bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postverbal elements in immigrant Turkish: Evidence of change?
Authors: Seza Doğruöz A. , Backus Ad
Published: December 2008

Contact between languages usually leads to linguistic changes. Both social and structural factors are claimed to influence this process. This study analyzes word order in Turkish as spoken in the Netherlands (NL-Turkish). Turkish is an OV language but also allows other word order patterns (including VO) in certain pragmatic contexts. Dutch, on the other hand, is VO in main clauses. Due to contact, Turkish may be expected to increase its use of VO. From a comparison with Turkish as spoken in Turkey (TR-Turkish), it appeared that there is no increase of VO in NL-Turkish. However, we did find some deviations in the information structure characteristics of VO structures and sometimes these seem to be due to Dutch influence. On the other hand, TR-Turkish data also contained certain types of VO structures that further caution against hasty contact conclusions. We conclude that contact situations need to be intense for sweeping syntactic change to occur, and that such change starts with changes in individual semilexical constructions.
Trilingual conversations: A window into multicompetence
Authors: Edwards Malcolm , Dewaele Jean-Marc
Published: December 2008

A recurrent theme in the literature on trilingual language use is the question of whether there is a specific “trilingual competence.” In this paper we consider this question in the light of codeswitching patterns in two dyadic trilingual conversations between a mother and daughter conducted in (Lebanese) Arabic, French, and English. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of codeswitching in both conversants shows that, despite the fact that both subjects are fluent in all three languages, uses of switching are significantly different for mother and daughter across a number of features, including relative frequency of different switch types, and the incidence of hybrid constructions involving items from two or more languages. The subjects appear to display qualitatively distinct profiles of competence in the trilingual mode. This in turn leads to the conclusion that the facts of trilingual language use are best characterized in terms of “multicompetence” (Cook, 1991). The paper concludes with some further reflections on the uniqueness of trilingual language use (an “old chestnut” in trilingualism research, cf. Klein, 1995).
The effect of multilingualism, sociobiographical, and situational factors on communicative anxiety and foreign language anxiety of mature language learners
Authors: Dewaele Jean-Marc
Published: December 2008

The present study focuses on individual differences in levels of communicative anxiety (CA) and foreign language anxiety (FLA) in the first (L1), second (L2), third (L3) and fourth (L4) language of 106 adult language learners. Data were collected about CA/FLA levels when speaking with friends, with strangers, and speaking in public. The analyses revealed that multilinguals do experience more CA in stressful situations in their L1, but that levels of FLA are higher in languages learnt later in life. The knowledge of more languages was linked to lower levels of FLA in the L2. Female participants were only found to experience higher levels of CA in L1 public speech. Older participants tended to report higher levels of CA/FLA across languages. Rank orders for CA/FLA were significantly similar across the L1, L2, L3, and L4, which suggests that levels of CA/FLA are relatively stable and could be linked to a lower order personality trait such as emotional intelligence.
Brooklyn style: Hip-hop markers and racial affiliation among European immigrants in New York City
Authors: Cutler Cecelia
Published: December 2008

Many immigrants and expatriates of European heritage who come to the United States are surprised at being inducted into a system of racial categorization in which they are labeled as `White'. This paper examines data from informal interviews with teenage immigrants who come from a number of eastern European countries including Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Bulgaria and are bound by their affiliation with hip-hop culture. They live mainly in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens and express their affiliation with hip-hop through stylized language and lifestyle practices. For many, hip-hop culture and Black American culture more broadly offer more attractive models for identity formation than the surrounding White mainstream culture. Their use of hip-hop linguistic markers and other forms of identity display place them at odds with their compatriots who have chosen to align themselves with the White mainstream. This is evident in verbal interactions at both the linguistic and discursive level as young people negotiate a place in their adopted homeland. Taken together, the data raise interesting questions about the relationship of hip-hop stylized speech to existing ethnolects such as African American English and the extent to which this speech style represents an emerging ethnolect in its own right.
Ewing’s Sarcoma of the Hand
Authors: ANAKWENZE O. A. , PARKER W. L. , WOLD L. E. , AMRAMI K. K , AMADIO P. C.
Published: December 2008

A retrospective case review was carried out to report the outcomes in a contemporary case series of Ewing’s sarcoma originating in the hand. We identified five patients treated since 1995. All five had wide surgical excision, one by ray amputation. All were treated with chemotherapy. Four patients also received radiation therapy, two to treat metastases and two as an adjunct to local excision. There were no local recurrences. Two patients developed metastases. Both died of their disease. Neither of these two patients had received local postoperative radiation therapy; one did not receive chemotherapy before definitive surgery. The other three patients were alive and free of disease at last follow-up, 4 to 12 years after initial presentation.
Of mice and men: an open-label pilot study for treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura by an inhibitor of Syk
Authors: Podolanczuk Anna , Lazarus Alan H. , Crow Andrew R. , Grossbard Elliot , Bussel James B.
Published: December 2008

To determine whether inhibition of Syk would be useful in FcγR-dependent cytopenias such as immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) or autoimmune hemolytic anemia, mouse models were used to evaluate efficacy of R406, an inhibitor of Syk function, in treating cytopenia. Both disease models responded favorably to treatment, with amelioration of ITP being more dramatic. Thus, phase 2 clinical trial was initiated to study the effects of Syk inhibition in humans with ITP. Sixteen adults with chronic ITP were entered into an open-label, single-arm cohort dose-escalation trial beginning with 75 mg and escalating as high as 175 mg twice daily. Doses were increased until a persistent response was seen, toxicity occurred, or 175 mg twice daily was reached. Eight patients achieved persistent responses with platelet counts greater than 50 × 109/L (50 000 mm3) on more than 67% (actually 95%) of their study visits, including 3 who had not persistently responded to thrombopoietic agents. Four others had nonsustained responses. Mean peak platelet count exceeded 100 × 109/L (100 000 mm3) in these 12 patients. Toxicity was primarily GI-related with diarrhea (urgency) and vomiting; 2 patients had transaminitis. In conclusion, inhibition of Syk was an efficacious means of increasing and maintaining the platelet count in half the patients with chronic refractory ITP. (ClinicalTrials.gov, no. NCT00706342).
Complex fate of paralogs
Authors: Szklarczyk Radek , Huynen Martijn A , Snel Berend
Published: December 2008

Background

Thanks to recent high coverage mass-spectrometry studies and reconstructed protein complexes, we are now in an unprecedented position to study the evolution of biological systems. Gene duplications, known to be a major source of innovation in evolution, can now be readily examined in the context of protein complexes.

Results

We observe that paralogs operating in the same complex fulfill different roles: mRNA dosage increase for more than a hundred cytosolic ribosomal proteins, mutually exclusive participation of at least 54 paralogs resulting in alternative forms of complexes, and 24 proteins contributing to bona fide structural growth. Inspection of paralogous proteins participating in two independent complexes shows that an ancient, pre-duplication protein functioned in both multi-protein assemblies and a gene duplication event allowed the respective copies to specialize and split their roles.

Conclusion

Variants with conditionally assembled, paralogous subunits likely have played a role in yeast's adaptation to anaerobic conditions. In a number of cases the gene duplication has given rise to one duplicate that is no longer part of a protein complex and shows an accelerated rate of evolution. Such genes could provide the raw material for the evolution of new functions.
A discrepancy of Chlamydia trachomatis incidence and prevalence trends in Finland 1983–2003
Authors: Lyytikäinen Erika , Kaasila Marjo , Hiltunen-Back Eija , Lehtinen Matti , Tasanen Kaisa , Surcel Heljä-Marja , Koskela Pentti , Paavonen Jorma
Published: December 2008

Background

Reported rates of Chlamydia trachomatis are on the rise contradicting the declining rates of C. trachomatis associated reproductive sequelae in Western countries. Population based evaluation of the real trend of C. trachomatis infection is important to contemplate prevention efforts. We studied C. trachomatis occurrence during the past 20 years in Finland comparing incidence rate data based on serology and reported C. trachomatis laboratory notifications.

Methods

A random sample of 7999 women with two consecutive pregnancies within five years was selected from the population of the Finnish Maternity Cohort (FMC) serum bank stratified by calendar year and age. C. trachomatis IgG antibodies were determined by a standard peptide-ELISA. The reported incidence rates of C. trachomatis infections based on case notifications were obtained from the National Registry of Infectious Diseases (NIDR).

Results

C. trachomatis seroprevalence rates decreased significantly from 1983 to 2003 both in women under 23 years of age (23.3% to 9.2%) and in women between 23–28-years of age (22.2% to 12.6%). However, seroconversion rates increased from 31 per 10000 person years in 1983–85 to 97 per 10000 person years in 2001–2003 (incidence rate ratio 3.2, 95% CI, 1.1–8.7) among the older age group. Seroconversion rate was highest (264) in 1983–1985 in the younger age-group, then declined and subsequently increased again (188) in 2001–2003. The incidence based on seroconversions was in agreement with the reported incidence rates in both age groups.

Conclusion

C. trachomatis seroprevalence rate decreased during 1983–2003 among fertile-aged women in Finland. During the same time period incidence rates based both on seroconversions and reported laboratory notifications of diagnosed C. trachomatis infections increased. The discrepancy between the C. trachomatis incidence and seroprevalence trends warrants further studies.
Gemcitabine combined with oxaliplatin in pretreated patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: an observational study
Authors: Xanthopoulos Athanasios , Bauer Torsten T , Blum Torsten G , Kollmeier Jens , Schönfeld Nicolas , Serke Monika
Published: December 2008

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of oxaliplatin ± gemcitabine in patients with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) pretreated with pemetrexed.

Methods

The study enrolled consecutive patients with relapsed MPM, all of them pretreated with a platin-pemetrexed-based chemotherapy. Oxaliplatin 80 mg/m2 was administered as monotherapy or in combination with gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 given on day 1 and 8. Cycles were repeated every 21 days. The primary endpoints were response rate and disease control rate. Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), time to tumour progression (TTP), progression-free survival (PFS), time to treatment failure (TTF), and toxicity.

Results

Between February 2005 and September 2007 29 patients (median age: 65.0 years, World Health Organisation (WHO) performance status: 0–3) were enrolled. The follow-up period encompassed 5.4 to 97.4 weeks (median: 24.3 weeks). Out of these 29 patients, 15 were treated in second, 10 in third, 3 in fourth and 1 in fifth line, respectively. The majority of the patients received the combination oxaliplatin and gemcitabine (n = 25 vs. 4; 86.2 vs. 13.8%).

The median overall survival (OS) was 71.7 weeks (30.6–243.3 weeks), whereas survival from the start of oxaliplatin/gemcitabine-treatment was 24.3 weeks (5.4–97.3 weeks). Median time to tumour progression (TTP) was 9.3 weeks (3.0–67.6 weeks).

Partial response (PR) was observed in 2 patients (6.9%), stable disease (SD) for at least three courses of treatment in 11 patients (37.9%). Thus, disease control rate was 44.8%, whereas 16 of 29 patients exhibited progressive disease (55.2%).

The toxicity profile was favourable, with no WHO grade 4-toxicities, only few dose-reductions were performed due to non-symptomatic haematotoxicities (neutropenia, thrombopenia). Mild WHO grade 2 neurotoxicity was seen in 6 patients.

Conclusion

Pemetrexed-pretreated patients with progressive MPM may benefit from a consecutive chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and gemcitabine without significant toxicity.
The influence of genetic variation in 30 selected genes on the clinical characteristics of early onset breast cancer
Authors: Tapper William , Hammond Victoria , Gerty Sue , Ennis Sarah , Simmonds Peter , Collins Andrew ,   the Prospective study of Outcomes in Sporadic versus Hereditary breast cancer (POSH) Steering Group, Eccles Diana
Published: December 2008

Introduction

Common variants that alter breast cancer risk are being discovered. Here, we determine how these variants influence breast cancer prognosis, risk and tumour characteristics.

Methods

We selected 1,001 women with early onset nonfamilial invasive breast cancer from the Prospective study of Outcomes in Sporadic versus Hereditary breast cancer (POSH) cohort and genotyped 206 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across 30 candidate genes. After quality control, 899 cases and 133 SNPs remained. Survival analyses were used to identify SNPs associated with prognosis and determine their interdependency with recognized prognostic factors. To identify SNPs that alter breast cancer risk, association tests were used to compare cases with controls from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. To search for SNPs affecting tumour biology, cases were stratified into subgroups according to oestrogen receptor (ER) status and grade and tested for association.

Results

We confirmed previous associations between increased breast cancer risk and SNPs in CASP8, TOX3 (previously known as TNRC9) and ESR1. Analysis of prognosis identified eight SNPs in six genes (MAP3K1, DAPK1, LSP1, MMP7, TOX3 and ESR1) and one region without genes on 8q24 that are associated with survival. For MMP7, TOX3 and MAP3K1 the effects on survival are independent of the main recognized clinical prognostic factors. The SNP in 8q24 is more weakly associated with independent effects on survival. Once grade and pathological nodal status (pN stage) were taken into account, SNPs in ESR1 and LSP1 showed no independent survival difference, whereas the effects of the DAPK1 SNP were removed when correcting for ER status. Interestingly, effects on survival for SNPs in ESR1 were most significant when only ER-positive tumours were examined. Stratifying POSH cases by tumour characteristics identified SNPs in FGFR2 and TOX3 associated with ER-positive disease and SNPs in ATM associated with ER-negative disease.

Conclusions

We have demonstrated that several SNPs are associated with survival. In some cases this appears to be due to an effect on tumour characteristics known to have a bearing on prognosis; in other cases the effect appears to be independent of these prognostic factors. These findings require validatation by further studies in similar patient groups.
Core promoters are predicted by their distinct physicochemical properties in the genome of Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Brick Kevin , Watanabe Junichi , Pizzi Elisabetta
Published: December 2008

Little is known about the structure and distinguishing features of core promoters in Plasmodium falciparum. In this work, we describe the first method to computationally identify core promoters in this AT-rich genome. This prediction algorithm uses solely DNA physicochemical properties as descriptors. Our results add to a growing body of evidence that a physicochemical code for eukaryotic genomes plays a crucial role in core promoter recognition.
Anti-Candidaactivity of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) peptides
Authors: Rauch Isabella , Holzmeister Simone , Kofler Barbara
Published: December 2008

Previously, α-MSH, a 13-amino acid neuropeptide and the tripeptide α-MSH have been shown to possess potent antimicrobial properties. We performed microplate based growth inhibition assays on C. albicans with α-MSH, but could not observe any growth inhibiting effect. Repeating the originally published assay with different C. albicans strains, we detected a mild growth inhibiting effect of 100 μM α-MSH, but again no effect of α-MSH.
RIM-BP3 is a manchette-associated protein essential for spermiogenesis
Authors: Zhou Jing , Du Ya-Rui , Qin Wei-Hua , Hu Ye-Guang , Huang Yan-Nv , Bao Lan , Han Daishu , Mansouri Ahmed , Xu Guo-Liang
Published: December 2008

During spermiogenesis, round spermatids are converted into motile sperm in mammals. The mechanisms responsible for sperm morphogenesis are poorly understood. We have characterized a novel protein, RIM-BP3, with a specialized function in spermatid development in mice. The RIM-BP3 protein is associated with the manchette, a transient microtubular structure believed to be important for morphogenesis during spermiogenesis. Targeted deletion of the RIM-BP3 gene resulted in male infertility owing to abnormal sperm heads, which are characterized by a deformed nucleus and a detached acrosome. Consistent with its role in morphogenesis, the RIM-BP3 protein physically associates with Hook1, a known manchette-bound protein required for sperm head morphogenesis. Interestingly, RIM-BP3 does not interact with the truncated Hook1 protein characterized in azh (abnormal spermatozoon head) mutant mice. Moreover, RIM-BP3 and Hook1 mutant mice display several common abnormalities, in particular with regard to the ectopic positioning of the manchette within the spermatid, a presumed cause of sperm head deformities. These observations suggest an essential role for RIM-BP3 in manchette development and function through its interaction with Hook1. As the occurrence of deformed spermatids is one of the common abnormalities leading to malfunctional sperm, identification of RIM-BP3 might provide insight into the molecular cue underlying causes of male infertility in humans.
Pre-tRNA turnover catalyzed by the yeast nuclear RNase P holoenzyme is limited by product release
Authors: Hsieh John , Walker Scott C. , Fierke Carol A. , Engelke David R.
Published: December 2008

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is a ribonucleoprotein that catalyzes the 5′ maturation of precursor transfer RNA in the presence of magnesium ions. The bacterial RNase P holoenzyme consists of one catalytically active RNA component and a single essential but catalytically inactive protein. In contrast, yeast nuclear RNase P is more complex with one RNA subunit and nine protein subunits. We have devised an affinity purification protocol to gently and rapidly purify intact yeast nuclear RNase P holoenzyme for transient kinetic studies. In pre-steady-state kinetic studies under saturating substrate concentrations, we observed an initial burst of tRNA formation followed by a slower, linear, steady-state turnover, with the burst amplitude equal to the concentration of the holoenzyme used in the reaction. These data indicate that the rate-limiting step in turnover occurs after pre-tRNA cleavage, such as mature tRNA release. Additionally, the steady-state rate constants demonstrate a large dependence on temperature that results in nonlinear Arrhenius plots, suggesting that a kinetically important conformational change occurs during catalysis. Finally, deletion of the 3′ trailer in pre-tRNA has little or no effect on the steady-state kinetic rate constants. These data suggest that, despite marked differences in subunit composition, the minimal kinetic mechanism for cleavage of pre-tRNA catalyzed by yeast nuclear RNase P holoenzyme is similar to that of the bacterial RNase P holoenzyme.
Actin filament labels for localizing protein components in large complexes viewed by electron microscopy
Authors: Stroupe M. Elizabeth , Xu Chen , Goode Bruce L. , Grigorieff Nikolaus
Published: December 2008

Localizing specific components in three-dimensional reconstructions of protein complexes visualized in an electron microscope increases the scientific value of those structures. Subunits are often identified within the complex by labeling; however, unless the label produces directly visible features, it must be detected by computational comparison with unlabeled complex. To bypass this step, we generated a cloneable tag from the actin-nucleating protein Spire that produces a directly visible “pointer” to the subunit after actin polymerization. We have used this new label to identify the intron of the C complex spliceosome to its small domain by fusing the 10 kDa Spire moiety to the affinity label that binds recombinant stem loops in the pre-mRNA substrate and assembling an actin filament on the particle.
A signal relay between ribosomal protein S12 and elongation factor EF-Tu during decoding of mRNA
Authors: Gregory Steven T. , Carr Jennifer F. , Dahlberg Albert E.
Published: December 2008

Codon recognition by aminoacyl-tRNA on the ribosome triggers a process leading to GTP hydrolysis by elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) and release of aminoacyl-tRNA into the A site of the ribosome. The nature of this signal is largely unknown. Here, we present genetic evidence that a specific set of direct interactions between ribosomal protein S12 and aminoacyl-tRNA, together with contacts between S12 and 16S rRNA, provide a pathway for the signaling of codon recognition to EF-Tu. Three novel amino acid substitutions, H76R, R37C, and K53E in Thermus thermophilus ribosomal protein S12, confer resistance to streptomycin. The streptomycin-resistance phenotypes of H76R, R37C, and K53E are all abolished by the mutation A375T in EF-Tu. A375T confers resistance to kirromycin, an antibiotic freezing EF-Tu in a GTPase activated state. H76 contacts aminoacyl-tRNA in ternary complex with EF-Tu and GTP, while R37 and K53 are involved in the conformational transition of the 30S subunit occurring upon codon recognition. We propose that codon recognition and domain closure of the 30S subunit are signaled through aminoacyl-tRNA to EF-Tu via these S12 residues.
Revisiting the simple view of reading
Authors: Kendeou Panayiota , Savage Robert , van den Broek Paul
Published: December 2008

Background Reading component models such as the Simple View of Reading (SVR; Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990) provide a concise framework for describing the processes and skills involved when readers comprehend texts. According to the Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading (Rose, 2006) strong evidence for the SVR comes from Factor Analysis of datasets on different measures of reading showing dissociation between decoding skills and comprehension. To the best of our knowledge, only two such published studies exist to date. Of these, only one of is in English and this explores children between the age of 7 and 10 years.

Aims To explore the SVR in English‐speaking children aged 4 and 6 using Factor Analysis.

Samples 116 4 ‐year‐olds and 116 6 ‐year‐olds in the US; 103 6 ‐year‐olds in Canada.

Methods All children were administered a battery of decoding and comprehension related measures.

Results Factor Analysis of the diverse measures undertaken independently by two research teams in different countries demonstrated that listening comprehension and decoding measures loaded as distinct factors in both samples of young English‐speaking children.

Conclusions The present findings provide important support for the generality and validity of the SVR framework as a model of reading.
Convergent Institutional Logics in Public Higher Education: State Policymaking and Governing Board Activism
Authors: Bastedo Michael N.
Published: December 2008

This article investigates the convergent institutional logics driving decision making at an activist governing board in higher education. Through a case study of policymaking by a state-level coordinating board in Massachusetts, the article identifies four primary logics of action: mission differentiation, student opportunity, managerialism, and system coordination. The study concludes that institutional logics are a powerful mechanism for understanding shifts in public higher education governance and results in predictable political outcomes in the negotiation of constituent interests. The article also considers the potential contribution of further examination of institutional logics on studying higher education politics and institutional stratification.
Access to Higher Education: Exploring the Variation in Pell Grant Prevalence among U.S. Colleges and Universities
Authors: Steinberg Matthew P. , Piraino Patrizio , Haveman Robert
Published: December 2008

Access to higher education in the United States is increasingly on the public policy agenda as funding constraints affect the realization of college attendance for many middle and low-income students. We use the Pell Grant as a proxy for low-income participation, and the percent of undergraduate students receiving a Pell Grant (Pell Prevalence Ratio, or “PPR”) in 2003-04 at 846 public and private universities as the variable of interest to address two questions. First, what factors contribute to the variation among universities in their PPR? Second, to what extent does an institution’s actual PPR deviate from the PPR estimated from our empirical model?
A Slavery Museum?: Race, Memory, and Landscape in Fredericksburg, Virginia
Authors: Hanna Stephen P.
Published: December 2008

In spring 2001, former governor Douglas Wilder announced that he might locate the United States National Slavery Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Despite some recent changes, Fredericksburg's heritage tourism landscape, as it is built and performed, reproduces a white American nationalism extolling the virtues of individualism, valor, and free enterprise. The mere potential of adding the Museum to Fredericksburg's landscape engendered intense debates about the ways the City's cherished Colonial and Civil War pasts are remembered. In this article, I use recent literature on landscape, memory, and race to explore changes in how African-American histories are represented in and through the landscape. Then, I examine one venue for these debates—the letters to the-editor, op-ed pieces, and online reader responses published by Fredericksburg's newspaper of record, The Free Lance Star . In these texts, Museum opponents and supporters selectively deploy constructions of race, versions of Fredericksburg's past, and visions for the City's future to support their arguments. I conclude by noting how debates over the Slavery Museum continue to inform more recent proposals to change Fredericksburg's landscape.
Commemorative Language in Abolitionist Landscape Texts: New York's "Burned-Over District"
Authors: Lamme Ary J.
Published: December 2008

Using the words of Frederick Douglass as an integrating guide, this paper reviews the use of commemorative language in abolitionist landscape texts. Abolition, like Reconstruction, is an unfinished project in the United States. The first national museum to commemorate abolition is being established in Peterboro, New York. Peterboro is in the heart of New York's "Burned-Over District," an area known for its support of social reform in the early 19th century. It was also the hometown of Gerrit Smith, a well-connected and influential abolitionist. Reformers of all causes regularly visited Smith in Peterboro. Thus, Peterboro was not only a fairly typical rural agricultural village, but also a cultural hearth for important social movements. A holistic community interpretive program focused on this village in the 8Oth century attempts to utilize landscape texts in recreating the "ecology of social reform" for visitors to Peterboro.
Staging Shadows/Seeing Ghosts: Ambiguity, Theatre, Gender, and History in Griselda Gambaro’s La señora Macbeth
Authors: Magnarelli Sharon
Published: December 2008

Like shakespeare’s Macbeth , La señora Macbeth , by Argentine playwright, Griselda Gambaro, “resists easy resolutions” and “comfortable conclusions.” this essay examines the 2004 production of the play and the visual, gestural, and spatial vocabulary it utilized to adapt, modify, and layer Gambaro’s text (already an original interpretation of the Jacobean play). While the Gambaro text is surely a “haunted” and complex reformulation of the Macbeth story, the Audivert/banegas production was even further haunted and haunting as it proffered a poetic, eerie interpretation of the play, opening up the visual and acoustical images of the text to provide its own transgressions. The result was an unforgettable rendition that enriched an already powerful text and left the play open to diverse, even ambiguous or contradictory interpretations.
Gender, Consumption, and Ideological Ambiguity in David Garrick’s Production of The Orphan of China (1759)
Authors: Ou Hsin-yun
Published: December 2008

This essay investigates how the first production of Arthur Murphy’s The Orphan of China relates English concern for French influences to a distinctive consciousness of national identity. Reflecting the colonial rivalry between England and France, Murphy’s play emphasizes the chinese heroine’s defense of individual rights in order to criticize the chinese (and implicitly French) patriotic passion for absolutist monarchy. Whereas the female body of an actress wearing chinoiserie costuming (which connoted imperial trade) might undermine the credibility of the heroine’s political objectives, the first performance may have averted ambiguity by employing several theatrical devices, including: the epilogue’s identification of the actress with lady patrons; the actress’s reported skill in conveying character through majestic elocution and gestures; the prologue’s censure of Chinese patriotism; and the epilogue’s rejection of Chinese customs. Murphy’s departure from Voltaire’s pseudo-confucian ideas about women is probably part of a larger intellectual trend that raised questions about changing attitudes toward female autonomy. in presenting the cross-cultural role of Mandane/Mrs. Yates as the other race and the other gender , Murphy constantly returns to the english self and reflects on English national identity.
The Clinical Utility of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in Cardiovascular Disease and the Potential Implication of JUPITER on Current Practice Guidelines
Authors: Mora Samia , Musunuru Kiran , Blumenthal Roger S
Published: December 2008

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) testing is relatively inexpensive and has been shown to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes in multiple patient groups, including those treated with statin therapy. JUPITER (Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) is a recently completed large multicenter randomized clinical trial that tested whether statin therapy should be given to apparently healthy individuals with lower LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations but increased hsCRP concentrations.

Content: This review discusses the literature on hsCRP in asymptomatic populations, analyzes it according to CVD and diabetes, and provides summary recommendations for the use of hsCRP in clinical practice. In this context, we highlight recent data from the landmark JUPITER trial, which demonstrated that hsCRP can be used to target high-risk patients who have typical LDL-C concentrations and no known vascular disease or diabetes and who would benefit from statin use. We also summarize evidence that among patients treated with statin therapy, achieving low hsCRP concentrations may be a clinically relevant therapeutic goal along with achieving very low LDL-C concentrations.

Summary: JUPITER has demonstrated that combining hsCRP testing with traditional testing of lipids can reduce incident CVD in high-risk asymptomatic individuals by 44% and all-cause mortality by approximately 20%, extending the therapeutic use of statins for the primary prevention of CVD. Guidelines for practitioners could include testing asymptomatic individuals for increased concentrations of hsCRP in men ≥50 years and women ≥60 years when LDL-C concentrations are not increased and for whom the decision to treat with statin therapy is not otherwise clear.
Ski Bindings and Lower Leg Injuries, A Case Control Study in Flaine, 2006
Authors: Laporte Jean-Dominique , Binet Marc-Hervé , Fenet Nicolas , Constans Dominique , Joubert Patrick
Published: December 2008

There has been much discussion in recent years regarding appropriate settings for release bindings in Alpine skiing. The authors take into account the fact that current recommended release criteria are based on midshaft tibia bone strength. The hypothesis of this work is to look at a link between binding release values and all lower limb injuries. Additionally, there is a proposal regarding the possibility of reducing injuries to the ligaments in the knee through modification of binding release value standards. Knee injuries including rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament remain a major risk for skiers and for women in particular. In July, 2000, the French standards group, AFNOR, recommended a modification to the ISO 11088 standard for release settings specifically designed to reduce binding release values particularly for women and for individuals with body weight less than 55 kg. The objective of this study is to measure the influence of binding release values on lower leg injuries, in particular for women. A case-control study at Flaine ski resort in 2006 was conducted to determine whether there is proof of causation between ski binding release values and lower leg injuries sustained on the ski slopes. Release torque values were measured for injured (n=129) and control (n=339) groups. The measurements were made for Alpine skiers by using standard measurement devices. Comparisons between recommended release settings based on AFNOR FD S 52-748 compared to actual release levels as a function of fall mechanism speed, type of release, type of ski, and self-reported experience level were analyzed statistically. There is a statistical link between AFNOR standard ski binding release values and injuries of lower limbs. We believe it is important to introduce a gender parameter in ISO binding release value tables to reduce the release values for women.
The first epidemiology survey among Hungarian elite athletes: eating disorders, depression and risk factors
Authors: Resch Mária , Haász Péter
Published: December 2008

Az anorexia nervosa előfordulása magas az evészavarok szempontjából nagy kockázatú populációnak számító sportolók körében, amit anorexiaatlétika néven jegyez az irodalom. Célunk az evészavarok prevalenciájának felmérése a magyar élsportolók között.Betegek és módszerek:A 2008-ban megrendezésre kerülő olimpia előtt több magyarországi edzőtáborban kérdőíves vizsgálatot végeztünk: demográfiai és edzési adatok, anorexianervosa-felmérő teszt (ANIS) és bulimianervosa-felmérő kérdőív (BITE). Az adatokat SPSS programcsomag segítségével dolgoztuk fel.Eredmények:A különböző sportágakban (kajak-kenu, öttusa, kézilabda, kosárlabda, röplabda, súlyemelés) a 72 sportoló életkorátlaga 22±4,9 év. Testtömegindex-átlag (22,15±2,12 kg/m2) a normáltartományban. Tizenkettő (16,7%) klinikai anorexia nervosa és 5 (6,9%) klinikai bulimia nervosa prevalencia. Legalább egy kóros tünet 73,6%-ban fordult elő az egész populációt tekintve. A sportolók közel egyharmada (29,2%) több alkalommal is átélt mély depresszív hangulatot, de biztosan egy letargiás epizódról 27 (37,5%) sportoló számolhat be. A súlyemelő-, a röplabda- és az öttusasportág versenyzői voltak inkább érintettek.Következtetések:Az átlagpopulációhoz viszonyítva a sportolók körében közel négyszeres az evési attitűdök és a klinikai evészavarok előfordulási gyakorisága, ami korrelál a nemzetközi adatokkal. Kiemelkedő a depressziós tünet gyakorisága, amelynek háttértényezői további részletes vizsgálatokra sarkallnak.
A New Stomach Sample Collection Device for Fish Gastric Lavage Samples
Authors: Fowler Andy L. , Morris Joseph E.
Published: December 2008

We developed a simple, inexpensive, and efficient handling device to collect the regurgitated prey items from fish in the field. To date, an efficient method of collecting stomach contents during the gastric lavage procedure was lacking. This collection device consists of a long wooden trough with a funnel and filtering cup attached to one end. The fish is laid into the trough, the gastric lavage technique is performed, and the water and stomach contents flow into the funnel, where the stomach contents are retained by the filter bottle. Prey items are easily bottled and preserved. Our device improved fish handling during the gastric lavage procedure without the need for anesthetics (e.g., Finquel), thus avoiding the necessity (i.e., U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandate) of retaining fish before returning them to a wild population.
When Eradication is not an Option: Modeling Strategies for Electrofishing Suppression of Nonnative Brook Trout to Foster Persistence of Sympatric Native Cutthroat Trout in Small Streams
Authors: Peterson Douglas P. , Fausch Kurt D. , Watmough James , Cunjak Richard A.
Published: December 2008

Subspecies of inland cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii occupy a fraction of their historic ranges, and displacement by nonnative brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis is among the greatest threats to existing populations in small, headwater streams. Electrofishing is often used to suppress brook trout and enhance cutthroat trout populations, but these efforts are labor intensive and costly. To help managers more effectively plan and implement brook trout control programs, we used survival estimates from a field experiment to construct matrix population models for both species and linked the models by making the vital rates of young cutthroat trout a function of brook trout density to represent the effect of invasion. We then explored the response of cutthroat trout populations (growth rate [λ] and probability of persistence for 50 years) to brook trout suppression across various levels of electrofishing frequency, sampling intensity, capture efficiency, and brook trout immigration rate. Cutthroat trout (λ = 1.10) and brook trout (λ = 1.20) both had moderate to high values of λ when biotic interactions were weak or absent, but the cutthroat trout λ declined markedly (λ = 0.61) when biotic interactions with brook trout were strong. Model results supported the hypothesis that rapid displacement of cutthroat trout is facilitated by the brook trout's inherent demographic advantage and biotic effects on young cutthroat trout. Where annual brook trout suppression was not possible, the temporal distribution of suppression events within a systematic control design strongly influenced the response of cutthroat trout. The absolute response and cost effectiveness of suppression efforts were influenced particularly by the brook trout immigration rate and also by removal efficiency. Multiple consecutive years of suppression (≥3 years) benefited cutthroat trout, but to be effective such suppression should not be interrupted for more than two consecutive years once initiated. Eradication would be ideal, but the maintenance control of brook trout and the management of cutthroat trout in sympatry with brook trout will probably remain among the viable management options for the foreseeable future.
Genetic Parentage Analysis of Red Drum in South Carolina and the Use of Genotypic Data from Archived Otoliths
Authors: Robbins Stacey N. , Darden Tanya L. , Ball Amy O. , Denson Michael R.
Published: December 2008

The red drum Sciaenops ocellatus is an estuarine-dependent fish that is the focus of a large recreational fishery along the U.S. Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. In response to dramatic declines in juvenile abundance, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has been experimentally stocking local estuaries since the late 1980s. Here we report on the genetic parentage approach that has been employed to identify fish of hatchery origin through DNA isolated from fin clips collected from wild-caught fish. In some cases tissue samples were not available, making it necessary to find an alternative source of DNA. Thus, we also examined the use of archived otoliths as a source of genetic material for parentage analysis. Amplification resulted from 96% of the extractions obtained from the extracellular tissue remaining on otoliths. In comparison with extractions obtained from fin clips, otoliths appear to be a reliable DNA source. These results not only present a method for nonlethally identifying hatchery fish but also offer a unique opportunity for fisheries researchers to utilize the archived otoliths typically collected and stored for age and growth studies. As a source of DNA, archived otoliths can be used for a wide variety of applications, including the provision of historical context for the genetic diversity of current fish populations.
An Evaluation of the Precision of Fin Ray, Otolith, and Scale Age Determinations for Brook Trout
Authors: Stolarski Jason T. , Hartman Kyle J.
Published: December 2008

The ages of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis are typically estimated using scales despite a lack of research documenting the effectiveness of this technique. The use of scales is often preferred because it is nonlethal and is believed to require less effort than alternative methods. To evaluate the relative effectiveness of different age estimation methodologies for brook trout, we measured the precision and processing times of scale, sagittal otolith, and pectoral fin ray age estimation techniques. Three independent readers, age bias plots, coefficients of variation (CV = 100 × SD/mean), and percent agreement (PA) were used to measure within-reader, among-structure bias and within-structure, among-reader precision. Bias was generally minimal; however, the age estimates derived from scales tended to be lower than those derived from otoliths within older (age > 2) cohorts. Otolith, fin ray, and scale age estimates were within 1 year of each other for 95% of the comparisons. The measures of precision for scales (CV = 6.59; PA = 82.30) and otoliths (CV = 7.45; PA = 81.48) suggest higher agreement between these structures than with fin rays (CV = 11.30; PA = 65.84). The mean per-sample processing times were lower for scale (13.88 min) and otolith techniques (12.23 min) than for fin ray techniques (22.68 min). The comparable processing times of scales and otoliths contradict popular belief and are probably a result of the high proportion of regenerated scales within samples and the ability to infer age from whole (as opposed to sectioned) otoliths. This research suggests that while scales produce age estimates rivaling those of otoliths for younger (age < 3) cohorts, they may be biased within older cohorts and therefore should be used with caution.
Neonatal administration of fluoxetine did not alter the anxiety indicators, but decreased the locomotor activity in adult rats in the elevated plus-maze
Authors: Ribas Valdenilson Ribeiro , Aniceto Helena Karine Rufino , Martins Hugo André de Lima , Ribas Ketlin Helenise dos Santos , Guerra-Ribas Renata de Melo , Fraga Simone do Nascimento , Ribeiro-Ribas Valéria , Vasconcelos Célia Maria Mendes , Viana Marcelo Tavares , Manhaes-de-Castro Raul
Published: December 2008

The objective of this study was evaluate the anxiety and locomotor activity (LA) in 52 Wistar adult male rats, being 26 treated with fluoxetine (10 mg/Kg - sc) in the neonatal period. These same rats received foot shock (FS) (1.6-mA - 2-s) in the 90th day. The anxiety and LA were appraised by plus-maze. The time spent in the open arms was used as anxiety index and the LA was measured by number of entries in closed arms (NECA) and the total of entries (TE). T-test was used with p<0.05 and expresses data in mean±SEM. There were reductions with the fluoxetine group in the NECA (2.35±0.33) and in the TE (3.96±0.61) compared to the controls (4.65±0.52) and (6.96±0.94). The neonatal administration of fluoxetine did not alter the anxiety, but reduced the LA in the animals that received FS.
Neurogenesis induced by seizures in the dentate gyrus is not related to mossy fiber sprouting but is age dependent in developing rats
Authors: Sanabria Yaima del Carmen Garrido , Argañaraz Gustavo Adolfo , Lima Eliangela , Priel Margareth Rose , Trindade Edvaldo da Silva , Loeb Luana Mazzacoratti , Scorza Fulvio Alexandre , Cavalheiro Esper Abrão , Amado Débora , Naffah-Mazzacoratti Maria da Graça
Published: December 2008

Neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) has attracted attention since abnormal supragranular mossy fiber sprouting occurs in the same region, in temporal lobe epilepsy. Thus, we submitted developing rats to pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) to study the relationship between neurogenesis and mossy fiber sprouting. Groups were submitted to SE at: I-P9, II-P7, P8 and P9, III-P17 e IV-P21. Neurogenesis was quantified using BrdU protocol and confirmed through double staining, using neuronal pentraxin. Other animals were monitored by video system until P120 and their brain was studied (Timm and Nissl staining). The neurogenesis at P17 (p=0.007) and P21 (p=0.006) were increased. However, only P21 group showed recurrent seizures and the mossy fiber sprouting in the same region, during adult life, while P17 did not. Thus, our results suggest that neurogenesis is not related to mossy fiber sprouting neither to recurrent spontaneous seizures in pilocarpine model.
A contribuição de Charcot para o estudo da síndrome de Tourette
Authors: Teive Hélio A.G. , Chien Hsin Fen , Munhoz Renato Puppi , Barbosa Egberto Reis
Published: December 2008

Revisamos a história da síndrome de Tourette, com ênfase a contribuição de Jean-Martin Charcot.
Spontaneous cervical artery dissection: an update on clinical and diagnostic aspects
Authors: Campos-Herrera Cynthia Resende , Scaff Milberto , Yamamoto Fábio Iuji , Conforto Adriana Bastos
Published: December 2008

Spontaneous cervical arterial dissection (SCAD) is a non-traumatic tear or disruption in the wall of the internal carotid arteries or the vertebral arteries. It accounts for about 25% of strokes in patients aged under 45 years. Awareness of its clinical features and advances in imaging over the last two decades have contributed to earlier identification of this condition. SCAD has become the commonest form of vascular lesion identified in the cervical carotid and vertebral arteries, second only to atherosclerosis. This review is an update on the epidemiology, vulnerable arterial segments, risk factors, clinical features, diagnosis, current treatment and prognosis of SCAD.