , Korinek Alan W.
Published: April 2007

Marriage and family therapists (MFTs), who are trained in systems theory and consult with complex and difficult systems (e.g., couples and families), are uniquely suited to both assess and intervene in broader organizational systems. However, MFTs are in need of more systemically designed assessment tools to guide and inform their interventions with organizational systems. This study examined the construct and concurrent validity of the Organizational Systems Questionnaire (OSQ). The OSQ is designed to use a systemic framework to measure the construct of organizational functioning. Participants were simultaneously administered the Abridged Job Description Index, Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, Stress in General, and Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire scales along with the OSQ. The OSQ demonstrated good construct validity, factor analysis indicates it is measuring one global factor of organizational functioning, reliability was strong (α = .91), and it showed high levels of internal consistency. The OSQ also demonstrated positive concurrent validity with acceptable levels of correlation with the other organizational measures. Overall, the OSQ was found to be a useful and psychometrically sound single‐factor measure of organizational functioning.