bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nietzsche's Virtues: A Personal Inquiry
Authors: Solomon Robert C.
Published: October 2010

Give style to your character, a great and rare art.

Nietzsche Gay Science (290)

What are we to make of Nietzsche? There has been an explosion of scholarship over the past twenty years, much of it revealing and insightful, a good deal of it controversial if not polemical. The controversy and polemics are for the most part straight from Nietzsche, of course, and the scholarly disputes over what he ‘really’ meant are rather innocuous and often academic compared with what Nietzsche meant (or might have meant) with his conscientiously inflammatory rhetoric and hyperbole. We have been treated to extended debates about Nietzsche's politics, his attacks on Christianity and morality, his famed notion of the übermensch and his less lampooned (but more edifying) doctrine of the ‘eternal recurrence’. We have recently heard Nietzsche reinterpreted as an analytic philosopher, as a deconstructionist, as a feminist, even as a closet Christian and a liberal. Stephen Aschheim suggests in his recent book that Nietzsche provides us with something like a Rorschach test, inviting readers with amazingly different commitments and ideologies to ‘make their own Nietzsche’ (as a Times Literary Supplement review bluntly put it). But there is another approach to Nietzsche, something quite different from interpreting him in terms of his various ‘theses’ and positions, unpacking his ‘system’ or repeating unhelpfully that he displayed no such coherence and consistency, something more than finding out ‘who’ Nietzsche is as opposed to what we have made out of him. The simplest way of getting at this alternative approach might be to ask, what Nietzsche would make of us? I grant that this is a bit cryptic, and it invites a variety of unflattering answers. But I think it is very much in the spirit of what he (and his spokesman Zarathustra) are all about. It is an intimately personal approach to Nietzsche, an approach that will, no doubt, be somewhat different for each and every one of us. But that, too, of course, is just what Nietzsche (and Zarathustra) would have demanded.
The Revolution of Moore and Russell: A Very British Coup?
Authors: Bell David
Published: October 2010

The question I shall attempt to address in what follows is an essentially historical one, namely: Why did analytic philosophy emerge first in Cambridge, in the hands of G. E. Moore and Bertrand Russell, and as a direct consequence of their revolutionary rejection of the philosophical tenets that form the basis of British Idealism? And the answer that I shall try to defend is: it didn't. That is to say, the ‘analytic’ doctrines and methods which Moore and Russell embraced in the very last years of the nineteenth century were not revolutionary, did not emerge first in Cambridge, were the creation of neither Russell nor Moore and cannot be explained by appeal to facts concerning British Idealism. The adoption of the doctrines and methods which characterised the earliest manifestations of British analytic philosophy are to be explained neither by reference to anything specifically British, nor by appeal to anything unproblematically philosophical. Or so I shall argue.
Otto Neurath, the Vienna Circle and the Austrian Tradition
Authors: Uebel Thomas E.
Published: October 2010

It is one of the distinctive claims of Neurath, though not of the Vienna Circle generally, that the Vienna Circle's philosophy was not really German philosophy at all. The relation is, if Neurath is to be trusted, anything but straight-forward. To understand it, not only must some effort be expended on specifying Neurath's claim, but also on delineating the different party-lines within the Vienna Circle.
Adorno on Disenchantment: The Scepticism of Enlightened Reason
Authors: Bernstein Jay
Published: October 2010

T. W. Adorno's and Max Horkheimer'sDialectic of Enlightenmentis fifty years old. Its disconcerting darkness now seems so bound to the time of its writing, one may well wonder if we have anything to learn from it. Are its main lines of argument relevant to our social and philosophical world? Are the losses it records losses we can still recognise as our own?
Habermas, Science and Modernity
Authors: Weinert Friedel
Published: October 2010

The work of Jürgen Habermas has been described as eclectic. It is also prolific. Fortunately for his readers the prolificacy and eclecticism of the author are mitigated by the recurrence of his themes. These concern the emergence and nature of modern occidental society, both from a sociological and philosophical perspective. On a more philosophical level, there is also a strong plea for a paradigm change. The philosophy of the consciousness made the lone subject, in search of knowledge, face the external world. The dialogic philosophy of Habermas sees interlocutors engaged in dialogue about the material, social and internal world and their many aspects. Furthermore, there are many fruitful sidelines: the nature of language, the personality structure of the individual, socialisation and the status of the social sciences. All these various strands are woven into a coherent model of the nature of western civilisation. In the recombination of the contributory constituents, derived from American pragmatism, German Idealism, Hermeneutics, Marxism, the Frankfurt School of Sociology and Systems Theory, lies the originality and breadth of his work.
German Philosophy Today: Between Idealism, Romanticism, and Pragmatism
Authors: Bowie Andrew
Published: October 2010

In his essayOn the History of Religion and Philosophy in Germany, of 1834, Heinrich Heine suggested to his French audience that the German propensity for ‘metaphysical abstractions’ had led many people to condemn philosophy for its failure to have a practical effect, Germany having only had its revolution in thought, while France had its in reality. Heine, albeit somewhat ironically, refuses to join those who condemn philosophy: ‘German philosophy is an important matter, which concerns the whole of humanity, and only the last grandchildren will be able to judge whether we should be blamed or praised for working out our philosophy before our revolution.’ He then makes the following prognosis:

the German revolution will not be more mild and more gentle because it was preceded by Kantian critique, Fichtean transcendental idealism and even philosophy of nature. Revolutionary forces have developed via these doctrines which are just waiting for the day when they can break out and fill the world with horror and admiration. … Don't smile at my advice, the advice of a dreamer who warns you about Kantians, Fichteans and philosophers of nature. Don't smile at the fantast who expects the same revolution in the realm of appearance as took place in the realm of spirit. … A play will be performed in Germany in comparison with which the French Revolution could appear just as a harmless idyll (ibid., pp. 616–17).
Hermeneutic and Analytic Philosophy. Two Complementary Versions of the Linguistic Turn?
Authors: Habermas Jürgen
Published: October 2010

In a series of lectures on German philosophy ‘since Kant’, the names of Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel and their critical reference to Kant are, of course, a must. No less a must, though, would seem to be Wilhelm von Humboldt, a philosopher and linguist who, together with Herder and Hamann, formed the alliterating triumvirate of a romanticist critique of Kant. The response, within the discipline, to transcendental philosophy from this side was, in contrast to the idealistic mainstream, long in the coming but, in the end, rich in consequences.
A British sea: making sense of global space in the late nineteenth century
Authors: Pietsch Tamson
Published: October 2010

It is the contention of this article that historians of the nineteenth century need to think about notions of empire, nation, and race in the context of the social production of space. More specifically, it posits that the moving space of the steamship functioned as a particularly important site in which travellers reworked ideas about themselves and their worlds. Supporting this contention the article pays close attention to the journeys of J. T. Wilson, a young Scottish medical student who between 1884 and 1887 made three voyages to China and one to Australia. For it was in the space of the ship, literally moving along the routes of global trade, that Wilson forged a particular kind of British identity that collapsed the spaces of empire, elided differences among Britons and extended the boundaries of the British nation.
De/reconstructing critical psychological jurisprudence: strategies of resistance and struggles for justice
Authors: Arrigo Bruce A.
Published: October 2010

The development of an integrated critical psychological jurisprudence (PJ) continues to elude researchers in theoretical and applied contexts. Indeed, the radical potential of a synthetic PJ that furthers the political aims of social change, collective good and citizen justice has yet to be sufficiently problematised or systematically reviewed in the extant literature. This article begins to address this deficiency. First, the social philosophy that informs and underscores radicalised PJ is described. This includes commentary on its underlying symbolic, linguistic, material and cultural footing. Second, several well-rehearsed theoretical strains of critical PJ are summarily presented. These strains consist of anarchism, critical legal studies, feminist jurisprudence and complex systems science. Third, a conceptual integration is undertaken that links radicalised PJ’s grounding in social philosophy with its established theoretical variants. This synthesis demonstrates the probing political project of critical PJ, especially as a humanising strategy of resistance and an evolving struggle for justice. This is a political project that seeks to de/reconstruct the images (aesthetic), narratives (epistemology), embodiments (ethic) and reproductions (ontology) at the core of its nascent critique.
Combined satellite gravity field model GOCO01S derived from GOCE and GRACE
Authors: Pail R. , Goiginger H. , Schuh W.‐D. , Höck E. , Brockmann J. M. , Fecher T. , Gruber T. , Mayer‐Gürr T. , Kusche J. , Jäggi A. , Rieser D.
Published: October 2010

The satellite‐only gravity field model GOCO01S is a combination solution based on 61 days of GOCE gravity gradient data, and 7 years of GRACE GPS and K‐band range rate data, resolved up to degree/order 224 of a harmonic series expansion. The combination was performed consistently by addition of full normal equations and stochastic modeling of GOCE and GRACE observations. The model has been validated against external global gravity models and regional GPS/leveling observations. While low to medium degrees are mainly determined by GRACE, significant contributions by the new measurement type of GOCE gradients can already be observed at degree 100. Beyond degree 150, GOCE becomes the dominant contributor. Correspondingly, with GOCO01S a global gravity field model with high performance for the complete spectral range up to degree/order 224 is now available. This new gravity model will be beneficial for many applications in geophysics, oceanography, and geodesy.
On the recurrence of earthquakes: Role of wear in brittle faulting
Authors: Bizzarri Andrea
Published: October 2010

The time of occurrence of an earthquake is related to the state of the fault, tectonic loading, and possible triggering mechanisms, and it plays a prominent role in hazard assessment. In this paper we incorporate the effects of wear generation into a seismogenic model. We show that without wear the recurrence time of repeated earthquakes is constant through time and it is controlled by the initial conditions, tectonic loading and constitutive properties, including the presence of pore fluids. Our results indicate that considering the wear development into the fault model dramatically affects the temperature evolution of the fault, the stress release, the developed cosesimic slip and ultimately the duration of the seismic cycle. Moreover, we find that as long as the slipping zone thickness increases, the recurrence time continuously decreases through time. This further complicates the predictability of a subsequent earthquake, even in the simple case of an isolated fault.
Case study of nightside magnetospheric magnetic field response to interplanetary shocks
Authors: Wang C. , Sun T. R. , Guo X. C. , Richardson J. D.
Published: October 2010

Observations show that the geosynchronous magnetic field in midnight sector sometimes decreases when an interplanetary (IP) fast forward shock (FFS) passes Earth, even though the magnetosphere is always compressed. We perform case studies of the response observed by the GOES spacecraft at geosynchronous orbit near midnight to two IP shocks passing Earth. One shock produces a decrease in BZ (a negative response) and the other an increase in BZ (a positive response). A global 3D MHD code is run to reproduce the responses at geosynchronous orbit, and to further provide information on the initiation and development of BZ variations in the entire magnetosphere. The model reveals that when a FFS sweeps over the magnetosphere, there exist mainly two regions, a positive response region caused by the compressive effect of the shock and a negative response region which is probably associated with the temporary enhancement of earthward convection in the nightside magnetosphere. The spacecraft may observe an increase or decrease of the magnetic field depending on which region it is in. The numerical results reproduce the main characters of the geosynchronous magnetic field response to IP shocks for these two typical cases.
Evaluation and optimization of seismic networks and algorithms for earthquake early warning – the case of Istanbul (Turkey)
Authors: Oth Adrien , Böse Maren , Wenzel Friedemann , Köhler Nina , Erdik Mustafa
Published: October 2010

Earthquake early warning (EEW) systems should provide reliable warnings as quickly as possible with a minimum number of false and missed alarms. Using the example of the megacity Istanbul and based on a set of simulated scenario earthquakes, we present a novel approach for evaluating and optimizing seismic networks for EEW, in particular in regions with a scarce number of instrumentally recorded earthquakes. We show that, while the current station locations of the existing Istanbul EEW system are well chosen, its performance can be enhanced by modifying the parameters governing the declaration of warnings. Furthermore, unless using ocean bottom seismometers or modifying the current EEW algorithm, additional stations might not lead to any significant performance increase.
Influence of the quasi‐biennial oscillation on the North Pacific and El Niño teleconnections
Authors: Garfinkel C. I. , Hartmann D. L.
Published: October 2010

Reanalysis and model data are used to study El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnections in the North Pacific during boreal winter. El Niño events appear to have a significantly stronger teleconnection when the equatorial stratospheric quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) is in its westerly phase relative to its easterly phase at 70 hPa in both the reanalysis record and in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model. The difference is much larger in the reanalysis, however. Composites of easterly QBO at 70 hPa show an anomalous ridge over the North Pacific, which explains part of the weakening of El Niño teleconnections. Associated with this ridge are easterly anomalies at the climatological subtropical jet position and westerly anomalies in the deep tropics. A shallow water model linearized about such zonal wind anomalies gives a weaker extratropical response to a deep tropical vorticity anomaly, suggesting a dynamical explanation of how the QBO can influence the extratropical response to anomalous ENSO convection. These results suggest that modification of wave propagation is likely an important cause of the observed differences in El Niño teleconnections between easterly and westerly QBO phases, but sampling variability and differences in underlying tropical convection are also likely contributors.
Correlated IR spectroscopy and visible light scattering measurements of mineral dust aerosol
Authors: Meland B. , Kleiber P. D. , Grassian V. H. , Young M. A.
Published: October 2010

A combined infrared spectroscopy and visible light scattering study of the optical properties of quartz aerosol, a major component of atmospheric dust, is reported. Scattering phase function and polarization measurements for quartz dust at three visible wavelengths (470, 550, 660 nm) are compared with results from T‐matrix theory simulations using a uniform spheroid model for particle shape. Aerosol size distributions were measured simultaneously with light scattering. Particle shape distributions were determined in two ways: (1) analysis of electron microscope images of the dust, and (2) spectral fitting of infrared resonance extinction features. Since the aerosol size and shape distributions were measured, experimental scattering data could be directly compared with T‐matrix simulations with no adjustable parameters. χ2 analysis suggests that T‐matrix simulations based on a uniform spheroid approximation can be used to model the optical properties of irregularly shaped dust particles in the accumulation mode size range, provided the particle shape distribution can be reliably determined. Particle shape distributions derived from electron microscope image analysis give poor fits, indicating that two‐dimensional images may not give an accurate representation of the shape distribution for three‐dimensional particles. However, simulations based on particle shape models inferred from IR spectral analysis give excellent fits to the experimental data. Our work suggests that correlated IR spectral and visible light scattering measurements, together with the use of theoretical light scattering models, may offer a more accurate method for characterizing atmospheric dust loading, and aerosol composition, size, and shape distributions, which are of great importance in climate modeling.
Evaporation from partially covered water surfaces
Authors: Assouline S. , Narkis K. , Or D.
Published: October 2010

Evaporative losses from large water bodies may exceed 20% of water used in irrigated agriculture, with losses from reservoirs estimated at 50% of storage capacity. Prominent among proposed methods to curtail these evaporative losses are various forms of partial covers placed over water surfaces. Studies show that evaporation through perforated covers and from partially covered water surfaces exhibit nonlinear behavior, where rates of water loss are not proportional to uncovered surface fraction and are significantly affected by opening size and relative spacing. We studied evaporation from small water bodies under various perforated covers, extending the so‐called diameter law to opening sizes in the range of 10−5 to 10−1 m. Contradicting claims concerning effects of openings and their arrangement on performance of evaporation barriers are analyzed on per opening and on per area mass losses. Our results help reconcile some classical findings invoking detailed pore‐scale diffusion and simple temperature‐based energetic behaviors. For fixed relative spacing, area‐averaged evaporative flux density remains nearly constant across several orders of magnitude variations in opening size. For the scale of the experimental setup, we predict relative evaporation reduction efficiency for various configurations of perforated evaporation barriers.
Darwin and Dostoyevsky: twins
Authors: Kováč Ladislav
Published: October 2010

The Russian poet Fyodor Dostoyevsky published an insightful treatise on human nature in his novel ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ in 1880. His account of humanity may offer as much insight into human nature for scientists as Darwin's The Descent of Man.
A Clockwork Orange—served with whipped cream?
Authors: Jacobs Howy
Published: October 2010

Howy kicks off EMBO reports ‘food and science’ season with a sombre warning that scientists should not allow themselves to become willing collaborators in social control, even when directed at such worthy targets as the looming obesity epidemic
Preclinical Drug Evaluation for Combination Therapy in Acute Stroke Using Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Subsequent Experimental Testing
Authors: O'Collins Victoria E , Macleod Malcolm R , Cox Susan F , Van Raay Leena , Aleksoska Elena , Donnan Geoffrey A , Howells David W
Published: October 2010

There is some evidence that in animal models of acute ischaemic stroke, combinations of neuroprotective agents might be more efficacious than the same agents administered alone. Hence, we developed pragmatic, empirical criteria based on therapeutic target, cost, availability, efficacy, administration, and safety to select drugs for testing in combination in animal models of acute stroke. Magnesium sulphate, melatonin, and minocycline were chosen from a library of neuroprotective agents, and were tested in a more ‘realistic’ model favoured by the STAIR (Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable). Outcome was assessed with infarct volume, neurologic score, and two newly developed scales measuring general health and physiologic homeostasis. Owing to the failure to achieve neuroprotection in aged, hypertensive animals with drug delivery at 3 hours, the bar was lowered in successive experiments to determine whether neuroprotection could be achieved under conditions more conducive to recovery. Testing in younger animals showed more favourable homeostasis and general health scores than did testing in older animals, but infarct volume and neurologic scores did not differ with age, and treatment efficacy was again not shown. Testing with shorter occlusions resulted in smaller infarct volumes; nevertheless, treatment efficacy was still not observed. It was concluded that this combination, in these stroke models, was not effective.
Leptin Augments Cerebral Hemodynamic Reserve after Three-Vessel Occlusion: Distinct Effects on Cerebrovascular Tone and Proliferation in a Nonlethal Model of Hypoperfused Rat Brain
Authors: Busch Hans-Joerg , Schirmer Stephan H , Jost Marco , van Stijn Sylvia , Peters Stephan L M , Piek Jan J , Bode Christoph , Buschmann Ivo R , Mies Guenter
Published: October 2010

The adipocytokine leptin has distinct functions regulating vascular tone, inflammation, and collateral artery growth. Arteriogenesis is an inflammatory process and provides a mechanism to overcome the effects of vascular obstruction. We, therefore, tested the effects of leptin in hypoperfused rat brain (three-vessel occlusion). Systemic leptin administration for 1 week after occlusion surgery increased cerebral hemodynamic reserve similar to granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), as indicated by improved CO2 reactivity (vehicle 0.53%±0.26% versus leptin 1.05%±0.6% per mm Hg arterial pCO2, P<0.05). Infusion of microspheres under maximal vasodilation failed to show a positive effect of leptin on cerebral perfusion (vehicle 64.9%±4.5% versus leptin 66.3%±7.0%, occluded/nonoccluded hemisphere). Acute treatment with GM-CSF led to a significant increased CO2 reactivity and cerebral perfusion (79.2%±8.1% versus 64.9%±4.5%, P<0.05). Vasoconstrictive response of isolated rat carotid artery rings, after phenylephrine was attenuated at 24 hours following preincubation with leptin, was unaffected by removal of endothelium but abrogated by coculture with N-(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methylester, pointing toward an inducible nitric oxide synthase-mediated mechanism. In chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, acute leptin treatment restored the hemodynamic reserve of the cerebral vasculature through its effects on vascular tone, while leaving vascular outward remodeling unaffected. Our results, for the first time, reveal a protective role of leptin on vascular function in hemodynamically compromised brain tissue.
Valproic Acid Attenuates Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption in a Rat Model of Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia: The Roles of HDAC and MMP-9 Inhibition
Authors: Wang Zhifei , Leng Yan , Tsai Li-Kai , Leeds Peter , Chuang De-Maw
Published: October 2010

Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, is known to protect against cerebral ischemia. The effects of VPA on blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption were investigated in rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Postischemic VPA treatment remarkably attenuated MCAO-induced BBB disruption and brain edema. Meanwhile, VPA significantly reduced MCAO-induced elevation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), degradation of tight junction proteins, and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Sodium butyrate, another HDAC inhibitor, mimicked these effects of VPA. Our findings suggest that BBB protection by VPA involves HDAC inhibition-mediated suppression of NF-κB activation, MMP-9 induction, and tight junction degradation.
Annotating Whole Genome Sequencing in COSMIC (The Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer)
Authors: Breare D , Stratton M R , Shepherd R , Futreal P A , Menzies A , Leung K , Kok C Y , Forbes S A , Bindal N , Bamford S , Cole C G , Teague J , Jia M
Published: October 2010

"COSMIC, the Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer":http://www.sanger.ac.uk/cosmic is designed to store and display somatic mutation information relating to human cancers, combining detailed information on publications, samples and mutation types. The information is curated both from the primary literature and the laboratories at the Cancer Genome Project, Sanger Institute, UK, and then semi-automatically entered into the COSMIC database. The v47 release (May 2010) contained the curation of 9202 papers describing 116,977 mutations across 466,851 samples. In order to provide consistent annotation of the data, COSMIC has developed a classification system for cancer histology and tissue ontology, and adapted HGVS mutation nomenclature recommendations to describe the multiple mutation types involved in cancer.Cancer genetics is moving from systematic screens of candidate gene sets to whole genome sequencing analyses, and COSMIC displays and navigates this new data; we have recently included systematic gene screens and whole genome sequencing studies. COSMIC will annotate and display somatic mutation data that will be emerging from the "International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC)":http://www.icgc.org/ and "The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)":http://cancergenome.nih.gov/ projects. New tools are being developed to interpret this genomic data with coding mutation annotations. In addition COSMIC will be expanded to curate and display data from mouse insertional mutagenesis screening and mouse cancer model exome/genome sequencing in the future. The data within COSMIC is freely available without restriction via a website, in datasheets on the "FTP site":ftp://ftp.sanger.ac.uk/pub/CGP/cosmic and through the "COSMIC Biomart":http://www.sanger.ac.uk/genetics/CGP/cosmic/biomart/martview/, available from the "COSMIC homepage":http://www.sanger.ac.uk/cosmic
Epidemiological Baseline of Influenza Virus in Wild Aquatic Birds in Hong Kong during the Pre-H5N1 Endemic Era
Authors: Chin Mario , Shortridge Kennedy
Published: October 2010

Influenza virus surveillance was conducted on wild ducks and shorebirds in Hong Kong at the Mai Po Nature Reserve to determine whether East Asian wild aquatic birds passing through or overwintering in Hong Kong are reservoirs of H5N1 influenza viruses and to establish an epidemiological baseline of influenza virus in wild aquatic birds during the pre-H5N1 endemic era. Three influenza viruses were isolated from 3178 faecal samples collected over three sampling periods from 1988 to 2001 during the southern and northern migration periods. The isolation rates and viruses were, respectively 0.08% (H10N5) in 1988 – 1990, 0.12% (H11N1) in 1998 and 0.09% (H3N8) in 1999 – 2001. Whereas tracheal and intestinal colon explants from representative shorebirds were susceptible to in vitro infection by the H10N5 virus, orally infected shorebirds were apparently not. Genetic analyses indicated that the nucleoprotein, matrix and nonstructural genes of the three viruses were related to those of aquatic bird viruses in Asia, but not to those of the human H5N1 virus. The present study provided epidemiological baseline information for future influenza virus surveillance in wild aquatic birds in southeast China.
Origin and evolution of the South American endemic Artemisia species (Asteraceae): evidence from molecular phylogeny, ribosomal DNA and genome size data
Authors: Pellicer Jaume , Garnatje Teresa , Molero Julián , Pustahija Fatima , Siljak-Yakovlev Sonja , Vallès Joan
Published: October 2010

Genus Artemisia is thought to have reached the Americas across the Bering Strait from Asia during the late Tertiary, but the systematic position of the South American endemic species and the migration routes towards the south have not yet been studied. We used nuclear DNA sequences to unravel the interspecific relationships among the South American Artemisia and their connections with the remaining species of the genus, as well as using fluorescent in situ hybridisation and genome size assessments to characterise this polyploid complex. Most of the species are clustered in a monophyletic clade, nested within the American endemic clade, with the exception of A. magellanica Sch. Bip., which appears segregated from the other American species and constitutes a clade together with A. biennis Willd. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation and genome size data revealed that monoploid genome size remains quite constant across ploidy levels and a proportional increase of ribosomal loci was detected, a dynamic not usually found in this genus. The results are discussed in the light of evolutionary processes which occur in plants, and plausible origins for the South American endemic species are hypothesised.
Differential responses to allelopathic compounds released by the invasive Acacia dealbata Link (Mimosaceae) indicate stimulation of its own seed
Authors: Lorenzo Paula , Pazos-Malvido Eva , Reigosa Manuel J. , González Luís
Published: October 2010

Invasion by exotic species constitutes a major threat to natural ecosystems. One of the most invasive species of current concern in Europe is Acacia dealbata Link (Mimosaceae), the expansion of which is reducing populations of native species, and hence biodiversity. To investigate the potential involvement of allelopathic mechanisms in this process, we evaluated the germination and seedling growth performance of Lactuca sativa L. (Compositae), Zea mays L. (Gramineae), Dactylis glomerata L. (Gramineae), Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. (Cruciferae) and A. dealbata, in the presence of mixtures of throughfall and litter leachate and of aqueous soil extracts collected under A. dealbata at different times of the year. Each test species responded differently to the solutions being assayed suggesting that A. dealbata allelochemicals may affect a variety of physiological growth parameters. In most cases the observed effects were stimulatory rather than inhibitory, which may have long-term deleterious effects on native plant populations since premature growth during periods of poor resources can be detrimental. Interestingly, increased radical growth of A. dealbata was detected with either extract suggesting a positive autoalleloapthy effect.
Variation in susceptibility to Phytophthora cinnamomi infection within the genus Lambertia
Authors: Shearer B. L. , Crane C. E. , Cochrane J. A.
Published: October 2010

Variation in susceptibility to Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands infection within the genus Lambertia Sm. was evaluated by soil and stem inoculation. Disease-progress curves following soil inoculation were analysed with the three logistic-model parameters of upper asymptote (K max), lag time (t 1/2K ) and intrinsic rate of increase (r), which were combined into a mortality score. Resistant Lambertia taxa had the lowest K max, longest t 1/2K and slowest r. These parameters change to greatest K max, shortest t 1/2K and fastest r for susceptible Lambertia taxa. Mortality score following soil inoculation was significantly positively correlated with lesion score determined by stem inoculation. The plot of the scores ranked the Lambertia taxa in relation to P. cinnamomi susceptibility on the resistance–susceptibility continuum and prioritised taxa in relation to the threat posed by the pathogen. The highest mortality and lesion scores for the threatened rare and endangered taxa L. orbifolia subsp. orbifolia, L. fairallii and L. rariflora subsp. lutea suggest a high risk of extinction from P. cinnamomi infestation. Furthermore, rare and endangered taxa L. orbifolia subsp. Scott River Plains, L. echinata subsp. occidentalis and L. echinata subsp. echinata that have high mortality and moderate lesion scores are also likely to be at high risk of extinction from P. cinnamomi infestation. Among common taxa with restricted geographic distribution, L. ericifolia has high mortality and lesion scores, suggesting a high risk of localised extinction and loss of genetic diversity in P. cinnamomi disease centres. Positioning taxa on the P. cinnamomi resistance–susceptibility continuum needs to be incorporated into extinction-risk methodology so as to prioritise flora for conservation actions according to hazard from the pathogen.
Assembly of a functional Machupo virus polymerase complex
Authors: Kranzusch Philip J. , Schenk Andreas D. , Rahmeh Amal A. , Radoshitzky Sheli R. , Bavari Sina , Walz Thomas , Whelan Sean P. J.
Published: October 2010

Segmented negative-sense viruses of the family
Arenaviridae
encode a large polymerase (L) protein that contains all of the enzymatic activities required for RNA synthesis. These activities include an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) and an RNA endonuclease that cleaves capped primers from cellular mRNAs to prime transcription. Using purified catalytically active Machupo virus L, we provide a view of the overall architecture of this multifunctional polymerase and reconstitute complex formation with an RNA template in vitro. The L protein contains a central ring domain that is similar in appearance to the RdRP of dsRNA viruses and multiple accessory appendages that may be responsible for 5′ cap formation. RNA template recognition by L requires a sequence-specific motif located at positions 2–5 in the 3′ terminus of the viral genome. Moreover, L-RNA complex formation depends on single-stranded RNA, indicating that inter-termini dsRNA interactions must be partially broken for complex assembly to occur. Our results provide a model for arenavirus polymerase–template interactions and reveal the structural organization of a negative-strand RNA virus L protein.
Questionable Effectiveness of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Test (Cellestis) as a Screening Tool in Healthcare Workers
Authors: Gandra Sumanth , Scott William S. , Somaraju Vijaya , Wang Huaping , Wilton Suzanne , Feigenbaum Michelle
Published: October 2010

Objective.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of QuantiFERON TB Gold test (QFTG; Cellestis) in all situations where the tuberculin skin test (TST) is used. In November 2007, our institution replaced its screening-tool TST with the QFTG in-tube assay (QFT-GIT) for annual screening of latent tuberculosis infection among healthcare workers (HCWs). This study evaluated the effectiveness of QFT-GIT test as screening tool in HCWs at our institution.

Methods.

This retrospective study reviewed medical records of all HCWs who underwent screening with QFT-GIT from January 2008 through December 2008.

Results.

Among the 6,530 HCWs screened with QFT-GIT from January through December 2008, 287 had a positive test result. Of the 287, 123 had positive TST results in the past, meaning that 164 HCWs had newly diagnosed latent tuberculosis infection by QFT-GIT. Of the 164 HCWs, 135 were retested by QFT-GIT and were simultaneously tested with TST within 4 weeks after the initial QFT-GIT. Of these 135 HCWs, 66 reverted to negative results and results remained positive for 69 with QFT-GIT. Only 2 HCWs had a positive TST result.

Conclusions.

The disagreement between QFT-GIT and TST results and the high reversion rate with QFT-GIT raise concerns about the effectiveness of QFT-GIT as a sole screening test in HCWs.
A Novel Testis-specific GTPase Serves as a Link to Proteasome Biogenesis: Functional Characterization of RhoS/RSA-14-44 in Spermatogenesis
Authors: Zhang Ning , Liang Junbo , Tian Yongqiang , Yuan Ligang , Wu Lan , Miao Shiying , Zong Shudong , Wang Linfang
Published: October 2010

Most Rho family GTPases serve as key molecular switches in a wide spectrum of biological processes. An increasing number of studies have expanded their roles to the spermatogenesis. Several members of Rho family have been confirmed to be essential for mammalian spermatogenesis, but the precise roles of this family in male reproduction have not been well studied yet. Here we report a surprising function of an atypical and testis-specific Rho GTPase, RSA-14-44 in spermatogenesis. Featured by unique structural and expressional patterns, RSA-14-44 is distinguished from three canonical members of Rho cluster. Thus, we define RSA-14-44 as a new member of Rho GTPases family and rename it RhoS (Rho in spermatogenic cells). RhoS associates with PSMB5, a catalytic subunit of the proteasome, in a series of stage-specific spermatogenic cells. More importantly, RhoS does not directly modulate the cellular proteasome activity, but participates in regulating the stability of “unincorporated” PSMB5 precursors. Meanwhile, our data demonstrate that the activation of RhoS is prerequisite for negatively regulating the stability of PSMB5 precursors. Therefore, our finding uncovers a direct and functional connection between the Rho GTPase family and the pathway of proteasome biogenesis and provide new clues for deciphering the secrets of spermatogenesis.
Ecological correlates of range shifts of Late Pleistocene mammals
Authors: Kathleen Lyons S. , Wagner Peter J. , Dzikiewicz Katherine
Published: October 2010

Understanding and predicting how species' distributions will shift as climate changes are central questions in ecology today. The late Quaternary of North America represents a natural experiment in which we can evaluate how species responded during the expansion and contraction of the glaciers. Here, we ask whether species' range shifts differ because of taxonomic affinity, life-history traits, body size or topographic heterogeneity and whether the species survived the megafaunal extinction. There was no difference in range shifts between victims and survivors of the megafaunal extinction. In general, the change in the size of a species' range is not well correlated with any of the ecological or life-history traits evaluated. However, there are significant relationships between some variables and the movements of the centroids of ranges. Differences in the distances shifted exist among orders, although this is probably a result of body size differences as larger bodied species show larger shifts. Although there are a few exceptions, the distance that species shifted their range was weakly correlated with life-history traits. Finally, species in more topographically heterogeneous areas show smaller shifts than species in less-diverse areas. Overall, these results indicate that when trying to predict species range shifts in the future, body size, lifespan and the topographic relief of the landscape should be taken into account.
The origins of modern biodiversity on land
Authors: Benton Michael J.
Published: October 2010

Comparative studies of large phylogenies of living and extinct groups have shown that most biodiversity arises from a small number of highly species-rich clades. To understand biodiversity, it is important to examine the history of these clades on geological time scales. This is part of a distinct ‘phylogenetic expansion’ view of macroevolution, and contrasts with the alternative, non-phylogenetic ‘equilibrium’ approach to the history of biodiversity. The latter viewpoint focuses on density-dependent models in which all life is described by a single global-scale model, and a case is made here that this approach may be less successful at representing the shape of the evolution of life than the phylogenetic expansion approach. The terrestrial fossil record is patchy, but is adequate for coarse-scale studies of groups such as vertebrates that possess fossilizable hard parts. New methods in phylogenetic analysis, morphometrics and the study of exceptional biotas allow new approaches. Models for diversity regulation through time range from the entirely biotic to the entirely physical, with many intermediates. Tetrapod diversity has risen as a result of the expansion of ecospace, rather than niche subdivision or regional-scale endemicity resulting from continental break-up. Tetrapod communities on land have been remarkably stable and have changed only when there was a revolution in floras (such as the demise of the Carboniferous coal forests, or the Cretaceous radiation of angiosperms) or following particularly severe mass extinction events, such as that at the end of the Permian.
The future of the oceans past
Authors: Jackson Jeremy B. C.
Published: October 2010

Major macroevolutionary events in the history of the oceans are linked to changes in oceanographic conditions and environments on regional to global scales. Even small changes in climate and productivity, such as those that occurred after the rise of the Isthmus of Panama, caused major changes in Caribbean coastal ecosystems and mass extinctions of major taxa. In contrast, massive influxes of carbon at the end of the Palaeocene caused intense global warming, ocean acidification, mass extinction throughout the deep sea and the worldwide disappearance of coral reefs. Today, overfishing, pollution and increases in greenhouse gases are causing comparably great changes to ocean environments and ecosystems. Some of these changes are potentially reversible on very short time scales, but warming and ocean acidification will intensify before they decline even with immediate reduction in emissions. There is an urgent need for immediate and decisive conservation action. Otherwise, another great mass extinction affecting all ocean ecosystems and comparable to the upheavals of the geological past appears inevitable.
Biodiversity and biogeography of the atmosphere
Authors: Womack Ann M. , Bohannan Brendan J. M. , Green Jessica L.
Published: October 2010

The variation of life has predominantly been studied on land and in water, but this focus is changing. There is a resurging interest in the distribution of life in the atmosphere and the processes that underlie patterns in this distribution. Here, we review our current state of knowledge about the biodiversity and biogeography of the atmosphere, with an emphasis on micro-organisms, the numerically dominant forms of aerial life. We present evidence to suggest that the atmosphere is a habitat for micro-organisms, and not purely a conduit for terrestrial and aquatic life. Building on a rich history of research in terrestrial and aquatic systems, we explore biodiversity patterns that are likely to play an important role in the emerging field of air biogeography. We discuss the possibility of a more unified understanding of the biosphere, one that links knowledge about biodiversity and biogeography in the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
A stochastic, evolutionary model for range shifts and richness on tropical elevational gradients under Quaternary glacial cycles
Authors: Colwell Robert K. , Rangel Thiago F.
Published: October 2010

Quaternary glacial–interglacial cycles repeatedly forced thermal zones up and down the slopes of mountains, at all latitudes. Although no one doubts that these temperature cycles have left their signature on contemporary patterns of geography and phylogeny, the relative roles of ecology and evolution are not well understood, especially for the tropics. To explore key mechanisms and their interactions in the context of chance events, we constructed a geographical range-based, stochastic simulation model that incorporates speciation, anagenetic evolution, niche conservatism, range shifts and extinctions under late Quaternary temperature cycles along tropical elevational gradients. In the model, elevational patterns of species richness arise from the differential survival of founder lineages, consolidated by speciation and the inheritance of thermal niche characteristics. The model yields a surprisingly rich variety of realistic patterns of phylogeny and biogeography, including close matches to a variety of contemporary elevational richness profiles from an elevational transect in Costa Rica. Mountaintop extinctions during interglacials and lowland extinctions at glacial maxima favour mid-elevation lineages, especially under the constraints of niche conservatism. Asymmetry in temperature (greater duration of glacial than of interglacial episodes) and in lateral area (greater land area at low than at high elevations) have opposing effects on lowland extinctions and the elevational pattern of species richness in the model—and perhaps in nature, as well.
The Arabidopsis Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase, CPK6, Functions as a Positive Regulator of Methyl Jasmonate Signaling in Guard Cells
Authors: Munemasa Shintaro , Hossain Mohammad Anowar , Nakamura Yoshimasa , Mori Izumi C. , Murata Yoshiyuki
Published: October 2010

Previous studies have demonstrated that methyl jasmonate (MeJA) induces stomatal closure dependent on change of cytosolic free calcium concentration in guard cells. However, these molecular mechanisms of intracellular Ca2+ signal perception remain unknown. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) function as Ca2+ signal transducers in various plant physiological processes. It has been reported that four Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CDPKs, CPK3, CPK6, CPK4, and CPK11, are involved in abscisic acid signaling in guard cells. It is also known that there is an interaction between MeJA and abscisic acid signaling in guard cells. In this study, we examined the roles of these CDPKs in MeJA signaling in guard cells using Arabidopsis mutants disrupted in the CDPK genes. Disruption of the CPK6 gene impaired MeJA-induced stomatal closure, but disruption of the other CDPK genes did not. Despite the broad expression pattern of CPK6, we did not find other remarkable MeJA-insensitive phenotypes in the cpk6-1 mutant. The whole-cell patch-clamp analysis revealed that MeJA activation of nonselective Ca2+-permeable cation channels is impaired in the cpk6-1 mutant. Consistent with this result, MeJA-induced transient cytosolic free calcium concentration increments were reduced in the cpk6-1 mutant. MeJA failed to activate slow-type anion channels in the cpk6-1 guard cells. Production of early signal components, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide, in guard cells was elicited by MeJA in the cpk6-1 mutant as in the wild type. These results provide genetic evidence that CPK6 has a different role from CPK3 and functions as a positive regulator of MeJA signaling in Arabidopsis guard cells.