bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Levetiracetam Efficacy in Refractory Partial‐onset Seizures, Especially after Failed Epilepsy Surgery
Authors: Motamedi Mahmood , Nguyen Dang K. , Zaatreh Megdad , Singh Sanjay P. , Westerveld Michael , Thompson James L. , Mattson Richard , Blumenfeld Hal , Novotny Edward , Spencer Susan S. 
Published: March 2003

Summary:  Purpose: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy of levetiracetam as adjunctive therapy in patients with localization‐related epilepsy, and specifically in the subset of patients for whom epilepsy surgery failed.Methods: Eighty‐two patients with uncontrolled partial‐onset seizures treated with levetiracetam were identified; epilepsy surgery had failed for 21 (25.6%; group I), and 61 (74.4%) had no prior surgery (group II). Group I and group II patients were comparable in age (mean, 40.7 vs. 41.5 years) and age at seizure onset (mean, 14.4 vs. 18.2 years). Patients who had ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency were considered responders; the remaining patients were considered nonresponders.Results: In patients (group I) for whom surgery had failed, responder rate was 76.1% (16 of 21), including 10 (47.6%) patients who became seizure free. In nonsurgical patients (group II), responder rate was 34.3% (21 of 61), including nine (14.7%) patients who became seizure free. In group I, 11 (91.6%) of 12 temporal resection patients were responders, of whom eight were seizure free; of the remaining nine operated (extratemporal) patients, five (55.5%) were responders, and two were seizure free. In three responders, all in group I, a severe, delayed psychotic syndrome developed 4 to 9 months after levetiracetam introduction, leading to its discontinuation.Conclusions: These findings suggest that adjunctive levetiracetam therapy should be considered early after failed epilepsy surgery, especially after temporal resection, and may have implications for its use before surgical intervention. Patients should be under close psychiatric observation in this clinical setting.
Functional Role of Inflammatory Cytokines and Antiinflammatory Molecules in Seizures and Epileptogenesis
Authors: Vezzani Annamaria , Moneta Daniela , Richichi Cristina , Aliprandi Marisa , Burrows Stephanie J. , Ravizza Teresa , Perego Carlo , De Simoni M. Grazia 
Published: March 2003

Summary:  Purpose: We investigated the changes in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and related molecules in the rodent hippocampus after the induction of limbic seizures. We then studied the effects of pharmacologic intervention on the interleukin (IL)‐1 system on limbic seizures and the susceptibility to seizures of transgenic mice overexpressing the naturally occurring antagonist of IL‐1 (IL‐1Ra) in astrocytes.Methods: Limbic seizures were induced in rodents by intrahippocampal injection of kainic acid or bicuculline methiodide or by electrical stimulation of the hippocampus causing status epilepticus (SE). Seizure activity was recorded by EEG analysis and behavioral observation according to Racine's scale. Cytokine expression in the hippocampus was studied by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) followed by Southern blot quantification of the various messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and by immunocytochemistry.Results: We found that limbic seizures rapidly and transiently enhanced IL‐1β, IL‐6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α mRNA in the hippocampus with a peak effect at 6 h after SE. Immunoreactivity of the various cytokines was increased in glia. The increase of IL‐1Ra was delayed because the peak effect was observed at 24 h after SE. Moreover, IL‐1Ra was not produced in large excess, as during peripheral inflammation but in a molar ratio to IL‐1β of 1:1. Intrahippocampal injection of IL‐1β worsened seizure activity, whereas IL‐1Ra was a powerful anticonvulsant in various models of limbic seizures. Transgenic mice overexpressing IL‐1Ra in astrocytes were less sensitive to bicuculline‐induced seizures.Conclusions: This study shows that limbic seizures in rodents rapidly and reversibly induce proinflammatory cytokines in glia and suggests that changes in the IL‐1Ra/IL‐1β ratio in brain may represent an effective physiopathologic mechanism to control seizures.
Immunohistochemical Study of Six Cases of Taylor's Type Focal Cortical Dysplasia: Correlation with Electroclinical Data
Authors: Lurton Dominique , Yacubian Elza Marcia , Sanabria Emilio Garrido , Da Silva Alexandre Valotta , Vianna Regina , Garzon Eliana , Sakamoto Americo , Spreafico Roberto , Cavalheiro Esper Abrão 
Published: March 2003

Summary:  Purpose: Cortical specimens from six patients operated on for drug‐resistant epilepsy diagnosed as Taylor's type focal cortical dysplasia were submitted to neuropathological and immunohistochemical studies.Methods: All patients were submitted to presurgical investigations including clinical and neuropsychological evaluations, EEG/video telemetry of ictal and interictal events, magnetic resonance imaging, and ictal and interictal single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Recordings from electrocorticography (ECoG) were obtained in four cases and from subdural electrode implantation in two. Postsurgical follow‐up was assessed according to Engel's score. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was processed for parvalbumin (PV), calbindin D28‐K (CB), nonphosphorylated neurofilaments (SMI‐311), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in all cases.Results: We found continuous/quasi‐continuous spikes and sharp‐wave patterns in three cases and frequent repetitive bursting of polyspikes and ECoG seizures in two cases. Every patient showed cortical dyslamination, abnormal and giant neurons, and balloon cells. GFAP immunoreactivity was found in astrocytes and some balloon cells that were less intensely stained. Nonphosphorylated neurofilaments SMI‐311 immunoreactivity was found in normal and giant neurons and in some balloon cells, making visible thin neuropils. PV immunoreactivity was present in normal interneurons and in fibers in layers IV–V. PV‐negative balloon cells were surrounded by abundant PV‐positive fibers. CB immunoreactivity was found mostly in interneurons in layers II–III.Conclusions: Our research is inconclusive. More cases should be investigated, and we must draw more accurate anatomic correlations between the ECoG recordings and surgical specimens studied with IHC.
Intracellular trafficking of micronutrients: from gene regulation to nutrient requirements
Authors: Hesketh John E. , Villette Stéphane 
Published: March 2003

RésuméLa distribution intracellulaire des micronutriments ainsi que leur absorption sont importantes pour les fonctions cellulaires. Dans certains cas la distribution des micronutriments ou des protéines associées est déterminée par des mécanismes liés à l'expression des gènes. La région 3' non traduite (3'UTR) de l'ARNm de la métallothioneine-1 détermine la localisation de ce message et, par conséquent, la localisation intracellulaire de la protéine qu'il code. En utilisant des cellules transfectées nous avons montré que la métallothioneine-1 est transportée vers le noyau ou elle exerce un rôle dans la protection contre le stress oxydant et les dommages causés à l'ADN. Quand l'apport nutritionnel en Se est limité, l'expression des sélénoproteines est altérée. Toutefois celle-ci n'est pas affectée de fac¸on identique pour toutes les sélénoproteines; le Se disponible étant utilisé de fac¸on prioritaire pour la synthèse de certaines d'entre elles. Cet ordre de priorité met en jeu des différences dans la traduction et la stabilité de leur ARNm qui sont sous le controle de séquences dans la région 3' non traduite. Potentiellement, des variations génétiques affectant ces mécanismes régulateurs peuvent moduler les besoins en nutriments. Des polymorphismes génétiques ont été décrits dans le 3'UTR des ARNm de deux sélénoproteines; l'un d'entre eux affectant la synthèse de la sélénoproteine correspondante. Ces exemples illustrent comment des approches moléculaires peuvent contribuer à accroître notre compréhension du métabolisme et des besoins en nutriments à différents niveaux. Premièrement, elles permettent d'étudier les effets régulateurs des gènes et de leurs produits. Ensuite, la compréhension de ces effets peut fournir un modèle pour étudier le métabolisme des nutriments au niveau cellulaire. Ainsi, lorsque des effets essentiels sont identifiés, la connaissance du génome humain et les bases de données sur les polymorphismes génétiques constituent des outils complémentaires pour définir l'étendue de la variation génétique des gènes revêtant une importance nutritionnelle. Enfin, la fonctionnalité de ces variations peut être définie et des sous-groupes de la population, possédant des besoins nutritionnels différents, peuvent etre identifiés.
The manifold nature of interpersonal relations: the quest for a common mechanism
Authors: Gallese Vittorio 
Published: March 2003

It has been proposed that the capacity to code the ‘like me’ analogy between self and others constitutes a basic prerequisite and a starting point for social cognition. It is by means of this self/other equivalence that meaningful social bonds can be established, that we can recognize others as similar to us, and that imitation can take place.In this article I discuss recent neurophysiological and brain imaging data on monkeys and humans, showing that the ‘like me’ analogy may rest upon a series of ‘mirror–matching’ mechanisms. A new conceptual tool able to capture the richness of the experiences we share with others is introduced: theshared manifoldof intersubjectivity. I propose that all kinds of interpersonal relations (imitation, empathy and the attribution of intentions) depend, at a basic level, on the constitution of a shared manifold space. This shared space is functionally characterized by automatic, unconscious embodied simulation routines.
Testing the endogenous growth model: public expenditure, taxation, and growth over the long run
Authors: Bleaney Michael , Gemmell Norman , Kneller Richard 
Published: March 2003

Endogenous growth models, such as Barro (1990), predict that government expenditure and taxation will have both temporary and permanent effects on growth. We test this prediction using panels of annual and period‐averaged data for OECD countries during 1970–95, isolating long‐run from short‐run fiscal effects. Our results strongly support the endogenous growth model and suggest that long‐run fiscal effects are not fully captured by period averaging and static panel methods. Unlike previous investigations, our estimates are free from biases associated with incomplete specification of the government budget constraint and do not appear to result from endogeneity of fiscal or investment variables. JEL Classification: H30, O40 Validation du modèle de croissance endogène: dépenses publiques, fiscalité et croissance à long terme. Des modèles de croissance endogène comme celui de Barro (1990) prédisent que dépenses gouvernementales et fiscalité vont avoir des effets temporaires et permanents sur la croissance. On met cette prévision au test à l'aide de données annuelles et pour certaines moyennes couvrant des sous‐périodes pour les pays de l'OCDE (1970–95) dans le but de départager les effets à court et à long terme. Les résultats valident fortement le modèle de croissance endogène et suggèrent que les effets fiscaux à long terme ne sont pas pleinement capturés par des méthodes utilisant des moyennes ou des méthodes statiques. Contrairement aux résultats d'enquêtes antérieures, les résultats proposés ne souffrent pas de distorsions attribuables à une spécification incomplète de la contrainte budgétaire du gouvernement, et ne semblent pas être l'effet d'écho de l'endogénéité des variables fiscales et de l'investissement.
Price, scarcity rent, and a modified r per cent rule for non‐renewable resources
Authors: Livernois John , Martin Patrick 
Published: March 2003

Since Hotelling's seminal paper on the optimal depletion of exhaustible resources, much has been published; yet confusion remains about whether scarcity rent and price increase or decrease as a resource is depleted when costs tend to rise with depletion. We show that Hotelling's fundamental results of rising scarcity rent and price paths are sustained and that the path of scarcity rent converges on the r per cent rule, provided the objective function is concave. Predictions of non‐monotonic or declining scarcity rent paths are due to implicit assumptions that lead to a non‐concave objective function. We identify the sources of these non‐concavities. JEL Classification: Q30, D90, C60 Prix, rente de rareté et une règle modifiée du r‐pourcent pour les ressources non renouvelables. Malgré la volumineuse littérature spécialisée qui a fleuri depuis qu'Hotelling a écrit son mémoire fondateur sur l'épuisement optimal des ressources renouvelables, une grande confusion règne toujours quand il faut établir si la rente de rareté et le prix augmentent ou chutent à proportion que la ressource s'épuise quand les coûts tendent à croître avec l'épuisement. Ce mémoire montre que les résultats fondamentaux obtenus par Hotelling quant aux sentiers de croissance de la rente de rareté et du prix tiennent toujours, et que le sentier de croissance de la rente de rareté converge vers la règle du r‐pourcent pourvu que la fonction objective soit concave. Les prédictions de sentiers de croissance non monotone ou de déclin de la rente de rareté présentées dans la littérature spécialisée sont attribuables à des postulats implicites qui engendrent une fonction objective non concave. Les auteurs identifient les sources de ces non‐concavités.
Integrating Case‐Based and Rule‐Based Reasoning to Meet Multiple Design Constraints
Authors: Marling C. R. , Petot G. J. , Sterling L. S. 
Published: March 2003

Although case‐based reasoning (CBR) was introduced as an alternative to rule‐based reasoning (RBR), there is a growing interest in integrating it with other reasoning paradigms, including RBR. New hybrid approaches are being piloted to achieve new synergies and improve problem‐solving capabilities. In our approach to integration, CBR is used to satisfy multiple numeric constraints, and RBR allows the performance of “what if” analysis needed for creative design.The domain of our investigation is nutritional menu planning. The task of designing nutritious, yet appetizing, menus is one at which human experts consistently outperform computer systems. Tailoring a menu to the needs of an individual requires satisfaction of multiple numeric nutrition constraints plus personal preference goals and aesthetic criteria.We first constructed and evaluated independent CBR and RBR menu planning systems, then built a hybrid system incorporating the strengths of each system. The hybrid outperforms either single strategy system, designing superior menus, while synergistically providing functionality that neither single strategy system could provide. In this paper, we present our hybrid approach, which has applicability to other design tasks in which both physical constraints and aesthetic criteria must be met.
The Role of Gender, Ethnicity, and Age in Intergroup Behavior in a Naturalistic Setting
Authors: Sriram N. 
Published: March 2003

Cette recherche analyse le rôle du genre, de l’appartenance ethnique et de l’âge dans le choix d’une place dans un bus de Singapour. Dans chacune des 1,239 observations, un passager pouvait s’asseoir sur l’une des deux places libres situées à côté d’un voyageur assis près d’une vitre. On notait les caractéristiques de l’arrivant et des deux personnes assises. L’impact du groupe d’appartenance apparut en ce qui concerne le genre et aussi de façon très nette pour les personnes du groupe ethnique majoritaire. Pour ce qui est de l’âge, les jeunes étaient régulièrement préférés. Les femmes tenaient compte plus que les hommes du genre, de l’âge et de l’appartenance ethnique. Quand les deux passagers‐fenêtre relevaient de la même catégorie, des différences intéressantes apparaissaient: les femmes ne voyaient pas d’inconvénient à s’asseoir près de l’un des deux hommes, mais les hommes évitaient de s’asseoir près de l’une des deux femmes. Si les futurs voisins avaient à peu près le même âge, c’est le groupe d’appartenance qui déterminait le choix.This study examined the role of gender, ethnicity, and age in seating preferences of bus commuters in Singapore. In each of 1,239 observations, a commuter chose to sit next to one of two available window commuters. The characteristics of the chooser and the two window commuters were recorded. In‐group preference was found with respect to gender and was also clearly present for choosers in the majority ethnic group. In the case of age, there was consistent preference for younger over older persons. Compared to males, females exhibited more consistent gender, ethnicity, and age effects. When both window commuters were from the same category, interesting contrasts were observed. Females do not mind sitting next to one of two males but males avoid sitting next to one of two females. If both window commuters are from the same age group, in‐group attraction emerges.
Modelling aspects of face processing in early infancy
Authors: Acerra Francesca , Burnod Yves , de Schonen Scania 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe aim of this work is to understand how face processing develops from birth to 4 months by modelling some face processing abilities of infants between these ages. The neural model reproduces experimental data regarding both visual preferences at birth and right hemisphere behaviour in 4‐month‐old infants. The model shows that two basic properties may be sufficient to simulate face preference at birth: (a) tuning selectivity of visual neurons for spatial frequencies and (b) limited vision (CSF) of newborns. Three additional properties are sufficient to match experimental data on face processing at 4 months: (c) plasticity of lateral connections as modelled by Bayesian networks, (d) amplification of eye importance and (e) mother bias induced by the high probability of seeing mother’s face. These conditions suggest that the neural substratum for face processing could be, at birth, the retina‐V1/V2‐colliculus system, and at 4 months, the activation of the RH face‐Fusiform area, with configural representations stored in lateral connections.
Sticks and Stones: Environmental Narratives and Discursive Regulation in the Forestry and Mining Sectors
Authors: Bridge Gavin , McManus Phil 
Published: March 2003

As visibly extractive industries reliant on the material and semiotic commodification of nature, forestry and mining have come to be popularly viewed as “environmental pariahs.” Yet forestry and mining continue to be successfully profitable enterprises despite a significant increase in environmental awareness and activism in the latter half of the twentieth century. To understand the relative stability and growth of these sectors in the face of overt contradictions arising from their use of the environment, this article revisits the work of regulation theorists who asked similar questions about the persistence and maintenance of capitalism in general.Two case studies are presented–forestry in British Columbia and gold mining in California and Nevada–which demonstrate how the political economy of forestry and mining is subject to contradictions arising out of the technological and organizational mechanisms through which nature is appropriated during production. Analysis of the case studies shows that the regulation of these contradictions is increasingly achieved through the deployment and cooptation of sustainability narratives. The case studies therefore juxtapose the recent proliferation of sustainability narratives within the forestry and mining sectors with the sectors’ persistent challenge to concepts of sustainable development.
Flying Ducks? Girls’ Schooling in Rural Vietnam
Authors: Liu Amy Y. C. 
Published: March 2003

Using the Vietnam Living Standards Survey 1992–93, this paper has found significant gender differences in children's education – parents are less likely to keep girls in school. The method of Doiron and Riddell (1994) is applied to decompose the predicted probability gap of being in school between boys and girls. Their method takes into account the nonlinear nature of the probit model. The decomposition result suggests that most observed gender differences in the predicted probability gap may be driven by discrimination, which may be due to Confucian values. Girls are colloquially referred to as ‘flying ducks’ as they are regarded as a loss to the family upon marriage. Cultural values could shape the parents' perception of the rate of the children's income transfer to the parents. If the cultural norms dictate that sons provide old–age security to the parents, while daughters marry and provide no support to the parents, parents may not be willing to invest as much in girls' education relative to boys. Promotion of gender equality and reduction of the reliance on sons in providing old–age security to parents are necessary to ensure that girls have equal opportunities to receive education. JEL classification: I2; J16; J71
A Review of the Concept of Visual Literacy
Authors: Avgerinou Maria , Ericson John 
Published: March 2003

Many people from very diverse disciplines have attempted to define the concept of Visual Literacy (VL), but with little general consensus so far. This is probably due to the fact that those representing the different disciplines and paradigms are each wanting to interpret Visual Literacy in a way that reflects and flatters their contribution or way of thinking. As a consequence, a theoretical concept with seemingly little practical value has been created, but cannot be used productively until an agreed definition is established.It is self evident that if a concept does not have a broadly accepted definition, if the theory behind it is confusing, and if its viability on practical terms is a matter of continuing controversy, then the only reasonable way to cope with it is to abandon it. Nevertheless, with the exception of very few and of minor importance cases, no serious attempt has ever been made towards discarding VL altogether.
Path(ological) Dependency? Core Competencies from an Organizational Perspective
Authors: Scarbrough Harry 
Published: March 2003

The development of the ‘resource‐based theory of the firm’ has helped to reorient the field of strategic management towards a focus on the organizational processes and structures which produce ‘core competencies’. By challenging previous assumptions of market determinism this approach seems to open up the prospect of a greater dialogue with the theories and concerns of organization studies. This paper aims to determine the scope of such a dialogue by developing an appreciation and critique of the core competencies framework from an organizational perspective. In this context, the key feature of resource‐based theories is seen to be their focus on organizational knowledge rather than decision‐making processes as the engine of competitive performance. This focus has a powerful resonance with studies of knowledge in organizations, particularly those forms of knowledge which are linked to product and process design.However, despite the important shift towards a knowledge‐based view of competition, the core competencies approach fails to follow the logic of its own argument as far as the organizational appropriation of knowledge is concerned. In their pursuit of an ontological model of competitive performance –defining the essential causes of firm competitiveness – resource‐based approaches neglect the socially embedded qualities of organizational knowledge. As a result, the social construction of knowledge, encompassing the dilemmas posed by the employment relationship and the pitfalls of institutionalization, is neglected. Instead, a smoothly linear model is developed linking skills, competence and competitiveness. This mechanistic view is further reinforced by reliance on a command and control model of the management process. Organizational knowledge is not a biddable resource at the disposal of top management.