bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Property and Propriety: Jewish Landlords in Early Twentieth‐Century Toronto
Authors: Dennis Richard
Published: April 2004

Drawing on literatures on the social construction of place and identity, and on the changing nature of urban property ownership, this paper examines Jewish immigrants to Toronto as housing landlords, situating their activities in the context of wider changes in the city's housing market and of their needs to raise capital, achieve status and foster group identity. Using archival and newspaper evidence to reconstruct the behaviour of individual landlords, it is argued that ownership of inner‐city property fulfilled numerous functions, especially related to other aspects of business proprietorship, but that it also accentuated the geographical concentration of poorer Jews, with critical implications for their relations with non‐Jews.
Contested Regulatory Practice and the Implementation of Food Policy: Exploring the Local and National Interface
Authors: Harrison Michelle , Flynn Andrew , Marsden Terry
Published: April 2004

There is growing geographical interest in the nature of the ‘real’ regulation of the food system. The food ‘scares’ of the late 1980s in the UK encouraged new legislation relating to food hygiene and safety. Its local implementation created tensions which were exacerbated by the legislative consequences of the Single European Market. In response, national‐level regulatory adjustments followed, which introduced new codes of practice and techniques of hazard analysis for implementation at the local level. The result was a consolidation of a system of food regulation that can be applied differentially across the ‘tiers’ of retailing. This paper explores the regulatory contentions of the early 1990s in the food policy arena and the nature of food regulation at the local level. It advances our understanding of the ‘construction’ of food quality and safety within the UK. Moreover, we argue that its depiction of the dialectical response between policy formulation and implementation confirms the need for local, as well as national level, exploration of the nature of the contemporary state.
Was William Shakespeare an Eighteenth‐Century Geographer? Constructing Histories of Geographical Knowledge
Authors: Mayhew Robert J
Published: April 2004

A Wittgensteinian view of language and meaning is employed in a modified approach to the historiography of geography which steers between socio‐economic approaches and the scepticism engendered by post‐structuralist theories of language, so enabling connections between geography and humanism to be explored. The contextual history which flows from this method is exemplified by an analysis of eighteenth‐century editions of Shakespeare and the approaches they adopted to discussing Shakespeare's knowledge of geography and the natural world. The early eighteenth century edited Shakespeare in the light of subsequent knowledge of nature, thus removing him from historical context and rendering him as an eighteenth century geographer. By contrast, later editions, starting with Samuel Johnson's (1765), attempted to recover the geographical knowledge Shakespeare could have possessed in the Tudor period. The two editorial projects are related back to the religious, natural philosophical and historical beliefs of the editors. Individual intellects, the history of textuality and the shifting affiliations of geography in the division of knowledge need to be addressed more closely in future work on the history of geography.
Impure and Worldly Geography:1 The Africanist Discourse of the Royal Geographical Society, 1831–73
Authors: Barnett Clive
Published: April 2004

The written networks through which knowledge is produced and circulated offer a focus for a theoretically informed critique of the formation of modern geographical knowledge. Drawing on deconstruction and colonial discourse theory, this paper presents a reading of the Royal Geographical Society's (RGS) published record of nineteenth‐century African exploration. This discourse posits a racially unmarked subject‐position as the condition of scientific discussion. The Society's geographical knowledge is shown to have been formed through the effacement of alternative subject‐positions and the appropriation of other ways of knowing. It is suggested that closer attention to the discursive structures of written networks of knowledge might inform a more nuanced understanding of the reproduction of disciplined knowledge.
British Women Travellers and Constructions of Racial Difference Across the Nineteenth‐Century American West
Authors: Morin Karen M
Published: April 2004

At a time coinciding historically with the height of the British Empire, the immigrants' rush to occupy American West lands and the wholesale removal of Native Americans onto reservations, encounters between Native peoples and British women travellers became emblematic of a whole range of socio‐spatial relationships of domination, subordination and resistance. In this paper, I examine representations of western Native Americans in the travelogues of ten British women travellers to the late nineteenth‐century American West, produced primarily during encounters at sites along the western rail lines. Constructions of racial and gender differences in the texts can be tied to British colonial discourses, as well as to the social relations inherent in the multiple contact zones within which the encounters took place.
Ruhr Firms between Dynamic Change and Structural Persistence – Globalization, the ‘German Model’ and Regional Place‐Dependence
Authors: Berndt Christian
Published: April 2004

This paper1 investigates recent restructuring strategies of medium‐sized firms in the Ruhr area, and assesses the role of institutional, organizational and socio‐economic factors in shaping their strategic responses to economic change. By pointing out the extent to which embeddedness in different political‐economic contexts constrains the expansion of organizational space, it is argued that medium‐sized firms respond by falling back on routinized, predominantly regional, interaction structures. ‘Embedding’ and cooperation are, however, constrained by market forces and competitive pressures, which manifest themselves in various governance dilemmas. Solving these dilemmas between institutional persistence and ‘economic imperatives’ constitutes a major organizational challenge for the sample firms.
Mann and Men in a Medieval State: The Geographies of Power in the Middle Ages
Authors: Jones Rhys
Published: April 2004

The state‐making process represented a major institutional change, as societies moved from being organized according to notions of kinship to being ordered around the power exercised by kings over defined territories. The paper focuses on the medieval state‐making process, primarily in a Welsh context; building on Michael Mann's notion of power networks, it is suggested that the mapping of the geographies of power within a society may offer a powerful tool for demonstrating the tentative and gradual nature of this process. Such a methodology also stresses the importance of geography in such a major change in human history.
Symbolic Places of National History and Revival: A Study in Zionist Mythical Geography
Authors: Azaryahu Maoz , Kellerman Aharon
Published: April 2004

Symbolic places that celebrate history and invest locations with mythical meaning provide a sense of identity in place and time; they fuse history and geography in terms of myth and memory. The retrieval and evocation of ancient history in terms of symbolic places seems to be especially significant in periods of national revival, when the invention and reinvention of tradition feature prominently in the framework of nation‐building. This study examines an important aspect of the formation of the mythical geography of Zionist restoration: the retrieval and evocation of ancient Jewish history in terms of Modi'in, Massada, Beitar and Yavneh. These four places have figured prominently in the shaping of the symbolic matrix of Zionist revival. The article examines the emergence of these symbolic locations and elaborates on the cultural and political meanings assigned to them in different periods and political contexts. It further elucidates their association with particular sectors of Zionist society, and their affiliation with ideological perspectives, and focuses on particular symbolic places that have emerged in the course of Zionist restoration and the conflation of a Jewish past and a Zionist present. At the same time, this is a case study of the politics of symbolic places and their role in the shaping of the mythical geography of national revival.
Embodying National Identities:mestizoMen and White Women in Ecuadorian Racial‐National Imaginaries
Authors: Radcliffe Sarah A
Published: April 2004

This article examines the connections between national identity, gender and racialized subjects in contemporary Ecuador. It focuses on the expressions of national identity among low‐income urban residents in Quito, capital of Ecuador, and their engagement with the racialization of national identities. Evidence is provided to show that the racialization of national identities is significantly gendered, resulting in women and men claiming different racial‐national identities for themselves. While racial‐national ideologies promoting racial mixing (mestizaje) are well‐known in Latin America, the ways in which gendered subjects identify themselves within such narratives has not previously been analysed. The paper concludes that differential national identities relate to spatial and gendered inscription by Ecuadorian nationalism's narratives and social relations.
Deconstructing Context: Exposing Derrida
Authors: Barnett Clive
Published: April 2004

Deconstruction has become a theme in various strands of geographical research. It has not, however, been the subject of much explicit commentary. This paper elaborates on some basic themes concerning the relationship between deconstruction and conceptualizations of context, with particular reference to issues of textual interpretation. The double displacement of textuality characteristic of deconstruction is discussed, followed by a consideration of the themes of ‘writing’ and ‘iterability’ as distinctive figures for an alternative spatialization of concepts of context. It is argued that deconstruction informs a questioning of the normative assumptions underwriting the value and empirical identity of context.
The Spatial Dynamics of Epidemic Diseases in War and Peace: Cuba and the Insurrection against Spain, 1895–98
Authors: Smallman‐Raynor Matthew , Cliff Andrew D
Published: April 2004

This paper examines the spatial transmission and rate of propagation of three infectious diseases (enteric fever, smallpox and yellow fever) in times of war and peace in Cuba between 1895 and 1898. For the three diseases studied, the analysis will demonstrate that, compared with peacetime, the Cuban Insurrection caused increased epidemiological integration of the settlement system of Cuba, acceleration of the spatial processes of disease transmission and a marked change in the geographical drift of infectious disease activity. While the first two findings may be attributed to the heightened levels of population mixing that accompanied the insurrection, the third implies that hostilities fundamentally altered the spatial courses of diseases. These changes transcended stark biases in the predisposition to infection among Spanish soldiers (to yellow fever) and Cuban civilians (to smallpox). Finally, it is shown that the military were the prime agents causing contrasts in the epidemiological experience of Cuba between war and peace.
Intrinsic innervation patterns of the smooth muscle in the rumen and reticulum of lambs
Authors: Pfannkuche Helga , Schellhorn Corinna , Schemann Michael , Gäbel Gotthold
Published: April 2004

The rumen and reticulum of sheep serve as a fermentation chamber. Both compartments exhibit specific motility patterns. With developmental changes, the size of the reticulorumen dramatically increases when newborn lambs mature to adult sheep. This makes it possible to investigate the intrinsic innervation of the reticuloruminal muscles in lambs by taking the entire reticulum and rumen into account. The aim of the study was to analyse the projections and neurochemistry of myenteric neurons in the rumen and reticulum, which project to the inner or outer muscle layer, respectively. Therefore, we applied retrograde tracing with the fluorescent dye 1,1′‐didodecyl‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl‐indocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI) and subsequent immunohistochemical detection of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). In both compartments innervation of both the inner and the outer muscle layer consisted mainly of cholinergic neurons (65–70%). The majority of them co‐localized SP. The non‐cholinergic neurons projecting to the muscle expressed immunoreactivity for VIP. Polarized innervation of the muscle layers was found neither in the rumen nor in the reticulum. Consequently, intrinsic innervation patterns for the smooth muscle layers in the rumen and reticulum differ from all gastrointestinal regions examined thus far.
Characterization of lymphocyte subpopulations and cytokine profiles in peripheral blood of nickel‐sensitive individuals with systemic contact dermatitis after oral nickel exposure
Authors: Jensen Christian Stab , Lisby Steen , Larsen Jørgen K. , Veien Niels Kren , Menné Torkil
Published: April 2004

Several studies have shown that oral nickel exposure can elicit systemic contact dermatitis (SCD) in nickel‐sensitive individuals. The current study describes some of the immunological mechanisms underlying such nickel‐allergic reactions elicited by oral exposure to nickel. Following oral exposure to graded concentrations of nickel or placebo, blood samples were taken from nickel‐sensitive individuals and from non‐nickel‐sensitive controls. T‐cell subtypes (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD45RO+), expression of skin‐homing receptor, cutaneous lymphocyte‐associated antigen (CLA) and cytokine profiles [interleukin (IL)‐2, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐10, interferon‐γ and tumour necrosis factor‐α] were investigated. A definite dose–response reaction pattern to oral nickel exposure was observed among nickel‐sensitive individuals. Nickel‐sensitive individuals whose dermatitis flared after oral challenge with nickel showed significant decreases in fractions of CD3+ CD45RO+ CLA+ and CD8+ CD45RO+ CLA+ blood lymphocytes, suggesting migration of CD8+‘memory’ CLA+ T lymphocytes from the blood to peripheral tissues. Only those nickel‐sensitive individuals who clinically reacted to oral challenge with nickel (4 mg) had elevated levels of IL‐5 in the serum, indicating an activation of type 2 T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. In conclusion, the study indicates that CD8+ CD45RO+ CLA+ T lymphocytes and T lymphocytes with a type 2 cytokine profile are involved in SCD elicited by nickel.
Baseline characteristics of participants in the oral health component of the Women's Interagency HIV Study
Authors: Mulligan Roseann , Phelan Joan A. , Brunelle Janet , Redford Maryann , Pogoda Janice M. , Nelson Evelyn , Seirawan Hazem , Greenspan John S. , Navazesh Mahvash , Greenspan Deborah , Alves Mario E. A. F.
Published: April 2004

Abstract  – 

Objectives:  This study described baseline sociodemographic and oral health characteristics of a subset of HIV sero‐positive and sero‐negative women who participated in the oral health component of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS).

Methods: In 1995–96, 584 HIV sero‐positive and 151 sero‐negative women from five WIHS core sites were enrolled in the oral study. Data on oral mucosa, salivary glands, dentition and periodontium, along with demographics, socioeconomics, and behavioral characteristics, were used to characterize this population.

Results:  Mean (SD) age was 37 (8) years for HIV sero‐positive and 36 (8) years for sero‐negative women; 27% of sero‐positive women had CD4 counts ≤200 and 34% had viral loads >50 000 copies/ml. Sero‐positive and sero‐negative women were similar demographically, as well as on plaque index, gingival bleeding, linear gingival banding, and numbers of DMF teeth and surfaces, but sero‐positive women had more abnormal gingival papilla (P = 0.004) and fewer teeth (P = 0.01). Among sero‐positive women, those with <200 CD4 counts had more DMF teeth (P = 0.007), and the number of DMF surfaces increased with decreasing CD4 counts (P = 0.04). Sero‐positive women who fit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) AIDS criteria were also more likely to have more DMF teeth (P = 0.004), DMF surfaces (P = 0.003), and decayed and/or filled (DF) root surfaces (P = 0.0002) compared to sero‐positive women without AIDS.

Conclusions:  Dental and periodontal variables showed little difference between HIV sero‐positive and sero‐negative women. Among sero‐positive women, there were significant differences in coronal and root caries by AIDS diagnostic criteria, but no periodontal indicators by either AIDS diagnostic criteria or CD4 status, were observed.
A paired comparison of dental care in Canadians with Down syndrome and their siblings without Down syndrome
Authors: Allison Paul J. , Lawrence Herenia P.
Published: April 2004

Abstract  – 

Objective:  To test the hypothesis that, controlling for age, Canadians with Down syndrome (DS) have dental care that is different to that of their siblings without DS.

Methods:  A cross‐sectional survey of parents of children with DS among members of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS), using a validated questionnaire. Parents were asked to complete two versions of the questionnaire: one for their child with DS and another for the sibling closest in age without DS. A total of 2327 questionnaires were distributed; 1221 questionnaires for people with DS and 950 for siblings without DS were returned. A paired analysis (McNemar test) of dental care indicators was performed on data from 938 family pairs, stratifying for age.

Results:  For all the dental care indicators and age groups, many respondents indicated the same behaviours or experiences in their child with DS and a sibling without DS. However, depending on the particular form of dental care and the age group, 0–47% of families reported discordant dental care experiences for their child with DS and a sibling without DS. The greatest differences were observed for yearly consults (P = 0.029), restorations (P < 0.001), fluoride therapy (P = 0.013) and extractions (P = 0.029).

Conclusion:  These observations suggest that compared to their siblings without DS, Canadians with DS are receiving different dental care.
Early childhood caries in children aged 6–19 months
Authors: Vachirarojpisan Thongchai , Shinada Kayoko , Kawaguchi Yoko , Laungwechakan Pimolphan , Somkote Tewarit , Detsomboonrat Palinee
Published: April 2004

Abstract  – 

Objectives:  To investigate the relationship between socioeconomic factors, behaviors and the severity of early childhood caries (ECC) in 6–19 month‐old Thai children. The severity of ECC was estimated using the proportion of ECC teeth to erupted teeth. This was termed the ‘Intensity of ECC’ (I‐ECC) index.

Methods:  Cross‐sectional questionnaire survey, dental examinations, and mutans streptococci counts were obtained from children and mothers/caregivers who participated in the ECC prevention program.

Results:  The 520 children from rural areas were categorized into four age groups by the mean number of erupted teeth. In the 15–19‐month‐old children, the prevalence of ECC was 82.8% (cavitated caries, 40.8%; noncavitated caries, 42.0%) with a mean ECC teeth score of 4.18 ± 3.19. The mean I‐ECC severity score was 0.45 ± 0.30 in these toddlers. Children from low‐income families, those with low education, and mothers/caregivers with decayed teeth had higher I‐ECC scores (P < 0.05). Children who were breast fed or had high counts of mutans streptococci also had higher I‐ECC scores (P < 0.05). The logistic regression model revealed that only children's mutans streptococci level was a statistically significant predictor of ECC, with an odds ratio = 4.5 (95% CI = 1.8, 11.7).

Conclusions:  ECC is not only a public health problem but also a social problem in Thailand, because it relates to family income and education level. The community development approach to assisting disadvantaged Thai children should be combined with an effective preventive program at a very young age. Future longitudinal research should be performed to improve the I‐ECC for measuring the severity of ECC.
Crop colonisation, feeding, and reproduction by the predatory beetle, Hippodamia convergens, as indicated by stable carbon isotope analysis
Authors: Prasifka Jarrad R. , Heinz Kevin M. , Winemiller Kirk O.
Published: April 2004

Abstract.  1. Habitat management to enhance natural enemy populations in agricultural systems may help regulate levels of crop pests, but little research addresses the behaviour of immigrating beneficial insects.

2. Stable carbon isotopes were used in complementary laboratory and field studies to examine colonisation behaviour of an ephemeral agricultural habitat by the lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin‐Méneville.

3. Under laboratory conditions, H. convergens carbon isotope ratios, δ13C, changed after its food supply was shifted from a C4‐ to a C3‐based diet of aphids produced on grain sorghum or cotton respectively. Final isotope ratios of adult H. convergens were closer to that of the new C3‐based diet, with most change in δ13C occurring within 3 days after the diet shift.

4. The carbon isotope ratios of lady beetle adults collected in cotton fields suggested that grain sorghum was a continuous source for H. convergens until many nearby sorghum fields matured and senesced.

5. When cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) prey were absent, carbon isotope ratios of beetle populations did not change over time and virtually no egg production by H. convergens was detected. This indicates that beetles were feeding little on non‐aphid resources originating in cotton.

6. With cotton aphids present, beetle isotope ratios decreased towards the carbon isotope ratio of cotton, indicating adult feeding in cotton. As a result, egg masses produced had carbon isotope ratios in the C3 range of values.

7. The results suggest that some predator species may be retained in habitats without large prey populations, a quality essential in controlling pests in agricultural systems.
Towards an understanding of the mechanisms of tolerance: compensating for herbivore damage by enhancing a mutualism
Authors: Strauss Sharon Y. , Murch Peter
Published: April 2004

Abstract.  1. Traditionally, losses in plant fitness or yield resulting from insect damage have been redressed by reducing pest populations using insecticides or biocontrol; these approaches rely on the untested assumption that reduced plant fitness or yield is caused by diminished resources available to damaged plants.

2. By experimentally manipulating pollination and damage levels independently, it is shown that pollination, as well as lack of resources, may be limiting to damaged plants in a model insect‐pollinated crop, cantaloupe.

3. With enhanced pollination, damaged plants produce as much fruit as undamaged plants, even under high damage levels. In contrast, damaged plants without supplemental pollination produced significantly less fruit than undamaged plants.

4. This approach is unique in shifting the focus away from reducing pest populations and toward enhancing mutualistic interactions. It avoids risks posed by insecticides (which also kill pollinators) and by biocontrol agents, known threats to native species.

5. Determining the mechanism underlying compensation sheds light on recovery from insect damage in both natural and managed systems. These results have a bearing on managing native plant populations suffering from pollinator declines.

6. Finally, it may be predicted that resources could limit tolerance to herbivore damage in resource‐poor or high competition environments, whereas pollination may limit tolerance when resource levels are high.
Do pollen beetles need pollen? The effect of pollen on oviposition, survival, and development of a flower‐feeding herbivore
Authors: Cook Samantha M. , Murray Darren A. , Williams Ingrid H.
Published: April 2004

Abstract.  1. Pollen is considered to be an important dietary component for many species of flower‐feeding herbivores. Its influence on oviposition site selection by the pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus, and on the development of its larvae was investigated.

2. The effects of pollen presence and absence on adult, egg, and larval incidence in the field, and on larval development in the laboratory were compared through the use of Synergy, a composite hybrid oilseed rape Brassica napus variety comprising male‐fertile (with pollen) and male‐sterile (without pollen) plants.

3. In the field, adult females were more abundant on male‐fertile plants during flowering, and a greater proportion of male‐fertile than male‐sterile buds were accepted for oviposition. These data indicate a possible role of pollen in oviposition site selection by female pollen beetles.

4. The numbers of first instar larvae on the two plant lines did not differ; however, more second instars were found on male‐fertile than on male‐sterile flowers. This suggests a greater larval survival on male‐fertile plants, possibly due to the more readily available food resources and better nutrition afforded by the presence of pollen.

5. Laboratory experiments confirmed that a diet which included pollen improved survival to adulthood and resulted in heavier pupae and adults; however, pollen was not obligatory for larval survival and development.

6. The pollen beetle, previously thought to be an obligate pollen feeder, is therefore more generalist in its requirements for development. These findings may relate to the nutritional and behavioural ecology of other flower‐feeding herbivores.
The ontogeny of foragwehaviour in desert ants, Cataglyphis bicolor
Authors: Wehner Rüdiger , Meier Christoph , Zollikofer Christoph
Published: April 2004

Abstract. 1. Individually foraging desert ants, Cataglyphis bicolor, exhibit short foraging lives (half lifetime, i.e. half‐time of the exponential decay function: 4.5 days), in which they perform 3.7 ± 1.9 foraging runs per day.

2. During their short lifetime foraging period the ants increase the duration of their foraging round trips (up to 40.0 ± 24.6 min per run), the maximal distance of individual foraging runs (up to 28.2 ± 4.1 m), and their foraging success, i.e. the ratio of successful runs to the total number of runs (up to 0.70).

3. The parameter that increases most dramatically during a forager's lifetime is direction fidelity, i.e. the tendency to remain faithful to a particular foraging direction.

4. A model based on some simple behavioural rules is used to describe the experimental findings that within an isotropic food environment individual ants develop spatial foraging idiosyncrasies, and do so at a rate that increases with the food densities they encounter.

5. Finally, it is argued that in functional terms direction fidelity is related to the navigational benefits resulting from exploiting familiar (route‐based) landmark information, and hence reduces round‐trip time and by this physiological stress and predatory risk.
Does aggregation benefit bark beetles by diluting predation? Links between a group‐colonisation strategy and the absence of emergent multiple predator effects
Authors: Aukema Brian H. , Raffa Kenneth F.
Published: April 2004

Abstract.  1. Aggregation in bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) aids in mate attraction and resource procurement when colonising well‐defended plants; however, some species colonise primarily poorly defended plants, and intraspecific competition increases mortality. The hypothesis that decreased risk of predation was a potential benefit to aggregation in such circumstances was tested, using the pine engraver, Ips pini (Say) and its two major predators Thanasimus dubius (F.) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) and Platysoma cylindrica (Paykull) (Coleoptera: Histeridae). Both single‐ and multiple‐predator effects, across a range of prey densities, were tested.

2. Both male and female colonisation events increased with herbivore density, in an asymptotic fashion.

3. Predators decreased the number of colonisers in a density‐dependent manner, consistent with a type II functional response.

4. The proportional impact of predators decreased with increased herbivore colonisation densities. These findings indicate that predator dilution may be a viable benefit to aggregation.

5. Total emergence of the herbivore also increased with density, although the net replacement rate during one generation was independent of initial arrival density. This was likely due to larval predation, which negates potential relationships between per capita reproductive success and establishment density.

6. Each predator species decreased I. pini's net replacement rate by approximately 42%, and their combined effect was approximately 70%.

7. Overall, these predators modified their prey's establishment and adult mortality relationships in additive manners. This is somewhat surprising, given the potential for emergent effects due to interactions between multiple predators foraging within a common habitat. The persistence of additivity, rather than risk reduction or enhancement to the prey, may increase the predator‐swamping benefit to aggregation for this herbivore.

8. The effects of these predators are substitutable, and likely exert equivalent selective pressures to mask signals at the whole‐plant level.
Teprenone, but not H2‐Receptor Blocker or Sucralfate, Suppresses Corpus Helicobacter pylori Colonization and Gastritis in Humans: Teprenone Inhibition of H. pylori‐Induced Interleukin‐8 in MKN28 Gastric Epithelial Cell Lines
Authors: Miyake Kazumasa , Tsukui Taku , Shinji Yoko , Shinoki Kei , Hiratsuka Tetsuro , Nishigaki Hitoshi , Futagami Seiji , Wada Ken , Gudis Katya , Iwakiri Katsuhiko , Yamada Nobutaka , Sakamoto Choitsu
Published: April 2004

Background.  The role of teprenone in Helicobacter pylori‐associated gastritis has yet to be determined.

 To investigate the effect of teprenone on inflammatory cell infiltration, and on H. pylori colonization of the gastric mucosa in H. pylori‐infected patients, we first compared the effect of teprenone with that of both histamine H2 receptor antagonists (H2‐RA) and sucralfate on the histological scores of H. pylori gastritis. We then examined its in vitro effect on H. pylori‐induced interleukin (IL)‐8 production in MKN28 gastric epithelial cells.

Materials and Methods.  A total of 68 patients were divided into three groups, each group undergoing a 3‐month treatment with either teprenone (150 mg/day), H2‐RA (nizatidine, 300 mg/day), or sucralfate (3 g/day). All subjects underwent endoscopic examination of the stomach before and after treatment. IL‐8 production in MKN28 gastric epithelial cells was measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results.  Following treatment, the teprenone group showed a significant decrease in both neutrophil infiltration and H. pylori density of the corpus (before vs. after: 2.49 ± 0.22 vs. 2.15 ± 0.23, p = .009; 2.36 ± 0.25 vs. 2.00 ± 0.24, p = .035, respectively), with no significant differences seen in either the sucralfate or H2‐RA groups. Teprenone inhibited H. pylori‐enhanced IL‐8 production in MKN28 gastric epithelial cells in vitro, in a dose‐dependent manner.

Conclusions.  Teprenone may modify corpus H. pylori‐associated gastritis through its effect on neutrophil infiltration and H. pylori density, in part by its inhibition of IL‐8 production in the gastric mucosa.
Anti‐Helicobacter pylori Activities of Six Iranian Plants
Authors: Nariman Farahnaz , Eftekhar Fereshteh , Habibi Zohreh , Falsafi Tahereh
Published: April 2004

Background.  Helicobacter pylori is the major worldwide cause of bacterial gastrointestinal infections in adults and children. Antibiotic therapy and a combination of two or three drugs have been widely used to eradicate these infections. However, development of drug resistance in bacteria calls for new sources of drugs, and plants seem to be a logical source of new antibacterial compounds.

Methods.  The anti‐H. pylori activities of six native Iranian plants (Glycyrrhiza aspera, Juglans regia, Ligustrum vulgare, Thymus kotschyanus, Trachyspermum copticum and Xanthium brasilicum) and seven antibiotics were determined against 70 clinical isolates from children using the disk susceptibility assay. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were also measured for the biologically active extracts. One extract with the best anti‐H. pylori activity was fractionated by silica gel and thin layer chromatography and the active compounds were identified by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) spectroscopy.

Results.  All plant extracts showed anti‐H. pylori activity by the disk sensitivity method, but the most active extracts were those from X. brasilicum and T. copticum. In fact, the anti‐H. pylori activities of the two extracts were superior to the disk antibiotic susceptibility profile. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were within the range of 31.25–250 µg/ml. Fractionation and chemical identification of the extract from X. brasilicum showed the presence of two substances, a flavonoid and a xanthanolide.

Conclusion.  Due to the rise in antibiotic resistance, new sources of anti‐H. pylori drugs are needed. The use of medicinal plants and/or their chemical components may have potential benefit in eradicating such problems.
The Functional Status of the Helicobacter pylori sabB Adhesin Gene as a Putative Marker for Disease Outcome
Authors: De Jonge Ramon , Pot Raymond G.J. , Loffeld Ruud J.L.F. , Van Vliet Arnoud H.M. , Kuipers Ernst J. , Kusters Johannes G.
Published: April 2004

Background.  Helicobacter pylori factors that contribute to disease outcome are largely unknown, but intimate contact with host cells mediated by outer membrane proteins is thought to play an important role. Expression of the outer membrane proteins OipA, HopZ, SabA, and SabB is regulated by phase‐variable dinucleotide repeats in the coding regions of the respective genes. We have evaluated the correlation between the expression status of these four genes and disease outcome of H. pylori infection in a Dutch patient population.

Materials and Methods.  H. pylori strains, isolated from 96 Dutch patients with gastritis (n = 29), duodenal ulcer (n = 28), gastric ulcer (n = 21), gastric carcinoma (n = 9), and lymphoma (n = 9), were analyzed for the ‘on/off’ expression status of the H. pylori genes oipA, hopZ, sabA, and sabB by direct DNA sequence analysis of amplified fragments.

Results.  The off‐status of sabB was significantly associated with duodenal ulcer (p = .036), but not with gastric ulcer. In contrast, the expression status of oipA, hopZ, and sabA did not correlate with disease outcome. Furthermore, lymphoma strains appeared to express a significantly smaller amount of putative adhesins when compared to gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and gastric carcinoma strains (p < .02 for all groups tested).

Conclusion.  The off‐status of sabB was found to be associated with duodenal ulcer disease, and thus represents a putative marker for disease outcome. Assuming that SabB is involved in bacterial adhesion, this association suggests that adherent H. pylori are more prone to elimination by the host immune system.
Constructing a Jewish Feminist Theology of the Holocaust
Authors: Kellenbach Katharina von
Published: April 2004

The Female Face of God in Auschwitz: A Jewish Feminist Theology of the Holocaust, Melissa Raphael, Routledge 2003 (0‐415‐23665‐7) pp. xii + 228, Pb. £18.99
Truth and Holiness: The Way of the Cross
Authors: Armson John
Published: April 2004

The Unity We Have and the Unity We Seek: Ecumenical Prospects for the Third Millennium, Jeremy Morris and Nicholas Sagovsky (eds), T. & T. Clark 2003, A Continuum Imprint (Hb 0‐567‐8907‐X, Pb 0‐567‐08879‐0), pp. xix + 244, Pb £14.99

In One Body Through the Cross: The Princeton Proposal for Christian Unity, Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson (eds), Eerdmans 2003 (0‐8028‐2298‐3), pp. 62, Pb £7.99/$10
RMF inactivates ribosomes by covering the peptidyl transferase centre and entrance of peptide exit tunnel
Authors: Yoshida Hideji , Yamamoto Hiroshi , Uchiumi Toshio , Wada Akira
Published: April 2004

In gram‐negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, protein synthesis is suppressed by the formation of 100S ribosomes under stress conditions. The 100S ribosome, a dimer of 70S ribosomes, is formed by ribosome modulation factor (RMF) binding to the 70S ribosomes. During the stationary phase, most of the 70S ribosomes turn to 100S ribosomes, which have lost translational activity. This 100S formation is called the hibernation process in the ribosome cycle of the stationary phase. If stationary phase cells are transferred to fresh medium, the 100S ribosomes immediately go back to active 70S ribosomes, showing that inactive 100S ↔ active 70S interconversion is a major system regulating translation activity in stationary phase cells. To elucidate the mechanisms of translational inactivation, the binding sites of RMF on 23S rRNA in 100S ribosome of E. coli were examined by a chemical probing method using dimethyl sulphate (DMS). As the results, the nine bases in 23S rRNA were protected from DMS modifications and the modification of one base was enhanced. Interestingly A2451 is included among the protected bases, which is thought to be directly involved in peptidyl transferase activity. We conclude that RMF inactivates ribosomes by covering the peptidyl transferase (PTase) centre and the entrance of peptide exit tunnel. It is surprising that the cell itself produces a protein that seems to inhibit protein synthesis in a similar manner to antibiotics and that it can reversibly bind to and release from the ribosome in response to environmental conditions.
Caenorhabditis elegans T‐box genes tbx‐9 and tbx‐8 are required for formation of hypodermis and body‐wall muscle in embryogenesis
Authors: Andachi Yoshiki
Published: April 2004

Transcription factors containing the DNA binding motif, T‐box, play an important role in the embryonic development of metazoans. There are 20 T‐box genes in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, three of which reportedly have postembryonic functions. We characterized two T‐box genes, tbx‐9 and tbx‐8, that are phylogenetically related to each other. tbx‐9 is expressed in a subset of embryonic cells that are precursors of the intestine, body‐wall muscle, and hypodermis. The expression pattern of tbx‐8 is markedly similar to that of tbx‐9. Both tbx‐9 mutants and tbx‐8 mutants show incomplete penetrant morphogenetic defects in embryogenesis, but the malformations of the tbx‐9 and tbx‐8 mutants are observed in different parts of their bodies. In embryos with both tbx‐9 and tbx‐8 inactivated, the body structure is severely disorganized, more so than the sum of the separate mutant phenotypes. Further analysis shows that the hypodermis and body‐wall muscle show abnormalities at the site of morphogenetic defects of these mutants. Together, these data indicate that tbx‐9 and tbx‐8 do not only contribute individually to formation of the hypodermis and body‐wall muscle, but also suggests functional redundancy between tbx‐9 and tbx‐8 in embryonic morphogenesis.
Transcription‐mediated hyper‐recombination in HOT1
Authors: Serizawa Naomi , Horiuchi Takashi , Kobayashi Takehiko
Published: April 2004

Recombination hotspots are DNA sequences which enhance recombination around that region. HOT1 is one of the best‐studied mitotic hotspots in yeast. HOT1 includes a RNA polymerase I (PolI) transcription promoter which is responsible for 35S ribosomal rRNA gene (rDNA) transcription. In a PolI defective mutant the HOT1 hotspot activity is abolished, therefore transcription of HOT1 is thought to be an important factor for the recombination stimulation. However, it is not clear whether the transcription itself or other pleiotropic phenotypes stimulates recombination. To investigate the role of transcription, we made a highly activated PolI transcription system in HOT1 by using a strain whose rDNA repeats are deleted (rdnΔΔ). In the rdnΔΔ strain, HOT1 transcription was increased about 14 times compared to wild‐type. Recombination activity stimulated by HOT1 in this strain was also elevated, about 15 times, compared to wild‐type. These results indicate that the level of PolI transcription in HOT1 determines efficiency of the recombination. Moreover, Fob1p, which is essential for both the recombination stimulation activity and transcription of HOT1, was dispensable in the rdnΔΔ strains. This suggests that Fob1p is functioning as a PolI transcriptional activator in the wild‐type strain.
Natural history of whitefly in Costa Rica: an evolutionary starting point
Authors: Burger Joep M. S. , Gort Gerrit , Van Lenteren Joop C. , Vet Louise E. M.
Published: April 2004

Abstract. 1. To understand evolution of foraging behaviour in the whitefly parasitoidEncarsia formosa(Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae), natural densities and distributions of whitefly (Homoptera, Aleyrodidae) were quantified inE. formosa's presumed area of origin, the Neotropics.

2. Leaves were collected in Costa Rican nature areas along long transects (2–4 km), short transects (100 m), within 3‐D plots (50 dm3−2.3 m3) and along suspension bridges within the canopy, and checked for presence of whitefly nymphs.

3. Generalised linear mixed modelling revealed that the number of hosts on the lower side of a leaflet of an average plant within an average spot of an average transect could be described by a Poisson distribution with mean and variance equal to 0.241, in a ratio of I1:I2:I3:I4 = 0.14:0.23:0.26:0.37. The Poisson mean was affected largely by the plant and less by the spot or transect. Variation in leaf area explained little of the variation between plants. Based on the shape of the opening in vacated puparia, the probability that a whitefly became parasitised eventually was 12% on an average leaflet. Whitefly density was much lower in the canopy than at the forest floor in the same area.

4. Semivariance analyses showed that in one of the three short transects, the numbers of whiteflies on leaves were spatially dependent. In four of seven 3‐D plots at least one level of spatial dependence could be detected.

5. Results are discussed in the context of understanding evolution of foraging behaviour byE. formosa.
Feeny revisited: condensed tannins as anti‐herbivore defences in leaf‐chewing herbivore communities of Quercus
Authors: Forkner Rebecca E. , Marquis Robert J. , Lill John T.
Published: April 2004

Abstract.  1. Community level oak–tannin–insect patterns have been largely unexplored since Paul Feeny's ground‐breaking research. Two hypotheses were tested for Quercus velutina and Q. alba in the Missouri Ozarks: abundance and richness of leaf‐chewing herbivores are negatively correlated with foliar condensed tannin concentrations and variation in condensed tannin concentrations explains variation in herbivore community structure.

2. In 2001, foliar condensed tannins in the understorey and canopy of these two oak species were quantified simultaneously with censuses of herbivores in May, during leaf expansion, and in June and August, when leaves were fully expanded. Thirty‐eight of the 134 species encountered had densities sufficient to be analysed individually (n = 10). Of those, Acronicta increta (Noctuidae) and Attelabus sp. (Curculionidae), both oak specialists, were negatively correlated with condensed tannins in the canopy of Q. alba. One additional specialist, Chionodes pereyra (Gelechiidae), was marginally negatively correlated with condensed tannins in the understorey of Q. velutina. Understorey species richness of May Q. velutina herbivores was negatively correlated with condensed tannins, as were total canopy insect density and species richness of August herbivores on Q. alba.

3. Principal component analysis (PCA) of insect abundances indicated that understorey and canopy Q. velutina and Q. alba had different communities of leaf‐chewing insects. Furthermore, condensed tannin levels contributed significantly to variation in PCA scores for Q. velutina, explaining 25% of the total variation.

4. Overall, these results indicate that specialists were more likely than generalists both to correlate negatively with condensed tannins and to occur in lower tannin habitats; abundance and richness of both early and late season fauna correlated negatively with tannins; and species were more likely to correlate negatively with condensed tannins when feeding on Q. alba than on Q. velutina and when feeding in the canopy than in the understorey. Future studies of tannin–insect interactions should manipulate leaf quality in combination with manipulations of other factors that likely influence community structure.
Medical hegemony in decision‐making – a barrier to interdisciplinary working in intensive care?
Authors: Coombs Maureen , Ersser Steven J.
Published: April 2004

Background.  Health care policy in the United Kingdom identifies the need for health professsionals to find new ways of working to deliver patient‐focussed and economic care. Much debate has followed on the nature of working relationships within the health care team.

Aim.  This paper reports on an ethnographic study that examined the nursing role in clinical decision‐making in intensive care units. This was chosen as a case for analysis due to the close doctor–nurse relationships that are essential in this acute and complex care setting.

Methods.  Data were collected during two‐stages of fieldwork using participant observation, in‐depth ethnographic interviews and documentation across three clinical sites.

Findings.  The findings revealed the different types of knowledge used for, divergence of roles involved in and degree of authority in clinical decision‐making. Furthermore, conflict arose between doctors and nurses due to these differences and in particular because medicine dominated the decision‐making process.

Conclusions.  The nursing role, whilst pivotal to implementing clinical decisions, remained unacknowledged and devalued. Medical hegemony continues to render nurses unable to influence substantially the decision‐making process. This has fundamental ramifications for the quality of team decision‐making and the effectiveness of new ways of inter‐professional working in intensive care.
Rational suicide: uncertain moral ground
Authors: Rich Karen L. , Butts Janie B.
Published: April 2004

Background.  The ambiguities involving end‐of‐life issues, such as physician‐assisted suicide and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking, have caused a blurring of the definition of rational suicide and have prompted rich dialogue with moral deliberations that seem to be on disparate paths among bioethicists and other health care professionals. With the evolution of advanced medical technology extending life expectancy in older, disabled, and terminally ill people, rational suicide has become a critical issue of debate.

Aim.  The purpose of this article is to address the ethical positions supporting and opposing rational suicide and to consider whether coherence can be achieved through an ethic of care.

Findings.  Attitudes towards suicide have been controversial, varying from acceptance to non‐acceptance depending on social, political and religious influences. Nursing attitudes are no different from general societal attitudes and, consequently, nurses are treading on uncertain moral ground.

Conclusion.  Nurses who have not reflected on the moral issues involved with rational suicide may be unprepared psychologically and professionally when working with patients who may be contemplating such actions.