bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An exploration of evolved mental mechanisms for dominant and subordinate behaviour in relation to auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia and critical thoughts in depression
Authors: GILBERT P. , BIRCHWOOD M. , GILBERT J. , TROWER P. , HAY J. , MURRAY B. , MEADEN A. , OLSEN K. , MILES J. N. V.
Published: July 2002

Background. Mental mechanisms have evolved to enable animals (and humans) to be able to function in various social roles. It is suggested that the nature and functions of the mental mechanisms that enable animals to act as a hostile–dominant or threatened–subordinate can be distinguished. It is further suggested these can be internally activated and ‘play off’ against each other, such that a person ‘attacks’ themselves and then responds to their own internal attacks with subordinate defences. Hence, a depressed person can submit, feel defeated, belittled, beaten down, or want to run away (escape) from their own self-attacking thoughts, while psychotic voice hearers can feel similarly to their hostile voices. Such internal interactions may relate to depression in both psychotic voice hearers and depressed people.

Method. A group of 66 voice hearers with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and 50 depressed patients were compared on a series of self-report questionnaires measuring the power of hostile self-directed thoughts/voices and the activation of defensive responses, especially fight/flight.

Results. We present evidence that schizophrenic, malevolent voice hearers and self-critical depressed people experience their hostile, internally generated voices/thoughts as powerful, dominating and controlling (i.e. have typical characteristics of a hostile dominant). Moreover, these voices/thoughts activate evolved subordinate defences such as fight/flight and these are associated with depression in both depression and schizophrenia.

Conclusion. Conceptualizing aspects of depressed and psychotic thinking as relating to evolved mental mechanisms, which are role serving, but can internally play off against each other, may open new ways of investigating certain aspects of severe pathologies.
Risk factors and life processes associated with the
onset of suicidal behaviour during adolescence and
early adulthood
Authors: FERGUSSON D. M. , WOODWARD L. J. , HORWOOD L. J.
Published: July 2002

Background. This study examined associations between childhood circumstances, adolescent
mental health and life events, and the development of suicidal behaviour in young people aged
between 15 and 21 years.

Method. Data were gathered over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of
1265 children born in New Zealand. The measures collected included: (1) patterns of suicidal
behaviour (ideation, attempt) (15–21 years); (2) social background, family functioning, parental
and individual adjustment during childhood (0–16 years); and (3) time dynamics of mental health
and stressful life events during adolescence and early adulthood (15–21 years).

Results. By the age of 21 years, 28·8% of the sample reported having thought about killing
themselves and 7·5% reported having made a suicide attempt. The childhood profile of those at
greatest risk of suicidal behaviour was that of a young person reared in a family environment
characterized by socio-economic adversity, marital disruption, poor parent–child attachment and
exposure to sexual abuse, and who as a young adolescent showed high rates of neuroticism and
novelty seeking. With the exception of the socio-economic and personality measures, the effects of
childhood factors were largely mediated by mental health problems and exposure to stressful life
events during adolescence and early adulthood. Mental health problems including depression,
anxiety disorders, substance use disorder, and to some extent conduct disorder, in addition to
exposure to adverse life events, were significantly associated with the onset of suicidal behaviours.

Conclusions. Findings support a life course model of the aetiology of suicidal behaviour in which
risk of developing suicidal behaviour depends on accumulative exposure to a series of social, family,
personality and mental health factors.
Unemployment and suicide: a cohort analysis of
social factors predicting suicide in the US National
Longitudinal Mortality Study
Authors: KPOSOWA AUGUSTINE J.
Published: July 2002

Background. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of employment status measured
at baseline on the risk of suicide by years of follow-up, using a large nationally representative
sample of the US population.

Methods. Cox regression models were applied to data from the National Longitudinal Mortality
Study, based on the 1979–1989 follow-up. In estimating the effect of baseline employment status on
suicide, adjustments were made for baseline demographic and socio-economic variables.

Results. After 3 years of follow-up, unemployed men were a little over twice as likely to commit
suicide as their employed counterparts. Among men, the lower the socio-economic status, the higher
the suicide risk. Among women, in each year of follow-up, the unemployed had a much higher
suicide risk than the employed. After 9 years of follow-up unemployed women were over three times
more likely to kill themselves than their employed counterparts.

Conclusions. Unemployment is strongly related to suicide, but this relationship is more enduring
and stronger among women. For men, the unemployment effect is stronger at earlier years of
follow-up. In women, unemployment increases the risk of suicide regardless of the number of
follow-up years. The finding with regard to women disconfirms earlier research reports suggesting
that unemployment affects suicide only in men.
The epidemiology of autism: a review
Authors: FOMBONNE ERIC
Published: July 2002

Background. There is some uncertainty about the rate and correlates of autism.

Method. Twenty-three epidemiological surveys of autism published in the English language
between 1966 and 1998 were reviewed.

Results. Over 4 million subjects were surveyed; 1533 subjects with autism were identified. The
methodological characteristics of each study are summarized, including case definition, case-finding
procedures, participation rates and precision achieved. Across surveys, the median prevalence
estimate was 5·2/10000. Half the surveys had 95% confidence intervals consistent with population
estimates of 5·4–5·5/10000. Prevalence rates significantly increased with publication year, reflecting
changes in case definition and improved recognition; the median rate was 7·2/10000 for 11 surveys
conducted since 1989. The average male/female ratio was 3·8[ratio ]1, varying according to the absence
or presence of mental retardation. Intellectual functioning within the normal range was reported in
about 20% of subjects. On average, medical conditions of potential causal significance were found
in 6% of subjects with autism, with tuberous sclerosis having a consistently strong association with
autism. Social class and immigrant status did not appear to be associated with autism. There was
no evidence for a secular increase in the incidence of autism. In eight surveys, rates for other forms
of pervasive developmental disorders were two to three times higher than the rate for autism.

Conclusion. Based on recent surveys, a minimum estimate of 18·7/10000 for all forms of pervasive
developmental disorders was derived, which outlines the needs in special services for a large group
of children.
Reliability of the Salford Needs Assessment Schedule
for Adolescents
Authors: KROLL L. , WOODHAM A. , ROTHWELL J. , BAILEY S. , TOBIAS C. , HARRINGTON R. , MARSHALL M.
Published: July 2002

Background. For adolescents, there is no specific needs assessment instrument that assesses
significant problems that can benefit from specified interventions. A new instrument (S.NASA) was
developed by incorporating and adapting three well established adult needs assessment instruments.
The S.NASA covers 21 areas of functioning including social, psychiatric, educational and life skills.

Method. Client and carer interviews were conducted by different researchers. A week later the
interviews were repeated using a crossover design. Significant (cardinal) problems were generated
from the clinical interviews using a pre-defined algorithm. Final need status (three categories) was
made by clinicians assessing the cardinal problems against defined interventions. The interventions
were generated from discussions with clinicians and a survey of appropriate professionals working
with adolescents.

Results. Pre-piloting led to the final version being administered to 40 adolescents from secure units,
forensic psychiatric and adolescent psychiatric services. There were 25 males and 15 females, mean
age 15·5 years. Overall there were moderate to good inter-rater and test–retest reliability coefficients,
the test–retest reliability coefficients for the total scores on the needs assessment interviews ranged
from 0·73 to 0·85. Consensual and face validity was good, the adolescents and staff finding the
instrument useful and helpful.

Conclusions. This new needs assessment instrument shows acceptable psychometric properties. It
should be of use in research projects assessing the needs and the provision of services for adolescents
with complex and chronic problems.
Development, learning and memory in large random networks of cortical neurons: lessons beyond anatomy
Authors: Marom Shimon , Shahaf Goded
Published: July 2002

1. Introduction 63

1.1 Outline 63

1.2 Universals versus realizations in the study of learning and memory 64

2. Large random cortical networks developing ex vivo 65

2.1 Preparation 65

2.2 Measuring electrical activity 67

3. Spontaneous development 69

3.1 Activity 69

3.2 Connectivity 70

4. Consequences of spontaneous activity: pharmacological manipulations 72

4.1 Structural consequences 72

4.2 Functional consequences 73

5. Effects of stimulation 74

5.1 Response to focal stimulation 74

5.2 Stimulation-induced changes in connectivity 74

6. Embedding functionality in real neural networks 77

6.1 Facing the physiological definition of ‘reward’: two classes of theories 78

6.2 Closing the loop 79

7. Concluding remarks 84

8. Acknowledgments 85

9. References 85

The phenomena of learning and memory are inherent to neural systems that differ from each
other markedly. The differences, at the molecular, cellular and anatomical levels, reflect the
wealth of possible instantiations of two neural learning and memory universals: (i) an
extensive functional connectivity that enables a large repertoire of possible responses to
stimuli; and (ii) sensitivity of the functional connectivity to activity, allowing for selection of
adaptive responses. These universals can now be fully realized in ex-vivo developing neuronal
networks due to advances in multi-electrode recording techniques and desktop computing.
Applied to the study of ex-vivo networks of neurons, these approaches provide a unique view
into learning and memory in networks, over a wide range of spatio-temporal scales. In this
review, we summarize experimental data obtained from large random developing ex-vivo
cortical networks. We describe how these networks are prepared, their structure, stages of
functional development, and the forms of spontaneous activity they exhibit (Sections 2–4).
In Section 5 we describe studies that seek to characterize the rules of activity-dependent
changes in neural ensembles and their relation to monosynaptic rules. In Section 6, we
demonstrate that it is possible to embed functionality into ex-vivo networks, that is, to teach
them to perform desired firing patterns in both time and space. This requires ‘closing a loop’
between the network and the environment. Section 7 emphasizes the potential of ex-vivo
developing cortical networks in the study of neural learning and memory universals. This
may be achieved by combining closed loop experiments and ensemble-defined rules of
activity-dependent change.
A demonstration against theistic activism
Authors: DAVIDSON MATTHEW
Published: July 2002

Many theists have tried to work out coherent accounts of the relationship
between God and abstract objects. Some have contended that abstracta depend
on God for their existence and nature. Following Christopher Menzel and Thomas
Morris, I call such a position, ‘theistic activism’. In this essay, I begin by examining
some motivations for holding such a position. Then, I try to make sense of how
abstract objects might depend on God. Finally, I object to theistic activism on the
grounds that one who holds to it is committed to the claim that God causes himself
to exist and causes himself to have such properties as omnipotence and omniscience.
A simple method for computer quantification of stage REM eye movement potentials
Authors: Tan Xin , Campbell Ian Glenn , Feinberg Irwin
Published: July 2002

We describe a simple method for computer quantification of eye movement (EM) potentials during REM sleep. This method can be applied by investigators using either period‐amplitude (PA) or Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectral EEG analysis without special hardware or computer programming. It provides good correlations with visual ratings of EM in baseline sleep and after administration of GABAergic hypnotics. We present baseline data for both PA and FFT measures for 16 normal subjects, studied for 5 consecutive nights. Both visually rated and computer‐measured EM density (EMD) showed high night‐to‐night correlations across baseline and drug nights and the computer measures detected the EMD suppression that is produced by GABAergic drugs. Measurement of EM in addition to stage REM provides biologically significant information and application of this simple computer method, which does not require pattern recognition algorithms or special hardware, could provide reliable data that can be compared across laboratories.
Processing of incongruous mental calculation problems: Evidence for an arithmetic N400 effect
Authors: Niedeggen Michael , Rösler Frank , Jost Kerstin
Published: July 2002

We investigated if incongruent solutions of simple multiplication problems would elicit similar event‐related brain potentials as inappropriate words in sentences. In Experiment I, 12 subjects verified the appropriateness of solutions of multiplication problems or of final words in short sentences. Both incongruent solutions and incongruent words evoked a phasic negative shift between 300 and 500 ms having a similar topography. In Experiment II, we tested with another sample of 13 subjects if the amplitude of this arithmetic N400 effect was affected differently by different stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA = 200 and 500 ms) and by errors that were either table‐related or table‐unrelated to the preceding operands. Again, incorrect solutions elicited an arithmetic N400 effect whose amplitude depended on both the relatedness of the solution and the SOA. The ascending part of the N400 effect was always larger for unrelated than for related errors independently of the SOA, whereas the maximum of the N400 effect was larger for unrelated errors in case of a long SOA only. This pattern of effects was similar to that observed with semantic material varying lexical associations. These results suggest that arithmetic incongruencies are handled by the system in a manner functionally similar to that of semantic incongruencies.
The evolution of human mating: Trade-offs and strategic pluralism
Authors: Gangestad Steven W. , Simpson Jeffry A.
Published: July 2002

During human evolutionary history, there were “trade-offs” between expending time and energy on child-rearing and mating, so both men and women evolved conditional mating strategies guided by cues signaling the circumstances. Many short-term matings might be successful for some men; others might try to find and keep a single mate, investing their effort in rearing her offspring. Recent evidence suggests that men with features signaling genetic benefits to offspring should be preferred by women as short-term mates, but there are trade-offs between a mate's genetic fitness and his willingness to help in child-rearing. It is these circumstances and the cues that signal them that underlie the variation in short- and long-term mating strategies between and within the sexes.
Individual differences in reasoning: Implications for the rationality debate?
Authors: Stanovich Keith E. , West Richard F.
Published: July 2002

Much research in the last two decades has demonstrated that human responses deviate from the performance deemed normative according to various models of decision making and rational judgment (e.g., the basic axioms of utility theory). This gap between the normative and the descriptive can be interpreted as indicating systematic irrationalities in human cognition. However, four alternative interpretations preserve the assumption that human behavior and cognition is largely rational. These posit that the gap is due to (1) performance errors, (2) computational limitations, (3) the wrong norm being applied by the experimenter, and (4) a different construal of the task by the subject. In the debates about the viability of these alternative explanations, attention has been focused too narrowly on the modal response. In a series of experiments involving most of the classic tasks in the heuristics and biases literature, we have examined the implications of individual differences in performance for each of the four explanations of the normative/descriptive gap. Performance errors are a minor factor in the gap; computational limitations underlie non-normative responding on several tasks, particularly those that involve some type of cognitive decontextualization. Unexpected patterns of covariance can suggest when the wrong norm is being applied to a task or when an alternative construal of the task should be considered appropriate.
Linearly recurrent subshifts have a finite number of non-periodic subshift factors
Authors: DURAND FABIEN
Published: July 2002

A minimal subshift $(X,T)$ is linearly recurrent (LR) if there exists a constant $K$ so that for each clopen set $U$ generated by a finite word, $u$, the return time to $U$, with respect to $T$, is bounded by $K|u|$. We prove that given a LR subshift $(X,T)$ the set of its non-periodic subshift factors is finite up to isomorphism. We also give a constructive characterization of these subshifts.
Interaction experiments of laser light with low density
supercritical foams at the AEEF ABC facility
Authors: CARUSO A. , STRANGIO C. , GUS'KOV S.Yu. , ROZANOV V.B.
Published: July 2002

Experiments have been performed on the interaction
physics of laser light with polystyrene and agar–agar
foams having average densities higher than critical. The
experiments have been performed at the ABC facility of
the Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione, in Frascati.
The main addressed topics have been energy coupling (balance),
diffusion of energy into the target, plasma and dense phase
dynamics, and harmonics generation. The laser light (λ =
1.054 μm) was focused by a F/1 lens to produce on the target
surface about 1.6 × 1014 W/cm2
(≈1015 W/cm2 in the waist, set about
100 μm inside the target). Experiments have shown efficient
energy coupling (>80%) to be attributed to cavity formation
in the low density foam (efficient light absorption) and good
mechanical coupling of the plasma trapped in the cavity to the
dense phase (ablation pressure work). Heat diffusion possibly
plays a transitory role in the initial stages of the interaction
(300–500 ps). Time integrated harmonics measurements
revealed a blue-shifted 2ω and a red-shifted 5/2ω.
A planar quaternion
approach to the kinematic synthesis of a parallel manipulator
Authors: Murray Andrew P. , Pierrot François , Dauchez Pierre , McCarthy J.
Michael
Published: July 2002

In this paper we present a technique for designing planar parallel
manipulators with platforms capable of reaching any number of desired poses. The
manipulator consists of a platform connected to ground by RPR chains. The set of
positions and orientations available to the end-effector of a general RPR chain
is mapped into the space of planar quaternions to obtain a quadratic manifold.
The coefficients of this constraint manifold are functions of the
locations of the base and platform R joints and the distance between
them. Evaluating the constraint manifold at each desired pose and defining the
limits on the extension of the P joint yields a set of equations.
Solutions of these equations determine chains that contain the desired poses as
part of their workspaces. Parallel manipulators that can reach the prescribed
workspace are assembled from these chains. An example shows the determination of
three RPR chains that form a manipulator able to reach a prescribed
workspace.
The Tricept robot: Inverse kinematics, manipulability analysis and closed-loop direct

kinematics algorithm
Authors: Siciliano Bruno
Published: July 2002

This paper is aimed at presenting a study on the kinematics of the Tricept robot,

which comprises a three-degree-of-freedom (dof) parallel structure having a radial link of variable length. The robot workspace is characterized and the inverse kinematics equation is obtained by using spherical coordinates. The inverse differential kinematics and statics are derived in terms of both an analytical and a geometric Jacobian, and a manipulability analysis along the various workspace directions is developed using the concept of force and velocity ellipsoids. A Jacobian-based Closed-Loop Direct Kinematics (CLDK) algorithm is presented to solve the direct kinematics problem along a given trajectory. Simulation results are illustrated for an industrial robot of the Tricept family.
A new dynamic manipulability ellipsoid for redundant manipulators
Authors: Chiacchio Pasquale
Published: July 2002

Manipulability ellipsoids are effective tools to perform task space analysis of robotic manipulators in terms of velocities, accelerations and forces at the

end effector. In this paper a new definition of a dynamic manipulability ellipsoid for redundant manipulators is proposed which leads to more correct results in evaluating manipulator capabilities in terms of task-space accelerations. The case of manipulators in singular configurations is also analyzed. Two case studies are presented to illustrate

the correctness of the proposed approach.
Navigation of mobile robots: open questions
Authors: Salichs M.A. , Moreno L.
Published: July 2002

This survey paper is focused on the navigation of mobile robots. The most important associated problems and the solutions given by different researchers are discussed. Several aspects are not yet satisfactorily resolved and some promising research approaches are addressed.
IS THERE BIAS IN THE PUBLICATION OF INDIVIDUAL PATIENT

DATA META-ANALYSES?
Authors: Tierney Jayne F. , Clarke Mike , Stewart Lesley A.
Published: July 2002

Objective: There is increasing empirical evidence for the

existence of bias in the publication of primary clinical research,

with statistically significant results being published more readily,

more quickly, and in higher impact journals. Meta-analysis of

individual patient data (IPD) may represent a gold standard of

“secondary” clinical research, giving the best possible summary

of current evidence for a particular question, but publication of

these may also be subject to bias. This study aimed to explore which

factors might be associated with publication of IPD meta-analyses

and to identify potential sources of bias.

Methods: For all known IPD meta-analysis projects in cancer, the

responsible investigator was surveyed by means of a questionnaire to

determine descriptive characteristics of the meta-analysis, the

nature of the results, and details of the publication history.

Results: There is no good evidence that overall

publication status of

meta-analyses in cancer is dependent on the statistical or clinical

significance of the results. However, those meta-analyses with

nonsignificant results did seem to take longer to publish and were

published in lower impact journals compared with those with more

striking results.

Conclusions: Based on the current data, there seems to be no strong

association between the results of IPD meta-analyses in cancer and

publication.
WORLDWIDE INSTITUTIONAL RANKINGS IN ECONOMETRICS: 1989–1995
Authors: Baltagi Badi H.
Published: July 2002

This paper updates Hall's (1987, Econometric
Theory 3, 171–194; 1990, Econometric Theory
6, 1–16) rankings of academic institutions by publication
activity in econometrics over the period 1989–1995.
Fifteen leading international journals that publish econometrics
articles are used to provide the database. The rankings
are based on standardized page counts of articles published
in these journals over the stated period. Separate rankings
are provided for theoretical contributions in econometrics
and for all contributions in econometrics. An “Econometricians'
Hall of Fame” is developed listing the top 100 individual
producers of theoretical econometrics and all contributions
in econometrics research in the 15 journals considered.
Separate rankings are also provided both for institutions
and for individuals according to all econometrics publication
activity in Econometrica, Econometric Theory,
and Journal of Econometrics.
Seasonal changes in the water status of three woody legumes from the Atlantic forest, Caratinga, Brazil
Authors: Filho J. P. Lemos , Filho C. V. Mendonça
Published: July 2002

The Atlantic forest of Brazil is considered to be a high priority for conservation in South America. Despite its importance, few phenological and ecophysiological data are available for plants of this area. In this study the seasonal changes in the water potentials (Ψ) and the phenological behaviour of three woody legumes are related to environmental conditions, particularly air vapour pressure deficit (VPD). The values of Ψ at predawn were greater than −0.75 MPa for all species even during the dry season (May–September). The minimal daily value of Ψ was −3.8 MPa. The maximum daily amplitude of Ψ (Δ parameter) was correlated with the air vapour pressure deficit, showing high correlation coefficients in linear equations. A high recovery rate of Ψ after rain (greater than 0.80) was registered for all species, suggesting a high hydraulic conductivity. The high values of Ψ at predawn during the year and the strong relationship between the daily amplitude of Ψ and VPD suggested that the changes in the canopy cover are related more to atmospheric drought than to soil water deficit.
Domestic service and social
modernization in urban Galicia,
1752–1920
Authors: DUBERT ISIDRO
Published: July 2002

Since the late 1980s historians of the family have been interested in the
socio-demographic analysis of the role of domestic service in European
societies during the Ancien Régime. These scholars have been concerned
with the consequences of life-cycle service since it appeared that a
significant proportion of Europe's inhabitants were in service at some
point in their lives. This proportion was highest in countries of
Northwestern Europe, such as England, where between 10 and 12 per cent
of the population worked as servants, usually while young, moving readily
from one household to another. This process began at an early age,
around adolescence, and tended to end with a change in occupation,
generally just before entering into marriage, in other words, prior to
forming a separate family unit. By relating the mobility of servants to the
specific characteristics of the marriage-formation model, historians have
been able to highlight the contribution of domestic service to social and
familial reproduction. Encouraged by their results, the next step for
social historians was to elaborate an explanatory model of this system of
family reproduction. Although the model offered was derived from the
behaviour of a concrete social and demographic structure which was
basically Northern European, it was nonetheless presented as the principal
model for all of Western Europe.
FOCUS ON FORM IN CLASSROOM SECOND LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION.Catherine Doughty and Jessica Williams (Eds.). New York:
Cambridge University Press, 1998. Pp. xiv + 301. $64.95 cloth, $22.95 paper.
Authors: Mayo María del Pilar García
Published: July 2002

This volume contains 10 original chapters reflecting research and discussion on the issue of
focus on form (FonF) in second language instruction. As the editors point out in the preface, it is
timely now to discuss and clarify terminology and research issues in FonF studies, mainly
because of the diversity of reactions to this construct. The central aim of the chapters is to
explore the nature and feasibility of FonF and their intended audience is second language
acquisition (SLA) researchers and language teaching practitioners, as well as graduate students in
the field of applied linguistics.
Early lexical development in English- and
Korean-speaking children: language-general and
language-specific patterns
Authors: KIM MIKYONG , McGREGOR KARLA K. , THOMPSON CYNTHIA K.
Published: July 2002

The present study examined the composition of the early productive
vocabulary of eight Korean- and eight English-learning children and the
morpho-syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic characteristics of their
caregivers' input in order to determine parallels between caregiver input
and early lexical development. Vocabulary acquisition was followed
using maternal diary and checklists for the Korean-learning children
(from a mean age of 1;6 to 1;9) and for the English-learning children
(from a mean age of 1;4 to 1;8). Results showed that both Korean-
learning and English-learning children acquired significantly more
nouns than verbs at the 50-word mark. However, Korean children
learned significantly more verbs than did English-learning children.
The relative ease with which Korean learners, as compared to English
learners, acquired verbs parallels several differences in the linguistic and
socio-pragmatic characteristics of the input addressed to them. Korean-
speaking caregivers presented more activity-oriented utterances, more
verbs, and more salient cues to verbs than did English-speaking
caregivers. These data suggest that both general and language-specific
factors shape the early lexicon.
Early development of nouns and verbs in French: exploring the interface between lexicon and grammar
Authors: BASSANO DOMINIQUE
Published: July 2002

Early acquisition of nouns and verbs across languages is a key issue for

a number of recent studies that question the reality of the ‘noun-bias’

and wonder about the reasons why it exists as they explore the role of

cognitive vs. more language-specific input factors. Addressing this issue,

the present study investigates how the noun and verb word classes

develop in the free speech of a French child between the ages of 1;2 and

2;6, from the perspective of semantic and grammatical development.

The analyses indicate that, in French acquisition, nouns clearly predominate

over verbs until age 1;8 at least, but that verbs are produced

in the early stages. Concrete object names among nouns and concrete

action verbs among verbs were found to be the most prevalent categories,

but they were not the earliest to appear and their distribution revealed

an asymmetry in the conceptual packaging of nouns and verbs. Verb

grammaticalization, assessed through inflection and auxiliary use, lagged

somewhat behind noun grammaticalization, assessed through determiner

use. This result supports the hypothesized noun–verb grammatical

asynchrony. Verb grammaticalization seems to be related to the

production of concrete action verbs, and noun grammaticalization to

that of concrete object nouns, indicating interactions between semantic

and grammatical development. These findings, discussed in a cross-linguistic perspective, suggest that both conceptual and grammatical

packaging are important and interacting factors in noun and verb

development, and argue in favour of a constructivist approach to

language acquisition.
Caregiver speech and children's use of nouns versus
verbs: A comparison of English, Italian, and Mandarin
Authors: TARDIF TWILA , SHATZ MARILYN , NAIGLES LETITIA
Published: July 2002

This paper examines naturalistic samples of adult-to-child
speech to determine if variations in the input are consistent
with reported variations in the proportions of nouns and verbs
in children's early
vocabularies. It contrasts two PRO-DROP languages,
Italian and Mandarin, with English. Naturalistic speech samples
from six 2;0 English-,
six 1;11 Italian-, and ten 1;10 Mandarin-speaking children
and their caregivers were examined. Adult-to-child speech was
coded for the type
frequency, token frequency, utterance position, and morphological
variation of nouns and verbs as well as the types and placements of
syntactic subjects and the pragmatic focus of adult questions.
Children's spontaneous productions of nouns and verbs and
their responses to adult
questions were also examined. The results suggest a pattern
consistent with the children's spontaneous production data.
Namely, the speech of
English-speaking caregivers emphasized nouns over verbs,
whereas that of Mandarin-speaking caregivers emphasized verbs
over nouns. The data from the Italian-speaking caregivers were
more equivocal, though still noun-oriented, across these
various input measures.
Weak compactness criteria in symmetric spaces of measurable operators
Authors: DODDS P. G. , SUKOCHEV F. A. , SCHLÜCHTERMANN G.
Published: July 2002

The principal result of the paper reduces the study of certain weakly compact
sets in Banach spaces of measurable operators to that of the corresponding sets
of generalized singular value functions. In particular, under natural conditions, it
is shown that the orbit of a relatively weakly compact subset of the Köthe dual
of a symmetric space of measurable operators affiliated with some semi-finite von
Neumann algebra is again relatively weakly compact.
Arrested succession in pastures hinders regeneration of Tropandean forests and shreds mountain landscapes
Authors: SARMIENTO FAUSTO O.
Published: July 2002

Arrested succession is conspicuous in the abandoned pastures of the Andean piedmont that have encroached upon the tropical montane forests toward higher limits and steeper slopes. Habitat 'shredding' is analysed to depict the current spatial configuration of tropical Andean landscapes, based on fragmentation patterns prompted by seed dispersal ecology and pasture encroachment.

Seed dispersal was studied to address the hypo-thesis that seed input constrains the recruitment of montane forest seedlings, thus impeding pasture conversion to forest. It turns out that a better competitor, the tussock grass Setaria sphacelata, is limiting dispersal success due to its bioarchitecture and planting patterns. Because of the variegation of fragments, the area is in danger of landscape homogeneity within a matrix of degraded pasture. Currently, protection of fragmented remnants and restoration of original landscape structure and function are urgent needs for land-use planning toward sustainable development in the region.

Restoration ecology is plausible as a means of conservation for degraded Tropandean forests, since human impacts have shredded landscapes entirely. Dispersal ecology may be used to facilitate pasture conversion to forest in equatorial landscapes, but the proactive approach of pasture removal or planting strategy should differ from that for lowland Amazonia, where abandoned pastures are different from those of montane environs. However, the region may be proactively managed only if political decisions include conservation as a goal of development.
Poverty, technology, and wildlife hunting in Palawan
Authors: SHIVELY Gerald E.
Published: July 2002

Tropical forest destruction jeopardizes wildlife habitat. In many countries, hunting by low-income households also poses a direct threat to many species. This paper reports a study of the wildlife hunting practices of an indigenous cultural community in the Philippine province of Palawan. A survey of hunting practices was conducted among farmers living along the forest margin. The survey collected information on hunting frequency, hunting techniques, and species hunted. These data were combined with household income and demographic data to learn how socioeconomic factors influence hunting patterns and practices. Descriptive statistical procedures and regression analysis show that hunting pressure during the study period was typically greatest among resource-poor households. Poor households used the widest range of hunting implements, including modern implements such as air rifles, and low living standards were associated with greater hunting effort. Households with small farms were more likely to hunt, and were also more likely to expend greater hunting effort. Hunting was a supplementary source of food acquisition for most farmers and was found to be inferior to agricultural production, in the sense that households with large farms tended to hunt less often than households with small farms. Indirect evidence suggests that higher population pressure correlates positively with hunting pressure, and that non-agricultural employment negatively correlates with hunting probability and intensity.
Cumulative incidence of rheumatic fever in an endemic
region: a guide to the susceptibility of the population?
Authors: CARAPETIS J. R. , CURRIE B. J. , MATHEWS J. D.
Published: July 2002

Aboriginal Australians in northern Australia are subject to endemic infection with group A
streptococci, with correspondingly high rates of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart
disease. For 12 communities with good ascertainment, the estimated lifetime cumulative
incidence of acute rheumatic fever was approximately 5·7%, whereas over the whole
population, with less adequate ascertainment, the cumulative incidence was only 2·7%. The
corresponding prevalences of established rheumatic heart disease were substantially less than
the cumulative incidences of acute rheumatic fever, at least in part because of poor
ascertainment. The cumulative incidence of acute rheumatic fever estimates the proportion of
susceptible individuals in endemically exposed populations. Our figures of 2·7–5·7% susceptible
are consistent with others in the literature. Such comparisons suggest that the major part of
the variation in rheumatic fever incidence between populations is due to differences in
streptococcal exposure and treatment, rather than to any difference in (genetic) susceptibility.
A cluster of meningococcal disease in western Sydney,
Australia initially associated with a nightclub
Authors: JELFS J. , JALALUDIN B. , MUNRO R. , PATEL M. , KERR M. , DALEY D. , NEVILLE S. , CAPON A.
Published: July 2002

Fourteen cases of meningococcal disease (MD) occurred in
August–September 1996 in western
Sydney, Australia. Seven of the 10 young adults affected had a direct or
indirect link with a
local nightclub. Ten of 11 systemic meningococcal isolates had the phenotype

C[ratio ]2a[ratio ]P1.5 and
showed close genetic relationship by pulsed-fleld gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
Organisms of this
phenotype have not previously caused outbreaks in Australia, but have been
associated with
outbreaks and hyperendemic serogroup C MD in Europe, Canada, and the United
States.

This is the largest cluster of serogroup C MD reported in urban Australia,
and the first
involving a nightclub. The strain differentiation results were available
rapidly enough to
augment epidemiological investigations on a daily basis. Public
health staff could thus establish
links between cases quickly, follow the spread of new cases in the community,
give accurate
information to health officials and the press, and utilize existing knowledge
about the
characteristics of this phenotype to predict likely developments during
the outbreak and
afterwards. The strain differentiation data was also very helpful when
the role of vaccination
was considered, and existing guidelines on the management of outbreaks
of MD could be used
effectively for the first time in western Sydney.
Modeling cat retinal beta-cell arrays
Authors: ZHAN XUE J. , TROY JOHN B.
Published: July 2002

There were three objectives to the work undertaken
for this paper: (1) to provide a comprehensive characterization
of the statistical properties of arrays of β-cell somata;
(2) to develop a model that simulates cellular arrays with
the same properties; and (3) to use this model to examine
whether the array of β-cells should be viewed as one
array or as two arrays, one each for its OFF- and ON-center
cells. β-cells are morphological correlates of the
electrophysiological X-cells and those β-cells whose
dendrites stratify within the outer and inner sublamina
of the retina's inner plexiform layer correspond,
respectively, to OFF- and ON-center X-cells. Arrays of
peripheral β-cell somata from two retinas were studied.
A Delaunay triangulation and a Voronoi tessellation were
generated for each array and measures derived from these
constructs used to analyze the arrays' spatial organization.
As others have shown previously with a less complete statistical
characterization, we found that the arrays of OFF- and
ON-center β-cells have similar spatial properties and
are more regular than the array of all β-cells. We
developed a model to simulate cellular arrays with spatial
properties like those of arrays of β-cells. A good
fit between model and real arrays was found when the model
assumed an explicit spatial dependence between the placement
of OFF- and ON-center cells. We propose therefore that
a single array of β-cells formed of both OFF- and ON-center
cells is consistent with the data currently available for
β-cell somatic arrays.
Burst and tonic firing in thalamic cells of unanesthetized,
behaving monkeys
Authors: RAMCHARAN EION J. , GNADT JAMES W. , SHERMAN S. MURRAY
Published: July 2002

Thalamic relay cells fire in two distinct modes,
burst or tonic, and the operative mode is dictated by the
inactivation state of low-threshold, voltage-gated, transient
(or T-type) Ca2+ channels. Tonic firing is seen
when the T channels are inactivated via membrane
depolarization, and burst firing is seen when the T channels
are activated from a hyperpolarized state. These response
modes have very different effects on the relay of information
to the cortex. It had been thought that only tonic firing
is seen in the awake, alert animal, but recent evidence
from several species suggests that bursting may also occur.
We have begun to explore this issue in macaque monkeys
by recording from thalamic relay cells of unanesthetized,
behaving animals. In the lateral geniculate nucleus, the
thalamic relay for retinal information, we found that tonic
mode dominated responses both during alert behavior as
well as during sleep. We nonetheless found burst firing
present during the vigilant, waking state. There was, however,
considerably more burst mode firing during sleep than wakefulness.
Surprisingly, we did not find the bursting during sleep
to be rhythmic. We also recorded from relay cells of the
somatosensory thalamus. Interestingly, not only did these
somatosensory neurons exhibit much more burst mode activity
than did geniculate cells, but bursting during sleep was
highly rhythmic. It thus appears that the level and nature
of relay cell bursting may not be constant across all thalamic
nuclei.
D2-dopamine receptor blockade impairs motion detection in goldfish
Authors: MORA-FERRER CARLOS , GANGLUFF VOLKER
Published: July 2002

Under photopic illumination conditions, motion
detection in goldfish is dominated by the long-wavelength-sensitive
cone type (L-cone), and under scotopic conditions motion
it is determined by rods (Schaerer & Neumeyer, 1996).
The switch from rod-dominated to cone-dominated motion
detection occurs during light adaptation. It has been suggested
that dopamine acts as a neuronal light-adaptative signal.
It is known that dopamine affects wavelength discrimination
through D1-dopamine receptors (Mora-Ferrer & Neumeyer,
1996), and the dorsal light reflex through D1- and D2-dopamine
receptors (Lin & Yazulla, 1994a). The purpose
of this study was to determine whether dopamine influenced
movement detection by goldfish, and if so, which dopamine
receptor was involved. The D2-dopamine receptor antagonist
sulpiride reduced the animal's sensitivity to the
moving stimulus, whereas SCH 23390, a D1-dopamine receptor
antagonist, did not have any effect. The effect of sulpiride
is discussed in relation to known sulpiride effects on
retinal neurons and the retinal pigment epithelium.
Computation of motion direction by quail retinal ganglion
cells that have a nonconcentric receptive field
Authors: UCHIYAMA HIROYUKI , KANAYA TAKAHIDE , SONOHATA SHOICHI
Published: July 2002

One type of retinal ganglion cells prefers object
motion in a particular direction. Neuronal mechanisms for
the computation of motion direction are still unknown.
We quantitatively mapped excitatory and inhibitory regions
of receptive fields for directionally selective retinal
ganglion cells in the Japanese quail, and found that the
inhibitory regions are displaced about 1–3 deg toward
the side where the null sweep starts, relative to the excitatory
regions. Directional selectivity thus results from delayed
transient suppression exerted by the nonconcentrically
arranged inhibitory regions, and not by local directional
inhibition as hypothesized by Barlow and Levick (1965).
Cannabinoid receptors on goldfish retinal bipolar cells:
Electron-microscope immunocytochemistry and whole-cell recordings
Authors: YAZULLA STEPHEN , STUDHOLME KEITH M. , McINTOSH HELEN H. , FAN SHIH-FANG
Published: July 2002

Cannabinoid CB1 receptors are distributed
throughout the CNS and interact with GABA, glutamate, and
dopamine systems. Cannabinoids have effects on the visual
system, some of which may have a retinal component, particularly
the enhancement of photosensitivity. We used immunocytochemistry
and whole-cell recording to study cannabinoids in the goldfish
retina. Immunoblots of an antiserum against amino acids
(1-14) of the rat CB1 receptor produced a single
band in goldfish retina at about 70 kDa. Light microscope
immunocytochemistry of CB1 receptor immunoreactivity
(CB1R-IR) revealed intense staining of Müller
cells and weaker staining of ON bipolar cells (verified
with double labeling with PKC-IR) and the outer and inner
plexiform layers. Ultrastructural analysis revealed that
CB1R-IR was localized intracellularly as well
as on the plasma membrane of photoreceptor terminals, bipolar
cell terminals and, rarely, amacrine cell boutons. Membrane-associated
CB1R-IR was restricted to cone pedicles at sites
removed from the synaptic ribbon. Regarding bipolar cells,
membrane-associated CB1R-IR was found at 93%
of the synaptic terminals in sublamina b (ON-type)
and only at 33% of the synaptic terminals in sublamina
a (OFF-type). Whole-cell recordings from large
ON-type Mb bipolar cells showed that the delayed rectifier
(IK(V)) was rapidly and reversibly
inhibited by 1 μM of the cannabinoid agonists CP 54490
and (+)-WIN 55212-2, effects blocked completely by the antagonist
SR 141716A (1 μM). Inhibition of IK(V)
in the Mb bipolar cells by cannabinoids should result in a more
tonic ON response to increments of light. As such, cannabinoids
may play a role in modulating the temporal aspects of signaling
in the retina.