bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interim analysis of a randomized clinical trial comparing abdominal versus transvaginal ultrasound‐guided embryo transfer
Authors: Porat Natalie , Boehnlein Lynn M. , Schouweiler Calisa M. , Kang Jungae , Lindheim Steven R.
Published: March 2010

Aim:  Ultrasound‐guided embryo transfer appears to improve overall pregnancy outcomes for in vitro fertilization embryo transfer cycles. Most reports are done using a transabdominal ultrasound‐guided approach, in contrast to a transvaginal ultrasound, which does not require a full bladder. We sought to determine if either approach was better with respect to clinical pregnancy outcomes.

Methods:  This randomized clinical trial took place in a university‐based practice with an enrollment of 186 subjects. Secondary measures also included embryo transfer time and degree of cramping and pain, which subjects ranked as none = 1; mild = 2; moderate = 3; or severe = 4.

Results:  There were no differences in implantation rates (33.1 ± 4.1%, ± standard error vs 31.1 ± 3.9%, P = 0.78), pregnancy rates (60% vs 54%, P = 0.38), clinical pregnancy rates (48% vs 45%, P = 0.77), and live‐birth rates (30% vs 39%, P = 0.37) between transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound‐guided embryo transfer groups. No differences were noted between groups for time required for embryo transfer (157 ± 279 seconds vs 130 ± 176 seconds, P = 0.92), uterine cramping (1.2 ± 0.5 vs 1.2 ± 0.4, P = 0.4), and the degree of pain (1.4 ± 0.7 vs 1.3 ± 0.5, P = 0.13).

Conclusions:  Neither transabdominal nor transvaginal ultrasound‐guided embryo transfer is more beneficial in optimizing pregnancy outcomes. While delays often occur while waiting for bladder distension for transabdominal ultrasound‐guided embryo transfer, uterine position, parity and level of physician comfort should dictate the choice of either approach.
Weber’s law implies neural discharge more regular than a Poisson process
Authors: Kang Jing , Wu Jianhua , Smerieri Anteo , Feng Jianfeng
Published: March 2010

Weber’s law is one of the basic laws in psychophysics, but the link between this psychophysical behavior and the neuronal response has not yet been established. In this paper, we carried out an analysis on the spike train statistics when Weber’s law holds, and found that the efferent spike train of a single neuron is less variable than a Poisson process. For population neurons, Weber’s law is satisfied only when the population size is small (< 10 neurons). However, if the population neurons share a weak correlation in their discharges and individual neuronal spike train is more regular than a Poisson process, Weber’s law is true without any restriction on the population size. Biased competition attractor network also demonstrates that the coefficient of variation of interspike interval in the winning pool should be less than one for the validity of Weber’s law. Our work links Weber’s law with neural firing property quantitatively, shedding light on the relation between psychophysical behavior and neuronal responses.
Reduced air leakage by adjusting the cuff pressure in pediatric laryngeal mask airways during spontaneous ventilation
Authors: HOCKINGS LISEN , HEANEY MAIREAD , CHAMBERS NEIL A. , ERB THOMAS O. , Von UNGERN‐STERNBERG BRITTA S.
Published: March 2010

Background:  Optimal inflation of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) cuff should allow ventilation with low leakage volumes and minimal airway morbidity. Manufacturer’s recommendations vary, and clinical end‐points have been shown to be associated with cuff hyperinflation and increased leak around the LMA. However, measurement of the intra‐cuff pressure of the LMA is not routine in most pediatric institutions, and the optimal intra‐cuff pressure in the LMA has not been determined in clinical studies.

Methods:  This was a prospective audit in100 pediatric patients undergoing elective general anesthesia breathing spontaneously via LMA (size 1.5–3). Cuff pressure within the LMA was adjusted using a calibrated pressure gauge to three different values (60, 40, and 20 cmH2O) within the manufacturers’ recommended LMA cuff pressure range (≤60 cmH2O). Three corresponding inspiratory and expiratory tidal volumes were recorded, and the differences were calculated as the ‘leak volume’.

Results:  Compared with 20 and 60 cmH2O intra‐cuff pressure, measured leakage volumes were the lowest at cuff inflation pressures of 40 cmH2O [median (range) 0.42 (0.09–1.00) ml·kg−1] in most patients (83%), while 17% of children demonstrated minimally smaller leakages at 20 cmH2O [0.51 (0.11–1.79) ml·kg−1]. Maximum leakage values occurred with cuff pressures of 60 cmH2O in all groups [0.65 (0.18–1.27) ml·kg−1] and were not associated with the smallest value of air leakage in any patient.

Conclusion:  Using cuff manometry, an intra‐cuff pressure of 40 cmH2O was associated with reduced leak around the LMA while higher (60 cmH2O) and lower (20 cmH2O) cuff pressures resulted in higher leak volumes during spontaneous ventilation. In spontaneously breathing children, reducing the intra‐cuff pressure of pediatric‐sized LMAs even below the manufacturers’ recommendations allows ventilation with minimized leakage around the LMA cuff.
Measuring negative behavior change: a pilot study determining feasibility and baseline rate in measures of quality of life and behavior of children after day case ENT surgery and anesthesia
Authors: Lo E. , Howard K. , Davidson A.
Published: March 2010

Aim:  To determine the feasibility and baseline rate in measures of quality of life and behavior of children after day case ENT surgery and anaesthesia.

Background:  Negative behavior change post anesthesia has been reported in previous studies to varying degrees [1–3]. Variation may be because of the scales used to measure change. The Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) [4] has been commonly used to detect these behavior changes. Another scale, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales version 4.0 (pedsql) [5] is a validated quality of life questionnaire. It may prove superior in measuring behavior change post anesthesia but has not been used in this context. The comparative feasibility of using the scales and baseline rates of behavior is yet to be determined in this setting.

Methods:  The population was pediatric ENT day surgeries. After informed consent, demographic and medical data were collected. Questionnaires were performed preoperatively (Baseline), and postoperatively (Day 7 and 30).

Results:  Neither scale found evidence for substantial negative behavior change, with some negative changes in anxiety domains on the PHBQ and negative changes on the functional domains of the pedsql. Surprisingly, many children showed improvement in behavior. Both scales were equally feasible. Overall return rate was <50%.

Conclusion:  This pilot data can provide some baseline rates and data on feasibility to plan future intervention studies. In these studies, the anxiety domain of PHBQ may be the best scale to use but small changes indicate large numbers would be needed and particular strategies would be needed to increase follow‐up.

References 1 Kotiniemi LH, Ryhanen PT, Moilanen IK. Behavioural changes in children following day‐case surgery: a 4‐week follow‐up of 551 children. Anaesthesia 1997;52(10): 970‐6.

2 Kain ZN, Caldwell‐Andrews AA, Maranets I, McClain B, Gaal D, Mayes LC et al. Preoperative anxiety and emergence delirium and postoperative maladaptive behaviors. Anesthesia & Analgesia. 2004 of contents, 2004; 99(6): 1648‐54.

3 Stargatt R, Davidson AJ, Huang GH, Czarnecki C, Gibson MA, Stewart SA et al. A cohort study of the incidence and risk factors for negative behavior changes in children after general anesthesia. Paediatric Anaesthesia 2006; 16(8): 846‐59.

4 Vernon DT, Schulman JL, Foley JM. Changes in children's behavior after hospitalization. Some dimensions of response and their correlates. American Journal of Diseases of Children 1966; 111(6): 581‐93.

5 Varni JW, Seid M, Knight TS, Uzark K, Szer IS. The PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales: sensitivity, responsiveness, and impact on clinical decision‐making. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 2002; 25(2): 175‐93.
Implicit memory formation in children during anesthesia
Authors: Pham X. , Smith K.R. , Sheppard S.J. , Bradshaw C. , Lo E. , Davidson A.J.
Published: March 2010

Aim:  To determine whether there is implicit memory formation in children during anesthesia.

Background:  Previous work with adults has found that cognitive processing may persist despite clinically adequate anesthesia, resulting in the formation of implicit memories that cannot be consciously recalled but may be revealed by changes in behavior [1]. Because of methodological limitations in the few pediatric studies that have been conducted, it remains unclear whether this also occurs in children [2,3]. Implicit memories may play a role in postoperative negative behavior changes in children [4].

Methods:  The ‘degraded auditory stimulus recognition task’ has been validated for the detection of implicit memories in a pediatric anesthetic setting [5]. Three hundred and twelve children, aged 5 to 12 years old, were randomly assigned to be played either a sheep sound or white noise continuously through headphones during general anesthesia. On recovery, children were played a sheep sound degraded by a white noise mask that progressively decreased over 60 s, with the outcome being time taken to correctly recognize the sound.

Results:  Three hundred children completed the task. A comparison of the distribution of recognition times between the two groups found little evidence that intraoperative exposure to a sheep sound was associated with postoperative time to recognition of a degraded sheep sound (hazard ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval of 0.90–1.40, P = 0.28).

Conclusions:  No evidence was found for implicit memory formation in children during anesthesia. It is increasingly likely that the clinical implications of this phenomenon are less of a concern for pediatric anesthetists.

References 1 Andrade J, Deeprose C. Unconscious memory formation during anaesthesia. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol 2007; 21(3):385‐401.

2 Andrade J, Deeprose C, Barker I. Awareness and memory function during paediatric anaesthesia. Br J Anaesth 2008; 100(3):389‐96.

3 L opez U, Habre W, Laurencon M, Willems SJ, Schmidt C, Van der Linden M et al. Does implicit memory during anaesthesia persist in children? Br J Anaesth 2009; 102(3):379‐84.

4 Stargatt R. A cohort study of the incidence and risk factors for negative behavior changes in children after general anesthesia. Paediatr Anaesth 2006; 16(8):846‐59.

5 Phelan L, Sheppard SJ, Davidson AJ. A new degraded auditory stimulus test to measure implicit memory during anaesthesia in children. Anaesth Intensive Care 2009; 37(1):60‐5.
Mutational and gene expression analysis of mtrDEF, omcA and mtrCAB during arsenate and iron reduction in Shewanella sp. ANA‐3
Authors: Reyes Carolina , Murphy Julie N. , Saltikov Chad W.
Published: March 2010

Arsenate respiration and Fe(III) reduction are important processes that influence the fate and transport of arsenic in the environment. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of arsenate on Fe(III) reduction using arsenate and Fe(III) reduction deficient mutants of Shewanella sp. strain ANA‐3. Ferrihydrite reduction in the absence of arsenate was similar for an arsenate reduction mutant (arrA and arsC deletion strain of ANA‐3) compared with wild‐type ANA‐3. However, the presence of arsenate adsorbed onto ferrihydrite impeded Fe(III) reduction for the arsenate reduction mutant but not in the wild‐type. In an Fe(III) reduction mutant (mtrDEF, omcA, mtrCAB null mutant of ANA‐3), arsenate was reduced similarly to wild‐type ANA‐3 indicating the Fe(III) reduction pathway is not required for ferrihydrite‐associated arsenate reduction. Expression analysis of the mtr/omc gene cluster of ANA‐3 showed that omcA and mtrCAB were expressed under soluble Fe(III), ferrihydrite and arsenate growth conditions and not in aerobically grown cells. Expression of arrA was greater with ferrihydrite pre‐adsorbed with arsenate relative to ferrihydrite only. Lastly, arrA and mtrA were simultaneously induced in cells shifted to anaerobic conditions and exposed to soluble Fe(III) and arsenate. These observations suggest that, unlike Fe(III), arsenate can co‐induce operons (arr and mtr) implicated in arsenic mobilization.
Production of therapeutic proteins in algae, analysis of expression of seven human proteins in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Rasala Beth A. , Muto Machiko , Lee Philip A. , Jager Michal , Cardoso Rosa M.F. , Behnke Craig A. , Kirk Peter , Hokanson Craig A. , Crea Roberto , Mendez Michael , Mayfield Stephen P.
Published: March 2010

Recombinant proteins are widely used today in many industries, including the biopharmaceutical industry, and can be expressed in bacteria, yeasts, mammalian and insect cell cultures, or in transgenic plants and animals. In addition, transgenic algae have also been shown to support recombinant protein expression, both from the nuclear and chloroplast genomes. However, to date, there are only a few reports on recombinant proteins expressed in the algal chloroplast. It is unclear whether this is because of few attempts or of limitations of the system that preclude expression of many proteins. Thus, we sought to assess the versatility of transgenic algae as a recombinant protein production platform. To do this, we tested whether the algal chloroplast could support the expression of a diverse set of current or potential human therapeutic proteins. Of the seven proteins chosen, >50% expressed at levels sufficient for commercial production. Three expressed at 2%–3% of total soluble protein, while a forth protein accumulated to similar levels when translationally fused to a well‐expressed serum amyloid protein. All of the algal chloroplast‐expressed proteins are soluble and showed biological activity comparable to that of the same proteins expressed using traditional production platforms. Thus, the success rate, expression levels, and bioactivity achieved demonstrate the utility of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a robust platform for human therapeutic protein production.
New Evidence on Initial Transition from Career Job to Retirement in Japan
Authors: SHIMIZUTANI SATOSHI , OSHIO TAKASHI
Published: March 2010

The interval in time between leaving a career job and exit from the labor force is especially long for Japanese employees. We examine determinants of post‐career work arrangements from two perspectives: work status and the route to a second job. We show that these determinants differ between male and female workers and that the customary function of career employers to place their workers in a second job has declined since the middle of the 1990s.
The involvement of human RECQL4 in DNA double‐strand break repair
Authors: Singh Dharmendra Kumar , Karmakar Parimal , Aamann Maria , Schurman Shepherd H. , May Alfred , Croteau Deborah L. , Burks Lynnette , Plon Sharon E. , Bohr Vilhelm A.
Published: March 2010

Rothmund–Thomson syndrome (RTS) is an autosomal recessive hereditary disorder associated with mutation in RECQL4 gene, a member of the human RecQ helicases. The disease is characterized by genomic instability, skeletal abnormalities and predisposition to malignant tumors, especially osteosarcomas. The precise role of RECQL4 in cellular pathways is largely unknown; however, recent evidence suggests its involvement in multiple DNA metabolic pathways. This study investigates the roles of RECQL4 in DNA double‐strand break (DSB) repair. The results show that RECQL4‐deficient fibroblasts are moderately sensitive to γ‐irradiation and accumulate more γH2AX and 53BP1 foci than control fibroblasts. This is suggestive of defects in efficient repair of DSB’s in the RECQL4‐deficient fibroblasts. Real time imaging of live cells using laser confocal microscopy shows that RECQL4 is recruited early to laser‐induced DSBs and remains for a shorter duration than WRN and BLM, indicating its distinct role in repair of DSBs. Endogenous RECQL4 also colocalizes with γH2AX at the site of DSBs. The RECQL4 domain responsible for its DNA damage localization has been mapped to the unique N‐terminus domain between amino acids 363–492, which shares no homology to recruitment domains of WRN and BLM to the DSBs. Further, the recruitment of RECQL4 to laser‐induced DNA damage is independent of functional WRN, BLM or ATM proteins. These results suggest distinct cellular dynamics for RECQL4 protein at the site of laser‐induced DSB and that it might play important roles in efficient repair of DSB’s.
FoxO1 is involved in the antineoplastic effect of calorie restriction
Authors: Yamaza Haruyoshi , Komatsu Toshimitsu , Wakita Saori , Kijogi Carole , Park Seongjoon , Hayashi Hiroko , Chiba Takuya , Mori Ryoichi , Furuyama Tatsuo , Mori Nozomu , Shimokawa Isao
Published: March 2010

The FoxO transcription factors may be involved in the antiaging effect of calorie restriction (CR) in mammals. To test the hypothesis, we used FoxO1 knockout heterozygotic (HT) mice, in which the FoxO1 mRNA level was reduced by 50%, or less, of that in wild‐type (WT) mouse tissues. The WT and HT mice were fed ad libitum (AL) or 30% CR diets from 12 weeks of age. Aging‐ and CR‐related changes in body weight, food intake, blood glucose, and insulin concentrations were similar between the WT and HT mice in the lifespan study. The response to oxidative stress, induced by intraperitoneal injection of 3‐nitropropionic acid (3‐NPA), was evaluated in the liver and hippocampus at 6 months of age. Several of the selected FoxO1‐target genes for cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, apoptosis, and stress resistance were up‐regulated in the WT‐CR tissues after 3‐NPA injection, while the effect was mostly diminished in the HT‐CR tissues. Of these gene products, we focused on the nuclear p21 protein level in the liver and confirmed its up‐regulation only in the WT‐CR mice in response to oxidative stress. The lifespan did not differ significantly between the WT and HT mice in AL or CR conditions. However, the antineoplastic effect of CR, as indicated by reduced incidence of tumors at death in the WT‐CR mice, was mostly abrogated in the HT‐CR mice. The present results suggest a role for FoxO1 in the antineoplastic effect of CR through the induction of genes responsible for protection against oxidative and genotoxic stress.
RETRACTED: Pioglitazone improves lipid and insulin levels in overweight rats on a high cholesterol and fructose diet by decreasing hepatic inflammation
Authors: Collino Massimo , Aragno Manuela , Castiglia Sara , Miglio Gianluca , Tomasinelli Chiara , Boccuzzi Giuseppe , Thiemermann Christoph , Fantozzi Roberto
Published: March 2010

Background and purpose:  Nutrient overload leads to obesity and insulin resistance. Pioglitazone, a selective peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)γ agonist, is currently used to manage insulin resistance, but the specific molecular mechanisms activated by PPARγ are not yet fully understood. Recent studies suggest the involvement of suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS)‐3 in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. This study aimed to investigate the hepatic signalling pathway activated by PPARγ activation in a non‐genetic insulin‐resistant animal model.

Experimental approach:  Male Wistar rats were maintained on a high‐cholesterol fructose (HCF) diet for 15 weeks. Pioglitazone (3 mg·kg−1) was administered orally for the last 4 weeks of this diet. At the end of the treatment, serum was collected for biochemical analysis. Levels of PPARγ, SOCS‐3, pro‐inflammatory markers, insulin receptor substrate‐2 and Akt/glycogen synthase kinase‐3β phosphorylation were assesed in rat liver.

Key results:  Rats fed the HCF diet exhibited hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. Pioglitazone administration evoked a significant improvement in lipid metabolism and insulin responsiveness. This was accompanied by reduced hepatic expression of SOCS‐3, interleukin‐6, tumour necrosis factor‐α and markers of neutrophil infiltration. Diet‐induced PPARγ expression was unaffected by the pioglitazone treatment.

Conclusion and implications:  Chronic pioglitazone administration reduced hepatic inflammatory responses in rats fed a HCF diet. These effects were associated with changes in hepatic expression of SOCS‐3, which may be a crucial link between the reduced local inflammation and the improved insulin signalling.

This article is commented on by Chatterjee, pp. 1889–1891 of this issue. To view this commentary visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476‐5381.2010.00739.x
Hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in children and outdoor air pollution in Southwest Milan, Italy
Authors: Giovannini M , Sala M , Riva E , Radaelli G
Published: March 2010

Aim:  To evaluate whether a relationship exists in hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in children with outdoor pollution in the Southwest Milan, Italy.

Methods:  Daily count of hospital admissions for asthma, upper or lower respiratory diseases (LRD) occurred among children aged ≤14 years at the San Paolo Hospital during 2007–2008 was recorded. Pollutants included the particular matter of <10 μm diameter, ozone, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), reported on the same day of admission and 1 up to 5 days before admission. The moving weekly average (MWA) was also considered.

Results:  Total respiratory admissions were associated with the same day level of CO (30.6% increase per 1 mg/m3 increase, 95% confidence interval, 3.9–69.9%) and with the MWA of NO2 (9.0% increase per 10 μg/m3 increase, 1.2–16.8%). The effect of CO was stronger on upper respiratory diseases (URD) (lag 0, 21.3% increase, 6.4–38.3%). The effect of NO2 was stronger on LRD (MWA, 5.3% increase, 0.9–10.2%). Multipollutant models confirmed the role of CO on URD and that of NO2 on LRD.

Conclusion:  Carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide may be associated with emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions among children in Southwest Milan.
Towards universal Kangaroo Mother Care: recommendations and report from the First European conference and Seventh International Workshop on Kangaroo Mother Care
Authors: Nyqvist KH , Anderson GC , Bergman N , Cattaneo A , Charpak N , Davanzo R , Ewald U , Ibe O , Ludington‐Hoe S , Mendoza S , Pallás‐Allonso C , Ruiz Peláez JG , Sizun J , Widström A‐M
Published: March 2010

The hallmark of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is the kangaroo position: the infant is cared for skin‐to‐skin vertically between the mother’s breasts and below her clothes, 24 h/day, with father/substitute(s) participating as KMC providers. Intermittent KMC (for short periods once or a few times per day, for a variable number of days) is commonly employed in high‐tech neonatal intensive care units. These two modalities should be regarded as a progressive adaptation of the mother‐infant dyad, ideally towards continuous KMC, starting gradually and progressively with intermittent KMC. The other components in KMC are exclusive breastfeeding (ideally) and early discharge in kangaroo position with strict follow‐up. Current evidence allows the following general statements about KMC in affluent and low‐income settings: KMC enhances bonding and attachment; reduces maternal postpartum depression symptoms; enhances infant physiologic stability and reduces pain, increases parental sensitivity to infant cues; contributes to the establishment and longer duration of breastfeeding and has positive effects on infant development and infant/parent interaction. Therefore, intrapartum and postnatal care in all types of settings should adhere to a paradigm of nonseparation of infants and their mothers/families. Preterm/low‐birth‐weight infants should be regarded as extero‐gestational foetuses needing skin‐to‐skin contact to promote maturation.

Conclusion:  Kangaroo Mother Care should begin as soon as possible after birth, be applied as continuous skin‐to‐skin contact to the extent that this is possible and appropriate and continue for as long as appropriate.
Association of higher adiposity and wheezing in infants with lower respiratory illnesses
Authors: Jee Hye Mi , Seo Hyun Kyong , Hyun Se Eun , Yoo Eun Gyong , Kim Cheol Hong , Han Man Yong
Published: March 2010

Aim:  The incidences of asthma and obesity have been steadily increasing over the past two decades, with several studies showing a relationship between these conditions. We investigated the influence of higher weight for height (WFH) Z‐score on wheezing in infants with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI).

Methods:  We reviewed the medical charts of all infants younger than l year of age who were admitted with the first episode of LRTI between 2000 and 2008. Subjects were classified into six groups according to WFH Z‐score.

Results:  Wheezing was more frequent in infants with higher WFH Z‐scores. Especially, wheezing infants aged 3–6 months and 6–9 months had significantly higher WFH Z‐scores than had their non‐wheezing counterparts (p = 0.05 and p < 0.01 respectively). Multivariate logistic regression showed that age (OR = 0.76, p < 0.001), male gender (OR = 1.61, p = 0.005) and WFH Z‐score (OR = 1.12, p = 0.007) were independently associated with wheezing.

Conclusion:  In this study we could show that a higher WFH Z‐score was independently associated with wheezing in infancy. Attainment of appropriate weight for age may reduce the risk of wheezing in infants with respiratory diseases.
Regeneration of the visual system in gastropods (Mollusca)
Authors: Tuchina Oksana , Meyer‐Rochow Victor Benno
Published: March 2010

Abstract. The topic of tissue and organ regeneration has been of interest to life scientists ever since the phenomenon was noticed. The reason for this is obvious: if one can learn what drives and controls regeneration, i.e., how lost or damaged structures can be replaced, one not only has a better chance to understand an animal's embryogenesis and evolutionary relationship with other taxa, but one would also be in a better position to treat organ loss or tissue damage in humans. In this context, the possible restitution of individual sensory neurons or nerve projections has been of special interest to us. We identified central visual projections in several gastropod species and found that: (1) projections are very extensive across the brain and (2) they have connections with other systems and organs (including, most likely, non‐ocular skin photoreceptors) that may be involved in the integration of signals from different sensors. Investigations of afferent and efferent visual elements at a morphological level should help reveal the neuronal basis of a gastropod's behavioral reactions.
The XMM-Newton detection of extended emission from the nova remnant of T Pyxidis
Authors: Balman Ş.
Published: March 2010

We report the detection of an extended X-ray nebulosity with an elongation from north-east to south-west in excess of 15 arcsec in a radial profile and imaging of the recurrent nova T Pyx using the archival data obtained with the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM–Newton), European Photon Imaging Camera (pn instrument). The signal-to-noise ratio in the extended emission (above the point source and the background) is 5.2 over the 0.3–9.0 keV energy range and 4.9 over the 0.3–1.5 keV energy range. We calculate an absorbed X-ray flux of 2.3 × 10−14ergcm−2 s−1 with a luminosity of 6.0 × 1032ergs−1 from the remnant nova in the 0.3–10.0 keV band. The source spectrum is not physically consistent with a blackbody emission model as a single model or a part of a two-component model fitted to the XMM–Newton data (kTBB > 1 keV). The spectrum is best described by two MEKAL plasma emission models with temperatures at 0.2+0.7−0.1 keV and 1.3+1.0−0.4 keV. The neutral hydrogen column density derived from the fits is significantly more in the hotter X-ray component than the cooler one which we may be attributed to the elemental enhancement of nitrogen and oxygen in the cold material within the remnant. The shock speed calculated from the softer X-ray component of the spectrum is 300–800kms−1 and is consistent with the expansion speeds of the nova remnant derived from the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based optical wavelength data. Our results suggest that the detected X-ray emission may be dominated by shock-heated gas from the nova remnant.
Introduction of Portable Computed Tomography Scanners, in the Treatment of Acute Stroke Patients via Telemedicine in Remote Communities
Authors: Shuaib A. , Khan K. , Whittaker T. , Amlani S. , Crumley P.
Published: March 2010

Background

Thrombolysis is an established treatment in selected patients who present early to hospital after symptoms of acute ischaemic stroke. Treatment can only be offered after the patient has been assessed by highly trained physicians and imaging studies have ruled out a brain haemorrhage. This limits the wider availability of thrombolysis to patients in remote communities, especially in countries with limited resources. There has been considerable success with the use of TeleStroke to overcome such barriers. TeleStroke is feasible in remote hospitals provided there is an available computed tomography scanner, a fundamental prerequisite in the assessment of acute stroke and thrombolysis. This is a luxury not widely available, especially in remote sites. Recently, Neurologica introduced a portable computed tomography scanner that can be operated after minimal training.

Methods

We report our preliminary experience with the portable computed tomography scanner in a remote community where Telemedicine was successfully used to evaluate and treat patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of an acute ischaemic stroke. The University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Canada was the ‘hub’ site and Wainwright Community Hospital was the ‘spoke’ site.

Results

Over a 3-month period, 18 patients were evaluated in the emergency department of the remote hospital where the referring physician felt that symptoms indicated potential for thrombolysis. All patients were evaluated remotely by a stroke neurologist in a TeleStroke service situated 207 km from the rural site. After clinical examination, cranial computed tomography scans were obtained with the portable scanner and evaluated by the stroke neurologist. In three patients, thrombolysis was not offered because the computed tomography showed evidence of brain haemorrhage: two intracerebral haemorrhage and one subarachnoid haemorrhage. Three patients meeting the standard criteria received thrombolysis within 4·5 h from onset of symptoms. There was a significant improvement in two patients. One patient did not make a good recovery. Repeat computed tomography scans showed a small haemorrhagic transformation in one patient. In the remaining 12 subjects, symptoms improved rapidly, were outside the window for thrombolysis, or were not consistent with an acute ischaemic stroke.

Interpretations

Our preliminary study shows that the portable scanner can be used successfully in the evaluation of patients in remote regions that are not within timely reach of stroke experts or do not have available conventional imaging with computed tomography scans. Telemedicine, in combination with the use of portable scanners, offers hope to a large remote population base that would otherwise not have access to appropriate acute stroke treatment.
Evaluation of a Meter for Testing Potassium Concentration in Low‐salinity Aquaculture Ponds
Authors: Chainark Suwanit , Boyd Claude E.
Published: March 2010

A HANNA Model HI 93750 Ion Specific Meter, Potassium provided results similar to those obtained by flame emission spectrophotometry for potassium concentrations in the range of 8–92 mg/L in low‐salinity water (2–10 ppt). Regression analyses of potassium concentrations performed using the two methods had correlation coefficients (r) of 0.999 for samples from ponds and 0.997 for a series of standards. In comparison with the flame emission method, the potassium meter achieved greater recovery of potassium spikes in one trial and equal recovery in a second trial. The relatively inexpensive meter is sufficiently precise and accurate for monitoring potassium concentration in low‐salinity water for pond aquaculture.
True anatomical zirconia implants for molar replacement: a case report from an ongoing clinical study with a 2‐year follow‐up
Authors: Pirker W. , Kocher A.
Published: March 2010

This article describes a case report of an ongoing clinical investigation with modified root‐analogue zirconia dental implants. We present a 40‐year‐old female patient with root caries and chronic apical periodontitis after an unsuccessful root canal treatment. The tooth was carefully extracted, and the socket was cleaned by means of curettage. The root was modified by application of macro‐retentions and micro‐retentions, and laser scanned, and an exact replica was milled from a zirconia block. Five days after extraction, a one‐piece zirconia implant was placed into the extraction socket by gentle tapping with a hammer and a mallet. The soft tissue healed unremarkably around the implant within 3 days. The definitive restoration with a composite crown was performed 3 months after extraction. At 2‐year follow‐up, the patient presented with an excellent aesthetic and functional result.
Anxiety and pain experience of patients undergoing intra‐oral buccal mucosa biopsy
Authors: Barrett C.S.
Published: March 2010

Aim:  The aim of this study was to investigate anxiety levels, expected pain and actual pain experienced by patients undergoing intra‐oral biopsy.

Materials and methods:  Forty‐four patients who required a single site, buccal mucosa biopsy under local anaesthesia as their first ever oral biopsy were recruited. Data were collected immediately before and after their biopsy procedure. This included demographic information, state and trait sections of Spielberger's State Trait Anxiety Inventory and 100 mm visual analogue scales for expected pain and actual pain. Data were analysed using paired t‐tests, independent t‐tests and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient.

Results and conclusions:  Patients were anxious pre‐operatively (mean s‐anxiety 42.02), which was a highly statistically significant rise above baseline (P < 0.001). Patients expected (40.4) significantly (P < 0.001) higher pain from the procedure than they actually experienced (4.5). There were some indicators that women and patients with high trait anxiety were more likely to be anxious pre‐operatively.
Le Cours sur la conservation de l’architecture de l’ICCROM, 1982–1992 : histoire, évolution, impact
Authors: Teutonico Jeanne Marie
Published: March 2010

L’ICCROM a eu un impact important dans le domaine de la conservation du patrimoine grâce à ses programmes de formation internationale, dont ses cours sur la conservation de l’architecture délivrés depuis trente ans. L’auteur examine, à travers sa propre expérience, l’histoire et l’évolution de ce cours entre 1982 et 1992.
The Force of Habit: Time, Being and Unconscious Acts in Archaeological Explanation
Authors: Ballard Chris
Published: March 2010

Christopher Gosden.
Social Being and Time. Oxford and Cambridge, Mass.
Maori hapuu and their History
Authors: Webster Stephen
Published: March 2010

Current research by historians and lawyers in Maori land and fisheries claims is broaching issues of Maori kinship calling for renewed social anthropological research. In this essay I review the history of social anthropological research in Maori kinship through 1975, a lapse in this research until the late 1980s, and a recent revival. A central problem of this research has been the conceptualisation of Maori hapuu (‘subtribes’) or cognatic descent groups. A critique of the recent analyses suggests that the early failure of social anthropologists to understand hapuu in historical context continues, although in different theoretical forms. The burgeoning research by historians and lawyers, while lacking fundamental anthropological insights, suggests that hapuu cannot be separated from their specific history.
What Do Abelam Images Want from Us?: Plato's Cave and Kwatbi's Belly
Authors: Losche Diane
Published: March 2010

In this paper I compare two origin myths, one from the Abelam speaking area of the Sepik region, Papua New Guinea, the other, the allegory of Plato's Cave found in The Republic. I explore the effects which each of these different conceptions of iconography and aesthetics has on the other when they intersect. I argue that fieldwork itself can be looked at as a hybrid form in the sense that it brings into juxtaposition different systems of thought and contrasting cultural tropes. At the moment of intersection a new cultural form, a hybrid, is produced in that someone may ask a question which has never been asked before and respondents may think about something they have never consciously thought about before. I attempt to imaginatively reconstruct one such moment when Anthony Forge questioned Abelam painters in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea about their iconographic system. By comparing the two origin myths we can better comprehend why Forge received particular and, from his viewpoint, problematic answers to questions about the meaning of particular painting designs. The comparison reveals that the myths are inversions of one another and imply radically differing conceptions of space and iconography. The paper ends by demonstrating that Abelam painters in their turn have questions about systems of representation different from their own. This can be seen in their interrogation of the author about the labels on perfume bottles and their response to an art gallery in Sydney, Australia, which they visited with the author.
Hip Hop Aesthetics and the Will to Culture1
Authors: Maxwell Ian
Published: March 2010

In this paper, based upon my field work with the self‐styled ‘Hip Hop Community’ in Sydney, in the early 1990s, I examine the material processes by which ‘cultural’ significance is articulated to a number of key practices, specifically, break‐dancing, rapping and graffiti. I argue that these practices are understood, within the scene, as being aesthetic practices, which operate to mimetically ‘represent’ a pre‐existing cultural essence—Hip Hop. Using a Peircian semiotic model, I argue that the maintenance of performances of these key Hip Hop practices functions over time, within the Hip Hop community, to affirm the legitimacy, authenticity and reality of the idea of Hip Hop.
History, Houses and Regional Identities
Authors: Robinson Kathryn
Published: March 2010

The Indonesian government authorises particular modes of representations of the diverse cultural traditions of the archipelago which are subservient to the display of a national culture in the pursuit of national unity. The ‘Taman Mini Indonesia Indah’ theme park in Jakarta manifests the authorised version of difference, as do regional museums. In the province of South Sulawesi, under the guiding influence of local scholars, the provincial government has developed its own theme park which, in the manner of the Jakarta park, uses house forms as emblems of the cultural diversity found in the province. This paper investigates the historical sensibilities displayed in the park, those of the planners and those of the people who live in and use the park. The planners have tried to avoid the use of ersatz forms, with a stress on cultural ‘authenticity’ in the creation of the displays. They have made the park a showcase for an expression of a regional sensibility about the historical genesis of the place of the province in the modern world, giving their own traditions a centrality which is lacking in expressions of culture authorised by the national government.
Under the Banner of Islam: Mobilising Religious Identities in West Java
Authors: Newland Lynda
Published: March 2010

Although it is usually claimed that 90% of Indonesians are Muslims, many scholars have characterised Indonesian Islam as ‘not really’ Islam but as only nominally or syncretically so. This paper provides a critique of Clifford Geertz's use of the notion of syncretism followed by a description of the Muslim world as lived by Sundanese villagers in the Priangan Mountains of West Java. Mobilised in response to specific historical conditions, the Sundanese identification with Islam positions the villagers in an ambivalent relation to the state and its discourses of modernity. This relationship is more complicated by the divisions within Islam, broadly between modernist and traditionalist organisations such as Persis and Nahdatul Ulama. While the followers of Persis desire the purification of Muslim practice from local accretions through a return to direct interpretation of the Qur'an, the followers of Nahdatul Ulama interpret the scriptures through the studies of religious scholars which allows for a much broader range of practice. Consequently, notions of nominalism or syncretism have contemporary political ramifications for local arguments concerning the nature of Islam, involving not just philosophical debate but the politicisation of everyday practice.
The Interdiction of Music in Islam
Authors: Bedford Ian
Published: March 2010

There is no authorisation in the Qur'an for the interdiction on music. That interdiction, when it is voiced, is the product of a conviction among some Muslims, supported by hadith (just as it is opposed with hadith) that Islam does not countenance music. In a country such as Pakistan, with a strong tradition of devotional music which (taken with the poetry, with which it is always associated) has become entwined with the identity politics of the provinces or sub‐‘nations’ which make up the vaster nation, a comprehensive ban on music would be impossible to enforce, though there are ‘ulamā’ and sectarian parties who desire it. This paper focuses on an instance where music is even harder to extricate from an accompanying text: the recitation of the Qur'ān. In the eyes of Muslims, Qur'anic recitation is not music. This denial raises further questions about the nature of music and, in particular, its involvement with the ‘extramusical’. Adorno's observations on the relation of music to language, and the anthropologist Friedson's complaint that ethnographers focus on text, at the expense of music, are examined in the light of the circumstance that the world over, music is associated with texts of one kind or another. Even when, as in the case of the ‘curing’ ritual described by Friedson, words are unimportant, or missing, music is seldom a phenomenological whole. Music ‘leans’, or is ‘leant on’: it lends its unrivalled ‘eloquence’ to many a cause, from commodity marketing to the structured working out of ritual, or, among lovers, to the remembered quality of experience. All these potentialities of music are relevant to the question of its interdiction and to the Muslim denial that the recitation of the Qur'ān is music.
From Racing to Rugby: All Work and No Play for Gogodala Men of Western Province, Papua New Guinea
Authors: Wilde Charles
Published: March 2010

In this article, I analyse how Gogodala men in Western Province approach the sport of rugby league football as an extension of the practice of canoe racing. Despite colonial changes and mission attempts to redeem canoe racing by labelling them ‘cultural games’, canoe races continue to embody clan relations and demonstrate inner masculine strength, collective clan power and a local work ethic. Although there has been a general lack of attention given to studies of sport in Papua New Guinea, a discourse has emerged that analyses sports competitions as either a modern form of play and a replacement for past ritual activities or as a contemporary exemplar of warfare and other eradicated practices. As the Gogodala have not practised headhunting or warfare for over one hundred years, I want to contribute to this discussion by exploring how contemporary canoe racing and rugby league form an integral part of conceptualisations of work and dala ela gi, or ‘the male way of life’.
Structure and Substance: Combining ‘Classic’ and ‘Modern’ Kinship Studies in the Australian Western Desert
Authors: Dousset Laurent
Published: March 2010

This paper attempts to participate in the reconciliation between ‘modern’ and cultural studies styles of approaches to kinship, and the more formal and structural analyses of the ‘classical’ type. It is argued that it is the methodological combination of these approaches that produces intelligible descriptions of social structure and process in relation to kinship. The fundamental assumption is that individual strategies play within, and to a certain extent (consciously) exploit, the structural particularities a kinship system provides. A heuristic tool is proposed from which such an analysis can be elaborated. The notion of ‘consubstantiality’ as a reflector of modes of ‘relatedness‐conception’ is discussed, because such modes do exhibit interactionist processes while being framed within the structural precepts of the formal kinship system with its terminology and prescriptions.
The Dynamics of Stasis: Historical Inertia in The Evolution of the Australian Family
Authors: Uhlmann Allon J.
Published: March 2010

This paper highlights the significant role the anthropological perspective with its broad comparative outlook, and its focused ethnographic observations, can play in understanding historical processes in general, and the under‐theorised processes of stasis and historical inertia in particular. It does so by engaging with the history of the white Australian family. It argues that the sense of radical shifts in the family is misplaced. Conceived of as a life trajectory, the nuclear family remains overwhelmingly dominant cognitively, culturally and normatively. The recent limited changes that have emerged largely in response to the increased cost of social reproduction, do not amount to an overwhelming shift, nor do they reflect major cultural or normative transformations. The continuities in the Australian family are consistent with the broad continuity in family practice in comparable metropolitan and settler European societies for well over a millennium. These continuities demand a historical explanation. The paper shows the inevitable conservative entailments of heterodox alternatives, and the conservative effects of the powerful cultural preconditioning of social agents' cognition. It also links the symbolic politics of family practice to the social politics of cultural and ideological production. More generally, the paper argues that stasis is no less historical, no less dynamic, and no less worthy of analysis and explanation, than are change and transformation; and, that stasis and transformation are not different processes, but rather intertwined facets of the always multi‐faceted historical process.
Coming too Close, Going too Far: Theoretical and Cross‐cultural Approaches to Incest and its Prohibitions
Authors: Patterson Mary
Published: March 2010

Although interest in cultural explanations of topics like incest waned among Anglo anthropologists along with the abandonment of kinship theory in general, other paradigms provided a renewed interest in some older theories about the prohibition of incest. The approach presented in this paper gives due critical consideration to both evolutionary and ‘cultural’ explanations of incest and its prohibition suggesting their mutual involvement, but the necessity of a close analysis of the specificity of the cultural forms in which shared substance, connection, difference and nurture are expressed as reproductive ontology. Particular cases are discussed in the light of recent suggestions that the cross‐cultural incidence of incest and its prohibition is to be understood via theories of dissociative disorders in the West that allegedly illuminate a wide range of practices claimed to be linked to sexual abuse in childhood.