bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Doing Molecular Biophysics: Finding, Naming, and Picturing Signal Within Complexity
Authors: Richardson Jane S. , Richardson David C.
Published: March 2013

A macromolecular structure, as measured data or as a list of coordinates or even on-screen as a full atomic model, is an extremely complex and confusing object. The underlying rules of how it folds, moves, and interacts as a biological entity are even less evident or intuitive to the human mind. To do science on such molecules, or to relate them usefully to higher levels of biology, we need to start with a natural history that names their features in meaningful ways and with multiple representations (visual or algebraic) that show some aspect of their organizing principles. The two of us have jointly enjoyed a highly varied and engrossing career in biophysical research over nearly 50 years. Our frequent changes of emphasis are tied together by two threads: first, by finding the right names, visualizations, and methods to help both ourselves and others to better understand the 3D structures of protein and RNA molecules, and second, by redefining the boundary between signal and noise for complex data, in both directions—sometimes identifying and promoting real signal up out of what seemed just noise, and sometimes demoting apparent signal into noise or systematic error. Here we relate parts of our scientific and personal lives, including ups and downs, influences, anecdotes, and guiding principles such as the title theme.
Retrospective Voting Reconsidered
Authors: Healy Andrew , Malhotra Neil
Published: March 2013

We review advances in the study of retrospective voting, or how citizens evaluate and act on their perceptions of government performance. As a whole, the recent literature provides a more complete and nuanced picture of the retrospective voter as sometimes, but not always, effectively incentivizing elected officials to enhance public welfare. Leveraging examples of retrospective voting in areas other than the economy, the field is heading toward a middle ground in which voters resemble decision makers in many other domains. In many cases, a coherent logic governs voters' choices. In other instances, voters make mistakes, often in predictable ways subject to well-known psychological biases. Understanding the circumstances under which retrospective voting achieves effective democratic accountability and when it fails to do so is an important task for subsequent research. We discuss two additional issues for future exploration: a better understanding of normative benchmarks, and increased attention to the relationship between retrospective voting behavior and policy outcomes.
Climate Change Politics
Authors: Bernauer Thomas
Published: March 2013

Within the past 25 years, climate change has evolved from an issue of interest primarily to some natural scientists into one of the top priorities on the global policy agenda. Research in political science and related fields offers systematic and empirically well-supported explanations for why solving the climate problem has turned out to be more difficult than originally anticipated. After reviewing this research, I focus on four areas in which we know less: (a) institutional design features that may help in mitigating or overcoming fundamental problems in the global cooperative effort; (b) factors that are driving variation in climate policies at national and subnational levels; (c) driving forces of climate policy beyond the state, in particular civil society, the science–policy interface, and public opinion; and (d) sociopolitical consequences of failing to avoid major climatic changes. The article concludes by identifying key questions at the micro, meso, and macro levels that should be addressed by political scientists in the coming years. In view of the fact that governance efforts at the global level are progressing very slowly, greater attention to bottom-up dynamics appears useful, both for analytical reasons (there is lots of variation to be explained) and for normative reasons.
Role of uncoupling protein 3 in ischemia-reperfusion injury, arrhythmias, and preconditioning
Authors: Ozcan Cevher , Palmeri Monica , Horvath Tamas L. , Russell Kerry S. , Russell Raymond R.
Published: March 2013

Overexpression of mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs) attenuates ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in cultured cardiomyocytes. However, it is not known whether UCPs play an essential role in cardioprotection in the intact heart. This study evaluated the cardioprotective efficacy of UCPs against I/R injury and characterized the mechanism of UCP-mediated protection in addition to the role of UCPs in ischemic preconditioning (IPC). Cardiac UCP3 knockout (UCP3−/−) and wild-type (WT) mice hearts were subjected to ex vivo and in vivo models of I/R injury and IPC. Isolated UCP3−/−mouse hearts were retrogradely perfused and found to have poorer recovery of left ventricular function compared with WT hearts under I/R conditions. In vivo occlusion of the left coronary artery resulted in twofold larger infarcts in UCP3−/−mice compared with WT mice. Moreover, the incidence of in vivo I/R arrhythmias was higher in UCP3−/−mice. Myocardial energetics were significantly impaired with I/R, as reflected by a decreased ATP content and an increase in the AMP-to-ATP ratio. UCP3−/−hearts generated more reactive oxygen species (ROS) than WT hearts during I/R. Pretreatment of UCP3−/−hearts with the pharmacological uncoupling agent carbonyl cyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone improved postischemic functional recovery. Also the protective efficacy of IPC was abolished in UCP3−/−mice. We conclude that UCP3 plays a critical role in cardioprotection against I/R injury and the IPC phenomenon. There is increased myocardial vulnerability to I/R injury in hearts lacking UCP3. The mechanisms of UCP3-mediated cardioprotection include regulation of myocardial energetics and ROS generation by UCP3 during I/R.
Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism attenuates experimental pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Preston Ioana R. , Sagliani Kristen D. , Warburton Rod R. , Hill Nicholas S. , Fanburg Barry L. , Jaffe Iris Z.
Published: March 2013

Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation stimulates systemic vascular and left ventricular remodeling. We hypothesized that MR contributes to pulmonary vascular and right ventricular (RV) remodeling of pulmonary hypertension (PH). We evaluated the efficacy of MR antagonism by spironolactone in two experimental PH models; mouse chronic hypoxia-induced PH (prevention model) and rat monocrotaline-induced PH (prevention and treatment models). Last, the biological function of the MR was analyzed in cultured distal pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). In hypoxic PH mice, spironolactone attenuated the increase in RV systolic pressure, pulmonary arterial muscularization, and RV fibrosis. In rat monocrotaline-induced PH (prevention arm), spironolactone attenuated pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular remodeling. In the established disease (treatment arm), spironolactone decreased RV systolic pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance with no significant effect on histological measures of pulmonary vascular remodeling, or RV fibrosis. Spironolactone decreased RV cardiomyocyte size modestly with no significant effect on RV mass, systemic blood pressure, cardiac output, or body weight, suggesting a predominantly local pulmonary vascular effect. In distal PASMCs, MR was expressed and localized diffusely. Treatment with the MR agonist aldosterone, hypoxia, or platelet-derived growth factor promoted MR translocation to the nucleus, activated MR transcriptional function, and stimulated PASMC proliferation, while spironolactone blocked these effects. In summary, MR is active in distal PASMCs, and its antagonism prevents PASMC proliferation and attenuates experimental PH. These data suggest that MR is involved in the pathogenesis of PH via effects on PASMCs and that MR antagonism may represent a novel therapeutic target for this disease.
Regulatory Role of GSK-3βon NF-κB, Nitric Oxide, and TNF-αin Group A Streptococcal Infection
Authors: Chang Yu-Tzu , Chen Chia-Ling , Lin Chiou-Feng , Lu Shiou-Ling , Cheng Miao-Huei , Kuo Chih-Feng , Lin Yee-Shin
Published: March 2013

Group A streptococcus (GAS) imposes a great burden on humans. Efforts to minimize the associated morbidity and mortality represent a critical issue. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β) is known to regulate inflammatory response in infectious diseases. However, the regulation of GSK-3βin GAS infection is still unknown. The present study investigates the interaction between GSK-3β, NF-κB, and possible related inflammatory mediators in vitro and in a mouse model. The results revealed that GAS could activate NF-κB, followed by an increased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NO production in a murine macrophage cell line. Activation of GSK-3βoccurred after GAS infection, and inhibition of GSK-3βreduced iNOS expression and NO production. Furthermore, GSK-3βinhibitors reduced NF-κB activation and subsequent TNF-αproduction, which indicates that GSK-3βacts upstream of NF-κB in GAS-infected macrophages. Similar to the in vitro findings, administration of GSK-3βinhibitor in an air pouch GAS infection mouse model significantly reduced the level of serum TNF-αand improved the survival rate. The inhibition of GSK-3βto moderate the inflammatory effect might be an alternative therapeutic strategy against GAS infection.
HPV Infection in a Cohort of HIV-Positive Men and Women: Prevalence of Oncogenic Genotypes and Predictors of Mucosal Damage at Genital and Oral Sites
Authors: Marchetti Giulia , Comi Laura , Bini Teresa , Rovati Marco , Bai Francesca , Cassani Barbara , Ravizza Marina , Tarozzi Marco , Pandolfo Alessandro , Dalzero Serena , Opocher Enrico , Romagnoli Solange , Carrassi Antonio , Bosari Silvano , d'Arminio Monforte Antonella
Published: March 2013

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of HPV infection and determinants of abnormal cytology in HIV-positive patients. In a cross-sectional study, patients of both sexes, asymptomatic for HPV, underwent anorectal (men)/cervical (women) and oral swabs. Cytology and HPV-PCR detection/genotyping (high- and low-risk genotypes, HR-LR/HPV) were performed. A total of 20% of the 277 enrolled patients showed oral HPV, with no atypical cytology; in men, anal HPV prevalence was 81% with 64% HR genotypes. In women, cervical HPV prevalence was 58% with 37% HR-HPV. The most frequent genotypes were HPV-16 and HPV-18; 37% of men and 20% of women harbored multiple genotypes. Also, 47% of men showed anal squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs); 6% had high- and 35% low-grade SILs (HSILs/LSILs); 5% had atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US). HR-HPV was independently associated with anal-SIL in men (P=0.039). Moreover, 37% of women showed cervical SIL: 14 ASC-US, 15 LSILs, 4 HSILs, and 1in situcancer. The presence of both LR and HR-HPV in women was independently associated with SIL (P=0.003andP=0.0001). HR-HPV and atypical cytology were frequently identified in our cohort. HPV screening should be mandatory in HIV-infected subjects, and vaccine programs for HPV-negative patients should be implemented.
Siah: A Promising Anticancer Target
Authors: Wong Christina S.F. , Möller Andreas
Published: March 2013

Siah ubiquitin ligases play important roles in a number of signaling pathways involved in the progression and spread of cancer in cell-based models, but their role in tumor progression remains controversial. Siah proteins have been described to be both oncogenic and tumor suppressive in a variety of patient cohort studies and animal cancer models. This review collates the current knowledge of Siah in cancer progression and identifies potential methods of translation of these findings into the clinic. Furthermore, key experiments needed to close the gaps in our understanding of the role Siah proteins play in tumor progression are suggested. Cancer Res; 73(8); 2400–6. ©2013 AACR.
Potentially Prognostic miRNAs in HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Hui Angela B.Y. , Lin Alice , Xu Wei , Waldron Levi , Perez-Ordonez Bayardo , Weinreb Ilan , Shi Wei , Bruce Jeff , Huang Shao Hui , O'Sullivan Brian , Waldron John , Gullane Patrick , Irish Jonathan C. , Chan Kelvin , Liu Fei-Fei
Published: March 2013

Purpose: Deregulation of miRNAs is associated with almost all human malignancies. Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) has a significantly more favorable outcome compared with HPV-negative OPCs; however, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Hence, the objectives of this study were to determine whether miRNA expression differed as a function of HPV status and to assess whether such miRNAs provide prognostic value beyond HPV status.

Methods: Global miRNA profilings were conducted on 88 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) OPC biopsies (p16-positive: 56; p16-negative: 32), wherein the expression levels of 365 miRNAs plus 3 endogenous controls were simultaneously measured using quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR. Seven FFPE specimens of histologically normal tonsils were used as controls.

Results: Overall, 224 miRNAs were expressed in more than 80% of the investigated samples, with 128 (57%) being significantly differentially expressed between tumor versus normal tissues (P < 0.05). Upregulated miR-20b, miR-9, and miR-9* were significantly associated with HPV/p16-status. Three miRNA sets were significantly associated with overall survival (miR-107, miR-151, miR-492; P = 0.0002), disease-free survival (miR-20b, miR-107, miR-151, miR-182, miR-361; P = 0.0001), and distant metastasis (miR-151, miR-152, miR-324-5p, miR-361, miR492; P = 0.0087), which retained significance even after adjusting for p16 status. The associated biologic functions of these miRNAs include immune surveillance, treatment resistance, invasion, and metastasis.

Conclusion: We have identified several miRNAs, which associate with HPV status in OPC; furthermore, three candidate prognostic sets of miRNAs seem to correlate with clinical outcome, independent of p16 status. Furthermore, evaluations will offer biologic insights into the mechanisms underlying the differences between HPV-positive versus HPV-negative OPC. Clin Cancer Res; 19(8); 2154–62. ©2013 AACR.
Molecular Dissection of Microsatellite Instable Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Vilar Eduardo , Tabernero Josep
Published: March 2013

Colorectal cancer was one of the first solid tumors to be classified on the basis of molecular profiling. Microsatellite instability has allowed researchers to distinguish a specific subtype of colorectal cancer that has a clearly identified molecular origin (mismatch repair deficiency), arises on a hereditary and sporadic basis, is linked to a clear clinicopathologic profile, and has prognostic implications. Inconclusive predictive data along with a paucity of targeted drug development have prevented this molecular classification system from being implemented in the clinical setting. New high-throughput genomic data have validated it, thus stressing the fact that it is ready to be applied clinically.

Significance: Application of a molecular classification of colorectal cancer in the clinical arena is an unmet promise. Recent results of large-scale genomic analyses have provided confirmation and further insights into the molecular biology of already known colorectal cancer subgroups. The quintessential example is the microsatellite instability subgroup, which has been well characterized during the past 2 decades. Future drug development and clinical research initiatives in colorectal oncology should consider these and other known cancer subgroups and start targeting these selected patient populations. Cancer Discov; 3(5); 502–11. ©2012 AACR.
Pravastatin Attenuates Hypertension, Oxidative Stress, and Angiogenic Imbalance in Rat Model of Placental Ischemia-Induced Hypertension
Authors: Bauer Ashley J. , Banek Christopher T. , Needham Karen , Gillham Haley , Capoccia Susan , Regal Jean F. , Gilbert Jeffrey S.
Published: March 2013

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific condition characterized by an imbalance of circulating angiogenic factors and new-onset hypertension. Although current treatment options are limited, recent studies suggest that pravastatin may improve angiogenic profile and reduce blood pressure in preeclampsia. We hypothesized pravastatin would restore angiogenic balance and reduce mean arterial pressure (MAP) in rats with reduced utero-placental perfusion pressure (RUPP)-induced hypertension. Pravastatin was administered intraperitoneally (1 mg/kg per day) in RUPP (RUPP+P) and normal pregnant rats (NP+P) from day 14 to 19 of pregnancy. On day 19, MAP was measured via catheter, conceptus data were recorded, and tissues collected. MAP was increased (
P
<0.05) in RUPP compared with NP dams, and pravastatin ameliorated this difference. Pravastatin attenuated decreased fetal weight and plasma vascular endothelial growth factor and the RUPP-induced increased soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 when compared with NP dams. Pravastatin treatment did not improve angiogenic potential in RUPP serum and decreased (
P
<0.05) endothelial tube formation in NP rats. RUPP rats presented with indices of oxidative stress, such as increased placental catalase activity and plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances along with decreased plasma total antioxidant capacity compared with NP controls, and pravastatin attenuated these effects. MAP, fetal weight, plasma vascular endothelial growth factor, and plasma soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 were unchanged in NP+P compared with NP controls. The present data indicate that treatment with pravastatin attenuates oxidative stress and lowers MAP in placental ischemia-induced hypertension, but may have negative effects on circulating angiogenic potential during pregnancy. Further studies are needed to determine whether there are long-term deleterious effects on maternal or fetal health after pravastatin treatment during pregnancy-induced hypertension or preeclampsia.
Circulating Angiogenic Factors and Urinary Prolactin as Predictors of Adverse Outcomes in Women With Preeclampsia
Authors: Leaños-Miranda Alfredo , Campos-Galicia Inova , Ramírez-Valenzuela Karla Leticia , Chinolla-Arellano Zarela Lizbeth , Isordia-Salas Irma
Published: March 2013

Preeclampsia is characterized by an imbalance in angiogenic factors. Urinary prolactin (PRL) levels and its antiangiogenic PRL fragments have been associated with disease severity. In this study, we assessed whether these biomarkers are associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in preeclamptic women. We studied 501 women with preeclampsia attended at a tertiary care hospital. Serum concentrations of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble endoglin (sEng), as well as urinary PRL levels, were measured by enzymed-linked immunosorbent assay. Antiangiogenic PRL fragments were determined by immunoblotting. The risk for any adverse maternal outcome and for having a small-for-gestational-age infant was higher among women with sFlt-1/PlGF ratios, sEng, and urinary PRL level values in the highest quartile (odds ratios ≥2.7), compared with the lowest quartile. Both urinary PRL levels and the presence of antiangiogenic PRL fragments were more closely associated with the risk of specific adverse maternal outcomes (placental abruption, hepatic hematoma or rupture, acute renal failure, pulmonary edema, maternal death, and need for endotracheal intubation, positive inotropic drug support, and hemodialysis; odds ratios ≥5.7 and ≥4.7, respectively) than either sFlt-1/PlGF ratio or sEng alone. We concluded that in preeclamptic women at the time of initial evaluation, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio and sEng are associated with increased risk of combined adverse maternal outcomes. However, urinary PRL concentrations and its antiangiogenic fragments appear to be better predictors of an adverse maternal outcome and may be useful for risk stratification in preeclampsia.
A Nuclear Rapture: The Apocalyptic Art of Kenny Scharf
Authors: Phillips Natalie E.
Published: March 2013

Abstract

The art of Kenny Scharf is paradoxical in nature. He combines carefree cartoon worlds with distinctly religious apocalyptic images of terrifying nuclear holocaust. The odd juxtapositions Scharf creates between the horrific and the benign are the artist’s means of coping with his own apocalyptic anxiety, as well as a critique of the self-destructive behavior of American society in the 1980s. At the time, Ronald Reagan’s strong doomsday rhetoric and his emphasis on the Arms Race collided with the AIDS Crisis, creating a specific 1980s brand of the apocalyptic. Scharf responds to this widespread, heightened anxiety by using the cartoon (and a cartoon-based religion of his own invention) as a purposefully ludicrous anesthetic to numb his apocalyptic fears.
Introduction to Special Issue
Authors: Deplazes-Zemp Anna
Published: March 2013

“Life” is a central concept in multiple cultures and academic disciplines. Reports on “human-made life” in the context of synthetic biology provide an interesting opportunity to introduce and compare different notions of the central concept of “life” and to discuss the idea of artificial life.
How Do We See That Something Is Living? Synthetic Creatures and Phenomenology of Perception
Authors: Rehmann-Sutter Christoph
Published: March 2013

The creation of synthetic life forms raises the question of what we mean when we say that a synthetic cell is “alive.” This paper analyzes the problem of aliveness both as an epistemological question (how can we know?) and as a phenomenological question (how can we perceive?). It introduces basic concepts that can be used in a phenomenological analysis of the “givenness” of life and argues that aliveness can only be seen with reference to the experiences of the observer as him/herself living. Life is therefore inherently ambiguous. When perceiving other life forms, we are aware of our own life. In order to develop a concept of the “other life” of a synthetic bacterium, we need to be aware of projecting perceptual evidence of our own life onto that of other species. The concept of “other life” can address a very basic layer: seeing another life form’s being-in-the-world as (1) a center of its own spontaneity, (2) a particular way of being in time that can be described as duration, and (3) as a system of processes that contain their own sense as practices.
The Oromo Conception of Life: An Introduction
Authors: Kelbessa Workineh
Published: March 2013

This article examines the Oromo conception of life. The Oromo believe that Waaqa is the creator of all things and the source of all life. Accordingly, the concept of “artificial life” does not exist in the Oromo worldview. Life is a sophisticated system and can only be created by a perfect being. Human beings are not above other creatures and cannot despoil them as they wish. They are part of the natural world that is given a special place in the diversity of the cosmos; they are endowed with the intelligence that enables them to understand cosmic events. Thus, God requires humans to responsibly cohabit the Earth with other creatures. This study relies on literature review, interviews and personal observation.
So Much Law so Little Protection! A Case Study of the Protection of the Narwhal
Authors: Fitzmaurice Malgosia
Published: March 2013

Abstract

This essay investigates the effectiveness of various international instruments at global, regional, bilateral and European levels and national legislation in relation to the protection of the narwhal. Narwhal is listed on almost all the most important conventions protecting biodiversity as endangered species, as well as the CITES. However, due to various gaps in the law and in some instances disagreements between States parties to conventions how to interpret their jurisdictional scope (e.g. the International Whaling Convention), narwhal are not sufficiently protected and its numbers are dwindling towards extinction. However, there is no a simple answer to this state of affairs as there are a multitude of factors, ecological, sociological and political which play a role in the management of narwhal stocks. The best way forward is basing the future cooperation regarding this issue at the regional or bilateral levels, as the directly involved and interested stakeholders will find the most acceptable solution, which will take into account all the above-mentioned factors.
Protecting Polar Wilderness: Just a Western Philosophical Idea or a Useful Concept for Regulating Human Activities in the Polar Regions?
Authors: Bastmeijer Kees
Published: March 2013

Abstract

This article focuses on the question to what extent wilderness protection receives attention in the international governance systems for the Polar Regions (Arctic Council and Antarctic Treaty System). First, on the basis of a definition of the term ‘wilderness’, the role of law in protecting wilderness is discussed. Next, attention is focused on wilderness protection in the Arctic and Antarctic. It is concluded that the international governance systems pay very little attention to the preservation of the Polar Regions as the last relatively untouched wildernesses on earth. The applicability of various multilateral environmental agreements (particularly the Arctic) is not very helpful in this respect as wilderness protection does not receive substantial attention in these legal instruments either. In view of the broad acknowledgement of the wilderness values of the Polar Regions and the fast increase of commercial activities in these regions, the author urges stakeholders involved in the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Treaty System to open the debate on relevant questions: What are wilderness values in the context of the Polar Regions and when would these values be affected? For the Arctic, how could wilderness protection be integrated in the efforts regarding sustainable development to ensure the right balance between wilderness protection and the protection of indigenous peoples rights? The questions are certainly complex; however, excluding these questions from the international governance debate with the argument that the concept is too vague, subjective or sensitive will most certainly result in a continuing loss of untouched nature, both in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Terrestrial Area Management in Polar Regions: Applying the Eco-System-Based Approach to the Coalface of Climate Change
Authors: Jeffery Michael I.
Published: March 2013

Abstract

This paper will outline the challenges for the protection of biodiversity and wilderness in the polar regions that are becoming increasingly evident from impacts attributed to climate change, globalisation and energy resource development. Although all of these impacts have significant adverse environmental consequences for fragile marine eco-systems, the terrestrial areas in these regions are also in danger of experiencing irreversible damage unless immediate attention is given to address the situation through a concerted and focused effort on the part of the several nations claiming sovereignty over these disputed areas. In particular, the paper will use the plight of the polar bear, that has just recently been designated as a ‘threatened’ specie under the US Endangered Species Act, as a case study of how terrestrial area management in polar regions must adapt to a rapidly changing set of parameters.
Implementing Sustainable Development in the Arctic: What Principles Should Guide Environmental Governance in Traditional Areas of Indigenous Peoples Facing the Impacts of Climate Change
Authors: Craig Donna
Published: March 2013

Abstract

The social and human rights implications of climate change, adaptation and mitigation have received relatively little attention. Yet the human costs of climate change directly threaten fundamental human rights. Equity issues also arise in the climate change context because of its disproportionate impact on already vulnerable people, Indigenous peoples and communities. This article commences with a review of human rights and sustainable development in the specific context of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not undertake a comprehensive study of all aspects of Indigenous environmental governance in the Arctic. Rather, it seeks to explore the wider principles and international standards that are potentially applicable to the social and human rights dimensions of sustainable development in the Arctic in the context of the impacts of climate change.
Protecting Antarctica from Non-Native Species: The Imperatives and the Impediments
Authors: Potter Sandra
Published: March 2013

Abstract

The introduction of non-native species and disease into the Antarctic environment has long been recognised as a matter of concern within the Antarctic Treaty System. Yet the system’s forums have little-considered the policy implications and the practical means of addressing the issue – suggesting there is merit in revisiting the protection imperative as it exists for Antarctica, and in exploring the impediments to advancing the region’s biosecurity. Factors bearing on action taken to minimise introductions include the perspectives held as to where the introduction threats and management priorities lie, parties’ differing interpretations of the practical obligations arising from the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, the complexity of program operations coupled with the dictates of logistical expediency, the projected costs of implementing precautionary protection measures, the commitment of individuals to implementing quarantine procedures, and the realisation that no system can provide complete protection. Notwithstanding such issues, in May 2008, Australia, China, India, Romania and the Russian Federation jointly agreed upon a suite of measures aimed at minimising introductions to the Larsemann Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica, where they all have operational bases. It is hoped that the development of this first multilateral Antarctic biosecurity initiative will prompt other parties to actively engage on determining the best means of providing Antarctica with an appropriate level of protection.
A Bird’s-Eye View of Arctic Governance: Reflecting on the Role of International Law in Arctic Cooperation from a Bird Conservation Perspective
Authors: Trouwborst Arie
Published: March 2013

Abstract

This article discusses the role of international law in environmental governance in the Arctic. It does so from the perspective of bird conservation. Challenges in the latter field are introduced, including the impact of climate change on Arctic bird habitats and the incidental mortality of seabirds in Arctic fisheries. The ability of the current international legal framework in the Arctic to meet these challenges is scrutinised, and future scenarios for its enhancement are explored, including the conclusion of (a) new legally binding agreement(s). Five species receive particular attention as part of this exercise: gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea), spoon-billed sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus), Kittlitz’s murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) and Brünnich’s guillemot (Uria lomvia). Special attention is also devoted to the issue of seabird bycatch.
Arctic Fisheries Conservation and Management: Initial Steps of Reform of the International Legal Framework
Authors: Molenaar E.J.
Published: March 2013

Abstract

The dramatic impacts that global climate change are expected to have in the future also extend to Arctic marine capture fisheries. Arctic marine ecosystems will change in various ways and this is among other things likely to create new or expanded fishing opportunities. This article assesses the adequacy of the current international legal and policy framework for Arctic fisheries conservation and management – both substantively and institutionally – in responding to the likely and potential impacts that such new or expanded fishing opportunities could have on target and nontarget species, the broader marine ecosystem and the livelihoods of indigenous peoples. The overview of the international legal and policy framework that is offered in this article is followed by the identification of gaps in this framework and in national regulation, and of options for addressing them. These options include increased efforts in the sphere of research and data gathering, bilateral fisheries management arrangements between Arctic Ocean coastal states, a declaration on new and existing fisheries in the Arctic Ocean and a state-of-the-art regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) or Arrangement. Finally, some observations are made on integrated, cross-sectoral ecosystem-based oceans management.
Do the Continental Shelf Developments Challenge the Polar Regimes?
Authors: Koivurova Timo
Published: March 2013

Abstract

The article will provide a study of the continental shelf submissions that have been made in the polar regions and an evaluation as to whether these pose a challenge to the two polar regimes: the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Treaty System. This will be done by comparing these regimes, examining the development of the law of the sea as regards seabed rights and studying what sort of challenge the polar regimes face from the continental shelf activity in both polar regions and how serious that challenge is. Conclusions are finally drawn as to what types of effects may ensue for the polar regimes from the continental shelf submissions by various states.
Reactions and Overreactions to the Russian Flag on the Seabed at the North Pole
Authors: Serdy Andrew
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Despite alarmist media reports and rhetoric from some who should know better, there is no cause for concern about Russian activities on the Arctic seabed. While the melting Arctic Ocean ice cover will have profound consequences for navigation, there is no reason for the resources regime of the continental shelf (including the part beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines) to be affected, and whatever happens on the seabed will have no effect on sovereignty over the land. The gimmickry of the flag-planting aside, most of the criticism of Russian activities incorrectly assumes they depart from the established international legal framework. In fact they are a good example of compliance with the framework that will have the beneficial effect of contributing to legal certainty about jurisdictional boundaries. Under the rules in Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea for establishing the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, Russia and other coastal States are not making “claims” but merely technical submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on where the outer limits of their shelves run. The geological circumstances of the Lomonossov Ridge traversing the North Pole may well support the enclosure of at least part of it within Russia’s continental shelf, and possibly the same would apply to a submission by Denmark from the other (Greenland) end of the Ridge, which it has until 2014 to make. In practice, the distance of the central Arctic Ocean from markets, extreme conditions and high extraction costs make hydrocarbon exploitation there unlikely even at the high oil prices of mid-2008.
The Barents Sea 2010 Norway-Russia Border: The Triumph of the Negotiation Principle at the Expense of the Median- and Sector Line Pretentions
Authors: Ørebech Peter
Published: March 2013

Abstract

The delimitation line that after 40 years of negotiation (2010) marks the offshore border between Norway and Russia is resulting from longstanding talks according to the negotiation principle as manifest in UNCLOS (1982) Article 74 and 83. Beyond the territorial sea the function of the median (equidistance)- and the sector line is nothing but diplomatic pretensions at the negotiation table. This article illustrates the demise of the sector line as a delimitation principle of the law of the sea in the Barents Sea. The reference point of the outcome of the negotiation is not geodetic nor geographic physical points, but simply the “half way solution” between two politically based claims, the sector line (Russia) and the median line (Norway). This solution is not contradictory to court practice.
Material Talk: The Arctic Continental Shelf in the Law of the Sea Convention Discussion of the United States
Authors: Torssonen Sami
Published: March 2013

Abstract

The legal status of a large area of the Arctic seafloor is currently being redefined as the rapid melting of polar ice is enabling the exploitation and study of resource-rich underwater areas. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea contains legal rules for establishing exploitation rights to the newly accessible seafloor. The United States has not joined the Law of the Sea Convention but may be legally entitled to areas of the Arctic seafloor, which has caused an upsurge of political discussion among U.S. political elites. In this article, I examine the process by which Arctic seafloor and ice come to influence policy discussion in the United States. I highlight the way in which material policy influence can be treated as historical rather than monocausal by using new materialist theory.
The Colors of Sound: Poikilia and Its Aesthetic Contexts
Authors: LeVen Pauline A.
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Poikilos and poikilia are, respectively, an adjective and a noun commonly used to describe characteristics of both visual and aural phenomena. But how do the two uses (as term of color and term of sound) relate to each other, and does poikilos metaphorically describe the “colors” of sounds? In examining the semantics and ideological connotations of poikilos and poikilia, as well as the contribution they make to an archaeology of the senses, this paper reflects on the connection between senses, language, experience and representation. It argues for a transformation, between the archaic and late classical period, in the way poikilos is used to qualify aspects of the musical experience. In archaic and early classical poetry, poikilos captures, rather than a specific feature of sound, a certain mode of relationship with an object, a rapt pleasure in the experience of the beauty of the object through all senses. Later uses of poikilos however, especially in connection with the New Music, rely on the (negative) ideological, rather than sensual, dimension of the term, while technical musical vocabulary adopts the metaphor of colors (chrōmata) to describe specific features of music and sound.
Dynamical Downscaling of Austral Summer Climate Forecasts over Southern Africa Using a Regional Coupled Model
Authors: Ratnam J. V. , Behera S. K. , Ratna S. B. , Rautenbach C. J. de W. , Lennard C. , Luo J.-J. , Masumoto Y. , Takahashi K. , Yamagata T.
Published: March 2013

The prediction skill of dynamical downscaling is evaluated for climate forecasts over southern Africa using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. As a case study, forecasts for the December–February (DJF) season of 2011/12 are evaluated. Initial and boundary conditions for the WRF model were taken from the seasonal forecasts of the Scale Interaction Experiment-Frontier Research Center for Global Change (SINTEX-F) coupled general circulation model. In addition to sea surface temperature (SST) forecasts generated by nine-member ensemble forecasts of SINTEX-F, the WRF was also configured to use SST generated by a simple mixed layer Price–Weller–Pinkel ocean model coupled to the WRF model. Analysis of the ensemble mean shows that the uncoupled WRF model significantly increases the biases (errors) in precipitation forecasted by SINTEX-F. When coupled to a simple mixed layer ocean model, the WRF model improves the spatial distribution of precipitation over southern Africa through a better representation of the moisture fluxes. Precipitation anomalies forecasted by the coupled WRF are seen to be significantly correlated with the observed precipitation anomalies over South Africa, Zimbabwe, southern Madagascar, and parts of Zambia and Angola. This is in contrast to the SINTEX-F global model precipitation anomaly forecasts that are closer to observations only for parts of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Therefore, the dynamical downscaling with the coupled WRF adds value to the SINTEX-F precipitation forecasts over southern Africa. However, the WRF model yields positive biases (>2°C) in surface air temperature forecasts over the southern African landmass in both the coupled and uncoupled configurations because of biases in the net heat fluxes.
CHIOME NERE … CON QUALCOSA D'ALTRO
Authors: Grimaldi Emma
Published: March 2013

“… capelli scuri e occhi neri sono più affini al sublime, capelli biondi e occhi azzurri al bello.” (I.KANT, Osservazioni sul sentimento del bello e del sublime.)
A Balanced Displacement: Images of Vision and Silence in Erri de Luca's Non Ora, Non Qui
Authors: Spunta Marina
Published: March 2013

Chi scrive storie è uno spudorato. Anche se narra fantascienza, finisce per metterci dentro il proprio incidente personale. lo scrivo le mie perché prima ancora di pubblicarle scrivevo per me, per mia compagnia o per raccontare qualche mia vicenda a qualcuno che ormai non viveva più. Mi sembra, ancora oggi, che l'atto di scrivere permetta di riannodarsi agli assenti. Non invento gran che, a volte cerco solo di dare a una vicenda vissuta un'intelligenza che non ebbe, un senso che non trovavo allora, oppure di dare al passato un'altra possibilità che prima avevo trascurato. A Napoli si insegna presto: ‘Fatti i fatti tuoi.’ lo in scrittura ubbidisco.2
The Comic Old Man in a Medicean Context: Lorenzino, the Florentine “New Brutus,” and ARIDOSIA
Authors: Ellis Anthony
Published: March 2013

Playwright Lorenzino de' Medici (1514–48) is best known for assassinating his cousin and patron Alessandro, the despotic Duke of Florence, in 1537 and for justifying the murder publicly in an Apologia, which advocated the restoration of republican government in the city. While Lorenzino's stage comedy Aridosia (1536) has received considerable critical attention, its own political implications — its standing as ideological precursor to the apology — have been underestimated. With its central character, the miserly senex Aridosio, the play delineates an advanced form of corruption consonant with the wider ills described in the Apologia. The domestic tyrant's obsessive resolve to keep his wealth from his children evokes the Medicean determination to maintain absolute control in Florence. At other moments, Aridosio's unflattering portrayal recalls a different target: the older generation of greedy Florentine aristocrats, whom Lorenzino also charged with hindering the republican cause. The significant modifications made to the Plautine and Terentian source plays support this reading of Aridosia as political allegory.
On Meandering Paths without a Map: Petrarch's Pursuit of a Safe Haven
Authors: Bertoletti Isabella
Published: March 2013

This study follows Petrarch on his poetic journey along the Rerum vulgarium fragmenta. Though his wanderings have distinguished predecessors in St. Augustine and Dante, it is well known that Petrarch turned down their guidance. He draws freely on the writing of both to tackle sensitive issues relating to his personal and spiritual exile. It is, however, questionable whether their conversion provides a model for the harbor secured at the end of the lyrical collection. Petrarch's fear to release his vernacular language among the common people he frequently decried, furthermore, duplicated the weight of anxiety he associated with being vagrant and homeless. Petrarch, instead, identifies an affinity between his peripatetic life and that of the ancient seafarer Ulysses; in his devotion to the classical past and activity as a poet he turns to the demeanor of his devoted wife Penelope. By portraying himself torn between two seemingly conflicting kindred spirits, he liquidates the terms of the debate set by his predecessors and points in the direction of a resolution between the rhythm of adventure and social exchange, and the solitary and ordered tempo of weaving. With his masterful control of rhetoric and terminology, Petrarch successfully exchanges aesthetic/public for ethical ambitions. A nostalgic of classical culture, he completes his journey to a metaphorical home by extending the ideal of one formal, stable language to the vernacular, and his point of arrival becomes in turn a point of departure for humanist culture.
Love and Destruction in the Decameron: Cimone and Calandrino
Authors: Cozzarelli Julia M.
Published: March 2013

This study explores the concepts of imagination, love and reason as portrayed in the stories of two characters in Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. Through Cimone and Calandrino, the author shows how Boccaccio intertwines imagination and the passion of love, manipulating their fragile relationship with rational thought. A primary purpose of the novella of Cimone is to point out the weaknesses that underlie notions of idealized, stilnovist love; and the fourth tale of Calandrino is its humorous counterpart. Of special interest to this study is the fact that Boccaccio displays the concept of love with an emphasis not only on its failure to bring one to wisdom, but on its potential for danger. The essay also argues that while Boccaccio uses these tales to demonstrate the destructive force of erotic love, through them he also portrays the complicated ambiguity of the imagination.
LA STRATEGIA DELLA “CORNICE” NEL DECAMERON DI PIER PAOLO PASOLINI
Authors: Moroni Mario
Published: March 2013

This article discusses Pier Paolo Pasolini's cinematic adaptation of Boccaccio's Decameron. Taking as a point of departure the issue of filmmaking by the book, as it has developed among scholars in the field of film studies, the article addresses the issue of Pasolini's strategy for the construction of authorship through his Decameron. In particular, the article takes up and develops Patrick Rumble's reflections on Pasolini's choice to replace Boccaccio's narrative frame with a kind of cinematic frame, constituted by the presence of two main characters: Ciappelletto and Giotto. Through the analysis of specific episodes of the movie and of Pasolini's own script of the Decameron, the article concludes that the strategiy of the “cornice” both works as a means for the construction of Pasolini's own authority and allows a masochistic process, in Pasolini's Decameron and in his entire career, to emerge.
Statius and Dante's Giants: The Thebaid and the Commedia
Authors: Butler George F.
Published: March 2013

Near the beginning of Inferno 31, Dante's pilgrim mistakes the giants of Cocytus for a wall of towers surrounding a city. While Dante's account does not have a clear parallel in the Aeneid or Metamorphoses, it summons the Thebaid. In the underworld of Statius' poem, soldiers who are the offspring of Mars encircle a blood-red lake. Statius calls them earth-born, and his phrase links them with the rebellious giants of classical myth. Statius also stresses their love of war. So too, Dante emphasizes the ferocity of his giants and associates them with Mars; and Cocytus is fed by Phlegethon, which is red with blood. Dante finds in Statius a precedent for commenting on the moral qualities of his giants, and he evokes the Thebaid to underscore their violence and stupidity. In doing so he reinforces the authority of Statius, who will guide the pilgrim through purgatory; underscores Thebes as a model for the city of Dis; and points to the Thebaid as a poem that is possibly more significant than Virgil's Aeneid.
I “CUNTI” E LA MARCHESA DI AGNELLO HORNBY
Authors: Vitelli Caterina Falotico
Published: March 2013

Dal 2000 mi ha scompigliato tutti i piani. Procedevo bene con i miei tre lavori, di avvocato, di barrister e di giudice, con i miei tre nipoti e il prossimo in arrivo. Avevo in mente una ricerca sul diritto di famiglia islamico, dopo quella che abbiamo già realizzato con il mio studio, sul diritto caraibico. Perché i miei clienti hanno bisogno di sentire che quando mi parlano io li capisco. Qualcosa dovrò lasciare.