bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Participation, Local Knowledge and Empowerment: Researching Public Space with Young People
Authors: Jupp Eleanor
Published: June 2007

A growing number of reflective and critical voices around participatory research practices have questioned the extent to which power can be transferred to participants through such methods. In this paper I begin by reflecting on everyday difficulties using participatory methods with a group of young people who belonged to a youth forum in Stoke-on-Trent, England. These difficulties point to the way that research spaces constitute contexts which can enable the production of certain kinds of knowledge, and to the way that such contexts are influenced by other spaces where people might be asked to participate and self-represent. For my fieldwork participants, official or government-led initiatives around participation in decision making were often seen as problematic. However, I also argue that the young people drew on more embodied or experiential forms of knowledge in their activities, generated through participation in everyday collective practices and sociability. Such knowledge may not have been articulated but was nonetheless powerful. This suggests new ways of thinking about participation and empowerment, both for research projects and for other kinds of intervention.
The Six Dimensions of New Labour: Structures, Strategies, and Languages of Neoliberal Legitimacy
Authors: MacLeavy Julie
Published: June 2007

This paper explores New Labour's emerging political economy using Jessop's six dimensions of the state as a heuristic device. In pointing towards the contextualised and institutionalised nature of sociopolitical action, the six dimensions of the state model is posited as a means of unravelling the constitution and ordering of the state within contemporary society. Specifically, the paper focuses on the potential of the six-dimension model to frame analysis of the strategic use of language in contemporary governance. This is illustrated through the model's application to New Labour's political regime as manifested in key government practices and policies, and the extension of the model to include analysis of the linguistic representation of the shift from a Keynesian welfare national state to a Schumpeterian workfare postnational regime.
Complexity as Interdependence in Input–Output Systems
Authors: do Amaral João Ferreira , Dias João , Lopes João Carlos
Published: June 2007

In this paper we propose a new index of connectedness for an input–output system which is considered useful for quantifying economic complexity as the level of interdependence between the component parts (sectors) of a national (or regional) economy. This index is empirically applied in a tentative answer to the following questions: Should we expect to find a natural shift towards greater complexity as an economy grows and develops? Is a larger economy necessarily more complex than a smaller one? The interindustry tables of several OECD countries provide the material support for making international and historical comparisons of economic complexity as a level of interrelatedness.
Twenty Years on: Has the Economy of the UK Coalfields Recovered?
Authors: Beatty Christina , Fothergill Stephen , Powell Ryan
Published: June 2007

Almost the whole of the British coal industry has closed since the early 1980s. The authors assess the extent to which the areas once dependent on coalmining have adapted to this job loss. A ‘labour-market accounting’ approach is employed to document the principal changes in employment, unemployment, commuting, and activity rates among men in the English and Welsh coalfields over the period to 2004, building on previous similar research covering the period 1981–91. The authors point to a strong recovery of employment among men in these areas, though this is not yet on a scale to offset all the coal job losses and there is important variation between areas. There is also evidence of extensive and continuing ‘hidden unemployment’.
An Institutional Transactions Approach to Property-Rights Adjustment: An Application to Spanish Agriculture
Authors: Hodge Ian , Ortiz-Miranda Dionisio
Published: June 2007

European agriculture is undergoing major institutional changes, which are of great relevance to our understanding of the role of agriculture in rural development. They are also taking place in contexts in which agricultural development seems to be continuing within the traditional modernisation paradigm. This is the case for agriculture in Spain. The authors develop a theoretical scheme based on the concepts of institutional transactions and institutional arrangements which may be relevant across a variety of contexts. This approach is applied through an analysis of Spanish agriculture, concentrating on (a) changes introduced through the regulation of the environmental impacts of agriculture, (b) new schemes for the control of food quality and altered relations in the food-marketing chains, and (c) shifts deriving from changes to the major support mechanisms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Spanish agriculture is becoming increasingly embedded in the food-production process, and this is associated with a dissipation of property rights from the production sector. The analysis illustrates the usefulness of the approach, although identification of the specific nature of some institutional transactions remains uncertain. Applications in other countries and at more local levels will facilitate regional and international comparisons of the restructuring processes underway in differing contexts.
The Geography of Homicide in São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Ceccato Vânia , Haining Robert , Kahn Tulio
Published: June 2007

The authors investigate geographical patterns of homicide in São Paulo, Brazil. The geography of crime in developing world cities has been an underresearched area in part because of the lack of good-quality, geocoded offence data. In the case of São Paulo the availability of a new digital police dataset has provided the opportunity to improve our understanding of its crime patterns. The authors report the testing of hypotheses about the spatial variation in homicide rates. This variation is explained by poverty, situational conditions determined by differences in land use, and processes that indicate links with the geography of drug markets and the availability of firearms.
Planning Appeal Processes: Reflections on a Comparative Study
Authors: Willey Stephen
Published: June 2007

The author reflects on a recent comparative study of the planning appeal systems in England and three Australian states. A range of issues relating to the processes by which appeals are heard, issues of expert evidence, and the composition and expertise of the appeal body are examined. A number of areas where appeal processes might be improved are highlighted and it is concluded that although each of these systems is unique, they are all confronted by similar challenges. In a theoretical sense, the author observes that there is currently a significant lacuna in planning knowledge with respect to understanding planning-appeals processes.
Further Reflections on the Golden Age in British Multiple Retailing 1976–94: Capital Investment, Market Share, and Retail Margins
Authors: Morelli Carlo
Published: June 2007

Our understanding of the ‘golden age’ of British retailing, during the period from the mid-1970s through to the mid-1990s, has centred around a discussion of the impact that rising retail concentration and a perceived increase in retailers' economic power have had on social welfare and competition policy. This increase in concentration and economic power is itself understood to have evolved from the defining feature of the golden age: a rapid increase in capital investment by large-scale retailers. The author examines the role played by capital investment in the golden age, and demonstrates that whilst capital investment is negatively correlated with turnover it is positively correlated both with margins and with market share. It is suggested that this relationship is significant as it provides evidence that the golden age of retailing did indeed lead to the rise in retailers' economic power which many authors feared was taking place.
Owner-Occupation: At Home with a Hybrid of Money and Materials
Authors: Smith Susan J
Published: June 2007

This paper is about the changing character of housing assets, owned homes, and perhaps owner-occupiers themselves. It draws from two studies of UK homebuyers, whose lives are entangled in the materiality of housing, the meaning of home, and the mobilisation of money. This mélange is facilitated by a new generation of financial services that render housing wealth interchangeable with the cash economy, turning owned homes into a hybrid of money and materials. In total 150 qualitative narratives are interrogated to document three key trends. First, a shift of households' disposition, from opting for ownership by chance to banking on housing by design. Second, a change of financial orientation as property-holding citizens illapse into asset-accumulating investors. Third, an ethically charged encounter between the governance of housing and the micropolitics of home, which is prompted by the growing tangibility of housing wealth as it inspires new styles of, and imperatives for, consumption.
The City as World-Place: Transterritorial Flows and Territorial Order in a Nuremberg Neighbourhood
Authors: Berndt Christian , Boeckler Marc
Published: June 2007

Approaching struggles for political representation through a perspective of ‘methodological transterritorialism’, we seek to make sense of recent developments evolving around a territorialised urban neighbourhood. Werderau, a garden suburb founded by a mechanical engineering company at the beginning of the 20th century, enjoyed relative protection from globalising frictions and struggles until the ‘world-in-motion’ suddenly penetrated the community a few years ago. We begin by charting the production of the bounded settlement as a site of alternate social ordering at a time of hyper-industrialisation and its imaginary role as a territorial heterotopia, symbolising order in a seemingly chaotic urban world. Turning to the owner's decision to sell the neighbourhood in 1998, we then argue that long-term inhabitants discursively frame the events following the decision as ‘transterritorial pollution’ of their bounded community, reflected in the commodification of their neighbourhood and in an ‘invasion’ of non-German home-owners. After discussing how longer term residents attempt to restabilise their identities by taking up a xenophobic discourse, we conclude by criticising policymakers for responding solely in a territorial logic and for one-sidedly taking up the discourse advanced by long-term residents. Instead, we advance a utopian vision of the city as a worldly site where people live under conditions of ‘transcultural Gleich-Gültigkeit’ in the double meaning of the German term: understood as being ‘indifferent’ towards the proximate other as well as referring to equality and equal rights.
The Modern Touch: Interior Design and Modernisation in Post-Independence Singapore
Authors: Jacobs Jane M , Cairns Stephen
Published: June 2007

The authors take as their focus the advice on interior design and decoration that Singapore's Housing Development Board (HDB) distributed to residents as part of its programme of universal housing provision. Through a series of regular articles appearing in the HDB publication Our Home (1972–1989), readers were presented with stories that showed how selected HDB residents decorated their newly acquired highrise flats. The authors detail the relationship between this design advice and the commitment to modernist design principles, the self-conscious pragmatism of the HDB, and the reliance on a limited market logic (‘homeownership’). The HDB's vision of the benefit of its highrise housing programme was, from the outset, complexly entangled with cultivating individual investments in the home by way of interior design and decoration practices. The paper contributes not only to the specific story of Singaporean housing, but also to wider scholarship on modernism, the everyday practices of interior design, and housing consumption.
Neolocalism and Renascent Social Capital in Northeast Thailand
Authors: Parnwell Michael J G
Published: June 2007

This paper presents a case study of neolocalist revivalism in a small cluster of communities in northeast Thailand, and uses this to support the notion of latent and renascent social capital. The case shows how communities have sought to confront some of the pernicious social, economic, and environmental effects of relentless modernisation and development by reviving a variety of social institutions and associational practices that underpinned social capital and the ‘moral community’ of the past. Catalytic in this process has been a local Buddhist abbot and ‘development monk’ who has drawn together Buddhist values and northeastern Thai traditional culture to rebuild social capital in order to construct an alternative, neolocalist model of development which these days can be found mirrored in a growing number of rural locations across Thailand.
Creating Counterspaces: Identity and the Home in Ireland and Northern Ireland
Authors: Reid Bryonie
Published: June 2007

This paper examines the meanings and imaginings of the home as a site of identity and belonging, focusing on that space in the geographical, historical, and political contexts of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The notion of home is used to discuss some interactions between public, political, and national identities, and private and personal identities on the island, with the help of two artworks, Gift, by Sarah Browne, and Gauge, by Philip Napier. These pieces illuminate specific issues pertaining to public and private identities and public and private spaces in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland; here, they are read as a means of comparing certain uses and meanings of identity in the statelet and its neighboring state.
“The Past is Still Right Here in the Present”: Second-Generation Bajan-Brit Transnational Migrants' Views on Issues Relating to Race and Colour Class
Authors: Potter Robert B , Phillips Joan
Published: June 2007

This paper deals with second-generation Barbadians or ‘Bajan-Brits’, who have decided to ‘return’ to the birthplace of their parents, focusing on their reactions to matters relating to race relations and racialised identities. The importance of race and the operation of the ‘colour-class’ system in the Caribbean are established at the outset. Based on fifty-two qualitative in-depth interviews, the paper initially considers the positive things that the second-generation migrants report about living in a majority black country and the salience of such racial affirmation as part of their migration process. The paper then presents an analysis of the narratives provided by the Bajan-Brits concerning their reactions to issues relating to race relations in Barbadian society. The impressions of the young returnees provide clear commentaries on what are regarded as (i) the ‘acceptance of white hegemony’ within Barbadian society, (ii) the occurrence of de facto ‘racial segregation’, (iii) perceptions of the ‘existence of apartheid’, and (iv) ‘the continuation of slavery’. The account then turns to the contemporary operation of the colour-class system. It is concluded that, despite academic arguments that the colour-class dimension has to be put to one side as the principal dimension of social stratification in the contemporary Caribbean, the second-generation migrants are acutely aware of the continued existence and salience of such gradations within society. Thus, the analysis not only serves to emphasise the continued importance of racial-based stratification in the contemporary Caribbean, but also speaks of the ‘hybrid’ and ‘in-between’ racialised identities of the second-generation migrants.
Pasture management in semi-arid tropical woodlands: dynamics of perennial grasses
Authors: McIvor John G.
Published: June 2007

The effects of a range of pasture management options (introduced legumes and grasses, superphosphate, timber treatment, cultivation before sowing and stocking rate) on the basal cover of perennial grasses were measured from 1982 to 1991 at two sites, ‘Hillgrove’ and ‘Cardigan’, near Charters Towers, in north-east Queensland. Colonisation and survival of eight native and exotic grasses were followed in permanent quadrats in a subset of treatments. Overall, there were significant changes in total basal cover of plots between years and with tree killing, but no significant differences in sown pastures, fertiliser or stocking rate. Basal cover increased when defoliation levels were less than 40% but increases were smaller at higher levels of defoliation and basal cover often declined when defoliation was greater than 60%. Basal cover declined when growing seasons were <10 weeks, remained static with 10–15 weeks growth, and increased when growing seasons were 16 weeks or longer. There was some colonisation in all years but large differences between years. The differences in colonisation between systems were generally small but there was a general trend for higher colonisation at higher stocking rates. Bothriochloa ewartiana (Domin) C.E.Hubb. and Chrysopogon fallax S.T.Blake had low, Heteropogon contortus (L.) P.Beauv. ex Roem.&Schult., Cenchrus ciliaris L. and Aristida spp. had intermediate, and Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A.Camus and Urochloa mosambicensis (Hack.) Dandy had high colonising ability. Survival of individual species was generally similar at both sites except for Urochloa mosambicensis. Heteropogon contortus and U. mosambicensis at ‘Hillgrove’ were short-lived (<10% survival after 4 years), B. ewartiana, Themeda triandra Forssk. and Aristida spp. had intermediate survival (10–50%), and C. ciliaris, C. fallax, B. pertusa and U. mosambicensis at ‘Cardigan’ were long-lived (>50% survival). Annual survival rates increased with plant age, were higher in good growing seasons than in poor seasons, were higher for large plants than small plants, and were lower at high defoliation levels than where defoliation was less severe. The differences between species in ability to colonise and survive, and the small influence of management compared to seasonal effects on survival, are discussed to explain species performance in pastures.
Evaluation of vegetation indices for assessing vegetation cover in southern arid lands in South Australia
Authors: Jafari R. , Lewis M. M. , Ostendorf B.
Published: June 2007

Vegetation indices are widely used for assessing and monitoring ecological variables such as vegetation cover, above-ground biomass and leaf area index. This study reviewed and evaluated different groups of vegetation indices for estimating vegetation cover in southern rangelands in South Australia. Slope-based, distance-based, orthogonal transformation and plant-water sensitive vegetation indices were calculated from Landsat thematic mapper (TM) image data and compared with vegetation cover estimates at monitoring points made during Pastoral Lease assessments. Relationships between various vegetation indices and vegetation cover were compared using simple linear regression at two different scales: within two contrasting land systems and across broader regional landscapes. Of the vegetation indices evaluated, stress related vegetation indices using red, near-infrared and mid-infrared TM bands consistently showed significant relationships with vegetation cover at both land system and landscape scales. Estimation of vegetation cover was more accurate within land systems than across broader regions. Total perennial and ephemeral plant cover was best predicted within land systems, while combined vegetation, plant litter and soil cryptogam crust cover was best predicted at landscape scale. These results provide a strong foundation for use of vegetation indices as an adjunct to field methods for assessing vegetation cover in southern Australia.
Virtual fencing - past, present and future
Authors: Anderson D. M.
Published: June 2007

Virtual fencing is a method of controlling animals without ground-based fencing. Control occurs by altering an animal’s behaviour through one or more sensory cues administered to the animal after it has attempted to penetrate an electronically-generated boundary. This boundary can be of any geometrical shape, and though unseen by the eye, is detected by a computer system worn by the animal. The most recent autonomous programmable systems use radio frequency (RF) signals, emanating from global positioning system (GPS) satellites to generate boundaries. Algorithms within a geographic information system (GIS) within the device’s computer use the GPS and other data to determine where on the animal a cue, or cues, should be applied and for how long. The first commercial virtual fencing system was patented in 1973 for controlling domestic dogs. Virtual fencing was used for the first time to control livestock in 1987. Since then proof-of-concept research using commercial, as well as custom designed systems have demonstrated that virtual fencing can successfully hold as well as move livestock over the landscape. Commercial virtual livestock control systems do not yet exist but research continues towards this goal. Pending research needs relating to this method of animal control are discussed in light of currently available technologies.
Meeting water requirements of cattle on the Canadian prairies
Authors: Veira Douglas M.
Published: June 2007

This paper examines some of the issues producers have in meeting the drinking water requirements of livestock on the Canadian prairies where they are dependent on varied ground and surface water sources. In supplying water for their cattle, producers often have problems that can affect their present and future operations. Water quality is one such problem as it can affect both the health and performance of livestock. The impact of the water quality in earthen reservoirs, the presence of sulphates in both surface and ground water, and toxins from cyanobacteria all have the potential to reduce herd productivity in the Canadian prairies. Another concern is the impact that grazing cattle can have on riparian vegetation, stream morphology, fish habitat and pollution of waterways. Damage is often caused by uncontrolled and season long grazing of cattle along water courses; options for controlling the damage are discussed. Finally, competition for a diminishing supply of water in the semi-arid Canadian prairies will become a major problem in the future. To remain viable and competitive, the livestock industry will have to develop and adopt strategies to address these issues.
Drivers for uptake of environmental management systems by pastoralists in western Queensland
Authors: Pahl L. I. , Weier L. Z. , Sallur N. M. , Bull A. L. , Howard B. M.
Published: June 2007

Pastoralists from 37 beef cattle and sheep properties in western Queensland developed and implemented an environmental management system (EMS) over 18 months. The EMS implemented by them was customised for the pastoral industry as part of a national EMS pilot project, and staff from this project encouraged and assisted pastoralists during this trial. The 31 pastoralists surveyed at the end of the pilot project identified few benefits of EMS implementation, and these were largely associated with environmental management and sustainability. In terms of the reasons for uptake of an EMS, these pastoralists identified drivers similar to those reported in other primary industry sectors. These included improving property and environmental management, financial incentives, a range of market benefits, assistance with red tape issues, access to other training opportunities and assistance and support with the development of their EMS. However, these drivers are weak, and are not motivating pastoralists to adopt an EMS. In contrast, barriers to adoption such as the time involved in developing and implementing EMS are tangible and immediate. Given a lack of effective drivers and that pastoralists are under considerable pressure from ongoing rural adjustment processes, it is not surprising that an EMS is a low priority. It is concluded that widespread uptake and on-going use of an EMS in the pastoral industry will not occur unless pastoralists are required or rewarded for this by markets, governments, financiers, and regional natural resource management bodies.
The properties of a mammary gland cancer stem cell
Authors: Zucchi I. , Sanzone S. , Astigiano S. , Pelucchi P. , Scotti M. , Valsecchi V. , Barbieri O. , Bertoli G. , Albertini A. , Reinbold R. A. , Dulbecco R.
Published: June 2007

The cancer stem cell hypothesis posits that tumors are derived from a single cancer-initiating cell with stem cell properties. The task of identifying and characterizing a single cancer-initiating cell with stem cell properties has proven technically difficult because of the scarcity of the cancer stem cells in the tissue of origin and the lack of specific markers for cancer stem cells. Here we show that a single LA7 cell derived from rat mammary adenocarcinoma has the following properties: the differentiation potential to generate all of the cell lineages of the mammary gland; the ability to generate branched duct-like structures that recapitulate morphologically and functionally the ductal–alveolar-like architecture of the mammary tree; and the capacity to initiate heterogeneous tumors in nonobese diabetic-SCID mice. In addition, we show that cultured cells derived from tumors generated by a single LA7 cell-injection have properties similar to LA7 cells, can generate all of the cell lineages of the mammary gland, and recapitulate the ductal–alveolar-like architecture of the mammary tree. The properties of self-renewal, extensive capacity for proliferation, multilineage differentiation potential, and single-cell tumor-initiation potential suggest that LA7 cells are cancer stem cells and can be used as a model system to study the dynamics of tumor formation at the single-cell level.
Endogenous peptide defense signals in
Arabidopsis
differentially amplify signaling for the innate immune response
Authors: Huffaker Alisa , Ryan Clarence A.
Published: June 2007

At
Pep1, a 23-aa peptide encoded by
Arabidopsis PROPEP1
, a member of a small, six-member gene family, activates expression of the defense gene
PDF1.2
(encoding defensin) and its own precursor gene,
PROPEP1
, through the jasmonate/ethylene signaling pathway, mediated by a cell-surface receptor, PEPR1. Overexpression of two family members,
PROPEP1
and
PROPEP2
, enhances resistance of
Arabidopsis
plants against the pathogen
Pythium irregulare
, and
PROPEP2
and
PROPEP3
are expressed at highly elevated levels in
Arabidopsis
in response to pathogen infections and to several pathogen-associated molecules (general elicitors). Here, we report that
PDF1.2, PR-1
(pathogenesis protein), and
PROPEP
genes were differentially expressed in the leaves of intact plants sprayed with methyl jasmonate and methyl salicylate and in excised leaves supplied through cut petioles with peptides derived from the C terminus of each of the encoded proteins. The expression of
PDF1.2
and
PR-1
elicited by the peptides was blocked in mutant plants deficient in the jasmonate/ethylene and salicylate pathways, and in wild-type plants by treatment with diphenylene iodonium chloride, an inhibitor of hydrogen peroxide production.
PROPEP1, PROPEP 2
, and
PROPEP3
genes appear to have roles in a feedback loop that amplifies defense signaling pathways initiated by pathogens.
Gibbs states and the set of solutions of random constraint satisfaction problems
Authors: Krz̧akała Florent , Montanari Andrea , Ricci-Tersenghi Federico , Semerjian Guilhem , Zdeborová Lenka
Published: June 2007

An instance of a random constraint satisfaction problem defines a random subset 𝒮 (the set of solutions) of a large product spaceXN(the set of assignments). We consider two prototypical problem ensembles (randomk-satisfiability andq-coloring of random regular graphs) and study the uniform measure with support onS. As the number of constraints per variable increases, this measure first decomposes into an exponential number of pure states (“clusters”) and subsequently condensates over the largest such states. Above the condensation point, the mass carried by thenlargest states follows a Poisson-Dirichlet process. For typical large instances, the two transitions are sharp. We determine their precise location. Further, we provide a formal definition of each phase transition in terms of different notions of correlation between distinct variables in the problem. The degree of correlation naturally affects the performances of many search/sampling algorithms. Empirical evidence suggests that local Monte Carlo Markov chain strategies are effective up to the clustering phase transition and belief propagation up to the condensation point. Finally, refined message passing techniques (such as survey propagation) may also beat this threshold.
Arabidopsis
fhl
/
fhy1
double mutant reveals a distinct cytoplasmic action of phytochrome A
Authors: Rösler Jutta , Klein Ilse , Zeidler Mathias
Published: June 2007

Phytochrome A (phyA) plays an important role during germination and early seedling development. Because phyA is the primary photoreceptor for the high-irradiance response and the very-low-fluence response, it can trigger development not only in red and far-red (FR) light but also in a wider range of light qualities. Although phyA action is generally associated with translocation to the nucleus and regulation of transcription, there is evidence for additional cytoplasmic functions. Because nuclear accumulation of phyA has been shown to depend on far-red-elongated hypocotyl 1 (FHY1) and FHL (FHY1-like), investigation of phyA function in a double
fhl/fhy1
mutant might be valuable in revealing the mechanism of phyA translocation and possible cytoplasmic functions. In
fhl/fhy1
, the FR-triggered nuclear translocation of phyA could no longer be detected but could be restored by transgenic expression of
CFP:FHY1
. Whereas the
fhl/fhy1
mutant showed a
phyA
phenotype in respect to hypocotyl elongation and cotyledon opening under high-irradiance response conditions as well as a typical
phyA
germination phenotype under very-low-fluence response conditions,
fhl/fhy1
showed no phenotype with respect to the phyA-dependent abrogation of negative gravitropism in blue light and in red-enhanced phototropism, demonstrating clear cytoplasmic functions of phyA. Disturbance of phyA nuclear import in
fhl/fhy1
led to formation of FR-induced phyA:GFP cytoplasmic foci resembling the sequestered areas of phytochrome. FHY1 and FHL play crucial roles in phyA nuclear translocation and signaling. Thus the double-mutant
fhl/fhy1
allows nuclear and cytoplasmic phyA functions to be separated, leading to the novel identification of cytoplasmic phyA responses.
Quantifying fitness distributions and phenotypic relationships in recombinant yeast populations
Authors: Perlstein Ethan O. , Deeds Eric J. , Ashenberg Orr , Shakhnovich Eugene I. , Schreiber Stuart L.
Published: June 2007

Studies of the role of sex in evolution typically involve a longitudinal comparison of a single ancestor to several intermediate descendants and to one terminally evolved descendant after many generations of adaptation under a given selective regime. Here we take a complementary, statistical approach to sex in evolution, by describing the distribution of phenotypic similarity in a population of yeast F
1
meiotic recombinants. By applying graph theory to fitness measurements of thousands of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
recombinants treated with 10 mechanistically distinct, growth-inhibitory small-molecule perturbagens (SMPs), we show that the network of phenotypic similarity among F
1
recombinants exhibits a scale-free degree distribution. F
1
recombinants are often phenotypically unique and sometimes exceptional, and their fitness strengths are unevenly distributed across the 10 compound treatments. By contrast, highly phenotypically similar F
1
recombinants constitute failing hubs that display below-average fitness across all compound treatments and are candidate substrates for purifying selection. Comparison of the F
1
generation with the parental strains reveals that (
i
) there is a specialist more fit in any given single condition than any of the parents but (
ii
) only rarely are there generalists that exhibit greater fitness than both parental strains across a majority of conditions. This analysis allows us to evaluate and to gain better theoretical understanding of the costs and benefits of sex in the F
1
generation.
Reversine increases the plasticity of lineage-committed mammalian cells
Authors: Chen Shuibing , Takanashi Shinichi , Zhang Qisheng , Xiong Wen , Zhu Shoutian , Peters Eric C. , Ding Sheng , Schultz Peter G.
Published: June 2007

Previously, a small molecule, reversine, was identified that reverses lineage-committed murine myoblasts to a more primitive multipotent state. Here, we show that reversine can increase the plasticity of C2C12 myoblasts at the single-cell level and that reversine-treated cells gain the ability to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes under lineage-specific inducing conditions. Moreover, reversine is active in multiple cell types, including 3T3E1 osteoblasts and human primary skeletal myoblasts. Biochemical and cellular experiments suggest that reversine functions as a dual inhibitor of nonmuscle myosin II heavy chain and MEK1, and that both activities are required for reversine's effect. Inhibition of MEK1 and nonmuscle myosin II heavy chain results in altered cell cycle and changes in histone acetylation status, but other factors also may contribute to the activity of reversine, including activation of the PI3K signaling pathway.
Structural basis of the recognition of a methylated histone tail by JMJD2A
Authors: Chen Zhongzhou , Zang Jianye , Kappler John , Hong Xia , Crawford Frances , Wang Qin , Lan Fei , Jiang Chengyu , Whetstine Johnathan , Dai Shaodong , Hansen Kirk , Shi Yang , Zhang Gongyi
Published: June 2007

The Jumonji C domain is a catalytic motif that mediates histone lysine demethylation. The Jumonji C-containing oxygenase JMJD2A specifically demethylates tri- and dimethylated lysine-9 and lysine-36 of histone 3 (H3K9/36me3/2). Here we present structures of the JMJD2A catalytic core complexed with methylated H3K36 peptide substrates in the presence of Fe(II) and
N
-oxalylglycine. We found that the interaction between JMJD2A and peptides largely involves the main chains of the enzyme and the peptide. The peptide-binding specificity is primarily determined by the primary structure of the peptide, which explains the specificity of JMJD2A for methylated H3K9 and H3K36 instead of other methylated residues such as H3K27. The specificity for a particular methyl group, however, is affected by multiple factors, such as space and the electrostatic environment in the catalytic center of the enzyme. These results provide insights into the mechanisms and specificity of histone demethylation.
Mortality related to pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence: a comparative analysis of coronial records
Authors: GIBSON AMY E. , DEGENHARDT LOUISA J.
Published: June 2007

Introduction and Aims. The aim of this study was to compare the mortality associated with oral naltrexone, methadone and buprenorphine in opioid dependence treatment, employing a retrospective data analysis using coronial and prescription data. Design and Methods. The number of deaths were identified through national coronial data and number of treatment recipients were estimated from 2000 to 2003 prescriptions and restricted medications data. Mortality rates were expressed as deaths per number of treatment episodes and per person‐years at high and low risk of fatal opioid overdose.Results. Thirty‐two oral naltrexone, one buprenorphine and 282 methadone‐related deaths were identified. Mortality rates in the highest risk period in deaths per 100 person‐years were 22.1 (14.6–32.2) for oral naltrexone following treatment cessation and 3.0 (2.3‐3.9) for methadone during treatment induction. Rates in the lowest risk period in deaths per 100 person‐years were 1.0 (0.3‐2.2) during oral naltrexone treatment and 0.34 (0.3‐0.4) during post‐induction methadone treatment. The relative risk of death for oral naltrexone subjects was 7.4 times (high‐risk period, p < 0.0001) or 2.8 times (low‐risk period, p = 0.055) that of methadone subjects.Discussion and Conclusions. This is the first comparison of mortality associated with these three pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence. The risk of death related to oral naltrexone appears higher than that related to methadone treatment. [Gibson AE, Degenhardt LJ. Mortality related to pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence: a comparative analysis of coronial records. Drug Alcohol Rev 2007;26:405–410]
Is Australia ‘fair dinkum’ about drug education in schools?*
Authors: MIDFORD RICHARD
Published: June 2007

School drug education is seen by governments as an ideal prevention strategy because it offers the potential to stop use by the next generation. Australian schools expanded drug education substantially during the 1960s in response to rising use by young people, and in 1970 the first national drug education programme was launched. In the mid‐1990s the level and quality of drug education increased noticeably. Unfortunately, subsequent national initiatives have failed to capitalise on the gains made during this period. Some good quality, independent research, such as the Gatehouse Project and the School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP), has been conducted in Australia. However, national‐level momentum is being lost, because there is little commitment to the development of evidence‐based mass programmes. In this climate drug education has become vulnerable to short‐term decision‐making that emphasises palatable, policy‐driven outcomes and focuses on strategies designed to bolster the legitimacy of these goals. So is Australia ‘fair dinkum’ about drug education in schools? There is a history of innovation, and past programmes have left behind pockets of expertise, but the challenge is to invest continuously in methods with evidence of success, rather than settle for cyclical programmes driven by the political and moral palliatives of the day. To do less is to fail the young people of Australia. [Midford R. Is Australia ‘fair dinkum’ about drug education in schools? Drug Alcohol Rev 2007;26:421–427]
Public opinion on needle and syringe programmes: avoiding assumptions for policy and practice
Authors: TRELOAR CARLA , FRASER SUZANNE
Published: June 2007

Despite evidence for their effectiveness, harm reduction services such as needle and syringe programmes (NSPs) are highly vulnerable to perceptions of community disapproval. This paper reviews Australian research on community attitudes to harm reduction services and its impact on research, policy and practice. The literature on community attitudes to NSPs in Australia comprises a small number of representative national samples and surveys of local communities affected by specific services. Despite these extremely limited data, negative community attitudes are often cited by policy‐makers and health professionals as a primary constraint on policy‐making. The main finding of this literature review is that community perceptions of NSPs are largely positive. Also, support for NSPs was not synonymous with condoning drug use. The failure of policy‐makers and politicians to recognise positive community attitudes to NSPs has led in some instances to hasty political responses to adverse media reports, including the closure of services. This literature review showing positive community attitudes to harm reduction services should embolden researchers, practitioners and policy‐makers to challenge such reactionary responses. Further, this evidence should be used in countering negative publicity surrounding these services. [Treloar C, Fraser S. Public opinion on needle and syringe programmes: avoiding assumptions for policy and practice. Drug Alcohol Rev 2007;26:355–361]
The impact of community pharmacy dispensing fees on the introduction of buprenorphine‐naloxone in Australia
Authors: WINSTOCK ADAM R. , LEA TOBY , RITTER ALISON
Published: June 2007

Introduction and Aims. The introduction of buprenorphine‐naloxone in Australia in April 2006 has permitted the revision of takeaway policies in many states and has introduced the possibility of unsupervised treatment. This study explored the implications of the introduction of buprenorphine‐naloxone in terms of cost to patients through a survey of pharmacists' intended pricing practices. The aim of the research was to examine the intentions of pharmacists in relation to fees for buprenorphine‐naloxone and study the potential implications to patients when compared with the existing fee structure for methadone and for buprenorphine alone. Design and Methods. A self‐complete questionnaire was mailed to every community pharmacy in New South Wales (NSW) (n = 593) dispensing methadone or buprenorphine to people with opioid dependence. A response rate of 68.6% (n = 407) was achieved after three mailouts.Results. The majority of pharmacies charged a flat weekly fee for methadone (92.2%; mean = $31.90) and buprenorphine (74.8%; mean = $31.00). The mean intended fees for buprenorphine‐naloxone according to different dosing and takeaway regimens ranged from $19.19 per week for no supervised doses and fortnightly takeaways to a $30.88 per week flat fee. There appeared to be little variation in fee structure irrespective of the takeaway regimen, until reaching the 2 weeks' unsupervised dose regimen. Discussion and Conclusions. This study highlights the importance of the early dissemination of unambiguous information regarding the introduction of a new medication, especially where supervised dispensing through community pharmacies is essential to the provision of treatment. The potential impact upon the successful rollout of a new treatment paradigm that was developed to benefit stable patients in the community may be jeopardised when such processes are not followed. [Winstock AR, Lea T, Ritter A. The impact of community pharmacy dispensing fees on the introduction of buprenorphine‐naloxone in Australia. Drug Alcohol Rev 2007;26:411–416]
The efficacy of diversion and aftercare strategies for adult drug‐involved offenders: a summary and methodological review of the outcome literature
Authors: HARVEY EVELYN , SHAKESHAFT ANTHONY , HETHERINGTON KATE , SANNIBALE CLAUDIA , MATTICK RICHARD P.
Published: June 2007

Diversion strategies aim to redirect drug‐involved offenders away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. Despite the interest in diversionary practices, the emergence of an empirical evaluation literature has been slow. A methodological review of published outcome studies was conducted to investigate the current strength of evidence for the efficacy of diversion and aftercare practices for criminal offenders. Twenty outcome studies were identified for review: 19 on diversion and one on aftercare. The vast majority of studies were non‐randomised evaluations, reflecting the paucity of rigorous evaluation work in this area. Although most studies were prospective, very few reported on long‐term outcomes following treatment. Detail was lacking with regard to basic study characteristics, such as eligibility criteria and outcomes. Despite these methodological shortcomings, results provide some tentative evidence that diversion and aftercare programmes could be effective. Best practice elements of diversion and aftercare programmes are identified and feasible strategies to improve the methodological quality of future evaluations are considered. [Harvey E, Shakeshaft A, Hetherington K, Sannibale C, Mattick RP. The efficacy of diversion and aftercare strategies for adult drug‐involved offenders: a summary and methodological review of the outcome literature. Drug Alcohol Rev 2007;26:379–387]
Increasing prevalence of HIV, and persistent high‐risk behaviours among drug users in Bangladesh: need for a comprehensive harm reduction programme
Authors: ISLAM M. MOFIZUL , CONIGRAVE KATHERINE M.
Published: June 2007

Introduction and Aims. The aim of this study was to examine trends in HIV and related risk behaviours in drug users in Bangladesh, the effects of prevention and harm reduction initiatives that have already been undertaken and to highlight immediate needs. Design and Methods. Journal publications, conference abstracts and proceedings were collected and reviewed. As there were relatively few published papers, the grey literature was also reviewed. Experts involved in the development and evaluation of current programmes or policy were contacted for official reports, policy documents or unpublished materials. The trends in injecting and sexual risk behaviours were tabulated. Results. Periodic behavioural and serosurveillance on recognised sentinel groups shows clearly that HIV prevalence among injecting drug users has been increasing steadily. In the capital city, the HIV prevalence among injecting drug users is close to the level of a concentrated epidemic (4.9%). While harm reduction strategies have brought a scope of reduction of injecting‐related risk behaviours, the persistent high rates of needle sharing and high prevalence of sexual risk behaviours remains alarming. Non‐injecting drug users have maintained a low prevalence of HIV but their high‐risk sexual behaviours and transformation into injecting drug users with time are of concern. Discussion and Conclusions. There are substantial gaps between current needs and the ongoing prevention and harm reduction activities. There is a pressing need for a comprehensive harm reduction programme and review of any policies and laws which may impede this. [Islam MM, Conigrave KM. Increasing prevalence of HIV, and persistent high‐risk behaviours among drug users in Bangladesh: need for a comprehensive harm reduction programme. Drug Alcohol Rev 2007;26:445–454]
Harm reduction, hepatitis C and opioid pharmacotherapy: an opportunity for integrated hepatitis C virus‐specific harm reduction
Authors: HALLINAN RICHARD , BYRNE ANDREW , DORE GREGORY J.
Published: June 2007

While harm reduction advocates, policy makers and practitioners have a right to be proud of the impact of interventions such as needle and syringe programmes on HIV risk, we can be less sanguine about the ongoing high levels of HCV transmission among injecting drug users (IDUs) and the expanding burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐related liver disease. In this Harm Reduction Digest Drs Byrne and Hallinan from the Redfern Clinic and Dr Dore from the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research offer a model of integrated HCV prevention and treatment services within the setting of opioid pharmacotherapy. In their experience, this common‐sense approach provides an opportunity to reduce the burden of HCV and improve overall patient management. They believe that the key elements of a HCV‐specific harm reduction model include: regular HCV testing; clinical assessment and determination of need for HCV treatment referral; use of broader HCV treatment inclusion criteria; and flexibility in opioid pharmacotherapy dosing. In an environment when our macro harm reduction interventions seem to have, at best, modest impact on HCV transmission, good clinical practice may be our most effective strategy against the HCV epidemic. This paper provides some practical suggestions as to how this can be done.