bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphological and genetic differentiation of the acorn barnacle Tetraclita squamosa (Crustacea, Cirripedia) in East Asia and description of a new species of Tetraclita
Authors: Chan Benny K. K. , Tsang L. M. , Chu K. H.
Published: January 2007

The common intertidal barnacle Tetraclita squamosa occurs in two morphologically and genetically distinct forms in East Asia. The north‐western Pacific form (Japan, Okinawa and Taiwan) has green parietes and the tergo‐scutal flaps are black without any patterns. The south China form (Xiamen, Hong Kong) also has green parietes but the tergo‐scutal flaps are black with two white spots on the tergal and scutal margin. Compared to the NW Pacific form, the south China form has a beaked tergum, a sharper tergal spur and cirrus I lacks serrulate type setae that have four rows of setules. The two forms differ by 15–16% in COI divergence, which is comparable to values for other congeneric barnacle species. The 12S rRNA and ITS1 sequences are also distinct between the two forms. Our results support the conclusion that the two forms are genetically differentiated species. We describe the NW Pacific form as a new species, Tetraclita pacifica. We are treating the other species as Tetraclita squamosa based on the fact that Pilsbry, in 1916, redescribed T. squamosa squamosa using samples collected from south China and the Philippines. Further studies are needed to confirm the identity and geographical distribution of the ‘widely distributed’T. squamosa in the Indo‐West Pacific.
Prognostic relevance of capsular involvement and collecting system invasion in stage I and II renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Klatte Tobias , Chung JinSoo , Leppert John T. , Lam John S. , Pantuck Allan J. , Figlin Robert A. , Belldegrun Arie S.
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVE

To define the prognostic relevance of capsular involvement (invasion with no penetration) and collecting‐system invasion in patients with stage I (pT1N0M0) and stage II (pT2N0M0) renal cell carcinoma (RCC), by evaluating the outcome of patients treated with nephrectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 519 patients from a kidney cancer database treated with nephrectomy for stage I and II RCC between 1985 and 2005 were assessed retrospectively. The primary endpoint was recurrence‐free survival time. The prognostic relevance of capsular involvement and collecting‐system invasion were examined using univariate and multivariate survival analysis.

RESULTS

Capsular involvement and collecting‐system invasion were evident in 112 (21.6%) and 39 (7.5%) patients, respectively. Capsular involvement was associated with higher Fuhrman grades and larger tumours. The incidence of collecting‐system invasion was higher in patients with microvascular invasion. The median follow‐up was 49 months. In univariate analysis, patients with capsular involvement and collecting‐system invasion had a worse prognosis than patients without (P = 0.007 and <0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, capsular involvement (hazard ratio 1.84, P = 0.036) and collecting‐system invasion (3.78, P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors of recurrence‐free survival. Interestingly, there was no survival difference between patients with capsular involvement in stage I/II and patients with invasion of perinephric tissue (pT3aN0M0).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that capsular involvement and collecting‐system invasion are poor prognostic findings in stage I and II RCC. They should both be considered when planning the follow‐up. A revised pT3a stage including patients with capsular involvement could improve its prognostic validity.
Incentives Management During Privatization: An Agency Perspective
Authors: Rodríguez Gloria Cuevas , Espejo Concepción Alvarez‐Dardet , Cabrera Ramón Valle
Published: January 2007

abstract  This paper explains, through a field study and from an agency perspective, how monitoring and incentive alignment mechanisms change to support the interests of a privatized firm's new ownership. In this case, privatization led to important changes in the board of directors and to more formal performance evaluation and compensation systems for top managers, as profitability and financial control gained relevancy with the firm ownership change. Our results show that differences in incentives management before and after privatization are due to different agency relations in the two periods. We also argue that in a privatization framework the relation between monitoring and incentive alignment mechanisms is complex, not simply substitutive as agency theory would predict, and this finding allows us to refine and extend agency theory for this specific context.
British Social Democracy beyond New Labour: Entrenching a Progressive Consensus
Authors: Leggett Will
Published: January 2007

Social democrats are seeking a project beyond New Labour's dwindling Third Way. In particular, they have seized on the idea of a ‘progressive consensus’ as a means of entrenching a deeper, cultural shift in British society on centre-left terms. This article assesses the potential of social democratic responses to New Labour for fulfilling this task. ‘Traditional’ and ‘modernising’ perspectives are identified, each of which have a positive and critical variant. The critical-modernising approach emerges with the greatest potential for moving beyond the New Labour project. Critical-modernisers operate on the Third Way's analytical terrain—recognising the still-changing operating environment of the centre-left. However, they seek simultaneously to develop a political narrative that is distinct from the Third Way. In order to achieve this latter objective, the normative heritage of more traditional approaches remains a key resource for critical-modernisers, as they seek to show how more recognisably social democratic themes can resonate with a rapidly changing social context.
Recycling and International Trade Theory
Authors: Tanigaki Kazunori
Published: January 2007

Recently recycling and the production of secondary materials have increased in many countries. However, there is little analysis examining the effects of recycling on comparative advantage, trade, and welfare. In a model with recycling sectors, the author examines whether the Rybczynski theorem is valid, how the price effects are modified, how a recycling subsidy changes the production structure and comparative advantage. It is found that demand has an effect on final goods production and comparative advantage since consumption goods are transformed into recycling inputs.
Argentina: Macroeconomic Crisis and Household Vulnerability*
Authors: Corbacho Ana , Garcia‐Escribano Mercedes , Inchauste Gabriela
Published: January 2007

Using panel data from the Argentine Permanent Household Survey, this paper analyzes which households were more vulnerable to the Argentine macroeconomic crisis during 1999–2002. Results suggest that the impact of the crisis was not uniform across households, which differed in their ability to cope with shocks. In particular, households with more children, and whose head was male, less educated, and employed in the private sector were the most vulnerable, suffering larger than average declines in income. Shocks to labor income were significant, with both unemployment rates and unemployment spells increasing throughout the period, particularly during the peak of the crisis towards the end of 2001. Individuals with low levels of human capital (proxied by education and experience), males, and self‐employed were more likely to lose their jobs. Public sector employees, in contrast, were more protected from the impact of the crisis on employment.
Regulating Availability with Demand Uncertainty
Authors: Strausz Roland
Published: January 2007

I evaluate a new German regulation that requires retail discounters to guarantee the availability of their products in bargain sales. The regulation is meant to prevent loss leaders. Retailers undermine the regulation’s rationale by claiming that rationing is due to demand uncertainty. This paper shows that under demand uncertainty the regulation has ambiguous welfare effects. Effectively, it raises production, which, under imperfect competition, tends to be beneficial. However, the regulation overshoots and decreases welfare if it requires availability for a state of high demand that is relatively unlikely. In this case more sophisticated regulation is required.
The American State and Social Engineering: Policy Instruments in Affirmative Action
Authors: KING DESMOND
Published: January 2007

The American state is conventionally depicted as inactive and organizationally weak compared with the state in comparable industrial democracies, and it is sometimes depicted as weak compared with the private sector’s capacities to effect change. This interpretation stems from applying an inappropriate Weberian model of stateness. This article examines the way in which measures to implement affirmative have been employed through the policy instruments of quotas to reengineer the divisions between key groups in American society. Placed in historical context, affirmative action illustrates a powerful activism associated with the American state conceived as an institution engaged in setting and monitoring national standards.
The analyst's countertransference when supervising: friend or foe?
Authors: Wiener Jan
Published: January 2007

Abstract:  This paper explores transference and countertransference dynamics in the supervisory relationship and their impact on the task of supervision. The development of analytic theory in relation to supervision is described and the value—and ambiguity—of the concepts of ‘mirroring’, ‘parallel process’ and ‘reflective process’ are discussed. The impact of organizational dynamics on the supervisory relationship is investigated in relation to four main unconscious forces: a) organizational defences, b) power and authority, c) accountability and responsibility, d) ethical concerns. Clinical situations which illustrate these issues are described and explored and used as a basis for examining the role of the supervisor's countertransference in supervision. The different framework of practice in supervision, as opposed to analysis, is described in terms of its focus, the supervisor's ways of responding and the dynamic process, and the concept of refracted countertransference is introduced and explained.
Time is a river without banks: a response to Connolly's ‘Frozen time and endless analyses’
Authors: Tresan David
Published: January 2007

Elle roucoule, coule, coule

Dès qu'elle entre dans Paris!

Elle s'enroule, roule, roule

Autour de ses quais fleuris!

Elle chante, chante, chante, chante,

Chante le jour et la nuit,

Car la Seine est une amante

Et son amant c'est Paris!

La Seine, 2nd verse
Eye‐witness memory and suggestibility in children with Asperger syndrome
Authors: McCrory Eamon , Henry Lucy A. , Happé Francesca
Published: January 2007

Background:  Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) present with a particular profile of memory deficits, executive dysfunction and impaired social interaction that may raise concerns about their recall and reliability in forensic and legal contexts. Extant studies of memory shed limited light on this issue as they involved either laboratory‐based tasks or protocols that varied between participants.

Method:  The current study used a live classroom event to investigate eye‐witness recall and suggestibility in children with Asperger syndrome (AS group; N = 24) and typically developing children (TD group; N = 27). All participants were aged between 11 and 14 years and were interviewed using a structured protocol. Two measures of executive functioning were also administered.

Results:  The AS group were found to be no more suggestible and no less accurate than their peers. However, free recall elicited less information, including gist, in the AS group. TD, but not AS, participants tended to focus on the socially salient aspects of the scene in their free recall. Both general and specific questioning elicited similar numbers of new details in both groups. Significant correlations were found between memory recall and executive functioning performance in the AS group only.

Conclusions:  The present study indicates that children with AS can act as reliable witnesses but they may be more reliant on questioning to facilitate recall. Our findings also provide evidence for poor gist memory. It is speculated that such differences stem from weak central coherence and lead to a reliance on generic cognitive processes, such as executive functions, during recall. Future studies are required to investigate possible differences in compliance, rates of forgetting and false memory.
A novel role of glia maturation factor: induction of granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor and pro‐inflammatory cytokines
Authors: Zaheer Asgar , Zaheer Smita , Sahu Shailendra K. , Knight Scott , Khosravi Houdy , Mathur Satya N. , Lim Ramon
Published: January 2007

The glia maturation factor (GMF), which was discovered in our laboratory, is a highly conserved protein predominantly localized in astrocytes. GMF is an intracellular regulator of stress‐related signal transduction. We now report that the overexpression of GMF in astrocytes leads to the destruction of primary oligodendrocytes by interactions between highly purified cultures of astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes. We infected astrocytes with a replication‐defective adenovirus carrying the GMF cDNA. The overexpression of GMF caused the activation of p38 MAP kinase and transcription factor NF‐κB, as well as the induction of granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) mRNA and protein in astrocytes. Small interfering RNA‐mediated GMF knockdown completely blocked the GMF‐dependent activation of p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), NF‐κB, and enhanced expression of GM‐CSF by astrocytes. Inhibition of p38 MAPK or NF‐κB by specific inhibitors prevented GM‐CSF production. The cell‐free conditioned medium from overexpressing GMF astrocytes contained 320 ± 33 pg/mL of GM‐CSF, which was responsible for enhanced production and secretion of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and IP‐10 by microglia. Presence of these inflammatory cytokines in the conditioned medium from microglia efficiently destroyed oligodendrocytes in culture. These results suggest that GMF‐induced production of GM‐CSF in astrocytes is depending on p38 MAPK and NF‐κB activation. The GM‐CSF‐dependent expression and secretion of inflammatory cytokine/chemokine, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and IP‐10, is cytotoxic to oligodendrocytes, the myelin‐forming cells in the central nervous system, and as well as neurons. Our results suggest a novel pathway of GMF‐initiated cytotoxicity of brain cells, and implicate its involvement in inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Expression of smooth muscle cell‐specific proteins in neural progenitor cells induced by agonists of G protein‐coupled receptors and transforming growth factor‐β
Authors: Morishita Rika , Nagata Koh‐ichi , Ito Hidenori , Ueda Hiroshi , Asano Masahisa , Shinohara Haruo , Kato Kanefusa , Asano Tomiko
Published: January 2007

Neural progenitor cells isolated from the embryonic cerebral cortex are well known to differentiate into neurons and glial cells, but recent reports have demonstrated differentiation into smooth muscle cells (SMCs) under the influence of fetal bovine serum. In this study, we report that agonists for G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs), including endothelin, lysophosphatidic acid and carbachol, effectively promote the expression of SMC‐specific proteins in the presence of transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β). Incubation of neural progenitor cells with agonists for GPCRs or TGF‐β alone induced the expression of an SMC‐specific protein, α‐smooth muscle actin (SMA), and their combination resulted in incremental increase. Stimulation with combinations of each GPCR agonist and TGF‐β increased the numbers of large, flat cells with thick actin fibers and also caused expression of other SMC marker proteins. Endothelin and TGF‐β enhanced SMA promoter‐luciferase reporter activity at different times after stimulation. The mutation of TGF‐β control element of SMA promoter constructs decreased TGF‐β‐enhanced luciferase activity but not endothelin‐stimulated activity. Transfection of active forms of RhoA and its effector, mDia, strongly enhanced SMA promoter activity, and a dominant negative form of RhoA inhibited endothelin‐stimulated promoter activity but not TGF‐β‐stimulated activity. Whereas endothelin consistently activated RhoA, TGF‐β did not, and a specific inhibitor of TGF‐β type I receptor blocked TGF‐β‐enhanced SMA promoter activity, suggesting involvement of Smad phosphorylation. These results suggest that separate signaling pathways of G protein and TGF‐β cooperatively promote the expression of SMC‐specific proteins in neural progenitor cells.
Nocturnal expression of phosphorylated‐ERK1/2 in gastrin‐releasing peptide neurons of the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus
Authors: Guillaumond Fabienne , Becquet Denis , Blanchard Marie‐Pierre , Attia Joan , Moreno Mathias , Bosler Olivier , François‐Bellan Anne‐Marie
Published: January 2007

Extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) signalling is believed to play roles in various aspects of circadian clock mechanisms. In this study, we show in rat that the nuclear versus cytoplasmic intracellular distribution of the phosphorylated forms of ERK1/2 (P‐ERK1/2) in the central clock, namely the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is proportionally constant across the light/dark cycle while the spatial distribution and neurochemical phenotype of cells expressing these activated forms are time‐regulated according to a daily rhythm and light‐regulated. P‐ERK1/2 was exclusively found in neuronal elements. At daytime, it was detected throughout the dorsoventral extent of the SCN, partly within neurons synthesizing either arginine‐vasopressin or vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). At night time, it was segregated in the ventrolateral aspect of the nucleus, within a cluster of cells 45% of which were gastrin‐releasing peptide (GRP) neurons with or without co‐localization with VIP. After a light pulse at night, expression of P‐ERK1/2 increased in GRP neurons but also appeared in a population of neurons that stained for VIP only. These data show that the GRP neurons are closely associated with ERK1/2 activation at night and point to the importance of ERK1/2 signalling not only in intra‐SCN transmission of photic information but also in maintenance of neuronal rhythms in the SCN.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellites in Neogobius kessleri (Perciformes, Gobiidae) and cross‐species amplification within the family Gobiidae
Authors: VYSKOČILOVÁ MARTINA , ONDRAČKOVÁ MARKÉTA , ŠIMKOVÁ ANDREA , MARTIN JEAN‐FRANÇOIS
Published: January 2007

Fourteen polymorphic microsatellites were isolated from Neogobius kessleri, a benthic fish of Ponto‐Caspian origin which has been recently introduced into the Middle and Upper Danube River. Number of alleles and heterozygosity per locus in a sample of 32 fish individuals ranged from two to four and from 0.13 to 0.75, respectively. These primers will be useful in determining the population structure of N. kessleri. In addition, successful cross‐amplification was obtained for four related species, N. melanostomus, N. fluviatilis, N. gymnotrachelus and Proterorhinus marmoratus. These microsatellite loci may be useful for the evaluation of the origin of non‐native goby populations.
Assessing the effect of varying sequence length on DNA barcoding of fungi
Authors: MIN XIANG JIA , HICKEY DONAL A.
Published: January 2007

DNA barcoding shows enormous promise for the rapid identification of organisms at the species level. There has been much recent debate, however, about the need for longer barcode sequences, especially when these sequences are used to construct molecular phylogenies. Here, we have analysed a set of fungal mitochondrial sequences — of various lengths — and we have monitored the effect of reducing sequence length on the utility of the data for both species identification and phylogenetic reconstruction. Our results demonstrate that reducing sequence length has a profound effect on the accuracy of resulting phylogenetic trees, but surprisingly short sequences still yield accurate species identifications. We conclude that the standard short barcode sequences (∼600 bp) are not suitable for inferring accurate phylogenetic relationships, but they are sufficient for species identification among the fungi.
Use of remote sensing to measure change in the extent of habitat for the critically endangered Jerdon's Courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus in India
Authors: SENAPATHI DEEPA , VOGIATZAKIS IOANNIS N. , JEGANATHAN PANCHAPAKESAN , GILL JENNIFER A. , GREEN RHYS E. , BOWDEN CHRISTOPHER G. R. , RAHMANI ASAD R. , PAIN DEBBIE , NORRIS KEN
Published: January 2007

Jerdon's Courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus is one of the most endangered and least understood birds in the world. It is endemic to scrub habitats in southeast India which have been lost and degraded because of human land use. We used satellite images from 1991 and 2000 and two methods for classifying land cover to quantify loss of Jerdon's Courser habitat. The scrub habitats on which this species depends decreased in area by 11–15% during this short period (9.6 years), predominantly as a result of scrub clearance and conversion to agriculture. The remaining scrub patches were smaller and further from human settlements in 2000 than in 1991, implying that much of the scrub loss had occurred close to human population centres. We discuss the implications of our results for the conservation of Jerdon's Courser and the use of remote sensing methods in conservation.
Queering Art Teacher Education
Authors: Cosier Kimberly , Sanders James H.
Published: January 2007

This article sounds a call to action and addresses the challenges of creating inclusive, queer‐affrming art teacher education curricula. We examine such challenges through case study vignettes of our varied US university settings and explore the perils of teaching in an increasingly queer‐hostile culture. Strategies are given for avoiding attacks against LGBT‐supportive pedagogy and championing the cause of social justice for queer students, parents, artists, teachers and faculty.
The Warren Cup: Highlighting Hidden Histories
Authors: Frost Stuart
Published: January 2007

Contemporary artists and art galleries have been more active than museums in representing gay and lesbian culture in public spaces in recent decades. However same‐sex relationships have a long history that is reflected in the collections of museums that have material from the classical world. The culture of ancient Greece and Rome was less inhibited about the representation of sexual acts than many nineteenth‐century museums would have liked. Objects with frank images of sexual acts were discreetly censored or hidden away in secret cabinets. This article draws on one object as a case study, a Roman silver cup dated to the early years of the first century AD acquired by the British Museum in 1999. The cup is decorated with beautifully realised scenes in relief decoration which show two pairs of males engaged in love‐making, each pair consisting of one older male and a youth. The object could never have been acquired or publicly displayed earlier in the twentieth century. The vessel known as the Warren Cup (after a previous owner) provides a provocative stimulus for debate about male‐to‐male lovemaking. Discussion of the meaning of the scenes, and the possible reasons why they were represented on such a high‐status object, generates more questions than answers. This uncertainty contributes to the power of this object to open up debate. This article will raise questions for educators and students to consider about the Cup, an object which society has only recently ceased to regard as pornographic or obscene.
Young Queer Artists in the Classroom
Authors: Hall Roz
Published: January 2007

This article describes what happened when two young queer artists, Danya Defraytus and Haroon Iltaf, presented their work in a classroom context. The responses from the pupils and the teachers are also reflected upon. These responses indicate something of the potential there is for work by lesbians and gay men to be utilised in classroom contexts. The presentations had various positive outcomes for the school. For example, the teachers involved noticed that Danya and Roonie's work had useful impact on the pupils' sense of how they might develop their own, distinct creative practices on the basis of their own unique experiences and perceptions. The students made connections with Danya and Roonie, and could identify with them, in a way that transcended any differences there may have been between them in terms of their sexuality. The approach is therefore being suggested as a model for introducing work that explores lesbian and gay experiences, in a meaningful, useful and amicable way, in a classroom context. The key elements that led to the success of the work are therefore outlined to indicate ways to apply such an approach.
Derek Jarman: An Art Educator for Our Times?
Authors: Stanley Nick
Published: January 2007

Derek Jarman found his life's purpose in art. His significance for art educators today is his combination of low technology film‐making and his painterly vision. He provides a model for us today, in his incorporation of images from daily life into a series of vivid tableaux. Jarman created a huge database of images from which he constantly drew for both paintings and films. He was always writing down ideas and making drawings into a series of sketchbooks which provided him with the raw materials for his artistic products. Jarman's significance for this publication was that he united all aspects of his life into an aesthetic adventure. This included finding a signature as a gay artist who was also a passionate gardener. He also repudiated a literal or narrative structure and any idea of plot. This makes his work both difficult but rewarding.
Hidden Histories: The Experience of Curating a Male Same Sex Exhibition and the Problems Encountered
Authors: Petry Michael
Published: January 2007

Hidden Histories: 20th century male same sex lovers in the visual arts

An exhibition and book by Michael Petry

The New Art Gallery Walsall: May – July 2004 Artmedia Press, London, May 2004

Hidden Histories was the first international historical survey of its kind to examine the lives and work of male artists in the 20th century who were same sex lovers. It comprised a curatorial project within The University of Wolverhampton, an exhibition at The New Art Gallery Walsall and a publication by Artmedia Press. This text looks at issues that arose in the production of the project which included a change of name from Mad About the Boy, ethical concerns, and censorship by the local council.

Hidden Histories did not contend there was a queer, gay or same sex aesthetic connecting the work of the surveyed artists. It did not ‘out’ anyone – all the information presented existed in the public domain. Hidden Histories documented how male artists' work was affected by evolving attitudes to homosexuality. Its thesis (the arch of openness) describes how public attitudes changed throughout the 20th Century; from prohibition in the late Victorian Period, to begrudging tolerance in the inter‐wars years; from relative openness post WWI, to outright homophobia during the Cold War; and from decriminalisation in the West (following the Stonewall Riots), to stigma in the AIDS era. Hidden Histories was premised on the inter‐dependence of same sex and dominant cultures, and demonstrates that irrespective of legal or societal prohibitions, same sex lovers continued to make a rich and varied contribution to artistic dialogue.
Structural Change and Long‐run Relationships between US and EU Wheat Export Prices
Authors: Barassi M. R. , Ghoshray A.
Published: January 2007

This paper analyses the nature of the long‐run relationship between US and EU wheat export prices over the period 1981–2000. We employ a novel approach of testing for cointegration with structural change developed by Barassi and Taylor (A Test for Change in the Cointegrating Rank, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, 2004). The method enables us to determine the breakpoint, which is found to occur after the 1992 CAP reforms were implemented. On analysing the two separate subperiods, we find no evidence of a long‐run relationship prior to the 1992 CAP reform. However, clear evidence of a long‐run relationship is found after the CAP reforms were implemented. Further analysis reveals that, in the post‐CAP reform period, the EU wheat prices follow then US soft wheat prices, consistent with the EU export subsidy regime over this period, albeit that export subsidies by the EU have been relatively small.
Driving Forces behind Exiting from Farming in Western Europe
Authors: Breustedt Gunnar , Glauben Thomas
Published: January 2007

This study examines the exit process of Western European farmers. Using a simple theoretical model of structural change, we examine empirically the impact of farm characteristics, macroeconomic conditions and policy intervention on farm exits during the 1990s. Econometric estimates using regional data for 110 regions in Western Europe indicate that exits from farming are strongly influenced by farm characteristics and policy conditions. In particular, exit rates are higher in regions with smaller farms and are closely related to production structures. Exit rates are lower in regions with more part‐time farming, high subsidy payments and high relative price increases for agricultural outputs, indicating that off‐farm income and government intervention slow down structural change in European agriculture.
Late Miocene–Pliocene eclogite facies metamorphism, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, SE Papua New Guinea
Authors: MONTELEONE B. D. , BALDWIN S. L. , WEBB L. E. , FITZGERALD P. G. , GROVE M. , SCHMITT A. K.
Published: January 2007

The D'Entrecasteaux Islands of south‐eastern Papua New Guinea are active metamorphic core complexes that formed within a region where the plate tectonic regime has transitioned from subduction to rifting. While rapid, post 4 Myr exhumation and cooling of amphibolite and greenschist facies rocks that constitute the footwall of the crustal scale detachment fault system have been previously documented on Fergusson and Goodenough Islands of the D'Entrecasteaux chain, the timing of eclogite facies metamorphism in rocks of the footwall was unknown. Recent work revealed that at least one of the eclogite bodies formed during the Pliocene. We present combined in situ ion microprobe U–Pb age analyses of zircon from five variably retrogressed eclogite samples from Fergusson and Goodenough Islands that document Late Miocene–Pliocene (8–2 Ma) eclogite formation on these islands. Textural relationships and zircon–garnet rare earth element partition coefficients indicate that U–Pb ages constrain zircon crystallization under eclogite facies conditions in all samples. Results suggest westward younging of eclogite facies metamorphism from Fergusson to Goodenough Island. Present‐day exposure of Late Miocene–Pliocene eclogites requires exhumation rates > 2.5 cm yr−1.
Ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphism and exhumation of garnet‐bearing ultramafic rocks from the Lanterman Range (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)
Authors: PALMERI R. , GHIRIBELLI B. , RANALLI G. , TALARICO F. , RICCI C. A.
Published: January 2007

Northern Victoria Land is a key area for the Ross Orogen – a Palaeozoic foldbelt formed at the palaeo‐Pacific margin of Gondwana. A narrow and discontinuous high‐ to ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) belt, consisting of mafic and ultramafic rocks (including garnet‐bearing types) within a metasedimentary sequence of gneisses and quartzites, is exposed at the Lanterman Range (northern Victoria Land). Garnet‐bearing ultramafic rocks evolved through at least six metamorphic stages. Stage 1 is defined by medium‐grained garnet + olivine + low‐Al orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene, whereas finer‐grained garnet + olivine + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + amphibole constitutes the stage 2 assemblage. Stage 3 is defined by kelyphites of orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + spinel ± amphibole around garnet. Porphyroblasts of amphibole replacing garnet and clinopyroxene characterize stage 4. Retrograde stages 5 and 6 consist of tremolite + Mg‐chlorite ± serpentine ± talc. A high‐temperature (∼950 °C), spinel‐bearing protolith (stage 0), is identified on the basis of orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + olivine + spinel + amphibole inclusions within stage 1 garnet. The P–T estimates for stage 1 are indicative of UHP conditions (3.2–3.3 GPa and 764–820 °C), whereas stage 2 is constrained between 726–788 °C and 2.6–2.9 GPa. Stage 3 records a decompression up to 1.1–1.3 GPa at 705–776 °C. Stages 4, 5 and 6 reflect uplift and cooling, the final estimates yielding values below 0.5 GPa at 300–400 °C. The retrograde P–T path is nearly isothermal from UHP conditions up to deep crustal levels, and becomes a cooling–unloading path from intermediate to shallow levels. The garnet‐bearing ultramafic rocks originated in the mantle wedge and were probably incorporated into the subduction zone with felsic and mafic rocks with which they shared the subsequent metamorphic and geodynamic evolution. The density and rheology of the subducted rocks are compatible with detachment of slices along the subduction channel and gravity‐driven exhumation.
Dietary Phosphate Restriction and Protein Intake in Dialysis Patients: A Misdirected Focus
Authors: Sherman Richard A.
Published: January 2007

Efforts at controlling hyperphosphatemia in dialysis patients have been largely unsuccessful. Phosphate removal in thriceweekly standard dialysis is limited due to the largely timedependent basis for its removal. Phosphate binders, while highly useful, have not solved the problem. Dietary restriction of phosphate beyond dairy products and a few selected foodstuffs has been underemphasized. This is because of the incorrect belief that substantial reductions in dietary phosphate can only be achieved at the cost of potentially harmful levels of protein restriction. In fact, phosphate‐containing food additives are a highly significant source of dietary phosphate and are absorbed to a much greater extent than organic phosphates, making them a target of great therapeutic potential. A considerable reduction in costs, morbidity, and mortality could result from a concerted effort to control this source of dietary phosphate.
Protein and Energy Intake in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease: How Much is Too Much?
Authors: Alp Ikizler T.
Published: January 2007

Uremic wasting is strongly associated with increased risk of death and hospitalization events in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recent evidence indicates that patients with advanced chronic kidney disease are prone to uremic wasting due to several factors, which include the dialysis procedure and certain comorbid conditions, especially chronic inflammation and insulin resistance or deficiency. While the catabolic effects of dialysis can be readily avoided with intradialytic nutritional supplementation, there are no established alternative strategies to avoid the catabolic consequences of comorbid conditions other than treatment of their primary etiology. To this end, there is no indication that simply increasing dietary protein and energy intake above the required levels based on level of kidney disease is beneficial in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. However, aside from the potential adverse effects such as uremic toxin production, dietary protein and energy intake in excess of actual needs might be beneficial in maintenance dialysis patients as it may lead to weight gain over time. Clearly, the role of obesity in advanced uremia needs to be examined in detail prior to making any clinically applicable recommendations, both in terms of ‘‘low’’ and ‘‘high’’ dietary protein and energy intake.
The Problem with Kt/V: Dialysis Dose should be Normalized to Metabolic Rate not Volume
Authors: Ross Morton A. , Singer Michael A.
Published: January 2007

Current estimates of hemodialysis adequacy are based on calculations of small solute clearance or changes in online measurements of ionic conductance. A minimum target value of the widely used, dimensionless parameter, Kt/Vurea has been adopted nationally and internationally to represent appropriate dialysis delivery. Based on the principles of allometry, which permit the calculation of scaling equations between the mass of an organism and other parameters, we propose that dialysis dose should be normalized to waste product generation (estimated by metabolic rate). The allometric equations predict a nonlinear correlation between body mass and dialysis dose, such that smaller individuals require proportionately ‘‘more’’ dialysis than larger persons. The argument we present is congruent with outcome data as it relates to sex, race, and body size, as well as supportive of studies suggesting that certain groups (e.g., pregnant women, critically ill patients, diabetics) require greater dialysis delivery than the hemodialysis population in general.
Preventing Complications of Radiographic Contrast Media: Is There a Role for Dialysis?
Authors: Rodby Roger A.
Published: January 2007

Nephrologists are often called upon to provide hemodialysis to remove radiographic contrast media in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) – usually but not exclusively, those with end‐stage renal disease. The reasons for this request vary from concerns over the volume load associated with the administration of a hyperosmolar solution, to the renal and extra‐renal toxicities of the contrast itself. Simple calculations demonstrate that the increase in extracellular volume after a typical contrast load is minimal. Data supporting the extra‐renal toxicity of contrast in patients maintained on dialysis are lacking. Iodinated contrast agents have molecular weights of 700–1500. This relatively small size as well as their lack of protein binding makes them well suited for removal with extracorporeal renal replacement therapies. Thus, provision of hemodialysis immediately following a contrast load is often utilized in an attempt to prevent further renal damage in patients with advanced stages of CKD. A number of trials have failed to demonstrate that this maneuver is effective. Hemofiltration (HF) has been reported to decrease the risk of acute renal failure in patients with CKD receiving a contrast load, but the studies are methodologically flawed. Therefore, there is currently no sound basis for routinely recommending hemodialysis (or HF) in patients at high risk for contrast media‐associated complications.
Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Implications of Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Dialysis and Nondialysis‐Dependent Chronic Renal Failure
Authors: Mark Patrick B. , Petrie Colin J. , Jardine Alan G.
Published: January 2007

Premature cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end‐stage renal failure. Natriuretic peptides, specifically brain natriuretic peptide, are released from the heart in response to chamber distension and thus increased in the presence of volume expansion and cardiac overload. Their physiological role is to cause vasodilatation and promote natriuresis to maintain volume homeostasis. Increasingly serum levels of brain natriuretic peptide are used to both diagnose and manage cardiovascular disorders. Furthermore, augmenting the beneficial hemodynamic actions of brain natriuretic peptide may have a therapeutic role in decompensated heart failure. However, the diagnostic role of serum brain natriuretic peptide levels in patients with advanced renal dysfunction remains to be defined. These patients have a high prevalence of left ventricular disorders, specifically left ventricular hypertrophy, which may reduce the diagnostic utility of brain natriuretic peptide. In addition, ventricular stretch may be determined by intravascular volume status rather than by cardiac dysfunction. Nonetheless, as the prognosis of patients with end‐stage renal failure and co‐existing heart failure is so poor, the availability of a further marker of cardiac ‘‘distress’’ may in the future become a useful diagnostic tool and in due course may become a primary goal for titration and tailoring of therapy.
Central Vein Stenosis: A Nephrologist's Perspective
Authors: Agarwal Anil K. , Patel Bhairavi M. , Haddad Nabil J.
Published: January 2007

Central vein stenosis is commonly associated with placement of central venous catheters and devices. Central vein stenosis can jeopardize the future of arteriovenous fistula and arteriovenous graft in the ipsilateral extremity. Occurrence of central vein stenosis in association with indwelling intravascular devices including short‐term, small‐diameter catheters such as peripherally inserted central catheters, long‐term hemodialysis catheters, as well as pacemaker wires, has been recognized for over two decades. Placement of multiple catheters, longer duration, location in subclavian vein, and placement on the left‐hand side of neck seem to predispose to the development of central vein stenosis. Endothelial injury with subsequent changes in the vessel wall results in development of microthrombi, smooth muscle proliferation, and central vein stenosis. Central vein stenosis is often asymptomatic in nondialysis patients, but can result in edema of ipsilateral extremity and breast when challenged by increased flow from an arteriovenous fistula or arteriovenous graft. Bilateral central vein stenosis or superior vena cava stenosis can produce a clinical picture of superior vena cava syndrome, associated with engorgement of face and neck. Endovascular interventions are the mainstay of management of central vein stenosis. Percutaneous angioplasty and stent placement for elastic and recurring lesions can restore the functionality of the vascular access, at least temporarily. Frequent or multiple interventions are usually required. In recalcitrant cases, surgical bypass of the obstruction is an option. In resistant cases with severe symptoms, occlusion of the functioning vascular access will usually provide relief of symptoms. Further study of mechanisms of development of central vein stenosis and search for a targeted therapy is likely to lead to better ways of managing central vein stenosis. Prevention of central vein stenosis is the key to avoid access failure and other complications from central vein stenosis and relies upon avoidance of central vein stenosis placement and timely placement of arteriovenous fistula in prospective dialysis patient.
Aneurysm Formation in Arteriovenous Grafts: Associations and Clinical Significance
Authors: Siedlecki Andrew , Barker Jill , Allon Michael
Published: January 2007

Aneurysms are a common complication of arteriovenous grafts in hemodialysis patients, resulting from repetitive needle sticks in the graft material. Although aneurysms are thought to contribute to graft failure, there are no prospective studies evaluating their risk factors or impact on graft survival. The present study evaluated aneurysms in 117 hemodialysis outpatients with upper extremity grafts at a university‐affiliated dialysis center. An arterial aneurysm was defined as a cannulation site defect diameter (difference between arterial cannulation site diameter and normal graft diameter) above the median value for the study population (0.63 cm). Subsequent graft outcomes were determined by retrospective analysis of a prospective vascular access database. Thrombosis‐free graft survival was compared among patient subgroups using Cox proportional hazards models. Patients with an arterial aneurysm had significantly longer median graft age, when compared with those not having a aneurysm (888 vs. 588 days, p = 0.01). However, the two groups did not differ in patient age, sex, diabetes, body mass index, or graft location. The hazard ratio for graft thrombosis was 0.45 (95% confidence interval, 0.25–0.82, p = 0.009) for grafts with an arterial aneurysm, when compared with those without a defect (1‐year graft survival of 71 vs. 50%). Graft age was not associated with the likelihood of graft thrombosis (p = 0.12). In contrast to the prevailing wisdom, arterial aneurysms are associated with improved graft survival.
Sleep‐related Minor Motor Events in Nocturnal Frontal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Terzaghi Michele , Sartori Ivana , Mai Roberto , Tassi Laura , Francione Stefano , Cardinale Francesco , Castana Laura , Cossu Massimo , LoRusso Giorgio , Manni Raffaele , Nobili Lino
Published: January 2007

Summary:  Purpose: Nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE) is characterized by a wide spectrum of sleep‐related motor manifestations of increasing complexity, ranging from major episodes to brief motor events (minor motor events, MMEs). NFLE patients may exhibit a large quantity of MMEs in the form of short‐lasting stereotyped movements. Whereas major episodes are considered epileptiform manifestations, it remains unclear whether the MMEs are related to epileptiform discharges (EDs).

Methods: To study the relation between EDs and the occurrence of MMEs, we report a detailed neurophysiolgical evaluation in NFLE subjects explored by using implanted electrodes.

Results: The median value of ED‐related movements was 71.8%. Motor expression in relation to epileptiform discharge was surprisingly variable; no peculiar expression of MMEs could be attributed to the presence of EDs.

Conclusions: Our data suggest that ED‐associated MMEs are extremely polymorphous, and no univocal relation to EDs can be identified. We hypothesize that MMEs are not a direct effect of epileptiform discharge (i.e., not epileptic in origin), but the result of aspecific disinhibition of innate motor patterns. We warn clinicians that the epileptic nature of minimal motor phenomena in NFLE cannot be established on the clinical phenomenology of the event.
Outcome Measurement after Vagal Nerve Stimulation Therapy: Proposal of a New Classification
Authors: McHugh John C. , Singh Harsh W. , Phillips Jack , Murphy Kevin , Doherty Colin P. , Delanty Norman
Published: January 2007

Summary:  Purpose: Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) is an adjunctive palliative therapy for refractory epilepsy. Effects of treatment are varied and some, such as the use of an external magnet for seizure termination, are unique to VNS. No accepted standard exists for outcome measurement after VNS treatment. We present a novel classification for outcome, which includes assessment of both seizure frequency and severity in VNS‐treated patients.

Methods: We devised a classification system modeled on the Engel classification for surgically treated patients, but tailored for use in VNS therapy, which incorporates five classes of outcome. We retrospectively reviewed VNS‐treated patients in our centre, and used the data to illustrate our system and compare it with the Engel model.

Results: With this system, 48 patients (mean age, 30 years) were followed up over a median of 18 months. Seventy‐eight percent had partial epilepsy. Sixteen and a half percent experienced class I outcome (>80% seizure‐frequency reduction). Twenty percent had class II improvement (50–79% seizure‐frequency reduction). One‐third had no improvement (class V). The remaining patients comprised class III (seizure‐frequency reduction <50%) or class IV (magnet benefit alone) outcomes. Class I–III outcomes were further subdivided according to effects on ictal or postictal severity.

Conclusions: We propose a new classification, which can be used for all epilepsies and which reflects outcome measures beyond seizure‐frequency reduction alone. Use of this system would allow greater comparison between future studies of VNS therapy.