bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Requirement for 100% oxygen before and after closed suction
Authors: Demir Fatma , Dramali Alev
Published: July 2005

Aim. This paper reports an experimental study to determine whether giving 100% oxygen for 1 minute before and after closed suctioning is required.

Background. Some studies suggest that patients receiving closed suction do not require preoxygenation to minimize desaturation.

Methods. The study was conducted in 2002, with 30 patients receiving mechanical ventilation who had various positive end‐expiratory levels. Two suctioning methods were used for each patient: one involving administration of 100% oxygen for 1 minute before and after suctioning and the other without hyperoxygenation. Samples of arterial blood gases were taken before and after suctioning. Heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation and mean arterial pressure measures were documented before, immediately after, 30 and 60 seconds after suctioning.

Results. Levels of partial oxygen pressure, arterial oxygen saturation and mean arterial pressure were significantly higher in patients who received 100% oxygen for 1 minute before and after suction, whereas partial carbon dioxide pressure and heart rate were similar in the two groups.

Conclusions. In patients who did not receive 100% oxygen before and after closed suctioning, no significant falls in partial oxygen pressure and oxygen saturation were seen. A small number of patients were hypoxaemic before suctioning, and giving 100% oxygen might be deleterious for this category.
Frequency and effect of optimal anticoagulation before onset of ischaemic stroke in patients with known atrial fibrillation
Authors: INDREDAVIK B. , ROHWEDER G. , LYDERSEN S.
Published: July 2005

Background.  The aims of the study were (i) to examine which antithrombotic therapy patients with known atrial fibrillation use at the point of time when they suffer an ischaemic stroke, (ii) to evaluate the effects of optimal antithrombotic treatment on outcome and severity of the stroke.

Methods.  Patients with known atrial fibrillation before onset of acute ischaemic stroke, and age >60 years were included. Antithrombotic therapy on admission was classified into four groups: no antithrombotic therapy, aspirin, sub‐optimal anticoagulation (warfarin and international normalized ratio, INR < 2.0) and optimal anticoagulation (warfarin and INR ≥ 2.0). Primary outcome: modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 5 or 6 at day 7 poststroke. Secondary outcomes: (i) death or discharge to a nursing home, (ii) death, (iii) stroke severity on admission assessed by Scandinavian Stroke Scale.

Results.  A total of 394 patients were included. On admission 109 (28%) patients used no antithrombotic therapy, 169 (43%) aspirin, 52 (13%) warfarin and had an INR < 2.0, and 64 (16%) used warfarin and had an INR ≥ 2.0. The proportion of patients with an mRS 5 or 6 and the corresponding odds ratios were: in the warfarin group with INR < 2.0, 16 (31%), OR 3.1 (CI: 1.2–8.0), (P = 0.019), in the group with no antithrombotic therapy 29 (27%), 2.5 (1.1–5.9), (P = 0.034), and in the aspirin group 41(24%), 2.2 (1.0–5.1) (P = 0.054), compared with the warfarin group with INR ≥ 2.0, where eight (13%) patients had a poor outcome. A significantly higher proportion of patients died or were discharged to a nursing home in the warfarin group with an INR < 2.0 (P = 0.014), in the aspirin group (P = 0.018) and in the no‐treatment group (P = 0.035), compared with the warfarin group with an INR ≥ 2.0. No significant differences were found regarding death alone and stroke severity on admission.

Discussion.  Few patients with known atrial fibrillation who suffer an ischaemic stroke receive optimal antithrombotic therapy prior to the onset of stroke. Optimal anticoagulation does not only reduce the risk of ischaemic stroke, but also appears to reduce death and severe dependency as well as the need for nursing home care, if an ischaemic stroke occurs.
Clinical characterization of breakthrough bacteraemia: a survey of 392 episodes
Authors: LÓPEZ DUPLA M. , MARTINEZ J. A. , VIDAL F. , ALMELA M. , LÓPEZ J. , MARCO F. , SORIANO A. , RICHART C. , MENSA J.
Published: July 2005

Background.  Few data are available on the clinical features of patients who develop breakthrough bacteraemia, understood as positive blood cultures despite appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Objectives.  To determine the clinical significance and outcome of a large series of breakthrough bacteraemia.

Design.  Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database.

Setting.  Two university‐affiliated hospitals in Catalonia, Spain.

Subjects.  A total of 392 individuals who suffered an episode of breakthrough bacteraemia recorded between 1997 and 2002.

Interventions.  Demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, origin of infection, sources of infection, microorganisms isolated, McCabe and Jackson prognostic criteria, and mortality were analysed.

Results.  Breakthrough bacteraemia was detected in 392 of 6324 (6.1%) episodes of bacteraemia. Eighty per cent of episodes were nosocomial. The most frequent source of infection in breakthrough bacteraemia was endovascular (70%). Coagulase‐negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most significant microorganisms involved. Nosocomial acquisition together with selected sources (central venous catheter, endocarditis and other endovascular foci), underlying conditions (neutropenia, polytraumatism, allogenic bone marrow and kidney transplantation), and particular microbial aetiologies (S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and polymicrobial) were independently associated with increased risk for developing breakthrough bacteraemia. Crude mortality rate was greater in patients with breakthrough bacteraemia (16% vs. 12.3%; P < 0.05), and this condition was an independent predictor of death (OR 1.4, 95% CI, 1–1.9; P = 0.04).

Conclusions.  In view of a case of breakthrough bacteraemia it is mandatory to search for an endovascular focus. Empiric treatment should be directed to cover S. aureus, coagulase‐negative staphylococci and nonfermentative Gram‐negative bacilli. Breakthrough bacteraemia is an independent predictor of death.
Prognostic role of C‐reactive protein in very old patients with acute ischaemic stroke
Authors: MASOTTI L. , CECCARELLI E. , FORCONI S. , CAPPELLI R.
Published: July 2005

Background and scope.  Recent literature has demonstrated that inflammation contributes to all phases of atherosclerosis and brain damage caused by stroke. In acute phase of cerebrovascular diseases biochemical markers of inflammation, such as C‐reactive protein (CRP), could represent an indicator of severity of stroke, but few studies have verified this hypothesis, especially in very old patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of CRP on short‐ and long‐term prognosis in 75‐year old and over elderly patients with acute ischaemic stroke.

Materials and methods.  We retrospectively evaluated CRP values (nephelometric method), performed within 12 h from hospital admission, in 196 elderly patients (124 females and 72 males with mean age ± SD 83.32 ± 10.46 years), discharged with diagnosis of acute ischaemic stroke, 68 of them with atherothrombotic large vessel stroke, 38 with lacunar stroke and 90 with cardioembolic stroke. We studied the relationship between CRP values and short‐term prognosis [30‐day mortality, length of hospitalization (LOS) and physical disability measured by modified Rankin scale and long‐term prognosis (12‐month mortality and re‐hospitalization)].

Results.  Mean values of CRP were significantly higher in patients with cardioembolic stroke compared with atherothrombotic large vessel and lacunar stroke, in patients who died in the first 30 days from the acute event compared with survivors. LOS and physical disability score rose with increasing values of CRP for all subtypes of stroke. Higher CRP values were associated with the 12‐month re‐hospitalization for cerebrovascular events, whereas it did not influence the 12‐month cumulative re‐hospitalization and 12‐month mortality.

Conclusions.  Elevation of CRP values at hospital admission could represent a negative prognostic index in elderly patients with ischaemic stroke, in particular, for short‐term prognosis.
Carbimazole induced eosinophilic granulomatous vasculitis localized to the stomach
Authors: SÈVE P. , STANKOVIC K. , MICHALET V. , VIAL T. , SCOAZEC J.‐Y. , BROUSSOLLE C.
Published: July 2005

Vasculitis associated with anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies has been reported in patients treated with anti‐thyroid drugs and especially propylthiouracil. We report here a case of granulomatous eosinophilic vasculitis mimicking gastric neoplasm and peripheral eosinophilia in a 27‐year‐old man who was treated with carbimazole for 5 months for Graves’ disease. Clinical and morphologic features resolved within 2 months after stopping the drug, suggesting a causative role for the drug. To our knowledge, this is the first biopsy‐proven granulomatous eosinophilic vasculitis associated with this drug.
Nicotinic acid: the broad‐spectrum lipid drug. A 50th anniversary review
Authors: CARLSON L. A.
Published: July 2005

Nicotinic acid has, like the Roman God Janus, two faces. One is the vitamin. The other is the broad‐spectrum lipid drug. The Canadian pathologist Rudolf Altschul discovered 50 years ago that nicotinic acid in gram doses lowered plasma levels of cholesterol. From the point of view of treatment of the dyslipidaemias that are risk factors for clinical atherosclerosis nicotinic acid is a miracle drug. It lowers the levels of all atherogenic lipoproteins – VLDL and LDL with subclasses as well as Lp(a) – and in addition it raises more than any other drug the levels of the protective HDL lipoproteins. Trials have shown that treatment with nicotinic acid reduces progression of atherosclerosis, and clinical events and mortality from coronary heart disease. The new combination treatment with statin‐lowering LDL and nicotinic acid‐raising HDL is reviewed. A basic effect of nicotinic acid is the inhibition of fat‐mobilizing lipolysis in adipose tissue leading to a lowering of plasma free fatty acids, which has many metabolic implications which are reviewed. The very recent discovery of a nicotinic acid receptor and the finding that the drug stimulates the expression of the ABCA 1 membrane cholesterol transporter have paved the way for exciting and promising new 50 years in the history of nicotinic acid.
Increased risk of hyperthyroidism among patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder
Authors: Thomsen Anders F , Kessing Lars V
Published: July 2005

Objectives:  Hyperthyroidism has been associated with affective disorder in many cross‐sectional studies, but longitudinal studies in this connection are scarce. We assessed whether hospitalization with depressive disorder or bipolar disorder was a risk factor for development of hyperthyroidism.

Methods:  We conducted a historical cohort study using the Danish register data. The observational period was 1977–99. Three study cohorts were identified: all patients with a first hospital admission with resulting index discharge diagnoses of depression, bipolar disorder, or osteoarthritis. The risks of subsequently being readmitted with a resulting discharge diagnosis of hyperthyroidism were estimated in survival analyses.

Results:  A study sample of 133 570 patients discharged with an index diagnosis was identified. Exactly 610 patients were later readmitted following diagnoses of hyperthyroidism. Patients with depressive disorder did not have an increased risk of hyperthyroidism, whereas patients with bipolar disorder had an increased of risk on the margin of statistical significance, when compared to patients with osteoarthritis. Patients with bipolar disorder had a significantly increased risk of hyperthyroidism when compared to patients with depression.

Limitations:  The results apply only to hospitalized patients. Diagnoses are not validated for research purposes.

Conclusion:  Patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder tend to be at greater risk of readmission with hyperthyroidism than suitable control patients.
Clinical correlates and significance of separation anxiety in patients with bipolar disorder
Authors: Pini Stefano , Abelli Marianna , Mauri Mauro , Muti Matteo , Iazzetta Paolo , Banti Susanna , Cassano Giovanni B
Published: July 2005

Objectives:  To evaluate frequency and severity of separation anxiety (SA) symptoms, as well as frequency of DSM‐IV diagnosis of childhood separation anxiety disorder (CSAD) and adult separation anxiety disorder (ASAD), in a group of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) when compared with patients with panic disorder (PD) or major depression (MDD) and to a control group of healthy individuals (HC).

Methods:  Outpatients with, respectively, bipolar I disorder (BD), PD, MDD and a group of individuals with no psychiatric diagnoses (HC) were assessed for diagnosis by the SCID‐I and for SA by the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (SCI‐SAS), the Separation Anxiety Symptoms Inventory (SASI) and the Adult Separation Anxiety Checklist (ASA‐CL).

Results:  Thirty‐one patients with BD without comorbid PD (BD‐PD), 22 with BD with comorbid PD (BD + PD), 24 with PD, 20 with MDD and 15 HC were included in the analyses. As to childhood SA, the BD‐PD group had higher scores than PD group and HC. The BD + PD group had higher scores than the PD group, MDD group and HC. As to adulthood SA, the BD‐PD group had higher scores than HC on both SCI‐SAS and Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA‐27). The BD + PD had higher scores on both scales than BD‐PD, PD group, MDD group and HC. The PD group and MDD group had higher scores than HC on the ASA‐27. Adult SA symptoms were significantly associated with an earlier age at onset of BD.

Conclusions:  This is the first study, to our knowledge, exploring the frequency and severity of SA symptoms during childhood and adulthood in a sample of bipolar patients in comparison to subjects with other anxiety and mood disorders. Our data appear to be preliminary grounds for investigating further the possibility that SA may deserve greater recognition in adults with BD.
Functional mu opioid receptors are expressed in cholinergic interneurons of the rat dorsal striatum: territorial specificity and diurnal variation
Authors: Jabourian Maritza , Venance Laurent , Bourgoin Sylvie , Ozon Sylvie , Pérez Sylvie , Godeheu Gérard , Glowinski Jacques , Kemel Marie‐Louise
Published: July 2005

Striatal cholinergic interneurons play a crucial role in the control of movement as well as in motivational and learning aspects of behaviour. Neuropeptides regulate striatal cholinergic transmission and particularly activation of mu opioid receptor (MOR) inhibits acetylcholine (ACh) release in the dorsal striatum. In the present study we investigated whether this cholinergic transmission could be modulated by an enkephalin/MOR direct process. We show that mRNA and protein of MORs are expressed by cholinergic interneurons in the limbic/prefrontal territory but not by those in the sensorimotor territory of the dorsal striatum. These MORs are functional because potassium‐evoked release of ACh from striatal synaptosomes was dose‐dependently reduced by a selective MOR agonist, this effect being suppressed by a MOR antagonist. The MOR regulation of cholinergic interneurons presented a diurnal variation. (i) The percentage of cholinergic interneurons containing MORs that was 32% at the beginning of the light period (morning) increased to 80% in the afternoon. (ii) The MOR‐mediated inhibition of synaptosomal ACh release was higher in the afternoon than in the morning. (iii) While preproenkephalin mRNA levels remained stable, enkephalin tissue content was the lowest (−32%) in the afternoon when the spontaneous (+35%) and the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate‐evoked (+140%) releases of enkephalin (from microsuperfused slices) were the highest. Therefore, by acting on MORs present on cholinergic interneurons, endogenously released enkephalin reduces ACh release. This direct enkephalin/MOR regulation of cholinergic transmission that operates only in the limbic/prefrontal territory of the dorsal striatum might contribute to information processing in fronto‐cortico‐basal ganglia circuits.
RARβ isoform‐specific regulation of DARPP‐32 gene expression: an ectopic expression study in the developing rat telencephalon
Authors: Liao Wen‐Lin , Liu Fu‐Chin
Published: July 2005

Dopamine and adenosine 3′:5′‐monophosphate‐regulated phosphoprotein (DARPP‐32) is a key molecule for dopamine neurotransmission. The molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of DARPP‐32 in the developing brain remains elusive. Previous studies have shown that retinoids are capable of inducing DARPP‐32 in striatal cell culture, suggesting that retinoids are candidate molecules for controlling DARPP‐32 expression. In the present study, we first studied the expression profiles of retinoid receptors and their associated co‐factors in the developing rat telencephalon by RT‐PCR. The results showed that among the retinoid receptors, RARβ and RXRγ were nearly selectively expressed in the developing striatum. By contrast, the retinoid receptors associated transcriptional co‐factors, including the co‐repressors of N‐CoR and SMRT, and the co‐activators of SRC‐1 and P/CAF, were ubiquitously expressed in the developing telencephalon. In light of the previous findings that DARPP‐32 was inducible by retinoids in striatal culture, but not in cortical culture, we hypothesized that the striatum‐selective RARβ and RXRγ may mediate DARPP‐32 induction by retinoids. To test this hypothesis, we used the gain‐of‐function approach to ectopically express RARβ and RXRγ in the developing cerebral cortex that lacked these two retinoid receptors. Ectopic expression of RARβ1, but not RXRγ1, up‐regulated DARPP‐32 in the cortical explant culture. Notably, DARPP‐32 was up‐regulated only by the RARβ1 isoform, but not by other RARβ isoforms. Our study suggests that RARβ signaling may regulate DARPP‐32 gene expression by an isoform‐specific mechanism in developing telencephalic neurons. The molecular diversity of RARβ isoforms may underlie parts of the complex gene regulation by retinoids during neural development.
Slaughterhouse Rules: Animal Uniformity and Regulating for Food Safety in Meat Packing
Authors: Hennessy David A.
Published: July 2005

Meat retailers express demand for a more uniform product, and technical innovations are allowing an increasingly uniform supply. Packers can promote uniformity through pre‐slaughter sorting, or earlier through contracts. Emphasizing effort on the packing line, we develop a model whereby packers gain from carcass handling efficiencies when animal uniformity increases. Whether optimally regulated or not, equilibrium food safety declines with increased uniformity. A line speed regulation can increase welfare in the presence of food safety externalities by reducing the opportunity cost of allocating effort toward promoting food safety. The regulation also reduces packer demand for more uniform animals.
On Solving the Multirotational Timber Harvesting Problem with Stochastic Prices: A Linear Complementarity Formulation
Authors: Insley Margaret , Rollins Kimberly
Published: July 2005

This article develops a two‐factor real options model of the harvesting decision over infinite rotations assuming a known stochastic price process and using a rigorous Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman methodology. The harvesting problem is formulated as a linear complementarity problem that is solved numerically using a fully implicit finite difference method. This approach is contrasted with the Markov decision process models commonly used in the literature. The model is used to estimate the value of a representative stand in Ontario's boreal forest, both when there is complete flexibility regarding harvesting time and when regulations dictate the harvesting date.
Forms of Scale Curves and Differential Inverse Demand Systems
Authors: Matsuda Toshinobu
Published: July 2005

This article provides a new interpretation of the scale effects in differential inverse demand systems. A scale curve is defined as a curve that shows how the expenditure share of a good or service changes as the consumption level changes. It is shown that Brown, Lee, and Seale's synthetic model has the same scale effects as do the Box‐Cox scale curves. In this light, their model is not a mere composite but a model in its own right. An empirical illustration given for Japanese fresh food demand suggests that the underlying scale curves differ from both linear and loglinear forms.
An Ecological Analysis of After‐School Program Participation and the Development of Academic Performance and Motivational Attributes for Disadvantaged Children
Authors: Mahoney Joseph L. , Lord Heather , Carryl Erica
Published: July 2005

This longitudinal study evaluated after‐school program (ASP) participation and the development of academic performance (school grades, reading achievement) and teacher‐rated motivational attributes (expectancy of success, effectance motivation) over a school year. Participants were 599 boys and girls (6.3 to 10.6 years) from an urban, disadvantaged city in the United States. An ecological analysis of after‐school arrangements identified 4 patterns of care: ASP care, parent care, combined parent/self‐sibling care, and combined other‐adult/self‐sibling care. Aspects of academic performance and motivational attributes were significantly higher (p<.05) at the end of the school year for children in ASP care compared with those in the 3 alternative patterns of care. Differences were marked for children rated as highly engaged in ASP activities.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Sex‐Typed Behavior During the Preschool Years
Authors: Iervolino Alessandra C. , Hines Melissa , Golombok Susan E. , Rust John , Plomin Robert
Published: July 2005

The genetic and environmental etiologies of sex‐typed behavior were examined during the preschool years in a sample of 3,990 three‐ to four‐year‐old twin and nontwin sibling pairs. Results showed moderate genetic and significant shared environmental influence for boys and substantial genetic and moderate shared environmental influence for girls. For both boys and girls, twin‐specific shared environmental effects contributed to twins' similarity in gender role behavior and accounted for approximately 22% of the shared environmental variance. These findings extend previous research conducted with older samples by showing not only important genetic contributions to gender role behavior but also an important role for shared environment. The inclusion of nontwin siblings showed that some of the shared environmental influence is specific to twins.
Gender Differences in Developmental Links Among Antisocial Behavior, Friends' Antisocial Behavior, and Peer Rejection in Childhood: Results From Two Cultures
Authors: Van Lier Pol A. C. , Vitaro Frank , Wanner Brigitte , Vuijk Patricia , Crijnen Alfons A. M.
Published: July 2005

This study addressed gender differences in the developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection. High and increasing, moderate, and low antisocial developmental trajectories were identified among 289 Dutch children, ages 7 to 10, and 445 French‐Canadian children, ages 9 to 12. Only boys followed the high trajectory. These boys had more deviant friends and were more often rejected than other children. A minority of girls followed the moderate antisocial behavior trajectory. These girls had fewer deviant friends than moderate antisocial boys, but moderate antisocial boys and girls were equally likely to be rejected. The influence of friends and poor peer relations plays a crucial but different role in the development of antisocial behavior among boys and girls.
How Do Parents Learn About Adolescents' Experiences? Implications for Parental Knowledge and Adolescent Risky Behavior
Authors: Crouter Ann C. , Bumpus Matthew F. , Davis Kelly D. , McHale Susan M.
Published: July 2005

Cluster analysis was used to identify groups defined by the patterning of fathers' and mothers' sources of knowledge about adolescents' experiences in a sample of 179 families with adolescents (M=16.5 years). Three clusters emerged for fathers (relational, relies on spouse, relies on others) and mothers (relational, questioners, relies on others). Cluster membership was associated with socioeconomic status, work hours, personal characteristics, and parent–child relationship quality. Longitudinal path analyses revealed that knowledge sources predicted levels of knowledge, which in turn predicted risky behavior 1 year later, indirect paths that were more consistent for fathers than for mothers. Although direct associations between sources of knowledge and subsequent risky behavior were scant, when fathers relied on spouses, youth engaged in less risky behavior.
Adolescents Who Witness Community Violence: Can Parent Support and Prosocial Cognitions Protect Them From Committing Violence?
Authors: Brookmeyer Kathryn A. , Henrich Christopher C. , Schwab‐Stone Mary
Published: July 2005

This longitudinal study investigated the effects of witnessing violence on committing violence among diverse urban middle school students (11–15 years old) over a 1‐year period (N=1,599). It examined parent support and prosocial cognitions as moderators that might interact with one another in buffering adolescents from the effects of witnessing violence. The study also explored gender and ethnicity differences across these protective processes. According to the results, both average and high levels of parent support may offer male adolescents who witness violence protection against committing subsequent acts of violence. Adolescent females who witness violence appear to be uniquely protected from committing acts of violence if they have highly prosocial cognitions. Applications to resilience and competency models are discussed.
Examining Genetic and Environmental Effects on Social Aggression: A Study of 6‐Year‐Old Twins
Authors: Brendgen Mara , Dionne Ginette , Girard Alain , Boivin Michel , Vitaro Frank , Pérusse Daniel
Published: July 2005

Using a genetic design of 234 six‐year‐old twins, this study examined (a) the contribution of genes and environment to social versus physical aggression, and (b) whether the correlation between social and physical aggression can be explained by similar genetic or environmental factors or by a directional link between the phenotypes. For social aggression, substantial (shared and unique) environmental effects but only weak genetic effects were found. For physical aggression, significant effects of genes and unique environment were found. Bivariate modeling suggests that social and physical aggression share most of their underlying genes but only very few overlapping environmental factors. The correlation between the two phenotypes can also be explained by a directional effect from physical to social aggression.
The End of the Rollercoaster? Growth, Inequality and Poverty in Central Asia and the Caucasus
Authors: Falkingham Jane
Published: July 2005

This paper examines the impact of a decade of transition on living standards and welfare in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Following independence in 1991 all countries suffered a sharp decline in GDP per capita, with levels in some countries falling to below a quarter of the pre‐transition level. Since then, all countries have experienced positive economic growth. The key questions are whether this growth has been accompanied by declines in inequality and poverty and, if so, how sustainable are these improvements. There is some evidence that recent growth has benefited the poor. However, at the start of the new century, an estimated 39 million people in Central Asia and the Caucasus were living in poverty, of whom over 14 million were living in extreme poverty. Moreover, there is evidence of growing inequalities in terms of access to health and education services, with implications for future human development. Continuing poor governance within the region represents a major barrier to future poverty reduction.
Education and Social Policy in Central Asia: The Next Stage of the Transition
Authors: Anderson Kathryn H. , Heyneman Stephen P.
Published: July 2005

This paper discusses the challenges facing the education system of Central Asia and evaluates how these have been addressed in the market economy. We first review the evidence on the economic return to education and determine how the rewards to different levels of education changed during the transition. We then examine the trends in school enrolment and evaluate whether changes in supply or demand explain the enrolment trends we observe. Finally, we evaluate the efficiency of the delivery of education and whether market forces have improved the management of schools. We conclude with a summary of the economic and policy lessons derived thus far from the educational transition. The paper uses aggregate administrative data supplemented with survey data, primarily from the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan, on enrolment, completion, and expenditures.
Jobless or Working Poor in the Kyrgyz Labour Market: What Role for Social Policies?
Authors: Bernabè Sabine , Kolev Alexandre
Published: July 2005

This paper attempts to identify the multiple aspects of vulnerability in the Kyrgyz labour market. Particular attention is devoted to the working poor and precarious workers. This analysis is undertaken using the Kyrgyz Poverty Monitoring Survey, which is the only survey to date that allows a comprehensive analysis of poverty and labour market outcomes in the Kyrgyz Republic. The period under investigation covers the years 1997 to 1998, for which data are available. The results point to the extreme vulnerability of individuals with less education and women, who cumulated a high risk of being unemployed, of remaining longer in unemployment, of being discouraged unemployed and, if employed, of being low‐paid or working in precarious jobs. Other groups facing a high risk of exclusion, both from and within employment, were people with disabilities, individuals living in rural or depressed areas, young people and internal migrants. The multiple aspects of vulnerability in the Kyrgyz labour market, in particular the large overlap between work and poverty, have important implications for the design of effective social policies.
Targeting Social Assistance in a Transition Economy: The Mahallas in Uzbekistan
Authors: Micklewright John , Marnie Sheila
Published: July 2005

Falling output and living standards have pushed countries in transition from the socialist system to reconsider how best to target public resources on those in need. This paper investigates the workings of a new social assistance benefit in Uzbekistan, the largest of the former Soviet Central Asian republics, administered by community organizations, the Mahallas. Household survey data are used to assess the scheme's success in targeting on the most vulnerable households, using a variety of indicators including income, durable goods ownership, agricultural assets, employment status, and anthropometric status of children.
A simulation of the hydrothermal response to the Chesapeake Bay bolide impact
Authors: SANFORD W. E.
Published: July 2005

Groundwater more saline than seawater has been discovered in the tsunami breccia of the Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater. One hypothesis for the origin of this brine is that it may be a liquid residual following steam separation in a hydrothermal system that evolved following the impact. Initial scoping calculations have demonstrated that it is feasible such a residual brine could have remained in the crater for the 35 million years since impact. Numerical simulations have been conducted using the code HYDROTHERM to test whether or not conditions were suitable in the millennia following the impact for the development of a steam phase in the hydrothermal system. Hydraulic and thermal parameters were estimated for the bedrock underlying the crater and the tsunami breccia that fills the crater. Simulations at three different breccia permeabilities suggest that the type of hydrothermal system that might have developed would have been very sensitive to the permeability. A relatively low breccia permeability (1 × 10−16 m2) results in a system partitioned into a shallow water phase and a deeper superheated steam phase. A moderate breccia permeability (1 × 10−15 m2) results in a system with regionally extensive multiphase conditions. A relatively high breccia permeability (1 × 10−14 m2) results in a system dominated by warm‐water convection cells. The permeability of the crater breccia could have had any of these values at given depths and times during the hydrothermal system evolution as the sediments compacted. The simulations were not able to take into account transient permeability conditions, or equations of state that account for the salt content of seawater. Results suggest, however, that it is likely that steam conditions existed at some time in the system following impact, providing additional evidence that is consistent with a hydrothermal origin for the crater brine.
Constraining the rate and extent of mantle serpentinization from seismic and petrological data: implications for chemosynthesis and tectonic processes
Authors: SKELTON A. , WHITMARSH R. , ARGHE F. , CRILL P. , KOYI H.
Published: July 2005

We used seismic velocity as a proxy for serpentinization of the mantle, which occurred beneath thinned but laterally continuous continental crust during continental break up, prior to opening of the Atlantic Ocean. The serpentinized sub‐continental mantle is now exhumed, beneath the Iberia Abyssal Plain and was accessed by scientific drilling on Ocean Drilling Program legs 149 and 173. Chromatographic modelling of kinetically limited transport of the serpentinization front yields a front displacement of 2197 ± 89 m, a time‐integrated fluid flux of 1098 ± 45 m3 m−2 and a Damköhler number of 6.0 ± 0.2. Whether either surface reaction or chemical transport limit the rate of reaction, we calculate timescales for serpentinization of approximately 105–106 years. This yields time‐average fluid flux rates for H2O, entering and reacting with the mantle, of 60–600 mol m−2 a−1 and for CH4, produced as a by‐product of oxidation of Fe++ to magnetite and exiting the mantle, of 0.55–5.5 mol m−2 a−1. This equates to a CH4‐flux of 0.18–1.8 Tg a−1 for coeval serpentinization of the mantle that was exhumed west of Iberia. This represents 0.03–0.3% of the present‐day annual CH4‐flux from all sources and a higher fraction of pre‐anthropogenic (lower) CH4 levels. CH4 released by serpentinization at or beneath the seafloor could provide substrate for biological chemosynthesis and/or promote gas‐hydrate formation. Finally, noting its volumetric extent and rapidity (<106 years), we interpret serpentinization to be a reckonable component of tectonic processes, contributing both diapiric and expansional forces and helping to ‘lubricate’ extensional processes. Given its anisotropic permeability, actively deforming serpentinite might impede melt migration which may be of interest, given the apparent lack of melt in some rifted margins.
Pressure distribution in a reservoir affected by capillarity and hydrodynamic drive: Griffin Field, North West Shelf, Australia
Authors: UNDERSCHULTZ J.
Published: July 2005

The effects of capillarity in a multilayered reservoir with flow in the aquifer beneath have characteristic signatures on pressure–elevation plots. Such signatures are observed for the Griffin and Scindian/Chinook fields of the Carnarvon Basin North West Shelf of Australia. The Griffin and Scindian/Chinook fields have a highly permeable lower part to the reservoir, a less permeable upper part, and a low permeability top seal. In the Griffin Field there is a systematic tilt of the free‐water level in the direction of groundwater flow. Where the oil–water contact occurs in the less permeable part of the reservoir, it lies above the free‐water level due to capillarity. In addition to these observable hydrodynamic and capillary effects on hydrocarbon distribution, the multi‐well pressure analysis shows that the gas–oil contacts in the Scindian/Chinook fields occur at different elevations. For both the Griffin and Scindian/Chinook fields the oil pressure gradients from each well are non‐coincident despite continuous oil saturation, and the difference is not attributable to data error. Furthermore, the shift in oil pressure gradient has a geographical pattern seemingly linked to the hydrodynamics of the aquifer. The simplest explanation for all the observed pressure trends is an oil leg that is still in the process of equilibrating with the prevailing hydrodynamic regime.
Hydrothermal activity associated with the Ries impact event, Germany
Authors: OSINSKI G. R.
Published: July 2005

Combined field studies, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe studies of impactites from the Ries impact structure, Germany, have allowed a clearer picture of the hydrothermal system associated with the Ries impact event to be made. Hydrothermal alteration is concentrated within impact‐generated suevites in the interior of the crater (crater suevites) and around the periphery (surficial suevites), with minor alteration in the overlying sedimentary crater‐fill deposits. The major heat source for the Ries hydrothermal system was the suevite units themselves. Hydrothermal alteration of crater‐fill suevites is pervasive in nature and comprises several distinct alteration phases that vary with depth. An early phase of K‐metasomatism accompanied by minor albitization of crystalline basement clasts and minor chloritization, was followed by pervasive intermediate argillic alteration (predominantly montmorillonite, saponite, and illite) and zeolitization (predominantly analcite, erionite, and clinoptilolite). Hydrothermal fluids were typically weakly alkaline during the main stage of alteration. In contrast to the crater‐fill suevites, alteration within surficial suevites was typically restricted to montmorillonite and phillipsite deposition within cavities and fractures. The pervasive nature of the alteration within the crater‐fill suevites was likely due to the presence of an overlying crater lake; whereas alteration within surficial suevites typically occurred under undersaturated conditions with the main source of water being from precipitation. There are exceptional outcrops of more pervasively altered surficial suevites, which can be explained as locations where water pooled for longer periods of time. Hydrothermal fluids were likely a combination of meteoric waters that percolated down from the overlying crater lake and groundwaters that flowed in from the surrounding country rocks.
Fatty acid incorporation is decreased in astrocytes cultured from α‐synuclein gene‐ablated mice
Authors: Castagnet P. I. , Golovko M. Y. , Barceló‐Coblijn G. C. , Nussbaum R. L. , Murphy E. J.
Published: July 2005

Because α‐synuclein may function as a fatty acid binding protein, we measured fatty acid incorporation into astrocytes isolated from wild‐type and α‐synuclein gene‐ablated mice. α‐Synuclein deficiency decreased palmitic acid (16:0) incorporation 31% and arachidonic acid [20:4 (n‐6)] incorporation 39%, whereas 22:6 (n‐3) incorporation was unaffected. In neutral lipids, fatty acid targeting of 20:4 (n‐6) and 22:6 (n‐3) (docosahexaenoic acid) to the neutral lipid fraction was increased 1.7‐fold and 1.6‐fold, respectively, with an increase in each of the major neutral lipids. This was consistent with a 3.4‐ to 3.8‐fold increase in cholesteryl ester and triacylglycerol mass. In the phospholipid fraction, α‐synuclein deficiency decreased 16:0 esterification 39% and 20:4 (n‐6) esterification 43% and decreased the distribution of these fatty acids, including 22:6 (n‐3), into this lipid pool. α‐Synuclein gene‐ablation significantly decreased the trafficking of these fatty acids to phosphatidylinositol. This observation is consistent with changes in phospholipid fatty acid composition in the α‐synuclein‐deficient astrocytes, including decreased 22:6 (n‐3) content in the four major phospholipid classes. In summary, these studies demonstrate that α‐synuclein deficiency significantly disrupted astrocyte fatty acid uptake and trafficking, with a marked increase in fatty acid trafficking to cholesteryl esters and triacylglycerols and decreased trafficking to phospholipids, including phosphatidylinositol.
L3/Lhx8 is involved in the determination of cholinergic or GABAergic cell fate
Authors: Manabe T. , Tatsumi K. , Inoue M. , Matsuyoshi H. , Makinodan M. , Yokoyama S. , Wanaka A.
Published: July 2005

The LIM homeobox family of transcription factors is involved in many processes during the development of the mammalian central nerves system. L3, also called Lhx8 (L3/Lhx8), is a recently identified member of the LIM homeobox gene family and is selectively expressed in the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE). Our previous study demonstrated that L3/Lhx8‐null mice specifically lacked cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain. In this study, we reduced L3/Lhx8 function in the murine neuroblastoma cell line, Neuro2a (N2a), using L3/Lhx8‐targeted small interfering RNA (siRNA) produced by H1.2 promoter‐driven vector. The levels of cholinergic markers per cell were diminished without a reduction in the number of marker‐positive cells. Intriguingly, GABAergic marker expression and the number of GABAergic cells were dramatically increased in the differentiating L3/Lhx8‐knockdown N2a. These results suggest the possibility that L3/Lhx8 is involved in the determination of transmitter phenotypes (GABAergic or cholinergic cell fate) in a population of neurons during basal forebrain development.
Sox2 expression defines a heterogeneous population of neurosphere‐forming cells in the adult murine brain
Authors: Brazel Christine Y. , Limke Tobi L. , Osborne Jihan K. , Miura Takumi , Cai Jingli , Pevny Larysa , Rao Mahendra S.
Published: July 2005

The identification of neural stem cells (NSCs) in situ has been prevented by the inability to identify a marker consistently expressed in all adult NSCs and is thus generally accomplished using the in vitro neurosphere‐forming assay. The high‐mobility group transcription factor Sox2 is expressed in embryonic neural epithelial stem cells; because these cells are thought to give rise to the adult NSC population, we hypothesized that Sox2 may continue to be expressed in adult NSCs. Using Sox2:EGFP transgenic mice, we show that Sox2 is expressed in neurogenic regions along the rostral–caudal axis of the central nervous system throughout life. Furthermore, all neurospheres derived from these neurogenic regions express Sox2, suggesting that Sox2 is indeed expressed in adult NSCs. We demonstrate that NSCs are heterogeneous within the adult brain, with differing capacities for cell production. In vitro, all neurospheres express Sox2, but the expression of markers common to early progenitor cells within individual neurospheres varies; this heterogeneity of NSCs is mirrored in vivo. For example, both glial fibrillary acidic protein and NG2 are expressed within individual neurospheres, but their expression is mutually exclusive; likewise, these two markers show distinct staining patterns within the Sox2+ regions of the brain's neurogenic regions. Thus, we propose that the expression of Sox2 is a unifying characteristic of NSCs in the adult brain, but that not all NSCs maintain the ability to form all neural cell types in vivo.
Biological Consequences of Ecosystem Fragmentation: A Review
Authors: SAUNDERS DENIS A. , HOBBS RICHARD J. , MARGULES CHRIS R.
Published: July 2005

Abstract. Abstract Research on fragmented ecosystems has focused mostly on the biogeograpbic consequences of the creation of habitat “islands” of different sizes and has provided little of practical value to managers. However, ecosystem fragmentation causes large changes in the physical environment as well as biogeograpbic changes. Fragmentation generally results in a landscape that consists of remnant areas of native vegetation surrounded by a matrix of agricultural or other developed land. As a result fluxes of radiation, momentum (La, wind), water, and nutrients across the landscape are altered significantly. These in turn can have important influences on biota within remnant areas, especially at or near the edge between the remnant and the surrounding matrix. The isolation of remnant areas by clearing also has important consequences for the biota. These consequences vary with the time since isolation distance from other remnants, and degree of connectivity with other remnants. The influences of physical and biogeographic changes are modified by the size, shape, and position in the landscape of individual remnant, with larger remnants being less adversely affected by the fragmentation process. The Dynamics of remnant areas are predominantly driven by factors arising in the surrounding landscape. Management of, and research on, fragmented ecosystems should be directed at understanding and controlling these external influences as much as at the biota of the remnants themselves. There is a strong need to develop an integrated approach to landscape management that places conservation reserves in the context of the overall landscape
Inbreeding Depression in a Captive Wolf (Canis lupus) Population
Authors: LAIKRE LINDA , RYMAN NILS
Published: July 2005

Abstract. Uncertainty currently exists regarding the extent to which mammalian carnivores suffer from inbreeding depression. In particular, it has been proposed that wolves and species with a similar social structure are adapted to close inbreeding. Empirical data, however, are scarce. This paper provides strong evidence against the contention that natural populations of wolves are resistant to inbreeding depression. We analyzed studbook data of a captive wolf population bred in Scandinavian zoos and found negative effects of inbreeding expressed as reductions in juvenile weight, reproduction, and longevity. The occurrence of an apparently bereditary form of blindness is also associated with inbreeding. Different effects of inbreeding can be attributed to genes originating from different founder pairs, thus indicating that alleles that are deleterious in the homozygous state are fairly common in natural wolf populations.
Trilepidea adamsii: An Obituary for a Species
Authors: NORTON DAVID A.
Published: July 2005

Abstract.The factors leading to the presumed extinction of Trilepidea adamsii (Cheesem) Tiegh., an endemic New Zealand mistletoe, are discussed Although several factors are involved, including habitat loss, overcollecting, reduced seed dispersal, and browsing by the brush tailed possum (Tri‐chosurus vulpecula Kerr.), interactions among these factors appear to have been particularly important in this extincion. Possums, introduced from Australia last century, probably expanded too late to have had a major impact on Trilepidea adamsii except perhaps at the very end, but they do seriously jeopardize the long term survival of several other plant species in New Zealand. Trilepidea adamsii illustrates the range of factors, and their interactions, that can lead to the extinction of a species.