bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tintin and the Capgras syndrome
Authors: Förstl H. , Howard R. , Almeida O. , Beats B. , Burns A. , Levy R.
Published: May 2008

Only around 300 cases of the Capgras syndrome have been reported in the medical literature. We report a widely read but scientifically neglected case of a mad scientist who showed this misidentification syndrome with classical and potentially dangerous features. The current literature on the psychopathology and neuropsychology of the Capgras-syndrome is briefly reviewed and discussed in the light of this new case.
Patient and relative attitudes to mental hospital closure and transfer into a hospital hostel
Authors: Turkington Douglas , Larkin Emmet , Kingdon David
Published: May 2008

Mental hospital closure and the resultant discharge of patients with chronic psychiatric disabilities into the community has led to public concern (Wallace, 1989). Currently it would seem important to collect as much pertinent data as possible on all aspects of mental hospital closure and the resultant effects on patients and communities. This study focuses on a relatively neglected area in the research literature on community psychiatry and mental health planning, i.e. the opinions of the consumers.
Is there a need to safeguard specialist psychiatric units in the NHS? Henderson Hospital: a case in point
Authors: Dolan Bridget , Norton Kingsley
Published: May 2008

For the purpose of this article, a specialist psychiatric unit refers to any community project, out-patient clinic, hospital ward or, as in the case of Henderson, a whole hospital which specialises in providing a specific type of treatment or treatment to a particular patient group(s). Specialist psychiatric units may be particularly vulnerable at this time when, because of the implications of Working for Patients, many psychiatrists' minds are focused on the need to justify and define their ‘core services’. Many specialist psychiatric units are directly funded by their hosting Region. If Regional Health Authorities do not maintain special psychiatric units directly then a high financial risk will be put on any District Health Authority or self-governing hospital which hosts them. If the latter fail to accept the financial risk, or take the risk and then suffer financially, there is the possibility that both a wealth of specialist expertise will be lost from the psychiatric profession as a whole and that certain patients will receive substandard or no treatment. It may be, therefore, that there is now a need specifically to justify the continued existence of specialist psychiatric units. Henderson Hospital, a therapeutic community specialising in the treatment of severely personality disordered young adults, is a case in point.
Cross-cultural psychiatric research: an anthropologist's view
Authors: Krause Inga-Britt
Published: May 2008

A need for improved communication between the social sciences and psychiatry is being expressed from many quarters. Interest in social and cultural issues is not, of course, new to psychiatry, but collaboration between the two approaches has not always been easy. Recently one social science in particular has become popular with psychiatry. This is social anthropology, and many psychiatrists consider that the inclusion of anthropological data and methods, particularly in cross-cultural research, can be useful and informative to psychiatry. What then is the relationship between anthropology and psychiatry and what are the problems which professionals face in attempting interdisciplinary research?
The use of adult psychiatric day care facilities in Worcester
Authors: du Feu Margaret
Published: May 2008

The 1975 White Paper Better Services for the Mentally Ill recognises different roles for day hospitals, day centres and the voluntary sector in the provision of psychiatric day care. Two broad client groups, needing short-term support or long-term care, are described. However, Vaughn (1983 and 1985) and Wilkinson (1984) have reviewed lack of co-ordinated planning in the provision of services and the placement of clients. Carter (1981) in a major survey of day care, showed that in many cases it was difficult to differentiate between day hospital and day centre services or client groups.
The present state of consultation and liaison psychiatry
Authors: Mayou Richard , Anderson Helen , Feinmann Charlotte , Hodgson Gail , Jenkins Peter L.
Published: May 2008

Although referral by general hospital doctors is a major pathway to specialist psychiatric care, and there is known to be much clinically unrecognised psychiatric morbidity among general hospital patients, consultation and liaison services have received much less emphasis than community care. A 1984 survey found that consultation liaison services were haphazard (Mayou & Lloyd, 1985). Despite recent evidence of increasing clinical and academic interest, few local strategic plans refer to consultation and liaison services; even when mentioned they are given a lower priority than community developments (Kingdon, 1989).
Developing true community care for the elderly mentally ill
Authors: Malcolm M. T.
Published: May 2008

This advice to a traveller could be offered to those moving resources from institutional care of the elderly to true care in the home. While present plans concern the destination and mode of travel, less attention is paid to differences in the starting point. Health districts vary greatly in terms of numbers, movements and placements of their elderly populations. Numerical increases or decreases may be caused by migration of elderly people to traditional seaside retirement areas. A further attraction is the availability of nursing and residential homes in these belts. Such homes tend to multiply in a given area and draw in new residents from other districts leading to a disproportionately elderly population.
“An Innovation, a Revolution” the admission of women members to the Medico-Psychological Association
Authors: Floate Susan , Williams Margaret Harcourt
Published: May 2008

In 1886, the Medico-Psychological Association established its own examinations leading to a certificate of psychological medicine. Although discussions concerning the setting up of this certificate clearly indicated that it was regarded as a qualification for men, by 1888 women medical practitioners were sitting the examination and appear, without comment, in the lists of successful candidates. However, the question of the admission of lady members to the Association proved to be a much more controversial matter.
The words used to sell psychotropic drugs
Authors: Jelley Matthew , Owen John H.
Published: May 2008

Advertisements are biased. This is not a statement of ideology, but a statement of fact. They are neither public service announcements nor balanced debates. They exist solely to encourage the consumer to buy one product in preference to another. The importance of this is that, as clinicians, we often place ourselves apart from others when considering what influences our practice. On the one hand our training emphasises a combined approach of pharmacological, psychological, and social therapies, but on the other, it is only the pharmacological approach that has the ability to finance full-colour advertisements in learned journals. In 1982 the pharmaceutical industry spent £150 million on drug promotion in the UK (Medawar, 1984). We have attempted to take an objective view of drug advertisements by examining the words used in all advertisements that have appeared in the British Journal of Psychiatry over the last 30 years.
NHS indemnity for medical negligence: its implications
Authors: Seth Ram
Published: May 2008

From 1 January 1990 medical and dental practitioners employed by health authorities were no longer required under the terms of their contracts to subscribe to a medical defence organisation. The health department, however, advised practitioners (DHSS circular) to “maintain their defence body membership in order to ensure they are covered for any work which does not fall within the scope of the indemnity scheme”. The expediency with which the scheme was introduced enabled little discussion on the consequences of such change and surprised medical practitioners and defence organisations alike. This major change in medical indemnity since 1954 will have long-term implications for practitioners, medical defence organisations, local health authorities and most importantly, the quality and quantity of health care which can be delivered. A meeting held on 9 April 1990 at Charter Nightingale Hospital was convened to discuss the implications of the NHS indemnity scheme between senior registrars in psychiatry and representatives from the Medical Defence Union, Medical Protection Society, British Medical Association and the local health authority.
Report on Mental Health Foundation MORI survey investigating public attitudes to mental health
Authors: Persaud Rajendra D.
Published: May 2008

The above quotation comes from the general public group discussions which were part of MORI's survey on public attitudes to mental health. This investigation was commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation as part of the events making the charity's 40th anniversary appeal.
The confessions of a justified sinner and the psychopathology of the double
Authors: Beveridge Allan
Published: May 2008

In discussions of the psychopathology of the double, acknowledgement is usually given to the various literary accounts of the subject by Dostoevsky, De Maupassant and Stevenson (Christodoulou, 1986). Curiously, mention is never made of the work that has been described by Karl Miller (1985) as “the cardinal text” in the literature of the double. James Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, published in 1824 and since recognised as a Scottish literary classic, represents the most detailed and complex exploration of the theme of the double.
150 years on: recycling the old asylums
Authors: Ramsay Rosalind
Published: May 2008

The relocation of chronic psychiatric patients in the community may be of unexpected benefit to town planners. Many Victorian mental hospitals, largely redundant in terms of medical use, are high quality buildings – some are listed or otherwise of architectural merit – and they are often set in mature landscaped grounds. Architect John Burrell has developed the idea of using former psychiatric hospital sites on the edges of cities as a basis for establishing a new urban core to outer suburban areas. His plans for the Woodford Green site won him the top prize in a national competition ‘Tomorrow's New Communities’, which was organised earlier this year by the Town and Country Planning Association and the Joseph Rowntree Trust, with the backing of the Prince of Wales.
Training to stay ahead
Authors: Lock Toni
Published: May 2008

Communities and psychiatrists differ with regard to how they have been ‘conditioned’ to accept responsibility for caring for the mentally ill. Some are reluctant to change the style of care they have become accustomed to (Lancet, 1985). The White Paper (Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond) has emphasised the added ‘where/how/who’ meaning of psychiatric care: from treatment to prevention, clinical to management skill, and from a position of superiority to one of equality. Some psychiatrists feel threatened by the possibility of a ‘non-medical takeover’. Mental health care is not a social service priority and future consultants should equip themselves to take an effective lead in ensuring that adequate resources are made available (Freeman, 1985). Appropriate training opportunities are scarce (Scott, 1988) and we have only two years grace.
New perspectives on clinical service after intensive management training
Authors: Aveline Mark
Published: May 2008

During 1991–2, the Department of Health is spending £3 million on an experiment. Consultants with an interest in management are being sent to Business School to rub shoulders with middle managers from outside the NHS. Without setting any specific individual objectives, the Department hopes that the acquired learning will be beneficial in the new market-orientated NHS. Together with a community paediatrician, an anaesthetist and a microbiologist, I was selected for a place on the G-course at Ashridge Management College, an intense, four week residential immersion in the theory and practice of profit-driven business.
Invalid Care Allowance – an allowance for the carers
Authors: Steadman Philip
Published: May 2008

This is the third and last in my series on recent changes incorporating the introduction of Disability Living Allowance in the allowances for the mentally ill. The Invalid Care Allowance is unusual in that it is paid to the person who does the caring and not the person being cared for.
Why psychiatric discharge summaries do not contain the mental state examination at discharge
Authors: Akerman Marco , McCarthy Mark
Published: May 2008

In an era where computerised information is dominant, it may seem an eccentric enterprise to assess the quality of case-notes and to propose changes in the notekeeping process. There are no institutional incentives for clinicians to provide organised and standardised clinical notes (Casper, 1987) and there is no clear evidence that poor notekeeping means that satisfactory care has not been provided.
Linking psychiatric registers to decision support systems
Authors: Taylor Jason
Published: May 2008

This paper discusses the concept of Psychiatric Register Integrated Support Modules (PRISM). It addresses issues around the linkage of longitudinal data held on individual patients in case register systems to expert and other decision support systems. The paper describes two developed systems which link to the SafetyNet case register system, an inexpensive and comprehensive Mental Health Information System which runs on single or networked computers and which was previously described in detail (Taylor & Bhumgara, 1989). The merits of the two approaches in aiding clinical decision making on anti-psychotic medication are discussed as are the medico-legal implications of using expert systems.
A discussion at the Philosophy Group's first residential conference
Authors: Morris Mark G. A.
Published: May 2008

Two theoretical positions in psychiatry, the psychodynamic and the biological are explored, as seen in a discussion at the conference mentioned. It is argued that they form part of a wider philosophical debate between idealism and materialism, which is explored with reference to ideas about substance and then using psychodynamic and biological theories of depression. Double aspect theory is presented as a pragmatic solution adopted by the profession.
Patients repeatedly admitted to psychiatric wards
Authors: Evans Mavis , Rice David , Routh Christina
Published: May 2008

Many admissions to general adult psychiatric beds occur as emergencies due to social crisis or relapse of psychiatric illness. Other admissions are planned to arrest or reverse deterioration. Length of stay varies depending on reason for admission and adequacy of support in the community. Rapid readmission or failed discharge, defined as readmission within three months, has been linked with multiple previous admissions and personality factors (Jones, 1991).
Experience in community child health as part of training in child and adolescent psychiatry
Authors: Hill Peter , Dawkins Judith , Griffiths Mary Anne , Talbot Ruth
Published: May 2008

Careers in psychiatry which commence straight after house jobs are now commonplace and an informal tradition by which future child psychiatrists worked in paediatrics before training in psychiatry is nowadays less rehearsed. Recently, one of the St George's psychiatric registrar rotations arranged a six month post as a community child health doctor (community clinical medical officer) for a psychiatric registrar (JD) who had expressed an interest in child psychiatry as a career but lacked experience in paediatrics.
Communication between general practitioners and psychiatrists
Authors: Prasher V. P. , Fitzmaurice D. , Krishnan V. H. R. , Oyebode F.
Published: May 2008

The quality of care which patients receive within the NHS is dependent upon the communication between general practitioners (GPs) and specialists and the letter is the most widely used instrument in this process (Freeling & Kessel, 1984). There are only a few studies which have evaluated the efficiency of communication between the GP and the hospital specialist. For example, de Alarcon et al (1960) showed that 96% of specialists' reports to GPs were found to offer a definite contribution to the understanding of the case, whereas 4% were “vague and useless”.
Wandering and twilight in a female psychogeriatric population
Authors: Duggan Kathleen , McDonald Carrick
Published: May 2008

With the move towards community care, the problem of wandering behaviour in psychogeriatric patients may pose a barrier to their placement in residential homes. The prevailing wisdom that this behaviour increased around twilight was looked at by Evans (1983) whose study showed increased restlessness in the late afternoon in a nursing home population. Cohen-Mansfield et al (1989), however, did not find any clear pattern of behaviour related to sundown. This study examines only wandering behaviour and controls for seasonal change in twilight times.
Death of a hospital
Authors: Piezchniak P. , Murphy D.
Published: May 2008

The life of an institution may come to an end. The closure of a large mental hospital is an event of great emotional importance analogous to the death of an individual. Man has developed a set of rituals to help him cope with emotional turmoil released by bereavement. Since the death of an institution is not common the need for mourning rituals is not so generally acknowledged. We describe a ceremony to mark the closure of Cane Hill Hospital, Surrey.
Developing a liaison project in the community
Authors: Naismith A. Jane
Published: May 2008

It is considered valuable for senior registrars to have experience of liaison with other agencies and of setting up and evaluating projects as part of higher training in community psychiatry (Guthrie, Black & Osborn, 1991; Royal College Of Psychiatrists Working Group, 1990). However, this may not be easy to arrange due to, for example, lack of suitable opportunities and insufficient time for initiating a project and carrying it through. Such projects are often difficult to establish and the trainee may find that a good idea founders on a variety of unexpected problems.
A pilot study on the use of the telephone in an acute psychiatric service
Authors: McLaren P. M. , Ball C. J.
Published: May 2008

Greater care in the community will lead to the geographic dispersal of psychiatric services and the role of communications technology will become increasingly important. McLaren et al (1991) described the potential role for new communications technology, such as interactive television, in the provision of psychiatric services but before resorting to new communications technology it will be important to ensure that full use is being made of existing technology such as the telephone. The telephone is widely used in the UK health service but poorly understood, in contrast to the USA where it has been recognised as an important medium for care delivery (Hallam, 1989). This pilot study was designed to gather information on the current role of the telephone in an acute psychiatric service and to aid the planning of the use of more advanced communications technology such as interactive television.
Psychopathology and violent behaviour in psychiatric intensive care
Authors: Hyde Clive E. , Waller G. , Wyn-Pugh E.
Published: May 2008

This study considered the use of staff observation and patient's self-ratings of subjective psychopathology on admission to a psychiatric intensive care unit. The aim was to evaluate these measures as a means of predicting subsequent assaults and self-injury during the patients' stay on the ward. Few studies have shown a relationship between subjective experience and observable violent behaviour although some have found a correlation with ‘violence potential’. Eichelman & Hartwig (1990) have suggested the use of the SCL-90 hostility subscale, although doubts have been expressed about the ability of psychotic patients to complete such questionnaires reliably. The usefulness of both patients' self-ratings and staff observation would lie in their ability to help staff predict violence and self-injury and to take appropriate action.
Tomlinson on alcohol and drugs
Authors: Ghodse Hamid
Published: May 2008

Recognition of the problem

Sir Bernard Tomlinson's Report of the Enquiry into London's Health Service, Medical Education and Research (1992) starts with an excellent analysis of the particular problems associated with providing health care in the capital with its high density and turnover of population and disproportionate burden of severe deprivation. He emphasises the particular problems that arise because of the flow into London of vulnerable people with mental illness, drug addiction problems and alcoholism, many of whom are homeless. The consequent difficulties are compounded by the fact that primary health care and community services are poorly developed in comparison with elsewhere in the country and may not be easily accessible to those who need them most. Inadequacies in comprehensive service provision contribute to the high usage of accident and emergency departments as providers of primary health care, where community nursing services are expensive because of higher staff costs and where the characteristics of the patient population referred to above, make maintaining effective contact very difficult.
Anaesthetists' views of electroconvulsive therapy clinics
Authors: Haddad P. M. , Benbow S. M.
Published: May 2008

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) involves the close collaboration of psychiatrists and anaesthetists (Freeman et al, 1987). The Royal College of Psychiatrists' audits of ECT in 1980 (Pippard & Ellam, 1981) and 1991 (Pippard, 1992a, 1992b) relied on psychiatrists rating the facilities and performance of staff in ECT clinics. In contrast we are unaware of any research assessing anaesthetists' views of ECT clinics. Considering their different roles and expectations, opinions may well differ. To investigate this possibility we conducted a survey between November 1990 and February 1991.
The European Forum for All Psychiatric Trainees
Authors: Beinum Michael van , Castle David , Cameron Mary
Published: May 2008

The second European Trainees Forum (van Beinum, 1992) met in the Netherlands in March 1993. Training issues were discussed by delegates from the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Portugal, and Switzerland. A number of training topics were specifically addressed by the Forum, and a statement unanimously agreed on each of these.
A survey of psychotherapy experience among psychiatric registrars
Authors: Arnott Stephen , Wilkinson Ellen , Aylard Paul
Published: May 2008

Psychotherapy is recognised as an integral part of general psychiatric education at the level of preparation for the membership exam. Guidelines were first published over 20 years ago by the Royal Medico-Psychological Association (RMPA, 1971). In 1986 these guidelines were reviewed and clarified amid some pessimism about how widely the previous recommendations were being met (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1986). The shortage of consultant psychotherapists and the competing demands of other service and training commitments were suggested as explanations for this.
A case of inadvertent flooding: the perils of systematic desensitisation on Network South-East
Authors: Nieboer Rupert
Published: May 2008

I have been treating a 55-year-old man suffering from a 21 year history of agoraphobia. The treatment has been cognitive-behavioural, primarily based around a systematised graded exposure to different transport systems and increasing distances from home. An accident recently occurred which serves to remind us that no matter how controlled an exposure programme is intended, we cannot protect either our patients, or ourselves, from the occasional chance encounter with unmitigated disaster.
Antidepressants in the treatment of anxiety disorder
Authors: Tyrer Peter , Hallstrom Cosmo
Published: May 2008

Antidepressants are increasingly being used for the treatment of anxiety disorders, although they are not specifically licensed for this indication. This has come about partly because of concern over the problem of benzodiazepine dependence and the search for alternative, and preferably better, treatments. Antidepressants and other treatments have proved to be an effective alternative to benzodiazepines despite having more unwanted effects and a delayed onset of action. They may even be more effective than benzodiazepines and their benefits are alleged to be independent of concurrent depressive symptomatology. What is the evidence in favour of these claims?
Computer generated prescriptions as an audit tool
Authors: Bloor R. N.
Published: May 2008

The introduction of audit and resource management into medicine is closely linked with the introduction of computerised information systems. Substance abuse is an area where data collection is often difficult and the pressures of the clinical load may cause data collection to take second place. The need for information systems should not be allowed to impose an extra load on clinical staff or the effects of introduction can have severe negative consequences on units (McLean & Kaplan, 1983).
Realising a vision: psychiatry in Aylesbury 1983–91
Authors: Candy Julian
Published: May 2008

Between 1983 and 1991 mental health services in Buckinghamshire, as in many other parts of the country, underwent a radical restructuring. Facilities previously dominated by the mental hospital (St John's, near Aylesbury in the centre of the county), were devolved to the three health districts, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury Vale and Wycombe. These changes culminated in the closure of the hospital in September 1991.
One Flew out of the Cuckoo's Nest?
Authors: Davison Kenneth
Published: May 2008

My brief is to discuss the present and future relationships between clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. I shall be speaking from the, no doubt restricted, viewpoint of a Consultant in Adult Psychiatry working in a general hospital unit in a Teaching Area. My comments will not, therefore, apply to child psychiatry or mental handicap, and may well be received less than enthusiastically within mental hospitals. The highly efficient organizers of this conference, in their letter of invitation said, ‘We want a sensible, middle of the road view’. Did they realize, I wondered, that the middle of the road can be a rather dangerous position to occupy? I shall try very hard to avoid a head-on collision.
A Comparison of College Libraries
Authors: Heine Bernard
Published: May 2008

Libraries vary greatly: there is a common theme of books and information, but at the edges, one finds all sorts of variations. Examining the range of facilities provided by other College and Institutional Libraries may give us ideas for possible developments in our own College. Such rough statistics as number of staff, number of books held, number of journals taken give basic information. Using this approach, let us look at some of the larger London libraries.
The Future of the Consultant in Psychiatry: A Report to the College
Authors: Rawnsley K.
Published: May 2008

In October 1982 Council discussed a paper by me with the above title in which I posed a number of questions. The document was then widely debated within the College, and on the basis of responses received I presented a report to Council in October 1983. Council endorsed a number of recommendations and these are now embodied in this paper.
The Mental Health Act Commission and Second Opinions
Authors: Colville Lord
Published: May 2008

I am grateful for the opportunity of commenting on a recent article by Dr Paul Bridges, ‘Psychosurgery and the Mental Health Act Commission’ (Bulletin, August 1984, 8, 146–48). It may be useful to clarify the areas where we agree with him and to put into context matters in which he is critical. In the latter case I wish to consider whether his criticism is accurately directed at the Commission's policies.
Narrative Use and the Practice of Fiction inThe Book of SindibadandThe Tale of Beryn
Authors: Bolens Guillemette
Published: May 2008

This essay considers David Rudrum's claim that narrative is a type of language act that needs to be construed with regard to its use. Here this claim is related to one of the most influential literary traditions in the history of fiction: the Eastern Book of Sindibad and its Western offshoot, the Seven Sages of Rome, in which narrative use is of central significance. I focus more particularly on a tale embedded in the Eastern Book of Sindibad, “The Merchant and the Rogues,” which was adapted and translated into Middle English in the form of the fifteenth-century Tale of Beryn, an anonymous continuation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The Sindibad tale and the Tale of Beryn thematize narrative use in the context of a trial, in which the pleas and counterpleas highlight the function of fictionalizing acts. Fiction in these narratives is conceptualized as a practice. Finally, I argue that the production and reception of the Tale of Beryn must be linked to the socioprofessional milieu and cultural activities of late medieval law students.
Early patterning of the chorion leads to the trilaminar trophoblast cell structure in the placental labyrinth
Authors: Simmons David G. , Natale David R. C. , Begay Valerie , Hughes Martha , Leutz Achim , Cross James C.
Published: May 2008

The labyrinth of the rodent placenta contains villi that are the site of nutrient exchange between mother and fetus. They are covered by three trophoblast cell types that separate the maternal blood sinusoids from fetal capillaries - a single mononuclear cell that is a subtype of trophoblast giant cell (sinusoidal or S-TGC) with endocrine function and two multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast layers, each resulting from cell-cell fusion, that function in nutrient transport. The developmental origins of these cell types have not previously been elucidated. We report here the discovery of cell-layer-restricted genes in the mid-gestation labyrinth (E12.5-14.5)including Ctsq in S-TGCs (also Hand1-positive), Syna in syncytiotrophoblast layer I (SynT-I), and Gcm1,Cebpa and Synb in syncytiotrophoblast layer II (SynT-II). These genes were also expressed in distinct layers in the chorion as early as E8.5,prior to villous formation. Specifically, Hand1 was expressed in apical cells lining maternal blood spaces (Ctsq is not expressed until E12.5), Syna in a layer immediately below, and Gcm1,Cebpa and Synb in basal cells in contact with the allantois. Cebpa and Synb were co-expressed with Gcm1 and were reduced in Gcm1 mutants. By contrast, Hand1 and Syna expression was unaltered in Gcm1 mutants, suggesting that Gcm1-positive cells are not required for the induction of the other chorion layers. These data indicate that the three differentiated trophoblast cell types in the labyrinth arise from distinct and autonomous precursors in the chorion that are patterned before morphogenesis begins.
Photosynthetic response of the Mediterranean zooxanthellate coral Cladocora caespitosa to the natural range of light and temperature
Authors: Rodolfo-Metalpa Riccardo , Huot Yannick , Ferrier-Pagès Christine
Published: May 2008

We investigated photoacclimation in the symbiotic Mediterranean coral Cladocora caespitosa by exposing it to three light levels (30, 80 and 250 μmol m–2 s–1), which are in the range of those recorded for this species. The coral response to a change in both light and temperature was also assessed, by subjecting coral to two treatments corresponding to winter (14°C and 30 μmol m–2s–1) and summer (23°C and 250 μmol m–2 s–1) conditions, as measured in the Ligurian Sea. Photosynthesis, measured using both respirometry and pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry, revealed a linear relationship only at low light levels. At higher irradiance, relative electron transport rate(rETR) approached saturation more slowly than rates of oxygen production. At constant temperature, a change in light did not induce any change in zooxanthellae (zoox) and chlorophyll (Chla+c2)concentrations (mean 3.7×106 zoox cm–2 and 14.1 μg cm–2, respectively); however, chlorophyll concentrations significantly increased under low light and temperature,probably in order to maintain a sufficient level of autotrophy. Maximal gross photosynthesis (Pgmax) as well as the saturation irradiance(Ek) and the respiration rate (R) were, however,significantly higher at 250 μmol m–2 s–1compared to the lower light treatments, independently of temperature conditions. Acclimation to high light appeared to be partly driven by a change in the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) capacity of the algal cells, and to a maximal rate of photon utilization. Conversely, under low light conditions,coral polyps presented a lower Ek, but also lower respiration rates, which correspond to a decrease in the energy expenditure. This ability to acclimate to different light conditions, might allow C. caespitosa to rapidly regulate its autotrophic rate in the different light conditions encountered in its natural habitats.
Effects of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 on female reproduction and juvenile hormone biosynthesis in the cricketGryllus bimaculatusand the butterflyBicyclus anynana
Authors: Geister Thorin L. , Lorenz Matthias W. , Hoffmann Klaus H. , Fischer Klaus
Published: May 2008

Apart from regulating insect development, juvenile hormones (JHs) play an important role in insect reproduction, where they initiate vitellogenin synthesis and regulate the uptake of yolk by the ovary. JH synthesis is a tightly regulated process controlled by neurons and peptidergic neurosecretory cells. One of the known stimulatory regulators of JH biosynthesis is glutamate, and its N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor has been recently found in the cockroach Diploptera punctata. In this study we demonstrate a strong reduction in reproductive output in the tropical butterfly Bicyclus anynana and the Mediterranean field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus caused by the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. Such inhibiting effects on reproduction could be overruled by the application of JH mimics. In G. bimaculatus, MK-801 inhibits in vitro JH biosynthesis in the corpora allata and reduces in vivo JH haemolymph titres in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that JH biosynthesis in the corpora allata is at least in part controlled by an NMDA receptor with Ca2+ as a second level messenger. Based on our findings we consider NMDA receptor antagonists as important tools for manipulating juvenile hormone biosynthesis and therefore for gaining a better understanding of the mechanistic basis of reproduction.
Competition between the Rex1 exonuclease and the La protein affects both Trf4p-mediated RNA quality control and pre-tRNA maturation
Authors: Copela Laura A. , Fernandez Cesar F. , Sherrer R. Lynn , Wolin Sandra L.
Published: May 2008

Although nascent noncoding RNAs can undergo maturation to functional RNAs or degradation by quality control pathways, the events that influence the choice of pathway are not understood. We report that the targeting of pre-tRNAs and certain other noncoding RNAs for decay by the TRAMP pathway is strongly influenced by competition between the La protein and the Rex1 exonuclease for access to their 3′ ends. The La protein binds the 3′ ends of many nascent noncoding RNAs, protecting them from exonucleases. We demonstrate that unspliced, end-matured, partially aminoacylated pre-tRNAs accumulate in yeast lacking the TRAMP subunit Trf4p, indicating that these pre-tRNAs normally undergo decay. By comparing RNA extracted from wild-type and mutant yeast strains, we show that Rex1p is the major exonuclease involved in pre-tRNA trailer trimming and may also function in nuclear CCA turnover. As the accumulation of end-matured pre-tRNAs in trf4Δ cells requires Rex1p, these pre-tRNAs are formed by exonucleolytic trimming. Accumulation of truncated forms of 5S rRNA and SRP RNA in trf4Δ cells also requires Rex1p. Overexpression of the La protein Lhp1p reduces both exonucleolytic pre-tRNA trimming in wild-type cells and the accumulation of defective RNAs in trf4Δ cells. Our experiments reveal that one consequence of Rex1p-dependent 3′ trimming is the generation of aberrant RNAs that are targeted for decay by TRAMP.
Healthy ageing, perceived motor‐efficacy, and performance on cognitively demanding action tasks
Authors: Potter Lauren M. , Grealy Madeleine A. , O'Connor Rory C.
Published: May 2008

Current measures assessing older adults' functional ability detect existing limitations on essential tasks rather than changes in other aspects of functioning that could indicate future limitations. The perceived motor‐efficacy scale was developed to measure capability beliefs of healthy older adults across a range of daily action tasks. Subscales were developed through interviews with older volunteers and academics, then administered to participants aged 60–96 (N=300). Factor analysis of subscale scores produced 10 subscales. These demonstrated strong internal reliability, which was replicated with a second sample aged 60–92 (N=167). The influence of perceived motor‐efficacy on performance of cognitively demanding action tasks was investigated with a third sample aged 60–88 (N=134). On a task assessing the inhibition of an inappropriate action, older adults in their 80s with high confidence produced minor errors, whereas those with lower confidence produced extreme errors. On another task assessing the ability to inhibit a previously learnt action, those with high levels of perceived motor‐efficacy performed better amongst those least able to inhibit, but more poorly among those most able. Perceived motor‐efficacy may therefore be useful in identifying older adults at risk of functional limitations and enabling interventions before the onset of illness.
Girls, Peer Violence, and Restorative Justice
Authors: Daly Kathleen
Published: May 2008

Drawing on the South Australia Juvenile Justice (SAJJ) project dataset, this article analyses youth peer violence (‘punch-ups’) with a focus on girl-on-girl assaults. My aim is to address and explain significant gaps in the empirical knowledge of gender and restorative justice, and in the aspirations and reality of restorative justice itself. Four points are made. First, of all the offence categories, the male and female punch-ups showed the least degree of offender remorse, positive movement between offender and victim, and victim satisfaction; and they showed the greatest degree of victim revictimisation and more negative outcomes of the conference process. This occurs because offenders may ‘admit’ to offending, but deny that their actions are wrong. Second, simple gender comparisons of offender and victim orientations in a restorative process are likely to produce misleading results, unless they are keyed to particular offence categories. Third, for girls' punch-ups, the status of ‘victim’ and ‘offender’ is contested, with both protagonists seeing themselves as ‘victims’ (or as ‘nonoffenders’). Fourth, although some offending girls say their violence is justified, their female victims are hurt and traumatised, some with significant long-term effects. Implications are drawn for feminist analyses of girls' violence and for ethical practices of restorative justice.
Battered Women Charged With Homicide: Advancing the Interests of Indigenous Women
Authors: Stubbs Julie , Tolmie Julia
Published: May 2008

This article examines legal responses to women charged with a homicide offence arising from killing an abusive partner and reviews Australian cases over the period 1991–2007. We focus on cases involving Indigenous women, due to their very substantial overrepresentation as victims and offenders in intimate homicides in Australia. We find that the Australian case law to date has not developed principles adequate to reflect battered women's interests. Our analysis of cases involving Indigenous battered women indicates that the battering they had experienced and their disadvantaged circumstances were commonly read as indicators of personal deficits, and any evidence of structural disadvantage was muted. This research suggests that the limited impact of battered women's litigation in Australia is in part attributable to the psychological individualism of the criminal law identified by Norrie (2001, 2005), which is not confined to the trial stage but also shapes prosecutorial discretion and sentencing. We urge future research to shift the focus beyond battered woman syndrome and the trial process to examine plea bargaining and sentencing, and we suggest that advocates on behalf of battered women cannot rely on case law developments to deliver change but need to pursue multiple strategies.
Archeology Division
Authors: Alexander Rani T
Published: May 2008

•Proposed AD Bylaws Change for 2008 AAA Elections
 Robert Paynter  •AD‐Sponsored Session at 2009 SAA Meeting Ben Nelson  •Student Diversity Grants
Association of Black Anthropologists
Authors: McGlotten Shaka
Published: May 2008

•Vera Green Publication Award 2008
 Aimee Cox
Association of Senior Anthropologists
Authors: Doughty Paul L
Published: May 2008

•?Exciting and Expanding Anthropology?
 
•Adventures in Slovakia
National Association for the Practice of Anthropology
Authors: Miller Christine
Published: May 2008

•Learning to Think Like an Anthropologist
 Allen Batteau
Society for the Anthropology of Europe
Authors: Passmore Ben
Published: May 2008

•Celebrating 20 Years of Social Anthropology in Greek Academia
 Deanna Trakas
Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition
Authors: Black Rachel
Published: May 2008

•Food Insecurity Is About More than Nutrition
 Craig Hadley
Society for Linguistic Anthropology
Authors: Stanlaw James , Peterson Mark
Published: May 2008

•What Can Gitmo Detainees Read?
 James Stanlaw
Society for Urban, National, and Transnational/Global Anthropology
Authors: Howell Jayne , Pribilsky Jason
Published: May 2008

•Maya Culture in the California Diaspora
 Ronald Loewe  •CORI News Anna Ochoa O'Leary
Chemokines and Cytokines
Authors: Dimmitt Reed A.
Published: May 2008

The developing fetus that exists in a privileged and relatively sterile environment has no major requirement for protection against invading organisms or other mechanisms of injury. When that fetus transforms into a preterm infant, survival necessitates rapid activation of immune function. The systemic and mucosal immune response is orchestrated by myriad locally functioning chemicals called chemokines and cytokines. This article reviews the structure, function, and cellular population of these compounds as well as their roles in the development or protection against the diseases of preterm infants.
Prenatal and Postnatal Growth and Cognitive Abilities at 56 Months of Age: A Longitudinal Study of Infants Born at Term
Authors: Heinonen Kati , Räikkönen Katri , Pesonen Anu-Katriina , Kajantie Eero , Andersson Sture , Eriksson Johan G. , Niemelä Anja , Vartia Timo , Peltola Juha , Lano Aulikki
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE. The aim of the study was to investigate whether weight, length, BMI (kilograms per meter squared), and head circumference at birth and their postnatal growth are associated with cognitive abilities at 56 months of age among infants born at term.

PATIENTS AND METHODS. Our sample was composed of 1056 Finnish children born at term, (37 to 41 weeks) free of any major impairments. Weight, length, and head circumference were measured at birth and at 5, 20, and 56 months of age, and BMI was calculated. We assessed cognitive abilities by conducting tests of general reasoning, visual-motor integration, verbal competence, and language comprehension at 56 months of age.

RESULTS. Firstly, for every 1 SD lower in weight or BMI at birth, general reasoning and/or visual-motor integration was >1.20 points lower, and for every 1 SD lower in length or head circumference at birth, abilities across all of the cognitive domains were >1.31 points lower. Second, for every 1 SD slower gain in weight or BMI from birth to 5 months, general reasoning and visual-motor integration decreased by >0.97 points; for every 1 SD slower gain in length from 5 to 20 months and from 20 to 56 months, respectively, visual-motor integration, and verbal competence and language comprehension decreased by >1.03 points; and for every 1 SD slower increase in head circumference from birth to 5 months and from 5 to 20 months, respectively, visual-motor integration and language comprehension decreased by >1.17 points. Third, tests for nonlinear relationships revealed that, in some cases, large body size and faster growth were also associated with lower scores in cognitive tests.

CONCLUSIONS. Our findings suggest that, even within the range of children born at term, prenatal and postnatal growth in body size are associated with individual differences in cognitive abilities.
The Best-Interest Standard Is Not Applied for Neonatal Resuscitation Decisions
Authors: Janvier Annie , Leblanc Isabelle , Barrington Keith James
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE. Legal and ethical standards require resuscitation when it is considered to be in the patient's best interest. We hypothesized that newborn infants might be dealt with according to different standards, compared with older patients.

METHODS. An anonymous questionnaire describing 8 currently incompetent patients with potential neurologic sequelae who required resuscitation was administered to groups of physicians and students. Survival and morbidity rates were explicitly described; a very preterm infant, a full term infant and a 2-month-old infant had identical outcomes. Two patients, a 7-month-old infant and an 80-year-old patient, were previously significantly impaired. Respondents were asked whether resuscitation was in the patient's best interest and whether they would comply with the families' wishes if resuscitation was refused.

RESULTS. There was an 85% response rate (n = 524). The largest proportions of respondents stated that it was in the best interests of the 2-month-old infant and the 7-year-old child to be resuscitated (97% and 94%, respectively), followed by the 50-year-old patient and the term infant (87%), the 2 patients with 5% chance of survival (76% and 80%), the premature infant (69%), and finally the 80-year-old patient (32%). Approximately one fifth of the respondents who thought that it was in a patient's best interests to be resuscitated would nevertheless accept the family's refusal of resuscitation for all scenarios except the 80-year-old patient (72% acceptance) and the preterm infant (54% acceptance).

CONCLUSIONS. Whether resuscitation is considered in a patient's best interests is not closely related to survival rates or disability. Newborn infants and particularly preterm infants are systematically devalued, in comparison with older patients whose outcomes are the same or worse. Accepting a family's refusal of resuscitation, even among respondents who thought that resuscitation was in the patient's best interest, was much more common for the newborns.