bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Racemic crystallography of synthetic protein enantiomers used to determine the X‐ray structure of plectasin by direct methods
Authors: Mandal Kalyaneswar , Pentelute Brad L. , Tereshko Valentina , Thammavongsa Vilasak , Schneewind Olaf , Kossiakoff Anthony A. , Kent Stephen B. H.
Published: April 2009

We describe the use of racemic crystallography to determine the X‐ray structure of the natural product plectasin, a potent antimicrobial protein recently isolated from fungus. The protein enantiomers L‐plectasin and D‐plectasin were prepared by total chemical synthesis; interestingly, L‐plectasin showed the expected antimicrobial activity, while D‐plectasin was devoid of such activity. The mirror image proteins were then used for racemic crystallization. Synchrotron X‐ray diffraction data were collected to atomic resolution from a racemic plectasin crystal; the racemate crystallized in the achiral centrosymmetric space group P1 with one L‐plectasin molecule and one D‐plectasin molecule forming the unit cell. Dimer‐like intermolecular interactions between the protein enantiomers were observed, which may account for the observed extremely low solvent content (13%–15%) and more highly ordered nature of the racemic crystals. The structure of the plectasin molecule was well defined for all 40 amino acids and was generally similar to the previously determined NMR structure, suggesting minimal impact of the crystal packing on the plectasin conformation.
Advances in self‐assembled SiGe islands and nanostructures
Authors: Baribeau J.‐M. , Wu X.
Published: April 2009

We review aspects in the growth and characterization of Si1–xGex islands and Ge dots on (001) Si. We discuss the mechanisms that lead to dot formation and their shape evolution with Ge coverage. We discuss recent progress in the determination of their composition and strain. We review various approaches currently being investigated to engineer Si1–xGex quantum dots and in particular control their size, density and spatial distribution. For example, we show how C pre‐deposition on Si (001) can influence nucleation and growth of Ge islands. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Photoluminescence of core‐shell CdSe/ZnS quantum dots of different sizes
Authors: Torchynska T. V. , Douda J. , Sierra R. Peña
Published: April 2009

This paper presents the results of peculiarity analysis in PL spectra of CdSe/ZnS QDs of different sizes. Commercially available CdSe/ZnS core/shell QDs characterized by emission at 525 nm (2.36 eV), 560 nm (2.22 eV), 605 nm (2.05 eV) and 640 nm (1.94 eV) have been studied. PL spectra were measured at excitation by a He‐Cd laser with the light wavelength of 325 nm at the temperatures 10 and 300K. PL spectra of different size QDs can be presented as a superposition of 3 elementary PL bands: (i) PL band deals with ground state exciton emission in a CdSe core and (ii) two PL bands (2.37 and 2.68 eV) assigned to the electron‐hole recombination via interface defects. The spectral positions of defect‐related PL bands did not change versus temperature or QD size. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Microscopic local bonding and optically‐induced switching for Ge2Sb2Te5 alloys: A tale of four pseudo‐binary and three binary tie‐lines in Ge‐Sb‐Te phase field
Authors: Lucovsky G. , Baker D. A. , Washington J. P. , Paesler M. A.
Published: April 2009

Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST‐225) has emerged as an active medium for applications in reversible, ReWritable (RW) optical memory discs. Many studies have focused on the properties of this alloy, relative to the other GST compositions on tie‐lines in the Ge‐Sb‐Te ternary phase field; (i) Sb2Te to GeTe2: (ii) Sb2Te3: to GeTe; (iii) GeSb to Te: and (iv) the truncated tie‐line from GST‐124 to Sb. This article focuses instead on the binary atomic join‐lines, Te‐Ge, Ge‐Sb and Sb‐Te, that comprise the perimeter of the Ge‐Sb‐Te ternary diagram. Three eutectic compositions, one on each perimeter segment: (i) Ge12Sb88; (ii) Te25Sb75; and (iii) Ge17Te83 have been identified. Focussing on the significance of these eutectic compositions, and (i) building on previous publications from our group, and (ii) relying on two recently published articles, a new model for the RW properties of GST‐22T has been proposed. Finally comparisons are made between GST and AIST RW films. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Phosphorylated serine and threonine residues promote site‐specific fragmentation of singly charged, arginine‐containing peptide ions
Authors: Gehrig Peter Max , Roschitzki Bernd , Rutishauser Dorothea , Reiland Sonja , Schlapbach Ralph
Published: April 2009

In order to investigate gas‐phase fragmentation reactions of phosphorylated peptide ions, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass (MS/MS) spectra were recorded from synthetic phosphopeptides and from phosphopeptides isolated from natural sources. MALDI‐TOF/TOF (TOF: time‐of‐flight) spectra of synthetic arginine‐containing phosphopeptides revealed a significant increase of y ions resulting from bond cleavages on the C‐terminal side of phosphothreonine or phosphoserine. The same effect was found in ESI‐MS/MS spectra recorded from the singly charged but not from the doubly charged ions of these phosphopeptides. ESI‐MS/MS spectra of doubly charged phosphopeptides containing two arginine residues support the following general fragmentation rule: Increased amide bond cleavage on the C‐terminal side of phosphorylated serines or threonines mainly occurs in peptide ions which do not contain mobile protons. In MALDI‐TOF/TOF spectra of phosphopeptides displaying N‐terminal fragment ions, abundant b–H3PO4 ions resulting from the enhanced dissociation of the pSer/pThr–X bond were detected (X denotes amino acids). Cleavages at phosphoamino acids were found to be particularly predominant in spectra of phosphopeptides containing pSer/pThr–Pro bonds. A quantitative evaluation of a larger set of MALDI‐TOF/TOF spectra recorded from phosphopeptides indicated that phosphoserine residues in arginine‐containing peptides increase the signal intensities of the respective y ions by almost a factor of 3. A less pronounced cleavage‐enhancing effect was observed in some lysine‐containing phosphopeptides without arginine. The proposed peptide fragmentation pathways involve a nucleophilic attack by phosphate oxygen on the carbon center of the peptide backbone amide, which eventually leads to cleavage of the amide bond. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of imatinib metabolites in rat and human liver microsomes: differentiation of hydroxylation fromN‐oxidation by liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Ma Shuguang , Xu Yang , Shou Magang
Published: April 2009

In vitrometabolism of imatinib was investigated in rat and human liver microsomes. Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry (MS) was applied in differentiating hydroxyl metabolites fromN‐oxides of imatinib becauseN‐oxides are known to undergo deoxygenation during APCI. In addition, the major oxidative metabolite (M9,N‐oxidation on the piperazine ring) was observed to undergo in‐source fragmentation by elimination of formaldehyde. This fragment ion resulted from Meisenheimer rearrangement with migration of theN‐methyl group to the correspondingN‐methoxyl piperazine, followed by elimination of formaldehyde due to thermal energy activation at the vaporizer of APCI source. The presence of this fragment ion distinguished not onlyN‐oxide from isomeric hydroxylated metabolite, but also unambiguously indicated that oxidation occurred on theN‐4 of the piperazine ring where the methyl group was attached. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Systems analysis of bone
Authors: Jepsen Karl J.
Published: April 2009

The genetic variants contributing to variability in skeletal traits have been well studied, and several hundred quantitative trait loci (QTLs) have been mapped and several genes contributing to trait variation have been identified. However, many questions remain unanswered. In particular, it is unclear whether variation in a single gene leads to alterations in function. Bone is a highly adaptive system and genetic variants affecting one trait are often accompanied by compensatory changes in other traits. The functional interactions among traits, which is known as phenotypic integration, has been observed in many biological systems, including bone. Phenotypic integration is a property of bone that is critically important for establishing a mechanically functional structure that is capable of supporting the forces imparted during daily activities. In this paper, bone is reviewed as a system and primarily in the context of functionality. A better understanding of the system properties of bone will lead to novel targets for future genetic analyses and the identification of genes that are directly responsible for regulating bone strength. This systems analysis has the added benefit of leaving a trail of valuable information about how the skeletal system works. This information will provide novel approaches to assessing skeletal health during growth and aging and for developing novel treatment strategies to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with fragility fractures. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Physiology > Mammalian Physiology in Health and Disease
Challenges of Evaluating Multilevel Interventions
Authors: Nastasi Bonnie K. , Hitchcock John
Published: April 2009

This article uses the Comprehensive Mixed‐Methods Participatory Evaluation (CMMPE; Nastasi and Hitchcock Transforming school mental health services: Population‐based approaches to promoting the competency and wellness of children, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press with National Association of School Psychologists 2008; Nastasi et al. School‐based mental health services: creating comprehensive and culturally specific programs. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association 2004) model as a framework for addressing the multiplicity of evaluation decisions and complex nature of questions related to program success in multilevel interventions. CMMPE defines program success in terms of acceptability, integrity, social or cultural validity, outcomes (impact), sustainability and institutionalization, thus broadening the traditional notions of program outcomes. The authors use CMMPE and an example of a community‐based multilevel sexual risk prevention program with multiple outcomes to discuss challenges of evaluating multilevel interventions. The sexual risk program exemplifies what Schensul and Tricket (this issue) characterize as multilevel intervention–multilevel evaluation (M–M), with both intervention and evaluation at community, health practitioner, and patient levels. The illustration provides the context for considering several challenges related to M–M designs: feasibility of randomized controlled trials within community‐based multilevel intervention; acceptability and social or cultural validity of evaluation procedures; implementer, recipient, and contextual variations in program success; interactions among levels of the intervention; unanticipated changes or conditions; multiple indicators of program success; engaging multiple stakeholders in a participatory process; and evaluating sustainability and institutionalization. The complexity of multilevel intervention and evaluation designs challenges traditional notions of evaluation research and experimental designs. Overcoming these challenges is critical to effective translation of research to practice in psychology and related disciplines.
Parental Perceptions in Pediatric Cardiac Fast‐Track Surgery
Authors: Jawahar Kaanthan , Scarisbrick Angela Antonia
Published: April 2009

This project investigated parents' and caregivers' perceptions of the fast‐track surgery process with regard to their child's surgical procedure and hospital stay. The goal of this project was to review and improve the fast‐track process.

Participants were parents/caregivers of pediatric patients (ie, younger than 18 years) who had undergone a low‐complexity cardiac surgical procedure on a fast‐track basis at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, United Kingdom, between January 2006 and January 2008.

Findings suggest that parents/caregivers overestimate the time it takes for several key milestones in the fast‐track process to occur and that there is a need for preoperative and preadmission education that will allow parents/caregivers to be more involved in their child's care. AORN J 89 (April 2009) 725–731. © AORN, Inc, 2009.
The Electronic Medical Record in the Surgical Setting
Authors: Roeder Jacqueline A.
Published: April 2009

The electronic medical record (EMR) has been used in Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities since the mid 1980s.

Health care reform is a top priority in the United States, and the adoption of a standardized EMR is a major component and cost‐saving tool. From scheduling patients for surgical procedures to provider documentation and production of vital reports for the local facility and the National Veterans Health Administration office, the EMR is successful with less clinical overhead.

Use of the EMR reduces redundant tests, medical errors, and improves hand‐off communications. AORN J 89 (April 2009) 677–686. © AORN, Inc, 2009.
Lateral Violence in the Perioperative Setting
Authors: Bigony Lorraine , Lipke Tammy G. , Lundberg Ashley , McGraw Carrie A. , Pagac Gretchen L. , Rogers Anne
Published: April 2009

Lateral violence is disruptive, bullying, intimidating, or unsettling behavior that occurs between nurses in the workplace.

The perioperative setting fosters lateral violence because of the inherent stress of performing surgery; high patient acuity; a shortage of experienced personnel; work demands; and the restriction and isolation of the OR, which allows negative behaviors to be concealed more easily.

Lateral violence affects nurses' health and well‐being and their ability to care for patients. Interventions to reduce lateral violence include empowerment of staff members and zero tolerance for lateral violence. AORN J 89 (April 2009) 688–696. © AORN, Inc, 2009.
Cortical processing of mechanical hyperalgesia: A MEG study
Authors: Maihöfner Christian , Jesberger Florian , Seifert Frank , Kaltenhäuser Martin
Published: April 2009

Mechanical hyperalgesia may develop following tissue inflammation or nerve injury. Basically, peripheral sensitization leads to primary hyperalgesia at the site of injury, whereas secondary hyperalgesia occurs in the surrounding tissue and results from central sensitization. The present study focuses on the cerebral processing of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia. Primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices and posterior parietal cortex (PPC) are thought to be involved in cerebral processing of noxious mechanical stimuli. However, their response pattern in the presence of mechanical hyperalgesia remains to be elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the cortical processing of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia using magnetoencephalography (MEG). In 12 healthy subjects mechanoinsensitive c‐nociceptors were repetitively stimulated using transcutaneously applied high‐current electrical stimulation. This procedure resulted in stable areas of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia. Pin‐prick stimuli were applied inside and outside the hyperalgesic area. The corresponding cortical activations were detected and quantified using MEG. We found pin‐prick‐induced sequential activation of contralateral S1, PPC and S2 as well as activation of ipsilateral S2 during both pin‐prick hyperalgesia and normal pin‐prick pain. During pin‐prick hyperalgesia significantly higher activation was detected in contralateral PPC and bilateral S2 but not in S1 compared to normal pin‐prick pain. In contrast to PPC, we found a significant correlation between increases of magnetic field strengths within bilateral S2 with the increase of pain ratings during pin‐prick hyperalgesia. We conclude that the S2 cortex may be involved for the processing of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia in the human brain. PPC activation may reflect higher attentional processing during mechanical hyperalgesia.
Acceptability and feasibility of medical abortion in Nepal
Authors: Karki Chanda , Pokharel Hanoon , Kushwaha Anu , Manandhar Durga , Bracken Hillary , Winikoff Beverly
Published: April 2009

Objective

To test the feasibility and acceptability of a simplified mifepristone–misoprostol regimen for early abortion in 2 tertiary teaching hospitals and 2 family planning clinics in Nepal.

Methods

Consenting pregnant women (n = 400) with amenorrhea of 56 days or less seeking termination of pregnancy received 200 mg of oral mifepristone followed 48 hours later with 400 µg of oral misoprostol, administered either at home or at the clinic. Prospective data were collected to determine the women's experience, abortion outcome, and the operational requirements for providing the method.

Results

Most (91.3%) of the 367 women with known outcomes had successful medical abortions. Given the option, most (89.7%) women elected to administer the misoprostol at home.

Conclusion

A simplified medical abortion protocol, including home administration of misoprostol, can be successfully integrated into clinical services in Nepal, where abortion services were recently legalized.
Holocene evolution of a drowned melt-water valley in the Danish Wadden Sea
Authors: Pedersen Jørn B.T. , Svinth Steffen , Bartholdy Jesper
Published: April 2009

Cores from the salt marshes along the drowned melt-water valley of river Varde Å in the Danish Wadden Sea have been dated and analysed (litho- and biostratigraphically) to reconstruct the Holocene geomorphologic evolution and relative sea level history of the area. The analysed cores cover the total post-glacial transgression, and the reconstructed sea level curve represents the first unbroken curve of this kind from the Danish Wadden Sea, including all phases from the time where sea level first reached the Pleistocene substrate of the area. The sea level has been rising from − 12 m below the present level at c. 8400 cal yr BP, interrupted by two minor drops of < 0.5 m at c. 5500 cal yr BP and 1200 cal yr BP, and one major drop of ∼ 1.5 m at c. 3300 cal yr BP. Sediment deposition has been able to keep pace with sea level rise, and the Holocene sequence consists in most places of clay atop a basal peat unit overlying sand of Weichselian age and glacio-fluvial origin. In its deepest part, the basal peat started to form around 8400 cal yr BP, and reached a thickness of up to 3.5 m. This thickness is about half of the original, when corrected for auto-compaction. The superimposed clay contains small (63–355 μm) red iron stains in the top and bottom units, and foraminifers of the calcareous type in the middle. The fact that iron stains and foraminifers in no cases coexist, but always exclude each other is interpreted as a result of the difference between salt-marsh facies (iron stains) and tidal-flat facies (foraminifers). This represents a novel and easy way to distinguish between these two otherwise often undistinguishable sedimentary facies in the geological record.
The Contextual Determinants of Whites’ Racial Attitudes in England
Authors: Bowyer Benjamin T.
Published: April 2009

How do majority group members in emerging multicultural and multiracial societies respond to the experience of living amidst ethnic diversity? Recent public opinion surveys are analysed to assess the contextual determinants of English whites’ opinions towards ethnic minorities and immigrants. Multilevel analyses reveal that whites’ racial hostility is affected by local ethnic context; however, the direction of this effect depends on which ethnic minority groups reside in the area. Consistent with the contact hypothesis, whites who live in neighbourhoods with relatively large black populations display lower levels of racial hostility than respondents with few black neighbours. However, in line with racial threat theory, residential proximity to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis is associated with more negative attitudes towards ethnic minorities.
An Austrian Solution for Canada? Problems and Possibilities of National Cultural Autonomy
Authors: Nieguth Tim
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Over the last few decades, non-territorial forms of national self-government have attracted increasing interest in political science, especially in the guise of national cultural autonomy. National cultural autonomy is a model of self-government that was pioneered by Austrian theorists and politicians Karl Renner and Otto Bauer in the waning days of the Habsburg Empire, yet was never implemented in Austria–Hungary. This paper will examine some of the problems and possibilities that may attend a transfer of national cultural autonomy as a model of self-government into Canadian political discourse, especially as regards Quebec nationalism, Francophone communities outside Quebec, Anglophone Quebecers, self-government for Aboriginal peoples, and political values in English-speaking Canada.

Résumé. Au cours des dernières décennies, les formes non territoriales d'autonomie gouvernementale nationale ont fait l'objet d'un intérêt croissant en science politique, en particulier le concept de l'autonomie culturelle nationale. L'autonomie culturelle nationale est un modèle autonomiste développé par les théoriciens et politiciens autrichiens Karl Renner et Otto Bauer lors du déclin de l'Empire habsbourgeois, mais qui ne fut jamais mis en place dans l'Empire austro-hongrois. Cet article examinera quelques-uns des problèmes et quelques-unes des possibilités qui pourraient émerger d'un transfert de ce modèle dans le discours politique canadien sur l'autonomie gouvernementale, en particulier en ce qui a trait au nationalisme québécois, aux communautés francophones situées à l'extérieur du Québec, aux Québécois anglophones, à l'autonomie gouvernementale des peuples autochtones et aux valeurs politiques du Canada anglais.
Religious Affinities and International Intervention in Ethnic Conflicts in the Middle East and Beyond
Authors: Fox Jonathan , James Patrick , Li Yitan
Published: April 2009

Abstract.This study asks questions that are important for both theory and policy: Do ethnoreligious minorities attract more intervention than other ethnic minorities? Do Middle Eastern and Islamic ethnic minorities attract more international intervention than ethnic minorities living elsewhere, and if so, why? The Minorities at Risk database, which contains information on intervention in all ethnic conflicts between 1990 and 1995, is used to answer these questions. The findings show that Middle Eastern and Islamic minorities do, in fact, attract more international intervention than other minorities. This is due to a larger pattern where states, especially Islamic ones, rarely intervene on behalf of ethnic minorities with which they share no religious affinities. The results also show that ethnoreligious minorities are more likely to attract political intervention than other ethnic minorities. These results confirm the importance of religious affinities in spite of a general disposition in the field of international relations to minimize their effects.

Résumé.Cette étude répond à des questions d'importance théorique et pratique. Est-ce que les minorités ethnoreligieuses attirent plus d'interventions internationales que les autres types de minorités? Est-ce que les minorités ethniques islamiques et du Moyen-Orient attirent plus d'interventions internationales que les minorités ethniques d'ailleurs et si oui, pour quelle raison? La banque de données du programmeMinorities at Risk, qui répertorie les interventions dans tous les conflits ethniques survenus entre 1990 et 1995, est outillée pour répondre à ces questions. Les résultats de recherche démontrent que les minorités ethniques islamiques et du Moyen-Orient attirent, en effet, plus d'interventions internationales que les autres minorités. Cela s'explique par le fait que les États, et plus particulièrement les États islamiques, interviennent rarement en faveur des minorités avec lesquelles ils ne partagent aucune affinité religieuse. Les résultats démontrent également que les minorités ethnoreligieuses ont tendance à attirer plus d'interventions étrangères à caractère politique que les autres types de minorités. Les conclusions de recherche confirment donc l'importance que revêt l'affinité religieuse pour les interventions internationales dans les conflits ethniques, à l'encontre de l'opinion générale des experts en relations internationales, qui tendent à minimiser son rôle.
In Search of Brokerage and Responsibility: Party Politics in Manitoba
Authors: Wesley Jared J.
Published: April 2009

Abstract.Many critics describe Canadian political parties as “irresponsible” democratic actors. Viewed largely as “brokerage” organizations, parties are often cited for their failure to provide voters with meaningful alternatives on the ballot. The following analysis challenges these perceptions as they apply to provincial politics—an often-neglected area of party activity in Canada. As a case study of the 2003 Manitoba provincial election, the examination reveals that parties in the province behave more “responsibly” than is commonly assumed by members of the media, academia and the electorate. These findings demand a re-examination of traditional notions of party politics in Canada, with increased attention being devoted to the “supply side” of democracy: the behaviour of the parties themselves.

Résumé.Plusieurs critiques décrivent les partis politiques canadiens comme des acteurs démocratiques «irresponsables». Considérés principalement comme des organisations de «courtage», on leur reproche souvent de ne pas offrir aux électeurs des choix bien différenciés sur le bulletin de vote. L'analyse suivante remet en question cette perception au palier de la politique provinciale – un niveau souvent négligé dans l'examenn des partis au Canada. Cette étude des élections provinciales de 2003 au Manitoba révèle que les partis provinciaux se comportent de manière plus «responsable» que ne le laissent entendre les médias, les milieux académiques et l'électorat. Cette conclusion invite à un réexamen des notions traditionnelles sur les partis politiques au Canada jetant une lumière nouvelle sur«l'aspect offre» de la démocratie : le comportement des partis eux-mêmes.
Réflexions sur la nécessité d'une loi imposant l'analyse comparative entre les sexes au Canada
Authors: Langevin Louise
Published: April 2009

Résumé.LaCharte canadienne des droits et libertésenchâsse le droit à l'égalité pour les femmes. De plus, le Canada est signataire de laConvention sur l'élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l'égard des femmesdepuis 1981. Les Canadiennes sont donc en mesure de s'attendre à ce que le gouvernement fédéral respecte ses engagements à l'égard de l'égalité des femmes dans ses programmes, ses mesures, ses politiques ou ses lois. Pourtant, tel n'est pas toujours le cas. Comme le démontrent les statistiques récentes, les Canadiennes n'ont pas atteint l'égalité réelle. Une analyse des effets des mesures gouvernementales fédérales sur les femmes est rarement menée, malgré l'existence officielle de programmes d'analyse comparative entre les sexes (ACS) depuis 1995. Les mesures volontaires en matière d'ACS ne mènent pas loin. Comment forcer le gouvernement fédéral à respecter ses propres engagements internationaux et constitutionnels envers l'égalité pour les femmes? Après un rappel du sens à donner aux concepts d'égalité et d'analyse comparative entre les sexes (ACS), nous abordons une des conclusions du Rapport du Groupe d'expertes sur les mécanismes de responsabilisation pour l'égalité entre les sexes,L'égalité pour les femmes : au-delà de l'illusion, soit l'adoption d'une loi portant sur l'égalité pour les femmes et imposant de façon systématique l'ACS dans l'appareil gouvernemental fédéral canadien.

Abstract.TheCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedomsprotects women's rights to equality. Canada has also signed theConvention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Womenin 1981. As such, Canadian women have good reason to expect that the federal government will honour its commitments towards women's rights to equality in all its programs, measures, policies and laws. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. As shown by recent statistics, Canadian women have not achieved substantive equality. Gender-based analyses are rarely conducted, in spite of the official existence of the gender-based analysis (GBA) program since 1995. Voluntary measures in GBA do not go far enough. How can the federal government be forced to honour its constitutional and international obligations towards women's equality? After defining the concepts of equality and GBA, this article analyzes one of the recommendations of the Report of the Expert Panel on Accountability Mechanisms for Gender Equality,Equality for Women : Beyond the Illusion, namely the enactment of a law on equality for women, making GBA compulsory in all Canadian federal endeavours.
La question de l'animal politique : une mise en dialogue entre Aristote et Épicure
Authors: Ranger Jean-Philippe
Published: April 2009

Résumé.Dans ce texte, je mets en parallèle l'anthropologie politique d'Aristote et d'Épicure, pour repenser l'opposition moderne entre le communautarisme et la théorie du contrat social. J'établis un dialogue entre ces deux penseurs pour défendre la thèse selon laquelle pour Épicure, l'appartenance à une communauté politique est essentielle au bonheur. En premier lieu je montre que selon Aristote et Épicure, les êtres humains possèdent une capacité politique, car ils sont capables de partager une conception commune de la justice communiquée par le langage. En second lieu, en faisant ressortir le sens aristotélicien de ce qu'est quelque chose «par nature», je montre que l'être humain est aussi, sous l'horizon épicurien, par nature un animal politique.

Abstract.In this text, I confront Aristotle and Epicurus' political anthropology to rethink the modern opposition between communitarian and social contract theories. Contrary to the secondary literature that opposes Aristotle and Epicurus according to the nature-convention controversy, I establish a dialogue between them to show that according to Epicurus, being part of a political community is essential to happiness. First, I show that according to Aristotle and Epicurus, human beings possess a political capacity in that they can share a conception of justice communicated through language. Second, by analysing the Aristotelian meaning of what something is “by nature”, I show that human beings are also, according to Epicurus, by nature political animals.
What Palestinian Girls Want: “Reading” Adolescence in Their Autograph Books
Authors: Hercbergs Dana
Published: April 2009

Autograph books (“memory books”) circulate among adolescent students, who fill their pages with dedications, memories, and wishes for the future. Although related genres like yearbooks and personal websites are replacing them, in East Jerusalem the tradition continues to evolve alongside newer media. In interviews with Palestinian women about the memories evoked by these keepsakes, I delve into the turbulent period of adolescence to explore such issues as friendship, romance, school, and home life. I treat autograph books as records of the changes that have occurred in Palestinian youth culture over the last fifty years and as catalysts for women's reflections about these changes.
Bad Rap for a Neck Scarf?
Authors: Swedenburg Ted
Published: April 2009

Do purple designer kufiyas spell the end of Palestine solidarity?

Kufiyas, especially multicolored ones, started becoming fashionable U.S. urban hipster wear around 2005. They are so trendy, in fact, that W's Meggan Crum called the restyled kufiya featured in French designer Nicholas Ghesquière's fall 2007 Balenciaga fashion line, and worn by Brazilian supermodel Flavia de Oliveira, one of “Fall 2007's Top Ten Accessories.” Meanwhile, over the last couple of years, kufiyas of all colors have been spotted on such celebrities as Mary-Kate Olsen, Kirsten Dunst, Cameron Diaz, Colin Farrell, David Beckham, Justin Timberlake, and even John McCain's daughter Meghan. In spring 2007, Urban Outfitters marketed the kufiya, in several colors, as an “anti-war woven scarf” until protests prompted the cancellation of the line—but not the sale of the item. It is available in the winter 2008 catalog, described now as a “houndstooth scarf.”
African Slaves in 19th-Century Rural Egypt
Authors: Cuno Kenneth M.
Published: April 2009

By all accounts, the population of enslaved Africans in Egypt increased in the 19th century compared to earlier times. An estimated 5,000 African slaves were imported annually during the 1840s and 1850s, and as few as 1,000 in 1860. However, during the cotton boom (1861–64), some 25,000 to 30,000 slaves were brought to Egypt each year to satisfy the demand for labor generated by the rapid expansion of cotton cultivation.
CONFRONTING A CHRISTIAN NEIGHBOR: SUDANESE REPRESENTATIONS OF ETHIOPIA IN THE EARLY MAHDIST PERIOD, 1885–89
Authors: Seri-Hersch Iris
Published: April 2009

This is how Ismaʿil bin ʿAbd al-Qadir, a Mahdist chronicler of late 19th-century Sudan, gave a broad Islamic significance to the defeat of Ethiopian armies by Mahdist forces at al-Qallabat in March 1889. Culminating in the death of Emperor Yohannes IV, the four-year confrontation between Mahdist Sudan and Christian Ethiopia (1885–89) had repercussions that transcended the local setting, reaching far into the intertwined history of Sudan, Ethiopia, and European imperialism in the Nile Valley and Red Sea regions.
VICISSITUDES IN THE ENTENTE BETWEEN THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE STATE IN EGYPT (1952–2007)
Authors: Tadros Mariz
Published: April 2009

Although some contemporary Egyptian studies have broached aspects of the relationship between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the regime, few have examined developments in the political rapport between the two in the last decade. Important studies have touched on the relationship between the state and church during Nasser's regime, the Sadat years, and the early years of the Mubarak regime, up to the first half of the 1990s. However, there is a paucity of literature on the relationship between the Coptic church and the Egyptian state in the past ten years, a lacuna that this study addresses.
MULTICULTURALISM, NATIONALISM, AND THE POLITICS OF THE ISRAELI CITY
Authors: Yacobi Haim , Tzfadia Erez
Published: April 2009

One of the central issues in the study of urban politics today is the fact that many cities have become multicultural arenas. The liberal viewpoint stresses the potential of the city—unlike other spaces—to offer many and equal opportunities for all residents regardless of religion, gender, or ethnic affiliation, but the critical body of knowledge highlights the ways in which the city, although apparently released from the shackles of nation- and state-building projects, continues to reproduce existing power structures and is a stratifying place, maintaining patterns of discrimination, exclusion, and segregation. This tension between the city as an enabling space versus the city as a reinforcer of socionational stratification is at the center of this article.
REGIME LOYALTY AND BĀZĀRĪ REPRESENTATION UNDER THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN: DILEMMAS OF THE SOCIETY OF ISLAMIC COALITION
Authors: Keshavarzian Arang
Published: April 2009

Tracing the political trajectory of the Society of Islamic Coalition Association (SIC) since the Islamic Revolution, this paper explains the party's poor electoral performance and its increasingly apparent divergence from its assumed social base, the bazaar (bāzārī) community. The article argues that SIC organization and behavior are influenced by the experiences of the prerevolutionary era and state institutions of the Islamic republic. SIC's initial position of power was associated with its members' long-standing relations with the founders of the regime. However, this ultimately laid the foundation for its unwillingness and inability to develop an institutionalized party structure with a social base. As a consequence, bāzārīs have increasingly been alienated from the party leadership and unable to represent their group interests in institutional politics. The analytical narrative incorporates insights from institutionalist approaches to authoritarian politics and presents a view of Iranian political history that stresses contingency, fluidity, and pragmatism in political decision making by elites.
CONFRONTING A CHRISTIAN NEIGHBOR: SUDANESE REPRESENTATIONS OF ETHIOPIA IN THE EARLY MAHDIST PERIOD, 1885–89
Authors: Seri-Hersch Iris
Published: April 2009

This article deals with the Sudanese–Ethiopian conflict (1885–89) from a Mahdist perspective, in the wider context of the European scramble for Africa. Focusing on Sudanese representations of Ethiopia as well as on the causes underlying the conflict, I confront a Mahdist chronicle of particular historiographical significance with a range of historical sources. Departing from a purely jihadist framework of analysis, I highlight various Mahdist conceptualizations of Christian Ethiopia as well as historical, political, military, and economic processes conducive to the outbreak of an armed confrontation between the two independent African states. I argue that the Sudanese ruling elite resorted to jihadist discourse as a legitimizing device rather than as an inflexible policy and examine more specific rhetoric instruments meant to justify Mahdist attitudes toward the Christian kingdom. Whereas prophetic visions were used to make the khalifa's Ethiopian policy acceptable to Mahdist eyes, the ambivalent legacy of early Muslim–Aksumite contacts was reactivated in the framework of a dialogue with the Ethiopian enemy.
VICISSITUDES IN THE ENTENTE BETWEEN THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE STATE IN EGYPT (1952–2007)
Authors: Tadros Mariz
Published: April 2009

This paper asserts that in 1952 an entente was forged between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Egyptian government that provided the church with concessions in return for its political allegiance to the regime. The period prior to 1952 also witnessed the Coptic church leadership forging alliances with regimes in power; however, its ability to represent Copts vis-à-vis the state was rivaled by other Coptic voices in civil society such as the Majlis al-Milli. From 1952 on, the inhibition of Copts' voices in civil society increased the church's political power, and it developed into the undisputed voice representing the Coptic community. The relationship between church and state in the past fifty years has been volatile, affected not only by the nature of the relationship between leaders of the church and state but also by the emergence of other important players within and outside these two entities. Strains characteristic of the period leading up to the temporary dissolution of the entente in the 1970s are becoming visible today in the church–state relationship. This paper suggests that the current entente between the church and the state is being stretched to its limit although it is not likely to be dissolved.
MULTICULTURALISM, NATIONALISM, AND THE POLITICS OF THE ISRAELI CITY
Authors: Yacobi Haim , Tzfadia Erez
Published: April 2009

This article examines the prospect of urban multiculturalism in the Israeli city of Ashdod against the intricate metrics of modernism and ethnonationalism. This prospect is sometimes endorsed by the city's leaders, but at the same time it answers the logic of ethnonationalism that not only works toward cultivating a homogenous collective and homogenous space but also endorses Western and Eurocentric biases. This logic facilitates practices of social inclusion and exclusion both materially and symbolically. Furthermore, we argue that in Ashdod, ethnonationalism is intertwined with the logic of the market, encouraging social hierarchies and stratifications that carry the stamp of “ethnoclassism” along First and Third World dichotomies. Yet, these processes do not completely foreclose the prospect of multiculturalism, because they cannot completely forestall “bottom-up” forces that promote it either intentionally or inadvertently. The assessment of Ashdod as a potential site of urban multiculturalism becomes nuanced and intriguing as we take into account city planning that considers a modern vision of the city and ethnonational logic, on the one hand, and forces of bottom-up initiatives, on the other. All in all, the city fails the multicultural challenge if by this challenge we understand the establishment of institutional arrangements that guarantee the right to the city—or equal access to all benefits that the city may offer—while allowing residents to cultivate and maintain their cultural uniqueness.
Prevalence of sheep infected with classical scrapie in Great Britain, 1993–2007
Authors: GUBBINS S. , McINTYRE K. M.
Published: April 2009

Extensive surveillance for classical scrapie has been carried out in Great Britain since 1993, the results of which can be used for monitoring the effect of control measures introduced since 2001. A back-calculation approach was used to estimate the prevalence of sheep infected with classical scrapie, which integrates data on reported clinical cases (1993–2007) and the results of fallen stock and abattoir surveys (2002–2007). The prevalence of classical scrapie in GB was fairly constant until 2003, although the estimates depended on assumptions made about the performance of diagnostic tests used in the surveys. If infected animals could be detected in the final quarter of the incubation period, the estimated prevalence was 0·6–0·7%, while if they could be detected in the final half of the incubation period, it was 0·3–0·4%. Between 2003 and 2007 the prevalence declined by around 40%, and the magnitude of the reduction was independent of assumptions made about the diagnostic tests.
The epidemiology of necrotizing fasciitis including factors associated with death and amputation
Authors: DWORKIN M. S. , WESTERCAMP M. D. , PARK L. , McINTYRE A.
Published: April 2009

The high morbidity and mortality of necrotizing fasciitis (NF) supports the need for epidemiological studies to characterize the disease and identify patient factors associated with adverse outcomes. A multi-site medical record review of patients diagnosed with NF was performed (n=80, mortality 15%). Variables collected were hypothesized to have association with adverse outcomes from NF, and multivariable analysis was used to detect any such association in this population. Select factors associated with mortality included evidence of underlying conditions (P=0·002), advanced age (P=0·04), young age (P=0·03), and evidence of sepsis (P=0·006). Select factors associated with amputation included diabetes mellitus (P=0·006), evidence of underlying conditions (P=0·03), and cutaneous gangrene noted on admission (P=0·006). These findings demonstrate the important association of NF and extremes of age with mortality and morbidity and support the value of early suspicion with prompt diagnosis and treatment in order to prevent adverse outcomes since the associated risk factors are not immediately modifiable.
Outbreak of wound botulism in injecting drug users
Authors: SCHROETER M. , ALPERS K. , VAN TREECK U. , FRANK C. , ROSENKOETTER N. , SCHAUMANN R.
Published: April 2009

Between October and December 2005, 16 cases of wound botulism were notified to the health authorities of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. All patients were injecting drug users (IDU) and the epidemiological investigations suggested contaminated injection drugs as the most probable source of infection.Clostridium botulinumwas cultivated from clinical samples of six patients and molecular typing revealed that the different isolates were clonally identical. Two samples of heroin, one of them provided by a patient, were examined butC. botulinumcould not be isolated. This outbreak demonstrates that IDU are at risk for acquiring wound botulism by injecting contaminated drugs. A greater awareness of this disease is needed by physicians and a close cooperation between public health authorities, street workers, operators of sheltered injecting facilities, and medical centres focusing on IDU is essential to prevent and manage outbreaks in IDU in a timely manner.
School closure may be effective in reducing transmission of respiratory viruses in the community
Authors: HEYMANN A. D. , HOCH I. , VALINSKY L. , KOKIA E. , STEINBERG D. M.
Published: April 2009

Proposed measures to contain pandemic influenza include school closure, although the effectiveness of this has not been investigated. We examined the effect of a nationwide elementary school strike in Israel in 2000 on the incidence of influenza-like illness. In this historical observational study of 1·7 million members of a preferred provider organization, we analysed diagnoses from primary-care visits during the winter months in 1998–2002. We calculated the weekly ratio of influenza-like diagnoses to non-respiratory diagnoses, and fitted regression models for school-aged children, children's household members, and all other individuals aged >12 years. For each population the steepest drop in the ratio of influenza-like diagnoses to non-respiratory diagnoses occurred in the strike year 2 weeks after the start of the strike. The changes in the weekly ratio of influenza-like diagnoses to non-respiratory diagnoses were statistically significant (P=0·0074) for school children for the strike year compared to other years. A smaller decrease was also seen for the adults with no school-aged children in 1999 (P=0·037). The Chanukah holiday had a negative impact on the ratio for school-aged children in 1998, 1999 and 2001 (P=0·008, 0·006 and 0·045, respectively) and was statistically significant for both adult groups in 1999 and for adults with no school-aged children in 2001. School closure should be considered part of the containment strategy in an influenza pandemic.