bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pro‐gliogenic effect of IL‐1α in the differentiation of embryonic neural precursor cells in vitro
Authors: Ajmone‐Cat Maria Antonietta , Cacci Emanuele , Ragazzoni Ylenia , Minghetti Luisa , Biagioni Stefano
Published: March 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 113, 1060–1072.

Inflammation is regarded as a main obstacle to brain regeneration. Major detrimental effects are attributed to microglial/macrophagic products, such as TNF‐α and interleukin (IL)‐6. The role of cytokines of the IL‐1 family, particularly of IL‐1α, in the modulation of neural precursor cell (NPC) properties is less characterized. IL‐1α is one of the most abundant cytokines released upon acute stimulation of microglia with lipopolysaccharide and is down‐regulated upon chronic stimulation. As we recently demonstrated, acutely activated microglia reduces NPC survival, prevent neuronal differentiation and promote glial differentiation. Chronically activated microglia are instead permissive to NPC survival and neuronal differentiation, and less effective in promoting astrocytic differentiation. We thus investigated whether IL‐1α could contribute to the effects of acutely activated microglia on NPC. We found that NPC express functional IL‐1 receptors and that exposure to recombinant IL‐1α strongly enhances NPC differentiation into astrocytes, without affecting cell viability and neuronal differentiation. In the same conditions, recombinant IL‐1β has pro‐gliogenic effects at concentrations 10‐fold higher than those found in activated microglial conditioned media. Interestingly, immunodepletion of IL‐1α in activated microglial conditioned media fails to revert microglial pro‐gliogenic action and slightly enhances neuronal differentiation, revealing that other microglial‐derived factors contribute to the modulation of NPC properties.
Hope as a determinant of mental health recovery: a psychometric evaluation of the Herth Hope Index‐Dutch version
Authors: Van Gestel‐Timmermans Hanneke , Van Den Bogaard Joop , Brouwers Evelien , Herth Kaye , Van Nieuwenhuizen Chijs
Published: March 2010

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 67–74
 
Hope as a determinant of mental health recovery: a psychometric evaluation of the Herth Hope Index‐Dutch version

Hope is an important aspect of mental health recovery and a major concern in patients with mental illness. Therefore, an instrument to measure hope could be useful for clinical settings and research. The aim of this study was to develop a Dutch version of the Herth Hope Index (HHI‐Dutch) and to evaluate its validity and reliability in a sample of people with severe mental illness. The HHI‐Dutch was used in a sample of people with severe mental illness (n = 341). A Principal Component Analysis with varimax rotation was performed and identified two factors. The results also showed a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.84 for the HHI total score and a test–retest reliability of r = 0.79. As for convergent validity, highest correlations were found between hope and health‐related self‐efficacy beliefs (r = 0.72), perceived quality of life (r = 0.56) and mental health (r = 0.59) and medium correlations between hope and loneliness (r = ‐0.47), task‐oriented coping (r = 0.45) and the habit to seek company (r = 0.4). As for divergent validity, according to expectations, there was no significant correlation between hope and physical functioning, but there was a positive correlation between hope and general health perception (r = 0.34). In conclusion, the HHI‐Dutch has shown to be an instrument with adequate psychometrical properties. It is advisable to use the scale as a whole rather than using the subscales. The HHI‐Dutch is appropriate for research in the recovery process of people with severe mental illness. Moreover, the study of hope is important for understanding the concept of hope in relation to mental health recovery. The results of this study may be a step forward and a new impulse to stimulate research on the important ‘hope’ aspect in mental health recovery.
Network analysis in conservation biogeography: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Cumming Graeme S. , Bodin Örjan , Ernstson Henrik , Elmqvist Thomas
Published: March 2010

Aims  To highlight the potential value of network analysis for conservation biogeography and to focus attention on some of the challenges that lie ahead in applying it to conservation problems.

Location  Global.

Methods  We briefly review existing literature and then focus on five important challenges for the further development of network‐based approaches in the field.

Results  Our five challenges include (i) understanding cross‐scale and cross‐level linkages in ecological systems (top–down and bottom–up effects, such as trophic cascades, have been demonstrated in food webs but are poorly understood in nested hierarchies such as reserve networks and stream catchments), (ii) capturing dynamic aspects of ecological systems and networks (with a few exceptions we have little grasp of how important whole‐network attributes change as the composition of nodes and links changes), (iii) integrating ecological aspects of network theory with metacommunity frameworks and multiple node functions and roles (can we link the spatial patterns of habitat patches in fragmented landscapes, the parallel networks of interacting species using those patches and community‐level interactions as defined by metacommunity theory in a single framework?), (iv) integrating the analysis of social and ecological networks (particularly, can they be analysed as a single interacting system?) and (v) laying an empirical foundation for network analysis in conservation biogeography (this will require a larger data bank of well‐studied networks from diverse habitats and systems).

Main conclusions  Recent research has identified a variety of approaches that we expect to contribute to progress in each of our five challenge areas. We anticipate that some of the most exciting outcomes of attempts to meet these challenges will be frameworks that unite areas of research, such as food web analysis and metacommunity theory, that have developed independently.
High‐throughput screening and small animal models, where are we?
Authors: Giacomotto Jean , Ségalat Laurent
Published: March 2010

Current high‐throughput screening methods for drug discovery rely on the existence of targets. Moreover, most of the hits generated during screenings turn out to be invalid after further testing in animal models. To by‐pass these limitations, efforts are now being made to screen chemical libraries on whole animals. One of the most commonly used animal model in biology is the murine model Mus musculus. However, its cost limit its use in large‐scale therapeutic screening. In contrast, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and the fish Danio rerio are gaining momentum as screening tools. These organisms combine genetic amenability, low cost and culture conditions that are compatible with large‐scale screens. Their main advantage is to allow high‐throughput screening in a whole‐animal context. Moreover, their use is not dependent on the prior identification of a target and permits the selection of compounds with an improved safety profile. This review surveys the versatility of these animal models for drug discovery and discuss the options available at this day.
Electronic Medical Records as a Research Tool: Evaluating Topiramate Use at a Headache Center
Authors: Marmura Michael J. , Hopkins Mary , Andrel Jocelyn , Young William B. , Biondi David M. , Rupnow Marcia F.T. , Armstrong Robert B.
Published: March 2010

(Headache 2010;50:769‐778)

Background.— Electronic medical records (EMRs) are used in large healthcare centers to increase efficiency and accuracy of documentation. These databases may be utilized for clinical research or to describe clinical practices such as medication usage.

Methods.— We conducted a retrospective analysis of EMR data from a headache clinic to evaluate clinician prescription use and dosing patterns of topiramate. The study cohort comprised 4833 unique de‐identified records, which were used to determine topiramate dose and persistence of treatment.

Results.— Within the cohort, migraine was the most common headache diagnosis (n = 3753, 77.7%), followed by tension‐type headache (n = 338, 7.0%) and cluster or trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (n = 287, 5.9%). Physicians prescribed topiramate more often for subjects with migraine and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (P < .0001) than for those with other conditions, and more often for subjects with coexisting conditions including obesity, bipolar disorder, and depression. The most common maintenance dose of topiramate was 100 mg/day; however, approximately 15% of subjects received either less than 100 mg/day or more than 200 mg/day. More than a third of subjects were prescribed topiramate for more than 1 year, and subjects with a diagnosis of migraine were prescribed topiramate for a longer period of time than those without migraine.

Conclusions.— Findings from our study using EMR demonstrate that physicians use topiramate at many different doses and for many off‐label indications. This analysis provided important insight into our patient populations and treatment patterns.
Life Cycle Assessment of Biosolids Land Application and Evaluation of the Factors Impacting Human Toxicity through Plant Uptake
Authors: Sablayrolles Caroline , Gabrielle Benoît , Montrejaud‐Vignoles Mireille
Published: March 2010

Due to increasing environmental concerns in the wastewater treatment sector, the environmental impacts of organic waste disposal procedures require careful evaluation. However, the impacts related to the return of organic matter to agricultural soils are difficult to assess. The goals of this study are to assess the environmental impacts of land application of two types of biosolids (dried and composted, respectively) from the same wastewater treatment plant in France, and to improve the quantification of human toxicity.

A life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out on a case study based on validated data from an actual wastewater treatment plant. Numerous impacts were included in this analysis, but a particular emphasis was laid on human toxicity via plant ingestion. For six out of the eight impact categories included in the analysis, the dried biosolids system was more harmful to the environment than the composting route, especially regarding the consumption of primary energy. Only human toxicity via water, soil, and air compartments and ozone depletion impacts were higher with the composted biosolids.
What Habituates in Infant Visual Habituation? A Psychophysiological Analysis
Authors: Colombo John , Shaddy D. Jill , Anderson Christa J. , Gibson Linzi J. , Blaga Otilia M. , Kannass Kathleen N.
Published: March 2010

Despite the use of visual habituation over the past half century, relatively little is known about its underlying processes. We analyzed heart rate (HR) taken simultaneous with looking during infant‐controlled habituation sessions collected longitudinally at 4, 6, and 8 months of age with the goal of examining how HR and HR‐defined phases of attention change across habituation. There were four major findings. First, the depth and topography of decelerations and proportion of sustained attention (SA) did not vary across habituation at any age, which suggested (in contrast to the tenets of comparator theory) the persistence of substantial cognitive activity at the end of visual habituation. Second, attention termination (AT) robustly declined across trials, suggesting that, contrary to prior thinking, AT might be a sensitive indicant of visual learning. Third, infants at all ages showed an HR increase (startle) to stimulus onset on the first trial, the magnitude of which was associated with subsequent delayed HR deceleration and less SA; thus, stimulus events affect processing during trials. Finally, mean overall HR reliably increased across trials for all ages. This last finding implies the need to distinguish between “phasic” HR changes (e.g., decelerations during looks) and longer term “tonic” HR changes (mean increases across trials) during habituation, and raises the question of what processes the tonic increases might reflect within the habituation paradigm.
Local indicators for categorical data: impacts of scaling decisions
Authors: LONG JED A. , NELSON TRISALYN A. , WULDER MICHAEL A.
Published: March 2010

When the geographic distribution of landscape pattern varies, global indices fail to capture the spatial nonstationarity within the dataset. Methods that measure landscape pattern at a spatially local scale are advantageous, as an index is computed at each point in the dataset. The geographic distribution of local indices is used to discover spatial trends. Local indicators for categorical data (LICD) can be used to statistically quantify local spatial patterns in binary geographic datasets. LICD, like other spatially local methods, are impacted by decisions relating to the spatial scale of the data, such as the data grain (p), and analysis parameters such as the size of the local neighbourhood (m). The goal of this article is to demonstrate how the choice of the m and p parameters impacts LICD analysis. We also briefly discuss the impacts spatial extent can have on analysis; specifically the local composition measure. An example using 2006 forest cover data for a region in British Columbia, Canada where mountain pine beetle mitigation and salvage harvesting has occurred is used to show the impacts of changing m and p. Selection of local window size (m = 3,5,7) impacts the prevalence and interpretation of significant results. Increasing data grain (p) had varying effects on significant LICD results. When implementing LICD the choice of m and p impacts results. Exploring multiple combinations of m and p will provide insight into selection of ideal parameters for analysis.
Space, place and innovation: a distance‐based approach
Authors: SHEARMUR RICHARD
Published: March 2010

Innovation is increasingly considered a prerequisite for regional development and it is commonly understood that certain regions are more conducive to innovation than others. Regions that do not possess the required institutional and cultural contexts are often encouraged to work on creating them. However, there is increasing evidence that innovation is also a spatial phenomenon: the propensity of establishments to innovate also varies with their location relative to major and minor metropolitan areas, independent of local context. This article investigates whether the geography of innovation is similar for three different types of manufacturing sectors (high‐tech (HT), medium‐tech,first and second transformation) and across two different types of innovation (product, process). It is shown that, in Québec, to the extent that geography and innovation are connected, it is principally distance from a metropolitan area that plays a role. Our results lend support to McCann's (2007) recent spatial model of innovation and are also compatible with Duranton and Puga's (2003) theory of nursery cities. Our results also show that HT innovators behave differently from other manufacturers, with a tendency to internalize their innovation behaviour (perhaps out of necessity or for reasons of secrecy) in more distant locations.
Development and Psychometric Testing of the Supportive Supervisory Scale
Authors: McGilton Katherine S.
Published: March 2010

Purpose: To describe the development and psychometric testing of the Supportive Supervisory Scale (SSS).

Methods: The development of the items of the scale was based on Winnicott's relationship theory and on focus groups with 26 healthcare aides (HCAs) and 30 supervisors from six long‐term care (LTC) facilities in Ontario, Canada. Content validity of the 15‐item instrument was established by a panel of experts. Based on a secondary analysis of data collected from 222 HCAs in 10 LTC facilities in Ontario, Canada, the SSS was subjected to principal components analysis with oblique rotation.

Findings: A two‐factor solution was accepted, which is consistent with the theoretical conceptualization of the instrument. Factor I was labeled Respects Uniqueness and Factor II was labeled Being Reliable. Internal consistency of Factor I was .95, and that of Factor II was .91. Discriminant validity was also established. The focus groups revealed that “being available to staff” while “recognizing the HCA as an individual, and taking a moment to get to know them” was essential to feeling supported by their supervisor.

Conclusions: The SSS is a reliable and valid measure of supervisory support of supervisors working in LTC facilities. At the core of supportive supervision is the supervisor's ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with each HCA. It is through respecting the uniqueness of each HCA and being reliable that supervisor‐HCA relationships can flourish.

Clinical Relevance: Supportive leadership in LTC settings is a major contributor to HCAs’ job satisfaction and retention and to quality of patient care. Therefore, a tool developed and tested to measure supervisors’ supportive capacities in LTC is primal to evaluate the effectiveness of supervisors in these environments.
Mammography Decision Making in Older Women With a Breast Cancer Family History
Authors: Greco Karen E. , Nail Lillian M. , Kendall Judy , Cartwright Juliana , Messecar Deborah C.
Published: March 2010

Purpose:This study's purpose is to describe and explain how women 55 years of age and older with a family history of breast cancer make screening mammography decisions.

Design:A qualitative design based on grounded theory. This purposeful sample consisted of 23 women 55 years of age or older with one more first‐degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer.

Method:Open‐ended interviews were conducted with 23 women 55 years of age and older with a family history of breast cancer using a semistructured interview guide. Transcribed interview data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis to identify the conditions, actions, and consequences associated with participant's screening mammography decision making.

Findings:Women reported becoming aware of their breast cancer risk usually due to a triggering event such as having a family member diagnosed with breast cancer, resulting in women “guarding against cancer.” Women's actions included having mammograms, getting health check‐ups, having healthy behaviors, and being optimistic. Most women reported extraordinary faith in mammography, often ignoring negative mammogram information. A negative mammogram gave women peace of mind and assurance that breast cancer was not present. Being called back for additional mammograms caused worry, especially with delayed results.

Conclusions:The “guarding against cancer” theory needs to be tested in other at‐risk populations and ultimately used to test strategies that promote cancer screening decision making and the adoption of screening behaviors in those at increased risk for developing cancer.

Clinical Relevance:Women 55 years of age and older with a breast cancer family history need timely mammogram results, mammography reminders, and psychosocial support when undergoing a mammography recall or other follow‐up tests.
Sleep in Dementia Caregivers and the Effect of a Nighttime Monitoring System
Authors: Rowe Meredeth A. , Kairalla John A. , McCrae Christina S.
Published: March 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if a nighttime home monitoring system, designed to track the movements of a care recipient with dementia, would relieve worry and improve sleep in caregivers of persons with dementia.

Design and Methods: In this controlled clinical trial, 49 dementia caregivers were followed for up to 1 year. Sleep was measured for 7‐day intervals at nine points in time using actigraphy and a sleep diary.

Findings: Although the experimental caregivers generally reported that the system was “of great help” in relieving worry about nighttime activity, no significant group differences were found using multilevel modeling analyses. With regard to total sleep time, time awake after sleep onset, and sleep quality, multilevel models did not demonstrate any changes in sleep between groups, either averaged over time or for the interaction of group and time.

Conclusions: Since previous analysis of our qualitative data suggested improvements in caregiver worry and sleep, problems other than night awakenings may be perpetuating the sleep problem. Future studies should include testing of multimodal sleep interventions.

Clinical Relevance: Caregivers have high amounts of unwanted wake time during the night and additional research is needed to identify effective interventions to improve their sleep.
Shamanism and San Pedro through Time: Some Notes on the Archaeology, History, and Continued Use of an Entheogen in Northern Peru
Authors: GLASS‐COFFIN BONNIE
Published: March 2010

This paper discusses archaeological, historical, and contemporary ethnographic evidence for the use of the San Pedro cactus in northern Peru as a vehicle for traveling between worlds and for imparting the “vista” (magical sight) necessary for shamanic healers to divine the cause of their patients' ailments. Using iconographic, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic evidence for the uninterrupted use of this sacred plant as a means of access to the Divine and as a tool for healing, it describes the relationship between San Pedro, ancestor worship, water/fertility cults and also the common symbolic associations between San Pedro and wind‐spirits. It closes by suggesting that the more than 2000 year time‐depth of using this plant as a means for accessing the realms of Spirit and as a tool for healing should serve to challenge the unfortunate tendency in the contemporary United States to consider this plant as a “recreational drug.”
Trance and Shamanic Cure on the South American Continent: Psychopharmacological and Neurobiological Interpretations
Authors: BLANC FRANCOIS
Published: March 2010

This article examines the neurobiological basis of the healing power attributed to shamanic practices in the Andes and Brazil in light of the pharmacology of neurotransmitters and the new technological explorations of brain functioning. The psychotropic plants used in shamanic psychiatric cures interfere selectively with the intrinsic neuromediators of the brain. Mainly they may alter: (1) the neuroendocrine functioning through the adrenergic system by controlling stressful conditions, (2) the dopaminergic system in incentive learning and emotions incorporation, (3) the serotoninergic system in modulating behaviors, and mood, and (4) basic functions implied in anxiety or depression. PET scans and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of hypnotic trance and altered states of consciousness may provide a useful model for the neurophysiological phenomena of shamanic drum‐and‐dance trance. The reorganization of cortical areas and the direct interconnections between the prefrontal cortex and the dopaminergic reward centers in the limbic system are of particular significance for human social judgment and symbolic processing. Those centers—including the hypothalamus and the amygdala (associated with psychosomatic equilibrium, memory, and emotion) are enhanced. This arousal may be amplified in order to induce a cathartic crisis—the shamanic trance. It is suggested that through this holistic approach the shaman empirically interferes in neurobiological dysfunctions.
INTRODUCTION
Authors: OSTERMAN Paul
Published: March 2010

Les articles de ce numéro spécial de la Revue internationale du Travail présentent les résultats d'une large recherche comparative internationale sur le travail faiblement rémunéré, soutenue par la Fondation Russel Sage. Dans cette brève introduction, Paul Osterman, qui a coordonné l'édition de ce numéro, expose la raison d'être et la méthodologie de cette recherche, ainsi que son utilité pour les politiques publiques visant à améliorer la qualité de l'emploi au bas de l'échelle salariale.
Entre marché et flexicurité: le personnel d'entretien dans les hôtels au Danemark
Authors: ERIKSSON Tor , LI Jingkun
Published: March 2010

Au Danemark, le personnel d'entretien dans les hôtels n'est pas qualifié et est faiblement rémunéré, mais il est comparativement bien payé compte tenu de la compression de la structure salariale. Les auteurs examinent les conditions de travail et l'expérience du personnel d'entretien dans huit hôtels de diverses catégories pour analyser les réactions de l'hôtellerie face à la concurrence croissante et aux exigences de restructuration de ses activités. Les aspects considérés concernent la réorganisation du travail, l'augmentation de la cadence du travail, l'entretien sous‐traité et en interne, et la «flexicurité» propre au Danemark. La flexibilité, la sécurité du travail et d'autres avantages sociaux en nature compensent une assurance chômage et une progression de carrière insuffisantes.
L'emploi dans le commerce de détail aux Pays‐Bas: bas salaires et modération salariale
Authors: VAN KLAVEREN Maarten , SALVERDA Wiemer , TIJDENS Kea
Published: March 2010

Aux Pays‐Bas, depuis les années quatre‐vingt, la modération salariale est au cœur du modèle de gouvernance socio‐économique. L'emploi à bas salaire a fortement augmenté. Les bas salaires sont contenus par une baisse des salaires minima. La diminution des revenus et de la consommation a réduit la demande dans le secteur du commerce de détail, dont les salariés, notamment les jeunes, acceptent des emplois à temps partiel mal rémunérés. Les bas salaires nuisent à la qualité des emplois – phénomène avivé par l'amplitude exceptionnelle des salaires minima applicables aux jeunes et par le régime de bourses d'études les autorisant à travailler et faussant le marché du travail des jeunes à la recherche d'un emploi à plein temps. La crise actuelle pourrait entraver la re‐professionnalisation en cours dans ce secteur.
The French food‐processing model: High relative wages and high work intensity
Authors: CAROLI Ève , GAUTIÉ Jérôme , LAMANTHE Annie
Published: March 2010

The authors examine wages and working conditions in meat processing and confectionery in France. Working there may not require much skill, or command good wages and working conditions, but this article reveals a more complex, positive situation than expected, thanks to the “French model's” national minimum wage and the extension of collective wage agreements to all workers in the sector. But pressures to lower labour costs are still felt, and the firms examined must meet pressures to increase productivity, flexibility and automation. Moreover, retail chains also seek to lower prices and impose just‐in‐time production.
Formaldehyde‐releasers in cosmetics in the USA and in Europe
Authors: De Groot Anton C. , Veenstra Margo
Published: March 2010

Background: Frequencies of sensitization to formaldehyde among US patients patch tested for suspected contact dermatitis are higher than in Europe. Cosmetics are an important source of contact with formaldehyde.

Objectives: To acquire data on the frequency of use of formaldehyde‐releasers in cosmetics sold in the USA and Europe and their use concentrations. To assess whether any observed differences may contribute to the discrepancies in sensitization rates.

Methods: Enquiries with Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Cosmetics Association, and the Dutch Cosmetics Association. Reading the labels of skin care cosmetics in a local drugstore.

Results: The FDA provided data on the presence of formaldehyde and releasers. Nearly one fifth of all cosmetics contain a releaser. In 25% of 496 examined skin care products, releasers were present. In comparable FDA data categories, the percentage was 24. No data were found on use concentrations of the releasers in cosmetics in either the USA or Europe.

Conclusions: The percentages of stay‐on skin care products containing a formaldehyde‐releaser are virtually identical in the USA (FDA data) and our local drugstore sample. However, this does not necessarily imply that cosmetics play no part in the differences in formaldehyde sensitization rates.
Formaldehyde‐releasers: relationship to formaldehyde contact allergy. Part 2. Formaldehyde‐releasers in clothes: durable press chemical finishes
Authors: De Groot Anton C. , Le Coz Christophe J. , Lensen Gerda J. , Flyvholm Mari‐Ann , Maibach Howard I. , Coenraads Pieter‐Jan
Published: March 2010

This is the second part of a review article on formaldehyde‐releasers used as durable press chemical finishes (DPCF) in textiles. The early finishes contained large amounts of free formaldehyde, which led to many cases of allergic contact dermatitis to clothes in the 1950s and 1960s. Currently, most finishes are based on modified dimethylol dihydroxyethyleneurea, which releases less formaldehyde. Nevertheless, recent studies in the United States and Israel have identified patients reacting to DPCF, considered to have allergic contact reactions to clothes, either from formaldehyde released by the DPCF therein or from the DPCF per se (in patients negative to formaldehyde). However, all studies had some weaknesses in design or interpretation and in not a single case has the clinical relevance been proven. The amount of free formaldehyde in most garments will likely be below the threshold for the elicitation of dermatitis for all but the most sensitive patients. The amount of free cyclized urea DPCF in clothes is unlikely to be high enough to cause sensitization. Patch test reactions to formaldehyde‐releasing DPCF will in most cases represent a reaction to formaldehyde released from the test material.
Niche and area of distribution modeling: a population ecology perspective
Authors: Soberón Jorge M.
Published: March 2010

Statistical modeling of areas of distribution of species by correlative analysis of the environmental features of known presences has become widespread. However, to a large degree, the logic and the functioning of many of these applications remain obscure, not only due to the fact that some of the modeling methods are intrinsically complex (neural networks, genetic algorithms, generalized additive models, for example), but mainly because the role of other ecological processes affecting the species distributions sometimes is not explicitly stated. Resorting to fundamental principles of population ecology, a scheme of analysis based on separation of three factors affecting species distributions (environment, biotic interactions and movements) is used to clarify some results of niche modeling exercises. The area of distribution of a virtual species which was generated by both environmental and biotic factors serves to illustrate the possibility that, at coarse resolutions, the distribution can be approximately recovered using only information about the environmental factors and ignoring the biotic interactions. Finally, information on the distribution of a butterfly species, Baronia brevicornis, is used to illustrate the importance of interpreting the results of niche models by including hypothesis about one class of movements. The results clarify the roles of the three factors in interpreting the results of using correlative approaches to modeling species distributions or their niches.
SAM: a comprehensive application for Spatial Analysis in Macroecology
Authors: Rangel Thiago F. , Diniz‐Filho Jose Alexandre F. , Bini Luis Mauricio
Published: March 2010

SAM (Spatial Analysis in Macroecology) is a freeware application that offers a comprehensive array of spatial statistical methods, focused primarily on surface pattern spatial analysis. SAM is a compact, but powerful stand‐alone software, with a user‐friendly, menu‐driven graphical interface. The methods available in SAM are the most commonly used in macroecology and geographical ecology, and range from simple tools for exploratory graphical analysis (e.g. mapping and graphing) and descriptive statistics of spatial patterns (e.g. autocorrelation metrics), to advanced spatial regression models (e.g. autoregression and eigenvector filtering). Download of the software, along with the user manual, can be downloaded online at the SAM website:  (permanent URL at ).
Congenital digital aplasia in a free‐ranging group of silvery marmosets, Mico argentatus
Authors: Ferrari S.F. , Coutinho P.E.G. , Corrêa H.K.M.
Published: March 2010

Congenital aplasia of the hallux (big toe) was observed in seven adult and infant members of a free‐ranging group of silvery marmosets (Mico argentatus) in the Alter do Chão savannah of central Amazonia. Apparently heritable, the condition was more common in males (80%) than females (50%) but was found in no other members of the population. Animals with the condition presented normal behaviour.
Melatonin protects against isoproterenol‐induced myocardial injury in the rat: antioxidative mechanisms
Authors: Mukherjee Debasri , Roy Sreerupa Ghose , Bandyopadhyay Arun , Chattopadhyay Aindrila , Basu Anjali , Mitra Elina , Ghosh Arnab Kr. , Reiter Russel J. , Bandyopadhyay Debasish
Published: March 2010

Abstract: The present study was undertaken to explore the protective effect of melatonin against isoproterenol bitartrate (ISO)‐induced myocardial injury in rat. Treatment of rats with ISO increased the level of lipid peroxidation products and decreased the reduced glutathione levels in cardiac tissue indicating that this synthetic catecholamine induces oxidative damage following oxidative stress. Pretreatment of ISO‐injected rats with melatonin at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight, i.p. prevented these changes. Additionally, melatonin also restored the activities and the levels of antioxidant enzymes which were found to be altered by ISO treatment. Treatment of rats with ISO resulted into an increased generation of hydroxyl radicals with melatonin pretreatment significantly reducing their production. Finally, treatment of rats with ISO caused a lowering of systolic pressure with reduced cardiac output and diastolic dysfunction whereas melatonin pretreatment significantly restored many of these parameters to normal. The findings document melatonin’s ability to provide cardio protection at a low pharmacological dose. Melatonin has virtually no toxicity which raises the possibility of this indole being a therapeutic treatment for ischemic heart disease.
Melatonin treatment normalizes plasma pro‐inflammatory cytokines and nitrosative/oxidative stress in patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Authors: Chahbouni Mariam , Escames Germaine , Venegas Carmen , Sevilla Belén , García José Antonio , López Luis C. , Muñoz‐Hoyos Antonio , Molina‐Carballo Antonio , Acuña‐Castroviejo Darío
Published: March 2010

Abstract:  Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a lethal disorder characterized by dystrophin absence, courses with chronic inflammation, sarcolemmal damage, and skeletal muscle degeneration. Among the multiple pathogenic mechanisms proposed for DMD, oxidative stress and inflammation are directly involved in the dystrophic process. Unfortunately, there is no current treatment for DMD, and the inflammatory process is an important target for therapies. Based on the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties of melatonin, we investigated whether melatonin treatment may reduce the dystrophic process. Ten DMD patients aged 12.8 ± 0.98 yr, were treated with melatonin (60 mg at 21:00 hr plus 10 mg at 09:00 hr), and plasma levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO), nitrites (NOx), interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor‐α, interferon‐γ, and plasma markers of muscle injury, were determined at 3, 6 and 9 months of treatment. Healthy age‐ and sex‐matched subjects were used as controls. The results show a significant increase in LPO, NOx, and cytokine levels in plasma of DMD patients compared with controls. Melatonin administration reduced these values to control levels at 3 months of treatment, decreasing further 9 months later. In parallel, melatonin also reduced plasma levels of creatine kinase (CK; 50%), lactate dehydrogenase (28%), aspartate aminotransferase (28%), alanine aminotransferase (20%), and myoglobin (13%). These findings strongly support the conclusion that melatonin administration significantly reduced the hyperoxidative and inflammatory process in DMD patients, reducing the muscle degenerative process.
Mixed lineage leukemia: roles in gene expression, hormone signaling and mRNA processing
Authors: Ansari Khairul I. , Mandal Subhrangsu S.
Published: March 2010

Mixed lineage leukemias (MLLs) are an evolutionarily conserved trithorax family of human genes that play critical roles in HOX gene regulation and embryonic development. MLL1 is well known to be rearranged in myeloid and lymphoid leukemias in children and adults. There are several MLL family proteins such as MLL1, MLL2, MLL3, MLL4, MLL5, Set1A and Set1B, and each possesses histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4)‐specific methyltransferase activity and has critical roles in gene activation and epigenetics. Although MLLs are recognized as major regulators of gene activation, their mechanism of action, target genes and the distinct functions of different MLLs remain elusive. Recent studies demonstrate that besides H3K4 methylation and HOX gene regulation, MLLs have much wider roles in gene activation and regulate diverse other genes. Interestingly, several MLLs interact with nuclear receptors and have critical roles in steroid‐hormone‐mediated gene activation and signaling. In this minireview, we summarize recent advances in understanding the roles of MLLs in gene regulation and hormone signaling and highlight their potential roles in mRNA processing.
Expression of synapsin and co‐localization with serotonin and RFamide‐like immunoreactivity in the nervous system of the chordoid larva of Symbion pandora (Cycliophora)
Authors: Neves Ricardo Cardoso , Da Cunha Marina Ribeiro , Kristensen Reinhardt Møbjerg , Wanninger Andreas
Published: March 2010

Abstract. Cycliophora is one of the most recently described metazoan phyla and hitherto includes only two species: Symbion pandora and Symbion americanus. With a very complex life cycle, cycliophorans are regarded as an enigmatic group with an uncertain phylogenetic position, although they are commonly considered lophotrochozoan protostomes. In order to extend the database concerning the distribution of immunoreactive substances in the free‐swimming chordoid larva of S. pandora, we investigated synapsin immunoreactivity using fluorescence‐coupled antibodies in combination with confocal laserscanning microscopy. Moreover, we analyzed the co‐localization patterns of synapsin, serotonin, and RFamide‐like immunoreactivity in the chordoid larva by 3D imaging technology based on the confocal microscopy image stacks. Synapsin is expressed in large parts of the bilobed anterior cerebral ganglion including anterior and dorsal projections. Two pairs of ventral neurites run longitudinally into the larval body of which the inner pair shows only weak, scattered synapsin immunoreactivity. In addition, a lateral synapsin immunoreactive projection emerges posteriorly from each ventral longitudinal axon. Double immunostaining shows co‐localization of synapsin and serotonin in the cerebral ganglion, the outer and the inner ventral neurites, and the anterior projections. Synapsin and RFamide‐like immunoreactivity co‐occur in the cerebral ganglion, the outer ventral neurites, and the dorsal projections. Accordingly, the cerebral ganglion and the outer ventral neurites are the only neural structures that co‐express the two neurotransmitters and synapsin. The overall neuroanatomical condition of the cycliophoran chordoid larva resembles much more the situation of adult rather than larval life cycle stages of a number of spiralian taxa.
Report of a cohesive gelatinous egg mass produced by a tropical marine bivalve
Authors: Collin Rachel , Giribet Gonzalo
Published: March 2010

Abstract. Gelatinous egg masses are common in a number of animal phyla. However, they are virtually unknown in marine bivalves, with structures that could be thought of as gelatinous egg masses being reported for only five species. We describe the gelatinous egg mass and intracapsular development in the tropical lucinid Phacoides pectinatus. The embryos developed within individual capsules embedded in a large flimsy, spherical mass. Swimming veligers hatch at 198 μm shell length. They did not feed, settled within several days of hatching, and metamorphosis was completed within 2 weeks of hatching. Gelatinous egg masses might be detected in members of more lucinid species if studies of development included field or in vivo observations of reproduction in addition to producing embryos by stripping the gonads.
Axogenesis in the stomatopod crustacean Gonodactylaceus falcatus (Malacostraca)
Authors: Fischer Antje H. L. , Scholtz Gerhard
Published: March 2010

Abstract. The formation of the central nervous system of the stomatopod crustacean Gonodactylaceus falcatus is described by means of antibody stainings against synapsin and α‐tubulin. It is shown that the longitudinal fiber tracts of the ventral nervous system are formed by two centers of origin comprising a number of pioneer neurons, one at the posterior part of the forming brain, the other in the area of the telson anlage at the posteriormost region of the embryo. In addition to the lateral anlagen of the connectives, a median longitudinal nerve is formed beginning in the mandibular segment neuromere. In contrast to those of other segments, the mandibular ganglia are connected by a single commissure. The brain forms a circumoral ring. There is evidence that the deutocerebrum possesses praestomodeal and poststomodeal commissural fibers. The anlage of the nauplius eye reveals a specific pattern of pigment and sensory cells with the two pigment cells expressing synapsin. Clear differences between the expression patterns of synapsin and α‐tubulin recommend the combination of a variety of antibodies to gain a complete picture of embryonic neuroanatomy. Our results show overall similarities to other malacostracan and non‐malacostracan crustaceans. The comparisons with other crustaceans and arthropods indicate homology of crustacean nauplius eyes, a circumoral deutocerebrum, and a more widespread occurrence of posterior pioneer neurons forming the axon scaffold of the ventral central nervous system than previously thought.
Evolutionary emergence of synaptic nervous systems: what can we learn from the non‐synaptic, nerveless Porifera?
Authors: Nickel Michael
Published: March 2010

Abstract.The Porifera represent one of the only two recent nerveless and muscleless metazoan phyla. Nevertheless, sponges provide behavioral, physiological, pharmacological, morphological, and, more recently, an increasing amount of genetic evidence for a paracrine pre‐nervous integration system. Although this system might be derived, it allows us to draw conclusions, on the basis of comparative data, about the origin of the nervous systemsensu strictoas found in the eumetazoan phyla. The goal of the present review is to compile recent evidence on the sponge integration systems. Based on this framework, new light is also shed on the evolutionary origin of the eumetazoan synaptic nervous systems, which can be regarded to form an evolutionary biochemical continuum with the paracrine signaling system in sponges. Thus, we can assume that the evolutionary transition from a paracrine‐dominated, pre‐nervous system to an electrochemically dominated, primordial nervous system resulted in part from compartmentalization effects. As intermediate evolutionary stages, regionalized synapse precursor areas might have occurred within pre‐nervous cells, which foreshadowed the highly organized synaptic scaffolds present in recent nerve cells of the Eumetazoa.
How cold is dark matter? Constraints from Milky Way satellites
Authors: Macciò Andrea V. , Fontanot Fabio
Published: March 2010

We test the luminosity function of Milky Way satellites as a constraint for the nature of dark matter particles. We perform dissipationless high-resolution N-body simulations of the evolution of Galaxy-sized halo in the standard cold dark matter model and in four warm dark matter (WDM) scenarios, with a different choice for the WDM particle mass mw. We then combine the results of the numerical simulations with semi-analytic models for galaxy formation, to infer the properties of the satellite population. Quite surprisingly, we find that even WDM models with relatively low mw values (2–5keV) are able to reproduce the observed abundance of ultra faint (Mv < −9) dwarf galaxies, as well as the observed relation between luminosity and mass within 300pc. Our results suggest a lower limit of 1keV for thermal WDM, in broad agreement with previous results from other astrophysical observations such as Lyman α forest and gravitational lensing.
Relationship Between Subsurface Landfill Gas and Arsenic Mobilization into Groundwater
Authors: Whitlock Ian A. , Kelly Timothy M.
Published: March 2010

The maximum contaminant level for arsenic was reduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. E.P.A.) for Drinking Water Standards from 50 micrograms per liter (µg/L) to 10 µg/L, effective January 23, 2006. The subject site is a double‐lined sanitary landfill facility located in the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States. Arsenic was reported above the maximum contaminant level in a downgradient monitoring well (MW‐18) in July 2005. Since July 2005, arsenic levels in MW‐18 fluctuated above and below 10 µg/L. This research focuses on determining whether reducing conditions in groundwater, enhanced by subsurface landfill gas emissions, were causing naturally‐occurring arsenic to mobilize from the native variably‐saturated vadose zone soils into groundwater.

The groundwater data collected from the impacted well (MW‐18) were compared to an upgradient well (MW‐8) to determine whether significant differences existed during the time period of April 2004 to April 2007. Linear regression analysis was also used to determine whether other parameters had a significant relationship with the arsenic concentrations detected in MW‐18. The groundwater located in MW‐18 was consistently more reduced than groundwater located in the upgradient/background well MW‐8, and this was most likely attributed to the presence of subsurface landfill gas in the area. According to the U.S. E.P.A., oxidation‐reduction potential (ORP) values in groundwater less than 50 millivolts (mv) suggest that a reducing environment may be present. The data presented in this study indicate that arsenic can mobilize into groundwater under moderately reducing conditions, with ORP measurements averaging 53 mv.
The Effects of Advertising, Social Influences, and Self‐Efficacy on Adolescent Tobacco Use and Alcohol Consumption
Authors: KINARD BRIAN R. , WEBSTER CYNTHIA
Published: March 2010

Exploring the simultaneous effects of key variables on the unhealthy consumption behavior of adolescents, two studies focused on the relative effects of advertising, parental and peer influence, and self‐efficacy on adolescent tobacco use and alcohol consumption. The results suggest that (1) advertising effects are largely neutralized by parental and peer influence; (2) peer and parental influence strongly predict adolescent tobacco use and alcohol consumption; and (3) self‐efficacy is a weak predictor of both adolescent risk behaviors.
Credit Counseling to Help Debtors Regain Footing
Authors: WANG JEFF JIANFENG
Published: March 2010

In‐depth interviews with 22 debt‐ridden consumers who are enrolled in debt management plans reveal the vulnerability they experience in various life domains. Additional interviews with 19 credit counselors and agency executives illustrate how the practices of a credit counseling agency can help indebted consumers regain their footing. This research sheds light on how consumers can recover from their vulnerable situations and what aids this process.