bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Cossacks: A Guarantor of Peace or a Land-Mine in Russia's Federalism?
Authors: Lankina Tomila
Published: October 2007

Russia's policy towards the Cossacks may prove detrimental to the development of federalism in Russia. Their rehabilitation is important for the rebirth of Russian culture. Yet, the Cossacks as a social-military institution, may further harm the relations between ethnic Russians and non-Russians in the Caucasus, which may revive the dispute over the preservation of the ethnic principle in Russia's federalism.
Františka Plamínková (1875-1942), Czech Feminist and Patriot
Authors: Reinfeld Barbara
Published: October 2007

When the American suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947), one of the founders of the International Alliance for Women's Suffrage, came to Prague in 1908 to lecture before German-speaking groups of women in the city, a beautiful young teacher asked her to address Czech women as well. Catt readily obliged. She could not have known, then, that this determined Czech feminist and nationalist, Františka Plamínková (1875-1942) would become, in time, a familiar figure on the international circuit of women's organizations, known as “Madame Plam” and would be executed by the Nazis as a member of the Czech resistance.

For her fight against fascism and for the liberation of her nation Plamínková was awarded, posthumously in 1950, the Czechoslovak Order of the Gold Star by the Ministry of National Defense. But then her name disappeared, along with thousands of other names from the First Czechoslovak Republic, as Stalinist repression set in. A plaque affixed to the building once her residence on Staroměstské Square tells us little about this energetic, dedicated patriot and fighter for women's rights. In 1993, the Gender Institute in Prague opened its doors, and, today, as feminism begins to awaken in the Czech Republic, the work and accomplishments of Františka Plamínková should be instructive.
The Litigious Gerusha: Jewish Women and Divorce in Imperial Russia*
Authors: Freeze ChaeRan Y.
Published: October 2007

When Ita Myshkind learned that her husband had remarried before delivering the official get (bill of divorcement), she filed criminal charges against him in state court. “My husband,” she claimed, “Wishing to use my capital and valuable possessions, married me with the premeditated intention of divorcing me.” She complained that a few months after their marriage, he deserted her and married a certain Dveira Rafaelovich; and it was only after this blatant violation of the law that her husband hastily drew up the get without any rabbinic supervision. Efroim Myshkind, however, sharply contested his wife's account, asserting that he had sent a messenger to deliver the writ of divorce in the presence of two witnesses. “It is not at all difficult for a Jew to divorce his wife,” he wrote, “especially if she does not have a good reputation like Ita Kreines [here he used her maiden name], who spent an entire year abroad with different acquaintances.” But at the trial, the husband failed to prove that the get had satisfied all the requirements of Jewish law, much less that his wife had actually received the document. More important in the state's view, he had violated Russian civil law, which required a “spiritual authority” (in this case, a state rabbi) to supervise the divorce procedure. In October 1884, the Minsk court convicted the husband of bigamy and sentenced him to five months and ten days in prison.

Although Ita Myshkind did not achieve all her objectives (namely, forcing her husband to divorce his second wife), she did prevail on two important issues: securing material support and ensuring that her husband would not go unpunished for his crime. That a provincial Jewish woman could utilize the Russian legal system to obtain justice raises two important questions: first, when and why did some women begin to resort to the state; and second, how effective were their efforts and what was the impact on Jewish women and their society as a whole?
In Search of Ideology: The Politics of Religion and Nationalism in the New Russia (1991–1996)
Authors: Wozniuk Vladimir
Published: October 2007

Just after becoming the first-ever successful, democratically re-elected President of Russia, Boris Yel'tsin ambitiously called for creating, within the next year, a new ideology that would reflect the new state of affairs in Russia—in essence, he was calling for “re-imagining,” or reinventing, the foundations upon which Russian national community is based. With this directive, Yel'tsin was confirming something that had already become clear to many observers of Russian politics: post-Soviet Russian political life not only continued to resist democratization and pluralism, but also appeared to exhibit signs of discomfort without an officially-sanctioned ideological reference point by which the political players could set their compasses. The Kremlin's quest for a restoration of Russia's credibility as a great power included serious consideration of religion, specifically Russian Orthodoxy, playing a leading role in helping to reformulate an ideology acceptable to diverse communities within Russia in order to replace the now-defunct Marxist–Leninist ideology of the Soviet state. The old French adage “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose” seems particularly appropriate for the new Russia in its efforts to regain credibility as a great power, along with the prestige and respect to which it had become accustomed. This article examines the dynamics of the Russian search for a new ideology in order to help restore its credibility as a great power, as suggested by Yel'tsin's call for a new “national idea.” But the search for a new ideology began well before Yel'tsin made this statement, and, therefore, the following discussion focuses on the interplay between religion and politics in this quest, covering the first five years of a reconstituted, post-Soviet Russia, that is, the time period roughly from the collapse of the Soviet Union up to the Duma (parliament) elections of December 1995 and the two-stage presidential elections of June-July 1996.
Yugoslavs into Serbs: Serbian National Identity, 1961–1971*
Authors: Budding Audrey Helfant
Published: October 2007

In an essay published in September 1962, poet Pavle Stefanovic announced that in the next census he would identify himself as a Yugoslav rather than a Serb. Writing down “Serb” on official forms, Stefanovic said, had always made the sweat break out on his forehead, plunging him into “the nightmarish vision of an individual identity imposed upon me rather than chosen by my own will, one which fills me with polar opposites: pride and shame … a feeling of innocence and of culpability.” Mixed with his pride in parts of his Serbian heritage, he explained, was horror at the atrocities committed in the name of Serbdom by the Chetniks, the Serbian monarchist forces of the Second World War. Stefanovic emphasized that he was not rejecting Serbian identity because he thought the Serbian past was worse than others. Rather, he wished to throw off the symbolic weight attached to all national pasts. By declaring himself a Yugoslav, he thought, he could show that he considered nationality merely “a sort of historic-genetic address, a fact about one's origin,” and not a primary or sacred identity. In his eyes, choosing the Yugoslav identity meant asserting his own free will against the unchosen national collective, expressing his commitment to internationalism, and separating the future from a nightmare-ridden past.
The Badinter Arbitration Commission and the Partition of Yugoslavia
Authors: Radan Peter
Published: October 2007

On 27 August 1991 the European Community (EC) resolved to establish a peace conference on Yugoslavia (the Brussels Declaration). Within the framework of the peace conference an Arbitration Commission was established for the purpose of resolving differences between “the relevant authorities” (not specifically identified). The Arbitration Commission consisted of five members, all being presidents of constitutional courts of EC members states and was headed by the French lawyer, Robert Badinter. The Arbitration Commission was subsequently endorsed by the United States (U.S.) and the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
The United Nations and Ethnic Conflict Management: Lessons from the Disintegration of Yugoslavia
Authors: Maley William
Published: October 2007

On 14 December 1995, an agreement as the Elysée Treaty (earlier initialled in Dayton after weeks of difficult negotiation) was signed in Paris by the Heads of State of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. One of the witnesses at the ceremony was the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and, in a real sense, it marked the nadir of his term of office. In June 1992, amidst the euphoria of U.S. President George Bush's articulation of hopes for a new world order, Boutros-Ghali had presented a report to U.N. members entitledAn Agenda for Peacewhich painted an ambitious picture of the opportunities for constructive involvement of the U.N. in conflict resolution. Yet ironically, this was almost the moment at which the intensification of intergroup conflict precipitated Bosnia-Hercegovina's slide into social and political disarray. The ultimate humiliation for the U.N. came in July 1995 when the massacre of Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serb forces in the U.N.-declared “safe area” of Srebrenica triggered the chain of events which saw responsibility for Bosnia-Hercegovina decisively removed from the U.N.'s grasp, and assumed by the United States and its NATO allies. The U.N. may recover from the shame of its Balkan entanglement, but the scars are likely to prove permanent.
Between Ambition and Paralysis—Germany's Policy toward Yugoslavia 1991–1993
Authors: Thumann Michael
Published: October 2007

The decay of Yugoslavia since 1990 has put an end to the experiment of a state of Southern Slavs. At the same time it has destroyed the myth of a peaceful and strong Western Europe. The continent that had displayed an impressive performance of cooperation and skillful diplomatic maneuvering during the last years of the Cold War proved to be incapable of coping with the problems in its southeastern backyard. In the beginning of the conflict, the European Community assumed responsibility for negotiating cease-fires and a peace settlement for the embattled Yugoslav states. But all efforts were fruitless. In 1995, it was primarily the interference of the United States that brought about the peace treaty of Dayton for Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Determinants of Demographic Change in Transition Estonia
Authors: Kuddo Arvo
Published: October 2007

The transformation of a society from socialism to a market economy, in addition to political and economic change, is accompanied by a socio-cultural transition of changing values, goals and social behavior by different groups in the population. It is also accompanied by a psychological transition from an overwhelming dependence of the people on the paternalistic state and its institutions, to individual choice, initiative and effort, and by substantial shifts in the demographic behavior of the population (Kuddo, 1995). The transitional crisis effects many aspects of people's everyday life, and demographic processes are a good indicator of such change.
Ethnic Politics and the Post-Communist Transition in Moldova*
Authors: Crowther William
Published: October 2007

During the late 1980s the Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldavia, like many other regions within the former USSR, entered into a period of political turmoil. As the grip of the Communist Party weakened, increasingly serious conflict broke out between the Romanian-speaking majority and minority activists. Separatist forces quickly established themselves in two of the republic's regions, Transnistria on the east bank of the Dnestr river and the Gagauz districts in the south. Both claimed sovereignty and forcibly resisted the authority of the central government. By 1992 severe fighting was underway, especially in Transnistria, and Moldova appeared to be on the verge of a spiral into unrestrained civil conflict. Yet, by 1995, nationalist forces in Moldova had declined, and one of the two separatist conflicts, that in the Gagauz region, had been resolved by the peaceful reintegration of the Gagauz into Moldova. The second conflict, in Transnistria, was at least partially defused, and escalation was avoided.
History, the Peasantry, and the Polish Nation in the Thought of Michal Bobrzyński
Authors: Pajakowski Philip
Published: October 2007

The most important historical works of today are those that take the past of a single nation and state as their subject, for the nation and the state are the highest natural, independently developing organism that humanity has yet achieved.

Like most nineteenth-century historians, Michal Bobrzyński directed his research to the study of his nation's past and especially to the development of political institutions. History, for him, served to enhance a sense of nationhood among his readers by deriving lessons from the experience of the national community and providing a basis for present political activity. As a politically engaged historian, Bobrzyński faced serious issues of the need to reorient Polish national identity and to refashion the historical imagination to meet the needs of his people in the face of the political situation in the last three decades of the nineteenth century.
Ethnic Integration and School Policies in Latvia*
Authors: Karklins Rasma
Published: October 2007

Latvia's education system shows little movement toward ethnic integration in the sense of homogenization, yet there is integration in the sense of a widely accepted status quo. Linguistically separated schools act as safeguards of cultural identity for Latvians and non-Latvians alike and may well be the linchpin guaranteeing ethnic peace. As argued by pluralist thinkers, comprehensive ethnic mixing and homogenizing of multiethnic populations can be problematic, whereas providing a framework for the stable preservation of distinct identities can lead to better integration overall. The multi-lingual school system of Latvia that operates in the broader context of smooth economic integration illustrates the merits of such a mixed integrative policy.
Hungary and Its Neighbors: Security and Ethnic Minorities
Authors: Nelson Daniel N.
Published: October 2007

Good neighbors are rare. Those who are most proximate might offer the potential for mutual assistance and reassurance. Mistrust and rivalry, however, seem endemic among individuals and groups sharing space and resources. Schopenhauer's simile refers to porcupines who huddle together in the winter to keep warm, but separate as they feel each other's quills, until they discover “a mean distance at which they could most tolerably exist.” Referring to Schopenhauer, Freud observed that “No one can tolerate a too intimate approach to his neighbor.”
The Political Tradition of the Steppe*
Authors: Kazymzhanov Agyn Khairullovich , Tribble Keith Owen
Published: October 2007

In their rapidity and chaotic character, the changes Kazakstan is experiencing create a kind of kaleidoscope. The very act of creating a state was both dramatic and unexpected. In the course of five years, referendums and changes of constitution and parliament have occurred. This calls for an attempt to etch the general line of development: whence, how and whither is the society of Kazakstan going. Such a broad approach proceeds necessarily from the premise that the modern world consists of a dense network of interrelations, into which all societies and peoples on the planet are drawn. This article examines the problem of the modern geopolitical self-determination of Kazakstan from the point of view of the Steppe and of its contribution to political traditions of the world.
Competing versus Complementary Identities: Ukrainian-Russian Relations and the Loyalties of Russians in Ukraine*
Authors: Shulman Stephen
Published: October 2007

The huge Russian diaspora created in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse creates a great challenge to nation builders throughout the “near abroad.” Especially in Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Ukraine, by virtue of their size, Russian populations must be integrated into new political communities where they now have minority status. The building of cohesive, unified nation states requires that the identities and loyalties of these Russians be directed toward their new states. If Russians can identify with the broader community dominated by the titular ethnic group and simultaneously maintain a strong ethnic consciousness and loyalty toward the Russian Federation, then national integration can proceed in a relatively straightforward manner. But if creating a state-wide, national identity entails the weakening of Russian ethnic identity and the breaking of emotional and physical attachments to Russia, then national integration will be a much more conflictual and difficult process. Unfortunately, social scientists have paid little theoretical and empirical attention to the question of whether ethnic and national identities complement one another or compete with one another. Likewise, we do not know how a diaspora's relations with its homeland affects its ability to adopt loyalties to its host state. And if scholars are uncertain about these issues, then so likely are ethnic groups themselves; logically the political consequences of this uncertainty also merit study.
Environmentalism and Estonia's Independence Movement
Authors: Auer Matthew R.
Published: October 2007

The spirit of environmentalism generated some of the most memorable images of the eastern and central European independence movements of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1988, protesters formed a human chain around the Ignalina nuclear reactor in Lithuania. That same year, thousands of Hungarians marched through downtown Budapest to rally against their government's prospective participation in the construction of a dam on the Danube River. The environmental movements in the former eastern bloc marked the beginning of the end of Soviet era communism in Europe. However, many commentators have implied that environmental protest was a proxy for other, more politically explosive grievances. Environmentalism was decisive, it is argued, because it provided a release valve for pent-up frustrations and repressed nationalistic ardor. Re-examining the independence movement in Estonia, this article contends that environmentalism was not incidental to citizens’ larger aims. The specific, environmentally destructive activities people condemned embodied many of the features of the Soviet system that people despised generally. Resource-intensive and pollution-prone projects proposed by Moscow provoked a broadly conceived environmental revolt rather than environmental protest “in name only.” The environmentally related constituents of Estonia's independence movement included citizens’ opposition to pollution of the environment and waste of natural resources; perceived “mindlessness” of industrial policy in Estonia; the promise of new Russian-speaking immigrants to work in environmentally unfriendly industries; and economic exploitation of natural resources in Estonia for the benefit of other Soviet republics, especially the Russian RSFSR.
The Politicization of the Environmental Issue within the Russian Nationalistic Movement
Authors: Zisserman Dina
Published: October 2007

The present article is concerned with the ethnopolitical dimensions of the environmental problem within the Russian nationalistic movement in the USSR. As distinct from Western Europe, there has never been a “pure” ecological movement in the Soviet Union, and until recently the environmental issue has been raised mainly by national movements as a part of the national question.
Research‐capacity building, professional learning and the social practices of educational research
Authors: Rees Gareth , Baron Stephen , Boyask Ruth , Taylor Chris
Published: October 2007

There have been numerous attempts in the past few years within education research—and social science research more generally—to alter the character of research practice(s). In particular, there has been a systematic effort to address perceived shortcomings in research practice through a series of ‘research‐capacity building’ initiatives, aimed at the restructuring of professional learning. In this article the authors explore empirically the ways in which different modes of professional learning are implicated in the social practices of education research. These considerations lead to the conclusion that the currently dominant approaches to research‐capacity building are based on an underestimation of the difficulties in influencing the professional learning of educational researchers significantly and, thereby, changing the practices of educational research. More realistic expectations of these forms of research‐capacity building, in turn, suggest the need to develop alternative approaches that acknowledge the exigencies of the current social organisation of educational research more fully.
Personal Construct Theory and constructivist drug education
Authors: MALLICK JANE , WATTS MIKE
Published: October 2007

In recent years drug education has come under scrutiny. Research has found that drug education is having minimal impact. Questions have been raised as to the appropriateness of theories underpinning drug education programmes as well as the aims and purpose of programmes. As such, there is a call for new approaches. This paper explores the potential of a personal construct approach to drug education. Personal Construct Theory (PCT) has been used to understand drug use and treatment as well as an approach to education and training. Although generally thought of as an individualistic approach, there are also social, interpersonal as well as educational aspects to the theory. In this paper, we argue that drug education needs to remove itself from the political and moral arena and ground itself in a theory that relates to young people and drug use in today's society. In so doing it should aim to facilitate and educate young people in making informed and healthy choices. PCT offers one such approach.
Challenges in adopting evidence‐based school drug education programmes
Authors: CAHILL HELEN W.
Published: October 2007

Issues. The paper discusses the school‐based challenges that may moderate the implementation of evidence‐based drug education in schools. Approach. Knowledge about what constitutes an effective evidence‐based drug education programme is discussed in relation to the challenge of delivery in the school setting. Research demonstrates that drug education should be engaging, incorporate interactive learning strategies, stimulate higher‐order thinking, promote learning and be transferable to real life circumstances. This may difficult to accomplish in practice, as a range of contextual challenges and ideological assumptions may moderate the teacher's capacity to deliver a programme of this nature. Key Findings. Collaborative learning strategies are not the norm in schools and therefore teachers may find interactive drug education programmes difficult to adopt. Conflicting ideological assumptions about effective epistemological approaches to drug education may also direct the way in which teachers modify programmes in the local context. Implications. Teachers need professional training and support if they are to adopt successfully evidence‐based school drug education programmes. This support may be enhanced if it includes whole school approaches to effective pedagogy and the development of pro‐social classroom environments. Conclusion. Drug education research should take account of the complexities of implementation in the school setting and investigate further the professional and organisational support that teachers require in order to maintain high‐quality provision in the school context.
Relationships between college settings and student alcohol use before, during and after events: a multi‐level study
Authors: PASCHALL MALLIE J. , SALTZ ROBERT F.
Published: October 2007

Introduction and Aims. We examined how alcohol risk is distributed based on college students' drinking before, during and after they go to certain settings. Design and Methods. Students attending 14 California public universities (N = 10 152) completed a web‐based or mailed survey in the fall 2003 semester, which included questions about how many drinks they consumed before, during and after the last time they went to six settings/events: fraternity or sorority party, residence hall party, campus event (e.g. football game), off‐campus party, bar/restaurant and outdoor setting (referent). Multi‐level analyses were conducted in hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine relationships between type of setting and level of alcohol use before, during and after going to the setting, and possible age and gender differences in these relationships. Drinking episodes (N = 24 207) were level 1 units, students were level 2 units and colleges were level 3 units. Results. The highest drinking levels were observed during all settings/events except campus events, with the highest number of drinks being consumed at off‐campus parties, followed by residence hall and fraternity/sorority parties. The number of drinks consumed before a fraternity/sorority party was higher than other settings/events. Age group and gender differences in relationships between type of setting/event and ‘before,’ ‘during’ and ‘after’ drinking levels also were observed. For example, going to a bar/restaurant (relative to an outdoor setting) was positively associated with ‘during’ drinks among students of legal drinking age while no relationship was observed for underage students. Discussion and Conclusions. Findings of this study indicate differences in the extent to which college settings are associated with student drinking levels before, during and after related events, and may have implications for intervention strategies targeting different types of settings.
School smoking bans: do they help/do they harm?
Authors: POULIN CHRISTIANE C.
Published: October 2007

Introduction and Aims. The international evidence about the effectiveness of school smoking bans on youth smoking initiation is equivocal. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between school smoking bans and smoking initiation as a health outcome as well as academic achievement as an educational outcome, taking into account socio‐economic status. Design and Methods. This multi‐level study was based on a cross‐sectional self‐reported anonymous data from 12 990 students who participated in the 2002 Student Drug Use Survey in the Atlantic Provinces. The main outcomes were having smoked a first whole cigarette in the year prior to the survey, and academic performance. The main independent variable at the individual‐ and school‐levels was a school rule against smoking on school property or at school events, as reported by students. Results. Smoking initiation was predicted by individual‐level demographic factors and by the contextual factor of attending a school with a high prevalence of established smoking, but failed to be predicted by a school smoking ban. The academic performance of students who indicated there was no school smoking ban was found to worsen as an increasing proportion of the student body indicated that such a rule existed. Lower socio‐economic status was found to be an independent predictor of smoking initiation and poorer academic performance. Discussion and Conclusions. A school ban against smoking, in addition to not being clearly effective, might also not be entirely benign. School smoking policy should be monitored as to educational outcomes and the impact of policy on groups vulnerable to smoking.
Family, school, peer and individual influences on early adolescent alcohol use: first‐year impact of the Resilient Families programme
Authors: SHORTT ALISON L. , HUTCHINSON DELYSE M. , CHAPMAN RIANNA , TOUMBOUROU JOHN W.
Published: October 2007

Introduction and Aims. This study aimed to examine: (a) the influence of family factors relative to school, peer and individual influences on the development of adolescent alcohol use during the first year of secondary school; and (b) the feasibility of preventing adolescent alcohol use by modifying family factors. Design and Methods. Twenty‐four schools in Melbourne, Australia were randomly assigned to either the ‘Resilient Families’ intervention or a control condition. A baseline cohort of 2315 grade 7 students (mean age 12.3 years) were followed‐up one year later (n = 2128 for longitudinal analyses). A sub‐set of parents (n = 1166) also returned baseline surveys. Results. The prevalence of lifetime alcohol use in year 7 was 33% and rose to 47% by year 8. Student‐reported predictors of year 8 alcohol use included baseline alcohol [Odds Ratio (OR) 3.64] and tobacco use (2.68), and school friend's alcohol (1.41) and tobacco use (1.64). After adjusting for other influences, student‐reported family factors were not maintained as significant predictors of year 8 alcohol use. Parent‐report predictors of student‐reported alcohol use included allowing alcohol use in the home (2.55), parental alcohol use (1.88) and child hyperactivity (1.85). Protective factors included attendance at brief parent education (0.60) and parent involvement in school education (0.65). Discussion and Conclusions. The intervention appeared to benefit education‐related outcomes, but no overall effect in reducing student alcohol use was found in year 8. Intervention effects on alcohol misuse may become significant in later secondary school once the entire program has been implemented. Considerable alcohol use was detected in early secondary school, suggesting that interventions to reduce alcohol use may be usefully implemented prior to this period.
The transcriptional cycle of HIV-1 in real-time and live cells
Authors: Boireau Stéphanie , Maiuri Paolo , Basyuk Eugenia , de la Mata Manuel , Knezevich Anna , Pradet-Balade Bérangère , Bäcker Volker , Kornblihtt Alberto , Marcello Alessandro , Bertrand Edouard
Published: October 2007

RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is a fundamental enzyme, but few studies have analyzed its activity in living cells. Using human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 reporters, we study real-time messenger RNA (mRNA) biogenesis by photobleaching nascent RNAs and RNAPII at specific transcription sites. Through modeling, the use of mutant polymerases, drugs, and quantitative in situ hybridization, we investigate the kinetics of the HIV-1 transcription cycle. Initiation appears efficient because most polymerases demonstrate stable gene association. We calculate an elongation rate of approximately 1.9 kb/min, and, surprisingly, polymerases remain at transcription sites 2.5 min longer than nascent RNAs. With a total polymerase residency time estimated at 333 s, 114 are assigned to elongation, and 63 are assigned to 3′-end processing and/or transcript release. However, mRNAs were released seconds after polyadenylation onset, and analysis of polymerase density by chromatin immunoprecipitation suggests that they pause or lose processivity after passing the polyA site. The strengths and limitations of this kinetic approach to analyze mRNA biogenesis in living cells are discussed.
Drosophila mind bomb2is required for maintaining muscle integrity and survival
Authors: Nguyen Hanh T. , Voza Francesca , Ezzeddine Nader , Frasch Manfred
Published: October 2007

We report that the Drosophila mind bomb2 (mib2) gene is a novel regulator of muscle development. Unlike its paralogue, mib1, zygotic expression of mib2 is restricted to somatic and visceral muscle progenitors, and their respective differentiated musculatures. We demonstrate that in embryos that lack functional Mib2, muscle detachment is observed beginning in mid stage 15 and progresses rapidly, culminating in catastrophic degeneration and loss of most somatic muscles by stage 17. Notably, the degenerating muscles are positive for apoptosis markers, and inhibition of apoptosis in muscles prevents to a significant degree the muscle defects. Rescue experiments with Mib1 and Neuralized show further that these E3 ubiquitin ligases are not capable of ameliorating the muscle mutant phenotype of mib2. Our data suggest strongly that mib2 is involved in a novel Notch- and integrin-independent pathway that maintains the integrity of fully differentiated muscles and prevents their apoptotic degeneration.
Chromosome orientation
Authors: Compton Duane A.
Published: October 2007

Precise chromosome segregation during cell division results from the attachment of chromosomes to microtubules emanating from both poles of the spindle apparatus. The molecular machinery involved in establishing and maintaining properly oriented microtubule attachments remains murky. Some clarity is now emerging with the identification of Bod1 (Biorientation Defective 1), a protein that promotes chromosome biorientation by unleashing chromosomes from improperly oriented microtubule attachments.
Induction of high-affinity IgE receptor on lung dendritic cells during viral infection leads to mucous cell metaplasia
Authors: Grayson Mitchell H. , Cheung Dorothy , Rohlfing Michelle M. , Kitchens Robert , Spiegel Daniel E. , Tucker Jennifer , Battaile John T. , Alevy Yael , Yan Le , Agapov Eugene , Kim Edy Y. , Holtzman Michael J.
Published: October 2007

Respiratory viral infections are associated with an increased risk of asthma, but how acute Th1 antiviral immune responses lead to chronic inflammatory Th2 disease remains undefined. We define a novel pathway that links transient viral infection to chronic lung disease with dendritic cell (DC) expression of the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRIα). In a mouse model of virus-induced chronic lung disease, in which Sendai virus triggered a switch to persistent mucous cell metaplasia and airway hyperreactivity after clearance of replicating virus, we found that FceRIa−/− mice no longer developed mucous cell metaplasia. Viral infection induced IgE-independent, type I IFN receptor–dependent expression of FcεRIα on mouse lung DCs. Cross-linking DC FcεRIα resulted in the production of the T cell chemoattractant CCL28. FceRIa−/− mice had decreased CCL28 and recruitment of IL-13–producing CD4+ T cells to the lung after viral infection. Transfer of wild-type DCs to FceRIa−/− mice restored these events, whereas blockade of CCL28 inhibited mucous cell metaplasia. Therefore, lung DC expression of FcεRIα is part of the antiviral response that recruits CD4+ T cells and drives mucous cell metaplasia, thus linking antiviral responses to allergic/asthmatic Th2 responses.
Impaired nitric oxide bioavailability and l-arginine–reversible endothelial dysfunction in adults with falciparum malaria
Authors: Yeo Tsin W. , Lampah Daniel A. , Gitawati Retno , Tjitra Emiliana , Kenangalem Enny , McNeil Yvette R. , Darcy Christabelle J. , Granger Donald L. , Weinberg J. Brice , Lopansri Bert K. , Price Ric N. , Duffull Stephen B. , Celermajer David S. , Anstey Nicholas M.
Published: October 2007

Severe falciparum malaria (SM) is associated with tissue ischemia related to cytoadherence of parasitized erythrocytes to microvascular endothelium and reduced levels of NO and its precursor, l-arginine. Endothelial function has not been characterized in SM but can be improved by l-arginine in cardiovascular disease. In an observational study in Indonesia, we measured endothelial function using reactive hyperemia–peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) in 51 adults with SM, 48 patients with moderately severe falciparum malaria (MSM), and 48 controls. The mean RH-PAT index was lower in SM (1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33–1.47) than in MSM (1.82; 95% CI = 1.7–2.02) and controls (1.93; 95% CI = 1.8–2.06; P < 0.0001). Endothelial dysfunction was associated with elevated blood lactate and measures of hemolysis. Exhaled NO was also lower in SM relative to MSM and controls. In an ascending dose study of intravenous l-arginine in 30 more patients with MSM, l-arginine increased the RH-PAT index by 19% (95% CI = 6–34; P = 0.006) and exhaled NO by 55% (95% CI = 32–73; P < 0.0001) without important side effects. Hypoargininemia and hemolysis likely reduce NO bioavailability. Endothelial dysfunction in malaria is nearly universal in severe disease, is reversible with l-arginine, and likely contributes to its pathogenesis. Clinical trials in SM of adjunctive agents to improve endothelial NO bioavailability, including l-arginine, are warranted.
Suppression of SIV-specific CD4+ T cells by infant but not adult macaque regulatory T cells: implications for SIV disease progression
Authors: Hartigan-O'Connor Dennis J. , Abel Kristina , McCune Joseph M.
Published: October 2007

The impact of regulatory T cells (T reg cells) on the course of HIV and SIV disease is unknown. T reg cells could suppress protective antiviral responses and accelerate disease progression. Alternatively, these cells might block T cell activation and thereby limit viral replication as well as activation-associated immunopathology. Given the higher frequency of T reg cells known to be present during human fetal ontogeny, such influences may be most important in the context of perinatal infection. We found that infant macaques had higher fractions of CD4+CD25+CD127lowFoxP3+ T reg cells in the peripheral blood and in lymphoid tissues, and that these T reg cells showed greater in vitro suppressive activity on a per cell basis. Infant and adult macaques were infected with SIVmac251 to test the influence of the T reg cell compartment on SIV-specific immune responses. After infection with SIV, most (three out of four) infant macaques had persistently high viral loads, weak and transient SIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, and rapid disease progression. T reg cells in the infant but not in the adult directly suppressed SIV-specific CD4+ T cell responses, which were detectable only after depletion of T reg cells. In the case of both the infant and the adult macaque, T reg cells were not able to directly suppress SIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses and had no apparent effect on T cell activation. In aggregate, these observations suggest that the T reg cell compartment of the infant macaque facilitates rapid disease progression, at least in part by incapacitating SIV-specific CD4+ T cell responses.
Michael Bevan: Setting up T cell selection
Authors: Bashyam Hema
Published: October 2007

In the 1970s, Michael Bevan showed that T cells only recognize antigens in cells that have the same type of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule present in the thymus where the T cells mature. His work provided the first clues to how thymic self-MHC molecules select the cells that make up the mature T cell repertoire.
Glutamate-354 of the CP43 polypeptide interacts with the oxygen-evolving Mn4Ca cluster of photosystem II: a preliminary characterization of the Glu354Gln mutant
Authors: Strickler Melodie A , Hwang Hong Jin , Burnap Robert L , Yano Junko , Walker Lee M , Service Rachel J , Britt R. David , Hillier Warwick , Debus Richard J
Published: October 2007

In the recent X-ray crystallographic structural models of photosystem II, Glu354 of the CP43 polypeptide is assigned as a ligand of the O2-evolving Mn4Ca cluster. In this communication, a preliminary characterization of the CP43-Glu354Gln mutant of the cyanobacteriumSynechocystissp. PCC 6803 is presented. The steady-state rate of O2evolution in the mutant cells is only approximately 20% compared with the wild-type, but the kinetics of O2release are essentially unchanged and the O2-flash yields show normal period-four oscillations, albeit with lower overall intensity. Purified PSII particles exhibit an essentially normal S2state multiline electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal, but exhibit a substantially altered S2-minus-S1Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectrum. The intensities of the mutant EPR and FTIR difference spectra (above 75% compared with wild-type) are much greater than the O2signals and suggest that CP43-Glu354Gln PSII reaction centres are heterogeneous, with a minority fraction able to evolve O2with normal O2release kinetics and a majority fraction unable to advance beyond the S2or S3states. The S2-minus-S1FTIR difference spectrum of CP43-Glu354Gln PSII particles is altered in both the symmetric and asymmetric carboxylate stretching regions, implying either that CP43-Glu354 is exquisitely sensitive to the increased charge that develops on the Mn4Ca cluster during the S1→S2transition or that the CP43-Glu354Gln mutation changes the distribution of Mn(III) and Mn(IV) oxidation states within the Mn4Ca cluster in the S1and/or S2states.
Coupled electron transfers in artificial photosynthesis
Authors: Hammarström Leif , Styring Stenbjörn
Published: October 2007

Light-induced charge separation in molecular assemblies has been widely investigated in the context of artificial photosynthesis. Important progress has been made in the fundamental understanding of electron and energy transfer and in stabilizing charge separation by multi-step electron transfer. In the Swedish Consortium for Artificial Photosynthesis, we build on principles from the natural enzyme photosystem II and Fe-hydrogenases. An important theme in this biomimetic effort is that of coupled electron-transfer reactions, which have so far received only little attention. (i) Each absorbed photon leads to charge separation on a single-electron level only, while catalytic water splitting and hydrogen production are multi-electron processes; thus there is the need for controlling accumulative electron transfer on molecular components. (ii) Water splitting and proton reduction at the potential catalysts necessarily require the management of proton release and/or uptake. Far from being just a stoichiometric requirement, this controls the electron transfer processes by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). (iii) Redox-active links between the photosensitizers and the catalysts are required to rectify the accumulative electron-transfer reactions, and will often be the starting points of PCET.
Aeronautical technology for future subsonic civil transport aircraft
Authors: Kehayas Nikolaos
Published: October 2007

Purpose

A review is attempted with the objective to indicate the most promising aeronautical technology for application to future subsonic civil transport aircraft.

Design/methodology/approach

A methodology is put forward, according to which direct operating costs (DOC) are examined in order to identify those that can be reduced, and, then, specific technology is assessed in relation to its efficiency in reducing these DOC, operational feasibility and cost‐effectiveness.

Findings

This assessment suggests the selection of propfan and powered lift as the leading future aeronautical technology. These findings are supported by a comparison of a number of advanced technology designs.

Originality/value

Provides a starting point for further investigation of advanced aeronautical technology and unconventional configurations for large subsonic civil transport aircraft.
Single and multi‐point optimization of an airfoil using gradient method
Authors: Mirzaei Masoud , Nasrin Hosseini Seyedeh , Roshanian Jafar
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper's purpose is to deal with single point and multipoint optimization of an airfoil. The aim of the paper is to discuss optimization in several design points (multipoint optimization) and compare the results with those of optimization at a specified design point.

Design/methodology/approach

A gradient‐based method is adopted for optimization and the flow is governed by two dimensional, compressible Euler equations. A finite volume code based on unstructured grid is developed to solve the equations.

Findings

Two test cases are studied for an airfoil with initial profile of NACA0012, with two types of design variables. And at the end a multi‐point case is presented.

Originality/value

The advantage of this technique over the other gradient‐based methods is its high‐convergence rate.
Experimental and numerical investigation of film cooling effectiveness for rectangular injection holes
Authors: Koç İbrahim
Published: October 2007

Purpose

To investigate the film cooling effectiveness in a flat plate with a single row of rectangular injection holes.

Design/methodology/approach

Three injection holes in model are in a single row. The holes are rectangular cross section and they are 9 × 6.5 mm. The injection holes are inclined at 30° along the mainstream direction. The blowing ratios are from 0.5 to 2.0. The experiments and their computational models are established to investigate its effects at the 330 and 335 and 340 K injection temperatures and the different blowing ratios.

Findings

Results show that the blowing ratio and injection temperature and momentum flux ratio affect the film cooling effectiveness and to provide a good film cooling performance in both mainstream and lateral direction a suitable blowing ratio should be selected. In this study, the highest effectiveness is determined at a blowing ratio of 0.5. Further increasing this ratio results in reverse effect on the film cooling effectiveness.

Originality/value

It is the fist time the film cooling effectiveness is compared at the rectangular injection holes as experimental and numerical.
A wireless addressing interface circuitry for microthruster array applications
Authors: Zhang K.L. , Chou S.K. , Ang S.S.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The paper aims to develop a wireless addressing interface circuitry for solid propellant microthruster array applications.

Design/methodology/approach

The solid propellant microthruster is a relatively new class of micropropulsion system for microspacecraft. To produce a controlled vectored thrust, a microthruster array is needed. Realization of the addressing ability and wireless communication is the key to the development of the microthruster array. Therefore, a prototype wireless addressing circuitry was developed to realize the addressing of the microthruster array by a multiplexing system. The addressing circuitry also enables measurement of the igniter temperature variation with time by measuring the igniter resistance change and automatic control by RS232 and RF wireless communications. Operating principles, design, fabrication, and testing of the circuitry are addressed.

Findings

A prototype integrated wireless addressing circuitry was designed and fabricated to realize the addressing of individual microthrusters in the microthruster array, to measure the igniter temperature variation with time, and to achieve automatic control using RS232 and RF wireless communications. Using the programmable voltage source in the circuitry, the igniter temperature could be accurately controlled in 256 steps using an 8 bit word. The 10 bit analog‐to‐digital converter feedback loop circuitry enabled real‐time monitoring of each igniter in the microthruster array and allowing each igniter to be functionally controlled.

Originality/value

In this paper, a wireless addressing interface circuitry is developed for the first time for solid propellant microthruster array applications.