bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cancer Stem Cell Niche: The Place to Be
Authors: Borovski Tijana , De Sousa E Melo Felipe , Vermeulen Louis , Medema Jan Paul
Published: January 2011

Tumors are being increasingly perceived as abnormal organs that, in many respects, recapitulate the outgrowth and differentiation patterns of normal tissues. In line with this idea is the observation that only a small fraction of tumor cells is capable of initiating a new tumor. Because of the features that these cells share with somatic stem cells, they have been termed cancer stem cells (CSC). Normal stem cells reside in a “stem cell niche” that maintains them in a stem-like state. Recent data suggest that CSCs also rely on a similar niche, dubbed the “CSC niche,” which controls their self-renewal and differentiation. Moreover, CSCs can be generated by the microenvironment through induction of CSC features in more differentiated tumor cells. In addition to a role in CSC maintenance, the microenvironment is hypothesized to be involved in metastasis by induction of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, leading to dissemination and invasion of tumor cells. The localization of secondary tumors also seems to be orchestrated by the microenvironment, which is suggested to form a premetastatic niche. Thus, the microenvironment seems to be of crucial importance for primary tumor growth as well as metastasis formation. Combined with its role in the protection of CSCs against genotoxic insults, these data strongly put forward the niche as an important target for novel therapies. Cancer Res; 71(3); 634–9. ©2011 AACR.
Cyst Fluid Interleukin-1β (IL1β) Levels Predict the Risk of Carcinoma in Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas
Authors: Maker Ajay V. , Katabi Nora , Qin Li-Xuan , Klimstra David S. , Schattner Mark , Brennan Murray F. , Jarnagin William R. , Allen Peter J.
Published: January 2011

Purpose: Biomarkers for high-grade dysplasia in patients with radiographically identified intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) have not been described. We hypothesized that dysplasia in IPMN invokes an immunogenic/proinflammatory microenvironment that can be identified by cyst fluid cytokine levels.

Experimental Design: Pancreatic cyst fluid aspirates were collected at resection (2005–2009). Samples were grouped into low-risk [low-grade (n = 6) or moderate dysplasia (n = 15)] and high-risk groups [high-grade dysplasia (n = 13) or carcinoma (n = 6)]. Cytokine expression was determined using a multiplex sandwich immunoassay. Differences in cytokine expression were evaluated using the 2-sample t test. Sample classification was performed using a logistic regression adjusting for sample covariates.

Results: IL5 and IL8 concentrations were higher in the cyst fluid from patients in the high-risk group than the low-risk group. Interleukin (IL)-1β concentrations were also higher in the cyst fluid from patients with high-grade dysplasia or cancer (n = 19) than those with low- or moderate-grade dysplasia (n = 21, 539 ± 255 pg/mL vs. 0.2 ± 0.1 pg/mL; P < 0.0001). IL1β remained a significant predictor of high-risk cysts after multivariate analysis. There was no significant difference in levels of IL2, IL4, IL10, IL12, IL13, TNF-α, or IFN-γ between the groups. That IL1β levels identified cysts at a high risk of malignancy was confirmed in an independent validation set.

Conclusions: Cyst fluid levels of IL1β can differentiate low- from high-risk IPMN. This study introduces IL1β as a potential biomarker for validation in larger clinical studies. Clin Cancer Res; 17(6); 1502–8. ©2011 AACR.
Combined Blockade of Src Kinase and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor with Gemcitabine Overcomes STAT3-Mediated Resistance of Inhibition of Pancreatic Tumor Growth
Authors: Nagaraj Nagathihalli S. , Washington M. Kay , Merchant Nipun B.
Published: January 2011

Purpose: We previously established a mechanistic rationale for Src inhibition as a novel therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer and have identified activated STAT3 as a potential biomarker of resistance to Src inhibition. The purpose of this study was to translate the current understanding of complementary activated tyrosine kinase signaling pathways by targeting Src kinase and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

Experimental Design: IC50 values for dasatinib, a Src kinase inhibitor, erlotinib, an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor and gemcitabine were determined and sensitive and resistant pancreatic cancer cell lines were identified. The in vitro and in vivo effects of these agents on multiple signaling pathways and tumorigenicity in pancreatic cancer were investigated.

Results: The combination of dasatinib, erlotinib, and gemcitabine resulted in cooperative inhibition of cell migration and invasion of both sensitive and resistant pancreatic cancer cells as well as cooperative inhibition of multiple signaling pathways including FAK, AKT, ERK, JNK, MAPK, and STAT3 at concentrations that were ineffective as individual agents or as double combinations of agents. The triple combination of agents was also most effective at inhibiting the growth of xenografts of both sensitive and resistant pancreatic cancer cells in vivo without increasing toxicity. Furthermore, combined inhibition of Src and EGFR with gemcitabine inhibited constitutively activated STAT3 in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions: These results provide evidence that combined targeted biological therapy in addition to cytotoxic chemotherapy can overcome treatment resistance. Such treatment strategies may be used to tailor therapy based on identified biomarkers of resistance to targeted monotherapy. Clin Cancer Res; 17(3); 483–93. ©2011 AACR.
A20, ABIN-1/2, and CARD11 Mutations and Their Prognostic Value in Gastrointestinal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Dong Gehong , Chanudet Estelle , Zeng Naiyan , Appert Alex , Chen Yun-Wen , Au Wing-Yan , Hamoudi Rifat A. , Watkins A. James , Ye Hongtao , Liu Hongxiang , Gao Zifen , Chuang Shih-Sung , Srivastava Gopesh , Du Ming-Qing
Published: January 2011

Purpose: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a heterogeneous group of aggressive lymphomas with the activated B-cell–like subtype characterized by constitutive NF-κB activation. Activating mutations of CARD11 and inactivating mutations of A20 are frequent events in DLBCL. However, the full extent of genetic alterations in the NF-κB pathway regulators and their potential prognostic value in DLBCL remain to be investigated. We investigated the genetic abnormalities of CARD11, A20, and ABIN-1/2/3 (the A20 binding inhibitor of NF-κB) and their clinicopathologic correlation in gastrointestinal DLBCL.

Experimental Design: The somatic mutation and copy number changes of CARD11, A20, and ABIN-1/2/3 were investigated in 71 gastrointestinal DLBCLs by PCR/sequencing, and interphase FISH/array comparative genomic hybridization, respectively. The mutations identified were functionally characterized by NF-κB reporter assays and immunoprecipitation experiments.

Results: Recurrent somatic mutations were found in CARD11 (10%), A20 (17%), ABIN-1 (4%), and ABIN-2 (3%), but not in ABIN-3. In comparison with the wild-type, all CARD11 mutants were potent NF-κB activators in vitro. On the basis of the destructive nature of the observed mutations, and the findings by reporter assays and immunoprecipitation studies, most if not all of the somatic mutations that were seen in A20, ABIN-1, and ABIN-2 could impair their normal functions. Among these genetic abnormalities, A20 somatic mutation was significantly associated with both poor overall survival and event-free survival.

Conclusions: We show further evidence of NF-κB pathway genetic abnormalities in DLBCL, which are potentially valuable in the prognosis and design of future therapeutic strategies. Clin Cancer Res; 17(6); 1440–51. ©2011 AACR.
Changes in Serum Adiponectin Levels from Birth to Term-Equivalent Age Are Associated with Postnatal Weight Gain in Preterm Infants
Authors: Saito Makoto , Nishimura Kazunori , Nozue Hiroki , Miyazono Yayoi , Kamoda Tomohiro
Published: January 2011

Background: Adiponectin, one of the adipocytokines, is postulated to play a key role in fetal growth, probably enhancing the growth-promoting effect of insulin through insulin-sensitizing action. Objectives and Methods: To examine how different intrauterine or postnatal growth patterns relate to adiponectin secretion, we measured serum adiponectin concentrations in 30 appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) and 19 small-for-gestational-age (SGA) preterm infants on the first day of life and at term-equivalent age. Results: The serum levels of adiponectin increased significantly in all preterm infants from birth to term-equivalent age. The adiponectin levels at term-equivalent age were significantly higher in the AGA than in the SGA group [mean (SD) 40.4 (12.3) vs. 28.4 (10.4) µg/ml; p < 0.01] after adjustment for gestational age or term-equivalent body weight. The increase in adiponectin levels from birth to term-equivalent age was significantly higher in the AGA than in the SGA group, and was positively correlated with the weight gain rate (g/kg/day) in the combined groups (r = 0.37, p < 0.01). A multiple regression analysis with the adiponectin increase from birth to term-equivalent age as the dependent variable for all the subjects revealed that only weight gain rate was independently associated with the adiponectin increase. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the change in serum adiponectin levels may reflect postnatal growth from birth to term-equivalent age in preterm infants.
Effects of Flickering Light on Refraction and Changes in Eye Axial Length of C57BL/6 Mice
Authors: Yu Ying , Chen Hui , Tuo Jingsheng , Zhu Yin
Published: January 2011

Aims: To investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of inducing myopia in mice by flickering-light (FL) stimulation. Methods: Forty-five 28-day-old C57BL/6 (B6) mice were randomly assigned to three groups: control group, FL stimulation group and form deprivation (FD) group. Mice in the control group were raised under 250 lux illumination from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mice in the FL group were raised under illumination with a duty cycle of 50% at a flash rate of 2 Hz from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for 6 weeks. Mice in the FD group were raised under the same conditions as the control group; the right eyes of the mice were covered with semitransparent hemispherical plastic shells serving as eye diffusers. The refractive state and axial length (AL) of the right eyes were measured by eccentric infrared photorefraction and A-scan ultrasonography, respectively, before treatment and after 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks’ treatment. Results: After 6 weeks’ exposure to FL, the refraction became more myopic compared with the control group as indicated by longer AL compared with the control group (p < 0.05); the FD eyes were more myopic than the FL eyes (p < 0.05). However, some mice lost their eye diffusers, and lens opacities were found. Conclusion: Myopia can be induced by FL in B6 mice. The myopic shift induced by FL is less than that induced by FD, but FL causes fewer side effects, and is safery and easier to manipulate.
Speech Inconsistency Index in Brazilian Portuguese-Speaking Children
Authors: de Castro Márcia Mathias , Wertzner Haydée Fiszbein
Published: January 2011

Objective: Speech inconsistency is characterised by variable productions of the same lexical items within the same context. This study aimed to describe inconsistencies among Brazilian Portuguese (BP)-speaking children with and without phonological disorder (PD) as well as the effectiveness of a speech inconsistency test (SIT). Methods: The study sample included children between 5 years 0 months (5;0 years) and 10;10 years of age, both genders, 51 children with PD and 50 without speech-language disorders. The SIT includes 25 pictures, each named 3 times in different sequences within the same session. Results: The inconsistency average of children with PD (27.4%) was higher than that of typically developing children (9.8%). Linear regression showed age and gender effects, receiver operating characteristic curves were built for speech inconsistency with combined gender and age cutoff values. Inconsistent subjects among typically developing children included 2 younger boys and 2 older girls. Inconsistencies were found among children with PD, including 10 boys up to 7;6 years and 11 over this age, and 7 girls up to 7;6 years and 6 over this age. Conclusion: Speech inconsistency in BP-speaking children seems to be an effective measure for differentiating children with PD from those with typically developing phonology.
Quantifying FITC-Labeled Latex Beads Opsonized with Photoreceptor Outer Segment Fragments: An Easy and Inexpensive Method of Investigating Phagocytosis in Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells
Authors: Klettner Alexa , Möhle Friederike , Lucius Ralph , Roider Johann
Published: January 2011

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is the most active phagocyte in the human body, and this function is indispensable for vision. In this study, we introduce an easy and inexpensive way to quantify RPE phagocytosis by opsonizing FITC-labeled latex beads of a defined size with a crude mixture of photoreceptor outer segment fragments, using cells of porcine origin. After performance of the desired experiment, phagocytosis can easily be quantified by counting the ingested particles. With this protocol, we combine the advantage of a natural target with the advantages of the defined properties of latex beads. Moreover, in order to conduct these phagocytosis experiments, as laboratory equipment, in addition to cell culture equipment, only a centrifuge and a simple fluorescence microscope are needed.
Mechanisms of In-Stent Restenosis After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation
Authors: Kang Soo-Jin , Mintz Gary S. , Park Duk-Woo , Lee Seung-Whan , Kim Young-Hak , Whan Lee Cheol , Han Ki-Hoon , Kim Jae-Joong , Park Seong-Wook , Park Seung-Jung
Published: January 2011

Background—

We used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to (1) clarify the mechanisms of luminal loss after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation and (2) classify morphological patterns of in-stent restenosis (ISR).

Methods and Results—

On the basis of IVUS-identified luminal narrowing (in-stent minimum lumen area <4 mm
2
), IVUS-defined ISR was classified as focal (luminal narrowing ≤10 mm in length), multifocal (≥1 focal lesions), and diffuse (luminal narrowing >10 mm in length) with or without stent edge involvement. Significant intimal hyperplasia (IH) was defined as IH area >50% of stent. Overall, 76 lesions had IVUS-defined ISR; 32 (42%) had stent underexpansion (minimal stent area <5 mm
2
); and 71 (93%) had IH area >50% of stent. Total stent length negatively correlated with minimal stent area (
r
=−0.613,
P
<0.001) as well as with stent area at the minimum lumen site (
r
=−0.436,
P
<0.001) but not with minimum lumen area (
r
=−0.084,
P
=0.472). Underexpansion was present at the minimum lumen site in 15 of 43 (35%) lesions with stent length >28 mm, even though there was significant IH in 34 (79%) lesions; conversely, in 32 of 33 (97%) lesions with stent length ≤28 mm, the minimum lumen site was not associated with stent underexpansion but significant IH. IVUS-defined focal ISR was most common (47%). Compared with focal ISR, normalized vessel, stent, lumen, and plaque volumes were smaller in diffuse and multifocal than focal ISR, with no difference in IH extent.

Conclusions—

In most DES restenosis, IH was the dominant mechanism of ISR. Nevertheless, underexpansion associated with longer stent length remained an important preventable mechanism of ISR.
Validation of Intravascular Ultrasound–Derived Parameters With Fractional Flow Reserve for Assessment of Coronary Stenosis Severity
Authors: Kang Soo-Jin , Lee Jong-Young , Ahn Jung-Min , Mintz Gary S. , Kim Won-Jang , Park Duk-Woo , Yun Sung-Cheol , Lee Seung-Whan , Kim Young-Hak , Whan Lee Cheol , Park Seong-Wook , Park Seung-Jung
Published: January 2011

Background—

We assessed optimal intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) criteria for predicting functional significance of intermediate coronary lesions.

Methods and Results—

Overall, 201 patients with 236 coronary lesions underwent IVUS and invasive physiological assessment before intervention. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) was measured at maximal hyperemia induced by intravenous adenosine infusion. FFR <0.80 at maximum hyperemia was seen in 49 (21%) of the overall 236 lesions. The independent determinants of FFR were minimal lumen area (MLA; β=0.020; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.008 to 0.031;
P
=0.032), plaque burden (β=−0.002; 95% CI, −0.003 to 0.001;
P
=0.001), lesion length with a lumen area <3.0 mm
2
(β=−0.003; 95% CI, −0.005 to −0.001;
P
=0.005), and left anterior descending artery location (β=−0.035; 95% CI, −0.055 to −0.016;
P
=0.001). The best cutoff value (with a maximal accuracy) of the MLA to predict FFR <0.80 was <2.4 mm
2
, with a diagnostic accuracy of 68% (90% sensitivity, 60% specificity, and area under the curve=0.800; 95% CI, 0.742 to 0.848;
P
<0.001). The cutoff value of plaque burden to predict FFR <0.80 was ≥79% (69% sensitivity, 72% specificity, and area under the curve=0.756; 95% CI, 0.696 to 0.810;
P
<0.001). The cutoff value of lesion length with a lumen area <3.0 mm
2
was 3.1 mm (84%sensitivity, 63%specificity, and area under the curve=0.765; 95% CI, 0.706 to 0.818;
P
<0.001). Among 117 lesions with an MLA ≥2.4 mm
2
, 112 (96%) had an FFR ≥0.80,; and all but 1 showed FFR ≥0.75. Conversely, 44 (37%) lesions with an MLA <2.4 mm
2
had an FFR <0.80.

Conclusions—

IVUS-derived MLA ≥2.4 mm
2
may be useful to exclude FFR <0.80, but poor specificity limits its value for physiological assessment of lesions with MLA <2.4 mm
2
. Thus, FFR or stress tests may be necessary to accurately identify ischemia-inducible intermediate stenoses.
Network Dynamics Mediating Ipsilateral Motor Cortex Activity during Unimanual Actions
Authors: Verstynen Timothy , Ivry Richard B.
Published: January 2011

Executing difficult actions with the left hand results in bilateral activity of motor areas along the precentral gyrus. Using TMS and fMRI, we explored the functional relationship between primary (M1) and premotor areas during unimanual actions, focusing on M1 activity in the ipsilateral hemisphere. Single-pulse TMS revealed that the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), elicited in the stationary right-hand muscles following left M1 stimulation, fluctuated with the state of homologous muscles in the moving left hand. This ipsilateral excitability was pronounced when the left-hand movements were more complex. We used fMRI to visualize the cortical dynamics during unimanual actions. Trial-by-trial fluctuations in ipsilateral M1 activity were correlated with contralateral M1 responses and this correlation increased with movement complexity. Consistent with previous studies, the left caudal precentral premotor area (pcPM) was engaged during movements of either hand. Following low-frequency rTMS over left pcPM, the correlation between the activity level in the two M1s increased. This finding indicates that left pcPM may regulate the unintentional mirroring of motor commands in M1 during unilateral movement.
The Continuity Illusion Does Not Depend on Attentional State: fMRI Evidence from Illusory Vowels
Authors: Heinrich Antje , Carlyon Robert P. , Davis Matthew H. , Johnsrude Ingrid S.
Published: January 2011

We investigate whether the neural correlates of the continuity illusion, as measured using fMRI, are modulated by attention. As we have shown previously, when two formants of a synthetic vowel are presented in an alternating pattern, the vowel can be identified if the gaps in each formant are filled with bursts of plausible masking noise, causing the illusory percept of a continuous vowel (“Illusion” condition). When the formant-to-noise ratio is increased so that noise no longer plausibly masks the formants, the formants are heard as interrupted (“Illusion Break” condition) and vowels are not identifiable. A region of the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) is sensitive both to intact synthetic vowels (two formants present simultaneously) and to Illusion stimuli, compared to Illusion Break stimuli. Here, we compared these conditions in the presence and absence of attention. We examined fMRI signal for different sound types under three attentional conditions: full attention to the vowels; attention to a visual distracter; or attention to an auditory distracter. Crucially, although a robust main effect of attentional state was observed in many regions, the effect of attention did not differ systematically for the illusory vowels compared to either intact vowels or to the Illusion Break stimuli in the left STG/MTG vowel-sensitive region. This result suggests that illusory continuity of vowels is an obligatory perceptual process, and operates independently of attentional state. An additional finding was that the sensitivity of primary auditory cortex to the number of sound onsets in the stimulus was modulated by attention.
Puddles, Parties, and Professors: Linking Word Categorization to Neural Patterns of Visuospatial Coding
Authors: Quadflieg Susanne , Etzel Joset A. , Gazzola Valeria , Keysers Christian , Schubert Thomas W. , Waiter Gordon D. , Macrae C. Neil
Published: January 2011

Behavioral evidence suggests that during word processing people spontaneously map object, valence, and power information to locations in vertical space. Specifically, whereas “overhead” (e.g., attic), positive (e.g., party), and powerful nouns (e.g., professor) are associated with “up,” “underfoot” (e.g., carpet), negative (e.g., accident), and powerless nouns (e.g., assistant) are associated with “down.” What has yet to be elucidated, however, is the precise nature of these effects. To explore this issue, an fMRI experiment was undertaken, during which participants were required to categorize the position in which geometrical shapes appeared on a computer screen (i.e., upper or lower part of the display). In addition, they also judged a series of words with regard to location (i.e., up vs. down), valence (i.e., good vs. bad), and power (i.e., powerful vs. powerless). Using multivoxel pattern analysis, it was found that classifiers that successfully distinguished between the positions of shapes in subregions of the inferior parietal lobe also provided discriminatory information to separate location and valence, but not power word judgments. Correlational analyses further revealed that, for location words, pattern transfer was more successful the stronger was participants' propensity to use visual imagery. These findings indicate that visual coding and conceptual processing can elicit common representations of verticality but that divergent mechanisms may support the reported effects.
Differential Impairment of Remembering the Past and Imagining Novel Events after Thalamic Lesions
Authors: Weiler Julia , Suchan Boris , Koch Benno , Schwarz Michael , Daum Irene
Published: January 2011

Vividly remembering the past and imagining the future (mental time travel) seem to rely on common neural substrates and mental time travel impairments in patients with brain lesions seem to encompass both temporal domains. However, because future thinking—or more generally imagining novel events—involves the recombination of stored elements into a new event, it requires additional resources that are not shared by episodic memory. We aimed to demonstrate this asymmetry in an event generation task administered to two patients with lesions in the medial dorsal thalamus. Because of the dense connection with pFC, this nucleus of the thalamus is implicated in executive aspects of memory (strategic retrieval), which are presumably more important for future thinking than for episodic memory. Compared with groups of healthy matched control participants, both patients could only produce novel events with extensive help of the experimenter (prompting) in the absence of episodic memory problems. Impairments were most pronounced for imagining personal fictitious and impersonal events. More precisely, the patients' descriptions of novel events lacked content and spatio-temporal relations. The observed impairment is unlikely to trace back to disturbances in self-projection, scene construction, or time concept and could be explained by a recombination deficit. Thus, although memory and the imagination of novel events are tightly linked, they also partly rely on different processes.
Brain Dynamics Sustaining Rapid Rule Extraction from Speech
Authors: de Diego-Balaguer Ruth , Fuentemilla Lluis , Rodriguez-Fornells Antoni
Published: January 2011

Language acquisition is a complex process that requires the synergic involvement of different cognitive functions, which include extracting and storing the words of the language and their embedded rules for progressive acquisition of grammatical information. As has been shown in other fields that study learning processes, synchronization mechanisms between neuronal assemblies might have a key role during language learning. In particular, studying these dynamics may help uncover whether different oscillatory patterns sustain more item-based learning of words and rule-based learning from speech input. Therefore, we tracked the modulation of oscillatory neural activity during the initial exposure to an artificial language, which contained embedded rules. We analyzed both spectral power variations, as a measure of local neuronal ensemble synchronization, as well as phase coherence patterns, as an index of the long-range coordination of these local groups of neurons. Synchronized activity in the gamma band (20–40 Hz), previously reported to be related to the engagement of selective attention, showed a clear dissociation of local power and phase coherence between distant regions. In this frequency range, local synchrony characterized the subjects who were focused on word identification and was accompanied by increased coherence in the theta band (4–8 Hz). Only those subjects who were able to learn the embedded rules showed increased gamma band phase coherence between frontal, temporal, and parietal regions.
Artistic Exploration of the Worlds of Digital Developmental Swarms
Authors: von Mammen Sebastian , Wißmeier Thomas , Wong Joyce , Jacob Christian
Published: January 2011

This paper presents artwork that was inspired by a computational model called Swarm Grammars. In this work, the “liveliness” of swarms is combined with the generative capabilities of more established developmental representations. Three of the authors followed their individual artistic approaches to explore the creativity and dynamics of Swarm Grammar structures. One chose to breed structures interactively to compose virtual spaces. The second explores the movement and construction dynamics of interactive swarms. The third artist translated developmental processes of Swarm Grammars into interactions of paint particles driven by friction and gravity.
Quantum Sculpture: Art Inspired by the Deeper Nature of Reality
Authors: Voss-Andreae Julian
Published: January 2011

The author, a sculptor with a background in physics, describes sculptures he creates inspired by quantum physics. He argues that art such as the presented sculptures can indicate aspects of reality that science cannot and therefore has the potential to help liberate us from the deep impact the paradigm of classical physics continues to have on our every perception of reality.
Digital Design of Molecular Sculptures and Abstractions
Authors: Meyer Edgar F.
Published: January 2011

While tactile models have been used to describe molecular structures for over a century, the sculpting of structural models is a recent phenomenon. Following X-ray coordinate selection, the author uses modeling software and a computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling machine to create precisely scaled, tactile molecular sculptures. The challenge is to inspire the general public to appreciate the aesthetic aspects of molecular architecture and to reveal the magnificence of nature on the molecular scale.
Yeast Biopaintings: Biofilms as an Artistic Instrument
Authors: Noronha Patrícia
Published: January 2011

The author works with microorganisms that produce colored natural pigments to create biopaintings that result from the manipulation of organisms and their specific interactions. The author's biopaintings were obtained by controlling the growth of yeast cells on paper, ensuring the stability of the final results. These biopaintings resulted from the artist's observation and experimentation with evolving patterns of yeast biofilms. The often-unexpected results are part of the creative process and suggest new artistic methodologies to be explored. An overview of the aesthetic manipulation of microorganisms by other artists is briefly presented.
Climate Bubbles: Games to Monitor Urban Climate
Authors: Hemment Drew , Buontempo Carlo , Dennen Alfie
Published: January 2011

Climate Bubbles was a playful, participatory mass observation project on local climate. Bubble blowing games were devised to enable people across the city of Manchester to test air flow circulation and, by sharing the results online, enabled the Met Office to create a snapshot of the effect the Urban Heat Island has on wind.
Biotagging Manchester: Interdisciplinary Exploration of Biodiversity
Authors: Nold Christian , Tweddle John , Ellis Rebecca , Hemment Drew , Wynne Brian
Published: January 2011

Biotagging used audio-visual equipment to engage a range of individuals in ‘tagging’ plants and animals with specific and local meaning to them. This was an experiment in subverting conventional approaches to biodiversity monitoring with the aim of expanding ideas of both biodiversity and citizen science.
100 Years of Climate Change: A Night-Time Audio Walk
Authors: Hemment Drew , El-Sherbini Yara , Buontempo Carlo , Tweddle John
Published: January 2011

100 Years of Climate Change is an artwork inspired by the insight that we might experience 100 years of climate change by taking a short walk of 100 metres. Investigation of the local impacts of the Urban Heat Island effect culminated in a night-time audio walk to open up awareness of the urban climate.
Three Colors: Coomassie Brilliant Blue, Sudan I and Somalia Yellow
Authors: Foster Chris
Published: January 2011

By taking the lab into the studio, the artist describes in this article the first use of industrial chemical dyes with his paintings or dye-paintings. A brief explanation of this technique in art and the production process is given, together with a short introduction and history on chemical dyes, their toxicity and pigments.
A Systems Basis for New Media Pedagogy
Authors: Jones Stephen
Published: January 2011

The relations that operate dynamically within artmaking systems need to be elucidated when teaching new media either as practice or as history. Toward that end the author proposes an extended conceptual structure of cybernetics that includes the motivations within a system and its coherence.
Categorisation of New Classes of Digital Interaction
Authors: Woo Tack , Wohn Kwangyun , Johnson Nigel
Published: January 2011

This article introduces a new concept, digital interactivity, through examining local digital culture; and video game culture is employed as a metaphor to interpret local digital culture. As a result, ‘control-’ and ‘communication’-based interaction are initiated, based on ‘user to media’ relationships. Based on the degree of physical interaction, ‘liminal’ and ‘transitive’ interactions are initiated. Less physical digital interaction is described as ‘liminal’ interaction and more physical digital interaction is described as ‘transitive’ interaction. These new classes of digital interaction can be applied to real-world examples, such as digital interactive installation artworks and video games.
Multiple-Time Installation
Authors: Mandelbrojt Jacques
Published: January 2011

The author has for several years been making paintings with an elongated format which he calls time-paintings, as well as a series of paintings; called space-time paintings. In this note the author describes his projects of multiple-time installations which combine these two concepts.
Public Theology in the South African Context
Authors: de Villiers Etienne
Published: January 2011

The objective of this article is to help the non-South African reader to better situate and understand the contributions included in this issue of the journal. A sketch of the challenges public theology faces regarding its role and the role of churches in the democratic South Africa is provided. Attention is also given to the debate on public theology as such and the different notions of public theologians prevalent in the South African context. Lastly, a brief sketch of the most important public theology institutions and initiatives in South Africa is provided.
Against the Grain: Responsible Public Theology in a Global Era
Authors: Cochrane James R.
Published: January 2011

In commenting on William Storrar’s distinction between theologies of public anger (liberation theologies) and theologies that reflect public spirit, the latter being for him more properly understood as public theologies, this article considers the roots of critical theology in South Africa. The former are neither homogeneous nor as distinct from post-apartheid public theologies as Storrar’s formulation might suggest. Thus this article argues for rethinking what seems too narrow a view on what constitutes public theology, an argument against the grain starting from theologies against the grain. To make the argument clear, the article considers the global order within which the liberated state now sits, and proposes that three key issues place the greatest demands on a responsible contemporary public theology today: a revised view of human being; the ordering of society in the polis; and the management of the well-being of the (global) household, that is, the international economy—all in relation to the contemporary erosion of the public sphere proper.
A Public Theology for Intimate Spaces
Authors: Landman Christina
Published: January 2011

This article explores public theology as a means of making public the needs of the voiceless, here with a focus on harm suffered in intimate spaces. The plight of farm labourers living on commercial farms in the Hoedspruit area in north-east South Africa is presented as a case study. In spite of national laws regulating domestic relationships, farm workers are vulnerable to HIV infection and domestic violence, in part because of religious discourses that impose hierarchical relationships on men and women and rob the individual of ownership over his or her own body. The reworking of harmful religious discourses into healthy practices is presented in this article as a set of tenets of a public theology that would bring healing and safety to people who, at present voicelessly, suffer violence in intimate spaces, in a country where cultural and religious taboos prevent clear information on this subject from entering the public arena.
Reflections and Resources
Authors: Maluleke Tinyiko Sam
Published: January 2011

Originally written as a response to the first of two papers presented by William Storrar at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, this article presents a critical response to public theology from a post-colonial perspective. It contends that public theology is trapped in an attempt to universalize concepts, similar to earlier forms of theology, and does not take developing world theologies seriously. It is post-coloniality, rather than postmodernity, that this article claims is of importance to South African society. The idea that public theology can address the anger in South African society, without a theory of resistance as found in liberation theologies, is challenged.
‘All Women are Guides’: Sufi Leadership and Womanhood among Taalibe Baay in Senegal
Authors: Hill Joseph
Published: January 2011

In Sufi Islamic groups in West Africa, the position of muqaddam, one appointed as a spiritual guide, is usually held by men. Although Senegalese Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (1900-1975) appointed many Senegalese women as muqaddams throughout his life, few of his disciples were aware of these appointments. Since the 1990s a growing number of ‘Taalibe Baay’ (disciples of Niasse) women have more openly led active communities of disciples. Several factors have made it possible for these women to act uncontroversially as recognized leaders, including (1) Baye Niasse’s popularization of mystical knowledge and authority, making them available to the general body of disciples, (2) the urbanization of the Taalibe Baay movement and (3) global and local processes raising Muslim women’s visibility as objects of discourse and as active religious and economic actors. While these women sometimes draw on global discourses of gender equality, to a much larger extent they base their religious authority on embodying and performing the interiority and submissiveness conventionally associated with pious women.
Translating the Fifohazana (Awakening): The Politics of Healing and the Colonial Mission Legacy in African Christian Missionization
Authors: Halvorson Britt
Published: January 2011

This essay focuses on the evangelism of charismatic American Lutheran churches in Minneapolis/St. Paul by Merina Malagasy Lutheran pastors affiliated with the Fifohazana movement of Madagascar. By analyzing healing services led by one Malagasy revivalist, I argue that we may better understand how American Lutherans and Malagasy Lutherans are renegotiating the meaning of global Lutheranism while ‘reenchanting’ the body as a central interface of religious engagement. My main concern is to investigate how parallel framings of the healing services constitute a subtle traffic in representational forms that rework images of the global church.
The Fluidity of Human Capital: Theorizing the Relationship between Religion and Immigration
Authors: Norman Jon
Published: January 2011

Researchers have commented on recent shifts in immigration in the United States, focusing primarily on either how well new immigrants integrate into the American economy or how poorly they integrate into American culture. In general, scholars have tended to ignore the dynamic relationship between immigrants’ cultural belief systems and their integration into the United States’ economy. In this paper, I begin to develop a theoretical map that links these two areas by focusing on the interrelationship of cultural beliefs and socioeconomic conditions of immigrants. I concentrate on religion as a cultural phenomenon that both constrains and enables systems of social relations, specifically examining recent Jewish and Muslim immigrants in the United States. I consider theories proposed by Bourdieu and Wallerstein for understanding religion and immigration, and then discuss ways in which this area might be further investigated.
Contending With Stereotype Threat at Work: A Model of Long-Term Responses 1Ψ7
Authors: Block Caryn J. , Koch Sandy M. , Liberman Benjamin E. , Merriweather Tarani J. , Roberson Loriann
Published: January 2011

Women and people of color are still underrepresented in many occupational roles. Being in a situation where one is underrepresented, and thus in the demographic minority, has been shown to be a factor leading to the experience of stereotype threat—the expectation that one will be judged or perceived on the basis of social identity group membership rather than actual performance and potential. Although numerous laboratory studies have documented the negative impact of stereotype threat on short-term task performance, its effects in applied contexts, such as work settings, remain unexplored. Utilizing theories from the social, organizational, and counseling psychology literatures, the authors propose a conceptual model of long-term responses to stereotype threat in the workplace. The authors posit a framework of possible responses to stereotype threat that include fending off the stereotype, discouraged by the stereotype, and resilient to the stereotype. Within each response set, there are numerous strategies that an individual can employ, with varying benefits and consequences. The authors conclude the article by suggesting an agenda for future research and discussing the implications of the model for understanding stereotype threat in the workplace.
Providing Effective Early Intervention Vocational Rehabilitation at the Community Level
Authors: Allaire Saralynn J. , Niu Jingbo , Zhu Yanyan , Brett Belle
Published: January 2011

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the translation of positive research findings about a job retention intervention for persons with chronic illnesses to rehabilitation practice. A program to provide the intervention was developed and marketed in the community. Fifty-seven consumers with chronic illnesses received the intervention provided by five rehabilitation counselors. Follow-up data were collected from consumers and counselors. Marketing data indicated that advertising the program through health voluntary organizations was most successful. Follow-up data indicated that modifications to the intervention were needed, including increased individualization and additional telephone contact at 6 months post intervention. Short-term outcomes evaluated in this study showed that consumer participants experienced significant improvement in awareness and confidence in ability to manage health-related work problems and took actions recommended by the counselors. The results indicate that the job retention intervention shown to be efficacious in a randomized trial can be effective when carried out in practice at the community level.
The Power of the Site: Support for Professionalism in a School–College Collaborative Program
Authors: Carter Hazel M.
Published: January 2011

This article demonstrates how a well-designed and collaboratively supported program engages school faculty in improving at-risk student retention and transition to college. Using the “power of the site” principle, the program designers envisioned a very different high school culture that focuses on a collaborative and supportive relationship between a college and a high school, reducing the attrition rate of at-risk students and introducing them to the values of higher education. It is useful to educational leaders who are looking to engage school faculty in innovative programs and investigate the impact school—college collaborative programs have on the faculty involved.
Centering Love, Hope, and Trust in the Community
Authors: Miller Peter M. , Brown Tanya , Hopson Rodney
Published: January 2011

In this article, we suggest that communities must explore alternative leadership ideologies, actors, and venues to make meaningful academic and social improvements in our cities. We examine how themes from Paulo Freire’s critical ideology can help expand our conceptualizations of educational leadership and facilitate pragmatic responses to complex urban dilemmas. To illustrate our claims, we provide two case examples of urban educational leadership that is guided by Freirean dialogical tenets of love, faith, humility, hope, critical thinking, and solidarity.
Caste in the Census
Authors: Omvedt Gail
Published: January 2011

Because the census originally took up caste questions during the colonial period, the idea that such classifying and categorising was used for the purpose of domination took hold. In independent India there was a refusal to use caste in the census. This did not in any case lead to any lessening of caste divisions and conflicts; atrocities on dalits have continued; new life seems to be coming in the brutal traditionalism of many khap panchayats. The caste structure is being transformed in an era of globalisation, but survives in changing form. However, for purposes of understanding a complex social structure of inequality in order to transform it and formulate policies that will eventually annihilate caste, it is necessary to gather information, and the census is the best means for that. The method should be self-identification: there can be a simple question and people can respond (if they don’t admit to caste they can say ‘none’ or ‘Indian’ or ‘mixed’). The record of mixed (from mixed marriages) will also be useful in monitoring the decline of casteism.
Towards the Development of a Responsive, Social Science-informed, Critical Public Health Framework on Male Interpersonal Violence
Authors: Ratele Kopano , Suffla Shahnaaz , Lazarus Sandy , van Niekerk Ashley
Published: January 2011

Emerging out of a larger study whose main focus was to identify the risk and protective factors in male interpersonal violence, and based on analysis of local and global empirical and theoretical literature, the main aim of this article is to develop a conceptual foundation for understanding and preventing male interpersonal violence in South Africa within the context of responsive local manifestation and dynamics of male violence. The conceptual foundation developed has been informed by both public health and social science perspectives. The impetus for the development of a conceptual foundation is not only the scale of the problem of violence in the country but, more importantly, the urgent need for a theoretically sound, locally-grounded and better-integrated understanding of male interpersonal violence and violence generally. The article describes violence in a global context before turning to violence in South Africa. Then it briefly looks at different theoretical approaches on violence before focusing on the public health approach to violence generally, and male interpersonal violence more specifically. Next it describes the ecological framework, given that this perspective tends to accompany the public health studies in violence. A critical appraisal of this approach is then offered. Finally, the article attempts to bring together these disparate perspectives in the process of developing a locally responsive, social science-informed critical public health conceptual framework on male interpersonal violence, drawing on and including a focus on the political, economic and social history of South Africa.
Collective Action for Sustainable Forestry
Authors: Rout Satyapriya
Published: January 2011

The article examines the efforts for collective action of ten village communities in the state of Orissa to manage their local forest resources from an institutional perspective. It explores the differential levels of success in the collective action efforts of these communities, and the role of local level community institution therein, for ensuring sustainable resource use and management. The article concludes that only presence or absence of the institution is not always sufficient for sustainable resource management outcomes, despite being a necessary condition for it. The existing institution must be a robust one with strong rules for resource appropriation and good monitoring system. Institutional arrangements for sustainable resource management at the community level must be understood as a dynamic process, which involve a continuous interaction among the community members and the designed institution. The institution formulates the rules and expects the community members to comply such rules. The rule formation should necessarily be backed by a strong and efficient monitoring system to ensure that rules are complied, and accordingly the institution can accord positive incentive in the form of rewards to those who show conformity to rules and negative incentive through punishment to those who violate them. The institutional arrangements without such a strong monitoring system fail to restrict free-ride and hence, could not establish a well-defined property right regime over the resource, which is very much essential for ensuring successful collective action.