bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Racine and Chauveau: A Poetics of Illustration
Authors: Hawcroft Michael
Published: September 2007

This article examines the original illustrations for Racine's plays, mostly drawn by François Chauveau, and attacks several perennial received ideas about them: that they mostly depict off-stage violent action; that they are aesthetically at odds with the plays themselves; that the illustrations owe more to the artist's fantasy than to Racine's text. The article demonstrates that most of the illustrations depict on-stage events, and, with particularly detailed analyses of the illustrations for
La Thébaïde
and
Mithridate
, argues that, whether the event depicted is on-stage or off-stage, the artist engages scrupulously with the text of the play, producing an illustration that is faithful to Racine's work and inviting the reader to engage in fruitful parallel readings of text and image. The illustrations respond to, and capitalize on, Racine's dramatic poetry.
Balzacian Aporia: The Case of
La Vieille Fille
Authors: Tilby Michael
Published: September 2007

In the majority of the critical assessments of Balzac's
La Vieille Fille
, the inconsistencies and contradictions found within the portrayal of its picturesque characters have either been considered flaws or have been the subject of attempts at rationalization. The present article, which shares a starting point with the perspective adopted by Fredric Jameson, argues that these inconsistencies are linked, through an acceptance of the inevitability of aporia, to the way both fiction and writing acknowledge their ultimate impossibility. It goes on to show that the radical ambiguity of Balzac's text with regard to truth and falsehood, and the generic instability it displays, point to a representation, at the level of political allegory, in which difference is deprived of all pertinence, while arguing, more generally, that it is the activity of representation itself that is Balzac's central concern.
The Martin Manuscript: An Unexplored Archive Of Guernsey Norman French
Authors: Jones Mari C.
Published: September 2007

Although the Channel Islands have formed part of the Romance-speaking world for some two millennia, they are unlikely to do so for much longer. In 2001, Census figures revealed that, in Guernsey, only some 2% of the population (or 1327 individuals) could still speak Guernsey Norman French (Guernesiais). The hitherto-unstudied Martin manuscript is the largest corpus of prose from a single pen in Channel Island French. Dating from the turn of the twentieth century, it consists of 295 exercise-books which contain a complete translation into Guernesiais of the Bible and of 100 plays from the work of Shakespeare, Longfellow, Pierre and Thomas Corneille, Molière and Voltaire. The manuscript's extensive nature means that, after the death of the last native speaker, it will represent one of the most important sources of data available on the dialect. This paper examines Martin's translation of the Gospel according to St Mark. It investigates possible sources of the translation, the orthographic system used, lexical features such as regionalisms, the use of register and borrowings, and ends by considering the way in which the translations can offer an unprecedented insight into late nineteenth/early twentieth century Guernesiais and provide new morphosyntactic and lexical data on the dialect.
Continuing Debates About ‘French’ Feminist Theory
Authors: Still Judith
Published: September 2007

This article analyses attempts to write the ‘herstory’ of feminism, and the tendency to use the vocabulary of ‘generation’ (in particular Julia Kristeva, Toril Moi, Kelly Oliver and Lisa Walsh). It concludes that the issues raised by ‘earlier generations’ are still alive, and that important questions that now seem to be given greater prominence such as ‘intersex’ or cultural difference do not
necessarily
involve any
methodological
shift. Examples (including recent publications) are drawn mostly from the work of Kristeva and Luce Irigaray, with some reference to Michèle Le Dœuff.
C'est li chevaliers au poisson:
Richars li biaus
as a Model of Speculative Chivalry
Authors: Jewers Caroline
Published: September 2007

Richars li biaus
is a late medieval romance that exemplifies the verisimilitude, even realism, that had crept into the genre by the thirteenth century. Concentrating on the dialectic of wealth and poverty, this article analyses the suggestive lexical choice treating the theme of economy in the text and, more widely, feudal, urban culture and economics, and how the hero must overcome issues of class, rank, and cash-flow as he speculates in order to accumulate, as he speculates in order to accumulate. The text's attitude to money mirrors social changes of the thirteenth century, and a parallel can be drawn with the content of contemporary medieval sermons critical of the misuse of money. Attention is paid to philology: the names of major and minor characters are dissected in order to suggest a programmatic intention on the part of the mysterious author, Mestre Requis.
Richars
taps into the matrix of words connected to the idea of richness, and the verb
querre
, central to the action, also conceals the pseudonym of the author. This curious secondary romance deserves more attention, and illustrates how much such texts have to reveal about the cultural context of the Middle Ages.
Gillnet mesh selectivity of the sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus): implications for fisheries management
Authors: McAuley R. B. , Simpfendorfer C. A. , Wright I. W.
Published: September 2007

McAuley, R. B., Simpfendorfer, C. A., and Wright, I. W. 2007. Gillnet mesh selectivity of the sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus): implications for fisheries management. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64. Gillnet mesh selectivity parameters for the sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) were estimated from catches taken by an experimental net of six panels of mesh, varying in size from 10.2 to 25.4 cm. The length selectivity of each mesh size was described by five different models. According to model deviance values, the four models based on the SELECT method of estimation provided better fits to the data than the gamma model previously applied to sharks. Lengths at maximum selectivity were estimated to be between 5.3 and 7.0×stretched mesh size. The breadth of the selectivity curves was greater than have been reported for most species of shark. Lognormal and normal curve forms yielded the lowest model deviance and were judged to provide the best fits to the data. Peak selectivity of the commercially utilized mesh sizes was generally estimated to be greater than the observed modal length class of the commercial C. plumbeus catch. This suggests that a relatively high abundance of smaller sharks in the study area offsets gear selectivity effects in determining the size composition of commercial catches. These results have important implications for the recovery of this overexploited stock and also for managing international gillnet fisheries for the species.
The ‘lost years’ of green turtles: using stable isotopes to study cryptic lifestages
Authors: Reich Kimberly J , Bjorndal Karen A , Bolten Alan B
Published: September 2007

Ignorance of the location or inaccessible locations of lifestages can impede the study and management of species. We used stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen to identify the habitats and diets and to estimate the duration of a ‘missing’ lifestage: the early juvenile stage of the green turtle,
Chelonia mydas
. Stable isotopes in scute from young herbivorous green turtles in shallow-water habitats revealed that they spend 3–5 years as carnivores in oceanic habitats before making a rapid ontogenetic shift in diet and habitat. Stable isotopes in persistent and continuously growing tissues, such as some fish scales, bird bills and claws and mammal hair and claws, can be used to evaluate the ecology of inaccessible lifestages.
The effect of surface tension on trapped modes in water-wave problems
Authors: Harter Robert , Abrahams I. David , Simon Michael J
Published: September 2007

In this paper the effect of surface tension is considered on two two-dimensional water-wave problems involving pairs of immersed bodies. Both models, having fluid of infinite depth, support localized oscillations, or trapped modes, when capillary effects are excluded. The first pair of bodies is surface-piercing whereas the second pair is fully submerged. In the former case it is shown that the qualitative nature of the streamline shape is unaffected by the addition of surface tension in the free surface condition, no matter how large this parameter becomes. The main objective of this paper, however, is to study the submerged body problem. For this case it is found, by contrast, that there exists a critical value of the surface tension above which it is no longer possible to produce a completely submerged pair of bodies which support trapped modes. This critical value varies as a function of the separation of the two bodies. It can be inferred from this that surface tension does not always play a qualitatively irrelevant role in the linear water-wave problem.
A minimalist pilot-wave model for quantum electrodynamics
Authors: Struyve W , Westman H
Published: September 2007

We present a way to construct a pilot-wave model for quantum electrodynamics. The idea is to introduce beables corresponding only to the bosonic and not to the fermionic degrees of freedom of the quantum state. We show that this is sufficient to reproduce the quantum predictions. The beables will be field beables corresponding to the electromagnetic field and will be introduced in a way similar to that of Bohm's model for the free electromagnetic field. Our approach is analogous to the situation in non-relativistic quantum theory, where Bell treated spin not as a beable but only as a property of the wave function. After presenting this model, we also discuss a simple way for introducing additional beables that represent the fermionic degrees of freedom.
Exceptional among-lineage variation in diversification rates during the radiation of Australia's most diverse vertebrate clade
Authors: Rabosky Daniel L , Donnellan Stephen C , Talaba Amanda L , Lovette Irby J
Published: September 2007

The disparity in species richness among groups of organisms is one of the most pervasive features of life on earth. A number of studies have addressed this pattern across higher taxa (e.g. ‘beetles’), but we know much less about the generality and causal basis of the variation in diversity within evolutionary radiations at lower taxonomic scales. Here, we address the causes of variation in species richness among major lineages of Australia's most diverse vertebrate radiation, a clade of at least 232 species of scincid lizards. We use new mitochondrial and nuclear intron DNA sequences to test the extent of diversification rate variation in this group. We present an improved likelihood-based method for estimating per-lineage diversification rates from combined phylogenetic and taxonomic (species richness) data, and use the method in a hypothesis-testing framework to localize diversification rate shifts on phylogenetic trees. We soundly reject homogeneity of diversification rates among members of this radiation, and find evidence for a dramatic rate increase in the common ancestor of the genera
Ctenotus
and
Lerista
. Our results suggest that the evolution of traits associated with climate tolerance may have had a role in shaping patterns of diversity in this group.
Critical thermal limits depend on methodological context
Authors: Terblanche John S , Deere Jacques A , Clusella-Trullas Susana , Janion Charlene , Chown Steven L
Published: September 2007

A full-factorial study of the effects of rates of temperature change and start temperatures was undertaken for both upper and lower critical thermal limits (CTLs) using the tsetse fly,Glossina pallidipes. Results show that rates of temperature change and start temperatures have highly significant effects on CTLs, although the duration of the experiment also has a major effect. Contrary to a widely held expectation, slower rates of temperature change (i.e. longer experimental duration) resulted in poorer thermal tolerance at both high and low temperatures. Thus, across treatments, a negative relationship existed between duration and upper CTL while a positive relationship existed between duration and lower CTL. Most importantly, for predicting tsetse distribution,G. pallidipessuffer loss of function at less severe temperatures under the most ecologically relevant experimental conditions for upper (0.06°C min−1; 35°C start temperature) and lower CTL (0.06°C min−1; 24°C start temperature). This suggests that the functional thermal range ofG. pallidipesin the wild may be much narrower than previously suspected, approximately 20–40°C, and highlights their sensitivity to even moderate temperature variation. These effects are explained by limited plasticity of CTLs in this species over short time scales. The results of the present study have broad implications for understanding temperature tolerance in these and other terrestrial arthropods.
Testing evolutionary theories of menopause
Authors: Shanley Daryl P , Sear Rebecca , Mace Ruth , Kirkwood Thomas B.L
Published: September 2007

Why do women cease fertility rather abruptly through menopause at an age well before generalized senescence renders child rearing biologically impossible? The two main evolutionary hypotheses are that menopause serves either (i) to protect mothers from rising age-specific maternal mortality risks, thereby protecting their highly dependent younger children from death if the mother dies or (ii) to provide post-reproductive grandmothers who enhance their inclusive fitness by helping to care and provide for their daughters' children. Recent theoretical work indicates that both factors together are necessary if menopause is to provide an evolutionary advantage. However, these ideas need to be tested using detailed data from actual human life histories lived under reasonably ‘natural’ conditions; for obvious reasons, such data are extremely scarce. We here describe a study based on a remarkably complete dataset from The Gambia. The data provided quantitative estimates for key parameters for the theoretical model, which were then used to assess the actual effects on fitness. Empirically based numerical analysis of this nature is essential if the enigma of menopause is to be explained satisfactorily in evolutionary terms. Our results point to the distinctive (and perhaps unique) role of menopause in human evolution and provide important support for the hypothesized evolutionary significance of grandmothers.
Sex-role reversal of a monogamous pipefish without higher potential reproductive rate in females
Authors: Sogabe Atsushi , Yanagisawa Yasunobu
Published: September 2007

In monogamous animals, males are usually the predominant competitors for mates. However, a strictly monogamous pipefish
Corythoichthys haematopterus
exceptionally exhibits a reversed sex role. To understand why its sex role is reversed, we measured the adult sex ratio and the potential reproductive rate (PRR), two principal factors influencing the operational sex ratio (OSR), in a natural population of southern Japan. The adult sex ratio was biased towards females throughout the breeding season, but the PRR, which increased with water temperature, did not show sexual difference. We found that an alternative index of the OSR (
S
f
/
S
m
: sex ratio of ‘time in’) calculated from the monthly data was consistently biased towards females. The female-biased OSR associated with sex-role reversal has been reported in some polyandrous or promiscuous pipefish, but factors biasing the OSR differed between these pipefish and
C. haematopterus
. We concluded that the similar PRR between the sexes in
C. haematopterus
does not confer reproductive benefit of polygamous mating on either sex, resulting in strict monogamous mating, and its female-biased adult sex ratio promotes female–female competition for a mate, resulting in sex-role reversal.
Linking nutrition and behavioural dominance: carbohydrate scarcity limits aggression and activity in Argentine ants
Authors: Grover Crystal D , Kay Adam D , Monson Jessica A , Marsh Thomas C , Holway David A
Published: September 2007

Predicting the outcome of competitive interactions is a fundamental goal in ecology. Ecological stoichiometry, which relates nutrient balance to ecological processes, provides a framework for identifying mechanistic links among macronutrient availability, nutritional physiology and competitive performance. Because carbohydrates serve as a principal metabolic fuel, carbohydrate scarcity may impinge upon behaviours affecting competitive dominance (e.g. aggression, activity) to a greater extent than deficiencies of protein or other nutrients used preferentially for growth. Here, we tested this prediction with a diet manipulation study involving laboratory colonies of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), a widespread and aggressive invasive species. The availability of both sucrose and insect prey influenced brood production and worker survival after three months. However, colonies became less aggressive and less active only when deprived of sucrose (but not prey). Scarcity of sucrose (but not prey) was also associated with reduced fat mass in individual workers. These data provide the first experimental support that carbohydrate scarcity compromises aggression and activity in ants, and illustrate, in principle, how access to carbohydrate-rich resources (e.g. plant exudates, hemipteran honeydew) might influence behavioural investments that contribute to competitive performance. Such investments might be especially important for invasive ants, given their aggressiveness and tendency to interact with honeydew-producing Hemiptera.
High mobility group protein HMGA1 inhibits retinoblastoma protein‐mediated cellular G0 arrest
Authors: Ueda Yasuaki , Watanabe Sugiko , Tei Shuchin , Saitoh Noriko , Kuratsu Jun‐ichi , Nakao Mitsuyoshi
Published: September 2007

Retinoblastoma protein (RB) acts as a tumor suppressor in many tissue types, by promoting cell arrest via E2F‐mediated transcriptional repression. In addition to the aberrant forms of the RB gene found in different types of cancers, many viral oncoproteins including the simian virus 40 large T antigen target RB. However, cellular factors that inhibit RB function remain to be elucidated. Here, we report that RB interacts with the high mobility group protein A1 (HMGA1), a‐non‐histone architectural chromatin factor that is frequently overexpressed in cancer cells. HMGA1 binds the small pocket domain of RB, and competes with HDAC1. Subsequently, overexpression of HMGA1 abolishes the inhibitory effect of RB on E2F‐activated transcription from the cyclin E promoter. Under serum starvation, T98G cells had been previously shown to be arrested in the G0 phase in an RB‐mediated manner. The G0 phase was characterized by growth arrest and low levels of transcription, together with the hypophosphorylation of RB and the downregulation of HMGA1. In contrast, such serum‐depleted G0 arrest was abrogated in T98G cells overexpressing HMGA1. The overexpressed HMGA1 was found to form complexes with cellular RB, suggesting that downregulation of HMGA1 is required for G0 arrest. There were no phenotypic changes in HMGA1‐expressing T98G cells in the presence of serum, but the persistent expression of HMGA1 under serum starvation caused various nuclear abnormalities, which were similarly induced in T antigen‐expressing T98G cells. Our present findings indicate that overexpression of HMGA1 disturbs RB‐mediated cell arrest, suggesting a negative control of RB by HMGA1. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 1893–1901)
Can attribution theory explain carers' propensity to help men with intellectual disabilities who display inappropriate sexual behaviour?
Authors: Willner P. , Smith M.
Published: September 2007

Aim  This study examined the responses of care managers and direct care staff to vignettes of inappropriate sexual behaviour by a man with an intellectual disability. The aim was to test the theory that helping behaviour is determined by emotional responses (positive and negative emotional reactions, and optimism), which in turn are determined by causal attributions (respectively: controllability and stability of the incident depicted in the vignette).

Method  The vignettes varied in response topography and the age of the victim. Regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between causal attributions, emotional responses, and willingness to invest extra time and effort in the service user's care.

Results  No support was found for the pathway: low controllability → increased sympathy and/or decreased negative emotions → increased helping. However, strong support was found for the pathway: low stability → high optimism → increased helping, particularly in direct care staff. High levels of sympathy were also associated with increased helping, the effect again being mediated by feelings of optimism.

Conclusions  The data provide support for one (but not the other) strand of attribution theory as applied to inappropriate sexual behaviour. The discussion considers the discrepancy between the present data and the far less encouraging literature on attribution theory as applied to challenging behaviour.
Long‐term lamivudine treatment of children with chronic hepatitis B: durability of therapeutic responses and safety
Authors: Jonas M. M. , Little N. R. , Gardner S. D. ,   Members of the International Pediatric Lamivudine Investigator Group
Published: September 2007

Summary.  Lamivudine has been demonstrated safe and efficacious in the short term in a large cohort of children with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), but optimal duration of treatment has not been elucidated and limited data on the safety of long‐term lamivudine administration have been reported. In addition, the durability of favourable therapeutic outcomes after lamivudine therapy in children has not been well characterized. The aim of this study was to examine the safety of lamivudine and the durability of clinical responses in a group of children who received up to 3 years of treatment for CHB. One hundred and fifty‐one children from centres in nine countries who had previously received lamivudine in a large prospective trial were enrolled. During the first year, children had been randomized to either lamivudine or placebo treatment. Subsequently, in a separate extension study, those who remained hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive were given lamivudine for up to 2 years and those who were HBeAg negative were observed for additional 2 years. Results of these studies have been previously reported. In this study, these children were followed for 2 additional years. Data gathered from medical record review included weight, height, signs and symptoms of hepatitis, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, serologic markers, hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels and serious adverse events (SAEs). Other pharmacological treatments for CHB were allowed according to the practices of individual investigators and were documented. Subjects were divided into two groups for analysis, those who had achieved virological response (VR), defined as HBeAg negative and undetectable HBV DNA by the bDNA assay by the end of the extension study at 3 years, and those who had not. In those who had achieved VR by the end of the extension study, long‐term durability of HBeAg seroconversion was 82% and >90% in those who had received lamivudine for 52 weeks and at least 2 years respectively. This compares to 75% for those who had achieved seroconversion after placebo. In those who had not achieved VR by the end of the extension study, an additional 11% did so by the end of the study; they had all received lamivudine in the previous trial, and none had received further treatment during the study. Eight children lost hepatitis B surface antigen during the study and all had received lamivudine at some point during the previous trials. Evaluation of safety data revealed no SAEs related to lamivudine. There was no effect of treatment on weight or height z scores. Clinically benign ALT flares (>10 times normal) were seen in 2% of children. Favourable outcomes from lamivudine treatment of CHB in children are maintained for at least several years after completion of treatment. Up to 3 years of lamivudine treatment is safe in children.
Switching patients with lamivudine resistant chronic hepatitis B virus from tenofovir to adefovir results in less potent HBV‐DNA suppression
Authors: Leemans W. F. , Janssen H. L. A. , Niesters H. G. M. , De Man R. A.
Published: September 2007

Summary.  The nucleotide analogues, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and adefovir dipivoxil, inhibit viral replication and are both effective against the hepatitis B virus (HBV). In our department, tenofovir was prescribed in addition to lamivudine for the treatment of lamivudine resistant chronic hepatitis B. After registration of adefovir, 10 patients were switched to adefovir monotherapy. We studied changes in HBV‐DNA and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in these patients. The median treatment duration with tenofovir was 78 weeks resulting in a median viral load reduction of 5.4 (range 6.8–2.3) log10 copies/mL compared to baseline (P = 0.005). Two patients had an increase >1 log10 copies/mL during tenofovir treatment. After the switch to adefovir, six out of 10 patients had an HBV‐DNA >4 log10 copies/mL and the median HBV‐DNA increased from 2.8 to 4.5 log10 copies/mL (P = 0.017). The factors associated with relapse were HBV‐DNA PCR positivity at the time of switch and genotype B or D. ALT levels at the beginning of tenofovir treatment also might be a factor. Retreatment with tenofovir (n = 3) resulted in a rapid decline in HBV‐DNA. Tenofovir is a potent antiviral drug. Switching to adefovir resulted in viral relapse in 60% of patients and retreatment with tenofovir resulted again in viral decline, which suggests that tenofovir is a more potent antiviral agent.
Characterization of the Xanthomonas sp. causing wilt of enset and banana and its proposed reclassification as a strain of X. vasicola
Authors: Aritua V. , Parkinson N. , Thwaites R. , Heeney J. V. , Jones D. R. , Tushemereirwe W. , Crozier J. , Reeder R. , Stead D. E. , Smith J.
Published: September 2007

Comparative analyses were undertaken to characterize Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum, the causal agent of a wilt of enset and banana, and to assess its relatedness to other xanthomonads by fatty acid methyl esters, genomic fingerprinting using rep‐PCR and partial nucleotide sequencing of the gyrase B gene. The results from all three analyses indicated that strains of X. campestris pv. musacearum are homogeneous and very similar to X. vasicola strains isolated from sugarcane and maize from Africa. Pathogenicity studies indicated that strains of X. vasicola pv. holcicola and X. vasicola from sugarcane induced no symptoms on banana, whereas X. campestris pv. musacearum produced severe disease. These data will support a future proposed reclassification of X. campestris pv. musacearum as X. vasicola pv. musacearum when more data are available.
Biological diversity of Rhizoctonia solani (AG‐3) in a northern potato‐cultivation environment in Finland
Authors: Lehtonen M. J. , Ahvenniemi P. , Wilson P. S. , German‐Kinnari M. , Valkonen J. P. T.
Published: September 2007

A total of 119 isolates of Rhizoctonia were collected from stem canker lesions, stolon and root lesions, hymenia on stems, or from black scurf on tubers of potato plants (Solanum tuberosum) in Finland (latitudes 60–67°N). All isolates except three belonged to anastomosis group 3 (AG‐3) of R. solani, as determined by phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer sequences (ITS1 and ITS2) of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Sensitivity of the 119 isolates to the fungicide flutolanil was tested in vitro (EC50 values 0·14–0·75 µg active ingredient mL−1). The isolates also varied considerably in growth rate (5·1–14·8 mm day−1). The severity of disease caused by 99 isolates was determined based on the proportion of potato sprouts affected by lesions, discoloration or death, which was c. 1–60%. Only two isolates that were able to cause severe symptoms showed particularly low sensitivity to the fungicide and rapid growth rate. One isolate each of anastomosis groups AG‐2‐1 and AG‐5 and an unknown, binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. were detected. The AG‐5 isolate and the binucleate isolate caused mild symptoms on potato sprouts, whereas the AG‐2‐1 isolate was not pathogenic. Taken together, AG‐3 of R. solani was the predominant causal agent of the stem canker and black scurf diseases of potato in Finland and showed considerable variability in disease severity, fungicide sensitivity and growth rate in vitro.
Resistance to pyraclostrobin, boscalid and multiple resistance to Pristine® (pyraclostrobin + boscalid) fungicide in Alternaria alternata causing alternaria late blight of pistachios in California
Authors: Avenot H. , Morgan D. P. , Michailides T. J.
Published: September 2007

Pristine® (pyraclostrobin + boscalid) is a fungicide registered for the control of alternaria late blight in pistachio. A total of 95 isolates of Alternaria alternata collected from orchards with and without a prior history of Pristine® sprays were tested for their sensitivity towards pyraclostrobin, boscalid and Pristine® in conidial germination assays. The EC50 values for 35 isolates from orchards without Pristine® sprays ranged from 0·09 to 3·14 µg mL−1 and < 0·01 to 2·04 µg mL−1 for boscalid and Pristine®, respectively. For pyraclostrobin, 27 isolates had EC50 < 0·01 µg mL−1 and six had low resistance (mean EC50 value = 4·71 µg mL−1). Only one isolate was resistant to all three fungicides tested, with EC50 > 100 µg mL−1. Among 59 isolates from the orchard with a history of Pristine® sprays, 56 were resistant to pyraclostrobin; only two were sensitive (EC50 < 0·01 µg mL−1) and one was weakly resistant (EC50 = 10 µg mL−1). For the majority of these isolates EC50 values ranged from 0·06 to 4·22 µg mL−1 for boscalid and from 0·22 to 7·74 µg mL−1 for Pristine®. However, seven isolates resistant to pyraclostrobin were also highly resistant to boscalid and Pristine® and remained pathogenic on pistachio treated with Pristine®. Whereas strobilurin resistance is a common occurrence in Alternaria of pistachio, this is the first report of resistance to boscalid in field isolates of phytopathogenic fungi. No cross resistance between pyraclostrobin and boscalid was detected, suggesting that Pristine® resistance appears as a case of multiple resistance.
Identification of a novel allele HLA‐DQB1*0622
Authors: Chang Y. , Fan T. X. , Santana Z. , Day N. K.
Published: September 2007

A novel human leukocyte antigen‐DQ allele, DQB1*0622, was identified in a bone marrow transplantation candidate. DQB1*0622 differs from DQB1*0609 by two nucleotide differences in exon 2, position 122 (A→T) and 177 (A→G). The difference at position 122 resulted in an amino acid change (Tyrosine to Phenylalanine). However, the difference at position 177 did not cause any amino acid change.
Distinct tubulin genes are differentially expressed during barley grain development
Authors: Radchuk Volodymyr V. , Sreenivasulu Nese , Blume Yaroslav , Weschke Winfriede
Published: September 2007

Tubulins, as major components involved in the organization of microtubules, play an important role in plant development. We describe here the expression profiles of all known α‐tubulin (TUA), β‐tubulin (TUB) and γ‐tubulin (TUG) genes of barley (Hordeum vulgare), involving eight newly identified TUB sequences, five established TUA genes and one TUG gene. Macroarray and Northern blot‐based expression patterns in the pericarp, endosperm and embryo were obtained over the course of the development of the grain between anthesis and maturation. These revealed that the various tubulin genes differed in their levels of expression, and to some extent were tissue specific. Two expression peaks were detected in the developing endosperm. The first and more prominent peak, at 2 days after flowering, included expression of almost all the tubulin genes. These tubulins are thought to be involved in mitoses during the formation of the syncytial endosperm. The second, less pronounced but more extended, peak included only some of the tubulin genes (HvTUA3, HvTUB1 and HvTUG) and might be associated with the cell wall organization in aleurone and starchy endosperm. The HvTUA5 gene is expressed only in embryo of the developing grain and may be associated with shoot establishment. The expression profiles of the tubulin folding cofactors HvTFC A and HvTFC B as well as small G‐protein HvArl2 genes were almost perfectly correlated with the global levels of tubulin mRNA, implying that they have a role in the control of the polymerization of α/β‐tubulin heterodimers.
Risk factors for MDRD‐GFR of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 in former kidney donors
Authors: LEE JANG HAN , KIM SONG CHEOL , HAN DUCK JONG , CHANG JAI WON , YANG WON SEOK , PARK SU KIL , LEE SANG KOO , PARK JUNG SIK , KIM SOON BAE
Published: September 2007

Background:  Although several previous studies have reported that kidney donors are not at increased risk for adverse effects, some donors have been found to progress to chronic kidney disease (CKD). We retrospectively evaluated the risk factors for estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation (MDRD‐GFR) of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 in kidney donors.

Methods:  Of the 756 individuals who underwent open donor nephrectomy between 27 June 1990 and 30 April 2001, 104 had follow‐up records for 50 months or more. MDRD‐GFR of 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 at final follow up divided these individuals into a normal group (n = 78) and a CKD‐GFR group (n = 26). We compared several clinical parameters between the two groups at baseline and follow up to evaluate the risk factors for MDRD‐GFR of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 in kidney donors.

Results:  The CKD‐GFR group was significantly older than the normal group at baseline (47 ± 12 vs 41 ± 11 years old, P = 0.02). Hypertension was more prevalent in the CKD‐GFR group at baseline (15% vs 2%, P = 0.005). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age (Odds ratio (OR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.10) and hypertension (OR 7.91, 95% CI 1.13–55.2) at baseline were independent risk factors for MDRD‐GFR of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2. At final follow up, the prevalence rates of hypertension (31% vs 8%, P = 0.006) and proteinuria (15% vs 0%, P = 0.003) were significantly higher in the CKD‐GFR group.

Conclusion:  Older kidney donors and those with hypertension were significantly more likely to have a MDRD‐GFR of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2.
Acute renal allograft rejection is associated with increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in the urine
Authors: PENG WENHAN , CHEN JIANGHUA , JIANG YUGUANG , SHOU ZHANGFEI , CHEN YING , WANG HUIPING
Published: September 2007

Aim:  The purpose of this study was to assess whether measurement of urinary vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) could be adopted as a new non‐invasive diagnostic tool for acute rejection following renal transplantation.

Methods:  Urinary concentration of VEGF was determined by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay technique in 215 renal allograft recipients and 80 healthy controls.

Results:  Subjects with acute rejection (n = 67) excreted urinary VEGF at a significantly higher level (28.57 ± 6.21, 95% CI: 16.18–40.97 pg/μmol creatinine) than those without acute rejection. This included subjects with stable renal function and no abnormal histological findings (n = 119), acute tubular necrosis (n = 15), chronic allograft nephropathy (n = 14) and healthy controls (n = 80). Using a urinary VEGF/creatinine ratio of 3.64 pg/μmol as the cut‐off point, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing acute rejection were 85.1 and 74.8%, respectively (P < 0.001). Patients with steroid‐resistant acute rejection had significantly greater urinary VEGF concentration than patients with steroid‐sensitive acute rejection (42.09 ± 10.00 vs 9.74 ± 2.63 pg/μmol creatinine, P < 0.001). Patients with graft loss after acute rejection had significantly greater urinary VEGF concentration than patients with reversible acute rejection (106.66 ± 38.60 vs 19.46 ± 4.13 pg/μmol creatinine, P = 0.001). Using a urinary VEGF/creatinine ratio of 22.48 pg/μmol as the cut‐off point, the sensitivity and specificity of the prediction to graft loss after acute rejection were 85.7% and 78.3%, respectively (P = 0.001).

Conclusion:  This study demonstrates that the monitoring of urinary VEGF may be a useful non‐invasive approach for the detection of acute rejection. Additionally, urinary VEGF levels were shown to predict the response to anti‐rejection therapy and to predict a poor outcome after acute rejection.
Trends in adult post‐kidney transplant immunosuppressive use in Australia, 1991–2005
Authors: CHANG SEAN H , RUSS GRAEME R , CHADBAN STEVEN J , CAMPBELL SCOTT , MCDONALD STEPHEN P
Published: September 2007

Aim:  Kidney transplant outcomes have improved over the past 15 years, partly due to improvements in immunosuppression. We used data from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry to examine trends in immunosuppressive use post transplant.

Methods:  All adult (recipient age 16+ years) kidney‐only transplants performed in Australia from April 1991 to December 2005 were followed to graft loss or December 2005. Immunosuppressive use at induction, 1, 3 and 5 years post transplant were analysed by transplant cohort.

Results:  Calcineurin‐inhibitors (CNI) were used in most recipients for induction and maintenance immunosuppression, with increasing tacrolimus use. Induction cyclosporin dose increased since 2001 (from 5.8 to 7.9 mg/kg per day), but maintenance cyclosporin and tacrolimus dose decreased (from 3.8 to 3.0 mg/kg per day cyclosporin at 1 year post transplant). CNI‐free induction increased since 2002 (from 1.4% to 8.4%), while CNI‐free maintenance increased throughout the study period. Mycophenolates were the predominant antimetabolite used. Steroid‐free maintenance decreased (from 22.7% to 8.7% at 1 year post transplant), as did median prednisolone doses (from 0.12 to 0.09 mg/kg per day at 1 year post transplant). Sirolimus or everolimus are increasingly used for CNI‐sparing rather than as antimetabolites substitutes. OKT3 or antithymocyte globulin induction decreased, while anti‐CD25 antibody usage increased from 9.5% to 57.1% since 2000.

Conclusion:  There is a trend to more potent induction immunosuppression with tacrolimus, mycophenolates and anti‐CD‐25 antibodies, but with CNI avoidance or minimization during maintenance phase. While steroid avoidance/cessation decreased, maintenance steroid dose has also decreased. Anti‐CD25 antibodies are now used in >50% of recipients.
Relationship between vitamin D status, parathyroid hormone levels and bone mineral density in patients with chronic kidney disease stages 3 and 4
Authors: STAVROULOPOULOS ARISTEIDIS , PORTER CHRISTINE J , ROE SIMON D , HOSKING DAVID J , CASSIDY MICHAEL JD
Published: September 2007

Aim:  Low vitamin D status is associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism and increased bone turnover in the general population and can aggravate the hyperparathyroidism of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. It is also correlated to low bone mineral density (BMD), but this correlation is less clear in CKD patients. Aims of our study were to investigate these associations in CKD stages 3 and 4 patients, and to identify significant predictors of BMD in this population.

Methods:  Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels, BMD at the femur and radius, and bone mineral metabolism parameters were measured in 89 CKD stages 3 and 4 patients. Vitamin D status was defined according to the NKF/KDOQI guidelines.

Results:  Mean 25OHD levels were 53.8 ± 32.1 nmol/L and correlated to the severity of proteinuria. Thirty‐five patients (39%) had vitamin D insufficiency, 29 (33%) had vitamin D deficiency and five (6%) had severe deficiency. Of the 89 patients, two had osteoporosis and 31 had osteopenia either at femur or radius. Independent predictors for the total femur BMD were the intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels and the body mass index (BMI). For the total radius BMD, independent predictor was only the BMI. Serum 25OHD levels were not directly associated with BMD, but they were independent predictors of iPTH.

Conclusion:  Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are very common in CKD stages 3 and 4 population and may indirectly affect, via effects on iPTH, the BMD of these patients.
Efficacy of enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium in patients with active lupus nephritis
Authors: MAK SIU‐KA , LO KIN‐YEE , LO MAN‐WAI , CHAN SHUK‐FAN , TONG GENSY MW , WONG PING‐NAM , WONG ANDREW KM
Published: September 2007

Background: The ideal treatment of lupus nephritis has yet to be defined. Both cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil have been used with encouraging results, but adverse events are frequently seen. There are no data on the use of enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 12 patients with active forms of lupus nephritis (1 class III, 7 class IV and 4 class V) treated with enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium combined with corticosteroids.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 32.3 ± 11.2 years and the average length of follow up was 25.9 ± 8.9 months. The mean serum creatinine clearance was 93 ± 30.1 mL/min per 1.73 m2and the mean proteinuria level was 4.5 ± 3.6 g/day. All had features that warranted aggressive treatment. Mycophenolate sodium was given for 12.9 ± 9.7 months with an averaged starting dose of 1350 ± 163 mg/day. Six patients attained complete remission and six attained partial remission with treatment. The mean interval to attain first remission (complete or partial) was 8.3 ± 5.7 weeks. At last follow up, all patients were in complete or partial remission. Apart from herpes zoster that developed in one patient, no other significant side‐effects were encountered.

Conclusion: Enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium was effective and well‐tolerated in the treatment of active lupus nephritis.
Decrease in urethral pressure following repeated cough efforts: A new concept for pathophysiology of stress urinary incontinence
Authors: Deffieux Xavier , Hubeaux Katelyne , Porcher Raphaël , Ismael Samer Sheikh , Raibaut Patrick , Amarenco Gérard
Published: September 2007

Aims:  To describe the decrease in maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) following repeated coughs in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods:  MUCP was recorded at rest and after seven cough efforts in 70 women under age 40 referred for urodynamic investigation (47 women with SUI and 23 women without SUI).

Results:  The intraclass correlation coefficient for repeatability was very good at 400 mL filling volume: 0.94 (95%CI: 0.85–0.98), as compared to the mean and standard‐deviations of the MUCP measurements. A decrease in MUCP >20% after seven cough efforts was observed in 18(38%) patients in the SUI group and in just 1(4%) woman in the non‐SUI group (P = 0.0069).

Conclusions:  Many women with SUI exhibit a sharp decrease in MUCP after repeated coughs. Many hypotheses may explain this phenomenon, including increased fatigue of the periurethral muscles.
Influence of sling material on inflammation and collagen deposit in an animal model
Authors: de Almeida Sílvio Henrique Maia , Rodrigues Marco Aurélio Freitas , Gregório Émerson , Crespígio Jéferson , Moreira Horácio Alvarenga
Published: September 2007

Aim:  Compare inflammation and collagen production induced by four sling materials in female rats.

Methods:  Adult female rats (n=144) were submitted to a urinary incontinence model and neutering. After four weeks they were randomized in 5 groups: Sham; autologous sling; Marlex; swine intestinal submucosa (SIS), and polypropylene mesh (TVT). Animals were killed at 7, 30 and 90 days. The inflammatory infiltrated area was rated from 0 to 3 (0=area smaller than 25%, 1=between 25% and 50%, 2 between 50% and 75%, and 3 for areas greater than 75%). The presence of granuloma and necrosis was noted. Penetration in the vesical wall was evaluated employing a system of scores from 0 to 3. The amount of collagen I and III, and the total was assessed using the Picro‐Sirius staining technique.

Results:  The Sham group presented lower inflammatory parameters at 7 days. On the 30th day, the autologous fascia presented inflammatory reactions similar to the Sham group, and lower than the remaining groups. The synthetic materials demonstrated greater inflammatory reactions at 60 days. No differences between groups were observed other than those concerning collagen production, except at 60 days, when TVT and SIS differed from Fascia and Sham in the production of collagen III.

Conclusion:  Autologous fascia produced less inflammatory reaction and collagen. TVT and Marlex caused more intense and longer‐lasting inflammatory reaction with greater visceral penetration. When TVT was used, this process resulted in a higher quantity of collagen III. The presence of SIS, although presenting a less intense inflammatory reaction than the synthetics, also caused greater collagen III production at 60 days.
Identity Theory and Personality Theory: Mutual Relevance
Authors: Stryker Sheldon
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACT
Some personality psychologists have found a structural symbolic interactionist frame and identity theory relevant to their work. This frame and theory, developed in sociology, are first reviewed. Emphasized in the review are a multiple identity conception of self, identities as internalized expectations derived from roles embedded in organized networks of social interaction, and a view of social structures as facilitators in bringing people into networks or constraints in keeping them out, subsequently, attention turns to a discussion of the mutual relevance of structural symbolic interactionism/identity theory and personality theory, looking to extensions of the current literature on these topics.
Residential energy demand: a case study of Kuwait
Authors: Eltony M. Nagy , Al‐Awadhi Mohammad A.
Published: September 2007

This paper models and estimates energy demand by the household sector using the top‐down or the two‐level approach. The discussion has been developed to include a breakdown of household consumption by fuel type. It also simulates the developed model under three scenarios and presents analyses of the results.

The empirical results indicate that short and long run energy consumption and the level of economic activity are interrelated. The model simulation shows that energy consumption varies directly with economic growth. It also illustrates that an increase of 200 per cent in all nominal energy prices will lead to a reduction in household energy demand of 29 per cent by the year 2015. The simulation results clearly demonstrate that the potential for energy conservation exists in Kuwait in the household sector and particularly in the consumption of electricity. Moreover, inter‐fuel substitution will be in favour of electricity when energy prices increase.
Impact of oil price volatility on Gulf Cooperation Council stock markets' return
Authors: Onour Ibrahim A.
Published: September 2007

This paper investigates the short and long‐term determinants of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stock markets' volatility. Since GCC countries are major suppliers of oil in world energy markets, their stock markets are likely to be susceptible to change in oil prices. Given that change in oil prices influence observable factors in GCC economies, we show in this paper that unobservable speculative factors drive short term stock market returns. The influence of oil price change on GCC stock markets returns is evidenced in the long‐term.1Long term is defined here as the period of time required for the effect of oil price changes to work out its way to influence major macroeconomic indicators that influence profitability of firms traded in GCC stock markets.