bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marker‐free site‐specific gene integration in rice based on the use of two recombination systems
Authors: Nandy Soumen , Srivastava Vibha
Published: June 2012

Transgene integration mediated by heterologous site‐specific recombination (SSR) systems into the dedicated genomic sites has been demonstrated in a few different plant species. This approach of plant transformation generates a precise site‐specific integration (SSI) structure consisting of a single copy of the transgene construct. As a result, stable transgene expression correlated with promoter strength and gene copy number is observed among independent transgenic lines and faithfully transmitted through subsequent generations. Site‐specific integration approaches use selectable marker genes, removal of which is necessary for the implementation of this approach as a biotechnology application. As SSR systems are also excellent tools for excising marker genes from transgene locus, a molecular strategy involving gene integration followed by marker excision, each mediated by a distinct recombination system, was earlier proposed. Experimental validation of this approach is the focus of this work. Using FLPe‐FRT system for site‐specific gene integration and heat‐inducible Cre‐lox for marker gene excision, marker‐free SSI lines were developed in the first generation itself. More importantly, progeny derived from these lines inherited the marker‐free locus, indicating efficient germinal transmission. Finally, as the transgene expression from SSI locus was not altered upon marker excision, this method is suitable for streamlining the production of marker‐free SSI lines.
Cash Transfers and Children's Education and Labour among Malawi's Poor
Authors: Miller Candace , Tsoka Maxton
Published: June 2012

This article examines the impact on children's education and labour of monthly cash grants targeted on ultra‐poor households and designed to reduce poverty and enable families to invest in human development. It conducts a randomised community trial, with baseline and endline surveys of intervention and control households; verifies school enrolment; and completes key‐informant interviews and focus‐group discussions. Compared with non‐beneficiaries, intervention children experienced a 5 percentage point difference in enrolment, higher educational expenditures, fewer absences, and a 10 percentage point decrease in labour outside the home. Qualitative data confirm the quantitative findings. Transfers to poor households had a positive impact. However, the Malawian educational system needs to be improved for short‐term impacts to lead to long‐term development in human capital.
RISK AVERSION AND FIELD OF STUDY CHOICE: THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL ABILITY
Authors: De Paola Maria , Gioia Francesca
Published: June 2012

Does the choice of field of study depend on individual risk aversion? The direction of the relationship between individual risk attitudes and type of university degree chosen is potentially ambiguous. On the one hand, risk averse individuals may prefer degree courses which allow high returns in the labour market; on the other hand, if these degrees expose students to a higher probability of dropping out, those who are more risk averse may be induced to choose less challenging fields. Using data from a sample of students enrolled at a middle‐sized Italian public university in 2009, we find that, controlling for a large number of individual characteristics, more risk averse students are more likely to choose any other field (Humanities, Engineering, and Sciences) rather than Social Sciences. We interpret this result bearing in mind that some of these fields, such as Humanities, involve a reduction in the risk of dropping out, while others (such as Engineering and Sciences) involve a lower risk in the labour market. It also emerges that the effect of risk aversion on degree choice is related to student ability. Risk averse students characterized by high abilities tend to prefer Engineering, while the propensity of risk averse students to enrol in Humanities decreases when ability increases, suggesting that the attention paid to labour market risks and drop‐out risk varies according to student skills.
THE AGEING POPULATION: CRUNCH TIME FOR GOVERNMENT REFORMS
Authors: Mayhew Les , Rickayzen Ben
Published: June 2012

Current discussions about reforms to health and long‐term care miss the most important trends that should be influencing debate. With an ageing population that includes a higher proportion of people with manageable illnesses, health and care costs will rise. Reforms must ensure that existing government spending is used more efficiently and that it harnesses – rather than works against – private financing.
CROSS‐DRESSING STRATEGIES IN BENEDIKTE NAUBERT'S FAIRY TALE NOVELLA DER KURZE MANTEL
Authors: Korneeva Tatiana
Published: June 2012

Prior to the advent of feminist studies in the last twenty years, Benedikte Naubert shared the literary destiny of many German women writers of the ‘Goethezeit’. Despite being one of the first professional, and most prolific, writers of her time, she was largely ignored in German scholarship. This essay re‐evaluates Naubert's contribution to German Enlightenment culture through a study of her fairy‐tale novella Der kurze Mantel (1789). In particular, it investigates the forms and functions of narrative cross‐dressing, a technique of creating a complex first‐person male voice that dominates the story. This narrative strategy, as employed by Naubert, works on two levels. By reproducing the misogynist spirit in its portrayal of women as rivals, it invests her fiction with male authority, thus allowing her to avoid censorship and gain access to publication. On the other hand, this analysis reveals that Naubert's use of narrative cross‐dressing ultimately serves to deconstruct dominant gendered identities and give voice to suppressed discourse. This article seeks to address the questions of how literary disguise is accomplished in the novella on the level of plot, motifs and style, its impact on the narrative structure, and its influence on gender discourse in the years to come.

Bis zum Aufkommen der feministischen Studien in den letzten zwanzig Jahren teilte Benedikte Naubert das literarische Schicksal von vielen deutschen Schriftstellerinnen der Goethezeit: obwohl sie eine der ersten professionellen und produktivsten Autoren ihrer Zeit war, wurde sie weitgehend in der deutschen Literaturgeschichte ignoriert. Dieser Essay versucht, Nauberts Beitrag zur deutschen Kultur der Aufklärung durch die Fallstudie ihrer Märchennovelle Der kurze Mantel (1789) neu zu bewerten. Insbesondere werden die Formen und Funktionen des narrativen cross‐dressing untersucht, eine Technik der Schaffung einer komplexen männlichen Erzählinstanz, die die Geschichte dominiert. Diese narrative Strategie funktioniert auf zwei Ebenen: durch die misogyne Darstellung der rivalisierenden Frauen stattet sie die Fiktion mit männlicher Autorität aus. Dadurch kann die Verfasserin die männliche Zensur umgehen und letztlich publiziert werden. Andererseits zeigt die Analyse, dass Nauberts Nutzung der erzählerischen Travestie am Ende dazu dient, die dominanten Geschlechtsidentitäten zu dekonstruieren und dem unterdrückten Diskurs ein Sprachrohr zu bieten. Der Aufsatz fragt, wie literarische Verkleidung auf der Ebene von Handlung, Motiven und Stil funktioniert, wie ihre Auswirkungen auf die narrative Struktur aussehen, und wie sie Einfluss auf den Gender‐Diskurs im darauffolgenden Jahrhundert nehmen.
CONSTRUCTING QUEER FEMALE IDENTITIES IN LATE REALIST GERMAN FICTION
Authors: Bailey Gluckman Catherine
Published: June 2012

The end of the nineteenth century in Germany saw a sudden interest in the new scientific discourses on homosexuality. In late realist fiction around this time, queer characters also became more visible than ever before, a phenomenon which has been little explored. Queer female figures are necessarily drawn obliquely in canonical bourgeois texts, and are remarkable for the complexity of the intertextual codes through which their sexuality is revealed. Theodor Fontane's portrait of the opera singer Trippelli in Effi Briest is a key – and hitherto unrecognised – example. Other late realist authors, such as Hedwig Dohm and Gabriele Reuter, also display a highly nuanced understanding of the fluidity of sexual identity. They identify the element of performance which accompanies it, long before the insights of Judith Butler or even Foucault. In contrast, Aimée Duc, in her explicitly lesbian popular fiction, written for a niche market, provides perhaps the most uncomplicated view of female homosexuality. She nonetheless carries off an accomplished interrogation of the prejudices informing Havelock Ellis and Krafft‐Ebing's theories, which continue to colour western conceptions of sexuality to this day.

Gegen Ende des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts entwickelte sich in Deutschland ein plötzliches Interesse an den neuen wissenschaftlichen Diskursen über Homosexualität. Auch tauchten erdichtete queere Figuren in der spätrealistischen Literatur immer öfter auf, was bisher jedoch wenig erforscht wurde. Bei kanonischen bürgerlichen Texten sind queere weibliche Figuren zwangsläufig nur verhüllt skizziert, was bemerkenswert komplexe intertextuelle Codes erfordert, welche ihre Sexualität enthüllen. Fontanes Porträt der Sängerin Trippelli in Effi Briest ist ein wichtiges und bisher unbekanntes Beispiel davon. Fontane und andere spätrealistische Autoren, wie Hedwig Dohm und Gabriele Reuter, lange Zeit vor Judith Butler oder sogar Michel Foucault, zeigen auch ein sehr differenziertes Verständnis von der Wechselhaftigkeit der sexuellen, sowie geschlechtlichen Identität, und das eng verbundene Element der kulturellen Performanz. Im Gegensatzt dazu bietet Aimée Duc, die ihre explizit lesbische Unterhaltungsliteratur für einen Nischenmarkt schrieb, vielleicht die unkomplizierteste Darstellung von weiblicher Homosexualität. Dennoch setzt sie eine versierte Abfrage der Vorurteile durch, welche die Theorien von Havelock Ellis und Krafft‐Ebing prägten und westlichen Vorstellungen von Sexualität bis heute beeinflussen.
POSTCOLONIALISM AND MIGRATION INTO GERMANY'S COLONIAL PAST
Authors: Albrecht Monika
Published: June 2012

‘Postcolonial Germany’ is an over‐used yet under‐theorised term. This paper discusses the question of what is actually happening when colonialism is invoked in comparisons and analogies with contemporary multi‐ethnic Germany. By relating the assumed structural analogies of the colonial and the German multi‐ethnic situation to the earlier analogy between Germans of Turkish descent today and the pre‐war German Jewish community (a somewhat similar field where narratives of relatedness have been employed with similar reasons and objectives), the paper aims to shed some critical light on the more recent linking of colonialism and contemporary multiculturalism. The argument is that connecting the colonial past with the contemporary multi‐ethnic present raises complex issues of comparability or incomparability and touches upon the issue of shared history – and is thus a more complex issue than German postcolonial studies deems it to be. Aside from rethinking the comparisons and analogies currently in use, it is also imperative to broaden the analytical framework to include the current needs and concerns of those cast as the ‘colonised of today’ in the concept of ‘postcolonial Germany’.

Die multi‐ethnische Situation in Deutschland wird zunehmend als eine ‘postkoloniale’ verstanden, jedoch ohne dass die theoretischen Implikationen ausreichend reflektiert werden. In diesem Essay geht es um die Frage, was eigentlich geschieht, wenn Vergleiche und Analogien mit dem Kolonialismus geltend gemacht werden, um die gegenwärtige Situation zu erklären. In diesem Sinne werden frühere Analogiebildungen zwischen den damals so genannten Gastarbeitern und der deutsch‐jüdischen Gemeinde im Vorkriegsdeutschland vergleichend herangezogen, um die in jüngerer Zeit aufgekommene Idee von Strukturanalogien zwischen der multi‐ethnischen und der kolonialen Situation in Deutschland kritisch zu beleuchten. Es wird betont, dass die Verbindung von kolonialer Vergangenheit und multi‐ethnischer Gegenwart komplexe Probleme der Vergleichbarkeit und Unvergleichbarkeit und vor allem von gemeinsamer und geteilter Geschichte aufwirft – komplexere Fragen also, als sie im Rahmen der deutschen postkolonialen Studien derzeit gestellt werden. Was in diesem Kontext neben dem grundsätzlichen Überdenken der Vergleiche und Analogien vor allem nötig wäre, ist der Einbezug der tatsächlichen Bedürfnisse und Belange der zu ‘kolonialen Subjekten’ Erklärten, die in dem theoretisch und analytisch gefassten Rahmen eines ‘postkolonialen Deutschland’ gegenwärtig ausgeschlossen bleiben.
The “electrophysiological sandwich”: A method for amplifying ERP priming effects
Authors: Ktori Maria , Grainger Jonathan , Dufau Stéphane , Holcomb Phillip J.
Published: June 2012

We describe the results of a study that combines ERP recordings and sandwich priming, a variant of masked priming that provides a brief preview of the target prior to prime presentation (S. J. Lupker & C. J. Davis, 2009). This has been shown to increase the size of masked priming effects seen in behavioral responses. We found the same increase in sensitivity to ERP priming effects in an orthographic priming experiment manipulating the position of overlap of letters shared by primes and targets. Targets were 6‐letter words and primes were formed of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th letters of targets in the related condition. Primes could be concatenated or hyphenated and could be centered on fixation or displaced by two letter spaces to the left or right. Priming effects with concatenated and/or displaced primes only started to emerge at 250 ms post‐target onset, whereas priming effects from centrally located hyphenated primes emerged about 100 ms earlier.
The influence of cultural background in intercultural dementia care: exemplified by Sami patients
Authors: Hanssen Ingird
Published: June 2012

Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 231–237

The influence of cultural background in intercultural dementia care: exemplified by Sami patients

Aim:  To gain knowledge about how the original culture may influence communication and interaction with institutionalised patients with dementia and of what particular cultural aspects may come to the fore, exemplified by Sami patients.

Method:  Qualitative narrative interviews with 15 interviewees, family members of Sami patients with dementia and nursing staff experienced with dementia care were conducted. Hermeneutic, thematic analysis was used.

Findings:  Although the way dementia influence mental functions, language, etc. is universal, behaviours, reactions and responses may be coloured by the patient’s background culture. Knowledge of language, cultural codes and the patient’s former life are primary keys to understanding. Rhythm of life, spirituality, singing and tangible aspects of traditional culture like clothes and food constitute important aspects of culture‐appropriate care.
The serum hepcidin:ferritin ratio is a potential biomarker for cirrhosis
Authors: Tan Terrence C. H. , Crawford Darrell H. G. , Franklin Michael E. , Jaskowski Lesley A. , Macdonald Graeme A. , Jonsson Julie R. , Watson Melanie J. , Taylor Paul J. , Fletcher Linda M.
Published: June 2012

Background

Serum hepcidin concentration is potentially affected by inflammation and iron stores in chronic liver disease (CLD), but little is known about the relationship between hepcidin and the degree of hepatic fibrosis. We investigated the potential role of serum hepcidin as a biomarker of advanced liver disease.

Methods

Serum hepcidin was measured in 332 adults with CLD of varying aetiologies, 45 healthy and 50 non‐liver disease patient controls. Liver biopsy data were available for 228 CLD subjects.

Results

Hepcidin was decreased in CLD patients compared with non‐liver disease patient controls (P < 0.0001) but not healthy controls, and was lowest in those with cirrhosis (P < 0.0001). Serum hepcidin correlated with hepatic hepcidin mRNA expression in 91 biopsy samples available for genetic analysis (r = 0.68, P < 0.0001). Hepcidin also correlated positively with serum ferritin concentration, transferrin saturation, ALT, serum albumin and haemoglobin, but negatively with serum bilirubin. The hepcidin:ferritin ratio was significantly lower in CLD subjects compared with healthy and disease controls, and decreased with each increase in the stage of fibrosis and siderosis. The hepcidin:ferritin ratio was associated with progressive fibrosis on linear regression, and a value of less than 0.1 was independently associated with cirrhosis on logistic regression analyses (OR 5.54, P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the hepcidin:ferritin ratio was able to distinguish between F0 and F4 stages of fibrosis (area under receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.86).

Conclusions

The hepcidin:ferritin ratio is reduced in relation to increasing fibrosis in CLD and the use of this ratio may have potential future diagnostic implications as a marker of cirrhosis.
Helicobacter Pylori Breath Testing in an Open Access System has a High Rate of Potentially False Negative Results due to Protocol Violations
Authors: Olafsson Snorri , Patel Bhaveshkumar , Jackson Christian , Cai Jin
Published: June 2012

Background

Among available tests to detect Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), urea breath test (UBT) is the most accurate when performed correctly in research protocols with unknown validity in clinic settings.

Material and Methods

A total of 595 subjects at a gastroenterology clinic were tested 620 times with UBT. Detailed information about three known factors (recent proton‐pump inhibitors (PPI), antibiotics, or bismuth, H. pylori eradication treatment finished <4 weeks ago, and gastric resection) to make UBT unreliable were prospectively recorded before each test.

Results

Twenty‐three percent (120 of 526) of all negative tests fell in one or more of the three categories, which had the potential to make UBT unreliable. Of those carried out on persons without being treated before, the potential false negative rate was 15%. Among those with previous eradication treatment, the rate was around 45%.

Conclusions

If a negative UBT could be false negative in up to 23% of cases, then it has a serious lack of negative predictive value. A negative UBT should be considered false negative until potential protocol violations are excluded.
Caregivers, Young People with Complex Needs, and Multiple Service Providers: A Study of Triangulated Relationships
Authors: Ungar Michael , Liebenberg Linda , Landry Nicole , Ikeda Janice
Published: June 2012

Five patterns of service provider–caregiver–adolescent interaction are discussed using qualitative interviews and file review data from 44 youth with complex needs who were clients of more than one psychosocial service (child welfare, mental health, addictions, juvenile justice, and special education). Findings show that young people and their families become triangulated with service providers, either engaging with, or resisting, interventions. For young people with complex needs involved with multiple service providers, both positive and negative patterns of interaction contribute to the complexity of caregiver–child interactions. According to young people themselves, the most functional of these patterns, empowerment, was experienced as protective when it helped them to meet their personal needs and enhance communication. In contrast, four problematic patterns produced triangulations described as conflictual or unsupportive. The implications of these patterns for family therapy are discussed with an emphasis on the therapist as both clinician and advocate for better services from multiple providers.
Engaged Anthropology in 2011: A View from the Antipodes in a Turbulent Era
Authors: Baer Hans A.
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACT Like any particular year, 2011 proved one that provided engaged anthropologists with many issues with which to grapple. These included the aftereffects of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Wikileaks, the “Arab spring”, and the Occupy movement. In this review article of engaged anthropology, I highlight the work of anthropologists as manifested in (1) published books and articles and (2) presentations at selected conferences and public events, some of which touch upon the above mentioned events as well as others that occurred in 2011. My essay focuses on the following themes: (1) corporate globalization, power, and inequalities in the world system; (2) global health; (3) climate change; (4) disasters; and (5) indigenity and indigenous rights in Australasia. I end my essay by revisiting the notion of “public anthropology” and juxtaposing this to what I view the much broader notion of “engaged anthropology.”[engaged anthropology, public anthropology, 2011]
Revolution, Occupation, and Love: The 2011 Year in Cultural Anthropology
Authors: Dole Christopher
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACT  What does anthropology have to offer for making sense of the events that have come to be known as the “Arab Spring”? In this article, I use this question to organize my discussion of the prominent scholarly conversations occurring in cultural anthropology for the year 2011. The topics I consider in this review are the critical study of secularism and liberalism; affect, intimacy, and care as registers of politics and economy; space, place, and time; and indigeneity. I will suggest that last year's publications, while by no means anticipating such revolutionary transformations, do offer us a rich body of conceptual approaches and methodological innovations for productively engaging the emergent conceptual and worldly horizons being associated with the “Arab Spring.”[secularism and liberalism, affect, place, indigeneity, Arab Spring]
What If the Aztec Empire Never Existed? The Prerequisites of Empire and the Politics of Plausible Alternative Histories
Authors: Morehart Christopher T.
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACT  This article studies archaeological and local versions of the past at Xaltocan, Mexico. At Xaltocan, the past provides a vehicle for statements of ethnic, national, and community identity. Community organizations seek to glorify the town as the descendant of an ancient kingdom that, had a different constellation of historical processes transpired, could have become both the center of an empire and a nation. This process raises questions regarding archaeology's utility and points of convergence and divergence between archaeological and local versions of the past. Rather than disregard the local appropriation of archaeological knowledge, this article attempts both to recognize the relationship between the past and identity politics and to assess local claims by examining archaeological and historical data. This article also considers the problems of this project, particularly the unintended consequences of archaeological research connected to identity politics. [identity, heritage, empire, Mexico, Aztec empire]

RESUMEN Este artículo estudia las versiones arqueológicas y locales del pasado en Xaltocan, México. En Xaltocan, el pasado proporciona un vehículo para la manifestación de la identidad étnica, nacional y comunitaria. Las organizaciones de la comunidad tratan de glorificar a la ciudad como descendientes de un antiguo reino que, habiendose dado una constelación diferente de procesos históricos, podría haberse convertido en el centro de un imperio y una nación. Este proceso plantea dudas sobre la utilidad de la arqueología y los puntos de convergencia y divergencia entre las versiones arqueológicas y locales del pasado. Este artículo intenta reconocer la relación entre el pasado y las políticas de identidad y evaluar los reclamos locales mediante el examen de los datos arqueológicos e históricos. También, este artículo considera los problemas de este proyecto, en particular, las consecuencias impremeditadas de la investigación arqueológica ligadas a la política de identidad.
Black‐capped chickadees Poecile atricapillus sing at higher pitches with elevated anthropogenic noise, but not with decreasing canopy cover
Authors: Proppe Darren S. , Avey Marc T. , Hoeschele Marisa , Moscicki Michele K. , Farrell Tara , St Clair Colleen Cassady , Sturdy Christopher B.
Published: June 2012

Several songbird species sing at higher frequencies (i.e. higher pitch) when anthropogenic noise levels are elevated. Such frequency shifting is thought to be an adaptation to prevent masking of bird song by anthropogenic noise. However, no study of this phenomenon has examined how vegetative differences between noisy and quiet sites influence frequency shifting. Variation in vegetative structure is important because the acoustic adaptation hypothesis predicts that birds in more open areas should also sing at higher frequencies. Thus, vegetative structure may partially explain the observation of higher frequency songs in areas with high levels of anthropogenic noise. To distinguish between frequency shifting due to noise or vegetative structure we recorded the songs of black‐capped chickadees Poecile atricapillus vocalizing in high and low noise sites with open and closed canopy forests. Consistent with the noise‐dependent frequency hypothesis, black‐capped chickadees sang at higher frequencies in high noise sites than in low noise sites. In contrast, birds did not sing at higher frequencies in sites with more open canopies. These results suggest that frequency shifting in chickadees is more strongly related to ambient noise levels than to vegetative structure. A second frequency measure, inter‐note ratio, was reduced at higher levels of canopy cover. We speculate that this may be due to a non‐random distribution of dominant males. In sum, our results support the hypothesis that some birds sing at higher frequencies to avoid overlap with anthropogenic noise, but suggest that vegetative structure may play a role in the modification of other song traits.
Survival of molar teeth after resective periodontal therapy – A retrospective study
Authors: Lee Ka Leung , Corbet Esmonde F. , Leung W. Keung
Published: June 2012

Aim

To study outcomes of molar teeth after resective therapy performed with the intention to prolong the lifespan of teeth having one or more unsaveable roots, and without which tooth extraction would be inevitable.

Material and Methods

Clinical records of 149 subjects who had undergone resective therapy were retrieved. Demography and dental history were recorded, and a recall examination was undertaken. Cox regression models were performed.

Results

Of the 149 resective therapies, 132 (88.6%) were performed for periodontal reasons. Eighty‐nine (59.7%) teeth subjected to resective therapies had been extracted by the time of recall (mean 10 years post‐resection). The median survival period was 74 months. Factors significantly associated with shorter survival duration of teeth subjected to resective therapy were: age at resective therapy; pre‐operative radiographic bone height of the remaining root(s) <50%; pre‐treatment mobility II or above and not being splinted to neighbouring teeth nor incorporated as a bridge abutment.

Conclusion

There was increased risk of tooth loss with increasing age at resection, grade II mobility or above, and reduced pre‐operative radiographic bone heights around roots to remain. Splinting of a resected tooth to neighbouring teeth appeared to confer a protective effect towards its survival.
Variable haematological and clinical presentation of β‐thalassaemia carriers and homozygotes with the Poly A (T→C) mutation in the Indian population
Authors: Italia Khushnooma , Sawant Pratibha , Surve Reema , Wadia Marukh , Nadkarni Anita , Ghosh Kanjaksha , Colah Roshan
Published: June 2012

Objectives

To study the varied clinical and haematological profile of β‐thalassaemia homozygotes, compound heterozygotes and heterozygotes with the Poly A (T→C) mutation and its implication in prenatal diagnosis.

Materials and methods

Forty individuals were included in the study. Peripheral smear examination, complete blood count and haemoglobin analysis were carried out. β‐thalassaemia mutation analysis was carried out by reverse‐dot‐blot hybridization, amplification refractory mutation system and DNA sequencing of the β‐globin gene.

Results

Five of the six β‐thalassaemia homozygotes with the Poly A (T→C) mutation and five individuals who were compound heterozygous for the Poly A (T→C) mutation along with another common Indian β‐thalassaemia mutation showed a severe β‐thalassaemia major phenotype, while one individual presented as a thalassaemia intermedia. Majority of the 28 heterozygous individuals with this mutation showed borderline HbA2 (mean HbA2 = 3.7 ± 0.4%) levels as compared to individuals with common β‐thalassaemia mutations (mean HbA2 = 5.2 ± 1.4%). The Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) levels in individuals heterozygous for the Poly A (T→C) mutation (mean MCV 70.0 ± 5.2 fl) were significantly higher than in individuals with other common β‐thalassaemia mutations (mean MCV 60.7 ± 7.7 fl) (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

It is important to identify these often silent carriers of β‐thalassaemia for prenatal diagnosis as homozygotes have a severe disease.
Crown reattachment with complicated chisel‐type fracture using fiber‐reinforced post
Authors: Stojanac Igor , Ramic Bojana , Premovic Milica , Drobac Milan , Petrovic Ljubomir
Published: June 2012

Introduction

Maxillary incisors and specifically their crowns are the most common teeth involved in dental trauma because of their exposed position in the dental arch. Traumatized anterior teeth require quick functional and esthetic repair. In the case of a complex crown fracture, with the necessity of endodontic treatment, fiber‐reinforced posts (FRC) were used to create a central support stump to restore the dental morphology.

Case report

A 24‐year‐old male patient came to the dental clinic with dental injury to the maxillary left central incisor with a chisel‐type fracture that extended subgingivally with a widely open pulp chamber. The patient reported a sports injury had occurred 1 day before. Provisional reposition of the crown was completed using a composite splint and after that endodontic treatment has been performed. Two days later, a fiber‐reinforced composite resin post was placed into the canal and adhesive reattachment of the fragment also completed. The tooth was prepared for a composite resin veneer in the gingival third of the vestibular surface because of a visible fracture line.

Conclusions

The combined use of a fiber‐reinforced composite resin post and the original crown fragment is a simple and efficient procedure for the treatment of traumatized anterior teeth that appears to offer pleasing esthetic and functional results that is less invasive than conventional prosthodontic treatment.
Restoration of native plant communities in a Hawaiian dry lowland ecosystem dominated by the invasive grass Megathyrsus maximus
Authors: Ammondt Selita A. , Litton Creighton M. , Ellsworth Lisa M. , Leary James K.
Published: June 2012

Questions

How does a highly degraded Hawaiian tropical dry lowland ecosystem dominated by the non‐native invasive Megathyrsus maximus (guinea grass) respond to different restoration treatments (three native species outplanting treatments; four native broadcast seed treatments)? What effect do restoration treatments have on invasive and native species groundcover, biomass and physiological activity, and volumetric soil water content?

Location

Waianae Kai Forest Reserve, Island of Oahu, Hawaii, USA.

Methods

The invasive grass M. maximus was suppressed by initial mowing and pre‐ and post‐planting herbicide applications. Native species were added in three outplant and four broadcast seed treatments in a complete randomized block design. Native species and M. maximus growth and ecophysiology, and volumetric soil water content were quantified for 8 mo following treatment establishment.

Results

Native species outplant survival ranged from 38% to 67%. Cover of M. maximus was significantly reduced in all outplant treatments compared with control and treated control (mowing and herbicide without native species additions), but did not differ across outplant treatments. Of the native species, Dodonaea viscosa biomass was higher than Cordia subcordata, while other native species did not differ. Maximum photosynthetic rates (Amax) did not differ across species in July. However, in August (drier period), M. maximus exhibited lower Amax than all native species except T. populnea, indicating adaptive dormancy during drought. Broadcast seeding with native species was not an effective restoration treatment, as field germination ranged from 0.5% to 2.3%.

Conclusions

Ecological restoration of highly invaded Hawaiian tropical dry lowland ecosystems can be mediated through aggressive invasive species suppression and native species outplanting. Recommendations for restoration include initial removal of invasive grasses, adaptive suppression of grasses post‐outplanting, and utilization of diverse native species assemblages that are ecophysiologically adapted to local conditions and competitive with M. maximus.
Self‐Adhesive Resin Cements—Part I
Authors: SWIFT, JR. EDWARD J.
Published: June 2012

A recent Medline search revealed 214 publications related to the search term “self‐adhesive resin cements.” The Journal published a Critical Appraisal on these materials by Burgess and colleagues in late 2010 (J Esthet Restor Dent 2010;22:412–9). One hundred fifty‐eight of those were published in 2009 or later, so the knowledge base on this subject is growing rapidly. With that in mind, we thought it would be helpful to provide an update. The update will be presented in two parts. Here in Part I, the specific topics addressed are bonding to tooth structure, bonding to zirconia ceramics, and effects of curing mode.
What's the Point of a Point Estimate?
Authors: Morris Danielle
Published: June 2012

In our December 2011 issue the Young Statisticians Section of the Royal Statistical Society set a competition open to all young statisticians. It was to write an article for Significance, explaining some aspect of statistics in terms that anyone, statistically knowledgeable or not, could understand and relate to. The standard was extremely high. Over the coming months we shall be publishing several of them, here and on our website, where a fuller report of the competition is also published. We chose five runners-up: Ethan Brown, Kevin Wilson, Linda Wijlaars, Patrick Rhodes and Douglas VanDerwerken. Douglas's piece appears on page 40. This piece, by Danielle Morris, was judged the winner.
Making Statistical Significance More Significant
Authors: Baker Leanne F. , Mudge Joseph F.
Published: June 2012

We routinely set significance levels at 0.05, giving us one chance in 20 of a false positive result if the null hypothesis were true. Why? Why not instead choose values that minimise the combined chances of both false positives and false negatives? It is easy, say Leanne F. Baker and Joseph F. Mudge, so why not do it?
The Size of Wales: Statistics as Weapons
Authors: Ankers John
Published: June 2012

Statistics are objective, impartial, free of bias or moral judgement. So why, asks John Ankers, are they so often presented in ways that make us feel guilty?
Newman, Vatican II, and the Triple Office
Authors: Phillips Peter
Published: June 2012

Although not directly quoted in the documents of Vatican II, Newman should be regarded as an ‘invisible Father’ of the Council. This is evident the Council Fathers’ recognition of the importance of the historical situation as the place for practicing theology, a recognition of ‘the signs of the times’. We encounter revelation as fact rather than a set of hand‐me‐down propositions. Both Newman and Vatican II appreciated the role that the whole community of the Church plays in the articulation of doctrine. Newman invoked the model of the priestly, prophetic and regal office conferred on the Church by her Lord to challenge the increasing polarization between teachers and taught in the church and the damaging centralism that ensued. In a similar way the Council wished to restore a fruitful interplay between periphery and centre by acknowledging the collegiality of the bishops, and calling for a full involvement of laity in the life of the Church.
THE SPECIAL ISSUE ON ATTACHMENT: OVERREACHING THEORY AND DATA
Authors: Ludolph Pamela S.
Published: June 2012

The Family Court Review Special Issue edited by McIntosh focused on the views of traditional attachment theorists, neglecting to interview more progressive thinkers or put many thought‐provoking questions to the traditionalists. The advances in attachment research in the last half century were little acknowledged. Among the unexplored research findings were the discovery that early attachment status can change, often as a result of negative life events; that maternal deprivation and other early losses are recoverable; and that infants do not require one primary caregiver to thrive. The notion that young children should not have overnight stays with their fathers was presented as fact, when little convincing research exists on the question.

Key Points for Family Court Community:

The Family Court Review Special Issue presented the views of traditional attachment theorists.

More contemporary views of attachment were not presented in a balanced way.

Among the ideas supported by current attachment research that were insufficiently addressed are:
Feasibility, limitation and possible solutions of RNAi‐based technology for insect pest control
Authors: Zhang Hao , Li Hai‐Chao , Miao Xue‐Xia
Published: June 2012

Abstract  Numerous studies indicate that target gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) could lead to insect death. This phenomenon has been considered as a potential strategy for insect pest control, and it is termed RNAi‐mediated crop protection. However, there are many limitations using RNAi‐based technology for pest control, with the effectiveness target gene selection and reliable double‐strand RNA (dsRNA) delivery being two of the major challenges. With respect to target gene selection, at present, the use of homologous genes and genome‐scale high‐throughput screening are the main strategies adopted by researchers. Once the target gene is identified, dsRNA can be delivered by micro‐injection or by feeding as a dietary component. However, micro‐injection, which is the most common method, can only be used in laboratory experiments. Expression of dsRNAs directed against insect genes in transgenic plants and spraying dsRNA reagents have been shown to induce RNAi effects on target insects. Hence, RNAi‐mediated crop protection has been considered as a potential new‐generation technology for pest control, or as a complementary method of existing pest control strategies; however, further development to improve the efficacy of protection and range of species affected is necessary. In this review, we have summarized current research on RNAi‐based technology for pest insect management. Current progress has proven that RNAi technology has the potential to be a tool for designing a new generation of insect control measures. To accelerate its practical application in crop protection, further study on dsRNA uptake mechanisms based on the knowledge of insect physiology and biochemistry is needed.
Complexes of an Alpha Thymosin Derivative with 185/187Re and 99mTc: Structural Analysis and Initial Biological Evaluation
Authors: Benaki Dimitra , Zikos Christos , Karachaliou Chrysoula‐Evangelia , Tsitsilonis Ourania , Leondiadis Leondios , Kalbacher Hubert , Voelter Wolfgang , Papadopoulos Minas , Pirmettis Ioannis , Pelecanou Maria , Livaniou Evangelia
Published: June 2012

Alpha thymosins are a family of immunostimulating peptides first isolated from thymus gland. In the present work, the structure of the ReO(V)3+ complex of an alpha 1 thymosin derivative containing the metal‐chelating N,N‐dimethylglycyl‐l‐seryl‐l‐cysteinyl group was studied with NMR, CD, and ESI. The analysis indicated the existence of two interconverting diastereomers depending on the orientation of the side chain of the chelated Ser syn‐ or anti‐ to the oxygen of the ReO(V)3+ core. The two diastereomers could be separated on HPLC under a slow gradient showing the ratio of syn/anti to be 3:2, in agreement with the NMR data. The conversion process was shown to involve the coordination of a water molecule to the ReO(V)3+ core through the incubation of the complex in 18O‐enriched water and subsequent ESI analysis. HPLC analysis of the analogous radioactive 99mTcO(V)3+ complex showed the formation of two isomers in the same syn/anti 3:2 ratio. Biodistribution studies of the 99mTcO(V)3+ complex in Swiss albino mice with experimentally induced inflammation showed higher accumulated radioactivity in inflamed tissue compared to normal (ratio of inflamed/control tissue 3.9). 99mTc‐labeled complexes of alpha thymosin derivatives are expected to facilitate research on alpha thymosins and accelerate exploitation of these peptides in immunotherapy protocols.
Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation: a rare anterior mediastinal mass
Authors: Walklin Ryan Patrick , Entwisle James , Cheung Ying Kei , Dayal Viswas
Published: June 2012

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are rare pulmonary vascular lesions which are associated with Osler Weber Rendu syndrome (hereditary haemorrhagic telangectasia). They act as right‐to‐left shunts and have cardiovascular and embolic complications. We present a patient with an apparent anterior mediastinal mass secondary to a pulmonary arteriovenous malformations which was successfully treated percutaneously.
Turning Tides: Prospects for More Diversity in Cognitive Science
Authors: Bender Andrea , Beller Sieghard , Medin Douglas L.
Published: June 2012

This conclusion of the debate on anthropology’s role in cognitive science provides some clarifications and an overview of emergent themes. It also lists, as cases of good practice, some examples of productive cross‐disciplinary collaboration that evince a forward momentum in the relationship between anthropology and the other cognitive sciences.
Reversal of P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance of human hepatic cancer cells by Astragaloside II
Authors: Huang Can , Xu Dujuan , Xia Quan , Wang Peipei , Rong Chao , Su Yong
Published: June 2012

Objectives

Chemoresistance is the main obstacle encountered in cancer treatment and is frequently associated with multidrug resistance (MDR). Astragaloside is a saponin which is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been reported that Astragaloside has antitumour effects on hepatocellular carcinoma Bel-7402 cells in vitro and in vivo. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Astragaloside II on the reversal of MDR and its molecular mechanism in vitro.

Methods

In this study, Bel-7402 and Bel-7402/FU cell lines were used as the experimental model. Drug sensitivity was determined using the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, accumulation and efflux of Rh123 were analyzed by flow cytometer, the mRNA level of mdr1 was determined by RT-PCR and the protein levels of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and mitogen-activated protein kinase were determined by Western blot.

Key findings

Astragaloside II (0.08 mg/ml) showed strong potency to increase 5-fluorouracil cytotoxicity toward 5-fluorouracil-resistant human hepatic cancer cells Bel-7402/FU. The mechanism of Astragaloside II on P-gp-mediated MDR demonstrated that Astragaloside II significantly increased the intracellular accumulation of rhodamine 123 via inhibition of P-gp transport function. Based on the analysis of P-gp and mdr1 gene expression using Western blot and RT-PCR, the results revealed that Astragaloside II could downregulate the expression of the P-gp and mdr1 gene. In addition, Astragaloside II suppressed phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2, p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase.

Conclusions

The results suggested that Astragaloside II is a potent MDR reversal agent and may be a potential adjunctive agent for hepatic cancer chemotherapy.
In-vitro inhibitory effect of Tualang honey on cytochrome P450 2C8 activity
Authors: Muthiah Yasotha Devi , Ong Chin Eng , Sulaiman Siti Amrah , Tan Soo Choon , Ismail Rusli
Published: June 2012

Objectives

To investigate the effect of Tualang honey on cytochrome P450 2C8 (CYP2C8) activity in vitro using an amodiaquine N-desethylase assay.

Methods

CYP2C8 and NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase was cotransformed, expressed and harvested. The incubation assay contained expressed proteins, MgCl2, NADP, glucose 6-phosphate, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, potassium phosphate buffer, and amodiaquine. The rate of conversion of amodiaquine to desethylamodiaquine, the metabolite, was determined using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The inhibition parameters, IC50 (concentration of inhibitor causing 50% inhibition of original enzyme activity) and apparent inhibition constant (Ki) values were determined.

Key findings

The recombinant proteins were successfully expressed and used to investigate the effect of Tualang honey on CYP2C8 activity. The activity was measured by the rate of metabolism of amodiaquine to desethylamodiaquine determined using a successfully developed HPLC method. Kinetic parameters as determined by nonlinear least-squares regression and evaluated with Aikeike's goodness of fit criteria revealed that Tualang honey competitively inhibited CYP2C8 activity in a dose-dependent manner. Maximum inhibition of 80% occurred at 0.01% honey. The IC50 and Ki values were (10.0 ± 3.0) × 10−3% and (5.1 ± 0.5) × 10−3% w/v, respectively.

Conclusions

This study has provided evidence for the in vitro inhibition of CYP2C8-mediated amodiaquine N-desethylase activity by Tualang honey. It revealed that honey, through this inhibition, may have the potential to cause in-vivo drug–food interaction with drugs metabolized by CYP2C8.
Effect of hypoxia on the dynamic response of hyperaemia in the contracting human calf muscle
Authors: Donnelly J. , Green S.
Published: June 2012

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

The effect of hypoxia on the dynamic response of muscle hyperaemia during exercise is not known.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Demonstrates that the effect of hypoxia on muscle hyperaemia is very rapid, occurring within the first 2–3 contractions of exercise and before the conventional oxygen‐dependent processes would exert their effects.

Although systemic hypoxia increases the muscle hyperaemic response during ‘steady‐state’ exercise, its effect on the dynamic characteristics of this response is not clear. In the present study, we first established that hypoxia increases the steady‐state hyperaemic response at low workloads during calf exercise. To study dynamic aspects of this response, eight subjects performed eight exercise trials while breathing a normoxic (fractional inspired O2= 0.2094) or hypoxic gas mixture (fractional inspired O2= 0.105). Subjects performed intermittent contractions (1 s) of the calf muscle at 20% maximal voluntary contraction, and the leg blood flow (LBF), leg vascular conductance (LVC) and EMG activities of the triceps surae muscles were measured during each contraction–relaxation period (3 s). The LBF and LVC responses were averaged for each subject and fitted using a four‐phase, exponential growth and decay function. Hypoxia evoked significant increases in the change in LBF (15%) and LVC (23%) from the start to the end of exercise, as well as the amplitude of the rapid growth phase of LBF and LVC (21%). Similar, but non‐significant, effects on the amplitude of the slow growth phase of LBF (P= 0.08) and LVC (P= 0.10) were observed. By contrast, hypoxia had no effect on temporal parameters of these growth phases, parameters defining the decay phases or EMG activities. These results suggest that the effect of hypoxia on exercise hyperaemia is targeted at the rapid and perhaps the slow growth phase of the response, and is not mediated by a change in the level of muscle activation.