bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risking Everything: Political Theatre for Mass Audiences in Rural Germany
Authors: Phipps Alison M.
Published: January 2009

In the south-west German village of Hayingen, the playwright-director Martin Schleker presents large open-air productions of politically sensitive yet entertaining plays to mass audiences on an annual basis. This article explores the element of risk in Schleker's work: his use of purely amateur performers; his job-creation schemes for young people; and his left-wing and often anti-Catholic stance on issues such as racism and nuclear arms before often deeply conservative, culturally Catholic audiences. Schleker's work is situated in the wider context of the state-funded, civic theatres in Germany, and of the tradition of open-air ‘Naturtheater’ which is particularly strong in the Swabian region. Some assumptions surrounding such binary divides as amateur-professional and high art-entertainment are also explored. Data for this article was collected in the Hayingen ‘Naturtheater’ during a period of ethnographic research supported by the Leverhulme Trust. Having completed her doctorate at Sheffield University, Alison Phipps has been working as a lecturer in the Department of German – and in particular in the Centre for Intercultural Germanistics – at Glasgow University since October 1995. She has published in the areas of her research interests, which include contemporary German theatre and performance research, Ethnographic approaches to language education, and popular German culture and intercultural studies.
The Arts and National Renewal: the Ninth International Gathering of Group Theatre in Ayacucho, Peru
Authors: Watson Ian
Published: January 2009

Ian Watson's article looks at two separate but interrelated subjects – the role of the arts in remedying urban dereliction, now a global phenomenon; and the development of one specific arts gathering in healing the larger wounds of Peruvian society after years of civil warfare and economic chaos. It was from the Peruvian city of Ayacucho, in the late sixteenth century, that the first noteworthy revolt against the Spanish Conquistadors was launched, by the legendary Inca leader Túpac Amaru. It was to this city that Mario Delgado, founder of the Lima-based group Cuatrotablas, invited the Third Theatre gathering, just two years after its inauguration from Eugenio Barba's initiative in 1976. The use of the city as a base for the most prominent of the guerrilla groups made a decennial return of the Third Theatre gathering impossible – and the reasons for holding the 1998 gathering in Ayacucho all the stronger, not least because of the choice of the city by the state-funded agency PromPeru as a focus for national cultural regeneration. Ian Watson, an Advisory Editor and regular contributor to NTQ who teaches at the Rutgers campus of the State University of New Jersey, knits together the threads of the story.
Sarah Kane: an Appreciation
Authors: Rabellato Dan
Published: January 2009

Sarah Kane was born on 3 February 1971 and committed suicide on 20 February 1999. She achieved reluctant notoriety with Blasted at the Royal Court in 1995, which, like many plays later recognised as dramatic landmarks, was villified at the time by the critics but passionately defended by many theatre practitioners. Dan Rebellato mourns the death and celebrates the life of the writer, and assesses her plays and their lasting significance.
Computer Intelligence in the Theatre
Authors: Lovell Robb E.
Published: January 2009

How can computer intelligence best be employed in the theatre? Imagine that a computer is given the ability to control electronically all the media of the stage, and is able to sense and understand in an abstract way what is happening in that space. Furthermore, suppose that the computer is given the ability to reason about what is happening and could construct abstract responses through media. What would it be possible for the computer to do? The theatrical space is the computer's body, the electronic media the limbs, cameras and microphones used as sensors are the eyes and ears, a speech generation program the mouth, and the CPUs and internal programming are the brains, used to interact with the physical world. The space that holds the performance becomes an environment generated from behaviours of the computer, responding to and shaped by performers, designers, and technicians. Robb E. Lovell describes how this kind of intelligent environment can expand the expressive potential of traditional theatre in many ways, and considers how this will affect the viewers' and performers' perceptions, setting out some of the pros and cons of the involvement of computer intelligence in performance settings. Computer involvement is not, he argues, about the death of traditional theatre forms, but rather about their growth into new realms of expressiveness. Robb Lovell is a resident artist/technologist at the Institute for Studies in the Arts (ISA) at Arizona State University. He is co-creator of the Intelligent Stage, a theatrical space that registers sensory input through video and audio, and responds through lights, sound, video, animation, and robotics. He is currently creating tools for artists and technicians based on the technology of the Intelligent Stage – tools that allow artists to create interactive mediated works. He is working on a practical PhD in Interactive Theatre Design through the Institute for New Media Performance Research.
The Arts Council Touring Franchise and English Political Theatre after 1986
Authors: Brown Ian , Brannen Robert , Brown Douglas
Published: January 2009

The pressures of Thatcherism on theatre funding in the 'eighties were severe, but the early harshness was tempered by several factors. One was the positive influence of the Cork Report, particularly on touring and experimental theatre. Another, the authors believe, was a careful strategy of reallocation of funding to support creativity in English theatre, notably through the touring franchise scheme. Here, they analyze in detail the ways in which the English Arts Council operated the scheme in an attempt to revitalize aspects of English theatre from 1986 onwards, trace the change in the values of ‘political’ theatre over that period, and critically examine some received ideas in the light of the available evidence. Ian Brown is Dean of Arts and Professor of Theatre at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, Rob Brannen is a Senior Lecturer in Drama at De Montfort University, Bedford. Douglas Brown is Assistant Director, Scottish Centre for Cultural Management and Policy, at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh.
An Iranian Passion Play: ‘Taziyeh’ in History and Performance
Authors: Ale-Mohammed Reza
Published: January 2009

Theatre of a kind familiar to western audiences can be found in present-day Tehran – as Clive Barker's contribution to the ‘Reports and Announcements’ section later in this issue testifies. But Iran also has a traditional performing mode little known in the West – the Taziyeh, first performed in Britain at the Islamic Cultural Centre in London, and elsewhere, during April 2000. Taziyeh is a passion play, which like its medieval Christian antecedents remains inextricably linked with its religious purpose – the commemoration of the martyrdom of the third Imam of the Shi'ite Muslims, Ali Hussein, and his family in the desert of Kerbala. This relationship sustains a dramaturgy which diverges significantly from western forms, and seems at times almost contradictory – with actors who clearly know their parts by heart none the less required to read them from their scripts, to sustain both the immediacy and the spiritual truth of the performance. In this account of the origins, development, and present state of the Taziyeh, Reza Ale-Mohammed resolves such contradictions through an analysis of the play's distinctive quality, its performance, and its relationship with the audiences it reaches and the faith it expresses. Reza Ale-Mohammed recently completed his doctorate on the Taziyeh at the University of Warwick.
The Masks of Greek Tragedy as Point of Departure for Modern Performance
Authors: Vervain Chris , Wiles David
Published: January 2009

In this article, David Wiles and Chris Vervain stake out the ground for a substantial programme of continuing research. Chris Vervain, coming from a background in visual and performance art, is in the first instance a maker of masks. She is also now writing a thesis on the masks of classical tragedy and their possibilities in modern performance, and, in association with the University of Glasgow, working on an AHRB research programme that involves testing the effect of Greek New Comedy masks in performance. David Wiles, Professor of Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, has published books on the masks of Greek New Comedy and on Greek performance space, and lectured on Greek masks. Most recently, hisGreek Theatre Performance: an Introduction(Cambridge University Press, 2000) included an investigation of the classical mask and insights provided by the work of Lecoq. He is now planning a book on the classical Greek mask. Wiles and Vervain are both committed to the idea that the mask was the determining convention which gave Greek tragedy its identity in the ancient world, and is a valuable point of departure for modern practitioners engaging with the form. They anticipate that their research will in the near future incorporate a symposium and a further report on work-in-progress.
Empty Stages: Teatr Provisorium and the Polish Alternative Theatre
Authors: Howard Tony , Kuhiwczak Piotr
Published: January 2009

In Autumn 1986 Teatr Provisorium from eastern Poland became the latest of the radical groups from that country to visit Britain after an imposed absence. Like the pioneering Teatr Osmego Dnia a year earlier (featured in NTQ8), they came through the support of the Chapter Arts Centre. Cardiff, the Brith Gof Theatre from Aberystwyth. and contacts at Warwick University. Shortly after their previous English performances at the first LIFT festival, most of the company were imprisoned under martial law – what Poles call ‘the War State’ – and one of their company left Poland for good shortly after his release. In the Spring of 1986 they were officially downgraded to the status of unpaid amateurs in an effort to reduce their output. But the company's director. Janusz Oprynski, believes that their work has not changed fundamentally since its foundation: ‘The theatrical space has not changed; nor has our way of creating a theatrical reality. The most important thing is that drama gives us a possibility of transposing personal experience into the language of theatre and this is perhaps – it should be – the most interesting part of theatre work’. In this composite piece, the full context is provided by the whole company in discussion with Tony Howard, who also describes their most recent productions, and finally Piotr Kuhiwczak, a Warsaw lecturer and essayist, speaks with Janusz Oprynski shortly after his arrival in Britain. The translation is by Barbara Plebanek.
Stress response and the adolescent transition: Performance versus peer rejection stressors
Authors: Stroud Laura R. , Foster Elizabeth , Papandonatos George D. , Handwerger Kathryn , Granger Douglas A. , Kivlighan Katie T. , Niaura Raymond
Published: January 2009

Little is known about normative variation in stress response over the adolescent transition. This study examined neuroendocrine and cardiovascular responses to performance and peer rejection stressors over the adolescent transition in a normative sample. Participants were 82 healthy children (ages 7–12 years,n= 39, 22 females) and adolescents (ages 13–17,n= 43, 20 females) recruited through community postings. Following a habituation session, participants completed a performance (public speaking, mental arithmetic, mirror tracing) or peer rejection (exclusion challenges) stress session. Salivary cortisol, salivary alpha amylase (sAA), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), and heart rate were measured throughout. Adolescents showed significantly greater cortisol, sAA, SBP, and DBP stress response relative to children. Developmental differences were most pronounced in the performance stress session for cortisol and DBP and in the peer rejection session for sAA and SBP. Heightened physiological stress responses in typical adolescents may facilitate adaptation to new challenges of adolescence and adulthood. In high-risk adolescents, this normative shift may tip the balance toward stress response dysregulation associated with depression and other psychopathology. Specificity of physiological response by stressor type highlights the importance of a multisystem approach to the psychobiology of stress and may also have implications for understanding trajectories to psychopathology.
Caregiver unresolved loss and abuse and child behavior problems: Intergenerational effects in a high-risk sample
Authors: Zajac Kristyn , Kobak Roger
Published: January 2009

This study examines the intergenerational effects of caregivers' unresolved loss and abuse on children's behavior problems from middle childhood to early adolescence in an economically disadvantaged sample. One hundred twenty-four caregivers completed the Adult Attachment Interbiew (AAI) and a lifetime trauma interview during the age 13 wave of the study. Child behavior problems were assessed at four time points (ages 6, 8, 10, and 13) with teacher-reported Child Behavior Checklist total problem scales. The children of insecure caregivers with unresolved loss showed a consistent pattern of increased behavior problems from middle childhood to early adolescence. Caregivers' AAI status accounted for more variance in child behavior problems than did an alternative model of caregiver psychopathology (depression and dissociation). The results extend the literature on the effects of caregiver unresolved states of mind beyond infancy to older children and adolescents.
Trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms over her child's life span: Relation to adrenocortical, cardiovascular, and emotional functioning in children
Authors: Gump Brooks B. , Reihman Jacki , Stewart Paul , Lonky Ed , Darvill Tom , Granger Douglas A. , Matthews Karen A.
Published: January 2009

Maternal depression has a number of adverse effects on children. In the present study, maternal depressive symptoms were assessed (using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) when their child was 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 4.25 years, 6 years, 7 years, 8 years, and 10 years of age. At 9.5 years of age, children's (94 females, 82 males) depressive symptoms as well as cardiovascular and cortisol levels during baseline and two psychologically stressful tasks were measured. Using multilevel modeling, maternal depressive symptom trajectories were considered in relation to their child's adrenocortical and cardiovascular responses to acute stress. Our goal was to determine maternal depressive symptom trajectories for children with elevated cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity to acute stress and elevated depressive symptoms. In general, those mothers with chronically elevated depressive symptoms over their child's life span had children with lower initial cortisol, higher cardiac output and stroke volume in response to acute stress, lower vascular resistance during acute stress tasks, and significantly more depressive symptoms at 9.5 years of age. These results are discussed in the context of established associations among hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation, depression, and cardiovascular disease.
Community violence: A meta-analysis on the effect of exposure and mental health outcomes of children and adolescents
Authors: Fowler Patrick J. , Tompsett Carolyn J. , Braciszewski Jordan M. , Jacques-Tiura Angela J. , Baltes Boris B.
Published: January 2009

Meta-analytic techniques were used to estimate the effects of exposure to community violence on mental health outcomes across 114 studies. Community violence had its strongest effects on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and externalizing problems and smallest impact on other internalizing symptoms. Victimization by community violence most predicted symptomatology compared to witnessing or hearing about community violence. Witnessing community violence had a greater effect than hearing about violence on externalizing problems, but both types of exposure had an equal impact on other internalizing problems. PTSD symptoms were equally predicted by victimization, witnessing, or hearing about community violence. Compared to children, adolescents reported a stronger relationship between externalizing behaviors and exposure, whereas children exhibited greater internalizing problems than did adolescents.
Learning Complexity vs Communication Complexity
Authors: LINIAL NATI , SHRAIBMAN ADI
Published: January 2009

This paper has two main focal points. We first consider an important class of machine learning algorithms: large margin classifiers, such as Support Vector Machines. The notion of margin complexity quantifies the extent to which a given class of functions can be learned by large margin classifiers. We prove that up to a small multiplicative constant, margin complexity is equal to the inverse of discrepancy. This establishes a strong tie between seemingly very different notions from two distinct areas.

In the same way that matrix rigidity is related to rank, we introduce the notion of rigidity of margin complexity. We prove that sign matrices with small margin complexity rigidity are very rare. This leads to the question of proving lower bounds on the rigidity of margin complexity. Quite surprisingly, this question turns out to be closely related to basic open problems in communication complexity, e.g., whether PSPACE can be separated from the polynomial hierarchy in communication complexity.

Communication is a key ingredient in many types of learning. This explains the relations between the field of learning theory and that of communication complexity [6, l0, 16, 26]. The results of this paper constitute another link in this rich web of relations. These new results have already been applied toward the solution of several open problems in communication complexity [18, 20, 29].
Evaluation of relative intake of fatty acids according to the Northern Sweden FFQ with fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes as biomarkers
Authors: Wennberg Maria , Vessby Bengt , Johansson Ingegerd
Published: January 2009

Objective

To evaluate the validity of the Northern Sweden eighty-four-item FFQ to estimate intake of fatty acids relative to 24 h diet recalls (24-HDR) and fatty acids in erythrocyte membranes.

Design

Participants, randomly recruited from the population-based Västerbotten Intervention Project, answered the eighty-four-item FFQ. During the following year each participant carried out ten 24-HDR. Intake of fatty acids measured by the FFQ was compared with intake by the 24-HDR and fatty acid levels in erythrocytes.

Setting

The county of Västerbotten in northern Sweden.

Subjects

Ninety-six men and ninety-nine women.

Results

Spearman correlation coefficients (rs) between intakes of the fatty acids 14 : 0, 15 : 0, 16 : 0, 17 : 0, 18 : 2n-6, 18 : 3n-3, 20 : 5n-3 and 22 : 6n-3 estimated by the FFQ and the 24-HDR were all significant and ranged from 0·29 (22 : 6n-3 in men and women) to 0·60 (16 : 0 in men), whereas significant correlations between FFQ-estimated intake and erythrocyte membrane content were only seen for milk fatty acids 14 : 0, 15 : 0 and 17 : 0 (rs = 0·23–0·34) and fish fatty acids 20 : 5n-3 and 22 : 6n-3 (rs = 0·42–0·51).

Conclusion

The Northern Sweden eighty-four-item FFQ gives a satisfactory estimate of the intake of fish fatty acids (20 : 5n-3 and 22 : 6n-3) and milk fatty acids (15 : 0 and 17 : 0), whereas its validity for fatty acids 18 : 2n-6 and 18 : 3n-3, derived mainly from vegetable oils, cannot be shown.
Vitamin D deficiency and nutritional status in elderly hospitalized subjects in Iceland
Authors: Ramel Alfons , Jonsson Palmi V , Bjornsson Sigurbjorn , Thorsdottir Inga
Published: January 2009

Objective

Poor nutrition and limited sunlight exposure (season) can be related to reduced serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations. Thus, elderly people in the Nordic countries might be at high risk for vitamin D deficiency. The aims of the study were to describe the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in elderly hospitalized patients in Reykjavik, Iceland, and to investigate the effects of nutritional status and season on serum 25(OH)D.

Design

Cross-sectional study. Nutritional status was assessed and fasting blood was drawn and analysed for serum 25(OH)D and other clinical routine measurements.

Setting

Departments of Geriatrics, Landspitali-University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland.

Subjects

Sixty hospitalized patients (mean age 83·0 (sd7·9) years) were randomly assigned.

Results

Of the patients, 12·3 % suffered from vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/l) and 71·9 % suffered from hypovitaminosis D (serum 25(OH)D = 25–75 nmol/l). There were no significant effects of gender or nutritional status on serum 25(OH)D. Anthropometric variables correlated significantly with serum 25(OH)D, but on stepwise linear regression modelling for the prediction of serum 25(OH)D, BMI remained the only predictor variable (B= −1·454, 95 % CI −2·535, −0·373,P= 0·009).

Conclusions

BMI was significantly negatively associated with serum 25(OH)D in hospitalized elderly patients. Neither nutritional status nor season significantly affected serum 25(OH)D in our patient group. Higher levels of serum 25(OH)D in elderly subjects with lower BMI are most likely explained by volume of distribution rather than by mobilization of vitamin D from its storage in adipose tissue due to age and disease-related catabolism.
Dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome factors in a non-diabetic Italian population
Authors: Leite Maria Léa Corrêa , Nicolosi Alfredo
Published: January 2009

Objective

To examine the relationship between dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome.

Design

Population-based cross-sectional study. The K-means clustering method was used to identify dietary patterns and logistic regression models were used to compare the adjusted prevalence rates of metabolic syndrome factors, stratifying by obesity status.

Setting

The 1992–3 Italian Bollate Eye Study, a population-based survey carried out in the town of Bollate (Milan), Italy.

Subjects

A total of 1052 non-diabetic Italian subjects, 527 men and 525 women, aged 42–74 years.

Results

Five dietary clusters were identified: common, animal products, starch, vegetal/fat and vitamin/fibre. After adjusting for potential confounders, the starch group showed the highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome (36 %) followed by the animal products group (30 %); the vitamin/fibre (20 %) and vegetal/fat groups (19 %) showed the lowest prevalence. The starch group had more dyslipidaemia (higher TAG and lower HDL cholesterol levels) and the animal products group had a higher prevalence of impaired fasting glucose. The vitamin/fibre group had the lowest prevalence of abdominal obesity. The beneficial effect of the vegetal/fat and vitamin/fibre dietary patterns seemed stronger among the obese.

Conclusions

Our results confirm the deleterious effect of a very-low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet and also of high intakes of animal products. The consumption of a diet high in vegetal fats or rich in fruits and vegetables is associated with a healthier metabolic profile. Reducing obesity is essential to prevent metabolic syndrome, but even among the obese dietary habits are important for preserving healthy lipid and glycaemic profiles.
Variations in prevalence and conduct of school food gardens in tropical and subtropical regions of north-eastern Australia
Authors: Somerset Shawn , Bossard Antoine
Published: January 2009

Objectives

To determine the prevalence and usage of food gardens in primary schools in three distinct climatic regions of north-eastern Australia.

Design

Cross-sectional surveys combining quantitative and qualitative data collection. Two separate telephone questionnaires were developed and implemented, according to the presence or absence of a food garden within the school. Main outcome measures were answers to scaled response and open-ended questions related to factors supporting and inhibiting the establishment and sustainability of school food gardens.

Setting

All state primary schools in three disparate regions of the north-eastern Australian state of Queensland were asked to participate in the study.

Results

A total of 71 % (n 128) of schools agreed to participate. Of these, thirty-seven primary schools had functioning food gardens. The variations in prevalence between regions combined with respondent views indicated climate as a major factor affecting the success of food gardens. Gardens were often used as a tool by schools to teach science, environment or social skills. Gardening activities were generally linked to curriculum studies on plants, fruit and vegetable intake, and healthy eating. The main issues for schools and teachers in establishing food gardens were the time required and the lack of personnel to coordinate garden activities. Of the schools with food gardens, 92 % believed their garden had been a success.

Conclusions

The study revealed strong grass-roots support for school-based food gardens. Although climate and location were important factors associated with the presence of a functioning food garden, respondents nominated teacher involvement and sustained motivation as essential factors for successful school food gardens.
All in the Family: Brandeis University and Leonard Bernstein's “Jewish Boston”
Authors: KASKOWITZ SHERYL
Published: January 2009

This article examines Leonard Bernstein's affiliation with Brandeis University, where he served as a faculty member from 1951 to 1956, a Fellow from 1956 to 1976, a Trustee from 1976 to 1980, and a Trustee Emeritus from 1980 until his death in 1990. In particular, the article explores why Bernstein chose to spend his time in Waltham. By the early 1950s he had already achieved celebrity and was busy with multiple conducting and composition projects; why did he commit to teaching at Brandeis and supporting the school until the end of his life? Bernstein's commitment to Brandeis appears to have been a manifestation of his ongoing connection and sense of duty to the Boston Jewish community of his childhood and, more specifically, to his father. This article summarizes Bernstein's activities at Brandeis, gives a brief history of the university, and discusses the ways in which Brandeis can be understood as an expression of Bernstein's ties to Boston's Jewish life, as well as to the Jewish immigrant experience of his parents and their generation.
Horizontal thermal contraction of oceanic lithosphere: The ultimate limit to the rigid plate approximation
Authors: Kumar Ravi R. , Gordon Richard G.
Published: January 2009

There is a contradiction between two widely accepted pillars of global tectonics, (1) the central plate tectonic assumption of plate rigidity and (2) the explanation of the relief of the seafloor as being due to lithospheric subsidence from thermal contraction. Here we quantify the rate of predictable horizontal thermal contraction of the lithosphere using depth averages of widely accepted thermal models. Depth‐averaged cooling rate, and thus depth‐averaged contraction rate, is proportional to t−1, where t is the age of the lithosphere. Depth‐averaged thermal contraction rate of old (i.e., 167 Ma old) lithosphere is 10−5 Ma−1 (3 × 10−19 s−1), which is an order of magnitude greater than the average strain rate inferred from seismic moment release. Newly created (i.e., 0.1 Ma old) lithosphere is displaced by thermal contraction toward lithosphere in old ocean basins at a rate that is 1.35% of the half rate of seafloor spreading, giving displacement rates of 0.1 to 1.1 km Ma−1 (or, equivalently, 0.1 to 1.1 mm a−1). Predicted displacement rates parallel to midocean ridges depend strongly on lithospheric age and are proportional to the distance along which contractional strain rates are integrated. Displacement rates can be significant (≥1 km Ma−1) for young lithosphere. In particular the displacement of oceanic lithosphere adjacent to southern Baja California relative to lithosphere near the Pacific‐Antarctic Rise has an indicated north‐south displacement rate between ≈3 and ≈10 km Ma−1. This suggests that global plate motion circuits based on the assumption of plate rigidity may be biased by a substantial velocity.
Evaluation of the real‐time earthquake information system in Japan
Authors: Nakamura Hiromitsu , Horiuchi Shigeki , Wu Changjiang , Yamamoto Shunroku , Rydelek Paul A.
Published: January 2009

The real‐time earthquake information system (REIS) of the Japanese seismic network is developed for automatically determining earthquake parameters within a few seconds after the P‐waves arrive at the closest stations using both the P‐wave arrival times and the timing data that P‐waves have not yet arrived at other stations. REIS results play a fundamental role in the real‐time information for earthquake early warning in Japan. We show the rapidity and accuracy of REIS from the analysis of 4,050 earthquakes in three years since 2005; 44 percent of the first reports are issued within 5 seconds after the first P‐wave arrival and 80 percent of the events have a difference in epicenter distance less than 20 km relative to manually determined locations. We compared the formal catalog to the estimated magnitude from the real‐time analysis and found that 94 percent of the events had a magnitude difference of ±1.0 unit.
Distinctive plasma density features of the topside ionosphere and their electrodynamics investigated during southern winter
Authors: Horvath Ildiko , Lovell Brian C.
Published: January 2009

This study utilizes a novel technique to map the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) data across the two hemispheres to learn about the morphology and plasma composition of the topside ionosphere, and the underlying ionospheric dynamics. In the southern winter hemisphere, the regional maps tracked a heavy‐ion (Ni‐O+) trough, aurora zone, polar hole, and large plasma density depletion. The latter appeared in the region of the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA). The electron temperature (Te) map detected the thermal characteristics of these features, while the plasma drifts and flux maps tracked their dynamics. Results show that there were special electrodynamic effects in the SAMA region due to the low magnetic field and high conductivity. These increased the vertical downward (VZ) and the westward (VY) drifts. Independently, the VZ and VY maps registered the affected area that was depleted in heavy ions and rich in light ions. Some field‐aligned profiles tracked the impact of these SAMA effects on the heavy‐ion trough, which was a stagnation trough and appeared markedly differently at different longitudes. At trough latitudes ((56 ± 4)°S (geomagnetic) when Dstav = 0 nT), the elevated electron temperatures forming a Te peak indicated subauroral heating effects. A statistical study modeled the magnetic activity dependence of the Te peak's magnitude and location and revealed their linear correlation with the activity level. Statistically, the Te peak increased [10.226 ± 1.355]°K and moved equatorward [0.051 ± 0.009]° (geomagnetic) per 1 nT decrease in the averaged Dst index. Per 1 nT increase in the averaged AE index, its magnitude increased [1.315 ± 0.444]°K and the equatorward movement was [0.014 ± 0.003]°.
Low‐latitude control on seasonal and interannual changes in planktonic foraminiferal flux and shell geochemistry off south Java: A sediment trap study
Authors: Mohtadi Mahyar , Steinke Stephan , Groeneveld Jeroen , Fink Hiske G. , Rixen Tim , Hebbeln Dierk , Donner Barbara , Herunadi Bambang
Published: January 2009

Results from sediment trap experiments conducted in the seasonal upwelling area off south Java from November 2000 until July 2003 revealed significant monsoon‐, El Niño–Southern Oscillation–, and Indian Ocean Dipole–induced seasonal and interannual variations in flux and shell geochemistry of planktonic foraminifera. Surface net primary production rates together with total and species‐specific planktonic foraminiferal flux rates were highest during the SE monsoon‐induced coastal upwelling period from July to October, with three species Globigerina bulloides, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma dex., and Globigerinita glutinata contributing to 40% of the total foraminiferal flux. Shell stable oxygen isotopes (δ18O) and Mg/Ca data of Globigerinoides ruber sensu stricto (s.s.), G. ruber sensu lato (s.l.), Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, Pulleniatina obliquiloculata, and Globorotalia menardii in the sediment trap time series recorded surface and subsurface conditions. We infer habitats of 0–30 m for G. ruber at the mixed layer depth, 60–80 m (60–90 m) for P. obliquiloculata (N. dutertrei) at the upper thermocline depth, and 90–110 m (100–150 m) for G. menardii in the 355–500 μm (>500 μm) size fraction corresponding to the (lower) thermocline depth in the study area. Shell Mg/Ca ratio of G. ruber (s.l. and s.s.) reveals an exponential relationship with temperature that agrees with published relationships particularly with the Anand et al. (2003) equations. Flux‐weighted foraminiferal data in sediment trap are consistent with average values in surface sediment samples off SW Indonesia. This consistency confirms the excellent potential of these proxies for reconstructing past environmental conditions in this part of the ocean realm.
River networks as ecological corridors: A complex systems perspective for integrating hydrologic, geomorphologic, and ecologic dynamics
Authors: Rodriguez‐Iturbe Ignacio , Muneepeerakul Rachata , Bertuzzo Enrico , Levin Simon A. , Rinaldo Andrea
Published: January 2009

This paper synthesizes recent works at the interface of hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology under an integrated framework of analysis with an aim for a general theory. It addresses a wide range of related topics, including biodiversity of freshwater fish in river networks and vegetation along riparian systems, how river networks affected historic spreading of human populations, and how they influence the spreading of water‐borne diseases. Given the commonalities among various dendritic structures and despite the variety and complexity of the ecosystems involved, we present here an integrated line of research addressing the above and related topics through a unique, coherent ecohydrological thread and similar mathematical methods. Metacommunity and individual‐based models are studied in the context of hydrochory, population, and species migrations and the spreading of infections of water‐borne diseases along the ecological corridors of river basins. A general theory emerges on the effects of dendritic geometries on the ecological processes and dynamics operating on river basins that will establish a new significant scientific branch. Insights provided by such a theory will lend themselves to issues of great practical importance such as integration of riparian systems into large‐scale resource management, spatial strategies to minimize loss of freshwater biodiversity, and effective prevention campaigns against water‐borne diseases.
Relationship between N-cycling communities and ecosystem functioning in a 50-year-old fertilization experiment
Authors: Hallin Sara , Jones Christopher M , Schloter Michael , Philippot Laurent
Published: January 2009

The relative importance of size and composition of microbial communities in ecosystem functioning is poorly understood. Here, we investigated how community composition and size of selected functional guilds in the nitrogen cycle correlated with agroecosystem functioning, which was defined as microbial process rates, total crop yield and nitrogen content in the crop. Soil was sampled from a 50-year fertilizer trial and the treatments comprised unfertilized bare fallow, unfertilized with crop, and plots with crop fertilized with calcium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, solid cattle manure or sewage sludge. The size of the functional guilds and the total bacterial community were greatly affected by the fertilization regimes, especially by the sewage sludge and ammonium sulfate treatments. The community size results were combined with previously published data on the composition of the corresponding communities, potential ammonia oxidation, denitrification, basal and substrate-induced respiration rates, in addition to crop yield for an integrated analysis. It was found that differences in size, rather than composition, correlated with differences in process rates for the denitrifier and ammonia-oxidizing archaeal and total bacterial communities, whereas neither differences in size nor composition was correlated with differences in process rates for the ammonia-oxidizing bacterial community. In contrast, the composition of nitrate-reducing, denitrifying and total bacterial communities co-varied with primary production and both were strongly linked to soil properties.
Maternal Pregestational BMI Is Associated With Methylation of the PPARGC1A Promoter in Newborns
Authors: Gemma Carolina , Sookoian Silvia , Alvariñas Jorge , García Silvia I. , Quintana Laura , Kanevsky Diego , González Claudio D. , Pirola Carlos J.
Published: January 2009

We explored peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ co‐activator 1α gene (PPARGC1A), peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ gene (PPARG), and transcription factor A mitochondrial gene (Tfam) promoter DNA methylation in newborns between both extremes of abnormal fetal growth: Small (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA) in relation to the mother's characteristics. We further sought for the association of rs9930506 variant at FTO gene and the promoter patterns of DNA methylation in the aforementioned genes, in relation to the offspring's birth weight. In a cross‐sectional study, 88 healthy pregnant women and their babies were included. According to the offspring birth weight, there were 57 newborns with appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA), 17 SGA, and 14 LGA. After bisulphite treatment of umbilical cord genomic DNA, a real‐time methylation‐specific PCR was used to determine the promoter methylation status in selected CpGs. Promoter methylated DNA/unmethylated DNA ratio, expressed as mean ± s.e., was 0.82 ± 0.15 (45% of alleles) for PPARGC1A, and 0.0044 ± 0.0006 (0.4% of alleles) for Tfam. PPARG promoter was almost 100% methylated in all samples. In univariate analysis, there was no association among characteristics of the newborn and gene promoter methylation. None of the maternal features were related with the status of promoter methylation, except for a positive correlation between maternal BMI and PPARGC1A promoter methylation in umbilical cord (Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.41, P = 0.0007). Finally, FTO rs9930506 AA homozygous in the LGA group showed decreased levels of methylated PPARGC1A in comparison with AG + GG genotypes and AGA and SGA infants. In conclusion, our findings suggest a potential role of promoter PPARGC1A methylation in metabolic programming.
Motivation, Readiness to Change, and Weight Loss Following Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery
Authors: Dixon John B. , Laurie Cheryl P. , Anderson Margaret L. , Hayden Melissa J. , Dixon Maureen E. , O'Brien Paul E.
Published: January 2009

High levels of readiness to change (RTC) are considered critical to the long‐term success of weight management programs including bariatric surgery. However, there are no data to support this assertion. We hypothesize that RTC level will not influence weight outcomes following surgery. In 227 consecutive patients undergoing adjustable gastric banding surgery, we recorded reasons for seeking surgery, and RTC measured with the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment. Scores were blinded until study completion. The primary outcome measure was percentage of excess BMI loss at 2 years (%EBMIL‐2); others included compliance and surgical complications. Of 227 subjects, 204 (90%) had weight measurement at 2 years. There was no significant correlation between RTC score and %EBMIL‐2 (r = 0.047, P = 0.5). Using the median split for RTC score the lowest 102 subjects mean %EBMIL‐2 was 52.9 ± 26.9% and the highest 52.2 ± 28.3%, P = 0.869. There was no weight loss difference between highest and lowest quartiles, or a nonlinear relationship between weight loss and RTC score. There was no significant relationship between RCT score and compliance, or likelihood of complications. Those motivated by appearance were more likely to be younger women who lost more weight at 2 years. Poor attendance at follow‐up visits was associated with less weight loss, especially in men. Measures of RTC did not predict weight loss, compliance, or surgical complications. Caution is advised when using assessments of RTC to predict outcomes of bariatric surgery.
Cancer Incidence and Mortality After Gastric Bypass Surgery
Authors: Adams Ted D. , Stroup Antoinette M. , Gress Richard E. , Adams Kenneth F. , Calle Eugenia E. , Smith Sherman C. , Halverson R. Chad , Simper Steven C. , Hopkins Paul N. , Hunt Steven C.
Published: January 2009

Despite weight loss recommendations to prevent cancer, cancer outcome studies after intentional weight loss are limited. Recently, reduced cancer mortality following bariatric surgery has been reported. This study tested whether reduced cancer mortality following gastric bypass was due to decreased incidence. Cancer incidence and mortality data through 2007 from the Utah Cancer Registry (UCR) were compared between 6,596 Utah patients who had gastric bypass (1984–2002) and 9,442 severely obese persons who had applied for Utah Driver's Licenses (1984–2002). Study outcomes included incidence, case‐fatality, and mortality for cancer by site and stage at diagnosis of all gastric bypass patients, compared to nonoperated severely obese controls. Follow‐up was over a 24‐year period (mean 12.5 years). Total cancer incidence was significantly lower in the surgical group compared to controls (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.76; confidence interval (CI) 95%, 0.65–0.89; P = 0.0006). Lower incidence in surgery patients vs. controls was primarily due to decreased incidence of cancer diagnosed at regional or distant stages. Cancer mortality was 46% lower in the surgery group compared to controls (HR = 0.54; CI 95%, 0.37–0.78; P = 0.001). Although the apparent protective effect of surgery on risk of developing cancer was limited to cancers likely known to be obesity related, the inverse association for mortality was seen for all cancers. Significant reduction in total cancer mortality in gastric bypass patients compared with severely obese controls was associated with decreased incidence, primarily among subjects with advanced cancers. These findings suggest gastric bypass results in lower cancer risk, presumably related to weight loss, supporting recommendations for reducing weight to lower cancer risk.
PPAR‐γ AF‐2 Domain Functions as a Component of a Ubiquitin‐dependent Degradation Signal
Authors: Kilroy Gail E. , Zhang Xiaoying , Floyd Z. Elizabeth
Published: January 2009

The nuclear hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPAR‐γ) functions as the “master switch” in adipocyte development and is important in regulating glucose metabolism. PPAR‐γ is rapidly degraded in adipocytes by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway under basal and ligand‐activated conditions. Proteasome inhibition increases PPAR‐γ activity, indicating disposal of PPAR‐γ by the ubiquitin proteasome system regulates PPAR‐γ activity. However, the signals and factors required for recognition of PPAR‐γ by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway are unknown. To begin understanding how the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway interacts with PPAR‐γ, we designed a series of constructs containing each PPAR‐γ domain expressed as a fusion protein with the GAL4 DNA‐binding domain. The ability of each PPAR‐γ domain to alter the stability of the GAL4 DNA‐binding domain and to undergo ubiquitylation was assessed via western blot analysis. In addition, luciferase reporter assays were used to assay PPAR‐γ transcriptional activity. Using this approach, we determined that the AF‐1 and ligand‐binding domains (LBDs) of PPAR‐γ are targeted to the proteasome for degradation. However, only the LBD is conjugated to ubiquitin. The AF‐2 helix of the LBD is required for maximum ubiquitylation, but is not essential for ligand‐dependent ubiquitin conjugation. Finally, luciferase reporter assays show a fully functional ubiquitin system is required for PPAR‐γ activation. These results indicate that the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway is an integral determinant of PPAR‐γ activity, targeting PPAR‐γ for proteasomal degradation via ubiquitin independent and ubiquitin dependent mechanisms.
Central blood pressure and hypertension: role in cardiovascular risk assessment
Authors: Safar Michel E. , Jankowski Piotr
Published: January 2009

Although the differences between central and peripheral BP (blood pressure) have been known for decades, the consequences of decision-making based on peripheral rather than central BP have only recently been recognized. The influence of cyclic stretch (owing to cyclic changes in BP) on the aortic wall in atherosclerosis has been documented at every stage of its development. Apart from mediating atherosclerosis progression and plaque instability, the pulsatile component of BP is the main mechanism leading to plaque rupture and, consequently, to acute coronary syndromes and other vascular complications. The principal goal of the present review is to evaluate the role of central BP measurements, principally systolic and pulse pressure, for cardiovascular risk assessment. Recent findings suggest that the pulsatile component of BP (when represented by central pulse pressure or central pulsatility) is one of the most important factors determining event-free survival. Results of several prospective studies (using both invasive and non-invasive measurements of central BP) indicate not only an independent predictive value of central pulse pressure, but also its advantage over brachial pressure. Recent evidence suggests that some antihypertensive drugs can influence central BP more consistently when compared with peripheral BP. This is especially true for agents acting on the renin–angiotensin system. Nevertheless, large prospective studies aiming at the comparison of the predictive value of peripheral and central BP in the general population, as well as studies comparing the effectiveness of hypertension management based on peripheral compared with central BP measurements, are needed before algorithms based on central BP can be recommended for clinical practice.
Van Vleck and magnetism
Authors: Anderson Philip W.
Published: January 2009

A FEW YEARS AGO there would have been little need to distinguish between the two halves of my title: John H. Van Vleck and magnetism, as a field of theoretical physics, were practically synonymous. Now the field has expanded so much that no one man can overwhelm all of its branches in the way Van did when my generation was being introduced to it. While I can safely assume that all physicists know some parts of Van's career in magnetism, I suspect few appreciate the whole of it.
The Deutsches Museum and how it succeeds
Authors: Ellis R. Hobart
Published: January 2009

THE DEUTSCHES MUSEUM in Munich is probably the best scientific and technical museum in the world. In any event, says its scientific director, it is the largest. With its busy and interesting halls of exhibits, it probably introduces more nonscientists and nonphysicists, especially young ones, to science and physics than any other institution.