bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anthropology and Religion
Authors: Lambek Michael
Published: October 2009

Once people accept the historical emergence and spread of science as a unique discursive formation, it becomes nonsense to talk about the relationship between religion and science, or religion as a kind of science in societies that have not yet encountered or internalized this development. Religion and science cannot be judged or compared along a single axis of measurement, and therefore they will continue to irritate or complement each other. The de facto identification of science with abstract reason and religion with engaged performance, the incommensurability of science and religion in the modern world, the destabilization of the transcendent or foundational claims of each, and the ultimate uncertainty that their conjunction or opposition imposes, all beg for triangulation with a third construct: namely, ethics.
Contributions from the History of Science and Religion
Authors: Brooke John Hedley
Published: October 2009

It is sometimes assumed that a simple story can be told about the historical relationship between science and religion. On one overview, ‘science’ and ‘religion’ existed in harmony for centuries, conflicting only in the modern period. By contrast, the converse is often assumed: ‘science’ and ‘religion’ have existed in more or less perpetual warfare, until recently, when the potential for peace has supervened. This second view is attractive to those who believe that twentieth-century physics, in particular, has given unprecedented access to the mind of God. For Aubrey Moore, a creative process of evolution was consonant with a theology of Incarnation in which divine immanence was restored. In this respect, historical scholarship both informs and supports the claim that more sophisticated taxonomies are required for capturing the multifaceted relations between science and religion.
Contributions from the Social Sciences
Authors: Segal Robert A.
Published: October 2009

There has long been tension, not between social scientists and practitioners of religion, but between social scientists and scholars of religious studies, referred to here as ‘religionists’. Religionists have conventionally assumed that the social sciences are guilty of multiple sins, none of them forgivable: ignoring the proverbial believer's point of view; denying the irreducibly religious nature of religion; analysing religion exclusively functionally, reductively, and explanatorily; analysing religion exclusively materially and behaviourally; and denying the truth of religion. This article maintains that the social sciences – anthropology, sociology, psychology, and economics – are guilty of none of these charges, which rest on their misconstrual. Ironically, those religionists who contend that contemporary social scientists have come round to accepting the religionist approach likewise misconstrue the social sciences.
Contributions from the Philosophy of Science
Authors: Collins Robin
Published: October 2009

This article provides an alternative to reductionism, and briefly indicates its potential for providing a powerful ontological, epistemological, and methodological framework for the science and religion dialogue. This alternative grows out of considering quantum mechanics – the extraordinarily paradoxical theory that is widely either misunderstood or ignored. This alternative is called the non-reductive intelligibility view. Although the discussion critiques emergent complexity, it holds that all alternatives to reductionism should continue to be rigorously developed. The article begins by explicating a common form of reductionism, ‘compositional reductionism’, and examines why quantum mechanics presents serious difficulties for it.
Contributions from Philosophical Theology and Metaphysics
Authors: Bracken, SJ Joseph A.
Published: October 2009

While Pierre Teilhard de Chardin may have been overly optimistic in his estimate of how soon the synthesis of religion and science might take place, his deep faith in the achievability of the project remains an important motivational factor in the contemporary religion and science discussion. This article first reviews briefly how the conflict of interests between proponents of religion and science in the modern era arose historically. Second, it indicates how various contemporary writers in the field of religion and science have tried to ease this tension. Third, the article presents a vision for the reconciliation of religion and science, based largely upon the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead, but suitably revised so as to affirm key Christian beliefs.
Contributions from Systematic Theology
Authors: Pannenberg Wolfhart
Published: October 2009

This article discusses important issues for a Christian doctrine of creation that is concerned with its relationship to natural science. The issues deal with the core presuppositions that are required for theological use of concepts derived from the natural sciences – just as the biblical account of the creative act of God in Genesis made comparable use of the knowledge about the world of nature that was available at that time. One can consider the production of such creatures to be the intrinsic aim that was implicit in the act of creation. The Christian doctrine of creation strongly affirms the relative independence of creatures – not only with regard to one another, but also with regard to God himself – as essential in the act of creation itself. The personal difference and self-distinction of the Son in relation to the Father is the model for such independent existence of creatures.
Contributions from Practical Theology and Ethics
Authors: Peters Ted
Published: October 2009

This article identifies some areas of the new dialogue between science and theology that could definitely enhance the effectiveness of preaching and teaching, which includes counselling and pastoral care. First, it discusses pastoral hermeneutics, which includes the prophetic and constructive tasks of biblical preaching. Second, the article reviews eight different models of understanding the relationship between science and faith, half that draw upon the image of warfare and half which advocate peaceful co-operation. It pays special attention to the controversy surrounding Darwinian evolution. Third, the article turns to the frontier of genetic research and the ethical issues surrounding the phrase ‘playing God’, recommending that the pastor demythologize science while appropriating it to a theological understanding of the world in which people live.
Contributions from Spirituality: Simplicity— Complexity— Simplicity
Authors: Rudd Pauline M.
Published: October 2009

This article aims to demonstrate to non-specialists that science itself can provide a profound basis for meditation, using a series of short vignettes that address questions relevant to people's lives. Meditation often begins by focusing on something beautiful such as a flower or a shell. With a little information, it is possible to use a mathematical concept or a molecular interaction to lead people into deep reflection and even contemplation. The article also aims to show that the results of spiritual insight can be directly relevant to the practice of science. Insights from religious experience and praxis, such as enlightenment or the dark night of the soul, have their parallels in the scientific enterprise. Scientific insights do not threaten religious practice, but instead provide a means by which people can re-examine beliefs and mature in comprehension of the Almighty.
Varieties of Naturalism
Authors: Flanagan Owen
Published: October 2009

After giving different meanings for naturalism, this article discusses Wittgenstein and Bouwsma; the scope of naturalism; the ontology of imperialistic and non-imperialistic naturalism; naturalized epistemology and the problem of normativity; naturalized ethics; naturalizing normativity; and some thoughts on relativism. The discussion closes with Dewey's insight that ‘Moral science is not something with a separate province. It is physical, biological, and historic knowledge placed in a humane context where it will illuminate and guide the activities of men’.
Interpreting Science from the Standpoint of Whiteheadian Process Philosophy
Authors: Griffin David Ray
Published: October 2009

The task of harmonizing scientific and religious thought is at the heart of the version of process philosophy developed by Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947). Philosophy ‘attains its chief importance’, Whitehead said, by fusing science and religion ‘into one rational scheme of thought’. The basic method for overcoming the apparent conflicts, he held, is to show that science and religion can be harmonized within a philosophical cosmology that exemplifies the standard philosophical criteria of excellence: adequacy and self-consistency. As this article indicates, a theory of evolution based on naturalism would provide a middle way between the extremes of neo-Darwinism and creationism.
Trinitarian Faith Seeking Transformative Understanding
Authors: Shults F. LeRon
Published: October 2009

This article argues that integrative developments in late modern philosophy of science and the broader return to the hermeneutical significance of the category of relationality have opened up conceptual space for the renewal of a trinitarian faith that seeks transformative understanding as it engages in the discourse among the fields of contemporary science. First, it shows the connection between two disintegrating tendencies in the early modern period: the separation of the doctrine of the Trinity from ‘scientific’ discourse, and the compartmentalization of faith and reason. Second, the article explores some of the integrative developments in late modern epistemology that contribute to overcoming these dichotomies. Third, it re-examines the intuitions behind the call for ‘faith seeking understanding’ as it developed in the stream of the Western tradition that flowed through Augustine and Anselm.
Religious Experience, Cognitive Science, and the Future of Religion
Authors: Wiebe Phillip H.
Published: October 2009

Beliefs in invisible beings capable of displaying their much-vaunted powers in the visible world and interacting with humans have been present among all the world's peoples, according to written records, folklore, and archaeological remains. In Western culture, during the medieval era, transcendent realities were set in a Ptolemaic world of hollow and transparent globes. In directing attention to the significance and nature of religious experience, this article recalls the vital link that was once in place between the human soul and religion, and comments on the significance of the contemporary study of mind – now known as cognitive science – for the study of religion, including religion's future in the academy.
Quantum Physics and the Theology of Non‐Interventionist Objective Divine Action
Authors: Russell Robert John
Published: October 2009

Since the rise of modern science in the seventeenth century, Christians have hungered for an intellectually and spiritually satisfying view of non-interventionist objective divine action (NIODA) that can support a theology of special providence located between general providence, on the one hand, and miracle, on the other. This article evaluates a specific proposal for NIODA based on an indeterministic interpretation of quantum mechanics (QM). It provides working definitions of the terms involved and the assumptions brought to the conversation. The article then stipulates the criteria that any potential candidate for NIODA must satisfy. Finally, before specifically turning to QM-NIODA, the discussion responds briefly to six frequent misconceptions (FAQs) regarding NIODA that tend to obscure the conversation and delay progress in assessing serious candidates for NIODA.
Theologies of Divine Action
Authors: Tracy Thomas F.
Published: October 2009

One familiar and contentious response to the growth of scientific knowledge insists that long-established ways of thinking about God and God's relation to the world can no longer be sustained if we take seriously emerging new understandings of the world. This article presents several ways of thinking about divine action available to contemporary theologians: God to act as creator in every event as its absolute ontological ground; God to act indirectly through the order of created causes (natural law); God to act indirectly through the actions of free agents; God to act to determine some or all of what is left underdetermined in the order of created causes (special action); and God to act within the world's history to bring about effects that modify or exceed the causal powers of creatures (interventionist).
Problems in Panentheism
Authors: Thomas Owen C.
Published: October 2009

There are some serious problems in the understanding and interpretation of panentheism in what has become a fairly widespread movement that has gathered under this banner. These problems arise from the fact that panentheism is not one particular view of the relationship of the divine to the world, but rather, a large and diverse family of views involving quite different interpretations of the key metaphorical assertion that the world is in God. The panentheism movement as a whole does not present a coherent view. There is one major exception to this vagueness in the concept of panentheism, and that is the interpretation found in the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne. The discussion also considers divine immanence, classical theism, soul–body metaphor, soteriological and eschatological panentheism, the problem of evil, divine action, theology and science, and the influence of the current romantic movement.
Evolution, Religion, and Science
Authors: Provine William B.
Published: October 2009

Understanding evolution does not undermine many beliefs in god: deism, gods that work through natural phenomena, gods invented from tortured arguments by theologians or academics, and many others. Understanding evolution is, nevertheless, the most efficient engine of atheism ever discovered by humans. It challenges the primary, worldwide, observable reason for belief in a deity: the feeling of intelligent design in biological organisms, including humans. The first section of this article documents the widespread, worldwide sympathy with the feeling of intelligent design in animals and plants. The second section explains why and how the understanding of evolution in nature undermines and destroys the feeling of intelligent design and promotes atheism. Creationists and believers in almost any religion are right that evolutionary biology should be feared and rejected. It is the great engine of atheism.
In Defence of Intelligent Design
Authors: Dembski William A.
Published: October 2009

Intelligent design is the field of study that investigates signs of intelligence. It identifies those features of objects that reliably signal the action of an intelligent cause. Proponents of intelligent design, known as design theorists, purport to study such signs formally, rigorously, and scientifically. In particular, they claim that a type of information, known as specified complexity, is a key sign of intelligence. To sum up, many special sciences already employ specified complexity as a sign of intelligence – notably forensic science, cryptography, random number generation, archaeology, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Design theorists take these methods and apply them to naturally occurring systems. In any event, it is very much a live possibility that design in cosmology and biology is scientifically detectable, thus placing intelligent design squarely within the realm of science.
Emergence and Complexity
Authors: Gregersen Niels Henrik
Published: October 2009

The first section of this article begins by locating the idea of emergence in a historical context. The second section presents a short philosophical primer consisting of four types of emergence theory, two epistemological and two ontological. Only the ontological versions of emergence theory are committed to speaking of top-down causation. The final section discusses what opportunities the idea of emergence may offer for religious reflection. Certainly, no religious strings are attached to the idea of emergence. Theological reflection, however, may be propelled to rethink religious traditions, and to redescribe the world of creation in new terms, in the light of the sciences of complexity and emergence theory.
The Hidden Battles over Emergence
Authors: Gillett Carl
Published: October 2009

This article illuminates the practical necessity of a metaphysics of science in the first section by highlighting the scientific findings that are replete with ontological concepts and by providing a ‘minimal framework’ in the metaphysics of science to articulate these concepts. The second section examines how writers on ‘emergence’ in science-and-religion, as well as in other areas, have all been reacting to the challenge of ontological reductionism by offering competing accounts in the metaphysics of sciences. The third section shows that the reductionist's metaphysical argument is actually invalid, and that the third type of emergence is possible after all. The article also notes the resources that recent accounts of ‘emergence’ provide for theologically important topics such as the nature of persons or divine action.
Going Public: Feminist Epistemologies, Hannah Arendt, and the Science‐ and‐ Religion Discourse
Authors: Stenmark Lisa L.
Published: October 2009

This article proposes a model of the science-and-religion discourse (SRD) as a ‘public’ discourse, a model that incorporates the insights of feminist epistemologies. Feminists have rejected objectivism, and have instead proposed an understanding of knowledge as a relationship between the knower and that which is known – a relational epistemology – and between the knower and society: a ‘situated knower’. The second part discusses the implications of this perspective for the SRD. It argues that, to the extent that people seek agreement between science and religion, the objectivist notions of knowledge in the SRD may actually impede discourse, for these concepts are embedded in a world-view in which either science or religion must be subordinated to the other. It concludes by offering a model of discourse based on the thought of Hannah Arendt.
Feminist Perspectives in Medicine and Bioethics
Authors: Pederson Ann
Published: October 2009

For the last forty years or so, the dialogue between religion and science has wrestled with questions of meaning and purpose about human life. We wonder: Who are we? Where are we going? And why are we here? This article emphasizes ethical concerns and feminist insights. Everyone is embedded in multiple stories: familial, cultural, social, political, economic, and religious. People tell stories that are evolutionary and religious in their epic scale. Much of Christian theology has also reinforced this anthropocentric view that the natural world is valued only as a backdrop for humans on centre stage. The science-and-religion dialogue does not exist apart from the embodiment of its participants. In the end, the dialogue will make a difference only when and if it begins from the experiences of those on the margins and edges.
Environmental Ethics and Religion/Science
Authors: Rolston Holmes
Published: October 2009

Earth is proving to be a remarkable planet, and humans have deep roots in and entwined destinies with this wonderland Earth. Simultaneously, however, humans are remarkable on this remarkable planet, a wonder on wonderland Earth. But the foreboding challenge is that these spectacular humans, the sole moral agents on Earth, now jeopardize both themselves and their planet. Science and religion are equally needed, and strained, to bring salvation, to keep life on Earth sustainable. In the midst of its struggles, life has been ever ‘conserved’, as biologists find; life has been perpetually ‘redeemed’, as theologians find. This article holds that science and religion join to celebrate this saga of life, perennially generated and regenerated on this planet.
Relations Between Homo Sapiens and Other Animals: Scientific and Religious Arguments
Authors: Howell Nancy R.
Published: October 2009

This article contends that science and theology in dialogue recommend a nuanced understanding of both similarity and difference in the relationship of Homo sapiens to other animals. It begins by identifying anthropomorphism, the projection of human traits onto animals, as a pivotal issue around which scientists debate human uniqueness and the relationship of humans to other animals. Similarly, the article reviews the historical anthropocentric focus of Christian theology, Finally, it concludes with concrete proposals to shift the anthropocentric focus of theology by adopting updated science to inform Christian thought and emphasizing some existing theological options.
Recombinant adenovirus encoding vasohibin prevents tumor angiogenesis and inhibits tumor growth
Authors: Li Dajiang , Zhou Kun , Wang Shuguang , Shi Zhong , Yang Zhao
Published: October 2009

Numerous lines of evidence have shown that angiogenesis plays a pivotal role in the development of tumors. Therefore anti‐angiogenesis therapy represents a potentially promising approach to cancer therapy. Recently, a new inhibitor called vasohibin was discovered to operate as an intrinsic and highly specific feedback inhibitor in the process of angiogenesis. However, to date, reports on the antitumor and anti‐angiogenic properties of vasohibin have been very limited. To explore the potential of vasohibin as an anti‐angiogenesis therapeutic, we constructed a recombinant adenovirus encoding vasohibin. Our data showed that the recombinant adenovirus encoding vasohibin could prevent tumor angiogenesis and tumor growth. Notably, angiogenesis in the tumors was prevented without any apparent side‐effects. Therefore, the findings suggested that the recombinant adenovirus encoding vasohibin might be valuable as a potential strategy for antitumor angiogenesis therapy in the clinic. (Cancer Sci 2009)
Disturbance indicators and population decline of logged species in Mt. Elgon Forest, Kenya
Authors: Hitimana Joseph , Kiyiapi James , Njunge Joseph , Bargerei Rosemary
Published: October 2009

Mount (Mt) Elgon forest in western Kenya is important for biodiversity, environmental protection and socio‐economic development. Characterizing forest conditions is essential for evaluation of sustainable management and conservation activities. This paper covers findings of a study which determined and analysed indicators useful in monitoring disturbance levels in the Mt Elgon Forest. A systematic survey was carried out and covered 305 plots of 0.02 ha and 250 smaller nested regeneration plots along 10 belt transects that were distributed in five blocks within the moist lower montane forest type. Collected and analysed data include types of disturbance, tree species composition, abundance and logged species. Correlation breakdown among disturbance types revealed that, paths were indicators of the number of tree harvesting sites (rs =1.00, P < 0.01) and of de‐vegetated areas through grass harvesting (rs = 0.90, P = 0.04). Solanum mauritianum Scop. was an indicator of old‐charcoal production sites. Logging targeted 13 tree species and harvested trees with diameter at breast height above 20 cm. The most exploited species were Olea capensis L. and Deinbolia kilimandscharica Taub. All exploited species had low regeneration but tree regeneration was not an effective indicator of logging.
The last phase of deposition in the Swiss Molasse Basin: from foredeep to negative‐alpha basin
Authors: Willett Sean D. , Schlunegger Fritz
Published: October 2009

The Molasse Basin of Switzerland evolved through a distinct late Neogene history with initial development as a classic foredeep or foreland basin in response to loading of the lithosphere by the Alpine orogen. In the central and western foreland, the foredeep behaviour was terminated by deformation and uplift of the Jura Mountains in the distal regions of the foredeep. Following the Jura deformation the Plateau Molasse remained largely undeformed as it rode ‘piggy‐back’ style above the decollement feeding displacement into the Jura. Sediment accumulation data for the Molasse suggests that sedimentation in the Plateau Molasse region continued until the basin was inverted at about 5 Ma. We present a mechanical model for this sequence of events in which deformation jumps across much of the basin to the distal Jura because of the dip on the weak evaporitic decollement and the wedge‐shape of the foredeep basin. Subsequently, the Plateau Molasse remained largely undeformed as a result of continued sedimentation in a wedgetop basin, where the physical properties and geometry of the orogenic wedge combine to produce a critical wedge whose critical surface slope would be less than zero and thus should dip towards the Alpine interior. Accommodation space is created over this negative surface–slope segment of the wedge and sedimentation maintains this slope near zero, stabilizing the wedge. We present a simple analytical theory for the necessary conditions for such a ‘negative‐alpha basin’ to develop and be maintained. We compare this theory to the late Neogene evolution of the Alps, Molasse Basin and Jura Mountains and infer physical properties for the decollement.
Thrombolysis in children
Authors: Williams Michael D.
Published: October 2009

Thrombosis in children may result in vascular occlusion and a potential loss of viability in skin, limbs or organs, or lead to the development of post thrombotic syndrome. Thrombolysis may prevent such complications, and the use of thrombolytics in children has increased in the last three decades. Despite this, optimum paediatric treatment regimens for these drugs remain uncertain, and accurate efficacy and safety profiles for thrombolytics are limited by the lack of controlled, prospective studies in well‐defined patient populations. Restoration of vessel patency has often been achieved but the risk of intracranial and other major haemorrhage secondary to thrombolysis continues to be a significant concern for the clinician deciding on such treatment. This review summarises the use of thrombolytic treatment in children and describes outcome data and adverse events following treatment, as well as the limitations of published studies on paediatric thrombolysis.
Multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification screening of isolated increased HbF levels revealed three cases of novel rearrangements/deletions in the β‐globin gene cluster
Authors: Lee Seung‐Tae , Yoo Eun‐Hyung , Kim Ji‐Youn , Kim Jong‐Won , Ki Chang‐Seok
Published: October 2009

Investigations of naturally occurring mutations, such as the deletional thalassaemias and hereditary persistence of fetal haemoglobins (HPFHs), have brought many insights into human globin switching, but limited data have been reported so far. We selected 15 individuals with elevated fetal haemoglobin (HbF) levels (>5%) from a previous screening of 27 006 Korean individuals and analysed dosage changes of the globin gene cluster using multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Dosage changes detected by the MLPA probes were followed up with gap‐polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis. Three subjects were found to have deletions in the globin gene cluster, including a β‐thalassaemia due to deletion of HBB (β‐globin gene), an HPFH due to deletions of HBD (δ‐globin gene) and HBB, and an HPFH due to a novel HBG2–HBG1 fusion gene consisting of exons 1 and 2 of HBG2 (Gγ‐globin gene) and exon 3 of HBG1 (Aγ‐globin gene). The case with the HBG2–HBG1 fusion suggested the existence of another mechanism for the reactivation of HBG2 and HBG1. The IVS2 of HBG2 and HBG1might play a role in HbF regulation, and combinations of specific polymorphisms could influence the reactivation of these genes in adults.
Laser microdissection-based analysis of cytokine balance in the kidneys of patients with lupus nephritis
Authors: Wang Y , Ito S , Chino Y , Goto D , Matsumoto I , Murata H , Tsutsumi A , Hayashi T , Uchida K , Usui J , Yamagata K , Sumida T
Published: October 2009

To determine the cytokine balance in patients with lupus nephritis (LN), we analysed kidney-infiltrating T cells. Renal biopsy samples from 15 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients were used. In accordance with the classification of International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society, they were categorized into Class III, Class III+V (Class III-predominant group, n = 4), Class IV, Class IV+V (Class IV-predominant group, n = 7) and Class V (n = 4) groups. The single-cell samples of both the glomelular and interstitial infiltrating cells were captured by laser-microdissection. The glomerular and interstitial infiltrating T cells produced interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13 and IL-17 cytokines in the Class III-predominant, Class IV-predominant and Class V groups. Interferon-gamma was detected only in the glomeruli of the Class III-predominant and Class V group samples. The expression level of IL-17 was correlated closely with clinical parameters such as haematuria, blood urea nitrogen level, SLE Disease Activity Index scores in both glomeruli and interstitium, urine protein level in glomeruli and serum creatinine and creatinine clearance levels in interstitium. This suggests that the glomerular infiltrating T cells might act as T helper type 1 (Th1), Th2 and Th17 cells while the interstitial infiltrating T cells, act as Th2 and Th17 cells in the Class III-predominant and Class V groups. In contrast, both the glomerular and interstitial infiltrating T cells might act as Th2 and Th17 cells in the Class IV-predominant group. The cytokine balances may be dependent upon the classification of renal pathology, and IL-17 might play a critical role in SLE development.
Fat distribution influences the cardio‐metabolic profile in a clinically healthy European population
Authors: Bobbioni‐Harsch E. , Pataky Z. , Makoundou V. , Kozakova M. , Dekker J. , Golay A. ,   on the behalf of the RISC Investigators
Published: October 2009

Background and aims  Waist and hip circumferences are largely influenced by Fat Mass and several other determinants. To evaluate the specific effects of a preferential fat distribution, we corrected the waist and hip circumferences for all their determinants. We then examined the association between fat distribution and several cardio‐metabolic parameters in a clinically healthy population.

Subjects and methods  In a subgroup of 625 females (F) and 490 males (M) from the RISC (Relationship between Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular Disease) study, we evaluated insulin sensitivity by hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp and intima‐media thickness (IMT) of the common (CCA) and internal (ICA) carotid artery by ultrasound imaging. Waist and hip circumferences were adjusted for age, height, fat and fat‐free mass; in males, waist was also adjusted by hip and vice versa.

Results  Both F and M with enlarged waist showed significantly increased plasma insulin, C‐peptide, total cholesterol, non‐high density lipoprotein‐cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, when compared with subjects with a smaller waist circumference. Males also showed lower glucose uptake and higher heart rate and ICA‐IMT. A larger hip in both females and males was linked to a significantly greater inhibition of free fatty acids during the clamp test.

Conclusion  Adjustment of waist circumference for its determinants permits the detection of early impairment of cardiovascular function and of glucose and lipid metabolism in a clinically healthy population, in particular in normal body weight subjects. Enlarged hip adjusted values are associated with greater insulin sensitivity.
How fast can the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) larvae cross the Atlantic Ocean?
Authors: BONHOMMEAU SYLVAIN , BLANKE BRUNO , TRÉGUIER ANNE‐MARIE , GRIMA NICOLAS , RIVOT ETIENNE , VERMARD YOUEN , GREINER ERIC , LE PAPE OLIVIER
Published: October 2009

The migration duration of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) larvae (leptocephali) from the spawning areas in the Sargasso Sea to the European continental shelf remains highly controversial, with estimates varying from 6 months to more than 2 yr. We estimated the fastest migration period and the shortest distance travelled by eel larvae by simulating Lagrangian particles released in the Sargasso Sea and by simulating a range of larval behaviours (fixed‐depth drift, vertical diurnal migration and active‐depth selection to maximize current velocity). This enabled us to compute (i) a passive drift speed, and (ii) a hypothetic swimming speed needed for European eel larvae to cross the Atlantic in 6 months (i.e., the migration duration estimated from otolith daily growth increments). Our results show that the minimum travel time for an eel larva that is passively drifting was 10 months and 3 days. Active behaviours (vertical diurnal migration and rheotaxis) paradoxically increased the migration period. We found that for leptocephali to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 6 months, they would need to swim a minimum of 3.4 body lengths per second for 8200 km. No larvae have been observed with such swimming capabilities. These results provide evidence that leptocephali cannot cross the Atlantic in 6 months.
Acoustic characterization of biological backscatterings in the Kuroshio‐Oyashio inter‐frontal zone and subarctic waters of the western North Pacific in spring
Authors: MURASE HIROTO , ICHIHARA MORIO , YASUMA HIROKI , WATANABE HIKARU , YONEZAKI SHIROH , NAGASHIMA HIROSHI , KAWAHARA SHIGEYUKI , MIYASHITA KAZUSHI
Published: October 2009

The acoustic characteristics of biological backscattering in the western North Pacific were studied to verify expert knowledge on species composition in the echosigns. The survey was conducted in the Kuroshio‐Oyashio inter‐frontal zone and the subarctic waters in April 2003. The species composition of backscatterings was identified by using midwater trawl, Isaacs‐Kidd midwater trawl and Bongo net. The differences of mean volume backscattering strengths between 120 and 38 kHz (ΔMVBS120−38) were calculated for the backscatterings. Six types of backscatterings were classified based on the results of net samples and the ΔMVBS120−38. The ΔMVBS120−38 of each group was as follows: copepods 13.7–17.3 dB, krill 11.6–15.3 dB, Japanese anchovy −1.6 to 1.1 dB, a myctophid, Diaphus theta−0.8 dB, sand lance 6.1 dB and larvae and juveniles of pelagic and mesopelagic fish −9.6 to −4.0 dB. The results suggest that biological backscatterings in the Kuroshio‐Oyashio inter‐frontal zone and subarctic waters of the western North Pacific in spring can be characterized by using ΔMVBS.
Glucokinase and Glucokinase Regulatory Proteins are Functionally Coexpressed before Birth in the Rat Brain
Authors: Roncero I. , Sanz C. , Álvarez E. , Vázquez P. , Barrio P.A. , Blázquez E.
Published: October 2009

Our previous description of functional glucokinase (GK) isoforms and their interactions with glucokinase regulatory protein (GKRP) in adult rat and human brains suggested that both participate in glucose sensing in the central nervous system. To determine whether both proteins are coexpressed and active before birth or during early post‐natal life, we characterised these molecules in the brains of foetal and post‐natal pup rats. We found GK and GKRP mRNAs that were similar to those previously reported in the adult rat brain. Likewise, GK and GKRP gene expression gave rise to proteins of 52 and 69 kDa, respectively. Immunohistochemistry experiments showed the colocalisation of both GK and GKRP proteins in the same brain cells of 21‐day‐old rat foetuses. Furthermore, coprecipitation of GK and GKRP in the presence of fructose 6‐phosphate suggests interactions between both proteins. The presence of GK phosphorylating activity was detected in different brain areas of 21‐day‐old foetuses with a contribution to the total glucose‐phosphorylating activity of between 17.2 ± 1.7% and 12.4 ± 3.7%, with the hypothalamus being the region of maximum activity. The hypothalamic GK activity in 21‐day‐old foetuses has a high apparent Km for glucose and no product inhibition by glucose 6‐phosphate. Our findings indicate that both proteins may be functionally active before birth and that they can act within a glucose sensor system involved in controlling food intake.
Child and adolescent experience of and satisfaction with psychiatric care: a critical review of the research literature
Authors: BIERING P.
Published: October 2009

Accessible summary

This review paper contributes to better understanding of child and adolescent perception of quality of psychiatric care and should therefore be of interests for those who are concerned with the development and improvement of psychiatric care.

The review shows that the concept of patient satisfaction in child and adolescent psychiatric care is still underdeveloped and that few valid instruments have been developed to measure the concept.

The review helps to clarify the concept of adolescent satisfaction with psychiatric care by indentifying the universal components of the concept.

The paper concludes that children's perception of quality of care differs from their parents' and that quality assessment of children and adolescents needs to be heeded.

Users' perspectives ought to be a determining factor for assessing the quality of psychiatric care and hence their perspectives need to be thoroughly understood. There is a lack of comprehensive knowledge of how children and adolescents perceive the quality of their psychiatric care. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to critically review and synthesize findings from research on youth experience and satisfaction with psychiatric care. The review finds that knowledge about youth perception of quality of care is scattered and that few researchers consider previous findings. There are few valid instruments to measure child and adolescent patient satisfaction and few studies have considered these users' perceptions. These few studies indicate that adolescents' satisfaction has three universal components: satisfaction with environment and the organization of services; with user–caregiver relationship; and with treatment outcome. However, instruments that only use these factors lack sensitivity, while instruments that measure specific components of services capture differences in satisfaction between user groups. The review shows that parents and children have different mental care needs, and that the assessments by children and adolescents of their psychiatric care should be heeded.
Community‐based validation of assessment of newborn illnesses by trained community health workers in Sylhet district of Bangladesh
Authors: Baqui Abdullah H. , Arifeen Shams E. , Rosen Heather E. , Mannan Ishtiaq , Rahman Syed M. , Al‐Mahmud Arif Billah , Hossain Daniel , Das Milan K. , Begum Nazma , Ahmed Saifuddin , Santosham Mathuram , Black Robert E. , Darmstadt Gary L. ,   for the Projahnmo Study Group
Published: October 2009

Objectives  To validate trained community health workers’ recognition of signs and symptoms of newborn illnesses and classification of illnesses using a clinical algorithm during routine home visits in rural Bangladesh.

Methods  Between August 2005 and May 2006, 288 newborns were assessed independently by a community health worker and a study physician. Based on a 20‐sign algorithm, sick neonates were classified as having very severe disease, possible very severe disease or no disease. The physician’s assessment was considered as the gold standard.

Results  Community health workers correctly classified very severe disease in newborns with a sensitivity of 91%, specificity of 95% and kappa value of 0.85 (P < 0.001). Community health workers’ recognition showed a sensitivity of more than 60% and a specificity of 97–100% for almost all signs and symptoms.

Conclusion  Community health workers with minimal training can use a diagnostic algorithm to identify severely ill newborns with high validity.
Two novel AIRE mutations in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy‐candidiasis‐ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) among Indians
Authors: Zaidi G , Sahu RP , Zhang L , George G , Bhavani N , Shah N , Bhatia V , Bhansali A , Jevalikar G , Jayakumar RV , Eisenbarth GS , Bhatia E
Published: October 2009

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy‐candidiasis‐ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is a rare recessive disorder resulting from mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. There is no information on AIRE mutations in Indians. In a cross‐sectional study, nine patients (eight families), from four referral hospitals in India, were studied for AIRE mutations by direct sequencing. We screened for new mutations in 150 controls by allele‐specific PCR. The patients had 1–7 known components of APECED. Three patients had unusual manifestations: presentation with type 1 diabetes; chronic sinusitis and otitis media; and facial dysmorphism. All patients carried homozygous, probably recessive, AIRE mutations. Two unrelated patients from a small in‐bred community (Vanika Vaisya) in south India carried an unreported missense mutation, p.V80G, in the N‐terminal caspase recruitment domain. Another unique mutation, p.C302X, resulting in a truncated protein with deletion of both zinc‐finger domains, was detected in a patient from Gujarat. Neither mutation was detected in controls. Other mutations, previously described in Caucasians, were: 13 base pair deletion (p.C322fsX372) in 4 (38%), and Finn‐major (p.R257X) and p.R139X (Sardinian) mutation in one subject each. In conclusion, in this first series of APECED in Indians, we detected AIRE mutations previously reported in Caucasians, as well as unique mutations. Of these, p.V80G is possibly an ancestral mutation in an in‐bred community.
Identification and functional analysis of novel mutations of the CLCNKB gene in Chinese patients with classic Bartter syndrome
Authors: Yu Y , Xu C , Pan X , Ren H , Wang W , Meng X , Huang F , Chen N
Published: October 2009

Yu Y, Xu C, Pan X, Ren H, Wang W, Meng X, Huang F, Chen N. Identification and functional analysis of novel mutations of the CLCNKB gene in Chinese patients with classic Bartter syndrome.

Mutations in the gene CLCNKB encoding the ClC‐Kb chloride channel causes classic Bartter syndrome, which is characterized by hypokalaemic metabolic alkalosis, renal salt loss, hyper‐reninaemic hyperaldosteronism and normal blood pressure. We aimed to investigate the underlying mutations in CLCNKB in two Chinese patients with classic Bartter syndrome and then test the effect of the mutations on ClC‐Kb chloride channel activity. Mutation analysis of CLCNKB was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) direct sequencing. Expression of the wild‐type and mutant ClC‐Kb was heterologous in Xenopus laevis oocytes. We identified three novel CLCNKB gene mutations, including one homozygous missense mutation (R351W) in one patient and two compound heterozygous mutations (R30X and A210V) in the other. As determined by two‐electrode voltage‐clamp analysis of ClC‐Kb channel activity, R30X abolished the current amplitude; A210V and R351W significantly reduced the current amplitude. A210V was almost as sensitive as the wild type to extracellular pH and calcium, whereas R351W removed extracellular calcium activation and markedly reduced alkaline pH activation of ClC‐Kb. The three novel CLCNKB mutations we identified in two Chinese patients with classic Bartter syndrome have a role in altering the functional properties of ClC‐Kb channels.
Physiologic responses and gene diversity indicate olive alternative oxidase as a potential source for markers involved in efficient adventitious root induction
Authors: Santos Macedo Elisete , Cardoso Hélia G. , Hernández Alejandro , Peixe Augusto A. , Polidoros Alexios , Ferreira Alexandre , Cordeiro António , Arnholdt‐Schmitt Birgit
Published: October 2009

Olive (Olea europaea L.) trees are mainly propagated by adventitious rooting of semi‐hardwood cuttings. However, efficient commercial propagation of valuable olive tree cultivars or landraces by semi‐hardwood cuttings can often be restricted by a low rooting capacity. We hypothesize that root induction is a plant cell reaction linked to oxidative stress and that activity of stress‐induced alternative oxidase (AOX) is importantly involved in adventitious rooting. To identify AOX as a source for potential functional marker sequences that may assist tree breeding, genetic variability has to be demonstrated that can affect gene regulation. The paper presents an applied, multidisciplinary research approach demonstrating first indications of an important relationship between AOX activity and differential adventitious rooting in semi‐hardwood cuttings. Root induction in the easy‐to‐root Portuguese cultivar ‘Cobrançosa’ could be significantly reduced by treatment with salicyl‐hydroxamic acid, an inhibitor of AOX activity. On the contrary, treatment with H2O2 or pyruvate, both known to induce AOX activity, increased the degree of rooting. Recently, identification of several O. europaea (Oe) AOX gene sequences has been reported from our group. Here we present for the first time partial sequences of OeAOX2. To search for polymorphisms inside of OeAOX genes, partial OeAOX2 sequences from the cultivars ‘Galega vulgar’, ‘Cobrançosa’ and ‘Picual’ were cloned from genomic DNA and cDNA, including exon, intron and 3′‐untranslated regions (3′‐UTRs) sequences. The data revealed polymorphic sites in several regions of OeAOX2. The 3′‐UTR was the most important source for polymorphisms showing 5.7% of variability. Variability in the exon region accounted 3.4 and 2% in the intron. Further, analysis performed at the cDNA from microshoots of ‘Galega vulgar’ revealed transcript length variation for the 3′‐UTR of OeAOX2 ranging between 76 and 301 bp. The identified polymorphisms and 3′‐UTR length variation can be explored in future studies for effects on gene regulation and a potential linkage to olive rooting phenotypes in view of marker‐assisted plant selection.
Aluminum resistance in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) involves induction and maintenance of citrate exudation from root apices
Authors: Rangel Andrés Felipe , Rao Idupulapati Madhusudana , Braun Hans‐Peter , Horst Walter Johannes
Published: October 2009

Two common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes differing in aluminum (Al) resistance, Quimbaya (Al‐resistant) and VAX‐1 (Al‐sensitive) were grown in hydroponics for up to 25 h with or without Al, and several parameters related to the exudation of organic acids anions from the root apex were investigated. Al treatment enhanced the exudation of citrate from the root tips of both genotypes. However, its dynamic offers the most consistent relationship between Al‐induced inhibition of root elongation and Al accumulation in and exclusion from the root apices. Initially, in both genotypes the short‐term (4 h) Al‐injury period was characterized by the absence of citrate efflux independent of the citrate content of the root apices, and reduction of cytosolic turnover of citrate conferred by a reduced Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate–isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.42) activity. Transient recovery from initial Al stress (4–12 h) was found to be dependent mainly on the capacity to utilize internal citrate pools (Al‐resistant genotype Quimbaya) or enhanced citrate synthesis [increased activities of NAD‐malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37) and ATP‐phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.11) in Al‐sensitive VAX‐1]. Sustained recovery from Al stress through citrate exudation in genotype Quimbaya after 24 h Al treatment relied on restoring the internal citrate pool and the constitutive high activity of citrate synthase (CS) (EC 4.1.3.7) fuelled by high phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) activity. In the Al‐sensitive genotype VAX‐1 the citrate exudation and thus Al exclusion and root elongation could not be maintained coinciding with an exhaustion of the internal citrate pool and decreased CS activity.