bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of rosemary and sage tea extracts on the sensory, chemical and microbiological changes of vacuum‐packed and refrigerated sardine (Sardina pilchardus) fillets
Authors: Kenar Mehmet , Özogul Fatih , Kuley Esmeray
Published: November 2010

The effect of the natural antioxidants and antimicrobials from ethanol extracts of rosemary and sage tea on sensory, chemical [Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs), peroxide value (PV), free fatty acid (FFA)] and microbiological (total viable count‐TVC and total coliform count) changes of vacuum‐packaged sardine (Sardina pilchardus) fillets stored at 3 ± 1 °C was investigated for 20 days. The fish fillets were divided into three groups: untreated group (control, C) and treated groups that were immersed in a 1 L of distilled water containing 10 g rosemary (R group) or sage tea (S group) extracts for 4 min. The shelf life of sardine fillets was found to be 13 days for control (C), 20 days for R and S groups according to sensory assessment results, whose corresponded microbiological assessment showed a shorter shelf life (5 days for C group, 9 for R and S groups). At the end of storage period, TBARs values were 0.98 mg malonaldehyde kg−1 for C group, 0.66 malonaldehyde kg−1 for R group and 1.44 mg malonaldehyde kg−1 for S group. Microbiological results showed that natural compounds from rosemary and sage tea resulted in a lower bacterial growth in fish fillets during the storage period.
Effectiveness of ethanolic galangal extract (Alpinia galanga Linn.) on inhibition of lipid oxidation in fish muscle systems
Authors: Buaniaw Chaiwut , Siripongvutikorn Sunisa , Thongraung Chakree
Published: November 2010

Effectiveness of ethanolic galangal extract as an antioxidant in fish mince and fillet was investigated. The extract (5.8 μm gallic acid equivalent; GAE) reduced deoxygenation of sea bass haemoglobin (Lates calcarifer) at pH 6.5. The lag time for TBARs development in washed sea bass mince mediated by the haemoglobin at pH 6.5 was extended from 2 to 8 days by added galangal extract (0.02% w/w GAE). Washing the sea bass fillet with low preformed lipid hydroperoxide (LHP) content by galangal extract solution (0.2% w/v GAE) effectively inhibited the TBARs formation throughout the storage. However, in the longtail tuna fillet (Thunnus tonggol) having a significant content of preformed LHP, there was nonsignificant difference in the reaction lag time of the samples washed with the solution and with water. Thus, galangal extract can be used as an antioxidant in fish if its application is performed before initiation of lipid oxidation.
Physicochemical and functional properties of full‐fat and defatted Moringa oleifera kernel flour
Authors: Ogunsina Babatunde S. , Radha Cheruppanpullil , Govardhan Singh Raichur S.
Published: November 2010

Full‐fat and defatted Moringa oleifera kernel flours were analysed for their functional properties. The effect of pH and NaCl concentrations on the functional properties of the flours was investigated following standard procedures. The protein content of full‐fat and defatted flour was 36.18 and 62.76 g/100 g, respectively. The concentrations of other proximate constituents of the defatted flour were higher than those of the full‐fat flour. Nitrogen solubility was lowest at pH of 4.0 and 9.0, respectively, with maximum solubility occurring at pH of 6.0. Defatting increased the water absorption and fat absorption capacities of Moringa oleifera kernel flour. The foaming capacity and foam stability of the defatted flour were 86.0% and 82.0 mL, whereas that of full‐fat flour were 20.6% and 18.5 mL respectively. The defatted flour showed better emulsification (97.2 mL g−1) than full‐fat flour (66.0 mL g−1). The least gelation concentration of the defatted and full‐fat flours was 14% and 16% (w/v) respectively. Moringa oleifera kernel flour can be a valuable source of vegetable protein in fortified food products formulation.
Taxonomic diversity of the terrestrial bird and mammal fauna in temperate and boreal biomes of the northern hemisphere
Authors: Mönkkönen Mikko , Viro Pirkko
Published: November 2010

Abstract. Using comprehensive range information of northern Hemisphere birds and mammals, we assessed the taxonomic diversity of these two groups in four different regions: Europe, east Asia, and western and eastern North America. East Asia is the richest region in the number of bird and mammal species, genera, families and orders, except that mammal species richness is highest in western North America. Eastern North America is taxonomically the poorest region, but when only forest‐associated taxa were considered in mammals taxonomic diversity is equally low in Europe and in eastern North America, and in birds, Europe is the least diverse region. Patterns in endemic taxa follow overall taxonomic diversity. The proportion of shared taxa between regions is higher among boreal species and genera than among all taxa. A comparison with tree species diversity underpins the role of east Asia as the most diverse of all northern biota. Largely congruent patterns at different taxonomic levels emphasizes the role of historical processes, such as differential extinction rate in response to paleoenvironmental fluctuations, in producing these patterns, but we stress the need for more research on the coevolution of species diversity and habitat diversity.
The nature of three ancient woodland soils in southern England
Authors: Wilson B. R. , Moffat A. J. , Nortcliff S.
Published: November 2010

Abstract. Despite a wealth of published research on the nature of woodland soils, little is known about the nature of soils on sites that have supported woodland for many hundreds of years, namely ancient woodland. The properties and variability of soils in three ancient woods; one in the New Forest, Hampshire and two in Berkshire, were compared with those under recent woods. The acidity of ancient and recent woodland soils was high and remarkably similar. Only where cultivation of soils had preceded woodland establishment was soil acidity lower. The quantity of carbon in the soils studied was inversely related to soil acidity and the ancient woods had accumulated larger quantities of carbon than their recent counterparts. The quantities of Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ were larger in the ancient woods except where prior cultivation had taken place. Total and organic phosphate contents of the ancient woodland soils were also consistently larger. The nature and pattern of soil variability in ancient woodland soils was quite distinct from that found in recent woods. Overall, the variability of soil acidity, carbon content and organic phosphate was larger in the ancient woodland soils but the pattern of variability differed between the soil properties. No clear association existed between the pattern of soil acidity and individual trees. At the surface of some of the woodland soils, however, carbon distribution appeared to be associated with individual trees. At depth in the ancient woodland soils, the association with the existing vegetation cover was not so clear. It is probable that the ancient woodland soils retained relict features of previous vegetation cover. Organic phosphate distribution was very strongly associated with the present vegetation cover. The pattern of distribution of organic phosphate appeared to be stronger than that of soil acidity and carbon content.
Spatial and temporal variations in boreal forest fire frequency in northern Alberta
Authors: Larsen C. P. S.
Published: November 2010

Abstract.Spatial and temporal variations in fire frequency in the boreal forest of Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) were assessed using forest stand age, fire scar and historical data. I test the hypotheses that (1) fire frequency is higher in jack pine forests and aspen forests than in black spruce forests and white spruce forests, (2) these variations in fire frequency can be related to the mean waterbreak distance (MWD) around a site and (3) fire frequency has changed over the past 300 years.

The fire cycles (the time required to burn an area equal in size to the entire study area) in jack pine forests (39 years) and in aspen forests (39 years) were significantly shorter than those in black spruce forests (78 years) and in white spruce forests (96 years). The length of the fire cycle varies inversely with the MWD around a site, and the MWD was significantly higher in jack pine and aspen forests than in black or white spruce forests. It is suggested that covariations between soil type and the MWD influence, respectively, variations in forest dominant and fire frequency.

A change in fire frequency at 1860 was apparent in the fire history for all of WBNP, the black spruce dominated stands, and the near and medium MWD classes. The fire cycle estimates for these classes were all significantly shorter during the period 1750 to 1859 (fire cycles = 25–49 years) than they were in the period 1860 to 1989 (fire cycles = 59–89 years). The possible roles of changes in climate and aboriginal burning practices in causing the temporal change in fire frequency are discussed.
Surface sensing inVibrio parahaemolyticustriggers a programme of gene expression that promotes colonization and virulence
Authors: Gode‐Potratz Cindy J. , Kustusch Ryan J. , Breheny Patrick J. , Weiss David S. , McCarter Linda L.
Published: November 2010

Vibrio parahaemolyticussenses surfaces via impeded rotation of its polar flagellum. We have exploited this surface‐sensing mechanism to trick the organism into thinking it is on a surface when it is growing in liquid. This facilitated studies of global gene expression in a way that avoided many of the complications of surface‐to‐liquid comparisons, and illuminated ∼ 70 genes that respond to surface sensingper se. Almost all are surface‐induced (not repressed) and encode swarming motility proteins, virulence factors or sensory enzymes involved with chemoreception and c‐di‐GMP signalling. Follow‐up studies were performed to place the surface‐responsive genes in a regulatory hierarchy. Mapping the hierarchy revealed two surprises about LafK, a transcriptional activator that until now has been considered to be the master regulator for the lateral flagellar system. First, LafK controls a more diverse set of genes than previously appreciated. Second, somelafgenes are not under LafK control, which means LafK is not the master regulator after all. Additional experiments motivated by the transcriptome analyses revealed that growth on a surface lowers c‐di‐GMP levels and enhances cytotoxicity. Thus, we demonstrate thatV. parahaemolyticuscan invoke a programme of gene control upon encountering a surface and the specific identities of the surface‐responsive genes are pertinent to colonization and pathogenesis.
Phosphorylation of InhA inhibits mycolic acid biosynthesis and growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Molle Virginie , Gulten Gulcin , Vilchèze Catherine , Veyron‐Churlet Romain , Zanella‐Cléon Isabelle , Sacchettini James C. , Jacobs Jr William R. , Kremer Laurent
Published: November 2010

The remarkable survival ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in infected hosts is related to the presence of cell wall‐associated mycolic acids. Despite their importance, the mechanisms that modulate expression of these lipids in response to environmental changes are unknown. Here we demonstrate that the enoyl‐ACP reductase activity of InhA, an essential enzyme of the mycolic acid biosynthetic pathway and the primary target of the anti‐tubercular drug isoniazid, is controlled via phosphorylation. Thr‐266 is the unique kinase phosphoacceptor, both in vitro and in vivo. The physiological relevance of Thr‐266 phosphorylation was demonstrated using inhA phosphoablative (T266A) or phosphomimetic (T266D/E) mutants. Enoyl reductase activity was severely impaired in the mimetic mutants in vitro, as a consequence of a reduced binding affinity to NADH. Importantly, introduction of inhA_T266D/E failed to complement growth and mycolic acid defects of an inhA‐thermosensitive Mycobacterium smegmatis strain, in a similar manner to what is observed following isoniazid treatment. This study suggests that phosphorylation of InhA may represent an unusual mechanism that allows M. tuberculosis to regulate its mycolic acid content, thus offering a new approach to future anti‐tuberculosis drug development.
Antagonistic regulation of motility and transcriptome expression by RpoN and RpoS in Escherichia coli
Authors: Dong Tao , Yu Rosemary , Schellhorn Herb
Published: November 2010

Bacteria generally possess multiple σ factors that, based on structural and functional similarity, divide into two families: σ70 and σN. Many studies have revealed σ factor competition within the σ70 family, while the competition between σN and σ70 families has yet to be fully explored. Here we report a global antagonistic effect on gene expression between two alternative σ factors, σN (RpoN) and a σ70 family protein σS (RpoS). Mutations in rpoS and rpoN were found to inversely affect a number of cellular traits, such as the expression of flagellar genes, σN‐controlled growth on poor nitrogen sources, and σS‐directed expression of acid phosphatase AppA. Transcriptome analysis reveals that about 60% of genes in the RpoN regulon are under reciprocal RpoS control. Furthermore, loss of RpoN led to increased levels of RpoS, while RpoN levels were unaffected by the rpoS mutation. Expression of the flagellar σF factor (FliA), another σ70 family protein, is controlled positively by RpoN but negatively by RpoS. This positive control by RpoN is likely mediated through the flagellar regulator FlhDC, whose expression is RpoN‐dependent. These findings unveil a complex regulatory interaction among σN, σS and σF, which modulates motility, nitrogen utilization, stress response and many other cellular functions.
Schistosoma haematobium infection affects Plasmodium falciparum‐specific IgG responses associated with protection against malaria
Authors: COURTIN D. , DJILALI‐SAÏAH A. , MILET J. , SOULARD V. , GAYE O. , MIGOT‐NABIAS F. , SAUERWEIN R. , GARCIA A. , LUTY A.J.F.
Published: November 2010

We have previously shown that antibody responses directed to Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein (MSP)‐1, MSP‐2 and glutamate‐rich protein (GLURP) are associated with anti‐malarial protection in residents of the Niakhar area of Senegal. In the same area, urinary schistosomiasis is frequent and we therefore assessed the possible influence of Schistosoma haematobium infection on these protective anti‐malarial IgG responses. After adjustment for confounders, we found that the levels of IgG1 directed to MSP1 and GLURP were significantly lower in helminth carriers. The higher circulating levels of interleukin (IL)‐10 present in the plasma of co‐infected individuals were associated with decreased anti‐plasmodial IgG responses, particularly of those directed to MSP‐2. Our data thus reveal a modulation of P. falciparum‐specific immune responses in the presence of a trematode helminth infection, potentially increasing infected individuals’ risk of plasmodial infection or disease.
Seasonal dynamics in the stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) from non‐leafy branch, trunk and coarse root CO2 efflux of adult deciduous (Fagus sylvatica) and evergreen (Picea abies) trees
Authors: KUPTZ DANIEL , MATYSSEK RAINER , GRAMS THORSTEN E. E.
Published: November 2010

Respiration is a substantial driver of carbon (C) flux in forest ecosystems and stable C isotopes provide an excellent tool for its investigation. We studied seasonal dynamics in δ13C of CO2 efflux (δ13CE) from non‐leafy branches, upper and lower trunks and coarse roots of adult trees, comparing deciduous Fagus sylvatica (European beech) with evergreen Picea abies (Norway spruce).

In both species, we observed strong and similar seasonal dynamics in the δ13CE of above‐ground plant components, whereas δ13CE of coarse roots was rather stable. During summer, δ13CE of trunks was about −28.2‰ (Beech) and −26.8‰ (Spruce). During winter dormancy, δ13CE increased by 5.6–9.1‰. The observed dynamics are likely related to a switch from growth to starch accumulation during fall and remobilization of starch, low TCA cycle activity and accumulation of malate by PEPc during winter. The seasonal δ13CE pattern of branches of Beech and upper trunks of Spruce was less variable, probably because these organs were additionally supplied by winter photosynthesis. In view of our results and pervious studies, we conclude that the pronounced increases in δ13CE of trunks during the winter results from interrupted access to recent photosynthates.
Derivation and testing of a model to predict selection for fungicide resistance
Authors: Hobbelen P. H. F. , Paveley N. D. , Fraaije B. A. , Lucas J. A. , van den Bosch F.
Published: November 2010

A mathematical model was derived to predict selection for fungicide resistance in foliar pathogens of cereal crops. The model was tested against independent data from four field experiments quantifying selection for the G143A mutation conferring resistance to a quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicide in powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei) on spring barley (Hordeum vulgare). Fungicide treatments with azoxystrobin differed in the total applied dose and spray number. For each treatment, we calculated the observed selection ratio as the ratio of the frequency of the resistant strain after the last and before the first spray. The model accurately predicted the variation in observed selection ratios with total applied fungicide dose and number of sprays for three of the four experiments. Underprediction of selection ratios in one experiment was attributed to the particularly late epidemic onset in that experiment. When the equation representing epidemic development was modified to account for the late epidemic, predicted and observed selection ratios at that site were in close agreement. On a scatter plot of observed selection ratios on predicted selection ratios, for all four experiments, the 1:1 line explained 89–92% of the variance in the mean of observed selection ratios. To our knowledge, this is the first fungicide resistance model for plant pathogens to be rigorously tested against field data. The model can be used with some degree of confidence, to identify anti‐resistance treatment strategies which are likely to be effective and would justify the resources required for experimental testing.
Expression of Toll‐like receptors by neonatal leukocytes
Authors: Dasari Pallave , Zola Heddy , Nicholson Ian C
Published: November 2010

To cite this article: Dasari P, Zola H, Nicholson IC. Expression of Toll‐like receptors by neonatal leukocytes. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011; 22: 221–228.

The immune system of neonates is poorly developed; this increases the susceptibility of neonates to infection. For neonates to counter infection effectively, they first need to recognize the presence of pathogens. Toll‐like receptors (TLR) are a family of pattern recognition receptors that alert the host to the presence of invading pathogens. To determine whether differences in TLR expression by leukocytes compensate for immunologic immaturity in neonates, TLR expression by monocytes and T lymphocytes from adults and neonates was compared. Expression of TLR1, TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR8 and TLR9 by monocytes and T lymphocytes was detected with antibodies by flow cytometry. TLR1, TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR8 and TLR9 expression by monocytes was detected in adults and neonates. TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR8 and TLR9 expression by T lymphocytes was detected in adults and neonates. Monocytes and T lymphocytes from neonates are capable, like adults, of recognizing the presence of pathogens through TLR.
BK virus encephalitis with thrombotic microangiopathy in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient
Authors: Lopes da Silva R. , Ferreira I. , Teixeira G. , Cordeiro D. , Mafra M. , Costa I. , Bravo Marques J.M. , Abecasis M.
Published: November 2010

R. Lopes da Silva, I. Ferreira, G. Teixeira, D. Cordeiro, M. Mafra, I. Costa, J.M. Bravo Marques, M. Abecasis. BK virus encephalitis with thrombotic microangiopathy in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient. Transpl Infect Dis 2011: 13: 161–167. All rights reserved

Abstract: BK virus (BKV) infection occurs most often in immunocompromised hosts, in the setting of renal or bone marrow transplantation. Hemorrhagic cystitis is the commonest manifestation but in recent years infections in other organ systems have been reported. We report an unusual case of biopsy‐proven BKV encephalitis in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant patient who subsequently developed thrombotic microangiopathy. As far as we know, this is the first report of such an association in a transplant patient.
Long‐term outcomes from bronchoscopic lung volume reduction using a bronchial prosthesis
Authors: KOTECHA Sakhee , WESTALL Glen P , HOLSWORTH Lynda , PHAM Alan , WILLIAMS Trevor J , SNELL Greg I
Published: November 2010

Background and objective:  We evaluated long‐term safety and lung function outcomes in a cohort of patients with severe upper‐zone heterogeneous emphysema who underwent bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) performed with the Emphasys one‐way valve.

Methods:  A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to assess long‐term outcomes in 23 consecutive patients who underwent upper lobe BLVR between July 2001 and November 2003 as part of a first‐in‐humans study. Long‐term follow up (>12 months) was available in 16/23 patients (median duration of follow up 64 months (range 15–90 months)). Both unilateral (n = 4) and bilateral (n = 12) BLVR procedures were performed with a mean of 6 (range 3–11) valves being inserted. Changes in pulmonary function tests were assessed longitudinally following the procedure.

Results:  13/16 and 11/16 patients showed post‐procedure improvements in FEV1 and DLCO, respectively. However, early improvements in pulmonary function were not sustained with only 6/16 patients still showing improved lung function at the end of follow up. There were no significant improvements in other indices of pulmonary function. Three patients, in the absence of clinical benefit, proceeded to lung transplantation at 15, 16 and 44 months post BLVR. Four patients died during the course of the study at 27, 29, 39 and 50 months post procedure.

Conclusions:  BLVR with the Emphasys one‐way valve has an acceptable safety profile and in select patients may achieve long‐term sustained improvements in pulmonary function.
Persistence of rhinovirus RNA and IP‐10 gene expression after acute asthma
Authors: WOOD Lisa G. , POWELL Heather , GRISSELL Terry V. , DAVIES Bronwyn , SHAFREN Darren R. , WHITEHEAD Bruce F. , HENSLEY Michael J. , GIBSON Peter G.
Published: November 2010

Background and objective:  Viral nucleic acid may be detected for up to 6 months after an acute asthma deterioration, but the pattern and consequences of viral persistence after acute asthma are incompletely understood. This study investigates the frequency of viral persistence after acute asthma, assesses viral infectivity and determines the host inflammatory responses to viral persistence.

Methods:  Adults and children presenting to hospital with acute asthma and a confirmed respiratory virus infection were studied acutely and at recovery 4–6 weeks later by clinical evaluation and induced sputum for viral and inflammatory mediator detection.

Results:  Viral RNA was detected during both acute asthma and recovery visits in 17 subjects (viral persistence), whereas in 22 subjects viral RNA had cleared by recovery (viral clearance). The following viruses were detected at recovery: human rhinovirus: 16; respiratory syncytial virus: 2; influenza: 2. In subjects with viral persistence, eight isolates were different to the virus detected at Visit 1. Forty‐four per cent of the human rhinovirus isolates were infective at recovery. Asthma and infection severity were similar in the viral clearance and viral persistence groups. Viral persistence was associated with elevated IL‐10 mRNA and inducible protein‐10 gene expression.

Conclusions:  Respiratory viral detection after acute asthma is common, and most often persistence is with non‐infective human rhinovirus. There is a host inflammatory response with an altered cytokine environment, and the viral RNA can be source of persistent infection. These effects may have longer‐term consequences in asthma.
Invisible invaders: non‐pathogenic invasive microbes in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
Authors: Litchman Elena
Published: November 2010

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 1560–1572

Although the number of studies on invasive plants and animals has risen exponentially, little is known about invasive microbes, especially non‐pathogenic ones. Microbial invasions by viruses, bacteria, fungi and protists occur worldwide but are much harder to detect than invasions by macroorganisms. Invasive microbes have the potential to significantly alter community structure and ecosystem functioning in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Consequently, increased attention is needed on non‐pathogenic invasive microbes, both free‐living and symbiotic, and their impacts on communities and ecosystems. Major unknowns include the characteristics that make microbes invasive and properties of the resident communities and the environment that facilitate invasions. A comparison of microbial invasions with invasions of macroorganisms should provide valuable insights into general principles that apply to invasions across all domains of life and to taxon‐specific invasion patterns. Invasive microbes appear to possess traits thought to be common in many invasive macroorganisms: high growth rate and resource utilization efficiency, and superior competitive abilities. Invading microorganisms are often similar to native species, but with enhanced performance traits, and tend to spread in lower diversity communities. Global change can exacerbate microbial invasions; therefore, they will likely increase in the future.
Dividing disasters in Aceh, Indonesia: separatist conflict and tsunami, human rights and humanitarianism
Authors: Zeccola Paul
Published: November 2010

This paper examines the interface between human rights and humanitarian action in the context of the conflict and tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia, between 1998 and 2007. It looks at the challenges international humanitarian non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) faced as they engaged in human rights work in the conflict period and in conflict‐related activities in the post‐tsunami period. The paper argues that many large NGOs may have compromised what some would hold to be essential principles for humanitarian action because of domestic political concerns, donor restrictions and resistance among certain NGO chiefs. In contrast with the pre‐tsunami period, in which NGOs worked for years amid military operations, in the post‐tsunami period NGOs were decidedly apolitical, neglecting the conflict in their tsunami response—despite significant developments that permitted greater political engagement in Aceh's post‐conflict transformation. The evidence suggests that NGOs are challenged in contextualising humanitarian responses and that there is a need to underscore donor flexibility and independence in humanitarian action.
Form and semantics of communication in dental encounters: oral health, probability and time
Authors: Boiko Olga V. , Robinson Peter G. , Ward Paul R. , Gibson Barry J.
Published: November 2010

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it introduces a new method for capturing the intricacy of communication in contemporary healthcare encounters. The method, termed ‘form analysis’, was developed from the systems theory of Niklas Luhmann. It is hoped that the paper will introduce form analysis as a new method to help understand complex communications in health systems. Second, the paper demonstrates an application of form analysis in communications in dental encounters. Data were collected through 36 observed encounters between five dentists and 20 patients in UK NHS primary and secondary care dental clinics. The study found a range of semantic forms relevant for these encounters, three of which are discussed at length in this article. The forms of communications illustrate how the dichotomy of dental professional and patient perspectives transforms into complex, non‐linear observations about oral health. Dentistry, it seems, remains up to date not only through the emergence of new technologies, but also through reflexivity in observing and assessing oral health. These observations are exposed to the contingency of clinical decisions and the temporal aspects of the clinical system.
Disciplining the ‘black sheep of the Balkans’: financial supervision and sovereignty in Bulgaria, 1902–38
Authors: TOOZE ADAM , IVANOV MARTIN
Published: November 2010

Using the example of Bulgaria, we argue that familiar models of international political economy fail to capture the tension between national sovereignty and access to capital markets experienced by peripheral debtors in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Existing accounts exaggerate the significance of the gold standard as a good housekeeping seal of approval and underestimate the role of direct financial controls. Furthermore, they underestimate the linkage in zones of inter‐imperial rivalry, such as the Balkans, between foreign borrowing and strategic alignment. We show how Bulgaria found its politics destabilized prior to 1914 by the demands of its creditors. After defeat in the First World War, Bulgaria was forced to submit to an even tighter system of creditor control. Though it obtained substantial debt relief during the 1930s, these concessions were gained not through an assertion of national sovereignty and default, but at the price of even closer supervision. This in turn casts new light on the conventional view of Bulgaria as a victim of Nazi ‘informal imperialism’. In light of Bulgaria's previous experience, the more striking feature of its trade relations with Hitler's Germany is that they were conducted on a basis of sovereign equality.
Do Bank Profits Converge?
Authors: Goddard John , Liu Hong , Molyneux Phil , Wilson John O.S.
Published: November 2010

This paper examines the determinants and convergence of bank profitability in eight European Union member countries, between 1992 and 2007, using a dynamic panel model. Average profitability is higher for banks that are efficient and diversified, but lower for those that are more highly capitalised. There is evidence of persistence of excess profit from one year to the next. The persistence of profit was lower in 1999–2007 than it was in 1992–98 in all eight countries. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis of an increase in the intensity of bank competition as a result of an increase in the integration of EU financial markets following the introduction of the euro in 1999, and the implementation of the Financial Services Action Plan.
Pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori Infection
Authors: Basso Daniela , Plebani Mario , Kusters Johannes G.
Published: November 2010

Helicobacter pylori infections are thought to eventually lead to symptoms as a result of the long‐lasting interactions between the bacterium and its host. Mechanisms that allow this bacterium to cause a life‐long infection involve modulation of both the immune response and host cellular processes. Last year many novel findings that improve our knowledge on how H. pylori virulence factors interact with the host were reported, but because of space limitations we can only discuss a limited number of these studies. Among those are studies on the genetic variation of genes encoding outer membrane proteins and the mimicry of host antigens, factors that alter host‐cell metabolism and factors that modulate the host’s immune response.
Antenatal corticosteroids for preterm birth: dose‐dependent reduction in birthweight, length and head circumference
Authors: Norberg Hanna , Stålnacke Jannica , Heijtz Rochellys Diaz , Smedler Ann‐Charlotte , Nyman Margareta , Forssberg Hans , Norman Mikael
Published: November 2010

Aim:  This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of repeated courses of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) on foetal growth.

Methods:  We studied 94 infants exposed to 2–9 courses of ACS. Mean gestational age (GA) at first exposure was 29 and at birth 34 weeks. Exposure data were retrieved from case record files. Information on potential confounders was collected from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry. Standard deviation scores (SDS) for birthweight (BW), birthlength (BL) and head circumference (HC) were calculated and considered as outcomes.

Results:  GA at start of ACS did not affect outcome. BW‐SDS, BL‐SDS and HC‐SDS were −0.21, −0.19 and +0.25 in infants exposed to two courses, compared to −1.01, −1.04 and −0.23 in infants exposed to ≥4 courses of ACS (p = 0.04–0.07). In multiple regression analyses, ≥4 courses were associated with lower BW‐SDS, BL‐SDS and HC‐SDS (p = 0.007–0.04) compared to SDS after 2–3 courses. The effects from ≥4 courses on BW and BL were comparable to reduction in birth size seen in twins and on HC to that observed after maternal smoking.

Conclusions:  Multiple courses of ACS are associated with a dose‐dependent decline in foetal growth, which may affect later development and health.
Analysis of veneer failure of removable prosthodontics
Authors: Hahnel Sebastian , Bürgers Ralf , Rosentritt Martin , Handel Gerhard , Behr Michael
Published: November 2010

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2010.00394.x

Analysis of veneer failure of removable prosthodontics

Objective:  This retrospective study aimed to analyse the failure rate of the facings of double crown‐retained dentures.

Materials and methods:  The clinical reports of 575 patients, who received double crown‐retained removable dentures with a total of 1807 double crowns between 1984 and 2007, were included in the study. The 575 prostheses were attached to telescopic crowns using a friction fit (FF; n = 1999), conical crowns (CC; n = 61), or parallel‐sided telescopic crowns with a clearance fit (CF; n = 315). Survival probabilities for the veneers were investigated using the Kaplan–Meier method; Cox regression analysis was carried out to determine the influence of the double crown used for retention, type of antagonist, and localisation.

Results:  Veneer failure occurred in 7.0% of FF, 27.9% of CC, and 4.4% of CF. The risk of veneer failure was 2.3 times higher for CC than for FF (p = 0.042); no significant differences were found between CF and FF (p = 0.363). No significant influences on the localisation of the denture (p = 0.534) or the type of antagonist (p = 0.341) were found.

Conclusion:  CC‐based double crowns have a higher risk of veneer failure than FF and CF, which may be due to high tensile stresses occurring in the cervical area of their outer copings.
New Old English: The Place of Old English in Twentieth‐ and Twenty‐first‐Century Poetry
Authors: Jones Chris
Published: November 2010

This article begins by noting that the narrative coherence of literary history as a genre, and the inclusions and exclusions that it is forced to make, depend on the often unacknowledged metaphors that attend its practice. Literary history which is conceived as an unbroken continuity (‘the living stream of English’) has found the incorporation of Old English (also called Anglo‐Saxon) to be problematic and an issue of contention. After surveying the kind of arguments that are made about the place of Old English as being within or without English literary tradition, this article notes that a vast body of twentieth‐ and twenty‐first‐century poetry, oblivious to those turf‐wars, has concerned itself with Old English as a compositional resource. It is proposed that this poetry, a disparate and varied body of work, could be recognized as part of a cultural phenomenon: ‘The New Old English’. Academic research in this area is surveyed, from the 1970s to the present, noting that the rate of production and level of interest in New Old English has been rapidly escalating in the last decade. A range of poets and poems that display knowledge and use of Old English largely overlooked by criticism to date is then catalogued, with minimal critical discussion, in order to facilitate further investigation by other scholars. This essay argues that the widespread and large‐scale reincorporation of an early phase of English poetic tradition, not in contiguous contact with contemporary writing for so many centuries, is such an unprecedented episode in the history of any vernacular that it challenges many of the metaphors through which we attempt to pattern texts into literary historical narrative. It is suggested that the weight of evidence in this area strongly suggests that in recent decades we have been living through ‘The Anglo‐Saxon Poetic Renaissance’.
Improving cardiovascular health with motivational interviewing: A nurse practitioner perspective
Authors: Van Nes Michelle , Sawatzky Jo‐Ann V.
Published: November 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with an evidence‐based counseling strategy for motivating patients to adopt healthier cardiovascular lifestyles and reduce their cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. A comprehensive overview of motivational interviewing (MI), framed within the context of the transtheoretical model of change (TTM), demonstrates how primary care NPs can utilize this counseling approach to optimize cardiovascular outcomes in their patients.

Data sources: Published original research and review articles in scholarly journals on the following topics: MI; advice giving; counseling techniques; TTM; CVD; quality NP care.

Conclusions: Although the major risk factors for CVD are largely preventable, CVD rates are increasing to epidemic proportions. Traditional advice giving to decrease CVD risk is minimally effective. MI combined with TTM is an effective counseling technique, which motivates patients who are resistant and ambivalent to change. MI is an appropriate, evidence‐based strategy to promote cardiovascular health.

Implications for practice: NPs working in primary care can integrate MI with TTM into ongoing patient encounters to facilitate positive behavior changes in their patients over time. Thus, NPs can play a key role in decreasing the growing burden of CVD in North America.
Crime and Punishment in Islamic History (Early to Middle Period): A Framework for Analysis
Authors: Lange Christian
Published: November 2010

This article reviews a number of received opinions about the history of crime and punishment in pre‐modern Islamic societies in the Nile‐to‐Oxus region: that the definition of crime continuously overlapped notions of the sacred, given the thin or even indistinct line dividing religion and government; that the contribution of Muslim jurists ( fuqaha') to criminal law was minimal because of their lack of interest in defining the individual's rights and duties vis‐à‐vis the state; that in the absence of court records, the study of the pre‐Ottoman history of crime and punishment is limited to the (sparse) historiographical evidence, in addition to the (largely irrelevant) Muslimfiqh. In order to nuance and, where appropriate, challenge these perceptions, this article calls for more contextualized and cross‐disciplinary approaches to Islamic criminal law of the pre‐Ottoman period, and proposes a new typological, actor‐centred model of interpretation.
Wind Climatology, Climate Change, and Wind Energy
Authors: Greene Scott , Morrissey Mark , Johnson Sara E.
Published: November 2010

This article presents an overview of research in wind climatology and wind energy. Specifically, patterns and trends in wind speed are examined. This article looks at both past variability and trends and projected future patterns of the wind resource in various locations across the globe. A review of the historical and current research and results in each one of these areas is presented. In addition, results from research into one of these areas (e.g., analysis of wind speed patterns) are presented as an example within the overall broader review to illustrate current and potential future avenues of investigation. In the past, there has been disconnect between the research being conducted on wind speed climatology and the efforts of the wind industry to understand changes in the resource, and this article represents an attempt to summarize the current status of the research, and also suggest possible avenues of future research.
Popular Geopolitics 2.0: Towards New Methodologies of the Everyday
Authors: Dittmer Jason , Gray Nicholas
Published: November 2010

This paper argues for the renewal of popular geopolitics through the adoption of a research agenda that emphasizes everyday life. Popular geopolitics as commonly practiced has adopted a focus on textual deconstruction that neglects the practices and performances that mark much of the everyday experience of the geopolitical. This paper reviews the literature on feminist geopolitics, non‐representational theory, and audience studies to find points of intersection between them. Following this a renewed popular geopolitics based on the common themes of embodiment, emotions/affect, performativity, and post‐human networks is sketched out. It is hoped that this ‘popular geopolitics 2.0’ might allow scholars to truly engage with the everyday without trying to impose a new theoretical orthodoxy.
What Constitutes a Healthy Communal Marriage and Why Relationship Stage Matters
Authors: Beck Lindsey A. , Clark Margaret S.
Published: November 2010

The authors take a position that high‐quality marriages are best defined in terms of theoretically grounded sets of intra‐ and interpersonal processes that promote both individuals' mental and physical health and the health of their relationship. On the basis of a long‐standing research program on communal and exchange relationships, they set forth one set of marital processes, those surrounding the provision of mutual responsiveness, that contribute to marital quality. Then they add an important caveat: Relationship stage matters. They present a model of three additional relationship processes (strategic self‐presentation, self‐protection, partner evaluation), each of which is proposed to be healthy and normative during relationship initiation but harmful to individuals and relationship functioning if it does not diminish or disappear following marital commitment.
Forming the Central Framework for a Science of Marital Quality: An Interpretive Alternative to Marital Satisfaction as a Proxy for Marital Quality
Authors: Knapp Stan J. , Lott Bruce
Published: November 2010

The central framework for contemporary marital science was formed in the 1930s and centers on the uncritical acceptance of the primacy of method over theory in the pursuit of disengaged, amoral knowledge claims. This pursuit results in the unexamined commitment to an ontology of an essentialist and atomistic self and marriage as a self‐defining relation. An interpretive alternative based in the work of Charles Taylor understands marital actors as self‐interpreting agents for whom the question of the quality of their marriage is unavoidable and constitutive of their marital relations. Only by taking up the question of marital quality directly, in ways consonant with lived marital relations, can marital scholars adequately theorize the empirical reality of contemporary marital relations.
Marriage, Love, and Time in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina
Authors: Morson Gary
Published: November 2010

This article, by a specialist in Russian literature, suggests ways in which researchers on marriage and the family might learn from great realist novels. It explores differences between the humanities and social sciences, the need for a historical perspective on marriage, the role of temporality in love and family, the different kinds of sexual love, the nature of “prosaics,” the importance of the ordinary, and the Russian Writers' conception of evil. A detailed analysis of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina illustrates how great literature can shed light on love, marriage, and family.
The Dialogue of Marriage
Authors: Baxter Leslie A.
Published: November 2010

This article, framed in relational dialectics theory, argues for dialogic creativity as an alternative to extant companionate and institutional conceptualizations of marital quality. Dialogic creativity—dialogue—forecloses monologic calcification of meaning in marriage, including the evaluative judgment of what constitutes marital quality, through the ongoing interplay of competing discourses. Four potential discursive sites are discussed through the Bakhtinian concept of the utterance chain as a way to frame the kinds of discursive struggles that are prevalent in marriage; two of these discursive sites capture struggles among sociocultural discourses, and two capture struggles among idiosyncratic systems of meaning that reflect the unique history of a given marriage and the unique pattern of similarities and differences between partners in a given marriage. Dialogic creativity is enacted communicatively through three forms of dialogic expansion: diachronic separation, synchronic interplay, and hybrid and aesthetic‐moment enactments. The three kinds of communicative practices are contrasted with dialogically contractive monologue, in which a single monolithic discourse silences all competing discourses in the struggle of meaning.
Passage to Hope: Marriage, Migration, and the Need for a Cosmopolitan Turn in Family Research
Authors: Beck Ulrich , Beck‐Gernsheim Elisabeth
Published: November 2010

When family research remains fixed to the container model of the nation‐state, it becomes increasingly unable to understand and explain the situation of families in today's interconnected world. This is true in a twofold sense. On the one hand, the relationships and lifestyles of a significant segment of the population are excluded from view and purview. On the other hand, when universalism builds its concepts from the vantage point of the majority society and implicitly claims their universal validity, this kind of approach inevitably succumbs to misinterpretations and distortions. To demonstrate this, we take marriage migration as a case in point, outlining first its social context and then the way academic and public discourse treat this subject. By pointing out common blind spots and biased perceptions in this debate, we try to give evidence to our critique and lay the ground for a different approach: a “cosmopolitan turn” in research on the family.
Optimal Control of Replenishment and Substitution in an Inventory System with Nonstationary Batch Demand
Authors: Xu He , Yao David D. , Zheng Shaohui
Published: November 2010

We study an inventory system in which a supplier supplies demand using two mutually substitutable products over a selling season of T periods, with a single replenishment opportunity at the beginning of the season. As the season starts, customer orders arrive in each period, for either type of products, following a nonstationary Poisson process with random batch sizes. The substitution model we consider combines the usual supplier‐driven and customer‐driven schemes, in that the supplier may choose to offer substitution, at a discount price, or may choose not to; whereas the customer may or may not accept the substitution when it is offered. The supplier's decisions are the supply and substitution rules in each period throughout the season, and the replenishment quantities for both products at the beginning of the season. With a stochastic dynamic programming formulation, we first prove the concavity of the value function, which facilitates the solution to the optimal replenishment quantities. We then show that the optimal substitution follows a threshold rule, and establish the monotonicity of the thresholds over time and with respect to key cost parameters. We also propose a heuristic exhaustive policy, and illustrate its performance through numerical examples.