bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pain and Temperature Encoding in the Human Thalamic Somatic Sensory Nucleus (Ventral caudal): Inhibition-Related Bursting Evoked by Somatic Stimuli
Authors: Lee J.-I. , Ohara S. , Dougherty P. M. , Lenz F. A.
Published: May 2005

Stimulus-evoked inhibitory events have not been demonstrated in thalamic spike trains encoding of pain and temperature stimuli. We have now tested the hypothesis that the human thalamic response to mechanical and thermal stimuli is characterized by low-threshold calcium spike (LTS)-associated bursts of high-frequency action potentials preceded by prolonged inhibition. The results included 57 neurons recorded in the human thalamic principal somatic sensory nucleus (ventral caudal, Vc) of 24 patients during awake surgery. Neurons were classified by the grading of their response with stimulus intensity into the painful range (graded or nongraded) and the stimulus response (to mechanical, cold, or heat stimuli). Firing rates were analyzed by the response to all stimuli combined (stimuli overall) and to the stimulus characteristic of the stimulus response type (optimal stimulus), e.g., cold stimuli for neurons of the cold stimulus response type. All neuronal categories had clear stimulus-evoked LTS bursting as identified by the criteria for selecting bursts in the spike train, by significant preburst inhibition, and by preburst inter-spike interval not significantly <100ms. Stimulus-evoked LTS burst rates were significantly higher for neurons in the cold stimulus response type independent of the firing rate between bursts. The parameters of preburst inhibition were largely independent of the neuronal category and the stimuli included in the analysis, which suggests inhibitory mechanisms are similar across neuronal types. Therefore LTS bursting is a substantial, nonlinear component of the spontaneous and stimulus-evoked activity of thalamic neurons in awake humans.
Synaptic Transmission at the Cochlear Nucleus Endbulb Synapse During Age-Related Hearing Loss in Mice
Authors: Wang Yong , Manis Paul B.
Published: May 2005

Age-related hearing loss (AHL) typically starts from high-frequency regions of the cochlea and over time invades lower-frequency regions. During this progressive hearing loss, sound-evoked activity in spiral ganglion cells is reduced. DBA mice have an early onset of AHL. In this study, we examined synaptic transmission at the endbulb of Held synapse between auditory nerve fibers and bushy cells in the anterior ventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN). Synaptic transmission in hearing-impaired high-frequency areas of the AVCN was altered in old DBA mice. The spontaneous miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (mEPSC) frequency was substantially reduced (about 60%), and mEPSCs were significantly slower (about 115%) and smaller (about 70%) in high-frequency regions of old (average age 45 days) DBA mice compared with tonotopically matched regions of young (average age 22 days) DBA mice. Moreover, synaptic release probability was about 30% higher in high-frequency regions of young DBA than that in old DBA mice. Auditory nerve–evoked EPSCs showed less rectification in old DBA mice, suggesting recruitment of GluR2 subunits into the AMPA receptor complex. No similar age-related changes in synaptic release or EPSCs were found in age-matched, normal hearing young and old CBA mice. Taken together, our results suggest that auditory nerve activity plays a critical role in maintaining normal synaptic function at the endbulb of Held synapse after the onset of hearing. Auditory nerve activity regulates both presynaptic (release probability) and postsynaptic (receptor composition and kinetics) function at the endbulb synapse after the onset of hearing.
Sex Differences in the Cannabinoid Modulation of an A-Type K+ Current in Neurons of the Mammalian Hypothalamus
Authors: Tang Stephanie L. , Tran Vythao , Wagner Edward J.
Published: May 2005

Cannabinoids regulate biological processes governed by the hypothalamus including, but not limited to, energy homeostasis and reproduction. The present study sought to determine whether cannabinoids modulate A-type K+ currents ( IA) in neurons of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC). Whole cell patch-clamp recordings were performed in slices through the ARC prepared from castrated female and male guinea pigs. Forty percent of guinea pig ARC neurons exhibited a transient outward current that was antagonized by high (mM) concentrations of 4-aminopyridine and (100 nM) rHeteropodatoxin-2. Five of these neurons also were immunopositive for both β-endorphin and the Kv4.2 channel subunit. Bath application of the CB1 receptor agonists WIN 55,212–2 (1 μM) or ACEA (1 μM) selectively induced a rightward shift in the inactivation curve for the IA, significantly increasing the half-maximal voltage without affecting the peak current magnitude, in neurons from female but not male animals. The CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (1 μM) reversed this action. Collectively, these data reveal that guinea pig ARC neurons, including proopiomelanocortin neurons, express a prominent IA that is positively modulated by cannabinoids in a sex-specific way by altering the voltage dependence of its inactivation. The resultant inhibitory effect on this neuronal population may shed some insight into the mechanism(s) by which cannabinoids influence hypothalamic function.
Interaural Translational VOR: Suppression, Enhancement, and Cognitive Control
Authors: Ramat Stefano , Straumann Dominik , Zee David S.
Published: May 2005

We investigated the influence of cognitive factors on the early response of the interaural translational vestibuloocular reflex (tVOR) in six normal subjects. Variables were prior knowledge of direction of head motion and the position of the fixation target relative to the head [head-fixed (HF) or space-fixed (SF)]. A manually driven device provided a step-like head translation (∼35 mm distance, peak acceleration, 0.6–1.3 g). Subjects looked at the SF or HF target located 15 cm in front of their heads in otherwise complete darkness. The testing paradigms were: random interleaving of SF and HF targets with unknown direction of head movement, known target location with random head direction (SFR or HFR), and known target location with known head direction (SFP or HFP). Timing was always unpredictable. A “gain” of the slow phase was calculated with respect to ideal performance (maintained fixation of the SF target, recorded/ideal eye velocity computed at time of peak head velocity). At such times, there were no significant differences in gain between HF and SF trials in the random condition; the average gain was ∼36% of ideal. On the other hand, responses in the SFR and HFR conditions differed as early as 20 ms after the head began moving. Average gain was higher (0.43 ± 0.11 vs. 0.34 ± 0.14; means ± SD, P < 0.05) for each subject in the SFR than the HFR condition. For SFP and HFP, the responses differed from the onset of head motion. Average slow-phase gain was higher (0.49 ± 0.12 vs. 0.31 ± 0.12, P < 0.02) for each subject in SFP than in HFP. The timing of corrective saccades during the tVOR was also influenced by cognitive factors. Visual error signals seemed to be more important for triggering saccades in HF trials, whereas preprogramming, probably based on labyrinthine information, seemed to be more important in SF trials. Simulations showed that the changes in slow-phase gain with cognition could be reproduced with simple parametric adjustments of the gain of activity from otolith afferents and suggest that higher-level cognitive control of the VOR could occur as early as the synapse of peripheral afferents on neurons in the vestibular nuclei, either directly from higher level centers or via the cerebellum. In sum, the tVOR—both in its slow-phase response and the saccadic corrections—is subject to “higher-level” cognitive influences including knowledge of where the line of sight must point during head motion and the impending direction of head motion.
Transient analysis of a fluid queue driven by a birth and death process suggested by a chain sequence
Authors: Parthasarathy P. R. , Sericola B. , Vijayashree K. V.
Published: May 2005

We analyse the transient behaviour of a fluid queue driven by a
birth and death process (BDP) whose birth and death rates are
suggested by a chain sequence. For the BDP suggested by a chain
sequence, the stationary probabilities do not exist and
hence the stationary buffer content distribution for fluid queues driven by such BDP does not exist.
However, their transient distribution is obtained in a simple
closed form by two different approaches: the first is
the continued fraction approach and the second is an approach
in terms of recurrence relation by an analysis similar
to that of Sericola (1998). The probability for the
buffer content to be empty at an arbitrary time is also studied.
The variations in this performance measure are revealed in the
form of graphs. Numerical illustrations are included.
Davis‐type theorems for martingale difference sequences
Authors: Stoica George
Published: May 2005

We study Davis‐type theorems on the optimal rate of convergence of
moderate deviation probabilities. In the case of martingale
difference sequences, under the finite
pth moments hypothesis
(1 ≤ p < ∞), and depending on the normalization factor,
our results show that Davis′ theorems either hold if and only if
p > 2 or fail for all p ≥ 1. This is in sharp contrast with
the classical case of i.i.d. centered sequences, where both Davis′
theorems hold under the finite second moment hypothesis (or less).
Partnerships in urban development: a review of Ahmedabad’s experience
Authors: Dutta Shyam S.
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the experiences in Ahmedabad of urban partnerships recently formed by the municipal corporation, the private sector (especially one of the most successful textiles groups), local NGOs and community organizations. The Slum Networking Project is the most interesting of these experiences. The paper describes the organization, financing and implementation of this project’s pilot phase and its later extension to other areas. It also discusses the difficulties faced in developing the Slum Networking Project and the institutional challenges to successfully scaling it up. The scope of the municipal corporation’s work was supported by a major improvement in the generation and management of its finances and by the national reforms (under the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act 1992) which sought to strengthen democratic government at city level.
The rise and fall of government - community partnerships for urban development: grassroots testimony from Colombo
Authors: Russell Steven , Vidler Elizabeth
Published: May 2005

This paper presents evaluations of government policies by poor residents of Colombo who were active participants in initiatives to improve housing and basic services. Their testimony tells of the radical break from conventional, top-down approaches within the government’s Million Houses Programme during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Community development councils and a participatory methodology known as community action planning meant that residents and community leaders worked with government officers to identify problems, set priorities and develop solutions. But it proved difficult to sustain these in the face of widespread poverty, entrenched government institutions and power structures antagonistic to community participation. The grassroots testimony also tells of the difficulties of preventing NGOs from controlling the initiatives and politicians from undermining them. The participatory approaches were abandoned when the government changed in the mid-1990s.
El Mezquital: a community’s struggle for development
Authors: Díaz Andrés Cabanas , Grant Emma , del Cid Vargas Paula Irene , Velásquez Verónica Sajbin
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the history of the community in El Mezquital, from the land invasion in the mid 1980s, through its consolidation and growth, until the present, drawing principally on interviews with the inhabitants and staff from supporting agencies. It analyzes the development of the different, and sometimes conflicting, community organizations and compares their different mandates and objectives. It shows important processes of community empowerment, the changing role of women and community self-help initiatives. It also describes how, in much of the settlement, basic infrastructure and services were in place and of good quality. However, it also highlights the lack of employment opportunities, how many people still live in overcrowded conditions, and the problems of violence, drug addiction and street children. It also highlights the inadequacies on the part of government agencies - including their incapacity to respond to the needs of the community, their under-estimation of community capacity and the attempts at political manipulation.
City governance and poverty: the case of Kumasi
Authors: Devas Nick , Korboe David
Published: May 2005

This paper discusses the factors that influence the scale and nature of poverty in Kumasi, with a special focus on the role of city government and other governmental bodies. It reviews critically the impact of city government’s policies on the livelihoods of poorer groups and their access to essential services, and notes the limited impact of democratization and decentralization on improving the performance of government agencies, particularly in relation to the urban poor. It also discusses what factors have helped to limit the scale and extent of poverty, including the role of traditional land allocation systems, donor involvement and supportive ethnic networks.
Urban management, urban poverty and urban governance: planning and land management in Maputo
Authors: Jenkins Paul
Published: May 2005

This paper reviews the approach to urban land management widely supported by international agencies, and its application in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. It describes the scale of poverty in Maputo, where more than half the population is poor, including 30 percent who are destitute. Most of the city’s population gets land for housing through the informal market. Access to formal ownership, often through illegal means, serves mainly the economic and political elites. The paper reviews the limitations of a programme that was meant to improve urban management; but with an emphasis that was inappropriate in the face of massive poverty and unrealistic in regard to the institutional and political realities. In conclusion, the paper argues that urban management improvements have to focus on demand-driven social improvements (in this instance improving informal land access for the majority) as much as on economic ones (for example, improving formal land access for the minority). It also notes the often under-estimated difficulties in improving urban management within countries with fragile local governments, especially where the adverse effects of structural adjustment and globalization are strong
Poverty and political conflict in Mombasa
Authors: Rakodi Carole , Gatabaki-Kamau Rose , Devas Nick
Published: May 2005

This paper describes how complex political struggles in Mombasa underlie the inadequate provision for basic infrastructure and services, and the corruption and lack of accountability within government. These struggles are underpinned by overlapping responsibilities and rivalry between central and local government, and a political system (both national and local) which plays on ethnic and tribal loyalties as a basis for support and reward. The paper also describes how and why the city has failed to fully realize its economic potential, has extensive poverty and experiences major inadequacies in provision for water, sanitation, garbage collection, health care, education and housing. Drawing on the findings of a recent participatory poverty assessment, the paper outlines the coping strategies of poor and very poor households and suggests measures which would help ensure that their needs receive more attention.
The home as workplace: a study of income-generating activities within the domestic setting
Authors: Kellett Peter , Tipple A Graham
Published: May 2005

Many studies of housing concentrate on the dwelling as a place of shelter for the household, as a unit of accommodation and as a key setting for social reproduction. However, in many parts of the world the dwelling is also a place of production: some or all of the household members may be involved in income-generating activities, ranging from small-scale, part-time tasks with few specific spatial demands, to manufacturing activities which may dominate the dwelling environment. This paper draws on a pilot research study into the housing implications of home-based enterprises undertaken in a squatter settlement in New Delhi, India. In addition to a questionnaire survey, detailed case histories of selected households’ work and housing situations were recorded, and plans of dwellings drawn. Drawing on this data, the paper examines the spatial and social implications of income-generating activities and discusses how an analysis of the integration of non-domestic activities can inform and broaden our understanding of the meaning of home.
Leicester environment city: learning how to make Local Agenda 21, partnerships and participation deliver
Authors: Roberts Ian
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the pioneering experience of the city of Leicester (in the UK) over the last 10 years in developing its Local Agenda 21, and other aspects of its work towards environmental improvement and sustainable development. It includes details of measures to improve public transport and to reduce congestion, traffic accidents, car use and air pollution. It also describes measures to improve housing quality for low-income households, to reduce fossil fuel use and increase renewable energy use and to make the city council’s own operations a model for reducing resource use and waste. It also describes how this was done - the specialist working groups that sought to make partnerships work (and their strengths and limitations), the information programmes to win hearts and minds, the many measures to encourage widespread participation (and the difficulties in involving under-represented groups) and the measures to make local governments, businesses and other groups develop the ability and habit of responding to the local needs identified in participatory consultations.
Waiting at the tap: changes in urban water use in East Africa over three decades
Authors: Thompson John , Porras Ina T. , Wood Elisabeth , Tumwine James K. , Mujwahuzi Mark R. , Katui-Katua Munguti , Johnstone Nick
Published: May 2005

This paper reports on changes in water supplies in 16 sites in nine East African urban centres (including Nairobi and Dar es Salaam) between 1967 and 1997. The sites included both low-income and affluent neighbourhoods. In most sites, water supplies had deteriorated. For sites that already had piped water in 1967, most received less water per day in 1997 and had more unreliable supplies. For households without piped supplies, the average time spent collecting water in 1997 was more than three times that in 1967. One of the most notable changes when comparing 1997 to 1967 was the much greater importance of private water vending through kiosks or vendors; these had become a booming business in many of the low- and middle-income sites. But on average, those using kiosks were spending almost 2 hours a day collecting water and the water from kiosks was nearly twice the price of piped supplies.
Partnerships in urban environmental management: an approach to solving environmental problems in Nakuru, Kenya
Authors: Mwangi Samson Wokabi
Published: May 2005

This paper considers the potentials and limitations of partnerships between municipal authorities and local and external groups in addressing environmental problems, and illustrates this with an account of the experience in the city of Nakuru in developing such partnerships. It describes the serious inadequacies in the provision for water, sanitation and solid waste management in Nakuru, and then describes the Localizing Agenda 21 Programme that was developed in the city, supported by a variety of national and international agencies and NGOs. It points to this programme’s strengths and limitations and highlights the difficulties facing any under-resourced municipality in developing partnerships without more support from national government and more local capacity to work with low-income groups and their community organizations.
Private sector participation and municipal waste management in Benin City, Nigeria
Authors: Ogu Vincent Ifeanyi
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the inadequacies of public provision for solid waste collection and disposal in Benin City (and also in other Nigerian cities) and the limitations of the privatized schemes that have sought to address these inadequacies. Its description of solid waste management in Benin City draws on the author’s interviews with 591 households which revealed that three-fifths had no solid waste collection service and which highlighted the inadequacies in the services for much of the rest. The paper also describes the lack of resources available to the public agency responsible for service provision and the inadequacies in the privatization scheme set up in 1995 to address this issue. It ends by stressing the need for private provision arrangements that are tailored to the characteristics of different parts of the city and by suggesting the kinds of arrangements that should work better in the low-income areas which are generally the ones least served by conventional public sector or privatized arrangements.
Urban expansion and loss of agricultural land - a GIS based study of Saharanpur City, India
Authors: Fazal Shahab
Published: May 2005

This paper uses remote sensing (aerial photographs and satellite images) combined with field checks and surveys to measure the loss of agricultural land to urban expansion in Saharanpur City between 1988 and 1998. It shows how such techniques allow a detailed mapping of land use changes and includes details of the location of the agricultural land losses, the nature of the land use changes that caused these and the quality of the agricultural land that was lost. The paper also describes which non agricultural land uses were responsible for most of the agricultural land losses and discusses what these findings imply for India and for other nations where urbanization is reducing the supply of high quality agricultural land.
Meet the Philippines Homeless People’s Federation
Authors:   Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation Incorporated (VMSDFI), Manila
Published: May 2005

This photo-essay describes how the Philippines Homeless People’s Federation was formed, to bring together low-income community organizations that had developed housing savings groups in many different cities and to encourage and support the formation of other savings groups. The Federation now has over 20,000 member families who are saving and who are either developing their own homes or seeking ways to do so - for instance, negotiating for secure land, forming homeowner associations, identifying sites on which they can build and exploring sources for loans. In common with similar federations in other countries (with whom there is constant contact), there is a strong emphasis on community-managed savings schemes, community-to-community exchanges (so members can learn from each other’s experiences and discuss the best solutions for each particular case) and negotiating with governments with clear, carefully costed proposals that show how much the communities can do for themselves.
The urban poor under threat and in struggle: options for urban development in Zimbabwe, 1995-2000
Authors: Chitekwe Beth , Mitlin Diana
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the development of savings schemes by urban poor groups in different urban centres in Zimbabwe and their negotiations with local authorities to allow them to develop their own homes and neighbourhoods. It also describes how these savings schemes developed into the Zimbabwean Homeless People’s Federation (now with 20,000 members), and the constant inter-change between different savings schemes as they learnt from each other (and from leaders of federations from other countries) and encouraged new savings schemes to be set up. Despite very difficult political circumstances and economic problems, there are housing and income generation schemes underway in many Zimbabwean urban centres, organized and managed by urban poor groups’ own savings schemes. The larger ones are inevitably those where local authorities have recognized their potential and provided appropriate support.
The Ilo Clean Air Project: a local response to industrial pollution control in Peru
Authors: Boon Ronald G.J. , Alexaki Anastasia , Becerra Ernesto Herrera
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the very high levels of air pollution generated in the city of Ilo and its surroundings by a nearby copper smelter, and the efforts of the local authorities to address the problem. After many years of limited results in seeking to persuade the copper smelter’s owners to reduce emissions, in 1997 Ilo’s local authorities began implementing the Ilo Clean Air project, with support from international organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Council for Local Environmental Inititiatives (ICLEI). A system that monitors levels of sulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter was developed. The project also assesses the impacts of air pollution on the health of children and on crops, and it has developed a contingency plan to limit health impacts during air pollution episodes. The Ilo Clean Air project complements many other environmental management innovations implemented over the last 20 years for which Ilo has become well-known. Past experience shows that a positive vision of the future, a local authority committed to consultation, and consistent leadership are key factors in successful urban management.
Globalization and social exclusion in cities: framing the debate with lessons from Africa and Asia
Authors: Beall Jo
Published: May 2005

This paper considers the contradictory roles demanded of city governments as they seek to keep their cities competitive in an increasingly globalized world economy while also having increasing responsibilities for addressing social problems, and making local economic development less exclusionary. After reviewing debates on globalization, social exclusion and their interconnections, the paper discusses the impact of globalization on the sweepers in Faisalabad (Pakistan) and on livelihoods in Johannesburg. In Johannesburg, the new socially excluded are those who are superfluous to the requirements of the global economy and Johannesburg’s position within it. Exclusionary processes associated with globalization (including changes in the international division of labour) graft themselves onto local dynamics of social exclusion. The scope for government action at national and city level is also reduced by the downsizing of governments, and liberalization, privatization and deregulation.
From global intercity competition to cooperation for livable cities and economic resilience in Pacific Asia
Authors: Douglass Mike
Published: May 2005

The Pacific Asian urban transition is part of a process of globalization that is pitting city against city during intensifying games of competition for internationally footloose investment. The major dilemma posed by this form of globalization is how to make cities more livable and environmentally sound as vagabond capital demands higher levels of subsidies and giveaways, and lower impositions of environmental costs on business. Intercity cooperation within and among nations is proposed, to overcome the “grow now, clean up the environment later” syndrome, by using livability as a means of securing global investment and gaining greater local economic resilience.
The changing nature of the informal sector in Karachi as a result of global restructuring and liberalization
Authors: Hasan Arif
Published: May 2005

This paper describes how much of Karachi’s population has relied on informal settlements for housing, informal infrastructure for water and sanitation, informal services for health care and education and informal enterprises for employment. These have filled the gap between what large sections of the population needed and what neither government nor formal private enterprises provided. The paper then discusses the changes that global restructuring and liberalization have brought, which include inflation (as the rupee devalued) and the decline of light engineering industry (unable to compete with cheap imports), and carpets and textiles production (in part because of greatly increased electricity charges). It suggests that, while the communications revolution helps fuel aspirations, the informal organizations and the middlemen that manage them will no longer bridge the gap between needs and aspirations for most of the population. Since there is no sign of new private investment, the result is also growing unemployment and widening inequalities. As yet, there is no research on the long-term effects of liberalization on this city with some 10 million inhabitants.
Local funds, and their potential to allow donor agencies to support community development and poverty reduction in urban areas: Workshop report
Authors: Satterthwaite David
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the growing number of local funds or local institutions through which international agencies or national governments channel resources to support community initiatives. It discusses the advantages that these can have over more conventional projects in reducing urban poverty (including their flexibility, fast response time, demand-driven nature and local accountability). It discusses how they differ from social funds, and points to their strategic value in changing official perceptions of “the poor”, in strengthening the capacity of urban poor organizations and in enhancing partnerships between community organizations and municipal governments. The paper ends with a discussion of the challenges that these local funds pose, both for the local institutions who manage them and for donors who fund them.
The mismatch between politics, aid and environmental health with particular reference to cholera in Madagascar
Authors: Coit Katharine
Published: May 2005

This paper discusses the many reasons why environmental health is given too low a priority by governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and why limited resources are often used ineffectively. It illustrates this with a case study of the ineffectiveness of government action to control cholera in Madagascar and of the political reasons why the government was unwilling to work with the international agency, Médecins sans Frontières. The paper concludes with a discussion of the institutional, political and economic, technical and socio-cultural hindrances to effective government action and of the research agenda needed to help ensure more effective environmental health.
“Wakimbizi, wakimbizi”: Congolese refugee boys’ and girls’ perspectives on life in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Mann Gillian
Published: May 2005

This paper draws on interviews and discussions with 40 Congolese refugee boys and girls who live in Dar es Salaam. It describes their lives and the difficulties they face, and discusses the implications of their clandestine existence (since refugees are not meant to live in Dar but to stay in refugee camps). Children have to conceal their identities and often have their mobility restricted by parents for fear that they will be identified as refugees. Children talk about the harassment they suffer and how they learn to distrust all strangers. Many parents do not send their children to school because they feel their time in Dar is temporary. Most children still think of Congo as home and have little hope that things will improve if they stay in Dar es Salaam. The paper discusses the need to recognize the rights of the “hidden” refugees, who are common and often numerous in many African cities.
Motivating municipal action for children: the Municipal Seal of Approval in Ceará, Brazil
Authors: Fuentes Patricio , Niimi Reiko
Published: May 2005

This paper describes how municipalities in the state of Ceará (Brazil) were encouraged to compete to obtain a Municipal Seal of Approval, based on their performance in meeting children’s needs and rights. It describes how the programme was implemented, including the criteria used to judge performance, the communication strategy to encourage municipal participation and the measures taken to avoid rewarding only the better-resourced municipalities. It also discusses the scheme’s links with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1988 constitution, with its support for local rights and guardianship councils and for decentralization and local democracy. It describes the results, which included major declines in infant mortality and child malnutrition rates, and improved school attendance and health care, and considers the implications: the scheme’s capacity to mobilize civil society, local authorities and mayors in ways which deliver measurable progress for children despite no monetary reward for the successful municipalities and the small UNICEF budget that supported it.
Containing children: some lessons on planning for play from New York City
Authors: Hart Roger
Published: May 2005

This paper relates the history of playground provision in New York to changing conceptions of childhood, and specifically to a felt need to ’contain’ children in order to keep them off the streets, safe from traffic and unsavoury influences - a trend that children have tended to resist. Playgrounds most often substitute a narrow range of physical activity for the spontaneous play in diverse environments that children more naturally crave. Not only do playgrounds fail to satisfy the complexity of children’s developmental needs, they also tend to separate children from the daily life of their communities - exposure to which is fundamental to the development of civil society. What is needed, argues the author, is not more segregated playgrounds, but a greater attempt to make neighbourhoods safe and welcoming for children, responding to their own preferences for free play close to home.
Exploring youth and community relations in Cali, Colombia
Authors:   Asociación Arte y Cultura (ASOARTE),   Asociación Mision Mixta (AMM),   Fundación Grupo Experimental de Alternativas Culturales (GEAC),   Asociación de Mujeres Activas por un Futuro Mejor (MAFUM)
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the findings of four youth groups in Cali, who conducted exploratory qualitative research in their marginalized and violent neighbourhoods, looking at the social networks, resources and assets of local community members. Their research focused especially on the ways in which young people capitalize on their social supports in the absence of material assets. Whilst there was a sense of social solidarity in these neighbourhoods, this could not make up for the absence of any institutional presence. The authors call for further research, but make some preliminary recommendations regarding the need for collective discussion and activities to strengthen community ties, and to pave the way for building links with external groups and institutions.
Diagnosis and Management of Infectious Esophagitis Associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
Authors: Zaidi Syed Ali , Cervia Joseph S.
Published: May 2005

Esophageal disease is a common complication and cause of morbidity in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Opportunistic infections are the leading cause of esophageal complaints and may be a predictor of poor long-term prognosis, presumably as a reflection of severe underlying HIV immunodeficiency. The esophagus may be the site of the first acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining opportunistic illness in a large number of patients. Barium esophagography and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy are diagnostic modalities, commonly used to evaluate esophageal complaints in patients with AIDS. Treatment for most etiologies of esophagitis generally has a high degree of success, with a resultant improvement in quality of life. In addition to optimizing antiretroviral therapy, a thorough diagnostic assessment of every HIV-infected patient with esophageal complaints is warranted, followed by timely and appropriate treatment.
Fragility Fractures in HIV-Infected Patients: Need for Better Understanding of Diagnosis and Management
Authors: McComsey Grace A. , Huang Jeannie S. , Woolley Ian J. , Young Benjamin , Sax Paul E. , Gerber Marisa , Swindells Susan , Bonilla Hector , Gopalakrishnan Geetha
Published: May 2005

HIV infection, AIDS, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been associated with bone fragility fractures, although the prevalence and incidence are not well studied by researchers. In HIV and ART, osteopenia and osteoporosis are multifactorial, and health promotion or medical health maintenance should anticipate and prevent morbidity of bone fragility fractures.
Symptomatic relief precedes improvement of myocardial blood flow in patients under spinal cord stimulation
Authors: Diedrichs Holger , Zobel Carsten , Theissen Peter , Weber Michael , Koulousakis Athanassios , Schicha Harald , Schwinger Robert HG
Published: May 2005

Background

Spinal cord electrical stimulation (SCS) has shown to be a treatment option for patients suffering from angina pectoris CCS III-IV although being on optimal medication and not suitable for conventional treatment strategies, e.g. CABG or PTCA. Although many studies demonstrated a clear symptomatic relief under SCS therapy, there are only a few short-term studies that investigated alterations in cardiac ischemia. Therefore doubts remain whether SCS has a direct effect on myocardial perfusion.

Methods

A prospective study to investigate the short- and long-term effect of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on myocardial ischemia in patients with refractory angina pectoris and coronary multivessel disease was designed. Myocardial ischemia was measured by MIBI-SPECT scintigraphy 3 months and 12 months after the beginning of neurostimulation. To further examine the relation between cardiac perfusion and functional status of the patients we measured exercise capacity (bicycle ergometry and 6-minute walk test), symptoms and quality of life (Seattle Angina Questionnaire [SAQ]), as well.

Results

31 patients (65 ± 11 SEM years; 25 male, 6 female) were included into the study. The average consumption of short acting nitrates (SAN) decreased rapidly from 12 ± 1.6 times to 3 ± 1 times per week. The walking distance and the maximum workload increased from 143 ± 22 to 225 ± 24 meters and 68 ± 7 to 96 ± 12 watt after 3 months. Quality of life increased (SAQ) significantly after 3 month compared to baseline, as well. No further improvement was observed after one year of treament. Despite the symptomatic relief and the improvement in maximal workload computer based analysis (Emory Cardiac Toolbox) of the MIBI-SPECT studies after 3 months of treatment did not show significant alterations of myocardial ischemia compared to baseline (16 patients idem, 7 with increase and 6 with decrease of ischemia, 2 patients dropped out during initial test phase). Interestingly, in the long-term follow up after one year 16 patients (of 27 who completed the one year follow up) showed a clear decrease of myocardial ischemia and only one patient still had an increase of ischemia compared to baseline.

Conclusion

Thus, spinal cord stimulation not only relieves symptoms, but reduces myocardial ischemia as well. However, since improvement in symptoms and exercise capacity starts much earlier, decreased myocardial ischemia might not be a direct effect of neurostimulation but rather be due to a better coronary collateralisation because of an enhanced physical activity of the patients.
SuperLigands – a database of ligand structures derived from the Protein Data Bank
Authors: Michalsky Elke , Dunkel Mathias , Goede Andrean , Preissner Robert
Published: May 2005

Background

Currently, the PDB contains approximately 29,000 protein structures comprising over 70,000 experimentally determined three-dimensional structures of over 5,000 different low molecular weight compounds. Information about these PDB ligands can be very helpful in the field of molecular modelling and prediction, particularly for the prediction of protein binding sites and function.

Description

Here we present an Internet accessible database delivering PDB ligands in the MDL Mol file format which, in contrast to the PDB format, includes information about bond types. Structural similarity of the compounds can be detected by calculation of Tanimoto coefficients and by three-dimensional superposition. Topological similarity of PDB ligands to known drugs can be assessed via Tanimoto coefficients.

Conclusion

SuperLigands supplements the set of existing resources of information about small molecules bound to PDB structures. Allowing for three-dimensional comparison of the compounds as a novel feature, this database represents a valuable means of analysis and prediction in the field of biological and medical research.
Localization of plasma membrane t-SNAREs syntaxin 2 and 3 in intracellular compartments
Authors: Band Arja M , Kuismanen Esa
Published: May 2005

Background

Membrane fusion requires the formation of a complex between a vesicle protein (v-SNARE) and the target membrane proteins (t-SNAREs). Syntaxin 2 and 3 are t-SNAREs that, according to previous over-expression studies, are predominantly localized at the plasma membrane. In the present study we investigated localization of the endogenous syntaxin 2 and 3.

Results

Endogenous syntaxin 2 and 3 were found in NRK cells in intracellular vesicular structures in addition to regions of the plasma membrane. Treatment of these cells with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), which is known to inactivate membrane fusion, caused syntaxin 3 to accumulate in the trans-Golgi network and syntaxin 2 in perinuclear membrane vesicles. Kinetic analysis in the presence of NEM indicated that this redistribution of syntaxin 2 and 3 takes place via actin containing structures.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that syntaxin 2 cycles between the plasma membrane and the perinuclear compartment whereas syntaxin 3 cycles between the plasma membrane and the trans-Golgi network. It is possible that this cycling has an important role in the regulation of t-SNARE function.
Estimating haplotype frequencies in pooled DNA samples when there is genotyping error
Authors: Quade Shannon RE , Elston Robert C , Goddard Katrina AB
Published: May 2005

Background

Maximum likelihood estimates of haplotype frequencies can be obtained from pooled DNA using the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. Through simulation, we investigate the effect of genotyping error on the accuracy of haplotype frequency estimates obtained using this algorithm. We explore model parameters including allele frequency, inter-marker linkage disequilibrium (LD), genotyping error rate, and pool size.

Results

Pool sizes of 2, 5, and 10 individuals achieved comparable levels of accuracy in the estimation procedure. Common marker allele frequencies and no inter-marker LD result in less accurate estimates. This pattern is observed regardless of the amount of genotyping error simulated.

Conclusion

Genotyping error slightly decreases the accuracy of haplotype frequency estimates. However, the EM algorithm performs well even in the presence of genotyping error. Overall, pools of 2, 5, and 10 individuals yield similar accuracy of the haplotype frequency estimates, while reducing costs due to genotyping.
Linkage mapping bovine EST-based SNP
Authors: Snelling Warren M , Casas Eduardo , Stone Roger T , Keele John W , Harhay Gregory P , Bennett Gary L , Smith Timothy PL
Published: May 2005

Background

Existing linkage maps of the bovine genome primarily contain anonymous microsatellite markers. These maps have proved valuable for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) to broad regions of the genome, but more closely spaced markers are needed to fine-map QTL, and markers associated with genes and annotated sequence are needed to identify genes and sequence variation that may explain QTL.

Results

Bovine expressed sequence tag (EST) and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)sequence data were used to develop 918 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to map genes on the bovine linkage map. DNA of sires from the MARC reference population was used to detect SNPs, and progeny and mates of heterozygous sires were genotyped. Chromosome assignments for 861 SNPs were determined by twopoint analysis, and positions for 735 SNPs were established by multipoint analyses. Linkage maps of bovine autosomes with these SNPs represent 4585 markers in 2475 positions spanning 3058 cM . Markers include 3612 microsatellites, 913 SNPs and 60 other markers. Mean separation between marker positions is 1.2 cM. New SNP markers appear in 511 positions, with mean separation of 4.7 cM. Multi-allelic markers, mostly microsatellites, had a mean (maximum) of 216 (366) informative meioses, and a mean 3-lod confidence interval of 3.6 cM Bi-allelic markers, including SNP and other marker types, had a mean (maximum) of 55 (191) informative meioses, and were placed within a mean 8.5 cM 3-lod confidence interval. Homologous human sequences were identified for 1159 markers, including 582 newly developed and mapped SNP.

Conclusion

Addition of these EST- and BAC-based SNPs to the bovine linkage map not only increases marker density, but provides connections to gene-rich physical maps, including annotated human sequence. The map provides a resource for fine-mapping quantitative trait loci and identification of positional candidate genes, and can be integrated with other data to guide and refine assembly of bovine genome sequence. Even after the bovine genome is completely sequenced, the map will continue to be a useful tool to link observable phenotypes and animal genotypes to underlying genes and molecular mechanisms influencing economically important beef and dairy traits.