Cannabis use as a means of socialization?: new consumption patterns among heavy users

Purpose: After tobacco and alcohol, cannabis is the most used substance among adolescents in Switzerland. Our aim is to assess whether cannabis use has become an ordinary means of socialization. We hypothesize that cannabis consumption has become a normative, although still illegal, behavior. Methods: As part of a larger qualitative study aimed at assessing new ways [patterns] of cannabis consumption, 16 daily cannabis consumers (11 males) and 2 former heavy consumers (both females), aged 15 to 20 years, participated in interviews and focus groups. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Atlas.ti qualitative analysis software. Results: Most consumers define the beginning of their consumption as a moment when they made new friends. They commonly use cannabis in group settings, which encourages the belief that all adolescents use cannabis. Thus, cannabis is mainly identified as an everyday social act. Joints are smoked like cigarettes: at all times of the day, during or after school or work with peers, often starting at lunch break, and mostly in public places. Friends offer a joint in a group setting, much like beer in a bar, as a means of making contact. Consumption invariably increases while socializing on vacation: "During vacation, we smoke up to 10-15 joints a day; at the end we're just dead." Additionally, in order to obtain cannabis, consumers have to be part of the right networks; they generally have several dealers to assure their supply, buy and sell themselves, or practice group-buying. As a result, all friends or acquaintances of consumers are themselves cannabis users. For instance, 4 boys, who say they are best friends, always smoke together and that, in order to quit, "All four of us should say to ourselves, 'Okay, now, let's all stop smoking'. That would be the only solution. . .but it would be impossible!" The 2 former consumers state that when they started using cannabis, "I found myself little by little in a vicious circle where I saw only people who also smoked". When they quit, they separated from their group of friends: "Either you make new friends who don't smoke or you smoke." Conclusions: Discussions with consumers demonstrate a normative facet of cannabis consumption as part of teenage socialization. Consequently, cannabis consumers develop a significant dependency since a majority of their friends use cannabis and their consumption involves most of their daily social life. Our study highlights the need for clear messages about the harmful aspects of using this substance while also suggesting that cessation efforts should include helping users separate from their consumption milieu. Sources of Support: Dept. of Public Health of the canton of Vaud.

Description and phylogenetic analysis of the Calycopidina (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Theclinae, Eumaeini): a subtribe of detritivores

Description and phylogenetic analysis of the Calycopidina (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Theclinae, Eumaeini): a subtribe of detritivores. The purpose of this paper is to establish a phylogenetic basis for a new Eumaeini subtribe that includes those lycaenid genera in which detritivory has been recorded. Morphological characters were coded for 82 species of the previously proposed "Lamprospilus Section" of the Eumaeini (19 of these had coding identical to another species), and a phylogenetic analysis was performed using the 63 distinct ingroup terminal taxa and six outgroups belonging to four genera. Taxonomic results include the description in the Eumaeini of Calycopidina Duarte & Robbins new subtribe (type genus Calycopis Scudder, 1876), which contains Lamprospilus Geyer, Badecla Duarte & Robbins new genus (type species Thecla badaca Hewitson), Arzecla Duarte & Robbins new genus (type species Thecla arza Hewitson), Arumecla Robbins & Duarte, Camissecla Robbins & Duarte, Electrostrymon Clench, Rubroserrata K. Johnson & Kroenlein revalidated status, Ziegleria K. Johnson, Kisutam K. Johnson & Kroenlein revalidated status, and Calycopis. Previous "infratribe" names Angulopina K. Johnson & Kroenlein, 1993, and Calycopina K. Johnson & Kroenlein, 1993, are nomenclaturally unavailable and polyphyletic as proposed. New combinations include Badecla badaca (Hewitson), Badecla picentia (Hewitson), Badecla quadramacula (Austin & K. Johnson), Badecla lanckena (Schaus), Badecla argentinensis (K. Johnson & Kroenlein), Badecla clarissa (Draudt), Arzecla arza (Hewitson), Arzecla tarpa (Godman & Salvin), Arzecla canacha (Hewitson), Arzecla calatia (Hewitson), Arzecla tucumanensis (K. Johnson & Kroenlein), Arzecla sethon (Godman & Salvin), Arzecla nubilum (H. H. Druce), Arzecla paralus (Godman & Salvin), Arzecla taminella (Schaus), Arzecla albolineata (Lathy), Electrostrymon denarius (Butler & H.Druce), Electrostrymon guzanta (Schaus), Electrostrymon perisus (H. H. Druce), Rubroserrata mathewi (Hewitson), Rubroserrata ecbatana (Hewitson), Kisutam micandriana (K. Johnson), and Kisutam syllis (Godman & Salvin). The structure of the male genitalia lateral window, labides, and brush organs are described and discussed, as are the female genitalia signa of the corpus bursae and 8th abdominal tergum. Widespread wing pattern sexual dimorphism in the Calycopidina is noted and illustrated, and the presence of alternating dark and light bands on the ventral wings of both sexes is discussed. The evidence for detritivory in Lamprospilus, Badecla, Arzecla, Arumecla, Camissecla, Electrostrymon, Ziegleria, Kisutam, and Calycopis is summarized using the new classification.

Differential Recognition of Old World and New World Arenavirus Envelope Glycoproteins by Subtilisin Kexin Isozyme 1 (SKI-1)/Site 1 Protease (S1P).

The arenaviruses are an important family of emerging viruses that includes several causative agents of severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans that represent serious public health problems. A crucial step of the arenavirus life cycle is maturation of the envelope glycoprotein precursor (GPC) by the cellular subtilisin kexin isozyme 1 (SKI-1)/site 1 protease (S1P). Comparison of the currently known sequences of arenavirus GPCs revealed the presence of a highly conserved aromatic residue at position P7 relative to the SKI-1/S1P cleavage side in Old World and clade C New World arenaviruses but not in New World viruses of clades A and B or cellular substrates of SKI-1/S1P. Using a combination of molecular modeling and structure-function analysis, we found that residueY285 of SKI-1/S1P, distal from the catalytic triad, is implicated in the molecular recognition of the aromatic "signature residue" at P7 in the GPC of Old World Lassa virus. Using a quantitative biochemical approach, we show that Y285 of SKI-1/S1P is crucial for the efficient processing of peptides derived from Old World and clade C New World arenavirus GPCs but not of those from clade A and B New World arenavirus GPCs. The data suggest that during coevolution with their mammalian hosts, GPCs of Old World and clade C New World viruses expanded the molecular contacts with SKI-1/S1P beyond the classical four-amino-acid recognition sequences and currently occupy an extended binding pocket.

Neodexiopsis Malloch from Bolivia with the description of one new species (Diptera, Muscidae)

Neodexiopsis Malloch from Bolivia with the description of one new species (Diptera, Muscidae). Neodexiopsis Malloch (Diptera, Muscidae, Coenosiinae) is a very well represented genus in the Neotropical Region, known from almost 100 species. In Bolivia, it is known only from four species: N. declivis, N. incurva, N. oculata and N. recedens, all described by Stein. The study of material from South America deposited at Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris, France), enabled the description of one new species to science. A key for the recognition of the five species known to Bolivia is given.

Revision of the neotropical species of empididae (Diptera) described by Mario Bezzi: IX. The species described in Atrichopleura Bezzi and the description of a new species

Revision of the Neotropical species of Empididae (Diptera) described by Mario Bezzi. IX. The species described in Atrichopleura Bezzi and the description of a new species. Four Neotropical species of Empididae described by Bezzi in Atrichopleura Bezzi, 1909 are redescribed: A. crassa (lectotype, pres. desig.), A. hirtipes (lectotype, pres. desig.), A. nitida (lectotype, pres. desig.), A. schnusei (lectotype, pres. desig.). Atrichopleura bezzii sp. nov. is described from among syntypes of A. schnusei.

New species of Dilobitarsus Latreille with tetra-tuberculated pronotum (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Agrypninae)

New species of Dilobitarsus Latreille with tetra-tuberculated pronotum (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Agrypninae). Four species of Dilobitarsus Latreille, 1834, D. angulosus sp. nov. (Brazil: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro), D. bellus sp. nov. (Peru), D. nigrus sp. nov. (Argentina) and D. thoraconstrictus sp. nov. (Bolivia) are described, and D. quadrituberculatus Candèze, 1857 is redescribed. Diagnostic characters of all studied species are illustrated and new records for D. quadrituberculatus are included. A key to Dilobitarsus species from the Neotropical Region is also presented.

Four 13-lipoxygenases contribute to rapid jasmonate synthesis in wounded Arabidopsis thaliana leaves: a role for lipoxygenase 6 in responses to long-distance wound signals.

Damage-inducible defenses in plants are controlled in part by jasmonates, fatty acid-derived regulators that start to accumulate within 30 s of wounding a leaf. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we sought to identify the 13-lipoxygenases (13-LOXs) that initiate wound-induced jasmonate synthesis within a 190-s timeframe in Arabidopsis thaliana in 19 single, double, triple and quadruple mutant combinations derived from the four 13-LOX genes in this plant. All four 13-LOXs were found to contribute to jasmonate synthesis in wounded leaves: among them LOX6 showed a unique behavior. The relative contribution of LOX6 to jasmonate synthesis increased with distance from a leaf tip wound, and LOX6 was the only 13-LOX necessary for the initiation of early jasmonate synthesis in leaves distal to the wounded leaf. Herbivory assays that compared Spodoptera littoralis feeding on the lox2-1 lox3B lox4A lox6A quadruple mutant and the lox2-1 lox3B lox4A triple mutant revealed a role for LOX6 in defense of the shoot apical meristem. Consistent with this, we found that LOX6 promoter activity was strong in the apical region of rosettes. The LOX6 promoter was active in and near developing xylem cells and in expression domains we term subtrichomal mounds.

Intangible Capital: four years of growth as an open-access scientific publication

Con este nuevo número, la revista Intangible Capital, inicia el cuarto volumen avanzando hacia el quinto año de publicación. Como ya es tradición en la revista, iniciamos este nuevo volumen evaluando el anterior y presentando las nuevas direcciones. Como principales aportaciones del 2007, se destacan hechos relevantes como la renovación de convenios para la indexación científica de la revista, el cambio de plataforma a OJS, la inclusión de un nuevo editor, la nueva composición del editorial board, el equipo de revisores, el cambio a un modelo bilingüe de revista, la nueva financiación obtenida y el trabajo que estamos realizando gran número de editores científicos de acceso abierto en España para el reconocimiento por parte de la Comisión Nacional Evaluadora de la Actividad Investigadora.This issue opens the fourth volume of the Intangible Capital journal, which makes its way towards the fifth year of publication. As usually, we start this volume by evaluating the previous one and tracing new directions. Among the main contributions during the year 2007, we consider important to highlight the following aspects: the renewal of the scientific indexation agreements, the platform change to OJS, the appointment of a new editor, new members included in the editorial board, the board of reviewers, the change towards a bilingual model, the new financing obtained and, the last but not the least, the work undertaken together with many scientific editors of open access Spanish journals for obtaining the positive evaluation of the CNEAI (National Commission for the Evaluation of the Research Activity) and thus, being a proof of scientific excellence

New measurements of radial velocities in clusters of galaxies

Redshifts for 100 galaxies in 10 clusters of galaxies are presented based on data obtained between March 1984 and March 1985 from Calar Alto, La Palma, and ESO, and on data from Mauna Kea. Data for individual galaxies are given, and the accuracy of the velocities of the four instruments is discussed. Comparison with published data shows the present velocities to be shifted by + 4.0 km/s on average, with a standard deviation in the difference of 89.7 km/s, consistent with the rms of redshift measurements which range from 50-100 km/s.

New trapping method to survey for presence of the Etruscan shrew Suncus etruscus, the smallest mammal

The presence of the Etruscan shrew Suncus etruscus is hard to prove where its predator, the barn owl Tyto alba, is absent, because most live traps are not triggered by it. I therefore developed a new trapping method involving a feeding period of 1 week followed by one night of trapping using modified Trip Trap traps. I show here in detail how I caught four Etruscan shrews in 2010 with 24 traps in the Valley of Dora Baltea (Piemonte, Italy). In 2011, another 11 Etruscan shrews were caught in Piemonte and Lombardia, Italy, and Ticino, Switzerland. The proposed new method is useful for establishing the presence of the species.

Immunochemical characterization of two antigens recognized by new monoclonal antibodies against human colon carcinoma.

Two different monoclonal antibodies (MAb), called L-D1 and L-C5, were produced after immunization with either intact cells or the methanol phase of glycolipid extracts, respectively, from the same human colon carcinoma line, LoVo. As determined by an antibody-binding radioimmunoassay (RIA) on intact cells, MAb L-D1 and MAb L-C5 were highly reactive with all five colon carcinoma lines tested and with only one out of the 21 cell lines of various tissue origin tested. No reactivity of either MAb was observed with peripheral blood lymphocytes, granulocytes, or erythrocytes from healthy donors of various blood groups. Both MAb were tested in competitive binding experiments with an anti-CEA MAb from our laboratory (CEA 35) and with two previously described anti-colon carcinoma MAb from the Wistar Institute called 1083-17-1A (17-1A) and NS-19.9. In competitive binding experiments, MAb L-D1 was inhibited by MAb 17-1A and reciprocally, whereas MAb L-C5 was not inhibited by any of the other MAb tested. MAb L-D1 precipitated a major protein band with an apparent molecular weight (MW) of 41 kilodaltons (kD); interestingly, MAb 17-1A, which was reported to react with an uncharacterized antigen, precipitated the same protein band of 41 kD. This was confirmed with immunodepletion experiments. Furthermore, after treatment of the colon carcinoma cell line with tunicamycin, both MAb L-D1 and 17-1A precipitated a protein band of 35 kD. This shift of 6 kD suggests that the glycoprotein recognized by these 2 MAb contains two to three N-linked carbohydrate side chains. MAb L-C5 precipitated a group of three to four protein bands ranging from 43 to 53 kD that were not modified by tunicamycin treatment. A preliminary study conducted by using immunoperoxidase labeling on frozen sections of primary colon carcinoma showed that the two new MAb react strongly with these tumors, but also weakly with the normal adjacent mucosa, as did the other anti-colon carcinoma MAb tested.

Unemployment dynamics and NAIRU estimates for CEECs : a univariate approach

In this paper we test for the hysteresis versus the natural rate hypothesis on the unemployment rates of the EU new members using unit root tests that account for the presence of level shifts. As a by product, the analysis proceeds to the estimation of a NAIRU measure from a univariate point of view. The paper also focuses on the precision of these NAIRU estimates studying the two sources of inaccuracy that derive from the break points estimation and the autoregressive parameters estimation. The results point to the existence of up to four structural breaks in the transition countries NAIRU that can be associated with institutional changes implementing market-oriented reforms. Moreover, the degree of persistence in unemployment varies dramatically among the individual countries depending on the stage reached in the transition process

Testing for hysteresis in unemployment in OECD countries: new evidence using stationarity panel tests with breaks

This paper tests hysteresis effects in unemployment using panel data for 19 OECD countries covering the period 1956-2001. The tests exploit the cross-section variations of the series, and additionally, allow for a diferent number of endogenous breakpoints in the unemployment series. The critical values are simulated based on our specific panel sizes and time periods. The findings stress the importance of accounting for exogenous shocks in the series and give support to the natural-rate hypothesis of unemployment for the majority of the countries analyzed

Testing for hysteresis in unemployment in OECD countries: new evidence using stationarity panel tests with breaks

This paper tests hysteresis effects in unemployment using panel data for 19 OECD countries covering the period 1956-2001. The tests exploit the cross-section variations of the series, and additionally, allow for a diferent number of endogenous breakpoints in the unemployment series. The critical values are simulated based on our specific panel sizes and time periods. The findings stress the importance of accounting for exogenous shocks in the series and give support to the natural-rate hypothesis of unemployment for the majority of the countries analyzed

The evolutionary host switches of Polychromophilus: a multi-gene phylogeny of the bat malaria genus suggests a second invasion of mammals by a haemosporidian parasite.

BACKGROUND: The majority of Haemosporida species infect birds or reptiles, but many important genera, including Plasmodium, infect mammals. Dipteran vectors shared by avian, reptilian and mammalian Haemosporida, suggest multiple invasions of Mammalia during haemosporidian evolution; yet, phylogenetic analyses have detected only a single invasion event. Until now, several important mammal-infecting genera have been absent in these analyses. This study focuses on the evolutionary origin of Polychromophilus, a unique malaria genus that only infects bats (Microchiroptera) and is transmitted by bat flies (Nycteribiidae). METHODS: Two species of Polychromophilus were obtained from wild bats caught in Switzerland. These were molecularly characterized using four genes (asl, clpc, coI, cytb) from the three different genomes (nucleus, apicoplast, mitochondrion). These data were then combined with data of 60 taxa of Haemosporida available in GenBank. Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and a range of rooting methods were used to test specific hypotheses concerning the phylogenetic relationships between Polychromophilus and the other haemosporidian genera. RESULTS: The Polychromophilus melanipherus and Polychromophilus murinus samples show genetically distinct patterns and group according to species. The Bayesian tree topology suggests that the monophyletic clade of Polychromophilus falls within the avian/saurian clade of Plasmodium and directed hypothesis testing confirms the Plasmodium origin. CONCLUSION: Polychromophilus' ancestor was most likely a bird- or reptile-infecting Plasmodium before it switched to bats. The invasion of mammals as hosts has, therefore, not been a unique event in the evolutionary history of Haemosporida, despite the suspected costs of adapting to a new host. This was, moreover, accompanied by a switch in dipteran host.