bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From global politics to local land users: applying the United Nations Convention to combat desertification in Swaziland
Authors: STRINGER LINDSAY C , THOMAS DAVID S G , TWYMAN CHASCA
Published: February 2007

This paper explores the relevance of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and its related National Action Programmes (NAPs) to people affected by land degradation and change in Swaziland. Household data collected from three chiefdoms are examined, together with policy analyses and information from interviews with policymakers and NGO representatives, as the barriers that inhibit successful implementation of the UNCCD at the national level are explored. We demonstrate how the issues addressed by Swaziland's NAP do not always match the environmental challenges that most threaten the sustainability of rural livelihoods, despite the ‘participatory’ and ‘consultative’ approach taken in developing the policy. This is because the more powerful members of society restricted the public's access to policy space. We argue that local involvement in environmental policy and decision‐making as prescribed from the international political arena is insufficient to ensure empowerment and democracy in dealing with land degradation in national and local contexts, particularly within highly centralized political systems. Although the UNCCD represents a useful global framework in which to situate local anti‐degradation initiatives, in centralized political systems, its success depends upon changes being made to the ethos of national facilitating organizations. Only when the power balance is challenged and greater moves are made towards decentralization will local land users be able to assume a meaningful role in combating desertification.
Do welfare‐to‐work programmes work for long?
Authors: Greenberg David , Ashworth Karl , Cebulla Andreas , Walker Robert
Published: February 2007

Evidence that welfare‐to‐work programmes in the USA succeed in boosting welfare recipients' earnings at modest cost has helped shape policy in Britain since 1997. So too has the belief that programmes that prioritise moving people into work quickly are more effective than ones that seek to enhance human capital. However, there is little evidence on how long the beneficial effects of programmes persist after individuals leave them. The analysis reported draws on the experience of 64 US welfare‐to‐work programmes that have all been evaluated using random assignment. It concludes that, on average, these programmes have a positive effect on participants' earnings for five to six years. The effects of ‘work first’ interventions are most marked early on and decline more rapidly than those of programmes emphasising human capital. Nevertheless, work first interventions typically increase earnings received over six years by more than two‐and‐a‐half times that achieved by human capital approaches.
The income elasticity of tax revenue: estimates for income and consumption taxes in the United Kingdom
Authors: Creedy John , Gemmell Norman
Published: February 2007

This paper provides estimates of individual and aggregate revenue elasticities of income and consumption taxes in the UK over the period 1989–2000. It shows how budgetary changes, including changes to income‐related deductions, have substantially affected income elasticities. The estimates of consumption tax revenue elasticities show that changes in consumption patterns over time are important. A merit of the approach used here is that elasticity estimates can be calculated readily from official published sources.
The Retail Price Index and the Cost‐of‐Living Index: testing for consistency in theory and practice
Authors: Crawford Ian , Image Isabella
Published: February 2007

This paper tests the published section‐level price and weight data used in the compilation of the UK retail price index (RPI) for consistency with the theory of the cost‐of‐living index. We use a non‐parametric test of theoretical consistency and bootstrap statistical methods to estimate the probability of consistency.
Petrochemistry, oxygen isotopes and U‐Pb SHRIMP geochronology of mafic–ultramafic bodies from the Sulu UHP terrane, China
Authors: ZHAO R. , ZHANG R. Y. , LIOU J. G. , BOOTH A. L. , POPE E. C. , CHAMBERLAIN C. P.
Published: February 2007

Two Rongcheng eclogite‐bearing peridotite bodies (Chijiadian and Macaokuang) occur as lenses within the country rock gneiss of the northern Sulu terrane. The Chijiadian ultramafic body consists of garnet lherzolite, whereas the Macaokuang body is mainly meta‐dunite. Both ultramafics are characterized by high MgO contents, low fertile element concentrations and total REE contents, which suggests that they were derived from depleted, residual mantle. High FeO contents, an LREE‐enriched pattern and trace‐element contents indicate that the bulk‐rock compositions of these ultramafic rocks were modified by metasomatism. Oxygen‐isotope compositions of analysed garnet, olivine, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene from these two ultramafic bodies are between +5.2‰ and +6.2‰ (δ18O), in the range of typical mantle values (+5.1 to +6.6‰). The eclogite enclosed within the Chijiadian lherzolite shows an LREE‐enriched pattern and was formed by melts derived from variable degrees (0.005–0.05) of partial melting of peridotite. It has higher δ18O values (+7.6‰ for garnet and +7.7‰ for omphacite) than those of lherzolite. Small O‐isotope fractionations (ΔCpx‐Ol: 0.4‰, ΔCpx‐Grt: 0.1‰, ΔGrt‐Ol: 0.3–0.4‰) in both eclogite and ultramafic rocks suggest isotopic equilibrium at high temperature. The P–T estimates suggest that these rocks experienced subduction‐zone ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphism at ∼700–800 °C, 5 GPa, with a low geothermal gradient. Zircon from the Macaokuang eclogite contains inclusions of garnet and diopside. The 225 ± 2 Ma U/Pb age obtained from these zircon may date either the prograde conditions just before peak metamorphism or the UHP metamorphic event, and therefore constrains the timing of subduction‐related UHP metamorphism for the Rongcheng mafic–ultramafic bodies.
Mineral oxygen isotope and hydroxyl content changes in ultrahigh‐pressure eclogite–gneiss contacts from Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project cores
Authors: ZHAO Z‐F. , CHEN B. , ZHENG Y‐F. , CHEN R‐X. , WU Y‐B.
Published: February 2007

A combined study of mineral O isotopes and hydroxyl contents was carried out for the contacts between ultrahigh‐pressure eclogite and gneiss from main hole of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project in the Sulu orogen. While there is a large δ18O variation from −8.3 to 7.3‰ for all minerals, different styles of mineral‐pair fractionation occur at the boundaries of different lithologies. Both equilibrium and disequilibrium O isotope fractionations are observed between quartz and the other minerals, with reversed fractionations between omphacite and garnet in some samples of eclogite. This suggests that both eclogite and gneiss acquired their negative δ18O values by meteoric‐hydrothermal alteration of their protoliths at high temperatures before subduction, and that fluid‐assisted O isotope exchange did take place across the boundary of different lithologies at local scales during amphibolite‐facies retrogression. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis yielded H2O concentrations of 50 to 1144 p.p.m. (by weight) for garnet and 139 to 751 p.p.m. for omphacite. The state of equilibrium or disequilibrium O isotope fractionations between omphacite and garnet are correlated with variations in their water content at local scales, indicating that the internally derived fluid plays a critical role in retrograde metamorphism during exhumation. The retrograde metamorphism results in mineral reactions and O isotope disequilibria between some of the minerals, but the fluid for retrogression was derived from the decompression exsolution of structural hydroxyl and thus internally buffered in the O isotope composition. A quantitative estimate suggests that a hand specimen (3 × 6 × 9 cm) of eclogite composed of 70% garnet and 30% omphacite can release 0.316 g water by the decompression exsolution of structural hydroxyl, which can form 14.4 g amphibole during exhumation. This provides sufficient amounts of water for the amphibolite‐facies retrogression.
Association of Alcohol Craving With α‐Synuclein (SNCA)
Authors: Foroud Tatiana , Wetherill Leah Flury , Liang Tiebing , Dick Danielle M. , Hesselbrock Victor , Kramer John , Nurnberger John , Schuckit Marc , Carr Lucinda , Porjesz Bernice , Xuei Xiaoling , Edenberg Howard J.
Published: February 2007

Background: Studies have found that genomic variation in the gene SNCA, which encodes the protein α‐synuclein, may contribute to the variation in alcohol consumption in an inbred rat model of alcohol preference. Studies in humans have provided support for an association between SNCA and craving for alcohol.

Methods: To examine the role of this gene in alcohol dependence and related phenotypes, 30 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped across the SNCA gene in a sample of 219 multiplex alcoholic families of European American descent. Two phenotypes, alcohol dependence and alcohol craving, were analyzed using the pedigree disequilibrium test.

Results: There was no evidence of association between any of the SNCA SNPs and alcohol dependence (p≥0.13). In contrast, 8 SNPs provided evidence of association (p<0.05) with the phenotype of alcohol craving. Haplotype analysis further supported evidence of an association with alcohol craving; a haplotype encompassing SNPs in intron 4 through the region downstream of the gene was overtransmitted to cravers and a second haplotype was overtransmitted to noncravers.

Conclusions: These results suggest that variation in SNCA contributes to alcohol craving, a common, although not uniform, feature of alcohol dependence.
Linkage Disequilibrium and Association Analysis of α‐Synuclein and Alcohol and Drug Dependence in Two American Indian Populations
Authors: Clarimon Jordi , Gray Rebecca R. , Williams Lindsey N. , Enoch Mary‐Anne , Robin Robert W. , Albaugh Bernard , Singleton Andrew , Goldman David , Mulligan Connie J.
Published: February 2007

Background: α‐Synuclein is involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission and has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. Recent studies, in humans and in rat and monkey models, have suggested that α‐synuclein may play a role in the development and maintenance of certain addictive disorders.

Methods: Fifteen single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the α‐synuclein gene (SNCA) and 1 upstream microsatellite repeat (NACP‐REP1) were assayed in Southwest (SW; n=514) and Plains (n=420) American Indian populations. Patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) at SNCA were determined for the 2 populations and compared with Caucasian, African, and Asian populations in the HapMap database (http://www.hapmap.org). Assayed alleles and constructed haplotypes in the study populations were tested for association with 4 clinical phenotypes [alcohol dependence, alcohol use disorders, drug dependence, and drug use disorders (lifetime diagnoses)] as well as with 2 symptom count phenotypes (all 18 questions and the 8 questions diagnostic for alcohol dependence).

Results: Patterns of LD at SNCA were similar in both Indian populations and were consistent with the LD structure in other populations as reflected in the HapMap database. Single allele tests revealed significant associations between 4 SNPs and drug dependence in the SW population and between 2 of those SNPs plus 2 other SNPs and drug dependence in SW males only. In the Plains population, a significant association was detected only in males between 2 SNPs and alcohol use disorders and between 1 SNP and alcohol dependence. In the SW population, 1 SNP was marginally significant with the total symptom count. However, in all cases, the support was modest and disappeared with correction for multiple comparisons. No association was found between constructed haplotypes and any of the phenotypes in either population.

Conclusions: Despite modest support for association between multiple SNCA SNPs and several of the addictive disorders tested in this study, statistical significance disappeared after correction for multiple testing. Thus, our data do not support a role for a variant in the SNCA gene that contributes to alcohol or drug addiction in the 2 studied American Indian populations. Future research may focus on variants in the promoter region that could cause the changes in mRNA and protein levels observed in previous studies.
Differential Expression of Ethanol‐Induced Hypothermia in Adolescent and Adult Rats Induced by Pretest Familiarization to the Handling/Injection Procedure
Authors: Ristuccia Robert C. , Hernandez Michael , Wilmouth Carrie E. , Spear Linda P.
Published: February 2007

Background: Previous work examining ethanol's autonomic effects has found contrasting patterns of age‐related differences in ethanol‐induced hypothermia between adolescent and adult rats. Most studies have found adolescents to be less sensitive than adults to this effect, although other work has indicated that adolescents may be more sensitive than adults under certain testing conditions. To test the hypothesis that adolescents show more ethanol hypothermia than adults when the amount of disruption induced by the test procedures is low, but less hypothermia when the experimental perturbation is greater, the present study examined the consequences of manipulating the amount of perturbation at the time of testing on ethanol‐induced hypothermia in adolescent and adult rats.

Methods: The amount of test disruption was manipulated by administering ethanol through a chronically indwelling gastric cannula (low perturbation) versus via intragastric intubation (higher perturbation) in Experiment 1 or by either familiarizing animals to the handling and injection procedure for several days pretest or leaving them unmanipulated before testing in Experiment 2.

Results: The results showed that the handling manipulation, but not the use of gastric cannulae, altered the expression of ethanol‐induced hypothermia differentially across age. When using a familiarization protocol sufficient to reduce the corticosterone response to the handling and injection procedure associated with testing, adolescents showed greater hypothermia than adults. In contrast, the opposite pattern of age differences in hypothermia was evident in animals that were not manipulated before the test day. Surprisingly, however, this difference across testing circumstances was driven by a marked reduction in hypothermia among adults who had been handled before testing, with handling having relatively little impact on ethanol hypothermia among adolescents.

Conclusions: Observed differences between adolescents and adults in the autonomic consequences of ethanol were dramatically influenced by whether animals were familiarized with the handling/injection process before testing. Under these circumstances, adolescents were less susceptible than adults to the impact of experimental perturbation on ethanol‐induced hypothermia. These findings suggest that seemingly innocuous aspects of experimental design can influence conclusions reached on ontogenetic differences in sensitivity to ethanol, at least when indexed by ethanol‐induced hypothermia.
What Role Does Measuring Medication Compliance Play in Evaluating the Efficacy of Naltrexone?
Authors: Baros Alicia M. , Latham Patricia K. , Moak Darlene H. , Voronin Konstantin , Anton Raymond F.
Published: February 2007

Background: Compliance with medication in pharmacotherapy trials of alcoholism has been shown to be equal to, or more, important than in other areas of medicine. Research has suggested that naltrexone's effectiveness can be greatly influenced by the compliance of participants in clinical trials. Presently, we compare 2 compliance measurement methods [urine riboflavin and medication event monitoring system (MEMS)] used simultaneously to evaluate naltrexone's efficacy and the impact of compliance on the size of observable treatment effects.

Methods: One hundred and thirty‐seven of 160 randomized alcoholic patients completed 12‐weeks (84 days) of naltrexone or placebo and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or motivational enhancement therapy (MET). Urine riboflavin was determined during study weeks 2, 6, and 12. The MEMS provided a detailed computerized record of when a participant opened their medication bottle throughout the trial. Baseline predictors of MEMS (80% openings) and urine riboflavin (≥1,500 ng/mL by fluorimetry) compliance were examined. The effects of the treatments in the compliant participants defined by one, the other, or both methods were compared and contrasted with a previously reported intent‐to‐treat analysis where compliance was not taken into account.

Results: Age was predictive of compliance. 105 participants were deemed compliant via urine riboflavin criteria, 87 via MEMS, and 77 when both criteria were met, with no significant differences between treatment groups. The most compliant participants showed a significant medication by therapy interaction. Those treated with naltrexone/CBT showed more abstinence days (p<0.03), less heavy drinking days (p<0.03) and less total drinks (p<0.03) than the other groups. The effect size of this interaction increased from about 0.2 in the intent‐to‐treat analysis, to about 0.4 to 0.5 in the compliant group analyses, with little difference between compliance measurement methods.

Conclusions: Compliance measurement does appear to influence the evaluation of the efficacy of naltrexone within the context of CBT. Treatment effect sizes approximately doubled in the most compliant individuals. Measuring compliance by either of 2 distinct methods provides approximately similar results. As compliance with naltrexone within the context of CBT has such a large impact of treatment outcome, methods of enhancing compliance during treatment should be given the utmost attention.
Antiglutamatergic Strategies for Ethanol Detoxification: Comparison With Placebo and Diazepam
Authors: Krupitsky Evgeny M. , Rudenko Anatoly A. , Burakov Andrey M. , Slavina Tatyana Y. , Grinenko Alexander A. , Pittman Brian , Gueorguieva Ralitza , Petrakis Ismene L. , Zvartau Edwin E. , Krystal John H.
Published: February 2007

Background: Benzodiazepines are the standard pharmacotherapies for ethanol detoxification, but concerns about their abuse potential and negative effects upon the transition to alcohol abstinence drive the search for new treatments. Glutamatergic activation and glutamate receptor up‐regulation contribute to ethanol dependence and withdrawal. This study compared 3 antiglutamatergic strategies for ethanol detoxification with placebo and to the benzodiazepine, diazepam: the glutamate release inhibitor, lamotrigine; the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist, memantine; and the AMPA/kainite receptor inhibitor, topiramate.

Methods: This placebo‐controlled randomized single‐blinded psychopharmacology trial studied male alcohol‐dependent inpatients (n=127) with clinically significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Subjects were assigned to 1 of 5 treatments for 7 days: placebo, diazepam 10 mg TID, lamotrigine 25 mg QID, memantine 10 mg TID, or topiramate 25 mg QID. Additional diazepam was administered when the assigned medication failed to suppress withdrawal symptoms adequately.

Results: All active medications significantly reduced observer‐rated and self‐rated withdrawal severity, dysphoric mood, and supplementary diazepam administration compared with placebo. The active medications did not differ from diazepam.

Conclusions: This study provides the first systematic clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of a number of antiglutamatergic approaches for treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms. These data support the hypothesis that glutamatergic activation contributes to human alcohol withdrawal. Definitive studies of each of these medications are now needed to further evaluate their effectiveness in treating alcohol withdrawal.
An Analysis of the Time to Adoption of Local Sales Taxes: A Duration Model Approach
Authors: SJOQUIST DAVID L. , SMITH WILLIAM J. , WALKER MARY BETH , WALLACE SALLY
Published: February 2007

The timing of the decision of local governments to adopt a local sales tax is explored in a duration model with time‐varying covariates. Our framework suggests a set of factors associated with the decision to adopt a local sales tax and we find empirical support for these factors. We also consider whether the adoption by one jurisdiction depends on the adoption by neighboring jurisdictions and find empirical support for interdependency of behavior.
The DNA Database Search Controversy Revisited: Bridging the Bayesian–Frequentist Gap
Authors: Storvik Geir , Egeland Thore
Published: February 2007

SummaryTwo different quantities have been suggested for quantification of evidence in cases where a suspect is found by a search through a database of DNA profiles. The likelihood ratio, typically motivated from a Bayesian setting, is preferred by most experts in the field. The so‐callednprule has been suggested through frequentist arguments and has been suggested by the American National Research Council and Stockmarr (1999,Biometrics55,671–677). The two quantities differ substantially and have given rise to the DNA database search controversy. Although several authors have criticized the different approaches, a full explanation of why these differences appear is still lacking. In this article we show that a P‐value in a frequentist hypothesis setting is approximately equal to the result of thenprule. We argue, however, that a more reasonable procedure in this case is to use conditional testing, in which case a P‐value directly related to posterior probabilities and the likelihood ratio is obtained. This way of viewing the problem bridges the gap between the Bayesian and frequentist approaches. At the same time it indicates that thenprule should not be used to quantify evidence.
A Mixed Mover–Stayer Model for Spatiotemporal Two‐State Processes
Authors: Nathoo F. , Dean C. B.
Published: February 2007

SummaryStudies of recurring infection or chronic disease often collect longitudinal data on the disease status of subjects. Two‐state transitional models are useful for analysis in such studies where, at any point in time, an individual may be said to occupy either a diseased or disease‐free state and interest centers on the transition process between states. Here, two additional features are present. The data are spatially arranged and it is important to account for spatial correlation in the transitional processes corresponding to different subjects. In addition there are subgroups of individuals with different mechanisms of transitions. These subgroups are not known a priori and hence group membership must be estimated. Covariates modulating transitions are included in a logistic additive framework. Inference for the resulting mixture spatial Markov regression model is not straightforward. We develop here a Monte Carlo expectation maximization algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation and a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling scheme for summarizing the posterior distribution in a Bayesian analysis. The methodology is applied to a study of recurrent weevil infestation in British Columbia forests.
A Hierarchical Semiparametric Regression Model for Combining HIV‐1 Phylogenetic Analyses Using Iterative Reweighting Algorithms
Authors: Liang Li‐Jung , Weiss Robert E.
Published: February 2007

SummaryPhylogenetic modeling is computationally challenging and most phylogeny models fit a single phylogeny to a single set of molecular sequences. Individual phylogenetic analyses are typically performed independently using publicly available software that fits a computationally intensive Bayesian model using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation.

We develop a Bayesian hierarchical semiparametric regression model to combine multiple phylogenetic analyses of HIV‐1 nucleotide sequences and estimate parameters of interest within and across analyses. We use a mixture of Dirichlet processes as a prior for the parameters to relax inappropriate parametric assumptions and to ensure the prior distribution for the parameters is continuous. We use several reweighting algorithms for combining completed MCMC analyses to shrink parameter estimates while adjusting for data set‐specific covariates. This avoids constructing a large complex model involving all the original data, which would be computationally challenging and would require rewriting the existing stand‐alone software.
Analyzing Spatially Distributed Binary Data Using Independent‐Block Estimating Equations
Authors: Oman Samuel D. , Landsman Victoria , Carmel Yohay , Kadmon Ronen
Published: February 2007

SummaryWe estimate the relation between binary responses and corresponding covariate vectors, both observed over a large spatial lattice. We assume a hierarchical generalized linear model with probit link function, partition the lattice into blocks, and adopt the working assumption of independence between the blocks to obtain an easily solved estimating equation. Standard errors are obtained using the “sandwich” estimator together with window subsampling (Sherman, 1996,Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B58,509–523). We apply this to a large data set describing long‐term vegetation growth, together with two other approximate‐likelihood approaches: pairwise composite likelihood (CL) and estimation under a working assumption of independence. The independence and CL methods give similar point estimates and standard errors, while the independent‐block approach gives considerably smaller standard errors, as well as more easily interpretable point estimates. We present numerical evidence suggesting this increased efficiency may hold more generally.
Children's Living Arrangements Following Separation and Divorce: Insights From Empirical and Clinical Research
Authors: KELLY JOAN B.
Published: February 2007

When parents separate, children typically enter into new living arrangements with each parent in a pattern determined most often by one or both parents or, failing private agreement, as a result of recommendations and decisions by lawyers, therapists, custody evaluators, or family courts. Most of these decisions have been based on cultural traditions and beliefs regarding postseparation parenting plans, visitation guidelines adopted within jurisdictions, unsubstantiated theory, and strongly held personal values and professional opinions, and have resulted since the 1960s in children spending most of their time with one residential parent and limited time with nonresident, or “visiting,” parents. A large body of social science and child development research generated over the past three decades has identified factors associated with risk and resiliency of children after divorce. Such research remains largely unknown and untapped by parents and professionals making these crucial decisions about children's living arrangements. This article highlights empirical and clinical research that is relevant to the shape of children's living arrangements after separation, focusing first on what is known about living arrangements following divorce, what factors influence living arrangements for separated and divorced children, children's views about their living arrangements, and living arrangements associated with children's adjustment following divorce. Based on this research, it is argued that traditional visiting patterns and guidelines are, for the majority of children, outdated, unnecessarily rigid, and restrictive, and fail in both the short and long term to address their best interests. Research‐based parenting plan models offering multiple options for living arrangements following separation and divorce more appropriately serve children's diverse developmental and psychological needs.
Family Ties After Divorce: Long‐Term Implications for Children
Authors: AHRONS CONSTANCE R.
Published: February 2007

Drawing on the data from the longitudinal Binuclear Family Study, 173 grown children were interviewed 20 years after their parents' divorce. This article addresses two basic questions: (1) What impact does the relationship between parents have on their children 20 years after the divorce? and (2) When a parent remarries or cohabits, how does it impact a child's sense of family? The findings show that the parental subsystem continues to impact the binuclear family 20 years after marital disruption by exerting a strong influence on the quality of relationships within the family system. Children who reported that their parents were cooperative also reported better relationships with their parents, grandparents, stepparents, and siblings. Over the course of 20 years, most of the children experienced the remarriage of one or both parents, and one third of this sample remembered the remarriage as more stressful than the divorce. Of those who experienced the remarriage of both of their parents, two thirds reported that their father's remarriage was more stressful than their mother's. When children's relationships with their fathers deteriorated after divorce, their relationships with their paternal grandparents, stepmother, and stepsiblings were distant, negative, or nonexistent. Whether family relationships remain stable, improve, or get worse is dependent on a complex interweaving of many factors. Considering the long‐term implications of divorce, the need to emphasize life course and family system perspectives is underscored.
A Family Therapy Perspective on Mediation
Authors: KATZ ELANA
Published: February 2007

Many times, family therapists are both the first to learn that a couple may separate and the last to see them in the same consultation room, still relating to each other and the same professional before the adversarial system takes over. Mediation offers a viable alternative to that system because clients are helped to speak directly and craft the decisions that will delineate their move toward separate lives. Mediation is defined and the divorce process demystified, and the similarities and differences between mediation and therapy are discussed. Brief examples and a longer case discussion are provided to illustrate the mediation process. A familiarity with this process will enable therapists to hold more informed discussions about mediation with their clients and invite them to consider a process that is congruent with many of the values of family therapy.
Effect of NiO on the Phase Stability and Microstructure of Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia
Authors: Delaforce Philip M. , Yeomans Julie A. , Filkin Neil C. , Wright Gary J. , Thomson Rachel C.
Published: February 2007

Nickel oxide (NiO) was screen printed onto the surfaces of 3 and 8 mol% yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) dense pre‐fired substrates and then heat treated at temperatures from 1350° to 1550°C. The effect of NiO was dependent on the yttria content of the substrate. In 3 mol% YSZ, it was found to alter the phase composition from predominantly tetragonal with a small amount of cubic phase to one consisting of approximately equal amounts of cubic and monoclinic phase. The cubic grains were much larger than the monoclinic ones and contained more nickel. Furthermore, nickel was observed to migrate through the thickness of the tile, a distance of approximately 200 μm. In the 8 mol% YSZ substrates, the phase composition was unaltered, although large grains developed under the printed NiO layer and the nickel migration was confined to the extent of these large grains.
Crystallization of Silicate Magmas Deciphered Using Crystal Size Distributions
Authors: Marsh Bruce D.
Published: February 2007

The remoteness and inhospitable nature of natural silicate magma make it exceedingly difficult to study in its natural setting deep beneath volcanoes. Although laboratory experiments involving molten rock are routinely performed, it is the style and nature of crystallization under natural conditions that is important to understand. This is where the crystal size distributions (CSD) method becomes fundamentally valuable. Just as chemical thermodynamics offers a quantitative macroscopic means of investigating chemical processes that occur at the atomic level, crystal size distribution theory quantitatively relates the overall observed spectrum of crystal sizes to both the kinetics of crystallization and the physical processes affecting the population of crystals themselves. Petrography, which is the qualitative study of rock textures, is the oldest, most comprehensively developed, and perhaps most beautiful aspect of studying magmatic rocks. It is the ultimate link to the kinetics of crystallization and the integrated space–time history of evolution of every magma. CSD analysis offers a quantitative inroad to unlocking and quantifying the observed textures of magmatic rocks. Perhaps the most stunning feature of crystal‐rich magmatic rocks is that the constituent crystal populations show smooth and often quasi‐linear log‐normal distributions of negative slope when plotted as population density against crystal size. These patterns are decipherable using CSD theory, and this method has proven uniquely valuable in deciphering the kinetics of crystallization of magma. The CSD method has been largely developed in chemical engineering by Randolph and Larson,1,2 among many others, for use in understanding industrial crystallization processes, and its introduction to natural magmatic systems began in 1988. The CSD approach is particularly valuable in its ease of application to complex systems. It is an aid to classical kinetic theory by being, in its purest form, free of any atomistic assumptions regarding crystal nucleation and growth. Yet the CSD method provides kinetic information valuable to understanding the connection between crystal nucleation and growth and the overall cooling and dynamics of magma. It offers a means of investigating crystallization in dynamic systems, involving both physical and chemical processes, independent of an exact kinetic theory. The CSD method applied to rocks shows a systematic and detailed history of crystal nucleation and growth that forms the foundation of a comprehensive and general model of magma solidification.
Structure Analysis of Molten Ba–Ge Alloys Using Electrostatic Levitation Technique Combined With High‐Energy X‐Ray Diffraction
Authors: Ishikura Akiko , Mizuno Akitoshi , Watanabe Masahito , Masaki Tadahiko , Ishikawa Takehiko , Kohara Shinji
Published: February 2007

High‐energy synchrotron X‐ray diffraction experiments were performed for clathrate‐forming barium–germanium (Ba–Ge) alloys in the liquid state near the eutectic composition. The accurate structure information of highly reactive melts has been obtained by applying electrostatic levitation technique as a containerless method. The structure information obtained from the reverse Monte Carlo simulation suggests that the short‐range ordering between the Ge atoms occurs with the addition of Ba atoms in the liquid Ba–Ge alloys. This can be associated with the formation of the cage‐like structure composed of the Ge atoms in the liquid alloys near the eutectic composition.
Investigation of the Structural Characterization of Mesoporous Molecular Sieves MCM‐41 from Sepiolite
Authors: Jin Shengming , Qiu Guanzhou , Xiao Fei , Chang Yan , Wan Cuifeng , Yang Min
Published: February 2007

Mesoporous molecular sieves, MCM‐41, were synthesized from sepiolite using acid leaching, followed by hydrothermal reconstruction and then calcinations at 540°C for 5 h. The structures and the porosity of MCM‐41 were investigated by means of small‐angle X‐ray diffraction patterns, Brunaer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET), 29Si MAS NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) methods. The results showed that the hexagonal MCM‐41 was formed in an alkaline solution of pH 12, when crystallization was carried out at 100°C for 24 h. The specific surface area, pore diameter, and pore volumes of MCM‐41 from sepiolite were 1036 m2/g, 2.98 nm, and 1.06 cm3/g, respectively. 29Si MAS NMR results revealed that amorphous silica decomposed into Si–O chains consisting of two layers of Si atoms, with Q3 configurations resulting in an increase in the fraction of Q3 configuration during the crystallization of post‐Mg‐extraction sepiolite. The IR results illustrated that the complex of ≡≡SiO−–CTA+ was formed during the synthesis of MCM‐41 from post‐Mg‐extraction sepiolite.
Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry to Follow How Gelcasting Proceeds
Authors: Ng BoonSing , Jansson Kjell , Bergström Lennart
Published: February 2007

Differential scanning calorimetry studies on aqueous low‐toxicity monomer–crosslinker gelcasting systems loaded with zirconia powder provided information on the onset and kinetics of the polymerization reaction. A simple procedure was developed to determine the relative importance of the individual components on the gelation process. It was found that the thermal stability and dissociation of the initiator control the gelation rate and that the zirconia particles accelerate the gelation.
Comparative fitness of invasive and native populations of the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli)
Authors: Liu Deguang , Trumble John T.
Published: February 2007

Two genetically distinct potato psyllid populations [Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) (Homoptera: Psyllidae)] were identified in our previous study: native and invasive. The invasive population, ranging from Baja, Mexico to central California, was the result of a recent invasion, while the native population is endemic to Texas. The native (Texas) and invasive (California) populations were collected from tomato and pepper, respectively, and were examined on both hosts to test the comparative fitness of invasive populations. Our results indicated that on both plant hosts, psyllids from the native range demonstrated higher survivorship, a higher growth index, and shorter development times than the psyllids from invasive populations. The fecundity of the native‐range psyllids also was significantly higher than that of invasive psyllids on tomato, but not on pepper. For the native population, host plant differences for all fitness measurements were not significant. However, within the invasive population, psyllids feeding on tomatoes showed consistently better survivorship and a higher growth index than those feeding on pepper, despite the decreased developmental time required on peppers. The LC50 values (concentrations causing 50% mortality) of both populations were determined for three pesticides. Resistance to two of these pesticides was found in the invasive population. Thus, the invasive quality of the California populations may be related to increased pesticide resistance. However, it is impossible to determine if the California population was preadapted to pesticide resistance, or if the resistance developed after the range expansion and is simply a contributing factor to maintaining the expansion.
Magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound measurements of extraocular muscles in thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy at different stages of the disease
Authors: Lennerstrand Gunnar , Tian Suna , Isberg Bengt , Landau Högbeck Irene , Bolzani Roberto , Tallstedt Leif , Schworm Hermann
Published: February 2007

Purpose:  To assess extraocular muscle (EOM) involvement in thyroid‐associated orbitopathy (TAO) of different stages with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound techniques.

Methods:  A total of 32 patients with TAO were divided into three groups according to whether they had mild active, pronounced active or longstanding inactive disease. Six patients with Graves' disease but no clinical signs of TAO and 10 healthy control subjects were also studied. Muscle volume and cross‐sectional area were measured with MRI. A‐scan ultrasound was used to measure muscle thickness.

Results:  The average MRI volume and maximal cross‐sectional area of the EOM were significantly larger in patients with pronounced active and longstanding inactive TAO than in control subjects. Increased average muscle thickness measured by ultrasound was found mainly in patients with longstanding disease. Muscle enlargement was seen with MRI and ultrasound in individual patients in all patient groups, including those with Graves' disease but no TAO. Bilateral muscle enlargement was revealed by MRI in about two‐thirds of patients with mild active TAO and in all patients with pronounced active and longstanding inactive TAO. Bilateral involvement estimated with ultrasound was less common in all patient groups. The MRI and ultrasound findings were not well correlated in any patient group.

Conclusions:  Extraocular muscle enlargement was seen in all patient groups with TAO of differing levels of severity. Measurements with MRI of muscle volume or maximal cross‐sectional area are considered good indicators of muscle enlargement in TAO.
Detection of CD3ɛ polymorphism in cynomolgus monkeys by a method based on RFLP
Authors: Uda Akihiko , Tanabayashi Kiyoshi , Mukai Ryozaburo , Terao Keiji , Yamada Akio
Published: February 2007

Abstract:  We previously reported that peripheral lymphocytes from about 12% of cynomolgus monkeys lacked reactivity with anti‐rhesus monkey CD3 monoclonal antibody (FN18). The nucleotide sequence analysis of the genes encoding CD3 component proteins revealed that a single amino acid substitutions found in the CD3ɛ chain determined the phenotype. In this study, we attempted to develop a method based on the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and apply it for determination of the genotypes of individual monkeys. Comparison of the phenotype determined by fluorescence‐activated cell sorter analysis with the genotype determined by RFLP analysis revealed that the FN18 ‐positive trait was dominant over the FN18‐negative trait. It was also revealed that allele frequency was significantly different among macaques depending on the geographical region where their ancestors were derived from.
Prevalence of rotavirus and norovirus antibodies in non‐human primates
Authors: Jiang Baoming , McClure Harold M. , Fankhauser Rebecca L. , Monroe Stephan S. , Glass Roger I.
Published: February 2007

Abstract:  Rotavirus and norovirus are associated with a substantial burden of diarrheal disease in humans and some animals, but their role in acute viral gastroenteritis in non‐human primates has not been established. We examined sera from five species of Old and New World monkeys and chimpanzees for antibodies to rotavirus and norovirus by enzyme immunoassays using RRV and three recombinant human norovirus capsid proteins, respectively. Most (88%) of the 3 Old World monkey species (mangabey, pigtail, and rhesus) and apes were seropositive for rotavirus. Norovirus antibody was prevalent in the three monkey species, with 53% (44/83) and 58% (48/83) seropositive for GI and GII strains, respectively. Eleven (92%) of the 12 chimpanzees tested were seropositive for GI norovirus. Given the high rate of infection with both viruses, the role of these agents in causing acute gastroenteritis in non‐human primates and the value of these animals as models of infection and disease need to be assessed.
Dichotomy between CD1a+ and CD83+ dendritic cells in lymph nodes during SIV infection of macaques
Authors: Söderlund Johan , Nilsson Charlotta , Loré Karin , Castanos‐Velez Esmeralda , Ekman Marianne , Heiden Thomas , Biberfeld Gunnel , Andersson Jan , Biberfeld Peter
Published: February 2007

Abstract:  The prevalence and differentiation of dendritic cells (DC) in lymphoid tissue of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)‐infected cynomolgus monkeys was studied during disease progression. Lymph node biopsies were consecutively obtained from clinical rapid and slow progressors until the development of disease consistent with simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (sAIDS) occurred. Quantitative evaluation of CD1a+ DC and the expression of DC antigens related to maturation (CD83, DC‐LAMP and S100b) were performed at the single cell level by in situ image analysis. Despite a persistent prevalence of CD1a+ DC in lymphoid tissue during disease progression, there was a subsequent drop of mature CD83+, DC‐LAMP+ and S100b+ DC, correlating with the decline of CD4+ T cells in blood. Thus, disease progression to sAIDS was associated with impaired maturation of DC, and lack of CD83, DC‐LAMP and S100b expression.
The effect of micro‐motion on the tissue response around immediately loaded roughened titanium implants in the rabbit
Authors: Vandamme Katleen , Naert Ignace , Geris Liesbet , Sloten Jozef Vander , Puers Robert , Duyck Joke
Published: February 2007

Initial osteogenesis at the implant interface is, to a great extent, determined by the implant surface characteristics and the interfacial loading conditions. The present study investigated the effect of various degrees of relative movement on the tissue differentiation around a roughened screw‐shaped immediately loaded implant. Repeated‐sampling bone chambers were installed in the tibia of 10 rabbits. In each of the chambers, three experiments were performed by inducing 0 (control), 30, and 90 µm implant displacement for 9 wk. A linear mixed model and a logistic mixed model with α = 5% determined statistical significance. Tissue filling of the bone chamber was similar for the three test conditions. The bone area fraction was significantly higher for 90 µm implant displacement compared with no displacement. A significantly higher fraction of bone trabeculae was found for 30 and 90 µm implant displacement compared with the unloaded situation. The incidence of osteoid‐to‐implant and bone‐to‐implant contact was significantly higher for 90 µm implant displacement compared with 30 and 0 µm implant displacement. Significantly more osteoid in contact with the implant was found for the loaded conditions compared with no loading. Well‐controlled micro‐motion positively influenced bone formation at the interface of a roughened implant. An improved bone reaction was detected with increasing micro‐motion.
A simulated oral hygiene model to determine the efficacy of repeated exposure of amine oxide on the viability of Streptococcus mutans biofilms
Authors: Fraud S. , Maillard J. ‐Y. , Denyer S. P. , Kaminski M. A. , Hanlon G. W.
Published: February 2007

The use of biocide in oral care products is important for controlling microbial pathogens. However, the use of biofilm tests that investigate repeated exposure to biocide, to mimic in situ treatment, has rarely been reported in the literature. The present study describes the application of a biofilm‐based efficacy protocol, for testing the effect of repeated exposure to antimicrobials on biofilm, in an attempt to mimic oral care regimens. The activity of different treatment regimens, including repeated exposure to amine oxide (AO; C10‐C16‐alkyldimethyl N‐oxides; 1.1% v/v), was conducted against 16‐h Streptococcus mutans biofilms grown on hydroxyapatite disks. Single exposure to AO alone produced a 3 log10 reduction in microbial count, but when combined with mechanical removal, a 5 log10 reduction in microbial count was observed. Treatments incorporating repeated exposure to AO reduced the microbial count below the level of detection, even when exposure to AO was interspersed with recovery periods. The presence of organic load produced an additional 2 log10 reduction in the microbial count. This study showed that the application of a biofilm‐based efficacy protocol to mimic oral care regimens allowed the reproducible testing of repeated antimicrobial exposures against bacterial biofilm. In addition, AO was confirmed to be an excellent biocide for eliminating S. mutans biofilms and could therefore be beneficial in oral care formulations.