bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atorvastatin Reduces the Ability of Clopidogrel to Inhibit Platelet Aggregation
Authors: Lau Wei C. , Waskell Lucy A. , Watkins Paul B. , Neer Charlene J. , Horowitz Kevin , Hopp Amy S. , Tait Alan R. , Carville David G.M. , Guyer Kirk E. , Bates Eric R.
Published: January 2003

Background—

We observed that the prodrug clopidogrel was less effective in inhibiting platelet aggregation with coadministration of atorvastatin during point-of-care platelet function testing. Because atorvastatin is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4, we hypothesized that clopidogrel might be activated by CYP3A4.

Methods and Results—

Platelet aggregation was measured in 44 patients undergoing coronary artery stent implantation treated with clopidogrel or clopidogrel plus pravastatin or atorvastatin, and in 27 volunteers treated with clopidogrel and either erythromycin or troleandomycin, CYP3A4 inhibitors, or rifampin, a CYP3A4 inducer. Atorvastatin, but not pravastatin, attenuated the antiplatelet activity of clopidogrel in a dose-dependent manner. Percent platelet aggregation was 34±23, 58±15 (
P
=0.027), 74±10 (
P
=0.002), and 89±7 (
P
=0.001) in the presence of clopidogrel and 0, 10, 20, and 40 mg of atorvastatin, respectively. Erythromycin attenuated platelet aggregation inhibition (55±12 versus 42±12% platelet aggregation;
P
=0.002), as did troleandomycin (78±18 versus 45±18% platelet aggregation;
P
<0.0003), whereas rifampin enhanced platelet aggregation inhibition (33±18 versus 56±20% platelet aggregation,
P
=0.001).

Conclusions—

CYP3A4 activates clopidogrel. Atorvastatin, another CYP3A4 substrate, competitively inhibits this activation. Use of a statin not metabolized by CYP3A4 and point-of-care platelet function testing may be warranted in patients treated with clopidogrel.
Aspirin Alters the Cardioprotective Effects of the Factor XIII Val34Leu Polymorphism
Authors: Undas Anetta , Sydor Wojciech J. , Brummel Kathleen , Musial Jacek , Mann Kenneth G. , Szczeklik Andrew
Published: January 2003

Background—

The mechanism underlying decreased risk for myocardial infarction in carriers of the Leu34 polymorphism of the factor (F) XIII A-subunit is unclear. Given that acetylation of fibrinogen by aspirin can alter its clotting properties and the presence of fibrin stimulates thrombin-mediated activation of FXIII, we have tested the hypothesis that treatment with aspirin differentially modulates the influence of the FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism on its activation in vivo.

Methods and Results—

The rates of the disappearance of FXIIIA chain and the appearance of its activated form (FXIIIAa) in sequential 30-second blood samples collected at the site of microvascular injury were compared in 14 healthy carriers of the Leu34 allele and 23 Val34 homozygotes both before and after a 7-day aspirin ingestion (75 mg/d), with the use of quantitative Western blotting. The presence of the Leu34 allele was associated with a significant increase in the maximum rate of FXIII activation by thrombin. Although the Leu34-positive and -negative subjects were similar with respect to aspirin-related impairment of thrombin generation, aspirin led to a more pronounced inhibition of the activation of FXIII in the Leu34 carriers as compared with the Val34 homozygotes.

Conclusions—

Inhibition of FXIII activation by aspirin is enhanced in the Leu34 carriers in vivo, suggesting that these subjects might benefit more than the Leu34-negative subjects from the reduction in risk for myocardial infarction with low-dose aspirin.
Effect of Cardiac Resynchronization on Myocardial Efficiency and Regional Oxidative Metabolism
Authors: Ukkonen Heikki , Beanlands Rob S.B. , Burwash Ian G. , de Kemp Robert A. , Nahmias Claude , Fallen Ernest , Hill Michael R.S. , Tang Anthony S.L.
Published: January 2003

Background—

Recent studies have demonstrated increased left ventricular contractility with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) using atriobiventricular stimulation. This study evaluated the effect of CRT on myocardial oxidative metabolism and efficiency.

Methods and Results—

Eight patients with New York Heart Association functional class III-IV congestive heart failure were studied during atrial pacing (control) and atriobiventricular stimulation at the same rate. The monoexponential clearance rate of [
11
C]acetate (k
mono
) was measured with positron emission tomography to assess myocardial oxidative metabolism in the left and right ventricles (LV and RV, respectively). Myocardial efficiency was measured using the work metabolic index (WMI). Stroke volume index improved by 10% (
P
=0.011) with CRT, although both global LV and RV k
mono
were unchanged compared with control. Septal k
mono
increased by 15% (
P
=0.04), and the septal/lateral wall k
mono
ratio increased by 22% (
P
=0.01). WMI increased by 13% (
P
=0.024) with CRT.

Conclusions—

CRT improves LV function without increasing global LV oxidative metabolism, resulting in improved myocardial efficiency. Oxidative metabolism of the interventricular septum increases relative to the lateral wall, which suggests successful resynchronization.
Modulation of the Auditory Cortex during Speech: An MEG Study
Authors: Houde John F. , Nagarajan Srikantan S. , Sekihara Kensuke , Merzenich Michael M.
Published: January 2003

Several behavioral and brain imaging studies have demonstrated a significant interaction between speech perception and speech production. In this study, auditory cortical responses to speech were examined during self-production and feedback alteration. Magnetic field recordings were obtained from both hemispheres in subjects who spoke while hearing controlled acoustic versions of their speech feedback via earphones. These responses were compared to recordings made while subjects listened to a tape playback of their production. The amplitude of tape playback was adjusted to match the amplitude of self-produced speech. Recordings of evoked responses to both self-produced and tape-recorded speech were obtained free of movement-related artifacts. Responses to self-produced speech were weaker than were responses to tape-recorded speech. Responses to tones were also weaker during speech production, when compared with responses to tones recorded in the presence of speech from tape playback. However, responses evoked by gated noise stimuli did not differ for recordings made during self-produced speech versus recordings made during tape-recorded speech playback. These data suggest that during speech production, the auditory cortex (1) attenuates its sensitivity and (2) modulates its activity as a function of the expected acoustic feedback.
Biophysiologically Plausible Implementations of the Maximum Operation
Authors: Yu Angela J. , Giese Martin A. , Poggio Tomaso A.
Published: January 2003

Visual processing in the cortex can be characterized by a predominantly hierarchical architecture, in which specialized brain regions along the processing pathways extract visual features of increasing complexity, accompanied by greater invariance in stimulus properties such as size and position. Various studies have postulated that a nonlinear pooling function such as the maximum (MAX) operation could be fundamental in achieving such selectivity and invariance. In this article, we are concerned with neurally plausible mechanisms that may be involved in realizing the MAX operation. Different canonical models are proposed, each based on neural mechanisms that have been previously discussed in the context of cortical processing. Through simulations and mathematical analysis, we compare the performance and robustness of these mechanisms. We derive experimentally verifiable predictions for each model and discuss the relevant physiological considerations.
Global Convergence Rate of Recurrently Connected Neural Networks
Authors: Chen Tianping , Lu Wenlian , Amari Shun-ichi
Published: January 2003

We discuss recurrently connected neural networks, investigating their global exponential stability (GES). Some sufficient conditions for a class of recurrent neural networks belonging to GES are given. Sharp convergence rate is given too.
Locality of Global Stochastic Interaction in Directed Acyclic Networks
Authors: Ay Nihat
Published: January 2003

The hypothesis of invariant maximization of interaction (IMI) is formulated within the setting of random fields. According to this hypothesis, learning processes maximize the stochastic interaction of the neurons subject to constraints. We consider the extrinsic constraint in terms of a fixed input distribution on the periphery of the network. Our main intrinsic constraint is given by a directed acyclic network structure. First mathematical results about the strong relation of the local information flow and the global interaction are stated in order to investigate the possibility of controlling IMI optimization in a completely local way. Furthermore, we discuss some relations of this approach to the optimization according to Linsker's Infomax principle.
Performing the Political: Encapuchados in Venezuela
Authors: Calzadilla Fernando
Published: January 2003

Each week like clockwork, Encapuchados—“hooded ones”—appear on the streets of Caracas to protest. Protest what? To what effect? Calzadilla examines the Encapuchados phenomenon in terms of Venezuelan gendered notions of virility, the performance of political identity and spectatorship, and finally, an embodiment of an imagined political community.
Parallel Streams: Two Currents of Difference in Kuala Lumpur's Contemporary Theatre
Authors: Diamond Catherine
Published: January 2003

The politically and artistically engaged theatres of Malaysia probe contradictory aspects of this predominantly Islamic Asian nation. While some works in Malay contribute toward constructing a national culture, other works, often in English, deconstruct the monocultural motif of official culture.
Honduras's Teatro La Fragua: The Many Faces of Political Theatre
Authors: Fleming John
Published: January 2003

From 1979 to the present day, this theatre, founded by an American Jesuit, has been a very strong liberatory force in a Honduras that remains a neo-feudal society. La Fragua bases its work on what its director Jack Warner avows are the four needs of human beings: food, shelter, prayer, and art.
Letters from the Road: A Selection of Performance Chronicles
Authors: Gómez-Peña Guillermo
Published: January 2003

After September 11th, Gómez-Peña was a marked man. “You look Arab,” the police told him. Learn more about the performance artist's recent adventures in Europe, Latin America, and the USA.
The Metaphysical Studio
Authors: Zarrilli Phillip B.
Published: January 2003

The studio is a place where words count less, where something comes of nothing—sound from silence, action from impulse. Zarrilli muses on the deep work—drawn from his long practice of the Indian martial art kalarippayattu—that can take place only “in the studio.”
Evaluating Environmental Performance of Pulp and Paper Manufacturing Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Life‐Cycle Assessment
Authors: Pineda‐Henson Ruby , Culaba Alvin B. , Mendoza Guillermo A.
Published: January 2003

This article addresses the need for a structured and compre‐hensive methodology for assessing the environmental perfor‐mance of manufacturing processes. The analytic hierarchy pro‐cess (AHP) is used as the basic framework for analyzing environmental impacts and improvement options following a streamlined life‐cycle assessment (LCA) approach that is fo‐cused on the manufacturing operation. The multicriteria de‐cision analysis approach of the AHP is consistent with the LCA concept because the environmental factors can be hierarchi‐cally structured into impacts and improvement options. Its po‐tential as a valuation tool for impact and improvement assess‐ment addresses both qualitative and quantitative issues in environmental decision making.

Through application to a pulp and paper manufacturing case study, the viability of the AHP for evaluating environmen‐tal impacts and prioritizing process improvement options rela‐tive to these impacts is demonstrated. AHP was used to pro‐vide a quantitative tool for the design of a set of weighting factors for impact and improvement analyses.
REVIEWS
Authors: Meyerson Frederick A. B.
Published: January 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

AAAS Atlas of Population and Environment, by Paul Harrison and Fred Pearce.
After the Boomerang: Environmental Movements and Politics in the La Plata River Basin
Authors: Hochstetler Kathryn
Published: January 2003

This article focuses on one common transnational NGO strategy, the boomerang strategy. In this strategy, Southern NGOs seek international allies to help them pressure their states from outside. The article uses a case study of a transnational mobilization against a water superhighway or “Hidrovia” in the La Plata River basin in South America to develop arguments about the long term impacts of throws of the boomerang. I argue that what happens after the boomerang depends on two related factors: the extent to which the target state(s) have accepted the international norms at stake and the presence or absence of a specific set of domestic capacities in the target state(s). Because Brazil has higher levels of national environmental legal capacity and greater acceptance of international environmental norms than its neighbors, environmentalists were able to block the Hidrovia there after the successful collective pressure, while Argentine environmentalists were not.
A Quantitative Approach to Evaluating International Environmental Regimes
Authors: Mitchell Ronald B.
Published: January 2003

Quantitative analysis of environmental regime effects can complement qualitative analyses by allowing investigation of variation in the effects of different regimes as well as the causes and conditions that explain that variation. Such analysis involves developing metrics that allow comparison of the influence of disparate regimes, models that distinguish regime influence from other explanatory factors, and data sets of independent and dependent variables of sufficient quality to support quantitative analysis. The many theoretical, methodological, and empirical obstacles to undertaking quantitative research on regime effectiveness are daunting but surmountable. By using data regarding component parts of regimes (“subregimes”) broken down to the country and year level, quantitative techniques offer promise in identifying which regimes induce greater behavioral change and greater “effort” and, more importantly, what characteristics of those regimes and the context in which they operate explain their greater success.
A Political Economy of Russian Nature Conservation Policy: Why Scientists have Taken a Back Seat
Authors: Ostergren David , Jacques Peter
Published: January 2003

During the Soviet era, Soviet scientists were well respected and often included in the policy-making process. Under the new set of post-Soviet circumstances, scientists remain influential but their favored position has decreased insofar as they now operate in an expanded pluralist context in which they must join or compete with emergent local, national and international NGOs and other actors for influence. In this article, we explain this change in terms of a shift from a centralized political economy to a liberal one. A liberal political economy has allowed various groups and institutions, and the public in general, to participate in environmental policy-making. This has diminished the influence of Russian scientists. Highlighting this diminishment, we demonstrate that policy-making under a liberal framework does not always result in greater environmental protection. The article explores the implications of this for Russia and, by extension, other parts of the newly liberalizing world.
Taiwan's Experience in Switching Its Engines of Growth
Authors: Hu Sheng-Cheng , Chan Vei-Lin
Published: January 2003

Taiwan became a leading worldwide manufacturer of computer hardware in the 1990s. The purpose of this paper is to review the process that led to the birth and growth of Taiwan's information-communication technology (ICT) industries. We further discuss such factors as research and development, high-tech human capital, venture capital, financial liberalization, and telecommunications liberalization, which have contributed to the success of the ICT industries and the shift in the economy from labor-intensive to capital-intensive and technology-intensive production.
Financial Linkage in East Asian Countries since the East Asian Crisis
Authors: Chung Chae-Shick , Rhee Chong Ook
Published: January 2003

This paper reports the results of an empirical analysis of the linkage between the financial markets (foreign-exchange, stock, and bond markets) of Korea and the financial markets of the United States, Japan, and six major East Asian countries. A multivariate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic (GARCH) model is used to analyze 23 financial variables and identify time-varying correlation coefficients. A comparison of these values before and after the currency crisis yields four main conclusions. First, the interest rates in the major Asian countries, including Korea, are moving independently of one another. Second, the correlations between the Korean financial variables are higher after the crisis than before it, and the highest correlation is between the won/dollar exchange rate and the stock price index. The high linkage between the won/dollar exchange rate and stock price index signifies that short-term foreign investment flow influences the won/dollar exchange rate and the stock price index equally. Third, the impact of U.S. stock prices on Korean stock prices has increased by more than 20 times since the currency crisis, indicating a synchronization of the Korean stock market and the U.S. stock market. Fourth, the linkage between the stock market prices of Korea and those of Japan and several East Asian countries has been increasing since the currency crisis, whereas the Korean—U.S. stock market linkage has become somewhat less significant.
Human Freedom
Authors:   Fraser
Published: January 2003

With the help of the hierarchical theory of time, this essay (i) attempts to locate the sources of desires which, in their qualities, are peculiar to humans, (ii) explores the nature of freedoms available for the satisfaction of those desires and (iii) identifies the dynamics of conflicts that arise from possessing unbounded imagination in a bounded universe.
Anthropomorphism and Anthropomorphic Selection—Beyond the "Cute Response"
Authors: Serpell James
Published: January 2003

This article explores the origin and evolutionary implications of anthropomorphism in the context of our relationships with animal companions. On the human side, anthropomorphic thinking enables animal companions' social behavior to be construed in human terms, thereby allowing these nonhuman animals to function for their human owners or guardians as providers of nonhuman social support. Absence of social support is known to be detrimental to human health and well being. Therefore, anthropomorphism and its corollary, pet keeping, have obvious biological fitness implications. On the animal side, anthropomorphism constitutes a unique evolutionary selection pressure, analogous to sexual selection, which has molded the appearance, anatomy, and behavior of companion animal species so as to adapt them to their unusual ecological niche as social support providers. Although such species undoubtedly have benefited numerically from the effects of this process, the consequences of anthropomorphism are less benign when viewed from the perspective of individual animals. Indeed, anthropomorphic selection probably is responsible for some of the more severe welfare problems currently found in companion animals.
Intuitive Conceptions of Dead Agents' Minds: The Natural Foundations of Afterlife Beliefs as Phenomenological Boundary
Authors: Bering Jesse
Published: January 2003

Little is known about how the minds of dead agents are represented. In the current experiment, individuals with different types of explicit afterlife beliefs were asked in an implicit interview task whether various mental state types, as well as pure biological imperatives, continue after death. The results suggest that, regardless of one's explicit reports about personal consciousness after death, those who believe in some form of life after death (and, to a certain extent, even those who do not) implicitly represent dead agents' minds in the same way: psychobiological and perceptual states cease while emotional, desire, and epistemic states continue. The findings are interpreted according to simulation constraints — because it is epistemologically impossible to know what it is like to be dead, individuals will be most likely to attribute to dead agents those types of mental states that they cannot imagine being without. Such a model argues that it is natural to believe in life after death and social transmission serves principally to conceptually enrich (or degrade) intuitive conceptions of the afterlife.
Effects of habitat complexity and predator identity on predation of Rana clamitans larvae
Authors: Babbitt Kimberly , Tarr Tracy
Published: January 2003

We examined the microhabitat distribution of green frog larvae (Rana clamitans) and two common predacious insect genera at 27 wetlands in southern New Hampshire to determine if it was related to the presence of vegetation. Rana clamitans and hemipterans (Belostoma spp.) were rarely captured in non-vegetated microhabitats. Larval odonates (Aeshna spp.) were captured more frequently in vegetated microhabitats but the difference was not significant. In a laboratory experiment, we tested the effects of plant density on the survival of R. clamitans larvae exposed to either Belostoma flumineum or Aeshna mutata. When no cover was available, survival of R. clamitans tadpoles was very low when exposed to either predator. Belostoma flumineum was a less effective predator than A. mutata, and survival rates of tadpoles did not differ between high and low plant density when exposed to this predator. In contrast, survival of tadpoles was significantly higher in the high density vegetation treatment compared to the low density treatment when exposed to A. mutata. Although plant structure can reduce predation on R. clamitans larvae, the level of structure necessary to significantly mediate predation may depend largely on the foraging mode of the predator.
Influence of incubation temperature and substrate on eggs and embryos of the garden lizard, Calotes versicolor (Daud.)
Authors: Saidapur Srinivas , Radder Rajkumar , Shanbhag Bhagyashri
Published: January 2003

The influence of incubation temperature and substrate on hatching success, duration of incubation and hatchlings' traits in Calotes versicolor was studied experimentally. The eggs were incubated in soil at 1) ambient (27°C±2 s), 2) ambient temperature and exposed to 35°C for 1 or 3hrs/day, 3) constant 30°C, 33°C and 35°C. In another experiment soil, sand or cotton wool was used as incubation substrate at ambient temperature. Duration of incubation was inversely related to incubation temperature. Hatching success was high at ambient (93%), at 30°C (89%) and for eggs exposed to 1 hr (94%) or 3 hr/day to 35°C (93%) compared to those at 33°C (59%) and 35°C (53%). Egg mass increased until hatching, but with a temporal difference in the gain at different temperatures. At high temperatures, it increased rapidly. Eggs incubated at ambient temperature and 1 or 3 hrs exposure to 35°C produced hatchlings heavier than their sibs that hatched at 30°C, 33°C or 35°C. Smaller size of hatchlings at higher incubation temperatures was due to early hatching and low utilization of yolk. Incubation substrate had no influence on offspring traits but hatching success was low (84 ± 9%) in cotton wool. Thus, incubation of eggs in soil or sand at ambient temperature with a periodic exposure to high tolerable temperature provides an optimum balance between developmental rate, hatching success and hatchling quality in C. versicolor.
A new cryptic frog species of the Mantidactylus boulengeri group with a divergent vocal sac structure
Authors: Vences Miguel , Glaw Frank
Published: January 2003

We describe a new frog species of the Mantidactylus boulengeri group (Amphibia: Anura: Mantellidae) in the subgenus Gephyromantis from south-eastern Madagascar. It is morphologically similar to M. eiselti and M. thelenae but differs in its advertisement calls with a distinctly shorter note duration, and in its bilobate (not single) subgular vocal sac. Like M. eiselti and M. thelenae the new species Mantidactylus enki is predominantly diurnal and calling males do not aggregate close to water bodies, indicating direct development as it has been demonstrated previously in M. eiselti. The advertisement calls of all three species are described in detail. A comparison with a further pair of cryptic species with bilobate vs. single subgular vocal sac (Mantidactylus tschenki — M. cornutus) did not reveal any consistent pattern of call variation correlated with vocal sac structure. Therefore, sexual selection may also be considered to explain differences in the colour and external structure of vocal sacs among closely related species.
The African Carnoyidae (Nematoda: Rhigonematida). 1. Brumptaemilius brevispiculus sp. n. from Ghana with observations on copulatory plugs and spermatophore development
Authors: Hunt David
Published: January 2003

Brumptaemilius brevispiculus sp. n. from the gut of a spirostreptid diplopod from Ghana is described and illustrated with the aid of SEM. The species is characterised by the structure of the male area rugosa, particularly the ventral extension of the rugosities on to the tail spike and the transverse rows of imbricate spines in the postcloacal region, the tail spike ca 1-1.5 gubernaculum length long, the very short spicules bearing relatively few transverse striae, the form and disposition of the copulatory papillae and the presence of an external, pedunculate spermatophore. It is distinguished from the other nominal species in the genus, including all of the ten species inquirendae, principally by a combination of the unusually short spicules, the form of the area rugosa, vulval position and the extent of the lateral alae in both sexes. The development of copulatory plugs and spermatophores within the African Carnoyidae is discussed. Simple copulatory plugs exist in Gilsonema and Waerebekeia, but specialised spermatophores occur in Afrocarnoya and Brumptaemilius. The most complex spermatophore is found in Brumptaemilius and comprises an oval structure containing sperm connected by a hollow peduncle to the vulval/vaginal region of the female, the peduncle being inserted under the anterior vulva lip and firmly cemented into position by a copulatory plaque. This is only the second report of spermatophore development within the Nematoda.
Biodiversity in helminths and nematodes as a field of study: an overview
Authors: Hugot Jean-Pierre , Baujard Pierre , Morand Serge
Published: January 2003

Despite their potential negative effects, parasites may be used as targets for biological conservation and studies on the evolutionary and ecological impact of parasitism. These purposes serve to increase our knowledge on the species diversity of parasites. In the present paper we try to precisely define the composite zoological group currently designated as 'helminths' and to address the question of how many known species there are in the different clades of parasitic worms, as compared with the other major groups described in the Animalia. The relationships between helminthology and nematology are discussed. Finally, the question of how to improve the organisation of research in these different fields of study is briefly considered. The Nematoda seems to be the group which needs the greatest effort in the future. This supposes that specialists in nematode taxonomy are numerous enough to maintain a substantial effort. The necessary taxonomical effort is weakened by the distribution of the fields of study between helminthology and nematology, something which is inadequate from a zoological, as well as from a logical, point of view. The study of nematode zoology would certainly improve if nematology could emerge as an undivided speciality. One of the prior goals in such a unified field of study would be an exhaustive inventory of the nominal living species. A cooperative effort will also be needed to found the basis of a general classification of the phylum Nematoda. Finally, a clarification and a standardisation of the terminology is also needed.
Cricodorylaimus gen. n. (Dorylaimida: Qudsianematidae), a unique nematode genus from Benin
Authors: Ahmad Wasim , Sturhan Dieter
Published: January 2003

The dorylaimid genus Cricodorylaimus gen. n. with the species C. africanus sp. n. is described from arable soil in Benin. The new genus with the only known species is distinctive in having a short obese body with strongly annulated subcuticle, cuticularised pieces around the stoma and a monoprodelphic female genital tract. It differs from all known genera in the family Qudsianematidae in the nature of its subcuticle and in being monoprodelphic.
Life history evolution of nematodes: linking epidemiological modelling and comparative tests
Authors: Morand Serge
Published: January 2003

Nematodes form a highly diversified, monophyletic group present in all environments as free-living individuals. As parasites they may infect plants, invertebrates and vertebrates. This group is then a unique model for testing evolutionary and ecological consequences of being a parasite. I summarise some recently published studies on the evolution of life traits of nematodes. Some predictions were obtained using the framework of epidemiological modelling and were tested using the comparative approach (and then some comparative methods).
Genetic variability in parthenogenetic root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., and their ability to overcome plant resistance genes
Authors: Castagnone-Sereno Philippe
Published: January 2003

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) of the genus Meloidogyne constitute the most widely distributed and damaging group of plant-parasitic nematodes. Plant resistance (R) is currently the most effective and environmentally safe method to control these pests. The mode of reproduction of the major species, i.e., apomictic (= mitotic) parthenogenesis, should theoretically lead to clonal progenies. However, the recent emergence of new virulent biotypes, able to overcome plant R genes, indicates that variability does exist in these organisms. Experiments showed that selection for virulence was possible in RKN, which has important consequences for the management and durability of natural R genes in the field. To understand the molecular mechanisms involved in such selection, we have developed a differential strategy based on the comparative analysis of pairs of RKN near-isogenic lineages and recent results obtained in the laboratory are presented. Understanding how the genome of these nematodes is modified in response to the selective pressure of a plant R gene should provide further data on the putative role of non-meiotic events leading to stable genetic variation in these apomictic organisms.
Metacrobeles amblyurus n. sp. (Nematoda: Cephaloboidea) from Death Valley, California
Authors: Chiu Christopher , Baldwin James , Mundo-Ocampo Manuel
Published: January 2003

Metacrobeles amblyurus n. sp. (Cephalobina, Cephaloboidea) is described from sand dunes of Death Valley, California, USA. It shares with other Metacrobeles species a far posterior vulva as well as five lateral lines but is distinguished from previously known species in having a blunt (vs more tapering) conical tail. Probolae of M. amblyurus n. sp. are low conical-rounded, adjacent lips are fused into three pairs, and guard processes are lacking. The very narrow vulva in M. amblyurus n. sp. appears to be plugged in adult females, and juveniles apparently hatch exclusively within the body of the dead mother. Type localities of the two previously known species of Metacrobeles are in western Africa and this is the first confirmed report of Metacrobeles from another continent.
Max Weber's Liberalism
Authors: Ringer Fritz
Published: January 2003

There are a variety of possible approaches to Weber's political thought. One can emphasize his class-conscious attack upon the new East Elbian agrarian capitalists, or his commitment to a politics of responsibility, in which the probable consequences of political proposals are explicitly assessed and announced. Wolfgang Mommsen has focused upon Weber's nationalism, almost to the exclusion of other aspects of his work. Jürgen Habermas has suggested that Weber tended to reduce ultimate value choices to essentially gratuitous, purely personal decisions. The emphasis in the present essay, however, is upon Weber's liberal pluralism, which anticipated a principled value pluralism, and which was a profound and persistent theme in his political commentaries.
BETWEEN MAGIC AND RELIGION: SYMPATHETIC MAGIC IN THE WORLD OF THE SAGES OF THE MISHNAH AND TALMUD
Authors: Bar-Ilan Meir
Published: January 2003

If familiarity with magic was previously associated with curiosities lacking real value, it now seems generally agreed that knowledge of magic in the past is but one aspect of knowledge of religion and also of the society in which magic is investigated. This condition also applies to magic in the world of the Talmudic sages, a broad culture of many years with many receptors for magic. Two of the questions that have occupied investigators for over a century concern the extent to which the sages of the Mishnah and Talmud were participants in magic and the issue of whether or not there was a gap between religion and magic in antiquity. The thrust of the following treatment is to add to this subject the investigation of Judaism in antiquity through textual analysis and methodological examination of the problems facing the student of the sources.
Estudio de la relación entre el espacio simbólico urbano y los procesos de identidad social
Authors: Valera Sergi
Published: January 2003

El presente trabajo describe y analiza las dimensiones simbólicas del espacio a partir de la definición conceptual de espacio simbólico urbano. Se enfatizan especialmente las implicaciones del concepto en los procesos de identidad social asociada al entorno, así como la necesidad de contemplar los aspectos simbólicos en el análisis de los entornos urbanos y sus implicaciones metodológicas. Asimismo se presenta una investigación empírica centrada en un barrio de Barcelona a partir de una triple aproximación: socio-histórica (análisis documental), cuantitativa (encuesta y análisis estadístico) y cualitativa (grupos de discusión y análisis de contenido). Los resultados muestran la relevancia del barrio en la configuración de la identidad social y el papel de determinados espacios en la configuración y mantenimiento de dicha identidad.
Desarrollo personal, ambiente familiar y relaciones de pareja en la adolescencia
Authors: Martínez José Luis
Published: January 2003

El objetivo de este trabajo era examinar la asociación que existe entre varios factores personales (Identidad y Autonomía emocional) y familiares (Ambiente familiar y Apoyo parental) y la experiencia relacional de pareja en la adolescencia. Las variables relacionales utilizadas fueron: situación relacional actual, estadio relacional, duración, intimidad y experiencia sexual. Se incide en las diferencias entre hombres y mujeres. La muestra fue de 600 adolescentes.

Los resultados mostraron que las chicas están implicadas en relaciones más duraderas e íntimas. Además, las chicas con una relación actual mostraron una mayor adquisición de la identidad, que aquellas que no tenían una relación. Por último, la identidad estaba asociadapositivamente con la intimidad en las chicas y con la experiencia sexual en los chicos. Estos resultados se discuten en términos de la conexión que existe entre el desarrollo personal y social de los/las adolescents.
Clima emocional: su concepto y medición mediante una investigación transcultural
Authors: Páez Darío , Ruiz José Ignacio , Gailly Olivier , Kornblit Ana L. , Wiesenfeld Esther , Vidal Clara María
Published: January 2003

Se ha elaborado un cuestionario sobre la evaluación del clima emocional (CE). El CE se concibe como un conjunto de emociones salientes y unas representaciones sociales sobre el estado actual y futuro de la sociedad (De Rivera, 1992). Su medida se realiza a través de agregados de respuestas individuales sobre la evaluación del clima social, durante un momento sociopolítico. Se presenta una investigación con estudiantes de 6 países. La escala de CE tiene coeficientes de fiabilidad y validez dimensional transcultural satisfactorios. Encontramos dos dimensiones básicas congruentes con las investigaciones sobre afectividad individual, con relaciones coherentes con afectividad, estrés post-traumático y afrontamiento de traumas colectivos. La no independencia de las respuestas fue contrastada mediante el coeficiente de correlación intraclase. Éste confirmó la interdependencia de respuestas intragrupal, lo) que constituye evidencia estadística de la existencia de un efecto de grupo. Este resultado justifica que se utilice la agregación de respuestas individuales (media por país) como un estimador de un constructo colectivo (CE). La media por país mostró asociación congruente con indicadores macrosociales. Las diferencias inter e intrapaíses en CE muestran la sensibilidad de la escala y su relación con el contexto social.
Influencia del uso de las lenguas en contacto con la identidad social, en la Comunidad Autónoma Vasca (CAV)
Authors: Azurmendi María-José , García Iñaki , González Txelu
Published: January 2003

Desde las teorías psicosociales sobre identidad, intentamos estudiar los diferentes grados de identificación y de implicación con las culturas en contacto en el contexto vasco. Diferenciamos dos grupos de universitarios en la CAV, según la lengua de respuesta a nuestro cuestionario, sujetos que realizan sus estudios y contestan al cuestionario en euskera (grupo 1) y sujetos que cursan sus estudios y responden al cuestionario en castellano (grupo 2); en ambos grupos se midió su grado de implicación en cuatro aspectos de identidad (territorial, lingüística, nacional y cultural). Nuestro objetivo es encontrar los diferentes perfiles identitarios entre los universitarios vascos y estudiar en qué medida influye sobre éstos el hecho de vivir y estudiar en euskera o en castellano. Los resultados muestran dos perfiles identitarios que se diferencian en la dimensión español-vasco de las categorías propuestas.
¿Qué es un rico?, ¿y un pobre?: un estudio evolutivo con niños mexicanos y españoles
Authors: Navarro Alejandra , Peñaranda Ana
Published: January 2003

Utilizando el método clínico piagetiano entrevistamos a 100 niños mexicanos y españoles entre 6 y 14 años para conocer sus ideas sobre la desigualdad social y la movilidad socioeconómica. En este artículo se presentan sólo los resultados referentes al primer problema: las nociones de rico y pobre. Con los datos obtenidos se realizó un análisis tanto de contenido, identificando categorías de respuesta, como de la organización conceptual de ese contenido, es decir, de tipo cualitativo.

Los resultados revelan que los rasgos con los que los niños describen a los ricos y a los pobres sufren importantes cambios evolutivos. Mientras que los pequeños los describen basándose en lo más externo y llamativo, con la edad van teniendo en cuenta además aspectos internos o subjetivos. Es decir, van progresando en su capacidadpara realizar inferencias sobre aspectos no visibles de la realidad social. No se encuentran diferencias entre las descripciones de niños mexicanos y españoles ni en el tipo de rasgos o características que mencionan ni en el curso evolutivo.
Adenosine in exhaled breath condensate in healthy volunteers and in patients with asthma
Authors: Huszár É. , Vass G. , Vizi É. , Csoma Zs. , Barát E. , Molnár Világos Gy. , Herjavecz I. , Horváth I.
Published: January 2003

Persistent airway inflammation may require the use of different markers for monitoring airway inflammation. In this study, the authors investigated whether adenosine, which may be produced in allergic inflammatory conditions, could be measured with good reproducibility in exhaled breath condensate (EBC), and whether its concentration was elevated in patients with asthma.

EBC adenosine and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), a noninvasive marker of asthmatic airway inflammation, were measured in 40 healthy volunteers and 43 patients with allergic bronchial asthma. Repeatability of adenosine measurement was checked in 20 pairs of samples collected from healthy control subjects.

Adenosine was detectable in all EBC samples by the applied high-performance liquid chromatographic method. The mean difference between repeated measurements of adenosine was −0.1 nM and all differences were within the coefficient of repeatability. Adenosine concentration was higher in steroid-naive patients (n=23) compared with healthy control subjects and steroid-treated patients (n=20). In patients with worsening symptoms of asthma (n=23), adenosine concentration was elevated compared with those in a stable condition (n=20). Furthermore, adenosine concentrations were related to eNO levels in asthmatic patients.

These results, showing good reproducibility of adenosine measurements and increased adenosine concentrations in steroid-naive patients and in patients with worsening of asthmatic symptoms, indicate that adenosine measurement in exhaled breath condensate might be an acceptable novel method to investigate the role of local production of adenosine in the airways.
Nosocomial tracheobronchitis in mechanically ventilated patients: incidence, aetiology and outcome
Authors: Nseir S. , Di Pompeo C. , Pronnier P. , Beague S. , Onimus T. , Saulnier F. , Grandbastien B. , Mathieu D. , Delvallez-Roussel M. , Durocher A.
Published: January 2003

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, the organisms responsible for and the impact on outcome of nosocomial tracheobronchitis (NTB) in the intensive care unit (ICU).

This prospective observational cohort study was conducted in a 30-bed medical/surgical ICU over a period of 6.5 yrs. All patients ventilated for >48 h were eligible. Patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP) without prior NTB were excluded. Patients with first episodes of NTB were compared with those without NTB by univariate analysis.

The study diagnosed 201 (10.6%) cases of NTB.Pseudomonas aeruginosawas the most common bacteria. NP rates were similar in patients with NTB compared with patients without NTB. Even in the absence of subsequent NP, NTB was associated with a significantly higher length of ICU stay and duration of mechanical ventilation in both surgical and medical populations. Mortality rates were similar in NTB patients without subsequent NP compared with patients without NTB. Antimicrobial treatment in NTB patients was associated with a trend to a better outcome.

Nosocomial tracheobronchitis is common in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients. In this population, nosocomial tracheobronchitis was associated with longer durations of intensive care unit stay and mechanical ventilation. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of antibiotics on outcomes of patients with nosocomial tracheobronchitis.
Ventricular mass index using magnetic resonance imaging accurately estimates pulmonary artery pressure
Authors: Saba T.S. , Foster J. , Cockburn M. , Cowan M. , Peacock A.J.
Published: January 2003

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide accurate anatomical measurements of the cardiac ventricles. This study investigated whether a calculated ventricular mass index (VMI) would provide an accurate means of estimating pulmonary artery pressure noninvasively, and compared the results with conventional Doppler echocardiography and invasive measurement.

A total of 26 subjects referred for investigation of pulmonary hypertension were studied by MRI and echocardiography within 2 weeks of cardiac catheterisation. The correlations for mean pulmonary artery pressure were as follows: VMI (ratio of right ventricular mass over left ventricular mass) r=0.81; pulmonary artery systolic pressure (echocardiography) r=0.77. The confidence intervals for the VMI were narrower than for echocardiography. Sensitivity and specificity for pulmonary hypertension were 84 and 71% respectively for the VMI compared with 89 and 57% for echocardiography.

The calculated ventricular mass index provides an accurate and practical means of estimating pulmonary artery pressure noninvasively in pulmonary hypertension and may provide a more accurate estimate than Doppler echocardiography. This may be because it reflects the right ventricular response to sustained pulmonary hypertension over a long period and is not influenced by short-term physiological variables affecting echocardiography, such as heart rate, posture, hydration status and oxygen supplementation.
Assessment and evaluation of symptomatic steroid-naive asthmatics without sputum eosinophilia and their response to inhaled corticosteroids
Authors: Godon P. , Boulet L-P. , Malo J-L. , Cartier A. , Lemière C.
Published: January 2003

Eosinophilic airway inflammation is one of the hallmarks of asthma. Sputum eosinophilia has been suggested as a predictor of the response to inhaled corticosteroids in asthma. This study sought to investigate the proportion of steroid-naive uncontrolled asthmatics without significant sputum eosinophilia (≤1%) and to examine whether sputum eosinophilia could predict the response to inhaled corticosteroids.

A total of 51 mild uncontrolled steroid-naive asthmatics who had not been treated with oral or inhaled corticosteroids for at least 3 months were investigated. The evaluation included a spirometry, methacholine inhalation challenge and sputum induction on two occasions, one at baseline and the other after 1 month of treatment with 250 µg twice-daily fluticasone propionate.

Of the 51 subjects, 15 had an eosinophil count ≤1%, and 46 completed the two visits. Patients with baseline sputum eosinophils ≤1% (n=14) were compared with those with sputum eosinophils >1% (n=32). The baseline characteristics of these two groups were similar. After 1 month of treatment, respiratory symptoms, quality of life, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and provocative concentration causing a 20% fall in FEV1improved in both groups.

The absence of sputum eosinophilia does not seem to be an indicator of poor response to inhaled corticosteroid treatment in steroid-naive asthmatics. However, this finding needs to be investigated further in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, entirely designed to answer this question.