bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MECHANOSENSITIVE ION CHANNELS IN SKELETAL MUSCLE: A LINK IN THE MEMBRANE PATHOLOGY OF MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
Authors: Lansman Jeffry B , Franco‐Obregón Alfredo
Published: June 2006

Mechanosensitive (MS) channels are expressed abundantly in skeletal muscle at all stages of development. In recordings from membrane patches, MS channels are constitutively active at the resting potential. The channels are selective for cations and have a large single‐channel conductance (approximately 25 pS in physiological saline) and a high Ca2+ permeability (relative permeability of Ca2+ to K+ (PCa/PK) = 7).

Mechanosensitive channel activity recorded from the surface of myotubes from dystrophic mdx mice was substantially greater than the activity recorded from wild‐type myotubes. Increased channel activity in the mutant results from the induction in a subpopulation of channels of a novel MS gating mode characterized by markedly prolonged channel openings and inactivation in response to membrane stretch.

Membrane stretch or a strong depolarization causes an irreversible switch to the stretch‐inactivated gating mode in mdx myotubes. A stretch‐induced shift in MS channel gating mode may contribute to stretch‐induced elevations in [Ca2+]i during the early stages of disease pathogenesis.

Abnormalities of MS channel behaviour are also detected in recordings from patches on flexor digitorum brevis fibres acutely isolated from mdx mice. Mechanosensitive channel opening probability is higher in mdx fibres at all developmental stages. In addition, channel numbers are persistently elevated during postnatal development, failing to undergo a normal process of downregulation during the first 3 postnatal weeks.

Two distinct mechanisms may contribute to elevations of [Ca2+]i in dystrophin‐deficient skeletal muscle: (i) a membrane stress‐dependent switch of MS channels into to a prolonged opening mode; and (ii) a loss of developmental downregulation leading to persistent MS channel expression during postnatal muscle development.
MUSCLE DAMAGE IN MDX (DYSTROPHIC) MICE: ROLE OF CALCIUM AND REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES
Authors: Whitehead Nicholas P , Yeung Ella W , Allen David G
Published: June 2006

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal, degenerative muscle disease caused by a genetic mutation that leads to the complete absence of the cytoskeletal protein dystrophin in muscle fibres.

The present review provides an overview of some of the physiological pathways that may contribute to muscle damage and degeneration in DMD, based primarily on experimental findings in the mdx mouse, an animal model of this disease.

A rise in intracellular calcium is widely thought to be an important initiating event in the dystrophic pathogenesis. The pathway(s) leading to increased intracellular calcium in dystrophin deficient muscle is uncertain, but recent work from our laboratory provides evidence that stretch‐activated channels are an important source of the calcium influx. Other possible routes of calcium entry are also discussed.

The consequences of elevated cytosolic calcium may include activation of proteases, such as calpain, and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause protein and membrane damage.

Another possible cause of damage in dystrophic muscle involves inflammatory pathways, such as those mediated by neutrophils, macrophages and associated cytokines. There is recent evidence that increased ROS may be important in both the activation of and the damage caused by this inflammatory pathway in mdx muscle.
5‐HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM: FOCUS ON THE SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER (SERT)
Authors: Ni Wei , Watts Stephanie W
Published: June 2006

The function of the serotonin transporter (SERT) is to take up and release serotonin (5‐hydroxytyptamine (5‐HT)) from cells and this function of SERT in the central nervous system (CNS) is well‐documented; SERT is the target of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors used in the treatment of CNS disorders, such as depression.

The aim of the present review is to discuss our current knowledge of 5‐HT and SERT in the cardiovascular (CV) system, as well as their function in physiological and pathophysiological states.

The SERT protein has been located in multiple CV tissues, including the heart, blood vessels, brain, platelets, adrenal gland and kidney. Modification of SERT function occurs at both transcriptional and translational levels. The functions of SERT in these tissues is largely unexplored, but includes modulation of cardiac and smooth muscle contractility, platelet aggregation, cellular mitogenesis, modulating neuronal activity and urinary excretion.

Recent studies have uncovered potential relationships between the expression of SERT gene promoter variants (long (l) or short (s)) with CV diseases. Specifically, the risk of myocardial infarction and pulmonary hypertension is increased with expression of the ll promoter, a variant associated with increased expression and function of SERT. The relationship between promoter variants and other CV diseases has not been investigated.

Newly available experimental tools, such as pharmacological compounds and genetically altered mice, should prove useful in the investigation of the function of SERT in the CV system.

In summary, the function of SERT in the CV system is just beginning to be revealed.
THERMAL PRECONDITIONING PROTECTS THE HUMAN INTERNAL MAMMARY ARTERY FROM HYPOXIA/RE‐OXYGENATION‐INDUCED DAMAGE
Authors: Hammerer‐Lercher Angelika , Haeusler Christa , Prelog Martina , Bonatti Johannes , Hoefer Daniel , Ruttmann Elfriede , Laufer Guenther , Werner Ernst R , Dirnhofer Stephan , Puschendorf Bernd , Mair Johannes
Published: June 2006

Preconditioning has been demonstrated to ameliorate ischaemia/reperfusion injury in several cells and tissues. Therefore, in the present study we investigated whether preconditioning of human bypass grafts, internal mammary artery (IMA) and saphenous vein (SV) induces heat shock protein (Hsp) expression and reduces apoptosis in response to subsequent hypoxia/re‐oxygenation damage in both vessels.

Internal mammary artery and SV rings, obtained from 30 patients (median age 66.5 years) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, were either incubated for 30 min at 42°C (preconditioned) or kept in a standard incubator at 37°C (not preconditioned). Six hours later, graft segments were exposed to 90 min hypoxia followed by a 30 min re‐oxygenation period. Western blot, real‐time quantative polymerase chain reaction analysis and apoptosis detection by the Terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP–digoxigenin nick end‐labelling method were performed.

Heat‐preconditioned IMA showed significantly increased protein expression of Hsp72 after hypoxia/re‐oxygenation treatment compared with controls (median 9.1 vs 5.0 µg/mg total protein; P = 0.048). Expression of Hsp73 was weak and Hsp60 was not detectable in the IMA.

In the SV, neither protein nor mRNA expression of Hsp were significantly different between preconditioned and not preconditioned veins.

There were significantly fewer apoptotic cells in the intima of the preconditioned compared with not preconditioned IMA (P = 0.041) after hypoxia/re‐oxygenation injury, whereas in the SV apoptosis was not significantly prevented by preconditioning.

Mild heat preconditioning before hypoxia/re‐oxygenation injury is a stimulus for Hsp72 protein expression and a reduction in apoptosis in the human IMA.
MATCHING OF SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM AND CONTRACTILE PROPERTIES IN RAT FAST‐ AND SLOW‐TWITCH MUSCLE FIBRES
Authors: Trinh Huong H , Lamb Graham D
Published: June 2006

The twitch characteristics (fast‐twitch or slow‐twitch) of skeletal muscle fibres are determined not only by the contractile apparatus properties of the fibre, but also by the time‐course of Ca2+ release and re‐uptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). The present study examined, in individual fibres from non‐transforming muscle of the rat, whether particular SR properties are matched to the contractile apparatus properties of the fibre, in particular in the case of fibres with fast‐twitch contractile apparatus located in a slow‐twitch muscle, namely the soleus.

Force was recorded in single, mechanically skinned fibres from extensor digitorum longus (EDL), gastrocnemius, peroneus longus and soleus muscles. Using repeated cycles in which the SR was emptied of all releasable Ca2+ and then reloaded, it was possible to determine the relative amount of Ca2+ present in the SR endogenously, the maximum SR capacity and the rate of Ca2+ loading. The sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to Ca2+ and Sr2+ was used to classify the fibres as fast‐twitch (FT), slow‐twitch (ST) or mixed (< 3% of the fibres examined) and thereby identify the likely troponin C and myosin heavy chain types present.

There was no significant difference in SR properties between the groups of FT fibres obtained from the four different muscles, including soleus. Despite some overlap in the SR properties of individual fibres between the FT and ST groups, the properties of the FT fibres in all four muscles studied were significantly different from those of the ST and mixed fibres.

In general, in FT fibres the SR had a larger capacity and the endogenous Ca2+ content was a relatively lower percentage of maximum compared with ST fibres. Importantly, in terms of their SR properties, FT fibres from soleus muscle more closely resembled FT fibres from other muscles than they did ST fibres from soleus muscle.
EFFECTS OF SUCRALFATE, CIMETIDINE AND RABEPRAZOLE ON MUCOSAL HYDROXYPROLINE CONTENT IN HEALING OF ETHANOL–HCL‐INDUCED GASTRIC LESIONS
Authors: Arisawa Tomiyasu , Shibata Tomoyuki , Kamiya Yoshio , Nagasaka Mitsuo , Nakamura Masakatsu , Fujita Hiroshi , Hasegawa Shin , Harata Masao , Nakamura Masahiko , Mizuno Tamaki , Tahara Tomomitsu , Ohta Yoshiji , Nakano Hiroshi
Published: June 2006

No general consensus has been reached on the treatment of acute gastric lesions. The aims of the present study were to clarify the effects of sucralfate, cimetidine and rabeprazole monotherapies and combination therapies on acute gastric lesions from the viewpoint of connective tissue regeneration.

Gastric lesions were experimentally created by the oral administration of 50% ethanol−0.15 mol/L HCl to rats. After 30 min, the anti‐ulcer agents sucralfate (100 mg/kg), cimetidine (20 mg/kg) and rabeprazole (2 mg/kg) were administered separately or in combination and the stomach was excised at different times to measure the level of hydroxyproline in the gastric mucosa and determine lesion index. Immunostaining against prolylhydroxylase was performed on some specimens.

In the control group, lesion index decreased linearly from 30 min after ethanol–HCl administration and the level of mucosal hydroxyproline peaked between 2 and 4 h later. Although sucralfate significantly promoted lesion healing, it had no effect on mucosal hydroxyproline level. Cimetidine suppressed increases in mucosal hydroxyproline and prolonged lesion healing, but these findings were reversed by combining cimetidine and sucralfate. Rabeprazole had no significant effect on lesion healing, but promoted lesion healing in combination with sucralfate. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that prolylhydroxylase was expressed in spindle cells that lined the glandular cells in a boundary area between normal and injured tissues.

Under conditions in which the effects of intragastric pH are minimal, sucralfate is superior to antisecretory agents in promoting the healing of acute gastric lesions.
PERIPHERAL AND CENTRALLY MEDIATED EFFECTS OF INSULIN ON SMALL INTESTINAL TRANSIT IN HEALTHY MICE
Authors: Peddyreddy MK , Rao KR
Published: June 2006

Insulin is the drug of choice in the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus. Approximately 76% of diabetic patients suffer from gastrointestinal disorders. An important area of investigating the inherent effect of insulin on small intestinal transit (SIT) remains unexplored. Hence, the present study was planned to investigate the effects of insulin (2 × 10−6, 2 × 10−3 and 2 U/kg) on small intestinal transit following two different routes of administration in healthy animals.

Insulin or vehicle was administered subcutaneously or intracerebroventricularly in eight groups of healthy, overnight‐fasted mice. Blood glucose (BG) levels were measured 2 min before insulin administration and at the time coinciding with SIT determination. Small intestinal transit was determined 50 min after insulin administration using the charcoal meal method.

Following subcutaneous administration, the lowest dose of insulin (2 × 10−6 U/kg) produced a significant acceleration in SIT without altering BG levels. However, the highest dose of insulin (2 U/kg) produced an acceleration of SIT that was associated with a significant fall in BG levels.

Following intracerebroventricular administration, the lowest dose of insulin (2 × 10−6 U/kg) attenuated SIT, without producing any alteration in BG levels, but the highest dose (2 U/kg) mimicked the effects seen following subcutaneous administration. Peripherally administered insulin produced significant acceleration of SIT at lower doses (2 × 10−6 or 2 × 10−3 mU/kg) compared with centrally administered insulin at similar doses. However, at the highest dose of insulin (2 U/kg), both routes (s.c. and i.c.v.) produced acceleration of SIT.

In the present study, peripherally and centrally administered insulin at 2 × 10−6 U/kg produced contrasting effects on SIT, without any hypoglycaemia. However, 2 U/kg insulin accelerated SIT similarly following both s.c. and i.c.v. administration that was associated with hypoglycaemia in healthy animals.
Management of intersphincteric abscesses
Authors: Millan M. , García‐Granero E. , Esclápez P. , Flor‐Lorente B. , Espí A. , Lledó S.
Published: June 2006

Objective  Intersphincteric abscesses are relatively rare, and in some cases of upward extensions in the supralevator plane, can be difficult to manage. The aim of this study was to analyse the type of treatment used in these abscesses.

Methods  Twenty‐one intersphincteric abscesses treated by endoanal drainage in our colorectal unit between 1992 and 2004 were reviewed from our database; location and extension of the abscess, type of treatment and recurrence rates and the use of endoanal ultrasound were studied.

Results  Ninety per cent of patients were male; 10 had a previous history of surgery for perianal abscess and suppuration (48%); 16 (76%) had a posterior location and five were anterolateral. Twelve patients had low intersphincteric abscesses and were treated by laying open the abscess and dividing the internal sphincter. Nine were found to have high extensions into the intermuscular planes and were treated by staged procedures: a temporary transanal mushroom catheter was used in seven patients. Endoanal ultrasound was used initially in seven patients (33.3%) and for the evaluation of definitive treatment in 11 (52%).

Conclusions  Low intersphincteric abscesses should be treated by de‐roofing of the abscess and division of the internal sphincter up to a level of the dentate line. High intersphincteric abscesses are relatively frequent and mostly require staged surgery with a temporary mushroom (de Pezzer) catheter. Accurate anatomical ultrasound localization and proper drainage become important to avoid recurrences or extrasphincteric fistulas.
Extended surgery for local recurrence and advanced rectal cancer
Authors: Sagar P. M.
Published: June 2006

Although much effort has been directed at reducing the incidence of local recurrence after surgical resection of rectal cancer, there remain a significant number of patients who will develop local recurrence without evidence of metastatic disease. Such patients, as well as patients with locally advanced rectal cancer at presentation, may represent a surgical challenge. Application of sound surgical principals and team work can lead to a good long term outcome. This paper sets out to discuss the philosophy and techniques involved in the surgical management of such patients.
A Hierarchical Topology‐Based Model for Handling Complex Indoor Scenes
Authors: Fradin D. , Meneveaux D. , Lienhardt P.
Published: June 2006

This paper presents a topology‐based representation dedicated to complex indoor scenes. It accounts for memory management and performances during modelling, visualization and lighting simulation. We propose to enlarge a topological model (called generalized maps) with multipartition and hierarchy. Multipartition allows the user to group objects together according to semantics. Hierarchy provides a coarse‐to‐fine description of the environment. The topological model we propose has been used for devising a modeller prototype and generating efficient data structure in the context of visualization, global illumination and 1 GHz wave propagation simulation. We presently handle buildings composed of up to one billion triangles.
Anti‐aliasing with Stratified B‐spline Filters of Arbitrary Degree
Authors: Gamito Manuel N. , Maddock Steve C.
Published: June 2006

A simple and elegant method is presented to perform anti‐aliasing in raytraced images. The method uses stratified sampling to reduce the occurrence of artefacts in an image and features a B‐spline filter to compute the final luminous intensity at each pixel. The method is scalable through the specification of the filter degree. A B‐spline filter of degree one amounts to a simple anti‐aliasing scheme with box filtering. Increasing the degree of the B‐spline generates progressively smoother filters. Computation of the filter values is done in a recursive way, as part of a sequence of Newton‐Raphson iterations, to obtain the optimal sample positions in screen space. The proposed method can perform both anti‐aliasing in space and in time, the latter being more commonly known as motion blur. We show an application of the method to the ray casting of implicit procedural surfaces.
A Comparative Evaluation of Metrics for Fast Mesh Simplification
Authors: Matias van Kaick Oliver , Pedrini Hélio
Published: June 2006

Triangle mesh simplification is of great interest in a variety of knowledge domains, since it allows manipulation and visualization of large models, and it is the starting point for the design of many multiresolution representations. A crucial point in the structure of a simplification method is the definition of an appropriate metric for guiding the decimation process, with the purpose of generating low error approximations at different levels of resolution. This paper proposes two new alternative metrics for mesh simplification, with the aim of producing high‐quality results with reduced execution time and memory usage, and being simple to implement. A set of different established metrics is also described and a comparative evaluation of these metrics against the two new metrics is performed. A single implementation is used in the experiments, in order to enable the evaluation of these metrics independently from other simplification aspects. Results obtained from the simplification of a number of models, using the different metrics, are compared.
Interactive Multiresolution Editing and Display of Large Terrains
Authors: Atlan Samuel , Garland Michael
Published: June 2006

In recent years, many systems have been developed for the real‐time display of very large terrains. While many of these techniques combine high‐quality rendering with impressive performance, most make the fundamental assumption that the terrain is represented by a fixed height map that cannot be altered at run time. Such systems frequently rely on extensive preprocessing of the raw terrain data. They are mostly designed for maximum performance. Consequently, these techniques are ill‐suited for the many applications such as geological simulations and games in which terrain surfaces must be altered interactively.

We present a two‐component system that can achieve real‐time view‐dependent rendering while allowing on‐line multiresolution alterations of a large terrain. Our fundamental height map representation is a wavelet quadtree hierarchy, allowing one to easily apply arbitrary multiresolution edits to the terrain. Our display algorithm extracts a view‐dependent approximation of the terrain from the wavelet quadtree in real time. The algorithm dynamically alters this approximation based on any ongoing edits. To allow for flexibility and to limit performance loss, the two components of this system have been designed to be as independent as possible.
Verification of Physically Based Rendering Algorithms
Authors: Ulbricht Christiane , Wilkie Alexander , Purgathofer Werner
Published: June 2006

Within computer graphics, the field of predictive rendering is concerned with those methods of image synthesis that yield results that do not only look real, but are also radiometrically correct renditions of nature, i.e. which are accurate predictions of what a real scene would look like under given lighting conditions.

In order to guarantee the correctness of the results obtained by such techniques, three stages of such a rendering system have to be verified with particular care: the light reflection models, the light transport simulation and the perceptually based calculations used at display time.

In this report, we will concentrate on the state of the art with respect to the second step in this chain. Various approaches for experimental verification of the implementation of a physically based rendering system have been proposed so far. However, the problem of proving that the results are correct is not fully solved yet, and no standardized methodology is available. We give an overview of existing literature, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and illustrate the unsolved problems. We also briefly discuss the related issue of image quality metrics.
AN INTERFAITH WISDOM: SCRIPTURAL REASONING BETWEEN JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS
Authors: FORD DAVID F.
Published: June 2006

The origins of scriptural reasoning, in which Jews, Christians and Muslims study their scriptures in conversation with each other, are described. Some maxims implicit in its form of Abrahamic collegiality are distilled (including the emphasis on friendship rather than consensus) and its institutional setting is analysed under the headings of House (synagogue, church, mosque), campus (university) and tent (settings where scriptural reasoning is practised). The attempt to cope with the superabundance of meaning in the scriptures is explored in terms of doing justice to the plain sense and other senses, using various theoretical conceptualities, and seeking wisdom together, concluding with remarks on scriptural reasoning in the public sphere.
MAKING DEEP REASONINGS PUBLIC
Authors: ADAMS NICHOLAS
Published: June 2006

This essay makes six claims about the practice of scriptural reasoning. Scriptural reasoning does not try to ground its own possibility. It approaches metaphysics as an account of what is taken to be true, not as a means to demonstrate necessary truths. It relies on luck. It models a practice of learning traditions' languages. It promotes friendship above consensus and agreement. It is a practice of making deep reasonings public. In summary, scriptural reasoning is reparative reasoning which addresses the acute needs of today's society while seeming to refuse certain imperatives that often accompany the academy's approach to those needs.
HEAVENLY SEMANTICS: SOME LITERARY‐CRITICAL APPROACHES TO SCRIPTURAL REASONING
Authors: QUASH BEN
Published: June 2006

This essay i) shows how certain key virtues of the practice of Scriptural Reasoning (SR) offer correctives to a mode of western rationality that regards itself as “supra‐traditional” and universally valid; and ii) illuminates those virtues with the help of literary theory which shares SR's concern with how texts and their interpretation affect possibilities for human life in any given context. It identifies four “marks” of SR (particularity, provisionality, sociality and surprise) and works with three conversation partners who use literary theory (Hans Urs von Balthasar, Mikhail Bakhtin and John Beer), to offer a positive account of SR's traditioned, critically imaginative character.
SCRIPTURAL REASONING AND THE FORMATION OF IDENTITY
Authors: TICCIATI SUSANNAH
Published: June 2006

This essay seeks to give a Christian rationale for the practice of Scriptural Reasoning by exploring how it might constitute a locus for the formation of Christian identity. It argues for an understanding of the universality of the Christian biblical story, not in terms of conceptual resolution, according to which all others are inscribed into its universe, but in terms of its call to transformation and conversion—engendered, first and foremost, by Scripture's resistance to interpretation. It contends that such resistance finds indispensable embodiment in the resistance of others to inscription within its universe, and suggests that the others who present the most timely challenge to Christian thinking about universality today are Jews and Muslims.
PHILOSOPHIC WARRANTS FOR SCRIPTURAL REASONING
Authors: OCHS PETER
Published: June 2006

Addressing readers who are already acquainted with the practices of Scriptural Reasoning (SR), this essay offers a logical strategy for warranting and testing such practices as well as all postmodern criticisms of modern inquiry. The strategy is to distinguish the logic of suffering, which is reducible to the binary terms of propositional logic, from the logic of repair, which is not. The essay argues that, if reduced to such binary terms, efforts at repair become inadvertent acts of oppression, or acts that produce suffering. The essay concludes that postmodern and postliberal theorists become inadvertent oppressors when their attempts to repair modern inquiry are presented through propositional logics. The practice of SR should be irreducible to such logics.
SCRIPTURAL REASONING AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
Authors: KOSHUL BASIT BILAL
Published: June 2006

This essay explores of the relationship between religion and science using Max Weber's insights into the philosophy of social science, C. S. Peirce's philosophy of religion and the Qur’anic treatment of material reality. The Weber‐Peirce‐Qur’an conversation opens up the possibility of a (social) scientific affirmation of religion and a religious affirmation of science. Scriptural Reasoning (SR) has already demonstrated that it is capable of creating “mutual ground” between the different religious traditions. This exploration of the exchange between SR and the social sciences suggests that SR has the potential of contributing to the creation of mutual ground between the religious traditions and the “secular” academy.
THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF SCRIPTURE: PATTERNS OF RECEPTION AND DISCOVERY BEHIND SCRIPTURAL REASONING
Authors: FLOOD GAVIN D.
Published: June 2006

While there are fundamental problems concerning the scientific or objective aspirations of a descriptive phenomenology of religion, a second level or hermeneutical phenomenology raises theologically and philosophically interesting questions about the nature of scripture across traditions and contributes to a semiotically informed understanding that takes seriously both external, text‐historical scholarship and internal theological concerns. I wish therefore to raise questions within a hermeneutical phenomenology (or second level phenomenology) and to move from there to a semiotics of scripture; a move necessitated by those very questions. Indeed, one route to Scriptural Reasoning is by way of a phenomenological questioning that requires a non‐teleological, textual engagement of the kind performed in Scriptural Reasoning.
READING WITH OTHERS: LEVINAS’ ETHICS AND SCRIPTURAL REASONING
Authors: GIBBS ROBERT
Published: June 2006

This essay explores different frameworks for learning, progressing from a relatively basic model of acquiring information through first linguistic models, and then through social interaction, leading to textual practices, and culminating with reading with others from other traditions. For this sequence there is a parallel one concerning kinds of reasoning (and the relevant sciences). But the essay focuses on providing the best account of ethical responsibility for each practice of learning: the greater the social complexity and the respect for otherness, the richer the account of the ethics of learning.
MORE THAN ONE WAY TO STUDY A BUILDING: APPROACHES TO PREHISTORIC HOUSEHOLD AND SETTLEMENT SPACE
Authors: CUTTING MARION
Published: June 2006

Summary.  This article reviews a number of research methodologies used to record household and settlement architecture and assesses their value in the investigation of the human use of prehistoric built space. It exemplifies, through case studies, five broad approaches to, and research techniques associated with, the investigation of such architecture. These approaches are: architectural form; the spatial distribution of activities; continuity and standardization; the relationship between built and non‐built space; and human patterns of movement. Then, drawing mainly on Near Eastern, and particularly Anatolian, material, it shows how a sixth approach, the use of ethnographic observation and analogy, provides insights into functional and seasonal variations in spatial use, patterns of movement and social organization. It identifies seven categories of data collection and nine observations drawn from the ethnographic material which together provide an investigative and interpretative framework for the study of early farming communities in the Near East and elsewhere.
EXPLORING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BEAKER POTTERY THROUGH RESIDUE ANALYSES
Authors: GUERRA‐DOCE ELISA
Published: June 2006

Summary.  Unlike other components of the Bell Beaker assemblage, Beaker pottery itself lacks an intrinsic value since fabric analyses have demonstrated that it was locally produced. It is thought, therefore, that it was the contents, rather than the container, which were valuable. Traditionally, Bell Beakers have been said to contain alcoholic beverages which were consumed in the course of male feasting ceremonies. However, whilst beer and mead have been identified from certain examples, not all Beakers were drinking cups. Some were used as reduction pots to smelt copper ores, others have some organic residues associated with food, and still others were employed as funerary urns. It is suggested here that a symbolic connection can, however, be observed, since these activities all imply some kind of transformation.
EARLY BRONZE AGE METAL TRADE IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN. NEW COMPOSITIONAL AND LEAD ISOTOPE EVIDENCE FROM CYPRUS
Authors: WEBB JENNIFER M. , FRANKEL DAVID , STOS ZOFIA ANNA , GALE NOEL
Published: June 2006

Summary.  This paper presents the results of chemical and lead isotope analyses of 17 Early and Middle Bronze Age artefacts from Cyprus. These suggest that a number of objects are of non‐Cypriot copper and lead to the identification of several as imports, a new explanation for some artefact types as ingots and a discussion of the nature of deposits at the key Cypriot site of Vasilia. This in turn allows a reconsideration of the role of Cyprus in an Aegean/eastern Mediterranean metals trade in the early years of the second half of the third millennium BC and of the development of metalworking on the island.
FIXED‐POINT RETAIL LOCATION IN THE MAJOR TOWNS OF ROMAN BRITAIN
Authors: MAC MAHON ARDLE
Published: June 2006

Summary.  Although it has not generally been recognized, tabernae (shops and workshops) were an important part of the process of urbanization and the urban form of the towns of Roman Britain. The objective of this paper is to examine the location of fixed‐point retailing establishments within the urban landscape. Workshops (also known as officinae) and retail activity probably constitute the largest and perhaps one of the most distinct aspects of any urban settlement. Based upon the discussion presented below, this paper will seek to show that there were important contests for retail space in the major settlements of Roman Britain. This paper also considers some of the factors that influence retail location to show that the towns of Roman Britain were complex socio‐economic environments.
AN ANGLO‐SAXON DISC BROOCH FROM BLETCHINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE, WITH STYLE II ANIMAL ART
Authors: FERN CHRIS
Published: June 2006

Summary.  The brooch was found in 2003 near Bletchingdon, Oxfordshire.1 Its gilt Style II animal ornament and garnet setting indicate that it is a high status dress‐fastener, datable to the period AD 575–610. Analysis of its form and ornament suggests that it was a local experiment in the application of a new animal style.
Hypoparathyroidism: A rare treatable cause of epilepsy – report of two cases
Authors: Bindu M. , Harinarayana C.V.
Published: June 2006

Hypoparathyroidism occurs due to insufficient production of parathyroid hormone to maintain extracellular calcium levels within the normal range. The acute clinical symptoms and signs of hypoparathyroidism are those of hypocalcaemia, ranging from tingling and numbness of limb extremities to intractable seizures. Often seizures are mistaken for epilepsy. Though hypoparathyroidism is not uncommon, the diagnosis is often missed due to its unusual clinical manifestation. This is the first documented report with vitamin D, Parathormone levels and urinary biochemical parameters from India. We present two cases of hypoparathyroidism who presented with seizures along with a short review of literature.
How is Futures Trading Affected by the Move to a Computerized Trading System? Lessons from the LIFFE FTSE 100 Contract
Authors: Gilbert Christopher L. , Rijken Herbert A.
Published: June 2006

Abstract:  We consider the impact of the May 1999 move to screen trading of the LIFFE FTSE 100 index futures contract. This resulted in a narrowing of the effective spread. Spread determinants are broadly similar in the two regimes. The narrowing of the spread appears due to increased competition among traders and a decline in tick‐level volatility rather than to the way these or other variables affect the spread. Market depth appears largely unaffected. Under screen trading, realized spreads widen as more limit orders are taken up rather than in relation to order size per se.
Transformation of the pectoral girdle in the evolutionary origin of frogs: insights from the primitive anuran Discoglossus
Authors: Havelková Pavla , Roček Zbyněk
Published: June 2006

Using cleared‐and‐stained whole mounts and computer‐aided three‐dimensional reconstructions made from serial histological sections, we studied the development of the pectoral girdle in Discoglossus pictus, an extant member of an ancient frog lineage, represented for example by Eodiscoglossus from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous periods in Europe. Basic developmental features were compared with those of extinct Temnospondyli, considered to be the most probable anuran ancestors, and with Triadobatrachus, an early Triassic proanuran. In the endochondral girdle, the separate scapula and coracoid of Discoglossus and other anurans (completed by suprascapular and procoracoid cartilages) evolved from the compact scapulocoracoid of temnospondyls by paedomorphosis. In parallel, the dermal ossifications of the girdle were reduced to a small clavicle and cleithrum. The overall reduction in ossification of the anuran pectoral girdle supports the hypothesis of a paedomorphic origin for Anura. The almost simultaneous appearance of dermal and endochondral ossifications may be explained by the accumulation of developmental events during a short, distinct metamorphosis (which did not occur in neotenic temnospondyls living permanently in water). The sternal elements seem to be neomorphs for the most part, which help to cushion the shock of landing in jumping anurans but which also evolved as functional substitutes (insertion area for the pectoralis muscles) of the temnospondyl interclavicle.
Cost‐effectiveness analysis of levonorgestrel intrauterine system and thermal balloon ablation for heavy menstrual bleeding
Authors: Brown PM , Farquhar CM , Lethaby A , Sadler LC , Johnson NP
Published: June 2006

Objective  To compare the cost‐effectiveness of levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG‐IUS) (Mirena®; Schering Co., Turku, Finland) and thermal balloon ablation (Thermachoice™; Gynecare Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA) for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding.

Design  An open, pragmatic, prospective randomised trial.

Setting  A menstrual disorders clinic at National Women’s Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.

Population  Seventy‐nine women with self‐defined heavy menstrual bleeding randomised to the LNG‐IUS (40 women) or the thermal balloon ablation (39 women).

Methods  Decision tree modelling using primary source data was used to identify the incremental cost‐effectiveness of the two treatments.

Main outcome measures  Direct and indirect costs of medical treatment, including treatment costs, subsequent medical procedures, lost income and medical treatment for failed procedures. The change in quality of life as assessed by the Short Form‐36 (SF‐36) measured between time of treatment and 24 months was the primary outcome measure. Economic modelling examined the expected cost and outcome for a woman entering each treatment. Sensitivity analysis explored the robustness of the results.

Results  The expected cost of treatment was $NZ1241 ($US869) for the LNG‐IUS and $NZ2418 ($US1693) for the thermal balloon ablation. The LNG‐IUS was associated with an increase of 15 points on the SF‐36 scale, compared with 12 points for the thermal balloon ablation. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the results are robust to a 25% decrease in the price of the primary cost drivers and to variations in the rates of failed treatment between the conditions.

Conclusion  The LNG‐IUS would appear to be cost‐effective when compared with the thermal balloon ablation for treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding.
Maternal cardiac function in fetal growth restriction
Authors: Bamfo JEAK , Kametas NA , Turan O , Khaw A , Nicolaides KH
Published: June 2006

Objective  To assess the maternal central haemodynamics in normotensive women with pregnancies complicated by severe fetal growth restriction (FGR).

Design  Cross‐sectional study.

Setting  A tertiary referral fetal medicine unit.

Population  The study groups comprised 107 women with normal singleton pregnancies and 20 with singleton pregnancies complicated by FGR at 25–37 weeks. In the latter group, assessment was carried out within 10 days prior to their delivery. All the women were normotensive, without any medical problems.

Methods  Two‐dimensional and M‐mode echocardiography of the left ventricle.

Main outcome measures  Maternal left ventricular systolic and diastolic function.

Results  In the FGR group, compared with the normal group, there was increased total vascular resistance (TVR), reduced systolic function characterised by lower cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate, ejection time and septal and lateral long‐axis shortening. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was not significantly different between the groups.

Conclusions  Severe FGR is associated with reduced maternal systolic function and increased TVR but no change in MAP. TVR may be a useful tool in the classification and management of FGR. The findings suggest that in FGR, there is increased blood viscosity due to lack of intravascular space expansion.
Transvaginal, ultrasound‐guided, ovarian, interstitial laser treatment in anovulatory women with clomifene‐citrate‐resistant polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Zhu WJ , Li XM , Chen XM , Lin Z , Zhang L
Published: June 2006

Objective  To assess the effectiveness of transvaginal, ultrasound‐guided, ovarian, interstitial laser coagulation treatment in anovulatory women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Design  A pilot study.

Setting  Assisted reproductive technology unit.

Sample  Twenty‐three anovulatory women with clomifene‐citrate‐resistant PCOS.

Methods  Ultrasound‐guided, transvaginal, ovarian, interstitial yttrium‐aluminium‐garnet laser treatment.

Main outcome measures  Serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, prolactin and estradiol levels, spontaneous ovulation rate and pregnancy rate were measured over 6 months of follow up.

Results  Regular ovulation occurred in 19 out of 22 (86.4%) women in the 6 months following ovarian treatment (one woman was lost to follow up). On the postoperative second, fourth and sixth month, the mean serum LH levels were 4.54 SD 1.21 iu/l, 4.90 SD 2.18 iu/l and 4.42 SD 1.03 iu/l, significantly (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001) lower than the preoperative level of 13.89 ± 3.62 iu/l; the mean serum testosterone levels were 2.69 SD 1.83 nmol/l, 2.42 SD 1.11 nmol/l and 2.28 SD 1.96 nmol/l and significantly (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001) lower than the preoperative baseline value of 5.37 SD 3.09 nmol/l; the mean LH/FSH ratios of 0.93 SD 0.26, 0.88 SD 0.17 and 0.81 SD 0.14 were also significantly lower than the preoperative value of 2.78 SD 1.21 (P < 0.001). Pregnancy occurred in eight women and there was a cumulative pregnancy rate at 6 months of 36% (8/22) among the subjects. There were no significant operative complications.

Conclusion  Ultrasound‐guided, transvaginal, ovarian, interstitial laser treatment appears effective in improving hormonal profiles and inducing ovulation and successful pregnancy in women with clomifene‐resistant PCOS.
Predictors of respiratory depression at birth in the term infant
Authors: Baskett TF , Allen VM , O‘Connell CM , Allen AC
Published: June 2006

Objective  To evaluate predictive factors for respiratory depression at birth in infants ≥37 weeks.

Design  A population‐based cohort study of respiratory depression at birth at term and post‐term.

Setting  Nova Scotia, Canada.

Population  All 126 604 nonanomalous, singleton deliveries ≥37 weeks in cephalic presentation from 1988–2002.

Methods  An analysis of maternal, antenatal, intrapartum, and neonatal factors associated with respiratory depression at birth ≥37 weeks.

Main outcome measures  A composite outcome of delay in initiating and maintaining respiration after birth, 5‐minute Apgar score ≤ 3, or neonatal seizures due to hypoxic–ischaemic encephalopathy.

Results  The rate of respiratory depression at birth with delay in respiration was 5.2/1000, with Apgar ≤ 3 1.0/1000 live births, and with neonatal seizures 0.7/1000. A composite of any of the three respiratory depressions at birth criteria showed comparable low rates with spontaneous delivery (4.4/1000) and elective caesarean (4.8/1000). Compared with elective caesarean delivery, vacuum (13.2/1000, relative risk [RR] 3.97, P < 0.001), forceps (8.8/1000, RR 1.84, P= 0.003), failed vacuum (13.3/1000, RR 2.76, P= 0.005), failed forceps (33.3/1000, RR 6.93, P < 0.001), and caesarean in labour (17.0/1000, RR 3.54, P < 0.001) had significantly higher rates of the composite outcome.

Conclusion  Overall, the rate of respiratory depression at birth in the term infant was low and the serious manifestation of seizures was less than 1 in 1000. There was a significant relationship between operative delivery in labour and respiratory depression at birth.
Compliance with routine antenatal rhesus D prophylaxis and the impact on sensitisations: observations over 14 years
Authors: MacKenzie IZ , Findlay J , Thompson K , Roseman F
Published: June 2006

Documented routine antenatal anti‐D prophylaxis was given to 90% and 81–87% of eligible women at 28 and 34 weeks of gestation, respectively, during the early 1990s and early 2000s. With increasing experience and education, a significant improvement in the timing of the first (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.16–0.41: P < 0.0001) and second injections (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.26–0.61: P < 0.0001) occurred during the latter period. Despite these improvements, there was no reduction in the sensitisation rate at 0.4%. However, this low rate occurred despite significant proportions of women delivering more than 42 days after the second injection. Fifteen of the 16 sensitised women had received routine antenatal prophylaxis.
Vaginal delivery for fetuses at risk of alloimmune thrombocytopenia?
Authors: Van Den Akker ESA , Oepkes D , Brand A , Kanhai HHH
Published: June 2006

Objectives  To evaluate the safety of vaginal delivery in pregnancies with fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT).

Design  Prospective data collection.

Setting  Leiden University Medical Centre, the national centre for management of severe red cell and platelet alloimmunisation.

Population  Thirty‐two pregnancies with FNAIT, with a sibling with thrombocytopenia but without an intracranial haemorrhage (ICH).

Methods  The mode of delivery, platelet count in cord blood and neonatal outcome were analysed. All women received weekly intravenous immunoglobulin from 32 to 38 weeks of gestation. Head ultrasound scan was performed in all neonates.

Main outcome measures  Signs of ICH or other bleeding in the neonates.

Results  Twenty‐three women delivered vaginally. Nine caesarean sections were performed, all for obstetric reasons. Median platelet count at birth was 142 × 109/l (range, 4–252 × 109/l), with severe thrombocytopenia (<50 ×109/l) in four neonates, of which three were born vaginally. None of the neonates showed signs of ICH or other bleeding.

Conclusions  In pregnancies with FNAIT and a thrombocytopenic sibling without ICH, vaginal delivery was not associated with neonatal intracranial bleeding. These initial results support our noninvasive management of these pregnancies with FNAIT.
Attenuation of ethanol withdrawal syndrome by extract of Hypericum perforatum in Wistar rats
Authors: Coskun Ilke , Tayfun Uzbay I. , Ozturk Nilgun , Ozturk Yusuf
Published: June 2006

The effects of Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) on ethanol withdrawal syndrome have been investigated in ethanol‐dependent rats. Adult male Wistar rats were subjects. Ethanol (7.2% v/v) was given to rats by a liquid diet for 15 days. Hypericum perforatum extract (HPE) (25–200 mg/kg) and saline were injected to rats intraperitoneally just before ethanol withdrawal. After second, fourth and sixth hour of ethanol withdrawal, rats were observed for 5 min, and withdrawal signs that included locomotor hyperactivity, stereotyped behavior and tremors were recorded or rated. A second series of injections was given at 6 h after the first one, and subjects were then tested for audiogenic seizures. HPE (25–200 mg/kg) produced some dose‐dependent and significant inhibitory effects on locomotor hyperactivity at second and sixth hour of ethanol withdrawal. In addition, it significantly reduced the number of stereotyped behaviors at the same dose range. HPE (50 and 100 mg/kg) produced some significant inhibitory effects on tremor and audiogenic seizures during withdrawal period. These results suggest that HPE has some beneficial effects on ethanol withdrawal syndrome in rats.
Language testing: the social dimension
Authors: Roever Carsten , McNamara Tim
Published: June 2006

In this book, the authors foreground an aspect of language testing that is usually not much discussed and is frequently considered an “advanced” topic: the social dimension of language testing. They see various social dimensions in language testing. There are socially oriented language tests, i.e., tests which assess learners’ ability to use language in social settings. These are primarily oral proficiency interviews and tests of second language pragmatics. But the authors also understand “social” as “societal” and look at the larger‐scale impact of tests on individual learners or groups of learners by discussing fairness and bias in language testing. They also broaden their view and discuss the role of language testing in a macro‐social context, e.g. as accountability measures in education systems, as gatekeeping instruments for migration, and as tools for constructing and defining social groups. Their discussion is anchored in traditional and more recent views of validity theory.