bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toltrazuril sulfone sodium salt: synthesis, analytical detection, and pharmacokinetics in the Horse
Authors: DIRIKOLU L. , KARPIESIUK W. , LEHNER A. F. , TOBIN T.
Published: June 2011

Dirikolu, L., Karpiesiuk, W., Lehner, A. F., Tobin, T. Toltrazuril sulfone sodium salt: synthesis, analytical detection, and pharmacokinetics in the Horse.J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 35, 265–274.

Toltrazuril sulfone (ponazuril) is a triazine‐based antiprotozoal agent with clinical application in the treatment of equine protozoal myeloencephalomyelitis (EPM). In this study, we synthesized and determined the bioavailability of a sodium salt formulation of toltrazuril sulfone that can be used for the treatment and prophylaxis of EPM in horses. Toltrazuril sulfone sodium salt was rapidly absorbed, with a mean peak plasma concentration of 2400 ± 169 (SEM) ng/mL occurring at 8 h after oral‐mucosal dosing and was about 56% bioavailable compared with the i.v. administration of toltrazuril sulfone in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The relative bioavailability of toltrazuril sulfone suspended in water compared with toltrazuril sulfone sodium salt was 46%, indicating approximately 54% less oral bioavailability of this compound suspended in water. In this study, we also investigated whether this salt formulation of toltrazuril sulfone can be used as a feed additive formulation without significant reduction in oral bioavailability. Our results indicated that toltrazuril sulfone sodium salt is relatively well absorbed when administered with feed with a mean oral bioavailability of 52%. Based on these data, repeated oral administration of toltrazuril sulfone sodium salt with or without feed will yield effective plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of toltrazuril sulfone for the treatment and prophylaxis of EPM and other protozoal diseases of horses and other species. As such, toltrazuril sulfone sodium salt has the potential to be used as feed additive formulations for both the treatment and prophylaxis of EPM and various other apicomplexan diseases.
Met or matched expectations: what accounts for a successful back pain consultation in primary care?
Authors: Georgy Ehab E. , Carr Eloise C.J. , Breen Alan C.
Published: June 2011

Background  Patients’ as well as doctors’ expectations might be key elements for improving the quality of health care; however, previous conceptual and theoretical frameworks related to expectations often overlook such complex and complementary relationship between patients’ and doctors’ expectations. The concept of ‘matched patient–doctor expectations’ is not properly investigated, and there is lack of literature exploring such aspect of the consultation.

Aim  The paper presents a preliminary conceptual model for the relationship between patients’ and doctors’ expectations with specific reference to back pain management in primary care.

Methods  The methods employed in this study are integrative literature review, examination of previous theoretical frameworks, identification of conceptual issues in existing literature, and synthesis and development of a preliminary pragmatic conceptual framework.

Outcome  A simple preliminary model explaining the formation of expectations in relation to specific antecedents and consequences was developed; the model incorporates several stages and filters (influencing factors, underlying reactions, judgement, formed reactions, outcome and significance) to explain the development and anticipated influence of expectations on the consultation outcome.

Conclusion  The newly developed model takes into account several important dynamics that might be key elements for more successful back pain consultation in primary care, mainly the importance of matching patients’ and doctors’ expectations as well as the importance of addressing unmet expectations.
Sliding baselines and shuffling species: implications of climate change for marine conservation
Authors: Hobday Alistair J.
Published: June 2011

The concept of shifting or sliding baselines refers to the way that significant changes to an ecological system are mistakenly measured against a previous baseline, which may be significantly different from the original state of the system. The concept assumes an ‘original state’ exists and that a return to that state might be possible, if it could be determined and there was sufficient control of human interference. The concept has been important in both marine conservation planning and fisheries management. However, long periods of exploitation, observed and projected climate change, and the disappearance of some environments, suggest that a return to an original state is unlikely to be achievable in many systems. In addition, protection based on static marine protected areas is unlikely to meet common conservation objectives, as species and habitats are moving and species assemblages shuffling with the changing climate. An alternative to modeling single species distribution changes is to examine change in environmental proxies, such as sea surface temperature (SST). Here, projected changes in SST for the period 2063–2065 from a downscaled ocean model are used to illustrate the similarity to, and movements of, present pelagic environments within conservation planning areas off Eastern Australia. The future environment of small planning areas differs from their present environment and static protected areas might not protect range‐changing species. Climate‐aware conservation planning should consider the use of mobile protected areas to afford protection to species’ changing their distribution, and develop conservation objectives that are not underpinned by a return to historical baselines.
High species density patterns in macrofaunal invertebrate communities in the marine benthos
Authors: Oliver John , Hammerstrom Kamille , McPhee‐Shaw Erika , Slattery Peter , Oakden James , Kim Stacy , Hartwell S. Ian
Published: June 2011

Species density of macrofaunal invertebrates living in marine soft sediments was highest at the shelf‐slope break (100–150 m) in Monterey Bay (449 m−2). There were 337 species m−2 in the mid‐shelf mud zone (80 m). There were fewer species along the slope: 205 m−2 from the lower slope (950‐2000 m) and 335 m−2 on the upper slope (250‐750 m). Species density was highest inside the bay (328‐446 m−2) compared to outside (336‐339 m−2), when examining samples at selected water depths (60‐1000 m). There was little difference in local species density from 1 km of shoreline compared to regional species density along 1000 km of shoreline at both shelf and slope depths. The highest species densities worldwide in the literature are recorded along the Carolina slope in the Atlantic Ocean, where peak species density (436/0.81 m2) at 800 m and values at the largest sample areas are similar to those on the Monterey Bay shelf. We speculate that the highest species densities occur where ocean water exchanges energy with shoaling topography at the continental margin, bringing more food to the benthos ‐‐ areas such as the very productive waters in the upwelling system of Monterey Bay.
Radiofrequency ablation versus surgical resection as primary treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma meeting the Milan criteria: A systematic review
Authors: Cho Yun Ku , Rhim Hyunchul , Noh SangIk
Published: June 2011

Background and Aim:  Surgery is the standard treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) meeting the Milan criteria, defined as single HCC ≤ 5 cm in maximum diameter or up to three nodules ≤ 3 cm. However, favorable survival outcomes have also been reported for these HCCs following radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Methods:  We performed a systematic review to compare the results of hepatic resection and percutaneous RFA as a primary treatment option of HCC meeting the Milan criteria. Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE on PubMed, the Cochrane Library database and CANCERLIT using appropriate key words.

Results:  In all six identified observational studies, there were no statistically significant differences in overall survival rates between the two treatment modalities. The results of two randomized trials are controversial, while the power of these randomized trials is too limited to reach a reliable conclusion. In practice, the choice of treatment between surgery and RFA largely depends on the relationship between the local recurrence and perioperative mortality rates of HCC patients. Following RFA, local recurrence rates are low when a minimal safety margin ≥ 4–5 mm is achieved. A previous simulation study of overall survival for very early stage HCC, defined as an asymptomatic solitary small HCC ≤ 2 cm, showed that primary RFA with a 9% local recurrence rate is comparable to surgical resection with a 3% operative mortality rate.

Conclusion:  Acquisition of a sufficient safety margin seems to be a critical factor before recommending wider application of RFA as primary treatment for HCCs that meet the Milan criteria.
Normal liver elasticity values using acoustic radiation force impulse imaging: A prospective study in healthy living liver and kidney donors
Authors: Son Chang Young , Kim Seung Up , Han Woong Kyu , Choi Gi Hong , Park Hana , Yang Seung Choul , Choi Jin Sub , Park Jun Yong , Kim Do Young , Ahn Sang Hoon , Chon Chae Yoon , Han Kwang‐Hyub
Published: June 2011

Background and Aim:  Although several studies have investigated the normal range of liver elasticity using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography in healthy volunteers, they could not strictly exclude the morphological and functional liver abnormalities. The aim of this study was to identify the normal range of ARFI velocity by recruiting healthy living liver and kidney donors who passed the full laboratory tests and imaging studies.

Methods:  The study prospectively enrolled 108 healthy living liver (n = 42) and kidney donors (n = 66) who were admitted for transplantation between July 2010 to April 2011. None of the subjects had abnormal liver function test and imaging findings including conventional ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.

Results:  The mean age of the study population (58 men and 50 women) was 35.5 years, and the mean ARFI velocity was 1.07 ± 0.11 m/s (range: 0.79–1.27). ARFI velocity was not significantly different between subjects with body mass index (BMI) < 23.5 kg/m2 and those with BMI ≥ 23.5 kg/m2 (1.05 ± 0.12 m/s vs 1.07 ± 0.10 m/s, P = 0.518), nor was it significantly different according to age (P = 0.067) and gender (1.08 ± 0.12 m/s for men vs 1.05 ± 0.11 m/s for women, P = 0.085). Using the 5th and 95th percentiles, we determined the normal range and mean of ARFI velocity to be 0.85–1.25 m/s and 1.07 ± 0.11 m/s.

Conclusions:  We identified the normal range of ARFI velocity as 0.85–1.25 m/s and found that it was not significantly influenced by BMI, gender, and age.
Helicobacter pylori outer membrane proteins on gastric mucosal interleukin 6 and 11 expression in Mongolian gerbils
Authors: Sugimoto Mitsushige , Ohno Tomoyuki , Graham David Y , Yamaoka Yoshio
Published: June 2011

Background and Aim:  The levels of interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐11 in the gastric mucosa are related to mucosal inflammation; however, the chronological changes in cytokine expression during different phases of Helicobacter pylori infection and the effects of H. pylori virulence factors, particularly those of outer membrane proteins, remain obscure. The aim of this study was to clarify the chronological changes in cytokine levels in relation to several H. pylori outer membrane proteins.

Methods:  We studied Mongolian gerbils inoculated with wild‐type H. pylori 7.13 for up to 48 weeks and then examined animals infected with oipA, babA, or alpAB isogenic mutants for 12 weeks. Mucosal IL‐6 and IL‐11 mRNA levels were measured using real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reactions.

Results:  High levels of gastric mucosal IL‐6 and IL‐11 mRNA in gerbils infected with wild‐type H. pylori were observed during the chronic phase of infection, reaching maximums at 12 and 6 months, respectively. Infection with oipA and babA mutants resulted in significantly reduced cytokine levels and inflammatory cell infiltrations compared to gerbils infected with wild‐type strains, and this persisted throughout the observation period. The alpAB mutants did not infect gerbils. Mucosal IL‐6 and IL‐11 levels were significantly associated with the grade of inflammatory cell infiltration.

Conclusions:  OipA and BabA result in more severe H. pylori infection and increased IL‐6 and IL‐11 levels, which in turn may increase the risk of developing H. pylori‐induced gastrointestinal diseases.
Seasonal development of cyanobacteria and microcystin production in Ugandan freshwater lakes
Authors: Okello W. , Kurmayer R.
Published: June 2011

This study investigated the seasonal development of phytoplankton and potential microcystin (MC)‐producing cyanobacteria and MC concentrations in freshwater lakes in Uganda. During 1 year (May 2007–April 2008), monthly measurements were made of chemical and physical characteristics, phytoplankton composition and MC concentrations in a hypertrophic crater lake (Lake Saka), in shallow eutrophic lakes (Lakes Mburo, George and Edward) and in Lake Victoria (Murchison Bay, Napoleon Gulf). Throughout the study period, cyanobacteria (composed of the genera Anabaena, Aphanocapsa, Chroococcus, Cylindrospermopsis, Microcystis, Planktolyngbya and Planktothrix) dominated, always contributing >50% to the total phytoplankton biovolume. All samples from all sampling sites were found to contain MC. Samples from Lake Saka had the maximum MC concentration (10 μg L−1) in July 2007. The minimum concentration (0.02 μg L−1) was recorded in Lake George for the months of May and June 2007 and January and April, 2008. Intermediate MC concentrations (0.1–2.5 μg MC‐LR eq. L−1) were observed at all the sampling sites in the other three lakes. Highly significant positive linear relationships between the total MC concentration and Microcystis cell numbers were observed for all sampling sites. Relating the total MC concentrations to Microcystis cells revealed a >100‐fold variation in the average MC contents per cell between lakes. While Microcystis from Lake George exhibited the lowest MC cell quotas (0.03–1.24 fg cell−1), Microcystis from Lake Saka consistently exhibited maximum MC cell contents (14–144 fg cell−1). It was concluded that MC production was because of the occurrence of Microcystis at all sampling sites. The populations differed consistently between sites and independent of the season in their average MC content per cell.
Climate change and its impacts on the wetlands of North Bihar, India
Authors: Sinha C. P.
Published: June 2011

Bihar is one of the major states of India, being located almost in the middle of the Gangetic Plain. The Ganga River divides the state in two parts, the northern region being known as North Bihar. It is the playground of many rivers originating in Nepal, which characteristically carry water during the monsoon season far beyond their carrying capacities, with resulting massive silting and silt loads. The rivers have meandered in the past and changed their courses, leaving many natural depressions later converted into oxbow lakes. The lakes are fed by rainwater and monsoon river flows. These wetlands are present in large numbers in North Bihar, having served many useful purposes. Although they were nature’s own initiative at flood control, this important function is now seriously impaired because of a number of natural and man‐made reasons. In short, these wetlands are dying, and climate change is likely to compound and worsen the situation. Long‐term temperature and rainfall data related to the region were statistically analysed in this study. The results indicated that, while the temperature was increasing, the rainfall exhibited a declining trend. Analysis of the rainfall data used in this study indicated that they were consistent. The finding highlights the potential future danger and justifies a comprehensive research effort directed to obtaining definitive results. Indeed, a quick assessment, and adoption of remedial measures without delay, is imperative for the future of this aquatic system.
Clinical outcomes of prostate cancer patients detected by prostate‐specific antigen‐based population screening in Kanazawa City, Japan
Authors: Kitagawa Yasuhide , Mizokami Atsushi , Nakashima Kazuyoshi , Koshida Kiyoshi , Shimamura Masayoshi , Miyazaki Kimiomi , Koyama Nobu , Namiki Mikio
Published: June 2011

Objectives:  Most common population screening systems for prostate cancer are administered by municipal governments in Japan. These systems suffer from difficulties in adequate follow up of patients at several urology departments in the region. We analyzed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of prostate cancer patients detected in our prostate‐specific antigen (PSA)‐based population screen, and examined the efficiency of the system.

Methods:  Since 2000, we have carried out PSA‐based population screening in men aged 55–69 years. For the present study, primary treatments and clinical outcomes of prostate cancer patients diagnosed by this screening program were obtained from each urology department in the region.

Results:  A total of 32 769 men participated in this screening program from 2000 to 2006. Overall, 249 cases (0.76%) of prostate cancer were diagnosed. The rate of patients within gray zone levels of serum total PSA on primary screening increased and this was significantly higher in 2003 than in the first 2 years of the program. Clinical T stage was defined in 247 patients (99.2%), and 231 (93.5%) were cases of clinically localized cancer. A total of 75% of these patients underwent radical treatment. Eight‐year cause‐specific and overall survivals were 97.5% and 93.3%, respectively. Four patients, all of them presenting with advanced disease at diagnosis, died from prostate cancer.

Conclusions:  The present study showed good clinical outcomes for screening‐detected prostate cancer patients and it showed the effectiveness of our screening system.
Purple witchweed (Striga hermonthica) germination and seedbank depletion under different crops, fallow, and bare soil
Authors: VAN MOURIK THOMAS A. , STOMPH TJEERD J. , MURDOCH ALISTAIR J.
Published: June 2011

Seedbank density is an important aspect that determines the amount of damage that the parasitic weed, purple witchweed (Striga hermonthica; hereafter, called “Striga”), causes on its crop hosts. The seedbank depletion of Striga was measured in Mali and Niger during the 2004 rainy season under the host crops, pearl millet and sorghum, the non‐host crops, cowpea and sesame, the intercrops of pearl millet or sorghum with cowpea or sesame, and fallow with or without weeding. Two methods were used and compared; namely, a seed bag method and a soil‐sampling method. The fate of the seeds was assessed by a seed press test. Seed germination, as determined by the presence of empty seed coats, contributed most to the seedbank depletion of Striga under a variety of crop covers and fallow. The highest seedbank depletion was found under the monocultures of the host crops. The intercrops of the host and non‐host crops caused less seedbank depletion, followed by the monocultures of the non‐host crops, fallow, and bare soil. The seed bag method and the soil‐sampling method yielded similar percentages of seedbank depletion, while the former allowed for distinguishing between the germinated and diseased seeds. The results suggest that, although all the tested crop species can cause the seed germination and seedbank depletion of Striga, management by using host cereal crops causes the highest amount of germination and has the highest potential to deplete the soil seed bank, provided that seed production is prevented.
Constructivism applied to psychiatric–mental health nursing: An alternative to supplement traditional clinical education
Authors: DeCoux Hampton Michelle
Published: June 2011

With the popularity of accelerated pre‐licensure nursing programmes and the growth in nursing student enrolments, traditional clinical education continues to be a challenge to deliver. Nursing faculty members are required to develop and implement educational innovations that achieve effective learning outcomes, while using fewer resources. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the effectiveness of a constructivism‐based learning project to achieve specific learning outcomes and to supplement approximately 30 clinical hours in a psychiatric–mental health nursing course. Students participated in a 10‐week, multistage project that examined life histories, treatment resources, and evidence‐based practice, as applied to a single individual with a mental illness. Students reported increased understanding of mental health and illness, developed personal relevance associated with the knowledge gained, and learned to problem solve with regard to nursing care of individuals diagnosed with mental illness. For many students, there also appeared to be a reduction in stigmatized attitudes towards mental illness. Constructivism‐based learning is a promising alternative to supplement clinical hours, while effectively achieving learning outcomes. Future research is needed to further validate the use of this method for the learning of course content, as well as the reduction of stigma.
The evaluation and treatment of nocturia: a consensus statement
Authors: Weiss Jeffrey P. , Blaivas Jerry G. , Bliwise Donald L. , Dmochowski Roger R. , DuBeau Catherine E. , Lowe Franklin C. , Petrou Steven P. , Van Kerrebroeck Philip E.V. , Rosen Raymond C. , Wein Alan J.
Published: June 2011

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Nocturia is currently defined by the International Continence Society (ICS) as the complaint that an individual has to wake at night one or more times to void. It is, however, an underreported, understudied, and infrequently recognized problem in adults. Many factors may contribute to nocturia which are treatable, yet patients do not seek care or the condition may not be identified by providers.

This paper aims to help healthcare providers better serve patients who are experiencing nocturia by summarizing current research, clinical approaches, and treatment options. The results of the conference provide a balanced evaluation of the full treatment armamentarium capable of meeting the needs of patients with the manifold causes of nocturia such as nocturnal polyuria, overactive bladder, or benign prostatic hyperplasia.
The impact of friendship on synchronous collaborative retrieval tasks in the primary school
Authors: Dinet Jérôme , Vivian Robin
Published: June 2011

Two experiments aim at describing the impact of friendship during a synchronous collaborative information retrieval (SCIR) with young pupils (recruited in Grade 3). In the first study, 68 pupils were asked to look for 13 answers in one of the three following conditions: on an individual basis (condition “Single”), as part of a designed duo with social friendship (condition “Affinity +”), or as part of a designed duo without social friendship (condition “Affinity −”). In the second experiment, we investigated more precisely the impact of friendship on verbal interactions between partners. Main results obtained in these two experiments are the following: (1) pairs retrieved effectively more answers, more correct answers and were more efficient than singles; (2) pairs composed of pupils without social friendship retrieved more answers, more correct answers and were more efficient than pairs composed by friends; (3) pairs composed of friends produced significantly more irrelevant queries; and (4) pairs composed of friends produced more verbalisations related to conflicts, while pairs composed of pupils without social friendship are engaged in a great deal of consensus seeking. Finally, educational implications are discussed.
Young Children’s Learning and Transfer of Biological Information From Picture Books to Real Animals
Authors: Ganea Patricia A. , Ma Lili , DeLoache Judy S.
Published: June 2011

Preschool children (N = 104) read a book that described and illustrated color camouflage in animals (frogs and lizards). Children were then asked to indicate and explain which of 2 novel animals would be more likely to fall prey to a predatory bird. In Experiment 1, 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds were tested with pictures depicting animals in camouflage and noncamouflage settings; in Experiment 2, 4‐year‐olds were tested with real animals. The results show that by 4 years of age, children can learn new biological facts from a picture book. Of particular importance, transfer from books to real animals was found. These findings point to the importance that early book exposure can play in framing and increasing children’s knowledge about the world.
ONLINE SERVICE PROVISION: ARE MUNICIPALITIES REALLY INNOVATIVE? THE CASE OF LARGER MUNICIPALITIES IN ITALY
Authors: NASI GRETA , FROSINI FRANCESCA , CRISTOFOLI DANIELA
Published: June 2011

The employment of information and communication technologies for the delivery of information and services has been considered a major objective of the modernization agenda of municipalities. This article contributes to the advances in the e‐government literature by assessing the current status of ICT adoption among larger Italian municipalities and investigating whether the municipalities at a more mature stage of e‐government adoption share any distinctive characteristics. The results show that some organizational factors, rather than environmental ones, show a positive association. However, the analysis also shows that most of the Italian municipalities involved have undertaken a non‐linear e‐government adoption process, which currently results in low diffusion of more mature stages of ICT adoption for the delivery of services to citizens and businesses.
APPRAISING PUBLIC VALUE: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURES
Authors: WILLIAMS IESTYN , SHEARER HEATHER
Published: June 2011

Despite the increasing popularity of the concept of ‘public value’ within both academic and practice settings, there has to date been no formal review of the literature on its provenance, empirical basis, and application. This paper seeks to fill this gap. It provides a critical introduction to public value and its conceptual development before presenting the main elements of the published literature. Following this, a series of key areas of disagreement are discussed and implications for future research and practice put forward. The authors argue that if the espoused aspirations for the public value framework are to be realized, a concerted process of research, debate and application is required. Although some criticisms of public value are argued to be unwarranted, the authors acknowledge ongoing concerns over the apparent silence of public value on questions of power and heterogeneity, and the difficulties in empirically testing the framework's propositions.
US Social Policy in the 21st Century: The Difficulties of Comprehensive Social Reform
Authors: Daguerre Anne
Published: June 2011

In Western Europe, political commentators have been surprised by the apparent inability of President Barack Obama to implement comprehensive social policy reform, with the exception of health care legislation. Hopes that President Obama could become a new Roosevelt have been disappointed, precisely at a time when the ‘Great Recession’ (2007–09) has laid bare the challenge of economic insecurity and poverty in contemporary America. Paradoxically, it is the Presidency's incapacity to address this challenge that partially explains the Democrats' crushing electoral defeat in the mid‐term congressional elections in November 2010.

This article explains this apparent political paradox in four stages. First, it defines the American social contract – the dream of social mobility through hard work. Second, it shows how this dream has been severely tested by the rise of economic insecurity since the late 1970s and finally the Great Recession. Third, it analyses the social policy responses to the recession, namely the American Recovery Act. To conclude, the comparative timidity of the Obama administration's response is explained by a series of circumstantial and institutional constraints that limit the capacity of the Presidency to implement comprehensive social reform.
The Danube and Ways of Imagining Europe
Authors: Schillmeier Michael , Pohler Wiebke
Published: June 2011

This paper is concerned with the River Danube as a European object that articulates forms of relations which, by linking human and non-humans in highly specific ways, create actor-networks that dispute common societal divisions and (b)orders. By discussing the contested social relevance of the River Danube, this paper visualizes different ways of imagining Europe. Following some of the controversies concerning the River Danube, we outline a process oriented, transnational research agenda for a specific European object with the conceptual explication of human and non-human relations at its core.
Epistemology and the Politics of Knowledge
Authors: Pascale Celine-Marie
Published: June 2011

If scholars accept that all knowledge is socially constructed, and historically situated, we must also understand social research methodologies as historically produced social formations that circumscribe as well as produce culturally specific forms of knowledge. In this article I examine some of the ways in which an underlying 19th century philosophy of science constrains the ability of contemporary researchers to examine 21st century cultural complexities. In particular, I discuss how the notion of evidence derived from the physical sciences prevents social sciences from examining a range of phenomena such as routine relations of privilege and contemporary media. Taking up the argument that social sciences need social epistemologies, I explore sociological studies of language as one form of epistemic shift that would enable researchers to apprehend the circulation of power as expressed in routine relations of privilege, as well as apprehend the porous social relations introduced through media old and new.
Structural Priming and Second Language Learning
Authors: Shin Jeong‐Ah , Christianson Kiel
Published: June 2011

Structural priming (or syntactic priming) is a speaker's tendency to reuse the same structural pattern as one that was previously encountered (Bock, 1986). This study investigated (a) whether the implicit learning processes involved in long‐lag structural priming lead to differential second language (L2) improvement in producing two structural types (complex, double‐object dative and simple, separated phrasal‐verb structures) compared to more explicit memory processes involved in no‐lag structural priming and (b) whether additional explicit instruction leads to increased production of target structures than either implicit learning or explicit memory processes alone. Learners showed an overall increase in target structure production in a picture description task and marginal improvement in grammaticality judgment tests after the structural priming session. Results revealed that explicit instruction combined with structural priming speeded short‐term improvement more than implicit instruction involving implicit learning alone in the form of long‐lag structural priming. However, only implicit learning via long‐lag structural priming resulted in increased production of the complex structure during a second testing session 1 day later. This study is the first to directly compare explicit instruction to implicit instruction in a structural priming paradigm, taking into account both the complexity of structures and the long‐term effects of instruction on L2 production.
The photosynthetic plasticity of crassulacean acid metabolism: an evolutionary innovation for sustainable productivity in a changing world
Authors: Borland Anne M. , Barrera Zambrano V. Andrea , Ceusters Johan , Shorrock Katherine
Published: June 2011

The photosynthetic specialization of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) has evolved many times in response to selective pressures imposed by water limitation. Integration of circadian and metabolite control over nocturnal C4 and daytime C3 carboxylation processes in CAM plants provides plasticity for optimizing carbon gain and water use by extending or curtailing the period of net CO2 uptake over any 24‐h period. Photosynthetic plasticity underpins the ecological diversity of CAM species and contributes to the potential for high biomass production in water‐limited habitats. Perceived evolutionary constraints on the dynamic range of CO2 acquisition strategies in CAM species can be reconciled with functional anatomical requirements and the metabolic costs of maintaining the enzymatic machinery required for C3 and C4 carboxylation processes. Succulence is highlighted as a key trait for maximizing biomass productivity in water‐limited habitats by serving to buffer water availability, by maximizing the magnitude of nocturnal CO2 uptake and by extending the duration of C4 carboxylation beyond the night period. Examples are discussed where an understanding of the diverse metabolic and ecological manifestations of CAM can be exploited for the sustainable productivity of economically and ecologically important species.

Contents

Summary
619

I.
Introduction
620

II.
Defining and describing the plasticity of CAM
620

III.
Metabolic basis of photosynthetic plasticity
621

IV.
Ecological and evolutionary significance of photosynthetic plasticity
623

V.
Mechanistic basis of constraints on photosynthetic plasticity
624

VI.
Exploiting the photosynthetic plasticity of CAM for sustainable productivity
627

VII.
Concluding remarks
630

Acknowledgements
631

References
631
Diet‐induced elevations in serum cholesterol are associated with alterations in hippocampal lipid metabolism and increased oxidative stress
Authors: Stranahan Alexis M. , Cutler Roy G. , Button Catherine , Telljohann Richard , Mattson Mark P.
Published: June 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 118, 611–615.

The structure and function of the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory, is impaired by obesity and hyperlipidemia. Peripheral cholesterol and sphingolipids increase progressively with aging and are associated with a range of age‐related diseases. However, the mechanisms linking peripheral cholesterol metabolism to hippocampal neuroplasticity remain poorly understood. To determine whether diets that elevate serum cholesterol influence lipid metabolism in the hippocampus, we maintained rats on a diet with high amounts of saturated fat and simple sugars for 3 months and then analyzed hippocampal lipid species using tandem mass spectrometry. The high fat diet was associated with increased serum and liver cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and also promoted cholesterol accumulation in the hippocampus. Increases in hippocampal cholesterol were associated with elevated galactosyl ceramide and sphingomyelin. To determine whether changes in lipid composition exerted biological effects, we measured levels of the lipid peroxidation products 4‐hydroxynonenal‐lysine and 4‐hydroxynonenal‐histidine; both were increased locally in the hippocampus, indicative of cell membrane‐associated oxidative stress. Taken together, these observations support the existence of a potentially pathogenic relationship between dietary fat intake, peripheral cholesterol and triglyceride levels, brain cell sphingolipid metabolism, and oxidative stress.
Nonlinear pharmacokinetic properties of mildronate capsules: a randomized, open‐label, single‐ and multiple‐dose study in healthy volunteers
Authors: Zhang Jun , Cai Li‐Jing , Yang Jian , Zhang Qi‐Zhi , Peng Wen‐Xing
Published: June 2011

Mildronate has been used as antianginal drug in parts of Europe for many years, but its pharmacokinetic (PK) properties in humans remain unclear. This study was designed to assess and compare the PK properties of mildronate capsules after single escalating oral dose and multiple doses in healthy Chinese volunteers. Volunteers were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of 250, 500, 1000, 1250 or 1500 mg of mildronate capsules. Those who received the 500‐mg dose continued on the multiple‐dose phase and received 500 mg three times a day for 13 days. Plasma drug concentrations were analysed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS). Tolerability was assessed throughout the study. A total of 40 Chinese volunteers were enrolled in the study. No period or sequence effect was observed. Area under the concentration and Cmax were increased proportionally with the dose levels, whereas t1/2 and Vd/f were dependent on the dose. Nonlinear PK properties were found at doses of 250–1500 mg. There was an accumulation after multiple‐dose administration. No serious adverse events (AEs) were reported in the PK study. The formulation was well tolerated.
Theory, Method and British Political Life History
Authors: Rhodes R.A.W.
Published: June 2011

The British tradition of political life history has six conventions: ‘tombstone’ biography, separation of public and private lives, life without theory, objective evidence and facts, character and storytelling. I describe each in turn and review the main debates in the tradition before turning to the swingeing critique by ‘the interpretive turn’. Postmodernism deconstructed grand narratives by pronouncing the death of the subject and the death of the author. I outline an interpretive approach that reclaims life history by focusing on the idea of ‘situated agency’: that is, on the webs of significance that people spin for themselves against the backcloth of their inherited beliefs and practices. I explore, with examples, the implications of this approach for writing life history, stressing the different uses for biography open to political scientists. I end with some brief thoughts on why the British tradition of political life history has proved resistant to change.
No Right to Resist? Elise Reimarus's Freedom as a Kantian Response to the Problem of Violent Revolt
Authors: Curtis‐Wendlandt Lisa
Published: June 2011

One of the greatest woman intellectuals of eighteenth‐century Germany is Elise Reimarus, whose contribution to Enlightenment political theory is rarely acknowledged today. Unlike other social contract theorists, Reimarus rejects a people's right to violent resistance or revolution in her philosophical dialogue Freedom (1791). Exploring the arguments in Freedom, this paper observes a number of similarities in the political thought of Elise Reimarus and Immanuel Kant. Both, I suggest, reject violence as an illegitimate response to perceived political injustice in a way that opposes Locke's strong voluntarism and the absolutism of Hobbes. First, they emphasize the need to maintain the legal state as a precondition for the possibility of external right. Second, they share an optimistic view of the inherently “just” nature of the tripartite republican state. And finally, Reimarus and Kant both outline an alternative, nonviolent response to political injustice that consists in the freedom of public expression and a discourse on the moral enlightenment of man.
My Thirty Years in Mexican Anthropology
Authors: GOOD CATHARINE
Published: June 2011

This article chronicles more than 30 years experience conducting fieldwork among Nahuatl Indians and teaching anthropology in Mexican institutions. The text documents four processes over time: the development of the author's theoretical interests and analysis of field date; change in the villages under study; transformations in Mexico's political and economic policies; and the changing role of anthropology in that context.
Staying Put: Crossing the Israel–Palestine Border with Gloria Anzaldúa
Authors: LAVIE SMADAR
Published: June 2011

Gloria Anzaldúa writes that the border is an “open wound . . . where the Third World grates against the First and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds merging to form a third country—a border culture.” In the case of Euro‐Israel, the volatile gender–race–nation South–South coalition among subaltern Arabs is forced on Mizrahi (Oriental, Heb., Jews from non–Yiddish speaking countries) and Palestinian women with Israeli citizenship. None of them wants to be in this “third country,” emerging out of their painful dispossession of lands, languages, and cultures. Anzaldúa's border's imagistic ambiguity is not liberating but, rather, is used by the Ashkenazi (European Jewish) Zionist hegemony as yet another frontier to conquer. The ambiguity invites the projections and misreadings, which enable Palestinian and Mizrahi gendered experiences in the borderlands to be displayed in Israel's Ashkenazi‐Zionist centers of power. The borderzones between transnational hyphens connote fluidity, and movement across boundaries. In this essay, I argue that the Mizrahi and Palestinian‐Israeli gendered hyphens are what allow subaltern non‐European women in the state of Israel to radically stay put in their respective hyphenated identities. Further, staying put is not representational but somatic, and therefore difficult to theorize beyond the bounds of the lived. Writing up the somatic is elusive. Translating this somatism from Hebrew and Arabic to English is even more elusive. The anthropologist has a daunting task of explicating unspeakable experiences that that go beyond discourse. By using multiple different genres of writing in an arabesque manner, she might attempt to capture this unspeakable that hurts straight to the bone.
Inducible hydrogen sulfide synthesis in chondrocytes and mesenchymal progenitor cells: is H2S a novel cytoprotective mediator in the inflamed joint?
Authors: Fox Bridget , Schantz Jan‐Thorsten , Haigh Richard , Wood Mark E. , Moore Phillip K. , Viner Nick , Spencer Jeremy P. E. , Winyard Paul G. , Whiteman Matthew
Published: June 2011

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has recently been proposed as an endogenous mediator of inflammation and is present in human synovial fluid. This study determined whether primary human articular chondrocytes (HACs) and mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) could synthesize H2S in response to pro‐inflammatory cytokines relevant to human arthropathies, and to determine the cellular responses to endogenous and pharmacological H2S. HACs and MPCs were exposed to IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The expression and enzymatic activity of the H2S synthesizing enzymes cystathionine‐β‐synthase (CBS) and cystathionine‐γ‐lyase (CSE) were determined by Western blot and zinc‐trap spectrophotometry, respectively. Cellular oxidative stress was induced by H2O2, the peroxynitrite donor SIN‐1 and 4‐hydroxynonenal (4‐HNE). Cell death was assessed by 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. Mitochondrial membrane potential (DCm) was determined in situ by flow cytometry. Endogenous H2S synthesis was inhibited by siRNA‐mediated knockdown of CSE and CBS and pharmacological inhibitors D,L‐propargylglycine and aminoxyacetate, respectively. Exogenous H2S was generated using GYY4137. Under basal conditions HACs and MPCs expressed CBS and CSE and synthesized H2S in a CBS‐dependent manner, whereas CSE expression and activity was induced by treatment of cells with IL‐1β, TNF‐α, IL‐6 or LPS. Oxidative stress‐induced cell death was significantly inhibited by GYY4137 treatment but increased by pharmacological inhibition of H2S synthesis or by CBS/CSE‐siRNA treatment. These data suggest CSE is an inducible source of H2S in cultured HACs and MPCs. H2S may represent a novel endogenous mechanism of cytoprotection in the inflamed joint, suggesting a potential opportunity for therapeutic intervention.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell response to nano‐structured oxidized and turned titanium surfaces
Authors: Annunziata Marco , Oliva Adriana , Buosciolo Antonietta , Giordano Michele , Guida Agostino , Guida Luigi
Published: June 2011

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyse the topographic features of a novel nano‐structured oxidized titanium implant surface and to evaluate its effect on the response of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM‐MSC) compared with a traditional turned surface.

Methods: The 10 × 10 × 1 mm turned (control) and oxidized (test) titanium samples (P.H.I. s.r.l.) were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and characterized by height, spatial and hybrid roughness parameters at different dimensional ranges of analysis. Primary cultures of BM‐MSC were seeded on titanium samples and cell morphology, adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, in terms of alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin synthesis and extracellular matrix mineralization, were evaluated.

Results: At SEM and AFM analyses turned samples were grooved, whereas oxidized surfaces showed a more complex micro‐ and nano‐scaled texture, with higher values of roughness parameters. Cell adhesion and osteogenic parameters were greater on oxidized (P<0.05 at least) vs. turned surfaces, whereas the cell proliferation rate was similar on both samples.

Conclusions: Although both control and test samples were in the range of average roughness proper of smooth surfaces, they exhibited significantly different topographic properties in terms of height, spatial and, mostly, of hybrid parameters. This different micro‐ and nano‐structure resulted in an enhanced adhesion and differentiation of cells plated onto the oxidized surfaces.
Do patients with aggressive periodontitis have evidence of diabetes? A pilot study
Authors: Davies R. C. , Jaedicke K. M. , Barksby H. E. , Jitprasertwong P. , Al‐Shahwani R. M. , Taylor J. J. , Preshaw P. M.
Published: June 2011

Davies RC, Jaedicke KM, Barksby HE, Jitprasertwong P, Al‐Shahwani RM, Taylor JJ, Preshaw PM. Do patients with aggressive periodontitis have evidence of diabetes? A pilot study. J Periodont Res 2011; 46: 663–672. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Background and Objective:  Complex relationships exist between diabetes and periodontal disease. Diabetes is accepted as a risk factor for periodontal disease, and recent evidence supports the existence of a bidirectional relationship between these two diseases. It has been hypothesized that inflammation, lipids and adipokines may mediate these relationships. However, research regarding the above relationships with respect to aggressive periodontitis is very limited. This pilot study aimed to investigate whether patients with aggressive periodontitis (not previously diagnosed with diabetes) have evidence of diabetes and have altered serum levels of inflammatory mediators, lipids and adipokines.

Material and Methods:  Glycaemic control markers (random plasma glucose and glycated haemoglobin), inflammatory mediators (high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, tumour necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, interferon‐γ and interleukin‐18), lipids (triglycerides, total cholesterol and high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol) and adipokines (leptin, adiponectin and resistin) were measured in serum samples from 30 patients with aggressive periodontitis and 30 age‐ and sex‐matched periodontally healthy control subjects, none of whom had a previous diagnosis of diabetes.

Results:  Levels of glycaemic control markers, inflammatory mediators, lipids and adipokines were not significantly different (p > 0.05) between the aggressive periodontitis patients and healthy subjects for unadjusted and adjusted analyses (adjusting for body mass index, smoking, ethnicity, age and sex). The p‐value for the adjusted analysis of adiponectin in female aggressive periodontitis patients compared with the female control subjects reached 0.064, the mean adiponectin level being lower in the female aggressive periodontitis patients (4.94 vs. 5.97 μg/mL).

Conclusion:  This pilot study provided no evidence to suggest that patients with aggressive periodontitis (not previously diagnosed with diabetes) have evidence of diabetes or altered serum levels of inflammatory mediators, lipids and adipokines.