bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Origin of Inner Ear Hair Cells: Morphological and Functional Differentiation from Ciliary Cells into Hair Cells in Zebrafish Inner Ear
Authors: Tanimoto Masashi , Ota Yukiko , Inoue Maya , Oda Yoichi
Published: March 2011

Auditory and vestibular functions in vertebrates depend on the transduction of sound vibration or head acceleration into electrical responses in inner ear hair cells. Mechanoelectrical transduction occurs at the tip of stereocilia, which are polarized to form an orientational arrangement that determines directional sensitivity. It remains to be clarified when and how premature hair cells acquire their specialized structure and function in living animals. The developmental origin of inner ear hair cells has been studiedin vivoin zebrafish embryos. Tether cells, a small number of ciliated cells associated with an “ear stone” (or otolith) in the embryonic zebrafish inner ear, are believed to be precocious hair cells. However, whether or not tether cells acquire hair bundles and mechanosensitivity remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the morphological and functional development of tether cells. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that stereocilia appeared on the tether cell apex in a polarized arrangement at 22 h postfertilization (hpf). Labeling with FM1-43, a marker of functional mechanotransduction channels, and thein vivoelectrophysiological recording of mechanotransducer responses in the developing inner ear demonstrated that tether cells acquired direction-selective mechanosensitivity at 23 hpf. These results revealed that tether cells begin to function as hair cells within an hour after the appearance of a polarized array of stereociliary bundles. Thus, the ciliary cells morphologically and functionally differentiate into the first sensory hair cells in the inner ear of the zebrafish.
Electrical Neuroimaging of Voluntary Audiospatial Attention: Evidence for a Supramodal Attention Control Network
Authors: Green Jessica J. , Doesburg Sam M. , Ward Lawrence M. , McDonald John J.
Published: March 2011

Previous attempts to investigate the supramodal nature of attentional control have focused primarily on identifying neuroanatomical overlap in the frontoparietal systems activated during voluntary shifts of spatial attention in different sensory modalities. However, the activation of the same neural structures is insufficient evidence for a supramodal system, as the same brain regions could interact with one another in very different ways during shifts of attention in different modalities. Thus, to explore the similarity of the functional networks, it is necessary to identify the neural structures involved and to examine the timing and sequence of activities within the network. To this end, we used an electrical neuroimaging technique to localize the neural sources of electroencephalographic signals recorded from human subjects during audiospatial shifts of attention and to examine the timing and sequence of activities within several regions of interest. We then compared the results to an analogous study of visuospatial attention shifts. Similar frontal and parietal regions were activated during visual and auditory shifts of attention, and the timing of activities within these regions was nearly identical. Following this modality-independent sequence of attention-control activity, activity in the relevant sensory cortex was enhanced in anticipation of the response-relevant target. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that a single supramodal network of frontal and parietal regions mediates voluntary shifts of spatial attention and controls the flow of sensory information in modality-specific sensory pathways.
AMPA Receptor-Induced Local Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Signaling Mediates Motor Recovery after Stroke
Authors: Clarkson Andrew N. , Overman Justine J. , Zhong Sheng , Mueller Rudolf , Lynch Gary , Carmichael S. Thomas
Published: March 2011

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Recovery after stroke shares similar molecular and cellular properties with learning and memory. A main component of learning-induced plasticity involves signaling through AMPA receptors (AMPARs). We systematically tested the role of AMPAR function in motor recovery in a mouse model of focal stroke. AMPAR function controls functional recovery beginning 5 d after the stroke. Positive allosteric modulators of AMPARs enhance recovery of limb control when administered after a delay from the stroke. Conversely, AMPAR antagonists impair motor recovery. The contributions of AMPARs to recovery are mediated by release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in periinfarct cortex, as blocking local BDNF function in periinfarct cortex blocks AMPAR-mediated recovery and prevents the normal pattern of motor recovery. In contrast to a delayed AMPAR role in motor recovery, early administration of AMPAR agonists after stroke increases stroke damage. These findings indicate that the role of glutamate signaling through the AMPAR changes over time in stroke: early potentiation of AMPAR signaling worsens stroke damage, whereas later potentiation of the same signaling system improves functional recovery.
Cell Diversity and Connection Specificity between Callosal Projection Neurons in the Frontal Cortex
Authors: Otsuka Takeshi , Kawaguchi Yasuo
Published: March 2011

Recent advances have established that intralaminar and interlaminar excitatory networks between neocortical pyramidal cells are specialized into subnetworks. Here, we have investigated how the commissural system organizes the intracortical excitatory subnetworks to communicate between cortical hemispheres. Whole-cell recordings were obtained from callosal projection neurons [commissural (COM) cells], identified byin vivoinjection of retrograde fluorescent tracer into one hemisphere, in rat frontal cortical slices. We found that layer V (L5) COM cells were heterogeneous in physiological and morphological properties that correlated with projection patterns to contralateral and ipsilateral cortical areas. The probability of synaptically connected pairs of L5 COM cells was higher in cell pairs of the same firing subtypes than that in different cell subtype pairs. In interlaminar connections, layer II/III (L2/3) COM cells preferentially innervated L5 COM cells. Moreover, pairs of the same L5 COM subtypes were more likely to share inputs from L2/3 COM cells than were different COM subtype cell pairs. In addition, common inputs from L2/3 COM cells were frequently observed in L5 pairs of corticopontine cells and given firing subtypes of COM cells. Our results suggest that callosal communications are achieved via several distinct COM cell subnetworks differentiated according to the ipsilateral corticocortical and subcortical projection patterns.
Separation of Domain Contacts Is Required for Heterotetrameric Assembly of Functional NMDA Receptors
Authors: Farina Anthony N. , Blain Katherine Y. , Maruo Tomohiko , Kwiatkowski Witek , Choe Senyon , Nakagawa Terunaga
Published: March 2011

The precise knowledge of the subunit assembly process of NMDA receptors (NMDA-Rs) is essential to understand the receptor architecture and underlying mechanism of channel function. Because NMDA-Rs are obligatory heterotetramers requiring the GluN1 subunit, it is critical to investigate how GluN1 and GluN2 type subunits coassemble into tetramers. By combining approaches in cell biology, biochemistry, single particle electron microscopy, and x-ray crystallography, we report the mechanisms and phenotypes of mutant GluN1 subunits that are defective in receptor maturation. The T110A mutation in the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the GluN1 promotes heterodimerization between the NTDs of GluN1 and GluN2, whereas the Y109C mutation in the adjacent residue stabilizes the homodimer of the NTD of GluN1. The crystal structure of the NTD of GluN1 revealed the mechanism underlying the biochemical properties of these mutants. Effects of these mutations on the maturation of heteromeric NMDA-Rs were investigated using a receptor trafficking assay. Our results suggest that the NTDs of the GluN1 subunit initially form homodimers and the subsequent dimer dissociation is critical for forming heterotetrameric NMDA-Rs containing GluN2 subunits, defining a molecular determinant for receptor assembly. The domain arrangement of the dimeric NTD of GluN1 is unique among the ionotropic glutamate receptors and predicts that the structure and mechanism around the NTDs of NMDA-Rs are different from those of the homologous AMPA and kainate receptors.
Macrophages Counteract Demyelination in a Mouse Model of Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy
Authors: Kondo Yoichi , Adams Jessica M. , Vanier Marie T. , Duncan Ian D.
Published: March 2011

Whether microglia and macrophages are beneficial or harmful in many neurological disorders, including demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis and the leukodystrophies, is currently under debate. Answering this question is of special interest in globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD), a genetic fatal demyelinating disease, because its rapidly progressive demyelination in the nervous system is accompanied by a characteristic accumulation of numerous globoid macrophages. Therefore, we cross-bred the twitcher (twi) mouse, a bona fide model of GLD, with the macrophage-deficient osteopetrotic mutant and studied the resultant macrophage-deficient twitcher (twi+op) mouse. Thetwi+opmouse had few microglia and macrophages in the white matter and, interestingly, showed a more severe clinical phenotype compared to thetwimouse. The number of nonmyelinated axons in the spinal cord was significantly higher intwi+opmice than intwimice at 45 d old. The difference appeared to be due to impaired remyelination intwi+opmice rather than accelerated demyelination. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR and immunohistochemical studies revealed that the recruitment of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in response to demyelination was compromised intwi+opmice. Increased myelin debris in the white matter parenchyma oftwi+opmice suggested that phagocytosis by macrophages may play an important role in promoting remyelination. Macrophage markers for both protective and destructive phenotypes were significantly upregulated in the spinal cord oftwimice but were close to normal intwi+opmice due to the reduced macrophage number. The overall effects of macrophages in GLD appear to be beneficial to myelin by promoting myelin repair.
Aversion-Related Circuitry in the Cerebellum: Responses to Noxious Heat and Unpleasant Images
Authors: Moulton Eric A. , Elman Igor , Pendse Gautam , Schmahmann Jeremy , Becerra Lino , Borsook David
Published: March 2011

The cerebellum is reliably activated during both acute and chronic pain conditions, but it is unclear whether the response to aversive painful stimuli can be generalized to other aversive stimuli. We hypothesized that cerebellar activation during pain reflects higher-level encoding of aversive stimuli. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare cerebellar responses in 11 healthy volunteers to noxious heat (46°C) applied to the hand and to the passive viewing of images selected from the International Affective Picture System. Aversive stimuli in the form of noxious heat and unpleasant pictures (unpleasant vs neutral) activated overlapping areas in the posterior cerebellum, specifically in hemispheric lobule VI, Crus I, and VIIb. Pleasant pictures (pleasant vs neutral) did not share the same pattern of activation as observed with the aversive stimuli. Cerebellar areas that showed functional overlap with both heat pain and unpleasant picture viewing were significantly inversely correlated with fMRI signals measured in limbic system structures, including the anterior hypothalamus, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and the parahippocampal gyrus. Heat-specific functional connectivity was detected in many regions including primary motor cortex, secondary somatosensory cortex, anterior insula, and the periaqueductal gray. The overlap between cerebellar lobuli reactive to noxious heat and passive viewing of unpleasant images suggest that the cerebellum may contain specific regions involved in encoding generalized aversive processing. The separate cortical networks suggest that noxious heat-evoked responses in the cerebellum can be divided into sensorimotor and emotional networks.
Polish onomastic derivatives in the contemporary political discourse in the light of internationalization of Slavic languages
Authors: Konieczna Ewa
Published: March 2011

This paper investigates the morphological and semantic structure of Polish onomastic derivatives, which became both a medium of journalistic expression and a weapon used in political fight after the year 1989. It is argued that the majority of these eponyms are created by means of foreign affixes, which is seen as a sign of progressing internationalization of Slavic languages, increasingly relying on non-native affixes and derivational patterns. Moreover, the role of the pragmatic context in encoding and decoding these novel coinages is highlighted.
Inferring Population Decline and Expansion From Microsatellite Data: A Simulation-Based Evaluation of the Msvar Method
Authors: Girod Christophe , Vitalis Renaud , Leblois Raphaël , Fréville Hélène
Published: March 2011

Reconstructing the demographic history of populations is a central issue in evolutionary biology. Using likelihood-based methods coupled with Monte Carlo simulations, it is now possible to reconstruct past changes in population size from genetic data. Using simulated data sets under various demographic scenarios, we evaluate the statistical performance of Msvar, a full-likelihood Bayesian method that infers past demographic change from microsatellite data. Our simulation tests show that Msvar is very efficient at detecting population declines and expansions, provided the event is neither too weak nor too recent. We further show that Msvar outperforms two moment-based methods (the M-ratio test and Bottleneck) for detecting population size changes, whatever the time and the severity of the event. The same trend emerges from a compilation of empirical studies. The latest version of Msvar provides estimates of the current and the ancestral population size and the time since the population started changing in size. We show that, in the absence of prior knowledge, Msvar provides little information on the mutation rate, which results in biased estimates and/or wide credibility intervals for each of the demographic parameters. However, scaling the population size parameters with the mutation rate and scaling the time with current population size, as coalescent theory requires, significantly improves the quality of the estimates for contraction but not for expansion scenarios. Finally, our results suggest that Msvar is robust to moderate departures from a strict stepwise mutation model.
Joint Inference of Microsatellite Mutation Models, Population History and Genealogies Using Transdimensional Markov Chain Monte Carlo
Authors: Wu Chieh-Hsi , Drummond Alexei J
Published: March 2011

We provide a framework for Bayesian coalescent inference from microsatellite data that enables inference of population history parameters averaged over microsatellite mutation models. To achieve this we first implemented a rich family of microsatellite mutation models and related components in the software package BEAST. BEAST is a powerful tool that performs Bayesian MCMC analysis on molecular data to make coalescent and evolutionary inferences. Our implementation permits the application of existing nonparametric methods to microsatellite data. The implemented microsatellite models are based on the replication slippage mechanism and focus on three properties of microsatellite mutation: length dependency of mutation rate, mutational bias toward expansion or contraction, and number of repeat units changed in a single mutation event. We develop a new model that facilitates microsatellite model averaging and Bayesian model selection by transdimensional MCMC. With Bayesian model averaging, the posterior distributions of population history parameters are integrated across a set of microsatellite models and thus account for model uncertainty. Simulated data are used to evaluate our method in terms of accuracy and precision of θ estimation and also identification of the true mutation model. Finally we apply our method to a red colobus monkey data set as an example.
Quantitative Epigenetics Through Epigenomic Perturbation of Isogenic Lines
Authors: Johannes Frank , Colomé-Tatché Maria
Published: March 2011

Interindividual differences in chromatin states at a locus (epialleles) can result in gene expression changes that are sometimes transmitted across generations. In this way, they can contribute to heritable phenotypic variation in natural and experimental populations independent of DNA sequence. Recent molecular evidence shows that epialleles often display high levels of transgenerational instability. This property gives rise to a dynamic dimension in phenotypic inheritance. To be able to incorporate these non-Mendelian features into quantitative genetic models, it is necessary to study the induction and the transgenerational behavior of epialleles in controlled settings. Here we outline a general experimental approach for achieving this using crosses of epigenomically perturbed isogenic lines in mammalian and plant species. We develop a theoretical description of such crosses and model the relationship between epiallelic instability, recombination, parent-of-origin effects, as well as transgressive segregation and their joint impact on phenotypic variation across generations. In the limiting case of fully stable epialleles our approach reduces to the classical theory of experimental line crosses and thus illustrates a fundamental continuity between genetic and epigenetic inheritance. We consider data from a panel of Arabidopsis epigenetic recombinant inbred lines and explore estimates of the number of quantitative trait loci for plant height that resulted from a manipulation of DNA methylation levels in one of the two isogenic founder strains.
Tissue Specificity of Caenorhabditis elegans Enhanced RNA Interference Mutants
Authors: Zhuang Jimmy J , Hunter Craig P
Published: March 2011

Gene knockdown by RNA interference (RNAi) in Caenorhabditis elegans is readily achieved by feeding bacteria expressing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Enhanced RNAi (Eri) mutants facilitate RNAi due to their hypersensitivity to dsRNA. Here, we compare eight Eri mutants for sensitivity to ingested dsRNA, targeting a variety of tissue-specific genes.
The Putzig-NURF Nucleosome Remodeling Complex Is Required for Ecdysone Receptor Signaling and Innate Immunity in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Kugler Sabrina J , Gehring Eva-Maria , Wallkamm Veronika , Krüger Victoria , Nagel Anja C
Published: March 2011

Putzig (Pzg) was originally identified as being an integral component of the TRF2/DREF complex in Drosophila melanogaster, thereby regulating the transcriptional activation of replication-related genes. In a DREF-independent manner, Pzg was shown to mediate Notch target gene activation. This function of Pzg entails an association with the nucleosome remodeling factor complex NURF, which directly binds the ecdysone receptor EcR and coregulates targets of the EcR via the NURF-specific subunit Nurf-301. In contrast, Nurf-301 acts as a negative regulator of JAK/STAT signaling. Here, we provide evidence to show that Pzg is fundamental for these functions of NURF, apart from the regulation of Notch signaling activity. A jump-out mutagenesis provided us with a pzg null mutant displaying early larval lethality, defects in growth, and molting accompanied by aberrant feeding behavior. We show that Pzg is associated with EcR in vivo and required for the transcriptional induction of EcR target genes, whereas reduced ecdysteroid levels imply a NURF-independent function of Pzg. Moreover, pzg interferes with JAK/STAT-signaling activity by acting as a corepressor of Ken. Lamellocyte differentiation was consistently affected in a JAK/STAT mutant background and the expression level of defense response genes was elevated in pzg mutants, leading to the formation of melanotic tumors. Our results suggest that Pzg acts as an important partner of NURF in the regulation of EcR and JAK/STAT signaling.
Reduction in 24‐Hour Plasma Testosterone Levels in Subjects Who Showered 15 or 30 Minutes After Application of Testosterone Gel
Authors: de Ronde Willem , Vogel Syarda , Bui Hong N. , Heijboer Annemieke C.
Published: March 2011

Study Objective. To investigate whether showering, to prevent the involuntary transfer of testosterone to others through skin contact, either 15 or 30 minutes after application of testosterone gel would significantly affect plasma testosterone levels.

Design. Prospective 3‐way crossover trial.

Setting. University hospital in the Netherlands.

Subjects. Ten agonadal female‐to‐male transsexuals who had sex‐reassignment surgery at least 3 months earlier.

Intervention. Subjects were randomized to one of three application regimens for testosterone gel 50 mg/day, each lasting 7 days: testosterone application after showering (standard regimen), shower was taken 30 minutes after testosterone application, or shower was taken 15 minutes after testosterone application. Subjects then crossed over to each of the other two application regimens for a total of 21 days of study participation.

Measurements and Main Results. On day 7 of each application regimen, mean plasma testosterone levels were determined before testosterone application and at 1, 4, 7, and 10 hours after application. With the standard regimen, mean plasma testosterone levels at all time points after application were in the normal range: mean ± SD average concentration 994 ± 1026 ng/dl. When a shower was taken 30 or 15 minutes after application, plasma testosterone levels at 1, 4, 7, and 10 hours were significantly lower: mean ± SD average concentration 401 ± 231 ng/dl for 30 minutes after application (p<0.01) and 320 ± 248 ng/dl for 15 minutes after application (p<0.01).

Conclusion. Showering within 30 minutes after application of testosterone gel 50 mg/day reduces absorption of testosterone and results in unaccept‐ably low plasma testosterone levels in most users. Therefore, this strategy cannot be recommended to prevent involuntary transfer of testosterone.
Drug Misuse and Diversion in Adults Prescribed Anxiolytics and Sedatives
Authors: McLarnon Megan E. , Monaghan Tracy L. , Stewart Sherry H. , Barrett Sean P.
Published: March 2011

Study Objective. To identify patterns of misuse and diversion of anxiolytic and sedative drugs among a sample of adults prescribed these drugs.

Design. Cross‐sectional study.

Setting. University research center in Canada.

Participants. Sixty‐seven adults (aged 19–61 yrs) who had current prescriptions for anxiolytic or sedative drugs.

Intervention. Face‐to‐face interviews and questionnaires were used to gather information on demographics as well as variables relating to drug misuse and diversion such as personality dimensions, psychiatric symptoms, and other substance use.

Measurements and Main Results. Of the 67 participants, 36 (54%) reported misusing their drugs on at least one occasion, and 35 (52%) reported diverting their drugs at least once. A variety of forms of anxiolytic or sedative misuse were reported, including exceeding the recommended dosage (28 participants [42%]), deliberately using the drug with alcohol or another drug (27 [40%]), or taking it by an alternate route of administration (5 [7%]). Misuse and diversion were associated with a history of substance use and substance‐related problems, as well as personality characteristics relating to impulsivity and hopelessness. Diversion was also associated with an increased likelihood of having taken any psychoactive prescription drug without having a valid prescription for it.

Conclusion. A variety of forms of drug misuse and diversion occurred among this population of adults who were prescribed anxiolytics or sedatives. Likelihood of engaging in misuse or diversion was associated with other substance use, substance use disorders, and personality characteristics. Despite the modest sample size and cross‐sectional design, this study identified substantial heterogeneity in prescription anxiolytic and sedative misuse, suggesting that the use of clearly defined operational criteria will be essential in future efforts to further characterize this phenomenon.
Treatment of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Barnes Megan M. , Dorsch Michael P. , Hummel Scott L. , Koelling Todd M. , Bleske Barry E.
Published: March 2011

Heart failure contributes to more than 1 million hospitalizations annually and is one of the most common causes of repeat hospitalizations in the elderly. Previously, it was thought that mortality from heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PEF) was lower than that from heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (REF), but more recent data infer similar mortality. Although the mortality rate in patients with heart failure with REF is decreasing, the mortality rate in patients with heart failure with PEF remains unchanged—possibly due to the lack of evidence‐based treatment regimens or greater recognition of the disease. Without sufficient trials in patients with heart failure with PEF, clinicians are forced to extrapolate treatment from data proven to benefit patients with heart failure with REF. There is no question that clinical trials including only patients with heart failure with PEF are limited. In addition, the definition and clinical diagnosis of this syndrome are not clearly defined, and the guidelines available for treatment lack specificity in recommendations. To describe the current literature for the treatment of heart failure with PEF, we conducted a MEDLINE search of the English‐language literature (1950–2009) to identify studies that pertain to the treatment of patients with heart failure with PEF. Ongoing clinical trials continue, but until data become available, clinicians must base their treatment strategies for heart failure with PEF on sparse information.
The DRESS Syndrome: The Great Clinical Mimicker
Authors: Fleming Peter , Marik Paul E.
Published: March 2011

The life‐threatening DRESS (drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms) syndrome is characterized by the presence of at least three of the following findings: fever, exanthema, eosinophilia, atypical circulating lymphocytes, lymphadenopathy and hepatitis. This syndrome is difficult to diagnose, as many of its clinical features mimic those found with other serious systemic disorders. This idiosyncratic reaction occurs most commonly after exposure to drugs such as allopurinol, sulfonamides, and aromatic anticonvulsants such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine. We describe a 44‐year‐old woman who was brought to the emergency department with new‐onset hemorrhagic stroke. She was admitted to the intensive care unit where she received supportive care that included clonidine and hydralazine for blood pressure control and phenytoin for seizure prophylaxis. On hospital day 21, the patient developed signs and symptoms of severe sepsis. Despite receipt of broad‐spectrum antibiotics (vancomycin and piperacillin‐tazobactam) and supportive care, the patient's clinical condition worsened with progressive jaundice, severe oliguria, and labile blood pressures. All cultures revealed no growth, and her chest radiograph remained clear. Several days after the onset of her fever, the patient developed several hematologic abnormalities including thrombocytopenia, with schistocytes present on a peripheral smear. She also had an elevated lactate dehydrogenase level. A provisional diagnosis of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura was made; however, the patient then developed severe facial edema, nearly global erythroderma, and severe exfoliative dermatitis. A punch biopsy of the skin was compatible with the DRESS syndrome. Phenytoin, vancomycin, and piperacillin‐tazobactam were discontinued, and the patient was started on systemic corticosteroids, with rapid resolution of her fever and eosinophilia and progressive improvement in her skin rash and multiorgan system dysfunction. Use of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale indicated a probable relationship (score of 5) between the patient's development of DRESS syndrome and treatment with phenytoin. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for the DRESS syndrome in patients being treated with aromatic anticonvulsants who develop a sepsis‐like syndrome. Furthermore, considering the potential severe effects associated with phenytoin, the risks and benefits should be carefully evaluated before using this agent for seizure prophylaxis.
The Unintentional Injurer: Results From the Boston Youth Survey
Authors: Hemenway David , Solnick Sara J.
Published: March 2011

Objectives. We sought to provide additional information about the characteristics of adolescents who were most likely to cause unintentional injury to other people.

Methods. In 2008, as part of a randomized survey of high-school students in the Boston Public School system, more than 1800 respondents answered questions about unintentionally causing an injury to someone else in the past year.

Results. More than 20% of boys and 13% of girls reported unintentionally injuring another person in the past year. Being male, exercising, participating in organized activities, and having carried a knife were risk factors for unintentionally causing an injury during sports. Using illegal drugs, having friends who are a bad influence, and having carried a knife were risk factors for unintentionally causing an injury not associated with sports.

Conclusions. Unintentionally injuring another person is a fairly common event for high-school students. Characteristics differ between adolescents who unintentionally injure others during sports versus those who unintentionally injure others during nonsports activities. Many of the risk factors for causing unintentional injury unrelated to sports are similar to those for intentionally causing injury.
Rethinking Research on Forming Typologies of Homelessness
Authors: McAllister William , Lennon Mary Clare , Kuang Li
Published: March 2011

In homelessness research and policymaking, it seems to be axiomatic that single adults experience 3 temporally based types of homelessness: chronic, episodic, and transitional. We discuss problems with the theorization of this typology and with the research design, data analysis, and time-aggregated conceptualization and measurement of temporality in the empirical work supporting the typology. To address the latter, we suggest a time-patterned approach to temporality and report a 10-group typology that differs significantly from the more familiar 3-group typology. We argue that which approach is used—and how typologies are developed more generally—should be based on theory and the uses to which typologies are put rather than on claims to being more true.
Engineering Uncontestedness? The Origins and Institutional Development of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
Authors: Büthe Tim
Published: March 2011

Private regulation often entails competition among multiple rule-makers, but private rules and regulators do not always compete. For substantial parts of the global economy, a single private body (per issue) is recognized as the focal point for global rule-making. The selection of the institutional setting here effectively takes place prior to drawing up the specific rules, with important consequences for the politics of regulating global markets. In this paper, I develop a theoretical explanation for how a private transnational organization may attain such preeminence—how it can become the focal point for rule-making—in its area of expertise. I emphasize the transnational body's capacity to pursue its organizational self-interest, as well as timing and sequence. I then examine empirically a particularly important body of this kind, which today is essentially uncontested as the focal point for private regulation in its area, even though its standards often have substantial distributive implications: the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). I analyze the persistence and changes in the IEC's formal rules or procedures and informal norms, as well as the broadening scope of its regulatory authority and membership over more than a century.
Making the Lisbon Strategy Happen: A New Phase of Lifelong Learning Discourse in European Policy?
Authors: Nordin Andreas
Published: March 2011

The discourse of lifelong learning has undergone great changes, from its initial engagement when it was a matter of social and humanitarian issues as outlined in the early documents of UNESCO, to emphasising lifelong learning as a moral and individual obligation in a more competitive and market-oriented language. This policy trajectory has taken the discourse from an initial phase of great social visions to a second phase focusing on the need for self-regulated and morally responsible citizens. Recent research on the topic indicates that we are now standing at the threshold of a discursive shift where action instead of visions is at stake. Against this background the author asks if there is evidence enough to suggest that European policy on lifelong learning is now experiencing a discursive shift into what could be described as a new phase. The author uses critical discourse analysis as a methodological framework and the analysis of the empirical material points to a direction where it is relevant to speak about a new ‘phase’ of lifelong-learning discourse emerging in European policy, characterised by the urgent need for implementation. In this article a tentative conceptual framework is presented as to how this new, action-oriented ‘phase’ can be understood.
Deconstructing ‘Aspiration’: UK Policy Debates and European Policy Trends
Authors: Spohrer Konstanze
Published: March 2011

Strategies of ‘employability’ and ‘activation’ are increasingly favoured in the European Union policy context. These strategies are aimed at fostering inclusion by stressing the responsibility of the individual to participate in education and employment. Similar tendencies can be observed in the United Kingdom (UK) over the last decade, among them a debate on raising young people's aspirations. The article reports first findings from a research project on the construction of ‘aspiration’ in and through policy debates in the United Kingdom. Drawing on Michel Foucault's concepts of Archaeology and Genealogy, policy documents were analysed for the discursive strategies they employ. The analysis suggests that the debate on ‘aspiration’ constructs young people from disadvantaged backgrounds as deficient, conflates economic and social equality discourses and individualises structural problems. These discursive strategies mirror tendencies that can be observed in strategies of activation and employability in the United Kingdom and the European Union. Focusing on ‘aspiration’ can be regarded as a way to prepare young people for the responsibility to actively pursue labour market participation at an even earlier stage.
Testosterone Replacement in Hypogonadal Men With Type 2 Diabetes and/or Metabolic Syndrome (the TIMES2 Study)
Authors: Jones T. Hugh , Arver Stefan , Behre Hermann M. , Buvat Jacques , Meuleman Eric , Moncada Ignacio , Morales Antonio Martin , Volterrani Maurizio , Yellowlees Ann , Howell Julian D. , Channer Kevin S. ,   TIMES2 Investigators
Published: March 2011

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk factors, and symptoms in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes and/or metabolic syndrome (MetS).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a novel transdermal 2% testosterone gel was evaluated over 12 months in 220 hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes and/or MetS in a multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The primary outcome was mean change from baseline in homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Secondary outcomes were measures of body composition, glycemic control, lipids, and sexual function. Efficacy results focused primarily on months 0−6 (phase 1; no changes in medication allowed). Medication changes were allowed in phase 2 (months 6−12).

RESULTS

TRT reduced HOMA-IR in the overall population by 15.2% at 6 months (P = 0.018) and 16.4% at 12 months (P = 0.006). In type 2 diabetic patients, glycemic control was significantly better in the TRT group than the placebo group at month 9 (HbA1c: treatment difference, −0.446%; P = 0.035). Improvements in total and LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein a (Lpa), body composition, libido, and sexual function occurred in selected patient groups. There were no significant differences between groups in the frequencies of adverse events (AEs) or serious AEs. The majority of AEs (>95%) were mild or moderate.

CONCLUSIONS

Over a 6-month period, transdermal TRT was associated with beneficial effects on insulin resistance, total and LDL-cholesterol, Lpa, and sexual health in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes and/or MetS.
Molecular differentiation of Turkey cattle isolates of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica
Authors: Simsek S. , Utuk A. , Balkaya I.
Published: March 2011

The most common and widespread liver flukes of the genus Fasciola are Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. Adults of both species occur in many domestic ruminants and in humans and can cause serious disease. The differential diagnosis of these flukes infection is very important because of their different transmission and epidemiological characteristics. A simple and rapid PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay, using the common restriction enzymes AluI and RsaI, is described to distinguish between both fasciolid species. After the digestion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) PCR product with the restriction enzyme AluI, the RFLP profile obtained from F. hepatica revealed two fragments, whereas F. gigantica was not cut. The RsaI digestion generated two fragments from F. gigantica, whereas it did not cut the PCR product from F. hepatica. Results were confirmed with CO1 sequence analysis of both F. hepatica and F. gigantica. The present study suggests that the PCRRFLP method described here can be used for the proper identification of Fasciola species.
Above GaSb barrier in type II quantum well structures for mid-infrared emission detected by Fourier-transformed modulated reflectivity
Authors: Motyka M. , Janiak F. , Ryczko K. , Sęk G. , Misiewicz J. , Bauer A. , Weih R. , Höfling S. , Kamp M. , Forchel A.
Published: March 2011

Modulation spectroscopy in its Fourier-transformed mode has been employed to investigate the optical properties of broken gap ‘W’-shaped GaSb/AlSb/InAs/InGaSb/InAs/AlSb/GaSb quantum well structures designed to emit in the mid infrared range of 3–4 μm for applications in laser-based gas sensing. Besides the optical transitions originating from the confined states in the type II quantum wells, a number of spectral features at the energy above the GaSb band gap have been detected. They have been analyzed in a function of InAs and GaSb layer widths and ultimately connected with resonant states in the range of AlSb tunneling barriers.
A teleoperation system for micro-invasive brain surgery
Authors: Manganelli Rudy , Chinello Francesco , Formaglio Alessandro , Prattichizzo Domenico
Published: March 2011

This paper deals with controller design issues for a neurosurgical teleoperator system. The specific application of interest consists of remotely inserting a linear-stage rigid endoscope into the patient's brain for microinvasive neurosurgery interventions. This work aims at evaluating advantages and drawbacks of using a general-purpose control architecture versus a simpler task-oriented architecture, from a point of view of stability and transparency. Experiments revealed that in spite of its simplicity, the task-oriented design allows an improvement in the trade-off between performance, transparency and stability requirements.
On clustering DAGs for task-hungry computing platforms
Authors: Cordasco Gennaro , Rosenberg Arnold , Sims Mark
Published: March 2011

Many modern computing platforms are “task-hungry”: their performance is enhanced by always having as many tasks available for execution as possible. IC-scheduling, a master-worker framework for executing static computations that have intertask dependencies (modeled as dags), was developed with precisely the goal of rendering a computation-dag’s tasks eligible for execution at the maximum possible rate. The current paper addresses the problem of enhancing IC-scheduling so that it can accommodate the varying computational resources of different workers, by clustering a computation-dag’s tasks, while still producing eligible (now, clustered) tasks at the maximum possible rate. The task-clustering strategies presented exploit the structure of the computation being performed, ranging from a strategy that works for any dag, to ones that build increasingly on the explicit structure of the dagbeing scheduled.
An inductance lookup table application for analysis of reluctance stepper motor model
Authors: Bernat Jakub , Kołota Jakub , Stępień Sławomir , Szymański Grzegorz
Published: March 2011

An inductance lookup table application for analysis of reluctance stepper motor model

This research presents a method of modeling and numerical simulation of a reluctance stepper motor using reduced finite-element time-stepping technique. In presented model, the circuit equations are reduced to non-stationary differential equations, i.e. the inductance mapping technique is used to find relationship between coil inductance and rotor position. A strongly coupled field-circuit model of the stepper motor is presented. In analyzed model the magnetostatic field partial differential equations are coupled with rotor motion equation and solved simultaneously in each iterative step. The nonlinearity problem is solved using Newton-Raphson method with spline approximation of the B-H curve.
New leuconids from the Gulf of Mexico (Crustacea: Cumacea: Leuconidae)
Authors: Petrescu Iorgu , Heard Richard
Published: March 2011

New leuconids from the Gulf of Mexico (Crustacea: Cumacea: Leuconidae)

Second paper that contained records of 13 species of Leuconidae from the Gulf of Mexico. Four new species are described: Leucon papadopoli n. sp., L. andreiae n. sp., L. raduletzi n. sp. and L. serafimae n. sp. Other 8 species and subgenera Crymoleucon Watling, 1991 and Macrauloleucon Watling, 1991 are recorded for the first time from the area, only Leucon americanus Zimmer, 1943 was previously found.
A new species of Isophya (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae) from the Romanian Carpathian Mountains
Authors: Iorgu Ionuţ , Iorgu Elena
Published: March 2011

A new species of Isophya (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae) from the Romanian Carpathian Mountains

A new morphologically cryptic species from the genus Isophya Brunner von Wattenwyl is described from Ciucaş Mountains in Romania: Isophya ciucasi n. sp. Diagnosis, images and a bioacoustic analysis are presented for the new species and compared with Isophya camptoxypha (Fieber), the species with a very similar morphology.
Systematic list of the Romanian vertebrate fauna
Authors: Murariu Dumitru
Published: March 2011

Systematic list of the Romanian vertebrate fauna

Compiling different bibliographical sources, a total of 732 taxa of specific and subspecific order remained. It is about the six large vertebrate classes of Romanian fauna. The first class (Cyclostomata) is represented by only four species, and Pisces (here considered super-class) - by 184 taxa. The rest of 544 taxa belong to Tetrapoda super-class which includes the other four vertebrate classes: Amphibia (20 taxa); Reptilia (31); Aves (382) and Mammalia (110 taxa).
Seeds for life: a successful collaboration for the collection, conservation and utilization of Australian native seed
Authors: Adkins Steve , Ashmore Sarah , Cameron Philip , Halford Jason , Beyleveld Leon
Published: March 2011

The ‘Queensland Seeds for Life Project (Q-SFL)’ is collaboration between the Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP) of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom and several Australian Institutes, including The University of Queensland. The purpose of the SFL program is to improve the conservation and restoration of plant biodiversity in Queensland. This will be achieved by the collection and long-term storage of seed (as well as DNA) from priority species and by the use of these species in scientific research and utilization programs. In the first phase, seed of c. 1,000 species of Queensland native plants have been collected with c. 750 new to the MSBP. Germination tests have been completed for more than c. 600 collections, improving the knowledge base for these species and raising the opportunity for sustainable utilization in our collaborations with the Australian Mining, Floriculture and Native Fruits Industries. Detailed experiments have resolved germination issues (e.g. seed dormancy) for 200 species within families and genera that have been notoriously difficult to germinate, providing better understanding and management of threatened species. Work has been undertaken on the conservation of recalcitrant species with storage and regeneration protocols being developed for a number of previously unstudied species. Under the Q-SFL project six PhD studies have been completed on topics such as native grass utilization, soil seed banks, seed dormancy, seed longevity, utilization of native fruits and long term germplasm storage using cryopreservation. Our plan for the future builds on improving the cooperative nature of our partnership so that our state team can work in a complementary fashion with those from other states and overseas to obtain effective outcomes.DOI: 10.3126/botor.v7i0.4367 Botanica Orientalis – Journal of Plant Science (2010) 7: 1–6
The genus Rhododendron in north-east India
Authors: Mao Ashiho A
Published: March 2011

The genus Rhododendron belongs to the family Ericaceae and was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1737 in Genera Plantarum. Joseph Hooker’s visit to Sikkim Himalaya between 1848 and 1850 unfold the rhododendron world of this area. Within the brief span that he travelled in Sikkim, he gathered and described 34 new species and details of 43 species including varieties from the Indian region in his monograph entitled ‘Rhododendron of Sikkim Himalaya’. Since then many workers had added to the list, and currently about 121 taxa have been recorded from India, out of which 117 (98%) taxa are distributed in north-east India. The paper presents the distribution of the genus Rhododendron in north-east India and world based on literature, field studies and examination of herbarium specimens. It also discussed the status of the genus in natural habitat in recent years and the need for conservation.Key-words: Rhododendron; distribution; north-east India DOI: 10.3126/botor.v7i0.4370Botanica Orientalis – Journal of Plant Science (2010) 7: 26-34