bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Negative relationship between ambient temperature and death‐feigning intensity in adult Callosobruchus maculatus and Callosobruchus chinensis
Authors: MIYATAKE TAKAHISA , OKADA KENSUKE , HARANO TOMOHIRO
Published: February 2008

Abstract Although the effects of temperature on insect behaviours are studied frequently, few studies report on the relationship between temperature and anti‐predator behaviours. A negative relationship between ambient temperature and the intensity of death‐feigning is found in adults of two seed beetle species, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) and C. chinensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Two traits representing the intensity of immobility, the frequency and the duration of death‐feigning, are measured at different temperatures. Almost all adults feign death at 15 °C, but the frequency of death‐feigning decreases at higher temperatures in C. maculatus, whereas all C. chinensis adults show this behaviour at 15 and 20 °C and almost all show it at 25 °C, but the frequency of death‐feigning decreases at 30 and 35 °C. The difference between the two species might be due to the specific strain of each species used in the experiment. The duration of death‐feigning is correlated negatively with the increase in ambient temperature in both species. The frequency at which adults feigned death is higher in females than in males in both species, but the duration of death‐feigning is higher in females than in males only in C. maculatus. The relationships between temperature and death‐feigning behaviours are discussed from physiological and ecological viewpoints.
A subtilisin‐like serine protease essential for mucilage release from Arabidopsis seed coats
Authors: Rautengarten Carsten , Usadel Björn , Neumetzler Lutz , Hartmann Jürgen , Büssis Dirk , Altmann Thomas
Published: February 2008

During Arabidopsis seed development large quantities of mucilage, composed of pectins, are deposited into the apoplast underneath the outer wall of the seed coat. Upon imbibition of mature seeds, the stored mucilage expands through hydration and breaks the outer cell wall that encapsulates the whole seed. Mutant seeds carrying loss‐of‐function alleles of AtSBT1.7 that encodes one of 56 Arabidopsis thaliana subtilisin‐like serine proteases (subtilases) do not release mucilage upon hydration. Microscopic analysis of the mutant seed coat revealed no visible structural differences compared with wild‐type seeds. Weakening of the outer primary wall using cation chelators triggered mucilage release from the seed coats of mutants. However, in contrast to mature wild‐type seeds, the mutant’s outer cell walls did not rupture at the radial walls of the seed coat epidermal cells, but instead opened at the chalazal end of the seed, and were released in one piece. In atsbt1.7, the total rhamnose and galacturonic acid contents, representing the backbone of mucilage, remained unchanged compared with wild‐type seeds. Thus, extrusion and solubility, but not the initial deposition of mucilage, are affected in atsbt1.7 mutants. AtSBT1.7 is localized in the developing seed coat, indicating a role in testa development or maturation. The altered mode of rupture of the outer seed coat wall and mucilage release indicate that AtSBT1.7 triggers the accumulation, and/or activation, of cell wall modifying enzymes necessary either for the loosening of the outer primary cell wall, or to facilitate swelling of the mucilage, as indicated by elevated pectin methylesterase activity in developing atsbt1.7 mutant seeds.
A NIMA‐related protein kinase suppresses ectopic outgrowth of epidermal cells through its kinase activity and the association with microtubules
Authors: Motose Hiroyasu , Tominaga Rumi , Wada Takuji , Sugiyama Munetaka , Watanabe Yuichiro
Published: February 2008

To study cellular morphogenesis genetically, we isolated loss‐of‐function mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana, designated ibo1. The ibo1 mutations cause local outgrowth in the middle of epidermal cells of the hypocotyls and petioles, resulting in the formation of a protuberance. In Arabidopsis, the hypocotyl epidermis differentiates into two alternate cell files, the stoma cell file and the non‐stoma cell file, by a mechanism involving TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1 (TTG1) and GLABRA2 (GL2). The ectopic protuberances of the ibo1 mutants were preferentially induced in the non‐stoma cell files, which express GL2. TTG1‐dependent epidermal patterning is required for protuberance formation in ibo1, suggesting that IBO1 functions downstream from epidermal cell specification. Pharmacological and genetic analyses demonstrated that ethylene promotes protuberance formation in ibo1, implying that IBO1 acts antagonistically to ethylene to suppress radial outgrowth. IBO1 is identical to NEK6, which encodes a Never In Mitosis A (NIMA)‐related protein kinase (Nek) with sequence similarity to Neks involved in microtubule organization in fungi, algae, and animals. The ibo1‐1 mutation, in which a conserved Glu residue in the activation loop is substituted by Arg, completely abolishes its kinase activity. The intracellular localization of GFP‐tagged NEK6 showed that NEK6 mainly accumulates in cytoplasmic spots associated with cortical microtubules and with a putative component of the γ‐tubulin complex. The localization of NEK6 is regulated by the C‐terminal domain, which is truncated in the ibo1‐2 allele. These results suggest that the role of NEK6 in the control of cellular morphogenesis is dependent on its kinase action and association with the cortical microtubules.
Kinetics of drought‐induced pathogenesis‐related proteins and its physiological significance in white clover leaves
Authors: Lee Bok‐Rye , Jung Woo‐Jin , Lee Byung‐Hyun , Avice Jean‐Christophe , Ourry Alain , Kim Tae‐Hwan
Published: February 2008

To investigate the responses of pathogenesis‐related (PR) proteins to the intensity of drought stress and their physiological significance in white clover (Trifolium repens L.), the change of enzyme activity and its relationship with some physiological parameters were assessed for 28 days under well‐watered (control) and water‐deficit conditions. Water‐deficit treatment gradually decreased leaf water potential (Ψw) to −2.33 MPa at day 28. Dry matter significantly decreased from 21 days of water‐deficit treatment, while proline and ammonia concentration increased within 7 days. The increase in PR‐protein activity was closely related with the decrease in Ψw. The β‐1,3‐glucanase (EC 3.2.1.39) activity in water‐deficit leaves rapidly increased for the first 14 days (Ψw ≥ −1.67) and then slightly decreased, while the chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) and cellulase (EC 3.2.1.4) activity continued to increase throughout the experimental period. The enhanced activation of β‐1,3‐glucanase, chitinase and cellulase for the period of days 0–14 was significantly (P ≤ 0.01) related to the increase of proline and ammonia concentrations. The results indicate that the enhanced activity of β‐1,3‐glucanase, cellulase and chitinase for the early period might be an act of transient tolerance to drought stress, but the activation of these enzymes during terminal stress might be a drought‐stress‐induced injurious symptom.
Introduction of non‐native freshwater fish: is it all bad?
Authors: Gozlan Rodolphe Elie
Published: February 2008

Risk perceptions are important to the policy process, but there is often a well‐established pattern of small risks being over assessed. This is also true with the issue of non‐native freshwater fish introductions, where a great majority of research focuses on the few negative cases. The attitude towards ‘non‐natives’ is a continually evolving process and varies according to current societal values. Here I show that on the global scale, the majority of freshwater fish introductions are not identified as having an ecological impact while having great societal benefits. Case studies from the African lakes are discussed in order to illustrate contrasting outcomes following fish introductions. Looking into the future, the environmental changes that freshwater ecosystems may encounter will have inevitable implications on the distribution of our native freshwater fish species and the need to rely on non‐native introductions may become a growing reality. Aquaculture production is regularly increasing and our dependence on it is likely to become greater as it provides an important substitute for the declining production of capture fisheries. With it the number of freshwater fish introductions will increase and a more realistic attitude, albeit controversial, will need to be debated. This would mean protecting some introductions that present beneficial outcomes for biodiversity alongside a more systematic ban of species or families of fish presenting a higher historical ecological risk. The public perception of risk is something which cannot be ignored by any government or ruling body, but in order to gain public support in the fight for conservation of freshwater fish biodiversity, the message needs to be clear, detailed and educational.
The physiology of triploid fish: current knowledge and comparisons with diploid fish
Authors: Maxime Valérie
Published: February 2008

This paper is aimed at underlining the limited knowledge available about the physiology of triploid fishes compared with diploids. Whereas many aspects (induction, detection, growth, resistance to diseases, etc.) in the production and rearing of triploid fishes have widely been developed and described in the literature, other numerous questions of ecophysiology remain in abeyance, and the study of triploid cells physiology is still in its infancy. Triploid fishes can be considered as models worthwhile for physiological investigations not only for the economical stake in relation to the development of triploid fishes rearing, but also for the cytological and molecular features of their tissues and organs. The functional implications of these features have been poorly studied although they are potential areas of applied and/or fundamental studies.
Corporate Transparency, Financial Development and the Allocation of Capital: Empirical Evidence
Authors: HABIB AHSAN
Published: February 2008

There is controversy regarding the role of financial development in promoting economic growth. Lucas (1988) suggests that the role of financial intermediation in economic growth has been very badly over‐stressed in the popular and professional discussion. Levine et al. (2000), on the other hand, show that in a cross‐country setting the exogenous component of financial intermediary development is positively and robustly linked to economic growth. Although empirical methodologies to investigate the finance‐growth nexus have been refined, there is a lack of understanding about the exact mechanisms through which the financial system could affect economic performance in the real sector. Wurgler (2000) investigates one such mechanism of economic growth: whether capital is allocated efficiently. He then empirically shows that countries with well‐developed financial architecture improve capital allocation. This article extends Wurgler (2000) by investigating the role of an important economic institution, the financial reporting system, on the efficiency of capital allocation. Financial reporting provides the primary source of independently verified information to the capital providers about the performance of managers and facilitates efficient resource allocation decisions. Results show that financial transparency is positively and significantly related to capital allocation efficiency. Further, this result holds after controlling for the impact of stock price synchronicity, state‐owned enterprises and investor protection rights.
George R. Husband: Contributions to the Development of Accounting Thought
Authors: REINSTEIN ALAN , ALVIN GERALD , VANGERMEERSCH RICHARD G.
Published: February 2008

George R. Husband, accounting educator, was a leader in research, service and teaching. His former students and admirers endowed a chair, three scholarships and an annual lecture series in his memory nearly forty years after his death in 1958. This article highlights his lasting accomplishments by examining his research (e.g., as an opponent of the LIFO method of inventory valuation, an advocate of price‐level accounting and major proponent of the proprietary theory of financial accounting, and as one of the most prolific authors in The Accounting Review), service (e.g., as Vice President and President of the American Accounting Association) and teaching. We also discuss Husband's research in the context of other notable contemporary scholars and those whose works are consistent with Husband's thoughts.
Family Matters: Rankings Within Fund Families and Fund Inflows
Authors: Kempf Alexander , Ruenzi Stefan
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  This paper examines the influence of the position of a fund within its family on its subsequent net‐inflows. Our empirical study of the US equity mutual fund market shows that reaching a top position within the family leads to large inflows. These inflows accrue beyond those expected, given the performance of the fund in its respective market segment. The effect is much stronger in large families than in small families. We also find that inflows significantly increase if a fund moves into the top positions within its family from one year to another. These results lead to competition within the fund family and to important risk taking incentives for fund managers.
The Importance of the Sequence in UK Rights Issues
Authors: Iqbal Abdullah
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  This study examines the market reaction to UK rights issues announcements and also investigates the position of these issues in the sequence in which the firms make multiple rights issues. The sample consists of 569 rights issues made by 243 industrial and financial firms over the period 1988–1998. The results suggest that the UK market responds negatively to earlier issues in the sequence made by multiple rights issuers. This negative reaction diminishes and becomes insignificant at or after the third issue. In addition, the study shows that the favourable response to later rights issues in the sequence is due to the diminishment in the level of information asymmetry around such issues.
The Meaning of ‘Build Back Better’: Evidence From Post‐Tsunami Aceh and Sri Lanka
Authors: Kennedy Jim , Ashmore Joseph , Babister Elizabeth , Kelman Ilan
Published: February 2008

The 26 December 2004 tsunami disaster around the Indian Ocean provided an opportunity to see if decades of knowledge and experience on post‐disaster settlement and shelter could be applied to match the tagline which many groups gave to the post‐tsunami reconstruction: ‘build back better’ (or ‘building back better’). This paper uses evidence from field work completed on implementing settlement and shelter in post‐tsunami Aceh and Sri Lanka to examine whether or not the theory and practice of ‘build back better’ were witnessed. Focusing on settlement and shelter, four areas are examined: (i) safety, security, and livelihoods; (ii) how post‐disaster settlement and shelter could have an improved connection with permanent housing and communities (the ‘transition to what?’ question); (iii) fairness and equity; and (iv) connecting relief and development by tackling root causes of vulnerability. Based on the field work, addressing these four areas is suggested as how ‘build back better’ could be implemented. Recommendations are

Community involvement is essential, but that does not necessarily mean community control.

Organizations involved in implementing transitional settlement and shelter need to consider their capacity and links to other sectors.

Thinking ahead is necessary by integrating relief and development through long‐term planning and disaster risk reduction.

Overall, ‘building back safer’ might be a preferable tagline to ‘building back better’ because ‘better’ has multiple interpretations, many of which caused further problems, whereas ‘safer’ provides a clearer goal on which to focus for post‐disaster settlement and shelter.
Glucose up‐regulates HIF‐1α expression in primary cortical neurons in response to hypoxia through maintaining cellular redox status
Authors: Guo Shuhong , Bragina Olga , Xu Yuexian , Cao Zongxian , Chen Hu , Zhou Bo , Morgan Marilee , Lin Yong , Jiang Bing‐Hua , Liu Ke Jian , Shi Honglian
Published: February 2008

It has been suggested that hypoxia‐inducible factor 1 (HIF‐1), a key regulator in cell’s adaptation to hypoxia, plays an important role in the fate of neurons during ischemia. However, the mechanism of HIF‐1 regulation is still not fully understood in neurons subjected to ischemia. In this study, we demonstrated that glucose up‐regulated the expression of HIF‐1α, the oxygen‐dependent subunit of HIF‐1, in rat primary cortical neurons exposed to hypoxia. To understand the mechanism of glucose‐regulated HIF‐1α expression, we investigated the relationships between HIF‐1α expression, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and redox status. Low levels of HIF‐1α protein expression were observed in the neurons exposed to in vitro ischemic conditions that had high levels of ROS (oxidizing environments), and vice versa. The glutathione (GSH) precursor, N‐acetyl cysteine, induced HIF‐1α protein expression in hypoxic neurons while the GSH synthesis inhibitor, l‐buthionine sulfoximine, inhibited the expression. Moreover, (−)‐epicatechin gallate, a ROS scavenger, elevated HIF‐1α expression in the neurons subjected to in vitro ischemia. Furthermore, results from a systemic hypoxia model showed that a reducing environment increased HIF‐1α expression in rat brains. Taken together, these data presented the first evidence that glucose promoted HIF‐1α stabilization through regulating redox status in primary neurons exposed to hypoxia. The results imply that hypoxia only may not be sufficient to stabilize HIF‐1α and that a reducing environment is required to stabilize HIF‐1α in neurons exposed to hypoxia.
Depression of excitatory transmission at PF‐PC synapse by group III metabotropic glutamate receptors is provided exclusively by mGluR4 in the rodent cerebellar cortex
Authors: Abitbol Karine , Acher Francine , Daniel Hervé
Published: February 2008

In the rodent cerebellum, pharmacological activation of group III pre‐synaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) by the broad spectrum agonist l‐2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutyric acid, acutely depresses excitatory synaptic transmission at parallel fiber (PF)‐Purkinje cell (PC) synapses. Among the group III mGluR subtypes, cerebellar granule cells express predominantly mGluR4, but also mGluR7 and mGluR8 mRNA. Taking into account that previous functional and pharmacological studies have used group III mGluR broad spectrum agonists that do not differentiate between these various subtypes, their relative contribution to the modulation of glutamatergic transmission at PF‐PC synapses remains to be elucidated. In order to clarify this issue, we applied conventional whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings and pre‐synaptic calcium influx measurements, combined with pharmacological manipulations to rat and mice cerebellar slices. With the use of (1S,2R)‐1‐amino‐2‐phosphonomethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid, a new and selective group III mGluR agonist, N‐phenyl‐7‐(hydroxylimino)cyclopropa[b]‐chromen‐1a‐carboxamide, the specific positive allosteric modulator of mGluR4, (S)‐3,4‐dicarboxyphenylglycine, a selective mGluR8 agonist, and mGluR4 knock‐out mice, we demonstrate that the inhibitory control of group III mGluRs on excitatory neurotransmission at PF‐PC synapses of the rodent cerebellar cortex, is totally because of the activation of pre‐synaptic mGluR4 autoreceptors.
Soil organic carbon dynamics at the regional scale as influenced by land use history: a case study in forest soils from southern Belgium
Authors: Stevens A. , Van Wesemael B.
Published: February 2008

Land use change (LUC) is known to have a large impact on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. However, at a regional scale, our ability to explain SOC dynamics is limited due to the variability generated by inconsistent initial conditions between sample points, poor spatial information on previous land use/land management history and scarce SOC inventories. This study combines the resampling in 2003–2006 of an extensive soil survey in 1950–1960 with exhaustive historical data on LUC (1868–2006) to explain observed changes in the SOC stocks of temperate forest soils in the Belgian Ardennes. Results from resampling showed a significant loss of SOC between the two surveys, associated with a decrease in variability. The mean carbon content decreased from 40.4 to 34.5 g C kg−1 (10.6 to 9.6 kg C m−2), with a mean rate of C change (ΔSOC) of −0.15 g C kg−1 year−1 (−0.023 kg C m−2 year−1). Soils with high SOC content tended to loose carbon while conversely soils with low SOC tended to gain carbon. Land use change history explained a significant part of past and current SOC stocks as well as ΔSOC during the last 50 years. We show that the use of spatially explicit historical data can help to quantitatively explain changes in SOC content at the regional scale.
Montaigne's On Physiognomy
Authors: Bontea Adriana
Published: February 2008

The present essay situates Montaigne's writing practice in the context of the Renaissance natural sciences, among which physiognomy was a popular field of investigation. Aimed at establishing connective patterns between human features and natural properties, physiognomic treatises of the time provide Montaigne with a terminology and a catalogue of sensible association the Essays remove from their original framework and adapt to the purpose of a faithful representation of the self, able to incorporate the whole range of sixteenth‐century experience. A close analysis of the sensible associations based on secondary qualities, which subsequent classical philosophy obliterates, allows identifying the leading thread of Montaigne's essays beyond discontinuities of subject matters. The search for meaningful connections between remote spheres of experience, results in a practice of writing devised in opposition with both Baroque vernacular poetics and Baroque painting. Montaigne's claim to paint himself naked retrieves its full meaning from extending established physiognomic connections based on bodily features to rhetoric, history, and everyday encounters. By broadening the inventory of natural properties registered by the art of physiognomy, Montaigne's essays justify nature as a basis for all human undertakings and recognize in its richness a legitimate purpose of all inquiries, which both physics and metaphysics attempt to address.
Development of tolerance to levetiracetam in rats with chronic epilepsy
Authors: Van Vliet Erwin A. , Van Schaik Rosalinda , Edelbroek Peter M. , Lopes da Silva Fernando H. , Wadman Wytse J. , Gorter Jan A.
Published: February 2008

Summary

Purpose: Pharmacoresistance is a major problem in the treatment of epilepsy. We showed previously that pharmacoresistance, at least partially, is due to an up‐regulation of the multidrug transporter (MDT) P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp): inhibition of P‐gp improves seizure control in phenytoin‐treated epileptic rats (poststatus epilepticus rat model for temporal lobe epilepsy). Since it has been suggested that levetiracetam (LEV) is no substrate for MDTs, we hypothesized that LEV would more adequately control seizures in this rat model.

Methods: Chronic epileptic rats were treated repeatedly with LEV (2‐week interval; different dosages) via continuous infusion using osmotic minipumps, 5–6 months after electrically induced status epilepticus. The anticonvulsive effects were determined by video‐EEG monitoring and the concentration of LEV was measured in plasma and brain homogenates using gas chromatography.

Results: LEV adequately entered the epileptic brain and dose‐dependently suppressed spontaneous seizures in chronic epileptic rats for 3–4 days. Hereafter, seizure frequency increased, while LEV plasma levels did not change. Seizure behavior was less severe throughout the whole treatment. LEV did not affect seizure duration. After a withdrawal period of 2 weeks all rats initially responded again to LEV.

Conclusions: The initial seizure control by LEV supports the observation that LEV is not impeded by MDTs. However, the failure to control seizures for a longer period of time indicates the development of tolerance to this drug. This poses another problem in the treatment of this kind of epilepsy. Whether tolerance may be prevented by intermittent administration of LEV should be further investigated.
Regional neocortical thinning in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: McDonald Carrie R. , Hagler Donald J. , Ahmadi Mazyar E. , Tecoma Evelyn , Iragui Vicente , Gharapetian Lusineh , Dale Anders M. , Halgren Eric
Published: February 2008

Summary

Purpose: To determine the nature and extent of regional cortical thinning in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE).

Methods: High‐resolution volumetric MRIs were obtained on 21 patients with MTLE and 21 controls. Mean cortical thickness was measured within regions of interest and point‐by‐point across the neocortex using cortical reconstruction and parcellation software.

Results: Bilateral thinning was observed within frontal and lateral temporal regions in MTLE patients relative to controls. The most striking finding was bilateral cortical thinning in the precentral gyrus and immediately adjacent paracentral region and pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus, extending to the orbital region. Within the temporal lobe, bilateral thinning was observed in Heschl's gyrus only. Ipsilateral only thinning was observed in the superior and middle temporal gyri, as well as in the medial orbital cortex. Greater asymmetries in cortical thickness were observed in medial temporal cortex in patients relative to controls. Individual subject analyses revealed that this asymmetry reflected significant ipsilateral thinning of medial temporal cortex in 33% of patients, whereas it reflected ipsilateral thickening in 20% of MTLEs.

Discussion: Patients with MTLE show widespread, bilateral pathology in neocortical regions that is not appreciated on standard imaging. Future studies are needed that elucidate the clinical implications of neocortical thinning in MTLE.
Leucoencephalopathy with vanishing white matter may cause progressive myoclonus epilepsy
Authors: Jansen An C. , Andermann Eva , Niel Florence , Creveaux Isabelle , Boespflug‐Tanguy Odile , Andermann Frederick
Published: February 2008

Summary

Leucoencephalopathy with vanishing white matter (VWM) is caused by mutations in the genes encoding for one of the five subunits that constitute the eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (eIF2B), and is characterized by a highly suggestive MRI pattern indicating vanishing of the cerebral white matter. Seizures are well known to occur in VWM disease, but usually do not represent a prominent feature. We report a 40‐year‐old man who was diagnosed with progressive myoclonus epilepsy in his twenties. All major causes of progressive myoclonus epilepsy (PME) were excluded. Brain MRI showed extensive white matter involvement. Mutation analysis of the EIF2B5 gene revealed a homozygous c.338G>A (p.Arg113His) mutation.
Can Methylphenidate Reduce Fall Risk in Community‐Living Older Adults? A Double‐Blind, Single‐Dose Cross‐Over Study
Authors: Ben‐Itzhak Ron , Giladi Nir , Gruendlinger Leor , Hausdorff Jeffrey M.
Published: February 2008

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that methylphenidate modifies markers of fall risk in older adults.

DESIGN: Randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, single‐dose cross‐over study.

SETTING: Outpatient movement disorders clinic.

PARTICIPANTS: Twenty‐six community‐living older adults without dementia (mean age 73.8) with subjective complaints of “memory problems.”

INTERVENTIONS: The study examined the effects of a single dose of 20 mg of methylphenidate (MPH) on cognitive function and gait. Participants were evaluated before and 2 hours after taking MPH or a placebo in sessions 1 to 2 weeks apart.

MEASUREMENTS: The Timed Up and Go and gait variability quantified mobility and fall risk. A computerized neuropsychology battery quantified memory and executive function (EF).

RESULTS: Timed Up and Go times, stride time variability, and measures of EF significantly improved in response to MPH but not in response to the placebo. In contrast, MPH did not significantly affect memory or finger tapping abilities.

CONCLUSION: In older adults, MPH appears to improve certain aspects of EF, mobility, and gait stability. Although additional studies are required to assess clinical utility and efficacy, the present findings suggest that methylphenidate and other drugs that are designed to enhance attention may have a role as a therapeutic option for reducing fall risk in older adults.
The Diffusion of Voluntary International Management Standards: Responsible Care, ISO 9000, and ISO 14001 in the Chemical Industry
Authors: Delmas Magali , Montiel Ivan
Published: February 2008

This article analyzes the factors that explain the international diffusion of voluntary international management standards. We argue that international management standards should not be analyzed in isolation but in conjunction with other standards and their institutional environment. We present two opposite views explaining how the previous diffusion of management standards facilitates or hampers the adoption of new management standards. We test a comprehensive model of diffusion of international environmental management standards within the chemical industry using a panel of 113 different countries during the period 2000 to 2003. Our results show that the previous experience of businesses in voluntary standards such as the Chemical Industry's Responsible Care Program or ISO 9000, government commitment toward Environmental Management Systems Standards, and the level of activity of international nongovernmental organizations in the country of adoption, impact positively on the adoption of ISO 14001 by chemical firms. Unlike previous studies that focused mostly on cross industry analyses, we do not find trade‐related factors significant while explaining adoption in the chemical industry. Our results differ, therefore, from previous research and highlight the need to isolate industry effects to understand the diffusion of international standards.
Risk Stratification in Women Enrolled in the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry Emergency Module (ADHERE‐EM)
Authors: Diercks Deborah B. , Fonarow Gregg C. , Kirk J. Douglas , Emerman Charles L. , Hollander Judd E. , Weber Jim Edward , Summers Richard L. , Wynne Janet , Peacock W. Franklin ,   for the ADHERE Scientific Advisory Committee and Investigators
Published: February 2008

Objectives:  It has been reported that the mortality risk for heart failure differs between men and women. It has been postulated that this is due to differences in comorbid features. Variation in risk profiles by gender may limit the performance of stratification algorithms available for heart failure in women. This analysis examined the ability of a published risk stratification model to predict outcomes in women.

Methods:  The Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry Emergency Module (ADHERE‐EM) database was used. Characteristics, treatments, and outcomes for men and women were compared. The ADHERE registry classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used for the risk stratification evaluation.

Results:  Of 10,984 ADHERE‐EM patients, 5,736 (52.2%) were women. In‐hospital mortality was similar between men and women (p = 0.727). Significant differences (p < 0.0002) were noted by gender in all three variables in the CART model (blood urea nitrogen [BUN] ≥ 43 mg/dL, systolic blood pressure < 115 mm Hg, and serum creatinine ≥ 2.75 mg/dL). However, the CART model effectively stratified both genders into distinct risk groups with no significant difference in mortality by gender within stratified groups.

Conclusions:  The ADHERE Registry CART tool is effective at predicting risk in ED patients, regardless of gender.
Imaging host–pathogen interactions
Authors: Campisi Laura , Brau Frédéric , Glaichenhaus Nicolas
Published: February 2008

Summary: Imaging techniques have been revolutionized by advancements in both microscope instrumentation and data collection processing software. Immunologists and microbiologists now have access to a large panel of powerful technologies that are characterized by different spatial and time resolutions. In this review, we discuss recent studies in which emerging imaging technologies have been used to decipher the complexity of the interactions between pathogens and their mammalian hosts. By focusing on two very different pathogens, Plasmodium and Salmonella, we emphasize the critical role of imaging studies in the understanding of the host's immune system response to a pathogen.
Urban Shadows: Materiality, the ‘Southern City’ and Urban Theory
Authors: McFarlane Colin
Published: February 2008

We may be witnessing a ‘Southern turn’ in urban studies, but the implications for urban theory are only beginning to be worked through. In this article, I argue the need for urbanists to engage with a variety of ‘shadows’ on the edges of urban theory. The article engages with literature that theorises the interactions between urban materiality and social change, from community development literature to more expansive sociomaterial theorisations of the urban fabric. I invoke an expansive conception of the relations between the urban fabric and social change, and draw on a variety of examples through which infrastructures come to matter politically in the creative destruction of capitalist redevelopment. The article ends with consideration of how comparison might be conceived as a strategy of indirect and uncertain learning that entails the possibility of transformation in a predominantly Euro‐American‐orientated urban theory.
Photoprotective Effects of Bucillamine Against UV‐induced Damage in an SKH‐1 Hairless Mouse Model†
Authors: Anwar Adil , Gu Mallikarjuna , Brady Sara , Qamar Lubna , Behbakht Kian , Shellman Yiqun G. , Agarwal Rajesh , Norris David A. , Horwitz Lawrence D. , Fujita Mayumi
Published: February 2008

UVB exposure of skin results in various biologic responses either through direct or indirect damage to DNA and non‐DNA cellular targets via the formation of free radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation. Bucillamine [N‐(2‐mercapto‐2‐methylpropionyl)‐l‐cysteine] is a cysteine‐derived compound that can replenish endogenous glutathione due to its two donatable thiol groups, and functions as an antioxidant. In this study, we investigated the effects of bucillamine on UVB‐induced photodamage using the SKH‐1 hairless mouse model. We have demonstrated that UVB exposure (two consecutive doses, 230 mJ cm−2) on the dorsal skin of SKH‐1 mice induced inflammatory responses (edema, erythema, dermal infiltration of leukocytes, dilated blood vessels) and p53 activation as early as 6 h after the last UVB exposure. Bucillamine pretreatment (20 mg kg−1 of body weight, administered subcutaneously) markedly attenuated UVB‐mediated inflammatory responses and p53 activation. We have also demonstrated that the stabilization and upregulation of p53 by UVB correlated with phosphorylation of Ser‐15 and Ser‐20 residues of p53 protein and that bucillamine pretreatment attenuated this effect. We propose that bucillamine has potential to be effective as a photoprotective agent for the management of pathologic conditions elicited by UV exposure.
Impact of a specialized early psychosis treatment programme on suicide. Retrospective cohort study
Authors: Harris Meredith G. , Burgess Philip M. , Chant David C. , Pirkis Jane E. , McGorry Patrick D.
Published: February 2008

Background: Younger people, early in the course of psychotic illness, are at high risk of suicide.

Aim: To investigate the impact of a specialized early psychosis (EP) treatment programme on risk of suicide up to 8.5 years following first contact with mental health services.

Methods: A population‐based, retrospective cohort study of 7760 individuals with a psychotic disorder, aged 15–29 years at first contact, ascertained from a statewide psychiatric case register. Suicides were identified by linking the psychiatric register to a coronial register of unnatural deaths. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate potential risk factors, including specialized EP treatment, for suicide.

Results: Our principal hypothesis, that suicide risk over the entire follow‐up period would be significantly lower for those who received specialized EP treatment compared with those who did not, was not supported. However, a secondary analysis found that, after adjusting for other socio‐demographic, clinical and treatment factors, suicide risk was 50% lower in the first 3 years following first contact with mental health services among those exposed to specialized EP treatment compared with those who were not. History of inpatient treatment, more treatment days per annum, and shorter time to establish a psychotic diagnosis were associated with increased risk. Non‐participation in the labour force or in study, compared with being unemployed, exerted a protective effect.

Conclusions: The EP treatment model may afford protection from suicide whilst the EP intervention is delivered and for a limited period afterwards.
How people negotiate for success as psychosis emerges
Authors: Woodside Harriet , Krupa Terry , Pocock Karen
Published: February 2008

Aim:This study focuses on how people try to successfully manage daily life despite emerging but undetected psychosis and explores how those who know them support their success.

Methods:The findings we report here are part of a larger qualitative study. After a diagnosis of psychosis was made, participants were asked to reflect on the period before their first episode.

Results:We categorize and describe how participants actively negotiated for success in activities and social situations during the prepsychotic period. We also explain strategies used by significant others to support this success and how all study subjects portrayed emerging difficulties as normal.

Conclusions:We give some examples of how early detection and recovery programmes may modify their current practices as they consider that individuals may have already discovered strategies to actively deal with functional and social decline that was occurring during the prepsychotic period.
Bisymmetric functions, Macdonald polynomials and basic hypergeometric series
Authors: Ole Warnaar S.
Published: February 2008

A new type of $\mathfrak {sl}_3$ basic hypergeometric series based on Macdonald polynomials is introduced. Besides a pair of Macdonald polynomials attached to two different sets of variables, a key ingredient in the $\mathfrak {sl}_3$ basic hypergeometric series is a bisymmetric function related to Macdonald’s commuting family of q-difference operators, to the $\mathfrak {sl}_3$ Selberg integrals of Tarasov and Varchenko, and to alternating sign matrices. Our main result for $\mathfrak {sl}_3$ series is a multivariable generalization of the celebrated q-binomial theorem. In the limit this q-binomial sum yields a new $\mathfrak {sl}_3$ Selberg integral for Jack polynomials.
Edward Weston and the “Modern” Galvanometer Movement
Authors: Greenslade Thomas B.
Published: February 2008

One of my favorite 19th century electrical scientists is Edward Weston, and one of my favorite devices for teaching the topics of electromagnetic forces and torques is the D'Arsonval galvanometer.1 The junction of these two topics is Weston's improved meter movement that has been used in analog meters for the past 125 years.
Biomechanical Energy Harvesting: Generating Electricity During Walking with Minimal User Effort
Authors: Donelan J. M. , Li Q. , Naing V. , Hoffer J. A. , Weber D. J. , Kuo A. D.
Published: February 2008

We have developed a biomechanical energy harvester that generates electricity during human walking with little extra effort. Unlike conventional human-powered generators that use positive muscle work, our technology assists muscles in performing negative work, analogous to regenerative braking in hybrid cars, where energy normally dissipated during braking drives a generator instead. The energy harvester mounts at the knee and selectively engages power generation at the end of the swing phase, thus assisting deceleration of the joint. Test subjects walking with one device on each leg produced an average of 5 watts of electricity, which is about 10 times that of shoe-mounted devices. The cost of harvesting—the additional metabolic power required to produce 1 watt of electricity—is less than one-eighth of that for conventional human power generation. Producing substantial electricity with little extra effort makes this method well-suited for charging powered prosthetic limbs and other portable medical devices.
Global Change and the Ecology of Cities
Authors: Grimm Nancy B. , Faeth Stanley H. , Golubiewski Nancy E. , Redman Charles L. , Wu Jianguo , Bai Xuemei , Briggs John M.
Published: February 2008

Urban areas are hot spots that drive environmental change at multiple scales. Material demands of production and human consumption alter land use and cover, biodiversity, and hydrosystems locally to regionally, and urban waste discharge affects local to global biogeochemical cycles and climate. For urbanites, however, global environmental changes are swamped by dramatic changes in the local environment. Urban ecology integrates natural and social sciences to study these radically altered local environments and their regional and global effects. Cities themselves present both the problems and solutions to sustainability challenges of an increasingly urbanized world.
Health and Urban Living
Authors: Dye Christopher
Published: February 2008

The majority of people now live in urban areas and will do so for the foreseeable future. As a force in the demographic and health transition, urbanization is associated with falling birth and death rates and with the shift in burden of illness from acute childhood infections to chronic, noncommunicable diseases of adults. Urban inhabitants enjoy better health on average than their rural counterparts, but the benefits are usually greater for the rich than for the poor, thus magnifying the differences between them. Subject to better evidence, I suggest that the main obstacles to improving urban health are not technical or even financial, but rather are related to governance and the organization of civil society.
An Association Between the Kinship and Fertility of Human Couples
Authors: Helgason Agnar , Pálsson Snæbjörn , Guðbjartsson Daníel F. , Kristjánsson þórður , Stefánsson Kári
Published: February 2008

Previous studies have reported that related human couples tend to produce more children than unrelated couples but have been unable to determine whether this difference is biological or stems from socioeconomic variables. Our results, drawn from all known couples of the Icelandic population born between 1800 and 1965, show a significant positive association between kinship and fertility, with the greatest reproductive success observed for couples related at the level of third and fourth cousins. Owing to the relative socioeconomic homogeneity of Icelanders, and the observation of highly significant differences in the fertility of couples separated by very fine intervals of kinship, we conclude that this association is likely to have a biological basis.
Bond-Selective Control of a Heterogeneously Catalyzed Reaction
Authors: Killelea Daniel R. , Campbell Victoria L. , Shuman Nicholas S. , Utz Arthur L.
Published: February 2008

Energy redistribution, including the many phonon-assisted and electronically assisted energy-exchange processes at a gas-metal interface, can hamper vibrationally mediated selectivity in chemical reactions. We establish that these limitations do not prevent bond-selective control of a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction. State-resolved gas-surface scattering measurements show that the ν
1
C-H stretch vibration in trideuteromethane (CHD
3
) selectively activates C-H bond cleavage on a Ni(111) surface. Isotope-resolved detection reveals a CD
3
:CHD
2
product ratio > 30:1, which contrasts with the 1:3 ratio for an isoenergetic ensemble of CHD
3
whose vibrations are statistically populated. Recent studies of vibrational energy redistribution in the gas and condensed phases suggest that other gas-surface reactions with similar vibrational energy flow dynamics might also be candidates for such bond-selective control.
Detoxified Lethal Toxin as a Potential Mucosal Vaccine against Anthrax
Authors: Xu Qingfu , Zeng Mingtao
Published: February 2008

The nontoxic mutant lethal factor (mLF; which has the E687C substitution) and functional protective antigen (PA63) of
Bacillus anthracis
were evaluated for their use as mucosal vaccines against anthrax in A/J mice. Intranasal vaccination of three doses of 30 μg of mLF or 60 μg of PA63 elicited significant serum and mucosal antibody responses, with anthrax lethal toxin-neutralizing titers of 40 and 60 in immune sera, respectively. However, only 30% and 60% of the vaccinated animals in the two groups could survive a challenge with 100 times the 50% lethal dose of
B. anthracis
Sterne spores, respectively. In contrast, vaccination with three doses of the combination of 30 μg of mLF and 60 μg of PA63, the detoxified lethal toxin, elicited antibody responses against LF and PA significantly higher than those elicited after vaccination with mLF or PA63 individually by use of the same dose and schedule. Vaccination with the detoxified lethal toxin resulted in significantly higher lethal toxin-neutralizing antibody titers in sera (titer, 90). Animals vaccinated with three doses of the detoxified lethal toxin were completely protected against the spore challenge. The data suggest that mLF and PA63 have a mutual enhancement effect for evoking systemic and mucosal immune responses and that the detoxified lethal toxin can be used as an efficient mucosal vaccine against anthrax.
Dried-Blood Sampling for Epstein-Barr Virus Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA Serology in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Screening
Authors: Fachiroh J. , Prasetyanti P. R. , Paramita D. K. , Prasetyawati A. T. , Anggrahini D. W. , Haryana S. M. , Middeldorp J. M.
Published: February 2008

Dried-blood (DB) samples on filter paper are considered clinical specimens for diagnostic use because of the ease of collection, storage, and transport. We recently developed a synthetic-peptide-based immunoglobulin A (IgA) (EBNA1 plus viral capsid antigen [VCA]-p18) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) screening. Here, we evaluate the use of two filter papers for DB sampling, i.e., Schleicher & Schuell (S&S) no. 903 and Whatman no. 3; the DB samples were either taken directly from a finger prick or spotted from a Vacutainer blood collector. The elution of DB samples on filter paper was optimized and tested for IgG and IgA reactivity by ELISA (EBNA1 plus VCA-p18) and compared to simultaneously collected plasma samples. The results showed that both types of filter paper can be used for sample collection in NPC diagnosis by using either finger prick or blood spot sampling. Both DB sampling methods produced comparable ELISA (EBNA1 plus VCA-p18) results for IgG and IgA reactivity in 1:100-diluted plasma samples. DB samples of whole blood or finger prick blood show correlation coefficients (
r
2
) of 0.825 to 0.954 for IgA on S&S no. 903 filter paper, 0.9133 to 0.946 for IgA on Whatman no. 3 filter paper, 0.807 to 0.886 for IgG on S&S no. 903 filter paper, and 0.819 to 0.934 for IgG on Whatman no. 3 filter paper. Using plasma IgA as a reference, DB sampling showed sensitivities and specificities of 75.0 to 96.0% and 93.5 to 100%, respectively. DB samples could be stored at 37°C for 1 to 4 weeks on S&S no. 903 filter paper and 1 to 6 weeks on Whatman no. 3 filter paper without a significant loss of reactivity, with provision of transport options for tropical conditions. IgA proved to be more stable than IgG. Whatman no. 3 filter paper is a more economical yet diagnostically comparable alternative to S&S no. 903 filter paper. Finger prick DB sampling is proposed for NPC diagnosis, particularly for remote hospitals and field screening studies.