bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The isolation of carbon dioxide-requiring (carboxyphilic) type 19 pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) from diseased guinea-pigs
Authors: Sebesteny A.
Published: July 2007

Type 19 pneumococcus was isolated only in anaerobic cultures from tissue fluids of guinea-pigs suffering from exudative pericarditis and pleuropneumonia. The organism was pathogenic to mice even after 40 subcultures. Further study showed it to be carboxyphilic rather than anaerobic. The necessity of specifying various atmospheric conditions in the diagnostic bacteriological isolation routine is emphasized.
A modified method of blood sampling from birds
Authors: Dorrestein G. M. , Blaauboer B. J. , Miltenburg N. A. , Deley P. P.
Published: July 2007

A modified vacuum blood-sampling technique is described. The method is very convenient for taking blood samples from birds, including very small species.
Ectopic pregnancy in 2 guinea-pigs
Authors: Hong Chou C. , Armstrong Michael L.
Published: July 2007

The foetuses were completely developed and were found in the peritoneal cavities of strain 13/N guinea-pigs in their 3rd pregnancies. One foetal placenta was attached to the left side of the peritoneal wall, the other adhered to the pyloric region of the stomach.
Modification of a guinea-pig hopper to reduce food wastage
Authors: Veall D. J. , Wood Margery
Published: July 2007

Food utilization in relation to gain in bodyweight was reduced by 18% without significantly affecting the growth of male guinea-pigs.
Balantidiosis in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Authors: Kim James C. S. , Abee Christian R. , Wolf Robert H.
Published: July 2007

A young adult chimpanzee died after a brief gastrointestinal illness characterized by profuse soft stool, vomiting and dyspnoea. Necropsy examination revealed a severe typhlitis and colitis with pseudomembrane formation, and acute aspiration pneumonia. Balantidium coli, a common intestinal parasite, was found in large numbers in the mucosal and submucosal layers of the colon and caecum. The inflammation and degree of invasion associated with Balantidium coli indicates that it was a primary pathogen.
A condition resembling pagetoid reticulosis in a laboratory mouse
Authors: Abbott D. P. , Masson M-T. , Bonnet M-C.
Published: July 2007

A raised, hairless cutaneous nodule was found incidentally at necropsy of a 24-month-old CD1 mouse. Histologically there was infiltration of the epidermis by a monomorphic population of moderate to large lymphocytoid cells. Many large cells had bizarre convolutions of the nuclear membrane and resembled the so-called Sézary or mycosis cells seen in epidermotropic T-cell proliferative disorders. The pattern of cutaneous involvement and the presence of the large cells with convoluted nuclei is characteristic of pagetoid reticulosis. No previous reports of such cutaneous lymphoid neoplasms in mice were found in an extensive literature search.
Prevention of catheter-related infections by a new, catheter-restricted antibiotic filling technique
Authors: Palm Ülo , Boemke Willehad , Bayerl Daniela , Schnoy Norbert , Juhr Norbert-C. , Reinhardt H. Wolfgang
Published: July 2007

Catheter-related infections pose a hazard to both humans and laboratory animals. The aim of this study was to develop a technique preventing bacterial colonization of intravascular catheters.

In 27 dogs a total of 70 catheters were implanted. On an average catheters were used for 207 days.

Three protocols were compared: (1) flushing the catheters with a heparinized solution; (2) filling only the catheter lumen with α-ctchymotrypsin solution (225 units/ml); (3) filling only the catheter lumen with a solution containing a mixture of the aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin (20 mg/ml) and chymotrypsin (225 units/ml).

Catheter fillings were always withdrawn before catheter use. Catheter exit sites were all treated with povidone iodine ointment once a day. Body temperatures and weights were recorded, bacteriological and electron microscopical examinations of catheters performed.

Without gentamicin filling all catheters were colonized after a few weeks. The dogs showed clinical signs of chronic bacteraemia. Gentamicin filling eradicated colonization. No further bacteraemia was observed.

We conclude that filling only the catheter lumen with a concentrated solution of chymotrypsin and gentamicin, combined with measures to prevent infections via the subcutaneous catheter tunnel, is an effective and safe technique to prevent catheter-related infections.
Regression of diet-induced atherosclerosis in Güttingen Miniature Swine
Authors: Kobari Yukage , Koto Masao , Tanigawa Manabu
Published: July 2007

The regression of diet-induced atherosclerosis in Güttingen Miniature Swine was investigated after a 6-month induction period. At 1 month after feeding a high-cholesterol and high-fat diet, levels of µ-lipoprotein, total cholesterol, free fatty acids and phospholipid had increased rapidly and the high levels were maintained throughout the 6 month induction period. Morphological features at 6 months showed fatty streaks in the thoracic aorta and fibrous plaques in the abdominal aorta. After return to the conventional diet at 6 months, serum lipids decreased rapidly and maintained the baseline level throughout the 9 month regression period. Histopathological findings showed the regression of fatty streaks but the fibrous plaques did not regress. The present study therefore confirms the regression of fatty streaks in the aorta of Güttingen Miniature Swine by the administration of a cholesterol lowering diet.
An outbreak of Streptococcus pyogenes infection associated with calcium oxalate urolithiasis in guineapigs (Cavia porcellus)
Authors: Okewole P. A. , Odeyemi P. S. , Oladunmade M. A. , Ajagbonna B. O. , Onah J. , Spencer T.
Published: July 2007

An outbreak of Streptococcus pyogenes infection occurred in a colony of 800 Dunkin-Hartley guineapigs resulting in 364 (46%) deaths involving breeders, sucklings, weaners, but mainly adults used as a source of blood meals for haematophagus flies ( Glossina palpalis).

Clinical signs included bleeding from the nose, mouth and vagina before death. Necropsy revealed pneumonia with consolidation of one or both lungs, haemopericardium and haemothorax. There were yellowish-grey deposits in the urinary bladder of more than 50% of both affected breeders and adults used for feeding haematophagus flies. Beta-haemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes was isolated in pure culture from many tissues including the urinary bladder.

The survivors were treated with oxytetracycline (Terramycin-LA; Pfizer) using the intra-muscular route and the response was good.
Detection of mouse hepatitis virus antibody by protein A-ELISA in 6 prevalent inbred strains or outbred stocks of mice
Authors: Kagiyama Naoko , Takakura Akira , Koyama Kazuyuki , Terada Eiji , Sakurai Yoshinori
Published: July 2007

Protein A was applied as a reagent for the secondary reaction in ELISA (protein A-ELISA). Mouse hepatitis virus antibody in 6 prevalent mouse strains or stocks reared in a MHV-contaminated room was effectively detected by protein A-ELISA, whereas significant strain differences in the antibody detection rate were demonstrated using the complement fixation test. C57BL/6 mice were particularly reactive in the protein A-ELISA test.
Incomplete protection mechanism against vesico-ureteral reflux and hydronephrosis in the inbred mouse strain DDD
Authors: Mannen H. , Tsuji S. , Goto N.
Published: July 2007

We have previously reported the occurrence and inheritance mode of hydronephrosis in the inbred mouse strain DDD. The present investigation examined the possibility that hydronephrosis may be caused by a vesico-ureteral reflux (VUR). Bladder pressure was measured under anaesthesia in 3 strains of mice (DDD, ddY and C57BL/6). VUR was demonstrated by lower bladder pressure only in the DDD strain. Loading pressure into the renal pelvis (LPP) was significantly higher in DDD than in C57BL/6 ( P<0·001). Correlations between LPP and severity of hydronephrosis were significantly positive in DDD and ddY, indicating that mice showing higher LPPs had the severest disease. Scanning electron micrography revealed that the ureteral orifice of DDD (100-300 μm) was much larger than in C57BL/6 (30 μm), and thus offered scant protection against VUR in DDD.

These results suggest that DDD hydronephrosis caused by VUR is related primarily to the absence of an adequate protection mechanism in the ureteral orifice.
Pregnancy-associated murine protein-1 plasma levels during oestrus cycle, pseudopregnancy and pregnancy in the mouse
Authors: Hau J. , Andersen Lise Lotte I. , Poulsen O. M. , Krog Nina Lindahl , Worm K.
Published: July 2007

A cyclic variation in plasma levels of pregnancyassociated murine protein-1 (PAMP-1) during the oestrus cycle in outbred Pan : Thei mice was recorded. PAMP-1 plasma levels were significantly elevated in dioestrus as compared with the three other stages of the murine oestrus cycle. Until day 7 of gestation the PAMP-1 plasma levels remained low, and no significant differences could be observed between pregnant and pseudopregnant female mice. The PAMP-1 levels increased markedly in the circulation on day 8 of pregnancy, and continued to increase until peak values were reached at day 11 of pregnancy. In the latter half of pregnancy the PAMP-1 levels declined until day 17 of pregnancy, at which stage the normal non-pregnant values were recorded.
Source of information in heart research 1978 and 1988
Authors: Lekven Jon
Published: July 2007

Several regulatory provisions have been introduced during the last decade that might interfere with the conduct of experimental medical science. In order to study their impact on the source of information within one major field, heart research, a total of 3579 abstracts from the 1978 and 1988 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association were analysed with respect to their source of information. There was no change in overall fractions of classical patient studies (45%) or experimental animal studies (30%) for the 2 years although regulations have been introduced in both areas. There was no evidence that the volume of circulatory physiology, a subset that extensively utilizes animal experimentation, declined relative to other subsets of the composite information base. The fraction of cell culture studies clearly rose over the period at the expense of in vitro laboratory studies but not as replacement for animal experimentation. Particularly tight regulations on experiments with selected species apparently explains why dogs and cats are less frequently used relative to rats, rabbits, ferrets and pigs which represent the alternatives. Nevertheless, the absolute number of dog studies doubled over the 10-year period and this species still remains the most widely used experimental model in heart research. The study does not reveal directly what is actually performed within the research community but rather identifies the source of information for those studies that are considered to bring about pertinent new information in modern heart research.
Commercial rodent diets and nephrocalcinosis in weanling female rats
Authors: Ritskes-Hoitinga J. , Mathot J. N. J. J. , Danse L. H. J. C. , Beynen A. C.
Published: July 2007

This study addresses the questions to what extent commercial rodent diets would induce nephrocalcinosis, and which dietary components would be responsible for inducing this condition. For this purpose, 10 commercial diets were analysed for selected components and fed to weanling female rats. On the basis of histological inspection of kidney sections, two diets were found to produce significant nephrocalcinosis. The condition could be considered relatively mild because concentrations of Ca in kidney tissue were not increased.

There was considerable variation between the commercial diets in the (analysed) concentrations of Ca, P, Mg and protein as well as in the diet-induced urinary pH, urinary volume and caecal weight. Of these parameters, only the dietary Ca: P ratio and group mean urinary pH correlated significantly with the observed variation in group mean calcification scores, the relationships being negative. It is suggested that the Ca : P ratio of commercial rodent diets is an important determinant of nephrocalcinosis.
Characterization of acute and latent herpes simplex virus infection of dorsal root ganglia in rats
Authors: Blondeau Joseph M. , Aoki Fred Y. , Glavin Gary B. , Nagy James I.
Published: July 2007

The characteristics of HSV type-1 infection following subcutaneous inoculation in the dorsum of one hind paw of Sprague-Dawley rats were studied to determine whether infection in rats might more closely parallel the infection in man than is seen in other animals. The serologic and virologic characteristics of acute and latent ganglion infection conformed to those of human infection. Immunohistochemical studies suggested that sensory ganglion infection arose via centripetal axonal migration of virus as is hypothesized in man. In rat, small type B neuronal cell bodies appeared central to the maintenance of latent infection and reactivation observed during co-cultivation of lumbar ganglia. Acute and latent lumbar sensory ganglion infection in rats after subcutaneous hind paw injection of HSV-1 appears to be another suitable model of this infection in man.
The action of trenbolone acetate, a synthetic anabolic steroid, on ovarian function in the guineapig
Authors: Zarkawi M. , Galbraith H. , Hutchinson J. S. M.
Published: July 2007

The action of trenbolone acetate, a synthetic anabolic steroid, on ovarian function was investigated in the guineapig. Certain comparisons were made with testosterone, the naturally occurring androgen, administered as the phenylpropionate ester. Two milligrammes trenbolone acetate per kg given subcutaneously on alternate days for 20 days blocked oestrous cyclicity and ovulation in 9 of 10 animals. A similar effect was shown by 2·2mg of testosterone phenylpropionate. Treatment of trenbolone acetate-treated animals with exogenous gonadotrophins suggested that the production of follicle-stimulating hormone had been suppressed. Signs of abnormality were seen in the livers of animals receiving 2 mg trenbolone acetate and 2·2 mg testosterone phenylpropionate.
Prosthetic microvenous grafting in the rat femoral vein
Authors: Bartels H. L. , van der Lei B. , Robinson P. H.
Published: July 2007

Male Wistar rats were used to evaluate microvenous prosthetic grafting techniques and microvenous prostheses in the femoral vein. With the end-to-end technique to implant microvenous prostheses, there was extensive exposure of vessel wall collagen especially at the suture sites. Thrombus formation then led to complete occlusion in all but one of the 32 prostheses 60 min after implantation. However, with the sleeve anastomotic technique there was only minimal exposure of collagen and minimal thrombus accumulation. Fifty-nine of the 64 microvenous prostheses implanted with the sleeve technique were patent after 1 day, 1, 3, 6, and 12 weeks (patency rate 92%). All patent microvenous prostheses were completely covered by an endothelial layer after 3 weeks. It was concluded that the rat is an appropriate experimental laboratory animal for evaluating new grafting techniques with microvenous prostheses and that the sleeve anastomotic technique gives the highest patency rates with microvenous prostheses.
Practical venipuncture techniques for the ferret
Authors: Otto Glen , Rosenblad William D. , Fox James G.
Published: July 2007

As the number of ferrets ( Mustela putorius furo) used in research and kept as pets continues to rise, so does the need for simple, humane research and diagnostic techniques. We have developed venipuncture methods for the ferret utilizing the jugular and cephalic veins. Using these methods it is possible to repeatedly sample moderate volumes of blood and to perform intravenous injections in both conscious and sedated ferrets.
Inter-colony variation in fluid balance and its relationship to vasopressin secretion in male Sprague-Dawley rats
Authors: Wells Timothy , Windle Richard J. , Peysner Kelvyn , Forsling Mary L.
Published: July 2007

Salt and water balance and vasopressin secretion were measured in three colonies of Sprague-Dawley rats. Although sodium and water retention were similar between the groups, there were marked differences in both the rate and diurnal pattern of intake and excretion. Animals housed under semi-barrier conditions showed a lower basal plasma vasopressin concentration but were more sensitive to physiological stimuli. However, since pathogenic status and environmental conditions cannot entirely explain these results, genetic variation is likely to be a contributory factor.
Host specificity of cloned Spironucleus sp. originating from the European hamster
Authors: Kunstýř I. , Poppinga G. , Friedhoff K. T.
Published: July 2007

In vivo experiments with a clone of the intestinal flagellate Spironucieus sp. originating from the laboratory European hamster ( Cricetus cricetus), and the comparison with a spontaneous infection from laboratory bred European hamsters suggest high specificity of this clone for the homologous host. Only the Syrian golden hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus) could be infected experimentally, though the mean intensity of infection was lower. Other heterologous recipients, mice and rats of one outbred and one inbred strain each, could not be infected. Even immunodeficient mice (athymic and C.B-17-scid) remained uninfected after inoculation of 5η105 cysts per mouse. This is the second Spironucleus clone, after the rat isolate (Schagemann et al., 1990), with a high level of host specificity suggesting heterogeneity within the genus Spironucleus.
Evaluation of thiopentone-midazolam-fentanyl anaesthesia in pigs
Authors: Søfteland Eirik , Framstad Tore , Thorsen Terje , Holmsen Holm
Published: July 2007

Induction of anaesthesia in swine by thiopentone (27.1-35.7 mg/kg, mean 29.9 mg/kg) was followed by bolus doses and continuous infusion of midazolam and fentanyl (0.90 mg/kg followed by 0.90 mg/kg/h and 0.025 mg/kg followed by 0.025 mg/kg/h, respectively). This produced good anaesthesia and analgesia for up to 2 h in 6 Norwegian Landrace pigs (wt: 17-42 kg), based on responses to painful stimuli elicited by pinching the nasal septum, the mouth, the forefoot and the perineal skin area. The first responses occurred after 110 min of anaesthesia. No significant drop in rectal temperature due to the regimen was noted during monitoring periods (140-180 min). This combined intravenous anaesthetic regimen gave good anaesthesia and analgesia to pigs for up to 2 h as monitored by clinical signs. The regimen may not be sufficient for longer time periods. We cannot advocate the incorporation of neuromuscular blocking agents in this regimen.
Change in locomotor activity pattern in mice: a model for recognition of distress?
Authors: van't Land C. Jansent , Hendriksen C. F. M.
Published: July 2007

Recognition and assessment of pain and distress is made by observing common clinical and behavioural signs. Observation usually occurs during a limited period of time and results can be biased by interpretation of an individual observer.

To improve objective assessment of distress we studied the locomotor activity pattern of mice during a 24-h interval. As a reference compound, Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) was used. Mice were injected intraperitoneally with different doses FCA (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 ml) and observed for 5 to 7 days. Animals did not appear to be in pain and seemed to have a normal activity and behaviour pattern at first sight, however FCA induced a dose-dependent decrease of body weight. Open field activity (total distance run) measured during a limited period of time was not altered as a result of FCA. However, nocturnal activity was dose dependently decreased during the first 3 to 4 nights after treatment with FCA. The data presented indicate that using locomotor activity patterns over 24 h might be a useful adjunct and an objective approach to assess distress.
Biological propensities of the Callitrichidae: a much used-little known group
Authors: Box Hilary O.
Published: July 2007

The use of callitrichid primates in biomedical research was encouraged initially by their susceptibility to various diseases such as infectious hepatitis and rubella. However, there was no supporting biological knowledge which helped to keep them healthy and breed effectively in captivity. Further, various callitrichid biomedical models are endangered species; hence, animal welfare and primate conservation are interrelated. Recent information has extended our knowledge of the natural life styles of these species in various ways; but there is still little to predict persistent concerns of effective management in captivity. Hence, we need practical information such as those derived from laboratory records of housing, reproduction, diet and health, together with studies that compare specifically behaviour in different laboratory conditions.

More important in the long run, is that we study the biobehavioural propensities of different species. As yet callitrichids are largely unknown in these regards- situation that continues to present problems for the reliability, validity, standardization and generalization of experimental procedures.
Potential of two-cell mouse embryos to develop to term despite partial damage after cryopreservation
Authors: Rülicke Th. , Autenried P.
Published: July 2007

Approximately 18% of cryopreserved 2-cell mouse embryos of 26 different batches showed various degrees of morphological damage after the freeze-thaw process. Normal and damaged morphology were assessed by light microscopy and the ability of an embryo to develop in vitro to a blastocyst, or to develop to term, after transfer to foster mothers. Using vital stains such as Fluorescein-diacetate (FDA) and 4',6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole (DAPI) it was found that in approximately 82% of the cases, both of the 2 blastomeres of the cryopreserved embryos survived the freeze-thaw process; in 10% only one cell survived the process; and in 8% none survived. Normally, only intact 2-cell embryos are considered for transfer. Here it was shown that over 60% of the partially damaged embryos developed in vitro to the blastocyst stage and, of those, 26% developed to term after transfer to suitable foster mothers. Although the inner cell mass (ICM) appeared to remain smaller during culture after the transfer of partially damaged 2-cell stage embryos, no difference during gestation period was found compared with intact embryos.
Microchip implant system used for animal identification in laboratory rabbits, guineapigs, woodchucks and in amphibians
Authors: Mrozek Margund , Fischer Roger , Trendelenburg Michael , Zillmann Uwe
Published: July 2007

Traditional methods for animal identification have a number of drawbacks. We evaluated a new system for individual identification using microchip implants in rabbits, guineapigs, woodchucks ( Marmota monax) and amphibians ( Xenopus laevis, Pleurodeles waltlii). Implantation procedure and long-term observations are described. Microchip implants proved to be a practicable and reliable system for animal identification without obvious adverse effects. The applicability of electronic animal identification in comparison with common methods and with regard to animal welfare and legal aspects is discussed.
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for monitoring rodent colonies for Pasteurella pneumotropica antibodies
Authors: Boot R. , Thuis H. C. W. , Veenema J. L. , Bakker R. G. H.
Published: July 2007

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of Pasteurella pneumotropica antibodies in the sera of rats} mice, hamsters and Mastomys. P. pneumotropica from mice and rats showed cross-reactivity. The ELISA using P. pneumotropica NCTC 8284 detected more infected animals than selective culture in groups of rodents from which P. pneumotropica, Haemophilus sp and/or Actinobacillus sp were cultured. Cross reactivity between P. pneumotropica NCTC 8284 and haemophilus and actinobacillus isolates were not studied.
Individual differences in Macaques' responses to stressors based on social and physiological factors: implications for primate welfare and research outcomes
Authors: Boccia Maria L. , Laudenslager Mark L. , Reite Martin L.
Published: July 2007

Primates are used extensively in a variety of research settings. Federal regulations in the US mandate that caretakers provide for the 'psychological well-being of laboratory primates'. One of the difficulties in implementing this law has been both in the definition of psychological well-being and in the need to deal with each primate species and, in some cases, age or sex class, uniquely. Non-human primates exhibit distinct individual differences in their behavioural and physiological responses to experimental challenges and caretaking procedures. We have been investigating what factors can predict some of these individual differences, and have found that factors both intrinsic and extrinsic are significant. Extrinsic factors found to predict individual differences in response to stressors include the nature and prior experience with the challenge, the presence of familiar peers and availability of social support. Intrinsic factors include cognitive interpretations of the challenge and temperamental differences in reactivity. These studies highlight the importance of understanding the context and individual psychology of macaques in order to provide laboratory environments conducive to their welfare, and in order to understand the impact experimental and caretaking procedures are likely to have on the health and welfare of our subjects.
Reclassification of 30 Pasteurellaceae strains isolated from rodents
Authors: Boot R. , Bisgaard M.
Published: July 2007

Thirty Pasteurellaceae strains isolated from gerbil, guineapig, hamster, mouse, muskrat and rat were reinvestigated and reclassified after comparison with reference strains. Strains originally described as Pasteurella pneumotropica were reclassified as [ Pasteurella] pneumotropica Heyl biotype (7), [ P.] pneumotropica Jawetz biotype (1), Pasteurella dagmatis (1) or Taxon 22 (2). Strains previously reported as Actinobacillus sp. were reclassified as [ P.] pneumotropica biotype Jawetz (3), P. dagmatis (3) or Taxon 6 (7). Strains earlier described as Pasteurella gallinarum were renamed as SP group pasteurellas (4) or Taxon 25 (2). Some of these reclassified Pasteurellaceae have not been reported previously in rodents. The present findings underline the importance of extended characterization of isolates and comparison with reference strains to avoid misclassification within the family Pasteurellaceae Pohl 1981.
Climate Science and the Phlogiston Theory
Authors: Rorsch Arthur
Published: July 2007

On 2 February 2007 the Intergovernmental Governmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) released a “Summary for Policymakers” which is a precis – written by its representatives, not all of whom were scientists – of its longer report, due for release in May.

Drafts of the as-yet unpublished main report have been widely circulated and prompted much comment but views which differ from that of the IPCC and the main authors have been largely neglected.

In response to the SPM ten scientists presented an alternative report based on the IPCC's draft document and this Independent Summary for Policymakers (ISPM) was released in London on February 5. The ISPM notes the limited level of knowledge of climate sciences and comments on hypotheses neglected by the IPCC SPM, and not surprisingly its conclusions contradict those of the IPCC.

The rather alarmist IPCC SPM claims that it is between 90% and 95% probable that the observed climate change since 1950 has mainly been caused by mankind and in particular by the emission of CO2 produced by the burning of fossil fuel. In contrast the ISPM states that the extent to which humans are contributing to climate change is uncertain and will remain uncertain for some time. The ISPM also points out that that the observed climate changes are still within the limits of natural variability and can be explained by natural events, and suggests that some warming might be beneficial.

This paper considers this controversy from the perspective of the history of science and shows precendents for questioning science orthodoxy.
Safety Implications of Bridging the Energy Supply/Demand Gap in Nigeria through Associated Natural Gas Utilization
Authors: Akeredolu Funso A. , Sonibare Jacob A.
Published: July 2007

There exists a wide energy supply/demand gap in Nigeria. The local generation of electricity meets only 31% of the demand of 10000 MW. By contrast, only 39.6% of the total installed capacity for electricity generation is achieved, owing to aging infrastructure, etc. The energy demand/supply pattern and infrastructure critically reviewed thus suggested the need to increase the electricity generation capacity. Furthermore, Nigeria flares 77% of her associated natural gas. Apart from the environmental penalties that flaring represents, in monetary terms, over the 110 years' life of Nigeria's gas reserves, a conservative estimate of the cost of the gas so-flared was $330 billion (based on $20/barrel average price of crude). It was safely inferred that the way forward in meeting the country's energy demand should include a strong element of gas utilization. In previous publications by this group, it was established that while domestic cooking could reduce the flared gas by about 5.4%, a cohesive policy on associated gas use for electricity generation could eliminate gas flaring.

For domestic utilization of the associated gas, burner design and safety concerns were identified as the key challenges to overcome. The paper reports the effectiveness of odorizers in leakage detection/ prevention by the local consumers. It also discusses the issue of prevention of gas explosions. The previous cases of gas accidents were reviewed. The safety approaches proffered in the paper identified the relevant areas of research for safe delivery and consumption of natural gas in Nigeria.
Energy Production and Consumption Patterns and Planning: A Case of Northeast Minnesota
Authors: Amenumey Felix , Pawlisch Melissa , Ukaga Okechukwu
Published: July 2007

The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) is a project designed to give local citizens and other stakeholders a voice in planning and determining their energy future.

In total, there are seven CERTs operating in seven regions across Minnesota, USA. CERTs connect citizens with technical expertise to facilitate planning and implementation of energy conservation and renewable energy projects. These technical resources are helping the teams identify and prioritize the most appropriate and cost-effective opportunities within their regions.

This paper will describe one of these energy teams (the Northeast CERT) and its efforts in promoting clean energy production and conservation. A key product of the Northeast CERT is a strategic energy plan that highlights the region's top energy priorities. As part of its project priorities, the Northeast Minnesota CERT is working to set up demonstration projects at every school and community in the region. Toward this goal, the team is currently collaborating with two schools in the region to set up renewable energy projects such as wind and solar, which in turn would help students to understand that renewables and conservation can and should be an integral part of our energy system.
Energy Consumption of Electricity End Uses in Malaysian Historic Buildings
Authors: Kamaruzzaman Syahrul N. , Edwards Rodger E , Zawawi Emma M. A.
Published: July 2007

Malaysia has inherited hundreds of heritage buildings from the past including those from the Indian, Chinese and Colonial eras apart from the indigenous traditional buildings. These buildings have the most unique ecstatic value from the viewpoint of architecture, culture, art, etc. Malaysian economy boom in 1980s spurred the need for more buildings especially in large cities. As a result, most of the historic buildings have been converted and transformed into commercial use. As reported by METP [1], Malaysian buildings energy uses are reflected by the energy consumption in the industrial and commercial sectors. Most of the buildings' energy consumption is electricity, used for running and operating the plants, lighting, lifts and escalators and other equipment in the buildings. These are amongst the factors that have resulted in the high demand for electricity in Malaysia. As outlined in the eighth Malaysia Plan, Malaysia is taking steps in conserving energy and reducing energy consumption on electricity consumption in building. This paper aims to present the breakdown of the major electricity end uses characteristics of historic buildings in Malaysia. The analysis was performed on annual data, allowing comparison with published benchmarks to give an indication of efficiency. Based on data collected a ‘normalisation’ calculated electricity consumption was established with the intention of improving the comparison between buildings in different climatic regions or with different occupancy patterns. This is useful for identifying where the design needed further attention and helped pinpoint problem areas within a building. It is anticipated that this study would give a good indication on the electricity consumption characteristics of historic buildings in Malaysia.
Exogenous Promotion of Sustainable Electricity Policies in India: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Gupta Joyeeta , van Asselt Harro , Kuik Onno , Evans Chris
Published: July 2007

The Indian government needs to increase the access to electricity of a growing population and economy taking into account major environmental and health related challenges, rapidly changing technologies, social and cultural preferences and international commitments. Such an increased access calls for substantial investment, and hence India has been gradually liberalising the electricity sector since 1991. This paper addresses the question: What are the opportunities for accessing the foreign funding available to India and how can it use this funding to modernise its electricity sector in a sustainable manner? Based on a two year research programme, this paper examines the international institutional context and draws conclusions regarding the different mechanisms for India and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing India. It argues that since foreign funding is flowing into the country with enhanced liberalisation, the climate change mechanisms should be used to steer electricity generation in a sustainable direction, and aid funds should be used to focus on access for the rural poor to energy.
Constitutive Knowledge: Tracing Trajectories of Information in New Contexts of Relatedness
Authors: Carsten Janet
Published: July 2007

One much-commented upon feature of globalization is an increased access to information. If new kinds of information, and a new speed of access to it, characterize the so-called "global society," then how do new kinds of kinship information and kinship knowledge affect Western practices of kinship, or a Western "sense of self?" Examining the place of certain kinds of knowledge in Western idioms and practices of relatedness and personhood, this paper explores the effects of new kinds of information upon family ties. The role of information and knowledge in pre-natal testing, in adoptive kinship, in the searches undertaken by adoptees for their birth kin, and in transfers of bodily substance in fertility treatment, provide some specific contexts to understand the way that kinship knowledge contributes to people's sense of connectedness to their relatives, and to their own sense of identity. Rather than assuming a clear trajectory from a world of ascribed ties to one in which such ties are achieved, I highlight some of the more complex processes which people put to work when they constitute themselves through their various kinds of relations. A web of intertwinings, separations, and rejoinings between what is apparently inherited from the past, and what is created anew can be discerned as central to Western kinship practices.
Closeness in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: Debating Kinship and Biomedicine in Lebanon and the Middle East
Authors: Clarke Morgan
Published: July 2007

Anthropological studies of assisted reproduction and allied technologies offer new ways of understanding kinship. This paper follows those themes in the context of the Middle East, specifically Lebanon. The nearest equivalent to a word for "kinship" in Arabic is arguably qarābah, or "closeness," an important category within Islamic discourse: closeness is also a useful term for approaching a broader set of thematic concerns in the region, including an interest in "close marriage." Here I explore these ideas and how they are refracted through the issues posed by new medical technologies and "globalization."
Country Brothers: Kinship and Chronotope in Brazilian Rural Public Culture
Authors: Dent Alexander Sebastian
Published: July 2007

Brazilian "country" music, both in its commercial (música sertaneja) and folkloric (música caipira) forms, is performed by duplas (duos), most often of brothers. In this paper, I account for the increasing popularity of brotherhood as the means of organizing rural musical performance. I also account for the fact that, even in cases where the dupla is composed of friends rather than brothers, male siblingship still provides the most important organizing principles of the genre. In all elements of dupla performance, what is crucial about masculine siblingship is that blood and harmony brings them together, while the hierarchical nature of their roles within the dupla sets them apart. In the alternation between equality and hierarchy, the dupla form inculcates a means of fostering unity while managing inequality. Through what is presented as the pre-discursive quality of the bond between brothers, the dupla form enacts a critique of the voluntary forms of association thought to permeate social relations deemed urban. It also portrays modernization as a corrupting rather than a progressive influence. In effect, therefore, this musical approach to brotherhood provides a mode through which to comment upon: a perceived disintegration of meaningful social ties, the nature of Brazil (brasilidade), and the politics of culture.
Sumptuary Kinship
Authors: Faubion James D. , Hamilton Jennifer A
Published: July 2007

The essay pursues three ends. Two are theoretical. The first of these seeks to clarify and elaborate the consequences of approaching kinship as a distinctive system of subjectivation that yields an equally distinctive ethical domain. The second pursues the characterization of such a system as autopoietic or self-producing. The third end is diagnostic. It seeks to illuminate the modulations of the autopoetic economy of kinship in a global market that establishes consumption as its fulcrum. Treating the wedding and the funeral industries, the controversies surrounding same-sex marriage and the kinning of DNA, it reveals the systematic accentuation of the sumptuary and the demotion of keeping while giving in favor of acquiring while spending. Yet it also reveals an ethics of kinship that, if permitting the intrumentalization of the inconsumable, often does so for distinctly anti-aquisitive and anti-sumptuary ends.
Bulgur Marriages and "Big" Women: Navigating Relatedness in Guinean Refugee Camps
Authors: Gale Lacey Andrews
Published: July 2007

The humanitarian community's definition of family and household provides an organizational framework that determines how benefits are offered to refugees. As a result, in refugee camps, social relations become a means to access resources as well as a measure of security, rights, and responsibilities. Bulgur marriage is a disparaging term used by Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinean camps to refer to conjugal unions based on the sharing of bulgur wheat provided by the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP). For the participants, this arrangement is a form of kinship that carries weight socially, materially, and affectively. An ethnography of "bulgur wives" reveals subtle aspects of navigating relatedness in unstable environments. Their non-linear journeys involve dead ends and censure as well as opportunities to become "big" women in the community. This article examines the moral ambiguity of bulgur marriages, exploring the potential and pitfalls of these new forms of relatedness.
Marrying a Marilyn of the Tropics: Manhood and Nationhood in Filipina-Japanese Marriages
Authors: Suzuki Nobue
Published: July 2007

Carla Freeman (2001) has recently argued that both globalization theory and the very processes defining globalization are ascribed a masculine gender and as a result, masculine globalization theory has implicitly produced a powerful dichotomous model which is separated from empirical studies of local gendered experiences of globalization. Expanding on this argument, I discuss Japanese men's desires for masculine, national, and modern identities in relation to their Filipina wives in urban Japan. I contend that inquiring into men's experiences as situated in intermediate locations between individual subject formation and local and global structures of power opens up a space for new theoretical imaginations to emerge, contributing to our efforts to destabilize the masculine domination commonly found in theories and depictions of intermarried "First World" men and "Third World" women. In addition to humanizing descriptions of the partners of intermarried women, I situate in broader global historical contexts the polarized pair, First World/Third World, within which Filipina-Japanese liaisons are normally located. My ethnography suggests that such relations not only create personal relationships but also haunt the meanings and power relations of the binary terms, thereby altering the theoretical frameworks. By juxtaposing previously unimaginable actors and attributes, the paper shows the surprisingly transnational dynamics and gendering human relations born of the increasing numbers of cross-national, cross-ethnic marriages at the multiply crisscrossed intersections of the global and the local.
Monastic Imprisonment in Justinian's Novels
Authors: Hillner Julia
Published: July 2007

In the period between 542 and 556 c.e. Justinian issued a number of laws that prescribed monastic imprisonment as punishment for both higher clergy and members of the lay elite. Through this legislation, the emperor introduced into Roman law the unprecedented concept of corrective imprisonment as a penalty. Starting from a detailed analysis of the laws, this article demonstrates how the emperor's innovations built upon both traditional legal practices and on more recent ecclesiastical and monastic ideals. With monastic imprisonment, Justinian adapted the Roman custom of domestic internment as a substitute for the penalty of exile for elite criminals. The reason for using monasteries, rather than private households, to provide this public service of prisoner internment may, on the one hand, have been practical. Ideals of hospitality within a Christian monastic context and imperial influence especially over Constantinopolitan monasteries may have encouraged Justinian to believe that monasteries were far less likely to avoid an obligation to host an exile convict than private households. On the other hand, the emperor also saw monastic imprisonment as offering additional, historically unprecedented benefits over traditional domestic internment. As the emperor tried to make sure in his own legislation on monastic life, monasteries ideally provided an institutional and architectural framework, as well as a guiding penitential ideology based on an ideal of correction, which not only offered the opportunity for enhanced supervision, but also for spiritual correction of the criminal. Justinian's innovations may have been inspired by the established use of monasteries as penitential space for failing clerics in ecclesiastical legislation. However, his specific aim in using monasteries as places of penance, for which an ecclesiastical precedent does not exist, seems to have been to police the sexual promiscuity which he discerned among the married laity at his own court.
Transforming Monumental Landscapes in Late Antique Egypt: Monastic Dwellings in Legal Documents from Western Thebes
Authors: O'Connell Elisabeth R
Published: July 2007

The conversion of temples into churches may offer the most vivid portrayal of cultural transformation in the architectural environment of late antique Egypt; however, the landscape was arguably more radically reworked when early Christian ascetics adapted earlier funerary architecture to domestic and other purposes. The rich archaeological remains of late sixth-eighth century Western Thebes, together with literary texts concerning the region's inhabitants, allow us to explore the practical and ideological implications of adaptive reuse of funerary architecture in a single circumscribed region. This paper concentrates on the vocabulary of space used in one genre of legal documents unearthed at Western Thebes. Wills (διαθήκαι) describe monastic property located in the region and offer one point of access by which we may explore how the region's inhabitants understood their monumental landscape.
Forms of Closure: The First Law of Thermodynamics and Victorian Narrative
Authors: Choi Tina Young
Published: July 2007

According to the first law of thermodynamics, formulated in the 1830s and 1840s, energy could neither be created nor destroyed but could only circulate and transform within a closed system. This principle was especially well-received in Victorian England, where it suggested the possibility of a redemptive social or national self-sufficiency. While this ideal could not be achieved in the laboratory, both popular and scientific authors realized it through narratives that linked cause and effect, revealed hidden transformations, and enforced closure. Through their own narratives, many of the period's novels also negotiated this tension between entropy's inevitability and an ideal closure.
Wired Love: Pleasure at a Distance in Henry James and Others
Authors: Goble Mark
Published: July 2007

This essay looks at the iconography of the telegraph in Hnery James's major phase, and seeks to understand The Ambassadors as exemplary of his fascination with "the idea of connectibility." The essay also inquires more broadly into the means by which technologies of communication become objects of emotional attachment, affective intensity, and even sensuous engagement. Reading across a range of period represetations of the telegraph, the essay shows how James's stylistic prodigality/-/-his "magnificent and masterly indirectness," as James himself calls it/-/-travesties a telegraphic economy of expression, even as his narratives fixate on the inscrutable pleasures of mediated communication.
Eros and Abuse: Imagining Andrew Marvell
Authors: Hirst Derek , Zwicker Steven N
Published: July 2007

Andrew Marvell's The unfortunate Lover narrates a gothic story of abuse, wounding, and incoherence for which the victim finds solace in the eternity of verse. Critics have lamented the poem's extravagance and seeming failure of control; it is, however, as tightly controlled in its argument as any of Marvell's more familiar verse, and its extravagance is scarcely unmotivated. The similarities between the gestures and images of The unfortunate Lover and insistent passages elsewhere in Marvell's texts, both verse and prose, suggest that the story of this self imagined in the poem had deep and enduring meaning for the poet. The poem's scenes of abuse and incoherence are in fact key to opening Marvell's entire story of the self and to new ways of understanding the situation of the topical and occasional in Marvell's lyric project.