bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High expression of HLA-E in colorectal carcinoma is associated with a favorable prognosis
Authors: Benevolo Maria , Mottolese Marcella , Tremante Elisa , Rollo Francesca , Diodoro Maria Grazia , Ercolani Cristiana , Sperduti Isabella , Monaco Elisa Lo , Cosimelli Maurizio , Giacomini Patrizio
Published: October 2011

Background

Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-E is a non-classical class I HLA molecule that can be stabilized by ligands donated by other classical (HLA-A, -B, -C) and non-classical (HLA-G) family members. HLA-E engages a variety of immune receptors expressed by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), Natural killer (NK) cells and NK-CTLs. In view of the opposing outcomes (activation or inhibition) of the different HLA-E receptors, the preferred role (if any) of HLA-E expressedin vivoon tumor cells remains to be established.

Methods

Taking advantage of MEM-E/02, a recently characterized antibody to denatured HLA-E molecules, HLA-E expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry on an archival collection (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded) of 149 colorectal primary carcinoma lesions paired with their morphologically normal mucosae. Lymphoid infiltrates were assessed for the expression of the HLA-E-specific, inhibitory, non-rearranging receptor NKG2A.

Results

High HLA-E expression did not significantly correlate with the expression of classical HLA-B and HLA-C molecules, but it did correlate with high expression of its preferential ligand donor HLA-A. In addition, it correlated with lymphoid cell infiltrates expressing the inhibitory NKG2A receptor, and was an independent predictor of good prognosis, particularly in a subset of patients whose tumors express HLA-A levels resembling those of their paired normal counterparts (HLA-A). Thus, combination phenotypes (HLA-Elo-int/HLA-AE and HLA-Ehi/HLA-AE) of classical and non-classical class I HLA molecules mark two graded levels of good prognosis.

Conclusions

These results suggest that HLA-E favors activating immune responses to colorectal carcinoma. They also provide evidence in humans that tumor cells entertain extensive negotiation with the immune system until a compromise between recognition and escape is reached. It is implied that this process occurs stepwise, as predicted by the widely accepted 'immunoediting' model.
Comparative analysis of the quality of a global algorithm and a local algorithm for alignment of two sequences
Authors: Polyanovsky Valery O , Roytberg Mikhail A , Tumanyan Vladimir G
Published: October 2011

Background

Algorithms of sequence alignment are the key instruments for computer-assisted studies of biopolymers. Obviously, it is important to take into account the "quality" of the obtained alignments, i.e. how closely the algorithms manage to restore the "gold standard" alignment (GS-alignment), which superimposes positions originating from the same position in the common ancestor of the compared sequences. As an approximation of the GS-alignment, a 3D-alignment is commonly used not quite reasonably. Among the currently used algorithms of a pair-wise alignment, the best quality is achieved by using the algorithm of optimal alignment based on affine penalties for deletions (the Smith-Waterman algorithm). Nevertheless, the expedience of using local or global versions of the algorithm has not been studied.

Results

Using model series of amino acid sequence pairs, we studied the relative "quality" of results produced by local and global alignments versus (1) the relative length of similar parts of the sequences (their "cores") and their nonhomologous parts, and (2) relative positions of the core regions in the compared sequences. We obtained numerical values of the average quality (measured as accuracy and confidence) of the global alignment method and the local alignment method for evolutionary distances between homologous sequence parts from 30 to 240 PAM and for the core length making from 10% to 70% of the total length of the sequences for all possible positions of homologous sequence parts relative to the centers of the sequences.

Conclusion

We revealed criteria allowing to specify conditions of preferred applicability for the local and the global alignment algorithms depending on positions and relative lengths of the cores and nonhomologous parts of the sequences to be aligned. It was demonstrated that when the core part of one sequence was positioned above the core of the other sequence, the global algorithm was more stable at longer evolutionary distances and larger nonhomologous parts than the local algorithm. On the contrary, when the cores were positioned asymmetrically, the local algorithm was more stable at longer evolutionary distances and larger nonhomologous parts than the global algorithm. This opens a possibility for creation of a combined method allowing generation of more accurate alignments.
Spatial and temporal dynamics of cellulose degradation and biofilm formation by Caldicellulosiruptor obsidiansis and Clostridium thermocellum
Authors: Wang Zhi-Wu , Lee Seung-Hwan , Elkins James G , Morrell-Falvey Jennifer L
Published: October 2011

Cellulose degradation is one of the major bottlenecks of a consolidated bioprocess that employs cellulolytic bacterial cells as catalysts to produce biofuels from cellulosic biomass. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal dynamics of cellulose degradation byCaldicellulosiruptfor obsidiansis, which does not produce cellulosomes, andClostridium thermocellum, which does produce cellulosomes. Results showed that the degradation of either regenerated or natural cellulose was synchronized with biofilm formation, a process characterized by the formation and fusion of numerous crater-like depressions on the cellulose surface. In addition, the dynamics of biofilm formation were similar in both bacteria, regardless of cellulosome production. Only the areas of cellulose surface colonized by microbes were significantly degraded, highlighting the essential role of the cellulolytic biofilm in cellulose utilization. After initial attachment, the microbial biofilm structure remained thin, uniform and dense throughout the experiment. A cellular automaton model, constructed under the assumption that the attached cells divide and produce daughter cells that contribute to the hydrolysis of the adjacent cellulose, can largely simulate the observed process of biofilm formation and cellulose degradation. This study presents a model, based on direct observation, correlating cellulolytic biofilm formation with cellulose degradation.
The draft genome and transcriptome of Cannabis sativa
Authors: van Bakel Harm , Stout Jake M , Cote Atina G , Tallon Carling M , Sharpe Andrew G , Hughes Timothy R , Page Jonathan E
Published: October 2011

Background

Cannabis sativa has been cultivated throughout human history as a source of fiber, oil and food, and for its medicinal and intoxicating properties. Selective breeding has produced cannabis plants for specific uses, including high-potency marijuana strains and hemp cultivars for fiber and seed production. The molecular biology underlying cannabinoid biosynthesis and other traits of interest is largely unexplored.

Results

We sequenced genomic DNA and RNA from the marijuana strain Purple Kush using shortread approaches. We report a draft haploid genome sequence of 534 Mb and a transcriptome of 30,000 genes. Comparison of the transcriptome of Purple Kush with that of the hemp cultivar 'Finola' revealed that many genes encoding proteins involved in cannabinoid and precursor pathways are more highly expressed in Purple Kush than in 'Finola'. The exclusive occurrence of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase in the Purple Kush transcriptome, and its replacement by cannabidiolic acid synthase in 'Finola', may explain why the psychoactive cannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is produced in marijuana but not in hemp. Resequencing the hemp cultivars 'Finola' and 'USO-31' showed little difference in gene copy numbers of cannabinoid pathway enzymes. However, single nucleotide variant analysis uncovered a relatively high level of variation among four cannabis types, and supported a separation of marijuana and hemp.

Conclusions

The availability of the Cannabis sativa genome enables the study of a multifunctional plant that occupies a unique role in human culture. Its availability will aid the development of therapeutic marijuana strains with tailored cannabinoid profiles and provide a basis for the breeding of hemp with improved agronomic characteristics.
Prolactin as a Marker of Successful Catheterization during IPSS in Patients with ACTH-Dependent Cushing's Syndrome
Authors: Sharma S. T. , Raff H. , Nieman L. K.
Published: October 2011

Context:

Anomalous venous drainage can lead to false-negative inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) results. Baseline inferior petrosal sinus to peripheral (IPS/P) prolactin ratio higher than 1.8 ipsilateral to the highest ACTH ratio has been proposed to verify successful catheterization. Prolactin-normalized ACTH IPS/P ratios may differentiate Cushing's disease (CD) from ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS).

Objective:

Our objective was to examine the utility of prolactin measurement during IPSS.

Design, Setting, and Participants:

We conducted a retrospective analysis of prolactin levels in basal and CRH-stimulated IPSS samples in ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome (2007–2010).

Results:

Twenty-five of 29 patients had a pathologically proven diagnosis (17 CD and eight EAS). IPSS results were partitioned into true positive for CD (n = 16), true negative (n = 7), false negative (n = 1), and false positive (n = 1). Prolactin IPS/P ratio suggested successful IPSS in eight of 11 with abnormal venograms. Baseline prolactin IPS/P ratio was helpful in two patients with abnormal venograms and false-negative (catheterization unsuccessful) or true-negative (catheterization successful) IPSS results; the normalized ratio correctly diagnosed their disease. Normalized ACTH IPS/P ratio was at least 1.3 in all with CD, but prolactin IPS/P ratios were misleadingly low in two. One patient with cyclic EAS had a false-positive IPSS when eucortisolemic (baseline prolactin IPS/P = 1.7; normalized ratio = 5.6). All other EAS patients had normalized ratios no higher than 0.7.

Conclusion:

Prolactin measurement and evaluation of the venogram can improve diagnostic accuracy when IPSS results suggest EAS but is not necessary with positive IPSS results. Confirmation of hypercortisolemia remains a prerequisite for IPSS. A normalized ratio of 0.7–1.3 was not diagnostic.
A Comparative Borate Adsorption Study of Ettringite and Metaettringite
Authors: Hongo Teruhisa , Tsunashima Yusuke , Sakai Yuka , Iizuka Atsushi , Yamasaki Akihiro
Published: October 2011

Ettringite and metaettringite samples were used to compare adsorption capacity for borate. The metaettringite, prepared from the ettringite calcined at 175 °C, showed approximately five times higher adsorption capacity for borate.
Increased use of pre-operative imaging and laparoscopy has no impact on clinical outcomes in patients undergoing appendicectomy
Authors: Markar SR , Karthikesalingam A , Cunningham J , Burd C , Bond-Smith G , Kurzawinski TR
Published: October 2011

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to review changes in the management of acute appendicitis in a ten-year period at a large university teaching hospital in London.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study reviewing the medical records of patients who underwent an appendicectomy over a period of 12 months either in 1999 or 2009. Data collected included use of radiological investigations (ultrasonography, computed tomography [CT]), technique of appendicectomy (open [OA] or laparoscopic [LA]), operative time, histopathology and post-operative complications. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to assess the influence of variables on the incidence of negative appendicectomy, appendiceal perforation and post-operative complications.

RESULTS

All of the patients operated on in 1999 (n=109) had OA. Of the patients operated on in 2009 (n=164), 67 had OA, 91 had LA and 6 had LA converted to OA. None of the patients in 1999 had CT whereas in 2009 26% of patients had CT (sensitivity 94.7%, specificity 75.0%). This increased use of pre-operative imaging had no effect on negative appendicectomy (25.7% vs 12.8%, p=0.445), perforation (30.0% vs 21.3%, p=0.308) or complication rates (9.2% vs 10.4%). The complication rate was also similar regardless of whether patients had OA or LA (11.9% vs 9.9%). Multivariate analysis revealed that age was the only predictor of negative appendicectomy (p=0.029) or perforation (p=0.014).

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that significant increase in the use of pre-operative imaging and laparoscopy in the management of patients with acute appendicitis failed to reduce negative appendicectomy, perforation and complications rates. The patient's age was the only predictor of negative appendicectomy and perforation.
Total adventitial resection of the cardia: ‘optimal local resection’ for tumours of the oesophagogastric junction
Authors: Botha AJ , Odendaal W , Patel V , Watcyn-Jones T , Mahadeva U , Chang F , Deere H
Published: October 2011

INTRODUCTION

Little is published about the local resection of oesophageal cancers. We adopted the principles of rectal cancer surgery, ie standard surgical dissection techniques as well as standard pathological processing and reporting, and assessed the feasibility of applying them to oesophagogastric junction (OGJ) cancer.

METHODS

Over a two-year period consecutive patients with invasive cancers of the OGJ were studied. Following staging and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), a standard dissection defined as a total adventitial resection of the cardia (TARC) was performed. Standard histopathological processing involved external inking, photographing, transverse slicing and mounting of cut samples on megablocks. Hospital morbidity and mortality as well as survival at five years' follow-up were assessed.

RESULTS

Forty consecutive patients had a TARC for OGJ carcinoma. Of these, 32 were offered NAC. Introducing TARC did not result in increased morbidity or mortality. Twenty-seven patients (68%) had an R0 resection that was directly related to the tumour stage and significantly related to a response to chemotherapy. Sixteen patients (42%) were alive five years after their TARC operation.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the adventitia of the OGJ is not as well developed as that of the rectum, TARC can be performed safely as a standardised resection for OGJ cancers. Whereas the R0 rate for early stage tumours is very high, it remains disappointingly low for T3N1 tumours despite NAC. Improved long-term survival for these advanced tumours will only be achieved with better neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies.
Current concepts of surveillance and its significance in head and neck cancer
Authors: Manikantan Kapila , Dwivedi Raghav C , Sayed Suhail I , Pathak KA , Kazi Rehan
Published: October 2011

Follow-up in head and neck cancer (HNC) is essential to detect and manage locoregional recurrence or metastases, or second primary tumours at the earliest opportunity. A variety of guidelines and investigations have been published in the literature. This has led to oncologists using different guidelines across the globe. The follow-up protocols may have unnecessary investigations that may cause morbidity or discomfort to the patient and may have significant cost implications. In this evidence-based review we have tried to evaluate and address important issues like the frequency of follow-up visits, clinical and imaging strategies adopted, and biochemical methods used for the purpose. This review summarises strategies for follow-up, imaging modalities and key investigations in the literature published between 1980 and 2009. A set of recommendations is also presented for cost-effective, simple yet efficient surveillance in patients with head and neck cancer.
The RCS International Office: a profile
Authors: Evans Carly
Published: October 2011

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an international organisation with members from more than 90 countries. The movement of doctors, patients and surgical innovation across borders has a huge impact on surgery in the UK. The College recognises that an appreciation, understanding and active engagement in international affairs can be usefully brought to bear on the advancement of surgical standards in the UK and abroad, to the benefit of our fellows and members and ultimately their patients.
Successful Introduction of a Team-Based Surgical Safety Checklist
Authors: Gill S , Owen M , Deo S
Published: October 2011

Surgical errors have a huge impact on the NHS. Between October 2006 and September 2007 over 128,000 reports of patient safety incidents from surgical specialties were reported to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). These incidents ranged from misplacement of patient notes to incorrect treatment or procedure. Data collected from 56 countries showed that in 2004 there were an estimated 234 million operations globally with major complications in 3–16% of inpatient surgical procedures and a post-operative death rate of 0.4–0.8% in industrialised countries. There is a strong correlation between surgical error and post-operative complications with errors occurring in four out of five cases of post-operative complications.
In visible hands: the work of stop motion
Authors: Gambrell Alice
Published: October 2011

This essay puts artists, historians and theorists into conversation with each other in the context of an examination of stop-motion work process. Stop-motion film-makers frequently blur the boundaries between work and play as they practise their painstakingly labour-intensive craft,
and this essay considers how the work of the animator’s hands is evoked (in implicit and explicit ways) in two key examples of late-twentieth-century stop-motion film. Starting with Adam Smith’s metaphor of the ‘invisible hand’ as a figure for self-regulating tendencies
within capitalism, and extending into far more critical re-examinations of the figure by C. Wright Mills, I discuss the visual culture of workplace efficiency analysis and its relationship to the history of stopmotion film. I focus in the remainder of the essay on representations of work process
in Henry Selick’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Peter Lord and David Sproxton’s Confessions of a Foyer Girl. I argue that these films’ contrasting considerations of work are enmeshed within ambivalent considerations of the political economy of cinematic
production and distribution.
Costumer-based brand equity for tourism destinations in Patagonia
Authors: Zanfardini Marina , Tamagni Lucía , Gutauskas Andrea
Published: October 2011

We conducted empirical research into brand equity for two mountain tourism destinations, Villa la Angostura (VLA) and Villa Pehuenia (VP), in the Patagonia region of Argentina. Brand equity was measured through four dimensions: brand awareness, perceived image, perceived quality and
loyalty. A structured survey was administered to a sample of 400 respondents living in Neuquén city, an important nearby source market for the destinations. Findings indicated high familiarity with both tourism brands. The Neuquén tourism market perceived both brands as nature
and snow destinations, with beautiful landscapes and a range of attractions. High levels of perceived quality and positive loyalty attitudes and behaviours were also detected, although evidence was found of a differentiated perceived image for each destination. VLA was identified as a destination
with a range of activities and services and better accessibility, while VP was identified as a destination with very hospitable hosts. VP seemed to be a more relaxing and peaceful destination but at the same time less entertaining compared to VLA. This research contributes to the local literature
on equity brand measurement; recommendations for destination marketers are also presented.
Performative belongings and dis/locations in between continents: The making of a children’s book
Authors: Oikarinen-Jabai Helena
Published: October 2011

In this article I describe the ideas behind one of my Ph.D. texts, a children’s book entitled Mona’s and Sona’s Monday that I co-produced with the graphic designer Anu Merenlahti. The book was published in 2007 by All Our Children. The story begins in the morning when
twin girls Sona and Mona wake up, and follows them through the course of their day: to the pre-school, to their friend’s kebab restaurant, to their mother’s shop and back home. On their daily journey the girls travel in time as well as space. They live in Finland, but their other
‘home’ country, Gambia, is present in their discussions with each other and with the rest of the characters in the book. Both in the written story and the illustrations, West African and Gambian elements are woven together through European and Finnish storylines. The ‘plot’
and layout of the book explore in-between experiences and hybrid realms as part of their aesthetic objective.
Framing new communicative technologies in the Arab world
Authors: Daoudi Anissa , Murphy Emma
Published: October 2011

This article explores how the academic discourses that have arisen out of research into the political and sociocultural impacts of contemporary information and communications technologies in the Arab world both mirror and diverge from similar discourses arising out of language and linguistics
research. The authors suggest that there are five central understandings of this impact: discourses of development, emancipation, subordination, adaptation and resistance. Whilst political research focuses mostly on the first three, cultural and linguistic research emphasizes the latter two.
The authors argue that the evidence presented here supports a case for a concerted inter-disciplinary approach to the study of ICTs in the region, on the grounds that it offers the best chance to capture the multiple textures and layers of the regional experience.
'Paroles de vie': Christian radio producers in the Republic of Benin
Authors: Grätz Tilo
Published: October 2011

In the Republic of Benin, we are currently witnessing an enormous proliferation of religious radio broadcasting in various forms, especially with regard to Pentecostal churches. Apart from already established Christian broadcasters such as Radio Immaculée Conception, Radio Alléluia
or Radio Maranatha, operating on a regional or even on a national scale, various smaller groups and individual pastors, mainly from evangelical and Charismatic churches, are increasingly contracting broadcasting hours with public, private or community radio stations. Furthermore, many pastors
have started to record CDs with prayers and gospel sounds to broadcast, or hire professional media production companies to ensure a large media coverage of their appearances in various media. On the one hand, these strategies represent a particular form of media appropriation, an attempt to
obtain a greater share in the changing public sphere, and are part of the growing competition between various religious media actors, especially with regard to their ambitions of moral guidance. On the other hand, these programmes could be seen as stages for creative individual religious actors,
among them also laymen, offering moments of self-assertion and granting social prestige.
Legal games: the regulation of content and the challenge of casual gaming
Authors: Síthigh Daithí Mac
Published: October 2011

The regulation of video games in the United Kingdom has come under the authority of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) since the 1980s, but the system was extended in 2010 and a new authority will take over from them in due course. This article considers the history of
this regulatory system, arguing that the limitations of the Video Recordings Act (VRA) (the governing statute) and the assumptions made by legislators are a result of the gulf between legal and academic understandings of games. Furthermore, the range of games now played, such as casual downloadable
games and applications on smartphones and mobile devices, means that the dividing line between regulated and unregulated may be based on history instead of necessity. The author draws upon legal decisions, regulatory statements, and general and specialist press reports, alongside the academic
literature on games from the humanities and the social sciences, arguing that an alternative form of legal control could be informed by advances in the academic and cultural understanding of video games.
Doing gender versus playing gender in online worlds: Masculinity and femininity in Second Life and Guild Wars
Authors: Rosier Kate , Pearce Celia
Published: October 2011

The 1987 West and Zimmerman article ‘Doing gender’ argues that throughout our daily lives, we are always ‘doing gender’, reinforcing what is acceptable behaviour for females and males according to socially defined gender roles. Through the examination of a qualitative
study, this article explores the relationship between ‘doing gender’ and ‘playing gender’ in online virtual worlds, comparing differences in the conception and performance of gender in Second Life, primarily a social world, and Guild Wars, primarily a role-playing game.
It also explores players’ perceptions of their own avatar gender choices, gendered play styles more broadly, as well as perceptions of in-game gender ratios.
Hitting bottom: Aki Kaurismäki and the abject subject
Authors: Elsaesser Thomas
Published: October 2011

This article uses a number of recent European films to forward arguments concerning European transnational cinema as well as post-national societies. Particular focus is placed on Aki Kaurismäki’s film The Man without a Past (2002), which is seen as a serious, comic and subversive
contribution to the debate about the nature of European governmentality in times when there is little room for solidarity or kinship loyalty. The Man without a Past is looked at across three possible intersecting frames of reference, tentatively referred to as social romanticism, a social
parable of our time, and the ability to look at a given situation from outside without stepping outside. Together these frames allow an understanding of Kaurismäki’s analysis of contemporary society and his construction of a hero, who combines great humanity and humility and makes
his otherness the very basis of a new kind of community.
‘Old fangs into new viewers: the American poster to Let the Right One In
Authors: Marklund Anders
Published: October 2011

A brief analysis of the American poster to the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, relating to genre, audiences and distribution.
Archival notes
Authors: Wengström Jon , Olsen Jon Arild , Heiskanen Outi , Christensen Thomas C.
Published: October 2011

Reports from Scandinavian film archives on their recent and ongoing projects.
The American Film in 1928
Authors: Laxness Halldór
Published: October 2011

Laxness’s essay, ‘Kvikmyndin ameríska 1928’/‘The American Film in 1928’, was originally published in 1929 and offers a critical analysis of Hollywood and the early studio system. The author argues that the movie industry, due in part to the economic
realities of film production and in part to the social dominance of capitalism in the United States, functions largely as an ideological apparatus on behalf of the corporations who own the studios, and as such promotes and protects the wider social interest of the moneyed class. The essay
then seeks to identify the manner in which films communicate ideological ‘messages’ through the manipulation of narrative structures and the mise-en-scène, and particularly how ideological ‘effects’ are tailored to the working class. The essay then offers an
extensive analysis of the work of Cecil B. DeMille, who is found to be exemplary of the commercialized ‘Hollywood spirit’, followed by a discussion of Charles Chaplin, practically the sole exception to the conservative political agenda of mainstream Hollywood. The essay commences
with a short preface where the ramifications of Hollywood’s vast cultural reach are reflected upon.
From ‘words, words, words’ to ‘birds, birds, birds’. Literature between the representation and the presentation: where imagination and refl ection still
Authors: Castanyer Laura Borràs
Published: October 2011

The famous quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet makes a literal reference to the materiality of words. I would like to start from this canonical point to make a leap to the immateriality of digital literature or art. Nowadays there is something about digital literature that, despite
being one of the most contemporary of forms in literature, could still be considered very close to the art of interpreting omens from the flight or songs of birds. It seems interesting to me that this activity of the ancient augury, the main function of which was to interpret the will of the
gods by studying the flight of birds, occurred in a place called a templum. According to Markovsky, the Latin templum would be equivalent to the Greek τέμενος, from τέμνω, which means ‘to cut off’. The technical terms used to
name this act were liberare (to liberate) and effari (to utter), and thus the temple was a ‘locus liberatus et effatus’, or a place liberated through a special kind of speech. Could we talk about digital literature in terms of a new sort of speech? The phonetic similarity between
‘words’ and ‘birds’ as well as the aesthetic formulations considered in such pieces as Maria Mencía’s Birds Singing Other Birds’ Songs or ‘The Language of Birds’ by Belén Gache allow us to discuss the transfer that has been made
from the page to the screen in the field of literature. This is a process that could be analysed as a re-citation of the text or as an artistic construction in dynamic interaction in which critics have a decisive role to play and act as mediums, i.e. as interpreters of the ‘birdsong’
to mediate between creators and readers.
Following Paths of Electronic Literature
Authors: Husárová Zuzana
Published: October 2011

Easy manipulation, playfulness, creative and active participation in the progress of society and culture by the development of various (art) projects are essential for the ideal of contemporary culture and society. The aim of the article is to look at the phenomena that play an important
role in the field of electronic literature – interaction, materiality, performativity and the dynamics of hic et nunc, playfulness, ludification and the innovative use of platforms. The article follows contemporary trends in the field of electronic literature and simultaneously tries
to outline some possible directions that electronic literature could take in the near future.
…ha perdut la veu: Some reflections on the composition of e-literature as a minor literature
Authors: Fletcher Jerome
Published: October 2011

This article has two objectives. One is to give a clear example of the way in which practice and theory, or rather practice-as-research, can exist in a symbiotic relationship – each benefiting and illuminating the other. The second aim is to propose and map out an area of potential
further research into the discursive positioning of e-literature. It draws on some of the thinking of Deleuze and Guattari around language and literature, in particular as it is articulated through a reading of them by Jean-Jacques Lecercle. In this respect it should be seen as a point of
departure, not a presentation of findings. The article is an extended version of one I gave at Kingston University as part of the From Page to Screen to Augmented Reality Conference. The original article was designed to be delivered in conjunction with a video of a digital text work in performance.
For this context I have taken some screenshots of that video and added them to the article. They will at least provide some sense of how the digital text work is displayed and how it functions.
Cine de choque: Image culture, the absence of the patriarch and violence in Alejandro Amenábar's Abre los ojos (1997)
Authors: Thakkar Amit
Published: October 2011

This article proposes that Alejandro Amenábar's Abre los ojos (1997) is an example of what I term cine de choque, a specifically Hispanophone category of film in which the word choque – translatable as 'crash', 'shock' or 'clash' in English –
informs both theme and aesthetics. In this particular example of cine de choque, an aesthetic is created on the basis of a structure in which lulls are almost as important as the film's crash, shocks and clashes. The film's lull–choque–lull aesthetic, I argue, emphasizes
the allure of image and false explanations in the life of the protagonist César. This allure is partly explained by the absence of authoritative, patriarchal figures: both his parents are dead and the older male figures which compete for his attention prove to be unreliable. The resulting
evocation of a culturally and historically orphaned youth culture in Spain helps to contextualize the film's acts of violence.
Smells like 1990s spirit: The dazzling deception of Fight Club's grunge-aesthetic
Authors: Bedford Mark
Published: October 2011

After presenting a brief survey of the academic and popular critical celebration of Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999) this article argues that claims for Fight Club's progressive credentials are misplaced. Rather than accepting the one-sided critical discourse that posits
Fight Club as cleverly subverting the dominant values of the entertainment industry that financed it, I attempt to reveal the film as a commercially driven, anti-progressive, Trojan horse. I argue that the film's biggest trick is to borrow formal and thematic motifs from the early 1990s
grunge scene. This provides a 'dazzling' (to use a term that appears on more than one occasion in reviews) smokescreen for a set of gendered representations that do nothing to undermine conventional conceptions of sociocultural relations. This article also questions the orthodox critical view
that Fight Club provided a point of identification for its embattled white, middle-class, target audience and suggests the film may have connected with less affluent male audiences for different, but equally negative reasons.
Subject of/to the camera: embodied subjectivity and the mind/body split in Undressing My Mother
Authors: Beadling Laura L.
Published: October 2011

Older women are usually not the subjects of film but Ken Wardrop's Undressing My Mother uses a variety of strategies including defamiliarization, voice-over and the separation of sound and image to disrupt the conventional ways of viewing and understanding older women and thus create
a cultural space for exploring such subjectivities.
A shot-by-shot breakdown of Village
Authors: Raskin Richard
Published: October 2011

N. B. What follows is merely an outline of the film, indicating its overall structure and making it possible to refer to individual shots by number. No indications are provided here concerning sound. The images are reproduced with the kind permission of Miles Goodall.
A shot-by-shot breakdown of The War Is Over
Authors: Raskin Richard
Published: October 2011

N. B. What follows is merely an outline of the film, indicating its overall structure and making it possible to refer to individual shots by number. No indications are provided here concerning movement within each shot (either of the persons filmed or of the camera) or of the reframing
of the actors as any given shot progresses, though two moments of the final shot are shown. Images and text are reproduced with the kind permission of Nina Mimica.
Portrayed beyond exposure
Authors: Farukuoye Monika
Published: October 2011

This dramaturgic analysis of Undressing My Mother shows that it is largely by putting the viewer into a position reminiscent of that of a small child that the film manages to open the viewer's eyes wide enough to see beyond the flesh and behold a mother.
Is life a cabaret? Cabaret and its sources in reality and the imagination
Authors: Block Geoffrey
Published: October 2011

The article will explore the accuracy behind the creative conceit that cabaret life during the waning days of the Weimar Republic can serve as ‘metaphor for Germany’. The article will show how the peripheral presence of the cabaret in Christopher Isherwood’s stories
and John Van Druten’s play adaptation I Am a Camera assumed primary importance in the musical Cabaret (directed by Hal Prince), Bob Fosse’s film based on the show and future stage productions, including the London and New York revival directed by Sam Mendes. The article will demonstrate
that however effective as an artistic and social statement the guiding metaphor of Prince, largely retained by his successors, the powerful and persuasive artistic visions and social statements of the musical versions are historically misleading.
Envisioning a world-class university system for India
Authors: Ramaprasad Arkalgud
Published: October 2011

While there continues to be considerable discussion on world-class universities, there has been little discussion on world-class university systems. Ideally, a world-class university system is an ecology of institutions with highly differentiated but tightly integrated visions. These
universities are differentiated by their emphasis on research, teaching and service; their global, regional, national and local scope; their aspiration to be a premier, leading or a generic institution; their specialization in the arts, humanities, sciences and professions. Yet they have to
act in concert for the development of the society. They have to form a coherent, coordinated, albeit complex network to generate knowledge, store it, propagate it and apply it to the development of society. This article presents a framework for envisioning such a system for India, a case study
of application of the framework and suggestions for strategically planning for such a system.
Metaphors in the description of seizure experiences: Common expressions and differential diagnosis
Authors: Plug Leendert , Sharrack Basil , Reuber Markus
Published: October 2011

This paper explores the use of metaphorical expressions in the description of seizure experiences by patients with epilepsy and patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. The paper addresses two main questions. First, what is the range of metaphorical expressions which patients use to describe their seizure experiences, and can these be related to conventional metaphors used by healthy individuals? Second, is the difference in the underlying cause of our patients' seizure experiences in any way reflected in their use of metaphorical expressions? The paper suggests that the answer to both of these questions is affirmative, which strengthens the embodiment hypothesis. Implications for our understanding of patients' experiences of seizures and of the difference between epileptic and non-epileptic seizures are also discussed.
Validation of a Centrifuge Permeameter for Investigation of Transient Infiltration and Drainage Flow Processes in Unsaturated Soils
Authors: Parks Jean M. , Stewart Melissa A. , McCartney John S.
Published: October 2011

This paper focuses on the validation of a centrifuge permeameter and testing methodology developed to investigate transient water flow processes in unsaturated soils. The centrifuge permeameter is capable of controlling the boundary conditions for infiltration and drainage and contains instrumentation to measure profiles of the volumetric water content and matric suction with height in a soil layer during centrifugation. Evaluations of the measured matric suction and volumetric water content profiles from a series of infiltration and drainage tests performed on a fine sand at centrifuge acceleration levels ranging from 20 to 50 times earth gravity indicate that the established equations for calculating the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soil at steady-state conditions might not be appropriate, except at higher centrifuge accelerations. The transient profiles were also analyzed using a form of the instantaneous profile method in which the centrifuge acceleration was incorporated into the hydraulic gradient. Although the calculated soil water retention curve and hydraulic conductivity function data show some scatter, the hysteretic behavior of the soil during wetting and drying could be assessed.
Strength and Stiffness Characteristics of Unsaturated Hydrophobic Granular Media
Authors: Byun Yong-Hoon , Khoa Tran M. , Sup Yun Tae , Lee Jong-Sub
Published: October 2011

The nonwetting nature of hydrophobic soils, which results from wildfires or organic substances, may influence the shear strength and stiffness of granular soils. Since surficial soils are often unsaturated, their shear strength and stiffness are also affected by the magnitude of negative pore-water pressure. The goal of this study is to investigate the dominant factors affecting the strength and stiffness of hydrophilic and hydrophobic soils. Hydrophobic granular media were synthesized by a silanization technique with glass beads (D50 = 0.25 mm) to a degree of saturation of S = 0, 5, and 10 %. The prepared specimens were sheared using a direct shear device at various normal stresses. The shear waves were continuously monitored by bender elements. The experimental results showed that hydrophobic specimens had a lower shear strength than hydrophilic specimens due to lower friction, even though the hydrophobic specimen was under a denser packing condition. The shear stiffness was constant at small strains in the specimen composed of hydrophobic particles. However, as a result of the higher friction, the stiffness at small strains in the specimen composed of hydrophilic particles increased as the horizontal displacement increased. The results demonstrate that capillary force, interparticle friction, and packing density are important contributing factors to the shear strength and stiffness in hydrophobic soils.
The Equally Wonderful Field: Ernst Mayr and Organismic Biology
Authors: Milam Erika Lorraine
Published: October 2011

Biologists in the 1960s witnessed a period of intense intra-disciplinary negotiations, especially the positioning of organismic biologists relative to molecular biologists. The perceived valorization of the physical sciences by "molecular" biologists became a catalyst creating a unified front of "organismic" biology that incorporated not just evolutionary biologists, but also students of animal behavior, ecology, systematics, botany—in short, almost any biological community that predominantly conducted their research in the field or museum and whose practitioners felt the pinch of the prestige and funding accruing to molecular biologists and biochemists. Ernst Mayr, Theodosius Dobzhansky, and George Gaylord Simpson took leading roles in defending alternatives to what they categorized as the mechanistic approach of chemistry and physics applied to living systems—the "equally wonderful field of organismic biology." Thus, it was through increasingly tense relations with molecular biology that organismic biologists cohered into a distinct community, with their own philosophical grounding, institutional security, and historical identity. Because this identity was based in large part on a fundamental rejection of the physical sciences as a desirable model within biology, organismic biologists succeeded in protecting the future of their field by emphasizing the deep divisions that ran through the biological sciences as a whole.
Leaking All over the Page
Authors: Kipnis Laura
Published: October 2011

“We were warned to expect ‘dirty tricks,‘” he tweeted. “now we have the first one.” He'd been set up, he told reporters. His lawyer attributed the allegations to “dark forces,” part of a “greater plan” to discredit him (Harnden). The “we” (and “he”) in question was Julian Assange, a thirty-nine-year-old Australian and founder of the guerrilla media organization WikiLeaks, which dedicates itself to embarrassing governments and corporations through strategic leaks of classified and secret documents to the media. Assange has yet to be formally charged with anything, although he's currently under house arrest at the English country estate of one of his supporters and facing extradition to Sweden after allegedly sexually assaulting two women there. The women, both WikiLeaks supporters, did consent to have sex with him, but apparently not the kind of sex he had in mind. As one of them put it, “Not only was it the worst screw of my life, it was also violent” (qtd. in Davies).
Always Lonely: Celebrity, Motherhood, and the Dilemma of Destiny
Authors: Weber Brenda R.
Published: October 2011

Just what is it about fame that so alienates women? or, why is it that famous women often speak of their experience of celebrity as something that is ultimately lonely and a shabby substitute for love? And why are these statements of loneliness in celebrity attenuated for mothers? Whether it is a famous American author of the nineteenth century and mother of seven, Harriet Beecher Stowe; an iconic and volatile star of the mid–twentieth century and mother of three, Judy Garland; or a twenty-first-century reality celebrity and mother of eight, Kate Gosselin, these women suggest that the experiences of fame are isolating and ultimately unsatisfying. To paraphrase Stowe, it is not fame and celebrity that satisfies the heart of the female star; it is the old-fashioned comforts of love. Their combined comments are thus a corrective to fans' implied perception of famous people as happy, when, indeed, their celebrity seems to have alienated them from love. Whether the female celebrity seeks romantic or familial love is not clear, and we would do well to realize that the abstract palliative is actually a culturally imagined comfort that probably has little to do with either these women in particular or stardom more broadly. But the consistent remarks about fame as a condition of loneliness establish a discursive imperative that the famous woman speak of longing for affective completion, in turn suggesting that public ardor cannot satisfy the woman's heart. In other words, fame cannot replace love.
Salomé!! Sarah Bernhardt, Oscar Wilde, and the Drama of Celebrity
Authors: Marcus Sharon
Published: October 2011

Oscar Wilde'sSalome, composed in French in 1891, represents both an episode in the history of celebrity and a dramatization of celebrity's theatrical structure. The play first entered the orbit of stardom when Sarah Bernhardt, internationally hailed as the world's greatest actress, agreed to play the title role in 1892; its author had long been a celebrity, known as much for his artfully crafted persona as for his published writings. Bernhardt, Wilde, andSalome, a play in which almost every character is both fan and idol, were all defined by the volatile conjunctions shared by theatricality and celebrity: the asymmetrical interdependence of actors and audiences, stars and acolytes, exhibition and attention, distance and proximity, absolutism and democracy, exemplarity and impudence, worship and desecration, and presence and representation.