bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indications and extent of elective neck dissection in patients with early stage oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma: nationwide survey in The Netherlands
Authors: de Bree R , van der Waal I , Doornaert P , Werner J A , Castelijns J A , Leemans C R
Published: March 2009

Background:

Different strategies are available for the management of patients with early (i.e. tumour stage one or two) oral or oropharyngeal carcinoma and a clinically negative neck.

Material and methods:

In 2006, a questionnaire was sent to the eight head and neck cancer centres of the Dutch Head and Neck Oncology Cooperative Group. This questionnaire covered: the factors influencing the decision to perform an elective neck dissection; the neck staging procedure; and the types of neck dissection undertaken.

Results:

All eight questionnaires were returned completed. Respondents indicated that the site (n = 6), size (n = 7) and thickness (n = 6) of the primary tumour were important in decisions regarding elective neck dissection. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology was the most frequently used diagnostic technique (n = 7). Depending on the site and stage of the primary tumour presented, in the different cases 3–7 of the centres would perform an elective neck dissection. Selective neck dissections (i.e. levels I to III/IV) were more frequently performed than modified radical neck dissections.

Conclusion:

There was no uniformity regarding management of the clinically negative neck in patients with early stage oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma, within The Netherlands.
Biomonitoring with lichens on twigs
Authors: LARSEN VILSHOLM René , WOLSELEY Pat A. , SØCHTING Ulrik , CHIMONIDES P. Jim
Published: March 2009

Two surveys of the lichen and bryophyte flora growing on oak twigs from a Welsh and a Danish locality were compared with additional data on bark pH and % nitrogen in thalli ofHypogymnia physodes. Despite differences in climate and lichen flora, both sites showed a shift in the lichen communities from nitrogen sensitive (nitrophobe) to nitrogen tolerant (nitrophile) species, which was correlated with both increasing bark pH and an increase in total nitrogen in thalli ofH. physodes. The floristic survey from Wales was a repetition of a study eight years earlier (Wolseley & Pryor 1999) now showing a loss of nitrophobes in all sites and the appearance of nitrophiles in pasture sites in 2003. This study demonstrates that lichens on twigs can be used as an early warning system to detect a response to changes in land management and nitrogen deposition.
The Caloplaca holocarpa group in the Nordic countries, except Iceland
Authors: ARUP Ulf
Published: March 2009

The Caloplaca holocarpa group in the Nordic countries, except Iceland, is defined genetically using the nrlTS DNA gene. The members are analysed with regard to morphology, anatomy, ecology, and chemistry. The results show that C. holocarpa seems to be a very small group, but there are many morphologically similar species outside the group. Within the group several species have been confused, but it is shown that C. holocarpa, C. pyracea, and C. vitellinula are separate taxa. Caloplaca cerinella also belongs to the group whereas C. cerinelloides does not, but is included in the treatment because of its similarity to the former species. Caloplaca lithophila H. Magn. is a synonym of either C. holocarpa or C. vitellinula, most probably of the latter. Many specimens determined to C. holocarpa belong to Caloplaca oasis, but this species is shown to have much more variable morphology and wider ecology and distribution than previously understood. Caloplaca oasis has also been confused with C. polycarpa, which is similar, but morphologically and genetically distinct, even though related. Neither of the two species belong to the C. holocarpa group, but are related to the C. citrina group, not to the C. velana group as usually believed. Other species from northern and central Europe similar to C. holocarpa belong in other groups. The treated species are described and illustrated in colour. Distribution maps are given for the study area. A key to species in northern Europe similar to C. holocarpa is also provided.
Rinodina brasiliensis, a new corticolous isidiate species, and closely related taxa
Authors: GIRALT Mireia , KALB Klaus , MAYRHOFER Helmut
Published: March 2009

Rinodina brasiliensis,a corticolous isidiate species with largePachysporaria-type ascospores is described from south-eastern Brazil. The new species is closely related toR. dolichosporaand toR. guianensis.Rinodina confinisis a synonym ofR. dolichospora.Notes on the taxonomy, morphology, anatomy, chemistry and distribution of these three taxa are given. Descriptions and iconography are provided. A key to species is also included.
The genusMycoblastusin the cool temperate Southern Hemisphere, with special reference to Tasmania
Authors: KANTVILAS Gintaras
Published: March 2009

The genusMycoblastusin cool temperate latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere is reviewed. Eight species are treated in detail:M. bryophilusImshaug ex Kantvilas sp. nov., from Campbell Island and Tasmania;M. campbellianus(Nyl.) Zahlbr.,M. coniophorus(Elix & A.W. Archer) Kantvilas & Elix comb. nov. andM. dissimulans(Nyl.) Zahlbr., all widespread across the austral region;M. disporus(C. Knight) Kantvilas comb. nov., from New Zealand and Tasmania;M. kalioruberKantvilas sp. nov, from Tasmania;M. sanguinarioidesKantvilas sp. nov., from Tasmania and south-eastern Australia; andM. leprarioidesKantvilas & Elix sp. nov., from south-eastern Australia (Victoria). Notes are provided on many other species ofMycoblastus, including those recognised for the Northern Hemisphere, and those originally described from austral regions but now excluded from the genus. Major characters of the genus are discussed, including thallus morphology and chemistry, apothecial pigments and ascus structure. It is suggested that the genus is heterogeneous and that some of its closest affinities may lie with the familyMegalariaceaeand the genusJapewia.
Two parasitic species of Placopyrenium (Verrucariaceae) from freshwater habitats in north-west Europe
Authors: ORANGE Alan
Published: March 2009

Two species of Placopyrenium, P. cinereoatratum and P. formosum, occur on siliceous rocks at the margins of rivers and lakes. Placopyrenium cinereoatratum is sometimes parasitic on Staurothele fissa; P. formosum is described as a new species, and is initially parasitic on Aspicilia aquatica.
Factors influencing temporal variation of a Sargassum filipendula (Phaeophyta: Fucales) bed in a subtropical shore
Authors: Jacobucci G.B. , Tanaka M.O. , Leite F.P.P.
Published: March 2009

In the present study, we evaluate the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on temporal fluctuations of Sargassum filipendula in a subtropical shore. Monthly algal samples, abiotic components, amphipod grazer density, and epiphyte biomass were obtained from a Sargassum bed in south-eastern Brazil. Density of S. filipendula fronds decreased during the sampling period, whereas dry mass was more constant, although with a noticeable reduction in the warmer months. Hypnea musciformis was the most frequent epiphyte on S. filipendula, occurring in all sampling periods, although with significant temporal variation. Sargassum filipendula density and dry mass were both influenced by epiphyte dry mass, temperature, and amphipod grazers. Sargassum filipendula biomass negatively influenced total epiphyte biomass, whereas H. musciformis biomass was positively influenced by phosphate, nitrite, and S. filipendula density and negatively influenced by S. filipendula dry mass and amphipod grazer abundance. Algal temporal fluctuations can be related to local abiotic and biotic factors, but the variation observed for S. filipendula and its epiphytes suggest that these factors have quite distinct effects for these algae.
Control Over Bureaucracy: Cultural Theory and Institutional Variety
Authors: Hood Christopher
Published: March 2009

The grid-group cultural theory of Mary Douglas is used to produce a basic categorization of polar approaches to control over public administration and management and to illuminate the selfdisequilibrating dynamics of public administration control systems. The four polar types are based on contrived randomness, competition, mutuality and review. The self-disequilibrating processes work through a combination of mutual repulsion among the polar types and the inherent limitations of each type, which will tend to produce more serious side-effects and reverse effects the more emphasis is placed on any one type. Six hybrid types of control are discussed as simple pairwise combinations of the four polar types, but such hybrids are also likely to be unstable. The approach used here appears at least as good on three criteria as any other current available classification of controls over public administration and it offers a distinctive agenda for examining control design and outcomes.
Economic Benefits and Support for Membership in the E.U.: A Cross-National Analysis
Authors: Anderson Christopher J. , Reichert M. Shawn
Published: March 2009

How can differences in public support for membership in the European Union across the twelve EU member states and among its citizens be explained? Using Eurobarometer polls for 1982, 1986, and 1990, the paper examines how direct and indirect economic benefits associated with EU membership affect support for integration. We find that individuals living in countries that benefit more from EU membership display higher levels of support for their country's participation in the EU. Moreover, the results indicate that those individuals who benefit personally are also more supportive of the integration project. The paper also spells out some of the possible ramifications of these results.
Statutory Coherence and Policy Implementation: The Case of Family Planning
Authors: Meier Kenneth J. , McFarlane Deborah R.
Published: March 2009

Policy theory suggests that coherent statutes – those with precise, clear goals, supported by an adequate causal theory, with clear administrative responsibilities, clear implementation rules, and assigned to committed agencies – are more likely to have their intended impact. Using the Mazmanian and Sabatier policy implementation framework, this article examines U.S. family planning policies with a pooled time series analysis from 1982 to 1988. Of the four family planning statutes, only Title X, the categorical grant program, meets the criteria of a coherent statute. The data analysis reveals that a dollar spent through Title X has a much greater impact on birth rates, abortion rates, late prenatal care, and infant and neonatal mortality than does a dollar spent through other programs. The results are strong evidence in support of designing policies with coherent statutes.
Corporate Direct Taxation in the European Union: Explaining the Policy Process
Authors: Radaelli Claudio M.
Published: March 2009

The author presents an empirical study of the direct corporate taxation policy process in the European Union. The study links three public policy literatures that are usually considered somewhat distinct and independent: the literature on the politics of tax reform, the literature on policy change and the political role of knowledge, and the literature on European integration. The examination of these literatures leads to a series of hypotheses which are used for addressing the analysis of the policy process. The conclusions assess the hypotheses and draw implications for the study of knowledge utilisation, policy change, and policy types.
Influences on Deficit Spending in Industrialized Democracies
Authors: Hahm Sung Deuk , Kamlet Mark S. , Mowery David C.
Published: March 2009

Since 1945, there has been substantial variation among the OECD countries and within them over time in central-government deficits. This paper surveys and assesses the literature on deficit spending in these industrialized democracies, emphasizing positive theories and the empirical support, or lack thereof, for each of them. We begin by considering the degree to which theories about the size of government and empirical tests of these theories about the level of overall government spending can explain deficits. We then survey theories pertaining to the political economy of fiscal deficits per se, including the ‘tax smoothing’ hypothesis, the neo-Keynesian countercyclical hypothesis, the public choice perspective, the ‘left-right ideology’ hypothesis, Roubini and Sachs' (1989) ‘strength of government’ hypothesis, and the importance of divided government in non-parliamentary systems.
A survey on snake robot modeling and locomotion
Authors: Transeth Aksel Andreas , Pettersen Kristin Ytterstad , Liljebäck Pål
Published: March 2009

Snake robots have the potential to make substantial contributions in areas such as rescue missions, firefighting, and maintenance where it may either be too narrow or too dangerous for personnel to operate. During the last 10–15 years, the published literature on snake robots has increased significantly. The purpose of this paper is to give a survey of the various mathematical models and motion patterns presented for snake robots. Both purely kinematic models and models including dynamics are investigated. Moreover, the different approaches to biologically inspired locomotion and artificially generated motion patterns for snake robots are discussed.
The Eighteenth-Century Ballet-Pantomime and Modern Mime
Authors: Nye Edward
Published: March 2009

Histories of mime largely overlook one of the most remarkable theatrical phenomena of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century: the ballet-pantomime. In contrast, it is widely discussed in dance history circles, as if there were a tacit understanding that only one half of this hyphenated art mattered: the ballet rather than the pantomime. This article explores the mime component of the ballet-pantomime in order to compare and contrast it with modern mime, especially Etienne Decroux's principles and practices. Through the works of Noverre particularly (since Decroux declares himself an admirer), but with reference also to other famous and less famous eighteenth-century choreographers and dancers, Edward Nye discusses five aspects of mime: use of the body, mime and dance, mime and language, objective and subjective mime, and pedagogy. He finds differences as well as similarities between modern and eighteenth-century mime, but overall argues that there is no reason to exclude the ballet-pantomime from histories of mime. Edward Nye is Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and University Lecturer in French. He has published on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century subjects in French literature and the arts, notably Literary and Linguistic Theories in Eighteenth-Century France (OUP, 2000), and on the literary aesthetics of sports writing, in A Bicyclette (Les Belles Lettres, 2000), and of dance, in Danse et littérature; sur quel pied danser? (ed., Rodopi, 2003).
The Valery Fokin Festival at the Aleksandrinsky Theatre, St Petersburg
Authors: Shevtsova Maria
Published: March 2009

One of Russia's foremost theatre directors, Valery Fokin graduated from the Shchukin School at the Vakhtangov theatre in Moscow. At the Sovremennik and Yermolova theatres, of which he was the artistic director, he staged a wide repertoire that included contemporary writers (Mikhail Roshchin, Aleksandr Vampilov, Viktor Rozov), Soviet classics (Gorky), Russian classics (Gogol, Dostoevsky), and, from the international arena, Nabokov and Albee. He taught at the renowned school GITIS from 1975 to 1979 and in Krakow and Tokyo in 1993 and 1994. He has increasingly directed abroad, including Poland, Hungary, France, Germany, Japan, and Korea. In this article Maria Shevtsova focuses on his most recent productions at the Aleksandrinsky Theatre, where he has become a St Petersburg director while maintaining his professional links at the Meyerhold Centre in Moscow, which he founded in 1991 – aptly, since it is with Meyerhold that Fokin's name is most closely connected. Maria Shevtsova is co-editor of New Theatre Quarterly and author of Dodin and the Maly Drama Theatre: Process to Performance (Routledge, 2004).
Female Trance in Han Tae-Sook's Production of Lady Macbeth
Authors: Shim Jung-Soon
Published: March 2009

In this article, Jung-Soon Shim indicates how Han Tae-Sook transforms Lady Macbeth's subconscious into an interculturally emotional space in which the Christian concept of guilt and the Korean ethos of Han intersect. In this way, the director conducts an intercultural dialogue, negotiating the Western world view in Shakespeare's Macbeth together with the traditional Confucian-shamanistic world view to be found in Korea. Jung-Soon Shim is Professor of English at Soongsil University in Seoul, currently President of the Korean Theatre Studies Association (KTSA), and a founding member and President of the Korean Association of Women in Theatre (KAWT). Her numerous books include Twenty-First Century Korean Women Theatre Directors (2004).
Playing with Documentary Theatre: Aalst and Taking Care of Baby
Authors: Young Stuart
Published: March 2009

The coinings of ‘verbatim theatre’ and the ‘testimony play’ have added new factors to any consideration of documentary drama. It is a form that has been proliferating recently, whether in enacted judgements of public policy – privatization of the railways in David Hare's The Permanent Way, the invasion of Iraq in Called to Account at the Tricycle – or in exploring the ‘truth’ about more private issues. In the following article, Stuart Young questions whether the form is appropriate to the discovery of such ‘truth’, but finds that two recent works in the genre, Aalst and Taking Care of Baby, have effected a more complex and reflexive intervention by emphasizing the process of writing or reporting, thereby drawing attention to the methods of construction in documentary theatre and to the problematic issues inherent in those methods. Stuart Young is Associate Professor and Co-ordinator of the Theatre Studies programme at the University of Otago. He has published on Chekhov in performance abroad and rewritings of the plays, New Zealand drama, and gay and queer theatre, and also translates Russian and French drama. He is currently working on a documentary theatre project on family violence in New Zealand.
Vienna–London–Belfast: Schnitzler's Reigen on the Translation Roundabout
Authors: Zojer Heidi
Published: March 2009

Arthur Schnitzler's cycle of sexual permutations in fin de siècle Vienna has always been prone to problems of translation – not least of its title, properly in German Reigen, but often miscalled La Ronde, after Max Ophüls's film version of 1950. But its problems for translators also derive from the cultural specificity of its time and place, and in this article Heidi Zojer first examines how its numerous English translators have tried to overcome the difficulties the play presents, illustrating from a cross-section of versions examples of its resistance to easy translation, whether ‘faithful’ or colloquial. She concludes that freer adaptations such as David Hare's The Blue Room (1998) have in fact been truer to the spirit of Schnitzler's play – while perhaps truest of all has been Carlo Gébler's complete rewriting, in Ten Rounds (1999), which ‘translated’ the play to contemporary Belfast during the years of the peace process. Heidi Zojer was awarded her D. Phil. from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, in 1999. From 2000 to 2002 she was Lecturer at the University of Birmingham, and since then has been teaching at University College Dublin.
QUASI-MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION OF SEMI-STRONG GARCH MODELS
Authors: Escanciano Juan Carlos
Published: March 2009

This note proves the consistency and asymptotic normality of the quasi–maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) of the parameters of a generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic (GARCH) model with martingale difference centered squared innovations. The results are obtained under mild conditions and generalize and improve those in Lee and Hansen (1994,Econometric Theory10, 29–52) for the local QMLE in semistrong GARCH(1,1) models. In particular, no restrictions on the conditional mean are imposed. Our proofs closely follow those in Francq and Zakoïan (2004,Bernoulli10, 605–637) for independent and identically distributed innovations.
Children's treatment by peers: Victims of relational and overt aggression
Authors: Crick Nicki R. , Grotpeter Jennifer K.
Published: March 2009

Past research on peer victimization has focused on maltreatment through overtly aggressive behaviors. Although a relational form of aggression has been identified in recent research, studies of the victims of relational aggression have not yet been conducted. The present research was designed as a first attempt to address this issue. Four goals were pursued (n = 474; third- through sixth-grade children): (a) development of a self-report measure of victimization through relational and overt aggression; (b) assessment of the relation between overt victimization and relational victimization; (c) assessment of gender, grade, and sociometric status group differences in victimization; and (d) evaluation of the relation between victimization and social-psychological adjustment. Results showed that the newly developed victimization measure had favorable psychometric properties and that most of the identified victims were the targets of cither relational or overt aggression, but not both. Further, rejected children were more relationally and overtly victimized than their better accepted peers, and boys were more overtly victimized than girls. Finally, relational victimization, overt victimization, and the lack of prosocial treatment by peers were all significantly related to social-psychological adjustment difficulties (e.g., depression, loneliness).
Early childhood temperament as a determinant of externalizing behavior in adolescence
Authors: Schwartz Carl E. , Snidman Nancy , Kagan Jerome
Published: March 2009

Two cohorts of adolescents who were categorized at either 21 or 31 months of age as extremely inhibited or uninhibited completed the Youth Self-Report (YSR), and their parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). In the second year, inhibited children typically cease ongoing behavior and vocalizing, seek comfort from a familiar person, or withdraw in response to unfamiliar situations. By contrast uninhibited children do not become subdued by novelty and are sociable and outgoing, often vocalizing, smiling, and approaching unfamiliar persons or objects. The 13-year-old adolescents who had been categorized as inhibited at 21 months of age scored significantly lower than adolescents originally classified as uninhibited on the Total Externalizing, Delinquent Behavior, and Aggressive Behavior Scales. Parental ratings of Total Externalizing and Aggressive behavior on the CBCL agreed with the Youth Self-Report. The second cohort of adolescents who had been selected at 31 months yielded similar findings, but only for males. These results suggest that important aspects of the original temperamental profile have been preserved over a 12-year period.
Constructive theory of the lower power locale
Authors: Bunge M. , funk J.
Published: March 2009

This paper considers two main aspects of the lower power locale PL(X): first, its relation to the symmetric topos construction of Bunge and Carboni; and second, its points, which, it is shown, are equivalent to the weakly closed sublocales of X with open domain. This is done as part of a more general discussion of arbitrary weakly closed sublocales, including a new characterization using suplattice homomorphisms from o(X) to Sub(1), and a new proof of a theorem of Jibladze relating them to Ω-nuclei.
Continuation-based compilation of functional languages for parallel machines
Authors: Giorgi J.-F. , Métayer D. Le
Published: March 2009

We tackle the problems of correctness and efficiency of paralled implementations of functional languages. We present a compilation technique described in terms of program transformations in the functional framework. The original functional expression is transformed into a functional term, which can be seen as traditional machine code. The main feature of the parallel implementation is the use of continuations. We introduce a parallel abstract machine describing lazy task creation in terms of exportation of continuations. The advantages of the approach are twofold: (1)correetness proofs are made simpler and (2) the implementation is efficient because the use of continuations reduces the task management overhead.
THE BEST LEAST ABSOLUTE DEVIATIONS LINE – PROPERTIES AND TWO EFFICIENT METHODS FOR ITS DERIVATION
Authors: SABO KRISTIAN , SCITOVSKI RUDOLF
Published: March 2009

Given a set of points in the plane, the problem of existence and finding the least absolute deviations line is considered. The most important properties are stated and proved and two efficient methods for finding the best least absolute deviations line are proposed. Compared to other known methods, our proposed methods proved to be considerably more efficient.
Rethinking the Komeito Voter
Authors: EHRHARDT GEORGE
Published: March 2009

Drawing on five months of ethnography among rank-and-file Soka Gakkai members, this article takes issue with the conventional view of Komeito and Gakkai political socialization as one of group identity. It uses interviews and primary sources from Gakkai socialization practice to document how the two organizations appeal to Gakkai members by promoting the Komeito policy agenda, and how Gakkai members use the same arguments in search of non-Gakkai votes for the party. Social ties remain important, but they are vehicles for this policy message, not a justification for supporting Komeito. This makes Komeito leadership far more constrained in its political choices than is currently recognized. The article finishes by showing how this theory explains variation in Komeito electoral support better than a social identity alternative.
2008 General Elections in Malaysia: Democracy at Work
Authors: MOTEN ABDUL RASHID
Published: March 2009

The Barisan Nasional (BN) which won a landslide in 2004 was returned to power in 2008 elections with reduced majority and the loss of five state assemblies. Dissatisfied with unfulfilled promises, the electorate protested by voting for a strong opposition. BN additionally was characterized by factionalism. Three opposition parties joined hands and, using alternative media, unexpectedly won 82 seats in the parliament. A strong responsible opposition bodes well for Malaysian democracy.
Partisan Bias in Japan's Single Member Districts
Authors: JOU WILLY
Published: March 2009

The delineation of constituency boundaries and variations in vote distribution across districts often favor certain parties at the expense of others. Applying a hitherto under-utilized formula (Brookes, 1959; Johnstonet al., 1999), this study investigates whether the mechanism translating votes into seats in Japan's single-member districts results in systematic partisan advantage that may influence election outcomes. Simulations are conducted for the 2003 and 2005 general elections under two scenarios: where the governing coalition and the main opposition party receive equal vote shares, and where their vote shares are reversed from the actual results. Components of electoral bias are then disaggregated into size and distribution effects, and the impact of malapportionment, electorate size, turnout, and the role of third party/independent candidates on overall electoral bias is examined. Results show that while partisan bias exists, disadvantages toward one party in some components are likely to cancel out benefits derived from others, producing a relatively small net effect. Furthermore, electoral bias in Japan is found to award sectoral rather than partisan seat bonuses.
Do East Asians Perceive Democracy as a Lesser Evil? Retesting Churchill's Lesser-Evil Notion of Democracy in East Asia
Authors: SHIN DOH CHULL
Published: March 2009

Winston Churchill once asserted ‘democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time’. In this conception, democracy is ‘a lesser evil’, something that is not good but is less bad than its alternatives. This study offers a rigorous test of this concept in the context of East Asia. Analysis of the East Asia Barometer surveys conducted in five new democracies in the region reveals that small minorities of these countries actually perceive the current democratic regime as a lesser evil. A large majority of these ‘lesser-evil perceivers’, moreover, refuse to support democracy fully. On the basis of these findings, we argue that the Churchillian lesser-evil notion of democracy has limited utility as an alternative paradigm for the study of democratization among ordinary citizens.
Apology: A Small Yet Important Part of Justice
Authors: COICAUD JEAN-MARC
Published: March 2009

Jean-Marc Coicaud's article begins by stressing the contemporary importance and the current trend of political apology. Recent political apologies offered in Australia and Canada to their indigenous populations form a significant part of this story. He then analyzes a number of intriguing paradoxes at the core of the dynamics of apology. These paradoxes give meaning to apology but also make the very idea of apology extremely challenging. They have to do with the relationships of apology with time, law and the unforgivable. The most intriguing of these paradoxes concerns apology and the unforgivable. Indeed, the greater the wrong, the more valuable the apology. But, then, the more difficult it becomes to issue and to accept an apology. This latter paradox is namely examined in the context of mass crimes, taken from Europe, Africa and Asia. As a whole these paradoxes are all the more intriguing considering what apology in a political context aims to accomplish, for the actor who issues the apology, for the one who receives it, for their relationship, and for the social environment in which this takes place. Jean-Marc Coicaud concludes his article by outlining what the rise of apology means for contemporary political culture.
Cloning, expression and bioactivity of chicken receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (chRANKL)
Authors: Yan Wang , Jia-Fa Hou
Published: March 2009

Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and gene splicing by overlap extension (SOE-PCR), the DNA sequence encoding the chicken receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) was amplified, cloned into the expressing plasmid pET-32a(+) with His-tag, and highly expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified protein was then added to primary cultures of chicken osteoclasts to observe its bioactivity. The results showed that the size of the PCR product was 1200 bp, which was consistent with the expected size, and the relative molecular weight of the induced protein was 64 kDa. Western blotting indicated that induced protein could react with anti-His antibody. It was also found that the induced protein can stimulate mature chicken osteoclasts to resorb bone.
Bovine interferon-tau expression inEscherichia coliand identification of its biological activities
Authors: Fang-Fang Gao , Zhong-Yi Wu , Shen-Ming Zeng
Published: March 2009

The bovine interferon-tau (bIFN-τ) gene, with signal sequence, was obtained through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from bovine early embryos and subcloned into a pGEM-T vector. After being verified, the fragments, with or without signal sequence, were inserted into the expression vector pET-30a(+). Two recombinant plasmids were induced to express the recombinant proteins by isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside. The results showed that the bIFN-τ gene could be obtained from five bovine blastocysts by PCR without extraction of genomic DNA. It had 99% homology with nucleotides and 97% with amino acids in the GenBank sequence (accession number: XM_593584). The products of recombinant bIFN-τ, minus signal sequence, expressed in pET-30a(+) were analysed by SDS-PAGE. A new 20 kDa protein was detected and its molecular weight was as expected. The antiviral activity of recombinant bIFN-τ was 1×104IU/mg using a standard cytopathic reduction assay. Marked morphological changes were induced by recombinant bIFN-τ in bovine endometrial epithelial cells. The cell volume was larger than that of controls and a lot of vesicles appeared in the cytoplasm after 24 h culture in the presence of 2.9 μg/ml recombinant bIFN-τ. In conclusion, a purified recombinant, biologically active bIFN-τ was obtained in this experiment.
Cryopreservation of boar semen using straws
Authors: Jun-Feng Gao , Xiao-Feng Zheng , Li-Jun Ge , Qing Lu , Rong Rui
Published: March 2009

An optimal protocol for cryopreservation of boar semen was established. First, the boar semen was pre-diluted with ZORLESCO (ZO) solution and pre-equilibrated at room temperature for 1 h. After adding extender I, spermatozoa were equilibrated at 5°C for 1.5 h; then an equal volume of extender II was added and the spermatozoa equilibrated for 2 h. The resulting spermatozoa were loaded into 0.25 ml straws, equilibrated for 10 min at 3 cm above the surface of liquid nitrogen (LN), then promptly submerged into LN. When thawing, straws were incubated in a water bath at 37°C for 30 s. This procedure yielded the highest post-thaw motility of 0.58±0.03 and plasma integrity of 63.2±1.2%, together with a normal acrosome in 51.4±2.6% of spermatozoa. Abnormal spermatozoa after freezing represented only 14.0±3.0%.
Comparison of conventional plasmid vector and Semliki forest virus-derived vectors in expressing growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH)
Authors: Xiao-Hui Ren , Hu-Ying Luo , Song-Cai Liu , Ming-Jun Zhang , Song-Ying Ouyang , Hong-Yi Li , Yong-Liang Zhang
Published: March 2009

The elements for the Semliki forest virus (SFV) RNA replicon were obtained from the Alphavirus genome. It was designed to overcome the poor efficacy of some current plasmid vectors. Genes coding for viral replicases are preserved while genes coding for structural proteins are replaced by foreign genes in the RNA replicon. High levels of RNA replication and expression of foreign genes in the cytoplasm are regulated by the replicases. To evaluate the effects of the SFV RNA replicon on the improvement of gene expression, a LacZ gene was inserted into pIRES-neo digested by BamHI and dephosphorylated by alkaline phosphatase to construct pIRES-neo-LacZ. The RNA replicon vector pCMV-rep-LacZ and two conventional cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter-based vectors (pLNCX-LacZ and pIRES-neo-LacZ) were transfected, using Lipofectin, to prepared 293 cells. Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) expression vectors (pCMV-Rep-GHRH, pCDNA3.1(+)-GHRH and pIRES-neo-GHRH) were also tested using the same procedure. Target gene expression was detected with radioimmunoassay (RIA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results showed that the expression level of the RNA replicon vector was 2–3 times higher than with normal plasmid vectors. This result will help to improve the efficiency of gene expression in eukaryotic cells.
Polymorphism ofMC4RAsp298Asn site and its relationship with backfat thickness in commercial pigs
Authors: Xiao-Hui Yang , Yuan Liu , Hui Tang , Ning-Bo Zhang , Ying Wu , Shu-Dong Wei , Yun-Liang Jiang
Published: March 2009

Melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is a member of the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which affects body weight, energy homeostasis and food intake in humans and mice. In this study, the Asp298Asn polymorphism of theMC4Rgene was investigated in Laiwu, Yorkshire×Laiwu and commercial cross-bred pig populations using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and the relationship of this mutation with backfat thickness was analysed. The results indicated that only genotype 11 exists in 33 individuals of Laiwu pigs, and three genotypes (11, 12 and 22) were detected in Yorkshire×Laiwu and commercial cross-bred populations. The distributions of allele and genotype frequencies in Yorkshire×Laiwu and commercial cross-bred populations were similar, with the frequency of allele 1 being higher than that of allele 2. In commercial cross-bred pigs, the mean backfat thickness of individuals with genotype 22 was significantly higher than that of individuals with genotypes 12 (P<0.01) and 11 (P<0.05). This study provides evidence that the Asp298Asn polymorphism of theMC4Rgene is associated with backfat thickness in commercial cross-bred pigs with Western pigs as parental lines and, therefore, can be used as a DNA marker for breeding in such populations of pigs.
Isolation and culture of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from human fetus and their biological properties
Authors: Yi-Hua Zhang , Zhong-Ying Dou , Wen-Zheng Shen , Chun-Rong Yang , Zhi-Min Gao
Published: March 2009

The population doubling number (70–80 times) of human fetal bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) is about two times higher than that (30–40 times) of adult BMMSCs, and their differentiation capacity is superior to that of their adult counterparts. In this study, BMMSCs were isolated from long bones of 2- to 3-month-old human abortuses by rinsing and selectively culturing whole marrow cells. Basic medium and serum concentration were optimized and growth curves plotted, both by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-di-phenyltetrazolium bromide] reduction assay. Isolated cells were identified by flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry for their antigen markers. The biosafety of isolated cells was evaluated by karyotype analysis and a tumour-forming experiment. The results indicated that lengthwise scissoring of fetal long bones and rinsing of their marrow cells was practical and useful for recovery of BMMSCs from the investigated human abortuses. In this experiment, α-MEM (minimum essential medium, alpha medium)+20% FCS (fetal calf serum) was the best for in vitro culture of BMMSCs. The third-passage BMMSCs expressed Oct4, SSEA3 and SSEA4 besides the surface markers of their adult counterparts. The population doubling time of the BMMSCs of passage 6, 12 and 24 were 34, 36 and 40 h, respectively. Cells in all passages showed a diploid karyotype and formed no tumours in nude mice. The BMMSCs used in this study proved to be biologically safe and ideal seed cells for research on human tissue engineering and regeneration medicine.
In vitro differentiation of chicken spermatogonial stem cells into adipocytes
Authors: Fei Yu , Jian-Hui Ge , Li-Gang Ni , Xian-Hong He , Qi Xu , Bi-Chun Li
Published: March 2009

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), which were isolated from chicken (Gallus gallus) embryo testes 16 days after laying, were cultured, subcultured, and induced into adipocytes in vitro. The differentiated cells were identified by oil red-O staining. Dexamethasone, insulin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) were tested for their induction potential. About 7–21 days after induction, SSCs differentiated into adipocytes, and the resulting adipocytes strongly expressed peroxisome proliferation activation receptor-γ (PPAR-γ). The assay outcome showed that an optimal treatment consisted of dexamethasone, insulin and IBMX application for 3 days and insulin for 1 day (3 cycles), then insulin for 21 days. The differentiation ratio was 85%, better than the combined use of dexamethasone, insulin and IBMX (P<0.01). However, the combination of the three derivatives triggered a stronger induction than any of them used alone (P<0.01). This study has demonstrated the potential of chicken embryonic SSCs to differentiate in vitro into adipocytes.
Income and the use of health care: an empirical study of Egypt and Lebanon
Authors: ELGAZZAR HEBA
Published: March 2009

In middle-income Arab countries such as Egypt and Lebanon, income-associated equity in health care remains an elusive policy objective in part due to a relatively high reliance on out-of-pocket payments in financing care. This article examines the effect of income on the use of outpatient and inpatient health care services in Egypt and Lebanon using econometric analysis of cross-sectional data from the World Health Organization. In light of noticeable differences in income and public financing arrangements, these two countries serve as interesting case studies. Multivariate regression results suggest that Egyptian respondents were more likely to use health services than their Lebanese counterparts, holding all else constant, and that this effect was particularly evident for outpatient care. A higher income and insurance increased the likelihood of outpatient use more so than inpatient use, with these effects more pronounced in Lebanon. Overall, lower-income groups tended to report having worse health levels and paying more out-of-pocket on health care as a share of income than did higher-income groups. At the same time, these socioeconomic disparities in health appeared to be greater in Lebanon than in Egypt. Economic barriers to the use of health services are discussed within the context of health financing policy reforms aimed at improving equity in access to care in countries such as Egypt and Lebanon.
Die Amputation der durchblutungsgestörten Extremität aus der Sicht des Orthopäden
Authors: Ender  , Ender  , Machner  , Neumann
Published: March 2009

Trotz aller therapeutischen Fortschritte in der Behandlung von arteriellen Durchblutungsstörungen der unteren Extremität müssen jährlich mehrere zehntausend Amputationen in diesem Bereich durchgeführt werden. Die vollzogene Amputation ist nicht das Ende der Behandlung sondern sie steht am Anfang der Rehabilitation des Patienten. Ausschlaggebende Kriterien für eine erfolgreiche Rehabilitation sind die Qualität des Extremitätenstumpfes, die Sofort- und Frühversorgung und eine adäquate Prothesenversorgung.
Psychologische Verarbeitung der Amputation
Authors: Schulz
Published: March 2009

Eine Amputation ist ein «kritisches Lebensereignis», bei dem es zur Körperbildveränderung kommt, die am stärksten im Verlust von Mobilität und Selbständigkeit und im Selbstwertverlust zum Tragen kommt. Die Antwort, die der Amputierte hierauf findet, wird in einer bestimmten Form von Coping deutlich. Coping wird eine als Bewältigung (problemlösende oder emotionale) bezeichnete Auseinandersetzung mit belastenden Ereignissen oder Erlebnissen genannt, während Transaktion den Bewältigungsprozess selbst beschreibt. Stress und Coping werden als Transaktion verstanden. Hierbei müssen die Phasen des Trauerprozesses: Abwehr (Verdrängung oder Verleugnung – schützt vor psychischer Überforderung), Konfrontation (gefühls- und verstandesmäßige Verarbeitung – «Wie konnte das passieren?» (Verstehbarkeit), «Wie soll es nur weitergehen?» (Bewältigbarkeit) und «Warum musste gerade mir das passieren?» (Sinngebung)) und Akzeptanz (neues Selbstwertgefühl, «mit der Situation arrangiert») durchlebt werden. Die gelungene Bewältigung wird zur Neuidentifikation führen, die nicht gelungene Bewältigung führt zur Stigmatisierung, d.h. Depression, Minderwertigkeit und Schuldzuweisung. Amputierte werden zu einem bis zwei Drittel, je nach Autor, depressiv, etwa 15% entwickeln eine Angstsymptomatik. Die Schaffung niedrigschwelliger Angebote (z.B. Selbsthilfegruppen) ist sinnvoll, um die Patienten bei der psychischen Bewältigung zu unterstützen und ihren Anpassungsprozess zu fördern. Bei Patienten mit massiveren psychischen Belastungsreaktionen sind darüber hinaus einzelpsychotherapeutische Maßnahmen notwendig. Im Bewältigungsvorgang schwanken viele Betroffene zwischen ermutigender, optimistischer «Verdrängung» und problemfixierter, pessimistischer Niedergeschlagenheit. Ein erfolgreicher Bewältigungsprozess ist eine Frage des ausgewogenen Hin- und Herpendelns zwischen Verdrängung und Sensibilisierung.
Organometallic Chemistry of B12 Coenzymes
Authors: Kräutler Bernhard
Published: March 2009

When coenzyme B12 was identified as organometallic derivative of vitamin B12, metal-carbon bonds were revealed to be relevant in life processes. Vitamin B12, the “antipernicious anaemia factor” required for human health, was isolated earlier as a crystallizable cyano-Co(III)-complex. B12 cofactors and other cobalt corrinoids play important roles not only in humans, but in the metabolism of archaea and other microorganisms, in particular. Indeed, the microorganisms are the only natural sources of the B12 derivatives. For other B12-requiring organisms the corrinoids are thus “vitamins”. However, vitamin B12 also needs to be converted into organometallic B12-forms, which are the typical coenzymes in metabolically important enzymes. One of these, methionine synthase, catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group and its corrinoid cofactor is methylcobalamin. Another one, methylmalonyl-CoA mutase uses a reversible radical process, and coenzyme B12 (adenosylcobalamin) as its cofactor, to transform methylmalonyl-CoA into succinyl-CoA. In such enzymes, the bound B12 derivatives engage (or are formed) in exceptional organometallic enzymatic reactions, which depend upon the organometallic reactivity of the B12 cofactors. Clearly, organometallic B12 derivatives hold an important position in life and have thus attracted particular interest from the medical sciences, biology, and chemistry. This chapter outlines the unique structures of B12 derivatives and recapitulates their redox properties and their organometallic chemistry, relevant in the context of the metabolic transformation of B12 derivatives into the relevant coenzyme forms and for their use in B12-dependent enzymes.
Application of the SILAC (stable isotope labelling with amino acids in cell culture) technique in quantitative comparisons for tissue proteome expression
Authors: Xu Yuhuan , Liang Shufang , Shen Guobo , Xu Xuejiao , Liu Qingping , Xu Zhizhong , Gong Fengming , Tang Minghai , Wei Yuquan
Published: March 2009

Stable isotope labelling has recently become a popular tool for the quantitative profiling of the proteome, especially the emergence and development of the SILAC (stable isotope labelling with amino acids in cell culture) technique. Here we have expanded the application of SILAC to comparison of the relative protein expression levels between two different states of tissues based on cultured cells with [2H]leucine labelling as an internal standard in mass spectra. The SILAC ratio of tissue proteins versus labelled cells was determined by the calculation of peak intensity of the pair of labelled and unlabelled peptide fragment ions from the mass spectra, and the relative expression level of proteins in two groups of tissues was estimated by calculating the ratio of their SILAC ratio. To validate our [2H]leucine‐based differential proteome analysis for tissues, we successfully compared two known proteins, one up‐regulated vimentin and one down‐regulated enoyl‐CoA hydratase in human renal cancerous tissues versus human normal kidney tissues, which was previously confirmed by other groups using conventional two‐dimensional PAGE analysis. Furthermore, we identified a previously unknown down‐regulated protein, COX4I1 (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4 isoform 1), in renal carcinoma tissues by this [2H]leucine‐based quantitative proteomics method, which was also validated by immunohistochemistry and Western‐blot analysis. In conclusion, the application of the [2H]leucine‐based quantitative technique can be effectively expanded to comparison of the expression levels for the tissue proteome at different states, which would help us to identify new candidate biomarkers for tumours.