bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Soft governance and attitudes to clinical quality in English general practice
Authors: Sheaff Rod , Sibbald Bonnie , Campbell Stephen , Roland Martin , Marshall Martin , Pickard Susan , Gask Linda , Rogers Anne , Halliwell Shirley
Published: July 2004

Objectives: English primary care organisations (primary care groups and trusts – PCGs, PCTs) were, and are, responsible for the quality of general practice but lack hierarchical structures and, frequently, contractual relationships through which to influence it. The theory of soft governance describes how managers can influence professional practice by other means. This study examines the hypothesis that PCG/Ts have used 'soft' clinical governance.

Methods: Survey in 2000/01 of general practitioners' (GPs') attitudes, opinions and self-reported activity in six PCGs and six PCTs using a semi-structured mailed questionnaire. To assess how representative respondents were of English GPs generally, four questions from a national sample survey of English GPs were included and the results compared.

Results: Responses were obtained from 437 (52%) GPs. They most often mentioned the technical aspects of clinical governance. Managerial, policy and resourcing implications were next most frequently mentioned, usually in unfavourable terms. Most GPs reported that their clinical practice had changed because of clinical governance activities, although nearly 40% also reported little difference in the quality of care provided. The National Service Framework for coronary heart disease influenced practice independently of PCG/T activities.

Conclusion: English primary care organisations are exercising soft governance (although not by that name) over some but not all aspects of GPs' clinical practice. However, this soft governance is complex, not easy to sustain and appears hard to extend beyond essentially clinical domains.
Soluble or Insoluble Prussian Blue for Radiocesium and Thallium Poisoning?
Authors: Thompson Dennis F , Callen Erin D
Published: July 2004

OBJECTIVE:

To review the available English-language literature concerning the efficacy of soluble and insoluble Prussian blue used as a therapeutic agent in radiocesium and thallium poisoning.

DATA SOURCES:

A thorough search of MEDLINE, Toxline, and EMBASE databases (1960s-August 2003) was performed. Search terms included Prussian blue, thallium, and radiocesium poisoning. Bibliographies of relevant papers were reviewed for additional citations.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:

Reports and studies of human trials and cases, along with animal and relevant in vitro data, were sought. Data were categorized as insoluble and soluble Prussian blue and by thallium and radiocesium poisoning.

DATA SYNTHESIS:

The majority of evidence describing the efficacy of Prussian blue for radiocesium poisoning is based on the use of the insoluble form. In contrast, the majority of data supporting the efficacy of Prussian blue in thallium poisoning involves the use of the soluble form.

CONCLUSIONS:

Insoluble Prussian blue has recently been approved in the US for treatment of both thallium and radiocesium poisoning. While there is sufficient evidence that the insoluble form of Prussian blue is effective in radiocesium poisoning, there is a paucity of analogous data supporting its use in thallium poisoning. Whether the physicochemical differences between soluble and insoluble Prussian blue have any effect on outcomes in human poisoning is not known.
Advising Cancer Patients on Natural Health Products— A Structured Approach
Authors: de Lemos Mário L , John Leela , Nakashima Lynne , O'Brien Robin K , Taylor Suzanne CM
Published: July 2004

BACKGROUND:

Many patients with cancer (45–60%) use natural health products (NHPs). Pharmacists often find it difficult to advise these patients effectively.

OBJECTIVE:

To explore pharmacists' perceptions of the information needed to advise cancer patients on NHPs and develop a structured counseling approach.

METHODS:

A qualitative study was conducted using a focus group of pharmacists from an integrated cancer care organization in Canada. The outcome measures were the definitions of and reasons for the information needed to advise patients on NHPs and a counseling approach using laymen terms.

RESULTS:

Eight focus group sessions took place, from which 6 categories of information emerged: role of the advisor, evaluation of evidence, assessment of efficacy, assessment of toxicity, monitoring parameters, and provision of a closure. A patient counseling approach was developed based on this information.

CONCLUSIONS:

The findings provided a description of and rationale for categories of information needed to advise cancer patients on NHPs. A structured, step-by-step approach to counseling these patients was developed.
Variability in the Benzodiazepine Response of Serotonin 5-HT1AReceptor Null Mice Displaying Anxiety-Like Phenotype: Evidence for Genetic Modifiers in the 5-HT-Mediated Regulation of GABAAReceptors
Authors: Bailey Sarah J. , Toth Miklos
Published: July 2004

Benzodiazepines (BZs) acting as modulators of GABAAreceptors (GABAARs) are an important group of drugs for the treatment of anxiety disorders. However, a large inter-individual variation in BZ sensitivity occurs in the human population with some anxiety disorder patients exhibiting diminished sensitivity to BZ and reduced density of GABAARs. The mechanism underlying BZ treatment resistance is not known, and it is not possible to predict whether an anxiety patient will respond to BZ. 5-Hydroxytryptamine1Areceptor (5-HT1AR) null mice (R-/-) on the Swiss-Webster (SW) background reproduce several features of BZ-resistant anxiety; they exhibit anxiety-related behaviors, do not respond to BZ, have reduced BZ binding, and have decreased expression of the major GABAAR subunits α1 and α2. Here, we show that R-/-mice on the C57Bl6 (B6) background also have anxiety phenotype, but they respond to BZ and have normal GABAAR subunit expression. This indicates that the 5-HT1AR-mediated regulation of GABAAR α subunit expression is subject to genetic modification. Hybrid SW/B6-R-/-mice also exhibit BZ-resistant anxiety, suggesting that SW mice carry a genetic modifier, which mediates the effect of the 5-HT1AR on the expression of GABAARα subunits. In addition, we show that this genetic interaction in SW mice operates early in postnatal life to influence the expression of GABAAR α subunits at the transcriptional level. These data indicate that BZ-resistant anxiety results from a developmental arrest of GABAAR expression in SW-R-/-mice, and a similar mechanism may be responsible for the BZ insensitivity of some anxiety patients.
Target Selection in Area V4 during a Multidimensional Visual Search Task
Authors: Ogawa Tadashi , Komatsu Hidehiko
Published: July 2004

Natural scenes typically contain multiple objects that are unique in different stimulus dimensions so that an object with feature contrast to surrounding objects draws attention and pops out. Furthermore, if we have previous knowledge about the dimension in which a target object differs from the surrounding objects, we will attend to that dimension and more easily detect the target. Our aims here were to elucidate neural mechanisms underlying this type of attention by recording neuronal activities from area V4 and to investigate how visual signals encoding feature contrast between objects are modulated by attention specific to a particular dimension. To accomplish this, we trained monkeys to do a multidimensional visual search task in which two singleton stimuli, unique in the color or shape dimension, were presented with four other identical stimuli. The monkeys had to search for the singleton stimulus that was unique in the instructed dimension while the search dimension was switched between shape and color. We found that individual V4 neurons carry visual signals encoding feature contrast in either shape or color, and this signal is modulated depending on the search dimension. Population responses to the target singleton stimulus were significantly higher than to others, regardless of the search dimension. In most V4 neurons, however, significant response increases occurred only when one particular singleton stimulus was the target. These findings suggest that interaction between bottom-up signals encoding feature contrast between stimuli and top-down signals encoding search dimension occurs in V4 and facilitates adaptive selection of targets in a complex visual environment.
Somatic Localization of a Specific Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel Subtype Controls Compartmentalized Ethanol Sensitivity in the Nucleus Accumbens
Authors: Martin Gilles , Puig Sylvie , Pietrzykowski Andrzej , Zadek Paula , Emery Patrick , Treistman Steven
Published: July 2004

Alcohol is an addictive drug that targets a variety of ion channels and receptors. To address whether the effects of alcohol are compartment specific (soma vs dendrite), we examined the effects of ethanol (EtOH) on large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (BK) in cell bodies and dendrites of freshly isolated neurons from the rat nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a region known to be critical for the development of addiction. Compartment-specific drug action was indeed observed. Clinically relevant concentrations of EtOH increased somatic but not dendritic BK channel open probability. Electrophysiological single-channel recordings and pharmacological analysis of the BK channel in excised patches from each region indicated a number of differences, suggestive of a compartment-specific expression of the β4 subunit of the BK channel, that might explain the differential alcohol sensitivity. These parameters included activation kinetics, calcium dependency, and toxin blockade. Reverse transcription-PCR showed that both BK channel β1 and β4 subunit mRNAs are found in the NAcc, although the signal for β1 is significantly weaker. Immunohistochemistry revealed that β1 subunits were found in both soma and dendrites, whereas β4 appeared restricted to the soma. These findings suggest that the β4 subunit may confer EtOH sensitivity to somatic BK channels, whereas the absence of β4 in the dendrite results in insensitivity to the drug. Consistent with this idea, acute EtOH potentiated αβ4 BK currents in transfected human embryonic kidney cells, whereas it failed to alter αβ1 BK channel-mediated currents. Finally, an EtOH concentration (50 mm) that increased BK channel open probability strongly decreased the duration of somatic-generated action potential in NAcc neurons.
The Construction of Movement with Behavior-Specific and Behavior-Independent Modules
Authors: Jing Jian , Cropper Elizabeth C. , Hurwitz Itay , Weiss Klaudiusz R.
Published: July 2004

Growing evidence suggests that different forms of complex motor acts are constructed through flexible combinations of a small number of modules in interneuronal networks. It remains to be established, however, whether a module simply controls groups of muscles and functions as a computational unit for use in multiple behaviors (behavior independent) or whether a module controls multiple salient features that define one behavior and is used primarily for that behavior (behavior specific). We used theAplysiafeeding motor network to examine the two proposals by studying the functions of identifiable interneurons. We identified three types of motor programs that resemble three types of behaviors thatAplysiaproduce: biting, swallowing, and rejection. Two ingestive programs (biting, swallowing) are defined by two movement parameters of the feeding apparatus (the radula): one is the same in both programs (phasing of radula closure motoneurons relative to radula protraction-retraction), whereas the other parameter (protraction duration) is different in the two programs. In each program, these two parameters were specified together by an individual neuron, but the neurons in each were different (B40 for biting, B30 for swallowing). These findings support the existence of behavior-specific modules. Furthermore, neuron B51 was found to mediate a phase that can be flexibly added on to both ingestive and egestive-rejection programs, suggesting that B51 may be a behavior-independent module. The functional interpretation of the role played by these modules is supported by the patterns of synaptic connectivity that they make. Thus, both behavior-specific and behavior-independent modules are used to construct complex behaviors.
Activation of the Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase-Akt-Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Signaling Pathway Is Required for Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor-Dependent Long-Term Depression
Authors: Hou Lingfei , Klann Eric
Published: July 2004

Hippocampal long-term depression (LTD) is a long-lasting decrease in synaptic strength that is most commonly studied at glutamatergic inputs to pyramidal cells in hippocampal area CA1. Activation of G-protein-coupled group I (including types 1 and 5) metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) by the pharmacological agonist (RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) elicits LTD in area CA1 of the hippocampus. Recent reports have shown thatde novoprotein synthesis is necessary for DHPG-induced LTD. However, relatively little is known about the signaling pathways that couple mGluRs to translation initiation. In this study, we investigated whether the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which has been shown to regulate translation initiation, is necessary for mGluR-LTD induced by DHPG. We found that brief incubations of mouse hippocampal slices with DHPG resulted in increased phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR in hippocampal area CA1. Two structurally unrelated PI3K inhibitors, LY294002 and wortmannin, blocked the DHPG-induced increases in phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR. Biochemical fractionation studies showed that the DHPG-induced increase in the phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR could be detected in synaptoneurosome preparations, and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that similar increases could be detected in both stratum pyramidale and stratum radiatum in area CA1. Finally, we observed that both PI3K inhibitors and rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, prevented mGluR-LTD induced by DHPG. Together, our findings indicate that activation of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling cascade is required for mGluR-LTD and suggest that this pathway may couple group I mGluRs to translation initiation in hippocampal area CA1.
Functional Organization of Visual Cortex in the Owl Monkey
Authors: Xu Xiangmin , Bosking William , Sáry Gyula , Stefansic James , Shima Daniel , Casagrande Vivien
Published: July 2004

In this study, we compared the organization of orientation preference in visual areas V1, V2, and V3. Within these visual areas, we also quantified the relationship between orientation preference and cytochrome oxidase (CO) staining patterns. V1 maps of orientation preference contained both pinwheels and linear zones. The location of CO blobs did not relate in a systematic way to maps of orientation; although, as in other primates, there were approximately twice as many pinwheels as CO blobs. V2 contained bands of high and low orientation selectivity. The bands of high orientation selectivity were organized into pinwheels and linear zones, but iso-orientation domains were twice as large as those in V1. Quantitative comparisons between bands containing high or low orientation selectivity and CO dark and light bands suggested that at least four functional compartments exist in V2, CO dense bands with either high or low orientation selectivity, and CO light bands with either high or low selectivity. We also demonstrated that two functional compartments exist in V3, with zones of high orientation selectivity corresponding to CO dense areas and zones of low orientation selectivity corresponding to CO pale areas. Together with previous findings, these results suggest that the modular organization of V1 is similar across primates and indeed across most mammals. V2 organization in owl monkeys also appears similar to that of other simians but different from that of prosimians and other mammals. Finally, V3 of owl monkeys shows a compartmental organization for orientation selectivity that remains to be demonstrated in other primates.
The Rate of Cocaine Administration Alters Gene Regulation and Behavioral Plasticity: Implications for Addiction
Authors: Samaha Anne-Noël , Mallet Nicolas , Ferguson Susan M. , Gonon François , Robinson Terry E.
Published: July 2004

The rapid delivery of drugs of abuse to the brain is thought to promote addiction, but why this occurs is unknown. In the present study, we characterized the influence of rate of intravenous cocaine infusion (5-100 sec) on three effects thought to contribute to its addiction liability: its ability to block dopamine (DA) uptake, to activate immediate early gene expression, and to produce psychomotor sensitization. Rapid infusions potentiated the ability of cocaine to block DA reuptake, to induce c-fosandarcmRNA expression, especially in mesocorticolimbic regions, and to produce psychomotor sensitization. Thus, the rate at which cocaine is delivered influences both its neurobiological impact and its ability to induce a form of drug experience-dependent plasticity implicated in addiction. We propose that rapidly delivered cocaine may be more addictive, in part, because this more readily induces forms of neurobehavioral plasticity that lead to the compulsive pursuit of drugs.
Identification and Localization of an Arachidonic Acid-Sensitive Potassium Channel in the Cochlea
Authors: Sokolowski Bernd H. A. , Sakai Yoshihisa , Harvey Margaret C. , Duzhyy Dmytro E.
Published: July 2004

Receptor cells of the auditory and vestibular end organs of vertebrates acquire various types of potassium channels during development. Their expression and kinetics can differ along the tonotopic axis as well as in different cell types of the sensory epithelium. These variations can play a crucial role in modulating sensory transduction and cochlear tuning. Whole-cell tight-seal recordings of isolated hair cells revealed the presence of an arachidonic acid-sensitive A-type channel in the short (outer) hair cells of the chicken cochlea. This polyunsaturated fatty acid blocked the A-current, thereby increasing the amplitude and duration of the voltage response in these cells. We identified the gene encoding this channel as belonging to a member of theShalsubfamily, Kv4.2. Expression of the recombinant channel shows half-activation and inactivation potentials shifted to more positive values relative to native channels, suggesting that the native channel is coexpressed with an accessory subunit. RT-PCR revealed that transcription begins early in development, whereasin situhybridization showed mRNA expression limited to the intermediate and short hair cells located in specific regions of the adult cochlea. Additional localization, using immunofluorescent staining, revealed clustering in apical-lateral regions of the receptor cell as well as in the cochlear ganglion. These experiments provide evidence that in addition to membrane proteins modulating excitation in these receptor cells, fatty acids contribute to the coding of auditory stimuli via these channels.
An Attenuated Immune Response Is Sufficient to Enhance Cognition in an Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model Immunized with Amyloid-β Derivatives
Authors: Sigurdsson Einar M. , Knudsen Elin , Asuni Ayodeji , Fitzer-Attas Cheryl , Sage Daniel , Quartermain David , Goni Fernando , Frangione Blas , Wisniewski Thomas
Published: July 2004

Immunization with amyloid-β (Aβ) 1-42 has been shown to reduce amyloid burden and improve cognition in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model mice. In a human trial, possible cognitive benefit was found but in association with significant toxicity in a minority of patients. We proposed that immunization with nonfibrillogenic Aβ derivatives is much less likely to produce toxicity and have previously shown that one such derivative (K6Aβ1-30) can reduce amyloid burden in mice to a similar extent as Aβ1-42. Here, we immunized AD model mice (Tg2576) with Aβ1-30[E18E19] or with K6Aβ1-30[E18E19]. These peptides were designed to be nontoxic and to produce less T-cell response, which has been linked to toxicity. K6Aβ1-30[E18E19] induced primarily an IgM response, whereas Aβ1-30[E18E19] induced an IgG titer that was lower than previously seen with K6Aβ1-30 or Aβ1-42. However, both treated animal groups performed better than Tg controls in the radial arm maze. Amyloid burden was similar in Aβ1-30[E18E19]-vaccinated mice and their Tg controls, whereas the number of medium and small sized plaques was reduced (29-34%) in K6Aβ1-30[E18E19]-immunized mice compared with Tg controls. Amyloid burden in these mice correlated inversely with plasma IgM levels. The cognitive benefit and amyloid reduction in the K6Aβ1-30[E18E19]-vaccinated mice are likely to be related to peripheral clearance of Aβ, because IgM does not cross the blood-brain barrier because of its large size. Our results indicate that these nontoxic Aβ derivatives produce an attenuated antibody response, which is less likely to be associated with negative side effects while having cognitive benefits.
Glutamate Transporter Cluster Formation in Astrocytic Processes Regulates Glutamate Uptake Activity
Authors: Zhou Jianzheng , Sutherland Margaret L.
Published: July 2004

Glutamate is the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS, and it is removed from the synaptic cleft by sodium-dependent glutamate transport activity. Glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) is expressed predominantly in astroglial cells and is responsible for the largest proportion of glutamate transport in the adult forebrain. In the present study, we demonstrate the ability of endogenous and recombinant GLT-1 to form clusters in astrocytic processes and characterize the mobility and physiological importance of these clusters in the regulation of GLT-1 activity in the presence or absence of neurons. At the distal end of C6 glioma cell processes, GLT-1 clusters undergo rapid morphological changes in both shape and size, and these changes are inhibited by cytochalasin D treatment, suggesting that the morphogenesis of GLT-1 clusters is highly dependent on the actin network. Treatment of astrocytes with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) quickly and preferentially decreases GLT-1 localization on the process membrane, leading tode novogeneration of GLT-1 clusters along the process shaft. Pretreatment with the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide II (Bis II), with sucrose (0.4m), or through the expression of a dominant-negative form of dynamin prevents PMA-induced GLT-1 internalization and cluster formation. In terms of glutamate transporter function, PMA treatment elicits a significant decrease in GLT-1 activity that is prevented by preexposure to either Bis II or hypertonic treatment. Together, these data indicate that GLT-1 trafficking and cluster formation in glial cell processes are dynamic events that play important roles in regulating glutamate uptake in astrocytes and glioma cells.
Nociceptors Lacking TRPV1 and TRPV2 Have Normal Heat Responses
Authors: Woodbury C. Jeffery , Zwick Melissa , Wang Shuying , Lawson Jeffrey J. , Caterina Michael J. , Koltzenburg Martin , Albers Kathryn M. , Koerber H. Richard , Davis Brian M.
Published: July 2004

Vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) has been proposed to be the principal heat-responsive channel for nociceptive neurons. The skin of both rat and mouse receives major projections from primary sensory afferents that bind the plant lectin isolectin B4 (IB4). The majority of IB4-positive neurons are known to be heat-responsive nociceptors. Previous studies suggested that, unlike rat, mouse IB4-positive cutaneous afferents did not express TRPV1 immunoreactivity. Here, multiple antisera were used to confirm that mouse and rat have different distributions of TRPV1 and that TRPV1 immunoreactivity is absent in heat-sensitive nociceptors. Intracellular recording in TRPV1-/-mice was then used to confirm that TRPV1 was not required for detecting noxious heat. TRPV1-/-mice had more heat-sensitive neurons, and these neurons had normal temperature thresholds and response properties. Moreover, in TRPV1-/-mice, 82% of heat-responsive neurons did not express immunoreactivity for TRPV2, another putative noxious heat channel.
Alternative Splicing as a Molecular Switch for Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Facilitation of P/Q-Type Ca2+Channels
Authors: Chaudhuri Dipayan , Chang Siao-Yun , DeMaria Carla D. , Alvania Rebecca S. , Soong Tuck Wah , Yue David T.
Published: July 2004

Alternative splicing of the P/Q-type channel (CaV2.1) promises customization of the computational repertoire of neurons. Here we report that concerted splicing of its main α1Asubunit, at both an EF-hand-like domain and the channel C terminus, controls the form of Ca2+-dependent facilitation (CDF), an activity-dependent enhancement of channel opening that is triggered by calmodulin. In recombinant channels, such alternative splicing switches CDF among three modes: (1) completely “ON” and driven by local Ca2+influx through individual channels, (2) completely “OFF,” and (3) partially OFF but inducible by elevated global Ca2+influx. Conversion from modes 1 to 3 represents an unprecedented dimension of control. The physiological function of these variants is likely important, because we find that the distribution of EF-hand splice variants is strikingly heterogeneous in the human brain, varying both across regions and during development.
Differential Involvement of Orbitofrontal Cortex Subregions in Conditioned Cue-Induced and Cocaine-Primed Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking in Rats
Authors: Fuchs Rita A. , Evans K. Allison , Parker Macon P. , See Ronald E.
Published: July 2004

Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) damage elicits impulsivity and perseveration, and impairments in OFC function may underlie compulsive drug seeking in cocaine users. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the effects of fiber-sparing lesions or functional inactivation of OFC subregions on cocaine seeking in rats. Rats were trained to lever press for intravenous cocaine (0.20 mg/infusion) paired with the presentations of light plus tone stimuli. Responding was then allowed to extinguish. Rats received bilateral NMDA (0.1 M) or sham lesions of the lateral OFC (lOFC) or medial OFC (mOFC) before self-administration training (experiment 1) or muscimol plus baclofen (0.1 and 1.0 mM) or vehicle infusions into the lOFC or mOFC before reinstatement testing (experiment 2). The effects of these manipulations on reinstatement of cocaine seeking (i.e., responding on the previously cocaine-paired lever) were assessed in the presence of the light plus tone stimuli or after a cocaine priming injection (10 mg/kg, i.p.). Post-training lOFC inactivation impaired conditioned cue-induced reinstatement, whereas other manipulations failed to alter this behavior. This suggests that the lOFC plays a critical role in assessing the current motivational significance of cocaine-conditioned stimuli or in using this information to guide cocaine-seeking behavior if stimulus-reward learning takes place before lOFC damage. OFC inactivation failed to alter cocaine-primed reinstatement. However, lOFC lesions augmented cocaine-primed reinstatement in a perseverative manner, whereas mOFC lesions attenuated cocaine-primed reinstatement, suggesting that prolonged cell loss in OFC subregions may modulate the propensity for cocaine seeking in a subregion-specific manner.
Novel Environments Enhance the Induction and Maintenance of Long-Term Potentiation in the Dentate Gyrus
Authors: Davis Cyndy D. , Jones Floretta L. , Derrick Brian E.
Published: July 2004

The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal formation can be modulated by different behavioral states. However, few studies have addressed modulation of LTP during behavioral states in which the animal is likely acquiring new information. Here, we demonstrate that both the induction and the longevity of LTP in the dentate gyrus are enhanced when LTP is induced during the initial exploration of a novel environment. These effects are independent from locomotor activity, changes in brain temperature, and theta rhythm. Previous exposure to the novel environment attenuated this enhancement, suggesting that the effects of novelty habituate with familiarity. LTP longevity also was enhanced when induced in familiar environments containing novel objects. Together, these data indicate that both LTP induction and maintenance are enhanced when LTP is induced while rats investigate novel stimuli. We suggest that novelty initiates a transition of the hippocampal formation to a mode that is particularly conducive to synaptic plasticity, a process that could allow for new learning while preserving the stability of previously stored information. In addition, LTP induced in novel environments elicited a sustained late LTP. This suggests that a single synaptic population can display distinct profiles of LTP maintenance and that this depends on the animal's behavioral state during its induction. Furthermore, the duration of LTP enhanced by novelty parallels the time period during which the hippocampal formation is thought necessary for memory, consistent with the view that dentate LTP is of a duration sufficient to sustain memory in the hippocampal formation.
Investigative and pedagogical styles in French chemistry at the end of the 17th century
Authors: HOLMES FREDRIC LAWRENCE
Published: July 2004

Laboratory notebooks preserved at the Académie Royale des Sciences in Paris together with printed summary reports of the same work make possible a detailed reconstruction of chemical investigations undertaken by the Parisian academicians in the later 17th century. Denis Dodart set out the program for the investigations, whihc concerned the principles of plants; Claude Bourdelin did most of the experimental work; which, in keeping with proper bureaucratic procedure, Dodart wrote up for publication. The results did not change the course of chemistry. They and the procedures used to obtain them, however, are of great interest for their detail and accuracy; and the system, perseverance, and numeracy of Bourdelin and his assistants will surprise those who think that elaborate bookkeeping in chemistry came in with Lavoisier. The academicians tried to extract plan “principles,” which were of interest to druggists as well as to philosophers—by maceration, soaking, and, most potently, heat maintained at various temperatures over extended periods. Some treatments required the best part of a year. The extracts were subjected to systematic tests with standard reagents to provide reliable identificatons. To help evaluate the academicians achievement in creating new knowledge, the article includes a comprehensive survey of relevant parts of Nicolas Lemery's Cours de chymie of 1675.
Organized criticism of Einstein and relativity in China, 1949–1989
Authors: HU DANIAN
Published: July 2004

Albert Einstein's unique high status in China made him an easy target of political attacks and maneuvers during the Cultural Revolution. The criticism began with a middle-school teacher's attack on general relativity and developed into organized campaigns after gaining support from two powerful, radical Party propagandists, Chen Boda and Yao Wenyuan. While Chen supported the criticism out of political ambition and cultural prejudice, Yao exploited it to attack his political rival Zhou Enlai and maintain absolute control of Chinese science by orthodox Marxist ideology. The criticism largely ended after both radical leaders fell from power, but not before it did serious damage to Chinese science and education. This article explores the rise, development, and consequences of the criticism, which first appeared in the Soviet Union and stemmed from ideological insistence on the dominance of dialectical materialism in all scientific studies. Marxist doctrines became the basis of scientific investigations and theoretical research in basic sciences nearly vanished in China. The article also describes the efforts of Chinese scientists at damage control and their occasional achievements against the critics' expectation.
The Politics of Ecumenical Disunity: The Troubled Marriage of Church World Service and the National Council of Churches
Authors: Gill Jill K.
Published: July 2004

In 2000, after fifty years together, Church World Service and the National Council of Churches separated their organizations. These two ecumenical bodies, devoted to Christian unity, decided to do so after more than thirty years of intra-organizational tension had evolved into irreconcilable differences. This essay explores the long history of their troubled relationship and illustrates how profoundly political culture affects religious life and work. It asserts that the causes of their divorce were rooted in constituent and structural differences that became especially problematic during politically polarized eras. In spite of a mutual devotion to Christian unity based upon the expectation that ecumenism requires transcendence of worldly self interests, the NCC and CWS could not easily transcend the political culture of their times nor the self interests of their constituents if they wished to survive as organizations. Awareness of this reality is now a factor in the reshaping of national ecumenical organizations in the United States, which are moving more toward a multi-centered satellite model of ecumenism. The NCC/CWS split is also part of a global trend, for councils of churches and their service wings in several nations have been divorcing in recent years. Due to the influence of American ecumenical organizations internationally, the outcome of the NCC/CWS efforts to redefine themselves and their relationship will affect the future of ecumenism both within and beyond America's borders.
Mugwump Cartoonists, the Papacy, and Tammany Hall in America’s Gilded Age
Authors: Thomas Samuel J.
Published: July 2004

In the Gilded Age of extreme partisan politics, Puck magazine, the nation's premier journal of graphic humor and political satire, played an important role as a non-partisan crusader for good government and the triumph of American constitutional ideals. Its prime targets, however, were not just corrupt machine politicians. The magazine included as well what it, like the letterpress, condemned as the nefarious political agenda of the Catholic church, especially its new pope, Leo XIII. Indeed, New York's infamous Tammany Hall, committed to spoils and patronage as the means of dominating the body politic, was all the more dangerous to Puck because, beginning in the 1870s, Irish Catholics dominated it. The hall's Irish Catholic base enabled the magazine to rationalize more completely its conviction that the Catholic church, ruled by a foreign potentate dressed in the irrational garb of infallibility, was a menace not only to the nation's body politic but also to its democratic soul. If allowed to proceed unimpeded, the pope and his minions, along with Tammany's bosses and supporters, would convert the nation into their personal fiefdom. Puck was not about to let that happen. In cartoons and editorials spanning two decades, the magazine blasted and often conjoined both Tammany and the papacy with invidious comparisons that left few readers in doubt as to their complicity. Although scholars have noted how the American letterpress also alluded to a connection between Tammany and the Catholic church, Puck's unparalleled comprehensive strategy to perpetuate and strengthen that connection has never been scrutinized. This essay redresses that oversight of an age when the public and its politicians reckoned very seriously the editorial artistry of great political cartoonists, especially those who drew for Puck.
Bluegrass Roots: Uncovering the Career of Dr. Thomas Dionysus Clark
Authors: Clark Thomas D. , Neary Donna M.
Published: July 2004

In this interview, one-hundred-year-old Thomas Dionysus Clark recounts with wit and candor his journey from cotton farmer in post-Reconstruction-era Mississippi, to revered and beloved State Historian Laureate for Life in Kentucky. Through his unique voice, he traces the evolution of the profession of history from the 1930s to today. Clark’s words create vivid imagery and reveal his passion for preserving the historical record of his adopted state.
Historians’ Use of Archival Sources: Promises and Pitfalls of the Digital Age
Authors: Duff Wendy , Craig Barbara , Cherry Joan
Published: July 2004

The paper reports on a mail questionnaire survey that gathered information about historians’ use of archival resources in the process of researching historical material. The survey population consisted of all faculty members (1185 prospective participants) in history departments of degree-granting institutions in Canada. Based on responses from 52 percent of the survey population, the findings indicate that historians rate finding aids, footnotes, and archivists very highly as sources for becoming aware of and locating information in their research. In addition, the overwhelming majority of historians want to see and use historical sources in their original format. However, the study also indicates that electronic access and digital reproductions have great, untapped potential.
Sheep Hill Memories, Carver Dreams: Creating a Living Newspaper Today
Authors: Browder Laura
Published: July 2004

In November 2000, the living newspaper drama Sheep Hill Memories, Carver Dreams premiered to packed houses at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond. This documentary play concerns the history and survival of Carver, a historically African- American working-class community bordering VCU which was being threatened by the university’s planned expansion. Performed by a Carver-based theater group with a twenty-seven-year history, in collaboration with TheatreVCU, Sheep Hill Memories, Carver Dreams was the outcome of a two-year collaboration between a grass-roots community organization and the university. As playwright and co-director of the two-year Carver Living Newspaper Project, I present the development of the project, its outcomes, and the challenges we faced along the way in creating the play.
A mutrágyázás és elemi kén adagolás hatása a talaj kémhatására és felveheto SO42--tartalmára
Authors: Kalocsai Renátó , Földes Tamás , Schmidt Rezső , Szakál Pál
Published: July 2004

A szerzok laboratóriumi talajérleléses kísérletet állítottak be meszes Duna öntéstalajon különbözo elemi kén dózisok (0,1 g; 1,0 g; 2,5 g; 5,0 g; illetve 10 g/tenyészedény, azaz 50, 500, 1250, 2500 és 5000 kg ha-1) talajbeli oxidációjának vizsgálata céljából mutrágyázatlan, illetve NPK-mutrágyázott körülmények között. A 84 napos inkubációs periódus elteltével a talajok pH(H2O),pH(KCl) értékeit, valamint a talajokban mérheto, vízoldható szulfátion-koncentrációt elemezték. Az eredményeket varianciaanalízis és regressziószámítás segítségével értékelték.  Az elvégzett vizsgálatok alapján megállapították, hogy a mutrágyázatlan talajok különbözo elemi kén adagok hatására kialakult pH-értékei szignifikáns különbséget nem mutattak, míg a mutrágyázott kezelések esetén az emelkedo kéndózisok hatására bekövetkezo pH-csökkenés 0,1 %-os szignifikancia szinten általánosnak bizonyult. A talajok felveheto szulfátion-koncentrációja vélhetoen a kezelések, valamint a talajok mikrobiális tevékenységének hatására minden esetben nott. Az elemi kén adagok, valamint a talajok mért szulfátion-koncentrációinak 0,1 %-os szignifikancia szinten érvényesülo összefüggései azonban a talaj pH-értékeinek alakulásával bizonyítható kapcsolatot nem mutattak. A látszólagos ellentmondás hátterében számos biológiai, fizikai és kémiai tényezo állhat, melyek meghatározása a kapott összefüggések tisztázása szempontjából további vizsgálatok szükségességét veti fel.
Ólomtartalom-vizsgálatok egy elszikkasztó terület talajában Gödöllő belterületén
Authors: Naszradi Tamás , Köles Péter , Balázs Katalin , Pirkó Béla
Published: July 2004

Vizsgáltuk a nagy forgalmú 30-as foútvonal melletti, Gödöllo város belterületén található elszikkasztó terület talajának Pb-tartalmát, ahol az útfelületrol lemosott, esoárkok által összegyujtött és elvezetett, nehézfémekkel terhelt csapadékvíz egy átfolyón keresztül az elszikkasztó területre, ill. a talajba kerül (1. ábra). A talajmintákat 0-10 és 10-20 cm-es mélységbol vettük 1997-ben és 2000-ben. Az átfolyó területén a beton átfolyótól távolodva 1, 5 és 10 m távolságokban vettünk mintákat, távolságonként 3 ismétlésben. Az elszikkasztó területet kvadrátokra osztottuk (5,5 ´ 4,5 m) és mindegyik kvadrátból 5 pontmintát vettünk mindkét talajrétegbol. A kvadrátonként gyujtött 5 pontmintából átlagmintát képeztünk, az értékelésnél az átlagminták eredményeivel számoltunk.  Megállapítottuk, hogy az átfolyási területen a mélyebben fekvo talajréteg Pb-tartalma magasabb. Ez a csapadékviszonyokra és a talajszerkezetre vezetheto vissza. A víz a felso lazább rétegen gyorsan átszivárog, ezáltal a szennyezo anyagok is inkább a mélyebb rétegekben halmozódnak fel. Az 1997-ben és 2000-ben vizsgált távolságokban a talaj Pb-tartalmának változása eltéro tendenciákat mutatott. A különbség szintén a csapadékviszonyokkal magyarázható. Ezt a feltevést igazolja az is, hogy a 2000-ben mért értékek mindkét vizsgált mélységben alacsonyabbak az 1997-es értékeknél, valamint az elszikkasztó medence egész területén jóval nagyobb Pb-tartalmat mértünk, mint az átfolyó melletti területen. Az elszikkasztó terület talajának Pb-tartalma 1997 és 2000 között statisztikailag igazolhatóan növekedett. A 0-10 cm-es talajrétegben 1997-ben, ill. 2000-ben az átlagos Pb-tartalom 53,4, ill. 66,53 mg kg-1, a szórás 6,31, ill. 10,02 volt. (P < 0,01). A mélyebben fekvo (10-20 cm) talajréteg átlagos Pb-tartalma 1997-ben, ill. 2000-ben 41,4, ill. 51,23 mg kg-1 (szórás 7,78, ill. 6,84) volt (P < 0,01). Mindkét vizsgálati évben azt tapasztaltuk, hogy a felszín közeli talajrétegben szignifikánsan magasabb az Pb-tartalom, mint a 10-20 cm-es talajrétegben (1997-ben P < 0,001, 2000-ben P < 0,01).  Több szerzo szerint az átlagosnak tekintett talajra vonatkozó értéktartományokat az általunk mért értékek esetenként jelentosen meghaladják, de mindenütt a határértékek alatt maradnak (xi < 100 mg kg-1). 1996-tól hazánkban a 95-ös oktánszámú motorbenzint Pb-mentes formában értékesítik, 1999-ben pedig betiltották az ólmozott üzemanyagok használatát, s ezzel jelentosen csökkent a környezetbe jutó Pb-mennyiség. Ennek hatása a vizsgált területen azonban még nem érzodött. Ez arra hívja fel a figyelmet, hogy az út menti, ólommal túlterhelt talajokból a csapadékvízzel továbbra is szállítódhat toxikus ólom akár távolabb eso területekre is.
Növénynövekedést serkentő rizobaktériumok hatása az üvegházi szegfű virághozamára és minőségére
Authors: Hegedűs Antal , Oldal Bálint , Kecskés Mihály , Bayoumi H. E. A. F
Published: July 2004

Munkánk során a dísznövénytermesztésben jelentos szerepet játszó szegfu produkciós képességének változását mértük a Pseudomonas fluorescens baktériumtörzsekkel történt rizoszférakezelés hatására. Célunk volt a rizoszféra-kezelés módszertani vizsgálata is, ezen okból a beoltott növényeket különbözo módokon - steril, valamint nem steril talajban - neveltük. Az alkalmazott szegfufajták: Dianthus caryophyllus cv. Scania; cv. Lena; cv. White sim és cv. Arthur sim. Megállapítottuk, hogy a baktériumkezelés hatására a vizsgált szegfufajták virághozama mindegyik módszer esetében megnott a kontrollnövényekéhez képest. Az I. osztályú virágok hozama steril talajban történo neveléskor a kontrollnövények hozamához viszonyítva mintegy megduplázódott. A legjobb eredményt a P. fluorescens Z2, C9, L12 és L13 törzsekkel történt kezelés mutatta. Nem sterilizált talajkeverékben a White sim, aszeptikus nevelési módszer esetében az Arthur sim szegfufajta adta a legtöbb I. osztályú virágot. A hozam szerinti sorrend a fajták között normál talajkörülmények között a következonek bizonyult: White sim, Arthur sim, Lena, Scania, aszeptikus talajkeverékben pedig Arthur sim, White sim, Scania és Lena. A szegfutövek elonevelése a kertészeti gyakorlatban elfogadott módszer. Abban az esetben, ha a szaporítóanyag eloállítása során a kertészetek szelektált, a növényi növekedést, illetve egészséget biztosító baktériumtörzsekkel történo kezelést alkalmaznak, akkor lényegesen hosszabb lehet a produktív, hozamot biztosító idoszak a szegfutermesztésben.
A hortobágyi Csípő-halom talajtani vizsgálata
Authors: Joó Katalin , Barczi Attila , Szántó Zsuzsanna , Horváth Mihály
Published: July 2004

A Csípő-halom rétegzettségének megismerése, eltemetett talajainak és egykori környezetének rekonstruálása érdekében fúrásokat végeztünk a halmon és környezetében. Morfológiai és laboratóriumi vizsgálataink alapján arra a következtetésre jutottunk, hogy a halmot mintegy hatezer évvel ezelőtt - a maihoz hasonló - mozaikosan vizenyős környezetből építették fel, egy természetes kiemelkedésre. A halomtest alatt rekonstruáltuk az eredeti, mezőségi jellegű talajképződményt, valamint megállapítottuk, hogy a halomtesten kialakult recens talaj ugyancsak mezőségi bélyegeket visel magán. A halom felépítésének körülményeiről az építők által meghordott antropogén kultúrrétegek árulkodnak. A halom a környezet talajaiból, annak humuszban gazdag részéből épült. Sajnos a talajanyagot szolgáltató, halmot övező gyűrűt nem tudtuk rekonstruálni a feltételezett halom-erózió és a ráhordódás miatt. Az antropogén szintek sótartalma és a magas vas értékek az építéskori környezetben szikesedő, vizenyős, foltokban száraz mezőségi talajképződésre utalnak. A geomorfológiai és paleoökológiai kutatások a régészeti ismeretekkel és talajtani vizsgálatokkal párosulva új színt és számos eredményt hozhatnak őskörnyezetünk rekonstrukcióiban.