bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mexico for the Mexicans: Immigration, National Sovereignty and the Promotion of Mestizaje
Authors: Yankelevich Pablo
Published: March 2012

After peace was restored in Mexico following the Revolution of 1910, the country's rulers, like their Porfirian forebears, continued to believe in the need to attract foreign immigrants. However, this view began to shift in die mid-1930s in the face of fears about the arrival of foreigners that were considered undesirable. On matters of immigration, the country did not stray far from the restrictive practices that extended across the Americas from Canada to Argentina, yet in Mexico, unlike anywhere else on the continent, the authorities were forced to confront a dual problem posed by migration in the nation they sought to govern.
“Of Experience, Zeal, and Selflessness”: Military Officers as Viceroys in Early Eighteenth Century Spanish America
Authors: Eissa-Barroso Francisco A.
Published: March 2012

On February 18, 1724, field marshal Antonio Manso Maldonado arrived in New Granada as the president, governor, and captain-general of the New Kingdom. He had been appointed to this position on December 4, 1723, because both the crown and the Chamber of the Indies thought it would be best executed by a military officer. Manso Maldonado could boast more than 30 years of military service, proven loyalty, and administrative experience, much of it during the first reign of Felipe V. After joining the royal armies as a private, Manso Maldonado rose steadily through the ranks, fighting the Moors in Ceuta and the French in the wars of the late seventeenth century. During the War of the Spanish Succession, he served at the orders of the militant bishop of Murcia and last viceroy of Valencia, Luis Belluga, who praised Manso's valor directly to the king. Most important perhaps, at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession and upon the occupation of Catalonia by Bourbon forces, Manso Maldonado had served as teniente de rey in Gerona (1716-1719) and Barcelona (1719-1723), witnessing first-hand the implementation of the Nueva Planta and the enforcement of royal authority over the rebellious principality.
The Philosopher, the Playwright, and the Actor: Friedrich Nietzsche and the Modern Drama's Concept of Performance
Authors: Kornhaber David
Published: March 2012

This essay explores the impact of Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner on conceptualizations of the theatrical event during the emergence of modern drama, focusing specifically on the writings of August Strindberg, George Bernard Shaw, and Eugene O'Neill—all avowed devotees of Nietzsche's work. to these playwrights, Nietzsche offered a particular vision of theatrical creation as a coequal marriage of the representational and embodied artistries of author and actor, each manifested only through its engagement with the other in the moment of performance. Nietzsche's schematization would help to inform much of the rethinking of the actor-author relationship that would mark these dramatists' approach to the stage, variously interpreted in Strindberg's call for a semi-improvisatory actor liberated from the playwright's text, Shaw's celebration of the virtuosic actor as the author's essential partner, and O'Neill's insistence on masked actors as an antidote to time-worn stage traditions. In these conceits, author and actor become co-creators of a theatrical event that exceeds either of their arts alone, a view on theatrical creation that in both positing and resolving a fundamental bifurcation begins to presage the eventual division between textualist and theatricalist approaches to the stage that would mark much of modern drama's later development.
Animating Immigration: Labor Movements, Cultural Policy, and Activist Theatre in 1970s France
Authors: Fisek Emine
Published: March 2012

This essay highlights the work of Paris-based Arab-French theatre troupes Al Assifa and La Kahina in order to address a number of dynamics that structured 1970s theatre activism concerning questions of immigration in France. Founded by a group of North African and French laborers, Al Assifa performed sketches on immigrant workers' experiences in France, while La Kahina gathered a mostly second-generation North African community to comment on Algerian women's lives and rectify the gender bias that plagued immigration politics. Examined in unison, the troupes' work reflects not only the qualities of an era that witnessed the sedimentation of immigration in French public consciousness as a permanent phenomenon, but the unique ability of theatrical practice to lay bare the contradictions of social reform on immigration. The essay places Al Assifa and La Kahina within the context of 1970s immigration politics in France and charts a number of themes that plagued both the politics and aesthetics of immigration: the difficulty of representing racial and ethnic difference in public spaces, the contradictions associated with claiming cultural militancy in a national context, where "culture" is a matter of public administration, and the endeavor to position immigrant public expression outside of the rapidly shifting categories made available by both official and civic bodies.
Jews on View: Spectacle, Degradation, and Jewish Corporeality in Contemporary Dance and Performance
Authors: Rossen Rebecca
Published: March 2012

in the early to mid-twentieth century, modern dance played a critical role in assimilating Jewish bodies into the majority and replacing negative images with positive ones. in contrast, postmodern dances by Jewish choreographers have rejected universality for specificity, investigated the politics of difference, and issued sharp social critiques. still, most do not delve too deeply into stereotyping. this essay considers how three contemporary dance and performance artists—Lawrence Goldhuber, Rebecca Pappas, and Steven Cohen—use spectacle, degradation, and irreverence to make corporeal and performative interventions in a bodily history of anti-semitism, and to consider the impact of this history on their own bodies and identities. Goldhuber's When the World Smells Like Bacon (2001), Pappas's Thumbnail ( Monster 0 ) (2006), and Cohen's Cleaning Time (Vienna): a Shandeh un a Charpeh (A Shame and a Disgrace) (2007) viscerally confront difference, victimization, and power through public acts and radically Jewish physicalities.
"The written troubles of the brain": Sleep No More and the Space of Character
Authors: Worthen W. B.
Published: March 2012

Although it leaves the spoken text of Macbeth almost entirely behind, Punchdrunk Theatre's Sleep No More —first performed in London in 2003, mounted again in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 2009, and currently running in New York City—undertakes a complex reflection on Shakespeare performance today, putting a reciprocal pressure on the critical history, situation, and practice of those terms of the art: "Shakespeare," "performance." Asserting an "immersive" epistemology, Sleep No More nonetheless evokes a surprisingly persistent, even New Critical conception of scripted language and performance. Inscribing literary character in performance space, both invoking and resisting the voyeuristic politics of modern fourth-wall performance, Sleep No More charts the pervasive legacy of largely literary conceptions of theatricality to the making of "new" performance, and—in its dynamic foregrounding of text, character, space, and audience—opens a series of questions about the apparent emancipation of the spectator, and about the character of "cognition," offered by theatrical "immersion."
Bajazet '37: Jacques Copeau's Palais à Volonté at the Comédie-Française
Authors: Muller David G.
Published: March 2012

This essay explores a decisive moment in the scenographic history of tragédie classique in the modern French theatre, that of Jacques Copeau's 1937 staging of Jean Racine's Bajazet . Despite Copeau's legacy as a champion of the classical repertoire, this production was his only fully realized staging of Racine. Although a disappointment to critics, it served as an important visual influence on the understanding of Racine in the theatre, serving as a model and containing the scenographic imaginary for subsequent productions of the playwright at the Comédie-Française and elsewhere. The myth of the Racinian palais à volonté —the neutral, universal setting of classical tragedy—is persistent in the historiography of tragédie classique and is still too often speciously implied as the culmination of the development of scenography in seventeenth-century France. By creating a transformable, architectural scenography for Bajazet that advanced this mythology, designer Louis Süe reinforced Copeau's intepretation of the appropriate performance style for French classical tragedy.
Elemental Analyses and Determination of Lead Content in Kohl (Stone) by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Authors: Haider Abul Fazal Mohammed Yusuf , Lubna Rebeka Sultana , Abedin Kazi Monowar
Published: March 2012

Elemental analyses of kohl (stone) samples collected from three different parts of the world were performed using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The analyses indicated that lead (Pb), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), and sodium (Na) were present in all the kohl samples. In addition to these elements, the sample from Madina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), contained the elements tin (Sn), zirconium (Zr), and antimony (Sb). The sample from Mount Toor, Egypt, also contained Sn. Also, quantitative analysis for lead was carried out by the standard addition method using the LIBS technique. The result showed the presence of 14.12 ± 0.28% by weight of Pb in the sample from Madina, which compares well with the measurement done using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) (13.31 ± 0.46%). The standard addition method used three calibration curves drawn for three emission lines of the LIBS spectra of Pb. The limits of detection (LoD) for these calibration curves varied from 0.27% to 1.16% by weight. The lead contents of the samples from Mount Toor and the local market of Bangladesh were also measured by the AAS technique, and the results were 14.61 ± 0.48% and 8.98 ± 0.35% by weight, respectively. The reason for determining only the lead content in kohl, which may be used as an eye cosmetic, is the adverse effect that lead has on health.
Characterization of the Interaction between 4-(Tetrahydro-2-Furanmethoxy)-N-Octadecyl-1,8-Naphthalimide and Human Serum Albumin by Molecular Spectroscopy and Its Analytical Application
Authors: Sun Yang , Wei Song , Zhao Yingyong , Hu Xiaoyun , Fan Jun
Published: March 2012

A novel 4-(tetrahydro-2-furanmethoxy)- N-octadecyl-1,8-naphthalimide (TNN) was synthesized as a spectrofluorimetric probe for the determination of proteins. The effect of different solvents on the spectral characteristics of TNN was investigated. The results showed that TNN displayed dependent solvent polarity properties due to the effect of internal charge transfer. The interactions between TNN and human serum albumin (HSA) were studied by fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy. Fluorescence data revealed that the fluorescence quenching of HSA by TNN was the result of the formation of TNN–HSA complex. The binding parameters of interactions between TNN and HSA at different temperatures were obtained according to the Stern–Volmer equation. The thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS), for the interactions were calculated to be −7.31 kJ mol−1 and 72.75 J mol−1 K−1 according to the van't Hoff equation, indicating that the hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were the dominant intermolecular force in stabilizing the complex. The effect of TNN on the conformation of HSA was analyzed by circular dichroism and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, the results of displacement experiments using warfarin indicated that TNN could bind to site I of HSA. The fluorescence of TNN could be largely quenched by HSA, based on which a new fluorometric method for detecting HSA in the HCl-Tris buffer solution (pH = 7.4) was developed. The linear ranges of the calibration curves were 0.1~14.2 μM for HSA, 0.1~13.0 μM for bovine serum albumin (BSA), 0.2~9.7 μM for γ-globulin, and 0.3~11.3 μM for hemoglobin (Hb), with detection limits (3σ) of 13.7 × 10−10 M for HSA, 1.84 × 10−10 M for BSA, 3.14 × 10−10 M for γ-globulin, and 6.86 × 10−10 M for Hb. The effect of metal cations on the fluorescence spectra of TNN in ethanol was also investigated. The method has been applied to the determination of total proteins in human serum samples collected from the hospital and the results were in good agreement with those reported by the hospital.
Characterization of Swellable Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Particles by Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy
Authors: Lavine Barry K. , Mwangi George , Mirjankar Nikhil , Kim Mariya
Published: March 2012

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has been used to investigate template binding at sites in theophylline-imprinted poly-[N-(N-propyl) acrylamide] particles. At concentrations as low as 10−6 M theophylline, particle swelling is detected as a shift in the angle of minimum reflectance. The binding constant of theophylline estimated from the inflection point of the theophylline calibration curve is approximately 10 000. The imprinted polymer particles do not respond to caffeine or theobromine (which differs from theophylline by a single methyl group) at concentrations as high as 10−2 M. Full-scale response of the imprinted polymer particles to theophylline (template) occurs in less than 15 minutes, and swelling is reversible. The immobilized imprinted polymer particles can undergo approximately 20 to 25 swelling and shrinking cycles before there is significant loss in functionality. A unique aspect of these imprinted polymer particles is that template binding causes the angle of minimum reflectance to decrease, not increase, in magnitude. Adsorption, which causes an increase in the angle of minimum reflectance, can be readily discriminated from template binding.
Transmission Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy of Pharmaceutical Tablet Cores
Authors: Pelletier Michael J. , Larkin Peter , Santangelo Matthew
Published: March 2012

Transmission Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy of pharmaceutical tablet cores is demonstrated using traditional, unmodified commercial instrumentation. The benefits of improved precision over backscattering Raman spectroscopy due to increased sample volume are demonstrated. Self-absorption effects on analyte band ratios and sample probe volume are apparent, however. A survey of near-infrared (NIR) absorption spectra in the FT-Raman spectral range (approximately 0 to 3500 wavenumber shift from 1064 nm, or 1064 to 1700 nm) of molecules with a wide range of NIR-active functional groups shows that although absorption at the laser wavelength (1064 nm) is relatively small, some regions of the Raman spectrum coincide with NIR absorbances of 0.5 per cm or greater. Fortunately, the pharmaceutically important regions of the Raman shift spectrum from 0 to 600 cm−1 and from 1400 to 1900 cm−1 exhibit low self-absorption for most organic materials. A statistical analysis of transmission FT-Raman noise in spectra collected from different regions of a pharmaceutical tablet provides insight into both spectral distortion and reduced sampling volume caused by self-absorption.
On-screen Muslims: Media priming and consequences for public policy
Authors: Andersen Nicole C. , Brinson Mary , Stohl Michael
Published: March 2012

Given consistent findings concerning the media’s effect on shaping attitudes related to minority groups, it is important to understand the impact of the common anti Muslim portrayals currently appearing in many facets of US media. The current study implements an experimental design
with five conditions (negative hard news, positive hard news, negative entertainment, negative comedy news and the control) and two dependent variables (support for identity-based policy issues and approval of civil liberty restrictions), and 175 student participants. We investigate the varying
impact these different media formats and frames have on attitudes towards Muslims, attitudes related to identity-based policies and on civil liberties protection. The findings indicate that both positive and negative news and comedy news presentations have greater impact than the pure entertainment
and control group conditions, and that subjects viewing negative news presentations are much more likely to approve restriction on civil liberties than in the other conditions.
A world between crises
Authors: Kolodko Grzegorz
Published: March 2012

One of the most often committed mistakes in economic reasoning is the supposition about the continuity of economic processes. However, what dominates in reality is a process of permanent changes, which sometimes proceed in a cascading manner rather than linearly. It must be acknowledged that the capitalist market economy by its very nature is involved in periodical crises. They must occur from time to time, yet the magnitude of the recent crisis is a result of inappropriate institutions and wrong macroeconomic policies based on neoliberalism. While the underlying causes of the crisis and the ways out of it at the era of interdependent global economy is discussed vividly in countless books and papers, yet it ought to be clear that the world is moving from one crisis to another. Thus, one must consider not only the economics of crisis, but also a kind of crisis of economics. There is a need for a New Pragmatism, based on the better understanding of economics as science, describing the economy as a system of forces and flows which contantly give feedback and influence each other.
The crisis in Greece and the EU-IMF rescue package: Determinants and pitfalls
Authors: Visvizi Anna
Published: March 2012

The sovereign debt crisis in Greece represents a very interesting case in which the Greek government succeeded in transforming domestic fiscal deficit problem, overspending and fear of free market reforms into a European challenge consistent with justifiable concerns about the sustainability of the euro-project and its likely future. In this paper, the roots of the crisis and the way of addressing it are discussed. In particular the features, drawbacks, missed opportunities and pitfalls of the €110 billion EU/IMF rescue package granted to Greece are examined. It is argued that the government’s focus on taxation rather than on politically costly privatization and cutbacks in the public sector undermined economic activity in the country, decreased the government’s revenue, and spawned disincentives for investment, without generating growth and without improving competitiveness. In brief, rather than contributing to economic recovery, the opposite was achieved as a result of the measures implemented by the government.
Partisanship and international trade: Some international evidence
Authors: Chang Chun-Ping , Lee Chien-Chiang
Published: March 2012

This paper investigates the attitudes of political parties to international trade in 23 OECD countries in the period 1972–2004. Employing different datasets and various measures of trade openness, we examine how government ideology affects trade policy preferences and whether this relationship depends on international and domestic factors by employing the panel data techniques. Our main findings are that an increase in the leftist orientation of the government leads to more restrictive or less open trade policies, while right-oriented parties are likely to express more favor to trade openness. Secondly, international factors such as globalization in political and social dimension as well as financial openness, have a strong positive influence on a given party’s trade policy preferences. Thirdly, we offer clear evidence that a political party will change its partisan positions due to the influence of the domestic economic and institutional environment.
How much is intellectual capital worth for the organization?
Authors: Kövesi János , Tóth Zsuzsanna , Jónás Tamás
Published: March 2012

The purpose of the paper is to contribute to the use of evaluator and utility functions in order to increase the reliability of scorecard based intellectual capital (IC) measurement methods and to express and aggregate the utility of IC components to an organization. The conducted field experiment integrates the results of interviews with 23 brand name customers by examining the customer satisfaction measuring practice of service provider companies. Our main finding is that adequately calibrated evaluator functions assign perceived customer satisfaction to its scorecard based measured values and reduce the distortions of scorecard based measurements. The originality of the research lies in expressing and aggregating the utilities of IC components to the organization by interpreting the evaluator function as a kind of utility function. This application allows the joint use of financial valuation and scorecard based measurement in the same performance management system.
Non-anastomotic biliary strictures after liver transplantation: Focus on percutaneous treatment and extent of disease
Authors: Doros Attila , Deák Pál Ákos , Hartmann Erika , Németh Andrea , Gerlei Zsuzsa , Fazakas János , Görög Dénes , Nemes Balázs , Fehérvári Imre , Kóbori László
Published: March 2012

Introduction: Biliary strictures remain a key problem after liver transplantation. Anastomotic strictures are treated by surgery or interventional therapy. Intrahepatic stenosis requires retransplantation. For bridging, percutaneous and endoscopic interventions are used. The extent of the strictures may have an important role in therapy planning. Methods: Strictures were divided into four zones (1: extrahepatic, not included in this study; 2: hilar; 3: central; 4: peripheral). Twenty patients were treated with balloon dilatation/stent implantation/retransplantation/supportive care (Zone 1: 0/0/0/0; Zone 2: 8/7/2/0; Zone 3: 7/5/2/1; Zone 4: 1/1/3/1). Results: Mean follow-up time was 48 months. In Zone 2, one patient died as a result of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and seven patients are alive, five after stent placements and two after retransplantation. Four patients are alive in Zone 3: all had stent placements and one later retransplantation. One patient died after retransplantation, two on the waiting list, and one due to chronic liver failure. One patient is alive in Zone 4 after early retransplantation, and three died. Conclusion: Percutaneous therapy is safe and effective in intrahepatic biliary stenosis after liver transplantation. It can provide the cure or bridge retransplantation. Based on zonal classification, we recommend the following treatments: Zone 4: early retransplantation; Zone 2: minimally invasive therapy; Zone 3: individual decisions.
Cytochrome P450-endogenous substrates metabolism is reduced in patients with a multiple organ dysfunction after coronary artery bypass grafting
Authors: Nepomniashchikh Valery , Lomivorotov Vladimir , Deryagin Michael , Lomivorotov Vladimir , Kniazkova Lubov
Published: March 2012

Aim: To evaluate endogenous toxic substrates and liver monooxygenase function in cardiosurgical patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Methods: 45 patients with MODS and 34 patients with an uneventful postoperative period were studied. The endogenous substrates were quantified with blood middle molecules (MM). Liver monooxygenase function was evaluated with antipyrine (AP) pharmacokinetics. Results: On the first postoperative day, MODS patients were characterized by high concentration of toxic substrates (MM: +43.8%) and a significant decrease in liver monooxygenase function (AP clearance: −44%), while controls patients had a mild increase in endogenous substrates and a slight depression in monooxygenase function. On the 3rd–4th postoperative day, in the main group, endogenous substrates increased (MM: +53.1%), while in the control group toxic substrates decreased (MM: +6.9%). In both groups, an increase in liver monooxygenase function was noticed. Major differences were observed on the 10th–12th postoperative day. In the main group, toxic substrates remained elevated (MM: +37.5%) and monooxygenase function was depressed (AP clearance: −45.4%), while in the control group endogenous substrates and monooxygenase function were equal to the baseline. The correlation analysis showed a negative relationship between AP pharmacokinetics and endogenous substrates. Conclusion: Slowdown in liver microsomal oxidation is one of the main reasons for the accumulation of endogenous toxic substrates in MODS cardiac patients.
Evaluation of zinc and selenium alterations in children with acute infections: Correlation with markers of inflammation
Authors: Karakonstantakis Theodoros , Papassotiriou Ioannis , Sergounioti Athanassia , Moraitis Panayiotis , Theodoridou Kalliopi , Afordakou Despoina , Giannaki Maria , Theodoridou Maria
Published: March 2012

Objectives: To investigate and assess selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) serum alterations in children with acute infections. Material and Methods: We determined Se, Zn, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), and procalcitonin (PCT) in 80 children hospitalized with acute infections. The patients were divided in two groups: Bacterial infections: 40 children (mean age 4.8 years); viral infections: 40 children (mean age 5.7 years). Morning blood samples were collected from each patient in three different periods: (a) in the acute phase (admission), (b) during the inflammatory process (4th day of hospitalization), and (c) after recovery (28–33 days after the first sampling). Results: We found that patients with bacterial infections had significantly lower levels of Se (48.9±16.4 mg/L vs. 58.1±13.7 mg/L, p=0.014) and Zn (69.3±19.4 mg/dL vs. 79.9±13.1 mg/dL, p=0.008) than those with viral infections on admission. Zn and Se levels were significantly increased after remission and the 4th day of hospitalization in patients with bacterial infections. Se and Zn were inversely related with the inflammatory markers CRP (r=−0.480, p=0.002 and r=−0.380, p=0.02, respectively), and PCT (r=−0.670, p < 0.001 and r=−0.510, p<0.01, respectively), in the same patients group on admission. We also found a positive correlation between the two micronutrients (r = 0.400, p<0.01) in children with bacterial infections on admission. Conclusions: Zn and Se behave as negative acute phase reactants and their levels were inversely associated with the progress of infection in patients with bacterial infections. The changes of micronutrients (Se, Zn) during the inflammatory process are transient and resolve without any dietary intervention.
Inhibition of HBV-induced angiogenesis by ibuprofen: Role of HBx
Authors: Zhang Jianhua , Chen Wei Ning
Published: March 2012

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers may develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by a wide range of mechanisms including angiogenesis. We show that HBV replication induces the expression of angiogenic proteins interleukin 6 (IL6) and cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox2). Interestingly, ibuprofen (a Cox2 inhibitor) is found to attenuate the levels of IL6 and Cox 2 which are induced by HBV replication.

The mechanism of attenuation of angiogenic proteins by ibuprofen was further investigated. Our results show that HBx is involved in the increase of the expression of Cox2 through the NFκB pathway. However, the expression of Cox2 is decreased when the HBx-expressing cells are incubated with ibuprofen. The contrasting effect of HBx on Cox2 is found to be determined by differential dimer formation among the members of the NFκB family of proteins, including NFκB, RelA, and C-rel. Specifically, HBx alone results in dimer formation between NFκB and RelA, while the combined presence of HBx and ibuprofen leads to the formation of NFκB and C-rel. Additional information on the interaction network involving HBx, ibuprofen, and NFκB pathways is revealed by two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry proteomics analysis. Taken together, our findings provide new insights on the angiogenesis induced by HBV replication.
Increased expression of MDM2 and NM23 are associated with malignant transformation of pleomorphic adenoma
Authors: Zyada Manal M.
Published: March 2012

This study was designed to correlate the expression of both MDM2 and NM23 in pleomorphic adenoma (PA) to clinical background, histological features, local recurrence, and metastatic potentiality in this tumor. Expression of MDM2 and NM23 was studied immunohistochemically in 23 cases of PA. Our results demonstrated MDM2 and NM23 overexpression in almost all cases of PA. There was a significant difference of the MDM2 and NM23 mean values between benign PA and both carcinoma-ex PA and metastasizing PA. The results of this study show that the overexpression of NM23 and MDM2 oncoproteins could be used as reliable predictors of malignant progression as well as metastatic potentiality of PA.
Myocilin levels in the aqueous humor of open-angle glaucoma patients
Authors: Ghanem Asaad A. , El-Awady Hatem E. , Wolfs Roger C. W. , Arafa Lmiaa F.
Published: March 2012

Purpose:To investigate the concentration of myocilin in the aqueous humor of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients, including correlations with glaucoma subtypes and intraocular pressure (IOP).Patients and Methods:The study comprised 85 patients with OAG. Glaucoma subtypes included 35 cases of high tension glaucoma (HTG), 25 cases of normal tension glaucoma (NTG), and 25 cases of exfoliation glaucoma (ExG). Forty-five patients with senile cataract were included as control. The concentrations of myocilin in the aqueous humor were measured by plotting the densitometry readings of the aqueous humor samples against a recombinant myocilin standard curve. Additionally, the relationships with the glaucoma subtypes, IOP, and glaucoma severity were analyzed.Results:A significantly higher percentage of patients in the glaucoma subgroups were positive for myocilin compared with the cataract group. The mean myocilin concentrations among the glaucoma positive case subgroups were not different (P=0.326). Myocilin levels were significantly higher in human HTG compared with cataract group (P<0.05). There were no significant correlations between the myocilin concentration and the IOP or the severity of glaucoma.Conclusion:Myocilin-positive patients were significant in the glaucoma subgroups than in the cataract group, with a highly significant difference observed for HTG patients.
Endoscopic management of migrated intrauterine device to the bladder
Authors: Atabekoğlu Cem , Yalçin İbrahim , Taşkin Salih , Kahraman Korhan , Sönmezer Murat
Published: March 2012

Objective: Intrauterine device (IUD) is a widely used contraceptive method. Uterus perforation caused by an IUD is seen frequently, but intravesical migration with secondary stone formation is a rare complication. In this article, we report a case of an intravesical migrating IUD removed by laparoscopy. Result(s): A 48-year-old woman in whom the last IUD was inserted 15 years ago was presented with voiding symptoms including frequency, dysuria, and difficulty in urination. Plain X-ray and ultrasonography showed an IUD at the dome of the urinary bladder and a urinary stone at the bladder neck. The patient underwent cystoscopy and these imaging findings were evaluated at laparoscopy. The IUD which was seen on the right side of the bladder dome was covered by the peritoneum and omentum. After dissection of omentum and peritoneum, the IUD was seen at the wall of the bladder. Then, the IUD removed. Conclusion(s): Because of the irritative voiding symptoms, extraneous material in the urothelium leading to stone formation, and the possible occurrence of a squamous cell carcinoma, all IUDs that migrate to the bladder should be removed. Management of these cases can be performed successfully via the endoscopic approach.
Association of fetuin-A and heat shock protein 70 with arterial calcification in patients with peripheral vascular disease
Authors: Szeberin Zoltán
Published: March 2012

Atherosclerosis may present with arterial calcification, which is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Fetuin-A plays a role in the inhibition of extraosseal calcification, and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is elevated in peripheral artery disease. The aim of our study was to examine the potential role of fetuin-A and Hsp70 in the inhibition of arterial calcification in atherosclerotic patients. Classical risk factors of atherosclerosis as well as the severity of arterial calcification and atherosclerosis were assessed by ultrasound, angiography, and serum analysis in a cross-sectional study of patients with carotid stenosis, aortic aneurysm, and lower extremity atherosclerosis. We demonstrate that there is an inverse correlation between serum fetuin-A levels and the severity of arterial calcification in patients with chronic atherosclerotic lower extremity disease without renal disease or infection. Our data suggest that it is not end-stage renal disease and dialysis that explains the earlier reported association of low fetuin-A level and arterial calcification. The novel finding of our study is the significantly different serum fetuin-A levels in patients with aortic aneurysm of different etiologies (atherosclerosis and Marfan syndrome). Our results suggest that there is an association between serum fetuin-A levels and the severity of arterial calcification also in patients without renal failure.
How complex do models need to be to predict dispersal of threatened species through matrix habitats?
Authors: Hudgens Brian R. , Morris William F. , Haddad Nick M. , Fields William R. , Wilson John W. , Kuefler Daniel , Jobe Todd
Published: March 2012

Persistence of species in fragmented landscapes depends on dispersal among suitable breeding sites, and dispersal is often influenced by the “matrix” habitats that lie between breeding sites. However, measuring effects of different matrix habitats on movement and incorporating those differences into spatially explicit models to predict dispersal is costly in terms of time and financial resources. Hence a key question for conservation managers is: Do more costly, complex movement models yield more accurate dispersal predictions? We compared the abilities of a range of movement models, from simple to complex, to predict the dispersal of an endangered butterfly, the Saint Francis' satyr (Neonympha mitchellii francisci). The value of more complex models differed depending on how value was assessed. Although the most complex model, based on detailed movement behaviors, best predicted observed dispersal rates, it was only slightly better than the simplest model, which was based solely on distance between sites. Consequently, a parsimony approach using information criteria favors the simplest model we examined. However, when we applied the models to a larger landscape that included proposed habitat restoration sites, in which the composition of the matrix was different than the matrix surrounding extant breeding sites, the simplest model failed to identify a potentially important dispersal barrier, open habitat that butterflies rarely enter, which may completely isolate some of the proposed restoration sites from other breeding sites. Finally, we found that, although the gain in predicting dispersal with increasing model complexity was small, so was the increase in financial cost. Furthermore, a greater fit continued to accrue with greater financial cost, and more complex models made substantially different predictions than simple models when applied to a novel landscape in which butterflies are to be reintroduced to bolster their populations. This suggests that more complex models might be justifiable on financial grounds. Our results caution against a pure parsimony approach to deciding how complex movement models need to be to accurately predict dispersal through the matrix, especially if the models are to be applied to novel or modified landscapes.
Microclimatic effects of the loss of a foundation species from New England forests
Authors: Lustenhouwer Monique N. , Nicoll Liza , Ellison Aaron M.
Published: March 2012

Foundation species have a major impact on biotic and abiotic processes and create a stable environment for many other species. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a foundation tree species native to North America, is currently declining due to infestation by an invasive insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). Loss of hemlock canopies can greatly alter the dark, cool, and damp microclimate of hemlock forests. We studied five years of microclimatic changes following logging or girdling (to simulate physical effects of adelgid) of hemlocks in a multi‐hectare‐scale experiment in a New England forest. Both logging and girdling of hemlocks caused large changes in light availability, air and soil temperature, and soil moisture. Even though the impact of logging was more rapid than the effect of gradual hemlock mortality after girdling, the microclimatic changes in these two canopy treatments converged over time. The microclimate in hardwood control plots, which represent the predicted forest composition 50 years after hemlock loss, was intermediate between the two canopy treatments and the hemlock control plots. Our fine‐scale results were generally consistent with average microclimatic effects observed in comparative studies but revealed additional changes in variance and seasonal rhythms, and the importance of stochastic events such as ice storms. The variance in air temperature, but not in soil temperature, greatly increased after loss of hemlock. We also observed a striking saw‐tooth pattern, consisting of a small peak before bud‐break in temperature differentials between hemlock control and the two canopy treatments—likely due to the insulating hemlock canopy preventing snow from melting—followed by a larger difference in temperatures after bud‐break. We expect the ongoing decline of eastern hemlock—due to both infestation and pre‐emptive salvage logging—to greatly impact the microclimate of hemlock forests, as well as the many taxa that are associated with it.
Hysterectomy throughout history
Authors: Sparic Radmila , Hudelist Gernot , Berisavac Milica , Gudovic Aleksandra , Buzadzic Snezana
Published: March 2012

Hysterectomy, which is one of the most common surgeries performed on women,
dates back to ancient times. The history of hysterectomy comprises
biographies of many humble men and the significant individual efforts that
they made to fight the skepticism of the medical communities of their times.
Many of the pioneers were ignored. Although there are a number of
alternatives to hysterectomy available, it remains one of the most frequently
performed gynaecological operations. The introduction of antisepsis,
anaesthesia, antibiotics and blood transfusion made hysterectomy a safe
procedure. Nowadays, we distinguish three different surgical approaches to
hysterectomy: vaginal, abdominal and laparoscopic. The limitations of
conventional laparoscopy have led to the development of robotic surgery,
which has evolved over the past decade from simple adjustable arms to support
cameras in laparoscopic surgery to more sophisticated four-armed machines now
being in use worldwide.
In-vitro antibacterial activities of the essential oils of aromatic plants against Erwinia herbicola (Lohnis) and pseudomonas putida (Kris Hamilton)
Authors: Pandey Abhay , Singh Pooja , Palni Uma , Tripathi N.N.
Published: March 2012

This study was designed to examine in vitro antibacterial activities of
essential oils extracted from 53 aromatic plants of Gorakhpur Division (UP,
INDIA) for the control of two phytopathogenic bacteria namely Erwinia
herbicola and Pseudomonas putida causing several post-harvest diseases in
fruits and vegetables. Out of 53 oils screened, 8 oils such as Chenopodium
ambrosioides, Citrus aurantium, Clausena pentaphylla, Hyptis suaveolens,
Lippia alba, Mentha arvensis, Ocimum sanctum and Vitex negundo completely
inhibited the growth of test bacteria. Furthermore MIC & MBC values of C.
ambrosioides oil were least for Erw. herbicola (0.25 & 2.0 ?l/ml) and Ps.
putida (0.12 & 1.0 ?l/ml) respectively than other 7 oils as well as Agromycin
and Streptomycin drugs used in current study. GC and GC-MS analysis of
Chenopodium oil revealed presence of 125 major and minor compounds, out of
them, 14 compounds were recognized. The findings concluded that Chenopodium
oil may be regarded as safe antibacterial agent for the management of
post-harvest diseases of fruits and vegetables.
Diffractive shaping of excimer-laser beams for pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Kekkonen V. , Hakola A. , Kajava T.
Published: March 2012

We present a beam-shaping system for a pulsed laser deposition setup. This system is based on two diffractive beam-splitter gratings and is able to produce 2 × 2 mm2 flat-top distributions of UV light with a fluence of 3 J/cm2 on the target some 30 cm behind the system. We have applied the setup to deposit ferromagnetic Ni-Mn-Ga films.
ACTION ON MATTER: THE HISTORY OF THE UNIQUELY AFRICAN TAMPER AND CONCAVE ANVIL POT-FORMING TECHNIQUE
Authors: Sterner Judy , David Nicholas
Published: March 2012

The publication, largely by ethnoarchaeologists, of new data on the tamper and concave anvil technique of pot-forming (TCA) permits a reassessment of this uniquely African technique, its toolkit, and its culture history. A survey, inspired by the technologie culturelle school, of its varied expressions in the southern Saharan, Sahelian and northern Sudan zones from Mali to Sudan and extending north into Egypt emphasises the potential of the technique for the efficient production of spherical water jars of high volume to weight ratio, much appreciated in arid environments. The technique is demanding and therefore practised for the most part by specialists. The origins and diffusion of the technique are assessed in the light of the ethnological, archaeological, linguistic, and historical evidence, and a four stage historical development is sketched.
MINING THE ARCHIVES: A POTTERY SEQUENCE FOR BORNO, NIGERIA
Authors: Connah Graham , Daniels S.G.H.
Published: March 2012

New archaeological research in Borno by the Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, has included the analysis of pottery excavated from several sites during the 1990s. This important investigation made us search through our old files for a statistical analysis of pottery from the same region, which although completed in 1981 was never published. The material came from approximately one hundred surface collections and seven excavated sites, spread over a wide area, and resulted from fieldwork in the 1960s and 1970s. Although old, the analysis remains relevant because it provides a broad geographical context for the more recent work, as well as a large body of independent data with which the new findings can be compared. It also indicates variations in both time and space that have implications for the human history of the area, hinting at the ongoing potential of broadscale pottery analysis in this part of West Africa and having wider implications of relevance to the study of archaeological pottery elsewhere.
TOWARD A SYSTEMATIC BEAD DESCRIPTION SYSTEM: A VIEW FROM THE LOWER FALEMME, SENEGAL
Authors: DeCorse Christopher R. , Richard François G. , Thiaw Ibrahima
Published: March 2012

This study examines a glass bead assemblage from surveyed and excavated portions of the Falemme (Senegal) to present a classification system for the analysis of archaeological beads in Africa and beyond. Although bead classification poses special problems, it is argued that such analysis is worthwhile, as beads may shed light on the dynamics of production, exchange and consumption in the past, on processes of culture change and continuity, and, most particularly, on chronological assessment. Focusing on the latter, the typological analysis helped us extract diagnostic information from the 474 mainly European-made beads, which complements and nicely supports the temporal sequence derived from imported trade materials and local ceramics.
ANIMAL EXPLOITATION AND POTTERY TECHNOLOGY DURING PASTORAL TIMES: THE EVIDENCE FROM UAN TELOCAT, LIBYAN SAHARA
Authors: Garcea Elena A. A.
Published: March 2012

The combination of artefactual with economic evidence of pastoralism in the Central Sahara, based on the recent excavations at Uan Telocat, a Pastoral site in the Tadrart Acacus, Libyan Sahara, where both ceramic and faunal indicators are present throughout the Pastoral period is undertaken. This rock shelter yielded a stratigraphic sequence with the main Pastoral occupations in the Tadrart Acacus. The results of the latest excavations provided interesting information on technological variability and adaptation patterns from the earliest to the Late Pastoral phases. The excavations also brought to light a specific ceramic production in the Early Pastoral period, that was previously unknown in stratigraphic context.

This paper also presents some of the features of the Pastoral phases and shows the developments of pottery and animal domesticates in parallel at different sites in the Tadrart Acacus with comparisons with the Haua Fteah, in coastal Libya, which has yielded the longest cultural sequence in northern Africa and therefore represents a valuable term of reference. However, more differences than similarities exist between the two regions, the first located in the Sahara, in south-western Libya, the second located in the eastern part of the country on the Mediterranean coast.
THE BEADS OF KISSI, BURKINA FASO
Authors: Magnavita Sonja
Published: March 2012

Archaeological investigations on settlements and graveyards near the Mare de Kissi in NE Burkina Faso proved human occupation at that location at least from the 4th century BC up to the 12th/13th century AD. Among others, one important category of finds recovered from excavations are beads: about five thousand of various materials were found, especially as grave goods in the cemeteries, but also in the settlement zones. A clear imbalance in raw materials is visible between beads found in the settlement zones and those from the cemeteries: there is a trend towards low value materials in the settlement zones, while beads found in the graves demonstrate wealth and important trade relations of that society.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT AFRICAN GLASS BEADS: A VERY PRELIMINARY REPORT
Authors: Robertshaw Peter , Glascock Michael D. , Wood Marilee , Popelka Rachel S.
Published: March 2012

We report the preliminary results of chemical analysis by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry of 156 glass beads from sites in southern Africa. Almost all of these beads can be grouped in two chemical types based on oxide compositions and glass recipes. Glasses of these types were manufactured in south and/or southeast Asia. These are the first results of a project that will analyse about 1000 beads from African archaeological sites.