bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental and dietary risk factors for infantile atopic eczema among a Slovak birth cohort
Authors: Dunlop Anne L. , Reichrtova Eva , Palcovicova Luba , Ciznar Peter , Adamcakova‐Dodd Andrea , Smith S. J. , McNabb Scott J. N.
Published: March 2006

Infantile atopic eczema (AE) is a risk marker for future asthma. This study assesses the contribution of modifiable exposures to infantile AE. If modifiable exposures contribute substantially to infantile AE, its prevention might be a sensible approach to asthma prevention. Pregnant women (n = 1978) were systematically recruited from maternity hospitals of the Slovak Republic; their birthed cohort of 1990 children were prospectively followed for 1 yr. Children's exposures to selected environmental and dietary factors were assessed via maternal questionnaires administered at delivery and 1 yr of age. A child was considered to have AE, based on physical examination (SCORAD index >2) or mother's report of a previous physician diagnosis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios and percent total regression scores (TRS) for each variable. At 1 yr of age 1326 (67%) of the children remained in the cohort and 207 (15.6%) developed AE. Various modifiable environmental and dietary exposures increased the likelihood of AE (ownership of cats; consumption of infant formula, eggs, and fish) while others decreased the likelihood of AE (ownership of livestock; exclusive breast feeding for ≥4 months). Overall, modifiable exposures contributed less to the TRS than did non‐modifiable exposures (38% vs. 62%, respectively). The modifiable exposure category that contributed most to the TRS was infant feeding practices (27.5% TRS). Modifiable exposures – especially those related to infant feeding practices – significantly contribute to infantile AE, although modifiable factors contribute less overall than do non‐modifiable exposures.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the liver: How I do it
Authors: Semelka Richard C , Martin Diego R , Balci N Cem
Published: March 2006

The present paper provides a brief overview of the rationale behind magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, a description of the most common sequences used, and a general approach to performing liver MRI.
Size and scaling of predator–prey dynamics
Authors: Weitz Joshua S. , Levin Simon A.
Published: March 2006

We propose a scaled version of the Rosenzweig–MacArthur model using both Type I and Type II functional responses that incorporates the size dependence of interaction rates. Our aim is to link the energetic needs of organisms with the dynamics of interacting populations, for which survival is a result of a game‐theoretic struggle for existence. We solve the scaled model of predator–prey dynamics and predict population level characteristics such as the scaling of coexistence size ranges and the optimal predator–prey size ratio. For a broad class of such models, the optimal predator–prey size ratio given available prey of a fixed size is constant. We also demonstrate how scaling predictions of prey density differ under resource limitation vs. predator drawdown. Finally, we show how evolution of predator size can destabilize population dynamics, compare scaling of predator–prey cycles to previous work, as well as discuss possible extensions of the model to multispecies communities.
Dispersal frequency affects local biomass production by controlling local diversity
Authors: Matthiessen Birte , Hillebrand Helmut
Published: March 2006

Dispersal is a major factor regulating the number of coexisting species, but the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem processes has mainly been analysed for communities closed to dispersal. We experimentally investigated how initial local diversity and dispersal frequency affect local diversity and biomass production in open benthic microalgal metacommunities. Final local species richness and local biomass production were strongly influenced by dispersal frequency but not by initial local diversity. Both final local richness and final local biomass showed a hump‐shaped pattern with increasing dispersal frequency, with a maximum at intermediate dispersal frequencies. Consequently, final local biomass increased linearly with increasing final richness. We conclude that the general relationship between richness and ecosystem functioning remains valid in open systems, but the maintenance of ecosystem processes significantly depends on the effects of dispersal on species richness and local interactions.
The prevalence of co‐morbid depression in adults with Type 1 diabetes: systematic literature review
Authors: Barnard K. D. , Skinner T. C. , Peveler R.
Published: March 2006

Aim  To review the literature estimating the cross‐sectional prevalence of clinical depression in adults with Type 1 diabetes.

Methods  Electronic databases and published references were used to identify studies published between January 2000 and June 2004, with a previous meta‐analysis used to identify studies before 1 January 2000.

Results  Between January 2000 and June 2004, a further five eligible studies were identified. Only one was a controlled study using diagnostic interviewing to determine rates of depression. Taking all of the eligible studies identified by the previous meta‐analysis and this search, the prevalence of clinical depression in controlled studies was 12.0% for people with diabetes compared with 3.2% for control subjects. In studies with no control group, the prevalence of clinical depression was 13.4%.

Conclusion  There are wide‐ranging differences reported in the various studies on the prevalence of depression in Type 1 diabetes. In view of the differing methods of diagnosis and small participant numbers, the results should be viewed with caution. A controlled study using diagnostic interviewing techniques to determine levels of depression is recommended to provide a clearer picture of both the prevalence and characteristics of that depression.

Diabet. Med. 23, 445–448 (2006)
Systematic review of methods to diagnose infection in foot ulcers in diabetes
Authors: O'Meara S. , Nelson E. A. , Golder S. , Dalton J. E. , Craig D. , Iglesias C. ,   on behalf of the DASIDU Steering Group (see footnote for members)
Published: March 2006

Aim  To undertake a systematic review of the diagnostic performance of clinical examination, sample acquisition and sample analysis in infected foot ulcers in diabetes.

Methods  Nineteen electronic databases plus other sources were searched. To be included, studies had to fulfil the following criteria: (i) compare a method of clinical assessment, sample collection or sample analysis with a reference standard; (ii) recruit diabetic individuals with foot ulcers; (ii) present 2 × 2 diagnostic data. Studies were critically appraised using a 12‐item checklist.

Results Three eligible studies were identified, one each on clinical examination, sample collection and sample analysis. For all three, study groups were heterogeneous with respect to wound type and a small proportion of participants had foot ulcers due to diabetes. No studies identified an optimum reference standard. Other methodological problems included non‐blind interpretation of tests and the time lag between index and reference tests. Individual signs or symptoms of infection did not prove to be useful tests when assessed against punch biopsy as the reference standard. The wound swab did not perform well when assessed against tissue biopsy. Semiquantitative analysis of wound swab might be a useful alternative to quantitative analysis. The limitations of these findings and their impact on recommendations from relevant clinical guidelines are discussed.

Conclusion  Given the importance of this topic, it is surprising that only three eligible studies were identified. It was not possible to describe the optimal methods of diagnosing infection in diabetic patients with foot ulceration from the evidence identified in this systematic review.

Diabet. Med. 23, 341–347 (2006)
Variants in the gene encoding aldose reductase (AKR1B1) and diabetic nephropathy in American Indians
Authors: Wolford J. K. , Yeatts K. A. , Eagle A. R. Red , Nelson R. G. , Knowler W. C. , Hanson R. L.
Published: March 2006

Aims  The aldose reductase gene (AKR1B1) is a strong candidate for diabetic nephropathy, and the T allele at rs759853 and the Z‐2 allele at an [AC]n microsatellite are associated with diabetic kidney disease in some populations. As AKR1B1 is located on 7q35, where we have previously reported linkage to diabetic nephropathy in Pima Indians, this study examined the association of AKR1B1 variants with diabetic nephropathy in this population.

Methods  AKR1B1 variants were identified by sequencing and genotyped using allelic discrimination and pyrosequencing. Genotype distributions were compared between 107 cases with diabetic end‐stage renal disease and 108 control subjects with diabetes for ≥ 10 years and no evidence of nephropathy, and between 141 individuals with nephropathy and 416 individuals without heavy proteinuria in a family study of 257 sibships.

Results  We identified 11 AKR1B1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the [AC]n microsatellite polymorphism. Three SNPs were rare and two were in 100% genotypic concordance; thus, eight polymorphisms were genotyped. No variant was associated with diabetic kidney disease in the case‐control or family‐based study. For example, the T allele at rs759853 had an allele frequency of 0.165 in cases and 0.171 in control subjects (OR = 0.96, 95% CI, 0.57–1.59, P = 0.86); in the family study its frequency was 0.140 and 0.169 in affected and unaffected individuals, respectively (OR = 0.90, 95% CI, 0.53–1.54 P = 0.71). Corresponding values for the Z‐2 allele at the [AC]n microsatellite were OR = 1.09 (95% CI 0.72–1.66, P = 0.67) and OR = 1.25 (95% CI 0.81–1.95, P = 0.31) in the case‐control and family studies, respectively.

Conclusions  Common AKR1B1 polymorphisms are unlikely to be major determinants of diabetic nephropathy in this population.

Diabet. Med. 23, 367–376 (2006)
The metabolic syndrome in an Arab population: a first look at the new International Diabetes Federation criteria
Authors: Harzallah F. , Alberti H. , Ben Khalifa F.
Published: March 2006

Aims  To report the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Arab men and women using the new International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria, and to compare this with the prevalence using the 1999 World Health Organization (WHO) and 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NECP ATPIII) definitions.

Methods  The study involved 863 subjects (343 men and 520 women) aged ≥ 40 years living in Tunis, Tunisia, taken from an initially randomized, population sample.

Results  The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome using the IDF criteria was found to be 45.5%; 55.8% in women and 30.0% in men (P < 0.001), higher than the rates of 28.7% (WHO) and 24.3% (NECP ATPIII) using the previous definitions. Using all the definitions, the prevalence was higher in women than in men predominantly because of significant differences in central obesity and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and, to a lesser extent, hypertension.

Conclusion  The increased prevalence using the IDF criteria compared with the 1999 WHO criteria and the 2001 NCEP ATPIII definitions is striking and has huge implications for public health worldwide. The major reason for the higher rate using the new definition seems to be the predominant focus placed on central obesity. Using tighter criteria for fasting glycaemia has also played a factor. The question remains as yet unanswered as to whether the new IDF criteria are better at predicting hard outcomes such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases.

Diabet. Med. 23, 441–444 (2006)
Production of high‐starch, low‐glucose potatoes through over‐expression of the metabolic regulator SnRK1
Authors: McKibbin Rowan S. , Muttucumaru Nira , Paul Matthew J. , Powers Stephen J. , Burrell Michael M. , Coates Steve , Purcell Patrick C. , Tiessen Axel , Geigenberger Peter , Halford Nigel G.
Published: March 2006

Transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. Prairie) lines were produced over‐expressing a sucrose non‐fermenting‐1‐related protein kinase‐1 gene (SnRK1) under the control of a patatin (tuber‐specific) promoter. SnRK1 activity in the tubers of three independent transgenic lines was increased by 55%−167% compared with that in the wild‐type. Glucose levels were decreased, at 17%−56% of the levels of the wild‐type, and the starch content showed an increase of 23%−30%. Sucrose and fructose levels in the tubers of the transgenic plants did not show a significant change. Northern analyses of genes encoding sucrose synthase and ADP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase, two key enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway from sucrose to starch, showed that the expression of both was increased in tubers of the transgenic lines compared with the wild‐type. In contrast, the expression of genes encoding two other enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism, α‐amylase and sucrose phosphate synthase, showed no change. The activity of sucrose synthase and ADP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase was also increased, by approximately 20%–60% and three‐ to five‐fold, respectively, whereas the activity of hexokinase was unchanged. The results are consistent with a role for SnRK1 in regulating carbon flux through the storage pathway to starch biosynthesis. They emphasize the importance of SnRK1 in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and resource partitioning, and indicate a specific role for SnRK1 in the control of starch accumulation in potato tubers.
Women, Federalism and Women Friendly Policies
Authors: Gray Gwen
Published: March 2006

Australian women activists have never been enthusiastic about federalism because of its reputation as a system that restricts the scope of government and obstructs the path of progressive social change. Like their sisters in other countries, women's groups have sought collectivist solutions to economic and social problems. In the last couple of decades, however, orthodox ideas about the restrictive impact of federalism have been questioned. A revisionist view has emerged, which holds that the system sometimes facilitates the adoption of innovative policies and may lead to an expansion of the role of government. The revisionist perspective raises the question of whether women's groups have been wise to oppose federalism. This article examines relevant Canadian and Australian studies in order to test the validity of orthodox and revisionist perspectives and to draw conclusions about appropriate feminist approaches to federalism. The evidence is mixed. The main argument of this article is that, to the extent that we can distinguish its independent effect, federalism sometimes obstructs policy development and sometimes facilitates it. There are serious methodological problems involved in trying to isolate the impact of the federal variable from the many factors that influence policy, making generalisations precarious. Experience, therefore, offers little guidance to women's groups seeking to decide whether to support centralised or decentralised decision‐making structures. However, this study concludes that in the context of present Australian federal arrangements, women are more likely to achieve their aims when the Commonwealth government takes action, either alone or in cooperation with sub‐national jurisdictions.
WHY DO RATES OF β‐CONVERGENCE DIFFER? A META‐REGRESSION ANALYSIS
Authors: Dobson Stephen , Ramlogan Carlyn , Strobl Eric
Published: March 2006

The roles played by differences in study design and methodology in influencing the estimates of β‐convergence have been hinted at in narrative reviews of the empirical convergence literature. While such reviews are useful, they only provide informal evidence as to the reasons for the study‐to‐study variation in reported convergence rates. In contrast, meta‐regression analysis is a way of formally measuring the roles played by study design and methodology in influencing β‐convergence. In cross‐national studies, convergence rates are found to be higher when panel estimation methods are used, and when human capital development, investment rates and spatial factors are controlled for. The longer the time span covered by the estimation, the lower the rates. In intra‐national studies, β‐convergence is higher when the investment rate is included as a conditioning variable and when GMM estimation methods are used. Rates are found to be lower in studies of developing countries.
THE ASCENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AS AN ACTOR IN THE MONETARY INTEGRATION PROCESS IN THE 1960s
Authors: Maes Ivo
Published: March 2006

This paper discusses macroeconomic and monetary policy making at the European Commission in the 1960s. The Commission, in its analysis, focused strongly on economic imbalances in the Community, as they could threaten the common market project. In order to strengthen the system of economic governance of the Community, the Commission advocated an improved monetary cooperation, in line with the internal logic of the integration process. This contrasted with the view of the central bankers, who took the international monetary system as the framework for their analysis. This paper shows the ascent of the Commission as an actor in the monetary area, notwithstanding the relatively limited provisions of the European Economic Community Treaty.
JOB SATISFACTION OF THE HIGHLY EDUCATED: THE ROLE OF GENDER, ACADEMIC TENURE, AND EARNINGS
Authors: Bender Keith A. , Heywood John S.
Published: March 2006

The determinants of job satisfaction are estimated for PhD‐level scientists in the United States across academic and nonacademic sectors. In initial estimates, female scientists report lower job satisfaction than males in academia but higher job satisfaction than males in the nonacademic sector. While academic scientists with tenure have substantially greater job satisfaction than nonacademic scientists, we show that the magnitude of this influence varies by gender. After correcting for the lower evaluation placed by females both on earnings and on tenure, female academic scientists actually match nonacademic scientists in reporting greater job satisfaction than men.
SECTORAL EXCHANGE RATE PASS‐THROUGH: TESTING THE IMPACT OF POLICY REFORMS IN INDIA
Authors: Mallick Sushanta , Marques Helena
Published: March 2006

This paper analyses the impact of India's policy reforms on exchange rate pass‐through into import and export prices, using panel data (at one‐digit SITC level) for pre‐ (1980–90) and post‐reform (1991–2001) periods. While the pass‐through into import prices has declined, the pass‐through into export prices (in USD terms) has increased during the 1990s. The results suggest that, relative to rupee depreciation, Indian exporters increased their USD prices around 20% in the 1980s, but decreased them by around 70% in the 1990s. Moreover, the number of sectors exhibiting some degree of pass‐through increased in the 1990s (six), relative to the 1980s (three). These changes may be attributable to the elimination of currency and trade controls, which increased competition among firms and fostered a concern with market share gains in the 1990s over an attempt to use depreciations to increase profits in the 1980s.
Single-Sex Programs: Resolving the Research Conundrum
Authors: Salomone Rosemary C.
Published: March 2006

In March, 2004, the federal Department of Education issued proposed Title IX regulations that promise to provide public school districts and charter school organizers considerable flexibility in establishing single-sex classes and schools. At the same time, however, as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Department has called for “scientifically based” research to guide educational practices while the Supreme Court has ruled that state actors need an “exceedingly persuasive” justification for drawing distinctions on the basis of sex. The dramatic turnaround in federal policy and the seeming inconsistencies in the law have sparked heated debate that has plumbed the depths of gender, race, and ideology. Yet both sides concur that research findings supporting single-sex schooling are inconclusive. This article works through this conundrum, maintaining that social science evidence has far more to offer the debate than either supporters or detractors of single-sex schooling recognize. To validate that assertion, it examines data on academic performance and social deficits across gender and race as well as tentative evidence from existing programs. Based on these findings, the author draws the critical connection among program planning, implementation, and assessment and urges educators and researchers to explore a broad range of questions and methods both in their search for evidence to inform and guide program development and in their efforts to generate new findings that will prove instructive if not definitive in measuring the overall effects of these programs.
Performing Curriculum: Building Ethos through Narratives in Pedagogical Discourse
Authors: Juzwik Mary M.
Published: March 2006

This study examines the problem of how teachers establish desirable positions of authority in their classrooms. The interpretive analysis draws on insights from narrative theory in order to consider the following question: How does one teacher establish authority in her classroom through the means of narrative performance? I articulate a rhetorical framework for exploring this question, particularly elaborating the notion of ethos, defined as the rhetorical invention of one's identity for persuasive purposes. I also establish a performance perspective to the study of narrative in teaching. In analysis, I have systematically examined one artful teacher's corpus of narrative performances in a 6-week Holocaust unit. This article overviews the occurrence of narrative events throughout the unit, characterizes the frame space of narrative discourse in the classroom, elaborates the variance in emerging ethos through narrative performances, and identifies and interprets the different types of narrative events in the class. I find that narratives serve as a hybrid frame space, allowing this teacher to establish a dynamically negotiated, yet nonetheless authoritative, ethos that emerged in response to the content material and to students.
The Limits of Master Narratives in History Textbooks: An Analysis of Representations of Martin Luther King, Jr
Authors: Alridge Derrick P.
Published: March 2006

In this study, I argue that American history textbooks present discrete, heroic, one-dimensional, and neatly packaged master narratives that deny students a complex, realistic, and rich understanding of people and events in American history. In making this argument, I examine the master narratives of Martin Luther King, Jr., in high school history textbooks and show how textbooks present prescribed, oversimplified, and uncontroversial narratives of King that obscure important elements in King's life and thought. Such master narratives, I contend, permeate most history textbooks and deny students critical lenses through which to examine, analyze, and interpret social issues today. The article concludes with suggestions about how teachers might begin to address the current problem of master narratives and offer alternative approaches to presenting U.S. history.
Teachers’ Cultural Ideology: Patterns of Curriculum and Teaching Culturally Valued Texts
Authors: Shkedi Asher , Nisan Mordecai
Published: March 2006

This study sought to reveal teachers’ personal cultural ideologies as reflected in their conceptions of the curriculum for, and in their actual teaching of, culturally valued texts. The concept “teachers’ personal cultural ideologies” refers to their value orientation toward the curricular and teaching contents relating to, in this particular case, teaching texts associated with their national group identity. The study is based on an investigation of 50 Israeli teachers of the Hebrew Bible working in ordinary public schools. It revealed six different patterns of teachers’ conceptions of the curriculum and teaching for this culturally valued text. Teachers displayed conflicting attitudes toward the expression of personal cultural ideology during the teaching process. Nonetheless, when describing what actually happened in their classrooms, they expressed teaching conceptions that were mostly congruent with their personal cultural ideologies. Although that these teachers taught the same obligatory national curriculum, with its defined cultural-ideological slant, their personal cultural ideologies did not necessarily mesh with the official ideological directions of the written curriculum. This study revealed that during the actual process of teaching, the teacher's personal cultural ideology became dominant, outweighing other types of teaching and curriculum ideology.
New York City's Failed Teacher Selection Project: Political Reality Trumps Educational Research, 1947–1953
Authors: De Forest Jennifer
Published: March 2006

This article describes the history of the failed New York City Teacher Selection Project (TSP; 1947–1953), a collaborative effort to replace the city's teacher licensing tests, which emphasized subject matter knowledge with personality tests. The TSP was a partnership between the Board of Examiners and the Citizens Committee for Children, and its members included pioneers from the field of child psychiatry. The author draws on primary documents to detail the TSP's research and shows how the tests that the group designed reflected individual members’ commitment to progressive education and the ethos of mental hygiene. In addition, the article shows how the TSP embraced an experimental scale created to measure applicants’ authoritarian tendencies. The author concludes that the TSP's efforts to influence teacher licensing failed largely because members chose to work with like-minded colleagues in isolation from the political realities of New York City and the public school system.
Critique: Assessment and the Production of Learning
Authors: Soep Elisabeth
Published: March 2006

Education researchers and classroom teachers have argued that the constant pressure to measure and rank students makes it difficult to shape assessment as an episode of learning. Yet we know little about how learning moves in and through assessment of any kind. Building on two national multisited studies, the research reported here uses ethnographic techniques to examine learning within critique. Critique is a form of assessment through which young people jointly judge their own work and that of their peers. The article focuses on episodes of critique within two nonschool sites for collaborative production involving ethnically and economically diverse groups of youth—a community-based video project and an organization in which young people create radio stories for local and national broadcast. Learning environments such as these draw voluntary youth participation and are organized around sustained projects released to outside audiences. Findings indicate that critique manifests itself as an episode of learning by engaging young people in joint assessment events that are improvisational, reciprocal, and oriented toward the future of the work under review. Intra- and cross-site comparisons suggest that critique is likely to arise within specific conditions: when stakes are intense, metastandards are subjected to review, accountability is mutual and interactively sustained, and interdisciplinary practice is mandatory. The article reviews various ways to conceptualize learning and argues in the end for a theory of learning as production, a way of making. Implications include new ideas for research methodologies and new understandings of youth-adult collaborations in learning and production.
WELCOMING (AUTO)BIOGRAPHY WITHOUT WAVING AWAY FICTION
Authors: WILLEMSEN MARIËTTE
Published: March 2006

Abstract: This article is a response to Ole Martin Skilleås's “Knowledge and Imagination in Fiction and Biography.” The first section of the article summarizes the line of the argument in four theses: (1) What is real is more influential than what is made up; (2) there is no metaphysical chasm between autobiographers and us; (3) (auto)biographies are not just empirical; and (4) the moral lesson of a fiction need not be accepted. In the second section each of these theses is criticized. This criticism leads to the conclusion that we should welcome (auto)biographical texts in our moral investigations, but not at the cost of fictional texts. This conclusion is coupled with a proposal to formulate criteria to distinguish texts that matter from those that do not.
IMAGINATIVE CONTAGION
Authors: GENDLER TAMAR SZABÓ
Published: March 2006

Abstract: The aim of this article is to expand the diet of examples considered in philosophical discussions of imagination and pretense, and to offer some preliminary observations about what we might learn about the nature of imagination as a result. The article presents a number of cases involving imaginative contagion: cases where merely imagining or pretending that P has effects that we would expect only perceiving or believing that P to have. Examples are offered that involve visual imagery, motor imagery, fictional emotions, and social priming. It is suggested that imaginative contagion is a more prevalent phenomenon than has typically been recognized.
Headache Associated with Airplane Travel
Authors: Berilgen MS , Müngen B
Published: March 2006

This study presents six cases of headache that appeared only during flights and was not associated with other headache forms. The cases had severe headache attacks during some flights, when the plane was landing and taking off, with a unilateral and generally orbital and/or supraorbital localization. The attacks lasted between 15 and 20 min on average and recovered spontaneously, without any accompanying sign. We think that barotrauma caused by pressure changes in the cabin during take-off and landing could affect ethmoidal nerves (branching from the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve) that carry the senses of the mucosa on the inner surface of the paranasal sinuses, and/or nociceptors in ethmoidal arteries, thereby activating the trigeminovascular system and leading to headache.
Corporate Governance Structure and Performance of Malaysian Listed Companies
Authors: Haniffa Roszaini , Hudaib Mohammad
Published: March 2006

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between the corporate governance structure and performance of 347 companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) between 1996 and 2000. We found board size and top five substantial shareholdings to be significantly associated with both market and accounting performance measures. In addition, we found a significant relationship between multiple directorships and market performance while role duality and managerial shareholdings are significantly associated with accounting performance. The result is robust with respect to controls for gearing, company size, industry membership and growth opportunities.
Testing the Information Set Perspective of UK Financial Reporting Standard No.3: Reporting Financial Performance
Authors: Lin Stephen
Published: March 2006

Abstract:  This study investigates whether a broader range of financial performance measures as required by FRS No.3 (FRS3) provides incremental price information beyond a single earnings‐based performance measure. I find that the additional performance components reported in the layered statement of performance and reconciliation of movements in shareholders' funds and alternative earnings per share that are voluntarily disclosed by UK firms are generally associated with share returns, and provide incremental price information beyond FRS3 all‐inclusive earnings. This finding supports the information set perspective underlying FRS3, and has important implications for setting a global accounting standard on reporting financial performance.
Use of sewage treatment works as foraging sites by insectivorous bats
Authors: Park K. J. , Cristinacce A.
Published: March 2006

Sewage treatment works (STWs) with percolating filter beds are known to provide profitable foraging areas for insectivorous birds because of their association with high macroinvertebrate densities. Fly larvae developing on filter beds at STWs may similarly provide a valuable resource for foraging bats. Over the last two decades, however, there has been a decline in filter beds towards a system of ‘activated sludge’. Insects and bat activity were surveyed at 30 sites in Scotland using these two different types of sewage treatment in order to assess the possible implications of these changes for foraging bats. Bat activity (number of passes) recorded from broad‐band bat detectors was quantified at three points within each site. The biomass of aerial insects, sampled over the same period as the detector surveys, was measured using a suction trap. The biomass of insects and activity of Pipistrellus spp. were significantly higher at filter beds than at activated sludge sites. In addition, although foraging activity of Pipistrellus spp. at filter beds was comparable to that of adjacent ‘good’ foraging habitat, foraging at activated sludge sites was considerably lower. This study indicates the high potential value of an anthropogenic process to foraging bats, particularly in a landscape where their insect prey has undergone a marked decline, and suggests that the current preference for activated sludge systems is likely to reduce the value of treatment works as foraging sites for bats.
A Population‐based Latent Variable Approach for Association Mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci
Authors: Wang Tao , Weir Bruce , Zeng Zhao‐Bang
Published: March 2006

A population‐based latent variable approach is proposed for association mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL), using multiple closely linked genetic markers within a small candidate region in the genome. By incorporating QTL as latent variables into a penetrance model, the QTL are flexible to characterize either alleles at putative trait loci or potential risk haplotypes/sub‐haplotypes of the markers. Under a general likelihood framework, we develop an EM‐based algorithm to estimate genetic effects of the QTL and haplotype frequencies of the QTL and markers jointly. Closed form solutions derived in the maximization step of the EM procedure for updating the joint haplotype frequencies of QTL and markers can effectively reduce the computational intensity. Various association measures between QTL and markers can then be derived from the haplotype frequencies of markers and used to infer QTL positions. The likelihood ratio statistic also provides a joint test for association between a quantitative trait and marker genotypes without requiring adjustment for the multiple testing. Extensive simulation studies are performed to evaluate the approach.
Population Isolates in South Tyrol and Their Value for Genetic Dissection of Complex Diseases
Authors: Marroni F. , Pichler I. , De Grandi A. , Beu Volpato C. , Vogl F. D. , Pinggera G. K. , Bailey‐Wilson J. E. , Pramstaller P. P.
Published: March 2006

The study of genetic isolates is a promising approach for the study of complex genetic traits. The small and constant population size, lack of migration, and multiple relationships between individuals in the isolate population could reduce the genetic diversity, and lead to increased levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD). We studied the extent of LD on Xq13 in six population isolates from South Tyrol in the Eastern Italian Alps.

We found different levels of LD in our study samples, probably reflecting their degrees of isolation and their demographic histories. The highest values were obtained in Val Gardena (ranking among the highest levels of LD in Europe) and in Stelvio, which qualified as a microisolate according to historical information, and biodemographic and genealogical criteria. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two Ladin‐speaking populations are genetically distant from each other, and from their German‐speaking neighbours, and are characterized by a smaller effective population size than the neighbouring valleys. These peculiar characteristics suggest that South Tyrol could be a unique resource for the study of complex diseases, showing all the characteristics of isolated populations with the advantage of including, in a fairly homogeneous environment, two genetically differentiated sub‐populations. This could allow investigators to gain an insight into the contribution of genetic heterogeneity in complex diseases.
Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Variation of Soluble Adhesion Molecules
Authors: Vistoropsky Yulia , Trofimov Svetlana , Pantsulaia Ia , Livshits Gregory
Published: March 2006

In our research we examined the contribution of putative genetic sources on interindividual variation and cross‐sectional correlations of several adhesion molecules, including intracellular (ICAM‐1) and vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAM‐1) and E‐selectin, in a population‐based sample of ethnically homogeneous families of European origin. The plasma levels of these molecules were measured in 947 apparently healthy individuals from 217 nuclear families. Quantitative statistical‐genetic analysis implementing the model fitting technique revealed significant parent/offspring and sibling correlations (p < 0.01) for all three molecules. The putative genetic effects explained 55.2 ± 7.2% (VCAM‐1), 63.3 ± 7.5% (ICAM) and 63.8 ± 8.1% (E‐selectin) of the variation. Common family environmental factors also significantly influenced the variation of E‐selectin (13%) and VCAM‐1 (28.6%). The main results of our bivariate analysis showed that the observed phenotypic correlations between ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1, and between ICAM‐1 and E‐selectin, were mostly attributable to shared environmental factors (rE= 0.896 and 0.737, respectively; p < 0.01). However, the correlation between VCAM‐1 and E‐selectin was likely caused by common genetic effects (rG= 0.334, p < 0.05). Our results show that familial clustering of adhesion molecules is likely due to strong genetic effects, supplemented with shared environmental factors.
G‐Protein β‐3 Subunit C825T Polymorphism, Sodium and Arterial Blood Pressure: A Community‐Based Study of Japanese Men and Women
Authors: Yamagishi K. , Tanigawa T. , Cui R. , Tabata M. , Ikeda A. , Yao M. , Shimamoto T. , Iso H.
Published: March 2006

Epidemiological evidence on gene‐environment effects of the G‐protein β‐3 subunit C825T polymorphisms and sodium on blood pressure in the free‐living general population is limited. We examined the associations between the C825T polymorphism and blood pressure levels, stratified by the sodium variables estimated by 24‐h urinary sodium excretion and a dietary questionnaire, among 1,471 men and women aged 30‐74 from a community in Japan. Our a priori hypothesis was that individuals with the 825T allele have elevated blood pressure among subjects with a high sodium intake. Among the whole group, the systolic blood pressure level was +2.2 mmHg (p = 0.10) higher in TT than CC genotype individuals after adjustment for sex, age, antihypertensive medication use, body mass index, and alcohol consumption. This difference was more evident among individuals with low sodium excretion (+4.5 mmHg, p = 0.01), low present sodium intake (+3.2 mmHg, p = 0.11), and low past sodium intake (+4.8 mmHg, p = 0.02). No associations were observed among those with high sodium variables. Our results indicate that the G‐protein β‐3 subunit C825T polymorphism is associated with higher systolic blood pressure levels in a large free‐living Japanese population, and more specifically in women with a low sodium intake. This finding helps to explain part of the discrepancy between the previously reported genetic association among different ethnic groups.
Association Study of G Protein‐Coupled Receptor Kinase 4 Gene Variants with Essential Hypertension in Northern Han Chinese
Authors: Wang Yaping , Li Biao , Zhao Weiyan , Liu Pei , Zhao Qi , Chen Shufeng , Li Hongfan , Gu Dongfeng
Published: March 2006

To investigate the association between polymorphisms in the G protein‐coupled receptor kinase 4 gene (GRK4) (R65L, A142V and A486V) and essential hypertension in northern Han Chinese, we conducted a case‐control study consisting of 503 individuals with essential hypertension (HT) and 490 age‐, gender‐, and area‐matched normotensive (NT) controls. The three GRK4 variants were genotyped by PCR‐RFLP analysis. Both haplotype and single locus analysis were used to process the genotyping data. The A486 allele showed a significant association with HT (P < 0.001). A total of 6 haplotypes were observed in the entire population, with the haplotypes L‐V‐A and R‐A‐A being found to be significantly related to hypertension (P= 0.001).
Effect of hyperleptinaemia on chronic ethanol‐induced hepatotoxicity in mice
Authors: Balasubramaniyan Vairappan , Nalini Namasivayam
Published: March 2006

Ethanol metabolism is accompanied by generation of free radicals, which stimulate lipid peroxidation. Previous studies have proposed a possible link between leptin and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease; however, the effect of leptin on ethanol‐induced liver diseases remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of leptin on ethanol‐induced liver injury in mice. Administering ethanol (6.32 g/kg body weight p.o.) to 4‐week‐old healthy mice for 45 days resulted in significantly elevated levels of plasma leptin, total bilirubin, γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), tissue lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), and lowered levels of tissue vitamins C and E when compared with those of the control mice. Subsequent to the experimental induction of hepatotoxicity (i.e. after the initial period of 30 days) exogenous leptin was administered (230 μg/kg body weight i.p.) every alternate day for 15 days along with the daily dose of ethanol. Leptin administration to control and ethanol‐treated mice significantly reduced the weight gain, elevated the plasma levels of leptin, bilirubin, GGT and tissue LOOH, and significantly lowered the levels of tissue vitamins C and E when compared with the untreated control and ethanol‐supplemented mice. It is postulated that the increase in systemic leptin levels enhances oxidative stress, and lowers antioxidant defence, leading to the augmented hepatic inflammation observed in alcoholic liver disease.
Notes on paternal care and sibling cannibalism in the giant water bug,Lethocerus deyrolli(Heteroptera: Belostomatidae)
Authors: OHBA Shin‐ya , HIDAKA Kazumasa , SASAKI Masami
Published: March 2006

Males of the giant water bug,Lethocerus deyrolli, care for egg masses on vegetation above the water surface. They supply the developing eggs with water and guard them against predators. In the present study, mechanisms by which paternal care is extended were found. Males were found situated just below the water on the natal substrate (usually a stick), and the first instar nymphs were aggregated around the substrate. When disturbed, the males showed aggressive behavior, threatening the intruder with their forelegs. Nymphs up to 12 h old did not attack the offered sibling nymphs or anuran larvae, which are common prey in the field. The 24 h‐old nymphs attacked both prey animals; however, they preferred anuran larvae. Cannibalistic behavior in the nymphs was well developed 72 h after hatching, when the nymphs had already dispersed from the natal substrate. The suppression of sibling cannibalism in younger nymphs would promote the maintenance of tight nymphal aggregations and consequently extend male care in this predatory species.
Effect of the pupal age of Calliphora erythrocephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on the reproductive biology of Melittobia acasta (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae)
Authors: IMANDEH Nyiutaha G.
Published: March 2006

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the pupal age of Calliphora erythrocephala (Meigen) on the reproductive biology (in terms of number, size, developmental time and longevity of progeny) of the parasitoid Melittobia acasta Walker. Melittobia acasta females of uniform size were given five C. erythrocephala pupae from one of four experimental age groups: 17–24 h, 24–48 h, 48–72 h and 72–96 h, for parasitization. The mean number of progeny produced from the experimental age groups for a 24 h period were 2, 7.6, 15.6 and 13.6, respectively. The parasitoids preferred hosts that were 48–72 h old. There were no significant differences in the mean development time (18.2 days) and size of progeny (mean head width = 0.38 ± 0.01 mm) produced from the experimental host age groups. The longevity of progeny from the four host age groups varied (range: 4–39 days), with those from the 48–72 h group living longest (mean = 25 days). The F1 females from the 48–72 h group were reproductively more successful than those from the other groups, producing a mean F2 progeny of 912 individuals when compared with 867, 801 and 757 individuals from the 24–48 h, 72–96 h and 17–24 h age groups, respectively. These findings make significant contributions to our knowledge of the breeding and utilization of this parasitoid for the biological control of dipteran flies in pigsties and poultry houses.
Effects of parasitoids on a mycophagous drosophilid community in northern Japan and an evaluation of the disproportionate parasitism hypothesis
Authors: YOROZUYA Hiroshi
Published: March 2006

In a host–parasitoid system comprising mycophagous drosophilids and their parasitoids, the drosophilid and parasitoid species assemblages, host use, and the prevalence of parasitism were assessed, and the “disproportionate parasitism hypothesis” was examined with consideration given to yearly variations. The mycophagous drosophilids, their fungal food resources and parasitoids were studied by carrying out an intensive census throughout the activity seasons of 4 years (2000–2003) in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Five hymenopterous parasitoid species, four braconids and one eucoilid, were found. Parasitoids of mycophagous drosophilids are reported for the first time from Asia. Most parasitism (99.2%) was by braconids, in contrast to the dominance of eucoilids in Europe. Parasitism was restricted to the summer, and the rate was high from early July to early August every year. There was considerable yearly variation in the composition of abundant fungus, drosophilid and parasitoid species, especially between 2000 and 2001. The alternation of dominant host species was coupled with the alternation of dominant parasitoid species that differed in host use. Despite the yearly variation in the system, the most dominant host species suffered disproportionately heavy parasitism by the correspondingly dominant parasitoid species every year. The parasitism rate was positively correlated with the relative host abundance. This thus indicates that the disproportionate parasitism mechanism may operate, via which species coexistence is promoted by a higher rate of parasitism of the dominant species.
Abundance and life cycle of Zonocerus variegatus (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) in the humid forest zone of southern Cameroon
Authors: MESSI Jean , KEKEUNOU Sévilor , WEISE Stéphan
Published: March 2006

Weekly captures from January 2000 to January 2002 enabled us to study the abundance and life cycle of the variegated grasshopper, Zonocerus variegatus (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae), in the humid forest zone of Southern Cameroon. We found that Z. variegatus was present throughout the year in the forest reserve and the human‐influenced zones of Yaounde and Mbalmayo in two univoltine populations, which had unequal abundance and durations. The separation of the two populations was clearer in the Yaounde and Mbalmayo developed zones than in the Mbalmayo forest reserve (undeveloped zone). The abundance of Z. variegatus varied according to the post‐embryonic stage, sex, year and season. Hatching and coupling took place during the dry and rainy seasons, whereas oviposition occurred only in the rainy season. In Cameroon, the type of life cycle of Z. variegatus observed in the humid forest zone of the south is different from that of the “Sudanian and Sahelian” zones.