bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pentecostal Presidency? The Lagos-Ibadan ‘Theocratic Class’ & the Muslim ‘Other’
Authors: Obadare Ebenezer
Published: December 2006

This paper analyses the politics of regime legitimacy through the instrumentality of religious discourse purveyed through a putative Christian ‘theocratic class’ surrounding the Obasanjo presidency in Nigeria. Though the emphasis is on Western Nigerian Christian discourse because of its undeniable influence in the polity since 1999, it incorporates Muslim and northern Nigerian religious discourse in so far as it is seen as constituting the significant discursive ‘Other’ with which the predominantly Christian geopolitical south has historically been in contention. The paper contends that the ‘Pentecostalisation’ of governance has raised the stakes as far as the struggle to define the Nigerian public sphere is concerned, further politicising religion, even as lip service continues to be paid to the secularity of the Nigerian state.
Comprehensive Peace? An Analysis of the Evolving Tension in Eastern Sudan
Authors: Pantuliano Sara
Published: December 2006

Eastern Sudan is the site of a little known armed struggle by popular forces against the government in Khartoum, which in turn has been engaged in counter-insurgency and repression there. A complex set of interrelated factors is driving the war: historical grievances, feelings of exclusion and marginalisation, demands for fair sharing of power between different groups, inequitable distribution of economic resources and benefits, underdevelopment, the absence of a genuine democratic process and other governance issues. The article documents the particular patterns of marginalisation and underdevelopment among the predominant population of the Beja people, whose livelihoods are mainly based on pastoralism. It also shows the patterns of political alienation and the emergence of the Beja Congress as a movement that has given voice to those grievances. Excluded from normal political expression or dialogue with the government and then from the political dispensations that the South gained from its peace agreement with the North, the Congress has made common cause with the Rashaida Free Lions, formed among a smaller group of pastoralists of Bedouin origin and other small groups to form the Eastern Front. Operating from logistical bases on the Eritrean border, the Front has made armed incursions into Eastern Sudan and controls some territory. Pressures from inside and outside Sudan have finally led to both sides agreeing to talks, which have finally started in August 2006 under Eritrean mediation. The prospects of these talks leading to a sustainable agreement are explored.

This article is an extract from a much longer study entitled ‘Comprehensive Peace? Causes and Consequences of Underdevelopment and Instability in Eastern Sudan’, Nairobi: NGO Paper. The article was first presented at the 7th International Sudan Studies Conference ‘Fifty Years After Independence: Sudan's Quest for Peace, Stability and Identity’, 6-8 April 2006, University of Bergen, Norway.
Youth Cultures & the Fetishization of Violence in Nigeria
Authors: Ifeka Caroline
Published: December 2006

In this paper I develop a conceptual framework for analysing youth cultures of resistance and violence in the context of customary and world religions in which old and new gods are important sources of ideological resistance. Condensing around points of intersection between capital and non-capitalist kin-based economies, I argue that militant youth cultures develop through a ‘double’ articulation between ‘parent’ cultures largely producing use values, and capitalist cultures pervaded by world religions (Christianity, Islam). The former construe social relations between groups struggling to establish rights over strategic natural resources (land, oil, water) in terms of spirit beings and their protective powers against attack; the latter preside today over production for sale and profit according to impersonal market forces that dissolve the social into relationships between ‘things’, the products of labour exchanged in the market place.
Are perceptions of fairness relationship-specific? The case of noblesse oblige
Authors: Fiddick Laurence , Cummins Denise
Published: December 2006

Research in experimental economics suggests that decision making in strategic interactions is often guided by a concern for fairness. However, experimental economics studies routinely place participants of equal social status and no prior social history in anonymous interactions, a context that would tend to foster the adoption of an egalitarian fairness norm. Extensive research in anthropology (Fiske, 1991) and psychology (Bugental, 2000) suggests that social norms, including fairness norms, are relationship-specific, raising doubts about whether the concern for egalitarian fairness observed in the experimental economics literature would generalize to a wider range of social relations. In this paper we focus on an alternative social norm characteristic of hierarchical relationships: noblesse oblige—the obligation of high-ranking individuals to act honorably and beneficently towards subordinates. In a series of five experiments, we show that the norm of noblesse oblige predicts tolerance of free riding better than individual self-interest does.
In Vitro Anti‐Candida Activity of Zataria multiflora Boiss
Authors: Mahmoudabadi Ali Zarei , Dabbagh Muhammad Ali , Fouladi Zahra
Published: December 2006

Zataria multiflora Boiss known as Avishan Shirazi (in Iran) is one of the valuable Iranian medicinal plants. The aim of study was to evaluate anti‐Candida activity of Z. multiflora against different species of Candida in vitro. Anti‐Candida activity of the aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic maceration extract of the aerial parts of Z. multiflora Boiss was studied in vitro. Anti‐Candida activity against Candida species was done using serial dilutions of extracts in Sabouraud′s dextrose agar. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the methanolic and ethanolic extracts was 70.7 and 127 mg l−1, respectively. Aqueous extract showed no remarkable activity against Candida species. We conclude that methanolic extract of the aerial parts of Z. multiflora Boiss has more anti‐Candida effect at 70.7 mg l−1 compared to ethanolic extract 127 mg l−1. In addition, the isolates of Candida parapsilosis were more susceptible to methanolic extract than other tested species.
Indigofera suffruticosa: An Alternative Anticancer Therapy
Authors: Vieira Jeymesson Raphael Cardoso , de Souza Ivone Antônia , do Nascimento Silene Carneiro , Leite Sônia Pereira
Published: December 2006

Indigofera suffruticosa Mill (Fabeceae) occurs in the Northeast countryside and has intensive popular use in the treatment of infectious, inflammatory and other processes. The main aim of the present work was to investigate the cytotoxic and antitumor effects of aqueous extracts of leaves of I. suffruticosa obtained by infusion and maceration as well as to evaluate the toxicological properties. Aqueous extracts did not exhibit cytotoxicity against HEp‐2 (human epidermoid cancer cell) cell lines by MTT method. From the aqueous extract by infusion, the toxicological assay showed low order of toxicity. The antitumor effect of aqueous extracts by infusion (64.53%) and maceration (62.62%) against sarcoma 180 in mice at a dose of 50 mg kg−1 (intraperitoneally), based on low order of toxicity was comparable to the control group, which showed 100% development. Considering the low order of toxicity and that it is highly effective in inhibiting growth of solid tumors, the aqueous extracts of leaves of I. suffruticosa may be used as an alternative anticancer agent.
Familiarity accentuates gaze cuing in women but not men
Authors: Deaner Robert O , Shepherd Stephen V , Platt Michael L
Published: December 2006

Gaze cuing, the tendency to shift attention in the direction other individuals are looking, is hypothesized to depend on a distinct neural module. One expectation of such a module is that information processing should be encapsulated within it. Here, we tested whether familiarity, a type of social knowledge, penetrates the neural circuits governing gaze cuing. Male and female subjects viewed the face of an adult male looking left or right and then pressed a keypad to indicate the location of a target appearing randomly left or right. Responses were faster for targets congruent with gaze direction. Moreover, gaze cuing was stronger in females than males. Contrary to the modularity hypothesis, familiarity enhanced gaze cuing, but only in females. Sex differences in the effects of familiarity on gaze cuing may reflect greater adaptive significance of social information for females than males.
Thermal characteristics of the self-healing response in poly(ethylene-
co
-methacrylic acid) copolymers
Authors: Kalista Stephen J , Ward Thomas C
Published: December 2006

A class of poly(ethylene-
co
-methacrylic acid) (EMAA) copolymers and ionomers has shown the unique ability to instantaneously self-heal following ballistic puncture. It is noteworthy that the thermomechanical healing process active in these materials appears to be significantly different in capability and mechanism than any of the other self-repairing systems studied. To better understand this phenomenon, the thermal response during EMAA self-healing was examined. Tests of various damage types, including sawing, cutting and puncture, revealed high-energy transfer damage modes to produce heat and store energy favourable to healing. DSC probed healed specimens revealing they had reached the viscoelastic melt believed requisite to healing response. Low-temperature ballistic experiments demonstrated films continue healing even when punctured at −30°C; analysis showed healing efficacy comparable to room temperature, holding significant pressures of approximately 3 MPa. At the lowest temperature, brittle fracture occurred in one material indicating insufficient heat transfer to store recoverable energy. In total, the results supported the defined healing model and provided additional information on the healing process in both its thermal dependence and general mechanism. Finally, a new DSC method was developed for probing the thermal history of healed films which may lead to a more complete mechanistic model.
Three-dimensional identification of stem cells by computational holographic imaging
Authors: Moon Inkyu , Javidi Bahram
Published: December 2006

We present an optical imaging system and mathematical algorithms for three-dimensional sensing and identification of stem cells. Data acquisition of stem cells is based on holographic microscopy in the Fresnel domain by illuminating the cells with a laser. In this technique, the holograms of stem cells are optically recorded with an image sensor array interfaced with a computer and three-dimensional images of the stem cells are reconstructed from the Gabor-filtered digital holograms. The Gabor wavelet transformation for feature extraction of the digital hologram is performed to improve the process of identification. The inverse Fresnel transformation of the Gabor-filtered digital hologram is performed to reconstruct the multi-scale three-dimensional images of the stem cells at different depths along the longitudinal direction. For recognition and classification of stem cells, a statistical approach using an empirical cumulative density function is introduced. The experiments indicate that the proposed system can be potentially useful for recognizing and classifying stem cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on using three-dimensional holographic microscopy for automated identification of stem cells.
Neural systems engineering
Authors: Furber Steve , Temple Steve
Published: December 2006

The quest to build an electronic computer based on the operational principles of biological brains has attracted attention over many years. The hope is that, by emulating the brain, it will be possible to capture some of its capabilities and thereby bridge the very large gulf that separates mankind from machines. At present, however, knowledge about the operational principles of the brain is far from complete, so attempts at emulation must employ a great deal of assumption and guesswork to fill the gaps in the experimental evidence. The sheer scale and complexity of the human brain still defies attempts to model it in its entirety at the neuronal level, but Moore's Law is closing this gap and machines with the potential to emulate the brain (so far as we can estimate the computing power required) are no more than a decade or so away. Do computer engineers have something to contribute, alongside neuroscientists, psychologists, mathematicians and others, to the understanding of brain and mind, which remains as one of the great frontiers of science?
Integrals with nearly coincident branch points: Gegenbauer polynomials of large degree
Authors: Ursell F
Published: December 2006

The integral considered here is a loop integral of the form

where the integrand has branch points at
t
=±
θ
,
F
(
t
2
, 
θ
2
) is an analytic function of its arguments and
N
is a large positive parameter. When
θ
is not small, its complete asymptotic expansion can be found by standard techniques. When
θ
is small, the branch points are nearly coincident, and it will be shown that there is a uniform asymptotic expansion involving Bessel functions of argument
Nθ
. An inequality will be established and will be used to show that the expansion is valid in a region including a disc |
θ
|≤
m
of the complex
θ
-plane, where
m
does not tend to 0, when
N
tends to ∞. The proof of this inequality uses the maximum-modulus principle of complex function theory.
Inbreeding effects on immune response in free-living song sparrows (Melospiza melodia)
Authors: Reid Jane M , Arcese Peter , Keller Lukas F , Elliott Kyle H , Sampson Laura , Hasselquist Dennis
Published: December 2006

The consequences of inbreeding for host immunity to parasitic infection have broad implications for the evolutionary and dynamical impacts of parasites on populations where inbreeding occurs. To rigorously assess the magnitude and the prevalence of inbreeding effects on immunity, multiple components of host immune response should be related to inbreeding coefficient (f) in free-living individuals. We used a pedigreed, free-living population of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) to test whether individual responses to widely used experimental immune challenges varied consistently withf. The patagial swelling response to phytohaemagglutinin declined markedly withfin both females and males in both 2002 and 2003, although overall inbreeding depression was greater in males. The primary antibody response to tetanus toxoid declined withfin females but not in males in both 2004 and 2005. Primary antibody responses to diphtheria toxoid were low but tended to decline withfin 2004. Overall inbreeding depression did not solely reflect particularly strong immune responses in outbred offspring of immigrant–native pairings or weak responses in highly inbred individuals. These data indicate substantial and apparently sex-specific inbreeding effects on immune response, implying that inbred hosts may be relatively susceptible to parasitic infection to differing degrees in males and females.
An event-based model of superspreading in epidemics
Authors: James Alex , Pitchford Jonathan W , Plank Michael J
Published: December 2006

Many recent disease outbreaks (e.g. SARS, foot-and-mouth disease) exhibit superspreading, where relatively few individuals cause a large number of secondary cases. Epidemic models have previously treated this as a demographic phenomenon where each individual has an infectivity allocated at random from some distribution. Here, it is shown that superspreading can also be regarded as being caused by environmental variability, where superspreading events (SSEs) occur as a stochastic consequence of the complex network of interactions made by individuals. This interpretation based on SSEs is compared with data and its efficacy in evaluating epidemic control strategies is discussed.
Condition dependence of reproductive strategy and the benefits of polyandry in a viviparous lizard
Authors: Eizaguirre Christophe , Laloi David , Massot Manuel , Richard Murielle , Federici Pierre , Clobert Jean
Published: December 2006

Species in which males do not contribute to reproduction beyond the provision of sperm offer good opportunities to study the potential genetic benefits that females can obtain from polyandry. Here, we report the results of a study examining the relationships between polyandry and components of female fitness in the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara). We found that polyandrous females produce larger clutches than monandrous females. Polyandrous females also lose fewer offspring during the later stages of gestation and at birth, but we did not find any relationship between polyandry and physical characteristics of viable neonates. Our results were consistent with the predictions of the intrinsic male quality hypothesis, while inbreeding avoidance and genetic incompatibility avoidance might also explain some part of the variation observed in clutch size. Moreover, the benefits of polyandry appeared to depend on female characteristics, as revealed by an interaction between reproductive strategy and female length on reproductive success. Thus, all females did not benefit equally from mating with multiple males, which could explain why polyandry and monandry coexist.
Costs of egg-laying and offspring provisioning: multifaceted parental investment in a digger wasp
Authors: Field Jeremy , Turner Ed , Fayle Tom , Foster William A
Published: December 2006

Nest-building Hymenoptera have been a major testing ground for theories of parental investment and sex allocation. Investment has usually been estimated by the likely costs of offspring provisioning, ignoring other aspects of parental care. Using three experimental treatments, we estimated the costs of egg-laying and provisioning separately under field conditions in a digger wasp
Ammophila pubescens
. In one treatment, we increased the provisioning effort required per offspring by removing alternate prey items as they were brought to the nest. In two other treatments, we reduced parental effort by either preventing females from provisioning alternate nests or preventing them from both ovipositing and provisioning. Our results indicate that both egg-laying and provisioning represent significant costs of reproduction, expressed as differences in productivity but not survival. A trade-off-based model suggests that other components of parental care such as nest initiation may also represent significant costs. Costs of egg production and nest initiation are probably similar for male and female offspring, so that taking them into account leads to a less male-biased expected sex ratio. Mothers compensated only partially for prey removal in terms of the total provisions they gave to individual offspring.
Sexually selected females in the monogamous Western Australian seahorse
Authors: Kvarnemo Charlotta , Moore Glenn I , Jones Adam G
Published: December 2006

Studies of sexual selection in monogamous species have hitherto focused on sexual selection among males. Here, we provide empirical documentation that sexual selection can also act strongly on females in a natural population with a monogamous mating system. In our field-based genetic study of the monogamous Western Australian seahorse,
Hippocampus subelongatus
, sexual selection differentials and gradients show that females are under stronger sexual selection than males: mated females are larger than unmated ones, whereas mated and unmated males do not differ in size. In addition, the opportunity for sexual selection (variance in mating success divided by its mean squared) for females is almost three times that for males. These results, which seem to be generated by a combination of a male preference for larger females and a female-biased adult sex ratio, indicate that substantial sexual selection on females is a potentially important but under-appreciated evolutionary phenomenon in monogamous species.
How generation intervals shape the relationship between growth rates and reproductive numbers
Authors: Wallinga J , Lipsitch M
Published: December 2006

Mathematical models of transmission have become invaluable management tools in planning for the control of emerging infectious diseases. A key variable in such models is the reproductive numberR. For new emerging infectious diseases, the value of the reproductive number can only be inferred indirectly from the observed exponential epidemic growth rater. Such inference is ambiguous as several different equations exist that relate the reproductive number to the growth rate, and it is unclear which of these equations might apply to a new infection. Here, we show that these different equations differ only with respect to their assumed shape of the generation interval distribution. Therefore, the shape of the generation interval distribution determines which equation is appropriate for inferring the reproductive number from the observed growth rate. We show that by assuming all generation intervals to be equal to the mean, we obtain an upper bound to the range of possible values that the reproductive number may attain for a given growth rate. Furthermore, we show that by taking the generation interval distribution equal to the observed distribution, it is possible to obtain an empirical estimate of the reproductive number.
Brood care in a Silurian ostracod
Authors: Siveter David J , Siveter Derek J , Sutton Mark D , Briggs Derek E.G
Published: December 2006

An exceptionally preserved new ostracod crustacean from the Silurian of Herefordshire, England, preserves eggs and possible juveniles within its carapace, providing an unequivocal and unique view of parental brood care in the invertebrate fossil record. The female fossil is assigned to a new family and superfamily of myodocopids based on its soft-part anatomy. It demonstrates a remarkably conserved egg-brooding reproductive strategy within these ostracods over 425 Myr. The soft-tissue anatomy urges extreme caution in classifying ‘straight-hinged’ Palaeozoic ostracods based on the carapace alone and fundamentally questions the nature of the shell-based Palaeozoic ostracod record.
Experimental evidence that female ornamentation increases the acquisition of sperm and signals fecundity
Authors: Cornwallis Charlie K , Birkhead Tim R
Published: December 2006

Mate choice can lead to the evolution of sexual ornamentation. This idea rests on the assumption that individuals with more elaborate ornaments than competitors have higher reproductive success due to gaining greater control over mating decisions and resources provided by partners. Nevertheless, how the resources and quality of sexual partners that individuals gain access to are influenced by the ornamentation of rival individuals remains unclear. By experimentally concealing and subsequently revealing female ornaments to males, we confirm in the fowl,Gallus gallus, that female ornamentation influences male mating decisions. We further show, by manipulating the relative ornament size of females, that when females had larger ornaments than competitors they were more often preferred by males and obtained more sperm, especially from higher quality males, as measured by social status. Males may benefit by investing more sperm in females with larger ornaments as they were in better condition and produced heavier eggs. Female ornament size also decreased during incubation, providing a cue for males to avoid sexually unreceptive females. This study reveals how inter-sexual selection can lead to the evolution of female ornaments and highlights how the reproductive benefits gained from mate choice and bearing ornaments can be dependent upon social context.
Disturbance, colonization and development of Antarctic benthic communities
Authors: Barnes David K.A , Conlan Kathleen E
Published: December 2006

A decade has yielded much progress in understanding polar disturbance and community recovery—mainly through quantifying ice scour rates, other disturbance levels, larval abundance and diversity, colonization rates and response of benthos to predicted climate change. The continental shelf around Antarctica is clearly subject to massive disturbance, but remarkably across so many scales. In summer, millions of icebergs from sizes smaller than cars to larger than countries ground out and gouge the sea floor and crush the benthic communities there, while the highest wind speeds create the highest waves to pound the coast. In winter, the calm associated with the sea surface freezing creates the clearest marine water in the world. But in winter, an ice foot encases coastal life and anchor ice rips benthos from the sea floor. Over tens and hundreds of thousands of years, glaciations have done the same on continental scales—ice sheets have bulldozed the seabed and the zoobenthos to edge of shelves. We detail and rank modern disturbance levels (from most to least): ice; asteroid impacts; sediment instability; wind/wave action; pollution; UV irradiation; volcanism; trawling; non-indigenous species; freshwater inundation; and temperature stress. Benthic organisms have had to recolonize local scourings and continental shelves repeatedly, yet a decade of studies have demonstrated that they have (compared with lower latitudes) slow tempos of reproduction, colonization and growth. Despite massive disturbance levels and slow recolonization potential, the Antarctic shelf has a much richer fauna than would be expected for its area. Now, West Antarctica is among the fastest warming regions and its organisms face new rapid changes. In the next century, temperature stress and non-indigenous species will drastically rise to become dominant disturbances to the Antarctic life. Here, we describe the potential for benthic organisms to respond to disturbance, focusing particularly on what we know now that we did not a decade ago.
Spatial and temporal operation of the Scotia Sea ecosystem: a review of large-scale links in a krill centred food web
Authors: Murphy E.J , Watkins J.L , Trathan P.N , Reid K , Meredith M.P , Thorpe S.E , Johnston N.M , Clarke A , Tarling G.A , Collins M.A , Forcada J , Shreeve R.S , Atkinson A , Korb R , Whitehouse M.J , Ward P , Rodhouse P.G , Enderlein P , Hirst A.G , Martin A.R , Hill S.L , Staniland I.J , Pond D.W , Briggs D.R , Cunningham N.J , Fleming A.H
Published: December 2006

The Scotia Sea ecosystem is a major component of the circumpolar Southern Ocean system, where productivity and predator demand for prey are high. The eastward-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and waters from the Weddell–Scotia Confluence dominate the physics of the Scotia Sea, leading to a strong advective flow, intense eddy activity and mixing. There is also strong seasonality, manifest by the changing irradiance and sea ice cover, which leads to shorter summers in the south. Summer phytoplankton blooms, which at times can cover an area of more than 0.5 million km
2
, probably result from the mixing of micronutrients into surface waters through the flow of the ACC over the Scotia Arc. This production is consumed by a range of species including Antarctic krill, which are the major prey item of large seabird and marine mammal populations. The flow of the ACC is steered north by the Scotia Arc, pushing polar water to lower latitudes, carrying with it krill during spring and summer, which subsidize food webs around South Georgia and the northern Scotia Arc. There is also marked interannual variability in winter sea ice distribution and sea surface temperatures that is linked to southern hemisphere-scale climate processes such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. This variation affects regional primary and secondary production and influences biogeochemical cycles. It also affects krill population dynamics and dispersal, which in turn impacts higher trophic level predator foraging, breeding performance and population dynamics. The ecosystem has also been highly perturbed as a result of harvesting over the last two centuries and significant ecological changes have also occurred in response to rapid regional warming during the second half of the twentieth century. This combination of historical perturbation and rapid regional change highlights that the Scotia Sea ecosystem is likely to show significant change over the next two to three decades, which may result in major ecological shifts.
The population of Acacia tree species producing gum arabic in the Karamoja region, Uganda
Authors: Egadu Simon P. , Mucunguzi Patrick , Obua Joseph
Published: December 2006

The study aimed at determining the population status of the different Acacia tree species producing gum arabic in the undisturbed, grazed and cultivated habitats in the Karamoja region, Uganda. A total of 135 sample plots each measuring 20 × 20 m2 (0.04 ha) with each habitat having 45 plots were selected and established in the seven counties using a simple random sampling technique. The tree species present, their abundances and sizes were recorded. Twelve Acacia species were identified and a total of 5535 recorded in the sampled area. Out of these, five were gum‐producing acacias. Acacia senegal dominated the acacias in all the seven counties and in all habitats of Karamoja with Acacia nilotica (72.3%), Acacia seyal (13.4%), Acacia sieberiana (4%) and Acacia gerrardii (2.6%). Non‐gum‐producing acacias constituted 7.19% of the total abundance. The tree densities increased with increase in tree size in the undisturbed and grazed habitats but decreased in the cultivated habitat. Most Acacia trees were of large size, an indication of old age and poor regeneration that could affect their future population status. It is recommended that further investigations be carried out into the causes of poor regeneration of Acacia species.
The effect of positive end expiratory pressure on the respiratory profile during one‐lung ventilation for thoracotomy*
Authors: Leong L. M. C. , Chatterjee S. , Gao F.
Published: December 2006

In this randomised controlled trial we examined the effects of four different levels of positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP at 0, 5, 8 or 10 cmH2O), added to the dependent lung, on respiratory profile and oxygenation during one lung ventilation. Forty‐six patients were recruited to receive one of the randomised PEEP levels during one lung ventilation. We did not find significant differences in lung compliance, intra‐operative or postoperative oxygenation amongst the four different groups. However, the physiological deadspace to tidal volume ventilation ratio was significantly lower in the 8 cmH2O PEEP group compared with the other levels of PEEP (p < 0.0001). We concluded that the use of PEEP (≤10 cmH2O) during one lung ventilation does not clinically improve lung compliance, intra‐operative or postoperative oxygenation despite a statistically significant reduction in the physiological deadspace to tidal volume ratio.
Transantarctic Basin: new insights from fission track and structural data from the USARP Mountains and adjacent areas (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)
Authors: Lisker F. , Läufer A. L. , Olesch M. , Rossetti F. , Schäfer T.
Published: December 2006

The USARP Mountains comprise two N–S‐aligned mountain ranges (Daniels Range, Pomerantz Tableland) located along the western margin of the Rennick Glacier in Northern Victoria Land (NVL). Four zircon and titanite fission track (FT) ages from granitic samples from the Pomerantz Tableland fall in a common range of 369–392 Ma. The apatite FT ages from 20 Granite Harbour Intrusive rocks sampled throughout the USARP Mountains are distinctively younger (86–270 Ma); their mean track lengths (MTL) vary between 11.0 and 13.9 μm. Six samples from Renirie Rocks and the Kavrayskiy Hills east of the USARP Mountains have even younger, concordant apatite FT ages of 43–71 Ma, and MTL of 12.2–14.0 μm. Thermal history modelling of the thermochronological data indicate that both the Daniels Range and Pomerantz Tableland experienced a common Phanerozoic geologic history consisting of a mid‐Devonian pulse of rapid denudation, followed by a protracted denudation stage between the Carboniferous and Jurassic. This latter period of denudation was contemporaneous with the formation of the Transantarctic Basin to the east. We consequently suggest that the USARP Mountains were one of the major source areas for the Beacon Supergroup that formed the fill of the Transantarctic Basin. Subsequent to the deposition of the Beacon sequence, the now‐outcropping rocks of the USARP Mountains were buried to a maximum depth of 4.2 km. A palaeogeothermal gradient of 25±8°C km−1 was inferred at the time of maximum burial. Inversion of the Transantarctic Basin due to the breakup of Gondwana, and in response to Cenozoic rifting and uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains, has triggered the final denudation stages recorded in NVL since the Cretaceous. Thereby, the amounts of denudation increase eastward. Whereas 2.4–4.2 km of crustal unloading are recognized for the USARP Mountains since the Cretaceous, more than 4 km of denudation has occurred towards the Rennick Graben alone since the Eocene. This denudation was associated with major fault activities involving early ENE–WSW to E–W‐directed extension. Related structures were reactivated by dominant NW–SE to NNW–SSE‐oriented right‐lateral shear genetically linked to the formation and inversion of the structural depression of the Rennick Graben in Cenozoic times.
Tectonic evolution of the Himalaya constrained by detrital 40Ar–39Ar, Sm–Nd and petrographic data from the Siwalik foreland basin succession, SW Nepal
Authors: Szulc A. G. , Najman Y. , Sinclair H. D. , Pringle M. , Bickle M. , Chapman H. , Garzanti E. , Andò S. , Huyghe P. , Mugnier J‐L. , Ojha T. , DeCelles P.
Published: December 2006

40Ar–39Ar dating of detrital white micas, petrography and heavy mineral analysis and whole‐rock geochemistry has been applied to three time‐equivalent sections through the Siwalik Group molasse in SW Nepal [Tinau Khola section (12–6 Ma), Surai Khola section (12–1 Ma) and Karnali section (16–5 Ma)]. 40Ar–39Ar ages from 1415 single detrital white micas show a peak of ages between 20 and 15 Ma for all the three sections, corresponding to the period of most extensive exhumation of the Greater Himalaya. Lag times of less than 5 Myr persist until 10 Ma, indicating Greater Himalayan exhumation rates of up to 2.6 mm year−1, using one‐dimensional thermal modelling. There are few micas younger than 12 Ma, no lag times of less than 6 Myr after 10 Ma and whole‐rock geochemistry and petrography show a significant provenance change at 12 Ma indicating erosion from the Lesser Himalaya at this time. These changes suggest a switch in the dynamics of the orogen that took place during the 12–10 Ma period whereby most strain began to be accommodated by structures within the Lesser Himalaya as opposed to the Greater Himalaya. Consistent data from all three Siwalik sections suggest a lateral continuity in tectonic evolution for the central Himalayas.
The relationship between children’s and adolescents’ perceptions of parenting style and internal and external symptoms
Authors: Yahav R.
Published: December 2006

Background  This study examined the relationship between children’s and adolescents’ external (aggression or delinquent behaviour) and internal (depression and anxiety, somatic complaints or regressive behaviour) symptoms and their perceptions of parenting behaviour.

Method  Participants were 159 children (83 boys and 76 girls) aged 10–17 years and were categorized into five groups. The two experimental groups included clearly defined externalizing (n = 35) and internalizing (n = 46) children. Two sibling groups and one non‐sibling group served as controls. The five groups were compared for subjective perceptions of maternal and paternal rejection, favouritism and overprotection.

Results  No effects of age or gender were found. The results revealed that compared with non‐symptomatic children from different families and with non‐symptomatic siblings, both internalizing and externalizing children obtained higher scores on the variables examined. Externalizing children obtained the highest scores, while internalizing children obtained intermediate scores. The sibling comparison data revealed a gap between the perceptions of symptomatic children and their siblings: symptomatic children reported negative parenting practices towards both themselves and their siblings, whereas the opposite was true of sibling reports. The reports suggest that while both internalizing and externalizing symptoms are associated with negative perceptions of the parent–child interaction, this may be particularly the case among externalizing children.

Conclusions  The importance of perceptions of reality, as opposed to objective circumstances, is discussed in the context of treatment.
Immunoglobulin constant heavy G chain genes as risk factors in childhood allergies
Authors: Oxelius V.‐A. , Bråbäck L. , Ahlstedt S. , Björkstén B.
Published: December 2006

Background
Several candidate genes have been found to be associated with the inflammatory response of IgE‐mediated allergy, so also the immunoglobulin constant heavy G chain (IGHG) genes. The IGHG genes are situated close to the IGHE gene on chromosome 14q32, 5′μ, δ, γ3, γ1, α1, γ2, γ4, ɛ, α2, 3′. They are inherited in a Mendelian fashion and expressed randomly in allelic exclusion. The alternative and functionally different γ3, γ1 and γ2 gene variants are found in four IGHG haplotypes, coding four B cell variants.

Objective
The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of different IGHG genes in relation to phenotypes associated with allergy, in a case–control study.

Methods
We identified the constant heavy‐chain genes of IgG in 198 allergic and non‐allergic children participating in the Phase II of the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children. The IGHG genes were assessed by the alternative serum IgG subclass allotypes expressing the alternative alleles of γ3, γ1 and γ2 genes, using ELISA and double immunodiffusion.

Results
The IGHG*bfn haplotype (=B1 cells) and IGHG2*n allele dominated (51% vs. 24%, P=0.002) and the IGHG*bf‐n haplotype (=B2 cells) was infrequent (16% vs. 52%, P<0.001) in allergic children with a family history of allergy, clinical manifest allergy and positive skin prick test (SPT). The frequency of IGHG genes was similar in children with maternal and paternal heredity and in children with wheezing, eczema or rhinitis, as well as in children with different positive SPT. The IGHG*bfn haplotype with the IGHG2*n allele was strongly associated with heredity for allergy. The IGHG*bf‐n haplotype was inversely related to allergy.

Conclusions
IgG allotypes, immunochemical and functional variants of IgG molecules from IGHG genes are associated with atopy. The IGHG*bfn haplotype (=B1 cells) with the IGHG2*n allele dominates, associated with an increased risk for atopy. In contrast, the IGHG*bf‐n haplotype (=B2 cells) with the IGHG2*‐n allele is associated with low risk.
How we do it: Improving the success of endoscopic pharyngeal pouch stapling
Authors: Jennings S.J. , Wild D.C. , Beasley N. , Sharp J.F.
Published: December 2006

Key points

• A simple technique to improve the success rate of endoscopic stapling diverticulotomy of pharyngeal pouches is described.

• Equipment used is readily available.

• This technique can be used in difficult cases when the pouch cannot be visualised using a Weerda diverticuloscope.

• It reduces the need for conversion to an open surgical procedure with associated increased risk of complications.
Endoscopic versus open surgical interventions for inverted nasal papilloma: a systematic review
Authors: Karkos P.D. , Fyrmpas G. , Carrie S.C. , Swift A.C.
Published: December 2006

Keypoints

• Inverted nasal papilloma is a unique neoplasm characterised by a tendency to recur following excision, an association with malignancy and an ability to destroy bone.

• The coexistence with nasal polyps (not always sent for histology), the lack of a universally accepted staging system and the fact that most data on Inverted papilloma come from tertiary centres (selected cases probably the most aggressive) account for the difficulty in determining its true incidence.

• Treatment is surgical. The gold standard approach was an open radical procedure. The introduction of endoscopic surgery for primary or recurrent lesions has shown potential advantages. Lack of complications of open surgery together with improved access to specific nasal areas suggests that the endoscopic techniques in experienced hands and for selected lesions may be a good alternative.

• The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of the endoscopic versus open techniques for management of inverted papilloma.

• There is not enough evidence in the literature to support one or the other treatment option for management of inverted papilloma. There is a trend though towards endoscopic approach.

• Ideal management should aim at complete removal of all diseased mucosa with creation of wide cavities and long term follow‐up to detect subsequent recurrence or malignant transformation.
An anatomical comparison of Blair and facelift incisions for parotid surgery
Authors: Nouraei S.A.R. , Al‐Yaghchi C. , Ahmed J. , Kirkpatrick N. , Mansuri S. , Singh A. , Grant W.E.
Published: December 2006

Background:  The rhytidectomy approach for parotidectomy allows the incision to be hidden, and post‐operative scarring minimised. Furthermore, separate elevation of the Superficial Musculo‐Aponeurotic System (SMAS) reduces the incidence of Frey's syndrome, and provides vascularized soft tissue for contour reconstruction. The technique has gained popularity particularly with plastic surgeons, but concerns persist that with this approach, particularly with lesions located anteriorly, access to the gland may be inadequate, and facial nerve identification may be compromised.

Materials and Methods:  We undertook an anatomical study to quantitatively compare the surgical access achieved using the facelift approach with the conventional Blair incision, by comparing the distances between the parotid edge and the retracted flaps.

Results:  Despite reduced tissue elasticity due to formaldehyde fixation, it proved possible to demonstrate all regions of the parotid gland to the operating surgeon with either approach. There were no significant differences in the distance between the parotid edge and the retracted skin flaps (P > 0.1; paired t‐test).

Conclusions:  The facelift approach provides at least equal access to all regions of the parotid gland when compared to a Blair's incision. It is a superior approach aesthetically and its more widespread use in parotid surgery is advocated.
Questionnaire analysis of the swallowing‐related outcomes following total laryngectomy
Authors: Kazi R. , Prasad V. , Venkitaraman R. , Nutting C.M. , Clarke P. , Rhys‐Evans P. , Harrington K.J.
Published: December 2006

Objective:  To determine the effects of a total laryngectomy on the swallow and subsequent quality of life in head and neck cancer patients.

Design:  Cross‐sectional single centre cohort study.

Setting:  Head and Neck Oncology Unit, Tertiary Referral Unit.

Patients:  Sixty‐two patients who underwent total laryngectomy at our centre participated in the study.

Methods:  Subjects were stratified by age, sex, tumour stage, other procedures such as myotomy and nerve re‐implantation. Pharyngectomy, glossectomy, flap reconstruction, neck dissection and previous radio‐ and chemotherapy were also assessed to see if they affected swallow and subsequent quality of life. Main outcome was measured using the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory questionnaire.

Results:  Responses were received from 46 males and 16 females (response rate of 80.5%) with a mean age of 64.7 years (SD 9.4). Median follow‐up in patients was 90 months (range 1–276). The mean MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory total score in our series of patients was 77.7 (SD 16.6). MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory global score was 79.4 (SD 22.6), Emotional score was 77.7 (SD 17.8), Functional score 81.3 (SD 15.9) and Physical score was 74.1(SD 18). Statistically significant differences were seen between the emotional scores of glossectomised and non‐glossectomised patients (Mann Whitney, P = 0.04). No significant correlation was seen between the subscale scores and the remaining treatment variables such as age, gender, site, tumour stage, myotomy, nerve implantation, radiotherapy, reconstruction and major complications.

Conclusion:  This questionnaire study is the largest of its type to assess the swallow of patients who have undergone laryngectomy at a single centre. The overall result confirmed that most patients had a subjectively good swallow. Only glossectomy and the method of PE segment closure were shown to significantly affect swallowing outcomes following surgery. We recommend further work especially prospective studies pre and post surgery using this or similarly validated instruments to fully assess swallow in the laryngectomy population.
Patterns of denitrification rates in European alluvial soils under various hydrological regimes
Authors: PINAY G. , GUMIERO B. , TABACCHI E. , GIMENEZ O. , TABACCHI‐PLANTY A. M. , HEFTING M. M. , BURT T. P. , BLACK V. A. , NILSSON C. , IORDACHE V. , BUREAU F. , VOUGHT L. , PETTS G. E. , DÉCAMPS H.
Published: December 2006

1. Denitrification in floodplain soils is one of the main biological processes emitting and reducing nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, and the main process responsible for the buffering capacity of riparian zones against diffuse nitrate pollution.

2. The aim of this study was to measure denitrification rates under a wide range of current climatic conditions and hydrological regimes in Europe (from latitude 64°N to latitude 42°N and from longitude 2°W to longitude 25°E), in order to determine the response patterns of this microbial process under different climatic and hydrological conditions, and to identify denitrification proxies robust enough to be used at the European scale.

3. Denitrification activity was significant in all the floodplain soils studied whatever the latitude. However, we found an increase in rates of an order of magnitude from high to mid latitudes. Maximum rates (above 30 g N m−2 month−1) were measured in the maritime conditions of the Trent floodplain. These rates are similar to mineralisation rates measured in alluvial soils and of the same order of magnitude as the amount of N stored in herbaceous plants in alluvial soils.

4. We used Multivariate Adaptative Regression Splines to relate the response variable denitrification with five relevant predictors, namely soil moisture, temperature, silt plus clay, nitrate content and herbaceous plant biomass.

5. Soil moisture, temperature, and nitrate were the three main control variables of microbial denitrification in alluvial soils in decreasing order of importance.

6. The model developed for denitrification with interaction effects outperformed a pure additive model. Soil moisture was involved in all interactions, emphasising its importance in predicting denitrification.

7. These results are discussed in the context of scenarios for future change in European hydrological regimes.