bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maori1 commercial fisheries governance in Aotearoa2/New Zealand within the bounds of a neoliberal fisheries management regime
Authors: Memon P. Ali , Kirk Nicholas A.
Published: April 2011

Recent literature on natural resource governance has highlighted the consequences of a strong imprint of neoliberal political ideologies on current environmental policies. A parallel theme in the recent literature relates to claims pertaining to ownership and management of natural resources by indigenous minorities in post‐colonial Western democracies who have been historically marginalised and impoverished by the aftermath of European colonisation. Recently, in order to respond to indigenous demands to settle long‐standing grievances for the return of their ancestral lands and natural resources, some post‐colonial governments have encouraged the development of indigenous self‐governance and co‐management initiatives to manage natural resources such as fisheries and forests. Based on a study of the recent Maori fisheries restitution policy initiatives in Aotearoa/New Zealand, this paper presents a preliminary interrogation of the new hybrid indigenous fisheries governance spaces within the bounds of a neoliberal fisheries management regime.
Peacebuilding, gender and policing in Solomon Islands
Authors: Greener B.K. , Fish W.J. , Tekulu K.
Published: April 2011

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 calls for a gender perspective to be integrated into the resolution of conflicts. This responsibility manifests itself in a number of more specific proposals, some easily assessable, others less so. In this paper, we begin by considering the success of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) – the poster child for peacebuilding efforts – at meeting these specific proposals. In light of this, we then go on to suggest ways in which RAMSI might meet greater success in fully integrating gender considerations in Solomon Islands by blending sensitivity to gender‐based considerations together with a deeper sensitivity to cultural considerations, including cultural understandings of core notions such as ‘policing’ and ‘justice’.
Small arms, violence and gender in Papua New Guinea: Towards a research agenda
Authors: Capie David
Published: April 2011

Among Pacific states, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has attracted the most attention from researchers looking at problems caused by small arms and light weapons. There is now a substantive body of work cataloguing different aspects of the country's problems with firearms and gun violence. This research sits alongside a large scholarly literature on violence in PNG and the connection between violence, gender and masculine identities. There has, however, been strikingly little research bringing these literatures together and looking directly at the gendered dimensions of PNG's gun violence. This paper explores some connections between small arms, violence and gender in PNG. After providing a general overview of small arms issues in PNG, it examines the misuse of firearms in urban crime and inter‐communal fighting in the Highlands, specifically noting the limited evidence that is available about the differently gendered consequences of gun violence. It identifies three potential areas for further research: exploring the relationship between changing notions of masculinity and demand for firearms; gender and PNG's growing private security industry; and fragile signs of change in the role of women in the PNG Defence Force.
Union Commitment and Activism in Britain and the United States: Searching for Synthesis and Synergy for Renewal
Authors: Gall Gregor , Fiorito Jack
Published: April 2011

We propose a fuller synthesis between two relatively disjointed literatures to create synergy. Union commitment research has a long tradition and a relatively rigorous orientation grounded in industrial psychology. Recently, it has been eclipsed by emerging research on union renewal, and specifically that on union organizing. Renewal research has largely ignored union commitment research even though union renewal literature stresses the importance of activism, and this concept is strongly linked to commitment. A critical synthesis of these literatures yields progress in terms of addressing key qualitative and quantitative aspects of the contemporary crisis of labour unionism. A tentative framework is constructed that stipulates the main components and variables, and offers guidance for future research.
THE IMPACT OF ANTI‐TERRORISM EXPENDITURE ON ECONOMIC GROWTH AND WELFARE
Authors: Yang Cheng‐Lang , Lin Hung‐Pin , Chen Chien‐Yuan
Published: April 2011

This paper examines the effects of increasing anti‐terrorism expenditure on economic growth rate and social welfare. It is shown that: (i) spending the least amount possible on anti‐terrorism expenditure will lead to a maximum economic growth rate; and (ii) to achieve maximum social welfare, the government should allocate its budget to anti‐terrorism expenditure. The results shed light on why the US government has chosen to uphold and pursue its anti‐terrorism policies in recent years to present day.
Contemplative Pedagogy: Frequently Asked Questions
Authors: Coburn Tom , Grace Fran , Klein Anne Carolyn , Komjathy Louis , Roth Harold , Simmer‐Brown Judith
Published: April 2011

Contemplative Pedagogy is a new and sometimes controversial pedagogical practice. Faculty often have basic questions about how to implement the pedagogy in their classrooms, in addition to questions that challenge the educational value and appropriateness of the practice. Assembled here are the most frequently asked questions about Contemplative Pedagogy, with responses from six contemplative professors, each from a different institutional and philosophical location. The respondents are founding members of the Contemplative Studies Consultation of the American Academy of Religion. The diversity of views expressed by the respondents invites the reader to see that there is no single theory or praxis of contemplative pedagogy.
“There Is a Lot of Junk on the Web!”: Using Web Site Evaluation in an Introductory Religion Course
Authors: Junior Nyasha , Edwards Amy
Published: April 2011

This essay describes a web site evaluation project which served as the final assignment for an undergraduate “Introduction to Religion” course. The essay discusses lessons learned from the design and implementation of this web‐based research assignment over three consecutive semesters. It includes insights from an instructor and a reference librarian who collaborated on this project.
Web‐based GIS Approaches to Enhance Public Participation in Wind Farm Planning
Authors: Berry Robert , Higgs Gary , Fry Richard , Langford Mitch
Published: April 2011

Planning information pertaining to the potential visual impacts of proposed construction developments is particularly important in the case of wind farm planning, given the high levels of concern amongst members of the public regarding the perceived negative visual impacts of wind turbines on the landscape. Previous research has highlighted the shortcomings associated with traditional visualization techniques used to assess these impacts, and also the means by which such information is then disseminated to the wider public during the consultation stages of the wind farm planning process. This research is concerned with examining the potential of Web‐based mapping and digital landscape visualization techniques for addressing some of these shortcomings. This article reports the findings of a Web‐based survey study designed to evaluate the potential of online GIS‐based approaches for improving the effectiveness and dissemination of wind farm visualizations and enhancing public participation in the wind farm planning process. Results from the survey study add to the research literature by demonstrating how innovative Web‐based approaches have real potential for augmenting existing methods of information provision and public participation in the planning process. The findings of this study are also potentially transferrable to other landscape planning scenarios.
Weka‐STPM: a Software Architecture and Prototype for Semantic Trajectory Data Mining and Visualization
Authors: Bogorny Vania , Avancini Hercules , de Paula Bruno Cesar , Kuplich Cassiano Rocha , Alvares Luis Otavio
Published: April 2011

Enormous quantities of trajectory data are collected from many sources, such as GPS devices and mobile phones, as sequences of spatio‐temporal points. These data can be used in many application domains such as traffic management, urban planning, tourism, bird migration, and so on. Raw trajectory data, as generated by mobile devices have very little or no semantics, and in most applications a higher level of abstraction is needed to exploit these data for decision making. Although several different methods have been proposed so far for trajectory querying and mining, there are no software tools to help the end user with semantic trajectory data analysis. In this article we present a software architecture for semantic trajectory data mining as well as the first software prototype to enrich trajectory data with both semantic information and data mining. As a prototype we extend the Weka data mining toolkit with the module Weka‐STPM, which is interoperable with databases constructed under OGC specifications. We tested Weka‐STPM with real geographic databases, and trajectory data stored under the Postgresql/PostGIS DBMS.
An Empirical Examination of Export Variety: Regional Heterogeneity within a Nation
Authors: Yoshida Yushi
Published: April 2011

Recognising that similar goods are produced in different subregions within a country, we offer new evidence of variety expansion in a nation’s exports. We divide Japanese national exports into 41 prefectural subregions with over 7,000 product categories and construct subregional export margins for the years between 1988 and 2005. First, we find strong evidence of regional heterogeneity in terms of export product coverage, and the export variety of most regions expands in our sample period. Second, we find that the extensive margin accounts for over 60 per cent of the increase in exports of larger subregions, similar to the findings in the international cross‐country study. These findings imply that accounting for export variety in terms of new exports from subregions within a country strengthens the contribution of extensive margin in the growth of exports.
Foreign Direct Investment Spillovers: Evidence from the British Retail Sector
Authors: Higón Dolores Añón , Vasilakos Nicholas
Published: April 2011

This paper discusses the impact of foreign‐ownership presence on the productivity performance of British‐owned domestic retailers. In particular, we analyse the existence of productivity spillovers, in the form of knowledge transfer, by using establishment‐level data from the Annual Respondents Database over the period 1997–2003. The results confirm the presence of such spillovers and highlight their positive and significant impact on the productivity of domestic firms, although these spillovers are mostly confined to the region in which foreign subsidiaries locate. There is also evidence that the productivity benefit from regional foreign direct investment spillovers increases with the absorptive capacity of domestic retailers.
Exchange‐rate Misalignments in Duopoly: The Case of Airbus and Boeing
Authors: Bénassy‐Quéré Agnès , Fontagné Lionel , Raff Horst
Published: April 2011

We examine the effect of exchange‐rate misalignments on competition in the market for large commercial aircraft. This market is a duopoly where players compete in dollar‐denominated prices while one of them, Airbus, incurs a large fraction of its costs in euro. We estimate price elasticities for big aircraft, and construct a simulation model to investigate how companies adjust their prices to deal with the effects of a temporary misalignment and how this affects profit margins and volumes. We conclude that, due to the duopolistic nature of the aircraft market, Airbus will pass only a small part of the exchange‐rate fluctuations on to customers. Moreover, due to features specific to the aircraft industry, such as customer switching costs and learning‐by‐doing, even a temporary departure of the exchange rate from its long‐run equilibrium level may have permanent effects on the industry.
Investment History and Market Orientation Effects in the TFP–FDI Relationship1
Authors: Kukulski Jeffrey , Ryan Michael
Published: April 2011

This paper examines the robustness of previous stochastic dominance tests that find significant total factor productivity (TFP) heterogeneity between firms that export abroad and multinational enterprises (MNEs). We extend this literature by focusing on how ‘within‐MNE’ heterogeneity affects the extent to which one can identify the TFP threshold in the exporter–MNE TFP relationship. Within‐MNE heterogeneity is established by determining both the number and location of the foreign affiliates established by each MNE. In this way, we separate single‐affiliate MNEs from those with multiple affiliates, as well as analyse the role played by vertical FDI, a topic typically ignored in previous stochastic dominance tests of the Helpman et al. (2004, American Economic Review, 94, 300–16) hypothesis. Our empirical tests employ Japanese firm‐level FDI and TFP data for the period 1975–2000. Using Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests to determine stochastic dominance, we find significant TFP heterogeneity within the MNE group based on investment history and affiliate geographic location. While our results confirm the standard HMY three‐tiered classification to exist for Japanese firms, exporter–MNE ‘between‐group’ TFP heterogeneity is sensitive to the ‘within‐MNE’ investment history heterogeneity. We note that single‐ and two‐affiliate MNEs are statistically more similar to exporting firms than to MNEs with greater foreign affiliate totals. This shows the exporter–MNE TFP threshold to be not as explicit as Helpman et al. (2004, American Economic Review, 94, 300–16) suggest. In fact, our results allow us to identify the MNE‐side width of Girma et al.’s (2005, Economic Letters, 83, 317–24) ‘uncertainty region’ surrounding this threshold. Finally, we also find a strong TFP–market orientation relationship exists where the most productive firms follow complex integration strategies, lesser TFP firms do horizontal FDI, and the least productive MNEs do vertical FDI.
Constraints on Implicit Learning of Grammatical Form‐Meaning Connections
Authors: Leung Janny H. C. , Williams John N.
Published: April 2011

Although there is good evidence for implicit learning of associations between forms, little work has investigated implicit learning of form‐meaning connections, and the findings are somewhat contradictory. Two experiments were carried out using a novel reaction time methodology to investigate implicit learning of grammatical form‐meaning connections. Participants learned four novel articles but were not told about a critical semantic factor that determines agreement with the accompanying noun. Their task was to indicate as quickly as possible which of two pictures was being referred to by an article‐noun combination. The measure of learning was whether response times would slow down when the agreement rule was violated (i.e., when the wrong article was used for the picture being referred to). Experiment 1 revealed such an effect when articles correlated with noun animacy, even for participants with no reported awareness of this regularity. In Experiment 2 no such effect was obtained when the regularity concerned the relative size of two objects. It is concluded that grammatical form‐meaning connections may be learned implicitly, but learning is constrained by the nature of the meaning involved. It is argued that concepts are differentially available to implicit language learning processes.
PHILOSOPHY INSIDE OUT
Authors: KITCHER PHILIP
Published: April 2011

Abstract: Philosophy is often conceived in the Anglophone world today as a subject that focuses on questions in particular “core areas,” pre‐eminently epistemology and metaphysics. This article argues that the contemporary conception is a new version of the scholastic “self‐indulgence for the few” of which Dewey complained nearly a century ago. Philosophical questions evolve, and a first task for philosophers is to address issues that arise for their own times. The article suggests that a renewal of philosophy today should turn the contemporary conception inside out, attending to and developing further the valuable work being done on the supposed “periphery” and attending to the “core areas” only insofar as is necessary to address genuinely significant questions.
PHILOSOPHICAL EXPERTISE AND THE BURDEN OF PROOF
Authors: WILLIAMSON TIMOTHY
Published: April 2011

Abstract: Some proponents of “experimental philosophy” criticize philosophers' use of thought experiments on the basis of evidence that the verdicts vary with truth‐independent factors. However, their data concern the verdicts of philosophically untrained subjects. According to the expertise defence, what matters are the verdicts of trained philosophers, who are more likely to pay careful attention to the details of the scenario and track their relevance. In a recent article, Jonathan M. Weinberg and others reply to the expertise defence that there is no evidence for such expertise. They now receive a reply in this article, which argues that they have misconstrued the dialectical situation. Since they have produced no evidence that philosophical training is less efficacious for thought experimentation than for other cognitive tasks for which they acknowledge that it produces genuine expertise, such as informal argumentation, they have produced no evidence for treating the former more sceptically than the latter.
SOMAESTHETICS AND THE CARE OF THE BODY
Authors: GALLAGHER SHAUN
Published: April 2011

Abstract: This article poses a number of questions to Richard Shusterman concerning his concepts of somaesthetics and body consciousness in his book Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics. How do the concepts relate to the kind of forgetfulness of the body that can happen in expert performance? What is the nature of somatic reflection, and how is it different from pre‐reflective awareness of the body? The article suggests that our immersed involvement and overt orientation toward things, and toward other people that concern us, involve bodily practices characterized by a performative forgetting of the body. Depending on the nature of the way we become aware of (or practice awareness of) the body, performance may be improved or disrupted.
EVALUATING AGENCY: A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION FOR SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Authors: CI JIWEI
Published: April 2011

Abstract: Many of the things we do in social and political philosophy, whether normative or critical, presuppose some understanding and evaluation of agency. To have a clear idea of our normative or critical enterprise, the underlying account of agency needs spelling out. This article begins with a descriptive account: human agency consists in power (or causal efficacy) organized as subjectivity (or selfhood), and such organization takes place through attributions of power informed by values. Some such descriptive account is useful for understanding and comparing forms of agency. But as we move beyond it to construct an evaluative account of agency, we face problems that are symptomatic of our social and political condition. While quantitative assessment of agency does not work, qualitative assessment seems out of place in our modern world of pluralism and yet is unavoidable for those who, like Habermas, take issue with such phenomena as colonization of the lifeworld.
CREATING THE JOURNAL METAPHILOSOPHY
Authors: BYNUM TERRELL WARD
Published: April 2011

Abstract: This brief article describes the circumstances that led to the creation of the journal Metaphilosophy in autumn 1968. A year after I had left graduate school, an unfortunate accident left me flat on my back for several weeks with nothing to do while recuperating from eye surgery. Bored, I decided to do something constructive, so I created a scholarly journal devoted to articles about the nature of philosophy, or how the different schools or branches of philosophy relate to each other, or how philosophy relates to other disciplines. I made up the word “metaphilosophy” to describe such content, and I decided to call the journal by that name. With help from my wife, from my best friend, and from my undergraduate philosophy mentor, the journal Metaphilosophy was launched.
A DEFENCE OF CONSTRUCTIONISM: PHILOSOPHY AS CONCEPTUAL ENGINEERING
Authors: FLORIDI LUCIANO
Published: April 2011

Abstract: This article offers an account and defence of constructionism, both as a metaphilosophical approach and as a philosophical methodology, with references to the so‐called maker's knowledge tradition. Its main thesis is that Plato's “user's knowledge” tradition should be complemented, if not replaced, by a constructionist approach to philosophical problems in general and to knowledge in particular. Epistemic agents know something when they are able to build (reproduce, simulate, model, construct, etc.) that something and plug the obtained information into the correct network of relations that account for it. Their epistemic expertise increases with the scope and depth of the questions that they are able to ask and answer. Thus, constructionism deprioritises mimetic, passive, and declarative knowledge that something is the case, in favour of poietic, interactive, and practical knowledge of something being the case. Metaphilosophically, constructionism suggests adding conceptual engineering to conceptual analysis as a fundamental method.
THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS AND PHILOSOPHICAL KNOWLEDGE
Authors: MACHERY EDOUARD
Published: April 2011

Abstract: While thought experiments play an important role in contemporary analytic philosophy, much remains unclear about thought experiments. In particular, it is still unclear whether the judgments elicited by thought experiments can provide evidence for the premises of philosophical arguments. This article argues that, if an influential and promising view about the nature of the judgments elicited by thought experiments is correct, then many thought experiments in philosophy fail to provide any evidence for the premises of philosophical arguments.
Emergency department consultations for patients with neurological emergencies
Authors: Hansen C. K. , Fisher J. , Joyce N. , Edlow J. A.
Published: April 2011

Background:  The spectrum of neurological emergencies that front‐line physicians encounter is diverse. Appropriate assessment and neurological consultation is essential to good patient outcomes because many of these conditions depend on the rapid initiation of proper therapy.

Methods:  In this retrospective study, we reviewed patients for whom the emergency physician elected to consult a neurologist to categorize the types of complaints, resources utilized, patient disposition and final diagnoses.

Results:  Of the 500 patients analyzed in our study, the most common chief complaints were focal weakness (22%), headache (18.2%), dizziness or vertigo (16%), and seizure (14.2%). The most common reasons for neurological consultation were specific symptom (70.6%), concern for a specific diagnosis (17.4%), specific radiologic finding (9.2%), and ambiguity in the diagnosis (2.8%). Overall stroke accounted for 18.6% of the cases in our study. Non‐contrast brain computed tomography was the most common imaging study (72.2%), and 37.0% of patients received advanced neuroimaging. The presentation of patients varied as 47% presented without having been seen by another healthcare professional, 24% were referred to the emergency department (ED) following by some other outpatient provider for evaluation, and 29% were transferred from another ED.

Conclusions:  Patients with neurological emergencies are common and consume a disproportionate amount of resources in the ED. Emergency physician training must target the modern evaluation of patients with a large variety of neurological emergencies and place special emphasis on the evaluation of patients with weakness, seizures, headache, and dizziness.
NSAID use and risk of Parkinson disease: a population‐based case‐control study
Authors: Becker C. , Jick S. S. , Meier C. R.
Published: April 2011

Background:  Previous epidemiologic studies have produced inconsistent findings regarding the association between the use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the risk of Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods:  We conducted a case–control analysis using the General Practice Research Database. Cases (≥40 years) had a new diagnosis of PD between 1994 and 2009. We matched four controls to each PD case on age, sex, general practice, and index date. Use of NSAIDs, aspirin, and acetaminophen was stratified by exposure timing and duration for both cases and controls. We calculated odds ratios (OR) using conditional logistic regression. For additional analyses, the index date was brought backward 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively.

Results:  We identified 4026 cases with an incident idiopathic PD diagnosis and 15 969 matched controls. Compared with patients without any previous prescription for NSAIDs, those with prior use had no increased risk of a PD diagnosis (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.99–1.16). Long‐term use (≥15 prescriptions) was associated with a slightly lower PD risk (adjusted OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.83–1.07). The relative PD risks of the use of aspirin or acetaminophen were not materially higher (PD risk of long‐term use: adjusted ORs 1.16, 95% CI 1.03–1.30 and 1.15, 95% CI 1.02–1.30, respectively) compared with those for non‐users. The risk estimate diminished toward the null in subsequent analyses with shifted index dates.

Conclusion:  In this large observational study with data from the UK primary care, the long‐term use of NSAIDs, aspirin, or acetaminophen was not associated with a substantially altered risk of developing PD.
On Components and Relations in Sociotechnical Systems
Authors: Haavik Torgeir K.
Published: April 2011

The way sociotechnical systems are conceptually understood influences the result of the safety assessments of such systems. In the literature on the safety of sociotechnical systems, the starting point for the descriptions is often the system components, while the relations are seen as resulting from these components. In this article, it is argued that the relations of a sociotechnical system should be understood as primary entities, defining and shaping the components. A consequence of such a relational focus, it is argued, is that system evaluations become more labour‐demanding than approaches that take generic, pre‐defined components as the point of departure. In return, they become more relevant and precise to the specific system in question.
Apolipoprotein D alters the early transcriptional response to oxidative stress in the adult cerebellum
Authors: Bajo‐Grañeras Raquel , Sanchez Diego , Gutierrez Gabriel , González Constancio , Do Carmo Sonia , Rassart Eric , Ganfornina Maria D.
Published: April 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 117, 949–960.

The lipocalin Apolipoprotein D (ApoD), known to protect the nervous system against oxidative stress (OS) in model organisms, is up‐regulated early in the mouse brain in response to the ROS generator paraquat. However, the processes triggered by this up‐regulation have not been explored. We present here a study of the effect of ApoD on the early transcriptional changes upon OS in the mouse cerebellum using microarray profiling. ApoD‐KO and transgenic mice over‐expressing ApoD in neurons are compared to wild‐type controls. In control conditions, ApoD affects the transcriptional profile of neuron and oligodendrocyte‐specific genes involved in neuronal excitability, synaptic function, and myelin homeostasis. When challenged with paraquat, the absence of ApoD modifies the response of genes mainly related to OS management and myelination. Interestingly, the over‐expression of ApoD in neurons almost completely abolishes the early transcriptional response to OS. We independently evaluate the expression of protein kinase Cδ, a gene up‐regulated by OS only in the ApoD‐KO cerebellum, and find it over‐expressed in cultured ApoD‐KO primary astrocytes, which points to a role for ApoD in astrocyte‐microglia signaling. Our results support the hypothesis that ApoD is necessary for a proper response of the nervous system against physiological and pathological OS.
NO STONE UNBURNED: A COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS OF OBSIDIAN MICRODEBITAGE BY LASER ABLATION TOF–ICP–MS
Authors: SCHARLOTTA I. , GILSTRAP W. , NEFF H.
Published: April 2011

Obsidian is an effective material for the study of prehistoric raw material use and exchange, due to the high degree of homogeneity and redundancy of obsidian materials and manufactured objects in the archaeological record. The destructive nature of many analytical techniques often impedes compositional research because of the damage that may occur to priceless archaeological artefacts. The combination of time‐of‐flight (TOF) ICP–MS with a laser ablation sample introduction system provides a highly efficient means of chemically characterizing obsidian. This study shows that sample size limit capabilities of TOF–ICP–MS analysis of obsidian can reach less than 100 μm. Sampling and analysis of microartefacts enables researchers to overcome problems of sampling bias with very little damage to the valuable existing materials within the archaeological record and expands the potential for chemical compositional analyses in archaeology.
Direct and Vicarious Violent Victimization and Juvenile Delinquency: An Application of General Strain Theory*
Authors: Lin Wen‐Hsu , Cochran John K. , Mieczkowski Thomas
Published: April 2011

Using a national probability sample of adolescents (12–17), this study applies general strain theory to how violent victimization, vicarious violent victimization, and dual violent victimization affect juvenile violent/property crime and drug use. In addition, the mediating effect and moderating effect of depression, low social control, and delinquent peer association on the victimization–delinquency relationship is also examined. Based on SEM analyses and contingency tables, the results indicate that all three types of violent victimization have significant and positive direct effects on violent/property crime and drug use. In addition, the expected mediating effects and moderating effects are also found. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Mitigating Material Hardship: The Strategies Low‐Income Families Employ to Reduce the Consequences of Poverty*
Authors: Heflin Colleen , London Andrew S. , Scott Ellen K.
Published: April 2011

Despite decades of research, little is known about the contours of material hardship and how the social processes underlying specific domains of hardship are similar and different. We use qualitative interview data to examine five different domains of material hardship: housing, bill‐paying, food, medical, and clothing hardships. While mothers use social program participation, reliance on social networks, and individual strategies to mitigate hardships, the dominance of these strategies and their specific applications differ across hardship domains. These results complement recent research that identifies each domain of hardship as unique and suggest that domain‐specific hardship mitigation approaches are necessary.
Cohabitation: Parents Following in Their Children’s Footsteps?*
Authors: McClain Lauren Rinelli
Published: April 2011

As cohabitation has risen dramatically in the past few decades among adults of all ages, it is possible that middle‐and older‐aged parents are “learning” cohabitation from their young adult children. The present study uses this theory as a guiding framework to determine if parents are more likely to cohabit themselves following the start of a young adult child’s cohabitation. Using three waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 275), results show that union formation patterns are influenced by young adult children among parents who are single at their child’s 18th birthday. Parents are less likely to marry than remain single and are much more likely to cohabit than marry if they have a young adult child who cohabits. These results show support for the hypotheses.
Spontaneous echocardiographic contrast in three dogs
Authors: Ralph Alan G. , Saunders Ashley B. , Hariu Crystal D. , Nabity Mary
Published: April 2011

Objective
–
To describe the clinical presentation and outcome in 3 dogs with spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC).

Case or Series Summary
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SEC was identified in 3 dogs with concurrent hyperfibrinogenemia. The dogs were diagnosed with different underlying conditions including infective endocarditis of the mitral valve (Case 1), presumptive Evan's syndrome (Case 2), and presumptive sepsis (Case 3). Various therapies were used in each case directed at their underlying condition, in addition to thromboprophylaxis that were based upon a perceived risk of thromboembolic disease. The 3 dogs in this series survived to discharge and had good outcome during the follow‐up period, which ranged from 3 weeks to 7 months.

New or Unique Information Provided
–
SEC is considered a marker for thromboembolic disease in people and can occur in dogs in the absence of significant cardiomegaly. SEC in these 3 dogs may be related to the documented hyperfibrinogenemia. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether dogs with SEC are at an increased risk for thromboembolic complications.
Thrombectomy and thrombolysis: the interventional radiology approach
Authors: Dunn Marilyn E.
Published: April 2011

Objective –To present interventional therapeutic options for patients with thrombosis.

Etiology –Thrombosis in small animals results from an unbalance in the normal hemostatic mechanisms leading to vessel occlusion. In veterinary medicine, thrombosis is recognized as a common complication of many acquired diseases, including cardiac, endocrine, immunological, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders.

Diagnosis –Clinical signs are variable depending on the location of the thrombus and various laboratory and imaging modalities can aid in its identification and localization.

Therapy –Once identified, a decision must be made to whether or not intervene and which method is most appropriate. A number of minimally invasive approaches for dealing with thrombosis are available and offer veterinarians a choice of therapeutic options when dealing with a thrombotic patient. In the presence of thrombosis, a combined approach of vessel balloon dilatation, catheter‐directed thrombolysis and stenting may be most appropriate. Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy, if available, may also be appropriate. Embolic trapping devices can be used with vena cava thrombosis to help prevent pulmonary embolism. Anticoagulant therapy may be indicated in the postoperative period to prevent further thrombus formation while the patient's fibrinolytic system breaks the clot down.

Prognosis –Outcome is variable depending on the site of the thrombus formation. Arterial thrombosis can be life‐threatening while venous thrombosis tends to be less life‐threatening but may lead to pulmonary embolism.
Ureteral obstructions in dogs and cats: a review of traditional and new interventional diagnostic and therapeutic options
Authors: Berent Allyson C.
Published: April 2011

Objective –To describe and review both traditional and newer diagnostic and therapeutic options for canine and feline ureteral obstructions currently being performed clinically in veterinary medicine.

Data Sources –A Medline search with no date restrictions was used for this review.

Human Data Synthesis –The human literature would support the use of minimally invasive endourological techniques for the treatment of nearly all causes of ureteral obstructions, whenever possible. This typically includes extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, intracorporeal lithotripsy via retrograde ureteroscopy or antegrade percutaneous nephroureterolithotomy, ureteral stenting, percutaneous nephrostomy tube placement, and laparoscopic endopyelotomy. Typically open surgery is only suggested in cases of ureteral or gynecological malignancy when en bloc resection is considered a good option, or when various methods of endourological techniques have failed.

Veterinary Data Synthesis –The veterinary literature is scarce on the use of interventional endourological techniques for the treatment of ureteral obstructions and has been growing over the last 5 years. The current literature reports the use of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for ureteral stones, as well as the use of ureteral stents for the treatment of trigonal obstructive transitional cell carcinoma, ureterolithiasis, and ureteral strictures. Traditional surgical interventions, like ureterotomy, ureteronephrectomy, and ureteral reimplantation is more vastly reported and accepted. This review will focus on new clinical data using interventional endourological techniques for ureteral obstructions.

Conclusions –Various treatment options for ureteral obstructions are now available for veterinary patients, and the trend away from traditional surgical techniques will hopefully be followed now that they are technically and clinically available for dogs and cats.
The core Dravet syndrome phenotype
Authors: Dravet Charlotte
Published: April 2011

Dravet syndrome was described in 1978 by Dravet (1978) under the name of severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (SMEI). The characteristics of the syndrome were confirmed and further delineated by other authors over the years. According to the semiologic features, two forms have been individualized: (1) the typical, core, SMEI; and (2) the borderline form, SMEIB, in which the myoclonic component is absent or subtle. Clinical manifestations at the onset, at the steady state, and during the course of the disease are analyzed in detail for the typical Dravet syndrome, and the differential diagnosis is discussed. Onset in the first year of life by febrile or afebrile clonic and tonic–clonic, generalized, and unilateral seizures, often prolonged, in an apparently normal infant is the first symptom, suggesting the diagnosis. Later on, multiple seizure types, mainly myoclonic, atypical absences, and focal seizures appear, as well as a slowing of developmental and cognitive skills, and the appearance of behavioral disorders. Mutation screening for the SCN1A gene confirms the diagnosis in 70–80% of patients. All seizure types are pharmacoresistent, but a trend toward less severe epilepsy and cognitive impairment is usually observed after the age of 5 years.
Borderline Dravet syndrome: A useful diagnostic category?
Authors: Guerrini Renzo , Oguni Hirokazu
Published: April 2011

The term “borderline” severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEIB) has been used to designate patients in whom myoclonic seizures or generalized spike and wave activity are absent. It has also been used loosely to indicate mild forms of the syndrome. It is now acknowledged that the course and outcome of patients with SMEIB are the same as in the core syndrome. The rate of patients exhibiting SCN1A gene mutations is also similar, and it has been observed that the same mutations can cause both typical and “borderline” forms, indicating causal homogeneity. Defining a borderline form of a syndrome would mean setting the criteria of semiology and severity whereby a given phenotype falls within and outside the core syndrome. Such process has never been made for Dravet syndrome and is of course unrealistic in view its polymorphic expression. The eponym Dravet syndrome has been preferred to designate a syndrome spectrum that also embraces SMEIB. Therefore the term “borderline” Dravet syndrome is improper. The definition “mild form” of Dravet syndrome would certainly be more suitable to indicate those patients exhibiting a less severe or incomplete form of the syndrome. Variability in severity favors the concept that SCN1A loss of function causes a spectrum of epilepsy phenotypes in which seizures, often prolonged and precipitated by fever, are the prominent feature and schematic subdivisions would be inappropriate, at least in the early stages. An initial definition of SCN1A gene–related epilepsy would perhaps be more suitable when a mutation of this gene is ascertained and the clinical picture is still ill defined.
Electroencephalographic characteristics of Dravet syndrome
Authors: Bureau Michelle , Bernardina Bernardo Dalla
Published: April 2011

In Dravet syndrome, interictal and ictal electroencephalography (EEG) recording may remain misleading, and are not specifically altered. Moreover, there is a great polymorphism of clinical and EEG seizure types. Some can be observed in other epileptic syndromes, but others are more specific—particularly the peculiar unilateral seizures, the falsely generalized seizures, probably with a focal onset, and the unstable seizures. In some cases, the ictal manifestations are characterized by the persistent predominant recurrence of convulsive seizures, often induced by body temperature increase, eventually associated with partial complex seizures. The myoclonic events, absences with myoclonic component, obtundation status, and photosensitivity and/or pattern sensitivity are absent or appear relatively late and recur transiently for short periods. In these cases interictal EEG is characterized by the persistent paucity of paroxysmal discharges. In other cases, on a background of convulsive seizures and body temperature sensitivity, one may find a variable association of (1) myoclonic seizures of different types, (2) a strong sensitivity to light and pattern stimulations, with early onset and persistent in time. In these cases, interictal paroxysms and spontaneous and induced (intermittent photic stimulation, patterns, and eye closure) stimulation tend to appear early and to be frequent and persistent during the evolution. According to these electroclinical patterns it is possible to divide the population into two subsets, both sharing common genetic mechanisms but with a different clinical outcome.
Cognitive development in children with Dravet syndrome
Authors: Ragona Francesca
Published: April 2011

Slowing of cognitive skills represents one of the diagnostic criteria of Dravet syndrome. This Italian multicentric study aims at clarifying the roles of epilepsy and/or underlying genetic alteration in determining the cognitive outcome. The study includes infants that were either in follow‐up (retrospective study: 26 cases) and newly diagnosed (prospective study: in progress). Our multicentric study shows that slowing of cognitive achievements becomes evident during the second year of life in all cases, and that the epilepsy phenotype indeed has a prognostic value. In this study the early appearance of absences and myoclonic seizures is associated with the worst cognitive outcome; whereas convulsive prolonged seizures do not seem to represent, per se, a bad prognostic factor for mental outcome. In this study, statistical analysis failed to reveal differences in the cognitive outcome with regard to the presence and type of SCN1A mutation.
Mortality in Dravet syndrome: Search for risk factors in Japanese patients
Authors: Sakauchi Masako , Oguni Hirokazu , Kato Ikuko , Osawa Makiko , Hirose Shinichi , Kaneko Sunao , Takahashi Yukitoshi , Takayama Rumiko , Fujiwara Tateki
Published: April 2011

A questionnaire survey was conducted in Japan to investigate the causes and prevalence of death related to Dravet syndrome. The questionnaire was delivered to 246 hospitals at which physicians were treating childhood epilepsy to gain information about the total number of patients with Dravet syndrome and the prevalence of early death due to the disorder. Responses to the survey were collected from 91 hospitals, and a total of 63 of 623 patients with Dravet syndrome had died. Data from 59 of these patients were analyzed. The age at death for these patients ranged from 13 months to 24 years and 11 months, with a median age of 6 years and 8 months. The causes of mortality included sudden death in 31 patients (53%), acute encephalopathy with status epilepticus (SE) in 21 patients (36%), drowning in 6 patients (10%), and other causes in one patient (1%). The incidence of sudden death reached a first peak at 1–3 years of age and a second peak at 18 years and older. In contrast, the incidence of acute encephalopathy with SE reached a peak at 6 years of age. Seven of the 10 patients who underwentSCN1Amutation analysis exhibited positive mutations but exhibited no consistent phenotype. The prevalence of Dravet syndrome–related mortality was 10.1%. The incidence of sudden death and acute encephalopathy with SE was higher in infancy (1–3 years) and at early school ages (with a peak at 6 years), respectively. Neither the treatment nor the number of seizures was associated with any cause of mortality. Factors leading to a fatal outcome are difficult to predict.
Electrical and autonomic cardiac function in patients with Dravet syndrome
Authors: Delogu Angelica B. , Spinelli Antonella , Battaglia Domenica , Dravet Charlotte , De Nisco Alessia , Saracino Annalisa , Romagnoli Costantino , Lanza Gaetano A. , Crea Filippo
Published: April 2011

Dravet syndrome (DS) is an epileptic encephalopathy related mainly to mutations in the SCN1A gene, encoding for neuronal sodium channels. Patients with DS have a high risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). In this study we investigated whether patients with DS present abnormalities in electrical and autonomic cardiac function. To this aim we assessed ventricular repolarization and heart rate variability (HRV) on standard electrocardiography (ECG) and on 24‐h ECG Holter monitoring, respectively, in 20 patients affected by DS (6.8 ± 4 years, 11 female). As age‐ and sex‐matched control groups, we also studied 20 patients with other epileptic syndromes receiving antiepileptic drugs (ES/AED, 6.0 ± 5 years, 12 female), 20 patients with other epileptic syndromes without treatment (ES/no‐AED, 6.7 ± 4 years, 10 female), and 20 healthy children (HC, 7.2 ± 5 years, 11 females). Data analysis showed that patients with DS had depressed HRV variables compared to both ES patients (ES/AED and ES/no‐AED) and HC control group, whereas no significant differences in HRV variables were found between ES patients (with and without treatment) and HC. There was no significant difference between patients with DS and all the other control groups in RR intervals, QT, and QTc interval analysis. In conclusion, DS patients display an imbalance of cardiac autonomic function toward a relative predominance of adrenergic tone compared to both healthy children and patients with other forms of epilepsy, independent of antiepileptic therapy. Follow‐up studies should clarify the clinical significance of this autonomic impairment and whether HRV analysis can be helpful in predicting the risk of sudden death in patients with DS.
Molecular and cellular basis: Insights from experimental models of Dravet syndrome
Authors: Yamakawa Kazuhiro
Published: April 2011

Dravet syndrome is caused by mutations of the SCN1A gene that encodes voltage‐gated sodium channel alpha‐1 subunit. SCN1A‐knock‐in mouse with a disease‐relevant nonsense mutation that we generated well reproduced the disease phenotypes. Both homozygous and heterozygous knock‐in mice developed epileptic seizures within the first postnatal month. In heterozygotes, trains of evoked action potentials in fast‐spiking, inhibitory cells exhibited pronounced spike amplitude decrement late in the burst but not in pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, our immunohistochemical studies showed that in wild‐type mice Nav1.1 is expressed in parvalbumin‐positive inhibitory interneurons (PV cells), dominantly in its axons and moderately in somata, and not expressed in pyramidal cells nor other types of interneurons including somatostatin‐positive and calretinin‐positive cells. These results so far suggest that Nav1.1 expression is largely confined to PV cells and plays critical roles in their spike output, and that impaired function of PV cells would be the cellular basis of Dravet syndrome.