bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Political Movements and Violence in Central America
Authors: Brockett Charles D.
Published: December 2009

This book offers an in-depth analysis of the confrontation between popular movements and repressive regimes in Central America during the three decades beginning in 1960, particularly in El Salvador and Guatemala. Examining both urban and rural groups as well as both nonviolent social movements and revolutionary movements, this study has two primary theoretical objectives. First, to clarify the impact of state violence on contentious political movements. Under what conditions will escalating repression provoke challengers to even greater activity (perhaps even the use of violence themselves) and under what conditions will it intimidate them back into passivity? Second, to defend the utility of the political process model for studying contentious movements, indeed, finding in this model the key to resolving the repression-protest paradox. The study is based on the most thorough set of events data on contentious political activities collected from Latin American countries.
Reformation and the Culture of Persuasion
Authors: Pettegree Andrew
Published: December 2009

Why did people choose the Reformation? What was it in the evangelical teaching that excited, moved or persuaded them? Andrew Pettegree here tackles these questions directly by re-examining the reasons that moved millions to this decisive and traumatic break with a shared Christian past. He charts the separation from family, friends, and workmates that adherence to the new faith often entailed and the new solidarities that emerged in their place. He explores the different media of conversion through which the Reformation message was communicated and imbibed - the role of drama, sermons, song and the book - and argues that the potency of print can only be understood as working in harmony with more traditional modes of communication. His findings offer a persuasive new answer to the critical question of how the Reformation could succeed as a mass movement in an age before mass literacy.
The Authoritarian Dynamic
Authors: Stenner Karen
Published: December 2009

What is the basis for intolerance? This book addresses that question by developing a universal theory about what causes intolerance of difference in general, which includes racism, political intolerance (e.g. restriction of free speech), moral intolerance (e.g. homophobia, supporting censorship, opposing abortion) and punitiveness. It demonstrates that all these seemingly disparate attitudes are principally caused by just two factors: individuals' innate psychological predispositions to intolerance ('authoritarianism') interacting with changing conditions of societal threat. The threatening conditions, resonant particularly in the present political climate, that exacerbate authoritarian attitudes include national economic downturn, rapidly rising crime rates, civil dissent and unrest, loss of confidence in social institutions, presidential unpopularity, divisive presidential campaigns, and internal or external crises that undermine national pride or confidence. Using purpose-built experimental manipulations, cross-national survey data and in-depth personal interviews with extreme authoritarians, the book shows that this simple model provides the most complete account of intolerance.
Medicine before Science
Authors: French Roger
Published: December 2009

This book offers an introduction to the history of university-trained physicians from the middle ages to the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. These were the elite, in reputation and rewards, and they were successful. Yet we can form little idea of their clinical effectiveness, and to modern eyes their theory and practice often seems bizarre. But the historical evidence is that they were judged on other criteria, and the argument of this book is that these physicians helped to construct the expectations of society - and met them accordingly. The main focus is on the European Latin tradition of medicine, reconstructed from ancient sources and relying heavily on natural philosophy for its explanatory power. This philosophy collapsed in the 'scientific revolution', and left the learned and rational doctor in crisis. The book concludes with an examination of how this crisis was met - or avoided - in different parts of Europe during the Enlightenment.
Pheromones and Animal Behaviour
Authors: Wyatt Tristram D.
Published: December 2009

We are entering one of the most exciting periods in the study of chemical communication since the first pheromones were identified some 40 years ago. This rapid progress is reflected in this book, the first to cover the whole animal kingdom at this level for 25 years. The importance of chemical communication is illustrated with examples from a diverse range of animals including humans, marine copepods, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, moths, snakes, goldfish, elephants and mice. It is designed to be advanced, but at the same time accessible to readers whatever their scientific background. For students of ecology, evolution and behaviour, this book gives an introduction to the rapid progress in our understanding of olfaction at the molecular and neurological level. In addition, it offers chemists, molecular and neurobiologists an insight into the ecological, evolutionary and behavioural context of olfactory communication.
Religion and the Workplace
Authors: Hicks Douglas A.
Published: December 2009

How can company leaders and employees negotiate their different religious and spiritual commitments in the workplace? At a time of international debate over religious conflict and tolerance, workforces in various parts of the world are more diverse than ever before. Religion and spirituality are, for many employees, central to their identities. From the perspective of the employer, however, they can be distracting or divisive influences. This book analyzes the current interest in religion and spirituality in US companies. It offers conceptual distinctions and comparative examples (from the pluralistic contexts of India and Singapore) to trace the myriad ways that religion is present at work. It offers a model of respectful pluralism, asserting that the task of effective and ethical leadership in organizations is not to promote a single spiritual or religious framework but to create an environment in which managers and employees can respectfully express their own beliefs and practices.
Pest and Vector Control
Authors: Emden H. F. van , Service M. W.
Published: December 2009

As ravagers of crops and carriers of diseases affecting plants, humans and animals, insects present a challenge to a growing human population. In Pest and Vector Control, first published in 2004, Professors van Emden and Service describe the available options for meeting this challenge, discussing their relative advantages, disadvantages and future potential. Methods such as chemical and biological control, host tolerance and resistance are discussed integrating (often for the first time) information and experience from the agricultural and medical/veterinary fields. Chemical control is seen as a major component of insect control, both now and in the future, but this is balanced with an extensive account of associated problems, especially the development of pesticide-tolerant populations.
Measuring Efficiency in Health Care
Authors: Jacobs Rowena , Smith Peter C. , Street Andrew
Published: December 2009

With the healthcare sector accounting for a sizeable proportion of national expenditures, the pursuit of efficiency has become a central objective of policymakers within most health systems. However, the analysis and measurement of efficiency is a complex undertaking, not least due to the multiple objectives of health care organizations and the many gaps in information systems. In response to this complexity, research in organizational efficiency analysis has flourished. This 2006 book examines some of the most important techniques currently available to measure the efficiency of systems and organizations, including data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier analysis, and also presents some promising new methodological approaches. Such techniques offer the prospect of many new and fruitful insights into health care performance. Nevertheless, they also pose many practical and methodological challenges. This is an important critical assessment of the strengths and limitations of efficiency analysis applied to health and health care.
Mann: Buddenbrooks
Authors: Ridley Hugh
Published: December 2009

This textbook series is ambitious in scope. It provides concise and lucid introductions to major works of world literature from classical antiquity to the twentieth century. It is not confined to any single literary tradition or genre, and will cumulatively form a substantial library of textbooks on some of the most important and widely read literary masterpieces. Each book is devoted to a single work and provides a close reading of that text, as well as a full account of its historical, cultural, and intellectual background, a discussion of its influence, and a guide to further reading. The contributors to the series give full consideration to the linguistic issues raised by each text, and, within the overall framework of the series, are given complete freedom in the choice of their critical method. Where the text is written in a language other than English, full account is taken of readers studying the text in English translation. While critical jargon is avoided, important technical terminology is fully explained and thus this series will be genuinely accessible to students at all levels and to general readers.
Prey into Hunter
Authors: Bloch Maurice , Harris Alfred
Published: December 2009

Maurice Bloch has for many years been developing an original and influential theory of ritual. In this book he synthesises a radical theory of religion. Rituals in a great many societies deny the transience of life and of human institutions. Bloch argues that they enact this denial by symbolically sacrificing the participants themselves, so allowing them to participate in the immortality of a transcendent entity. Such sacrifices are achieved through acts of symbolic violence, ranging from bodily mutilations to the killing of animals. The theme is developed with reference to rituals of many types, from a variety of ethnographic sources, and Bloch shows that even exogamous marriage rituals can be reinterpreted in the light of this thesis. He concludes by considering the indirect relation of symbolic and ritual violence to political violence.
Physics of Massive Neutrinos
Authors: Boehm Felix , Vogel Petr
Published: December 2009

Neutrinos play a decisive part in nuclear and elementary particle physics, as well as in astrophysics and cosmology. Some of their most basic properties, such as their mass and charge conjugation symmetry, are largely unknown. This book focuses on what we know and may hope to know about the mass of the neutrino and its particle-antiparticle symmetry. Topics include neutrino mixing, neutrino decay, neutrino oscillations, double beta decay, solar neutrinos, supernova neutrinos and related issues. The authors stress the physical concepts, and discuss both theoretical and experimental techniques. This updated second edition differs from the first in that it contains an expanded coverage of experimental results and theoretical advances. Since publication of the first edition, many issues that were at that time unresolved, such as tritium beta decay and reactor neutrino oscillations, have been clarified and are discussed here. Also included is an expanded coverage of solar and supernova neutrinos. This book deals with one of the most intriguing issues in modern physics, and will be of value to researchers, graduate students and advanced undergraduates specializing in experimental and theoretical particle physics and nuclear physics.
Planning English Sentences
Authors: Appelt Douglas E.
Published: December 2009

This book is an investigation into the problems of generating natural language utterances to satisfy specific goals the speaker has in mind. It is thus an ambitious and significant contribution to research on language generation in artificial intelligence, which has previously concentrated in the main on the problem of translation from an internal semantic representation into the target language. Dr. Appelt's approach, based on a possible-worlds semantics of an intensional logic of knowledge and action, enables him to develop a formal representation of the effects of illocutionary acts and the speaker's beliefs about the hearer's knowledge of the world. The theory is embodied and illustrated in a computer system, KAMP (Knowledge and Modalities Planner), described in the book.
Nietzsche on Truth and Philosophy
Authors: Clark Maudemarie
Published: December 2009

Friedrich Nietzsche haunts the modern world. His elusive writings with their characteristic combination of trenchant analysis of the modern predicament and suggestive but ambiguous proposals for dealing with it have fascinated generations of artists, scholars, critics, philosophers, and ordinary readers. Maudemarie Clark's highly original study gives a lucid and penetrating analytical account of all the central topics of Nietzsche's epistemology and metaphysics, including his views on truth and language, his perspectivism, and his doctrines of the will-to-power and the eternal recurrence. The Nietzsche who emerges from these pages is a subtle and sophisticated philosopher, whose highly articulated views are of continuing interest as contributions to a whole range of philosphical issues. This remarkable reading of Nietzsche will interest not only philosophers, but also readers in neighbouring disciplines such as literature and intellectual history.
Television News and the Supreme Court
Authors: Slotnick Elliot E. , Segal Jennifer A.
Published: December 2009

Beginning with the recognition that the Supreme Court is the most invisible branch of American government and the one that most Americans know the least about, this book examines the way in which television news, the primary source of the public's limited knowledge, covers the Supreme Court. The book relies on rich interviews with network news reporters who have covered the Court, coupled with actual videotapes of network newscast coverage, to develop a unique portrait of the constraints faced by reporters covering the institution as well as a thorough picture of what facets of the Court's work actually are covered by television news. The analysis demonstrates convincingly that there are characteristics of the television news industry (such as its heavy reliance on dramatic stories and visuals) that, coupled with the rules and habits of the Supreme Court (such as its refusal to allow cameras in the Court as well as its propensity to announce several critical rulings on the same day) come together to make network news coverage of the Court infrequent, brief, and in too many instances, simply plain wrong.
Electron Probe Microanalysis of Thin Films and Multilayers Using the Computer Program XFILM
Authors: Llovet Xavier , Merlet Claude
Published: December 2009

XFILM is a computer program for determining the thickness and composition of thin films on substrates and multilayers by electron probe microanalysis. In this study, we describe the X-ray emission model implemented in the latest version of XFILM and assess its reliability by comparing measured and calculated k-ratios from thin-film samples available in the literature. We present and discuss examples of applications of XFILM that illustrate the capabilities of the program.
A Journal of Events during the Gladstone ministry 1868–1874 By John, First Earl of Kimberley
Authors: Drus Ethel
Published: December 2009

Prefatory Note iii

Introduction vii

Journal of Events During the Gladstone Ministry i

Index 4
The Baltic Expeditions 1715–1718
Authors: G. R.
Published: December 2009

The admirals who conducted British squadrons to the Baltic in the successive years 1715 to 1721 and in 1726 and 1727— Sir John Norris, Sir George Byng (afterwards Viscount Torrington), Sir Charles Wager—have their proper recognition in the Dictionary of National Biography. Details of the doings of the two former in the earlier period will be found in the editor's George I and the Northern War.
Effect of Obesity on Growth‐related Oncogene Factor‐α, Thrombopoietin, and Tissue Inhibitor Metalloproteinase‐1 Serum Levels
Authors: Maury Eléonore , Brichard Sonia M. , Pataky Zoltan , Carpentier Anne , Golay Alain , Bobbioni‐Harsch Elisabetta
Published: December 2009

We have recently identified several adipokines as oversecreted by omental adipose tissue (AT) of obese subjects: two chemokines (growth‐related oncogene factor‐α (GRO‐α), macrophage inflammatory protein‐1β (MIP‐1β)), a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases‐1 (TIMP‐1), an interleukin‐7 (IL‐7) and a megakaryocytic growth‐factor (thrombopoietin (TPO)). These adipokines are involved in insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. The objectives of this study were to determine whether the circulating levels of these adipokines were increased in obesity and to identify the responsible factors. A cross‐sectional study including 32 lean (BMI (kg/m2) <25), 15 overweight (BMI: 25–29.9), 11 obese (BMI: 30–39.9), and 17 severely obese (BMI >40) age‐matched women was carried out. Serum adipokine levels, insulin sensitivity, and substrate oxidation were measured by ELISA, euglycemic–hyperinsulinemic clamp, and indirect calorimetry, respectively. Circulating levels of GRO‐α, TPO, and TIMP‐1 were higher in obese and/or severely obese women than in lean ones (+30, 55, and 20%, respectively). Serum levels of these adipokines positively correlated with insulinemia or glycemia, and negatively with insulin sensitivity. TIMP‐1 also positively correlated with blood pressure, and TPO with triglyceride levels. Multiple regression analysis showed that fat mass per se was an independent determinant of GRO‐α, TPO, and TIMP‐1 levels, suggesting that hypertrophied adipocytes and recruited macrophages in expanded AT mainly contribute to this hyperadipokinemia. Insulinemia, glycemia and resistance of glucose oxidation to insulin were additional predictors for TPO. Circulating GRO‐α, TPO, and TIMP‐1 levels are increased in obesity. This may be partially due to augmented adiposity per se and to hyperinsulinemia/insulin resistance. These high systemic levels may in turn worsen/promote insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.
Energy Expenditure and Oxygen Consumption as Novel Biomarkers of Obesity‐induced Cardiac Disease in Rats
Authors: Novelli Ethel L.B. , Souza Gisele A. , Ebaid Geovana M.X. , Rocha Katiucha K.H.R. , Seiva Fabio R.F. , Mani Fernada , Campos Kleber E. , Sforcin José M.
Published: December 2009

The purpose of the present study was to determine calorimetric parameters to predict obesity adverse effects on oxidative stress and cardiac energy metabolism. Male Wistar 24 rats were divided into three groups (n = 8): given standard chow and water (C), receiving standard chow and 30% sucrose in its drinking water (S), and given sucrose‐rich diet and water (SRD). After 45 days, both S and SRD rats had obesity, serum oxidative stress, and dyslipidemic profile, but the body weight gain and feed efficiency (FE) were higher in SRD than in S, whereas the obesity‐related oxidative stress, myocardial triacylglycerol accumulation, and enhanced cardiac lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were higher in S than in SRD rats. Myocardial β‐hydroxyacyl coenzyme‐A‐dehydrogenase was lower in SRD and in S than in C, whereas glycogen was only depleted in S rats. Myocardial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) was lowest in S rats indicating depressed glucose oxidation. There was higher myocardial LDH/citrate synthase (CS) ratio and lower adenosine triphosphate (ATP)‐synthetase indicating delayed aerobic metabolism in S rats than in the others. Cardiac ATP‐synthetase was positively correlated with energy expenditure, namely resting metabolic rate (RMR), and with oxygen consumption per body weight (VO2/body weight). Myocardial lipid hydroperoxide (LH)/ total antioxidant substances (TAS) ratio and triacylglycerol accumulation were negatively correlated with RMR and with VO2/body weight. In conclusion, the present study brought new insights into obesity because the study demonstrated for the first time that reduced energy expenditure and oxygen consumption may provide novel risk factors of obesity‐induced reduced energy generation for myocardial contractile function. The results serve to highlight the role of calorimetric changes as novel biomarkers of risk to obesity‐induced cardiac effects.
Carbohydrate-like composition of submicron atmospheric particles and their production from ocean bubble bursting
Authors: Russell Lynn M. , Hawkins Lelia N. , Frossard Amanda A. , Quinn Patricia K. , Bates Tim S.
Published: December 2009

Oceans cover over two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, and the particles emitted to the atmosphere by waves breaking on sea surfaces provide an important contribution to the planetary albedo. During the International Chemistry Experiment in the Arctic LOwer Troposphere (ICEALOT) cruise on the R/V
Knorr
in March and April of 2008, organic mass accounted for 15–47% of the submicron particle mass in the air masses sampled over the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. A majority of this organic component (0.1 - 0.4 
μ
 m
-3
) consisted of organic hydroxyl (including polyol and other alcohol) groups characteristic of saccharides, similar to biogenic carbohydrates found in seawater. The large fraction of organic hydroxyl groups measured during ICEALOT in submicron atmospheric aerosol exceeded those measured in most previous campaigns but were similar to particles in marine air masses in the open ocean (Southeast Pacific Ocean) and coastal sites at northern Alaska (Barrow) and northeastern North America (Appledore Island and Chebogue Point). The ocean-derived organic hydroxyl mass concentration during ICEALOT correlated strongly to submicron Na concentration and wind speed. The observed submicron particle ratios of marine organic mass to Na were enriched by factors of ∼10
2
–∼10
3
over reported sea surface organic to Na ratios, suggesting that the surface-controlled process of film bursting is influenced by the dissolved organic components present in the sea surface microlayer. Both marine organic components and Na increased with increasing number mean diameter of the accumulation mode, suggesting a possible link between organic components in the ocean surface and aerosol–cloud interactions.
The Korean alphabet
Authors: Lee Sang-Oak
Published: December 2009

In the study of writing systems, there is an ongoing debate what qualifies an alphabet as featural. De Francis (1989) claims that Alexander Melville Bell’s Visible Speech (VS) is featural because Bell idealized the consistency of his VS’s C-shaped letters, which resemble the general shape of the consonants. But this consistency overwhelms the usefulness of the script. As a result, this consistent iconic alphabet ends up with many similar C-shapes that prove confusing. Therefore, it cannot be used as a universal phonetic writing system. The topic of the present paper is the Korean alphabet called Hangeul (= Han’gul). Sproat (2000: 138) classifies Hangeul as “an intelligently constructed segmental alphabet.” Against this view I will argue that Hangeul is not just a segmental alphabet, but the optimal featural system; that is, more than a segmental system that comes close to being a featural system but one that intentionally avoids becoming completely featural by including considerations of practicability.
Homographic kanji, their ambiguity and the effectiveness of okurigana as a device for disambiguation
Authors: Honda Keisuke
Published: December 2009

This paper has three goals. First, it addresses the problem of ambiguity induced by a large number of kanji graphemes that are used in the current Japanese writing system. Secondly, it summarises and examines claims that this ambiguity is reduced by an orthographic device called okurigana. Thirdly, it argues that the disambiguating function of okurigana is seriously restricted by several constraints. To support this argument, a survey of the Joyo Kanji Hyo (i.e., inventory of kanji graphemes and their readings recommended by the Japanese Cabinet for daily use) is presented. The results of this survey demonstrate that even though okurigana actually disambiguates a number of kanji graphemes, it fails to do so in many cases because of the constraints. This indicates that a significant amount of ambiguity remains unresolved in the kanji script.
Penalized mixtures of factor analyzers with application to clustering high-dimensional microarray data
Authors: Xie Benhuai , Pan Wei , Shen Xiaotong
Published: December 2009

Motivation: Model-based clustering has been widely used, e.g. in microarray data analysis. Since for high-dimensional data variable selection is necessary, several penalized model-based clustering methods have been proposed tørealize simultaneous variable selection and clustering. However, the existing methods all assume that the variables are independent with the use of diagonal covariance matrices.

Results: To model non-independence of variables (e.g. correlated gene expressions) while alleviating the problem with the large number of unknown parameters associated with a general non-diagonal covariance matrix, we generalize the mixture of factor analyzers to that with penalization, which, among others, can effectively realize variable selection. We use simulated data and real microarray data to illustrate the utility and advantages of the proposed method over several existing ones.

Contact:  weip@biostat.umn.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Strontium borate glass: potential biomaterial for bone regeneration
Authors: Pan H. B. , Zhao X. L. , Zhang X. , Zhang K. B. , Li L. C. , Li Z. Y. , Lam W. M. , Lu W. W. , Wang D. P. , Huang W. H. , Lin K. L. , Chang J.
Published: December 2009

Boron plays important roles in many life processes including embryogenesis, bone growth and maintenance, immune function and psychomotor skills. Thus, the delivery of boron by the degradation of borate glass is of special interest in biomedical applications. However, the cytotoxicity of borate glass which arises with the rapid release of boron has to be carefully considered. In this study, it was found that the incorporation of strontium into borate glass can not only moderate the rapid release of boron, but also induce the adhesion of osteoblast-like cells, SaOS-2, thus significantly increasing the cyto-compatibility of borate glass. The formation of multilayers of apatite with porous structure indicates that complete degradation is optimistic, and the spread of SaOS-2 covered by apatite to form a sandwich structure may induce bone-like tissue formation at earlier stages. Therefore, such novel strontium-incorporated borosilicate may act as a new generation of biomaterial for bone regeneration, which not only renders boron as a nutritious element for bone health, but also delivers strontium to stimulate formation of new bones.
Spectral gradient flow and equilibrium configurations of point vortices
Authors: Barreiro Andrea , Bronski Jared , Newton Paul K.
Published: December 2009

We formulate the problem of finding equilibrium configurations of
N
-point vortices in the plane in terms of a gradient flow on the smallest singular value of a skew-symmetric matrix
M
whose nullspace structure determines the (real) strengths, rotational frequency and translational velocity of the configuration. A generic configuration gives rise to a matrix with empty nullspace, and hence is not a relative equilibrium for any choice of vortex strengths. We formulate the problem as a gradient flow in the space of square covariance matrices
M
T
M
. The evolution equation for

drives the configuration to one with a real nullspace, establishing the existence of an equilibrium for vortex strengths that are elements of the nullspace of the matrix. We formulate both the unconstrained gradient flow problem where the point vortex strengths are determined
a posteriori
by the nullspace of
M
and the constrained problem where the point vortex strengths are chosen
a priori
and one seeks configurations for which those strengths are elements of the nullspace.
Why birds eat colourful grit: colour preferences revealed by the colour of gizzard stones
Authors: Mèller A. P. , Erritzèe J.
Published: December 2009

Colour preferences from sexual or social contexts are assumed to have arisen owing to preferences for specific kinds of food, representing a sensory bias, but once colour preferences have evolved in a sexual context, they may also be expressed during foraging. We tested whether preferences for specific body colours (i.e. plumage and soft parts) were related to colour preferences for grit ingested by birds. Birds eat grit to facilitate break down of food by the gizzard, and this function is independent of the colour of grit, but depends on the physical properties of stones. Bird species were significantly consistent in colour of grit, and grit of different colours varied in prevalence among species, even when analyses were restricted to a sample from a single locality. There were positive correlations between presence of lilac and red grit in the gizzard and presence of sexually dichromatic lilac and red colour on the body. There was a positive correlation between red grit colour and red sexually monochromatic body colour. Bird species with many different sexual colours, but not sexually monochromatic colours on their body had many different colours of grit. Males had more lilac and red grit than females, with this effect differing among species, whereas that was not the case for grit of other colours. These findings are consistent with the sensory bias hypothesis that birds express preferences for grit of specific colours and a high diversity of colours related to sexual colouration of the body, even when the colour of such grit is only visible to the individual at the moment of ingestion.
Testing Structuralist and Interpretative Explanations of Policy Change: The Case of Italy's Budget Reform
Authors: STOLFI FRANCESCO
Published: December 2009

This article compares the relative explanatory power of structuralist and interpretative approaches to the study of policy change. By assessing the fit of these approaches against the actual reform of the formulation, approval, and implementation stages of Italy's budget process in the 1990s, the article shows that structural factors (such as fiscal pressures and changes in the electoral rules) played a key role in the reform of the formulation stage but not in that of the approval and implementation stages, where the content of reform followed the managerialist paradigm endorsed by the Italian reform community. Italy in the 1990s was under considerable pressure to achieve fiscal retrenchment, and the managerialist paradigm advocated measures that were largely antithetical to those that can be deduced from the changes in institutional context. Thus, the Italian case provides an excellent opportunity to assess the relative causal impact of ideas and structure on reform.
Exploring Space: NASA at 50 and Beyond
Authors: Lambright W. Henry
Published: December 2009

In 2008, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, and has been embarked on a mission to put astronauts on the moon, possibly by 2020. Is this goal “back to the future”? Or is it “the way forward” as a prelude to a mission to Mars? An advisory panel to President Obama has recommended alternatives to the moon as routes to Mars. At the time of writing, Obama has yet to decide. Of course, NASA has already arrived on Mars with robots, a tribute to the agency's remarkable technical prowess. However, the ultimate challenge would be to send men and women to Mars. Why? That, of course, is the big question. The answer lies in the human heart rather than in the rational mind. NASA's exploration of this unknown frontier has more in common with the expeditions of Columbus and Magellan than the missions of most other federal agencies. Any list of discretionary expenditures would prioritize space exploration as an extreme example of an unnecessary luxury that can be postponed. So why should NASA continue to explore space? That question takes on an acute meaning during a time of intense domestic economic and foreign policy challenges. But imagine: what would be lost to America if NASA did not exist?
Assessment of the incidence of GDV following splenectomy in dogs
Authors: Goldhammer M. A. , Haining H. , Milne E. M. , Shaw D. J. , Yool D. A.
Published: December 2009

Objective: To establish if splenectomy increases the incidence of gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV) in dogs.

Methods: Two case‐series studies of cases and controls were performed. Records of dogs that had undergone splenectomy (37 cases) were compared with records of dogs that had undergone other abdominal surgery (43 cases). Records of dogs that presented for non‐elective gastropexy (33 cases) were compared with records of dogs presented to the hospital for unrelated reasons (39 cases). Survival following splenectomy and development of GDV in the first 12 months following surgery were retrieved from the clinical records and by questionnaire‐based canvassing of the referring clinician. The incidence of GDV following splenectomy was established and the association between a current episode of GDV and previous splenectomy was assessed.

Results: There was no evidence that splenectomy was associated with an increased incidence of subsequent GDV (P=0·469). No association between a current episode of GDV and previous splenectomy was found.

Clinical Significance: Splenectomy is not associated with an increase in the incidence of GDV.
Effects of a probiotic intervention in acute canine gastroenteritis – a controlled clinical trial
Authors: Herstad H. K. , Nesheim B. B. , L’Abée‐Lund T. , Larsen S. , Skancke E.
Published: December 2009

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of a probiotic product in acute self‐limiting gastroenteritis in dogs.

Methods: Thirty‐six dogs suffering from acute diarrhoea or acute diarrhoea and vomiting were included in the study. The trial was performed as a randomised, double blind and single centre study with stratified parallel group design. The animals were allocated to equal looking probiotic or placebo treatment by block randomisation with a fixed block size of six. The probiotic cocktail consisted of thermo‐stabilised Lactobacillus acidophilus and live strains of Pediococcus acidilactici, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis and Lactobacillus farciminis.

Results: The time from initiation of treatment to the last abnormal stools was found to be significantly shorter (P = 0·04) in the probiotic group compared to placebo group, the mean time was 1·3 days and 2·2 days, respectively. The two groups were found nearly equal with regard to time from start of treatment to the last vomiting episode.

Clinical Significance: The probiotic tested may reduce the convalescence time in acute self‐limiting diarrhoea in dogs.
Recovery of dermatophytes in pet grooming tools from veterinary clinics and pet grooming salons
Authors: Baǧcigil A. F. , ÍKiz S. , ÖZgür N. Y. , Ilgaz A.
Published: December 2009

Objectives: Fomites such as brushes and clippers are known to be potential risk factors for the transmission of dermatophytes between pet animals. The aim of this study was to investigate this risk by examining those grooming implements for the presence of any viable dermatophytes.

Methods: For this purpose, samples from 235 pieces of grooming equipments and swab samples from the surface of the 14 grooming tables were taken from 41 veterinary clinics and 3 pet grooming salons.

Results: Trichophyton tonsurans was isolated from two clipper blades from one veterinary clinic and Microsporum canis were isolated from three clipper blades and one toothbrush from another clinic.

Clinical Significance: This study shows that current disinfection protocols and grooming procedures of the veterinary clinics and pet grooming salons appear to be adequate.
Use of a biodegradable self‐expanding stent in the management of a benign oesophageal stricture in a cat
Authors: Battersby I. , Doyle R.
Published: December 2009

An 11‐year‐old domestic shorthair cat presented with a six‐week history of regurgitation following a dental procedure. Endoscopy identified a single oesophageal stricture in the cervical oesophagus. Stricture reformation occurred following endoscopic balloon catheter dilation on two occasions. Following a third balloon dilation a biodegradable polydioxanone self‐expanding stent was placed across the stricture site. Following the implantation the cat was able to eat soft canned food orally without regurgitation. Fluoroscopic examination performed four months after placement indicated that the stent was no longer present and the cervical oesophagus was able to pass boluses of canned food with no signs of obstruction.
The Interferon Stimulator Mitochondrial Antiviral Signaling Protein Facilitates Cell Death by Disrupting the Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and by Activating Caspases
Authors: Yu Chia-Yi , Chiang Ruei-Lin , Chang Tsung-Hsien , Liao Ching-Len , Lin Yi-Ling
Published: December 2009

Interferon (IFN) signaling is initiated by the recognition of viral components by host pattern recognition receptors. Dengue virus (DEN) triggers IFN-β induction through a molecular mechanism involving the cellular RIG-I/MAVS signaling pathway. Here we report that the MAVS protein level is reduced in DEN-infected cells and that caspase-1 and caspase-3 cleave MAVS at residue D429. In addition to its well-known function in IFN induction, MAVS is also a proapoptotic molecule that triggers disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspases. Although different domains are required for the induction of cytotoxicity and IFN, caspase cleavage at residue 429 abolished both functions of MAVS. The apoptotic role of MAVS in viral infection and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) stimulation was demonstrated in cells with reduced endogenous MAVS expression induced by RNA interference. Even though IFN-β promoter activation was largely suppressed, DEN production was not affected greatly in MAVS knockdown cells. Instead, DEN- and dsRNA-induced cell death and caspase activation were delayed and attenuated in the cells with reduced levels of MAVS. These results reveal a new role of MAVS in the regulation of cell death beyond its well-known function of IFN induction in antiviral innate immunity.
Viral Sanctuaries during Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in a Nonhuman Primate Model for AIDS
Authors: North Thomas W. , Higgins Joanne , Deere Jesse D. , Hayes Timothy L. , Villalobos Andradi , Adamson Lourdes , Shacklett Barbara L. , Schinazi Raymond F. , Luciw Paul A.
Published: December 2009

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) enables long-term suppression of plasma HIV-1 loads in infected persons, but low-level virus persists and rebounds following cessation of therapy. During HAART, this virus resides in latently infected cells, such as resting CD4+T cells, and in other cell types that may support residual virus replication. Therapeutic eradication will require elimination of virus from all reservoirs. We report here a comprehensive analysis of these reservoirs in fluids, cells, and tissues in a rhesus macaque model that mimics HAART in HIV-infected humans. This nonhuman primate model uses RT-SHIV, a chimera of simian immunodeficiency virus containing the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). Methods were developed for extraction, preamplification, and real-time PCR analyses of viral DNA (vDNA) and viral RNA (vRNA) in tissues from RT-SHIV-infected macaques. These methods were used to identify viral reservoirs in RT-SHIV-infected macaques treated with a potent HAART regimen consisting of efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir. Plasma virus loads at necropsy ranged from 11 to 28 copies of vRNA per ml. Viral RNA and DNA were detected during HAART, in tissues from numerous anatomical locations. Additional analysis provided evidence for full-length viral RNA in tissues of animals with virus suppressed by HAART. The highest levels of vDNA and vRNA in HAART-treated macaques were in lymphoid tissues, particularly the spleen, lymph nodes, and gastrointestinal tract tissues. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the tissue and organ distribution of a primate AIDS virus during HAART. These data demonstrate widespread persistence of residual virus in tissues during HAART.
HIGH TEMPERATURE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CVD-SiC THIN FILMS
Authors: PARK KWI-IL , KIM JONG-HO , LEE HYUN-KEUN , KIM DO KYUNG
Published: December 2009

Silicon carbide ( SiC ) coatings were fabricated using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process onto a graphite substrate at different deposition temperatures. The mechanical properties such as hardness, modulus, and creep properties from room temperature to 500°C were investigated using nanoindentation techniques. The SiC coatings deposited at 1300°C exhibited a small grain size (0.2 ~ 0.4 µ m ) and [111] preferred orientation, while the coatings obtained at 1350°C had a large grain size (0.5 ~ 1.0 µ m ) and [220] preferred orientation. The hardness was decreased with testing temperature, but no significant change in the modulus was measured with testing temperature from high temperature nanoindentation test, and the apparent creep behavior was observed in the high temperature. The high temperature mechanical properties of CVD- SiC coatings were relate to their microstructure and crystal orientation, and CVD- SiC coatings deposited at 1300°C exhibited high stability and reliability at high temperature.
SYNTHESIS OF NANOSPHERICAL AND ULTRALONG FIBROUS HYDROXYAPATITE AND REINFORCEMENT OF BIODEGRADABLE CHITOSAN/HYDROXYAPATITE COMPOSITE
Authors: ZHANG HUIGANG , ZHU QINGSHAN
Published: December 2009

Morphologies of hydroxyapatite (HAp) powders have influence on the mechanical properties of HAp/polymer composites. In this paper we reported a synthetic route for nanospherical and ultralong fibrous HAp powders and compared the influence of HAp morphologies on composite mechanical properties. HAp fibers with the length of ~250 µm along c-axis direction and nanospheres with the diameter of ~80 nm were produced, respectively, in the acidic solution containing glutamic acid and in the alkaline solution containing polyacrylic acid. The ultralong HAp fibers synthesized were used to reinforce biodegradable chitosan biomaterials with the significant improvement of bending strength because of the pull-out effect of long fibers.
CYP1B1 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase combine to sustain proangiogenic functions of endothelial cells under hyperoxic stress
Authors: Tang Yixin , Scheef Elizabeth A. , Gurel Zafer , Sorenson Christine M. , Jefcoate Colin R. , Sheibani Nader
Published: December 2009

We have recently shown that deletion of constitutively expressed CYP1B1 is associated with attenuation of retinal endothelial cell (EC) capillary morphogenesis (CM) in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo. This was largely caused by increased intracellular oxidative stress and increased production of thrombospondin-2, an endogenous inhibitor of angiogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that endothelium nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression is dramatically decreased in the ECs prepared from retina, lung, heart, and aorta of CYP1B1-deficient (CYP1B1−/−) mice compared with wild-type (CYP1B1+/+) mice. The eNOS expression was also decreased in retinal vasculature of CYP1B1−/−mice. Inhibition of eNOS activity in cultured CYP1B1+/+retinal ECs blocked CM and was concomitant with increased oxidative stress, like in CYP1B1−/−retinal ECs. In addition, expression of eNOS in CYP1B1−/−retinal ECs or their incubation with a nitric oxide (NO) donor enhanced NO levels, lowered oxidative stress, and improved cell migration and CM. Inhibition of CYP1B1 activity in the CYP1B1+/+retinal ECs resulted in reduced NO levels and attenuation of CM. In contrast, expression of CYP1B1 increased NO levels and enhanced CM of CYP1B1−/−retinal ECs. Furthermore, attenuation of CYP1B1 expression with small interfering RNA proportionally lowered eNOS expression and NO levels in wild-type cells. Together, our results link CYP1B1 metabolism in retinal ECs with sustained eNOS activity and NO synthesis and/or bioavailability and low oxidative stress and thrombospondin-2 expression. Thus CYP1B1 and eNOS cooperate in different ways to lower oxidative stress and thereby to promote CM in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo.
Separate mechanisms cause anemia in ischemic vs. nonischemic murine heart failure
Authors: Iversen Per O. , Andersson Kristin B. , Finsen Alexandra V. , Sjaastad Ivar , von Lueder Thomas G. , Sejersted Ole M. , Attramadal Håvard , Christensen Geir
Published: December 2009

In ischemic congestive heart failure (CHF), anemia is associated with poor prognosis. Whether anemia develops in nonischemic CHF is uncertain. The hematopoietic inhibitors TNF-α and nitric oxide (NO) are activated in ischemic CHF. We examined whether mice with ischemic or nonischemic CHF develop anemia and whether TNF-α and NO are involved. We studied mice ( n = 7–9 per group) with CHF either due to myocardial infarction (MI) or to overexpression of the Ca2+-binding protein calsequestrin (CSQ) or to induced cardiac disruption of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2 gene (SERCA2 KO). Hematopoiesis was analyzed by colony formation of CD34+bone marrow cells. Hemoglobin concentration was 14.0 ± 0.4 g/dl (mean ± SD) in controls, while it was decreased to 10.1 ± 0.4, 9.7 ± 0.4, and 9.6 ± 0.3 g/dl in MI, CSQ, and SERCA2 KO, respectively ( P < 0.05). Colony numbers per 100,000 CD34+cells in the three CHF groups were reduced to 33 ± 3 (MI), 34 ± 3 (CSQ), and 39 ± 3 (SERCA2 KO) compared with 68 ± 4 in controls ( P < 0.05). Plasma TNF-α nearly doubled in MI, and addition of anti-TNF-α antibody normalized colony formation. Inhibition of colony formation was completely abolished with blockade of endothelial NO synthase in CSQ and SERCA2 KO, but not in MI. In conclusion, the mechanism of anemia in CHF depends on the etiology of cardiac disease; whereas TNF-α impairs hematopoiesis in CHF following MI, NO inhibits blood cell formation in nonischemic murine CHF.
Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Targeted Therapies and Future Directions
Authors: Pinchot Scott N. , Kunnimalaiyaan Muthusamy , Sippel Rebecca S. , Chen Herbert
Published: December 2009

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine neoplasm that accounts for approximately 5% of all thyroid malignancies. The natural history of MTC is characterized by early lymph node and distant metastases, making complete surgical cure often impossible. Conventional chemotherapy and external beam radiation have been largely ineffective in altering the natural history of MTC. Therefore, there is a great need to develop novel therapeutic strategies to affect symptom control and reduce tumor burden in patients with widely disseminated disease. Here, we review several pathways which have been shown to be vital in MTC tumorigenesis and focus on the pathways of interest for which targeted drug therapies are currently being developed.