bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
P fimbriae, capsule and aerobactin characterize colonic resident Escherichia coli
Authors: NOWROUZIAN F. , ADLERBERTH I. , WOLD A. E.
Published: August 2008

Resident and transient Escherichia coli strains from the colonic microflora of 13 Swedish schoolgirls were analysed for carriage of genes encoding a range of adhesins (P, type 1 and S fimbriae, Dr haemagglutinin and three varieties of the P fimbrial papG adhesin) and other virulence traits (K1 and K5 capsule, haemolysin and aerobactin) using multiplex PCR. Forty-four percent of the resident clones carried genes for P fimbriae, K1 or K5 capsule, and aerobactin, compared with only 3% of transient clones (P<0·0001). The P-fimbriated clones most often had the class II variety of the P-fimbrial adhesin gene papG and this adhesin was significantly associated with persistence of a strain. S fimbriae and type 1 fimbriae were equally common in resident and transient strains. The results indicate that not only P fimbriae, but also, certain capsules and the ability to produce the siderophore aerobactin might contribute to persistence of E. coli in the large intestine.
Epidemiological studies of human and animal Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 and DT104b isolates in Ireland
Authors: MURPHY T. M. , McNAMARA E. , HILL M. , ROONEY N. , BARRY J. , EGAN J. , O'CONNELL A. , O'LOUGHLIN J. , McFADDYEN S.
Published: August 2008

A total of 122 human and animal Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 isolates and 6 epidemiologically related DT104b isolates from human and animal products were analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Genomic DNA was subjected to macrorestriction with three enzymes, SpeI, SfiI and XbaI. A total of 14 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiles were identified when the PFGE patterns from the three enzymes were combined. The majority of isolates (81·2%) exhibited the same RFLP profile. Six animal DT104 isolates, susceptible to enrofloxacin and resistant to naladixic acid, were identified from the antibiotic susceptibility test. Four of these isolates had a different PFGE profile from the common RFLP. In addition, 4 of the 6 isolates were geographically clustered in one region. It was concluded that there was one predominant strain of S. Typhimurium DT104 in Ireland and that the potential and selection pressures for emergence of fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates were present.
The impact of diagnosis by legionella urinary antigen test on the epidemiology and outcomes of Legionnaires' disease
Authors: FORMICA N. , YATES M. , BEERS M. , CARNIE J. , HOGG G. , RYAN N. , TALLIS G.
Published: August 2008

Legionnaires' disease is an uncommon but important cause of life-threatening community-acquired or nosocomial pneumonia. The urinary antigen enzyme immunoassay test, used in Victoria since 1995, now accounts for the majority of initial laboratory notifications (81% in 1999). We review the impact of the test on the disease epidemiology and the public health investigative process. We focus on the major subgroup of cases due to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, comparing delays until notification and mortality for urinary antigen detected cases with culture detected cases. The urinary antigen test facilitates a 5-day reduction for the delay between onset of illness and notification. We observed that there was minimal clinical heterogeneity of urinary antigen detected cases whether they were subsequently culture confirmed or not. We encourage clinician use of the urinary antigen test in cases of community-acquired pneumonia where Legionnaires' disease is a possible diagnosis, in conjunction with culture of clinical specimens.
Impact of the Australian Measles Control Campaign on immunity to measles and rubella
Authors: GILBERT G. L. , ESCOTT R. G. , GIDDING H. F. , TURNBULL F. M. , HEATH T. C. , McINTYRE P. B. , BURGESS M. A.
Published: August 2008

To evaluate the impact of the 1998 Australian Measles Control Campaign on immunity to measles and rubella, 4400 opportunistically-collected sera, submitted to diagnostic laboratories across Australia from subjects aged 1–49 years, and 3000 from subjects aged 1–18-years, were tested before and after the campaign, respectively. The proportion of individuals aged 1–18 years who were immune to measles rose from 85% before, to 90% after, the campaign (P < 0·001). The greatest increase was in preschool (7%, P < 0·001) and primary school (10%, P < 0·001) children, who were actively targeted by the campaign. Rubella immunity in 1–18 year-olds rose from 83% to 91% (P < 0·001), again with significant increases in preschool (4%, P = 0·002) and primary school (16%, P < 0·001) children. 94% of individuals aged 19–49 years were immune to rubella. These serosurveys confirm other evidence of the effectiveness of the Australian Measles Control Campaign and demonstrate the value of serosurveillance using opportunistically collected sera.
PCR and the investigation of meningococcal infection
Authors: WOOD A. L. , GILL M. J.
Published: August 2008

We examined the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in investigating suspected cases of meningococcal infection in Birmingham. Data held by Birmingham Health Authority were interrogated to determine cases of suspected or confirmed meningococcal infection for a 3-year period from April 1996. The microbiology departments of five local hospitals completed a standard proforma about the microbiological investigation of cases and included details of patient age, clinical presentation and method of confirmation of the clinical diagnosis. Of 273 cases, 123 had PCR performed on either cerebrospinal fluid and/or blood. Groups more likely to have a PCR done were those presenting with septicaemia alone, and those in the 5–14 year age group. In 33 cases, PCR was the only positive microbiological result. Over the study period there was increasing but variable use of PCR in the investigation of meningococcal infection and PCR increased the yield of confirmed cases.
A quantitative risk assessment for the occurrence of campylobacter in chickens at the point of slaughter
Authors: HARTNETT E. , KELLY L. , NEWELL D. , WOOLDRIDGE M. , GETTINBY G.
Published: August 2008

A quantitative risk assessment model investigating the risk of human infection with campylobacter from the consumption of chicken meat/products is currently being formulated. Here such an approach is used to evaluate the probability that a random bird, selected at slaughter from Great Britain's national poultry flock, will be campylobacter-positive. This is determined from the probability that a flock chosen at random contains at least one colonized bird and the within-flock prevalence of such a flock at slaughter. The model indicates that the probability bird chosen at random being campylobacter-positive at slaughter is 0·53. This probability value has associated uncertainty, the 5th percentile being 0·51 and the 95th percentile 0·55. The model predicts that delaying the age at first exposure to campylobacter can have a significant impact on reducing the probability of a bird being campylobacter-positive at slaughter. However, implementation of current biosecurity methods makes this difficult to achieve.
Presence of granulocytic ehrlichia in ticks and serological evidence of human infection in La Rioja, Spain
Authors: OTEO J. A. , GIL H. , BARRAL M. , PÉREZ A. , JIMENEZ S. , BLANCO J. R. , MARTINEZ DE ARTOLA V. , GARCÍA-PÉREZ A. , JUSTE R. A.
Published: August 2008

In order to estimate the risks of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) in an endemic area for Lyme disease in the North of Spain (La Rioja), we collected and investigated by PCR specific to the E. phagocytophila group DNA, a total of 6870 Ixodes ricinus ticks. We also used an indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) test to study the presence of antibodies to the HGE agent in 147 human serum samples including patients with Lyme disease (LD), forestry workers, and persons with history of previous tick bite. Fifty serum samples from healthy people resident in urban areas and with no history of tick-bite disorder and without tick exposure were used as controls. Four of 76 adults and 49 of 203 nymphs pools carried E. phagocytophila DNA. This result, and the finding of 1·4% of sera reacting in the IFI test confirms that this tick-borne agent is present in La Rioja, and that humans show evidence of contact with it. HGE should be considered in the differential diagnosis of flu-like syndromes in the study area in the north of Spain.
Multiple sclerosis and varicella zoster virus infection: A review
Authors: MARRIE R. A. , WOLFSON C.
Published: August 2008

We have evaluated the epidemiological evidence for an aetiological role of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). A MEDLINE search of the English language literature for 1965–99 identified 40 studies. These studies were categorized as seroepidemiological (13), case-control (23), historical cohort (2) or ecological (2). One study used both case-control and historical cohort methodologies. Studies were then classified according to methodological rigour, using criteria derived from published guidelines for the epidemiological study of MS. There was a large variability in the quality of evidence. The five studies with the best methodology failed to show an increased risk of MS associated with varicella or zoster infections. At the present time there is insufficient evidence to support an important aetiological role of VZV infection in the development of MS.
Secular trends in incidence and antimicrobial resistance among clinical isolates of salmonella at a university hospital in Taiwan, 1983–1999
Authors: SU L. H. , CHIU C. H. , KUO A. J. , CHIA J. H. , SUN C. F. , LEU H. S. , WU T. L.
Published: August 2008

The incidence and antimicrobial resistance among clinical isolates of salmonella at a university hospital in Taiwan between 1983 and 1999 are summarized in this report. A total of 7986 isolates were analysed. Serogroup B has been the most prevalent over the years, with an apparently continuous decline after 1995. Concordant decrease was also found among S. choleraesuis and S. typhi isolates in recent years. In contrast, the proportion of serogroup D strains increased significantly after 1996. S. typhi remained relatively susceptible to most of the antimicrobial agents examined. For non-typhoidal isolates, antimicrobial resistance to ampicillin (62%), chloramphenicol (67%), and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (37%) was relatively higher than that reported elsewhere. Newer generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones remained effective over the years, although emerging resistance to these drugs has been noticed since 1992. A more prudent selection and use of antimicrobial agents, in both humans and animals, and a continuous surveillance of resistance are essential in the future.
Restaurant-associated outbreak of Salmonella Typhi in Nauru: an epidemiological and cost analysis
Authors: OLSEN S. J. , KAFOA B. , WIN N. S. S. , JOSE M. , BIBB W. , LUBY S. , WAIDUBU G. , O'LEARY M. , MINTZ E.
Published: August 2008

Typhoid fever is endemic in the South Pacific. We investigated an outbreak in Nauru. Through interviews and medical records, we identified 50 persons with onset between 1 October 1998 and 10 May 1999, of fever lasting [ges ]3 days and one other symptom. Salmonella Typhi was isolated from 19 (38%) cases. Thirty-two (64%) patients were school-aged children, and 17 (34%) were in four households. Case-control studies of (a) culture-confirmed cases and age- and neighbourhood-matched controls; and (b) household index cases and randomly selected age-matched controls implicated two restaurants: Restaurant M (matched OR [MOR] = 11, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1·3–96) and Restaurant I (MOR = 5·8, 95% CI = 1·2–29). Food-handlers at both restaurants had elevated anti-Vi antibody titres indicative of carrier state. The annual incidence was 5·0/l000 persons. Outbreak-associated costs were $46000. Routine or emergency immunization campaigns targeting school-aged children may help prevent or control outbreaks of typhoid fever in endemic disease areas.
A field study to control Echinococcus multilocularis-infections of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in an endemic focus
Authors: TACKMANN K. , LÖSCHNER U. , MIX H. , STAUBACH C. , THULKE H.-H. , ZILLER M. , CONRATHS F. J.
Published: August 2008

Foxes harbouring E. multilocularis represent an important source for human infection with this parasite which causes alveolar echinococcosis. To minimize the risk of human infection, a control study was conducted to reduce the prevalence of E. multilocularis-infection in foxes in an focal endemic area of 5000 km2. Foxes were given access to baits containing 50 mg praziquantel. Twenty baits per km2 were distributed by airplane during 14 campaigns. The effects of control measures were monitored by parasitological examination of 9387 foxes shot before and during the control trial. A distinct reduction of the prevalence of E. multilocularis was observed for both, the initially endemic area and the low-endemic periphery. The effect was more pronounced in adult than in juvenile foxes. Under control conditions, the risk area decreased in size. However, an eradication of the parasite was not reached with the chosen strategy.
Epidemiologic profiling: evaluating foodborne outbreaks for which no pathogen was isolated by routine laboratory testing: United States, 1982–9
Authors: HALL J. A. , GOULDING J. S. , BEAN N. H. , TAUXE R. V. , HEDBERG C. W.
Published: August 2008

The objective was to evaluate foodborne outbreaks of undetermined aetiology by comparing them to pathogen-specific epidemiologic profiles of laboratory-confirmed foodborne outbreaks. National foodborne outbreak data reported to CDC during 1982–9 were categorized by clinico-epidemiologic profiles based on incubation, duration, percent vomiting, fever and vomiting to fever ratio. From the pathogen-specific profiles, five syndromes were developed: a vomiting-toxin syndrome resembling Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus; a diarrhoea-toxin syndrome characteristic of Clostridium perfringens, a diarrhaeogenic Escherichia coli syndrome, a Norwalk-like virus syndrome, and a salmonella like syndrome. Of 712 outbreaks, 624 (87·6%) matched one of five syndromes; 340 (47·8%) matched the Norwalk-like syndrome and 83 (11·7%) matched the salmonella-like syndrome. After combining information on known pathogens and epidemiologic profiles, only 88 (12·4%) outbreaks remained unclassified. Norwalk-like virus outbreaks appear as common as salmonella-like outbreaks. We conclude that profiling can help classify outbreaks, guide investigations and direct laboratory testing to help detect new and emerging pathogens.
Association between heroin use, needle sharing and tattoos received in prison with hepatitis B and C positivity among street-recruited injecting drug users in New Mexico, USA
Authors: SAMUEL M. C. , DOHERTY P. M. , BULTERYS M. , JENISON S. A.
Published: August 2008

This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence and risk factors for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV-1 infections among injecting drug users (IDU) in New Mexico. Serological and behavioural surveys were conducted in conjunction with street-based outreach, education and HIV counselling and testing. High rates of antibody positivity for HCV (82·2%) and HBV (61·1%), and a low rate for HIV (0·5%) were found. In multivariate analyses, both HBV and HCV infection were positively associated with increasing age, increasing years of injection and heroin use. Receipt of a tattoo in prison/jail was associated with HBV (odds ratio = 2·3, 95% confidence interval 1·4, 3·8) and HCV (OR = 3·4, 95% CI = 1·6, 7·5) infections. Prevention of bloodborne pathogens among IDUs should focus on young users, early in their drug use experience. Studies examining the relationship between tattooing and HBV and HCV infection are needed as are efforts to promote sterile tattooing, in prisons and elsewhere.
Estimated varicella incidence on the basis of a seroprevalence survey
Authors: MUÑOZ M. P. , DOMÍNGUEZ A. , SALLERAS L.
Published: August 2008

Varicella is a disease caused by varicella-zoster virus. It is transmitted via the respiratory route, is highly communicable and mainly affects young children. An effective vaccine is now available, whose routine use is advised by health authorities in the USA and which can prevent severe disease, although breakthrough infections do occur. In deciding whether or not to include a vaccine in the routine vaccination schedule, knowledge of the morbidity of the disease in question is fundamental. Although reporting of varicella is compulsory in Catalonia, doctors only have to report the weekly number of cases diagnosed, and not their age distribution. Given that recent data on the prevalence of the infection in Catalonia according to age groups is available, it was considered that, using these data, an estimation of age-related incidence could be made.

The objective of the present study was to estimate the incidence of varicella in Catalonia on the basis of the available seroprevalence data. A curve was fitted to the observed prevalence and point prevalence estimates for all ages were obtained. The incidence was derived by smoothed prevalence for each of these age groups. Estimated variance of the estimated incidence was obtained by the delta method. Predicted prevalence in the 0–4 years age group was calculated by the smoothed prevalence.

The model that best fitted the sample prevalence was the exponential function. The estimated number of varicella cases in this study was 46419 (95% CI 40507–52270). As the population in Catalonia in 1996 was 6090040, the previous results give an incidence rate of 762·2 per 100000 persons/year with their 95% CI (666·1–858·3).

The method described may be applied to the study of incidence rates in relation to the prevalence of diseases if we accept that the infection produces permanent immunity; the risk of mortality is the same for infected and non-infected subjects and that the disease incidence and population remain constant in time.
Risk factors for campylobacter infection in infants and young children: a matched case-control study
Authors: TENKATE T. D. , STAFFORD R. J.
Published: August 2008

Campylobacter infection has one of the highest rates of all the notifiable diseases in Australia, with a peak in children aged 0–35 months. A matched case-control study was conducted to investigate risk factors for campylobacter infection for children in this age group. Eighty-one cases and 144 controls were enrolled in the study that was conducted between 24 January 1996 and 21 January 1997. The following risk factors were found to be independently associated with illness: ownership of pet puppies (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 16·58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3·73–73·65) and pet chickens (OR 11·80, CI 1·37–101·75), and consumption of mayonnaise (OR 4·13, CI 1·61–10·59). We propose that children aged less than 3 years are at risk of campylobacter infection if residing in a household which has puppies or chickens as pets.
Non-invasive pneumococcal disease and antimicrobial resistance: vaccine implications
Authors: KYAW M. H. , CLARKE S. , JONES I. G. , CAMPBELL H.
Published: August 2008

We reviewed laboratory data on non-invasive pneumococcal isolates reported from all diagnostic laboratories in Scotland during the period 1988–99. Of 4491 isolates from hospitalized patients, 654 (64·7%) were from sputum, 79 (7·8%) from the nasopharynx and 278 (27·5%) from other superficial sites. The serogroups included in the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine caused 96–9% of all non-invasive disease in all age groups. The 7-, 9-, and 11-valent conjugated vaccine serogroups were responsible for 87–94%, 85–93%, 74–81% and 75–84% of non-invasive disease respectively in age groups <2 years, [les ]5 years, [ges ]65 years and all ages. The coverage of non-susceptible penicillin and erythromycin non-invasive isolates was >99% and >95% with the 23-valent polysaccharide and 7–11-valent conjugate vaccines respectively. The eight most common serogroups were 23, 9, 6, 19, 14, 3, 15 and 11 (in descending order). The serogroups associated with antimicrobial resistance in non-invasive disease were similar to those found in invasive disease. The finding of a similar serogroup distribution in both invasive and non-invasive disease (regardless of the site of clinical isolate), is consistent with serogroups colonizing non-sterile sites and having the potential to invade. The availability of conjugated vaccines reinforces the importance of systematic surveillance to determine accurately and regularly the coverage of pneumococcal serogroups and types causing both invasive and non-invasive disease.
A listeriosis patient infected with two different Listeria monocytogenes strains
Authors: THAM W. , ALDÉN J. , ERICSSON H. , HELMERSSON S. , MALMODIN B. , NYBERG O. , PETTERSSON A. , UNNERSTAD H. , DANIELSSON-THAM M.-L.
Published: August 2008

Normally, only one isolate of Listeria monocytogenes from a case of listeriosis is subjected to characterization. Here we show that two isolates from different sites of the body were not the same strain. Such a phenomenon may not have any clinical relevance, although it may confuse the epidemiologist trying to match infection source with infection target.
Prevalence of Leptospira spp. in various species of small mammals caught in an inner-city area in Switzerland
Authors: ADLER H. , VONSTEIN S. , DEPLAZES P. , STIEGER C. , FREI R.
Published: August 2008

In order to establish the leptospira carrier rate of small animals in an urban environment, small rodents and shrews were captured in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. Kidney specimens of 190 animals were examined using a leptospira specific PCR assay. Leptospiral DNA was amplified in kidneys of 12·6% of the animals.
Changing epidemiology of human leptospirosis in New Zealand
Authors: THORNLEY C. N. , BAKER M. G. , WEINSTEIN P. , MAAS E. W.
Published: August 2008

The objective was to describe the current epidemiology and trends in New Zealand human leptospirosis, using descriptive epidemiology of laboratory surveillance and disease notification data, 1990–8. The annual incidence of human leptospirosis in New Zealand 1990–8 was 4·4 per 100000. Incidence was highest among meat processing workers (163·5/100000), livestock farm workers (91·7), and forestry-related workers (24·1). The most commonly detected serovars were Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar (sv.) hardjo (hardjobovis) (46·1%), L. interrogans sv. pomona (24·4%) and L. borgpetersenii sv. ballum (11·9%). The annual incidence of leptospirosis declined from 5·7/100000 in 1990–2 to 2·9/100000 in 1996–8. Incidence of L. borgpetersenii sv. hardjo and L. interrogans sv. pomona infection declined, while incidence of L. borgpetersenii sv. ballum infection increased. The incidence of human leptospirosis in New Zealand remains high for a temperate developed country. Increasing L. borgpetersenii sv. ballum case numbers suggest changing transmission patterns via direct or indirect exposure to contaminated surface water. Targeted and evaluated disease control programmes should be renewed.
Predictors of tuberculin reactivity among prospective Vietnamese migrants: the effect of smoking
Authors: PLANT A. J. , WATKINS R. E. , GUSHULAK B. , O'ROURKE T. , JONES W. , STREETON J. , SANG D.
Published: August 2008

We investigated the prevalence and predictors of positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results among prospective Vietnamese migrants. We interviewed and medically screened 1395 Vietnamese people aged over 15 years who had applied to migrate to Australia. Approximately 44% of applicants had an induration of 10 mm or more, and 18·6% had an induration of 15 mm or more. A positive tuberculin skin test at 5 mm, 10 mm and 15 mm of induration cut-points was significantly associated with age (OR 1·01–1·02 per year) and duration of smoking (OR 1·03–1·12 per year). Smoking appears to be an important factor associated with increased susceptibility to mycobacterial infection. It is not yet clear whether the increased tuberculin reactivity associated with smoking reflects an increased risk of tuberculosis among these migrants.
Gastrointestinal illness associated with a long-haul flight
Authors: HOLMES J. D. , SIMMONS G. C.
Published: August 2008

An in-flight incident of vomiting in the cabin and toilet on a trans-Pacific aircraft flight resulted in an outbreak of gastrointestinal (GI) illness among passengers, some of whom subsequently joined a 14-day cruise in New Zealand and Australia. A retrospective cohort analysis of illness occurring in aircraft passengers was undertaken using routine GI illness surveillance data collected by medical staff on a cruise vessel. This was supplemented with data collected from some other passengers and crew on the aircraft. Information was gathered on 224 of the 413 (54·2%) people on the flight (222 passengers and 2 crew members). GI illness within 60 h of arrival in Auckland was reported by 41 of the 122 (33·6%, Fisher's 95% confidence interval 25·3–42·7) passengers seated in the two zones adjacent to the vomiting incident. The pattern of illness suggests a viral infection and highlights the potential of aerosol transmission as well as surface contamination in a closed environment. The spread of infection may have been enhanced by cross-contamination in the toilet cubicle. The significance of the vomiting event was not recognized by the aircraft cabin crew and no pre-arrival information about on-board illness was given to airport health authorities. Isolation of vomiting passengers, where possible, and promotion of appropriate hand hygiene on aircraft has the potential to reduce the spread of infection in passengers on long-haul flights.
The influence of socio-economic deprivation on tuberculosis treatment delays in England, 2000–2005
Authors: FRENCH C. E. , KRUIJSHAAR M. E. , JONES J. A. , ABUBAKAR I.
Published: August 2008

This study investigates the association between socio-economic deprivation and tuberculosis (TB) treatment delays in England, 2000–2005. Patients reported to the Enhanced TB Surveillance system were assigned a deprivation score based on residential postcode, and categorized into deprivation quartiles. Data were analysed using Cox regression. The median interval from symptom onset to treatment initiation was 67 days (inter-quartile range 30–131). The effect of deprivation on this interval was modified by ethnic group and place of birth/time since entry into the United Kingdom. Longer intervals were experienced by the most deprived black Africans, Indians/Pakistanis/Bangladeshis and recent entrants to the United Kingdom, compared to the least deprived. In contrast, among white and UK-born patients, longer intervals were experienced by the least deprived. In conclusion, the effect of deprivation on TB treatment delays varies in different population groups. Efforts are needed to reduce delays including improving awareness of TB and increasing the index of clinical suspicion.
Lover and Saint The Early Development of Ānandghan's Reputation
Authors: Bangha Imre
Published: August 2008

The article examines the material relating to the early reception of the eighteenth century Hindi poet Ānandghan (Ghanānand). Ānandghan's poetic ideas were not far from those expressed in Persian literature, popular at that time in India. Apart from an abundance of idiomatic usage and paradoxes his approach to love reflects his taste for Persian poetry: the beloved can be either a woman or an undefined God, or even Krishna. Ānandghan's ‘openness’ towards Persian poetry earned him disrepute. In this article three early schools of criticism of his quatrains are distinguished: those of his opponents, of his fellow-devotees and of Brajnāth, the secular connoisseur. All three parties expressed their views on Ānandghan through poetry sometimes employing bitter or pungent language.
Tirumala Nayaka's “New Hall” and the European Study of the South Indian Temple
Authors: Branfoot Crispin
Published: August 2008

The Pudu Mandapa (‘New Hall’) in Madurai is one of the best-known monuments from the Nayaka period of Tamilnadu (c. 1550–1700). It was built around 1630 under the patronage of Tirumala Nayaka as a major addition to the Minaksi-Sundaresvara temple complex that dominates the centre of this major Tamil town and Hindu pilgrimage centre. The Pudu Mandapa is well known in the West from the aquatint produced by Thomas and William Daniell, but this is only one of numerous other illustrations by Western and Indian artists in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century of this single Tamil temple structure. A discussion of the Pudu Mandapa as an example of a major architectural type, the festival mandapa, is followed by an examination of the structure's architectural sculpture. The final section discusses the Royal Asiatic Society's collection of drawings of this mandapa and the European documentation of the south Indian temple more generally.
Tachard's last appearance in Ayutthaya, 1699
Authors: Smithies Michael
Published: August 2008

The Jesuit Guy Tachard (1648–1712) first came to Siam with the Chaumont-Choisy embassy of 1685 as one of six Jesuits destined for missionary work in China. The group was headed by Fr de Fontaney (1643–1710). The decision of the Abbé de Choisy (1644–1724), who held the post of coadjutant ambassador, to withdraw from the diplomatic scene and effect a retreat prior to his ordination as a priest in Lopburi on 10 December 1685 enabled Tachard to replace him as interpreter of Phaulkon (c.1647–1688), the influential Levantine adventurer then holding the functions, though not the title, of minister of trade and foreign affairs (phra khlang) for King Narai (r.1656–1688). Tachard was then charged with secret negotiations with the court of Louis XIV, most particularly with Fr de La Chaize, the king's Jesuit confessor, and the Marquis de Seignelay, the secretary of state for the navy, to negotiate the lease of a port and the dispatch of persons of rank to occupy key posts in the Siamese kingdom. In Paris, he lost no time in publishing his account of the first French embassy to Siam, padding it with unacknowledged extracts from one of the other Jesuits in his party, Fr de Bouvet.
Give Structure Its Due: Political Agency and the Vietnam Commitment Decisions
Authors: Duffy Gavan
Published: August 2008

The constructivist turn in the study of world politics provides new impetus to studies of the political deliberations of human agents. The co-constitution of agents and structures implies the non-acceptability of accounts that fail to consider the interpretations human agents provide to structural conditions. But neither can we accept the reverse. Studies of the interpretations of political agents should adequately account for the structural constraints on those interpretations. This paper illustrates how easily agency studies can underestimate structural constraints by reference to a most serious and scholarly account of agency in the Vietnam War commitment decisions, Yuen Foong Khong's Analogies at War: Korea, Munich Dien Bien Phu and the Vietnam Decisions of 1965. The argumentative burden resides with those who offer accounts that hold or imply that agents acted from non-structural motives.
Japan's Multimember SNTV System and Strategic Voting: A Rejoinder
Authors: Fournier Patrick , Kohno Masaru
Published: August 2008

Five major claims are made in our paper on strategic voting within the context of Japan's multimember single non-transferable vote (SNTV) electoral system (Fournier and Kohno, 2000). Two claims deal with the reconciliation of Steven Reed's (1990) and Gary Cox's (1997) important work on extending Duverger's law to the Japanese case, and three claims deal with the informational effects of partisan labels on strategic voting.
The Diet 2001
Authors: Masuyama Mikitaka
Published: August 2008

Koizumi Junichiro's sweeping victory in the presidential primary of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) represents a palpable change in the national mood that may substantially affect the parliamentary conditions, although its impact on legislation is yet to be seen. In this essay, I briefly review the Diet in the past one year. In particular, the review deals with the legislative records in the 150–152 Diet sessions.
Chathamirhynchia kahuitara, a new genus and species of Late Cretaceous rhynchonellide brachiopod from the Chatham Islands, New Zealand: shell structure, palaeoecology and biogeography
Authors: Lee Daphne E. , Motchurova-Dekova Neda
Published: August 2008

A new rhynchonellide brachiopod has been collected from the Kahuitara Tuff (Campanian–Maastrichtian) of Pitt Island, Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Brachiopods are extremely rare in Cretaceous rocks from New Zealand, and this new genus and species is unlike any other rhynchonellide known from Australasia or elsewhere. Chathamirhynchia kahuitara is distinguished by its small size, strong ribbing, and well-developed sulciplicate folding, and internally by a large, robust cardinal process and raduliform crura. The shell structure of C. kahuitara is shown to be of typical fine fibrous ‘rhynchonellidine’ type. This brachiopod was probably strongly attached to volcanic rock or shells in a shallow-water, high-energy environment. Implications for the biogeography of brachiopods during the Late Cretaceous are briefly discussed.
Sampling taxa, estimating phylogeny and inferring macroevolution: an example from Devonian terebratulide brachiopods
Authors: Carlson Sandra J. , Fitzgerald Paul C.
Published: August 2008

This study explores the implications of different decisions about taxon sampling in studies of phylogeny and macroevolution – how would phylogenetic results differ as decisions about inclusion of taxa differed? The focus is on investigating phylogenetic relationships among families of Devonian terebratulides, and include all 71 named genera in our analyses. Subsets of taxa were experimented with the most complete morphologically from fossil specimens; those that occur earliest in the stratigraphic record; those that include only the name-bearing genera from each family. Including only the most completely known genera produces a result essentially similar to one including all genera, even those for which less than half the characters can be coded. Including only the stratigraphically earliest genera produces a result at odds with the other analyses. Including only name-bearers, representing 13% of all genera, produces a result generally similar to the analysis including all taxa. None of the results of these phylogenetic experiments involving subsets of genera corresponds strongly with the recently revised classification in the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, but general similarities can be discerned. The lack of strong correspondence between classification and several different experimental phylogenetic hypotheses could be ascribed to their different overall goals, and highlights the potential dangers of ascribing evolutionary significance to simple counts of taxa, particularly families, as warned by Alwyn Williams 50 years ago.
Brachiopod biofacies in the Barr and Ardmillan groups, Girvan: Ordovician biodiversity trends on the edge of Laurentia
Authors: Harper David A. T. , Stewart Sarah E.
Published: August 2008

Locally abundant and diverse brachiopod faunas, associated with unstable outer shelf and slope environments, occur throughout the Barr and Ardmillan groups (middle Llanvirn–upper Ashgill) in the Girvan district of SW Scotland. A dataset of 350 brachiopod species from 30 horizons through the Middle–Upper Ordovician succession forms the basis for a description of brachiopod diversity through the succession and comparison with global patterns and trends through this time interval. The Middle Ordovician Barr Group incorporates shallow water carbonate and clastic facies, characterised by Valcourea confinis, with deeper-water facies. The trilobite-dominated Albany Group preserves outer shelf biofacies. Deep-water facies occur in the Balclatchie Formation of the lower Ardmillan Group, including an early occurrence of a Foliomena-type species. High diversity brachiopod faunas occur in clastic facies, though many of the biofacies have a transported component to them. Representatives of the deep-water Foliomena fauna occur intermittently throughout the Upper Ardmillan Group, appearing in both the Whitehouse and Drummuck subgroups. This distinctive assemblage of small, thin-shelled brachiopods, including Dedzetina, Christiania, Cyclospira and Foliomena itself, is interbedded with a variety of other less cosmopolitan deep-water assemblages, including the Onniella–Skenidioides and Lingulella–Trimurellina associations. Shallower-water environments in the middle Ashgill Lower Drummuck Subgroup hosted the Fardenia–Eopholidostrophia association in sands, and the Christiania–Leptaena association in muds and silts. The remarkable Lady Burn Starfish Beds in the upper part of the group contain a variety of brachiopod-dominated assemblages, including the Eochonetes and Plaesiomys–Schizophorella associations, transported from various shelf locations, within a very diverse mid Ashgill biota. The upper Ashgill High Mains Formation contains abundant elements of the terminal Ordovician Hirnantia fauna, including Eostropheodonta, Hindella and Hirnantia itself, but also some taxa more typical of the Laurentian Edgewood Province. As a whole, the changing brachiopod biodiversity biofacies reflect environmental fluctuations, on this part of the Laurentian margin, driven by mainly eustatic and tectonic events against a background of global biotic radiation.
A reappraisal of feeding current systems inferred for spire-bearing brachiopods
Authors: Manceñido Miguel O. , Gourvennec Rémy
Published: August 2008

Spire-bearing brachiopods formally comprise four different rhynchonelliform orders. A calcified spiral brachidium (presumably supporting a spirolophe when alive) and variable median fold and sulcus (probably aiding separation of incurrent from excurrent flows) are peculiar characteristics they all share. Inferences regarding feeding current systems for these extinct taxa have long remained controversial. Two rival models (the Williams–Ager model and the Rudwick–Vogel model) have been developed, each of which has gained supporters as well as critics over the years. In this present paper they are both contrasted and reassessed on the basis of available evidence, together with a new approach that combines: (a) a morpho-functional analysis applying the plankton net as a suitable seston-collecting paradigm; (b) a review of actualistic data showing that all extant spirolophes are functionally inhalant (irrespective of water entering the valves laterally or not); (c) an evaluation of known outcomes from flume experiments yielding consistent empirical results where gaping shells are oriented transversally and dorsally upcurrent; and (d) a reappraisal of the distributions of certain epizoobionts and endosymbionts revealing compatible patterns. The evidence thus accumulated supports the main conclusion that, in most groups (with laterally tapering spiralia), the inhalant current was located medially with the exhalant currents on either side; only in atrypides (with centrally to dorsally tapering spiralia) does the reverse situation appear to have occurred.
A review of the systematics, biogeography, and evolutionary relationships of Recent and fossil brachiopods of the Superfamily Kraussinoidea Dall, with descriptions of two new fossil species from New Zealand and Chile
Authors: Hiller Norton , MacKinnon David I. , Nielsen Sven N.
Published: August 2008

A review is presented of the genera and species, both living and fossil, comprising the Superfamily Kraussinoidea and of their geographic and stratigraphic distributions. Two new fossil species are described, Kraussina chilensis and Megerlina miracula, from the Miocene of Chile and New Zealand respectively. The ontogenetic development of the brachidium in each of the four kraussinid genera is described and on the basis of recognised differences it is proposed that a new taxonomic subdivision is made that places Megerlia in a new subfamily Megerliinae, distinct from the other three genera in the existing subfamily Kraussininae Dall. The loop ontogeny of kraussinoids is compared with that of other terebratellidines and a phylogenetic linkage between kraussinoids and laqueoids is suggested.
Brachiopods and climate change
Authors: Peck Lloyd S.
Published: August 2008

Animals can respond in three main ways to environments that change and deteriorate. They can cope with their inherent physiological flexibility, evolve or adapt to new conditions, or migrate away to areas consistent with survival. The main factors dictating survival are the rates of change and capacities of species to cope. Articulated brachiopods are known as a group that employ low energy solutions and exhibit slow rates in life histories characters, especially in growth and metabolic rates. This way of life carries with it a range of consequences, including poor abilities to raise metabolic rates to perform work. This brings with it poor abilities to cope with elevated temperature. Slow growth, deferred maturity and low feeding rates make them less likely to produce novel adaptations compared with other marine invertebrate taxa. Being largely restricted to hard substrata and low energy supply environments also makes it harder for them to migrate to new sites compared to other groups, because of the large geographic distances between colonisable areas. The only clear area they may have that gives them advantages is in the flexibility of their larval release strategies, where settlement can be from very short, millimetre-scale distances to hundreds of kilometres.
The brachiopods Alwynella and Grorudia: homeomorphic plectambonitoids in the Middle and Upper Ordovician of Baltoscandia
Authors: Hints Linda , Harper David A. T.
Published: August 2008

Two Ordovician plectambonitoid genera, Alwynella and Grorudia, occur in drill core sections of Latvia in the East Baltic, and in exposures and loose blocks on the Swedish Island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. The new material confirms differences between the two taxa that are assigned herein to separate families, Alwynellidae fam. nov. and Grorudiidae Cocks & Rong, 1989. In particular, the undercut cardinalia separates Alwynella from Grorudia and indicates its proximity to the sowerbyellids. The genus Grorudia, which is externally similar to Alwynella, is more closely related to the palaeostrophomenines. A new species Grorudia morrisoni sp. nov. is established in the East Baltic. The specimens from Öland are included tentatively within the genus Grorudia due to lack of interiors. Both Alwynella and Grorudia were confined to deeper-water facies in the Baltic palaeobasin, within successions ranging in age from latest Mid (late Llanvirn) to earliest Late Ordovician (mid Caradoc).
Bioerosion on brachiopod shells – a Cenozoic perspective
Authors: Taddei Ruggiero Emma , Bitner Maria Aleksandra
Published: August 2008

This study describes bioerosion traces ascribed to either predation or endo- and epibiont activity in twenty assemblages from the Mediterranean region and Paratethys, spanning in age from Eocene to Recent. Statistical analysis of the distribution of bioerosion traces among genera and assemblages revealed that there is higher drilling predation intensity on smaller species. Larger species seem to be primarily affected by non-drilling predators. Greatest variety in types of bioerosion could be related to species’ ecology and body size. Both major categories of bioerosion (etchings and traces of predatory activity) vary considerably among samples. Different genera show significant differences in the frequency of different bioerosion types. Shell size seems a major factor contributing to these differences.
Loop ultrastructure and development in Recent Megathiridoidea, with description of a new genus, Joania (type species Terebratula cordata Risso, 1826)
Authors: Alvarez Fernando , Brunton C. Howard C. , Long Sarah L.
Published: August 2008

The loop configuration, structure and growth are studied in a series of megathiridoid dorsal valves ranging in length from 0·7 to 6 mm. The structure of the posterior and anterior sectors of the descending lamellae and their relationships with the socket ridges, dorsal septa and dorsal valve floor, are studied, illustrated and described. Detailed studies show that internal structures display great variability. In the megathiridoids the lamellae of more typical terebratulide loops are replaced by partially developed loops in early developmental stages, resulting in a mix of free sections of loop together with sections where the lophophore rests directly on the epithelium of the valve floor. Comments on the ecology of the megathiridoid species are included and relate their unusually wide gapes, which position their lophophores fully accessible to the open sea, with their strong lophophore attachments and loss of typical free loops. The new genus Joania (type species Terebratula cordata Risso, 1826) is erected for those Argyrotheca which, although having a typical megathiridoid brachidium, differ in their adult crural development, their narrow hinge line, their prominent cardinal process, their characteristic dorsal median septum and their tuberculate radial ridges terminating anteriorly in tubercles.
Lower Permian brachiopods from Oman: their potential as climatic proxies
Authors: Angiolini L. , Darbyshire D. P. F. , Stephenson M. H. , Leng M. J. , Brewer T. S. , Berra F. , Jadoul F.
Published: August 2008

The Lower Permian of the Haushi basin, Interior Oman (Al Khlata Formation to Saiwan Formation/lower Gharif member) records climate change from glaciation, through marine sedimentation in the Haushi sea, to subtropical desert. To investigate the palaeoclimatic evolution of the Haushi Sea we used O, C, and Sr isotopes from 31 brachiopod shells of eight species collected bed by bed within the type-section of the Saiwan Formation. We assessed diagenesis by scanning electron microscopy of ultrastructure, cathodoluminescence, and geochemistry, and rejected fifteen shells not meeting specific preservation criteria. Spiriferids and spiriferinids show better preservation of the fibrous secondary layer than do orthotetids and productids and are therefore more suitable for isotopic analysis. δ18O of −3·7 to −3·1℅ from brachiopods at the base of the Saiwan Formation are probably related to glacial meltwater. Above this, an increase in δ18O may indicate ice accumulation elsewhere in Gondwana or more probably that the Haushi sea was an evaporating embayment of the Neotethys Ocean. δ13C varies little and is within the range of published data: its trend towards heavier values is consistent with increasing aridity and oligotrophy. Saiwan Sr isotope signatures are less radiogenic than those of the Sakmarian LOWESS seawater curve, which is based on extrapolation between few data points. In the scenario of evaporation in a restricted Haushi basin, the variation in Sr isotope composition may reflect a fluvial component.
Earliest Silurian faunal survival and recovery after the end Ordovician glaciation: evidence from the brachiopods
Authors: Cocks L. Robin M. , Jia-yu Rong
Published: August 2008

Earliest Silurian (basal Llandovery) brachiopod faunas are surveyed and listed from around the globe, and divided between Lower Rhuddanian and Upper Rhuddanian occurrences. 60 genera are known from the Lower Rhuddanian within 20 superfamilies and there are 87 genera in 25 superfamilies in the Upper Rhuddanian. The 29 areas surveyed span the globe, both latitudinally and longitudinally. Only six superfamilies are Lazarus taxa which are known both from the Ordovician and Middle Llandovery (Aeronian) and later rocks but have not been recorded from the Rhuddanian. These are surprising results, since many previous studies have inferred that the Rhuddanian was a time of very sparse faunas. The global warming that followed the latest Ordovician (Hirnantian) ice age did not proceed quickly, with an ice-cap probably present through at least the Llandovery. There is a marked absence of Lower Rhuddanian bioherms even at low palaeolatitudes; however, the ecological recovery rate was far faster than that following the end-Permian mass extinction event. The partitioning of the Rhuddanian shelf faunas into well-defined benthic assemblages progressed slowly over the interval.