bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
5. BiblioFem and the Fawcett Library
Authors: Pirie Fiona
Published: February 2008

BiblioFem A key bibliographic tool for retrieval of information on women is BiblioFem, a combined catalogue and bibliography on microfiche. As a catalogue, BiblioFem is a record of the book stock and more recently acquired non‐book materials of the Fawcett Library (excluding archival materials, ephemera, etc.). It also incorporates the holdings of the Equal Opportunities Commission Information Centre. The Equal Opportunities Commission was established by the British government in 1975 under the provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act, to promote equality of opportunity between women and men and to work towards eliminating discrimination against women on grounds of sex or marital status, especially in the fields of employment and training.
Librarian in the Marketplace
Authors: Shuter Janet , Worsam Mike
Published: February 2008

This monograph is something of a new departure, both for the Library Management series, and for the authors. It is perhaps best to begin by saying what it is not:
3. Information and Corporate Planning: The Director's Needs
Authors: Broomfield John R.
Published: February 2008

Corporate planning should be simple, not complex, but it is always difficult, not easy. Two, three, four or maybe five huge decisions will determine the destiny of a company. No amount of brilliant marketing will turn the company into a star performer unless these decisions are identified and made. The purpose of corporate planning is to identify these momentous decisions, make sure that all decision makers agree their importance, define corporate objectives and devise the strategy to meet them.
7. Industrial Intelligence: The Need for Synthesis
Authors: Rowat M.J.
Published: February 2008

I would like to start by stating a little about myself. I think this important because the fact that I work in a College of Librarianship may predispose you to guess what I shall write about, the point of view I shall adopt and the conclusions I shall reach. You may be in for a shock!
Education for health
Authors: Baker Edgar
Published: February 2008

Our regular contributor on the educational scene discusses four books dealing with different, but all vitally important, aspects of health and environmental education.
Restricted expression of C‐type lectin‐like natural killer receptors by CD8 T cells in the murine small intestine
Authors: Jänner Nathalie , Hahnke Karin , Mollenkopf Hans‐Joachim , Steinhoff Ulrich , Kaufmann Stefan H. E. , Mittrücker Hans‐Willi
Published: February 2008

The intestinal mucosa represents a challenging environment for CD8+ T cells, which must tolerate nutrient antigens and commensal microorganisms while responding efficiently to pathogens. Consequently, specific regulatory mechanisms apply for CD8+ T cells in the intestinal environment, which should also be reflected in a tissue‐specific gene expression profile of these cells. This study investigates whether such tissue‐specific gene expression can be observed in CD8+ T cells primed during bacterial infection. To identify intestine‐specific gene expression in conventional CD8αβ+ T cells, mice were infected with Listeria monocytogenes expressing ovalbumin (LmOVA). Using OVA257–264 tetramers, specific CD8+ T cells were sorted from spleen, liver and the small intestinal mucosa, and RNA samples from these cells were compared using microarrays. This approach allowed the identification of differences in gene expression in a highly defined CD8+ T‐cell population with identical antigen specificity generated during infection. One group of genes with reduced expression in the intestinal mucosa comprised members of the C‐type lectin‐like natural killer receptor (NKR) family. Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting analysis was used to assess protein expression of NKR. NKR expression on CD8+ T cells from the intestinal mucosa was dependent on the route of listeria application and consequently on the site of T‐cell priming. Retinoic acid influenced NKR expression consistent with an imprinting of the NKR expression profile in intestine‐associated lymphoid tissues. In contrast, NKR expression was largely independent from intestinal flora. Our results demonstrate that in the intestinal mucosa, conventional CD8αβ+ T cells lack NKR expression and thereby lose responsiveness to NKR ligands, which otherwise could possibly cause adverse activation or inhibition of T cells in this environment.
Regulatory networks that function to specify flower meristems require the function of homeobox genes PENNYWISE and POUND‐FOOLISH in Arabidopsis
Authors: Kanrar Siddhartha , Bhattacharya Monideepa , Arthur Blake , Courtier Jennifer , Smith Harley M. S.
Published: February 2008

Flowering is a major developmental phase change that transforms the fate of the shoot apical meristem (SAM) from a leaf‐bearing vegetative meristem to that of a flower‐producing inflorescence meristem. In Arabidopsis, floral meristems are specified on the periphery of the inflorescence meristem by the combined activities of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)–FD complex and the flower meristem identity gene, LEAFY (LFY). Two redundant functioning homeobox genes, PENNYWISE (PNY) and POUND‐FOOLISH (PNF), which are expressed in the vegetative and inflorescence SAM, regulate patterning events during reproductive development, including floral specification. To determine the role of PNY and PNF in the floral specification network, we characterized the genetic relationship of these homeobox genes with LFY and FT. Results from this study demonstrate that LFY functions downstream of PNY and PNF. Ectopic expression of LFY promotes flower formation in pny pnf plants, while the flower specification activity of ectopic FT is severely attenuated. Genetic analysis shows that when mutations in pny and pnf genes are combined with lfy, a synergistic phenotype is displayed that significantly reduces floral specification and alters inflorescence patterning events. In conclusion, results from this study support a model in which PNY and PNF promote LFY expression during reproductive development. At the same time, the flower formation activity of FT is dependent upon the function of PNY and PNF.
Realising child voice: the development of Cue Cards
Authors: LEWIS ANN , NEWTON HELEN , VIALS SUSAN
Published: February 2008

There has been lively and continuing interest worldwide about how best to ensure that all children, and, in particular, children with special needs or disabilities, have their views heard. In the UK, successive legislation across children's services has made this increasingly important. Children's views are even a part of the formal evaluation of many services (such as reviews and inspections of peripatetic support services in education). Making such processes ‘real’ rather than token requires that we find effective ways through which all children can share what they feel about their schools, services and provision. This article describes a technique using a small number of card pictures (eight) to prompt ideas about key elements of a narrative. We suggest that this approach, which has been tried and tested in depth in a local authority (as well as in various research projects), has considerable application in teaching and assessment with diverse children and young people across various contexts. We include examples to illustrate the versatility and value of the approach for schools and other services.
Researching the views of pupils with multiple and complex needs. Is it worth doing and whose interests are served by it?
Authors: WRIGHT KEVIN
Published: February 2008

Because of what are perceived by some as potential challenges it is still commonplace for research to fail to seek the opinions of pupils with multiple and complex needs. While many such pupils do have significant communication difficulties, along with other disabilities, which are undoubtedly a constraint, it is crucial in order to be inclusive, that methods of fostering pupil voice are sought. This piece of practitioner‐based research seeks to do this by focusing on the introduction of an aided communication system, Talking Mats™, for pupils with multiple and complex needs in a mainstream secondary school setting. The study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the introduction of Talking Mats. The notion of ‘research’ with this group of pupils is considered and the key issues of reliability, validity and ethics discussed. The paper concludes by reflecting on the findings and gives a number of practical ideas for future practitioner researchers.
Including pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in mainstream schools
Authors: HUMPHREY NEIL
Published: February 2008

The number of pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) being educated in mainstream schools is increasing. However, there is growing concern about their educational experiences. Research suggests that such pupils make easy targets for bullies, and are considered difficult to teach by teachers. Furthermore, pupils with ASD are more than 20 times more likely to be excluded from school than those without special educational needs. In light of such evidence, the aim of this article is to outline evidence‐based strategies to facilitate the presence, participation, acceptance and achievement of pupils with ASD in mainstream settings. The strategies are presented thematically, as follows: (i) challenge stereotypes and raise expectations, (ii) create order from chaos, (iii) promote peer understanding, (iv) develop social skills, (v) adapt academic subjects, and (vi) modify conversational language. These strategies are not intended to be completely comprehensive – rather, they are starting points on a journey towards inclusion for those with ASD.
Cohort analysis of writing in Year 7 following two, four and seven years of the National Literacy Strategy
Authors: MONTGOMERY DIANE
Published: February 2008

At 11 years of age, English students in secondary schools are expected to make no more than five spelling errors per 100 words and write at a speed of 25 words per minute in order to cope with the curriculum.

This research found that at least one third of the Year 7 cohorts (ages 11–12) in three typical suburban secondary schools were unable to meet the spelling criterion and 12% or more were so poor they were in the dyslexic category. Over 95% could not meet the handwriting speed criterion and boys were more than 10% slower than girls.

Fluency and speed in writing are essential underpinning skills contributing to spelling accuracy and compositional ability in examination performance. Their role in underachievement across the ability range appears greater than suspected for the difficulties observed so far go far wider than amongst children identified with SEN, such as those with dyslexia and developmental co‐ordination difficulties (DCD), sometimes called dyspraxia. Interventions which teachers in general might undertake are indicated.

The research is ongoing.
SOME CORRELATIONS BETWEEN METHODS OF KNOWING AND THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS IN ARTHUR PEACOCKE'S PERSONALISTIC PANENTHEISM AND NONPERSONAL NATURALISTIC THEISM
Authors: Peters Karl E.
Published: February 2008

Differences in methods of knowing correlate with differences in concepts about what is known. This is an underlying issue in science and religion. It is seen, first, in Arthur Peacocke's reasoning about God as transcendent and personal, is based on an assumption of correlative thinking that like causes like. This contrasts with a notion of causation in empirical science, which explains the emergence of new phenomena as originating from temporally prior phenomena quite unlike that which emerges. The scientific understanding of causation is compatible with a naturalistic theism that holds a nonpersonal model of God as the creative process. However, focusing on the immanence of God, there is a second correlation between methods of knowing and concepts of God. Classical empiricism, used by science, correlates with God understood nonpersonally as the creative process. Radical empiricism, in which feelings and not only sense perceptions have cognitive import, opens up the possibility that one can experience Peacocke's personal, panentheistic God as pattern‐forming influence. I illustrate this second method‐concept correlation with a personal experience.
HIERARCHIES: THE CORE ARGUMENT FOR A NATURALISTIC CHRISTIAN FAITH
Authors: Clayton Philip
Published: February 2008

This article takes on a perhaps impossible task: not only to reconstruct the core argument of Arthur Peacocke's program in science and religion but also to evaluate it in two major areas where it would seem to be vulnerable, namely, more recent developments in systems biology and the philosophy of mind. If his theory of hierarchies is to be successful, it must stand up to developments in these two areas and then be able to apply the results in a productive way to Christian theological reflection. Peacocke recognized that one's model of the mind‐body relation is crucial for one's position on the God‐world relation and divine action. Of the three models that he constructed, it turns out that only the third can serve as a viable model for theology if it is to be more than purely deistic or metaphorical.
AN INTELLECTUALLY HONEST THEOLOGY
Authors: Jackelén Antje
Published: February 2008

A hallmark of Arthur Peacocke's work is his aim of writing theology that is intellectually honest. He believed that intelligibility and meaning are foremost on theology's agenda. Consequently, he focused on ultimate meanings, but he did so by taking into account the scientific knowledge of the world. He faced head‐on the challenge to accept the Christian tradition, at the same time subjecting that tradition to critique and reforming its images and modes of thinking. I survey Peacocke's agenda, his methodology, and the sources of his theological thinking, and how this contributes to understanding the relationship between science and theology. A major result of his approach is the abolition of dualisms, specifically that of the natural and the supernatural. Peacocke's approach to theology has exemplary potential for the debate between those who espouse a radical Enlightenment with its claim to universal principles of reason and radical postmodernists who may appear to fall prey to a relativism that equals nihilism.
CHANCE AND NECESSITY IN ARTHUR PEACOCKE'S SCIENTIFIC WORK
Authors: Woloschak Gayle E.
Published: February 2008

Arthur Peacocke was one of the most important scholars to contribute to the modern dialogue on science and religion, and for this he is remembered in the science‐religion community. Many people, however, are unaware of his exceptional career as a biochemist prior to his decision to pursue a life working as a clergyman in the Church of England. His contributions to studies of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) structure, effects of radiation damage on DNA, and on the interactions of DNA and proteins are among the most important in the field at the time and have had a lasting scientific impact that is still felt today. Peacocke's arguments with Jacques Monod over stochastic (chance) and deterministic (necessity) processes driving evolution became important independently for both the science and the religion communities and appear to have contributed significantly to his decision to become involved in science‐religion dialogue rather than continuing his work exclusively in the field of science. Nevertheless, although Peacocke took on an active church life and ceased his experimental work, he never left science but continued to read the scientific literature and published a scientific review on different approaches in defining DNA structure as recently as 2005.
THE NEW SCIENCES OF RELIGION
Authors: Grassie William
Published: February 2008

In this essay I examine the new sciences of religion, spanning the traditional fields such as the psychology, sociology, and anthropology of religion to new fields such as the economics, neurosciences, epidemiology, and evolutionary psychology of religion. The purpose is to welcome these approaches but also delineate some of their philosophical and theological limitations. I argue for pluralistic methodologies in the scientific study of religious and spiritual phenomena. I argue that religious persons and institutions should welcome these investigations, because science affects only interpretative strategies and does not present a fundamental challenge to core religious commitments. Indeed, the new sciences of religion can help religions in becoming more effective and wholesome. I am critical of confusing the scientific study of religion with scientism and trace this ideological project back to August Comte. In the end I deconstruct the metaphoric boundary that places religion on the inside as the object and science as the subject on the outside looking in.
SPACE AND RELIGION: AN INTERWEAVING OF INFLUENCES
Authors: Arnould Jacques
Published: February 2008

Since the earliest ages of humanity, the contemplation of the starry sky has invited the human being to ask: “Who am I? Where is my origin? What is my destiny?” The revolution introduced by modem astronomy has affected how humankind understands itself, and the development of aeronautical and then astronautical techniques introduced a new experiment for humanity—that of being citizen of the sky. By carrying out the dream of Icarus, has humanity realized the attempt of Prometheus? Would we take the place of the gods or God? Do religions have to fear the conquest of space? Despite modern science and the knowledge we have accumulated, space still holds its share of mystery, nurtured by its vast dimensions and startling beauty. Space continues to raise the issue of meaning.
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR THE DIALOGUE?
Authors: Bonting Sjoerd L.
Published: February 2008

The title question was raised by Philip Hefner in an editorial in the March 2007 issue of Zygon, and answered in various ways in sixteen guest editorials in the June, September, and December 2007 issues. In this article, after defining some pertinent concepts, I comment on these essays. I review critical statements made by the guest editorialists and survey their proposals for further dialogue topics. I conclude with my own views on the future of the dialogue and the role of Zygon therein.
THE YOUNG HELD TO RANSOM – A PUBLIC CHOICE ANALYSIS OF THE UK STATE PENSION SYSTEM
Authors: Booth Philip
Published: February 2008

As populations age, it will become increasingly difficult to reform state pension systems. Reform will not be impossible, but the process of ‘buying off’ interest groups will be expensive. State pension provision must use the contributory principle combined with an accruals system – though private pension provision would be better still. There are serious flaws in the so‐called ‘citizens pension’ much promoted by interest groups in the UK.
PUNISHING THE POOR: A CRITIQUE OF MEANS‐TESTED RETIREMENT BENEFITS
Authors: Juurikkala Oskari
Published: February 2008

Means‐tested retirement benefits create strong disincentives to work and to save prior to retirement. This article outlines the structure of means‐tested benefits in the UK and the USA, and reviews the theoretical and empirical evidence of their incentive effects.
REPAIRING THE CRACKS: THE SUPERVISORY ROLE OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND POST‐NORTHERN ROCK
Authors: Smith David B.
Published: February 2008

Last autumn's run on Northern Rock was arguably of more political than economic importance. However, it is significant that most of the deposits were lost from internet and postal accounts rather than withdrawn by the picturesque queues of small investors, which attracted so much media attention, making it possibly the first cyber run on a bank. More can be learnt from failures than successes, and it now seems appropriate to consider the longer‐term implications of the Northern Rock affair for the supervisory responsibilities of the Bank of England.
WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM DOLLAR DEPRECIATION
Authors: Da Silva Sergio , De Lima Gabrielle , Meurer Roberto
Published: February 2008

We examine the relationship between the US current account deficit, the international value of the dollar, and the dollar reserves of foreign central banks. The declining dollar could benefit US savers at the expense of foreign investors in the USA.
AN ECONOMICALLY LIBERAL EUROPEAN UNION WILL NOT BE DELIVERED BY THE EU REFORM TREATY
Authors: Lea Ruth
Published: February 2008

There is little doubt that the EU's Reform Treaty is a very substantial document with significant implications for business and the economy. Unfortunately, there is little in the Treaty that would appear to promote liberal economic policies. On the contrary, there are at least two developments that should cause concern. The first is the Charter of Fundamental Rights which will probably have significant, anti‐liberal, implications for Britain's labour market laws. And the second is the removal of ‘free and undistorted competition’ from the list of the EU's objectives in the main body of the Treaty.
Macroeconomic Instability and Business Exit: Determinants of Failures and Acquisitions of UK Firms
Authors: BHATTACHARJEE A. , HIGSON C. , HOLLY S. , KATTUMAN P.
Published: February 2008

We study the impact of the macroeconomic environment on business exit in a world where acquisition and bankruptcy are co‐determined. We estimate competing risk hazard regression models using data on UK quoted firms spanning a 38‐year period that witnessed several business cycles. We find that the processes determining bankruptcies and acquisitions depend on the macroeconomic environment. In particular, macroeconomic instability has opposing effects on bankruptcy hazard and acquisition hazard, raising the former and lowering the latter. While bankruptcy hazard is counter‐cyclical and acquisition hazard pro‐cyclical, the US business cycle is a better predictor than the UK cycle itself.
Non‐Deteriorating Choice
Authors: BOSSERT WALTER , SPRUMONT YVES
Published: February 2008

A reference‐dependent choice function is a generalization of a standard choice function where chosen alternatives may depend on a reference alternative in addition to the set of feasible options. Such a function is non‐deteriorating if there exists an ordering over the universal set of alternatives according to which the chosen alternatives are at least as good as the reference option. We characterize non‐deteriorating reference‐dependent choice functions in a general framework and in an economic environment.
The Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on Executive Pay in the United Kingdom
Authors: GUEST PAUL M.
Published: February 2008

This paper examines the impact of acquisitions by UK acquirers on executive pay. The overall sample shows a significant transitory pay increase. Pay changes are not affected by target nationality or organizational form, although initial cross‐border acquisitions result in higher pay. Pay increases are higher following acquisitions of targets with high pay, but not high‐pay countries. CEOs are rewarded equally for bad and good acquisitions, and those well rewarded are more likely to re‐acquire. However, bad acquisitions do not increase CEO wealth because CEO shareholding value declines. Pay impacts are not affected by the acquiring firms' strength of corporate governance.
Understanding Declining Mobility and Inter‐household Transfers among East African Pastoralists
Authors: HUYSENTRUYT MARIEKE , BARRETT CHRISTOPHER B. , McPEAK JOHN G.
Published: February 2008

We model inter‐household transfers between nomadic livestock herders as the state‐dependent consequence of individuals' strategic interdependence, resulting from the existence of multiple, opposing externalities—more specifically, a public‐good security externality among individuals sharing a social (e.g. ethnic) identity in a potentially hostile environment, and a resource appropriation externality related to the use of common property grazing lands. Our model augments the extant literature on transfers, and is more consistent with the limited available empirical evidence on heterogeneous and changing transfers' patterns among east African pastoralists. The core principles of our model possibly apply more broadly, for example to long‐distance migrants or even ‘foot soldiers’ in street gangs.
Labour Force Status and Sexual Orientation
Authors: LEPPEL KAREN
Published: February 2008

This study explores the probabilities of being employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force, for men and women in same‐sex couples and married and unmarried opposite‐sex couples. Same‐sex partners were more likely to be unemployed than married opposite‐sex partners but less likely than unmarried opposite‐sex partners. Laws prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination had positive and larger effects on unemployment for same‐sex partners than for other partners. The presence of young children increased the probability of being out of the labour force more for male same‐sex partners than for other men, and less for female same‐sex partners than for other women.
‘In My Own World’: A Case Study of a Paedophile's Thinking and Doing and His Use of the Internet
Authors: WILSON DAVID , JONES TIMOTHY
Published: February 2008

Abstract:A case study of a convicted paedophile and the relationship between his ‘thinking and doing’ is presented to reveal how his fantasy life, his use of the Internet and his contact offences against children are linked. More broadly, the authors propose a generic ‘offending space model’ to chart how, and in what circumstances fantasy becomes reality.
Cerebrospinal Fluid and Serum Neuron-Specific Enolase in Acute Benign Headache
Authors: Casmiro M , Scarpa E , Cortelli P , Vignatelli L
Published: February 2008

We determined the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) concentrations in 19 patients with acute benign headache. All patients had normal neurological examination, CSF and head computed tomography scan. The final diagnoses were: primary thunderclap headache ( n = 7), primary exertional headache ( n = 3), primary cough headache ( n = 1), migraine without aura ( n = 4), headache unspecified ( n = 2), probable infrequent episodic tension-type headache ( n = 1), headache attributed to hypertensive crisis without hypertensive encephalopathy ( n = 1). A group of 108 healthy subjects served as controls. CSF NSE concentration was 14.16 ng/ml [95% confidence interval (CI) 11.86, 16.47)] in the headache sample (controls 17.19 ng/ml, 95% CI 16.23, 18.15). Serum NSE concentration was 7.50 ng/ml (95% CI 5.20, 9.80) in the headache sample (controls 8.45 ng/ml, 95% CI 7.67, 9.23). CSF/serum ratio was 2.81 (95% CI 2.21, 3.40) in the headache sample (controls 2.23, 95% CI 2.03, 2.42). Acute benign headache is not associated with neuronal damage as estimated by means of CSF and serum NSE concentration.
Familial Hemiplegic Migraine Type 2 does not Share Hypersensitivity to Nitric Oxide with Common Types of Migraine
Authors: Hansen JM , Thomsen LL , Marconi R , Casari G , Olesen J , Ashina M
Published: February 2008

Familial hemiplegic migraine type 2 (FHM-2) and common types of migraine show phenotypic similarities which may indicate a common neurobiological background. The nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO-cGMP) pathway plays a crucial role in migraine pathophysiology. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that ATP1A2 mutations in patients with FHM-2 are associated with hypersensitivity to NO-cGMP pathway. Eight FHM-2 patients with R202Q, R763C, V138A and L764P mutations and nine healthy controls received intravenous infusions of 0.5 μgkg−1 min−1 glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) over 20 min. We recorded the following variables: headache intensity on a verbal rating scale; mean flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (VmeanMCA) by transcranial Doppler; diameter of the superficial temporal artery (STA) by ultrasound. The primary end-points were differences in incidence of migraine headache and area under the curve (AUC) for headache score during an immediate phase (0-120 min) and a delayed phase (2-14 h) after start of infusion. We found no difference in the incidence of reported migraine between FHM-2 patients, 25% (two out of eight), and controls, 0% (0 out of nine) (95% confidence interval −0.06, 0.56) ( P = 0.21). The AUCheadache in the immediate ( P = 0.37) and delayed ( P = 0.09) phase was not different between patients and controls. The GTN infusion resulted in a biphasic response in patients. During the immediate phase, the median peak headache occurred at 30 min and tended to be higher in patients, 1 (0, 3.8), than in controls, 0 (0, 1) ( P = 0.056). During the delayed phase, the median peak headache occurred 4 h after the start of the infusion and was significantly higher in patients, 2.5 (0, 3), than in controls, 0 (0, 0) ( P = 0.046). We found no difference in the AUCVmeanMCA ( P = 0.77) or AUCSTA ( P = 0.53) between FHM-2 patients and controls. GTN infusion failed to induce more migraine in FHM-2 patients than in controls. The pathophysiological pathways underlying migraine headache in FHM-2 may be different from the common types of migraine.
RanBPM, a novel interaction partner of the brain‐specific protein p42IP4/centaurin α‐1
Authors: Haase Andrea , Nordmann Caroline , Sedehizade Fariba , Borrmann Claudia , Reiser Georg
Published: February 2008

The protein p42IP4 (aka Centaurin α‐1) is highly enriched in the brain and has specific binding sites for the membrane lipid phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5‐trisphosphate and the soluble messenger inositol 1,3,4,5‐tetrakisphosphate (Ins(1,3,4,5)P4; IP4). p42IP4 shuttles between plasma membrane, cytosol and cell nucleus. However, the molecular function of p42IP4 is still largely unclear. Here, we report a novel interaction partner for p42IP4, Ran binding protein in microtubule‐organizing center (RanBPM). RanBPM is ubiquitously expressed and seems to act as scaffolding and modulator protein. In our studies, we established this interaction in vitro and in vivo. The in vivo interaction was demonstrated with endogenous RanBPM from rat brain. Both proteins co‐localize in transfected HEK 293 cells. We could show that the interaction does not require additional proteins. D‐Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, a specific ligand for p42IP4, is a concentration‐dependent and stereoselective inhibitor of this interaction; the l‐isoform is much less effective. We found that mainly the SPRY domain of RanBPM mediates the p42IP4‐RanBPM association. The ARFGAP domain of p42IP4 is important for the interaction, without being the only interaction site. Recently, p42IP4 and RanBPM were shown to be involved in dendritic differentiation. Thus, we hypothesize that RanBPM could act as a modulator together with p42IP4 in synaptic plasticity.
Glycinergic nerve endings in hippocampus and spinal cord release glycine by different mechanisms in response to identical depolarizing stimuli
Authors: Luccini Elisa , Romei Cristina , Raiteri Luca
Published: February 2008

Studies on hippocampal glycine release are extremely rare. We here investigated release from mouse hippocampus glycinergic terminals selectively pre‐labelled with [3H]glycine through transporters of the GLYT2 type. Purified synaptosomes were incubated with [3H]glycine in the presence of the GLYT1 blocker NFPS to abolish uptake (∼ 30%) through GLYT1. The non‐GLYT1‐mediated uptake was entirely sensitive to the GLYT2 blocker Org25543. Depolarization during superfusion with high‐K+ (15–50 mmol/L) provoked overflows totally dependent on external Ca2+, whereas in the spinal cord the 35 or 50 mmol/L KCl‐evoked overflow (higher than that in hippocampus) was only partly dependent on extraterminal Ca2+. In the hippocampus, the Ca2+‐dependent 4‐aminopyridine (1 mmol/L)‐evoked overflow was five‐fold lower than that in spinal cord. The component of the 10 μmol/L veratridine‐induced overflow dependent on external Ca2+ was higher in the hippocampus than that in spinal cord, although the total overflow in the hippocampus was only half of that in the spinal cord. Part of the veratridine‐evoked hippocampal overflow occurred by GLYT2 reversal and part by bafilomycin A1‐sensitive exocytosis dependent on cytosolic Ca2+ generated through the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. As glycine sites on NMDA receptors are normally not saturated, understanding mechanisms of glycine release should facilitate pharmacological modulation of NMDA receptor function.
The conquering of climate: discourses of fear and their dissolution
Authors: HULME MIKE
Published: February 2008

We are living in a climate of fear about our future climate. The language of the public discourse around global warming routinely uses a repertoire which includes words such as ‘catastrophe’, ‘terror’, ‘danger’, ‘extinction’ and ‘collapse’. To help make sense of this phenomenon the story of the complex relationships between climates and cultures in different times and in different places is in urgent need of telling. If we can understand from the past something of this complex interweaving of our ideas of climate with their physical and cultural settings we may be better placed to prepare for different configurations of this relationship in the future. This paper examines two earlier European discourses of fear associated with climate – one from the early‐modern era (climate as judgement) and one from the modern era (climate as pathology) – and traces the ways in which these discourses formed and dissolved within a specific cultural matrix. The contemporary discourse of fear about future climate change (climate as catastrophe) is summarised and some ways in which this discourse, too, might be dissolved are examined. Conventional attempts at conquering the climatic future all rely, implicitly or explicitly, upon ideas of control and mastery, whether of the planet, of global governance or of individual and collective behaviour. These attempts at ‘engineering’ future climate seem a degree utopian and brash. Understanding the cultural dimensions of climate discourses offers a different way of thinking about how we navigate the climatic future. However our contemporary climatic fears have emerged – as linked, for example, to neoliberal globalism, to ecological modernisation and the emergence of a risk society, or to a deeper instinctive human anxiety about the future – they will in the end be dissipated, re‐configured or transformed as a function of cultural change.
Comprehensive proteomic analysis of protein changes during platelet storage requires complementary proteomic approaches
Authors: Thon Jonathan N. , Schubert Peter , Duguay Marie , Serrano Katherine , Lin Shujun , Kast Juergen , Devine Dana V.
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: Proteomics methods may be used to analyze changes occurring in stored blood products. These data sets can identify processes leading to storage‐associated losses of blood component quality such as the platelet (PLT) storage lesion (PSL). The optimal strategy to perform such analyses to obtain the most informative data sets, including which proteomics methods, is undefined. This study addresses relative differences among proteomics approaches to the analysis of the PLT storage lesion.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Changes to the PLT proteome between Days 1 and 7 of storage were analyzed with three complementary proteomic approaches with final mass spectrometry analysis: two‐dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis/differential gel electrophoresis (DIGE), isotope tagging for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ), and isotope‐coded affinity tagging (ICAT). Observed changes in concentration during storage of selected proteins were confirmed by immunoblotting.

RESULTS: In total, 503 individual proteins changed concentration over a 7‐day storage period. By method, a total of 93 proteins were identified by 2D gel/DIGE, 355 by iTRAQ, and 139 by ICAT. Less than 16 percent of the 503 proteins, however, were identified by not more than at least two proteomic approaches. Only 5 proteins were identified by all approaches. Membrane protein changes were not reliably detected with 2D gel/DIGE methods.

CONCLUSION: Although proteomics analyses identified many storage‐associated protein changes, these varied significantly by method suggesting that a combination of protein‐centric (2D gel or DIGE) and peptide‐centric (iTRAQ or ICAT) approaches are essential to acquire adequate data. The use of one proteomics method to study changes in stored blood products may give insufficient information.
Red cell concentrates of hemochromatosis patients comply with the storage guidelines for transfusion purposes
Authors: Luten Marleen , Roerdinkholder‐Stoelwinder Bregt , Rombout‐Sestrienkova Eva , De Grip Willem J. , Bos Harry J. , Bosman Giel J.C.G.M.
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic phlebotomy is the preferred treatment for iron overload associated with hemochromatosis. In the Netherlands, red blood cell concentrates (RCCs) from hemochromatosis patients are not used for transfusion purposes. In this study, their storage performance was compared with that of control donors as a first step in the evaluation of their potential usefulness for transfusion.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: RCCs were obtained from hemochromatosis patients and regular donors, either by apheresis or by whole‐blood collection, and stored up to 50 days under routine Dutch blood bank conditions. Weekly samples were taken for determination of hematologic, biophysical, and biochemical variables.

RESULTS: Most variables displayed the same storage‐related changes in RCCs originating from hemochromatosis patients as in those from regular donors. In all RCCs, hemolysis remained well below the guideline limit of 0.8 percent for up to 6 weeks of storage, and the glucose concentration remained above the required 5 mmol per L up to 5 weeks of storage. After 4 weeks of storage, the mean ATP level remained above the required limit of 75 percent of the starting value in all RCCs as well. The major difference was a larger mean cell volume in hereditary hemochromatosis RBCs up to 50 days of storage.

CONCLUSIONS: RCCs from hemochromatosis patients comply with the in vitro quality requirements for transfusion. This paves the way for the final step, namely, the establishment of the 24‐hour RBC posttransfusion recovery.
Heterogeneity of HPA‐3 alloantibodies: consequences for the diagnosis of alloimmune thrombocytopenic syndromes
Authors: Socher Ines , Zwingel Claudia , Santoso Sentot , Kroll Hartmut
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: Immunization against the human platelet alloantigen (HPA)‐3a residing on αIIbβ3 integrin accounts for approximately 2 percent of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT). Anti‐HPA‐3a alloantibodies are sometimes difficult to detect and can be overlooked by standard antigen capture assays.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The reactivity of 12 anti‐HPA‐3a and 2 anti‐HPA‐3b alloantibodies from patients with FNAIT and posttransfusion purpura was analyzed by serologic (monoclonal antibody‐specific immobilization of platelet antigens [MAIPA] assay, flow cytometry) and immunochemical (immunoprecipitation, immunoblotting) techniques. The influence of platelet (PLT) age, storage conditions, recombinant antigens from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and sialic acids (treatment with neuraminidase) were analyzed.

RESULTS: The most sensitive anti‐HPA‐3 alloantibody detection in MAIPA assay could be achieved with fresh homozygous PLTs. During a PLT storage period of 14 days before use, three types of anti‐HPA‐3 alloantibodies were found: 1) complete loss of reactivity (n = 6), 2) considerably weakened reaction (≥50% reduction; n = 3), and 3) minor reduction of reactivity (≤40% decrease; n = 5). When cryopreserved PLTs were used, 10 of 12 anti‐HPA‐3a and all anti‐HPA‐3b alloantibodies reacted positive. Only 6 of 10 serum samples reacted with recombinant HPA‐3a on CHO cells. Neuraminidase treatment of PLTs showed that some anti‐HPA‐3a alloantibodies require the presence of sialic acids. The storage lesion seems to be related to cleavage of sialic acids. Immunochemical analysis revealed evidence that most anti‐HPA‐3a alloantibodies require an intact three‐dimensional αIIbβ3 integrin structure.

CONCLUSIONS: Anti‐HPA‐3 alloantibodies show considerable heterogeneity, which may hamper the serologic diagnosis of FNAIT. Preservation of the αIIbβ3 integrin and protection from enzymatic degradation seem to be important during PLT storage.
Expression of a novel missense mutation found in the A4GALT gene of Amish individuals with the p phenotype
Authors: Hellberg Åsa , Schmidt‐Melbye Anne‐Christine , Reid Marion E. , Olsson Martin L.
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: The rare p phenotype is found at a higher frequency in Amish people than in other populations. Different mutations in the 4‐α‐galactosyltransferase gene (A4GALT), responsible for synthesis of Pk (Gb3) antigen, have been found to cause the Pk‐deficient p phenotype. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular background of the p phenotype in people of Amish origin.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty blood samples with the p phenotype, 19 of them from Amish individuals and 1 Pakistani, were investigated. Amplification of genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing by capillary electrophoresis were performed. Blood donors of different geographic origin were screened with PCR–allele‐specific primer to investigate whether the novel mutation occurs among individuals with common phenotypes. The mutation was also cloned into an expression vector and transfected to Namalwa cells, which do not normally express Pk. Pk expression on the transfected cells and P/Pk on red blood cells (RBCs), both with p and with common phenotypes, were analyzed by flow cytometry.

RESULTS: All 20 samples were homozygous for 299C>T changing serine to leucine in a region that is highly conserved in homologous genes across species borders. The mutation was not found in any of the 500 alleles of blood donors investigated. Pk expression was neither observed by serology and flow cytometry on p RBCs from Amish individuals nor following transfection of cells with constructs containing the novel missense mutation.

CONCLUSION: A novel A4GALT missense mutation causes the p phenotype in Amish individuals.
Sec1‐FUT2‐Sec1 hybrid allele generated by interlocus gene conversion
Authors: Soejima Mikiko , Fujihara Junko , Takeshita Haruo , Koda Yoshiro
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: Many single‐nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified in the coding region of the FUT2 locus, which encodes secretor type α(1,2)fucosyltransferase. In addition, three recombination alleles have been reported. Of these recombination alleles, a fusion gene generated by an unequal crossing over between Sec1, a pseudogene that locates 23 kb upstream to and has high sequence homology with FUT2 and FUT2, was identified as a Japanese‐specific nonsecretor allele (sefus).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: During the screening of the sefus in Mongolians (n = 118), a hybrid allele of Sec1‐FUT2‐Sec1 was found.

RESULTS: The DNA sequence suggested that the Sec1‐FUT2‐Sec1 allele contains a 275‐bp sequence (between positions 259 and 533) that is identical to the FUT2 sequence including a 54‐bp FUT2‐specific region (between positions 417 and 470) and that might have been generated by an interlocus gene conversion.

CONCLUSION: Because the recombination region of sefus and the upstream recombination region of Sec1‐FUT2‐Sec1 are almost identical, this sequence stretch is likely to be the breakpoint for different kinds of recombinations that occur in this family of genes.
ABOtranscript levels in peripheral blood and erythropoietic culture show different allele‐related patterns independent of the CBF/NF‐Y enhancer motif and multiple novel allele‐specific variations in the 5′‐ and 3′‐noncoding regions
Authors: Thuresson Britt , Chester M. Alan , Storry Jill R. , Olsson Martin L.
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND:Mechanisms regulating theABOgene are unclear, especially in the hematopoietic compartment. The number of 43‐bp repeats in the CBF/NF‐Y‐binding enhancer region is considered to have a major influence on transcription.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:Transcript levels in peripheral blood and in erythropoietic culture of CD34+ cells from marrow donors were measured with TaqMan assays. The 5′‐regulatory region and 3′‐downstream sequences were investigated to determine if allelic variations occur.

RESULTS:Surprisingly, transcripts fromA1andA2alleles could not be detected in peripheral blood, although transcripts fromB/O1/O1v/O2alleles were readily observed. Sequencing of approximately 4 kb upstream and 1.8 kb downstream of the coding region showed multiple novel allele‐specific and allele‐related motifs. No correlation between these sequence variations and transcript levels was found, however. Contradictory to the results with peripheral blood, in erythropoietic culture of CD34+ cells from healthy marrow donors transcripts fromA1andA2alleles were found at higher levels than transcripts fromB/O1/O1valleles.

CONCLUSION:These data do not support previous suggestions that nonsense‐mutatedO1/O1vtranscripts are eliminated first. Furthermore, our results contradict the notion that the number of repeats in the upstream CBF/NF‐Y‐binding enhancer region, which contains four 43‐bp repeats inA2/B/O1/O1vbut only one 43‐bp unit inA1/O2alleles, determines the transcription rate. The reason for the remarkable discrepancy between blood and marrow remains to be elucidated.
Tranexamic acid reduces blood transfusion in total knee arthroplasty even when a blood conservation program is applied
Authors: Álvarez Juan C. , Santiveri Francisco X. , Ramos Isabel , Vela Enrique , Puig Lluis , Escolano Fernando
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: In total knee arthroplasty surgery, a blood conservation program is applied as a normal clinical practice to avoid allogenic transfusions. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of tranexamic acid to reduce transfusions in total knee replacement even when a blood conservation program is applied.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In a double‐blind prospective study the patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty were included in a well‐established blood conservation program and then randomly assigned into two groups: In tranexamic acid group, 10 mg per kg ev bolus followed by 1 mg per kg per hour perfusion was administered, while in the control group, saline was given matching the protocol.

RESULTS: Ninety‐five patients were included (tranexamic acid group, 46; control group, 49). Thirty‐three patients (34.7%) underwent preoperative procedures to reduce transfusions: presurgical autologous blood donation (12), recombinant erythropoietin (6), and elementary iron (15); postoperative drain for reinfusion was allocated in all the cases. Total blood loss on the fourth postoperative day was [mean (±SD)] 1744 (±804) mL in controls compared with 1301 (±621) mL in the tranexamic acid group (p < 0.05). Eleven units of blood were transfused (6 patients) in the control group versus one in the tranexamic acid group (p < 0.05). Only 2 patients (4%) in the tranexamic acid group received reinfusion of blood recovered by drains compared with 36 (73%) in the control group (p < 0.0001). No thromboembolic complications were detected.

CONCLUSION: Tranexamic acid reduces blood losses and transfusion requirements even when a blood conservation program was used and it questions the usefulness of the postoperative reinfusion drains.