bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consolidation and Secession in Los Angeles: The Dialectics of Urban Governance Reform at the End of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Keil Roger
Published: February 2007

Globalization has forced large cities like Los Angeles into a reopening of the debate about scale, substance and boundaries of governance. While over time, Los Angeles has developed into a fragmented, private and horizontal city, there have also been historical countertendencies of
regionalist, public and vertical urbanization trends. Consolidationism currently appears most visibly in the attempts to establish some form of regional cooperation and governance in Southern California. This paper interprets recent debates about the rewritten City Charter as part of the consolidationist
tradition of the urban area and the ways in which, on the other hand, secessionism, a means of local politics having a long tradition in Los Angeles, is offered by its defenders as an potential solution to the problems of urban governance in the age of globalization and as an historical antipode
of consolidationist tendencies in the area. This paper looks particularly at San Fernando Valley secessionism as a product of the tumultuous events of the early 1990s in Los Angeles, of changed legislation which makes it easier for parts of cities to secede, and of the consolidationist process
of rewriting the City Charter of 1925.
Dead Man Tells Tale: Tongues and guns in narratives of the West
Authors: Bromley Roger
Published: February 2007

This article uses Jim Jarmusch's film, Dead Man as the basis for an analysis of dominant narratives of the American West and the ways in which these are articulated with the forms of Western capitalism. It argues that the film offers a critique of the cult of the Western and
seeks also to secure the legitimacy of an alternative, local or little narrative through its deconstructive techniques and that its pragmatics of narration work against hegemonic discourses of discovery and civilising as the narrated journey is viewed through the downgrading, violation and
spoliation of indigenous peoples and territories. The argument shows how the film explores the cartographies of violence in the American (and Western capitalist) imaginary and narrates against the historical, political, economic and symbolic erasure of Native Americans. Linked with this is
an examination of the manner in which the film reflects upon themes of spirituality, transience and death. As a film of self-reflection it is not solemn or merely politically correct but a comedy which mocks liberal platitudes while it systematically divests a moral economy of its narrative
centrality and continuity.
The Role of Muscle Activation Pattern and Calcineurin in Acetylcholinesterase Regulation in Rat Skeletal Muscles
Authors: Pregelj Peter , Trinkaus Miha , Zupan Daša , Trontelj Jože J. , Sketelj Janez
Published: February 2007

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) expression in fast rat muscles is approximately fourfold higher than in slow muscles. We examined whether different muscle activation patterns are responsible for this difference and whether the calcineurin signaling pathway is involved in AChE regulation. The slow soleus and fast extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were directly or indirectly stimulated by a tonic low-frequency or a phasic high-frequency pattern of electric impulses. The phasic, but not tonic, stimulation increased the AChE mRNA levels in denervated soleus muscles to those in the normal EDL and maintained high levels of AChE mRNA in denervated EDL muscles. Therefore, muscle activation pattern is the predominant regulator of extrajunctional AChE expression in rat muscles. Indirect phasic stimulation of innervated muscles, imposed on their natural pattern of neural activation, did not increase the AChE transcript levels in the soleus, whereas a 30% reduction was observed in the EDL muscles. A low number of impulses per day is therefore prerequisite for high AChE expression. Treatment by tacrolimus and cyclosporin A, two inhibitors of calcineurin (but not by a related substance rapamycin, which does not inhibit calcineurin), increased the levels of AChE transcripts in the control soleus muscles and in tonically electrically stimulated soleus and EDL muscles, even to reach those in the control EDL muscles. Therefore, tonic muscle activation reduces the extrajunctional levels of AChE transcripts by activating the calcineurin signaling pathway. In denervated soleus and EDL muscles, tacrolimus did not prevent the reduction of AChE mRNA levels, indicating that a calcineurin-independent suppressive mechanism was involved.
Issues in Estimating the Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Examination of 2 Counties in New York State
Authors: Druschel Charlotte M. , Fox Deborah J.
Published: February 2007

OBJECTIVE. Two demographically similar counties included in the New York Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Surveillance Network had very different prevalence rates. This study examined the components of the surveillance in an attempt to discover the reasons for this discrepancy.

METHODS. Erie County and Monroe County were the 2 most populous counties included in the New York Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Surveillance Network. Erie County includes Buffalo, the second largest city in New York State, and Monroe County includes Rochester, the third largest city. Multiple sources of ascertainment included birth defect surveillance systems, genetic clinics, and early intervention programs. The case definition was based on the Institute of Medicine criteria of an abnormality in each of the following 3 areas: facial features, central nervous system, and growth.

RESULTS. Children born in Erie County or Monroe County between 1995 and 1999 were included. The fetal alcohol syndrome prevalence rates in these 2 counties were 0.90 cases per 1000 births and 0.21 cases per 1000 births, respectively. The 2 counties were demographically similar and had similar rates of binge drinking among women of childbearing age. There was less participation in the surveillance system by sources in Monroe County. Erie County had a very active clinician with a specialized fetal alcohol syndrome clinic.

CONCLUSIONS. The participation of clinicians in one county, especially one with expertise in fetal alcohol syndrome, was the most likely explanation for the differences in prevalence rates between the counties.
Guardianship Planning Among HIV-Infected Parents in the United States: Results From a Nationally Representative Sample
Authors: Cowgill Burton O. , Beckett Megan K. , Corona Rosalie , Elliott Marc N. , Parra Michelle T. , Zhou Annie J. , Schuster Mark A.
Published: February 2007

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to determine the rates and predictors of guardianship planning and preferred guardians among HIV-infected parents.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS. Data were analyzed from interviews with 222 unmarried parents (who had 391 children) from a nationally representative sample of HIV-infected adults receiving health care. Outcome measures included parental report on the level of guardianship planning and on who their preferred guardian for each child was. Level of guardianship planning was categorized as follows: (1) parent had not identified a guardian; (2) parent had identified a guardian, but the guardian had not agreed; (3) identified guardian had agreed; and (4) legal documentation of guardianship plan was complete. We conducted bivariate and ordered logistic regression analyses on the level of guardianship planning and multinomial logistic regression on identification of preferred guardians.

RESULTS. Twelve percent of unmarried HIV-infected parents had not identified a guardian; 6% had identified a guardian but gone no further; 53% said the identified guardian had agreed; and 28% had prepared legal documentation. The preferred guardians included other biological parents (17%), spouse/partners who were not biological parents (2%), grandparents (36%), other relatives (34%), friends (7%), unrelated adoptions (1%), and others (3%). Parents with the lowest CD4 counts and parents living without other adults were more likely to have completed the guardianship planning process. Nonrelatives were most often preferred by mothers and parents with higher CD4 counts; grandparents were most often preferred by younger parents and parents who prefer speaking Spanish.

CONCLUSIONS. Pediatricians and others who take care of children with HIV-infected parents may be able to provide counseling and referrals for guardianship planning.
Diphtheria, Pertussis, Poliomyelitis, Tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae Type b Vaccinations and Risk of Eczema and Recurrent Wheeze in the First Year of Life: The KOALA Birth Cohort Study
Authors: Kummeling Ischa , Thijs Carel , Stelma Foekje , Huber Macheld , van den Brandt Piet A. , Dagnelie Pieter C.
Published: February 2007

OBJECTIVES. Among potential etiologic factors for atopic manifestations, infant vaccinations have recently been discussed. We evaluated in a prospective design whether infants who were unvaccinated or vaccinated according to incomplete vaccination schedules in the first 6 months of age were at decreased risk for eczema and recurrent wheeze in the first year of life.

METHODS. Information on vaccinations against diphtheria, pertussis, poliomyelitis, tetanus; Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine; and eczema and recurrent wheeze was collected by repeated questionnaires in 2764 families participating in the KOALA Birth Cohort Study in the Netherlands. A standard vaccination schedule referred to 3 diphtheria, pertussis, poliomyelitis, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccinations in the first 6 months with the first given in months 1 to 3; an incomplete vaccination schedule was defined as any other vaccination schedule. Exclusion criteria were prematurity (gestational age <37 weeks) and congenital abnormalities related to immunity (such as Down syndrome). Multiple logistic regression models were fitted to adjust for confounding factors.

RESULTS. During the first year of life, the incidence of eczema was 23% (584 of 2537 infants) and of recurrent wheeze, the incidence was 8.5% (203 of 2402 infants). At age 6 months, 1969 (77%) of 2545 infants had been vaccinated according to a standard schedule, 393 (15%) vaccinated according to an incomplete schedule, and 182 (7%) never vaccinated. Compared with infants with standard vaccination schedules, infants with incomplete schedules did not differ significantly in eczema risk or recurrent wheeze. This was also true for infants who had never been vaccinated.

CONCLUSION. This study shows that the risk of eczema or recurrent wheeze at 1 year of age does not differ between infants with different vaccination status at the age of 6 months.
A 12-Year Prospective Study of Childhood Herpes Simplex Encephalitis: Is There a Broader Spectrum of Disease?
Authors: Elbers Jorina M. , Bitnun Ari , Richardson Susan E. , Ford-Jones Elizabeth L. , Tellier Raymond , Wald Rachel M. , Petric Martin , Kolski Hanna , Heurter Helen , MacGregor Daune
Published: February 2007

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to review the experience with herpes simplex encephalitis at the Hospital for Sick Children over the past 12 years.

METHODS. All patients who were admitted to our institution with acute encephalitis between January 1994 and December 2005 were enrolled prospectively in an encephalitis registry. Children from the registry with herpes simplex encephalitis were included in this study; we detailed the clinical presentations, laboratory findings, electroencephalographic findings, diagnostic imaging findings, treatments, and outcomes for all cases.

RESULTS. Of 322 cases of acute encephalitis, 5% were caused by herpes simplex virus. Initially negative herpes simplex virus cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction results were found in 2 cases (13%), but results became positive in repeat cerebrospinal fluid analyses. Classic clinical presentations were seen in 75% of cases, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis was found in 94%, elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein levels were found in 50%, electroencephalographic changes were observed in 94%, and diagnostic imaging abnormalities were noted in 88%. All patients were treated with intravenous acyclovir. Neurologic sequelae occurred in 63% of cases, including seizures in 44% and developmental delays in 25%. There were no deaths in this study group.

CONCLUSIONS. Herpes simplex encephalitis continues to be associated with poor long-term neurologic outcomes despite appropriate therapy. Cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction results may be negative early in the course of herpes simplex encephalitis; therefore, repeat cerebrospinal fluid analysis should be considered if herpes simplex encephalitis is suspected. Atypical forms of herpes simplex virus central nervous system disease may occur in children.
Pediatric Telephone Call Centers: How Do They Affect Health Care Use and Costs?
Authors: Bunik Maya , Glazner Judith E. , Chandramouli Vijayalaxmi , Emsermann Caroline Bublitz , Hegarty Teresa , Kempe Allison
Published: February 2007

OBJECTIVES. After-hours call centers have been shown to provide appropriate triage with high levels of parental and provider satisfaction. However, few data are available on the costs and outcomes of call centers from the perspective of the health care system. With this study we sought to determine these outcomes.

METHODS. Parents who called the Pediatric After-hours Call Center at the Children's Hospital of Denver from March 19, 2004, to April 19, 2004, were asked an open-ended question before triage: “We would like to know, what you would have done if you could not have called our call center this evening/today?”

RESULTS. The response rate for the survey was 77.8% (N = 8980). Parents reported that they would have (1) gone to an emergency department or urgent care facility (46%), (2) treated the child at home (21%), (3) called a physician's office the next day (12%), (4) asked another person for advice (13%), (5) consulted a written source (2%), or (6) other (7%). Of the 46% of callers who would have sought emergent care, only 13.5% subsequently were given an urgent disposition by the call center. Fifteen percent of cases in which the parents would have stayed at home were given an urgent disposition by nurses. Assuming that all callers followed the advice provided, the estimated savings per call, based on local costs, was $42.61 per call. Savings based on Medical Expenditure Panel Survey national payment data were $56.26 per call.

CONCLUSIONS. Two thirds of the cases in which parents reported initial intent to go to an emergency department or urgent care facility were not deemed urgent by the call center, whereas 15% of calls from parents who intended to stay home were deemed urgent. If call-center triage recommendations were followed in even half of all cases, then these results would translate into substantial cost savings for the health care system.
Micromolding three-dimensional amorphous metal structures
Authors: Bardt Jeffrey A. , Bourne Gerald R. , Schmitz Tony L. , Ziegert John C. , Gregory Sawyer W.
Published: February 2007

In this article, we report a simple and inexpensive approach to micromolding of complex, three-dimensional, high aspect ratio structures (with non-line-of-sight features) out of a high-strength amorphous metal. Inexpensive sacrificial silicon molds were created using lithography and etching techniques originally developed for integrated circuit production by the microelectronics industry and later adopted for microelectromechanical (MEMS) manufacturing. Multiple silicon layers were stacked, and the metallic glass was forced into the cavities under heat and pressure in an open air environment. Following cooling, the metallic structures were released by etching the silicon away in a potassium hydroxide (KOH) bath. Process studies showed that temperature is the most significant variable governing mold-filling. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sections of the mold/glass interface showed successful replication of features with characteristic dimensions on the order of 10 nanometers and no discernible gap between the silicon and the metallic glass. This scalable micromolding process leverages the inexpensive and readily available aspects of silicon lithography to economically support the mass customization (low volume production) of metal microcomponents without elaborate infrastructure needs.
Effect of Zr addition on the glass-forming ability and mechanical properties of Ni–Nb alloy
Authors: Zhu Z.W. , Zhang H.F. , Sun W.S. , Hu Z.Q.
Published: February 2007

The effect of zirconium (Zr) addition on the glass-forming ability (GFA) and mechanical properties of the Ni61.5Nb38.5 alloy has been studied. The addition of Zr improves the GFA. When x = 5 for Ni61.5Nb38.5−xZrx (in at.%) alloys, the alloy exhibits the best GFA and can be cast into 3-mm-diameter amorphous samples by using the copper mold injection-casting method. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements indicated that the thermal parameters, such as Trg and γ, have not a good correlation with the GFA in the Ni–Nb–Zr alloys. Compression tests reveal that the addition of Zr just decreases the fracture strength slightly from 3.4 to 3 GPa and that all of the tested samples exhibit a little compressive plasticity of about 2%. When x = 9, the feature of the fracture surface indicates that the alloy has a tendency for transition from the ductile to the brittle. And delicate “dimple” and microscale vein pattern structures have been observed on it.
Dynamic indentation response of ZrHf-based bulk metallic glasses
Authors: Subhash Ghatu , Zhang Hongwen
Published: February 2007

Static and dynamic Vickers indentations were performed on ZrHf-based bulk amorphous alloys. A decrease in indentation hardness was observed at higher strain rates compared with static indentation hardness. For equivalent loads, dynamic indentations produced more severe deformation features on the loading surface than static indentations. Using bonded interface technique, the induced shear band patterns beneath the indentations were studied. In static indentations, the majority of the deformation was primarily accommodated by closely spaced semicircular shear bands surrounding the indentation. In dynamic indentations two sets of widely spaced semicircular shear bands with two different curvatures were observed. The observed shear band patterns and softening in hardness were rationalized based on the variations in the confinement pressure, strain rate, and temperature within the indentation region during dynamic indentations. It is also proposed that free volume migration and formation of nano-voids leading to cracking are favored due to adiabatic heating and consequently cause the observed softening at high strain rates.
Adopting and adapting clinical guidelines for local use
Authors: Penney Gillian C
Published: February 2007

Key content

Clinical guidelines help to standardise and improve patient care.

Development of a valid clinical guideline requires resources and skills.

Local adaptation of a national guideline provides a cost‐effective approach to guideline introduction.

A formal consensus process allows local stakeholders to adapt a national guideline.

The adapted guideline combines the rigour of national development with the acceptability engendered by local consensus.

Learning objectives

To gain an overview of the fundamental principles of clinical guideline development.

To learn how to adapt national guidelines for use by local NHS organisations or by groups of clinicians in non‐UK settings.

Ethical issues

Guideline introduction diverts scarce resources from direct clinical care.

Evidence indicates that guidelines result in only modest to moderate improvements in patient outcomes.

Clinicians wishing to introduce clinical guidelines should adopt an approach that minimises resource use.

Please cite this article as: Penney GC. Adopting and adapting clinical guidelines for local use. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2007;9:48–52.
Impacts of Early Stages of Salmon Supplementation and Reintroduction Programs on Three Trout Species
Authors: Pearsons Todd N. , Temple Gabriel M.
Published: February 2007

Salmon supplementation and reintroduction programs have the potential to negatively impact other valued fish taxa that are not the targets of enhancement (nontarget taxa (NTT)). Impacts of the supplementation of spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and the reintroduction of coho salmon O. kisutch (hereafter supplementation) on populations of rainbow trout O. mykiss, steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout), cutthroat trout O. clarkii, and bull trout Salvelinus confluentus were evaluated after 5 years of stocking approximately 1 million yearling smolts in the upper Yakima River basin between 1999 and 2003. Field methods included backpack electrofishing and snorkeling in tributaries and drift-boat electrofishing in the main stem. We used three sequential steps in our evaluation: (1) we determined whether spatial overlap occurred between supplemented fish and NTT; (2) if overlap occurred, we determined whether a change in abundance, size, or biomass occurred during supplementation; and (3) if a change occurred, we determined whether the change could be reasonably attributed to supplementation. Salmon rarely overlapped cutthroat trout or bull trout in tributaries, but some overlap with cutthroat trout occurred in relatively high elevations of the main stem and considerable overlap with rainbow trout occurred in tributaries and the main stem. Except in steelhead, the lower 90% confidence limit (CL) of abundance, size, and biomass was above the containment objective for NTT that overlapped significantly with salmon. We used rainbow trout as an analog for steelhead. The lower 90% CL of rainbow trout abundance and size in tributaries and the main stem and biomass in the main stem was below the containment objective for steelhead. However, comparisons of rainbow trout abundance, size, and biomass between tributaries and main-stem sections with relatively high and low salmon abundances revealed that the change was probably not the result of supplementation (before–after control–impact paired site analysis: P > 0.05). Our data indicate that early stages of salmon supplementation have not impacted trout species in the upper Yakima River basin beyond predetermined containment objectives.
Precision of Five Structures for Estimating Age of Common Carp
Authors: Phelps Quinton E. , Edwards Kris R. , Willis David W.
Published: February 2007

Otoliths (asteriscus) have been validated as an accurate structure for estimating age of common carp Cyprinus carpio. However, extraction and processing of common carp otoliths are time consuming and require sacrifice of fish. Therefore, we analyzed age estimation precision of four alternative structures relative to otolith age for 139 common carp collected from five eastern South Dakota lakes. All common carp were collected using daytime electrofishing. Each fish was assigned an identification number and measured to the nearest millimeter total length, after which aging structures were removed. Age was estimated from scales, vertebrae, opercles, pectoral fin rays, and asteriscus otoliths by methods similar to those recommended by previous researchers. Relative to otolith age, average percent error was 6.8% for scales, 15.4% for vertebrae, 9.9% for opercles, and 1.2% for pectoral fin rays. Compared with all other structures, ages from pectoral fin ray sections were nearly as precise as otoliths through age 13 (lowest average percent error); however, fin rays consistently underestimated the ages of fish older than 13 years. In most cases, pectoral fin ray ages matched otolith ages, thereby providing similar age estimates. We conclude that pectoral fin rays provide a precise, economical, and nonlethal alternative for estimating common carp age structure. Accuracy of common carp ages estimated from pectoral fin rays still requires evaluation.
Extending English‐Language Learners' Classroom Interactions Using the Response Protocol
Authors: Mohr Kathleen A.J. , Mohr Eric S.
Published: February 2007

Despite the need to use and develop their English‐language proficiency, English‐language learners (ELLs) are often quiet during classroom discussions. The Response Protocol was developed to help teachers elicit and support the oral interactions of ELL students.

The Response Protocol is a framework consisting of six types of responses that students might make to teacher queries. These response options range from providing accurate information in standard English to saying nothing at all. The tendency for students to disengage from teacher‐initiated interactions can be offset by more skillful management of conversation and instruction. The Response Protocol provides follow‐up prompts teachers can use to elicit, elaborate, and extend questions and answers. Each response category is described and illustrated with authentic classroom examples. The article also includes a list of general language development guidelines that serve to improve classroom talk and support the social, emotional, language, and academic growth of English‐language learners.
Sharing Alphabet Books in Early Childhood Classrooms
Authors: Bradley Barbara A. , Jones Jennifer
Published: February 2007

To achieve academically, young children need a strong foundation in literacy. Alphabet knowledge is one aspect of early literacy. This article presents the importance of and the components of alphabet knowledge.

An exploratory study in which prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers read aloud three different alphabet books to their students in a whole‐class setting is described. Results indicate that teachers do talk about letters when reading alphabet books, but they emphasize letter names over letter–sound knowledge. Further, text features influenced what aspect of the alphabet teachers emphasized, resulting in relatively little talk about letters for one of the alphabet books. Finally, this article describes how various alphabet books may be used to introduce and to teach young children about literacy.
Genome-Wide Reprogramming in Hybrids of Somatic Cells and Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: Ambrosi Dominic J. , Tanasijevic Borko , Kaur Anupinder , Obergfell Craig , O'Neill Rachel J. , Krueger Winfried , Rasmussen Theodore P.
Published: February 2007

Recent experiments demonstrate that somatic nuclei can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state when fused to ESCs. The resulting hybrids are pluripotent as judged by developmental assays, but detailed analyses of the underlying molecular-genetic control of reprogrammed transcription in such hybrids are required to better understand fusion-mediated reprogramming. We produced hybrids of mouse ESCs and fibroblasts that, although nearly tetraploid, exhibit characteristics of normal ESCs, including apparent immortality in culture, ESC-like colony morphology, and pluripotency. Comprehensive analysis of the mouse embryonic fibroblast/ESC hybrid transcriptome revealed global patterns of gene expression reminiscent of ESCs. However, combined analysis of variance and hierarchical clustering analyses revealed at least seven distinct classes of differentially regulated genes in comparisons of hybrids, ESCs, and somatic cells. The largest class includes somatic genes that are silenced in hybrids and ESCs, but a smaller class includes genes that are expressed at nearly equivalent levels in hybrids and ESCs that contain many genes implicated in pluripotency and chromatin function. Reprogrammed genes are distributed throughout the genome. Reprogramming events include both transcriptional silencing and activation of genes residing on chromosomes of somatic origin. Somatic/ESC hybrid cell lines resemble their pre-fusion ESC partners in terms of behavior in culture and pluripotency. However, they contain unique expression profiles that are similar but not identical to normal ESCs. ESC fusion-mediated reprogramming provides a tractable system for the investigation of mechanisms of reprogramming.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Sonic Hedgehog and Other Soluble Factors from Differentiating Embryoid Bodies Inhibit Pancreas Development
Authors: Mfopou Josué K. , De Groote Véronique , Xu Xiabo , Heimberg Harry , Bouwens Luc
Published: February 2007

Success of cell-replacement therapy for diabetes will largely depend on the establishment of alternative sources of pancreatic islet grafts. Embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation toward pancreatic insulin-producing cells offers such perspectives, but there are still many challenges to overcome. Our previous studies suggested that the limited amount of insulin-positive cells derived from ES cells is related to the activation of pancreas inhibitory signals. To confirm this hypothesis, we report here that exposure of mouse embryonic pancreas explants to soluble factors from embryoid bodies (EBs) inhibits growth, morphogenesis, and endocrine and exocrine differentiation as evaluated by explant size and mRNA and protein expression. Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), an established pancreas repressor both at early and late developmental stages, was produced and secreted by EBs, and participated in the inhibitory effect by inducing its target Gli1 in the explants. Inhibition of Hedgehog pathway rescued the differentiation of Insulin-positive cells in the explants. In contrast to pancreatic cells, hepatic progenitors exposed to EB-conditioned medium showed improved differentiation of albumin-positive cells. In a model system of ES cell differentiation in vitro, we found that definitive endoderm induction by serum removal or activin A treatment further increased Hedgehog production and activity in EBs. Concomitantly, downregulation of the pancreas marker Pdx1 was recorded in activin-treated EBs, a phenomenon that was prevented by antagonizing Hedgehog signaling with Hedgehog interacting protein. These data strongly suggest that Hedgehog production in EBs limits pancreatic fate acquisition and forms a major obstacle in the specification of pancreatic cells from ES-derived definitive endoderm.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Tannerella forsythensis prtH Genotype and Association With Periodontal Status
Authors: Hamlet Stephen M. , Taiyeb‐Ali Tara B. , Cullinan Mary P. , Westerman Bill , Palmer Janet E. , Seymour Gregory J.
Published: February 2007

Background: The prtH gene of Tannerella forsythensis encodes for a cysteine protease possessing virulent properties. Subgingival colonization by T. forsythensis with this genotype has been suggested to be a discriminator between periodontal health and disease. This study examined the prevalence of T. forsythensis prtH genotype in subgingival plaque and its association with periodontal disease progression and current disease status.

Methods: Subjects harboring T. forsythensis in their subgingival plaque were identified using real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The presence or absence of the prtH genotype was assessed by conventional PCR. Probing depths and relative attachment levels were also assessed.

Results: The prtH genotype was detected in 13 of 56 (23.2%) subjects harboring T. forsythensis in their subgingival plaque. Periodontal disease progression was defined as two or more sites with ≥2 mm attachment loss in the previous 2‐year period; current disease was defined as four or more sites with probing depths ≥4 mm. The odds of periodontal disease (progression and/or current disease) were 1.55 times greater in subjects harboring prtH genotype T. forsythensis than in subjects in whom prtH was not detected. The prtH genotype was associated with higher numbers of T. forsythensis. In subjects with high levels of T. forsythensis, prtH genotype was associated with an increased extent of periodontal disease 2 years subsequently.

Conclusions: These results show that T. forsythensis prtH genotype is associated with high levels of T. forsythensis. However, further work is needed to determine whether it also is a useful marker of periodontal disease progression in T. forsythensis–infected subjects.
Extracellular Signal‐Regulated Kinase 1/2 Is Involved in Ascorbic Acid–Induced Osteoblastic Differentiation in Periodontal Ligament Cells
Authors: Mimori Kaori , Komaki Motohiro , Iwasaki Kengo , Ishikawa Isao
Published: February 2007

Background: Periodontal ligament (PDL) cells possess osteoblast‐like properties and play key roles in periodontal regeneration. Previously, we have reported that ascorbic acid promotes the osteoblastic differentiation of PDL cells by modulating the type I collagen–integrin interaction. However, the signaling pathway activated following collagen–integrin interaction is still unclear. In this study, we examined the involvement of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 in the expression of osteoblastic marker genes such as the osteoblast‐specific transcriptional factor runt‐related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and osteocalcin (OCN) in PDL cells.

Methods: PDL cells were cultured on a conventional or type I collagen–coated dish in the presence or absence of ascorbic acid and examined for ALP activity and osteoblastic marker genes. For detection of ERK1/2, cells were plated on a petri (non‐adhesive) dish or type I collagen–coated dish, and Western blot analysis was performed. The effect of the ERK1/2 inhibitor on osteoblastic marker gene expression was examined.

Results: Ascorbic acid increased gene expression of Runx2, ALP, and OCN. A combination of ascorbic acid and type I collagen remarkably upregulated Runx2, ALP, and OCN gene expression and ALP activity. Western blot analysis revealed an increased level of ERK1/2 phosphorylation in cells plated on type I collagen. An ERK1/2 inhibitor suppressed ascorbic acid–induced ALP and OCN gene expression, whereas Runx2 was not affected in PDL cells.

Conclusion: These results indicate that ERK1/2 is involved in ascorbic acid–induced osteoblastic differentiation during PDL cell attachment to type I collagen.
Body Mass Index in Urban Canada: Neighborhood and Metropolitan Area Effects
Authors: Ross Nancy A. , Tremblay Stephane , Khan Saeeda , Crouse Daniel , Tremblay Mark , Berthelot Jean-Marie
Published: February 2007

Objectives. We investigated the influence of neighborhood and metropolitan area characteristics on body mass index (BMI) in urban Canada in 2001.

Methods. We conducted a multilevel analysis with data collected from a cross-sectional survey of men and women nested in neighborhoods and metropolitan areas in urban Canada during 2001.

Results. After we controlled for individual sociodemographic characteristics and behaviors, the average BMIs of residents of neighborhoods in which a large proportion of individuals had less than a high school education were higher than those BMIs of residents in neighborhoods with small proportions of such individuals (P< .01). Living in a neighborhood with a high proportion of recent immigrants was associated with lower BMI for men (P<.01), but not for women. Neighborhood dwelling density was not associated with BMI for either gender. Metropolitan sprawl was associated with higher BMI for men (P=.02), but the effect was not significant for women (P= .09).

Conclusions. BMI is strongly patterned by an individual’s social position in urban Canada. A neighborhood’s social condition has an incremental influence on the average BMI of its residents. However, BMI is not influenced by dwelling density. Metropolitan sprawl is associated with higher BMI for Canadian men, which supports recent evidence of this same association among American men. Individuals and their environments collectively influence BMI in urban Canada.
Advancing Health and Environmental Disease Tracking: A 5-Year Follow-Up Study
Authors: Litt Jill S. , Wismann Andrea , Resnick Beth , Dawson Rebecca Smullin , Hano Mary , Burke Thomas A.
Published: February 2007

Objectives. Our goal was to gain an understanding of the extent to which environmental public health tracking (EPHT) has progressed since the release of the 2000 Pew Environmental Health Commission report examining the nation’s EPHT infrastructure.

Methods. As a follow-up to the Pew Commission report, we conducted a telephone survey of state practitioners in an effort to assess EPHT trends and changes in state-level capacities and activities over the past several years.

Results. We found that new and enhanced federal–state partnerships; improved surveillance, data analysis, and communication capacities; and enhanced support of tracking personnel have provided a foundation for progress in the area of EPHT. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s support of EPHT has strengthened the national environmental public health infrastructure and capacity to track environmental hazards, exposures, and health.

Conclusions. Improved funding, data access, and translation of data to prevention activities are critical to sustaining progress in EPHT and developing the evidence base necessary for assessing the longer-term impacts and efficacy of EPHT and related environmental health improvements.
“The Death of the ‘New Poete’: Virgilian Ruin and Ciceronian Recollection in Spenser’sThe Shepheardes Calender”
Authors: Helfer Rebeca
Published: February 2007

This essay explores Virgil's influence in Renaissance poetry through the literature's most common trope, that of ruin; specifically, it examines the complexity of Virgilian imitation in Spenser'sThe Shepheardes Calenderthrough an exploration of its introduction by his anonymous first critic, E.K. Through thetoposof ruin, this essay reconsiders Virgil's legacy in theCalender, suggesting that critics have underestimated Spenser's criticism of Virgil's authorial pattern. Rather than reconstructing Virgil's model of cultural transmission — that of ruin and repair—Spenser presents the Ciceronian art of memory as a competing model for the architecture of immortality, for building upon the ruins of the past.
Appropriating the Instruments of Worship: The 1512 Medici Restoration and the Florentine Cathedral Choirbooks*
Authors: Tacconi Marica S.
Published: February 2007

This study examines the impact of the 1512 Medici restoration on the antiphonaries and graduals of the Florentine cathedral. Seven choirhooks are recognizably Medicean in their artistic and, in one significant case, in their liturgical and musical content. Whether through depictions of the family's most distinguished members — notably Lorenzo il Magnifico and Pope Leo X — or the detailed representations of contemporary events in which the Medici were the protagonists, or whether through the creation of a new Office for Florentine bishop-saint Zenobius, these lavish manuscripts reflect the themes of control and propaganda central to the years of the Medici restoration.
The Sorbonnic Trots: Staging the Intestinal Distress of the Roman Catholic Church in French Reform Theater
Authors: Persels Jeff
Published: February 2007

This essay surveys the use of metaphors of illness, specifically those of constipation and diarrhea, in vernacular French Evangelical and Calvinist polemical theater of the 1520s and 30s (Berquin, Malingre, Marguerite d'Angoulême) through the 1560s (Badius). It considers the relatively frequent reference to staging of diagnosis, treatment, and cure in the context of contemporary medical belief and practice, and observes a shift in emphasis from optimistic prognosis and successful therapy of the earlier Evangelical period to negative pronouncement of imminent (and deserved) death in the later Calvinist or Huguenot period at the start of the Wars of Religion.
Product Diversification in the U.S. Pulp and Paper Industry: The Case of International Paper, 1898–1941
Authors: Heinrich Thomas
Published: February 2007

During the years 1918 to 1941, International Paper (IP) launched a massive product diversification effort. Engineered by three successive presidents, diversification turned the company from a newsprint producer based in the northeastern United States into an international manufacturer of southern kraft grades, Canadian newsprint, hydroelectric power, and specialty papers. With the exception of kraft paperboard and converted products, however, the new product lines failed to provide IP with a firm foothold in markets for consumer nondurables, where nimbler competitors thrived even during the 1930s. IP and firms in other “maturing industries” that clung to traditional products and stagnant markets contributed to the length and severity of the Great Depression.
Submarine Telegraph Cables: Business and Politics, 1838–1939
Authors: Headrick Daniel R. , Griset Pascal
Published: February 2007

International telecommunication is not only a business but also a political enterprise, the subject of great-power rivalries. In the late nineteenth century, British firms held a near monopoly, because Britain had more advanced industry, a wealthier capital market, and a merchant marine and colonial empire that provided customers for the new service. After the 1880s, they encountered increasing competition on the North Atlantic from American, German, and French firms. Elsewhere, the British conglomerate Eastern and Associated retained its hegemony until the 1920s. Following World War I, radiotelegraphy threatened the dominance of cables. In the 1930s, cable companies were almost bankrupted by the Depression and by competition from shortwave radio.
State Regulators and Pragmatic Federalism in the United States, 1889–1945
Authors: Childs William R.
Published: February 2007

State regulators played a large part in constructing the American regulatory system from the late nineteenth century to the midtwentieth. They faced an adversary relationship not only with businesses but also, beginning with passage of the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887, with national regulators. Shaping a process of “pragmatic federalism,” the state regulators forged a cooperative regulatory regime in which they and national regulators controlled the nations's railroads. In the 1930s and 1940s, state regulators extended the cooperative approach to numerous other regulated industries. These findings challenge the argument that theShreveportcase ended meaningful state regulation and suggest that the rise of big government included a continued commitment to the federalist framework of the U.S. Constitution, at least to the mid-twentieth century.
Chambers of Commerce and Business Elites in Great Britain and Brazil in the Nineteenth Century: Some Comparisons
Authors: Ridings Eugene
Published: February 2007

Chambers of commerce were the main pressure groups serving as intermediaries between the business elite and the government in Great Britain and Brazil in the nineteenth century. The most important problem they faced in both nations was promoting a legal and institutional framework that would facilitate economic expansion. In both nations, the critical factors affecting this task were the need of the state for the expert advice that business pressure groups could offer, the traditional relationship between business and government, and especially the attitude of a historically dominant landed elite.
Not Only Microsoft: The Maturing of the Personal Computer Software Industry, 1982–1995
Authors: Campbell-Kelly Martin
Published: February 2007

In the thirteen years following the introduction of IBM's first personal computer in 1982, Microsoft rose from being a small concern to become the colossus of the PC software industry. However, Microsoft was not the only software company to profit from the PC-software boom: firms like AutoDesk, Lotus Development, WordPerfect Corp., Ashton-Tate, Novell, Borland, Adobe Systems, Aldus, Symantec, and the Santa Cruz Operation all had their time in the sun. Whereas some of these firms lost their markets to Microsoft or stumbled through strategic errors, others remained hugely successful, and their relative obscurity is largely due to the contemporary obsession with Microsoft and its billionaire founder.
Effects of water pulsing on individual performance and competitive hierarchies in plants
Authors: Novoplansky Ariel , Goldberg Deborah E.
Published: February 2007

Abstract. In a glass house experiment, we investigated the effect of both the frequency of water pulses and the total amount of water supplied on individual performance in the absence and presence of neighbors. We used monocultures and all combinations of pairs of seedlings of three species of perennial grasses, characteristic of different points along a soil moisture gradient within a semi‐arid grassland in New Mexico, USA.

In the absence of neighbors, higher total water or more frequent (but smaller) pulses significantly increased growth of all three species. The species with the fastest intrinsic growth rate, and from the most productive habitat, exhibited the largest increase in absolute and relative growth in response to higher total water quantity.

Competitive effects were highly significant overall and there were significant hierarchies of competitive ability. Under frequent pulses, the fast‐growing species from the most productive environment was the best competitor in terms of both ability to suppress other plants and ability to tolerate the presence of neighbors. However, under infrequent pulses, the slowest growing species from the least productive environment became a much stronger competitor, again in terms of both suppression and tolerance of neighbors.

While differences in total water availability had greater effects than differences in pulsing regime on individual plant performance in the absence of competition, pulsing regime had much stronger effects on relative competitive abilities and thus may be more likely to influence field distribution patterns.
Competition between heather and grasses on Scottish moorlands: Interacting effects of nutrient enrichment and grazing regime
Authors: Alonso I. , Hartley S.E. , Thurlow M.
Published: February 2007

Abstract. Considerable losses and degradation of heathlands (in moorlands and lowlands) have been reported across Europe, with Calluna vulgaris (heather) being replaced by other species, often grasses. Increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition and overgrazing have been suggested as the driving factors behind this change. This possibility was investigated in a study of the interacting effects of nutrient inputs and grazing on heather and three grass species (Nardus stricta, Deschampsia cespitosa and D. flexuosa) in the field, on a moorland in northeastern Scotland. In addition, the interacting effects of increasing nutrients and Calluna canopy height on N. stricta and D. cespitosa were studied using turves in an outdoor experimental area. In the field, fencing had a larger effect than fertilizer on the growth of all species, except for N. stricta, the species most unpalatable to herbivores. Fencing led to an increase in the height of the Calluna canopy, which may reduce light availability for the grasses. In the turf experiment, the height of the Calluna canopy affected the diameter of the grass tussocks and percentage of green matter (i.e. live leaf material), with plants under the more closed Calluna canopies being smaller.

This study suggests that the slow‐growing, evergreen Calluna is a more effective competitor than the faster growing grasses when it has a tall, intact canopy, even at increased levels of nutrient supply. However, overgrazing promotes gap formation in the Calluna canopy, providing an opportunity for grasses to take advantage of increased nutrients. Thus the conservation of heather moorlands requires an understanding of the grazing level which allows Calluna to maintain sufficient canopy structure to outcompete grasses for light.