bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plk3 inhibits pro‐apoptotic activity of p73 through physical interaction and phosphorylation
Authors: Sang Meixiang , Ando Kiyohiro , Okoshi Rintaro , Koida Nami , Li Yuanyuan , Zhu Yuyan , Shimozato Osamu , Geng Cuizhi , Shan Baoen , Nakagawara Akira , Ozaki Toshinori
Published: May 2009

Plk3, one of Polo‐like kinase family members, is involved in the regulation of cell cycle progression and DNA damage response. In this study, we found that Plk3 inhibits pro‐apoptotic activity of p73 through physical interaction and phosphorylation. During cisplatin (CDDP)‐mediated apoptosis, Plk3 was transcriptionally induced, whereas its protein level was kept at basal level, suggesting that Plk3 might rapidly degrade in response to CDDP. Immunoprecipitation and in vitro pull‐down experiments demonstrated that Plk3 interacts with p73. Luciferase reporter assays and RT‐PCR experiments revealed that Plk3 inhibits p73‐mediated transcriptional activity. Consistent with these results, pro‐apoptotic activity of p73 was blocked by Plk3. Additionally, Plk3 decreased the stability of p73. Intriguingly, kinase‐deficient Plk3 failed to inhibit p73 function, indicating that kinase activity of Plk3 is required for Plk3‐mediated inhibition of p73. Indeed, in vitro kinase reaction showed that NH2‐terminal portion of p73 is phosphorylated by Plk3. In accordance with these observations, knocking down of Plk3 increased the stability of p73 and promoted CDDP‐mediated apoptosis in association with up‐regulation of p73. Collectively, our present findings suggest that Plk3 plays an important role in the regulation of cell fate determination in response to DNA damage through the inhibition of p73.
Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and ozone alter soybean diseases at SoyFACE
Authors: EASTBURN DARIN M. , DEGENNARO MELISSA M. , DELUCIA EVAN H. , DERMODY ORLA , MCELRONE ANDREW J.
Published: May 2009

Human driven changes in the Earth's atmospheric composition are likely to alter plant disease in the future. We evaluated the effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3) on three economically important soybean diseases (downy mildew, Septoria brown spot and sudden death syndrome‐SDS) under natural field conditions at the soybean free air concentration enrichment (SoyFACE) facility. Disease incidence and/or severity were quantified from 2005 to 2007 using visual surveys and digital image analysis, and changes were related to microclimatic variability and to structural and chemical changes in soybean host plants. Changes in atmospheric composition altered disease expression, but responses of the three pathosystems varied considerably. Elevated CO2 alone or in combination with O3 significantly reduced downy mildew disease severity (measured as area under the disease progress curve‐AUDPC) by 39–66% across the 3 years of the study. In contrast, elevated CO2 alone or in combination with O3 significantly increased brown spot severity in all 3 years, but the increase was small in magnitude. When brown spot severity was assessed in relation to differences in canopy height induced by the atmospheric treatments, disease severity increased under combined elevated CO2 and O3 treatment in only one of the 3 years. The atmospheric treatments had no effect on the incidence of SDS or brown spot throughout the study. Higher precipitation during the 2006 growing season was associated with increased AUDPC severity across all treatments by 2.7 and 1.4 times for downy mildew and brown spot, respectively, compared with drought conditions in 2005. In the 2 years with similar precipitation, the higher daily temperatures in the late spring of 2007 were associated with increased severity of downy mildew and brown spot. Elevated CO2 and O3 induced changes in the soybean canopy density and leaf age likely contributed to the disease expression modifications.
Contribution of trees to carbon storage in soils of silvopastoral systems in Florida, USA
Authors: HAILE SOLOMON G. , NAIR VIMALA D. , NAIR P. K. RAMACHANDRAN
Published: May 2009

Silvopastoral systems that integrate trees in pasture production systems are likely to enhance soil carbon (C) storage in lower soil layers due to the presence of deep tree roots. To quantify the relative soil C contribution from trees (C3 plants) and warm season grasses (C4 plants) in silvopastoral systems, soil samples were collected and analyzed from silvopastures of slash pine (Pinus elliottii)+bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum), and adjacent open pasture (OP), at six depths down to 125 cm, at four sites representing two major soil orders (Spodosols and Ultisols) of Florida. The plant sources of C in whole (nonfractionated) and three soil fraction sizes (250–2000, 53–250, and <53 μm) were traced using stable C isotope signatures. The silvopasture sites contained higher amounts of C3‐derived soil organic carbon (SOC) compared with OP sites, at all soil depths. Slash pine trees (C3 plants) seemed to have contributed more C in the silt+clay‐sized (<53 μm) fractions than bahiagrass (C4 plants), particularly deeper in the soil profile. Spodosols sites contained more C in the <53 μm fraction at and below the spodic horizon (occurring between 15 and 50 cm) in silvopasture compared with OP. The results indicate that most of SOC in deeper soil profiles and the relatively stable <53 μm C fraction were derived from tree components (C3 plants) in all the sites, suggesting that the tree‐based pasture system has greater potential to store more stable C in the soil compared with the treeless system.
The dynamic response of soil respiration to land‐use changes in subtropical China
Authors: SHENG HAO , YANG YUSHENG , YANG ZHIJIE , CHEN GUANGSHUI , XIE JINSHENG , GUO JIANFEN , ZOU SHUANGQUAN
Published: May 2009

Assessing the impact of land‐use changes on soil respiration (RS) is of vital significance to understand the interactions between belowground metabolism and regional carbon budgets. In this study, the monthly in situ RS was examined between 09:00 and 12:00 hours over a 3‐year period within a representative land‐use sequence in the subtropical region of China. The land‐use sequence contained natural forest (control treatment), secondary forest, two plantations, citrus orchard and sloping tillage land. Results showed that the RS exhibited a distinct seasonal pattern, and it was dominantly controlled by the soil temperature. After the land‐use conversion, the apparent temperature sensitivity of RS (Q10) was increased from 2.10 in natural forest to 2.71 in sloping tillage land except for an abnormal decrease to 1.66 in citrus orchard. Contrarily, the annual RS was reduced by 32% following the conversion of natural forest to secondary forest, 46–48% to plantations, 63% to citrus orchard and 50% to sloping tillage land, with the average reduction of 48%. Such reduction of annual RS could be explained by the decrease of topsoil organic carbon and light‐fraction organic carbon storages, live biomass of fine root (<2 mm) and annual litter input, which indirectly/directly correlated with plant productivity. Our results suggest that substrate availability (e.g., soil organic carbon and nutrients) and soil carbon input (e.g., fine root turnover and litterfall) through plant productivity may drive the RS both in natural and managed ecosystems following strong disturbance events.
Evolution of cannibalism and female’s response to oviposition‐deterring pheromone in aphidophagous predators
Authors: Martini Xavier , Haccou Patsy , Olivieri Isabelle , Hemptinne Jean‐Louis
Published: May 2009

1.
 Egg cannibalism by larvae is common in Coccinellidae and is known to be advantageous for the cannibals. Furthermore, larvae of aphidophagous ladybirds usually produce an oviposition‐deterring pheromone (ODP), which inhibits oviposition by adult females. It has been proposed that the response to ODP has evolved because of the high costs of cannibalism. However, this has never been formally proved.

2.
 In this paper, we study the theoretical evolution of this system. We first look at the conditions under which cannibalism and the response to ODP can evolve. Subsequently, we examine the occurrence of polymorphism both in the production of larval tracks and in the sensitivity of females to specific pheromones.

3.
 The models predict that the amount of cannibalism should not depend on prey density and that evolution should lead to a continuous increase in cannibalism, and consequently larvae should always cannibalize eggs when possible. In response to the cost of cannibalism, ODP recognition can evolve, so that females avoid laying eggs in patches of prey already occupied by conspecific larvae. The result is an arms race between larvae and adult females, which favours a diversification of ODP pheromones. Our models show that: (i) females should be able to recognize mixtures of hydrocarbons rather than a single molecule; and (ii) females should be more sensitive to the tracks of their own offspring than those of non‐related larvae.
Landscape‐scale experiment demonstrates that Wadden Sea intertidal flats are used to capacity by molluscivore migrant shorebirds
Authors: Kraan Casper , Van Gils Jan A. , Spaans Bernard , Dekinga Anne , Bijleveld Allert I. , Van Roomen Marc , Kleefstra Romke , Piersma Theunis
Published: May 2009

1. Whether intertidal areas are used to capacity by shorebirds can best be answered by large‐scale manipulation of foraging areas. The recent overexploitation of benthic resources in the western Dutch Wadden Sea offers such an ‘experimental’ setting.

2. We review the effects of declining food abundances on red knot Calidris canutus islandica numbers, based on a yearly large‐scale benthic mapping effort, long‐term colour‐ringing and regular bird‐counts from 1996 to 2005. We focus on the three‐way relationships between suitable foraging area, the spatial predictability of food and red knot survival.

3. For each benthic sampling position, red knot intake rate (mg AFDM s−1) was predicted by a multiple prey species functional response model, based on digestive rate maximization (this model explained diet and intake rate in earlier studies on red knots). This enabled us to derive the spatial distribution of the suitable foraging area, which in each of the 10 years was analysed with a measure of autocorrelation, i.e. Moran’s I.

4. Over the 10 years, when accounting for a threshold value to meet energetic demands, red knots lost 55% of their suitable foraging area. This ran parallel to a decrease in red knot numbers by 42%. Although there was also a decrease in patchiness (i.e. less information about the location of the suitable feeding sites), this did not yet lead to additional loss of birds.

5. To cope with these landscape‐scale declines in food stocks, an increase in the capacity for instantaneous food processing would be required. Although we show that red knots indeed enlarged their muscular gizzards, the increase in gizzard size was not enough to compensate for the decreased feeding area.

6. Survival of islandica knots in the western Dutch Wadden Sea, based on colour‐ring resightings, declined from 89% in the first half of our study period to 82% in the second half of our study period and could account for almost half of the decline in red knot numbers; the rest must have moved elsewhere in winter.

7. Densities of red knots per unit suitable foraging area remained constant at 10 knots ha−1 between 1996 and 2005, which suggests that red knots have been using the Dutch Wadden Sea to full capacity.
Is current climatic equilibrium a guarantee for the transferability of distribution model predictions? A case study of the spotted hyena
Authors: Varela Sara , Rodríguez Jesús , Lobo Jorge M.
Published: May 2009

Aim  The transferability of species distribution models requires that species show climatic equilibrium throughout their entire distribution area. We test this assumption for the case of the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta, a large carnivore that has shifted its distribution over the last 100,000 years from a widespread Eurasian and African range to its current geographical distribution, restricted to the Sub‐Saharan areas of the African continent.

Location  Western Eurasia and Africa.

Methods  The current realized distribution of C. crocuta was estimated using presences and reliable absences as well as climatic, land‐cover and anthropic variables as predictors. The potential distribution was estimated using presences and a set of pseudo‐absences selected from localities outside climatically suitable localities, with only climatic variables serving as predictors. The current potential distribution was transferred to the Last Interglacial period (126,000 yr bp) using the palaeoclimatic data yielded by the GENESIS 2 general circulation model, and validated with European fossil data. Generalized linear models were used on all occasions.

Results  Climatic variables are able to predict the current distribution of the species with high accuracy. The geographical projection of this model indicates that the species is distributed over almost all of its potential suitable area, which allows us to suppose that the current distribution of this species is in climatic equilibrium. However, the time transference of model predictions for the western Eurasian region reveals almost no suitable conditions for hyenas, despite the widespread presence of C. crocuta fossil remains on this continent during the Last Interglacial period.

Main conclusions  Our results indicate that, even when model results suggest a climatic equilibrium for a species distribution, the time transferability of such models does not necessarily provide realistic results. This occurs because the current geographical range does not allow estimations of all of the environmental requirements of a species. Therefore, any model trained with current data risks underestimating the potential suitable environmental and geographical range for species in a new area or time period.
Late Quaternary mass movement events in Lake El′gygytgyn, North‐eastern Siberia
Authors: JUSCHUS OLAF , MELLES MARTIN , GEBHARDT A. CATALINA , NIESSEN FRANK
Published: May 2009

Lake El′gygytgyn is situated in a 3·6 Myr old impact crater in North‐eastern Siberia. Its sedimentary record probably represents the most complete archive of Pliocene and Quaternary climate change in the terrestrial Arctic. In order to investigate the influence of gravitational sediment transport on the pelagic sediment record in the lake centre, two sediment cores were recovered from the lower western lake slope. The cores penetrate a sub‐recent mass movement deposit that was identified by 3·5 kHz echo sounding. In the proximal part of this deposit, deformed sediments reflect an initial debris flow characterized by limited sediment mixture. Above and in front of the debrite, a wide massive densite indicates a second stage with a liquefied dense flow. The mass movement event led to basal erosion of ca 1 m thick unconsolidated sediments along parts of its flow path. The event produced a suspension cloud, whose deposition led to the formation of a turbidite. The occurrence of the turbidite throughout the lake and the limited erosion at its base mainly suggest deposition by ‘pelagic rain’ following Stokes’ Law. Very similar radiocarbon dates obtained in the sediments directly beneath and above the turbidite in the central lake confirm this interpretation. When applying the depositional model for the Late Quaternary sediment record of Lake El′gygytgyn, the recovered turbidites allow reconstruction of the frequency and temporal distribution of large mass movement events at the lake slopes. In total, 28 turbidites and related deposits were identified in two, 12·9 and 16·6 m long, sediment cores from the central lake area covering approximately 300 kyr.
AtECB2, a pentatricopeptide repeat protein, is required for chloroplast transcript accD RNA editing and early chloroplast biogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Yu Qing‐Bo , Jiang Yan , Chong Kang , Yang Zhong‐Nan
Published: May 2009

Chloroplast biogenesis is a complex process in higher plants. Screening chloroplast biogenesis mutants, and elucidating their molecular mechanisms, will provide insight into the process of chloroplast biogenesis. In this paper, we obtained an early chloroplast biogenesis mutant atecb2 that displayed albino cotyledons and was seedling lethal. Microscopy observations revealed that the chloroplast of atecb2 mutants lacked an organized thylakoid membrane. The AtECB2 gene, which is highly expressed in cotyledons and seedlings, encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat protein (PPR) with a C‐terminal DYW domain. The AtECB2 protein is localized in the chloroplast, and contains a conserved HxExnCxxC motif that is similar to the activated site of cytidine deaminase. The AtECB2 mutation affects the expression pattern of plastid‐encoded genes. Immunoblot analyses showed that the levels of photosynthetic proteins decreased substantially in atecb2 mutants. Inspection of all reported plastid RNA editing sites revealed that one editing site, accD, is not edited in atecb2 mutants. Therefore, the AtECB2 protein must regulate the RNA editing of this site, and the dysfunctional AccD protein from the unedited RNA molecules could lead to the mutated phenotype. All of these results indicate that AtECB2 is required for chloroplast transcript accD RNA editing and early chloroplast biogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Histone occupancy‐dependent and ‐independent removal of H3K27 trimethylation at cold‐responsive genes in Arabidopsis
Authors: Kwon Chang Seob , Lee Daeyoup , Choi Giltsu , Chung Won‐Il
Published: May 2009

Trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is a histone marker that is present in inactive gene loci in both plants and animals. Transcription of some of the genes with H3K27me3 should be induced by internal or external cues, yet the dynamic fate of H3K27me3 in these genes during transcriptional regulation is poorly understood in plants. Here we show that H3K27me3 in two cold‐responsive genes, COR15A and ATGOLS3, decreases gradually in Arabidopsis during exposure to cold temperatures. We found that removal of H3K27me3 can occur by both histone occupancy‐dependent and ‐independent mechanisms. Upon cold exposure, histone H3 levels decreased in the promoter regions of COR15A and ATGOLS3 but not in their transcribed regions. When we returned cold‐exposed plants to normal growth conditions, transcription of COR15A and ATGOLS3 was completely repressed to the initial level before cold exposure in 1 day. In contrast, plants still maintained the cold‐triggered decrease in H3K27me3 at COR15A and ATGOLS3, but this decrease did not enhance transcriptional induction of the two genes upon re‐exposure to cold. Taken together, these results indicate that gene activation is not inhibited by H3K27me3 itself but rather leads to removal of H3K27me3, and that H3K27me3 can be inherited at a quantitative level, thereby serving as a memory marker for recent transcriptional activity in Arabidopsis.
Combination therapy with transarterial chemoembolization and interferon‐α compared with transarterial chemoembolization alone for hepatitis B virus related unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Li Maoquan , Lu Chenhui , Cheng Jie , Zhang Jiaxing , Cao Chuanwu , Xu Jiahua , Xu Jichong , Pan Hui , Zhong Baoliang , Tucker Steven , Wang Daoyuan
Published: May 2009

Background and Aims:  The present study was carried out to test the hypothesis that interferon‐α (IFN‐α) treatment would reduce or postpone the recurrence rate and improve the overall survival rate in patients after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) related unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods:  216 patients with unresectable HBV‐related HCC were randomized into a TACE group and a TACE‐IFN group, each group had 108 patients. In the TACE‐IFN group, patients received IFN‐α1b at a dose of 3 million units (mu) three times a week by intramuscular injection one week after/before TACE treatment, for 48 weeks.

Results:  The median disease‐free survival in the TACE‐IFN treatment group was 23.6 months (95% CI: 21.4–25.8) and 20.3 months (95% CI: 15.8–24.8) in the TACE group (P = 0.027). The disease free rate at 24 months in the TACE group was lower than in the TACE‐IFN group (39.8% vs 59.3%, P = 0.004). The median overall survival was 29 months (95% CI: 27.5–32.1) in the TACE‐IFN group and 26 months (95% CI: 20.1–31.9) in the TACE group (P = 0.003). The 2‐year overall survival in the TACE‐IFN group was higher than in the TACE group (72.2% vs 52.8%, P = 0.003).

Conclusions:  IFN‐α treatment reduced recurrence and improved the survival of patients after TACE treatment of HBV‐related HCC, with acceptable toxicities.
Incidence of sterile cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis in infants with urinary tract infection
Authors: Yam Andrew OW , Andresen David , Kesson Alison M , Isaacs David
Published: May 2009

Aim:  To determine the incidence of sterile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis in infants ≤6 months old with urinary tract infection (UTI).

Methods:  Retrospective study of children admitted to a tertiary children's hospital in 2006 and 2007 with UTI who also had a lumbar puncture performed. All urine specimens were tested for anti‐microbial activity.

Results:  Twelve (11.3%) of 106 infants with UTI had concurrent CSF pleocytosis. None of these patients had anti‐microbial activity in the urine, showing that they had not received prior antibiotics. None of the 15 neonates (≤28 days old) with UTI and lumbar puncture had CSF pleocytosis. Antibiotics were stopped after a maximum of 10 days.

Conclusion:  Our results are compatible with published reports on the proportion of infants with UTI who have concurrent sterile CSF pleocytosis. We were able to exclude previous antibiotic therapy by measuring urinary anti‐microbial activity. Our work supports the hypothesis that CSF pleocytosis in UTI is inflammatory and not because of infection of the central nervous system.
Cross‐sectional survey of risk factors for asthma in 6–7‐year‐old children in New Zealand: International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood Phase Three
Authors: Mitchell Edwin A , Stewart Alistair W , Clayton Tadd , Asher M Innes , Ellwood Phillipa , Mackay Richard , Moyes Christopher , Pattemore Phillip K , Pearce Neil
Published: May 2009

Aim:  To identify risk factors for asthma in primary school‐aged children in New Zealand.

Methods:  A cross‐sectional survey of 10 873 6–7‐year‐old children in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Christchurch (a response rate of 85.2%). A questionnaire was completed by the parent or care giver.

Results:  22.2% of children wheezed in the last 12 months (current wheeze). Maori children were at greater risk of current wheeze compared with European children (adjusted odds ratio (adjOR) = 1.37; 95% confidence interval = 1.18–1.59). Antibiotics and paracetamol used in the first year of life were associated with an increased risk of current wheeze (adjOR = 1.78 (1.56–2.04) and adjOR = 1.31 (1.06–1.61), respectively). Watching television for 5 or more hours per day was associated with an increased risk of current wheeze (adjOR = 1.44 (1.13–1.83)). Milk and egg consumption in the last 12 months was associated with a reduced risk of current wheeze.

Conclusions:  This study has identified risk factors for asthma in children aged 6–7 years, although causal pathways cannot be established. These associations have important public health implications if causal.
Assessing the skeleton in children and adolescents with disabilities: Avoiding pitfalls, maximising outcomes. A guide for the general paediatrician
Authors: Zacharin Margaret
Published: May 2009

Abstract:  Assessment of bone health of a young person with a severe disability is complex. Age of onset of disability, degree of physical limitation, nutritional status, calcium and vitamin D intake and pubertal progress all contribute to adult outcomes. Concomitant medical conditions may further adversely affect bone accrual.

Bone quality, until growth is complete, must be interpreted in light of growth, height and puberty. For those children and adolescents who have disabilities where weight bearing is limited, satisfactory and reproducible measurements of bone density may be impossible to obtain. Fracture risk is dependent on the degree of immobilisation and on bone quality at any age. Meeting the goal of reducing extent and complications of adult osteoporosis is dependent upon an understanding of the nature and contribution of individual components of bone accrual, so that interventions can be appropriately targeted to optimise outcomes.
Educators at Work in two Sectors of Adult and Vocational Education: an overview of two European Research projects
Authors: BUISKOOL BERT‐JAN , VAN LAKERVELD JAAP , BROEK SIMON
Published: May 2009

Adult learning staff play a key role in making lifelong learning a reality. It is they who facilitate learners to develop knowledge, skills and attributes. At the European level there is a lack of information about various aspects of the profession, such as who they are, how they are recruited, what their specific roles and tasks are, what competences and qualifications they are expected or required to possess, what their employment status is, how their professional development is organised, how they are assessed, and how attractive their profession is. This article is meant to bridge this gap and describes the variety of contexts in which adult learning staff are working. Furthermore, it seeks to reveal the factors that promote or affect the quality of the work provided by these practitioners and will address a number of issues that should be on the agenda of policy makers. This article is based on the outcomes of a study that have been carried out by an international research group in the period 2007 ‐2008, under guidance of Research voor Beleid and PLATO University Leiden under contract of the European Commission (DG Education and Culture).
Reflections on the Professionalisation of Adult Educators in the Framework of Public Policies in Portugal
Authors: GUIMARÃES PAULA
Published: May 2009

The discussion in this article is based on recent research carried out by the author recently on adult education public policies and her participation in the Adult Learning Practitioners in Europe (ALPINE) project coordinated by Research voor Beleid (The Netherlands) and funded by the European Commission. The analysis presented here stresses the challenges faced by adult educators in Portugal in the last decades and the concerns about the emerging professionalisation process that started in the framework of observed adult education and training public policy.
Non‐vocational Adult Education and its Professionals in the United Kingdom
Authors: OSBORNE MICHAEL , SANKEY KATE
Published: May 2009

In this overview of non‐vocational adult education and the training of its professionals we seek to provide a map of existing provision through secondary analysis of existing data. The territory is a complex one with a range of providers and considerable blurring of the vocational and non‐vocational divide. Further, because of devolution within the four countries of the UK, there are certain relatively minor differences in the four administrations. Where these are of some significance, they are noted, but in general the specific focus is on England. Our analysis is based on data gathered as part of the Europe‐wide ALPINE survey. Our secondary data are augmented by personal interviews with key informants representing different parts of the adult education sector.
Relationship between manual preferences for object manipulation and pointing gestures in infants and toddlers
Authors: Vauclair Jacques , Imbault Juliette
Published: May 2009

The aim of this study was to measure the pattern of hand preferences for pointing gestures as a function of object‐manipulation handedness in 123 infants and toddlers (10–40 months). The results showed that not only right‐handers but also left‐handers and ambidextrous participants tended to use their right hand for pointing. There was a significant correlation between manual preferences and pointing lateralization. Further analyses showed that the correlation between these two indexes was at its strongest during two key phases of language development (i.e. vocabulary spurt and syntax improvement) and weakened to become nonsignificant in the interim. These findings support the view that humans have a specialized area for communicative gestures and language in the left cerebral hemisphere that may be independent of the system controlling the purely motor functions of hand use.
Prolonged institutional rearing is associated with atypically large amygdala volume and difficulties in emotion regulation
Authors: Tottenham Nim , Hare Todd A. , Quinn Brian T. , McCarry Thomas W. , Nurse Marcella , Gilhooly Tara , Millner Alexander , Galvan Adriana , Davidson Matthew C. , Eigsti Inge‐Marie , Thomas Kathleen M. , Freed Peter J. , Booma Elizabeth S. , Gunnar Megan R. , Altemus Margaret , Aronson Jane , Casey B.J.
Published: May 2009

Early adversity, for example poor caregiving, can have profound effects on emotional development. Orphanage rearing, even in the best circumstances, lies outside of the bounds of a species‐typical caregiving environment. The long‐term effects of this early adversity on the neurobiological development associated with socio‐emotional behaviors are not well understood. Seventy‐eight children, who include those who have experienced orphanage care and a comparison group, were assessed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure volumes of whole brain and limbic structures (e.g. amygdala, hippocampus). Emotion regulation was assessed with an emotional go‐nogo paradigm, and anxiety and internalizing behaviors were assessed using the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, the Child Behavior Checklist, and a structured clinical interview. Late adoption was associated with larger corrected amygdala volumes, poorer emotion regulation, and increased anxiety. Although more than 50% of the children who experienced orphanage rearing met criteria for a psychiatric disorder, with a third having an anxiety disorder, the group differences observed in amygdala volume were not driven by the presence of an anxiety disorder. The findings are consistent with previous reports describing negative effects of prolonged orphanage care on emotional behavior and with animal models that show long‐term changes in the amygdala and emotional behavior following early postnatal stress. These changes in limbic circuitry may underlie residual emotional and social problems experienced by children who have been internationally adopted.
Goal attribution to schematic animals: do 6‐month‐olds perceive biological motion as animate?
Authors: Schlottmann Anne , Ray Elizabeth
Published: May 2009

Infants are sensitive to biological motion, but do they recognize it as animate? As a first step towards answering this question, two experiments investigated whether 6‐month‐olds selectively attribute goals to shapes moving like animals. We habituated infants to a square moving towards one of two targets. When target locations were switched, infants reacted more to movement towards a new goal than a new location – but only if the square moved non‐rigidly and rhythmically, in a schematic version of bio‐mechanical movement older observers describe as animal‐like (Michotte, 1963). Goal attribution was specific to schematic animal motion: It did not occur if the square moved rigidly with the same rhythm as the animate stimulus, or if the square had the same amount of non‐rigid deformation, but in an inanimate configuration. The data would seem to show that perception of schematic animal motion is linked to a system for psychological reasoning from infancy. This in turn suggests that 6‐month‐olds may already interpret biological motion as animate.
Why is visual search superior in autism spectrum disorder?
Authors: Joseph Robert M. , Keehn Brandon , Connolly Christine , Wolfe Jeremy M. , Horowitz Todd S.
Published: May 2009

This study investigated the possibility that enhanced memory for rejected distractor locations underlies the superior visual search skills exhibited by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We compared the performance of 21 children with ASD and 21 age‐ and IQ‐matched typically developing (TD) children in a standard static search task and a dynamic search task, in which targets and distractors randomly changed locations every 500 ms, precluding the use of memory in search. Children with ASD exhibited overall faster reaction time (RT) relative to TD children, and showed no disruption in search efficiency in the dynamic condition, discounting the possibility that memory for rejected distractors augments their visual search abilities. Analyses of RT x set size functions showed no group differences in slopes but lower intercepts for the ASD group in both static and dynamic search, suggesting that the ASD advantage derived from non‐search processes, such as an enhanced ability to discriminate between targets and distractors at the locus of attention. Eye‐movement analyses revealed that the ASD and TD groups were similar in the number and spatial distribution of fixations across the search array, but that fixation duration was significantly shorter among children with ASD. Lower intercepts in static search were related to increased symptom severity in children with ASD. In summary, ASD search superiority did not derive from differences in the manner in which individuals with ASD deployed their attention while searching, but from anomalously enhanced perception of stimulus features, which was in turn positively associated with autism symptom severity.
Seven‐year‐olds allocate attention like adults unless working memory is overloaded
Authors: Cowan Nelson , Morey Candice C. , AuBuchon Angela M. , Zwilling Christopher E. , Gilchrist Amanda L.
Published: May 2009

Previous studies have indicated that visual working memory performance increases with age in childhood, but it is not clear why. One main hypothesis has been that younger children are less efficient in their attention; specifically, they are less able to exclude irrelevant items from working memory to make room for relevant items. We examined this hypothesis by measuring visual working memory capacity under a continuum of five attention conditions. A recognition advantage was found for items to be attended as opposed to ignored. The size of this attention‐related effect was adult‐like in young children with small arrays, suggesting that their attention processes are efficient even though their working memory capacity is smaller than that of older children and adults. With a larger working memory load, this efficiency in young children was compromised. The efficiency of attention cannot be the sole explanation for the capacity difference.
A potential way of enquiry into human curiosity
Authors: Guo Shesen , Zhang Ganzhou , Zhai Run
Published: May 2009

A powerful search for ‘curiosity’ or its related topics at the online American Psychological Association PsycNET database will produce comparatively disappointing meagreness of resource. This reflects our scanty knowledge in this field though curiosity is widely recognised as one of the most important factors that contribute to motivation and effectiveness in education and scientific discovery. Lack of understanding in curiosity may be due partly to limitation of research methodology and technology. This paper suggests using Google Trends as a tool for the study of curiosity and its measurement. The observation based on this tool discusses external stimuli, accessible resource and surprisingness that are closely related to curiosity.
Foreign Market Competition as a Determinant of Exporter Performance: Evidence from Slovenian Manufacturing Firms
Authors: Kostevc Črt
Published: May 2009

Most studies on the link between exporting status and firm productivity find no evidence of learning‐by‐exporting, whereas self‐selection of more productive firms into exporting is most often confirmed. Furthermore, empirical tests of the learning‐by‐exporting hypothesis rarely rely on a specific learning mechanism and instead estimate very general tests of the effects of exporting on improvements of firm efficiency. Lack of explicit controls for specific learning mechanisms in turn biases the empirical estimates against finding the learning effects. Here I undertake a more targeted approach to learning‐by‐exporting by using data on Slovenian manufacturing enterprises between 1994 and 2002 to explore a specific channel for learning in the export markets. Using a variety of empirical tests, I show that competition in exporting markets serves as an added criterion in firm self‐selection as only the most productive and fastest growing firms choose to enter more competitive foreign markets. Once home‐market competition is explicitly controlled, a significant productivity adjustment effect of exporting firms in response to intensification of export market competition is revealed. Crucially, this provides tentative evidence of learning‐by‐exporting, which has so far been elusive in the relevant literature.
Trade Liberalisation and Poverty Reduction in Vietnam
Authors: Heo Yoon , Doanh Nguyen Khanh
Published: May 2009

This paper investigates the impacts of trade liberalisation on poverty reduction in Vietnam during the period of economic reform. Using a combined approach dealing with four transmitting channels from trade to poverty, the major findings are summarised as follows. First, Vietnam's trade liberalisation has fostered economic growth, which has helped to raise per capita GDP and reduce poverty. Second, trade liberalisation has directly benefited the poor through creating pro‐poor employment and raising wages. Third, another impact of trade liberalisation on poverty is income and substitution effects associated with reduced domestic prices of importables and increased domestic prices of exportables such as coffee and rice. Fourth, trade liberalisation has indirectly benefited the poor because it raises government revenue, which enhances the government's ability to subsidise the poor. Finally, although the poverty rate in Vietnam has been reduced impressively, there is an increasing disparity between urban and rural areas and, among the latter, concern does exist regarding ethnic minorities.
Association between SNP Heterozygosity and Quantitative Traits in the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Govindaraju Didahally R. , Larson Martin G. , Yin Xiaoyan , Benjamin Emelia J. , Rao Marepalli B. , Vasan Ramachandran S.
Published: May 2009

Associations between multilocus heterozygosity and fitness traits, also termed heterozygosity and fitness correlations (HFCs), have been reported in numerous organisms. These studies, in general, indicate a positive relationship between heterozygosity and fitness traits. We studied the association between genome‐wide heterozygosity at 706 non‐synonymous and synonymous SNPs and 19 quantitative traits, including morphological, biochemical and fitness traits in the Framingham Heart Study. Statistically significant association was found between heterozygosity and systolic and diastolic blood pressures as well as left ventricular diameter and wall thickness. These results suggest that heterozygosity may be associated with traits, such as blood pressure that closely track environmental variations. Balancing selection may be operating in the maintenance of heterozygosity and the major components of blood pressure and hypertension. Genome wide SNP heterozygosity may be used to understand the phenomenon of dominance as well as the evolutionary basis of many quantitative traits in humans.
Ancient DNA and Family Relationships in a Pompeian House
Authors: Di Bernardo Giovanni , Del Gaudio Stefania , Galderisi Umberto , Cascino Antonino , Cipollaro Marilena
Published: May 2009

Archaeological, anthropological and pathological data suggest that thirteen skeletons found in a house at the Pompeii archaeological site, dated to 79 A.D., belong to one family. To verify this and to identify the relationships between these individuals, we analyzed DNA extracted from bone specimens. Specifically, hypervariable segment 1 (HVS1) of the human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region was amplified in two overlapping polymerase chain reactions and the sequences were compared to the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence. As independent controls, other polymorphic sites in HVS1, HVS2 and in the coding region were analyzed. We also amplified some short tandem repeats of the thirteen specimens. This study revealed that six of the thirteen individuals are indeed closely related.
Cystathionine γ‐lyase expression during avian embryogenesis
Authors: Krück Stefanie , Mittapalli Venugopal Rao , Pröls Felicitas , Scaal Martin
Published: May 2009

Cystathionine γ‐lyase (CSE) is a key enzyme in the trans‐sulphuration pathway for the biosynthesis of cysteine from methionine and catalyses the hydrolysis of cystathionine into cysteine. It has been reported to be expressed in mammalian liver and kidney but so far no comprehensive developmental expression analysis of CSE has been available. We cloned a 600 bp fragment of chick CSE cDNA and analysed its expression pattern during avian embryonic development until embryonic day 13. We found CSE expression in various developing organs including the notochord, eye, neural tube, limb bud mesenchyme and sclerotomal compartment of the somites. Notably, prominent expression was found in renal epithelia throughout kidney development, i.e. in the tubular structures of pronephros, mesonephros and metanephros. Our data introduce CSE as a novel marker gene to study avian kidney development.
The effect of inpatient care on measured Health Needs in children and adolescents
Authors: Jacobs Brian , Green Jonathan , Kroll Leopold , Tobias Catherine , Dunn Graham , Briskman Jacqueline
Published: May 2009

Background:  The concept of ‘health need’ relates patient problems in symptom and psychosocial domains to available appropriate treatments. We studied the effectiveness of inpatient treatment in modifying measured ‘Health Needs’ in children and adolescents admitted to UK inpatient units.

Methods:  A prospective cohort study of 150 children and adolescents admitted to eight UK inpatient units, using formal pre‐admission, pre‐discharge and 1‐year follow‐up measurement of Health Needs.

Results:  Total patient ‘Cardinal Problems’ reduced highly significantly (p < .001) from 8.5 at admission to 5.7 at discharge (effect size .81) and to 4.1 one year after discharge (effect size 1.35). Functional domains free of ‘Health Needs’ increased from 14.9 to 19.4 (effect size 1.08) from the point of admission to the end of follow‐up. These changes were clinically meaningful, present in all domains and reduced morbidity to a level typical of outpatient cases.

Conclusions:  Admission (mean length 116 days, SD 88) leads to clinically important improvement in measured Health Needs over multiple domains for children with serious, complex mental health difficulties. These improvements in multiple symptom and functional domains persist over the next year.
Developmental differences in learning and error processing: Evidence from ERPs
Authors: Eppinger Ben , Mock Barbara , Kray Jutta
Published: May 2009

This study examined developmental differences in the ERP correlates of internal and external error processing (ERN and FRN) during learning. A probabilistic learning task was applied in which feedback validity was manipulated. The behavioral data showed similar accuracy for children and adults when feedback was valid, whereas age differences were obtained when it was partially invalid. We found no reduction of the ERN for children compared to adults when performance levels were equated. Yet, contrary to adults, children did not differentiate between responses when feedback was partially invalid, indicating that they are less able to represent the correctness of a response when there is interference during learning. Moreover, we found a larger FRN and reduced ERP learning effects for positive feedback for children, suggesting that they are more sensitive to external error feedback and less able to disengage from positive feedback during learning.
A prospective study of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy for the management of pelvic organ prolapse
Authors: North CE , Ali‐Ross NS , Smith ARB , Reid FM
Published: May 2009

Objective  Assessment of the 2‐year outcome of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy.

Design  A prospective observational study of women undergoing laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy for prolapse.

Setting  A tertiary referral unit in the North West of England.

Population  A total of 22 women taking part in a prospective longitudinal study of prolapse who had a laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy between September 2002 and January 2005.

Methods  Women attended a research clinic where they completed validated quality‐of‐life questionnaires and were examined. Women were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years.

Main outcome measures  Pelvic organ support assessed by Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification score. Assessment of the degree and impact of vaginal, urinary and bowel symptoms using validated quality‐of‐life questionnaires.

Results  At a mean follow up of 26.5 months, all 22 women had stage 0 vault support with 21 cured of prolapse symptoms. Stress urinary incontinence resolved in half of women without concomitant continence surgery. Bowel symptoms were uncommon, but of those reporting postoperative bowel symptoms, approximately one‐third had no symptoms prior to surgery. No new onset dyspareunia was reported in those women sexually active at 2 years.

Conclusions  Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy is a safe and effective treatment for vault prolapse, providing excellent vault support in the medium term. The outcome for anterior and posterior support is less predictable, and anatomical outcome correlated poorly with functional outcome.
The cost‐effectiveness of outpatient (at home) cervical ripening with isosorbide mononitrate prior to induction of labour
Authors: Eddama O , Petrou S , Schroeder L , Bollapragada SS , Mackenzie F , Norrie J , Reid M , Norman JE
Published: May 2009

Objectives  To assess the cost‐effectiveness of outpatient (at home) cervical ripening with isosorbide mononitrate (IMN) prior to induction of labour.

Design  Economic evaluation was conducted alongside a randomised placebo controlled trial (the IMOP trial).

Setting  Large UK maternity hospital.

Population  A total of 350 nulliparous women with a singleton pregnancy, cephalic presentation ≥37 weeks gestation, requiring cervical ripening prior to induction of labour.

Interventions  Isosorbide mononitrate (n = 177) or placebo (n = 173) self‐administered vaginally at home at 48, 32 and 16 hours prior to the scheduled time of admission for induction.

Results  Mean health service costs between the period of randomisation and discharge for mother and infant were £1254.86 in the IMN group and £1242.88 in the placebo group, generating a mean cost difference of £11.98 (bootstrap mean cost difference £12.86; 95%CI: −£106.79, £129.39) that was not statistically significant (P = 0.842). The incremental cost per hour prevented from hospital admission to delivery was £7.53. At the notional willingness to pay threshold of £100 per hour prevented from hospital admission to delivery, the probability that IMN is cost‐effective was estimated at 0.67. This translated into a mean net monetary benefit of £98.13 for each woman given IMN.

Conclusions  Although the probability that IMN is cost‐effective approaches 0.7 at seemingly low willingness to pay thresholds for an hour prevented from hospital admission to delivery, our results should be viewed in the light of the clinical findings from the IMOP trial.