bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global analysis of bird elevational diversity
Authors: McCain Christy M.
Published: February 2009

Aim  Elevational gradients distributed across the globe are a powerful test system for understanding biodiversity. Here I use a comprehensive set of bird elevational gradients to test the main drivers of diversity, including sampling, area, mid‐domain effect, temperature, temperature and water availability, and hypotheses of evolutionary history.

Location  Seventy‐eight elevational gradients of bird diversity from mountains in both hemispheres spanning 24.5° S to 48.2° N, including gradients from various climates, biogeographical regions and habitat types.

Methods  Data on bird elevational diversity were taken from the literature. Of the 150 datasets found or compiled, only those with a high, unbiased sampling effort were used in analyses. Datasets sampled all birds, all breeding birds or all forest birds; a few studies detailed seasonal, elevational shifts. Eighteen predictions of diversity theory were tested, including three sets of interactions.

Results  Birds display four distinct diversity patterns in nearly equal frequency on mountains: decreasing diversity, low‐elevation plateaus, low‐elevation plateaus with mid‐peaks, and unimodal mid‐elevational peaks. Bird elevational diversity strongly supports current climate as the main driver of diversity, particularly combined trends in temperature and water availability. Bird diversity on humid mountains is either decreasing or shows a low‐elevation plateau in diversity, while on dry mountains it is unimodal or a broad, low‐elevation plateau usually with a mid‐elevation maximum. The predictions of sampling, area and mid‐domain effect were not consistently supported globally. The only evolutionary hypothesis with preliminary support was niche conservatism.

Main conclusions  Both water and temperature variables are needed to comprehensively predict elevational diversity patterns for birds. This result is consistent for breeding and forest birds, for both hemispheres, and for local‐ or regional‐scale montane gradients. More analyses are needed to discern whether the mechanism underlying these relationships is ecological, based on direct physiological limitations or indirect food resource limitations, or historical, based on phylogenetic niche conservation or other evolutionary trends related to climate. The species–area and mid‐domain effects are not supported as primary drivers of elevational diversity in birds.
Fabricating the Market: The Promotion of Life Assurance in the Long Nineteenth‐Century
Authors: MCFALL LIZ , DODSWORTH FRANCIS
Published: February 2009

The market for life assurance did not emerge “naturally” from a particular problem of the allocation of resources, it had to be made. Life insurance had to appear desirable and reliable. This involved the circulation of a variety of advertising media, one aspect of which was the fabrication of grand offices as headquarters for life assurance companies. These buildings and their widely‐circulated images were part of a process of making life assurance appear prudent and proper, but more importantly secure. Through this fabrication of the liberal market, the City of London was transformed into a centre of commerce and finance.
PERSONIFICATIONS AND THE ANCIENT VIEWER: THE CASE OF THE HADRIANEUM ‘NATIONS’
Authors: HUGHES JESSICA
Published: February 2009

This article represents an initial exploration of how allegorical figures were made and viewed in classical antiquity. It focuses on a well‐known series of personifications which decorated a second‐century ce temple complex in the heart of Rome. Previous studies of these sculpted reliefs have engaged in lively debate about which nations are represented, without ever reflecting on the processes by which the group has been designed and made. Here the individual personifications are replaced within the context of the group, and the fact that even the most cosmopolitan ancient viewer would have found the interpretation of these images problematic is demonstrated. This reading is shown to have wider implications, both for how the Roman world was conceptualized in and through these images, and for the construction of social hierarchies within the city of Rome itself.
BETWEEN FORM AND REPRESENTATION: THE FRICK ST FRANCIS
Authors: LUGLI EMANUELE
Published: February 2009

The subject of Giovanni Bellini's St Francis, currently housed at the Frick Collection in New York, has perplexed viewers for more than five centuries. Scholars have suggested several possible texts, but none of these has been proven unequivocally to be Bellini's reference. Instead of proposing a new written source, this paper focuses on the formal aspects of the painting. It will thus appear that Bellini bent the representational conventions of his time to produce a work of pictorial intelligence. The formal quality of the Frick St Francis is assessed through an analysis of the laurel tree in the left of the painting. Overlooked by many, the tree is the key element of the Frick panel. It is the tree that justifies the variety of exegetical readings, exemplifying as it does a conflation of forms and an experienced handling of visual effects.
Building Organizational and Scientific Platforms in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Process Perspective on the Development of Dynamic Capabilities
Authors: Narayanan V. K. , Colwell Ken , Douglas Frank L.
Published: February 2009

In this paper, we examine the process of dynamic capability development in a large pharmaceutical firm. Using interviews with multiple managers at different organizational levels, we developed two narratives of the process of developing two separate dynamic capabilities in the same firm. We focus on three areas that prior research has shown to be critical in the early stages of the process of implementing new strategic initiatives: the cognitive orientations of key personnel, managerial action undertaken within the firm, and the firm's internal and external contexts. We provide evidence that managers undertake specific initiatives based on their own particular cognitive orientations, and that senior managers play a major role in the development of capabilities by imprinting the organization with their specific cognitive orientation and then orchestrating the multilevel organizational routines necessary for actualization of a capability. These replicable actions by senior management during the early stages of capability development can lead to the development of a capability that is not initially in the cognitive frames of lower level employees. Finally, we will show that internal and external contingencies have a profound impact on the decision to develop a capability, and to discontinue its development. Our findings thus suggest that the process of developing new capabilities shares common elements with other strategic initiatives.
Measuring Dynamic Capabilities: Practices and Performance in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Authors: Macher Jeffrey T. , Mowery David C.
Published: February 2009

Research on dynamic capabilities emphasizes the importance and role of organizational routines in explaining interfirm differences in performance. While performance differences are well documented, few empirical analyses explore the processes inside organizations that lead to dynamic capabilities or attempt to define and measure their performance effects. This paper examines one type of dynamic capability – the development and introduction of new process technologies in semiconductor manufacturing. This dynamic capability is an important source of competitiveness in the semiconductor industry, given the short product lifecycles, rapid price declines, and rapid technological advances that define the industry. Because much of the knowledge that underpins semiconductor manufacturing is idiosyncratic, firm‐level R&D organization and information technology practices that facilitate problem solving and learning‐based improvement provide important and enduring advantages. We derive models of the rate of improvement in manufacturing yield (i.e. the quality of production) and cycle time (i.e. the speed of production) following the development and introduction of new process technologies in manufacturing facilities, and test the empirical specifications of these models. The ways in which semiconductor manufacturers accumulate experience and articulate and codify knowledge within the manufacturing environment build new process development and introduction dynamic capabilities that improve performance.
The Discourse of Corporate Cosmopolitanism
Authors: Halsall Robert
Published: February 2009

This paper examines how the ideal of cosmopolitan identity is represented in selected popular global management texts. It is argued that the corporate cosmopolitan ideal of a flexible identity draws interdiscursively on two main discourses. First, there is the Enlightenment ideal of cosmopolitanism, expressed as a moral imperative towards detachment from existing cultural identities and loyalties in the name of the adoption of a universal perspective. This is reflected in the rhetoric of the necessity for managers and employees to ‘transform’ themselves from ‘locals’ into ‘cosmopolitans’. This uplifting rhetoric of ‘transformation’, however, is accompanied by the more prosaic discourse of cosmopolitanism as a competence in ‘managing culture’ which can be acquired by all. Second, ‘corporate cosmopolitanism’ draws on a ‘postmodern’ ideal of a flexible ‘pastiche’ identity, distanced through irony from all existing cultural and other ‘hot’ loyalties. This discourse is personified in the image of the ‘hybrid’ as the ideal corporate cosmopolitan. It is argued that corporate cosmopolitanism represents, not a utopia in which cultural difference and diversity is respected and celebrated, but a dystopia in which cultural difference is made superfluous by the establishment of a flexible transnational capitalist class with no attachment to or responsibility for place.
Health Promotion and Flexibility: Extending and Obscuring Power in Organizations
Authors: Maravelias Christian
Published: February 2009

This paper explores the intersection between pursuits of improving organizational flexibility and pursuits of improving employees' health. It is argued that health promotion programmes have the potential of operating as mechanisms of power, which assist organizations in making up self‐governing employees who flexibly adapt their lifestyles to the criteria of health and professional success. The paper shows how the fact that health promotion programmes are handled by ‘independent’ and legitimate health experts, and are provided to employees in the name of their health and well‐being, obscures the forces of power in them, making them seem merely as informed ways of helping employees help themselves towards healthier and more successful lives. The paper concludes that health promotion programmes help to establish a new work ethic that challenges the boundary between work and private life. Furthermore, they make a healthy lifestyle part of the competencies that employees are responsible for developing and nurturing.
Geographic Flexibility in Academia: A Cautionary Note
Authors: Richardson Julia
Published: February 2009

Having the flexibility to pursue an international career is increasingly common in many professions. Based on two qualitative studies of international academics, this paper focuses on academia. Commencing with a discussion about the different dimensions of flexibility in academia it focuses specifically on geographic flexibility, understood as the ability to pursue a career across international boundaries. Drawing on conceptions of an international community of scholars operating in a science context and specific national and institutional contexts the paper explores the experiences of international academics. It also considers the ‘modes of engagement’ they use to navigate the demands of those contexts. The findings suggest that while academia as a profession may be characterized by geographic flexibility a certain tension exists between academia and the national and institutional contexts within which academics must operate. It is noted that it is internationally mobile academics who are currently paying the price of those tensions and offers a cautionary note to those who are contemplating such a career move. It also suggests that academics can adopt certain ‘modes of engagement’ in order to maintain, transform or subvert those institutional challenges.
Becoming Flexible: Self‐flexibility and its Pedagogies
Authors: Swan Elaine , Fox Stephen
Published: February 2009

Much of the debate on flexibility has remained at a stubbornly macro, demographic level without looking closely at individual attempts to become more flexible. This paper argues that the debate on flexibility has been dominated by attention to the structural side, looking at flexi‐time and part‐time contracting, for example, to the neglect of what we callself‐flexibilitythrough self‐reflexivity and self‐transformation. The paper begins to redress this imbalance drawing upon two different cases which examine specific forms of self‐flexibility: feedback and personal malleability and risk‐taking through experiential learning. Drawing upon sociological research, we seek to examine critically the ways in which self‐flexibilities are taken up and pursued by employees in their attempts to remain employable and their gendered implications.
Generalization Across Segments in Second Language Consonant Identification
Authors: De Jong Kenneth J. , Silbert Noah H. , Park Hanyong
Published: February 2009

This article examines the extent of differences between second language (L2) learners in their abilities to identify L2 consonants and provides evidence for linguistic generalization from one consonant to other consonants. It distinguishes among different sorts of models of the relationship between segments: (a) segmentally specific models in which each segment is treated separately and (b) generalized featural models in which segments that share features are treated as a group. It also examines (c) ordered models in which one segment might rely on another previously existing one. The article presents the results of an experiment with 40 Korean learners of English identifying English obstruents in different prosodic locations, and it examines the pattern of variation in perceptual accuracy across the listeners. Results indicate that manner perception varies from person to person as a unit, regardless of the segment, suggesting a single generalized featural skill. Voicing identification, however, does not vary as a unit across the different prosodic positions, suggesting different skills that are applicable to different prosodic positions and are acquired separately. There is also evidence for an implicational relationship between pairs of segments that differ in markedness, providing some evidence for an ordered model; however, such patterns are not pervasive across different contrasts.
Processing Subject‐Object Ambiguities in the L2: A Self‐Paced Reading Study With German L2 Learners of Dutch
Authors: Havik Else , Roberts Leah , Van Hout Roeland , Schreuder Robert , Haverkort Marco
Published: February 2009

The results of two self‐paced reading experiments are reported, which investigated the online processing of subject‐object ambiguities in Dutch relative clause constructions like Dat is de vrouw die de meisjes heeft/hebben gezien by German advanced second language (L2) learners of Dutch. Native speakers of both Dutch and German have been shown to have a preference for a subject versus an object reading of such temporarily ambiguous sentences, and so we provided an ideal opportunity for the transfer of first language (L1) processing preferences to take place. We also investigated whether the participants' working memory span would affect their processing of the experimental items. The results suggest that processing decisions may be affected by working memory when task demands are high, and in this case the high working memory span learners patterned like the native speakers of lower working memory. However, when reading for comprehension alone and when only structural information was available to guide parsing decisions, working memory span had no effect on the L2 learners' online processing, and this differed from the native speakers' online processing even though the L1 and the L2 are highly comparable.
Seducing Leadership: Stories of Leadership Development
Authors: Sinclair Amanda
Published: February 2009

This article argues that leadership development is a process of seduction. Drawing on some stories of leadership development from my experience as participant, observer and teacher I show the ways in which certain sorts of highly valued leadership teaching contain seductive elements, including sweeping audiences off their feet and, in some contexts, forestalling critique about the content that is offered. The article also considers the extent to which seduction is a gendered performance. I conclude that, while gender and power are defining elements and constraints in how seductive pedagogical relations are constructed, there are opportunities for experimentation and display that potentially subvert gendered stereotypes. Seeing the seduction in leadership can help us understand leadership and leadership teaching better, and can open the way to doing it differently — to experimentation and innovation.
Assessment of dementia in patients with multiple system atrophy
Authors: Kitayama M. , Wada‐Isoe K. , Irizawa Y. , Nakashima K.
Published: February 2009

Background and purpose:  We investigated dementia in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) in order to characterize the prevalence and nature of impairments in these patients.

Methods:  Fifty‐eight MSA patients were recruited in our institution between April 1996 and December 2006 and investigated.

Results:  Of 58 patients, 10 were diagnosed with dementia. There were no significant differences in age at onset, gender, duration of disease, or severity of cerebellar dysfunction between patients with and without dementia. The early and delayed heart to mediastinum (H/M) ratios obtained with 123I‐metaidobenylguanidine (MIBG) cardiac scintigraphy were significantly decreased in patients with dementia compared with those without dementia. Of the 10 patients with dementia, three were found to have cognitive decline that preceded onset of motor symptoms. White matter lesions were evident in these patients, whilst frontal atrophy was prominent in patients whose cognitive decline was preceded by onset of motor symptoms.

Conclusions:  Dementia in patients with MSA may be more common than previously thought, furthermore, we speculate that clinical features of dementia in these patients might be heterogeneous.
Anatomy of executive deficit following ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm
Authors: Martinaud O. , Perin B. , Gérardin E. , Proust F. , Bioux S. , Gars D. Le , Hannequin D. , Godefroy O.
Published: February 2009

Background and purpose:  To evaluate behavioral and cognitive deficits following anterior communicating artery aneurysm rupture and determine critical lesion locations.

Methods:  We investigated 74 patients with standardized cognitive tests and behavioral inventory. Two examiners rated MRI signal abnormalities in 51 predetermined regions of interest. Classification tree analysis was used to select regions associated with each cognitive deficit.

Results:  Eleven patients presented behavioral executive deficits and 10 had cognitive executive deficit. Their presence depended on left hemisphere lesions only: (i) ventral striatum lesion was associated with behavioral executive deficit (P = 0.04), reduction of activities (P = 0.01), and hyperactivity (P = 0.02); (ii) superior frontal gyrus lesion, with cognitive executive deficit (P = 0.01), action initiation deficit (P = 0.02), and rule deduction deficit (P = 0.02); (iii) anterior half of centrum semiovale lesion, with Stroop inhibition deficit (P = 0.02); (iv) medial superior and middle frontal gyri lesions, with task coordination deficit (P = 0.01); and (v) middle frontal gyrus lesion, with words generation deficit (P = 0.02).

Conclusion:  This study supports that (i) cognitive executive deficits depend mostly on lateral prefrontal lesions, (ii) with locations varying according to executive process, and (iii) behavioral executive deficits are mainly due to left ventral striatum lesion in post‐aneurysmal damage.
Natural history of complications after intracerebral haemorrhage
Authors: Ali M. , Lyden P. , Sacco R. L. , Shuaib A. , Lees K. R. ,   for the VISTA investigators
Published: February 2009

Background and purpose:  Numerous trials of haemostatic and neuroprotective agents for intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) have failed. We characterized the risk of complications after ICH in a trial‐eligible patient population, to inform safety in future trials.

Methods:  We used the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive database to identify placebo‐treated patients with spontaneous ICH, who were not comatose at admission, where randomization took place within 4 h of symptom onset, and where serious complication and outcome data were available. We described the complications encountered and assessed whether the absence of common complications influenced attainment of good functional outcome (mRS ≤4) at 90 days using logistic regression.

Results:  Of 201 patients examined, 70.2% experienced at least one serious complication. Neurological complications occurred in 21%, infections amongst 11%, and thromboembolic complications in 2%. Extension of the haemorrhage occurred most frequently: its absence was a significant predictor of good functional outcome (P < 0.0001, adjusted OR for good functional outcome = 21.9, 95% CI: [5.5, 88.3]). Neither infection, nor cardiac, nor thromboembolic complications influenced functional outcome at 90 days.

Conclusions:  Three month outcome in ICH patients depends on initial stroke severity and on enlargement of the haemorrhage. Our results should inform safety in future clinical trials of putative ICH therapies.
Vascular risk factor awareness before and pharmacological treatment before and after stroke and TIA
Authors: Nolte C. H. , Jungehulsing G. J. , Rossnagel K. , Roll S. , Haeusler K. G. , Reich A. , Willich S. N. , Villringer A. , Muller‐Nordhorn J.
Published: February 2009

Background and purpose:  Educating the public to screen for vascular risk factors and have them treated is a major public health issue. We assessed the vascular risk factor awareness and frequency of treatment in a cohort of patients with cerebral ischaemia.

Methods:  Data on awareness and pharmacological treatment of vascular risk factors before hospital admission of patients with confirmed ischaemic stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) were analyzed. A follow‐up questionnaire assessed the frequency of treatment 1 year after discharge and assessed non‐adherence to antithrombotic medication.

Results:  At time of stroke/TIA, individual awareness regarding existing hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and atrial fibrillation (AF) was 83%, 87%, 73% and 69% respectively (n = 558). Pharmacological treatment for hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and AF was being administered in 80%, 77%, 37% and 62% of patients aware of their conditions. The follow‐up was completed by 383 patients (80% recall rate): of the patients with hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and AF, 89%, 78%, 45% and 86% were receiving risk factor targeted medication. This represents a significant increase concerning AF and hyperlipidemia. Non‐adherence to recommended antithrombotics (15%) was higher in patients who had had a TIA.

Conclusions:  All risk factors leave room for improvement in screening and treatment efforts. Adherence to treatment is higher for hypertension and diabetes than for hyperlipidemia. Education efforts should bear in mind less well recognized risk factors.
Chronic daily headache with medication overuse: predictors of outcome 1 year after withdrawal therapy
Authors: Bøe M. G. , Salvesen R. , Mygland Å.
Published: February 2009

Background and purpose:  We examined prospectively the results of withdrawal therapy in 80 patients with probable medication overuse headache. The aim was to identify baseline patient characteristics that might predict outcome after 1 year (end of study).

Methods:  We classified patients according to results of withdrawal therapy measured as the improvement of headache days (HD) from baseline to end of study.

Results:  Thirty‐six per cent (29/80) had at least 50% improvement. Sixty‐four per cent (51/80) had <50% improvement, and among these, 30% (24/80) had <10% improvement. The following baseline characteristics were associated with poor outcome of withdrawal therapy: use of codeine‐containing drugs, low self‐reported sleep quality, and high self‐reported bodily pain as measured by the quality of life tool SF‐36.

Conclusion:  Before suggesting withdrawal therapy, one should probably pay more close attention to sleep problems.
Bifocal Nummular Headache: The First Three Cases
Authors: Cuadrado ML , Valle B , Fernández C , Barriga FJ , Pareja JA
Published: February 2009

Nummular headache (NH) has been defined as a focal head pain that is exclusively felt in a small area of the head surface. Here we describe three patients who presented with focal head pain in two separate areas. This finding seems to be consistent with bifocal NH and further enlarges the clinical diversity of this headache disorder. The pathogenic mechanisms of NH may be active in multiple cranial areas in some particular patients.
Measuring Resilience Potential: An Adaptive Strategy for Organizational Crisis Planning
Authors: Somers Scott
Published: February 2009

There are questions as to whether a causal relationship exists between crisis planning and effective adaptive behaviors in crisis. Traditional planning has viewed the crisis plan as an outcome of a process to be utilized in a step‐by‐step fashion during a crisis. This article challenges this orthodox view and suggests a new paradigm, one that focuses on creating organizational structures and processes that build organizational resilience potential. The objective is to develop a scale to measure latent resilience in organizations. This exploratory research begins to build a critical foundation of knowledge with which to consider whether a move towards a new paradigm in disaster planning – one based on building organizational resilience potential – should be the focus of future research.
Citizens' Response to a Large Electrical Power Outage in the Netherlands in 2007
Authors: Helsloot Ira , Beerens Ralf
Published: February 2009

This research note presents the major findings of the evaluation of a major power outage in the Netherlands in December 2007 concerning citizen preparation and response. Particular attention is paid to people's perception of the event and its handling.
The Devil Lies in Details! How Crises Build up Within Organizations
Authors: Roux‐Dufort Christophe
Published: February 2009

In this paper, we show that crises result from the combination of two parallel cumulative processes: first, an undercurrent accumulation of organizational imperfections that lay a favourable ground for crises to occur and second, the development of a growing ignorance that keeps managers blind to the presence of these imperfections. The central idea is to demonstrate that organizational imperfections are allowed to build up and grow into vulnerabilities because they are not noticed or taken into consideration. This managerial ignorance is described as a self‐nourishing retreat from reality that decreases leaders' ability to pay sufficient attention to the increasing process of accumulation of imperfections and vulnerabilities. A case study in a French chain of supermarket is used to illustrate this process of crisis.
Fungal endophytes: diversity and functional roles
Authors: Rodriguez R. J. , White Jr J. F. , Arnold A. E. , Redman R. S.
Published: February 2009

All plants in natural ecosystems appear to be symbiotic with fungal endophytes. This highly diverse group of fungi can have profound impacts on plant communities through increasing fitness by conferring abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, increasing biomass and decreasing water consumption, or decreasing fitness by altering resource allocation. Despite more than 100 yr of research resulting in thousands of journal articles, the ecological significance of these fungi remains poorly characterized. Historically, two endophytic groups (clavicipitaceous (C) and nonclavicipitaceous (NC)) have been discriminated based on phylogeny and life history traits. Here, we show that NC‐endophytes represent three distinct functional groups based on host colonization and transmission,in plantabiodiversity and fitness benefits conferred to hosts. Using this framework, we contrast the life histories, interactions with hosts and potential roles in plant ecophysiology of C‐ and NC‐endophytes, and highlight several key questions for future work in endophyte biology.

ContentsSummary314I.Introduction314II.Clavicipitaceous endophytes (Class 1)316III.Nonclavicipitaceous endophytes319IV.Class 2 endophytes319V.Class 3 endophytes321VI.Class 4 endophytes323VII.Conclusions325Acknowledgements326References326
Elevated serum triiodothyronine and intellectual and motor disability with paroxysmal dyskinesia caused by a monocarboxylate transporter 8 gene mutation
Authors: FUCHS OLIVER , PFARR NICOLE , POHLENZ JOACHIM , SCHMIDT HEINRICH
Published: February 2009

Monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8 or SLC16A2) is important for the neuronal uptake of triiodothyronine (T3) in its function as a specific and active transporter of thyroid hormones across the cell membrane, thus being essential for human brain development. We report on a German male with Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome presenting with severe intellectual and motor disability, paroxysmal dyskinesia combined with truncal muscular hypotonia, and peripheral muscular hypertonia at his current age of 9 years. Additionally, the patient has a lesion in the left putamen region revealed by magnetic resonance imaging and elevated serum T3 levels. The male appeared to have a hemizygous mutation (R271H) in the MCT8 gene that was sequenced directly from genomic DNA and occurred de novo in the maternal germline, as both his mother and his sister were not carriers of the mutation. Ruling out a common polymorphism, 50 normal individuals of the same ethnic background did not harbour the mutation. The identified MCT8 gene mutation (R271H) is very likely to be the genetic cause for neuronal hypothyroidism despite elevated serum T3 levels.
Coprophenomena in Tourette syndrome
Authors: FREEMAN ROGER D , ZINNER SAMUEL H , MÜLLER‐VAHL KIRSTEN R , FAST DIANE K , BURD LARRY J , KANO YUKIKO , ROTHENBERGER ARIBERT , ROESSNER VEIT , KERBESHIAN JACOB , STERN JEREMY S
Published: February 2009

The aims of this descriptive study were to examine the prevalence and associations of coprophenomena (involuntary expression of socially unacceptable words or gestures) in individuals with Tourette syndrome. Participant data were obtained from the Tourette Syndrome International Database Consortium. A specialized data collection form was completed for each of a subset of 597 consecutive new patients with Tourette syndrome from 15 sites in seven countries. Coprolalia occurred at some point in the lifetime of 19.3% of males and 14.6% of females, and copropraxia in 5.9% of males and 4.9% of females. Coprolalia was three times as frequent as copropraxia, with a mean onset of each at about 11 years, 5 years after the onset of tics. In 11% of those with coprolalia and 12% of those with copropraxia these coprophenomena were one of the initial symptoms of Tourette syndrome. The onsets of tics, coprophenomena, smelling of non‐food objects, and spitting were strongly intercorrelated. Early onset of coprophenomena was not associated with its longer persistence. The most robust associations of coprophenomena were with the number of non‐tic repetitive behaviors, spitting, and inappropriate sexual behavior. Although coprophenomena are a frequently feared possibility in the course of Tourette syndrome, their emergence occurs in only about one in five referred patients. Because the course and actual impact of coprophenomena are variable, additional prospective research is needed to provide better counseling and prognostic information.
Assessment of cerebral visual impairment with the L94 visual perceptual battery: clinical value and correlation with MRI findings
Authors: ORTIBUS E , LAGAE L , CASTEELS I , DEMAEREL P , STIERS P
Published: February 2009

In this article we describe visual perceptual abilities of a clinical population, referred for visual problems to our multidisciplinary team and assessed with the five computer tasks from the L94 visual perceptual battery. Clinical and neuroimaging findings were correlated with the findings on this task battery. Seventy children (35 males, 35 females) constituted our cohort. Age ranged from 4 to 20 years (mean 7y [SD 3y]). Forty children were born before 37 weeks gestational age. Thirty‐six children had cerebral palsy (CP), of whom 24 had spastic diplegia, five had spastic hemiplegia, and four had spastic quadriplegia. Three children had ataxic CP. Perceptual visual impairment (PVI) was established in comparison to the performance age obtained on non‐verbal intelligence subtests, instead of chronological age. Our results suggest that children with a history of preterm birth and a clinical CP picture are most at risk for a specific PVI. Correlations among other clinical variables did not define a clinical subgroup more at risk. Children with periventricular leucomalacia were almost equally represented in both PVI and non‐PVI groups. Normal magnetic resonance imaging did not exclude the presence of PVI. In these children, however, we found another impairment profile, more in favour of dorsal stream impairment.
Glutaric aciduria type 1 presenting with epilepsy
Authors: MCCLELLAND VERITY M , BAKALINOVA DANIELA B , HENDRIKSZ CHRIS , SINGH RAVI P
Published: February 2009

Glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA‐1, OMIM 608801) is an autosomal‐recessive disorder resulting from a deficiency of glutaryl‐CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH). Clinical expression usually involves an acute encephalopathic episode in infancy, followed by the development of severe dystonia–dyskinesia. Other presentations include mild developmental delay, macrocephaly, and subdural haematoma. Seizures may occur with the acute encephalopathy but are unusual in the long term, unless motor or cognitive difficulties are severe. We report a 6‐year‐old female who was referred with recurrent epileptic seizures that proved difficult to control with first‐line anticonvulsants. There was no history of encephalopathy. She had no neurological or developmental abnormalities. The electroencephalogram was profoundly abnormal with slow background and mixed multifocal and generalized spike‐and‐wave discharges. Seizures deteriorated on valproic acid. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed widened Sylvian fissures. Metabolic investigations revealed GA‐1. She has improved on a low‐protein diet, carnitine, levetiracetam, and lamotrigine. This is the first report of epileptic seizures as the sole presenting feature of GA‐1 and it potentially adds to the clinical spectrum of this disorder. Furthermore, the case emphasizes the role of metabolic investigation when first‐ or second‐line treatment of epilepsy is unsuccessful.
Phosphodiesterase 10A inhibition modulates the sensitivity of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system to d‐amphetamine: involvement of the D1‐regulated feedback control of midbrain dopamine neurons
Authors: Sotty Florence , Montezinho Liliana P. , Steiniger‐Brach Björn , Nielsen Jacob
Published: February 2009

J. Neurochem. (2009) 109, 766–775.

Phosphodiesterase (PDE) 10A is highly expressed in medium spiny neurons of the striatum, at the confluence of the corticostriatal glutamatergic and the midbrain dopaminergic pathways, both believed to be involved in the physiopathology of schizophrenia. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that targeting PDE10A may be beneficial for the treatment of positive symptoms in schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate how PDE10A inhibition modulates mesolimbic dopaminergic neurotransmission. We found that the selective PDE10A inhibitor, MP‐10, blocked d‐amphetamine‐induced hyperactivity as well as d‐amphetamine‐induced dopamine efflux in the nucleus accumbens in a dose‐dependent manner. We further investigated the mechanism by which PDE10A inhibition affects dopaminergic neurotransmission. We report that MP‐10 potentiated the effect of a high but not a low dose of d‐amphetamine on the mean firing rate of dopaminergic neurons recorded from the ventral tegmental area. Similarly, the effect of a high, but not a low dose of d‐amphetamine, was completely reversed by the selective D1 antagonist, SCH23390. These data suggest that the D1‐regulated feedback control of midbrain dopamine neurons is a critical pathway involved in the modulation of the response of mesolimbic dopamine neurons to d‐amphetamine by PDE10A inhibition.
Nest predators of woodland open‐nesting songbirds in central Europe
Authors: WEIDINGER KAREL
Published: February 2009

I used time‐lapse videotaping to identify predators of open songbird nests in fragmented deciduous woodland (nine plots, 2–10 ha each) in the Czech Republic from 2002 to 2006. I documented 22 species of predators at 171 nests of 13 species (mainly Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, Song Thrush Turdus philomelos, Common Blackbird Turdus merula, Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella and Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs). The main predators were Pine Marten Martes martes (37% of 178 predation events), Jay Garrulus glandarius (29%), Buzzard Buteo buteo (7%) and Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major (7%); mammals accounted for 48% of total predation. At least 3% of nests were depredated by multiple predators. In spite of their local abundance, Hooded Crows Corvus cornix did not present a serious threat for shrub nesting songbirds (< 1% of total predation). No predation by mice was recorded, suggesting that their importance has been overestimated in artificial nest studies. The proportional species composition of predators depended on which species occupied the monitored nest and location (study plot), but not on the year or the time of season. Corvids and raptors accounted for a relatively larger percentage of total predation of small (‘warblers’) and large (‘thrushes’) prey species, respectively, whereas carnivores were important predators of all prey species. Active nests of thrushes were only rarely robbed by Jays (< 4% of 52 events), presumably due to parental nest defence. Predation by woodpeckers was spatially clumped, probably due to individual foraging specialization. Predation by the other major predators was documented on most/all study plots.
Regulation of RhoGEF proteins by G12/13‐coupled receptors
Authors: Siehler Sandra
Published: February 2009

G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent a large family of seven transmembrane receptors, which communicate extracellular signals into the cellular lumen. The human genome contains 720–800 GPCRs, and their diverse signal characteristics are determined by their specific tissue and subcellular expression profiles, as well as their coupling profile to the various G protein families (Gs, Gi, Gq, G12). The G protein coupling pattern links GPCR activation to the specific downstream effector pathways. G12/13signalling of GPCRs has been studied only recently in more detail, and involves activation of RhoGTPase nucleotide exchange factors (RhoGEFs). Four mammalian RhoGEFs regulated by G12/13proteins are known: p115‐RhoGEF, PSD‐95/Disc‐large/ZO‐1 homology‐RhoGEF, leukemia‐associated RhoGEF and lymphoid blast crisis‐RhoGEF. These link GPCRs to activation of the small monomeric GTPase RhoA, and other downstream effectors. Misregulated G12/13signalling is involved in multiple pathophysiological conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, arterial and pulmonary hypertension, and bronchial asthma. Specific targeting of G12/13signalling‐related diseases of GPCRs hence provides novel therapeutic approaches. Assays to quantitatively measure GPCR‐mediated activation of G12/13are only emerging, and are required to understand the G12/13‐linked pharmacology. The review gives an overview of G12/13signalling of GPCRs with a focus on RhoGEF proteins as the immediate mediators of G12/13activation.
Bayesian Small Area Models for Assessing Wildlife Conservation Risk in Patchy Populations
Authors: WILSON DUNCAN S. , STODDARD MARGO A. , BETTS MATTHEW G. , PUETTMANN KLAUS J.
Published: February 2009

Abstract: Species conservation risk assessments require accurate, probabilistic, and biologically meaningful maps of population distribution. In patchy populations, the reasons for discontinuities are not often well understood. We tested a novel approach to habitat modeling in which methods of small area estimation were used within a hierarchical Bayesian framework. Amphibian occurrence was modeled with logistic regression that included third‐order drainages as hierarchical effects to account for patchy populations. Models including the random drainage effects adequately represented species occurrences in patchy populations of 4 amphibian species in the Oregon Coast Range (U.S.A.). Amphibian surveys from other locations within the same drainage were used to calibrate local drainage‐scale effects. Cross‐validation showed that prediction errors for calibrated models were 77% to 86% lower than comparable regionally constructed models, depending on species. When calibration data were unavailable, small area and regional models performed similarly, although poorly. Small area estimation models complement wildlife ecology and habitat studies, and can help managers develop a regional picture of the conservation status for relatively rare species.
Warfare in Biodiversity Hotspots
Authors: HANSON THOR , BROOKS THOMAS M. , DA FONSECA GUSTAVO A. B. , HOFFMANN MICHAEL , LAMOREUX JOHN F. , MACHLIS GARY , MITTERMEIER CRISTINA G. , MITTERMEIER RUSSELL A. , PILGRIM JOHN D.
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  Conservation efforts are only as sustainable as the social and political context within which they take place. The weakening or collapse of sociopolitical frameworks during wartime can lead to habitat destruction and the erosion of conservation policies, but in some cases, may also confer ecological benefits through altered settlement patterns and reduced resource exploitation. Over 90% of the major armed conflicts between 1950 and 2000 occurred within countries containing biodiversity hotspots, and more than 80% took place directly within hotspot areas. Less than one‐third of the 34 recognized hotspots escaped significant conflict during this period, and most suffered repeated episodes of violence. This pattern was remarkably consistent over these 5 decades. Evidence from the war‐torn Eastern Afromontane hotspot suggests that biodiversity conservation is improved when international nongovernmental organizations support local protected area staff and remain engaged throughout the conflict. With biodiversity hotspots concentrated in politically volatile regions, the conservation community must maintain continuous involvement during periods of war, and biodiversity conservation should be incorporated into military, reconstruction, and humanitarian programs in the world's conflict zones.
Lead In‐Use Stock
Authors: Mao Jiansu , Graedel T. E.
Published: February 2009

The 20th century was a time of rapidly escalating use of lead (Pb). As a consequence, the standing stock of lead is now substantial. By linking lead extraction and use to estimates of product lifetimes and recycling, we have derived an estimate of the standing stock of lead throughout the century by top‐down techniques. We find that the stock of in‐use lead is almost entirely made up of batteries (68%), lead sheet (10%), and lead pipe (10%). Globally, about 200 teragrams (Tg) Pb was mined in the 20th century, and about 25 Tg Pb now makes up the in‐use stock, so some 87% has been lost over time. Nonetheless, about 11% of all lead entering use was added to in‐use stock in 2000, so the stock continues to increase each year. Currently, most of the stock is in Europe (32%), North America (32%), and Asia (24%). On a per capita basis, the global stock is about 5.6 kilograms (kg) Pb, and regional in‐use stock ranges from 2.0 kg Pb (Africa) to 19.7 kg Pb (Europe). From a sustainability perspective, we estimate that the global lead resource is around 415 Tg Pb. Were the entire world to receive the services of lead at the level of the developed countries, some 130 Tg Pb would be needed, so there do not appear to be significant long‐term limitations to the lead supply.
The Role of Pubertal Timing in What Adolescent Boys Do Online
Authors: Skoog Therése , Stattin Håkan , Kerr Margaret
Published: February 2009

The aim of this study was to investigate associations between pubertal timing and boys' Internet use, particularly their viewing of pornography. We used a sample comprising of 97 boys in grade 8 (M age, 14.22 years) from two schools in a medium‐sized Swedish town. This age should be optimal for differentiating early, on‐time, and later‐maturing boys. Boys responded to self‐report questionnaires on their Internet use and pubertal timing. Early, on‐time, and late‐maturing boys did not differ in terms of most Internet activities. However, early maturers reported downloading and viewing pornography more often than the other boys did (p<.001). The findings build on previous research on the link between pubertal timing and sexual behavior in adolescence. Moreover, they help further understanding of the behavioral implications of boys' pubertal timing.
New Retail Capital and Neighborhood Change: Boutiques and Gentrification in New York City
Authors: Zukin Sharon , Trujillo Valerie , Frase Peter , Jackson Danielle , Recuber Tim , Walker Abraham
Published: February 2009

Since the 1970s, certain types of upscale restaurants, cafés, and stores have emerged as highly visible signs of gentrification in cities all over the world. Taking Harlem and Williamsburg as field sites, we explore the role of these new stores and services (“boutiques”) as agents of change in New York City through data on changing composition of retail and services, interviews with new store owners, and discursive analysis of print media. Since the 1990s, the share of boutiques, including those owned by small local chains, has dramatically increased, while the share of corporate capital (large chain stores) has increased somewhat, and the share of traditional local stores and services has greatly declined. the media, state, and quasi–public organizations all value boutiques, which they see as symbols and agents of revitalization. Meanwhile, new retail investors—many, in Harlem, from the new black middle class—are actively changing the social class and ethnic character of the neighborhoods. Despite owners’ responsiveness to community identity and racial solidarity, “boutiquing” calls attention to displacement of local retail stores and services on which long–term, lower class residents rely and to the state's failure to take responsibility for their retention, especially in a time of economic crisis.