bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expression and Activation ofN‐Methyl‐d‐Aspartate Receptor Subunit‐1 Receptor Subunits in Gonadotrophin‐Releasing Hormone Neurones of Young and Middle‐Aged Mice During the Luteinising Hormone Surge
Authors: Adjan V. , Centers A. , Jennes L.
Published: July 2008

Glutamate is an important excitatory neurotransmitter that stimulates the release of gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) and participates in the generation of the luteinising hormone (LH) surge. To determine the mechanisms of action of glutamate and possible changes in the glutamatergic input to GnRH neurones during reproductive ageing, we measured the expression and activation of the mandatoryN‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor subunit‐1 (NMDAR1) in GnRH neurones of young and middle‐aged mice prior to and during a steroid‐induced LH surge. The results show that, in young animals, approximately 55% of all GnRH neurones contain immunoreactive NMDAR1 protein and this percentage does not change during the day of the LH surge. In approximately 10% of the GnRH neurones, NMDA receptor protein is phosphorylated at Ser 890 prior to the surge, whereas, in approximately 55% of the GnRH neurones, NMDAR1 subunits are phosphorylated during the LH surge. Activation of NMDAR1 receptor subunits stimulates the calcium‐calmodulin‐kinase IV (CaMK IV). pathway, which leads to the translocation of CaMK IV into the nucleus where this enzyme can phosphorylate the cAMP response element‐binding protein (CREB) and CREB‐binding protein. We show that, in young animals, approximately 20% of the GnRH neurones contain CaMK IV in their nuclei 7 h prior to the LH surge; this percentage increases to 60% at the beginning of the surge and decreases to approximately 40% some 2 h into the LH surge. In middle‐aged animals, approximately 25% of the GnRH neurones contain NMDAR1 protein and only 10% of the GnRH neurones contain phosphorylated NMDAR1 protein prior to and during the surge; however 2 h after the peak of the surge, 20% of the GnRH neurones contain phosphorylated NMDAR1 subunits. Similarly, 20% of GnRH neurones contain nuclear CaMK IV and this percentage does not change during the day of the LH surge. The results suggest that, in the young animal, glutamatergic innervation of GnRH neurones during the LH surge causes the activation and phosphorylation of NMDAR1 receptor subunits which results in the translocation of CaMK IV into the nucleus. However, both, the expression and activation of NMDAR1 receptor subunits are greatly reduced in the middle‐aged animals, which could result in the absence of LH surges.
Overview of revised measures to prevent malaria transmission by blood transfusion in France
Authors: Garraud O. , Assal A. , Pelletier B. , Danic B. , Kerleguer A. , David B. , Joussemet M. , De Micco P.
Published: July 2008

Plasmodial transmission by blood donation is rare in non‐endemic countries, but a very serious complication of blood transfusion. The French national blood service (Établissement Français du Sang and Centre de Transfusion sanguine des Armees) intended to revise the measures to strengthen blood safety with regard to Plasmodiae as transmissible pathogens. To limit the risk of transmission during infusion, serious additive measures have been taken for more than a decade in France, which is the European country with the highest rate of exposure to imported plasmodial infections or malaria. These measures were revised and strengthened after the occurrence of a lethal transfusion‐transmitted infection in 2002, but did not prevent another occurrence in 2006. This report examines the weaknesses of the systems and aims at emphasizing the safety measures already taken and addresses issues to best respond to that risk.
Treatment outcomes of hepatic and pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma
Authors: Lee Won‐Suk , Yun Hae‐Ran , Yun Seong‐Hyeon , Chun Ho‐Kyung , Lee Woo‐Yong , Kim Sung‐Joo , Choi Seong‐Ho , Heo Jin‐Seok , Joh Jae‐Won , Park Young‐Suk , Kang Won‐Ki
Published: July 2008

Background and Aim:  The resection of synchronous or metachronous pulmonary and liver metastasis is an aggressive treatment option for patients with stage IV colorectal cancer and has been shown to yield acceptable long‐term survival. We reviewed our experience with colorectal cancer patients with both liver and lung resections to determine the efficacy of surgical resections.

Methods:  We performed a single institution, retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent surgical hepatic and pulmonary resection for metastatic colorectal cancer between 1995 and 2004.

Results:  A total of 32 patients underwent resection of both hepatic and pulmonary metastases secondary to colorectal cancer. The 5‐year overall survival from initial operation was 60.8%. The disease‐free interval was 44.3 months (95% confidence interval: 24.7 and 63.8, respectively). Neither the number of pulmonary lesions nor the time interval between the primary surgery and the metastasectomy had a significant impact on survival (P = 0.134).

Conclusion:  An aggressive surgical treatment of selected colorectal cancer patients with lung and liver metastases resulted in prolonged survival. The 5‐year survival rate of 60.8% with no perioperative mortality was observed in our study.
Liposome‐mediated gene transfer of endothelial nitric oxide synthase to cirrhotic rat liver decreases intrahepatic vascular resistance
Authors: Zhang Zhi‐Qi , Qiu Jiang‐Feng , Luo Meng , Sun Yong‐Wei , Zhao Gang , Chen Wei , Liu Hua , Wu Zhi‐Yong
Published: July 2008

Background and Aims:  Nitric oxide (NO) production by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in sinusoidal endothelial cells is reduced in the injured liver and leads to intrahepatic portal hypertension. The present study evaluates the effects of liposome‐mediated gene transfer of eNOS on the intrahepatic vascular resistance and portal venous pressure (PVP) in cirrhotic rats.

Methods:  Hepatic cirrhosis was induced in male Sprague–Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), whereas the control normal rats were given the same dose of peanut oil. Plasmid eukaryotic expression vector (liposome‐pcDNA3/eNOS) was injected into the portal vein of CCl4 cirrhotic rats, whereas cirrhotic controls received the same dose of naked plasmid (liposome‐pcDNA3) or Tris buffer, and control normal rats received the same dose of Tris buffer. Five days after gene transfer, the levels of eNOS mRNA and protein, NO production, PVP and the changes of hepatic intrahepatic vascular resistance were investigated.

Results:  Five days after eNOS gene transfer, the levels of eNOS mRNA, eNOS protein and NO production in cirrhotic rats increased remarkably, while hepatic vascular resistance and PVP decreased significantly in cirrhotic rats.

Conclusion:  Liposome‐mediated eNOS gene transfer via intraportal injection is feasible and the increase of intrahepatic eNOS leads to a marked decrease in introhepatic vascular resistance and PVP. These data indicate that intrahepatic eNOS plays an important role in the pathogenesis of portal hypertension and gene transfer of eNOS is a potential and novel therapy for portal hypertension.
Importance of biliary excretion of indomethacin in gastrointestinal and hepatic injury
Authors: Dial Elizabeth J , Darling Rebecca L , Lichtenberger Lenard M
Published: July 2008

Background and Aims:  A mechanism for protection of gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatic cells from damaging detergent actions of bile acids appears to involve the bile component, phosphatidylcholine (PC). Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) induce intestinal injury in direct proportion to their ability to be excreted into bile, and are known to chemically associate with PC. We investigated the role of bile acids and PC in the mechanism of indomethacin‐induced epithelial injury.

Methods:  Rats were injected orally or intravenously with radiolabeled indomethacin and their bile was collected over time for determination of NSAID secretion. Bile from rats treated with or without indomethacin was used in studies of red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis as a measure of membrane cytotoxicity. The bile salt, sodium deoxycholate (SDC), and indomethacin were tested alone and in combination with PC on RBC and on hepatic HepG2 cells.

Results:  Intravenously or orally given indomethacin was quantitatively excreted (approximately 50%) into bile over a 2‐h study period. Bile from a rat treated with indomethacin or bile with exogenous indomethacin was cytotoxic to RBC, and the injury was prevented by the addition of PC. Hepatocytes exposed to SDC showed injury that could be dose‐dependently prevented by PC, and reversed by indomethacin.

Conclusions:  Biliary PC plays an important physiological role in protecting GI and hepatic epithelia from the cytotoxic actions of bile salts. The ability of NSAIDs excreted into the bile to associate with mixed bile salt micelles and reduce the protective action of the PC may be a critical component in the drugs' pathogenic mechanism.
Effect of a family psychoeducational program on relatives of schizophrenia patients
Authors: Sota Satoko , Shimodera Shinji , Kii Masaru , Okamura Kayoko , Suto Koichirou , Suwaki Mitsuru , Fujita Hirokazu , Fujito Ryosuke , Inoue Shimpei
Published: July 2008

Aims:  Family psychoeducational programs have been shown to be effective in terms of knowledge acquirement and relapse prevention, but few studies have looked at whether one mode of educational method is more effective than another. The aim of the present study was to compare several modes of educational approaches and to elucidate which mode of education is more effective.

Methods:  A total of 110 relatives of 95 patients with schizophrenia received three types of family psychoeducational programs between January 1995 and September 2003: a small group with two sessions (P1), a large group with nine sessions (P2), and a large group with five sessions (P3). In addition to the demographic data, acquired knowledge was measured using the modified Knowledge About Schizophrenia Interview (KASI), family expressed emotion (EE), and relapse episodes.

Results:  Overall there were significant increases in many KASI subcategory scores after the three programs, in mothers in particular. The change in KASI scores indicated that the low EE group was able to be highly educated and that the relatives of non‐relapsers were more effectively educated. As for the mode of the family psychoeducational program, the P1 and P2 groups surpassed the P3 in terms of knowledge acquired.

Conclusions:  Effects of family psychoeducation may depend not on the number of members or sessions but on the time spent on the program per member.
‘Insistence on recovery’ as a positive prognostic factor in Japanese stroke patients
Authors: Hama Seiji , Yamashita Hidehisa , Kato Toyohiko , Shigenobu Masaya , Watanabe Atsuko , Sawa Megumi , Kurisu Kaoru , Yamawaki Shigeto , Kitaoka Tamotsu
Published: July 2008

Aim:  The present study used two‐step analyses to examine the effect of acceptance of disability or ‘insistence on recovery’ in Japanese stroke patients: first on their functional improvement and second, on their psychological symptoms.

Methods:  Disability was assessed using functional independence measurements (FIM), examining the stage of acceptance of disability by observation using Fink's theory (from shock to defensive retreat, acknowledgement, and acceptance/change stage), and estimation of insistence on recovery (on a scale of 1–4) by observation. The differences over time and the effects on the improvement in their FIM were then assessed. Depression was measured using the Zung Self‐rating Depression Scale (SDS); apathy was measured using the Apathy Scale (AS), and the correlation with the acceptance stage or insistence on recovery was analyzed.

Results:  The acceptance stage and functional improvement progressed significantly, but insistence on recovery did not change significantly during hospitalization. Multiple regression indicated that the insistence on recovery score (but not the acceptance stage) was a good predictor of the degree of improvement in FIM (FIM gain per week) in the elderly group. Post‐hoc testing showed that the SDS or AS score decreased from the first stage to the fourth stage (but increased at the third stage) of acceptance; whereas for insistence on recovery score, the SDS and AS scores decreased as insistence on recovery score changed from 1 to 3, and then increased as insistence on recovery score changed from 3 to 4.

Conclusions:  The appropriate level of insistence on recovery reduced depression and apathy, resulting in enhanced improvement of disability after a stroke in elderly stroke patients.
Depression and its association with self‐esteem, family, peer and school factors in a population of 9586 adolescents in southern Taiwan
Authors: Lin Huang‐Chi , Tang Tze‐Chun , Yen Ju‐Yu , Ko Chin‐Hung , Huang Chi‐Fen , Liu Shu‐Chun , Yen Cheng‐Fang
Published: July 2008

Aims:  The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the prevalence of depression and its association with self‐esteem, family, peer and school factors in a large‐scale representative Taiwanese adolescent population.

Methods:  A total of 12 210 adolescent students were recruited into the present study. Subjects with a score >28 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies' Depression Scale were defined as having significant depression; the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale, Adolescent Family and Social Life Questionnaire and Family C‐APGAR Index were applied to assess subjects' self‐esteem, family, peer and school factors. The association between depression and correlates were examined on t‐test and χ2 test. The significant factors were further included in logistic regression analysis.

Results:  Among 9586 participants (response rate: 86.3%), the prevalence of depression was 12.3%. The risk factors associated with depression in univariate analysis included female gender, older age, residency in urban areas, lower self‐esteem, disruptive parental marriage, low family income, family conflict, poorer family function, less satisfaction with peer relationships, less connectedness to school, and poor academic performance. After adjusting the effects of sex, age and location, only subjects with lower self‐esteem, higher family conflict, poorer family function, lower rank and decreased satisfaction in their peer group, and less connectedness to school were prone to depression on logistic regression.

Conclusion:  The prevalence of depression is high in Taiwanese adolescents, and the multiple factors of family, peer, school and individuals are associated with adolescent depression. The factors identified in the present study may be helpful when designing and implementing preventive intervention programs.
Effect of organizational strategy on visual memory in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Kim Myung‐Sun , Namgoong Yoon , Youn Tak
Published: July 2008

Aims: The aim of the present study was to examine how copy organization mediated immediate recall among patients with schizophrenia using the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF).

Methods: The Boston Qualitative Scoring System (BQSS) was applied for qualitative and quantitative analyses of ROCF performances. Subjects included 20 patients with schizophrenia and 20 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls.

Results: During the copy condition, the schizophrenia group and the control group differed in fragmentation; during the immediate recall condition, the two groups differed in configural presence and planning; and during the delayed recall condition, they differed in several qualitative measurements, including configural presence, cluster presence/placement, detail presence/placement, fragmentation, planning, and neatness. The two groups also differed in several quantitative measurements, including immediate presence and accuracy, immediate retention, delayed retention, and organization. Although organizational strategies used during the copy condition mediated the difference between the two groups during the immediate recall condition, group also had a significant direct effect on immediate recall.

Conclusion: Schizophrenia patients are deficient in visual memory, and a piecemeal approach to the figure and organizational deficit seem to be related to the visual memory deficit. But schizophrenia patients also appeared to have some memory problems, including retention and/or retrieval deficits.
Depressive symptoms and olfactory function in older adults
Authors: Scinska Anna , Wrobel Elzbieta , Korkosz Agnieszka , Zatorski Pawel , Sienkiewicz‐Jarosz Halina , Lojkowska Wanda , Swiecicki Lukasz , Kukwa Wojciech
Published: July 2008

Aims:  Neuroimaging studies suggest a significant overlap between brain regions involved in the regulation of olfaction and mood. The aim of the present study was to search for correlations between depressive symptomatology measured by the 15‐item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and olfactory function assessed with Sniffin' Sticks in non‐demented older adults (aged 53–79 years).

Methods:  Taste detection thresholds were also measured by means of electrogustometry on the anterior tongue.

Results:  No correlation was found between the GDS scores (range: 0–12) and olfactory thresholds or olfactory identification scores. Similarly, there was no relationship between depressive symptoms and electrogustometric thresholds. Subjects (n = 25) scoring ≥5 on the GDS were classified as ‘depressed’ and all other individuals (n = 60) were classified as ‘non‐depressed’. The two groups did not differ in terms of the olfactory measures and electrogustometric threshold.

Conclusion:  Depressive symptoms are not associated with any major olfactory deficit in non‐clinical older adults.
Predicting children with pervasive developmental disorders using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition
Authors: Koyama Tomonori , Inada Naoko , Tsujii Hiromi , Kurita Hiroshi
Published: July 2008

An original combination score (i.e. the sum of Vocabulary and Comprehension subtracted from the sum of Block Design and Digit Span) was created from the four Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition (WISC‐III) subtests identified by discriminant analysis on WISC‐III data from 139/129 children with/without pervasive developmental disorders (PDD; mean, 8.3/8.1 years) and its utility examined for predicting PDD. Its best cut‐off was 2/3, with sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 0.68, 0.61, 0.65 and 0.64, respectively. The score seems useful, so long as clinicians are aware of its limitations and use it only as a supplemental measure in PDD diagnosis.
Restless legs symptoms with sleepiness in relation to mortality: 20‐year follow‐up study of a middle‐aged Swedish population
Authors: Mallon Lena , Broman Jan‐Erik , Hetta Jerker
Published: July 2008

Aim:  The aim of the present study was to investigate restless legs symptoms with concomitant daytime sleepiness as a risk factor for mortality in a middle‐aged population.

Methods:  A cohort of 5102 subjects aged 30–65 years in mid‐Sweden who responded to a postal questionnaire in 1983 was followed up. The questionnaire included questions about restless legs symptoms, daytime sleepiness, demographic and lifestyle variables, sleep habits, medical conditions and depression. Mortality data for the period 1983–2003 were collected and death certificates were available for all the 657 responders who died during the follow‐up period.

Results:  Restless legs symptoms with daytime sleepiness was reported by 10.3% and was associated with shorter night sleep time, several health problems and depression. During the follow‐up period 379 men (21.6%) and 278 women (15.5%) died. A multivariate model adjusted for age, short night sleep time, lifestyle factors, medical conditions and depression showed that women reporting restless legs symptoms with daytime sleepiness had an excess mortality compared to women without restless legs symptoms and daytime sleepiness (hazard ratios, 1.85; 95% confidence interval, 1.20–2.85; P = 0.005). No influence on mortality risk was found in men reporting restless legs symptoms with daytime sleepiness.

Conclusions:  The occurrence of restless legs symptoms with daytime sleepiness in middle‐aged women is associated with increased mortality risk.
Pervasive developmental disorder with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder‐like symptoms and mismatch negativity
Authors: Sawada Masayuki , Negoro Hideki , Iida Junzo , Kishimoto Toshifumi
Published: July 2008

The present study examined the correlation between the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Rating Scale‐IV Japanese version (ADHD RS‐IV‐J) score and mismatch negativity (MMN), in 10 pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) children with ADHD‐like symptoms, and examined whether MMN become the objective measure to assess the severity of ADHD‐like symptoms in PDD children. Consequently, score of ADHD RS‐IV‐J had a positive correlative tendency with MMN latency and had a significant strong negative correlation with MMN amplitude. Therefore, MMN may become an objective measure to assess the severity of ADHD‐like symptoms in PDD children.
Distribution, biology, and agricultural importance of Galinsoga parviflora (Asteraceae)
Authors: DAMALAS CHRISTOS A.
Published: July 2008

Galinsoga parviflora, an annual dicot species of the family Asteraceae, is a common herb that is often found in disturbed habitats and agricultural areas in many parts of the temperate and subtropical regions of the world. It is a native of tropical America and the center of its origin is thought to be the mountainous area of Central America. Galinsoga parviflora is considered to be a common weed in several crops of major importance, such as wheat, corn, cotton, tobacco, sugarbeet, tomato, pepper, potato, bean, onion, cabbage, garlic, coffee, citrus, banana, and strawberry; it is frequently found in gardens and uncultivated areas. It succeeds particularly in moist soils and it is favored by a long photoperiod and high light intensity. The significant features of the plant, such as the lack of seed dormancy, rapid growth and development, early flowering, many generations per growing season, production of a great number of seed in a wide range of environmental circumstances, and the ability for easy vegetative reproduction under favorable conditions predispose the plant to be a troublesome weed. These features allow the easy distribution and rapid establishment of the weed in large populations, a fact that often makes this weed difficult to control. Galinsoga parviflora competes strongly, particularly with irrigated crops of short height, and it might also hinder crop harvest. The management of G. parviflora can be achieved by manual weeding, repeated soil cultivation, crop rotation, mulching, and herbicide application. The plant is reported to be edible and is used also for medicinal purposes.
Young children's knowledge about the influence of thoughts on emotions in rule situations
Authors: Lagattuta Kristin Hansen
Published: July 2008

Four‐year‐olds, 5‐year‐olds, and adults (N = 48) listened to stories featuring characters that experienced one of four types of thoughts after deciding to transgress or comply with a rule: thoughts about desires, rules, future negative outcomes, or future punishment. Participants predicted and explained the characters’ emotions. Results showed that young children, as with adults, predicted positive emotions for willpower and negative emotions for transgression at low rates for the think‐desire trials, and at high rates for the think‐rule and think‐future trials. They also modified their emotion explanations in line with the focus of characters’ thoughts. These data provide unprecedented evidence that young children can reason flexibly about emotions in rule situations when provided explicit, salient information about people's thoughts.
Go or no‐go? Developmental improvements in the efficiency of response inhibition in mid‐childhood
Authors: Cragg Lucy , Nation Kate
Published: July 2008

This experiment used a modified go/no‐go paradigm to investigate the processes by which response inhibition becomes more efficient during mid‐childhood. The novel task, which measured trials on which a response was initiated but not completed, was sensitive to developmental changes in response inhibition. The effect of inducing time pressure by narrowing allowable response time was also examined. While increasing time pressure did not reduce the inhibitory demands of the task for either age group, older children (aged 9 to 11 years) were able to inhibit their responses at an earlier stage of movement than younger children (aged 5 to 7 years). This shows that as children get older they become more efficient at controlling their behaviour which drives developmental improvements in response inhibition.
Infants prefer motionese to adult‐directed action
Authors: Brand Rebecca J. , Shallcross Wendy L.
Published: July 2008

In two studies, we investigated infants’ preference for infant‐directed (ID) action or ‘motionese’ (Brand, Baldwin & Ashburn, 2002) relative to adult‐directed (AD) action. In Study 1, full‐featured videos were shown to 32 6‐ to 8‐month‐olds, who demonstrated a strong preference for ID action. In Study 2, infants at 6–8 months (n= 28) and 11–13 months (n= 24) were shown either standard ID and AD clips, or clips in which demonstrators’ faces were blurred to obscure emotional and eye‐gaze information. Across both ages, infants showed evidence of preferring ID to AD action, even when faces were blurred. Infants did not have a preference for still‐frame images of the demonstrators, indicating that the ID preference arose from action characteristics, not demonstrators’ general appearance. These results suggest that motionese enhances infants’ attention to action, possibly supporting infants’ learning.
Ethnic micropolitics in Eastern Europe: A case study from Slovakia's Gypsy archipelago
Authors: Scheffel David
Published: July 2008

Based on long‐term research with rural Roma, the article calls attention to new forms of racial segregation in post‐socialist Slovakia. Building on traditional avoidance patterns, ordinary residents and municipal authorities alike are delineating de‐facto ‘whites only’ neighbourhoods where Roma are not tolerated. This happens in defiance of EU anti‐discrimination legislation and as a reaction to integrationist housing policies implemented during the socialist era.
DESTABILIZING EFFECTS ON INCOME ADJUSTMENT PROCESS WITH FISCAL POLICY LAGS
Authors: Matsumoto Akio
Published: July 2008

Since a finite time delay in government purchases of goods and service cannot be ignored, this paper studies how such a time lag in a fiscal policy affects the stability of the income adjustment process. Formulating the income adjustment process with time delay, it adopts two different approaches: one is a fixed time lag and the other is a continuously distributed lag. It is demonstrated that the continuously distributed time lag has the stronger destabilizing effect if the adjustment of the government expenditure is slow while the fixed lag has the stronger destabilizing effect if this adjustment is rapid.
Roles of perinatal problems on adolescent antisocial behaviors among children born after 33 completed weeks: a prospective investigation
Authors: Nomura Yoko , Rajendran Khushmand , Brooks‐Gunn Jeanne , Newcorn Jeffrey H.
Published: July 2008

Background:  There is uncertainty about the extent to which mildly sub‐optimal perinatal characteristics among individuals born near‐term (>33 weeks of gestation) are associated with various subsequent childhood problems, including antisocial behavior. There is even more uncertainty about whether the pathway to antisocial behavior differs by gender.

Methods:  A sample of 1689 infants, born near‐term, was followed from birth for over 30 years. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study evaluated hypothesized mechanisms linking perinatal problems to antisocial behavior, mediated through the following variables in early and later childhood: neurological abnormalities at age 1; hearing, speech, and language problems at age 3; cognitive function at age 4; and academic performance at age 7. Childhood problems were assessed by trained research clinicians, blind to perinatal status. An ‘antisocial behavior’ variable was created, based on retrospective self‐report of six antisocial incidences assessed in adulthood.

Results:  Path coefficients showed that birthweight, head circumference, and Apgar scores were indirectly associated with antisocial behavior in the presence of one or more of the following: neurological abnormalities, abnormality in language, speech, and hearing, cognitive function, or academic performance. We found gender differences only in the associations between hearing and IQ and between language perception and IQ. Poor academic performance was associated with antisocial behavior in both boys and girls.

Conclusion:  Our hypothesis, that perinatal problems may progress to antisocial behavior when mediated by various markers of early childhood problems, was confirmed. Adverse perinatal events need to be considered in identifying infants who are at risk for academic problems and antisocial behavior, even when the infant is born relatively close to term (i.e., >33 weeks). Poor academic performance, which is indirectly influenced by a variety of neurological and cognitive problems during the perinatal period, infancy, and early childhood appear to increase antisocial behavioral problems in both girls and boys.
Hyperosmotic stress induces Axl activation and cleavage in cerebral endothelial cells
Authors: Wilhelm Imola , Nagyőszi Péter , Farkas Attila E. , Couraud Pierre‐Olivier , Romero Ignacio A. , Weksler Babette , Fazakas Csilla , Dung Ngo Thi Khue , Bottka Sándor , Bauer Hannelore , Bauer Hans‐Christian , Krizbai István A.
Published: July 2008

Because of the relative impermeability of the blood‐brain barrier (BBB), many drugs are unable to reach the CNS in therapeutically relevant concentration. One method to deliver drugs to the CNS is the osmotic opening of the BBB using mannitol. Hyperosmotic mannitol induces a strong phosphorylation on tyrosine residues in a broad spectrum of proteins in cerebral endothelial cells, the principal components of the BBB. Previously, we have shown that among targets of tyrosine phosphorylation are β‐catenin, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 and the non‐receptor tyrosine kinase Src. The aim of this study was to identify new signalling pathways activated by hypertonicity in cerebral endothelial cells. Using an antibody array and immunoprecipitation we identified the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl to become tyrosine phosphorylated in response to hyperosmotic mannitol. Besides activation, Axl was also cleaved in response to osmotic stress. Degradation of Axl proved to be metalloproteinase‐ and proteasome‐dependent and resulted in 50–55 kDa C‐terminal products which remained phosphorylated even after degradation. Specific knockdown of Axl increased the rate of apoptosis in hyperosmotic mannitol‐treated cells; therefore, we assume that activation of Axl may be a protective mechanism against hypertonicity‐induced apoptosis. Our results identify Axl as an important element of osmotic stress‐induced signalling.
Lipid content of brain, brain membrane lipid domains, and neurons from acid sphingomyelinase deficient mice
Authors: Scandroglio Federica , Venkata Jagadish Kummetha , Loberto Nicoletta , Prioni Simona , Schuchman Edward H. , Chigorno Vanna , Prinetti Alessandro , Sonnino Sandro
Published: July 2008

The cholesterol, sphingolipid, and glycerophospholipid content of total brain, of detergent‐resistant membranes prepared from the total brain, and of cerebellar granule cells differentiated in culture from wild type (WT) and acid sphingomyelinase knockout (ASMKO) were studied. Brains derived from 7‐month‐old ASMKO animals showed a fivefold higher level of sphingomyelin and a significant increase in ganglioside content, mainly because of monosialogangliosides GM3 and GM2 accumulation, while the cholesterol and glycerophospholipid content was unchanged with respect to WT animals. An increase in sphingomyelin, but not in gangliosides, was also detected in cultured cerebellar granule neurons from ASMKO mice, indicating that ganglioside accumulation is not a direct consequence of the enzyme defect. When a detergent‐resistant membrane fraction was prepared from ASMKO brains, we observed that a higher detergent‐to‐protein ratio was needed than in WT animals. This likely reflects a reduced fluidity in restricted membrane areas because of a higher enrichment in sphingolipids in the case of ASMKO brain.
Adenylyl cyclase‐5 activity in the nucleus accumbens regulates anxiety‐related behavior
Authors: Kim Kyoung‐Shim , Lee Ko‐Woon , Baek In‐Sun , Lim Chae‐Moon , Krishnan Vaishnav , Lee Ja‐Kyeong , Nestler Eric J. , Han Pyung‐Lim
Published: July 2008

Type 5 adenylyl cyclase (AC5) is highly concentrated in the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens (NAc), two brain areas which have been implicated in motor function, reward, and emotion. Here we demonstrate that mice lacking AC5 (AC5−/−) display strong reductions in anxiety‐like behavior in several paradigms. This anxiolytic behavior in AC5−/− mice was reduced by the D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 and enhanced by the D1 dopamine receptor agonist, dihydrexidine (DHX). DHX‐stimulated c‐fos induction in AC5−/− mice was blunted in the dorso‐lateral striatum, but it was overactivated in the dorso‐medial striatum and NAc. The siRNA‐mediated inhibition of AC5 levels within the NAc was sufficient to produce an anxiolytic‐like response. Microarray and RT‐PCR analyses revealed an up‐regulation of prodynorphin and down‐regulation of cholecystokinin (CCK) in the NAc of AC5−/− mice. Administration of nor‐binaltorphimine (a kappa opioid receptor antagonist) or CCK‐8s (a CCK receptor agonist) reversed the anxiolytic‐like behavior exhibited by AC5−/− mutants. Taken together, these results suggest an essential role of AC5 in the NAc for maintaining normal levels of anxiety.
The contentious politics of unemployment: The Italian case in comparative perspective
Authors: BAGLIONI SIMONE , DELLA PORTA DONATELLA , GRAZIANO PAOLO
Published: July 2008

This article discusses the evolution of the public debate in Italy about unemployment over a period of almost ten years (1995–2002) that was particularly crucial for the Italian labour and political systems. From the early 1980s and throughout the 1990s, the country experienced major industrial change, which dramatically restructured its labour landscape. Moreover, this industrial earthquake occurred within internal (a deep political party system re‐assessment and the fluctuating importance of unions) and external (European Union‐driven state budgetary limits) political constraints that have heavily influenced the debate itself. The analysis of the public policy debates allows the authors of this article to portray the agendas, concepts and strategies introduced and discussed by experts, politicians and interest groups as pillars of a new edifice of public policies. Although other sources are more complete in presenting the policy‐making process on unemployment issues, the focus in this article on the public debate in the mass media reflects a specific interest in the discursive interactions between the symbolic images promoted by different actors. To this end, the authors have combined claims analysis and semi‐structured interviews. Through their combined use, the article describes the selective field of contentious politics as far as main actors are concerned: its effect on the policy issues addressed, and the repertoire used for making claims and influencing policies. The authors also single out the role of the European Union and its potential impact on Italian public debates. In particular, the authors are interested in learning how inclusive these public debates are with reference to weakly represented interests and precariously organised groups (particularly the unemployed).
Governments and unpopular social policy reform: Biting the bullet or steering clear?
Authors: VIS BARBARA
Published: July 2008

Abstract. Under which conditions and to what extent do governments pursue unpopular social policy reforms for which they might be punished in the next election? This article shows that there exists substantial cross‐cabinet variation in the degree to which governments take unpopular measures and argues that current studies cannot adequately explain this variation. Using insights fromprospect theory, a psychological theory of choice under risk, this study hypothesises that governments only engage in unpopular reform if they face a deteriorating socio‐economic situation, a falling political position, or both. If not, they shy away from the risk of reform. A fuzzy‐set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fs/QCA) of the social policy reform activities pursued by German, Dutch, Danish and British cabinets between 1979 and 2005 identifies a deteriorating socio‐economic situation as necessary for unpopular reform. It is only sufficient for triggering reform, however, if the political position is also deteriorating and/or the cabinet is of rightist composition. This study's findings further the scholarly debate on the politics of welfare state reform by offering a micro‐foundation that helps one to understand what induces political actors aspiring to be re‐elected to engage in electorally risky unpopular reform.
From foot‐slogging to call centres and direct mail: A framework for analysing the development of district‐level campaigning
Authors: FISHER JUSTIN , DENVER DAVID
Published: July 2008

Drawing upon ideas formulated with national‐level campaigning in mind and also analyses of district or local‐level campaigning, a conceptual framework to assist in analysing the development of district‐level campaigning is presented. The proposed framework is further amplified, explained and tested using quantitative and qualitative data collected at British General Elections between 1992 and 2005. Various aspects of district (constituency) campaigning in Britain are examined and the extent of change over four General Elections analysed. In broad terms, the data show a good fit with the framework, which offers a useful way of thinking about developments in campaigning both within and across countries.
Shifting policy positions in the European Union
Authors: ARREGUI JAVIER
Published: July 2008

The most visible output of the European Union (EU) negotiation process is shifts in actors' policy positions. Shifts in actors' positions have relevant implications for understanding the EU decision‐making process. On the one hand, actors' shifts in positions can be interpreted as evidence that negotiation actually has taken place. On the other hand, shifts in positions imply that there is a tendency to compromise for convergence upon a final solution. This article indicates the extent to which institutional factors and negotiation conditions can explain those shifts in actors' positions. A subset of the DEU dataset containing information on shifts in actors' positions on issues raised by 28 Commission proposals is examined. The research shows that shifts in positions can be explained by institutional factors such as the decision rule and the legislative procedure implemented, the voting power actors hold in the decision‐making process and/or the type of policy instrument executed.
Importance of Habitat Quality and Landscape Connectivity for the Persistence of Endangered Natterjack Toads
Authors: STEVENS VIRGINIE M. , BAGUETTE MICHEL
Published: July 2008

Abstract: The natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) is endangered in several parts of its distribution, including Belgium, where it occurs mainly in artificial habitats. We parameterized a general model for natterjack population viability analysis (PVA) and tested its sensitivity to changes in the values of basic parameters. Then we assessed the relative efficiency of various conservation measures in 2 situations: a small isolated population and a system of 4 populations connected by rare dispersal movements. We based the population viability analysis on a stage‐structured model of natterjack population dynamics. We parameterized the model in the RAMAS GIS platform with vital rates obtained from our own field experience and from published studies. Simulated natterjack populations were highly sensitive to habitat quality (particularly pond drying), to dispersal from surrounding local populations, and to a lesser extent to values of fecundity and survival of terrestrial stages. Population trajectories were nearly insensitive to initial abundances, carrying capacities, and the frequency of extreme climatic conditions. The simulations showed that in habitats with highly ephemeral ponds, where premetamorphosis mortality was high, natterjack populations nearly always had a very high extinction risk. We also illustrated how low dispersal rates (<1 dispersing individual/generation) efficiently rescued declining local populations. Such source‐sink dynamics demonstrate that the identification and management of source populations should be a high priority.
Social‐Psychological Principles of Community‐Based Conservation and Conservancy Motivation: Attaining Goals within an Autonomy‐Supportive Environment
Authors: DeCARO DANIEL , STOKES MICHAEL
Published: July 2008

Abstract: Community‐based natural resource conservation programs in developing nations face many implementation challenges underpinned by social‐psychological mechanisms. One challenge is garnering local support in an economically and socially sustainable fashion despite economic hardship and historical alienation from local resources. Unfortunately, conservationists' limited understanding of the social‐psychological mechanisms underlying participatory conservation impedes the search for appropriate solutions. We address this issue by revealing key underlying social‐psychological mechanisms of participatory conservation. Different administrative designs create social atmospheres that differentially affect endorsement of conservation goals. Certain forms of endorsement may be less effective motivators and less economically and socially sustainable than others. From a literature review we found that conservation initiatives endorsed primarily for nonautonomous instrumental reasons, such as to avoid economic fines or to secure economic rewards, are less motivating than those endorsed for autonomous reasons, such as for the opportunity for personal expression and growth. We suggest that successful participatory programs promote autonomous endorsement of conservation through an administrative framework of autonomy support—free and open democratic participation in management, substantive recognition and inclusion of local stakeholder identity, and respectful, noncoercive social interaction. This framework of the autonomy‐supportive environment (self‐determination theory) has important implications for future research into program design and incentive‐based conservation and identifies a testable social‐psychological theory of conservancy motivation.
The Future of Scattered Trees in Agricultural Landscapes
Authors: GIBBONS P. , LINDENMAYER D. B. , FISCHER J. , MANNING A. D. , WEINBERG A. , SEDDON J. , RYAN P. , BARRETT G.
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Mature trees scattered throughout agricultural landscapes are critical habitat for some biota and provide a range of ecosystem services. These trees are declining in intensively managed agricultural landscapes globally. We developed a simulation model to predict the rates at which these trees are declining, identified the key variables that can be manipulated to mitigate this decline, and compared alternative management proposals. We used the initial numbers of trees in the stand, the predicted ages of these trees, their rate of growth, the number of recruits established, the frequency of recruitment, and the rate of tree mortality to simulate the dynamics of scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. We applied this simulation model to case studies from Spain, United States, Australia, and Costa Rica. We predicted that mature trees would be lost from these landscapes in 90–180 years under current management. Existing management recommendations for these landscapes—which focus on increasing recruitment—would not reverse this trend. The loss of scattered mature trees was most sensitive to tree mortality, stand age, number of recruits, and frequency of recruitment. We predicted that perpetuating mature trees in agricultural landscapes at or above existing densities requires a strategy that keeps mortality among established trees below around 0.5% per year, recruits new trees at a rate that is higher than the number of existing trees, and recruits new trees at a frequency in years equivalent to around 15% of the maximum life expectancy of trees. Numbers of mature trees in landscapes represented by the case studies will decline before they increase, even if strategies of this type are implemented immediately. This decline will be greater if a management response is delayed.
Assessing Changes in Amphibian Population Dynamics Following Experimental Manipulations of Introduced Fish
Authors: POPE KAREN L.
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Sport‐fish introductions are now recognized as an important cause of amphibian decline, but few researchers have quantified the demographic responses of amphibians to current options in fisheries management designed to minimize effects on sensitive amphibians. Demographic analyses with mark–recapture data allow researchers to assess the relative importance of survival, local recruitment, and migration to changes in population densities. I conducted a 4‐year, replicated whole‐lake experiment in the Klamath Mountains of northern California (U.S.A.) to quantify changes in population density, survival, population growth rate, and recruitment of the Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) in response to manipulations of non‐native fish populations. I compared responses of the frogs in lakes where fish were removed, in lakes in their naturally fish‐free state, and in lakes where fish remained that were either stocked annually or no longer being stocked. Within 3 years of fish removals from 3 lakes, frog densities increased by a factor of 13.6. The survival of young adult frogs increased from 59% to 94%, and realized population growth and recruitment rates at the fish‐removal lakes were more than twice as high as the rates for fish‐free reference lakes and lakes that contained fish. Population growth in the fish‐removal lakes was likely due to better on‐site recruitment of frogs to later life stages rather than increased immigration. The effects on R. cascadae of suspending stocking were ambiguous and suggested no direct benefit to amphibians. With amphibians declining worldwide, these results show that active restoration can slow or reverse the decline of species affected by fish stocking within a short time frame.