bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The anterior cingulate ERK pathway contributes to regulation of behavioral excitement and hedonic activity
Authors: Creson Thomas K , Hao Yanlei , Engel Sharon , Shen Yi , Hamidi Anahita , Zhuo Min , Manji Husseini K , Chen Guang
Published: May 2009

Objectives:  Several intracellular signaling cascades, such as the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK), Wnt‐signaling/GSK‐3, PLC/PKC, and PI3K pathways, have been shown to be affected directly or indirectly by mood stabilizers. Clinical imaging studies reveal that mood disorders are associated with structural and/or metabolic changes in specific brain regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Here we investigated the extent to which perturbation of one of the affected pathways, the ERK pathway, in the ACC influences affective‐related behavior.

Methods:  The regional perturbation was induced by two means: local continuous infusion of PD98059, an ERK pathway inhibitor, and microinjection of a lentiviral‐mediated gene delivery system encoding functional negative ERK1. The outcomes were monitored with a battery of affective‐related tests similar to those used in several previous studies.

Results:  Compared to their respective controls, rats infused with PD98059 or injected with the lentiviral negative ERK1 construct displayed hyperactivities in multiple tests, exhibited preferentially more open‐arm activity in the elevated‐plus‐maze test, consumed more sweetened liquid in a saccharin preference test, and showed heightened response to amphetamine.

Conclusions:  These data support a role for the ACC ERK pathway in the regulation of affective‐related behaviors. However, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) comprises at least three other regions that will need to be similarly examined before specific roles of the ACC ERK pathway can be definitively attributed to affective behaviors. Additionally, responses of other signaling pathways to mood stabilizers in these mPFC regions, as well as the limbic regions to which they project, will be important to examine.
Ultra‐brief pulse ECT in bipolar and unipolar depressive disorder: differences in speed of response
Authors: Sienaert Pascal , Vansteelandt Kristof , Demyttenaere Koen , Peuskens Joseph
Published: May 2009

Objectives:  There is little evidence for differences in response and speed of response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) between patients with bipolar and patients with unipolar depressive disorder. In the only prospective study to date, Daly et al. (Bipolar Disord 2001; 3: 95–104) found patients with bipolar depression to show more rapid clinical improvement and require fewer treatments than unipolar patients. In this study, response and speed of response of patients with unipolar and bipolar depression treated with ultra‐brief pulse ECT were compared.

Methods:  All patients (n = 64) participated in a randomized trial comparing ultra‐brief pulse bifrontal ECT at 1.5 times seizure threshold and unilateral ECT at 6 times seizure threshold. Thirteen patients (20.3%) had DSM‐IV‐defined bipolar depression. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Clinical Global Impression scale were administered at baseline and repeated weekly during and after the course of treatment by a blinded rater. At the same time point, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Patient Global Impression scale were administered. Speed of response was analyzed using survival analyses.

Results:  Patients with bipolar and unipolar depression did not differ in rates of response or remission following the ECT course, nor in response to unilateral or bifrontal ECT. Patients with bipolar depression, however, showed a more rapid response than patients with unipolar depression.

Conclusions:  Patients with bipolar depression tend to show more rapid clinical improvement with ECT than patients with unipolar depression.
Fronto‐temporal dysregulation in remitted bipolar patients: an fMRI delayed‐non‐match‐to‐sample (DNMS) study
Authors: Robinson Jennifer L , Bearden Carrie E , Monkul E Serap , Tordesillas‐Gutiérrez Diana , Velligan Dawn I , Frangou Sophia , Glahn David C
Published: May 2009

Objectives:  Bipolar disorder is associated with working memory (WM) impairments that persist during periods of symptomatic remission. However, the neural underpinnings of these deficits are not well understood.

Methods:  Fifteen clinically remitted bipolar patients and 15 demographically matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a novel delayed‐non‐match‐to‐sample (DNMS) task. This nonverbal DNMS task involves two conditions, one requiring the organization of existing memory traces (‘familiarity’), and one involving the formation of new memory traces (‘novelty’). These processes are thought to differentially engage the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe, respectively.

Results:  Although behavioral performance did not differ between groups, bipolar patients and controls exhibited significantly different patterns of neural activity during task performance. Patients showed relative hyperactivation in the right prefrontal gyrus and relative hypoactivation in visual processing regions compared to healthy subjects across both task conditions. During the novelty condition, patients showed a pattern of hypoactivation relative to controls in medial temporal regions, with relative hyperactivation in the anterior cingulate.

Conclusions:  These findings suggest that disruption in fronto‐temporal neural circuitry may underlie memory difficulties frequently observed in patients with bipolar disorder.
Enzymatic properties of the 20S proteasome in wheat endosperm and its biochemical characteristics after seed imbibition
Authors: Shi C. , Rui Q. , Xu L. L.
Published: May 2009

The 20S proteasome from wheat (Triticum aestivum L., Yangmai 158) endosperm was purified to apparent homogeneity by three sequential centrifugations and gradient PAGE (GPAGE). The purified 20S proteasome clearly cleaved peptidyl‐arylamide bonds in the model synthetic substrates Z‐GGL‐AMC and Z‐GGR‐AMC, which are used to reflect chymotrypsin‐like and trypsin‐like activity, respectively. For both substrates, the optimum pH was 8.0, but the optimum temperatures for chymotrypsin‐like and trypsin‐like activity were 55 °C and 37 °C, respectively. Both enzyme activities were clearly inhibited by MG115 and PMSF. Polyubiquitinated proteins remained constant from 0 to 7 days after seed imbibition, but caseinolytic activity and the amount of the 20S proteasome associated with the aleurone layer decreased from 1 to 2 days after imbibition (DAI), then increased from 2 to 4 DAI, and reached a maximum at 4 DAI that was retained until 7 DAI. An increase was seen in the mRNA level of the β5 subunit of the 20S proteasome from 2 DAI, and caseinolytic activity and the amount of the 20S proteasome increased from 3 DAI onwards. In addition, the main storage proteins of the wheat endosperm could not be hydrolyzed by the 20S proteasome. The evidence suggests that the main role of the 20S proteasome may not be to degrade massive proteins of the wheat endosperm after seed imbibition.
Allelic loss on chromosomes 3p, 5q and 17p in renal cell carcinomas
Authors: Suglrnura Jun , Tamura Gen , Suzuki Yasushi , Fujioka Tornoaki
Published: May 2009

Lossof‐heterozygosity (LOH) has been studied on 3p (von Hippel‐Lindau gene locus), 5q and 17p (p53 gene locus) by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based strategy in 42 sporadic renal cell carcinomas (RCC). LOH at seven micro‐satellite loci on 5q was Investigated because a tumor sup presser gene on 5q involved In the development and/or progression of RCC has not yet been identified. LOH was found In seven (17%) RCC at single or multiple locl on 5q, 38% (11/29 Informative cases) on 3p, and 6% (2/35 Informative cases) on 17p. Replication error (RER) was present in 10% (4/42) RCC at single or multiple loci. The minimum region of deletion on 5q to account for LOH was mapped to 5q31.1 (interferon regulatory factor‐1; IRF‐1 locus), where LOH was detected In 23% (6/26 Informative cases). LOH on 3p and 5q occurred In both stage 2 and more advanced (stage 3 and 4) tumors at similar incidences (41 and 33% on 3p; and 24 and 22% on 5q, respectively), suggesting that LOH on these chromosomes Is an early genetic event. All RCC exhibiting LOH on 3p or 5q (IRF‐1 locus) were the clear cell or the mixed clear and granular cell types. These findings suggest that LOH on 3p and 5q plays an important role in the genesis of clear cell RCC. In addition, only one tumor exhibited LOH on both 3p and 5q, which suggests that LOH occurs not sequentially but independently.
Apoptosis and proliferative activity of non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas: Comparison with expression of bcl‐2, p53 and c‐myc proteins
Authors: Takano Yasuo , Saegusa Makoto , Ikenaga Makoto , Okayasu Isao
Published: May 2009

In order to clarify the role of spontaneous apoptosis of non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas In the growth regulation system, apoptdc Indices (Al) assessed by DNA nick end‐labeling and proliferative activity, estimated In terms of Ki‐67 Iabeling Indices (KI) and mitotic Indices (MI), were compared. in addition, expresslon of bcl‐2, p53 and c‐myc was also examIned in relation to these Indicators. For thls study, 103 Iymphoma cases were used, comprising 72 of B cell and 31 of T cell origin (42 nodal and 62 extranodal). Al, KI and MI were signiffcantty Increased in llne with bcl‐2 negativity and p53 positivify, and there was no relation to the T, B cell classification or expression of c‐myc. These Indicators positivety correlated overall. Posltive correlation was stricter in groups belleved to represant a good pragnostic predictive factor, such as B cell origin, bci‐2(+), p53(‐) and c‐myc(‐). Significant cross‐correlation was noted only between bcl‐2 wersus T, B cell classification. However, no inverse correlation between bcl‐2 and p53 was evident. These results sug gest, in non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas, that apoptosls plays an Important role together with proliferative activity in counterbalancing tumor volume, and is strlctty linked to bcl‐2 expression, less 80 to p53 expresaion, but Independent of T, B cell classification and c‐myc expression. Apoptotlc indices may be a perdlctive Indicator for prognosis simllar to proliferative activity.
Effects of gastrin on the histamine‐secretory and proliferative activity of cultured carcinoid cells derived from the stomach of the rodent Mastomys natalensis
Authors: Takeno Shinsuke , Daa Tsutomu , Shimoda Hiroshi , Yokoyama Shigeo , Nakayama Lwao , Uchida Yuzo
Published: May 2009

The effects of gastrin on the synthesis and release of hista‐mine and on cellular prollferatlon were Investigated in a homotransplantable carcinold tumor implanted in the rodent Mastomys natalensis and in cultured cells derived from the tumor. The homotransplanted tumor was immunopositive for histamine, synaptophysin and protein gene product 9.5, and its cells contained numerous secretory granules that were vlsualized by electron microscopy. When carcinold cells were cultured in a medlum with a high concentration of gastrin‐1 (104 pg/mL) for 7 days, large electron‐dense secretory granules were characteristically observed in the cytoplasm. By contrast, only a few such granules and numerous seaondary lysosomes were seen in cells that had been cultured in the same medium without gastrin‐1. A high concentration of gastrin‐1 (104 pg/mL) slgniflcantly Increased the release of histamine Into the culture medium from the carcinoid cells compared wlth the control (P<0.05). Cellular proIiferation, as determlned by monitoring the incorporatlon of [methyl‐3H]‐thymidine into the carcinold cells Increased sig nfficantly at lower concentrations of gastrin‐1 (102 and 103 pg/ mL), (P<0.05). At higher concentratlons (104 pg/mL or more), gastrin‐1 had no effect on proliferatlon. These findings Indicate that gastrin stimulates the synthesis and release of histamlne by carclnoid cells, as well as their proliferation.
Enhancement of ectopic bone formation in mice with a deficit in Fas‐mediated apoptosis
Authors: Mori Shiro , Nose Masato , Chiba Masatoshi , Narita Kenji , Kumagai Masahiro , Kosaka Hiromi , Teshima Teiichi
Published: May 2009

Bone tormation is under the control of cytokines as well as growth factors such as bone morphogenetlc protelns (BMP). This suggests the possibillity that osteogenesls might be modulated by factors which atso modulate the Immune system. To test whether Immune disorders In the host may influence bone formation, we studied BMP‐Induced bone formation In a C3H/HeJ strain of mice benring a mutant gene, the lymphoproliteration Qene (lpr) or the genemlbed lym‐phoprolifarative diseaee gene (gld), both of which are known to be a Fas delaion mutant and a Fas ligand mutant, respectively, and to Induce Immune disorders vla a deficit In Fas‐mediated apoptoak Crude BMP derived from bovine bone were injscted into the muscular tlasue In the femur of adult C3H/HaJ mice or C3H/HeJ mice bearing an lpr or gld gene. Quantltathre analysis of the resulting ectopic bone formation by X‐ray photography 2 weeks after infection revealed that the presence of either the Ipr or gld gene caused a bone mess dgnlficantly larger In dimension than that seen in the wiid type mice. Histologlcal examlnatlon also revealed the dmerent Influence between these mutant genes on the level of bone fofmatlon exhibited by hyallne cartilage and bone imbeculae. Based on these results, we discussed the possible mechanisms of the enhanced ectopic bone fotmation under the deficit In Fas‐medlated apoptosls.
Regular immunohistochemical localization of endothelin‐1 and endothelin‐B receptor in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic human adrenocortical cells
Authors: Hiraki Hiroyukl , Hoshi Nobuo , Hasegawa Hiroshl , Tanigawa Toshitaka , Emura Lwao , Seito Tsutomu , Yamakl Toshifumi , Fukuda Takeakl , Watanabe Kazuo , Suzuki Toshimitsu
Published: May 2009

The locallzation of endothelin (ET)‐l/blg ET‐1, ET‐3/big ET‐3, ET‐A and ET‐B receptor was Immunohistochemlcally examined in human adrenal glands composed of 36 normal cases, nine hyperplasla, 70 adenomas and seven carcinomas of cortical cells. In normal adrenals, ET‐1/blg ET‐1 and ET‐B receptor were regularly detected In the cortical cells, especially in the zona fasciculata for ET‐1 and zone glomerulosa for ET‐B receptor but not in the medulla, while ET‐A receptor localized occasionally in endothelial cells or rarely in cortical cells and ET‐3/blg ET‐3 was very limited In the cortical cells. In hyperplasia, adenoma and carcinoma, ET‐1 /big ET‐1 and ET‐B receptor showed frequent localization, although focal distrlbutlon of the ET‐B receptor was rather predominant in these groups. ET‐A receptor and ET‐3/big ET‐3 were very Infrequently expressed. Functioning versus non‐functioning and hypertensive versus normotenshe cases revealed no significant differences in the frequency of posltive cells for ET‐l /big ET‐1, ET‐3/big ET‐3, ET‐A receptor or ET‐B receptor. Alternatively, the frequency of lmmunoreactivtty to ET‐1/big ET‐1 or ET‐B receptor significantly decreased in hyperplasia, adenoma and carcinoma, when compared wlth that of normal adrenal cortex.

The present study, therefore, indicates that ET‐1 /big ET‐1 and ET‐B receptor are a prevalent Iigand‐receptor system In normal and hyperplastic/neoplastic adrenocortical cells, even wkh a malignant prdle, and may contribute in maintalnlng adrenocortical cell function or cell viability but not cell growth or systemic hypertension.
Low‐grade myxofibrosarcoma: Progression in recurrence
Authors: Fukunaga Masaharu , Fukunaga Noboru
Published: May 2009

A case of lowgrade myxofibrosarcoma with histologic progression in recurrence occurring in a 51‐year‐old male is described. The patient had a well‐circumscribed encapsulated myxoid mass, which measured 2.5 cm at its greatest diameter, In the subcutis of the left forearm. Microscopically, the tumor was characterized by a proliferation of sparsely distributed spindle or stellate cells, curvilinear small vessels and myxoid stroma. It demonstrated mild pleomorphism without mitotic figures. The patient had the first recurrence at 3 years, which was histologically identical to the primary tumor. The patlent had a second recurrence at 11 years, which was predominantly composed of sheets of anaplastic, rounded or oval cells with focal osteoid formation. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells in the primary and the first recurrent lesions were focally positive for vimentin. In the second recurrence, the tumor cells contained vimentin, alpha smooth muscle actin and muscle speclfic actln (HHF35). The primary lesion had a diploid DNA content with low S‐phase fractions. The second recurrence showed a polyploldy. The patient was well with no evidence of disease 18 months after the second recurrence. These findings suggest that this neoplasm showed histological progression with an increasing risk of metastasis. Lowgrade myxofibrosarcoma, which commonly is misinterpreted as benign, has a tendency for histological and blalogical progression In local recurrences, underlining the importance of accurate diagnosis and wide surgical excision of the primary lesion.
Carcinosarcoma of the urinary bladder: Expression of epithelial markers and different expression of heat shock proteins between epithelial and sarcomatous elements
Authors: Kamishima Tomoko , Fukuda Takeaki , Usuda Hiroyuki , Takato Hidekichi , Iwamoto Hisashi , Kaneko Hiroshi
Published: May 2009

A case of carcinosarcoma composed of both adenocarcinoma and saarcomataus elements in the non‐trigone region of the urinary bladder is presented. The epithelial element was a well to pooriy differentiated adenocarcinome with focal squamous metaplasia. The sarcomatous elements disclosed spindle cell sarcoma with focal epltheliold pattern and myxold change In the stroma, together with chondrosarcomatous and rhabdomyosarcomatous elements. By Immunohistochemical examination, not onty the carcinoma element but also the sarcomatous elements showed a positive lmmunoreaction for cytokeratin (CK), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and carcinoembryonic antigen. Some population of sarcomatous elements expressed smooth muscle actin and muscle specific actin (MSA) and a limited portion of epitheliold area showed a positive Immunoreaction for desmin, MSA and myoglobin, Indicating leiomyosarcomatous and rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation, respectively. Unexpectedly, tumor cells In the chondrosarcomatws element revealed a simultaneous positvity of CK and EMA as well as S‐100 protein. Both epithelial and sarcomatous elements showed an Intensive positive Immunoreaction for p53 and heat shock protein (HSP) 70. However, HSP27 and HSPGO were detected in most epitheilal elements and only in a small number of tumor cells in the sarcomatous area. These findings indicate that sarcomatous elements, Including heterologous elements, may derive from epithelial elements with partial or complete loss of epithelial features, and different factors other than p53 and HSP7O may associate wtth the morphological alteration of carcinoma.
Amplification of the c‐erbB‐2 gene detected by FISH in gastric cancers
Authors: Sato Toshihiko , Abe Kaoru , Kurose Akira , Uesugi Noriyuku , Todorokl Takeshi , Sasakl Kohsuke
Published: May 2009

The amplification and overexpression of the c‐erbB‐2 gene are considered to be Implicated In the process of carcincogenesis of a variety of human tumors. The amplification and overexpression of c‐erbB‐2 were investigated in 48 surgically resected human gastric cancers by means of fluorescence In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. DNA ploidy was determined by flow cytometry. The c‐erbB‐2 amplification was demonstrated as a cluster of signals, suggesting homogeneously staining region (HSR), in three tumors (6.3%) accompanied by the overexpression of its protein. Such overexpression was detected In another tumor without amplification of the c‐erbB‐2 gene. All tumors with amplification and overexpression of c‐erbB‐2 were differentiated adenocarcinoma histologically, but only 10.3 and 13.8% of differentiated carcinomas showed amplification and over‐expression of the c‐erbB‐2 gene, respectively. There was no relationship between the amplification and overexpression of c‐erbB‐2 and the depth of tumor invaslon and lymph node Involvement. Three of four cases with overexpression of c‐erbB‐2 were classified Into DNA aneupldd tumor.
Lay Understanding of Macroeconomic Causation: The Good‐Begets‐Good Heuristic
Authors: Leiser David , Aroch Ronen
Published: May 2009

The functioning of the economic system is complex and technical. For its part, the public is constantly presented with information on economic causality. It is important for its members to assimilate this information, whether to further their personal goals or to engage advisedly in the democratic process. We presented economically untrained and trained participants with questions of the form: “Ifvariable Aincreases, how will this affectvariable B?” for all the combinations of 19 key economic indicators. Economically untrained participants were willing to commit themselves on most questions, despite their medium to low self‐report of understanding the concepts involved. Analysis of the pattern of responses reveals the use of a simple shortcut, the good‐begets‐good heuristic, which yields a sense of competence in the absence of understanding of the causal mechanism involved.

Le fonctionnement du système économique est complexe et technique, et le public est constamment confrontéà des informations se référant à une causalitééconomique. Il est important que le public les assimile, que ce soit pout poursuivre ses buts personnels ou pour participer en connaissance de cause au processus démocratique. Nous avons présentéà des sujets, ayant bénéficié ou non d'une formation en économie, des questions sous la forme: “Si la variable A augmente, comment cela affectera‐t‐il la variable B?” pour toutes les combinaisons possibles de 19 indicateurs économiques clés. Les sujets sans formation économique sont disposés à prendre position sur la plupart des questions, malgré une auto‐évaluation assez basse quant à leur compréhension des concepts impliqués. L'analyse de la structure des réponses révèle l'utilisation d'un simple raccourci, l'heuristique “le bien engendre le bien”, ce qui leur donne un sentiment de compétence alors qu'ils ne comprennent pas le mécanisme causal en jeu.
Cost–Benefit Associations and Financial Behavior
Authors: Kamleitner Bernadette , Hoelzl Erik
Published: May 2009

Financial behavior involves costs and benefits. How strongly costs and benefits are perceived as being related to each other is hypothesised to influence affect, cognition, and behavior. Thus, the subject of cost–benefit associations is relevant in several domains of applied psychology. Illustrated by examples from applied areas like consumption, work, and citizenship, the current paper underlines the importance of cost–benefit associations by presenting theoretical approaches to their analysis and discussing major antecedents and consequences.

Le comportement financier implique des coûts et des bénéfices. Nous testons la façon dont la perception des liens entre coûts et bénéfices influence l'affect, la cognition et les comportements. L'analyse des liens coûts‐bénéfices est pertinente pour différents domaines de la psychologie appliquée. Illustrés par des exemples pris dans des domaines d'application comme la consommation, le travail et la citoyenneté, cet article souligne l'importance des liens coûts‐bénéfices en présentant les approches théoriques qui ont servis à leur analyse et en discutant de leurs antécédents et leurs conséquences majeurs.
The Scarcity Bias
Authors: Mittone Luigi , Savadori Lucia
Published: May 2009

Two experiments provided empirical support for the scarcity bias, that is, when the subjective value of a good increases due to the mere fact that it is scarce. We define scarcity as the presence of limited resources and competition on the demand side (i.e. not enough for two people). In Experiment 1, 180 students were divided into two conditions. The same good was abundant in one condition but scarce in the other one. The scarcity condition involved a partner (competitor) to create scarcity, while the abundant condition did not. Results showed that more participants chose a good when it was scarce than when it was abundant, for two out of four sets of items (ballpoints, snacks, pencils, and key rings). Experiment 2 employed 171 participants and a WTA (willingness to accept) elicitation procedure of the subjective value of the good. Results showed that the scarce good was given a higher WTA price by those participants choosing it, than by those who did not, compared to the WTA of the abundant good, despite the fact that both types of participants assigned a lower market price to the scarce good, as compared to the abundant one.

Deux expériences ont confirmé empiriquement le biais de rareté (la valeur subjective d'un bien s'accroît en raison de sa seule rareté). La rareté est définie par une demande conflictuelle car confrontée à des ressources limitées (tout le monde ne pourra pas être satisfait). La première expérience fit appel à 180 étudiants répartis sur deux conditions. Le même bien était abondant dans l'une des conditions et rare dans l'autre. La condition de rareté impliquait la présence d'un concurrent pour créer la pénurie, concurrent inexistant dans la condition d'abondance. Les résultats ont montré que davantage de participants se sont portés sur un bien quand il était rare que lorsqu'il était abondant, cela pour deux des quatre séries d'items (stylos à bille, casse‐croûte, crayons, porte‐clefs). 171 sujets participèrent à la seconde expérience qui utilisa une procédure de mise en évidence de la valeur subjective du bien (WTA: prix jugé acceptable pour se procurer le bien). Il apparaît que le bien rare bénéficiait de la part de ceux qui le choisissait d'un prix WTA supérieur à celui octroyé par ceux qui le délaissaient, par comparaison au WTA du bien abondant, et cela en dépit du fait que les deux catégories de sujets accordaient un prix de vente inférieur au bien rare par rapport à celui qui était largement disponible.
Object permanence and method of disappearance: looking measures further contradict reaching measures
Authors: Charles Eric P. , Rivera Susan M.
Published: May 2009

Piaget proposed that understanding permanency, understanding occlusion events, and forming mental representations were synonymous; however, accumulating evidence indicates that those concepts arenotunified in development. Infants reach for endarkened objects at younger ages than for occluded objects, and infants’ looking patterns suggest that they expect occluded objects to reappear at younger ages than they reach for them. We reaffirm the latter finding in 5‐ to 6‐month‐olds and find similar responses to faded objects, but we fail to find that pattern in response to endarkened objects. This suggests that looking behavior and reaching behavior are both sensitive to method of disappearance, but with opposite effects. Current cognition‐oriented (i.e. representation‐oriented) explanations of looking behavior cannot easily accommodate these results; neither can perceptual‐preference explanations, nor the traditional ecological reinterpretations of object permanence. A revised ecological hypothesis, invoking affordance learning, suggests how these differences could arise developmentally.
How useful is executive control training? Age differences in near and far transfer of task‐switching training
Authors: Karbach Julia , Kray Jutta
Published: May 2009

Although executive functions can be improved by training, little is known about the extent to which these training‐related benefits can be transferred to other tasks, or whether this transfer can be modulated by the type of training. This study investigated lifespan changes in near transfer of task‐switching training to structurally similar tasks and its modulation by verbal self‐instructions and variable training, as well as far transfer to structurally dissimilar ‘executive’ tasks and fluid intelligence. Three age groups (8–10; 18–26; 62–76 years of age) were examined in a pretest‐training‐posttest design. We found near transfer of task‐switching training in all age groups, especially in children and older adults. Near transfer was enhanced in adults and impaired in children when training tasks were variable. We also found substantial far transfer to other executive tasks and fluid intelligence in all age groups, pointing to the transfer of relatively general executive control abilities after training.
Contribution of the priming paradigm to the understanding of the conceptual developmental shift from 5 to 9 years of age
Authors: Perraudin Sandrine , Mounoud Pierre
Published: May 2009

We conducted three experiments to study the role of instrumental (e.g. knife–bread) and categorical (e.g. cake–bread) relations in the development of conceptual organization with a priming paradigm, by varying the nature of the task (naming – Experiment 1 – or categorical decision – Experiments 2 and 3). The participants were 5‐, 7‐ and 9‐year‐old children and adults. The results showed that on both types of task, adults and 9‐year‐old children presented instrumental and categorical priming effects, whereas 5‐year‐old children presented mainly instrumental priming effects, with categorical effects remaining marginal. Moreover, the magnitude of the instrumental priming effects decreased with age. Finally, the priming effects observed for 7‐year‐old children depended on the task, especially for the categorical effects. The theoretical implications of these results for our understanding of conceptual reorganization from 5 to 9 years of age are discussed.
FRANCE AND GERMANY JUDGED BY NIETZSCHE
Authors: LICHTENBERGER HENRI
Published: May 2009

Revue de Paris (1900)Translated by Sheldon Huggins
TWO TYPES OF IMMORALISM
Authors: PALANTE GEORGE
Published: May 2009

La Revue Philosophique (1908)Translated by Ali Nematollahy
NIETZSCHE AND CULTURE
Authors: DUMUR LOUIS
Published: May 2009

Mercure de France (1908)Translated by Erin Lamm
English as lingua franca and English in Europe
Authors: BERNS MARGIE
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACT:  One of the objectives of English as Lingua Franca (ELF) researchers is an account of the unique features of English that they have found in the speech of European users of English. These features, it is argued, describe a variety of English which they label “English as Lingua Franca”. The choice of this particular term is problematic because, as a construct, “lingua franca” generally refers to an overarching function of language, not to any specific set of idiosyncratic forms themselves. However, ELF researchers do not make this distinction. This has resulted in considerable attention being given to a confusing use of linguistic terminology and to the assumptions and theoretical underpinnings guiding ELF research. This paper extends this discussion to an examination of the relationship of ELF studies to English in Europe and the adequacy of “lingua franca” to represent the sociolinguistic realities of world Englishes. It first looks at work written by prominent ELF researchers to determine what they mean by “lingua franca”, outlines the distinction between form and function with illustrations of the role and status of English in Europe, and discusses how the architect's principle that “form follows function” is relevant to an understanding of the notion “lingua franca”.
English as a lingua franca: interpretations and attitudes
Authors: JENKINS JENNIFER
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACT:  The phenomenon of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has become the subject of considerable debate during the past few years. What emerges from much of the discussion, however, is that there seems to be a good deal of uncertainty as to what, precisely, ELF actually is, and how it relates to the much more firmly established field of world Englishes (WE). This paper therefore begins with an explanation of my own interpretation of both WE and ELF. It goes on to focus primarily on ELF. First, I examine two frequent and diametrically opposite reactions to ELF: one that it promotes monolithicity and denies pluricentricity, the other that it promotes too much diversity, lack of standards, and an approach in which ‘anything goes’. I then consider the attitudes implicit in the second of these positions, and, using data drawn from recent ELF research, go on to explore the possible effects of these attitudes on the identities of ELF speakers from Expanding Circle countries. The paper ends on an optimistic note, with evidence from participants in the European Union's Erasmus Programme1 that demonstrates how first‐hand experience of ELF communication seems to be raising their awareness of its communicative effectiveness.
English as an Islamic language: a case study of Pakistani English
Authors: MAHBOOB AHMAR
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACT:  In this paper we will explore the nature of English as it is used in one Muslim country and argue that, far from being a colonizing language, English used in Pakistan reflects Islamic values and embodies South Asian Islamic sensitivities. Through analysis of the current discourses on the politics of the English language and a study of Pakistani English, a framework is developed that can be used to study the relationship between Islam and English in other contexts.
English as an international lingua franca: from societal to individual
Authors: YANO YASUKATA
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACT:  This paper takes up three topics for discussion. The first is whether the Kachruvian three‐circle model can accommodate the possible change of English use (e.g. native/non‐native to individual proficiency, a special talent to a basic skill). The second is what transformation English would undergo if it survives as English as an international language (EIL)/English as lingua franca (ELF). The third topic is the possibility of creating what can be called a ‘supra‐normative (not exo‐/endo‐normative) standard’ for EIL/ELF for pedagogic purposes (e.g. lingua franca core).
Common ground and different realities: world Englishes and English as a lingua franca
Authors: SEIDLHOFER BARBARA
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACT: This paper argues that the ‘world Englishes paradigm’ and English as a lingua franca (ELF) research, despite important differences, have much in common. Both share the pluricentric assumption that ‘English’ belongs to all those who use it, and both are concerned with the sociolinguistic, socio‐psychological, and applied linguistic implications of this assumption. For example, issues of language contact, variation and change, linguistic norms and their acceptance, ownership of the language, and expression of social identities are central to both WE and ELF research. The growing body of descriptive ELF research that is now becoming available can thus add substance to work in the field as a whole. It can also offer fresh perspectives on several theoretical constructs central to WE, such as ‘community’, ‘variety’, ‘lingua franca’, even ‘language’.
Measuring L2 Lexical Growth Using Hypernymic Relationships
Authors: Crossley Scott , Salsbury Tom , McNamara Danielle
Published: May 2009

This study investigated second language (L2) lexical development in the spontaneous speech of six adult, L2 English learners in a 1‐year longitudinal study. One important aspect of lexical development is lexical organization and depth of knowledge. Hypernymic relations, the hierarchical relationships among related words that vary in relation to their semantic specificity (e.g., Golden Retriever vs. dog vs. animal), are an important indicator of both lexical organization and depth of knowledge. Thus, this study used hypernymy values from the WordNet database and a lexical diversity measure to analyze lexical development. Statistical analyses in this study indicated that both hypernymic relations and lexical diversity in L2 learners increase over time. Additionally, lexical diversity and hypernymic values correlated significantly, suggesting that as learners' lexicons grow, learners have access to a wider range of hypernymy levels. These findings are discussed in relation to developing abstractness in language, extending hypernymic knowledge, and the growth of lexical networks.
Vocabulary Demands of Television Programs
Authors: Webb Stuart , Rodgers Michael P. H.
Published: May 2009

This study investigated vocabulary coverage and the number of encounters of low‐frequency vocabulary in television programs. Eighty‐eight television programs consisting of 264,384 running words were categorized according to genre. Television shows were classified as either British or American and then put into the following genres: news, drama, situation comedy, older programs, children's programs, and science fiction. The results showed that knowledge of the most frequent 3,000 word families plus proper nouns and marginal words provided 95.45% coverage, and knowledge of the most frequent 7,000 word families plus proper nouns and marginal words provided 98.27% coverage. The vocabulary size necessary to gain 95% coverage of the different genres ranged from 2,000 to 4,000 word families plus proper nouns and marginal words; 5,000 to 9,000 word families plus proper nouns and marginal words to gain 98% coverage. The analysis also indicated that there was great variation in coverage between episodes. The results showed that there were relatively few encounters with low‐frequency vocabulary. However, if learners knew the most frequent 3,000 word families and they watched at least an hour of television a day, there is the potential for significant incidental vocabulary learning.
Perception of Paralinguistic Intonational Meaning in a Second Language
Authors: Chen Aoju
Published: May 2009

Recent studies of paralinguistic intonational meaning show that languages differ systematically in how pitch range is used to signal meaning differences, contra previous claims. This poses an additional challenge to second language learners, who generally receive little tutoring on intonation. This study investigates learners' competence and strategies in the perception of paralinguistic intonational meaning by examining the perception of “emphatic” and “surprised” as signaled by pitch range and related variables in two learner groups (L1‐Dutch/L2‐English, L1‐English/L2‐Dutch). Results show that transfer plays a considerably larger role in L2 English learners than in L2 Dutch learners. Both learner groups also operate on their knowledge of L2 intonation but in different form‐meaning relations. These differences are explained by differences in L2 proficiency, the nature of L2 input, and the salience of form‐meaning relations in L2.
COALITION GOVERNMENTS AND SOVEREIGN DEBT CRISES
Authors: SAIEGH SEBASTIAN M.
Published: May 2009

This article examines the domestic politics of sovereign debt crises. I focus on two alternative mechanisms that aggregate the preferences of domestic actors over debt repayment: single‐party versus multiparty coalition governments. I uncover a very strong empirical regularity using cross‐national data from 48 developing countries between 1971 and 1997. Countries that are governed by a coalition of parties are less likely to reschedule their debts than those under single‐party governments. The effect of multiparty coalitions on sovereign defaults is quantitatively large and roughly of the same order of magnitude as liquidity factors such as debt burden and debt service. These results are robust to numerous specifications and samples.
Organizational ethics education and training: a review of best practices and their application
Authors: Sekerka Leslie E.
Published: May 2009

Insuring that ethical action remains a vibrant aspect of an organization's climate and culture is an ongoing challenge for those responsible for training and development. To better understand what best practices are being utilized today, eight organizations in the Silicon Valley region of the United States were studied. Findings suggest that ethics training is particularly intensive when an employee is first hired, when rules, regulations and corporate values are shared during the indoctrination period. Training continues, but is often limited to online activities. Face‐to‐face interaction, necessary for learning and development, is usually reserved for specialized functions and senior level managers. Most firms emphasize a compliance‐based approach, with little attention directed toward developing moral competencies over time. In addition, assessment tools to measure ethical competencies are rarely used as performance criteria. Findings from this study reveal specific trends, which can inform, guide and improve practitioners' efforts to further develop ethical decision‐making and action within their organizations.
Electronic human resource management: organizational responses to role conflicts created by e‐learning
Authors: Oiry Ewan
Published: May 2009

Could enthusiasm for e‐learning be dampened because it is detrimental to the relationships between those undergoing e‐training and their direct managers or colleagues? Interviews conducted in four French banks provide material to explore this question. We see that e‐learning has increasingly been adopted because it goes beyond the role limitations imposed by traditional training formats. Initially, however, the uptake of e‐learning was hampered because it imposed a role on trainees which did not correspond to their socialization needs. The companies in question responded to this problem by proposing ‘blended learning’ (that is, alternate sessions of e‐learning and in class face‐to‐face sessions). Nevertheless, the development of e‐learning remains limited today partly because of the role conflict it creates in the workplace: should an employee engaged in e‐learning in his office workstation be considered ‘at work’ or ‘in training’? This role conflict is detrimental to the relationships between the e‐learners, their colleagues and the direct manager. Solutions offered by companies may address this particular problem, but all of these reduce the efficiency of e‐learning sessions, and thus contribute to limiting its future development.
Nonhost and basal resistance: how to explain specificity?
Authors: Niks Rients E. , Marcel Thierry C.
Published: May 2009

Nonhost resistance to plant pathogens can be constitutive or induced by microbes. Successful pathogens suppress microbe‐induced plant defences by delivering appropriate effectors, which are apparently not sufficiently effective on nonhost plant species, as can be concluded from the strong host specificity of many biotroph plant pathogens. Such effectors act on particular plant targets, such as promoters or motifs in expressed sequences. Despite much progress in the elucidation of the molecular aspects of nonhost resistance to plant pathogens, very little is known about the genes that determine whether effectors can or cannot suppress the basal defence. In hosts they can, in nonhosts they cannot. The targets determining the host status of plants can be identified in inheritance studies. Recent reports have indicated that nonhost resistance is inherited polygenically, and exhibits strong similarity and association with the basal resistance of plants to adapted pathogens.
Understanding disability in Tourette syndrome
Authors: PRINGSHEIM TAMARA , LANG ANTHONY , KURLAN ROGER , PEARCE MICHELLE , SANDOR PAUL
Published: May 2009

The aim of this study was to understand how children with Tourette syndrome (TS), with or without attention‐deficit‐hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD), experience disability. Children seen at two TS centres were eligible for participation. Clinicians compiled baseline information and symptom severity rating scales. Parents completed the Child Health Questionnaire, a measure of physical and psychosocial health. Seventy‐one children (56 males, 15 females); mean age 11y 2mo [SD 3y 1mo], range 7−17y) were analyzed in the subgroups: TS only (n=20), TS+ADHD (n=22), TS+ADHD+OCD (n=18), and TS+OCD (n=11). Almost all psychosocial domain scores were significantly lower than national norms for the TS+ADHD and TS+ADHD+OCD subgroups (p<0.001). For the TS only subgroup, only the family activities domain was significantly affected. Psychosocial summary scores were 53.2 for norms, 54.4 for the TS only subgroup (ns), 41.4 for the TS+ADHD subgroup (p<0.001), 35.3 for the TS+ADHD+OCD subgroup (p<0.001), and 35.5 for the TS+OCD group (p=0.003). A multiple linear regression model including diagnosis, age, sex, and TS, OCD, and ADHD symptom severity found that the most significant predictor of the psychosocial summary score was ADHD symptom severity (R2=0.55, p<0.001). Children with TS+ADHD±OCD experience impairment in all aspects of psychosocial health. For children with TS only, psychosocial health was not different from that of the normative population in the majority of domains tested. This suggests treatment of ADHD and OCD should be the priority in children with multiple diagnoses.
Young children’s use of a visual aid: an experimental study of the effectiveness of training
Authors: COX RALF FA , REIMER ANNEMIEKE M , VEREZEN CORNELIS A , SMITSMAN AD W , VERVLOED MATHIJS PJ , BOONSTRA NIENKE F
Published: May 2009

We report an experiment concerning the use of a stand magnifier by young children with visual impairments (21 males, 12 females; mean age 4y 8mo [SD 11mo]). Children had a normative developmental level and a visual acuity of 0.4 or less (≤20/50 in Snellen’s notation). To measure magnifier use objectively, we developed a task that closely resembled the dynamics of its real‐life (pre‐reading) use. Children had to follow trails visually, from a start location to an unseen end location. This could only be done successfully and reliably by proper use of the magnifier. In addition to this, we analyzed the effect of specific training with the magnifier by using a repeated‐measures (before and after training) matched‐groups (with respect to age and near‐visual acuity) design. Results established both the task’s efficacy as an instrument for measuring magnifier use in young children and the effectiveness of the training. Improvement in task performance after training was found in both groups, except for the youngest children (<3y 6mo). On average, 1.8 times as many paths were followed in both groups after training (p=0.001). The without‐magnifier training group became 2.5 times as good at finding the correct end location, whereas the with‐magnifier training group became 4.3 times as good (p=0.05).
Controlled cortical impact injury influences methylphenidate‐induced changes in striatal dopamine neurotransmission
Authors: Wagner Amy K. , Sokoloski Joshua E. , Chen Xiangbai , Harun Rashed , Clossin Damian P. , Khan Amina S. , Andes‐Koback Meghan , Michael Adrian C. , Dixon C. Edward
Published: May 2009

Traumatic brain injury features deficits are often ameliorated by dopamine (DA) agonists. We have previously shown deficits in striatal DA neurotransmission using fast scan cyclic voltammetry after controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury that are reversed after daily treatment with the DA uptake inhibitor methylphenidate (MPH). The goal of this study was to determine how a single dose of MPH (5 mg/kg) induces changes in basal DA and metabolite levels and with electrically evoked overflow (EO) DA in the striatum of CCI rats. MPH‐induced changes in EO DA after a 2‐week daily pre‐treatment regime with MPH was also assessed. There were no baseline differences in basal DA or metabolite levels. MPH injection significantly increased basal [DA] output in dialysates for control but not injured rats. Also, MPH injection increased striatal peak EO [DA] to a lesser degree in CCI (176% of baseline) versus control rats (233% of baseline). However, daily pre‐treatment with MPH resulted in CCI rats having a comparable increase in EO [DA] after MPH injection when compared with controls. The findings further support the concept that daily MPH therapy restores striatal DA neurotransmission after CCI.