bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Species co‐occurrence: the case of congeneric species and a causal approach to patterns of species association
Authors: Sfenthourakis Spyros , Tzanatos Evangelos , Giokas Sinos 
Published: November 2005

ABSTRACTAim  To test whether congeneric species are significantly associated with one another in space, either positively or negatively. Also, to provide a framework for a causal investigation of co‐occurrence patterns by a parallel comparison of interactions in geographical and ecological data matrices.Location  For the analysis of congeneric species’ co‐occurrences we used 30 matrices covering a wide range of taxa and geographical areas, while for the causal investigation we used the distribution of 50 terrestrial isopod species on 20 islands and 264 sampling stations in the central Aegean archipelago, as well as a number of ecological variables for each sampling station.Methods  We developed a software program (cooc) that incorporates the species‐by‐species approach to co‐occurrence analysis using EcoSim's output of prior null model analysis of co‐occurrence. We describe this program in detail, and use it to investigate one of the most common assembly rules, namely, the decreased levels of co‐occurrence among congeneric species pairs. For the causal analysis, we proceed likewise, cross‐checking the results from the geographical and the ecological matrices. There is only one possible combination of results that can support claims for direct competition among species.Results  We do not get any strong evidence for widespread competition among congeneric species, while most communities investigated do not show significant patterns of species associations. The causal analysis suggests that the principal factors behind terrestrial isopod species associations are of historical nature. Some exceptional cases are also discussed.Main conclusions  Presence/absence data for a variety of taxa do not support the assembly rule that congeneric species are under more intense competition compared to less related species. Also, these same data do not suggest strong interactions among species pairs, regardless of taxonomic status. When significant species associations can be seen in such matrices, they mainly reflect the effects of history or of habitat requirements.
International Technology Diffusion and the Growth of TFP in the Manufacturing Sector of Developing Economies
Authors: Savvides Andreas , Zachariadis Marios 
Published: November 2005

AbstractThis paper evaluates various channels through which foreign technology diffuses to the manufacturing sector of developing economies. These economies undertake virtually no own R&D, so they rely on foreign technology to a much larger extent than developed economies. We investigate the direct effect of foreign R&D, as well as technology embodied in imports of intermediate and capital goods and foreign direct investment, on the growth of total factor productivity and value added in the manufacturing sector of 32 economies during 1965–92. We find that foreign R&D typically has the biggest positive impact on domestic productivity and value‐added growth. Imports of capital goods and foreign direct investment also play a similar role, but their effect is of smaller magnitude and is not always significant.
FDI and the Capital Intensity of “Dirty” Sectors: A Missing Piece of the Pollution Haven Puzzle
Authors: Cole Matthew A. , Elliott Robert J. R. 
Published: November 2005

AbstractIn an increasingly integrated world, falling trade barriers mean that the role environmental regulations play in shaping a country's comparative advantage is greater than ever. This has lead to fears that “dirty” industries will relocate to developing regions where environmental regulations may be less stringent. A number of reasons have been offered to explain why, despite anecdotal evidence and the predictions of theoretical studies, little empirical verification for the existence of pollution havens has been found. Little attention, however, has been paid to the capital intensity of pollution intensive sectors. We investigate the relationship between US outward FDI and factor endowments across sectors to two developing countries. We highlight the role of capital and believe it partially explains why pollution havens are not more widespread. Our approach also highlights those countries that are likeliest to become pollution havens. A multivariate analysis reveals some evidence of pollution haven consistent behavior.
Price–Cost Margins and Structural Change: Sub‐Contracting within the Salmon Marketing Chain
Authors: Guillotreau Patrice , Grel Laurent Le , Simioni Michel 
Published: November 2005

AbstractSome recent studies have benefited from advances in time series econometrics in order to evaluate price transmission mechanisms along the marketing chain. Due to the length of time series, structural changes may affect the evaluation of price–cost margins. In the case of the fresh salmon trade between Norway and France, the gross margin between producers and retailers has changed in level between January 1988 and December 1999. This article accurately identifies the date of a structural change using a range of recent ADF testing procedures (Gregory–Hansen tests, forward and backward recursive tests), before looking for the causes of the change through a survey. Two major factors can be identified: the product form and the marketing channel. Interestingly, both the increasing level of processing and the development of supermarket chains have resulted in a new role for the intermediaries, shifting from mere commercial intermediation to sub‐contracting for the big retailers.
“TROPICALISM” IN FRENCH GEOGRAPHY: REALITY, ILLUSION OR IDEAL?
Authors: Raison Jean‐Pierre 
Published: November 2005

ABSTRACTIn important respects, the disciplinary field of “tropical geography” is a uniquely French field of study, and Pierre Gourou is conventionally seen as its founder and doyen. Yet Gourou did not see himself as the creator of a new paradigm or research school, and geographers were generally more influenced by his writings than by his teaching or any personal connection. With particular reference to French geographical research in and on tropical Africa during the second half of the twentieth century, it is suggested that the development of tropical geography as a subfield ‐ and tropicalism as a research orientation ‐ can be put down to a variety of factors and circumstances. Geographical research on Africa was pivotal, as was the rise to prominence in French research institutes of some of Gourou's disciples. But African academics also played a part, as did criticism of tropical geography for its marginalisation of issues of development and geopolitics. The paper examines this postwar intellectual history and attempts to draw from it a positive and forward looking legacy ‐ a reinvigorated and interdisciplinary “tropicalism”, the main axis of which would be the analysis of the specific characteristics of tropical ecology, and its use and transformation by the societies that live from it. Such a project may help us to confront the contemporary world ecological crisis, and forge critical research projects on globalisation (altermondialisme) that can discern and deal with the complex local‐global, and rural‐urban, articulations of this phenomenon.
“VALUING THE TROPICS”: DISCOURSES OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE FARM AND FOREST SECTORS OF FRENCH INDOCHINA, circa 1900–40
Authors: Cleary Mark 
Published: November 2005

ABSTRACTThe paper examines how land and forest management policies were elaborated in French Indochina circa 1900–40. It places their development in the context of a scientific and economic discourse about the value of land and forest resources, the most appropriate ways in which they might be exploited and the relationship between colonial science and indigenous knowledge. By focusing on debates and laws relating to the development of small‐scale and plantation farming systems (Land Code legislations) and forest management and exploitation (Forest Code legislations) the paper seeks to ground arguments about Western conceptions of the “tropics” within a discussion of national policy development and impacts. Focusing primarily on Cochinchina and Annam (southern and central Vietnam) and drawing on materials from French archives, the paper shows how changes in both attitudes and legislation have had lasting consequences on systems of property rights in forest management and on the place and status of indigenous peoples in Indochina.
How Not to Fund Hospital and Community Health Services in England
Authors: Stone Mervyn , Galbraith Jane 
Published: November 2005

SummaryThe paper focuses on the hospital and community health service component of the current formula for the target allocation of annual ‘weighted capitation’ funding of England's 304 primary care trusts—a formula that responds to political pressure to tackle continuing health inequalities. The history of allocation formulae for the National Health Service is briefly reviewed, before exposing the composition and provenance of the hospital and community health service component. Under the heading ‘Logical and statistical deficiencies’ we consider various frameworks, model misspecification, allowance for age, ins and outs of supply, unmet need and wrong signs, and replicability and robustness—questions that are relevant to trust in the current formula based on the regression of age-standardized current utilization on a multiplicity of socioeconomic variables. We conclude that it might be better to put future resources into developing direct, rather than proxy, measurement of health needs.
Human phenylethanolamine N‐methyltransferase pharmacogenomics: gene re‐sequencing and functional genomics
Authors: Ji Yuan , Salavaggione Oreste E. , Wang Liewei , Adjei Araba A. , Eckloff Bruce , Wieben Eric D. , Weinshilboum Richard M. 
Published: November 2005

AbstractPhenylethanolamine N‐methyltransferase (PNMT, EC2.1.1.28) catalyzes the N‐methylation of norepinephrine to form epinephrine. As a step toward understanding the possible contribution of inheritance to individual variation in PNMT‐catalyzed epinephrine formation, we ‘re‐sequenced’ the entire human PNMT gene, including the three exons, the introns and approximately 1 kb of the 5′‐flanking region (5′‐FR), using DNA samples from 60 African‐American (AA) and 60 Caucasian‐American (CA) subjects. Within the 3.5 kb re‐sequenced, 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were observed, including four non‐synonymous coding SNPs (cSNPs) that resulted in the following alterations in encoded amino acid sequence: Asn9Ser, Thr98Ala, Arg112Cys and Ala175Thr. When constructs for the non‐synonymous cSNPs were transiently expressed in COS‐1 cells, the Ala98 allozyme displayed significantly lower levels of both activity and immunoreactive protein (p < 0.002) than did the wild‐type (WT) enzyme due, at least in part, to accelerated protein degradation by a proteasome‐mediated process. Luciferase reporter gene constructs were also created for the six common PNMT 5′‐FR haplotypes observed. Significant differences were observed among haplotypes in their ability to drive transcription. These observations raise the possibility of inherited variation in the ability to form epinephrine from norepinephrine as a result of variant PNMT polymorphisms and haplotypes.
The inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3β by a metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 mediated pathway confers neuroprotection to Aβ peptides
Authors: Liu Feng , Gong Xiaohai , Zhang Guoming , Marquis Karen , Reinhart Peter , Andree Terrance H. 
Published: November 2005

AbstractActivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (Gsk3β) has been shown to be a key component in signaling pathways that underlie neurodegeneration and neurodegenerative disease. Conversely, inactivation of Gsk3β by phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt is an important neuroprotective mechanism. Previous studies have shown that agonist activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) can increase neuronal survival and prevent apoptosis. However, little is known about the signaling pathways that couple mGluR5 to neuroprotection. In this report, we investigated whether activation of the PI3K/Akt/Gsk3β pathway, which has been shown to have an important neuroprotective mechanism, is required for mGluR5 activation mediated neuroprotection against β‐amyloid. We found that brief incubations of mouse hippocampal slices with (R,S)‐3,5‐dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) resulted in increased phosphorylation of Akt and Gsk3β. The PI3K inhibitors, LY294002 and wortmannin, blocked the DHPG‐induced increased phosphorylation of Akt and Gsk3β. Similar results were observed in rat primary hippocampal cultures. Finally, we found that the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 can block (R,S)‐2‐chloro‐5‐hydroxyphenylglycine (CHPG) mediated neuroprotection against β‐amyloid. Thus, these findings suggest that mGluR5 can modulate the PI3K/Akt/Gsk3β pathway in the hippocampus, and that modulation of this signaling pathway can reverse β‐amyloid‐induced neuronal toxicity.
The zinc‐finger protein ZFR is critical for Staufen 2 isoform specific nucleocytoplasmic shuttling in neurons
Authors: Elvira George , Massie Bernard , DesGroseillers Luc 
Published: November 2005

AbstractIn mammalian neurons, transport and translation of mRNA to individual potentiated synapses is believed to occur via a heterogeneous population of RNA granules. To identify components of Staufen2‐containing granules, we used the yeast two‐hybrid system. A mouse fetal cDNA library was screened with the N‐terminal fragment of Staufen2 as bait. ZFR, a three zinc finger protein, was identified as an interacting protein. Confocal microscopy showed that ZFR, although mainly nuclear, was also found in the somatodendritic compartment of primary hippocampal neurons where it localized as granule‐like structures. Co‐localization with Staufen2 was observed in several granules. Biochemical analyses (immunoprecipitation, cell fractionation) further confirmed the ZFR/Staufen2 association. ZFR was shown to interact with at least the Staufen262 isoform, but not with Staufen1. ZFR also co‐fractionated with ribosomes and Staufen259 and Staufen252 in a sucrose gradient. Interestingly, knockdown expression of ZFR through RNA interference in neurons relocated specifically the Staufen262, but not the Staufen259, isoform to the nucleus. Our results demonstrate that ZFR is a native component of Staufen2‐containing granules and likely plays its role during early steps of RNA transport and localization. They also suggest that one of these roles may be linked to Staufen262‐containing RNA granule formation in the nucleus and/or to their nucleo‐cytoplasmic shuttling.
Tumor necrosis factor‐α stimulation of calcitonin gene‐related peptide expression and secretion from rat trigeminal ganglion neurons
Authors: Bowen Elizabeth J. , Schmidt Thomas W. , Firm Christina S. , Russo Andrew F. , Durham Paul L. 
Published: November 2005

AbstractExpression of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) in trigeminal ganglion is implicated in neurovascular headaches and temporomandibular joint disorders. Elevation of cytokines contributes to the pathology of these diseases. However, a connection between cytokines and CGRP gene expression in trigeminal ganglion nerves has not been established. We have focused on the effects of the cytokine tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α). TNFR1 receptors were found on the majority of CGRP‐containing rat trigeminal ganglion neurons. Treatment of cultures with TNF‐α stimulated CGRP secretion. In addition, the intracellular signaling intermediate from the TNFR1 receptor, ceramide, caused a similar increase in CGRP release. TNF‐α caused a coordinate increase in CGRP promoter activity. TNF‐α treatment activated the transcription factor NF‐κB, as well as the Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways. The importance of TNF‐α induction of MAP kinase pathways was demonstrated by inhibiting MAP kinases with pharmacological reagents and gene transfer with an adenoviral vector encoding MAP kinase phosphatase‐1 (MKP‐1). We propose that selective and regulated inhibition of MAP kinases in trigeminal neurons may be therapeutically beneficial for inflammatory disorders involving elevated CGRP levels.
Identification of the isoforms of Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II and expression of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor mRNAs in the substantia nigra
Authors: Kamata Akifumi , Takeuchi Yusuke , Fukunaga Kohji 
Published: November 2005

AbstractCa2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase (CaMK)II is highly expressed in the CNS and mediates activity‐dependent neuronal plasticity. Four CaMKII isoforms, α, β, γ and δ, have a large number of splicing variants. Here we identified isoforms of CaMKII in the rat substantia nigra (SN). Northern blot and RT–PCR analyses revealed that the γ and δ isoform mRNAs with several splicing variants were predominantly expressed in SN. Immunoblot analysis indicated that the major isoforms were γA, γC, δ1 and δ3. An immunohistochemical study also confirmed the preferential localization of γ and δ isoforms in SN dopaminergic neurons. In dopaminergic neurons, immunoreactivity against anti‐CaMKIIδ1–4 antibody was detected in both nucleus and cytoplasm, in contrast to the predominant expression of γ isoforms in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, we showed expression of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNAs with exons II and IV in SN. Taken together with our previous observations, the results suggest that the CaMKIIδ3 isoform is involved in the expression of BDNF in the SN.
Defective calcium homeostasis in the cerebellum in a mouse model of Niemann–Pick A disease
Authors: Ginzburg Luba , Futerman Anthony H. 
Published: November 2005

AbstractWe recently demonstrated that calcium homeostasis is altered in mouse models of two sphingolipid storage diseases, Gaucher and Sandhoff diseases, owing to modulation of the activities of a calcium‐release channel (the ryanodine receptor) and of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (SERCA) respectively, by the accumulating sphingolipids. We now demonstrate that calcium homeostasis is also altered in a mouse model of Niemann–Pick A disease, the acid sphingomyelinase (A‐SMase)‐deficient mouse (ASM–/–), with reduced rates of calcium uptake via SERCA in the cerebellum of 6–7‐month‐old mice. However, the mechanism responsible for defective calcium homeostasis is completely different from that observed in the other two disease models. Thus, levels of SERCA expression are significantly reduced in the ASM–/– cerebellum by 6–7 months of age, immediately before death of the mice, as are levels of the inositol 1,4,5‐triphosphate receptor (IP3R), the major calcium‐release channel in the cerebellum. Systematic analyses of the time course of loss of SERCA and IP3R expression revealed that loss of the IP3R preceeded that of SERCA, with essentially no IP3R remaining by 4 months of age, whereas SERCA was still present even after 6 months. Expression of zebrin II (aldolase C), a protein found in about half of the Purkinje cells in the adult mouse cerebellum, was essentially unchanged during development. We discuss possible pathological mechanisms related to calcium dysfunction that may cause Purkinje cell degeneration, and as a result, the onset of neuropathology in Niemann–Pick A disease.
Occurrence and Treatment of Suspected Pneumonia in Long‐Term Care Residents Dying with Advanced Dementia
Authors: Chen Jen‐Hau , Lamberg Jennifer L. , Chen Yen‐Ching , Kiely Dan K. , Page John H. , Person Carmel J. , Mitchell Susan L. 
Published: November 2005

Objectives: To describe the occurrence and management of suspected pneumonia in end‐stage dementia and to identify factors associated with aggressiveness of antibiotic treatment.Design: Retrospective cohort study.Setting: A 675‐bed long‐term‐care facility in Boston, Massachusetts.Participants: Two hundred forty subjects aged 65 and older who died with advanced dementia between January 2001 and December 2003. Subjects who had suspected pneumonia during the last 6 months of life were identified.Measurements: Independent variables included subject characteristics and features of suspected pneumonia episodes. These variables were obtained from medical records. Antibiotic treatment for each episode was determined. Multivariate analysis was used to identify independent variables associated with aggressiveness of treatment.Results: One hundred fifty‐four (64%) subjects with advanced dementia experienced 229 suspected pneumonia episodes during the last 6 months of life. Within 30 days of death, 53% of subjects had suspected pneumonia. Antibiotic treatment for the 229 episodes was as follows: none, 9%; oral only, 37%; intramuscular, 25%; and intravenous, 29%. Factors independently associated with more‐invasive therapy were lack of a do‐not‐hospitalize order (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.24, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.02–5.22), aspiration (AOR=2.75, 95% CI=1.44–5.26), primary language not English (AOR=2.21, 95% CI=1.17–4.15), and unstable vital signs (AOR=2.02, 95% CI=1.10–3.72).Conclusion: Pneumonia is a common terminal event in advanced dementia for which many patients receive parenteral antibiotics. The aggressiveness of treatment is most strongly determined by advance care planning, the patient's cultural background, and clinical features of the suspected pneumonia episode.
Race and Sex Differences in Age‐Related Hearing Loss: The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study
Authors: Helzner Elizabeth P. , Cauley Jane A. , Pratt Sheila R. , Wisniewski Steven R. , Zmuda Joseph M. , Talbott Evelyn O. , de Rekeneire Nathalie , Harris Tamara B. , Rubin Susan M. , Simonsick Eleanor M. , Tylavsky Frances A. , Newman Anne B. 
Published: November 2005

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for hearing loss in a sample of 2,052 older adults (aged 73–84; 46.9% male, 37.3% black) enrolled in the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study.Design: Cross‐sectional analysis of a longitudinal cohort study.Setting: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Memphis, Tennessee, areas.Participants: Random sample of Medicare beneficiary subjects enrolled in the Health ABC program from 1997 to 1998. They included 2,052 individuals: 660 white men (32.2%), 631 white women (30.8%), 310 black men (15.1%), and 451 black women (22.0%). Participants ranged in age from 73 to 84, with a mean age of 77.5.Measurements: Hearing sensitivity was measured using pure‐tone threshold testing. Hearing loss was defined based on two averages of hearing thresholds: 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz greater than 25‐decibel (dB) hearing level (HL) (hearing loss); and 2,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz greater than 40‐dB HL (high‐frequency hearing loss). Potential hearing loss correlates, including demographics, medical history, ototoxic medication use, occupational noise exposure, and lifestyle factors, were collected via questionnaire.Results: The prevalence of hearing loss was 59.9%; the prevalence of high‐frequency hearing loss was 76.9%. Hearing loss was most common in white men, followed by white women, black men, and black women. Older age, white race, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, smoking, poorer cognitive status, occupational noise exposure, and ear surgery were associated with hearing loss after multivariable adjustment. Race‐ and sex‐specific risk factors included higher blood pressure and occupational noise exposure (white men), poorer cognitive status and smoking (black women), and low total hip bone mineral density (black men). Possible protective factors included salicylate use (overall sample, black men) and moderate alcohol intake (black women).Conclusion: Hearing loss was extremely common in this population. Because many of the identified hearing loss risk factors are modifiable, some of the burden associated with hearing loss in older people should be preventable.