bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating psychodiagnostic decisions
Authors: Witteman Cilia L. M. , Harries Clare , Bekker Hilary L. , Van Aarle Edward J. M.
Published: December 2006

Rationale  Several frameworks can be used to evaluate decision making. These may relate to different aspects of the decision‐making process, or concern the decision outcome. Evaluations of psychodiagnostic decisions have shown diagnosticians to be poor decision makers. In this essay we argue that this finding results from the evaluation of only one part of the diagnostic process.

Method We put forward that evaluations are typically carried out by comparing clinicians’ behaviour to one of several normative models, for example hypothetico‐deductive reasoning. These models make strong assumptions about human reasoning capabilities, which make it almost impossible for people to measure up to them. The subsequent two parts of the psychodiagnostic process (causal explanation and treatment decisions), are typically not included in these evaluation studies. Treatment decisions are evaluated in effectiveness studies; that is, they are evaluated in terms of their outcomes, not in terms of the diagnosticians’ decision processes. Psychodiagnosticians’ causal explanation has hardly ever been the subject of evaluation. We argue that in order to achieve clinical excellence, this part of the psychodiagnostic process should also be well understood.

Results and Conclusions In this essay we first describe evaluation of psychodiagnostic decision making. We then propose a framework to describe causal explanation, that is, a situation assessment in terms of a causal schema or a story or script. We identify and discuss the tools available for evaluating this part of the psychodiagnostic process.
Who makes the diagnosis? The role of clinical skills and diagnostic test results
Authors: Wahner‐Roedler Dietlind L. , Chaliki Swarna S. , Bauer Brent A. , Bundrick John B. , Bergstrom Larry R. , Lee Mark C. , Cha Stephen S. , Elkin Peter L.
Published: December 2006

Rationale, aims and objectives  Advances in medicine have led to a multitude of diagnostic tests. The contribution of the clinical skills of the general internist in the context of all these advances is unknown. Our objective was to assess the relative contributions of clinical skills and diagnostic test results in arriving at a final diagnosis.

Methods  Records were retrospectively reviewed from 248 consecutive patients admitted to a general internal medicine hospital service during a 3‐month period in 2000. All diagnostic evaluations that yielded the final diagnosis were recorded along with the date and time they were performed. Diagnostic credit was given to the evaluation that yielded the diagnosis at the earliest point in time.

Results  All cases had a firm diagnosis by 3 months after hospitalization. Of the 248 patients, 246 received a final diagnosis during hospitalization. The diagnoses were made by use of the clinical judgement of the general internist in 50.4% of the cases, a radiologic study in 31.7%, a blood test or culture result in 9.4%, biopsy findings in 3.3% and various other diagnostic studies (endoscopy, echocardiography, electromyography and electroencephalography) in 5.2%. Clinicians provided the correct diagnosis significantly more often than radiologic studies (P = 0.0015), which was the next most useful type of diagnostic evaluation.

Conclusion  Although technology has become increasingly available in clinical practice, clinical expertise and skills are still important factors with respect to making correct, timely diagnoses in hospitalized patients.
Foot‐thumping as an alarm signal in macropodoid marsupials: prevalence and hypotheses of function
Authors: ROSE TANIA A. , MUNN ADAM J. , RAMP DANIEL , BANKS PETER B.
Published: December 2006

Alarm signalling as a means to reduce predation risk is an important component of the behavioural repertoire of many species. It has previously been noted that many of the macropodoid marsupials (kangaroos, wallabies and rat‐kangaroos) produce a foot‐thump, an audible signal created by striking the ground with one or both feet, that is most likely an alarm signal.

The prevalence of foot‐thumping within the macropodoids and hypotheses of its function as an alarm signal have been poorly documented. To address this issue, we investigate the prevalence of foot‐thumping in macropodoids and interpret possible function according to current alarm signalling theory. Evidence for foot‐thumping was found in almost all macropodoids. In light of this, the behaviour appears to be a conservative trait that may have arisen alongside or followed the evolution of bipedal locomotion, and suggests that this trait carries significant benefits that transcend ecological and predation differences among species.

Nine alarm signal hypotheses were explored in order to determine the function of foot‐thumping in macropodoid marsupials. However, the existing evidence for consistent function remains inconclusive. Therefore, a series of predictions were developed to provide the foundation for future research to investigate more thoroughly the function of foot‐thumping in macropodoid marsupials.
Activity following arousal in winter in North American vespertilionid bats
Authors: BOYLES JUSTIN G. , DUNBAR MIRANDA B. , WHITAKER JOHN O.
Published: December 2006

Many bat species hibernate to conserve energy during winter and like all hibernators they commonly arouse. During these arousals, some bats may undertake activities away from the hibernation site. Systematic ecological studies of the frequency and purpose of winter activity in temperate zone bats of North America are rare and much of the literature involves observations of single individuals or unmarked populations.

We review the available literature on winter activity among North American vespertilionid bats to highlight the paucity of data on this subject and to stimulate future research. Due to the lack of repeated, systematic studies on most North American species, the conclusions drawn are general or pertain only to parts of the geographical range of any species.

We suggest that winter activity is ubiquitous among temperate zone bats, but the degree and purpose of activity varies greatly between and within species. In general, cave‐dwelling bats tend to be relatively inactive compared with tree and foliage roosting bats during winter.

Cave‐dwelling and tree cavity‐dwelling species do not appear to feed, but they do drink and occasionally copulate during the hibernation period. Species that hibernate in foliage or leaf litter are the most active species during winter and may feed and drink throughout winter, although they probably do not copulate because of their solitary nature.

We encourage researchers to conduct studies on all aspects of winter activity for North American vespertilionids across wide latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. We suggest studies in the near future be focused on estimating the energetic costs and benefits of winter activity through determination of the frequency and intensity of winter feeding activity and more thorough examinations of movements within and among caves. Studies on common, wide‐ranging species have the potential to illuminate large‐scale patterns and differences and should be favoured over studies on rarer species.
Cyclic di‐GMP signalling in the virulence and environmental adaptation of Xanthomonas campestris
Authors: Ryan Robert P. , Fouhy Yvonne , Lucey Jean F. , Jiang Bo‐Le , He Yong‐Qiang , Feng Jia‐Xun , Tang Ji‐Liang , Dow J. Maxwell
Published: December 2006

Cyclic di‐GMP is a second messenger with a role in regulation of a range of cellular functions in diverse bacteria including the virulence of pathogens. Cellular levels of cyclic di‐GMP are controlled through synthesis, catalysed by the GGDEF protein domain, and degradation by EAL or HD‐GYP domains. Here we report a comprehensive study of cyclic di‐GMP signalling in bacterial disease in which we examine the contribution of all proteins with GGDEF, EAL or HD‐GYP domains to virulence and virulence factor production in the phytopathogen Xanthomonas campestris pathovar campestris (Xcc). Genes with significant roles in virulence to plants included those encoding proteins whose probable function is in cyclic‐di‐GMP synthesis as well as others (including the HD‐GYP domain regulator RpfG) implicated in cyclic di‐GMP degradation. Furthermore, RpfG controlled expression of a subset of these genes. A partially overlapping set of elements controlled the production of virulence factors in vitro. Other GGDEF‐EAL domain proteins had no effect on virulence factor synthesis but did influence motility. These findings indicate the existence of a regulatory network that may allow Xcc to integrate information from diverse environmental inputs to modulate virulence factor synthesis as well as of cyclic di‐GMP signalling systems dedicated to other specific tasks.
Electrical signals and their physiological significance in plants
Authors: FROMM JÖRG , LAUTNER SILKE
Published: December 2006

Electrical excitability and signalling, frequently associated with rapid responses to environmental stimuli, are well known in some algae and higher plants. The presence of electrical signals, such as action potentials (AP), in both animal and plant cells suggested that plant cells, too, make use of ion channels to transmit information over long distances. In the light of rapid progress in plant biology during the past decade, the assumption that electrical signals do not only trigger rapid leaf movements in ‘sensitive’ plants such as Mimosa pudica or Dionaea muscipula, but also physiological processes in ordinary plants proved to be correct. Summarizing recent progress in the field of electrical signalling in plants, the present review will focus on the generation and propagation of various electrical signals, their ways of transmission within the plant body and various physiological effects.
Analyses of barley spike mutant waxes identify alkenes, cyclopropanes and internally branched alkanes with dominating isomers at carbon 9
Authors: von Wettstein‐Knowles Penny
Published: December 2006

About 15% of the epidermal wax on Hordeum vulgare cv. Bonus barley spikes is n‐alkanes. Longer homologues are greatly reduced in the eceriferum mutants, cer‐a6, cer‐e8, cer‐n26, cer‐n53, cer‐n985, cer‐x60, cer‐yc135 and cer‐yl187. Simultaneously hydrocarbons accounting for only traces in the wild‐type become prominent in the mutants, although their chain‐length distributions remain unchanged. Accordingly several new hydrocarbon series were identified. The two major ones were C23–C35cis monoenoic alkenes (the major 9‐ene isomer was part of a homologous series including 11, 13 and 15‐enes), and the novel C27–C31 cyclopropanes (the ring carbons of major isomers were 9,10 and 11,12 with lesser amounts of 13,14). Three minor series included 2‐ and 3‐methylalkanes plus C25–C33 internally branched alkanes (methyls on carbons 9, 11, 13, 15 or 17; shorter homologues dominated by the 9 isomer, longer homologues by 11, 13 or 15 isomers). Acyl chains destined for spike waxes are synthesized via acyl and polyketide elongase systems plus associated reductive and decarbonylative/decarboxylative enzyme systems. Both elongation systems are defective in synthesizing C32 acyl chains in all nine mutants. The similarities in the position of the chemical groups (primarily on carbon 9, secondarily on carbon 11) of the alkenes, cyclopropanes and internally branched methyl alkanes imply an origin from a common, hitherto unrecognized associated pathway in barley, designated the enoic pathway. The elongation system leading to the enoic derived hydrocarbons differs from the known elongation systems by inclusion of a mechanism for introducing a double bond.
The chloroplast protease subunit ClpP4 is a substrate of the E3 ligase AtCHIP and plays an important role in chloroplast function
Authors: Shen Guoxin , Yan Juqiang , Pasapula Vijaya , Luo Jinhua , He Cixin , Clarke Adrian K. , Zhang Hong
Published: December 2006

Animal CHIP proteins are chaperone‐dependent E3 ubiquitin ligases that physically interact with Hsp70, Hsp90 and proteasome, promoting degradation of a selective group of non‐native or damaged proteins in animal cells. The plant CHIP‐like protein, AtCHIP, also plays important roles in protein turnover metabolism. AtCHIP interacts with a proteolytic subunit, ClpP4, of the chloroplast Clp protease in vivo, and ubiquitylates ClpP4 in vitro. The steady‐state level of ClpP4 is reduced in AtCHIP‐overexpressing plants under high‐intensity light conditions, suggesting that AtCHIP targets ClpP4 for degradation and thereby regulates the Clp proteolytic activity in chloroplasts under certain stress conditions. Overexpression of ClpP4 in Arabidopsis leads to chlorotic phenotypes in transgenic plants, and chloroplast structures in the chlorotic tissues of ClpP4‐overexpressing plants are abnormal and largely devoid of thylakoid membranes, suggesting that ClpP4 plays a critical role in chloroplast structure and function. As AtCHIP is a cytosolic protein that has been shown to play an important role in regulating an essential chloroplast protease, this research provides new insights into the regulatory networks controlling protein turnover catabolism in chloroplasts.
Anaphylactic shock after oral intake and contact urticaria due to polyethylene glycols
Authors: Co‐Minh H. B. , Demoly P. , Guillot B. , Raison‐Peyron N.
Published: December 2006

We reported an anaphylaxis after oral intake and contact urticaria due to polyethylene glycols.
PD‐L1 expression analysis in gastric carcinoma tissue and blocking of tumor‐associated PD‐L1 signaling by two functional monoclonal antibodies
Authors: Sun J. , Xu K. , Wu C , Wang Y , Hu Y , Zhu Y , Chen Y , Shi Q , Yu G , Zhang X
Published: December 2006

Programmed death‐1 ligand‐1 (PD‐L1), a member of the B7 family of costimulatory molecules, plays an important role in the regulations of the cellular and humoral immune responses. In this study, two mouse anti‐human PD‐L1 monoclonal antibodies named 10E10 and 2H11 were successfully generated and further characterized. Monoclonal antibody 10E10 bound to distinct PD‐L1 epitope comparing an available anti‐PD‐L1 monoclonal antibody on a series of malignant cell lines, activated T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and dendritic cells. Then, by using immunohistochemistry staining with monoclonal antibody 2H11, the expression of PD‐L1 was found in human gastric carcinoma specimens but not in normal or gastric adenoma tissues. Additional data show that PD‐L1 can be regarded as a decisive factor in evaluating gastric carcinoma prognosis and anti‐human PD‐L1 monoclonal antibody 10E10 could inhibit T‐cell apoptosis induced by tumor‐associated PD‐L1. Taken together, these results showed that the two functional mouse anti‐human PD‐L1 monoclonal antibodies we generated might be of great value for further exploration of the costimulatory molecule regulating network and immunointervention for tumor immunotherapy.
The expression analysis of ICOS‐L on activated T cells and immature dendritic cells as well as malignant B cells and Grave’s‐disease‐derived thyroid tissues by two novel mAbs against human ICOS‐L
Authors: Wang F. , Zhu W. , Liu T. , Sun Z. , Ju S. , Ju S. , Yu G. , Xie W. , Deng Z. , Lu B. , Zhang X.
Published: December 2006

ICOS‐L, a newly identified member of B7 superfamily, plays an important role in immune responses. In this article, we report on two novel mouse anti‐human ICOS‐L monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) named as 11C4 and 12B11, whose specificities were verified by methods of flow cytometry, western blotting, and epitope competition assay. The two mAbs bound to distinct ICOS‐L epitopes on B cells. Interestingly, mAb 11C4 could well recognize ICOS‐L molecule on activated T cells and Jurkat cell lines, which is different from commercial anti‐ICOS‐L mAb (clone number MIH12) and the other mAb 12B11. In addition, we found that the expression of ICOS‐L molecule was only detected on the surface of immature monocyte‐derived dendritic cells (Mo‐DCs) and was sharply decreased after induction of mature Mo‐DCs activated by tumor necrosis factor‐α or CD40. Furthermore, we showed that 11C4 could effectively suppress the maturation of Mo‐DCs in vitro as evidenced by the low expression of CD80, CD86, CD83, and human leukocyte antigen‐DR, which suggested that ICOS‐L may be involved in the maturation of Mo‐DCs. Using immunohistochemistry staining with mAb 11C4, the expression of ICOS‐L was found in B lymphoma tissues and thyroid tissues from the Grave’s disease but not in thyroid adenoma and normal thyroid tissues.
Diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis by a dot blot assay using a recombinant Paracoccidioides brasiliensis p27 protein
Authors: Correa M. M. , Bedoya A. M. , Guerrero M. P. , Méndez J. , Restrepo A. , McEwen J. G.
Published: December 2006

A variety of immunological methods have proven useful for Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) diagnosis; however, they are often time consuming and many lack sensitivity and specificity, partially attributed to the use of crude antigens, which give cross reactivity. Until now, attempts to clone and express Paracoccidioides brasiliensis immunodominant antigens have presented difficulties of process and problems of cost. In an attempt to obtain a more rapid, sensitive, and specific test for PCM diagnosis, we subcloned the P. brasiliensis p27 gene and used the recombinant protein as the antigen in dot blot assays to evaluate its usefulness in paracoccidioidomicosis diagnosis. The development of an optimised procedure for p27 recombinant protein purification and production led to an easier and less expensive process than the one previously used in our laboratory and allowed the availability of enough purified protein for its evaluation as the antigen in the dot blot assays. In these assays, antibodies present in ten serum samples from seven patients with PCM recognised the recombinant protein showing a sensitivity of 100% with a specificity of 98%. These results confirm the value of the 27‐kDa recombinant antigen in the serodiagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis and that the dot blot format is an alternative to the immunoenzymatic assay procedure.
Malassezia species isolated from lesional and non‐lesional skin in patients with pityriasis versicolor
Authors: Prohic Asja , Ozegovic Ladislav
Published: December 2006

Pityriasis versicolor (PV) is a superficial fungal infection where Malassezia species play a definite causative role, but the clinical significance of each of these species is not fully understood. The aim of our study was to analyse the prevalence of Malassezia species in PV lesions and to examine if the range of species varies with patient sex, age, direct microscopy findings and some clinical data. Ninety patients with PV completed the study. The samples were obtained by scraping the skin surface, both from lesional and non‐lesional skin and then incubated on Sabouraud dextrose agar and modified Dixon agar. The yeast isolated were identified according to their macroscopic and microscoipic features and physiological characteristics. In PV lesions, the most common species was M. globosa (63%), followed by M. sympodialis (14%), M. furfur (10%), M. obtusa (8%) and M. slooffiae (4%). The most frequently isolated species from clinically healthy skin were M. globosa (49%), M. sympodialis (37%) and M. furfur (5%). We found significant difference in the distribution of Malassezia species between lesional and non‐lesional skin and in the distribution of Malassezia species according to the direct microscopy findings. M. globosa in its mycelial phase is the predominant species involved in the aetiology of PV.
Anticandidal activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical specimens
Authors: Kaleli Ilknur , Cevahir Nural , Demir Melek , Yildirim Umut , Sahin Rasim
Published: December 2006

Pseudomonads represent the major group of non‐differentiating microorganisms that produce antibiotics. The antibiotic substances produced by this group of organisms are pyocyanin, pyrolnitrin and pseudomonic acid. This study was designed to investigate the in vivo and in vitro anticandidal activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains against Candida species. Forty‐four P. aeruginosa strains isolated from various specimens of intensive care patients were included in the study. All P. aeruginosa strains have pyocyanin pigment. Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019, Candida krusei ATCC 6258 and a clinical isolate of Candida tropicalis were used to measure the anticandidal activity of Pseudomonas strains by Kerr's method. The total inhibition rates obtained by using blood agar of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei and C. tropicalis were 41%, 34%, 34% and 25% respectively. When Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) was used, the rates were detected as 45%, 39%, 48% and 25% respectively. In the mouse model of concomitant subcutaneous infection with Candida species and P. aeruginosa no yeast were recovered from skin cultures despite 100% detection of P. aeruginosa. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from intensive care patients showed anticandidal activity against the Candida species in the present study and this point may be important in the following and treatment of patients.
Mycophenolate mofetil substitution for cyclosporine‐dependent myasthenia gravis and nephrotoxicity
Authors: Lim A. K. H. , Donnan G. , Chambers B. , Ierino F. L.
Published: December 2006

Severe autoimmune myasthenia gravis is difficult to manage and may require immunosuppression with cyclosporine. However, cyclosporine dependency is associated with the risk of nephrotoxicity. Mycophenolate mofetil is a non‐nephrotoxic alternative which should be considered to rescue cyclosporine‐dependent, severe myasthenia gravis sufferers with renal impairment from progression to end‐stage renal failure. However, the evidence is limited and studies have not assessed the outcome of a direct substitution in these cyclosporine‐dependent patients. We study three such patients who successfully converted to mycophenolate mofetil, and briefly examine the evidence behind this option. We believe that total cyclosporine withdrawal is feasible, but strongly recommend overlapping mycophenolate mofetil treatment with cyclosporine.
How does the brain mediate interpretation of incongruent auditory emotions? The neural response to prosody in the presence of conflicting lexico‐semantic cues
Authors: Mitchell Rachel L. C.
Published: December 2006

We frequently encounter conflicting emotion cues. This study examined how the neural response to emotional prosody differed in the presence of congruent and incongruent lexico‐semantic cues. Two hypotheses were assessed: (i) decoding emotional prosody with conflicting lexico‐semantic cues would activate brain regions associated with cognitive conflict (anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) or (ii) the increased attentional load of incongruent cues would modulate the activity of regions that decode emotional prosody (right lateral temporal cortex). While the participants indicated the emotion conveyed by prosody, functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired on a 3T scanner using blood oxygenation level‐dependent contrast. Using SPM5, the response to congruent cues was contrasted with that to emotional prosody alone, as was the response to incongruent lexico‐semantic cues (for the ‘cognitive conflict’ hypothesis). The right lateral temporal lobe region of interest analyses examined modulation of activity in this brain region between these two contrasts (for the ‘prosody cortex’ hypothesis). Dorsolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex activity was not observed, and neither was attentional modulation of activity in right lateral temporal cortex activity. However, decoding emotional prosody with incongruent lexico‐semantic cues was strongly associated with left inferior frontal gyrus activity. This specialist form of conflict is therefore not processed by the brain using the same neural resources as non‐affective cognitive conflict and neither can it be handled by associated sensory cortex alone. The recruitment of inferior frontal cortex may indicate increased semantic processing demands but other contributory functions of this region should be explored.
Modulation of isolated N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor response under hyperbaric conditions
Authors: Mor Amir , Grossman Yoram
Published: December 2006

In humans, hyperbaric pressure induces the high‐pressure neurological syndrome (HPNS). HPNS is characterized by tremor, sleep disorders, electroencephalographic changes, and impairment of cognitive and motor performances. In animals, higher pressures result in convulsions and death. An increased N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) response has been implicated with HPNS. We studied high‐pressure effects on pharmacologically isolated NMDAR field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs). Hippocampal coronal brain slices from male Sprague‐Dawley rats were prepared, constantly superfused with physiological solutions, gas‐saturated at normobaric pressure and compressed up to 10.1 MPa with helium. fEPSPs were recorded from the dendritic layer of CA1 pyramidal neurones. High pressure significantly increased the single fEPSP delay, maximal initial slope, amplitude, decay time and time integral (elevated Na+ and Ca2+ influx) despite the known general decrease in glutamatergic synaptic release. The estimated negative and positive activation volumes (ΔV*) for various kinetic segments of the fEPSP suggest a complex response of the receptor to pressure. The NMDAR frequency response was tested by a train of five stimuli. At 50–100 Hz, high pressure did not increase the fEPSPs' frequency‐dependent depression and the train's time integral remained unchanged. At 25 Hz, pressure induced a larger frequency‐dependent depression and significantly increased the time integral. Our results provide, for the first time, direct information on the isolated brain NMDAR response under hyperbaric conditions. These observations may explain some increase in the excitability of single normal glutametergic fEPSPs and their frequency responses.
Analysis of synaptic ultrastructure without fixative using high‐pressure freezing and tomography
Authors: Rostaing Philippe , Real Eleonore , Siksou Léa , Lechaire Jean‐Pierre , Boudier Thomas , Boeckers Tobias M. , Gertler Frank , Gundelfinger Eckart D. , Triller Antoine , Marty Serge
Published: December 2006

Electron microscopy allows the analysis of synaptic ultrastructure and its modifications during learning or in pathological conditions. However, conventional electron microscopy uses aldehyde fixatives that alter the morphology of the synapse by changing osmolarity and collapsing its molecular components. We have used high‐pressure freezing (HPF) to capture within a few milliseconds structural features without aldehyde fixative, and thus to provide a snapshot of living synapses.

CA1 hippocampal area slices from P21 rats were frozen at −173 °C under high pressure to reduce crystal formation, and synapses on dendritic spines were analysed after cryosubstitution and embedding. Synaptic terminals were larger than after aldehyde fixation, and synaptic vesicles in these terminals were less densely packed. Small filaments linked the vesicles in subgroups. The postsynaptic densities (PSDs) exhibited filamentous projections extending into the spine cytoplasm. Tomographic analysis showed that these projections were connected with the spine cytoskeletal meshwork. Using immunocytochemistry, we found as expected GluR1 at the synaptic cleft and CaMKII in the PSD. Actin immunoreactivity (IR) labelled the cytoskeletal meshwork beneath the filamentous projections, but was very scarce within the PSD itself. ProSAP2/Shank3, cortactin and Ena/VASP‐IRs were concentrated on the cytoplasmic face of the PSD, at the level of the PSD projections.

Synaptic ultrastructure after HPF was different from that observed after aldehyde fixative. The boutons were larger, and filamentous components were preserved. Particularly, filamentous projections were observed linking the PSD to the actin cytoskeleton. Thus, synaptic ultrastructure can be analysed under more realistic conditions following HPF.
A combination of total intravenous anesthesia and thoracic epidural for thymectomy in juvenile myasthenia gravis
Authors: BAGSHAW OLIVER
Published: December 2006

Juvenile myasthenia gravis is the acquired form of the disease in children and presents with ocular signs, fatigability, weakness and bulbar problems. The majority of patients demonstrate thymic hyperplasia and have been shown to benefit from thymectomy. The main considerations for the anesthesiologist are the degree of muscle weakness, the muscle groups involved and sensitivity to neuromuscular blocking drugs and volatile agents. Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with epidural analgesia is probably the anesthetic technique of choice, although the latter is often avoided, because of the risk of a very high block. Two cases of thymectomy are presented where anesthesia was provided using a combination of TIVA and thoracic epidural analgesia. Both patients tolerated the technique well and had an uncomplicated perioperative course.
Prolonged retrograde amnesia following sedation with propofol in a 12‐year‐old boy
Authors: QURAISHI SADEQ A. , GIRDHARRY TYRONE D. , XU SHU‐GUANG , ORKIN FREDRICK K.
Published: December 2006

Propofol is commonly used for sedation in a variety of clinical settings, as well as for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. The ease with which propofol can be administered and titrated to clinical effect, in addition to its accepted safety profile, has made it the drug of choice for sedation in outpatient procedures, such as gastrointestinal endoscopy. While short‐term amnesia is a well‐known side‐effect of propofol, we present the first documented case of prolonged retrograde amnesia following propofol administration in a pediatric patient. Possible mechanisms and clinical management strategies related to this unique event are discussed.
Ileal pouch‐anal anastomosis: the Australasian experience
Authors: Rickard M. J. F. X. , Young C. J. , Bissett I. P. , Stitz R. , Solomon M. J. ,   Research Committee of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australasia
Published: December 2006

Objective  The aim of this project was to establish and maintain an internet‐based database of all ileal pouch procedures performed in major centres in Australasia.

Method  The initial three colorectal units contributing data are Auckland, northern Brisbane and Central Sydney Area Health Service. A web‐based database was designed. The data collection method was tested on a subgroup of 20 patients to ensure functionality. Data were collected in five main categories: patient demographics, preoperative data, operative details, postoperative complications and functional results.

Results  Initial data are presented for 516 patients [363 J, (70%), 133 W (26%), 16 S pouches (3%)]. There were two deaths within 30 days (0.4%). The anastomotic leak rate overall, in handsewn (HSA) and stapled anastomoses (SA) respectively was 5.0%, 8.5% and 3.3% (P = 0.02 for difference HSA vs SA). Incidence of pouchitis was 20% (ulcerative colitis 23%, Crohn's disease 20%, indeterminate colitis 22%, familial adenomatous polyposis 9%). Incidence of anal stricture requiring intervention (11% overall) was significantly greater in HSAs than in SAs (16%vs 9%, P = 0.02). Incidence of small bowel obstruction at any time postoperatively was 16%. Functional data were available for 234 patients. The median frequency of bowel actions during waking hours was significantly less in W pouches than in J pouches (four vs five, P = 0.0005).

Conclusion  A national web‐based database has been developed for access by all Australasian colorectal units. Initial Australasian data compare favourably with other international studies. Pouchitis continues to be a long‐term problem. The leak rate and rate of late anal stricture requiring a procedure are higher if the anastomosis is handsewn rather than stapled. Functional results are better with the W pouch than with the J pouch.
Major hepatectomy in patients with synchronous colorectal liver metastases: whether or not a contraindication to simultaneous colorectal and liver resection?
Authors: Jovine E. , Biolchini F. , Talarico F. , Lerro F. M. , Mastrangelo L. , Selleri S. , Landolfo G. , Martuzzi F. , Iusco D. R. , Lazzari A.
Published: December 2006

Objective  Synchronous hepatic lesions account for 15–25% of newly diagnosed colorectal cancer and its optimal timing to surgery is not completely defined, but simultaneous colorectal and liver resection is recently gaining acceptance, at least in patients with a right colonic primary and liver metastases that need a minor hepatectomy to be fully resected.

Method  From September 2002 to December 2004, 16 patients underwent simultaneous resection as treatment of synchronous colorectal liver resection; in 10 patients (62.5%) a major hepatectomy was performed.

Results  The mean duration of intervention was 322.5 ± 59.5 min, operative mortality and morbidity rates was 0% and 25% respectively; the hospitalization was 14.4 (range 8–60) days on average. Mean follow‐up was 14 months and actuarial survival was 76.5% at 1 year and 63.5% at 2 years.

Conclusion  We concluded that simultaneous colonic and liver resection should be undertaken in selected patients with synchronous colorectal liver resection regardless of the extent of hepatectomy; major liver resection, in fact, seems capable of providing better oncological results, allowing resection of liver micrometastases that, in almost one‐third of the patients, are located in the same liver lobe of macroscopic lesions, without increased morbidity rates.
Prevalence of obesity in Denmark
Authors: Due P. , Heitmann B. L. , Sørensen T. I. A.
Published: December 2006

There has been a pronounced, distinctive increase of the prevalence of obesity within almost all age groups of the Danish population, during the last 25–30 years. The largest increase has been documented in studies based on objective data from total populations and the latest data show the increase will continue. The Danish studies show heterogeneity in the development of the obesity epidemic. A close association with birth cohorts indicates a need for further aetiological research, not only into behavioural factors, but also into early life factors that may explain some of this developmental pattern.
GEORGIANISM AND THE TENEMENTS, DUBLIN 1908–1926
Authors: CRINSON MARK
Published: December 2006

This article examines how the Georgian domestic architecture of Dublin was represented across a period of major conflicts and political change in the city. By 1900 most of these Georgian houses had effectively become proletarianized and Catholicized through their conversion into tenements. ‘Georgianism’ arose in reaction to this transformation, partly out of a desire to record and conserve the houses and partly through panic about the tenements' inversion of social spaces and their consequent threat to the image of an ascendancy past and an imperial order in the present. Encompassing representations in visual art, in town planning and government reports, and, most extensively, in the volumes produced by Dublin's Georgian Society, the article argues that Georgianism involved a highly selective account of past glories but also one that projected a future in which the fantasy image of the eighteenth century would be reasserted. Whereas the approach to recording Georgian architecture either denied its present tenement‐dwellers or used the decayed state of these houses as a symptom of their condition, in Sean O'Casey's plays this same architecture was seen as a formative agent in subaltern identity, a location whose contrasts created a form of tragic‐comedy, engaging recursively with both present and past.
REBECCA BELMORE AND JAMES LUNA ON LOCATION AT VENICE: THE ALLEGORICAL INDIAN REDUX
Authors: TOWNSEND‐GAULT CHARLOTTE
Published: December 2006

At the Venice Biennale of 2005 Rebecca Belmore's Fountain and James Luna's Emendatio, although presented in different locales, converged for reasons that knowingly complicated the fact that both artists are Native North Americans. Their works were allegories about, as well as for, the location: reliant on Venice as a city of allegorical certainty; reliant on allegories, skewed and traduced, about the Native. Venice as its own allegory was both reiterated and disturbed by them, Venice also the container of countless allegorical tellings – on plinth, roundel and triptych, on wall, floor, ceiling and on roof – of the stories that held the whole operation together, the engines of its power. Many of them were re‐tellings of the moral systems of other great powers – Greece, Rome, Byzantium – conjoined as the allegorical force of Christendom. It is suggested that on location at the Biennale, a hub for cognoscenti with some collective memory for reappraisals of allegory by Walter Benjamin, Paul de Man or James Clifford, Fountain and Emendatio are allegory‐adjusted and in progress: that they are not so much stories as episodes, circular iterations, repeated suggestive disclosures – repeated, but restricted, demanding to know whose allegories, if any, are reliable.
Mapping Novel Nouns and Verbs Onto Dynamic Action Events: Are Verb Meanings Easier to Learn Than Noun Meanings for Japanese Children?
Authors: Imai Mutsumi , Haryu Etsuko , Okada Hiroyuki
Published: December 2006

The present research examined how 3‐ and 5‐year‐old Japanese children map novel nouns and verbs onto dynamic action events and generalize them to new instances. Studies 1 to 3 demonstrated that although both 3‐ and 5‐year‐olds were able to map novel nouns onto novel objects, only 5‐year‐olds could generalize verbs solely on the basis of the sameness of the action. Study 4 showed that the difficulty young children experience in learning verbs lies mainly in mapping the appropriate element to a verb rather than in encoding and remembering an action itself. The results of this research are related to a long‐debated issue of whether noun learning is privileged over verb learning.
Origins of Individual Differences in Theory of Mind: From Nature to Nurture?
Authors: Hughes Claire , Jaffee Sara R. , Happé Francesca , Taylor Alan , Caspi Avshalom , Moffitt Terrie E.
Published: December 2006

In this study of the origins of individual differences in theory of mind (ToM), the Environmental Risk (E‐Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study sample of 1,116 sixty‐month‐old twin pairs completed a comprehensive battery of ToM tasks. Individual differences in ToM were striking and strongly associated with verbal ability. Behavioral genetic models of the data showed that environmental factors explained the majority of the variance in ToM performance in this sample. Shared environmental influences on verbal ability had a common impact on ToM and explained more than half the phenotypic correlation between these two skills. Possible underlying proximal mechanisms are discussed, including maternal speech and mind‐mindedness, sibling interactions, and peer influences.
Parent–Child Participation in Planning Children's Activities Outside of School in European American and Latino Families
Authors: Gauvain Mary , Perez Susan M.
Published: December 2006

This longitudinal research used a sociocultural perspective to examine planning competence in the everyday experiences of European American and Latino children from 7 to 9 years of age. Data on children's participation in planning their activities outside of school, parental expectations about children's planning competence, and children's planning in the classroom were collected yearly from Grades 2 to 4 from 140 children and their mothers, and the children's teachers. Results indicate that decision‐making practices and parental expectations change with development and vary by ethnicity. Decision making at home was related to children's classroom planning; however, the nature of these relations changed over middle childhood. Results are discussed in terms of cultural and parental contributions to the development of planning skills.
Economic Integration in East Asia: An International Input‐Output Analysis
Authors: Hasebe Yuichi , Shrestha Nagendra
Published: December 2006

To establish economic and monetary union (EMU) in East Asia, deepening regional integration through international trade is important. The economic interdependence (one of the important criteria for regional integration) study, using macro data does not reflect the indirect effects generated by interactions between different production sectors and different countries. We use the international input‐output (IIO) framework to study the economic interdependence at both macro and production sector levels. We refine the existing methods to reflect exogenous country effect and size effect of the economy. Our study suggests that establishing EMU in East Asia appears to be somewhat premature. However, we can be more optimistic for regional integration at the production sector level in East Asia when including Japan, which will create a basis for EMU in the region.
Optimal Investment With Undiversifiable Income Risk
Authors: Duffie Darrell , Zariphopoulou Thaleia
Published: December 2006

This paper treats the problem of consumption and portfolio choice in continuous time, with stochastic income that cannot be replicated by trading the available securities. the optimal controls and value functions are characterized in terms of the viscosity solution of the associated Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman equation, which is shown to exist and is characterized. the optimal policy is then given from the first‐order conditions of the Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman equation.
Option Pricing For Jump Diffusions: Approximations and Their Interpretation
Authors: Mercurio Fabio , Runggaldier Wolfgang J.
Published: December 2006

We derive a computable approximation for the value of a European call option when prices satisfy a jump‐diffusion model with the coefficients depending explicitly on time. This is achieved by approximating the original coefficients with functions that are piecewise constant in time. We give an interpretation of the approximating option values, in particular in the context of a discrete‐time model associated with the approximating continuous‐time model.
THE STATISTICS OF LONG‐HORIZON REGRESSIONS REVISITED1
Authors: Boudouk Jacob , Richardson Matthew
Published: December 2006

This paper compares commonly used approaches for estimating the relation between long‐horizon returns and a predetermined variable X1, such as dividend yields. Specifically, we look at regression of (i) nonoverlapping multiperiod returns on Xt (ii) overlapping multiperiod returns on Xt, (iii) single‐period returns on multiperiod Xt, and (iv) single‐period returns on Xt and its implied long‐horizon regression coefficient. We provide analytical formulae which quantify the efficiency of the estimators used in the various approaches. Using the formulae, as well as Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that the relative efficiency of the estimators used in the various approaches differs remarkably, depending on the dynamic structure of the regressor. of special interest for financial economists, when the regressors are highly autocorrelated, we find that the regressions (ii) (iii), and (iv) provide only marginal efficiency gains above and beyond the nonoverlapping long‐horizon regression.
CONVERGENCE OF AMERICAN OPTION VALUES FROM DISCRETE‐ TO CONTINUOUS‐TIME FINANCIAL MODELS1
Authors: Amin Kaushik , Khanna Ajay
Published: December 2006

Given a sequence of discrete‐time option valuation models in which the sequence of processes defining the state variables converges weakly to a diffusion, we prove that the sequence of American option values obtained from these discrete‐time models also converges to the corresponding value obtained from the continuous‐time model for the standard models in the finance/economics literature. the convergence proof carries over to the case when the limiting risky asset price process follows a diffusion, except it pays discrete dividends on some fixed dates.
RISK‐MINIMIZING HEDGING STRATEGIES UNDER RESTRICTED INFORMATION
Authors: Schweizer Martin
Published: December 2006

We construct risk‐minimizing hedging strategies in the case where there are restrictions on the available information. the underlying price process is a d‐dimensional F‐martingale, and strategies φ= (ϑ, η) are constrained to have η G‐predictable and η G'‐adapted for filtrations η G C G’C F. We show that there exists a unique (ηG, G')‐risk‐minimizing strategy for every contingent claim H ε E 𝓎2 (𝓎T, P) and provide an explicit expression in terms of η G‐predictable dual projections. Previous results of Föllmer and Sondermann (1986) and Di Masi, Platen, and Runggaldier (1993) are recovered as special cases. Examples include a Black‐Scholes model with delayed information and a jump process model with discrete observations.
ARBITRAGE AND INFORMATION IN A SEQUENTIAL ECONOMY WITH MANY CREDIT AGENCIES
Authors: Stahl Dale O.
Published: December 2006

This paper augments the theoretical foundations of organized commodity futures markets and uncovers singular facts about arbitrage and the role of information. Using the term “credit agency” to embrace organized futures markets such as the Chicago Board of Trade as well as independent brokerage houses, we extend the extant theory of temporary equilibrium for an economy with a single credit agency to economies with many credit agencies. In the process, we find that arbitrage with no risk of bankruptcy and with perfect interagency trade information can be incompatible with equilibrium (exact or approximate). On the other hand, the usual regularity assumptions are sufficient for the existence of at least an approximate equilibrium, provided that interagency trade information is imperfect (or risky). However, such imperfect information limits arbitrage so different agencies can have different prices.
TAX BASIS AND NONLINEARITY IN CASH STREAM VALUATION
Authors: Dermody Jaime Cuevas , Rockafellar R. Tyrrell
Published: December 2006

The value of a future cash stream is often taken to be its net present value with respect to some term structure. This means that a linear formula is used in which each future payment is discounted by a factor deemed appropriate for the date on which the payment will be made. In a money market with taxes and shorting costs, however, there is no theoretical support for the existence of a universal term structure for this purpose. What is worse, reliance on linear formulas can be seriously inaccurate relative to true worth and can lead to paradoxes of disequilibrium. A consistent no‐arbitrage theory of valuation in such a market requires instead that taxed and untaxed investors be grouped in separate classes with different valuation operators. Such operators are linear to scale but nonlinear with respect to addition. Here it is established that although these valuation operators provide general bounds applicable across an entire class, individual investors within a tax class can have more special operators because of the influence of existing holdings. These customized valuation operators have the feature of not even being linear to scale. In consequence of this nonlinearity, investors from the same or different tax classes can undertake advantageous trades even when the market is in a no‐arbitrage state, but such trade opportunities are limited. Some degree of activity in financial markets can thereby be understood without appeal to differences in utility functions or temporary disequilibrium due to random disturbances.
FACTOR MODELS OF DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN INTEREST RATES WITH STOCHASTIC VOLATILITIES
Authors: Frachot Antoine
Published: December 2006

We consider a two‐country economy under the nonarbitrage assumption and where volatilities are stochastic. Assuming the existence of state variables, we show that, under some mild volatility assumptions, the model is actually fully specified. In particular, both term structure dynamics and the exchange rate process can be given endogeneously under the risk‐neutral probability. We then derive the exact dependence of the zero‐coupon bonds and the exchange rate on the underlying state variables. As a result, some closed‐form solutions can be proposed for the derivative assets as futures and options written on foreign zero‐coupon bonds.