bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Context of West African History
Authors: Fage J. D.
Published: January 2009

This paper examines three views which have been widely held about slavery and the slave trade in West Africa, and which have tended to mould interpretations of its history, especially for the period from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. These are:

(1) That the institution of slavery was endemic in, and a natural feature of, indigenous West African society, so that when foreigners arrived in West Africa with a demand for slaves, West Africans were able immediately to organize an export trade in slaves on an ever-increasing scale.

(2) A contrary view, that it was the external demands for labour which led to a great growth of the institution of slavery in West Africa, and so corrupted its indigenous society.

(3) A view which may or may not be combined with (2), namely that the external demand for slaves became so considerable that there was a disastrous effect on its population.

Relevant evidence is touched upon from about the eleventh century onwards, and a fourth interpretation is developed which seems better to fit the economic and social realities which can be ascertained.

In essence this is that economic and commercial slavery and slave-trading were not natural features of West African society, but that they developed, along with the growth of states, as a form of labour mobilization to meet the needs of a growing system of foreign trade in which, initially, the demand for slaves as trade goods was relatively insignificant. What might be termed a ‘slave economy’ was generally established in the Western and Central Sudan by about the fourteenth century at least, and had certainly spread to the coasts around the Senegal and in Lower Guinea by the fifteenth century.

The European demand for slaves for the Americas, which reached its peak from about 1650 to about 1850, accentuated and expanded the internal growth of both slavery and the slave trade. But this was essentially only one aspect of a very wide process of economic and political development and social change, in West Africa. The data recently assembled and analysed by Curtin for the volume and distribution of the export slave trade do not suggest that the loss of population and other effects of the export of labour to the Americas need have had universally damaging effects on the development of West Africa. Rather, it is suggested, West African rulers and merchants reacted to the demand with economic reasoning, and used it to strengthen streams of economic and political development that were already current before the Atlantic slave trade began.
Trade, State, and Society Among the Yao in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Alpers Edward A.
Published: January 2009

Through their deep involvement in the long-distance trade of eastern central Africa, the Yao were increasingly exposed to the impact of Swahili traders and their culture. During the nineteenth century the increased volume of trade, and the ever growing importance of slaves in that trade, combined to produce a marked growth in the scale of Yao political units. This paper begins by outlining the growth of Yao trade before the nineteenth century. It then considers the nature of Yao political organization and the way in which the slave trade, in particular, facilitated the rise of large territorial chiefdoms. The last section deals with related social and cultural changes, including the growth of towns and the introduction of Islam.
Historical Change in an Ibo Polity: Asaba to 1885
Authors: Isichei Elizabeth
Published: January 2009

Asaba is an Ibo town, which, because of its position on the Niger, came into relatively early contact with Europeans. This means that we have materials for its history in European records for more than a hundred years. This article is based on these records, and on present-day oral traditions. It begins with an account of Asaba's traditional social and political structure, and its former role in the economic life of the lower Niger.

Asaba traditions relate in detail how the town was founded by a man from Nteje, east of the Niger, called Nnebisi. There is less information about its subsequent history, though it seems that it went through a significant changefrom the rule of a single Eze to a system of personal titles, like that found in eastern Iboland. Some attempts have been made to make a king list for Asaba, but it does not seem possible to establish either this or any other useful chronological framework other than that provided by family genealogies. These suggest that Nnebisi lived in the seventeenth century. The main theme in Asaba's external history is her changing relationship with her powerful neighbour, Benin.

The choice of Onitsha, rather than Asaba, as a missionary and trading centre, meant that Asaba went through a period of relative eclipse. The first C.M.S. missionaries came to the town in 1875, but they had little impact on Asaba life. In the middle eighties, Asaba became the administrative capital of the newlyestablished Royal Niger Company. The impact of the Company on Asaba, though great, was short-lived. But one result of its choice of Asaba as a capital was the renewal of missionary endeavour, both Catholic and Protestant, in the town. This in its turn was to have a very great impact on Asaba's way of life.
Sekonyela and Moshweshwe: Failure and Success in the Aftermath of the Difaqane
Authors: Sanders P. B.
Published: January 2009

Sekonyela's downfall is commonly attributed to his personal defects—to the love of war by which he alienated his neighbours, and to the rough treatment by which he alienated his own people, Conversely, Moshweshwe's rise to power is commonly attributed to his love of peace and to his benevolence.

This article does not seek to refute the traditional assessments of the characters of the two chiefs, but to suggest that as explanations for their diifering fortunes they are inadequate. Basically Sekonyela failed because, after 1829, he was poorer than Moshweshwe. The Tlokwa had to kill and consume many of their cattle during the first two years of the difaqane, and it seems that they never fully recovered their former prosperity. Moreoverj they suffered further heavy losses in the war with the Korana and their allies in the early 1840s. Sekonyela, therefore, was not in a position to attract and bind thousands of followers to himself by sustaining them. Hence, to a large extent, his raids on his neighbours' herds, and his unpopularity among his own people.

Moshweshwe, however, retained most of his cattle during the difaqane, and in 1829 conducted two richly rewarding raids against the Thembu. Thereafter his wealth far surpassed Sekonyela's, and it was mainly because of this that he was able to attract and hold so many followers.

The territorial expansion of the Sotho naturally brought them into conflict with the Tlokwa, and in 1853, after the British had indicated that they were not prepared to interfere in this dispute, Sekonyela was overwhelmed by Moshweshwe's superior forces.
Tēwodros as Reformer and Modernizer
Authors: Crummey Donald
Published: January 2009

This paper discusses the place of the Emperor Tewodros (1855–1868) in Ethiopian history and suggests that due to his policy of modernization, and to his ambition to transform Ethiopian society along modern lines, he is to be seen as the opener of the modern era. It is suggested, as well, that this concept of modernization and transformation may be applicable to other pre-colonial African rulers. Special reference is made to missionary sources. Catholic material from the Lazarist Mission is used to clarify and elaborate the reforming intentions of the early years of the reign; while, for the later years, they reveal modern dimensions to Tēwodros's foreign policy. Protestant material from the Chrischona Mission throws new light on the Emperor's personality, and elaborates his attempts at introducing foreign influence with a modernizing intention. It is also shown how the Protestant missionaries established a close relationship with the Emperor, which partially rested upon certain shared religious values. This led the missionaries to interpret his reforming ambitions primarily in terms of the Reformation princes of Europe. Finally, it is suggested that the Protestant missionary material has an important contribution to make in determining a major turning point in Tēwodros's career; a point from which his career began to decline, and the reforming intentions were increasingly neglected.
Investigating Oral Tradition
Authors: Tonkin Elizabeth
Published: January 2009

The author reviews the developing uses of oral sources in recent Africanist history, and argues that the original expectations about ‘oral tradition’ derived from contemporary structural functionalism. Changing one's model of social action therefore entails a change in the evaluation of oral data, and some of the consequences, according to different social theories, are sketched out. In particular, the perspectives of P. Bourdieu can, with modifications, permit the development of systematic ethno-historiography.
Semper Aliquid Veteris: Printed Sources for the History of the Ivory and Gold Coasts, 1500–1750
Authors: Jones Adam
Published: January 2009

Since completing my Ph.D. under John Fage in 1979 I have been working on critical editions of German, Dutch and French sources for the seventeenth-century history of West Africa. Many of these have been used uncritically, especially in the last twenty years. In my view it is wrong to cite such sources at all until one has at least attempted to establish the relationship between them. If one compares the whole corpus, one discovers a host of plagiarisms and other forms of interborrowing. At least half the Europeans who wrote about West Africa between 1500 and 1750 are known to have read the works of other authors. Using two chronological lists of publications which described the Ivory and Gold Coasts in this period, I seek to show that only a few can be regarded as purely ‘primary’ sources – mostly the ones which are least often cited.
The Trade in Gum Arabic: Prelude to French Conquest in Senegal
Authors: Webb James L. A.
Published: January 2009

From the late seventeenth century until the 1870s gum arabic from the southwestern corner of the Sahara was the most important trade good exported to Europe from Mauritania and Senegal. This article discusses the dynamics of the gum trading system based in Saint Louis du Senegal, and details the commercial crisis in which the French colony was mired in the late 1830s and 1840s. Pressure from French capital and from Faidherbe's military forces secured the dominance of the import-export houses, as African river traders and desert gum merchants lost the advantages of their market positions. By the 1870s the importance of the gum trade had been eclipsed by the rapid expansion of peanut cultivation.
Linchwe I and the Kgatla Campaign in the South African War, 1899-1902
Authors: Morton R. F.
Published: January 2009

Although the importance of the African role in the South African War (1889-1902) is now recognized, this study of the Bakgatala ba ga Kgafela is the first to demonstrate an African perception of events and argue that the Kgatla initiated military action and pursued goals independent of a simple British vs. Boer formula. The war created major economic and political opportunities for the Kgatla, a people physically separated and colonially partitioned. Half the Kgatla lived in the Kgatla Reserve of the British-ruled Bechuanaland Protectorate, and the other half lived in the Saulspoort area of the western Transvaal under Boer rule. Their leader, Linchwe I (1874–1924), maintained his capital at Mochudi in the Protectorate and received only partial allegiance from the Saulspoort Kgatia. Soon after the war began, Linchwe involved his regiments actively in fighting alongside the British in the Protectorate and raiding on their own in the Transvaal in an effort to eliminate Boer settlement and political control in Saulspoort and other areas of the western Transvaal. Kgatia regiments also emptied Boer farms of cattle which, in addition to restoring the national herd decimated by the 1897 rinderpest, Linchwe used in establishing his political hold over the Saulspoort Kgatia. Protectorate officials were grateful for Kgatia support, but Linchwe disguised the extent and nature of Kgatia operations and concealed from the British his political objectives. Linchwe's campaign made possible in the years following the war the reunification of the Kgatia under his authority, the distribution of wealth among all his people and the reduction of colonial interference in the political lives of his people.
Irish Neolithic Landscapes and Land Use Systems: The Implications of Field Systems
Authors: Cooney Gabriel
Published: January 2009

I approach this paper as a prehistorian whose research has been primarily in areas with little or no surviving evidence for prehistoric fields, so that my only close encounter with field systems has been at Kilmashogue and other sites in the uplands just to the south of Dublin (figure 1 shows the location of the main areas and sites in Ireland mentioned in the text). These are certainly fixed in space but unfortunately are as yet floating in time (Cooney, 1985). But this personal predicament is in fact central to the problems approached in this paper: that while there is increasing evidence for prehistoric field systems in Ireland, they are frequently perceived as occurring in the archaeological record only in certain areas; that the relationship between them and other aspects of the archaeological record is not always clear; and that there are major problems in dating these field systems.

My second introductory point is to comment that the sequence of the title is deliberate. The significance of field systems must be seen in the context of what would have been the contemporary cultural landscape and land use, and the various interpretations which have been made of these. The occurrence of field systems has major implications for the way we view the human impact on the environment and use of the land during the Neolithic period in Ireland (4,000 – 2,500 BC).
Mangles, Muck and Myths: Rural History Museums in Britain
Authors: Kavanagh Gaynor
Published: January 2009

In the field of cultural studies, it is well established that no history comes to us innocently. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves are laden with preferred myths and the gentlest of facts. The challenge facing those operating within the field is to develop critical practices which expose some of the nonsense that disempowers our understanding. This demands the strengthening of those practices which promote new forms of knowledge. The identification of appropriate questions, the constructive use of all forms of evidence, the adoption of relevant, analytical methods, and the formation of coherent conclusions are essential to the health and future of any academic discipline. Within the field of museum studies, such rethinking has been taking place since the early 1980s (for example, Cannizzo, 1987; Hooper-Greenhill, 1988; Jenkins, 1987; Jenkinson, 1988; Kavanagh, 1991; Pearce, 1988; Porter, 1988).
The Paradox of Share Tenancy under Capitalism: A Comparative Perspective on Late Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century French and Italian Sharecropping
Authors: Jonsson Ulf
Published: January 2009

As a tenurial solution, sharecropping has been a source of constant fascination and controversy for centuries. It is as old as written history. Furthermore, it has existed and to a certain extent still exists, in very different institutional frameworks, and it constitutes one of the most common tenurial solutions in the history of agriculture.

Sharecropping dominated the agricultural scene in central Italy from the late Middle Ages until the early 1960s. An especially exploitative form was the backbone of Rumanian agriculture before the First World War. In Asian agriculture, sharecropping has been and still is highly dispersed, not only in wet rice production but also in non-irrigated crops such as wheat, or industrial crops like jute. The postbellum American South consituted the sharecropping region par excellence in the USA, although it was not unknown in other parts of the country. In the 1970s share tenancy reappeared in Californian strawberry production. Even if service tenancy dominated the Andean and Mexican hacienda, it was frequently supplemented with sharecropping on specific crops. In late nineteenth-century Mexico share tenancy expanded significantly in maize production. The cases mentioned above represent only a brief and highly incomplete list of economic, social and institutional frameworks where various forms of share tenancy are found.
Rewriting the Rural History of Early Medieval Italy: Twenty-five Years of Medieval Archaeology Reviewed
Authors: Hodges Richard
Published: January 2009

The archaeology of rural settlements is a comparatively new branch of history. Its genealogy is easy to trace. Spurred on by the growth of economic and social history in the inter-war years, Dutch archaeologists, like A.E. van Giffin, and younger Danish archaeologists, such as Gunther Hatt and Axel Steensburg, undertook large open-area excavations of North Sea Migration period settlements. Van Giffin's excavation of the terp at Ezinge during the ‘thirties is a typical example. Using open-area excavation, a controlled form of the clearance excavation being employed on the large classical sites in Mussolini's Italy, it became feasible to examine the Migration-period architecture (as an architectural historian might) and the evolution of the settlement (as a classical topographer might do it). Neither would have been possible if a site such as Ezinge had been trenched. As far as we can tell today, van Giffin et al. did not intend to rewrite history, so much as to use archaeology to confirm prevailing ethnically-oriented theses about Migration period peoples. In some ways this was also the case when W.G. Hoskins and Maurice Beresford began to undertake small excavations of deserted medieval villages in England in 1947. Both hoped that small excavation trenches might help them to date the desertion of some of these settlements. In practice, of course, what they discovered in the course of nineteen excavations merely proved to be confusing (cf. Hurst, 1971: 83). Hoskins turned to other matters, but Beresford pursued the possibilities of archaeology at Wharram Percy, a fine example of a so-called deserted medieval village.
Sensibilität für Ungerechtigkeit
Authors: Schmitt Manfred , Baumert Anna , Fetchenhauer Detlef , Gollwitzer Mario , Rothmund Tobias , Schlösser Thomas
Published: January 2009

Zusammenfassung. Menschen unterscheiden sich in ihrer Sensibilität für Ungerechtigkeit. Diese Unterschiede sind stabil und lassen sich über einzelne Fälle von Ungerechtigkeit hinweg generalisieren. Ungerechtigkeitssensibilität gliedert sich in vier Facetten: Opfersensibilität, Beobachtersensibilität, Nutznießersensibilität und Tätersensibilität. Diese Facetten korrelieren systematisch untereinander. Wir stellen Untersuchungen vor, die Zusammenhänge der Facetten mit egoistischen und prosozialen Dispositionen und mit egoistischem und prosozialem Verhalten in experimentellen Spielen sowie mit Zivilcourage aufzeigen. In diesen Untersuchungen lassen sich die Facetten klar differenzieren. Während Beobachter-, Nutznießer- und Tätersensibilität in einem genuinen Bedürfnis nach Gerechtigkeit zu wurzeln scheinen, beinhaltet Opfersensibilität auch eine selbstbezogene Sorge, ausgebeutet zu werden. Vermittelnde Emotionen differenzieren weiterhin zwischen Beobachter- und Nutznießersensibilität: Beobachtersensibilität führt zu verstärkter Empörung, Nutznießersensibilität zu Schuldgefühlen als Reaktion auf Ungerechtigkeit. Erste Befunde lassen vermuten, dass der Einfluss von Ungerechtigkeitssensibilität auf Verhalten durch Prozesse der Informationsverarbeitung vermittelt wird. Zu diesen Prozessen gehören die automatische Aufmerksamkeitslenkung, die Interpretation mehrdeutiger Information und die Erinnerung an relevante Information. Als Ursache für die gefundenen Zusammenhänge zwischen Ungerechtigkeitssensibilität und Informationsverarbeitung wird die bei ungerechtigkeitssensiblen Personen erhöhte Aktivierbarkeit und Elaboriertheit von Gerechtigkeitskonzepten angenommen.
Nutzung von Online-Bewerbungen aus Sicht von Bewerbern und Unternehmen
Authors: Batinic Bernard , Appel Markus
Published: January 2009

Zusammenfassung. Bewerbungsunterlagen können traditionell gestaltet und per Post versendet werden (Offline-Bewerbung) oder per E-Mail bzw. WWW-Formular übermittelt werden (Online-Bewerbung). Mit Hilfe von zwei Studien werden Erfahrungen mit Online-Bewerbungen aus Unternehmenssicht sowie zentrale Aspekte des Bewerberverhaltens betrachtet. In einer Interviewstudie mit N = 63 Unternehmen wurden Art und Umfang der Online-Bewerbungspraxis erfasst. Neben charakteristischen Schwächen von Online-Bewerbungen wurde der Anteil von Online- (vs. Offline-) Bewerbungen mit Merkmalen des Unternehmens sowie der ausgeschriebenen Position in Beziehung gesetzt. Eine auf den Praxisbefunden aufbauende zweite Studie war als Online-Experiment angelegt (N = 518 potentielle Bewerber). Die Wahl des Bewerbungswegs erwies sich als abhängig von Charakteristika des Bewerbers (Vorerfahrung, Internet Self-Efficacy), des Unternehmens (Größe, Modernität) und dem Status der ausgeschriebenen Position.
Leistungsmanagement von Gruppen bei wissensintensiven Dienstleistungen
Authors: Roth Colin , Moser Klaus
Published: January 2009

Zusammenfassung. Die Studie berichtet über den Einsatz von ProMES (Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System) in einer Abteilung eines internationalen Marktforschungsunternehmens, die wissensintensive Dienstleistungen zu erbringen hat. In der ersten Feedbackphase der zweieinhalbjährigen Studie, die extern moderiert wurde, konnte ein starker positiver Leistungseffekt von d = 1.7 gemessen werden. Zusätzlich wurden die Produktivitätsdaten nach Rückzug des Moderators untersucht. Während der intern gesteuerten Feedbackphase von acht Monaten steigerte sich die Produktivität erneut um d = 2.8. Zudem wurde die Veränderung des Teamklimas untersucht. Während sich aufgabenbezogene Aspekte des Teamklimas positiv entwickelten, bewegten sich personenbezogene Aspekte nicht über ein mittleres Niveau hinaus.
Differences in Personality Attributions Toward Tattooed and Nontattooed Virtual Human Characters
Authors: Wohlrab Silke , Fink Bernhard , Kappeler Peter M. , Brewer Gayle
Published: January 2009

Individuals with body modifications, such as tattoos, have been shown to differ from nonmodified individuals in sensation-seeking personality characteristics and sociosexuality. This study examined possible differences in peoples attributions of those characteristics toward virtual human characters varying in body modification. Some 287 participants rated tattooed and nontattooed bodies of avatars on aspects of sensation seeking and number of previous sexual partners. Tattooed stimuli were rated as more experience, thrill, and adventure seeking as well as more likely to have a high number of previous sexual partners and as less inhibited when compared to nontattooed stimuli, and this was particularly true for male stimuli. It was concluded that people with body modifications, such as tattoos, are perceived differently compared to nontattooed individuals in terms of sensation seeking and previous sexual partner number, this being particularly true for men. Findings are discussed with reference to the evolutionary model of human sexual selection.
Precursory phenomena associated with large avalanches in the long‐range connective sandpile model II: An implication to the relation between the b‐value and the Hurst exponent in seismicity
Authors: Lee Ya‐Ting , Chen Chien‐chih , Hasumi Tomohiro , Hsu Han‐Lun
Published: January 2009

We analyze the Hurst exponent H and a power‐law exponent B obtained from frequency‐size distributions of avalanche events in the long‐range connective sandpile (LRCS) model and study the relation between those two exponents. The LRCS model is introduced by considering the random distant connection between two separated cells. We find that the B‐values typically reduce prior to large avalanches while the H‐values increase. Both parameters appear precursory phenomena prior to large avalanche events. Most importantly, we show that the LRCS model can demonstrate an interesting negative correlation between the B‐ and H‐values, which has been frequently implied in observations of seismicity and firstly verified in our present simulations.
Global variations of stress drop for moderate to large earthquakes
Authors: Allmann Bettina P. , Shearer Peter M.
Published: January 2009

We investigate the global variation of earthquake stress drops using spectra of about 2000 events of mb ≥ 5.5 between 1990 and 2007. We use an iterative least squares method to isolate source displacement spectra from travel path and receiver contributions, based on a convolutional model. The observed P wave source spectra are corrected with a globally averaged empirical correction spectrum and estimates of near‐source attenuation. Assuming a Brune‐type source model, we estimate corner frequencies and compute stress drops. Stress drop estimates for individual earthquakes range from about 0.3 to 50 MPa, but the median stress drop of about 4 MPa does not vary with moment, implying earthquake self‐similarity over the Mw = 5.2 to 8.3 range of our data. A comparison of our results with previous studies confirms this observation over most of the instrumentally observable magnitude range. While the absolute values of our estimated stress drops depend upon the assumed source model, we identify relative regional variations of stress drop that are robust with respect to the processing parameters and modeling assumptions, which includes an inherent assumption of constant rupture velocity. We find a dependence of median stress drop on focal mechanism, with a factor of 3–5 times higher stress drops for strike‐slip earthquakes and also find a factor of 2 times higher stress drops for intraplate earthquakes compared to interplate earthquakes.
Viability of motes for hydrological measurement
Authors: Trubilowicz Joel , Cai Kan , Weiler Markus
Published: January 2009

Low‐cost, low‐power wireless sensor networks (mote networks) have the potential to revolutionize data collection methods in hydrology. They promise the ability to monitor catchments at very high spatial and temporal resolution with flexible sampling schemes, real time data processing and high levels of quality control. We operated an experimental network of 41 motes monitoring seven different parameters each at 15 min intervals for 10 months in a small forested catchment in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, to determine if this emerging technology is suitable for use by hydrologists in its current form. Our particular interests were ease of setup, sampling reliability, power consumption, and hardware resilience. We found that while motes gave the ability to monitor a catchment at resolution levels that were previously impossible, they still need to evolve into an easier to use, more reliable platform before they can replace traditional data collection methods.
Examining the Scientific Consensus on Climate Change
Authors: Doran Peter T. , Zimmerman Maggie Kendall
Published: January 2009

Fifty‐two percent of Americans think most climate scientists agree that the Earth has been warming in recent years, and 47% think climate scientists agree (i.e., that there is a scientific consensus) that human activities are a major cause of that warming, according to recent polling (see http://www.pollingreport.com/enviro.htm). However, attempts to quantify the scientific consensus on anthropogenic warming have met with criticism. For instance, Oreskes [2004] reviewed 928 abstracts from peer‐reviewed research papers and found that more than 75% either explicitly or implicitly accepted the consensus view that Earth's climate is being affected by human activities. Yet Oreskes's approach has been criticized for overstating the level of consensus acceptance within the examined abstracts [Peiser, 2005] and for not capturing the full diversity of scientific opinion [Pielke, 2005]. A review of previous attempts at quantifying the consensus and criticisms is provided by Kendall Zimmerman [2008]. The objective of our study presented here is to assess the scientific consensus on climate change through an unbiased survey of a large and broad group of Earth scientists.
A Community Ice Sheet Model for Sea Level Prediction: Building a Next‐Generation Community Ice Sheet Model; Los Alamos, New Mexico, 18–20 August 2008
Authors: Lipscomb William , Bindschadler Robert , Bueler Ed , Holland David , Johnson Jesse , Price Stephen
Published: January 2009

Recent observations show that ice sheets can respond to climate change on annual to decadal timescales and that the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets are losing mass at an increasing rate. The current generation of ice sheet models cannot provide credible predictions of ice sheet retreat, as underscored by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Fourth Assessment Report (2007). The IPCC provided neither a best estimate nor an upper bound for 21st‐century sea level rise because of uncertainties in the dynamic response of ice sheets.

In response to this need, a workshop was held at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The workshop was sponsored by the LANL Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, with additional support from the U.S. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation. The workshop's goal was to create a detailed plan (including commitments from individual researchers) for developing, testing, and implementing a Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM) to aid in predicting sea level rise. This model will be freely available to the glaciology and climate modeling communities and will be the ice sheet component of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM), a major contributor to IPCC assessments.
Melosh Receives 2008 Harry H. Hess Medal
Authors: Drake Michael J. , Melosh H. Jay
Published: January 2009

H. Jay Melosh was awarded the 2008 Harry H. Hess Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held 17 December 2008 in San Francisco, Calif. The medal is for ”outstanding achievements in research in the constitution and evolution of Earth and sister planets.“
Monitoring and Modelling Lakes and Coastal Environments
Authors: Odada Eric
Published: January 2009

The monitoring and modeling of lakes and coastal environments is becoming ever more important, particularly because these environments bear heavy loads in terms of human population, and their resources are critical to the livelihoods and well‐being of coastal inhabitants and ecosystems.

Monitoring and Modelling Lakes and Coastal Environments is a collection of 18 papers arising from the Lake 2004 International Conference on Conservation, Restoration and Management of Lakes and Coastal Wetlands, held in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, 9–13 December 2004. Consequently, 15 of the papers are concerned with studies on the Indian subcontinent, and many of the papers focus on India's Lake Chilika, the site of a special session during the conference. Two papers concern Japan, and one focuses on North America's Great Lakes region. Although the book has a regional bias, the replication of best practices that can be drawn from these studies may be useful for an international audience.
Association Studies on Ghrelin and Ghrelin Receptor Gene Polymorphisms With Obesity
Authors: Gueorguiev Maria , Lecoeur Cécile , Meyre David , Benzinou Michael , Mein Charles A. , Hinney Anke , Vatin Vincent , Weill Jacques , Heude Barbara , Hebebrand Johannes , Grossman Ashley B. , Korbonits Márta , Froguel Philippe
Published: January 2009

Ghrelin exerts a stimulatory effect on appetite and regulates energy homeostasis. Ghrelin gene variants have been shown to be associated with metabolic traits, although there is evidence suggesting linkage and association with obesity and the ghrelin receptor (GHSR). We hypothesized that these genes are good candidates for susceptibility to obesity. Direct sequencing identified 12 ghrelin single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 8 GHSR SNPs. The 10 common SNPs were genotyped in 1,275 obese subjects and in 1,059 subjects from a general population cohort of European origin. In the obesity case‐control study, the GHSR SNP rs572169 was found to be associated with obesity (P = 0.007 in additive model, P = 0.001 in dominant model, odds ratio (OR) 1.73, 95% confidence interval (1.23–2.44)). The ghrelin variant, g.A265T (rs4684677), showed an association with obesity (P = 0.009, BMI adjusted for age and sex) in obese families. The ghrelin variant, g.A‐604G (rs27647), showed an association with insulin levels at 2‐h post‐oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (P = 0.009) in obese families. We found an association between the eating behavior “overeating” and the GHSR SNP rs2232169 (P = 0.02) in obese subjects. However, none of these associations remained significant when corrected for multiple comparisons. Replication of the nominal associations with obesity could not be confirmed in a German genome‐wide association (GWA) study for rs4684677 and rs572169 polymorphisms. Our data suggest that common polymorphisms in ghrelin and its receptor genes are not major contributors to the development of polygenic obesity, although common variants may alter body weight and eating behavior and contribute to insulin resistance, in particular in the context of early‐onset obesity.
Psychosocial Functioning Improves Following Adolescent Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Zeller Meg H. , Modi Avani C. , Noll Jennie G. , Long Jeffrey D. , Inge Thomas H.
Published: January 2009

The aims of the present study were to examine changes in health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) and depressive symptoms in adolescents with extreme obesity undergoing Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) across the first postoperative year. A prospective longitudinal observational study of 31 adolescent patients undergoing RYGBP at a pediatric medical center (mean = 16.4 years; 64.5% females, mean BMI 63.5; 97% of study eligible and consecutive patients) was conducted. Participants completed two adolescent HRQOL measures, the PedsQL (generic) and the IWQOL‐Kids (weight‐related), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and height and weight were measured at three time points: baseline, and 6 and 12 months following RYGBP. Prior to RYGBP, significant impairments in HRQOL were documented and 38.7% reported depressive symptomatology in the clinical range. As expected, BMI and depressive symptoms decreased and HRQOL improved from baseline to 12 months post‐RYGBP. Linear mixed modeling analyses detected several nonlinear slopes in BMI, depressive symptoms, and the majority of HRQOL domains over time with deceleration in these postoperative changes beginning at the 6th month time point. In contrast, the rate of change in weight‐related social relations was linear (e.g., no deceleration), indicating continued improvement across the first postoperative year. Adolescent RYGBP results in significant improvement in HRQOL and depressive symptomatology over the first postoperative year. Longer‐term follow‐up will be critical to determine adolescent weight and psychosocial trajectories, their interrelations, and what role psychosocial status plays in continued weight loss, maintenance, and regain.
Molecular mechanisms of archaeal RNA polymerase
Authors: Grohmann Dina , Hirtreiter Angela , Werner Finn
Published: January 2009

All cellular life depends on multisubunit RNAPs (RNA polymerases) that are evolutionarily related through the three domains of life. Archaeal RNAPs encompass 12 subunits that contribute in different ways to the assembly and stability of the enzyme, nucleic acid binding, catalysis and specific regulatory interactions with transcription factors. The recent development of methods to reconstitute archaeal RNAP from recombinant materials in conjunction with structural information of multisubunit RNAPs present a potent opportunity to investigate the molecular mechanisms of transcription.
Reverse gyrase and genome stability in hyperthermophilic organisms
Authors: Perugino Giuseppe , Valenti Anna , D'Amaro Anna , Rossi Mosè , Ciaramella Maria
Published: January 2009

Reverse gyrase is a DNA topoisomerase that is peculiar in many aspects: it has the unique ability to introduce positive supercoils into DNA molecules; it comprises a type IA topoisomerase fused to a helicase-like domain; although it is a type IA topoisomerase, its reaction is ATP-dependent; and it is the only hyperthermophile-specific protein. All these features have made reverse gyrase the subject of biochemical, structural and functional studies, although they have not shed complete light on the evolution, mechanism and function of this distinctive enzyme. In the present article, we review the latest progress on structure–function relationships of reverse gyrase, and discuss old and recent data linking reverse gyrase to DNA stability, protection and repair in hyperthermophilic organisms.
Genetic analyses in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus
Authors: She Qunxin , Zhang Changyi , Deng Ling , Peng Nan , Chen Zhengjun , Liang Yun Xiang
Published: January 2009

Sulfolobus belongs to the hyperthermophilic archaea and it serves as a model organism to study archaeal molecular biology and evolution. In the last few years, we have focused on developing genetic systems for Sulfolobus islandicus using pyrEF as a selection marker and versatile genetic tools have been developed, including methods for constructing gene knockouts and for identifying essential genes. These genetic tools enable us to conduct genetic analysis on the functions of the genes involved in DNA replication and repair processes in S. islandicus and they should also facilitate in vivo analysis of functions of other genes in this model organism.
The haloarchaeal chromosome replication machinery
Authors: MacNeill Stuart A.
Published: January 2009

The powerful combination of genetic and biochemical analysis has provided many key insights into the structure and function of the chromosomal DNA replication machineries of bacterial and eukaryotic cells. In contrast, in the archaea, biochemical studies have dominated, mainly due to the absence of efficient genetic systems for these organisms. This situation is changing, however, and, in this regard, the genetically tractable haloarchaea Haloferax volcanii and Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 are emerging as key models. In the present review, I give an overview of the components of the replication machinery in the haloarchaea, with particular emphasis on the protein factors presumed to travel with the replication fork.
Two unique membrane-bound AAA proteins from Sulfolobus solfataricus
Authors: Serek-Heuberger Justyna , Hobel Cédric F.V. , Dunin-Horkawicz Stanislaw , Rockel Beate , Martin Jörg , Lupas Andrei N.
Published: January 2009

Thermoacidophilic crenarchaea of the genus Sulfolobus contain six AAA (ATPase associated with various cellular activities) proteins, including a proteasome-associated ATPase, a Vps4 (vacuolar protein sorting 4) homologue, and two Cdc48 (cell-division cycle 48)-like proteins. The last two AAA proteins are deeply branching divergent members of this family without close relatives outside the Sulfolobales. Both proteins have two nucleotide-binding domains and, unlike other members of the family, they seem to lack folded N-terminal domains. Instead, they contain N-terminal extensions of approx. 50 residues, which are predicted to be unstructured, except for a single transmembrane helix. We have analysed the two proteins, MBA (membrane-bound AAA) 1 and MBA2, by computational and experimental means. They appear to be monophyletic and to share a common ancestor with the Cdc48 clade. Both are membrane-bound and active as nucleotidases upon heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. They form ring complexes, which are stable after solubilization in a mild detergent and whose formation is dependent on the presence of the N-terminal extensions.
Role of vapBC toxin–antitoxin loci in the thermal stress response of Sulfolobus solfataricus
Authors: Cooper Charlotte R. , Daugherty Amanda J. , Tachdjian Sabrina , Blum Paul H. , Kelly Robert M.
Published: January 2009

TA (toxin–antitoxin) loci are ubiquitous in prokaryotic micro-organisms, including archaea, yet their physiological function is largely unknown. For example, preliminary reports have suggested that TA loci are microbial stress-response elements, although it was recently shown that knocking out all known chromosomally located TA loci in Escherichia coli did not have an impact on survival under certain types of stress. The hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus encodes at least 26 vapBC (where vap is virulence-associated protein) family TA loci in its genome. VapCs are PIN (PilT N-terminus) domain proteins with putative ribonuclease activity, while VapBs are proteolytically labile proteins, which purportedly function to silence VapCs when associated as a cognate pair. Global transcriptional analysis of S. solfataricus heat-shock-response dynamics (temperature shift from 80 to 90°C) revealed that several vapBC genes were triggered by the thermal shift, suggesting a role in heat-shock-response. Indeed, knocking out a specific vapBC locus in S. solfataricus substantially changed the transcriptome and, in one case, rendered the crenarchaeon heat-shock-labile. These findings indicate that more work needs to be done to determine the role of VapBCs in S. solfataricus and other thermophilic archaea, especially with respect to post-transcriptional regulation.
The role of ESCRT proteins in attenuation of cell signalling
Authors: Rodahl Lina M. , Stuffers Susanne , Lobert Viola H. , Stenmark Harald
Published: January 2009

The ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) machinery consists of four protein complexes that mediate sorting of ubiquitinated membrane proteins into the intraluminal vesicles of multivesicular endosomes, thereby targeting them for degradation in lysosomes. In the present paper, we review how ESCRT-mediated receptor down-regulation affects signalling downstream of Notch and growth factor receptors, and how ESCRTs may control cell proliferation, survival and cytoskeletal functions and contribute to tumour suppression.
Regulation of Vps4 ATPase activity by ESCRT-III
Authors: Davies Brian A. , Azmi Ishara F. , Katzmann David J.
Published: January 2009

MVB (multivesicular body) formation occurs when the limiting membrane of an endosome invaginates into the intraluminal space and buds into the lumen, bringing with it a subset of transmembrane cargoes. Exvagination of the endosomal membrane from the cytosol is topologically similar to the budding of retroviral particles and cytokinesis, wherein membranes bud away from the cytoplasm, and the machinery responsible for MVB sorting has been implicated in these phenomena. The AAA (ATPase associated with various cellular activities) Vps4 (vacuolar protein sorting 4) performs a critical function in the MVB sorting pathway. Vps4 appears to dissociate the ESCRTs (endosomal sorting complexes required for transport) from endosomal membranes during the course of MVB sorting, but it is unclear how Vps4 ATPase activity is synchronized with ESCRT release. We have investigated the mechanisms by which ESCRT components stimulate the ATPase activity of Vps4. These studies support a model wherein Vps4 activity is subject to spatial and temporal regulation via distinct mechanisms during MVB sorting.
HIV assembly and budding in macrophages
Authors: Marsh Mark , Theusner Kristina , Pelchen-Matthews Annegret
Published: January 2009

The formation of enveloped virus particles requires that key structural components of the virus, and the viral genomic RNA, are brought together at a cellular membrane system where new particles are assembled. The trafficking events, and the subsequent assembly and release of infectious virus particles, is co-coordinated through interactions between the viral structural proteins and cellular proteins. In the present paper, we consider how these events occur during HIV production in macrophages. In these cells, virus assembly appears to occur on a pre-existing specialized plasma membrane domain that is sequestered within the cells. The events that take place at these intracellular assembly sites may endow the virus with unique biochemical characteristics and allow virus release to be co-ordinated through the formation of infectious synapses.
TOR signalling regulates mitotic commitment through stress-activated MAPK and Polo kinase in response to nutrient stress
Authors: Petersen Janni
Published: January 2009

Cell growth and cell division are coupled to control cell size and this co-ordination is often modulated by the availability of nutrients. In many eukaryotes, TOR (target of rapamycin) signalling is involved in coupling nutrient sensing to cell growth and division controls. Nutrient stress inhibits TOR signalling to advance the timing of cell division and thus leads to continued cell division at reduced cell size. Most changes in the environment stimulate stress-activated MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signalling pathways. Several MAPKs also have a general role in the control of mitotic onset and cell division. In the present paper, I discuss the interplay between two major signalling pathways, the TOR and the stress MAPK signalling pathways, in controlling mitotic commitment, with the main focus being on fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe).
A new player in the orchestra of cell growth: SREBP activity is regulated by mTORC1 and contributes to the regulation of cell and organ size
Authors: Porstmann Thomas , Santos Claudio R. , Lewis Caroline , Griffiths Beatrice , Schulze Almut
Published: January 2009

Cell growth requires co-ordinated regulation of processes that provide metabolites for the synthesis of macromolecules such as proteins and membrane lipids. In recent years, a lot of emphasis has been placed on the activation of protein synthesis by mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1). The contribution of anabolic pathways other than protein synthesis has only been considered recently. In the present paper, we discuss recent findings regarding the contribution of transcriptional regulation of lipogenesis genes by the SREBP (sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein) transcription factor, a central regulator of expression of lipogenic genes, to the control of cell size in vitro and cell and organ size in vivo.
Considerations and recent advances in neuroscience
Authors: Gorman Adrienne M. , Doyle Karen M.
Published: January 2009

Neuroscience is a rapidly developing area of science which has benefitted from the blurring of interdisciplinary boundaries. This was apparent in the range of papers presented at this year's Neuroscience Ireland Conference, held in Galway during August 2008. The event was attended by academics, postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers, scientists from industry and clinicians. The themes of this year's conference, neurodegeneration, neuroregeneration, pain, glial cell biology and psychopharmacology, were chosen for their reflection of areas of strength in neuroscience within Ireland. In addition to basic science, translational research also featured strongly.
Synthesis and temperature dependent photoluminescence properties of Mn doped Ge nanowires
Authors: Majumdar S. , Mandal S. , Das A. K. , Ray S. K.
Published: January 2009

Ge nanowires were grown on Au-coated Si (100) substrates using vapor-liquid-solid technique. Temperature dependent photoluminescence spectra of Mn doped nanowires showed dominant impurity emissions due to transition from an intermediate T41 to A61 ground state of Mn2+ in Ge nanowire. Magnetic hysteresis loop showed paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition with decreasing temperature. Temperature dependent electrical resistivity indicated the formation of Mn related acceptor level in Ge at 0.159 eV from the valence band.