bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and behavior of non‐handicapped preterm children from a developing country
Authors: Ozbek Aylin , Miral Suha , Eminagaoglu Neslihan , Ozkan Hasan
Published: September 2005

Abstract 
Background
: There are many studies, mainly conducted in industrialized countries, concerning developmental and behavioral outcomes of preterm children. However, little is known about the outcomes of preterm children from developing countries.

Method
: Forty‐three non‐handicapped Turkish preterm children, 15 with very low birth weight and 28 with low birth weight at preschool age, as well as 36 term controls were compared on rates of developmental, emotional and behavioral impairments. Data were collected by review of hospital records and application of various questionnaires and inventories to both children and their parents.

Results
: Preterm children had significant delays in general development and significant rise in somatic complaints with unknown medical etiologies. The very low birth weight group also had significant delay in language and cognitive development. Parents of the preterm children displayed significantly higher rates of democratic attitudes. Developmental outcome was significantly associated with birth weight and authoritarian parental attitudes where behavioral outcome was significantly influenced by birth weight.

Conclusion
: Presence of developmental delay is in accordance with existing data on the outcomes of preterm children from industrialized countries. An isolated increase in somatic complaints is an uncommon finding which might also be related to cultural factors.
Detection and clinical evaluation of antineutrophil antibodies in neonates who had a blood transfusion or exchange transfusion
Authors: Ören Hale , Duman Nuray , Anal Özden , Özkan Hasan , İrken Gülersu
Published: September 2005

Abstract
Background
: The aim of this study was to detect and investigate the clinical effects of antineutrophil antibodies in neonates who had received a blood transfusion or exchange transfusion.

Methods
: Venous blood samples were drawn from 34 neonates at pretransfusion (sample 0), immediately after transfusion (sample 1), 2–3 weeks (sample 2) and 8–12 weeks (sample 3) after transfusion. Ten healthy neonates were in the control group. Antineutrophil antibodies were detected using flow cytometric assay.

Results
: Antineutrophil antibody was detected in the sera of 20 (58.8%) neonates in the study group. Of these 20 neonates, nine had antineutrophil antibodies in serum samples 0, 1 and 2, which were probably due to the passive transfer of maternal antibodies. Nine neonates had antineutrophil antibodies in serum samples 1 and 2, which were probably due to neutrophil antibodies being present in the donor's blood. In two neonates, antineutrophil antibodies were not detected in samples 0 and 1, but appeared in sample 2, which were probably actively produced by the neonates. All of the antineutrophil antibodies disappeared in the serum samples, except in one neonate. Only one preterm newborn developed neutropenia, which resolved spontanously in a week. The presence of antineutrophil antibody in transfused neonates was significantly higher than in non‐transfused neonates.

Conclusions
: The presence of neutrophil specific antibodies in transfused neonates is not rare and antineutrophil antibodies may be found more often in transfused neonates compared to non‐transfused neonates. The clinical significance of those antibodies needs to be assessed since they are transient and their clinical effects are not evident.
Effects of giardiasis on school success, weight and height indices of primary school children in Turkey
Authors: Çelİksöz Ali , Aciöz Mehmet , DeĞerlİ Serpil , Çinar Ziynet , Elaldi Nazif , Erandaç Memnune
Published: September 2005

Abstract
Background
: Giardia intestinalis, the most common parasite in the world, causes several adverse effects on school children, with the prevalence rate ranging between 7.3% and 28% (mean 13.8%) in Turkey. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible adverse effects of G. intestinalis on success at school, and the mean weight and height of primary school children in Sivas, Turkey.

Methods
: Five primary schools from central Sivas, Turkey, had a number of students from different socioeconomic conditions and regions. The stool specimens were examined by light microscopy for giardiasis using saline‐Lugol and/or zinc sulfate flotation method. Three groups in the present study include the symptomatic giardiasis group (SG), which included children with giardiasis along with abdominal pain and/or diarrhea, the asymptomatic giardiasis group (ASG) without any symptom and the non‐parasitic (NPG) group without any parasites.

Results
: While 599 (34.6%) out of 1730 children were parasitic, 192 (11.1%) had only G. intestinalis. Ninety‐eight (5.7%) of 192 were SG (with diarrhea and/or abdominal pain and 94 (5.4%) were ASG. The weights and heights were lower in the children with giardiasis than the children without any parasite. There was a significant difference between the giardiasis group and NPG when the numbers of persons living in the house were compared. While there were no significant difference between the giardiasis group and NPG when the sexes were compared, success at school and economical levels were found to be significantly different between these groups.

Conclusion
: There was a higher prevalence of giardiasis in primary school children and their physical and mental conditions were affected adversely. Giardia infections in particular have adverse effects on success at school.
Value of the urine strip test in the early diagnosis of bacterial peritonitis
Authors: Akman Sema , Uygun Vedat , Guven Ayfer Gur
Published: September 2005

Abstract
Background
: In an effort to detect the presence of leukocytes in the peritoneal dialysate fluid (PDF) a urine dipstick may be practical for the early detection of peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Methods
: The study was performed in 44 samples of four children with peritonitis. The total counts of white blood cell (WBC) and polimorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) were found using both a hemocytometer (CELDYN 3700 R) and a microscopic method. The existence of leukocytes was investigated by urine dipstick tests.

Results
: The dipstick test was correlated with both hemocytometer and microscopic methods (r = 0.537, P = 0.001; r = 0.560, P = 0.0001, respectively). Our results revealed no false negative values in all strip categories. At the proposed cut‐off point (> 100/mm3 of WBC count), a 3+ reading on the strip test reached a sensitivity of 100% for the detection of peritonitis with a specificity of 100%. A 2+ reading reached a sensitivity of 100% with lower specificity (71.4%) at the same cut‐off point. The dipstick test correlated significantly with the total counts of PMNs (r = 0.80, P = 0.0001). All positive strip categories had more than 50% of PMNs with a low PMN percentage of negative strip category in PDF samples.

Conclusion
: It is proposed that the strip test might be a valuable test to diagnose bacterial peritonitis through the detection of both WBC and PMN in peritoneal dialysis patients.
Chromosomal anomalies in patients with short stature
Authors: Moreno‐García Marta , Fernández‐Martínez Francisco Javier , Miranda Emilia Barreiro
Published: September 2005

Abstract
Background
: The incidence of chromosomal anomalies in patients with short stature (SS) was studied in order to determine the value of routine karyotyping in this population.

Methods
: This study was a retrospective evaluation of 972 patients (719 females and 253 males) with SS. Chromosomal analysis was performed on cultured peripheral lymphocytes.

Results
: The incidence of chromosome aberrations in males was 2.77% (7/253) and in females 9.8% (71/719). Several groups were made according to clinical features and familial antecedents of SS. We observed different incidence rates of chromosomal anomalies among groups of patients, mainly in females. The incidence in the group without familial antecedents was 18.89%, however, in females with familial antecedents it was 4.45%. In females with isolated SS we detected karyotype anomalies in the 3.98%, while in patients with phenotypic features, amenorrhoea and SS the incidence was 77.78%. In females the most frequent anomaly was Turner syndrome, present in 55 patients (77.46%).

Conclusion
: Karyotype analysis is recommended for all girls with unexplained SS and associated abnormalities. In females with isolated SS a cost–benefit analysis must be done in each case.
Quantitation of glutathione S transferase‐π in the urine of preterm neonates
Authors: Tsukahara Hirokazu , Toyo‐Oka Michiyo , Kanaya Yuko , Ogura Kazumasa , Kawatani Masao , Hata Atsuko , Hiraoka Masahiro , Mayumi Mitsufumi
Published: September 2005

Abstract
Background
: Glutathione S transferases (GSTs) are widely distributed enzymes found in highly varying amounts in tissues of the human body. The enzyme GST‐π in urine has been used as a marker of renal distal tubular cell damage. The present study was intended to evaluate urinary excretion of GST‐π and its relationship to other renal markers and to the status of oxidative stress in preterm neonates.

Methods
: Levels of urinary GST‐π, N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase (a marker of proximal tubular damage), albumin (a marker of glomerular damage) and 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (a marker of oxidative stress) and serum creatinine were measured in preterm neonates at 1 and 4 weeks of age.

Results
: The results showed that urinary excretion of GST‐π is increased in preterm neonates compared with reported values for healthy adults. No significant relationship was detected between urinary GST‐π and other markers for renal function. Urinary GST‐π showed significantly positive correlation with urinary 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine at 1 and 4 weeks. Sick neonates treated with supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilation showed significantly higher levels of GST‐π as well as 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine than clinically stable neonates did at 4 weeks.

Conclusions
: These results indicate the potential effect of systemic oxidative stress on urinary excretion of GST‐π. Further studies are necessary to explore the effect of oxidative conditions on expression of GST‐π in distal tubules in the human kidney.
Characteristics of hyperthermia and its complications in patients with Prader Willi syndrome
Authors: Ince Erdal , Çiftçi Ergin , Tekin Mustafa , Kendirli TanIl , Tutar Ercan , DalgIç Nazan , Öncel Selim , Dogru Ülker
Published: September 2005

Abstract
Background
: Thermoregulation problems, resulting in hypo‐ or hyperthermia, have been infrequently reported in children with Prader Willi syndrome (PWS), yet their clinical details remained unknown.

Methods
: The clinical characteristics of three infants with PWS are reported.

Results
: Etiologies of high fever could not be identified in three children with PWS. One of these children was also admitted to the intensive care unit with extremely high body temperature in a life‐threatening condition, similar to septic shock, without a plausible explanation.

Conclusion
: Hyperthermia may be a part of the clinical spectrum in young infants with PWS and should be carefully monitored, since it may cause life‐threatening complications.
Assessment of individual changes in body fatness in boys during early pubertal period
Authors: Okada Tomoo , Kuromori Yuki , Miyashita Michio , Yoshino Yayoi , Iwata Fujihiko , Hara Mitsuhiko , Harada Kensuke
Published: September 2005

Abstract
Background
: In order to know whether the changes in indexes of overweight, body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) and percentage of overweight (POW) (%), really represent the tendency toward obesity, we examined longitudinal individual changes in these indexes, and the change in body composition in boys during early pubertal period.

Methods
: The subjects were 50 school boys who lived in Shizuoka, Japan. Standing height and weight were measured, and BMI and POW were obtained. Body fat percentage (BF%), fat mass (FM) and lean body mass (LBM) were estimated by bioelectrical impedance method. The influence of predictive variables (LBM, FM) on the changes in BMI and POW was investigated by multiple regression analysis. We examined the 3‐year changes in BMI, POW and predictive variables in each individual, from 9 to 12 years of age.

Results
: The mean change of BMI was 1.7 ± 0.3 (mean ± SEM) kg/m2 and that of POW was 2.2 ± 1.9%. The influence of predictive variables on the changes in BMI and POW was determined. The variance of the change in POW could be explained by that in FM (r2 = 0.737, P < 0.0001), while the change in BMI was influenced by both LBM and FM (r2 = 0.891, P < 0.0001).

Conclusions
: Based on the definition of obesity, POW is the better index of body fatness to assess its individual change for boys during early pubertal period, because the index independent from the change in LBM is supposed to be the appropriate index for obesity in practical use.
Essential role of D1 but not D2 receptors in methamphetamine‐induced impairment of long‐term potentiation in hippocampal–prefrontal cortex pathway
Authors: Ishikawa Akinori , Kadota Tomoko , Kadota Ken , Matsumura Hideki , Nakamura Shoji
Published: October 2005

Methamphetamine (MA) abuse induces deficits in cognitive performance that are related to dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The medial portion of the prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in rats that is crucial for cognitive function has been shown to undergo long‐term potentiation (LTP) in the projections from the hippocampus. However, no study has been performed to evaluate the influence of MA on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal–mPFC pathways. In the present experiments, we investigated the effects of repeated MA administration on hippocampal–mPFC LTP, together with MA‐induced stereotyped behaviors. Repeated MA administration produced behavioral sensitization and LTP impairment in the hippocampal–mPFC pathways. The MA‐induced impairment of hippocampal–mPFC LTP was prevented by the pretreatment of dopamine 1 (D1) but not dopamine 2 (D2) receptor antagonists, while D1 and D2 receptor antagonists attenuated the MA‐induced stereotyped behaviors. These findings suggest that D1 receptors are crucial for the MA‐induced deterioration of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal–mPFC circuits. Impairment of LTP associated with D1 receptor dysfunction may underlie cognitive deficits in MA‐dependent subjects.
Fear learning induces persistent facilitation of amygdala synaptic transmission
Authors: Schroeder Bradley W. , Shinnick‐Gallagher Patricia
Published: October 2005

In the maintenance phase of fear memory, synaptic transmission is potentiated and the stimulus requirements and signalling mechanisms are altered for long‐term potentiation (LTP) in the cortico‐lateral amygdala (LA) pathway. These findings link amygdala synaptic plasticity to the coding of fear memories. Behavioural experiments suggest that the amygdala serves to store long‐term fear memories. Here we provide electrophysiological evidence showing that synaptic alterations in rats induced by fear conditioning are evident in vitro 10 days after fear conditioning. We show that synaptic transmission was facilitated and that high‐frequency stimulation dependent LTP (HFS–LTP) of the cortico‐lateral amygdala pathway remained attenuated 10 days following fear conditioning. Additionally, we found that the low‐frequency stimulation dependent LTP (LFS–LTP) measured 24 h after fear conditioning was absent 10 days post‐training. The persistent facilitation of synaptic transmission and occlusion of HFS–LTP suggests that, unlike hippocampal coding of contextual fear memory, the cortico‐lateral amygdala synapse is involved in the storage of long‐term fear memories. However, the absence of LFS–LTP 10 days following fear conditioning suggests that amygdala physiology 1 day following fear learning may reflect a dynamic state during memory stabilization that is inactive during the long‐term storage of fear memory. Results from these experiments have significant implications regarding the locus of storage for maladaptive fear memories and the synaptic alterations induced by these memories.
Right hemispheric predominance in the segregation of mistuned partials
Authors: Hiraumi Harukazu , Nagamine Takashi , Morita Takeshi , Naito Yasushi , Fukuyama Hidenao , Ito Juichi
Published: October 2005

To elucidate the central mechanisms of sound segregation, we compared responses to a harmonic sound and a mistuned sound using a whole‐head magnetoencephalography system. The harmonic sound was composed of a 200‐Hz tone and its 2nd to 12th harmonics. The mistuned sound had, instead of the 600‐Hz harmonic, a 696‐Hz tone. In the right hemisphere, the amplitude of N100m responses evoked by the mistuned sound was significantly larger and the peak latency significantly longer than that evoked by the harmonic sound, suggesting that the right hemisphere plays a more important role than the left in detecting mistuned partials.
Neuroprotective effects of metabotropic glutamate receptor ligands in a 6‐hydroxydopamine rodent model of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Vernon A. C. , Palmer S. , Datla K. P. , Zbarsky V. , Croucher M. J. , Dexter D. T.
Published: October 2005

Increasing evidence implicates glutamate‐mediated excitotoxicity as a contributory factor in dopaminergic cell death in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) in Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies have suggested that metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) ligands are neuroprotective against excitotoxicity in vitro. In the present study, the neurotoxin 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) produced a significant loss (61.2 ± 8.9%; P < 0.01) of tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunopositive (TH+) cells in both the SNc and striatal dopamine (58.02 ± 1.27%; P < 0.05) in control male Sprague–Dawley rats. Both losses were significantly attenuated by sub‐chronic (7 day) treatment with the Group I mGluR antagonists, 2‐methyl‐6(phenylethynyl)‐pyridine (MPEP) or (S)‐(+)‐α‐amino‐4‐carboxy‐2‐methylbenzeneacetic acid (LY367385); the Group II mGluR agonist (2R,4R)‐4‐aminopyrrolidine‐2,4‐dicarboxylate (2R,4R‐APDC); or the Group III mGluR agonist, l(+)‐2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutyric acid (L‐AP4). These data demonstrate a neuroprotective action of mGluR ligands in vivo against 6‐OHDA toxicity that has important implications for the treatment of PD.
Improving the Quality of Long‐Term Care with Better Information
Authors: MOR VINCENT
Published: October 2005

Publicly reporting information stimulates providers' efforts to improve the quality of health care. The availability of mandated, uniform clinical data in all nursing homes and home health agencies has facilitated the public reporting of comparative quality data. This article reviews the conceptual and technical challenges of applying information about the quality of long‐term care providers and the evidence for the impact of information‐based quality improvement. Quality “tools” have been used despite questions about the validity of the measures and their use in selecting providers or offering them bonus payments. Although the industry now realizes the importance of quality, research still is needed on how consumers use this information to select providers and monitor their performance and whether these efforts actually improve the outcomes of care.
Urban Capitalisms: European Models in Competition
Authors: LORRAIN DOMINIQUE
Published: September 2005

This article takes as its starting point a central issue for the urban social sciences: comparison. Local government is a theme where much is singular, contingent and idiosyncratic, and international comparison reinforces this tendency towards diversity. Therefore, the capacity to generalize becomes a real issue. The central argument of this article is that, beyond any first‐level complexity, the organization of the urban services sector in European countries basically follows three major ‘models’. These simplified forms represent ways of combining public policy principles with a market economy. As such, they may be read as specific versions of urban capitalism. All three ‘models’ are European in origin, and nowadays find themselves in competition. In order to establish the features of these models — simplified forms of more complex phenomena — it is necessary to introduce a historical reading of overall choices of institutional and policy architecture. It is necessary to trace the importance of firms and to study the momentum of crisis and tension, as these give an internal view of phenomena that are generally regarded as natural.

Ce texte part d’un problème central pour les sciences sociales urbaines, celui de la comparaison. L’objet urbain pousse à la singularité; les comparaisons internationales renforcent cette tendance; se pose donc un vrai problème de généralisation. La thèse soutenue est qu’au‐delà de toute complexité de premier rang, constatée dans l’organisation de chaque service urbain dans les pays européens, ceux‐ci au fond ressortent de trois grands modèles. Ces formes simplifiées, ou modèles, représentent autant de manières de combiner des principes d’action publique à une économie de marché; on peut les lire comme autant de versions du capitalisme urbain. En étant tous les trois représentés en Europe ces ‘modèles’ se trouvent aujourd’hui en compétition. Pour parvenir à dégager ces propriétés modéliques, formes simplifiées de phénomènes plus complexes, il convient d’introduire une lecture historique des grands choix en matières d’architectures institutionnelles et politiques. Il faut accorder de l’importance aux firmes et suivre les moments de mise en tension; ils permettent de saisir ce qui semble naturel dans le fonctionnement ordinaire.
Tourism from Above and Below: Globalization, Localization and New Orleans's Mardi Gras
Authors: GOTHAM KEVIN FOX
Published: September 2005

Scholars currently debate whether tourism is a force of standardization that eradicates local cultures and traditions or whether tourism is a force of heterogeneity that enhances place distinctiveness. This article uses a case study of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans to explain the connections between global forces and local actions in the development of urban tourism. I argue that the globalization and localization of Mardi Gras are occurring simultaneously with the result being a mix of homogenizing and particularizing influences in New Orleans. I develop this argument by distinguishing between ‘tourism from above’ and ‘tourism from below’, a distinction that helps to explain how tourism can help undermine as well as promote local differences. ‘Tourism from above’ refers to the global level forces of commodification, standardization and rationalization that affect all cities. ‘Tourism from below’ refers to the ways in which local groups and individuals resist the homogenizing effects of globalized tourism and use tourism to anchor Mardi Gras in place and create new carnival traditions. Analysis of global‐local connections in tourism provides an important opportunity for theoretical development and offers a unique perspective for understanding tourism as a process of globalization and localization.

Les intellectuels s’interrogent actuellement sur le fait que le tourisme soit ou non une force de normalisation capable d’éliminer cultures et traditions locales, ou une force d’hétérogénéité qui renforce le caractère distinctif des lieux. Utilisant une étude de cas sur la célébration de Mardi gras à la Nouvelle‐Orléans, l’article explique les relations entre forces mondiales et actions locales dans le développement du tourisme urbain: mondialisation et localisation de cette fête se produisent simultanément, se traduisant dans la ville par une combinaison d’influences homogénéisantes et singularisantes. La démonstration établit ensuite une distinction entre ‘tourisme par le haut’ et ‘tourisme par le bas’ qui permet d’éclaircir comment l’activité peut contribuer tant à atténuer qu’à favoriser les différences locales. Le ‘tourisme par le haut’ s’applique aux forces mondiales de banalisation, normalisation et rationalisation qui touchent toutes les grandes villes. Le ‘tourisme par le bas’ portent sur les moyens qu’appliquent groupes et individus locaux dans le but de résister aux effets homogénéisateurs du tourisme mondialisé et de se servir de cette activité pour ancrer Mardi gras dans le lieu et créer de nouvelles traditions carnavalesques. L’analyse des relations entre les plans mondial et local dans le domaine du tourisme offre une possibilité intéressante de théorisation et une perspective unique d’appréhension du tourisme comme processus de mondialisation et localisation.
Rescaling Social Reproduction: Childcare in Toronto/Canada and Stockholm/Sweden
Authors: MAHON RIANNE
Published: September 2005

The last two decades have witnessed the restructuring and rescaling of the welfare regimes consolidated in the postwar era. More is involved, however, than rollbacks justified by neoliberal globalization and engineered via downloading to subnational scales. States are also being pushed to assume new responsibilities for social reproduction as a result of the ‘care crisis’ stemming from the death of the male breadwinner/female caregiver family form. This article focuses on the interaction between national welfare regimes and subnational sites — namely two important urban nodes in Canada (Toronto) and Sweden (Stockholm) where changing gender relations began to disrupt post‐war patterns of social reproduction earlier than in the rest of their respective countries. Both cities experimented with childcare programs that posed a challenge to their respective national policy regimes. In one case, local mobilization contributed to a significant policy shift at the national scale whereas the other experiment, having failed to induce change in the national regime, found its very viability increasingly imperilled.

Les deux dernières décennies ont vu la restructuration et le redimensionnement des régimes de protection sociale élaborés dans la phase d’après‐guerre. Pourtant, il ne s’agit pas seulement de réductions justifiées par une mondialisation néolibérale et opérées en se déchargeant sur les niveaux subnationaux. En effet, les Etats sont forcés d’assumer de nouvelles responsabilités à l’égard de la reproduction sociale, du fait de la ‘crise des soins’ provoquée par la disparition de la configuration familiale de l’homme‐soutien de famille et de la femme‐pourvoyeuse de soins. Cet article se consacre à l’interaction entre systèmes sociaux nationaux et sites subnationaux à savoir deux nœuds urbains, Toronto au Canada et Stockholm en Suède, où l’évolution des relations entre genres vient perturber les schémas de reproduction sociale de l’après‐guerre plus rapidement que dans le reste du pays. Ces villes ont expérimenté des programmes d’aide à l’enfance qui ont remis en cause leurs systèmes respectifs de politique publique nationale. Dans un cas, la mobilisation locale a contribuéà un important changement politique au plan national tandis que l’autre, n’ayant pas réussi à susciter d’évolution nationale, a vu sa viabilité de plus en plus menacée.
Building Local Development Institutions in the Hinterland: A Regulationist Perspective from British Columbia, Canada
Authors: MARKEY SEAN
Published: September 2005

This article examines the process of local development within the context of restructuring in hinterland British Columbia, Canada. The role of local development in the reconstruction of hinterland space is attracting considerable research attention, building upon an existing body of work from Canada and elsewhere, which is steadily refining our understanding of the local development process. Through a case study of two communities, this article seeks to enhance the theory–practice coordination of this work by using a regulation approach to examine the process, organizational structures and relationships inherent in local development. The communities in this study used local development both to pursue economic diversification and also to offset the uncertainty caused by economic and political restructuring. The findings illustrate that the case communities responded to restructuring in a systematic manner. This shows that the practice of local development may be related to theoretical interpretations of institution‐building. Regulation theory provides a framework within which to forge a link between the practical dimensions of the local development process and the concept of building local institutions. Specifically, the development of a local mode of social regulation is dependent upon the stability and coordination of a locally based development institution.

Cet article examine le processus de développement local parallèlement à la restructuration de l’arrière‐pays en Colombie britannique (Canada). Le rôle du processus dans la reconstruction de cet espace soulève l’intérêt manifeste de chercheurs qui, ajoutéà un corpus de travaux émanant du Canada ou d’ailleurs, affine régulièrement notre appréhension du développement local. A partir d’une étude de cas portant sur deux communautés, l’article tente d’améliorer la coordination entre théorie et pratique de ce travail en utilisant la régulation comme démarche d’investigation des processus, structures organisationnelles et relations propres au développement local. Les communautés concernées se sont servies du développement local pour mener une diversification économique, tout en compensant l’incertitude née de la restructuration économique et politique. D’après les résultats, elles ont réagi de manière systématique à la restructuration, ce qui montre que l’on peut lier l’exercice du développement local à des interprétations théoriques de la création d’institutions. La théorie de la régulation offre le cadre oùétablir un lien entre les dimensions pratiques du processus et le concept de création d’institutions locales. Plus précisément, le développement d’un mode local de régulation sociale dépend de la stabilité et de la coordination d’une institution de développement basée localement.
Purity and Dirt as Social Constructions: Environmental Health in an Urban Shantytown of Lagos
Authors: JÄRVELÄ MARJA , RINNE‐KOISTINEN EVA‐MARITA
Published: September 2005

The focus of this article, on everyday life management, emerges from a theoretical discussion about culturally specific attitudes to environmental health. Local perceptions of purity and dirt in an urban shantytown of Lagos, Nigeria, are examined through a case study of the Amukoko urban district. The qualitative data is from two fieldwork phases carried out in 1998 and 2001 in Lagos, consisting of eleven in‐depth interviews, eight focus group discussions and participatory observations among Yoruba women and men. In different communities, perceptions of purity and dirt are not self‐evident in terms of their meaning, but reflect the commonly shared values and moral codes of the community. Our principle interest is in the ways in which household water is construed as pure, particularly in the context of daily routines which reveal how the avoidance of pollution and the order of things are organized in the community. These constructions of purity comply with local perceptions of dirt, sanitation and environmental risks within the wider health care practices prevalent in the mixed and hybrid urban culture of metropolitan Lagos. Results imply that reformulated definitions of sanitation, for example between disposable and non‐disposable elements, are adopted via culturally specific perceptions of purity.

Le thème de cet article, sur la gestion du quotidien, est né d’une discussion théorique sur les différentes attitudes culturelles face à l’hygiène de l’environnement. A travers une étude de cas sur le quartier d’Amukoko, sont étudiées les perceptions locales de pureté et saleté dans un bidonville de Lagos. Les données qualitatives émanent de deux phases de terrain réalisées dans la capitale nigériane en 1998 et 2001, comprenant onze entretiens approfondis, huit séances en groupe de discussion et des observations participatives d’hommes et de femmes Yoruba. Dans plusieurs communautés, pureté et saleté ne sont pas des perceptions évidentes en termes de signification, reflétant plutôt des valeurs partagées et des codes moraux communautaires. Le but est ici de comprendre comment l’eau du foyer est jugée pure, notamment dans le cadre des tâches quotidiennes révélatrices de la façon dont les précautions anti‐pollution et l’ordre des choses sont organisés dans la communauté. Ces interprétations de la pureté corroborent les perceptions locales de la saleté, de l’hygiène publique et des risques environnementaux au sein des pratiques sanitaires globales appliquées dans la culture urbaine mixte et hybride de la métropole de Lagos. D’après les résultats, sont adoptées des définitions de l’hygiène publique reformulées via des perceptions de la pureté spécifiques au plan culturel (éléments jetables et non‐jetables, par exemple).
Social Forums as Space: A Response to Peter Marcuse
Authors: KÖHLER BETTINA
Published: September 2005

Debates about whether to consider Social Forums as a movement in itself or as a workspace for movements to network have been an integral part of the Forums’ formation  processes  ever  since  their  emergence  in  2000.  Referring  to  Social  Forums as the‘successor and culmination’ of previous social struggles raises problems of representation and suggests that all kinds of social struggles converge in this particular organizational form. Rather, struggles for social change today are being fought by social movements on a variety of scales and dimensions. Social Forums can offer a space where these various forms and scales of experiences are linked and politicized — but they can hardly act as actors themselves. Taking a next step, political experiences gathered at Social Forums can be transferred to these various kinds of struggles and inspire them. From this perspective organizational structures which enable exchange, debate, learning and the handling of differences are an important feature of Social Forums.

Se demander si les Forums sociaux sont un mouvement à part entière, ou un espace d’interconnexion entre des mouvements, participe aux processus d’organisation des forums depuis leur apparition en 2000. Définir les Forums sociaux comme ‘le successeur et aboutissement ultime’ des luttes sociales antérieures pose des problèmes de représentation et suggère que tous ces types de luttes convergent vers cette forme organisationnelle spécifique. Cependant, les combats actuels en faveur du changement social sont le propre de mouvements sociaux de portées et de tailles très variées. Les Forums sociaux procurent un espace où ces diverses formes et échelles d’expériences sont reliées et politisées, même s’ils ne peuvent guère intervenir en tant qu’acteurs. Dans une phase nouvelle, les expériences politiques réunies à ces Forums peuvent être transmises à ces différents types de luttes et les inspirer. Les structures organisationnelles qui permettent échanges, débats, apprentissage et gestion des différences constituent alors une caractéristique importante des Forums sociaux.
Gramsci, Polanyi and Impressions from Africa on the Social Forum Phenomenon
Authors: BOND PATRICK
Published: September 2005

The  rise  of  the  Social  Forum  phenomenon  has  been  heartily  welcomed,  partly  so  as to unite diverse discourses of anti‐neoliberal and anti‐imperialist resistance under a common  banner.  There  are  debates  worth  flagging,  however,  that  draw  our  attention to  political  philosophies  (typically  binary  statist  versus  anti‐statist  disputes),  visions of agency (typically networked movements versus parties), and potentials for revolutionary processes to emerge within ‘civil society’. In the spirit of Polanyi, many South Africans and other Africans are working on ‘decommodification’ strategies that range from particular sites of project‐level struggles to national, regional and international advocacy. But we must be conscious, as well, of warnings by Gramsci about the long march through a civil society often co‐opted to support state and neoliberal projects. The merits of African intellectual engagements with radical social movements have been shown in sites such as South African cities, but the African Social Forum awaits further opportunities to welcome allied researchers and academics. As the World Social Forum comes to Africa in 2007, Marcuse’s hope that the constituent movements begin to coalesce around a program is timely. However, this is likely to emanate more from intra‐sectoral networks rather than from multidisciplinary moments such as the WSF itself.

La montée du phénomène des Forums sociaux a été accueillie chaleureusement, en partie comme manière d’unifier sous un même drapeau les multiples discours de la résistance anti‐néolibérale et anti‐impérialiste. Certains débats éminents attirent pourtant l’attention sur des philosophies politiques (généralement des oppositions binaires étatistes/anti‐étatistes), des visions de l’intermédiation (en général, mouvements interconnectés/partis) et des processus révolutionnaires susceptibles de naître au sein de ‘la société civile’. Dans l’esprit de Polanyi, nombre d’Africains, du Sud et d’ailleurs, s’emploient à des stratégies de ‘démarchandisation’ couvrant à la fois sites de conflit particuliers liés à un projet et plaidoyers aux niveaux national, régional et international. Toutefois, il ne faut pas oublier les avertissements de Gramsci pour qui la longue marche passant par la société civile risquait d’être cooptée afin de soutenir des projets gouvernementaux ou néolibéraux. Si les engagements d’intellectuels africains aux côtés de mouvement sociaux radiaux se sont révélés bénéfiques dans des cas tels que les villes d’Afrique du Sud, le Forum social africain espère d’autres occasions de rallier chercheurs et universitaires. Comme le Forum social mondial se tiendra en Afrique en 2007, l’espoir de Marcuse — de voir les mouvements constitutifs s’unir progressivement autour d’un programme — est d’actualité. Cependant, cette évolution viendra plus probablement de réseaux intra‐sectoriels que d’élans multidisciplinaires comme le FSM.
Autonomy and Political Strategy: Building the Other Superpower
Authors: PONNIAH THOMAS
Published: September 2005

Recently, from 21–25 October 2004, I participated in the Norway Social Forum (NSF). It was the most successful regional social forum that I have attended. The forum expressed what I call an autonomist electoral politics. Such a politics combines short‐term electoral tactics with long‐term social movement autonomy. Autonomist electoral politics outlines the direction that forthcoming local, regional and national forums should take. I use the example of the NSF to respond to Peter Marcuse’s article on social forums and social movements.

Le Forum social norvégien (FSN) s’est tenu du 21 au 25 octobre 2004, et ce fut le forum social régional le plus réussi auquel j’ai participé. Il a exprimé ce que j’appelle une politique électorale autonomiste. Une telle politique allie des tactiques électorales à court terme et une autonomie des mouvements sociaux à long terme. Elle définit l’orientation que devrait prendre les forums locaux, régionaux et nationaux à venir. J’utilise ici l’exemple du Forum social norvégien pour répondre à l’article de Peter Marcuse sur les forums et mouvements sociaux.
An allometric study of lung morphology during development in the Australian pelican,Pelicanus conspicillatus, from embryo to adult
Authors: Runciman S. , Seymour R. S. , Baudinette R. V. , Pearson J. T.
Published: September 2005

Pelicans produce altricial chicks that develop into some of the largest birds capable of sustained flight. We traced pulmonary morphological development in the Australian pelican,Pelicanus conspicillatus, from third trimester embryos to adults. We described growth and development with allometric relationships between lung components and body mass or lung volume, according to the equationy = axb. Pelican lung volume increased faster than body mass (b = 1.07). Relative to lung volume, the airways and vascular spaces increased allometrically (b > 1) in embryos, but isometrically (b ≈ 1) after hatching. Parabronchial mantle volume decreased (b < 1) prior to hatching and increased isometrically thereafter. Surface area of air capillaries, blood capillaries and the blood–gas barrier increased relative to lung volume (b > 0.67) before and after hatching. Barrier thickness decreased before hatching, remained constant in juveniles and decreased by adulthood. The anatomical diffusing capacity significantly increased before hatching (b = 4.44) and after hatching (b = 1.26). Although altricial pelicans developed pulmonary complexity later than precocial turkeys, the volume‐specific characteristics were similar. However, lungs of volant adult pelicans became significantly larger, with a greater capacity for gas exchange, than lungs of terrestrial turkeys. Exchange characteristics of growing pelican lungs were inferior to those of adult birds of 26 other species, but converged with them at maturity.
Cellular proliferation in the urorectal septation complex of the human embryo at Carnegie stages 13–18: a nuclear area‐based morphometric analysis
Authors: Nebot‐Cegarra Josep , Fàbregas Pere Jordi , Sánchez‐Pérez Inma
Published: September 2005

In order to analyse the patterns of cellular proliferation both in the mesenchyme of the urorectal septum (URS) and in the adjacent territories (posterior urogenital mesenchyme, anterior intestinal mesenchyme and cloacal folds mesenchyme), as well as their contribution to the process of cloacal division, a computer‐assisted method was used to obtain the nuclear area of 3874 mesenchymal cells from camera lucida drawings of nuclear contours of selected sections of human embryos [Carnegie stages (CSs) 13–18]. Based on changes in the size of the nucleus during the cellular cycle, we considered proliferating cells in each territory to be those with a nuclear area over the 75th percentile. The URS showed increasing cell proliferation, with proliferation patterns that coincided closely with cloacal folds mesenchyme, and with less overall proliferation than urogenital and intestinal mesenchymes. Furthermore, at CS 18, we observed the beginning of the rupture in the cloacal membrane; however, no fusion has been demonstrated either between the URS and the cloacal membrane or between the cloacal folds. The results suggest that cloacal division depends on a morphogenetic complex where the URS adjacent territories could determine septal displacement at the time that their mesenchymes could be partially incorporated within the proliferating URS.
Non‐vascular smooth muscle cells in the human choroid: distribution, development and further characterization
Authors: May Christian Albrecht
Published: September 2005

To characterize further non‐vascular smooth muscle cells (NVSMC) in the choroid of the human eye, extensive morphological studies were performed including a three‐dimensional distribution of NVSMC in the adult human eye and their appearance during development. Whole mounts and sections through the choroid and sclera of eyes of 42 human donors (between the 13th week of gestation and 89 years of age) were stained with antibodies against smooth muscle actin and other markers for smooth muscle cells. On the basis of their morphological localization, three groups of NVSMC could be distinguished in the adult eyes: (a) a semicircular arrangement of NVSMC in the suprachoroid and inner sclera, around the entry of posterior ciliary arteries and nerves; (b) NVSMC parallel to the vessels in the posterior eye segment between the point of entry of the posterior ciliary arteries and the point of exit of the vortex veins; and (c) a dense plaque‐like arrangement of NVSMC in the suprachoroid, overlying the foveal region. The last of these groups showed most pronounced interindividual differences. During development, the first NVSMC to be observed at the 20th week of gestation belonged to group b. A complete NVSMC network was first observed in a 6‐year‐old donor eye. All three groups stained positive for smoothelin, caldesmon and calponin in all localizations. The NVSMC show a distinct distribution that might reflect different aspects of their function in the choroid and suprachoroid. All cells could be histochemically characterized as truly contractile.
Programmed cell death in the regenerating deer antler
Authors: Colitti M. , Allen S. P. , Price J. S.
Published: September 2005

Antlers are the only mammalian appendages capable of epimorphic regeneration and thus provide a unique model for investigating the mechanisms that underlie mammalian regeneration. Antlers elongate by a modified endochondral ossification process while intramembranous ossification takes place concurrently around the antler shaft. In this study, sites of apoptosis in the growing antler tip were identified by TUNEL staining and related to cell proliferation, as determined by PCNA staining. Bcl‐2 and bax were identified by RT‐PCR and bax was also immunolocalized in tissue sections. The apoptotic index was high in perichondrium, undifferentiated mesenchymal cells and cellular periosteum but was low in skin. The proliferation index was high in mesenchyme, skin (specifically in hair follicles) and cellular periosteum; it was low in fibrous perichondrium and periosteum, and barely detectable in cartilage. Both bcl‐2 and bax were found to be more highly expressed in the perichondrium/mesenchyme and non‐mineralized cartilage than in skin and mineralized cartilage. Bax was immunolocalized in mesenchyme cells, chondroprogenitors, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts. In conclusion, this study shows that programmed cell death plays a necessary role in regenerating antlers, as it does during skeletal development, bone growth and bone remodelling. The high level of apoptosis and proliferation in mesenchymal progenitor cells confirms that this represents the antler ‘growth zone’. In fact, the percentage of TUNEL‐positive cells in the mesenchymal growth zone (up to 64%) is higher than that recorded in any other adult tissue. This extensive cell death probably reflects the phenomenal rate of morphogenesis and tissue remodelling that takes place in a growing antler. The local and/or systemic factors that control the balance between cell growth and apoptosis in antler tissues now need to be determined.
The size distribution of neurons in the motor cortex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Toft Mette Helene , Gredal Ole , Pakkenberg Bente
Published: September 2005

The motor cortex of eight patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and nine control subjects was used in the study. Recent stereological tools, the disector and the rotator method, were applied to the motor cortex of patients with ALS and control subjects to obtain estimates of mean perikaryon volume, mean neuronal nuclear volume, total perikaryon volume and total neuronal nuclear volume. No significant differences were found in any of the estimates. In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies show a decrease in the concentration of neuronal markers. We expected to find changes in perikaryon and/or nuclei neuronal volume because the total neuron number is unchanged in ALS compared with control subjects. However, this was not the case; our results suggest that metabolic changes take place in the motor cortex of ALS patients without these concomitant anatomical changes.