bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differences in Vertebrobasilar Artery Morphology between Spontaneous Intradural Vertebral Artery Dissections with and without Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Matsukawa Hidetoshi , Shinoda Masaki , Fujii Motoharu , Takahashi Osamu , Murakata Atsushi , Ishikawa Ryoichi
Published: November 2012

Background: Patients with spontaneous intradural vertebral artery dissection (siVAD) developing subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have been observed to have poor outcomes. Factors predisposing siVAD patients to SAH are not well known. We aimed to investigate the clinical and vertebrobasilar artery morphological characteristics associated with SAH in patients with siVAD. Methods: We reviewed 103 consecutive patients with siVAD managed at our facility between July 2003 and June 2012. We divided the patients into groups, with (n = 22) and without (n = 81) SAH, and compared clinical and vertebrobasilar artery morphological characteristics between them. The vertebral-union-basilar angle (VUBA) was defined as the most acute angle between the line of the basilar artery trunk and the line of the vertebral artery at the vertebral union on 3-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography, computed tomographic angiography, or digital subtraction angiography. ‘Steep vertebral artery’ was defined as VUBA >45°. Basilar artery bending was defined as the longest distance from the line which connected the basilar top and vertebral artery union to the greatest bending point of the basilar artery. Results: Stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed using variables that were marginally or significantly associated with SAH on univariate analysis (p < 0.10) and that were thought to be clinically important for SAH. It showed SAH patients to have significantly higher proportions of current smoking (OR: 7.7; 95% CI: 2.7–22; p = 0.0015), dissection of the dominant vertebral artery (OR: 4.9; 95% CI: 1.8–13; p = 0.043), steep vertebral artery of the dissecting side (OR: 7.2; 95% CI: 2.6–20; p = 0.0023), posterior inferior cerebellar artery involvement (OR: 4.0; 95% CI: 1.3–13; p = 0.011), basilar artery bending <3 mm (OR: 3.4; 95% CI: 1.3–9.5; p = 0.0040), and pearl-and-string sign (OR: 5.7; 95% CI: 2.0–16; p = 0.0033). Conclusions: We suggest that the clinical and vertebrobasilar artery morphological characteristics demonstrated in the present study may be related to SAH induced by siVAD. Although all patients with siVAD should be closely monitored, those with siVAD who have these characteristics should perhaps be more closely followed than those who do not have such features.
Effect of Vagus Nerve Stimulation in an Adult Patient with Dravet Syndrome: Contribution to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Risk Reduction?
Authors: Spatola Marianna , Jeannet Pierre-Yves , Pollo Claudio , Wider Christian , Labrum Robyn , Rossetti Andrea O.
Published: November 2012

We report on a patient who developed, from 5 months of age, multiple seizure types, including myoclonic, associated with severe psychomotor delay, leading to the diagnosis of Dravet syndrome. Over the years, he developed refractory epilepsy and was implanted with a vagus nerve stimulator at the age of 19. After 3 months, he experienced a progressive improvement of partial and generalized seizures, with a >90% reduction, and better alertness. This meaningful clinical improvement is discussed in the light of the sudden unexpected death in epilepsy risk, which is high in this setting, and seems remarkably diminished in our patient in view of the reduction of generalized convulsions.
Mononuclear Leukocyte Apoptosis and Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Dounousi Evangelia , Koliousi Elli , Papagianni Aikaterini , Ioannou Kyriakos , Zikou Xanthi , Katopodis Konstantinos , Kelesidis Apostolos , Tsakiris Dimitrios , Siamopoulos Kostas C.
Published: November 2012

Background/Aim: Increased apoptosis along with enhanced inflammation has been reported in hemodialysis and pre-dialysis patients. However, there is limited information at which stage during the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) the balance between pro- and anti-apoptotic mechanisms is disturbed and inflammatory response is activated. The aim of this study was to investigate possible alterations in apoptotic and inflammatory markers during CKD (stages 1–4) progression and the probable interactions between them. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 152 steady-state CKD outpatients (83 males, 55%) with mean estimated glomerular filtration rate 46 (29–76) ml/min/1.73 m2 were studied. Apoptosis was assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by estimating Bcl-2 expression, annexin V-propidium iodine staining and serum soluble Fas (sFas) and Fas-ligand. Serum levels of C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 and plasma levels of fibrinogen were measured as markers of inflammation. Results: Bcl-2 expression was found to decrease significantly in both lymphocytes and monocytes from CKD stage 1 to 4. In contrast, the activity of sFas increased significantly and so did the levels of TNF-α and fibrinogen. The majority of these alterations occurred as soon as patients entered stage 3 of CKD. A multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that CKD remained a significant predictor of the aggregate of the assessed markers. Conclusions: Apoptosis appeared to increase across CKD stages 1–4, and this was associated with increased proinflammatory activity.
Paclitaxel-Coated Balloons Reduce Restenosis After Femoro-Popliteal Angioplasty
Authors: Werk Michael , Albrecht Thomas , Meyer Dirk-Roelfs , Ahmed Mohammed Nabil , Behne Andrea , Dietz Ulrich , Eschenbach Götz , Hartmann Holger , Lange Christian , Schnorr Beatrix , Stiepani Heiner , Zoccai Giuseppe Biondi , Hänninen Enrique Lopez
Published: November 2012

Background—

Peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is fraught with a substantial risk of restenosis and reintervention. A drug-eluting balloon (DEB) based on a novel coating was compared with uncoated balloons in patients undergoing femoro-popliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.

Methods and Results—

Patients with symptomatic femoro-popliteal atherosclerotic disease undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty were randomized to paclitaxel-coated IN.PACT Pacific or uncoated Pacific balloons. The primary end point was late lumen loss at 6 months assessed by blinded angiographic corelab quantitative analyses. Secondary end points were binary restenosis and Rutherford class change at 6 months, and target lesion revascularization plus major adverse clinical events (major adverse events=death, target limb amputation, or target lesion revascularization) at 6 and 12 months. Eighty-five patients (91 cases=interventional procedures) were randomized in 3 hospitals (44 to DEB and 47 to uncoated balloons). Average lesion length was 7.0±5.3 and 6.6±5.5cm for DEB and control arm, respectively. Procedural success was obtained in all cases. Six-month quantitative angiography showed that DEB were associated with significantly lower late lumen loss (−0.01mm [95% CI, −0.29; 0.26] versus 0.65mm [0.37; 0.93],
P
=0.001) and fewer binary restenoses (3 [8.6%] versus 11 [32.4%],
P
=0.01). This translated into a clinically relevant benefit with significantly fewer major adverse events for DEB versus uncoated balloons up to 12 months (3 [7.1%] versus 15 [34.9%],
P
<0.01) as well as target lesion revascularizations (3 [7.1%] versus 12 [27.9%],
P
=0.02).

Conclusions—

Use of IN.PACT Pacific DEB is associated with significant reductions in late lumen loss and restenoses at 6 months, and reinterventions after femoro-popliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty up to 1 year of follow-up.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01083030.
Adiposity, Adipokines, and Risk of Incident Stroke in Older Men
Authors: Wannamethee S. Goya , Shaper A. Gerald , Whincup Peter H. , Lennon Lucy , Sattar Naveed
Published: November 2012

Background and Purpose—

The association between adiposity and adipocytes and risk of stroke in older adults is uncertain. We have examined the association between adiposity measures and adipocytes (adiponectin and leptin) with incident stroke events in older men.

Methods—

Prospective study of 3411 men aged 60 to 79 years with no previous diagnosis of myocardial infarction, heart failure, or stroke followed-up for an average of 9 years, during which there were 192 incident major stroke events.

Results—

In age-adjusted analyses, body mass index and waist circumference were not significantly associated with risk of stroke in older men, although obese men (body mass index >30 kg/m
2
) showed the lowest risk of stroke. Despite the strong positive correlation between leptin and body mass index and waist circumference, risk of stroke was significantly increased in those in the top quartile of the leptin distribution. The increased risk remained after adjustment for potential confounders, including systolic blood pressure (adjusted hazard ratios top quartile versus bottom quartile: 2.03; confidence interval, 1.27–3.27]). Further adjustment for markers of inflammation (c-reactive protein), endothelial dysfunction (von Willebrand factor), fibrinolytic activity (d-dimer), and γ-glutamyl transferase attenuated the increased risk, but risk remained significantly increased (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.73; confidence interval, 1.06–2.83]). By contrast, no association was seen between adiponectin and risk of stroke.

Conclusions—

Conventional adiposity measures were not associated with increased stroke risk in older men. However, leptin (a good marker of percent fat mass), but not adiponectin, predicted stroke, suggesting a link between fat mass and stroke risk.
Pilot Randomized Trial of Outpatient Cardiac Monitoring After Cryptogenic Stroke
Authors: Kamel Hooman , Navi Babak B. , Elijovich Lucas , Josephson S. Andrew , Yee Alan H. , Fung Gordon , Johnston S. Claiborne , Smith Wade S.
Published: November 2012

Background and Purpose—

Observational studies indicate that outpatient cardiac monitoring detects previously undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) in 5% to 20% of patients with recent stroke. However, it remains unknown whether the yield of monitoring exceeds that of routine clinical follow-up.

Methods—

In a pilot trial, we randomly assigned 40 patients with cryptogenic ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack to wear a Cardionet mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry monitor for 21 days or to receive routine follow-up alone. After thorough investigation, we excluded patients with documented AF or other apparent stroke pathogenesis. We contacted patients and their physicians at 3 months and at 1 year to ascertain any diagnoses of AF or recurrent stroke or transient ischemic attack.

Results—

The baseline characteristics of our cohort broadly matched those of previous observational studies of monitoring after stroke. In the monitoring group, patients wore monitors for 64% of the assigned days, and 25% of patients were not compliant at all with monitoring. No patient in either study arm received a diagnosis of AF. Cardiac monitoring revealed AF in zero patients (0%; 95% confidence interval, 0%–17%), brief episodes of atrial tachycardia in 2 patients (10%; 95% confidence interval, 1%–32%), and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in 2 patients (10%; 95% confidence interval, 1%–32%).

Conclusions—

In the first reported randomized trial of cardiac monitoring after cryptogenic stroke, the rate of AF detection was lower than expected, incidental arrhythmias were frequent, and compliance with monitoring was suboptimal. Our findings highlight the challenges of prospectively identifying stroke patients at risk for harboring paroxysmal AF and ensuring adequate compliance with cardiac monitoring.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique Identifier: NCT00715533
Sweden, the United States, and Raoul Wallenberg's Mission to Hungary in 1944
Authors: Matz Johan
Published: November 2012

This article provides an in-depth examination of the U.S. government's role in the case of Raoul Wallenberg, the courageous Swedish envoy who died mysteriously in the Soviet Union after being arrested by Soviet occupation forces at the end of World War II for unknown reasons. The article recounts how U.S. officials, particularly the diplomat Herschel V. Johnson, tried to alleviate the plight of Hungarian Jews after German forces occupied Hungary in 1944. A key part of this policy was their effort to work with Sweden in enlisting Wallenberg's help. The U.S.-Swedish relationship was never particularly close, and the mistrust that officials in each country felt toward the other side impeded any coordinated action. The article discusses the bureaucratic impediments on the U.S. side and highlights some of the obstacles that Johnson strove to overcome. The article builds on the report produced by the Eliasson Commission documenting the Swedish government's handling of the Wallenberg case. Although the Swedish authorities bore by far the greatest amount of blame for doing nothing in the face of Soviet stonewalling, Matz argues that U.S. officials also made significant misjudgments that may have exacerbated the situation.
The Centre of Nature: Baron Johann Otto von Hellwig between a Global Network and a Universal Republic
Authors: Keller Vera
Published: November 2012

A large network of alchemical agents spread from the tiny, land-locked duchy of Saxe- Gotha-Altenburg outward across Europe. At its centre, Duke Friedrich I (1646–1691) meticulously documented his interactions with many alchemical personalities during the 1670s and 1680s. The story of one such personality illustrates the changing meanings of distant alchemical knowledge both to the inner circle of courtly alchemists and to a larger alchemical republic. Born near Gotha, Johann Otto von Hellwig (1654–1698) built his pan-European career on a youthful stay on Java. To some, this indicated his access to exotic naturalia which might be imported to a centre of collection, such as Gotha. For others, Hellwig could access a wisdom hidden abroad since ancient Egypt, which should be disseminated among widely dispersed adepts. These viewpoints indicate different functions for distant knowledge, as well as differing desired trajectories for this knowledge.
Real and Imaginary Dialogues in the Jesuit Mission of Sixteenth-century Japan
Authors: Rubiés Joan-Pau
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This article takes as a starting point for a contextual exploration of the dialogue as a form of cross-cultural interaction the accounts of disputations between Francis Xavier and his companions and various Buddhist monks during the first years of the mission in Japan (1549-51). The essay considers the differences among a lay popular version of these disputations offered by Fernão Mendes Pinto, the account publicized by Francis Xavier in his letters to Europe, and the internal working documents produced by his companions Cosme de Torres and Juan Fernández during these encounters. The latter reflected the complexity of the exchanges that took place in Yamaguchi in September 1551, offering many echoes of Buddhist arguments that stretched the Christian theological capacity. More interesting still is the process by which the Jesuits came to reject the possibilities for convergence through analogy and chose instead to emphasize doctrinal and moral differences, often employing arguments that echoed, unwittingly, the recent divisions within European Christendom.
Polemic Dialogues between Christians and Muslims in the Seventeenth Century
Authors: Heyberger Bernard
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Literary dialogues between Christians and Muslims can be traced back to the first centuries of Islam. Although the practice of disputation in themajlis(assembly) was no longer present in the Ottoman Empire, Catholic missionaries in the Middle East continued to write fictional dialogues in the seventeenth century. The authors we discuss here were convinced that it was possible to debate with Muslims, provided that the right type of interlocutor was chosen from among distinguished and educated men, with whom they shared a code of conduct and certain religious and intellectual concerns. This attitude may be the result of the typical Jesuit method ofaccommodatioand of their fieldwork experience in the Orient. Nevertheless, this positive approach was impeded by the impossibility that a Catholic priest could escape the culture of disputation and consider Islam as an ordinary subject of study.
The Symbolic Possession of the World: European Cartography in Mughal Allegory and History Painting
Authors: Koch Ebba
Published: November 2012

Abstract

From their earliest contacts with Europeans, the Mughals sought to obtain maps, atlases, and globes. They were, however, concerned with cartography less as a scientific tool than as a means to convey messages of status and power. Both cartographically correct and cartographically manipulated globes feature prominently in the allegories of Emperor Jahāngīr. Emperor Shāh Jahān added another dimension: European cartographical devices were introduced into history painting, to structure the imperial landscape and to document the emperor’s conquests.
The Disruptive Presence of the Namban-jin in Early Modern Japan
Authors: Curvelo Alexandra
Published: November 2012

Abstract

When the Portuguese arrived in Japan around 1543, it was the first time in the history of the archipelago that Western foreigners had entered the country and settled there. These “barbarians from the south” (namban-jin) were considered strangers and viewed with curiosity and suspicion. In Tokugawa Japan (c. 1615-1868), politically marked by territorial unification and the centralization of power, the image of the Europeans that was created and visually registered on folding screens and lacquer-ware was used as a model to frame this presence by both the Japanese political and economic elites and those considered marginal to the existing social order.Nambanart, especially paintings, can be seen as a visual display of Japan’s self-knowledge and its knowledge of distant “neighbours.”
Hearing Psalm 102 within the Context of the Hebrew Psalter
Authors: Witt Andrew
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Along with recent scholarship which is concerned with reading the book of Psalms as a whole, this article analyzes Psalm 102 within its canonical, literary context. It focuses on two main areas. First, the superscription. It identifies the speaker as the “afflicted,” who is a suffering royal Davidic figure associated with Psalms 88-89 and 101, 103. Second, the paper moves throughout the rest of the psalm, making observations concerning thematic and lexical relationships between the psalm and its immediate context. It concludes that Psalm 102, alongside 101, functions as a meditative response of the afflicted Davidic king to the questions posed in Psalm 89. As such, it provides an important literary hinge, without which the lamenting questions of Book III could not turn into affirmations of YHWH’s love and praise throughout Books IV-V.
The Fightin’ Mushites
Authors: Leuchter Mark
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The Mushite priestly line, claiming Moses as their eponymous ancestor, held a dominant position in pre-monarchic Israelite religion. While anthropological and archaeological considerations explain how the Mushites may have come to power in their Transjordanian region of origin, these considerations do not account for the widespread presence of Mushites in the far northern, central, and Judahite cult sites. The present study proposes that the spread of Mushites across this wide geographic spectrum—and in a fairly brief period of time—may be attributed to their legacy as warriors at a time when success on the battlefield demonstrated fitness for cultic leadership. Traces of this legacy may be discerned in the narratives about Moses as well as in the traditions regarding the pre-monarchic cult sites where Mushite factions took up their posts.
The Structure of Genesis 38: A Thematic Reading
Authors: Kim Dohyung
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The relationship of the Judah-Tamar story in Genesis 38 to the so-called Joseph story in Genesis 37-50 has been much discussed. In this article, I am attempting to suggest a new perspective on the structure of Genesis 38. Through a narrative approach, I argue that this chapter can be understood according to Binary Thematic-Symmetrical Patterns and posit what I call the Bucket-Shaped Structure of the Judah-Tamar Story. The story consists of two main episodes (Episode I, vv. 1-19; Episode II, vv. 20-30), which are divided into six smaller sections (vv. 1-5, 6-11, 12-19, 20-23, 24-26, 27-30). It presents two leading characters: Judah and Tamar. Together they experience three common themes; these are, building up a family, shame and deceit. To the reader, the first theme looks positive (+), but the second and the third appear negative (-). In both Episode I and Episode II, the character of Judah enters early in the scenes (vv. 1-5, 20-23) and Tamar’s character occupies the ends of the episodes (vv. 12-19, 27-30). The narrator presents Tamar’s shame in section two (vv. 6-11) and her deceit in section three (vv. 12-19). Judah’s character is also shown in the same way (deceit, vv. 20-23, shame, vv. 24-26). These two episodes can be read as reflecting a dialectic process and could be represented as: Thesis (Episode I) + Antithesis (Episode II) = Synthesis (Establishing a Family). This symmetrical structure in the story of Genesis 38 highlights the significance of childbirth to both Judah and Tamar for securing the next generation within the larger Primary Narrative (Genesis—2 Kings).
Diodorus, Deuteronomy, and Egyptian Agriculture
Authors: Neel Jaclyn
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The description of Egypt in Deut. 11:10 has been variously interpreted. I suggest that a parallel in Diodorus Siculus shows continuity in Egyptian agricultural practice.
Looking for Aphek in 1 Kgs 20
Authors: Hasegawa Shuichi
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Efforts have been long made to locate Aphek described as an Aramaean fortified city in 1 Kgs 20 and various identifications have been offered. Yet, literary analysis of 1 Kgs 20 and the historical situation emerging from contemporary extra-biblical sources point to anachronistic features of the story in 1 Kgs 20 and its late authorship. The selection of the toponym Aphek in the battle account should be regarded as a rhetorical technique of the author who wished to produce a literary effect upon readers who were familiar with the Israelites’ defeat at Aphek in the stories in 1 Sam 4 and 29. The interchange of the words between mîšôr and ʿămāqîm in vv. 23, 25 and 28 may indicate that the author had no intention to specify the battle place in this imaginative work.
Incidence patterns of ectodermic lesions in wild populations of Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)
Authors: Lazić Marko M. , Carretero Miguel A. , Mihailov-Krstev Tatjana , Lazarević-Macanović Mirjana , Krstić Nikola , Crnobrnja-Isailović Jelka
Published: November 2012

Skin lesions frequently present in adult lizards may be due to a variety of causes, both physical and infectious, including excessively high humidity and environmental temperature, malnutrition, concurrent disease etc. On the other hand, skin lesions in lizards could be simple evidence of various behavioural patterns and biotic interactions. However, studies on frequencies of dermal lesions and their anatomical and environmental correlates in lacertid lizards are rare. Here, we use Podarcis muralis to analyse the relations between occurrence of ectodermal lesions and three possible indicators of environmental stress (body condition index – BCI, infestation by ticks and tail condition) by evaluating differences among local populations at uni- and multivariate level. Our results showed that BCI, together with body size and sexual size dimorphism, varied between populations but had no direct influence on the presence of lesions. Males had higher frequencies of lesions and ticks but lower frequencies of broken tails than females. All three parameters varied between sites likely due to differences in predation/parasite exposures and agonistic interactions with conspecifics between sexes and populations. Results of multivariate analyses suggested that the occurrence of lesions is decoupled from the other morphological stress indicators. Detected associations indicated that relations between presence of lesions and other analysed variables are rather complex. Directions for further research on ectodermal lesions in lacertid lizards are provided.
Weak genetic divergence between the two South American toad-headed turtles Mesoclemmys dahli and M. zuliae (Testudines: Pleurodira: Chelidae)
Authors: Vargas-Ramírez Mario , Michels Jan , Castaño-Mora Olga Victoria , Cárdenas-Arevalo Gladys , Gallego-García Natalia , Fritz Uwe
Published: November 2012

Mesoclemmys dahli and M. zuliae are two endangered, little-known toad-headed turtles with small distribution ranges in Colombia and Venezuela, respectively. Using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene as a marker, we investigate their phylogeographic differentiation. Furthermore, based on 2341 bp of mtDNA and 2109 bp of nDNA of M. dahli, M. zuliae and allied chelid turtles, we infer their divergence time using a fossil-calibrated relaxed molecular clock approach. Mesoclemmys dahli and M. zuliae are closely related species, with an estimated mean divergence time of 10.6 million years. This estimate correlates with the uplift of the Serranía de Perijá, an Andean mountain chain separating their distribution ranges, suggesting that this event could have caused the evolution of the two species. Haplotype and nucleotide diversities of M. dahli are markedly higher than in Podocnemis lewyana, another endemic turtle species of Colombia. This pronounced dissimilarity may reflect differences in the phylogeographies and demographic histories of the two species, but also different habitat preferences.
Establishment of introduced reptiles increases with the presence and richness of native congeners
Authors: Ferreira Rodrigo B. , Beard Karen H. , Peterson Stephen L. , Poessel Sharon A. , Callahan Colin M.
Published: November 2012

Darwin proposed two contradictory hypotheses to explain the influence of congeners on the outcomes of invasion: the naturalization hypothesis, which predicts a negative relationship between the presence of congeners and invasion success, and the pre-adaptation hypothesis, which predicts a positive relationship between the presence of congeners and invasion success. Studies testing these hypotheses have shown mixed support. We tested these hypotheses using the establishment success of non-native reptiles and congener presence/absence and richness across the globe. Our results demonstrated support for the pre-adaptation hypothesis. We found that globally, both on islands and continents, establishment success was higher in the presence than in the absence of congeners and that establishment success increased with increasing congener richness. At the life form level, establishment success was higher for lizards, marginally higher for snakes, and not different for turtles in the presence of congeners; data were insufficient to test the hypotheses for crocodiles. There was no relationship between establishment success and congener richness for any life form. We suggest that we found support for the pre-adaptation hypothesis because, at the scale of our analysis, native congeners represent environmental conditions appropriate for the species rather than competition for niche space. Our results imply that areas to target for early detection of non-native reptiles are those that host closely related species.
The effect of operational sex ratio on sex allocation and neonate phenotype in a viviparous lizard Eremias multiocellata
Authors: Tang Xiao-Long , Yue Feng , Zhang De-Jiu , Yan Xue-Feng , Xin Ying , Wang Cui , Chen Qiang
Published: November 2012

Maternal investment in the production of male versus female neonates was approximately equal in most animal species. However, sex allocation theory predicts that under certain conditions, selection may favor the females’ ability to adjust the sex ratio of their offspring, which females tend to use more for an investment of the rare sex. The mechanism of operational sex ratio (OSR) influence on sex allocation is still unclear, and recent studies conducted on lizards have reached conflicting conclusions. Here, we selected a viviparous lizard Eremias multiocellata to test whether pregnant females could adjust the sex ratio of their offspring in response to OSRs. Our results showed that mothers did not adjust the sex ratios or phenotypes of neonates in the laboratory and field-based experiments, except tail length. However, the OSRs subsequently affected growth in both mass and SVL of the offspring in laboratory experiments; whereas only the mass was affected in the semi-nature field experiments. Our results, thus, contradict the predictions of sex allocation theory and challenge the idea that female investment in the scarcity sex might serve as a mechanism which is used for adjusting the population sex ratio.
Shark scavenging and predation on sea turtles in northeastern Brazil
Authors: Bornatowski Hugo , Heithaus Michael R. , Batista Clenia M.P. , Mascarenhas Rita
Published: November 2012

Large sharks have the potential to help structure ecosystem dynamics through top-down impacts on their prey, including sea turtles. Studies of interactions between large sharks and sea turtles, however, are practically nonexistent along the Brazilian coast. Between September 2002 and May 2011 we examined 655 sea turtles – including green turtlesChelonia mydas(n = 607), olive ridleysLepidochelys olivacea(n = 10), hawksbillsEretmochelys imbricata(n = 33), and loggerheadsCaretta caretta(n = 5) – that stranded on Paraíba coast, northeastern Brazil. A total of 63 green turtles (10.4%), two olive ridleys (20.0%) and one hawksbill (3.0%) had shark-inflicted bites. Most bites could not be definitively attributed to scavenging or attacks on living turtles, but the presence of healed shark bites and freshly bleeding bites suggests that some attacks occurred pre-mortem. Bite characteristics suggest that tiger sharksGaleocerdo cuvierwere responsible for most bites that could be identified to a particular species. Within green turtles, the only species with sufficient sample size, the probability of carcasses having been bitten increased with carapace length but did not vary across seasons and years. However, there was spatial variation in the probability of a carcass having been bitten by sharks. Our estimates of the minimum proportion of turtles attacked while alive (∼4%) and bitten overall are similar to other areas where shark-turtle interactions have been studied. Turtles likely are an important food for tiger sharks in northeastern Brazil, but further studies are needed to determine the relative frequencies of scavenging and predation.
Behaviour and neural responses in crucian carp to skin odours from cross-order species
Authors: Lastein Stine , Stabell Ole B. , Larsen Helene K. , Hamdani El Hassan , Døving Kjell B.
Published: November 2012

Many teleost species respond with fright reactions to olfactory cues from injured
skin of conspecifics, but they may also display responses to skin extracts of
heterospecific fish. In the present study, we exposed crucian carp to skin
extracts of conspecifics and three cross-order species of fish (brown trout,
pike, and perch). Behavioural experiments showed that conspecific skin extracts
induced fright reactions in crucian carp; extracts of brown trout induced such
behaviour less frequently, while extracts of perch and pike were poor inducers
of fright responses. The olfactory bulb is chemo-topically organized, and
different sub-sets of neurons respond to functionally related odorants that
mediate distinct behaviours. Accordingly, behavioural responses to an alarm
signal should be reflected by activation of the neurons mediating fright
reaction. Extracellular recordings from single units in the olfactory bulb
showed that the relay neurons activated by conspecific skin extracts were also
activated by extracts of brown trout, whereas extracts of perch and pike less
frequently activated these units. Thus, the difference in behavioural responses
matched the differences in the neural responses, indicating that skin extracts
of heterospecific fish are more likely to induce fright behaviour when the
responding sub-set of olfactory neurons is similar to the sub-set responding to
conspecific extracts. Our results suggest that responses to injured
heterospecific fish rely on chemical resemblance between odorants from
heterospecific and conspecific skin, and need not be based on any form of
associative learning.
He who dares only wins sometimes: physiological stress and contest behaviour in Xiphophorus helleri
Authors: Boulton K. , Sinderman B. , Pearce M.R. , Earley R.L. , Wilson A.J.
Published: November 2012

While many factors influence contest outcome and social dominance in animals, there is increasing interest in behavioural-physiological stress-coping styles. Causality, however, is often ambiguous; is physiological state determined by contest outcome orvice versa? Furthermore, experimental protocols may themselves induce stress responses that impact individual behaviour and, thus, potentially contest outcome. Here we test whether latency to recover from acute stress, measured both physiologically and behaviourally, predicts who initiates and who wins dyadic contests between pairs of male green swordtails (Xiphophorous helleri). In line with our predictions, animals that recovered faster (behaviourally) from disturbance created by the experimental protocol prior to meeting an opponent were more likely to initiate contests; however, they were not more likely to win and, contrary to expectations, had higher pre-contest cortisol levels than their opponents. They also showed greater physiological stress responses to the experiment as determined from the difference between pre- and post-contest cortisol levels. Moreover, stress response was independent of whether a contest escalated. In contradiction to evidence found in other taxa and fish systems, the suite of traits that we measured were not correlated in a manner that allowed classification of the animals into the usual reactive and proactive stress-coping styles. Our results suggest that coping style may play a key role in determining which individual initiates a contest, but that other factors govern contest outcome.
Muscular hypertrophy of urinary bladders in dominant tilapia facilitates the control of aggression through urinary signals
Authors: Keller-Costa T. , Lopes O.S. , Almeida O. , Hubbard P.C. , Iacovella A. , Lima M. , Barata E.N. , Canário A.V.M.
Published: November 2012

The urination pattern of the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) depends on social context, and the olfactory potency of urine released depends on social rank (males) and reproductive status (females). This strongly suggests that urine mediates chemical communication in this species. The current study tested, firstly, whether urine production rate depends on sex or social status and, secondly, whether differences in urination pattern and volume of urine stored are associated with variation in the morphology of the urinary bladder. Finally, the effect of urination during aggressive male–male interactions was assessed. Urine production in catheterized fish depended neither on sex nor social status (males). Nevertheless, males had larger kidneys than females. Dominant males had heavier urinary bladders than subordinate males or females, mainly due to enlarged muscle fibres, thicker urothelium and a thicker smooth muscle layer. In male pairs wherein urination was prevented by temporary constriction of the genital papillae, social interaction escalated to aggression (mouth-to-mouth fighting) more rapidly and frequently than control pairs. This was accompanied by elevated plasma testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone levels. In control encounters, the male that initiated the aggressive behaviour was usually the winner of the subsequent fight; this did not happen when the males could not urinate. These results suggest that the larger, more muscular bladder of dominant males is an adaptation, facilitating higher urination frequency, post-renal modulation and storage of larger urine volumes for longer. It is likely that urinary pheromones modulate aggression in male–male encounters by providing information on the social rank and/or motivation of the emitter; males are unlikely to invest in costly highly aggressive fights if they judge their opponent to be more dominant. Thus, a morphological explanation for the differing urination patterns of dominant and subordinant males, and females, has been provided, and a possible function for this behaviour in male–male interactions is suggested.
Chemically-mediated sexual display postures in pre-ovulatory female topmouth gudgeon, Pseudorasbora parva
Authors: Burnard D. , Hubbard P.C. , Müller C.T. , Griffiths S.W. , Andreou D. , Osselton M.D. , Canário A.V.M. , Gozlan R.E.
Published: November 2012

While mating systems vary considerably throughout the animal kingdom, smell is increasingly recognised as a common factor in successful copulation. However, the full range of olfactory- induced mating behaviours among animals is undoubtedly underestimated in comparison to visual or contact stimuli, and this underestimation suggests that our understanding of courtship rituals may be incomplete. Here, we use the highly invasive topmouth gudgeon,Pseudorasboraparvaas a biological model to separate and validate the induction of headstands as courtship behaviour in many fish species. Conspecific odour was isolated using solid phase extraction (SPE) and fractionated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Active fractions were characterised using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Electrophysiological responses of pre-ovulatory females to conspecific odour were also tested via the electro-olfactogram (EOG). Results revealed that pre-ovulatory females adopted headstand body postures during exposure to nest guarding male odour (4/12) and SPE extract (5/12) but did not display during exposure to any other odour. Fractions from HPLC yielded 1 active fraction that induced headstand body postures in pre-ovulatory females (4/12). The active fraction eluted at 30–35 min and showed no response in the UV. NMR imaging revealed low intensity levels of aliphatic protons: methylene protons (CH2) at around 2 parts per million (ppm) and methin (CH) at around 3 ppm. EOG response amplitudes were approximately double in response to pre-ovulatory female odour than to odour derived from post-ovulatory females (Mann–WhitneyU-test, , ). This study provides evidence of sex-specific chemical cues and responsive, adaptive sexual behaviour inP. parvaand demonstrates that female display postures may be induced by chemical stimuli alone.
Edith Stein and the Contemporary Psychological Study of Empathy
Authors: Meneses Rita W. , Larkin Michael
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Illuminated by the writings of Edith Stein (1917/1989), this paper presents a model of empathy as a very particular intersubjective understanding. This is commonly a view absent from psychology literature. For Stein, empathy is the experience of experientially and directly knowing another person’s experience, as it unfolds in the present, together with the awareness of the ‘otherness’ of that experience. It can be conceptually distinguished, in terms of process and experience, from current models that propose that empathic understandings are ‘intellectual’ experiences (e.g., explicit simulation theories, perspective-taking) or sympathetic experiences (e.g., implicit simulation theories, contagion-related theories). As such, she provides an additional or alternative aspect to understanding other people’s experiences. Our paper provides a summary of Stein’s key analytic claims about three key facets of empathy (directly perceiving, experientially projecting, and interpretatively mentalizing). Her views are discussed in the light of debates relevant for contemporary psychology and social cognition.
From Fetishism to ‘Shocked Disbelief ’: Economics, Dialectics and Value Theory
Authors: McNally David
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The recent arrival ofFrom Economics Imperialism to Freakonomicsby Fine and Milonakis is especially propitious given the context of the Great Recession of 2008 – and the associated decline of public faith in the verities of mainstream economics. Fine and Milonakis provide a magisterial critical survey of contemporary economics and demonstrate the need for a ‘new and truly interdisciplinary political economy’ capable of ‘incorporating the social and historical from the outset’. But their cause requires the explicit development of value analysis within the framework of dialectical social theory. This requires foregrounding the ways in which Marx’s categories inCapitalare from the start historical precipitates that acknowledge their own inherent historicity.
Everyday Life and the State, Peter Bratsis, Boulder: Paradigm Publishers, 2006
Authors: Flatschart Elmar
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The present review essay discusses Peter Bratsis’s work Everyday Life and the State (2006). It is argued that Bratsis produces a sound contribution to the on-going debate on state theory, which has its particular strengths in the innovative treatment of the public-private divide and an elaborate critique of fetishistic and ideological relations in the field of the political. In this, Bratsis builds on a broad range of structuralist, poststructuralist and dialectical positions. Deficiencies of his work are likewise to be found in this bricolage of theoretical approaches: it is argued that conflicting epistemological and ontological fundamentals are not sufficiently taken into account, which consequently leads to reductionist and errant conclusions. This is especially evident in the confusion of ‘structuralist’ and ‘dialectical’ heuristics, which leads to an insufficiently materialist picture of the state in relation to ‘everyday life’.
From Freakonomics to Political Economy
Authors: Fine Ben , Milonakis Dimitris
Published: November 2012

Abstract

In this response to the symposium on our two books we try to deal as fully as possible in the brief space available with most of the major issues raised by our distinguished commentators. Although at least three of them are in agreement with the main thrust of the arguments put forward in our books, they all raise important issues relating to methodology, the history of economic thought (including omissions), and a number of more specific issues. Our answer is based on the restatement of the chief purpose of our two books, describing the intellectual history of the evolution of economic science emphasising the role of the excision of the social and the historical from economic theorising in the transition from (classical) political economy to (neoclassical) economics, only for the two to be reunited through the vulgar form of economics imperialism following the monolithic dominance of neoclassical economics at the expense of pluralism after the Second World War. The importance of political economy for the future of economic science is vigorously argued for.
Albert Schweitzer and Africa
Authors: Paget James Carleton
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This article re-examines the question of Albert Schweitzer’s career as a medical missionary in the Gabon. After noting that Schweitzer has rarely been the subject of any discussion among Africanists and explaining why that is the case, the article looks at why Schweitzer decided to go to the Gabon, how he perceived his role there, how his attitudes to colonialism evolved, and what role his African experience played in the evolution of his thought. Among other things, the article seeks to bring out tensions and contradictions in Schweitzer’s relationship to the African continent.
Mendicants and Merchants in the Medieval Mediterranean: An Introduction
Authors: Chubb Taryn E. L. , Kelley Emily
Published: November 2012

Abstract

When the mendicant orders were founded in the thirteenth century, they quickly began to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with the emerging merchant class. This special issue of Medieval Encounters is an interdisciplinary study of the complex connections that developed between the two groups throughout the Mediterranean during the late medieval period. These relationships have rarely been addressed in the scholarship on this period, but in urban centers throughout the medieval Mediterranean, friars and merchants crossed paths daily and the evidence of their interaction reveals the extent to which the two communities came to depend upon one another.
Friars on the Edge: Socio-Economic Networking and the Dominicans of Conquered Mallorca
Authors: Vose Robin
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Though often disappointing as sources for religious history, urban convent archives have the potential to shed valuable light on otherwise invisible social networks of the medieval bourgeoisie. Analysis of merchant and other names appearing in a wide variety of mundane contracts reveals the realia of economic relationships that, in the frontier context of Mallorca, occasionally crossed confessional lines. The case studies included in this article hint at the diverse array of characters whose entrepreneurial careers led to associations with and around the thirteenth-century Dominican convent of Sant Domingo de Mallorca. From social-climbing archers and tailors to converso shipping magnates and landowners, speculators of all sorts crossed paths within the cloistered halls of a mendicant sanctuary whose function was never exclusively spiritual. Dominican archives appear primarily to have served as repositories for such clients’ transaction records, especially in unstable colonial situations—an aspect of the order’s pastoral mission which has hitherto received little attention.
The Rise of the Nacirema and the Descent of European Man: A Response to Manuel A. Vásquez’s More than Belief
Authors: Johnson Sylvester A.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Manuel Vásquez’s Beyond Belief richly examines the prospects of rooting the study of religion more seriously within the imperatives of materialist theory. His study also prompts scholars to consider how attention to the body has been shaped by race and empire. In this essay, I reflect on how the linkage of religion, race, and empire has shaped the imperial history of imagining dark bodies and matter more broadly. I conclude that the ethnographic turn within studies of Western religious subjects signals an important, generative shift in scholarship, one that enables a more rigorous, materially-centered interpretation of Western religious subjectivity.