bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DNA Methylation in the Developing Hippocampus and Amygdala of Anxiety-Prone versus Risk-Taking Rats
Authors: Simmons Rebecca K. , Howard Jasmine L. , Simpson Danielle N. , Akil Huda , Clinton Sarah M.
Published: May 2012

All organisms exhibit a wide range of emotional behaviors and interact with the environment in different ways. Some individuals may be more quiet and shy whereas others are more outgoing and adventurous. These temperamental and personality differences can predispose individuals to certain psychopathologies which may be influenced by genetic vulnerability and/or early life experiences. Rodent models can be used to recapitulate emotional reactivity differences, and these models can, in turn, be used to examine potential neurobiological underpinnings of these traits. The present study utilizes two strains of rats that were selectively bred for differences in novelty seeking. High Novelty-Responding (bHR) rats are very active in response to novelty, exhibit exaggerated risk-taking, aggression, impulsivity, and show increased behavioral response to cocaine. Low Novelty-Responding (bLR) rats show increased anxiety, depressive behavior and vulnerability to chronic stress. One way in which the bHR versus bLR behavioral phenotypes may differ is through epigenetic modification of DNA. DNA can be modified through processes such as acetylation or methylation to either enhance or subdue gene expression. This study examines putative differences in methylation levels in the hippocampus and amygdala of developing bHR-bLR rats. Previous research observed widespread gene expression differences in the bLR developing hippocampus, and the current study aims to begin to examine potential epigenetic factors that may contribute to those gene differences. The amygdala was chosen because it is involved in emotional processes, in part through its connections with the hippocampus. Therefore, the present study used in situ hybridization to assess the expression of DNA methyltransferase-1 (DNMT1) mRNA in the hippocampus, amygdala and several other brain areas of bHR and bLR pups at three developmental time points: postnatal days (P) 7, 14, and 21. We focused on the first 3 postnatal weeks, in part to parallel our early microarray gene expression work, and because this represents a critical period of brain development, which shapes individuals’ lifelong emotional and stress reactivity. We found significant differences in dentate gyrus and CA3 regions of the hippocampus at P7 with no differences seen at P14 or P21. Interestingly, we also found significant bHR-bLR DNMT1 differences at P7 within the lateral, basolateral and medial nuclei of the amygdala, with no difference at P14 and P21, suggesting that the first postnatal week is a critical period for DNA methylation during brain development.
Modeling Interneuron Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
Authors: Schmidt Martin J. , Mirnics Karoly
Published: May 2012

Schizophrenia is a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 1% of the population and imposing a significant burden on society. One of the most replicated and well-established postmortem findings is a deficit in the expression of the gene encoding the 67-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67), the primary GABA-producing enzyme in the brain. GAD67 is expressed in various classes of interneurons, with vastly different morphological, molecular, and physiological properties. Importantly, GABA system deficits in schizophrenia encompass multiple interneuronal subtypes, raising several important questions. First, do different classes of interneurons regulate different aspects of behavior? Second, can we model cell-type-specific GABAergic deficits in mice, and will the rodent findings translate to human physiology? Finally, will this knowledge open the door to knowledge-based approaches to treat schizophrenia?
Sensory and Sensorimotor Gating Deficits after Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Lesions in Rats
Authors: Swerdlow Neal R. , Light Gregory A. , Breier Michelle R. , Shoemaker Jody M. , Saint Marie Richard L. , Neary Alaina C. , Geyer Mark A. , Stevens Karen E. , Powell Susan B.
Published: May 2012

Neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (NVHLs) in rats lead to reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle and other behavioral deficits in adulthood that model abnormalities in schizophrenia patients. A neurophysiological deficit in schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives is reduced gating of the P50 event-related potential (ERP). N40 ERP gating in rats may be a cross-species analog of P50 gating, and is disrupted in experimental manipulations related to schizophrenia. Here, we tested whether N40 gating as well as PPI is disrupted after NVHLs, using contemporaneous measures of these two conceptually related phenomena. Male rat pups received sham or ibotenic acid NVHLs on postnatal day 7. PPI was tested on days 35 and 56, after which rats were equipped with cortical surface electrodes for ERP measurements. One week later, PPI and N40 gating were measured in a single test, using paired S1-S2 clicks spaced 500 ms apart to elicit N40 gating. Compared to sham-lesioned rats, those with NVHLs exhibited PPI deficits on days 35 and 56. NVHL rats also exhibited reduced N40 gating and reduced PPI, when measured contemporaneously at day 65. Deficits in PPI and N40 gating appeared most pronounced in rats with larger lesions, focused within the ventral hippocampus. In this first report of contemporaneous measures of two important schizophrenia-related phenotypes in NVHL rats, NVHLs reproduce both sensory (N40) and sensorimotor (PPI) gating deficits exhibited in schizophrenia. In this study, lesion effects were detected prior to pubertal onset, and were sustained well into adulthood.
Different Clinical Phenotypes in Siblings with a Presenilin-1 P264L Mutation
Authors: Ishizuka Takanori , Nakamura Masayuki , Ichiba Mio , Fujita Seigo , Takeuchi Kouzo , Fujimoto Toshiro , Sano Akira
Published: May 2012

Background: Mutations in the presenilin-1 gene (PSEN1) have been identified in autosomal dominant early-onset cases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aims: To investigate different clinical phenotypes of siblings possessing the same heterozygous P264L mutation in the PSEN1 gene. Methods: We evaluated clinical features, neuroimaging results, and neuropsychological examinations. The PSEN1 gene and other dementia-related gene mutations were screened. Results: We clinically diagnosed the proband as atypical AD with frontotemporal dementia features and diagnosed the elder brother of the proband as typical AD, based on neuropsychological symptoms and a brain imaging examination including amyloid imaging data. A heterozygous P264L mutation in the PSEN1 gene was identified in both siblings. Conclusion: This study is one of few reports of AD siblings possessing the same mutation but exhibiting different clinical phenotypes in a Japanese family possessing a P264L mutation in the PSEN1 gene. The current results suggest that unknown modifiers, including both genetic and epigenetic factors, may alter the pathological and clinical phenotypes of a genetically predetermined disease.
Ranolazine Decreases Mechanosensitivity of the Voltage-Gated Sodium Ion Channel Na
V
1.5
Authors: Beyder Arthur , Strege Peter R. , Reyes Santiago , Bernard Cheryl E. , Terzic Andre , Makielski Jonathan , Ackerman Michael J. , Farrugia Gianrico
Published: May 2012

Background—

Na
V
1.5 is a mechanosensitive voltage-gated sodium-selective ion channel responsible for the depolarizing current and maintenance of the action potential plateau in the heart. Ranolazine is a Na
V
1.5 antagonist with antianginal and antiarrhythmic properties.

Methods and Results—

Mechanosensitivity of Na
V
1.5 was tested in voltage-clamped whole cells and cell-attached patches by bath flow and patch pressure, respectively. In whole cells, bath flow increased peak inward current in both murine ventricular cardiac myocytes (24±8%) and human embryonic kidney 293 cells heterologously expressing Na
V
1.5 (18±3%). The flow-induced increases in peak current were blocked by ranolazine. In cell-attached patches from cardiac myocytes and Na
V
1.5-expressing human embryonic kidney 293 cells, negative pressure increased Na
V
peak currents by 27±18% and 18±4% and hyperpolarized voltage dependence of activation by −11 mV and −10 mV, respectively. In human embryonic kidney 293 cells, negative pressure also increased the window current (250%) and increased late open channel events (250%). Ranolazine decreased pressure-induced shift in the voltage dependence (IC
50
54 μmol/L) and eliminated the pressure-induced increases in window current and late current event numbers. Block of Na
V
1.5 mechanosensitivity by ranolazine was not due to the known binding site on DIVS6 (F1760). The effect of ranolazine on mechanosensitivity of Na
V
1.5 was approximated by lidocaine. However, ionized ranolazine and charged lidocaine analog (QX-314) failed to block mechanosensitivity.

Conclusions—

Ranolazine effectively inhibits mechanosensitivity of Na
V
1.5. The block of Na
V
1.5 mechanosensitivity by ranolazine does not utilize the established binding site and may require bilayer partitioning. Ranolazine block of Na
V
1.5 mechanosensitivity may be relevant in disorders of mechanoelectric dysfunction.
The use of Pluronic F-127 to study the development of the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida
Authors: Sasaki-Crawley Ayano , Curtis Rosane , Birkett Michael , Papadopoulos Apostolos , Blackshaw Rod , Pickett John
Published: May 2012

This paper demonstrates a simple novel in vitro method using Pluronic F-127 aqueous solution to study the development of the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida, in Solanum spp. without any need for sterilisation of either the plants or the nematodes. In this study, this method was successfully applied to comparative studies on the development of G. pallida in Solanum tuberosum (potato) or S. sisymbriifolium (sticky nightshade). The protocol described here could be useful for screening transgenic plants or different plant cultivars/species for their ability to allow development not only of G. pallida but also any other plant-parasitic nematodes.
Nematode-antagonistic effects of Cinnamomum aromaticum extracts and a purified compound against Meloidogyne incognita
Authors: Nguyen Dang-Minh-Chanh , Seo Dong-Jun , Kim Kil-Yong , Kim Tae-Hwan , Jung Woo-Jin
Published: May 2012

The potential use of Cinnamomum aromaticum and its active compound to control Meloidogyne incognita was investigated in vitro and in pot experiments. One compound, cinnamyl acetate, was isolated by thin layer chromatography and silica gel column chromatography, and identified by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectrometry. Juvenile movement and hatch inhibition by cinnamyl acetate was dependent on both the concentration and incubation time of the cinnamyl acetate. Treatment with 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 μg ml−1 of cinnamyl acetate resulted in 33.7, 65.1, 81.1, 100 and 100% inhibition of movement of second-stage juveniles, respectively, at 50 min after incubation. The juvenile movement inhibition was <20% at the tested concentrations at 10 min after incubation. Cinnamyl acetate treatment resulted in 20.8, 39.4, 81.3 and 90.7% hatch inhibition at 25, 50, 100 and 200 μg ml−1, respectively, at 3 days after incubation and 21.6, 39.3, 73.2 and 88.7% hatch inhibition at 25, 50, 100 and 200 μg ml−1, respectively at 6 days after incubation. In pot tests, C. aromaticum crude extracts effectively inhibited infection of M. incognita on cucumber plants. Cinnamomum aromaticum crude extracts applied at 0.5 and 1.0 mg (g soil)−1 significantly reduced the numbers of galls caused by M. incognita. The activities of pathogenesis-related proteins as β-1,3-glucanase and peroxidase on leaves of plants treated with C. aromaticum crude extracts were significantly higher than those on leaves of control plants.
Changes in the pre-parasitic developmental stage of Globodera rostochiensis in response to green manures
Authors: Valdes Yirina , Viaene Nicole , Blok Vivian , Palomares-Rius Juan E. , Moens Maurice
Published: May 2012

The sequence of events during the pre-parasitic and parasitic stages of the life cycle of Globodera rostochiensis, starting from hatching until host invasion and infection, is of major importance. Many of the physiological changes are initiated in the pre-parasitic stage in response to the influences exerted by the root diffusates of the host plant. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether root diffusates and extracts of green manures from Brassicaceae, in particular yellow mustard, fodder radish and rapeseed, have a direct effect on the pre-parasitic stage of G. rostochiensis. Unhatched second-stage juveniles (J2) were exposed to root diffusates and extracts from roots or above-ground parts of the green manures to assess: i) changes in eggshell permeability; ii) changes in diameter of the dorsal gland nucleolus; and iii) the activation of transcription in the dorsal and subventral pharyngeal glands. The 24 h exposure of unhatched J2 to the green manures did not indicate an alteration in eggshell permeability. The diameter of the dorsal gland nucleolus increased significantly after exposure to diffusates but not to extracts of the green manures, although the size in that case still did not exceed the measurements in J2 exposed to tomato root diffusates. The expression of the gene IVg9 in the dorsal gland was not detected after any treatment. However, transcriptional activation in the subventral pharyngeal glands was observed. Although the maximum expression of the cellulase gene was found in J2 exposed to tomato root diffusates, the expression in J2 exposed to root extracts of green manures was higher than in J2 exposed to root diffusates and extracts of above-ground plant parts. The potential of the investigated brassicaceous green manures to influence the pre-parasitic stage of G. rostochiensis is discussed.
Validation of Satellite-Based Objective Overshooting Cloud-Top Detection Methods Using CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar Observations
Authors: Bedka Kristopher M. , Dworak Richard , Brunner Jason , Feltz Wayne
Published: May 2012

Two satellite infrared-based overshooting convective cloud-top (OT) detection methods have recently been described in the literature: 1) the 11-μm infrared window channel texture (IRW texture) method, which uses IRW channel brightness temperature (BT) spatial gradients and thresholds, and 2) the water vapor minus IRW BT difference (WV-IRW BTD). While both methods show good performance in published case study examples, it is important to quantitatively validate these methods relative to overshooting top events across the globe. Unfortunately, no overshooting top database currently exists that could be used in such study. This study examines National Aeronautics and Space Administration CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar data to develop an OT detection validation database that is used to evaluate the IRW-texture and WV-IRW BTD OT detection methods. CloudSat data were manually examined over a 1.5-yr period to identify cases in which the cloud top penetrates above the tropopause height defined by a numerical weather prediction model and the surrounding cirrus anvil cloud top, producing 111 confirmed overshooting top events. When applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-based Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R) Advanced Baseline Imager proxy data, the IRW-texture (WV-IRW BTD) method offered a 76% (96%) probability of OT detection (POD) and 16% (81%) false-alarm ratio. Case study examples show that WV-IRW BTD > 0 K identifies much of the deep convective cloud top, while the IRW-texture method focuses only on regions with a spatial scale near that of commonly observed OTs. The POD decreases by 20% when IRW-texture is applied to current geostationary imager data, highlighting the importance of imager spatial resolution for observing and detecting OT regions.
Evaluation of Cloud Microphysics in JMA-NHM Simulations Using Bin or Bulk Microphysical Schemes through Comparison with Cloud Radar Observations
Authors: Iguchi Takamichi , Nakajima Teruyuki , Khain Alexander P. , Saito Kazuo , Takemura Toshihiko , Okamoto Hajime , Nishizawa Tomoaki , Tao Wei-Kuo
Published: May 2012

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) simulations using the Japan Meteorological Agency Nonhydrostatic Model (JMA-NHM) are conducted for three precipitation events observed by shipborne or spaceborne W-band cloud radars. Spectral bin and single-moment bulk cloud microphysics schemes are employed separately for an intercomparative study. A radar product simulator that is compatible with both microphysics schemes is developed to enable a direct comparison between simulation and observation with respect to the equivalent radar reflectivity factor Ze, Doppler velocity (DV), and path-integrated attenuation (PIA). In general, the bin model simulation shows better agreement with the observed data than the bulk model simulation. The correction of the terminal fall velocities of snowflakes using those of hail further improves the result of the bin model simulation. The results indicate that there are substantial uncertainties in the mass–size and size–terminal fall velocity relations of snowflakes or in the calculation of terminal fall velocity of snow aloft. For the bulk microphysics, the overestimation of Ze is observed as a result of a significant predominance of snow over cloud ice due to substantial deposition growth directly to snow. The DV comparison shows that a correction for the fall velocity of hydrometeors considering a change of particle size should be introduced even in single-moment bulk cloud microphysics.
Estimation of Atmospheric Duct Structure Using Radar Sea Clutter
Authors: Zhao Xiaofeng , Huang Sixun
Published: May 2012

Retrieving atmospheric refractivity profiles from the sea surface backscattered radar clutter is known as the refractivity-from-clutter (RFC) technique. Because the relationship between refractivity and radar sea clutter is clearly nonlinear and ill posed, it is difficult to get analytical solutions according to current theories. Previous works treat this problem as a model parameter estimation issue and some optimization algorithms are selected to get approximate solutions. Two main factors that limit the accuracy of the estimation are that 1) the refractive environments are described by using some idealized refractivity parameter models that cannot describe the exact information of the refractivity profile, and 2) accurate modeling of the sea surface radar cross section (RCS) is very difficult. Rather than estimating a few model parameters, this paper puts forward possibilities of using the variational adjoint approach to jointly retrieve the every-height refractivity values and sea surface RCS using radar clutter data. The derivation of the adjoint model is accomplished by an analytical transformation of the parabolic equation (PE) in the continuous domain. Numerical simulations including range-independent and range-dependent RCS cases are presented to demonstrate the ability of this method for RFC estimations. Making use of the refractivity retrievals, propagation loss predictions are also presented.
Reply to “Comments on ‘On the Steadiness of Separating Meandering Currents’”
Authors: Jan van Leeuwen Peter , De Ruijter W. P. M.
Published: May 2012

The authors thank Nof et al. for their comments on the authors’ paper “On the steadiness of separating meandering currents.” The authors’ paper was motivated by a series of papers by Nof et al. Under a certain set of conditions (reduced gravity, steady state, no meridional velocity at outflow, and parallel outflow), Nof et al. showed that a separating and retroflecting frictionless current cannot be steady because of a momentum imbalance. The main conclusion of the authors’ paper was that they agree with the Nof et al. result that a momentum imbalance exists and extended the proof to all possible configurations of retroflecting currents, even including friction. The authors’ results point to a new mechanism for the generation of variability in the ocean that is not related to dynamical instability of the flow.

The main claim in the comments is that the authors incorrectly argued in the appendix that the steady-state solutions presented by Nof et al. in several papers fulfill the extra constraint u2 = g′h. In the original paper, the authors showed that it follows from the geostrophic assumption stated implicitly in all these Nof et al. papers, because the flow is assumed to be parallel. Nof et al. now argue that the flow is only approximately geostrophic in all Nof et al. papers. The authors show in this reply that for steady weakly meandering outflows approximate geostrophy does lead to a momentum imbalance paradox as Nof et al. claim. However, for a steady strongly meandering outflow, approximate geostrophy is not enough and one has to use the method explored by van Leeuwen and De Ruijter to derive a momentum imbalance paradox.
Eddy Subduction and the Vertical Transport Streamfunction
Authors: Lee Mei-Man , Nurser A. J. George
Published: May 2012

Subduction—the transport of fluid across the base of mixed layer—exchanges water masses and tracers between the ocean surface and interior. Eddies can affect subduction in a variety of ways. First, eddies shoal the mixed layer by restratifying water columns through baroclinic instabilities. Second, eddies induce an isopycnic transport that leads to the entrainment of warm waters and subduction of cold waters, which effectively counters the wind-driven overturning circulation. In this study, the authors use an idealized model to examine these two mechanisms by which eddies influence subduction and to discuss how eddy subduction may be better approximated using the concept of vertical transport streamfunction than the conventional meridional transport streamfunction.
An Assessment of Areal Coverage of Severe Weather Parameters for Severe Weather Outbreak Diagnosis
Authors: Shafer Chad M. , Mercer Andrew E. , Richman Michael B. , Leslie Lance M. , Doswell Charles A.
Published: May 2012

The areal extent of severe weather parameters favorable for significant severe weather is evaluated as a means of identifying major severe weather outbreaks. The first areal coverage method uses kernel density estimation (KDE) to identify severe weather outbreak locations. A selected severe weather parameter value is computed at each grid point within the region identified by KDE. The average, median, or sum value is used to diagnose the event’s severity. The second areal coverage method finds the largest contiguous region where a severe weather parameter exceeds a specified threshold that intersects the KDE region. The severe weather parameter values at grid points within the parameter exceedance region are computed, with the average, median, or sum value used to diagnose the event’s severity. A total of 4057 severe weather outbreaks from 1979 to 2008 are analyzed. An event is considered a major outbreak if it exceeds a selected ranking index score (developed in previous work), and is a minor event otherwise. The areal coverage method is also compared to Storm Prediction Center (SPC) day-1 convective outlooks from 2003 to 2008. Comparisons of the SPC forecasts and areal coverage diagnoses indicate the areal coverage methods have similar skill to SPC convective outlooks in discriminating major and minor severe weather outbreaks. Despite a seemingly large sample size, the rare-events nature of the dataset leads to sample size sensitivities. Nevertheless, the findings of this study suggest that areal coverage should be tested in a forecasting environment as a means of providing guidance in future outbreak scenarios.
Accessing recorded music: Interpreting a contemporary social exchange system
Authors: Sintas Jordi López , Zerva Konstantina , García-Álvarez Ercilia
Published: May 2012

Grounded in how individuals access recorded music, we have developed a comprehensive description that classifies social exchanges aimed at accessing cultural resources and that also clarifies the forces that shape individual choices regarding particular social exchanges. We also highlight the exchange properties that socially integrate and classify individuals in a social context. Our analysis integrates, but also demonstrates as misleading, recent interpretations regarding the sharing of cultural resources as a gift or consumer-to-consumer system, suggesting instead a correspondence with generalized exchanges. Finally, we discuss the implications of our interpretation for the dematerialization of cultural resources.
The consumer attention deficit syndrome: Consumer choices in complex markets
Authors: Berg Lisbet , Gornitzka Åse
Published: May 2012

Consumers’ attention is a scarce resource. It is virtually impossible for a consumer to keep informed about all the markets he or she visits. This article describes a mechanism that is likely to evolve in sophisticated societies with multiple complex markets. Since the nature of consumer areas differs substantially and thus requires different kinds of consumer competences, such competences cannot be easily transferred from one consumer area to another. People therefore tend to give their limited attention to consumer areas of similar nature, while neglecting others. This phenomenon is conceptualised as the Consumer Attention Deficit Syndrome (CADS). Empirically, if such a mechanism exists, this will be reflected in consumers’ tendency to develop specialised consumer competence profiles. In three nationally representative data sets collected in Norway in 2005, 2007 and 2009, specialised consumer competence profiles were distinguished. The following analysis indicates that, on an individual level, CADS is quite widespread. While it cannot be claimed that some social groups are more vulnerable to the syndrome than others, different groups’ lack of attention is concentrated on different consumer areas. Leaning on choice and decision-making theories, the implications of CADS for the functioning of markets are discussed.
Moral, Ethical, and Realist Dilemmas of Transnational Governance of Migration
Authors: Bader Veit
Published: May 2012

A core feature of the emerging international governance of migration is the reliance on knowledge and science in elaborating policies. Yet how scientists and researchers can productively contribute to policy making is unclear. This is the result of knowledge uncertainty, the complexity of migration dynamics, and the unintended and counterproductive consequences policies. If research cannot say what “should be done,” it may tell policy makers what they definitively should not do. This article outlines some fundamental ethical norms that could serve this end, while warning that migration policies, like other policies, are often unable to live up even to the most minimal moral requirements.
Family-Centered Rounds and Communication About Discharge Between Families and Inpatient Medical Teams
Authors: Subramony Anupama , Schwartz Talia , Hametz Patricia
Published: May 2012

Background.

Family-centered rounds (FCRs) are believed to enhance family–medical team communication.

Objective.

To assess family knowledge of discharge plans on teams conducting FCRs.

Methods.

Families of inpatients within 24 hours of discharge were surveyed regarding discharge plans; answers were compared with medical documentation.

Results.

Of 118 families, 70% knew discharge goals, whereas only 41% knew discharge day and 63% knew discharge medications. English speakers were more likely to report knowing discharge goals (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-12.2) and discharge medications (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.1-9.8) compared with Spanish speakers. Non-Hispanics were more likely to report knowing discharge day compared with Hispanics (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.1-6.6).

Conclusions.

Families on teams that conduct FCRs are knowledgeable of discharge goals but less knowledgeable of discharge day and medications. Spanish-speaking and Hispanic families are less likely to report knowing discharge plans compared with English-speaking and non-Hispanic counterparts.
Rationalities of dialogue
Authors: Dornhof Sarah
Published: May 2012

This article addresses debates on the notion of interreligious dialogue that have recently determined the public discourse on Islam in Germany. Focusing on political rationalities that configure dialogue as a governmental practice to regulate Islam in the public sphere, the author looks at ways in which these rationalities are reformulated, changed or questioned in different discursive fields. Practices that shape the public role of Muslims in Germany are not limited to institutionalized frames, but are permanently rearticulated in multiple settings and diverse, often conflicting discourses. By expanding the scope of interreligious dialogue, the author’s main intention is to demonstrate how political rationalities are reformulated and rearticulated in a relationship with each other that may be complementary, parallel or contradictory, but which is in any case productive and proliferative, shaping a ‘topology of power’.
Conflict and the conceptions of identities in the Sudan
Authors: Madibbo Amal Ibrahim
Published: May 2012

My native Sudan has been ravaged by conflicts over identity and socioeconomic marginalization since independence from Britain in 1956. Elitist debates confined the country’s diverse identities to two dichotomous categorizations: Arabism, associated with Islam and Arabic descent and culture, and Africanism, linked to Christianity, indigenous beliefs and African culture. These polarized views, along with the dominant ideology of the imposition of Arabism and Islam as the basis of national identification, triggered a national identity crisis. This crisis contributed to the escalation of armed conflicts notably the civil war between the North and the South and the current conflict in the Sudan’s Western province of Darfur. This article explores the Darfur conflict which erupted between the central government and liberation groups in 2003, and has been described both as the first genocide of the 21st century and an ethnic cleansing in which the Arab militia are killing the Africans. Using data gathered recently in the Sudan, this article extends the debates on Sudanese identities by showing that the boundaries between Africanism and Arabism are fluid, and by positing multiple identities that resurface as a result of globalization, migration and social ties among ethnic groups. By deconstructing the dominant conceptions of the Sudanese identities, and considering new conceptions about these identities, we can address social dynamics that impact the conflict and take them into consideration when it comes to conflict resolution. Multiculturalism is proposed as a model that could help to accommodate the country’s diverse identities and foster stability.
Relational Work in Market Economies
Authors: Block Fred
Published: May 2012

This article introduces the special issue on “Relational Work in Market Economies” by explaining the origins of the concept and its value in illuminating a dimension of market activity that has not been systematically addressed by social scientists. It also explains why this focus on individual economic transactions could be relevant for those whose interest centers on broader questions of political economy. Finally, there are brief descriptions of the other six articles that make up this special issue.
Performance Circuits in the Marketplace
Authors: Wherry Frederick F.
Published: May 2012

This paper introduces the concept of performance circuits as a means for understanding economic transactions. The concept of the performance circuits emphasizes the script-like sequences and the existing cultural narratives that enable the believable performances of those scripts. The concept of performance circuits allows for Zelizer’s concept of relational work to be applied in ethnographic studies of economic life, decomposing the constituent parts that enable the accomplishment of value in the marketplace. The paper opens with a dramaturgical performance at the United States Federal Reserve and then turns to microstudies of handicraft production, modern art markets, and neighborhood branding to demonstrate how one can study market dramas unfolding, sometimes unremarkably, emotions being generated, and background representations making loosely scripted actions understandable.
Constructing “Disinterested” Academic Science
Authors: Biscotti Dina , Lacy William B. , Glenna Leland L. , Welsh Rick
Published: May 2012

This article analyzes how exchange participants in university–industry agricultural biotechnology research collaborations manage and create differences between the academy and industry with regard to the open dissemination and commercialization of scientific knowledge. Our focus is on the constitutive relations that define the boundary between academic and commercial science. We identify a particular “relational package” that formalizes and standardizes exchanges of money from industry for privileged access to university research discoveries. Our analysis of academic scientists’ justificatory narratives about their patenting decisions challenges the oft-made assertion that academic patenting on its face should be taken as evidence of a blurred institutional boundary between academic and commercial science.
Westernization and Women’s Rights
Authors: Botting Eileen Hunt , Kronewitter Sean
Published: May 2012

The publication in 1869 of Mill’s Subjection of Women gave rise to philosophical and political responses beyond Western Europe on the relationship between Westernization and women’s rights in developing, colonial, and post-colonial countries. Through the first comparative study of the Subjection of Women alongside the forewords to six of its earliest non–Western European editions, we explore how this book provoked local intellectuals in Russia, Chile, and India to engage its liberal utilitarian, imperial, Orientalist, and feminist ideas. By showing how Mill’s Western European biases and instrumental reasoning establish problematic rhetorical models for women’s rights arguments, we are able to explore the ethical dimensions of women’s rights issues in the context of cultural and political imperialism. Most importantly, this reception history illustrates how cross-cultural and culturally sensitive dialogue on women’s rights can push us beyond Western bias and imperialism in advocating for the end of women’s subjection around the globe.
Adapted Institutional Logics of Contemporary Nonprofit Organizations
Authors: Knutsen Wenjue Lu
Published: May 2012

This study applies the concept of institutional logic to interpret the content of the instrumental and expressive dimensions of nonprofit organizations (NPOs). The study concludes that the three-sector assumption of public, private, and nonprofit in existing nonprofit studies may have neglected some institutional logics of NPOs. The sets of institutional logics that are innate to NPOs must often adapt to “external” institutional logics due to resource dependency. The study discusses a relatively complete spectrum of the multiple institutional logics enacted by NPOs, and it conceptualizes the “adapted institutional logics” phenomenon, whereby NPOs are forced to change due to competing logics.
Challenging Disaster Administration
Authors: Ireni-Saban Liza
Published: May 2012

Recent studies on disaster resilience policies focus on government and administrative shortcomings that prevent affected communities from improving their life circumstances. This article offers to break this cycle of disadvantage through greater utilization of community capacity building among disaster-affected groups that meet social justice principles in various regional settings. It is suggested that the central role of public administration is raised in developing empathetic relationships and facilitating collaborative action and a more resilient outcome. For this purpose, the author addresses an alternative model of disaster administration that follows a community-driven resilience process aimed at fostering well-informed, competent, and active participant communities.
Communication as a Transparency and Accountability Strategy in Supreme Audit Institutions
Authors: González-Díaz Belén , García-Fernández Roberto , López-Díaz Antonio
Published: May 2012

The aim of this article has been to develop a communication strategy that will allow Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) to enhance their transparency and accountability to target groups. The study emphasizes the fact that these organizations should base their strategy on three fundamental props—target audience, message, and channels of communication. Defining the target audience and the message and revealing the most common ways of getting the message across have been the backbone of the theory put forward in this article. The analysis highlights the need for SAIs to aim their communication strategy at an increasingly wider audience which will, in turn, receive different messages via both traditional and new media.
The Driving Forces of Stability
Authors: Braun Caelesta
Published: May 2012

This article explores the nature of long-term interactions between bureaucrats and interest groups by examining two behavioral logics associated with stability in public policy making. In addition to the implicit short-term strategic choices that usually feature in resource-exchange explanations of interest group access to policy makers, this article shows that bureaucracy–interest group interactions are likely to be dictated by routine behavior and anticipating future consequences as well. By drawing on survey and face-to-face interview data of Dutch senior civil servants and interest groups, the analyses reveal that a practice of regular consultations, the need for political support, and a perceived influential position together explain why bureaucrats maintain interactions with interest groups. The combination of these behavioral logics adds important explanatory leverage to existing resource-exchange explanations and shows that organizational processes as well as long-term strategic considerations should be taken into account to fully explain bureaucracy–interest group interactions.
Parent–child conversations during play
Authors: Tamis-LeMonda Catherine S , Baumwell Lisa , Cristofaro Tonia
Published: May 2012

The language of mothers, fathers, and children was examined in 50 low-income families. Mother–child and father–child dyads were videotaped separately during play when children were 2;0 years old. Language transcriptions were coded for communicative diversity, word types, and grammatical complexity in parents and children. Mother–child and father–child conversations were similar and were strongly correlated at the dyad level, although differences emerged in the repetitions of children’s utterances, closed-ended questions, affirmations, and action directives. Mothers’ and fathers’ language related to children’s language in specific ways. Individual children experience relatively enriched or impoverished language environments, rather than one parent “compensating” for the other. This may explain why some low-income children lag in their language development early on, whereas others are “on track.”
Experiencing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Salamon Katherine S. , Brouwer Amanda M. , Fox Michelle M. , Olson Kimberly A. , Yelich-Koth Sara L. , Fleischman Katie M. , Hains Anthony A. , Davies W. Hobart , Kichler Jessica C.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of adolescents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in terms of how youths conceptualized the effect of T2DM on daily life, adjustment to the illness, and motivation related to diabetes self-care management. The aims of the study were to gather essential information in order to develop appropriate intervention techniques and inform future studies intended to understand the psychosocial experiences of youths with T2DM.

Methods

Eight adolescents diagnosed with T2DM were recruited from an outpatient pediatric diabetes clinic at a Midwestern children’s hospital. A qualitative interview was developed, which was scheduled to last about 30 to 45 minutes. Data were analyzed using the consensual qualitative research methodology, wherein qualitative coders developed core ideas and themes related to the adolescent experience of T2DM.

Results

Three main themes were identified, including how the youths conceptualized the impact of T2DM, adjustment to self-care, and motivation to perform self-care behaviors. Knowledge related to the cause of T2DM and adjustment to completing self-care behaviors was varied among youths. Few adolescents spoke about motivation sources, although when mentioned, it typically involved witnessing negative health consequences in family members or friends with T2DM.

Conclusions

The data represent essential initial information related to youths with T2DM, which will help guide in developing future studies designed to understand the psychosocial experiences of youths with T2DM and appropriate intervention techniques. Future research that aims to increase internal and external motivation may be able to subsequently impact adherence to self-care behaviors.
Childless Women’s Time With Children
Authors: Martin Steven P. , Kendig Sarah M.
Published: May 2012

This study examines time with children among women who remain childless in young to middle adulthood. The authors identify biologically childless women aged 25 to 44 years in the June 2004-2008 Current Population Survey, and use their subsequent time use diaries in the 2004-2009 American Time Use Survey to measure their time with children. The authors pay particular attention to time with children who are not one’s “own” (by adoption or marriage) and to differences across educational groups of childless women. It is found that childless women frequently spend time with children, and childless women with no 4-year college degree are almost twice as likely to spend time with children as childless women with a 4-year degree. The authors also show how educational differences in childless women’s time with children are mediated by work patterns, residential arrangements, and especially union status. The findings suggest large class differences in how women experience the boundary between childlessness and parenthood.
Clinical Indications for Canal Wall‐down Mastoidectomy in a Pediatric Population
Authors: Osborn Alexander J. , Papsin Blake C. , James Adrian L.
Published: May 2012

Objective

To establish clinically derived indications for performing canal wall‐up or canal wall‐down surgery when treating children with cholesteatoma.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary care academic pediatric otolaryngology practice.

Subjects and Methods

Retrospective review of 420 children who underwent 700 procedures for cholesteatoma between 1996 and 2010.

Results

The canal wall was preserved in 89.5% of cases. Common reasons for removing the canal wall were to provide access to the disease, extensive erosion of key structures, and the desire to avoid further surgery. The mean pure‐tone average (PTA) for the canal wall‐up group was 30 dB, whereas the canal wall‐down group had a mean PTA of 45 dB. A matched‐pairs analysis demonstrated that the better performance of the canal wall‐up group was independent of preoperative hearing levels. Furthermore, although the presence of the stapes did influence hearing results, the canal wall‐up procedure yielded better results even when the condition of the stapes was taken into account. The number needed to treat with canal wall‐up to prevent 1 case of hearing loss (ie, mean threshold >30 dB) would be around 6. The need for revision surgery was higher in the canal wall‐up group (51%) compared with the canal wall‐down group (21%).

Conclusion

In the setting of adequate follow‐up and open access to surgical resources, most children with cholesteatoma can be managed with an intact canal wall technique. The authors believe that the better audiometric outcomes and easier postoperative care outweigh the need for revision surgery in this group.
Subcuticular Urate Accumulation in an American Lobster (Homarus americanus)
Authors: Battison A. L.
Published: May 2012

An unusually “lumpy” lobster, Homarus americanus, was presented to the Atlantic Veterinary College Lobster Science Centre for evaluation. The lobster was weak with numerous pale, raised, and flat areas (diameter, 3–15 mm) on the exoskeleton, some of which were ulcerated. On postmortem examination, the pale areas corresponded to accumulations of viscous to free-flowing white material, which was found in only the subcuticular connective tissues. No internal organs were affected. Direct light examination of nonstained impression smears of the material showed abundant crystals resembling uric acid, amorphous urates, and sodium urate, which were readily soluble in 1 M potassium hydroxide. Wright-Giemsa stained imprints showed numerous fine, rounded, nonstaining granules free in the background and within individual round cells. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of urates or mixed urate salts. Hemolymph plasma urea (1.7 mmol/liter) and uric acid (287 μmol/liter) concentrations were slightly higher than those seen with 36-hour emersion. Histologic sections showed aggregates of vacuolated mononuclear cells in the loose subcuticular connective tissue occasionally infiltrating between underlying muscle fibers. Grossly visible urate deposits are occasionally documented in land crabs and rarely reported in the blue crab; none, however, are associated with deformation of the cuticle. Possible etiologies include increased uric acid intake or production or decreased excretion. Anecdotal reports of similarly affected lobsters have been received but are intermittent and undocumented.
Recurrent Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy in a Korean Child
Authors: Lee Jun Hwa , Lee Munhyang , Lee Jeehun
Published: May 2012

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy is characterized by fever, seizures, acute encephalopathy, and rapid progression to coma. It is usually associated with viral illness and shows characteristic brain magnetic resonance imaging features, including symmetrical involvement of bilateral thalami, brain stem, white matter, and cerebellum. After the first report of recurrent or familial cases in 2003, similar cases were found exclusively in American and European regions. The association with Ran-binding protein 2 gene was identified in 75% of familial or recurrent cases. This report describes a previous healthy 22-month-old boy who recurrently manifested typical clinical and radiological characteristics of acute necrotizing encephalopathy. His neurological outcome worsened with repeated episodes. There was no family history of acute necrotizing encephalopathy and no mutation in the coding region of Ran-binding protein 2 ( RANBP2) gene. This is the first reported case of recurrent acute necrotizing encephalopathy in a non-Caucasian family.
Associations Between Student Achievement and Student Learning
Authors: Ready Douglas David
Published: May 2012

Accountability systems that measure student learning rather than student achievement have the potential to more accurately evaluate school quality. However, one methodological concern has remained surprisingly absent from discussions of value-added modeling. Standardized assessments that exhibit either positive or negative correlations between achievement and achievement gains will produce value-added estimates that contradict actual patterns of school effectiveness. This study uses student-level state assessment data to explore the ramifications of these relationships for value-added indicators. Within this state’s assessment, the author finds strong negative relationships between achievement and subsequent achievement gains—initially low-scoring students appeared to gain more than their high-achieving peers. Because students are not randomly assigned to schools by achievement, these child-level correlations strongly influence school-level value-added estimates, in some cases quite dramatically. However, the manifestation of these relationships varies across four different analytic techniques, depending on how a particular approach modeled the associations between initial status and gain.