bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assignment of the SLA alleles and reproductive potential of selective breeding Duroc pig lines
Authors: Soe Ok Kar , Ohba Yasunori , Imaeda Noriaki , Nishii Naohito , Takasu Masaki , Yoshioka Gou , Kawata Hisako , Shigenari Atsuko , Uenishi Hirohide , Inoko Hidetoshi , Ando Asako , Kitagawa Hitoshi
Published: December 2008

Abstract:  Background:  Pigs with defined swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) haplotypes and their detailed information are useful for transplantation and immunological studies. We developed two herds of SLA homozygous Duroc pigs with novel SLA haplotypes and characterized their reproductive potential.

Methods:  For selective inbreeding, a pair of Duroc pigs was chosen as initial breeders, and substantial breeding within progenies was carried out for eight generations. In the selective breeding Duroc pigs, SLA haplotypes were assigned by nucleotide sequence determination of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) products of three SLA classical class I genes and two class II genes. Based on this sequence information, we developed a rapid and simple SLA class II DNA typing method by polymerase chain reaction‐sequence specific primer (PCR‐SSP) technique. As a complementary method for the characterization of the SLA haplotypes, genetic polymorphisms of 36 microsatellite (MS) markers within the SLA region were also analyzed in the selective breeding pigs with SLA homozygous/heterozygous haplotypes.

Results:  Among the selective breeding pigs from the third to fifth generations, only two SLA haplotypes were identified by the RT‐PCR based SLA typing method; Hp‐27.30 (SLA‐1*08an03, SLA‐1*06an04, SLA‐2*0102, SLA‐3*0101 DRB1*1101 and DQB1*0503) and Hp‐60.13 (SLA‐1*an02, SLA‐2*1002, SLA‐3*0502, DRB1*0403 and DQB1*0303). In these two SLA haplotypes, two class I haplotypes, Hp‐27.0 and Hp‐60.0, are novel. Furthermore, two class II haplotypes, Hp‐0.30 and Hp‐0.13, which were previously reported in Korean native pigs and pigs of Hanford breed, respectively, were also assigned by a simple assay using a PCR‐SSP technique in the entire selective breeding stock. Moreover, two haplotype specific MS patterns were observed across the entire SLA region in the selective breeding (homozygous/heterozygous) pigs. No morphological abnormalities were observed in selective breeding pigs. The theoretical inbreeding coefficient at the eighth generation was 78.5%. In all generations of selective breeding pigs, litter sizes were comparable and weaning weights from the fifth to eighth generation produced progenies significantly lighter (P < 0.01) than those in the non‐selective breeding pigs.

Conclusions:  We established and characterized SLA homozygous Duroc herds with two kinds of haplotypes that can be used as a new resource for transplantation and other biomedical studies.
Tumor lysis under anesthesia in a child
Authors: SINHA R. , BOSE S. , SUBRAMANIAM R.
Published: December 2008

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a life‐threatening oncologic emergency characterized by metabolic derangements caused by massive lysis and release of cellular components. TLS has been reported to occur under various circumstances. There have however, been only two reports of precipitation of TLS by anesthesia in the current medical literature. We report on the development of TLS in a 7‐year‐old child with a pelvic neuroectodermal tumor following induction of anesthesia and discuss the peri‐operative concerns while dealing with patients with high tumor burdens.
Virulence evolution and the trade‐off hypothesis: history, current state of affairs and the future
Authors: ALIZON S. , HURFORD A. , MIDEO N. , VAN BAALEN M.
Published: December 2008

It has been more than two decades since the formulation of the so‐called ‘trade‐off’ hypothesis as an alternative to the then commonly accepted idea that parasites should always evolve towards avirulence (the ‘avirulence hypothesis’). The trade‐off hypothesis states that virulence is an unavoidable consequence of parasite transmission; however, since the 1990s, this hypothesis has been increasingly challenged. We discuss the history of the study of virulence evolution and the development of theories towards the trade‐off hypothesis in order to illustrate the context of the debate. We investigate the arguments raised against the trade‐off hypothesis and argue that trade‐offs exist, but may not be of the simple form that is usually assumed, involving other mechanisms (and life‐history traits) than those originally considered. Many processes such as pathogen adaptation to within‐host competition, interactions with the immune system and shifting transmission routes, will all be interrelated making sweeping evolutionary predictions harder to obtain. We argue that this is the heart of the current debate in the field and while species‐specific models may be better predictive tools, the trade‐off hypothesis and its basic extensions are necessary to assess the qualitative impacts of virulence management strategies.
Multiplicative interaction between the two major mechanisms of permethrin resistance, kdr and cytochrome P450‐monooxygenase detoxification, in mosquitoes
Authors: HARDSTONE M. C. , LEICHTER C. A. , SCOTT J. G.
Published: December 2008

Epistasis is the nonadditive interaction between different loci which contribute to a phenotype. Epistasis between independent loci conferring insecticide resistance is important to investigate as this phenomenon can shape the rate that resistance evolves and can dictate the level of resistance in the field. The evolution of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes is a growing and world‐wide problem. The two major mechanisms that confer resistance to permethrin in Culex mosquitoes are target site insensitivity (i.e. kdr) and enhanced detoxification by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. Using three strains of mosquitoes, and crosses between these strains, we assessed the relative contribution of the two independent loci conferring permethrin resistance, individually and when present together. We found that for all genotype combinations tested, Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus exhibited multiplicative interactions between kdr and P450 detoxification, whether the resistance alleles were homozygous or heterozygous. These results provide a basis for further analysis of the evolution and maintenance of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes.
The evolutionary dynamics of evolvability in a gene network model
Authors: DRAGHI J. , WAGNER G. P.
Published: December 2008

Evolvability, the ability of populations to adapt, has recently emerged as a major unifying concept in biology. Although the study of evolvability offers new insights into many important biological questions, the conceptual bases of evolvability, and the mechanisms of its evolution, remain controversial. We used simulated evolution of a model of gene network dynamics to test the contentious hypothesis that natural selection can favour high evolvability, in particular in sexual populations. Our results conclusively demonstrate that fluctuating natural selection can increase the capacity of model gene networks to adapt to new environments. Detailed studies of the evolutionary dynamics of these networks establish a broad range of validity for this result and quantify the evolutionary forces responsible for changes in evolvability. Analysis of the genotype–phenotype map of these networks also reveals mechanisms connecting evolvability, genetic architecture and robustness. Our results suggest that the evolution of evolvability can have a pervasive influence on many aspects of organisms.
Cross‐fostering Does Not Influence the Mate Preferences and Territorial Behaviour of Males in Lake Victoria Cichlids
Authors: Verzijden Machteld N. , Zwinkels Juul , Ten Cate Carel
Published: December 2008

The ability to recognise conspecifics in contexts of mate choice and territorial defence may have large effects on an individual’s fitness. Understanding the development of assortative behaviour may shed light on how species assortative behaviour evolves and how it may influence reproductive isolation. This is the case not only for female mate preferences, but also for male mate preferences and male territorial behaviour. Here we test with a cross‐fostering experiment whether early learning influences male mate preferences and male–male aggression biases in two closely related, sympatrically occurring cichlid species Pundamilia pundamilia and Pundamilia nyererei from Lake Victoria. Males that had been fostered, either by a conspecific female or by a heterospecific female, were tested for their aggression bias, as well as for their mate preferences, in two‐way choice tests. Males cross‐fostered with conspecific and heterospecific foster mothers selectively directed their aggression towards conspecific intruders. The cross‐fostering treatment also did not affect male mate preferences. These results are in striking contrast with the finding that females of these species show a sexual preference for males of the foster species.
What Triggers Reproductive Life? Effects of Adolescent Cohabitation, Social Novelty and Aggression in a Monogamous Mouse
Authors: Busquet Nicolas , Leveille Nizerolle Corinne , Feron Christophe
Published: December 2008

Cohabitation during childhood has been described as a powerful inhibitor of later sexual interest in animals including humans (the ‘Westermarck effect’), serving as a brother–sister incest avoidance mechanism. Mound‐building mice Mus spicilegus display a strong social inhibition of reproduction, responsible for the absence of reproduction in over‐wintering tumuli. To better understand the mechanisms responsible for triggering reproduction in this monogamous species, we formed 100 experimental couples of juveniles (35 d) and surveyed reproduction for 45 d. As expected, very few couples reproduced, which confirms the role of social familiarity in the inhibition of reproduction. Temporary separation (1 h or 24 h) of the two partners had little effect on reproductive success. However, pairing with a new partner, with or without prior isolation, significantly triggered reproduction. Observations of the first encounter between new partners revealed more agonistic and less affiliative behaviour than in controls (reunion of familiar partners). Interestingly, when the new partner was a sibling of the previous one, the behavioural analysis revealed an intermediate level of aggression, indicating that kinship with the previous partner was perceived and had consequences on social behaviour. Mice could therefore choose a new partner based on its relatedness to the previous mate. Mutual tolerance between new partners during the dyadic encounter was negatively correlated with subsequent reproduction. These results demonstrate the paramount role of social novelty in triggering reproduction in this monogamous mouse, and suggest a link between agonistic behaviour and sexual motivation. In the field, mound‐building mice may need to engage in agonistic interactions so as to overcome the long‐lasting social inhibition of reproduction in overwintering mounds.
Effects of Deficit Drip Irrigation Ratios on Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Yield and Fibre Quality
Authors: Basal H. , Dagdelen N. , Unay A. , Yilmaz E.
Published: December 2008

Increasing irrigation costs and declining water availability compel producers to adapt irrigation strategies for maximum crop yield and water use efficiency. A field trial was conducted to observe the effects of various drip irrigation ratios (IR‐0, IR‐25, IR‐50, IR‐75 and IR‐100) on water use efficiency (WUE), the irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), lint yield, yield components and fibre quality at two upland cotton varieties during 2004 and 2005. WUE was found to increase from 0.62 to 0.71 kg m−3 as the irrigation water applied was reduced from 100 % to 75 % of soil water depletion. Deficit irrigation of cotton with drip irrigation at 75 % treatment level (IR‐75) did not decrease seed cotton yield and yield components during 2 years, with the exception of the number of bolls in 2005. Among fibre quality parameters, no significant differences in fibre length, fineness, uniformity index and elongation were detected between the 100 % and 75 % irrigation levels in 2005. The results revealed that irrigation of cotton with a drip irrigation method at 75 % level had significant benefits in terms of saved irrigation water without reducing yield, and high WUE indicated a definitive advantage of employing deficit irrigation under limited water supply conditions.
Correlates of mortality in elderly COPD patients: Focus on health‐related quality of life
Authors: ANTONELLI‐INCALZI Raffaele , PEDONE Claudio , SCARLATA Simone , BATTAGLIA Salvatore , SCICHILONE Nicola , FORESTIERE Francesco , BELLIA Vincenzo
Published: December 2008

Background and objective:  The Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) is widely used as a measure of health‐related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with COPD. This study tested whether the SGRQ predicts the survival of patients with COPD.

Methods:  The study recruited 238 patients with COPD who were participants in the multicentre Salute Respiratoria nell'Anziano (Sa.R.A.) study. Patients' sociodemographic, clinical and functional characteristics were assessed and the association between the SGRQ and mortality, corrected for potential confounders, was estimated.

Results:  The mean age of study participants was 72.6 years. Over the 5‐year observation period there were 88 deaths. After adjustment for potential confounders, the SGRQ score was associated with an increased risk of dying (hazard ratio (HR): 1.22 for four‐point increments; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.45). There was no association between mortality and the Symptoms subscale (corrected HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.96–1.32), whereas each four‐point increment of the Activity (HR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.00–1.43) and Impact (HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.03–1.83) subscale scores were associated with increased mortality. Higher FEV1 relative to predicted (HR: 0.73 for each 5% increment; 95% CI: 0.58–0.91) and better performance at the 6‐min walking test relative to predicted (HR: 0.93 for each 5% increment; 95% CI: 0.89–0.97) were associated with lower mortality.

Conclusions:  In elderly COPD patients, the SGRQ can improve prognostic models based on classical indicators of disease severity.
Incidence and risk factors for preincision hypotension in a noncardiac pediatric surgical population
Authors: NAFIU OLUBUKOLA O. , KHETERPAL SACHIN , MORRIS MICHELLE , REYNOLDS PAUL I. , MALVIYA SHOBHA , TREMPER KEVIN K.
Published: December 2008

Background:  Routine monitoring of blood pressure is an essential part of perioperative care in adults and children. It is however not known whether intraoperative hypotension (IOH) is clinically important in the ‘healthy’ pediatric patient. This may be partly due to the lack of data on the incidence and consequences of IOH in this group of patients. We utilized the Brain Trauma Foundation definition of hypotension to describe the incidence of preincision hypotension (PIH) in a large pediatric noncardiac surgical population and identified risk factors for the occurrence PIH.

Methods:  We examined the electronic perioperative records of all children aged 1–17 years undergoing general anesthesia for noncardiac surgeries between January 2005 and June 2007 in our institution. Frequency and factors associated with PIH were computed. Binary logistic regression with forward step‐wise algorithm was used to examine factors associated with PIH.

Results:  There were 22 263 children of whom 57.6% were males. Most (94.9%) cases were elective, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I–II (79.5%) procedures. Inhalational induction was predominantly used in this cohort (67%) although 33% of patients had propofol either as a sole induction agent or as part of a ‘co‐induction’ regime. Single or multiple episodes of PIH occurred in 35.8% of patients. PIH was more common in patients with ASA ≥ III (P < 0.001); those with preoperative hypotension (P < 0.001); and following intravenous induction (P < 0.001) as well as propofol co‐induction (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis the following were significant predictors of PIH: baseline hypotension, propofol co‐induction, age, ASA ≥ III, and long preincision period.

Conclusion:  Preincision hypotension is common in the pediatric surgical population undergoing general anesthesia. Factors independently predictive of PIH included high ASA status, pre‐existing hypotension, propofol co‐induction prolonged preincision period and adolescent age group. The importance of blood pressure monitoring, prompt recognition of hypotension and use of appropriate intervention is emphasized.
Inferring the parameters of the neutral theory of biodiversity using phylogenetic information and implications for tropical forests
Authors: Jabot Franck , Chave Jérôme
Published: December 2008

We develop a statistical method to infer the parameters of Hubbell’s neutral model of biodiversity using data on local species abundances and their phylogenetic relatedness. This method uses the approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) approach, where the data are summarized into a small number of informative summary statistics. We used three statistics: the number of species in the sample, ShannonHindex of evenness and Shao and Sokal’sB1index of phylogenetic tree imbalance. Our approach was found to outperform previous methods, illustrating the potential of ABC methods in ecology. Applying it to four large tropical forest tree data sets, the best‐fit immigration ratesmwere found to be two orders of magnitude smaller and regional diversitiesθlarger than previously reported for the same data. This implies that neutral‐compatible regional pools of tropical trees should extend over continental scales, and thatmmeasures, in this context, mostly the frequency of long‐distance dispersal events.
Methylmercury enters an aquatic food web through acidophilic microbial mats in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Authors: Boyd Eric S. , King Susan , Tomberlin Jeffery K. , Nordstrom D. Kirk , Krabbenhoft David P. , Barkay Tamar , Geesey Gill G.
Published: December 2008

Microbial mats are a visible and abundant life form inhabiting the extreme environments in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), WY, USA. Little is known of their role in food webs that exist in the Park's geothermal habitats. Eukaryotic green algae associated with a phototrophic green/purple Zygogonium microbial mat community that inhabits low‐temperature regions of acidic (pH ∼ 3.0) thermal springs were found to serve as a food source for stratiomyid (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae. Mercury in spring source water was taken up and concentrated by the mat biomass. Monomethylmercury compounds (MeHg+), while undetectable or near the detection limit (0.025 ng l−1) in the source water of the springs, was present at concentrations of 4–7 ng g−1 dry weight of mat biomass. Detection of MeHg+ in tracheal tissue of larvae grazing the mat suggests that MeHg+ enters this geothermal food web through the phototrophic microbial mat community. The concentration of MeHg+ was two to five times higher in larval tissue than mat biomass indicating MeHg+ biomagnification occurred between primary producer and primary consumer trophic levels. The Zygogonium mat community and stratiomyid larvae may also play a role in the transfer of MeHg+ to species in the food web whose range extends beyond a particular geothermal feature of YNP.
HD‐GYP domain proteins regulate biofilm formation and virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Ryan Robert P. , Lucey Jean , O'Donovan Karen , McCarthy Yvonne , Yang Liang , Tolker‐Nielsen Tim , Dow J. Maxwell
Published: December 2008

HD‐GYP is a protein domain involved in the hydrolysis of the bacterial second messenger cyclic‐di‐GMP. The genome of the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 encodes two proteins (PA4108, PA4781) with an HD‐GYP domain and a third protein, PA2572, which contains a domain with variant key residues (YN‐GYP). Here we have investigated the role of these proteins in biofilm formation, virulence factor synthesis and virulence of P. aeruginosa. Mutation of PA4108 and PA4781 led to an increase in the level of cyclic‐di‐GMP in P. aeruginosa, consistent with the predicted activity of the encoded proteins as cyclic‐di‐GMP phosphodiesterases. Mutation of both genes led to reduced swarming motility but had differing effects on production of the virulence factors pyocyanin, pyoverdin and ExoS. Mutation of PA2572 had no effect on cyclic‐di‐GMP levels and did not influence swarming motility. However, PA2572 had a negative influence on swarming that was cryptic and was revealed only after removal of an uncharacterized C‐terminal domain. Mutation of PA4108, PA4781 and PA2572 had distinct effects on biofilm formation and architecture of P. aeruginosa. All three proteins contributed to virulence of P. aeruginosa to larvae of the Greater Wax moth Galleria mellonella.
Examining the conflation of multiculturalism, sexism, and religious fundamentalism through Taylor and Bakhtin: expanding post‐colonial feminist epistemology
Authors: Racine Louise
Published: December 2008

In this post‐9/11 era marked by religious and ethnic conflicts and the rise of cultural intolerance, ambiguities arising from the conflation of multiculturalism, sexism, and religious fundamentalism jeopardize the delivery of culturally safe nursing care to non‐Western populations. This new social reality requires nurses to develop a heightened awareness of health issues pertaining to racism and ethnocentrism to provide culturally safe care to non‐Western immigrants or refugees. Through the lens of post‐colonial feminism, this paper explores the challenge of providing culturally safe nursing care in the context of the post‐9/11 in Canadian healthcare settings. A critical appraisal of the literature demonstrates that post‐colonial feminism, despite some limitations, remains a valuable theoretical perspective to apply in cultural nursing research and develop culturally safe nursing practice. Post‐colonial feminism offers the analytical lens to understand how health, social and cultural context, race and gender intersect to impact on non‐Western populations’ health. However, an uncritical application of post‐colonial feminism may not serve racialized men's and women's interests because of its essentialist risk. Post‐colonial feminism must expand its epistemological assumptions to integrate Taylor's concept of identity and recognition and Bakhtin's concepts of dialogism and unfinalizability to explore non‐Western populations’ health issues and the context of nursing practice. This would strengthen the theoretical adequacy of post‐colonial feminist approaches in unveiling the process of racialization that arises from the conflation of multiculturalism, sexism, and religious fundamentalism in Western healthcare settings.
‘The demented other’: identity and difference in dementia
Authors: Naue Ursula , Kroll Thilo
Published: December 2008

This paper explores the impact of the concepts of identity and difference on demented persons (especially on persons with Alzheimer's disease). The diagnosis of dementia is often synonymous with the assertion that demented individuals are no longer capable of making reasonable decisions. But rationality is an important aspect of characterizing a person's identity. Hence, this prevailing image of dementia as a loss of self and a change of identity leads to the situation that demented persons represent difference and otherness. Here, the brain and the mind act as the source for difference. The paper discusses several identity concepts with regard to demented persons and the relationship between identity and difference in dementia. This analysis is accompanied by an examination of the current biopolitics of dementia and ageing as biopolitics constitutes the socio‐political‐medical understanding of dementia. Challenges and possibilities for dementia care will be explored in the context of this complex relationship between theoretical concepts and political, medical, and health‐care practices.
International Variations in Transparency and Capital Structure: Evidence from European Firms
Authors: Aggarwal Raj , Kyaw NyoNyo Aung
Published: December 2008

This paper documents the impact of national transparency regimes on corporate capital structure in 14 European countries. After controlling for relevant firm, industry, and national variables, we find that owner‐manager agency cost‐reducing transparency such as higher levels of analysts following is associated with lower corporate debt levels. In contrast, transparency that reduces owner‐creditor agency costs that helps creditors control business risks (and creditors‐to‐owners wealth transfers), such as disclosure timeliness, institutional trading activities, and enforcement of anti‐insider trading laws, are associated with higher corporate debt levels. Among other transparency measures, levels of financial and governance disclosures are negatively associated with debt ratios and higher levels of audit intensity and accounting disclosures are positively associated with debt ratios. Further, transparency factors are more important for large firms and for firms in services and high technology.
A sulphur deficiency‐induced gene, sdi1, involved in the utilization of stored sulphate pools under sulphur‐limiting conditions has potential as a diagnostic indicator of sulphur nutritional status
Authors: Howarth Jonathan R. , Parmar Saroj , Barraclough Peter B. , Hawkesford Malcolm J.
Published: December 2008

A sulphate deficiency‐induced gene, sdi1, has been identified by cDNA‐amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis utilizing field‐grown, nutrient‐deficient wheat (Triticum aestivum var. Hereward). The expression of sdi1 was specifically induced in leaf and root tissues in response to sulphate deficiency, but was not induced by nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium or magnesium deficiency. Expression was also shown to increase in plant tissues as the external sulphate concentration in hydroponically grown plants was reduced from 1.0 to 0.0 mm. On this basis, sdi1 gene expression has potential as a sensitive indicator of sulphur nutritional status in wheat. Genome‐walking techniques were used to clone the 2.7‐kb region upstream of sdi1 from genomic DNA, revealing several cis‐element motifs previously identified as being associated with sulphur responses in plants. The Arabidopsis thaliana gene most highly homologous to sdi1 is At5g48850, which was also demonstrated to be induced by sulphur deficiency, an observation confirmed by the analysis of microarray data available in the public domain. The expression of Atsdi1 was induced more rapidly than previously characterized sulphur‐responsive genes in the period immediately following the transfer of plants to sulphur‐deficient medium. Atsdi1 T‐DNA ‘knockout’ mutants were shown to maintain higher tissue sulphate concentrations than wild‐type plants under sulphur‐limiting conditions, indicating a role in the utilization of stored sulphate under sulphur‐deficient conditions. The structural features of the sdi1 gene and its application in the genetic determination of the sulphur nutritional status of wheat crops are discussed.
631. LATHYRUS NEUROLOBUS
Authors: Kenicer Gregory , Norton Sylvia
Published: December 2008

Summary Lathyrus neurolobus Boiss. & Heldr., a small perennial Lathyrus species endemic to western Crete, is described and illustrated.
633. LATHYRUS LATIFOLIUS
Authors: Kenicer Gregory , Norton Sylvia
Published: December 2008

Summary Lathyrus latifolius L., the broad‐leavedeverlastingpea, is described and illustrated.
Coins and trade in early medieval Italy
Authors: Rovelli Alessia
Published: December 2008

This paper is an analysis of monetary circulation in early medieval Italy in the period c.600–900. Using a dual comparison – first, of the level of currency use as against ceramics within Italy, and second, of the pattern of Italian coin use, and economic activity more generally, with that north of the Alps – this paper presents examples that shed light on patterns of change and discontinuity.
1. ACTS OF GOD? MIRACLES AND SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION1
Authors: FØRLAND TOR EGIL
Published: December 2008

God, at least as an active agent, is excluded from today's scientific worldview—including the worldview of the humanities. This creates a gulf between a godless science and believers in God's active presence in the world, a gulf that I argue is unbridgeable. I discuss the general methodological question from the starting point of a 1652 episode in a Norwegian valley, where God reportedly saved two brothers stranded on an islet by providing just enough fresh, edible plants each day for them to survive until they were found by a search team after twelve days. I resist four temptations to take easy ways out of a real dilemma: whether to accept or dismiss this and similar miracle accounts. The first is to explain evidence and refuse to consider the events about which the evidence reports; the second, to deny that reports of miracles represent a problem since biblical actors and authors lacked Hume's concept of inviolable laws of nature; the third, to become resigned to a putative epistemological gap that renders impossible any dialogue on religion with actors from the early modern period; the fourth, to restrict our studies to asking what the events meant to the historical actors without passing judgment on the truth value of their beliefs. I suggest that when doing historical research, historians are part of a scientific community; consequently, historiographical explanations must be compatible with accepted scientific beliefs. Whereas many historians and natural scientists in private believe in supernatural entities, qua professional members of the scientific community they must subscribe to metaphysical naturalism, which is a basic working hypothesis in the empirical quest of science. As long as the supernatural realm is excluded from the scientific worldview, however, historians’ explanations of miracles will differ fundamentally from the explanations proffered by believers.
Better access to primary healthcare for adults with learning disabilities: evaluation of a group programme to improve knowledge and skills
Authors: Webb Jenny , Stanton Melanie
Published: December 2008

Accessible summary

Many people with learning disability have poor health, compared with other people.

Each person taking part in this study told their health story and set themselves health targets.

Some of the things they learnt were: what to do when they are in pain; how to make appointments with the doctor; and how to make their needs clear when they are in the doctor’s surgery.

This research is important in helping people feel more confident when they visit their doctor, and in making it more likely that they are able to stay healthy.

The health of people with learning disabilities is poor when compared with the general population but this difference is not reflected in higher rates of access to primary healthcare.

This paper will report on a study undertaken to run and evaluate a 12‐week programme to enable people with learning disabilities to better access primary healthcare.

The importance of this research lies in the successful outcomes achieved, and in the distinctive properties of the programme, which used practice‐based groups, and focussed on the development of health skills as well as health knowledge.
Alcohol Neurolysis of the Sciatic and Femoral Nerves to Improve Pressure Ulcer Healing
Authors: Wilkes Denise , Ganceres Natalie , Doulatram Gulshan , Solanki Daneshvari
Published: December 2008

Successful pressure ulcer treatment is challenging and is often plagued with prolonged hospitalizations, multiple surgeries, and high recurrence rates. Pressure ulcer secondary to spinal cord injury is further complicated by spasticity, which contributes to both ulcer continuance and healing. This report illustrates the use of neurolytic regional techniques for spasticity control and pressure ulcer healing. Case report: We present our experience with a paraplegic man who suffered from chronic right trochanteric and ischial pressure ulcers that failed to heal despite surgical and conservative treatment. We report the successful treatment of knee and hip flexor spasticity with a femoral and sciatic alcohol neuroablation technique. It was not until the successful control of his lower extremity spasticity that the pressure ulcers showed signs of healing. Neuroablation nay be considered for spasticity control when more conservative approaches fail or are not feasible.
Beyond Cognition: Affective Leadership and Emotional Labor
Authors: Newman Meredith A. , Guy Mary E. , Mastracci Sharon H.
Published: December 2008

How do the concepts of emotional labor and artful affect translate into our understanding of leadership? Where would one find affective leadership in practice? To address these questions, the workdays of civil servants are examined. Based on interviews and focus groups, the authors set forth in their own words how social workers, 911 operators, corrections officials, detectives, and child guardians experience their work. These interviews reveal the centrality of emotion work in the service exchange and underscore affective leadership in practice. The authors conclude that the most important challenge facing public administrators is not to make work more efficient but to make it more humane and caring. Affective leadership, and recognition of the centrality of emotional labor therein, are the means by which this approach is championed.
Affective Leadership and Emotional Labor: A View from the Local Level
Authors: Kiel L. Douglas , Watson Douglas J.
Published: December 2008

At first glance, readers of Professors Newman, Guy, and Mastracci’s article may conclude that emotional labor and affective leadership are obvious qualities that we should expect from adults in the workplace. It seems that effective employees and managers have always shown strengths in these competencies. Is this another academic effort to explore an area that practitioners already understand and manage fairly well? Further reflection reveals, however, that taking emotional labor and affective leadership for granted can lead to dire consequences. Failure to empathize and manage emotions during citizen contact events can create costs in money and, in the most severe cases, costs in lives. A lack of appreciation for affective leadership can produce productivity and morale problems that, again, create costs for all involved.
To “Re‐Hatch” Public Employees or Not? An Ethical Analysis of the Relaxation of Restrictions on Political Activities in Civil Service
Authors: Bowman James S. , West Jonathan P.
Published: December 2008

This study examines the ethical content of legislation regulating the political activities of civil servants. The analysis is done using the “ethics triangle,” a tool that encompasses the interdependence of results‐based utilitarian ethics, rule‐based duty ethics, and virtue‐based character ethics. The discussion begins with the importance of the problem, followed by its evolution and current status. After describing the methodology, the central section investigates the values at stake. The conclusion provides a synthesis of the findings, explores the implications of the study, and attempts to answer the question posed in the title of the paper.
Acute Success of Cryoablation of Left‐Sided Accessory Pathways: A Single Institution Study
Authors: GIST KATJA M. , BOCKOVEN JOHN R. , LANE JOHN , SMITH GRACE , CLARK JOHN M.
Published: December 2008

Objective: To compare the acute success and recurrence rate of cryoablation for left‐sided accessory pathways (AP) with controls who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) at the same institution.

Background: Catheter cryoablation of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is considered to be a safer alternative a compared with RFA. At our institution, cryoablation has become the primary interventional modality for all APs. The reported success rates of cryoablation for AP‐mediated tachycardia have generally been less favorable than for RFA. However, the location of AP may influence cryoablation outcome. Furthermore, there are little data available on cryoablation of left‐sided pathways.

Methods: A chart review was performed for all patients undergoing cryoablation between August 2005 and August 2007. Twenty‐nine patients (mean age 13 years, range 6–18 years) were identified with SVT secondary to left‐sided AP. The data collected included patient age, height, weight, date of procedure, mapping, ablation and procedure time, pathway location, success, and recurrence. Cryoablation was performed via a transseptal approach. Procedural success and recurrence rate were compared with our most recent 28 patients undergoing RFA ablation.

Results: Procedural success was achieved in 97% of patients in the cryoablation group, compared with 100% in the RFA control group. Recurrence rate in the cryoablation group was 1 of 24 (4.2%) patients compared with 4 of 28 (14%) patients in the RFA group over 12 months.

Conclusion: Cryoablation can be safely and effectively used in the treatment of left‐sided AP. Long‐term outcomes remain to be seen.
Clinical Application of PET/CT Fusion Imaging for Three‐Dimensional Myocardial Scar and Left Ventricular Anatomy during Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation
Authors: TIAN JING , SMITH MARK F. , CHINNADURAI PONRAJ , DILSIZIAN VASKEN , TURGEMAN Aharon , ABBO AHARON , GAJERA KALPITKUMAR , XU CHENYANG , PLOTNICK DANIEL , PETERS ROBERT , SABA MAGDI , SHOROFSKY STEPHEN , DICKFELD TIMM
Published: December 2008

Background: Image integration has the potential to display three‐dimensional (3D) scar anatomy and facilitate substrate characterization for ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation. However, the current generation of clinical mapping systems cannot display 3D left ventricle (LV) anatomy with embedded 3D scar reconstructions or allow display of border zone and high‐resolution anatomic scar features.

Objective: This study reports the first clinical experience with a mapping system allowing an integrated display of 3D LV anatomy with detailed 2D/3D scar and border zone reconstruction.

Methods: Ten patients scheduled for VT ablation underwent contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CT) and Rubidium‐82 perfusion/F‐18 Fluorodeoxyglucose metabolic Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging to reconstruct 3D LV and scar anatomy. LV and scar models were co‐registered using a 3D mapping system and analyzed with a 17‐segment model. Metabolic thresholding was used to reconstruct the 3D border zone. Real‐time display of CT images was performed during ablation.

Results: Co‐registration (error 4.3 ± 0.7 mm) allowed simultaneous visualization of 3D LV anatomy and embedded scar and guided additional voltage mapping. Segments containing homogenous or partial scar correlated in 94.4% and 85.7% between voltage maps and 3D PET scar reconstructions, respectively. Voltage‐defined scar and normal myocardium had relative FDG uptakes of 40 ± 13% and 89 ± 30% (P < 0.05). The 3D border zone correlated best with a 46% metabolic threshold. Real‐time display of registered high‐resolution CT images allowed the simultaneous characterization of scar‐related anatomic changes.

Conclusion: Integration of PET/CT reconstruction allows simultaneous 3D display of myocardial scar and border zone embedded into the LV anatomy as well as the display of detailed scar anatomy. Multimodality imaging may enable a new image‐guided approach to substrate‐guided VT ablation.
Does Electrogram Guided Substrate Ablation Add to the Success of Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation? A Prospective, Randomized Study
Authors: DEISENHOFER ISABEL , ESTNER HEIDI , REENTS TILKO , FICHTNER STEPHANIE , BAUER AXEL , WU JINJIN , KOLB CHRISTOF , ZRENNER BERNHARD , SCHMITT CLAUS , HESSLING GABRIELE
Published: December 2008

Introduction:
Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an established treatment for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). The ablation of complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAE) has emerged as a novel treatment approach. We sought to evaluate the additional effect of CFAE ablation to PVI in paroxysmal AF.

Methods and Results:
Ninety‐eight patients with paroxysmal AF (57 ± 10 years, 74 male) were randomized to the PVI (n = 48) or PVI + CFAE group (n = 50). After PVI, CFAE ablation was performed in patients with inducible AF in the PVI + CFAE group. The primary endpoint was combined objective (7‐day Holter ECG) and subjective (symptoms) freedom of atrial tachyarrhythmia 3 months after ablation. Long‐term follow‐up (19 ± 8 months) was available in 94 of 98 patients. CFAE ablation was performed in 30 of 50 patients of the PVI + CFAE group. After 3 months, 36 of 48 patients (75%) in the PVI group and 38 of 50 patients (76%) in the PVI + CFAE group were in stable sinus rhythm (P = NS). During long‐term follow‐up (19 ± 8 months), 34 of 46 patients (74%) in the PVI group and 40 of 48 patients (83%) in the PVI + CFAE group were in sinus rhythm (P = 0.08). In a subgroup analysis, a significantly better long‐term outcome was achieved if inducible AF after PVI had been treated by additional CFAE ablation as compared with PVI only (sinus rhythm in 25/28 patients; 89% vs 22/30 patients 73%; P = 0.003).

Conclusion:
In the intention‐to‐treat analysis, additional CFAE ablation did not improve the success rate of PVI in patients with paroxysmal AF. However, during long‐term follow‐up, patients with still inducible AF after PVI seemed to profit from additional CFAE ablation.
Introduction to “In Focus: Culture in the Spaces of No Culture”
Authors: GERSHON ILANA , TAYLOR JANELLE S.
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT In this “In Focus,” authors address how culture is figured in institutional contexts that are putatively arenas of no culture. Participants in these institutions pay ever more attention to questions of “culture” but often deploy the term in ways that presume that only select outsiders are culture bearers. Contributors to this volume seek to highlight the intricate ways in which the “cultural” and “acultural” are mutually constituted in such institutional settings and the consequences that flow from this. To address this issue ethnographically, the authors explore how culture—framed as traditional and locatable—is presumed and performed in institutional contexts constructed as modern, universal, and acultural. By comparing how different institutions account for the cultural and the acultural, this special issue questions what is the price of having culture as a classificatory category?
Fictions of Intention in the “Cultural Defense”
Authors: DEMIAN MELISSA
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT The “cultural defense” in criminal law presents anthropologists with an instance of culture being used as a particular sort of tool, in this case, a tool for revealing the intentions of a defendant. In deploying culture instrumentally, courts in the United States and the United Kingdom constitute their other instruments and indeed their own environments as noncultural. By comparison, courts in Papua New Guinea do not use culture as a means of discovering intentions; indeed, it can be argued that although “custom” is enshrined in the Constitutional law of the country, “culture” hardly appears at all in Papua New Guinean arguments. Case material from the three legal settings illustrates that far from offering a recognition of culture, the cultural defense acts to limit the culture concept to the status of one diagnostic mechanism among other, noncultural ones.
“All They Understand Is Force”: Debating Culture in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Authors: BROWN KEITH
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT  Drawing entirely on public, open sources, in this article I trace the recent development of U.S. military understandings and uses of cultural knowledge. Military education, training, and operations reveal complexity and diversity that demands empirical study. In particular, I locate in Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–present) an internal, critical theoretical disagreement between a model of culture as a static, or slow‐moving, property of a constructed “other,” embraced by mainstream thought in the U.S. Army, and a competing sense of cultural process as dynamic, interactive, and emergent, emphasized by Special Forces and the Marine Corps. This disagreement feeds off of and into longer‐running debates within U.S. military circles, demonstrating that the U.S. military's engagement with the concept of “culture” is far from monolithic: different services’ approaches are shaped by their own histories, driving rival emphases on weaponizing culture and culturalizing warriors.
The Evolutionary Forms of the Religious Life: A Cross‐Cultural, Quantitative Analysis
Authors: SANDERSON STEPHEN K. , ROBERTS WESLEY W.
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT Previous cross‐cultural studies of religion's evolution that employed Swanson's High Gods measure are plagued by methodological difficulties, especially the lack of proper statistical controls. Here, we attempted to rectify this, using the Standard Cross‐Cultural Sample to test five hypotheses employing multivariate statistical techniques. Results provided weak support for Swanson's Sovereign Groups hypothesis concerning High Gods and also limited support for a previously unexplored factor: writing and record keeping. In phase two of the study, we introduced a new measure, the Stage of Religious Evolution, based on Anthony Wallace's typology. When this new dependent variable was substituted for High Gods, much stronger results were obtained. The best predictors of Stage of Religious Evolution were mode of subsistence economy, writing and record keeping, and total population size. These findings allowed us to construct a new evolutionary interpretation of the development of different modes of religious life.
Spliceosomal protein E regulates neoplastic cell growth by modulating expression of Cyclin E/CDK2 and G2/M checkpoint proteins
Authors: Li Z. , Pützer B. M.
Published: December 2008

Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins are essential splicing factors. We previously identified the spliceosomal protein E (SmE) as a downstream effector of E2F1 in p53‐deficient human carcinoma cells. Here, we investigated the biological relevance of SmE in determining the fate of cancer and non‐tumourigenic cells. Adenovirus‐mediated expression of SmE selectively reduces growth of cancerous cells due to decreased cell proliferation but not apoptosis. A similar growth inhibitory effect for SmD1 suggests that this is a general function of Sm‐family members. Deletion of Sm‐motifs reveals the importance of the Sm‐1 domain for growth suppression. Consistently, SmE overexpression leads to inhibition of DNA synthesis and G2 arrest as shown by BrdU‐incorporation and MPM2‐staining. Real‐time RT‐PCR and immunoblotting showed that growth arrest by SmE directly correlates with the reduction of cyclin E, CDK2, CDC25C and CDC2 expression, and up‐regulation of p27Kip. Importantly, SmE activity was not associated with enhanced expression of other spliceosome components such as U1 SnRNP70, suggesting that the growth inhibitory effect of SmE is distinct from its pre‐mRNA splicing function. Furthermore, specific inactivation of SmE by shRNA significantly increased the percentage of cells in S phase, whereas the amount of G2/M arrested cells was reduced. Our data provide evidence that Sm proteins function as suppressors of tumour cell growth and may have major implications as cancer therapeutics.