bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Studies of the Commitment Step in the Germination of Spores of
Bacillus
Species
Authors: Yi Xuan , Setlow Peter
Published: May 2010

Spores of
Bacillus
species are said to be committed when they continue through nutrient germination even when germinants are removed or their binding to spores' nutrient germinant receptors (GRs) is both reversed and inhibited. Measurement of commitment and the subsequent release of dipicolinic acid (DPA) during nutrient germination of spores of
Bacillus cereus
and
Bacillus subtilis
showed that heat activation, increased nutrient germinant concentrations, and higher average levels of GRs/spore significantly decreased the times needed for commitment, as well as lag times between commitment and DPA release. These lag times were also decreased dramatically by the action of one of the spores' two redundant cortex lytic enzymes (CLEs), CwlJ, but not by the other CLE, SleB, and CwlJ action did not affect the timing of commitment. The timing of commitment and the lag time between commitment and DPA release were also dependent on the specific GR activated to cause spore germination. For spore populations, the lag times between commitment and DPA release were increased significantly in spores that germinated late compared to those that germinated early, and individual spores that germinated late may have had lower appropriate GR levels/spore than spores that germinated early. These findings together provide new insight into the commitment step in spore germination and suggest several factors that may contribute to the large heterogeneity among the timings of various events in the germination of individual spores in spore populations.
Transcription-Associated Mutation in
Bacillus subtilis
Cells under Stress
Authors: Pybus Christine , Pedraza-Reyes Mario , Ross Christian A. , Martin Holly , Ona Katherine , Yasbin Ronald E. , Robleto Eduardo
Published: May 2010

Adaptive (stationary phase) mutagenesis is a phenomenon by which nondividing cells acquire beneficial mutations as a response to stress. Although the generation of adaptive mutations is essentially stochastic, genetic factors are involved in this phenomenon. We examined how defects in a transcriptional factor, previously reported to alter the acquisition of adaptive mutations, affected mutation levels in a gene under selection. The acquisition of mutations was directly correlated to the level of transcription of a defective
leuC
allele placed under selection. To further examine the correlation between transcription and adaptive mutation, we placed a point-mutated allele,
leuC427
, under the control of an inducible promoter and assayed the level of reversion to leucine prototrophy under conditions of leucine starvation. Our results demonstrate that the level of Leu
+
reversions increased significantly in parallel with the induced increase in transcription levels. This mutagenic response was not observed under conditions of exponential growth. Since transcription is a ubiquitous biological process, transcription-associated mutagenesis may influence evolutionary processes in all organisms.
Changes in aortic stiffness related to elastic fiber network anomalies in the Brown Norway rat during maturation and aging
Authors: Osborne-Pellegrin Mary , Labat Carlos , Mercier Nathalie , Challande Pascal , Lacolley Patrick
Published: May 2010

Adult Brown Norway (BN) rats exhibit numerous internal elastic lamina (IEL) ruptures in the abdominal aorta (AA) and a lower aortic elastin-to-collagen ratio (E/C) compared with other strains. We studied here AA mechanical properties in BN compared with control strains. AA stiffness (assessed by plotting elastic modulus/wall-stress curves obtained under anesthesia), thoracic aorta elastin and collagen contents, and IEL ruptures in AA were measured in male BN and LOU rats aged 6, 10, and 15 wk. The Long Evans (LE) control strain was compared with BN at more advanced ages (15, 28, and 64 wk). At all ages, aortic E/C was lower in BN than in control strains. At 6 wk, AA stiffness was greater in BN than in LOU. In both strains, AA stiffness decreased between 6 and 10 wk, more so in BN than in LOU, and then increased, reaching similar values at 15 wk. BN AA stiffness was not different from that of LE at 15 and 28 wk, but was significantly lower at 64 wk. The increased stiffness in young BN rat AA may be due to the decreased E/C. IEL rupture onset in the BN around 7–8 wk, which decreases stiffness, as suggested by its pharmacological modulation, abolished such differences by 15 wk. Thereafter, age-related AA stiffness increased less in BN than in LE, likely due to the numerous IEL ruptures. We conclude that, in the BN rat, the lower E/C and the presence of IEL ruptures have opposing effects on arterial stiffness.
PAI-1-derived peptide EEIIMD prevents impairment of cerebrovasodilation by augmenting p38 MAPK upregulation after cerebral hypoxia/ischemia
Authors: Armstead William M. , Riley John , Kiessling J. Willis , Cines Douglas B. , Higazi Abd Al-Roof
Published: May 2010

Babies are frequently exposed to cerebral hypoxia and ischemia (H/I) during the perinatal period as a result of stroke, problems with delivery, or postdelivery respiratory management. The sole approved treatment for acute stroke is tissue type plasminogen activator. H/I impairs pial artery dilation (PAD) induced by hypercapnia and hypotension, the impairment aggravated by type plasminogen activator and attenuated by the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1-derived peptide EEIIMD. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), a family of at least three kinases, ERK, p38, and JNK, is upregulated after H/I and ERK contribute to impaired cerebrovasodilation. This study determined the roles of p38 and JNK MAPK in the impairment of dilation post-H/I in pigs equipped with a closed cranial window and the relationship between alterations in MAPK isoforms and EEIIMD-mediated cerebrovascular protection. Cerebrospinal fluid-phosphorylated (activated) p38 MAPK, but not JNK MAPK, was increased after H/I, an effect potentiated by intravenous EEIIMD administered 1 h postinjury. PAD in response to hypercapnia and hypotension was blunted by H/I, but dilation was maintained by EEIIMD. PAD was further impaired by the p38 antagonist SB-203580 but unchanged by the JNK antagonist SP-600125. Isoproterenol-induced PAD was unchanged by H/I, EEIIMD, SB-203580, and SP-600125. These data indicate that postinjury treatment with EEIIMD attenuated impaired cerebrovasodilation post-H/I by upregulating p38 but not JNK. These data suggest that plasminogen activator inhibitor-1-based peptides and other approaches to upregulate p38 may offer a novel approach to increase the benefit-to-risk ratio of thrombolytic therapy for diverse central nervous system disorders associated with H/I.
Resistin decreases expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase through oxidative stress in human coronary artery endothelial cells
Authors: Chen Changyi , Jiang Jun , Lü Jian-Ming , Chai Hong , Wang Xinwen , Lin Peter H. , Yao Qizhi
Published: May 2010

Resistin is a newly discovered adipocyte-derived cytokine that may play an important role in insulin resistance, diabetes, adipogenesis, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease. However, it is largely unknown whether resistin impairs endothelial functions by affecting the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) system. In this study, we determined the effect of human recombinant resistin protein on eNOS expression and regulation in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs). When cells were treated with clinically relevant concentrations of resistin (40 or 80 ng/ml) for 24 h, the levels of eNOS mRNA, protein, and activity and eNOS mRNA stability were significantly reduced. Cellular nitric oxide levels were also decreased. In addition, the cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anion, were significantly increased in resistin-treated HCAECs. Mitochondrial membrane potential and the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were reduced. Three antioxidants, seleno-l-methionine, ginsenoside Rb1, and MnTBAP (superoxide dismutase mimetic), effectively blocked resistin-induced eNOS downregulation. Meanwhile, resistin activated the mitogen-activated protein kinases p38 and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), and the specific p38 inhibitor SB-239063 effectively blocked resistin-induced ROS production and eNOS downregulation. Furthermore, immunoreactivity of resistin was increased in atherosclerotic regions of human aorta and carotid arteries. Thus resistin directly induces eNOS downregulation through overproduction of ROS and activation of p38 and JNK in HCAECs. Resistin-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and imbalance in cellular redox enzymes may be the underlying mechanisms of oxidative stress.
Role of arachidonic acid, lipoxygenase, and mitochondrial depolarization in reperfusion arrhythmias
Authors: Haworth Robert A. , Potter Katherine T. , Russell Douglas C.
Published: May 2010

We have sought evidence that arachidonic acid (AA) induces mitochondrial depolarization in isolated myocytes by a lipoxygenase (LOX)-dependent mechanism and that such depolarization might contribute to arrhythmogenesis following ischemia-reperfusion injury. A method was developed for measuring mitochondrial depolarization in isolated adult rat myocytes in suspension, using tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester. The addition of AA to myocytes resulted in mitochondrial depolarization that was inhibited by the LOX inhibitor baicalein, by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger mercaptoproprionylglycine, and by the anion channel inhibitor diisothiocyanatostilbene-disulfonic acid (DIDS). AA induced mitochondrial uncoupling and mitochondrial ATPase activity in myocytes, but both were insensitive to baicalein. We conclude that the metabolic effect of AA in myocytes puts mitochondria into an energetically compromised state where membrane potential is easily changed by the DIDS-sensitive LOX/ROS-mediated opening of an inner membrane anion channel. In an in vivo anesthetized rat model of coronary artery occlusion, baicalein was found to strongly inhibit arrhythmias induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury. Arrhythmias following ischemia-reperfusion injury have been previously associated with DIDS-sensitive ROS-mediated mitochondrial depolarization, and free fatty acids including AA were previously found to accumulate during such injury. We therefore conclude that arrhythmias following ischemia-reperfusion injury might originate from mitochondrial depolarization mediated by LOX and AA.
Dynamic control of maximal ventricular elastance via the baroreflex and force-frequency relation in awake dogs before and after pacing-induced heart failure
Authors: Chen Xiaoxiao , Sala-Mercado Javier A. , Hammond Robert L. , Ichinose Masashi , Soltani Soroor , Mukkamala Ramakrishna , O'Leary Donal S.
Published: May 2010

We investigated to what extent maximal ventricular elastance ( Emax) is dynamically controlled by the arterial baroreflex and force-frequency relation in conscious dogs and to what extent these mechanisms are attenuated after the induction of heart failure (HF). We mathematically analyzed spontaneous beat-to-beat hemodynamic variability. First, we estimated Emax for each beat during a baseline period using the ventricular unstressed volume determined with the traditional multiple beat method during vena cava occlusion. We then jointly identified the transfer functions (system gain value and time delay per frequency) relating beat-to-beat fluctuations in arterial blood pressure (ABP) to Emax (ABP→ Emax) and beat-to-beat fluctuations in heart rate (HR) to Emax (HR→ Emax) to characterize the dynamic properties of the arterial baroreflex and force-frequency relation, respectively. During the control condition, the ABP→ Emax transfer function revealed that ABP perturbations caused opposite direction Emax changes with a gain value of −0.023 ± 0.012 ml−1, whereas the HR→ Emax transfer function indicated that HR alterations caused same direction Emax changes with a gain value of 0.013 ± 0.005 mmHg·ml−1·(beats/min)−1. Both transfer functions behaved as low-pass filters. However, the ABP→ Emax transfer function was more sluggish than the HR→ Emax transfer function with overall time constants (indicator of full system response time to a sudden input change) of 11.2 ± 2.8 and 1.7 ± 0.5 s ( P < 0.05), respectively. During the HF condition, the ABP→ Emax and HR→ Emax transfer functions were markedly depressed with gain values reduced to −0.0002 ± 0.007 ml−1 and −0.001 ± 0.004 mmHg·ml−1·(beats/min)−1 ( P < 0.1). Emax is rapidly and significantly controlled at rest, but this modulation is virtually abolished in HF.
Reduction of fibrosis-related arrhythmias by chronic renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors in an aged mouse model
Authors: Stein Mera , Boulaksil Mohamed , Jansen John A. , Herold Eva , Noorman Maartje , Joles Jaap A. , van Veen Toon A. B. , Houtman Marien J. C. , Engelen Markus A. , Hauer Richard N. W. , de Bakker Jacques M. T. , van Rijen Harold V. M.
Published: May 2010

Myocardial fibrosis increases arrhythmia vulnerability of the diseased heart. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) governs myocardial collagen synthesis. We hypothesized that reducing cardiac fibrosis by chronic RAAS inhibition would result in reduced arrhythmia vulnerability of the senescent mouse heart. Wild-type mice (52 wk old) were treated for 36 wk: 1) untreated control (C); 2) eplerenone (E); 3) losartan (L); and 4) cotreatment with eplerenone and losartan (EL). Ventricular epicardial activation mapping was performed on Langendorff-perfused hearts. Arrhythmia inducibility was tested by one to three premature stimuli and burst pacing. Longitudinal and transverse conduction velocity and dispersion of conduction were determined during pacing at a basic cycle length of 150 ms. Sirius red staining (collagen) was performed. As a result, in the RV of mice in the E, L, and EL groups, transverse conduction velocity was significantly increased and anisotropic ratio was significantly decreased compared with those values of mice in the C group. Anisotropic reentrant arrhythmias were induced in 52% of untreated mice and significantly reduced to 22%, 26%, and 16% in the E, L, and EL groups, respectively. Interstitial fibrosis was significantly decreased in both the RV and LV of all treated groups. Scattered patches of replacement fibrosis were found in 90% of untreated hearts, which were significantly reduced in the E, L, and EL groups. A strong correlation between the abundance of patchy fibrosis and arrhythmia inducibility was found. In conclusion, chronic RAAS inhibition limited aging-related interstitial fibrosis. The lower arrhythmogeneity of treated mice was directly correlated to the reduced amount of patchy fibrosis.
Influence of airway wall stiffness and parenchymal tethering on the dynamics of bronchoconstriction
Authors: Khan Mohammad Afzal , Ellis Russ , Inman Mark D. , Bates Jason H. T. , Sanderson Michael J. , Janssen Luke J.
Published: May 2010

Understanding how tissue remodeling affects airway responsiveness is of key importance, but experimental data bearing on this issue remain scant. We used lung explants to investigate the effects of enzymatic digestion on the rate and magnitude of airway narrowing induced by acetylcholine. To link the observed changes in narrowing dynamics to the degree of alteration in tissue mechanics, we compared our experimental results with predictions made by a computational model of a dynamically contracting elastic airway embedded in elastic parenchyma. We found that treatment of explanted airways with two different proteases (elastase and collagenase) resulted in differential effects on the dynamics of airway narrowing following application of ACh. Histological corroboration of these different effects is manifest in different patterns of elimination of collagen and elastin from within the airway wall and the surrounding parenchyma. Simulations with a computational model of a dynamically contracting airway embedded in elastic parenchyma suggest that elastase exerts its functional effects predominately through a reduction in parenchymal tethering, while the effects of collagenase are more related to a reduction in airway wall stiffness. We conclude that airway and parenchymal remodeling as a result of protease activity can have varied effects on the loads opposing ASM shortening, with corresponding consequences for airway responsiveness.
Mucus secretion from individual submucosal glands of the ferret trachea
Authors: Cho Hyung-Ju , Joo Nam Soo , Wine Jeffrey J.
Published: May 2010

Mucus secretion from individual tracheal glands in adult ferrets was studied with time-lapse optical imaging of mucus droplets under an oil layer. Density of functional glands (determined by responses to 1 μM carbachol) was 1.5 ± 0.3 per mm2( n = 6). Secretion rates (in pl·min−1·gland−1) were as follows: 4.1 ± 0.7 basal (unstimulated; n = 27, 669 glands), 338 ± 70 to 10 μM forskolin ( n = 8, 90 glands), 234 ± 13 to 1 μM VIP ( n = 6, 57 glands), 183 ± 92 to 10 μM isoproterenol ( n = 3, 33 glands), 978 ± 145 to 1 μM carbachol ( n = 11, 131 glands), and 1,348 ± 325 to 10 μM phenylephrine ( n = 7, 74 glands). The potency (EC50, in μM) and efficacy ( Vmax, in pl·min−1·gland−1) were 7.6 (EC50) and 338 ± 16 ( Vmax) to forskolin, 1.0 (EC50) and 479 ± 19 ( Vmax) to VIP, 0.6 (EC50) and 1,817 ± 268 ( Vmax) to carbachol, and 3.7 (EC50) and 1,801 ± 95 ( Vmax) to phenylephrine. Although carbachol and phenylephrine were equally effective secretagogues, only carbachol caused contractions of the trachealis muscle. Synergy was demonstrated between 300 nM isoproterenol and 100 nM carbachol, which, when combined, produced a secretion rate almost fourfold greater than predicted from their additive effect. The dependence of fluid secretion on Cl−and HCO3−varied depending on the mode of stimulation. Secretion stimulated by VIP or forskolin was reduced by ∼60% by blocking either anion, while carbachol-stimulated secretion was blocked 68% by bumetanide and only 32% by HEPES replacement of HCO3−. These results provide parametric data for comparison with fluid secretion from glands in ferrets lacking CFTR.
Single-Beat Versus Multibeat Real-Time 3D Echocardiography for Assessing Left Ventricular Volumes and Ejection Fraction
Authors: Macron Laurent , Lim Pascal , Bensaid Alexandre , Nahum Julien , Dussault Caroline , Mitchell-Heggs Laurens , Dubois-Randé Jean-Luc , Deux Jean-François , Gueret Pascal
Published: May 2010

Background—

Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) is superior to 2D echocardiography in assessing left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF), but its feasibility is limited by multibeat acquisition, which requires an optimal breath-hold and a regular heart rhythm. We sought to evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of single- and 2-beat RT3DE for LV volume and EF assessment.

Methods and Results—

Sixty-six consecutive patients referred for cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) underwent RT3DE and CMR on the same day. Of the 50 patients (age, 59±18 years; 68%men; 42% coronary artery disease; LVEF=49±14%; limits, 14% to 76%) with an adequate RT3DE image quality, accuracy for LV volumes and EF measurements of single- and 2-beat modalities were compared with the conventional 4-beat acquisition and CMR. Correlations with CMR for LV end-diastolic volume (161±59 mL,
r
=0.93 to 0.94) and end-systolic volume (86±56 mL,
r
=0.93 to 0.96) were excellent regardless of the number of cardiac cycles used. However, because of the low temporal resolution (7±2 volumes per second), single-beat underestimated LVEF (bias, −5±8%) with greater bias than 2-beat (bias, 1±6%,
P
<0.001) and 4-beat (bias, 3±7%,
P
<0.001) modalities. Interestingly, 2-beat provided accuracy similar to 4-beat for end-diastolic volume (bias, −17±21 mL versus −15±23 mL), end-systolic volume (bias, −9±16 mL versus −12±17 mL), and LVEF (bias, 1±6% versus 3±7%) measurements, but fewer stitching artifacts were observed with 2- than 4-beat modalities (3% versus 30%).

Conclusions—

Compared with conventional multibeat acquisitions, 2-beat modality provides similar accuracy in LV volume and EF measurements and should be preferred due to fewer stitching artifacts. In contrast, the temporal resolution of single-beat modality appears insufficient to provide an accurate estimation of LVEF.
Russia and Europe: The Koenraad van Klenk Embassy to Moscow (1675-76)
Authors: Boterbloem Kees
Published: May 2010

In this article based on Russian, Dutch, German, English, and Latin sources, Kees Boterbloem shows how the Dutch Embassy led by Koenraad van Klenk that visited Muscovy in 1675 and 1676 unfolded to the satisfaction of both the Russian hosts and their Dutch guests. This was in large measure the result of van Klenk’s expert knowledge about Muscovy and his sober assessment of the foreign policy priorities of Tsars Aleksei and Fyodor as well as his own country’s government. Meanwhile, the evidence regarding the embassy and its historical context are testimony to of a sudden intensified Muscovite interest in Europe and European interest in Muscovy. It suggests that Muscovy was no longer an “Orientalized” or “barbaric” outsider and had entered the Concert of Europe a generation before historians propose that Peter the Great “opened Russia’s window to the West.”
Provocative Wealth: Non-Muslim Elites in Eighteenth-Century Aleppo
Authors: Boogert Maurits van den
Published: May 2010

In the Western sources, the Ottoman legal system is often portrayed as unreliable and incidents of Europeans or Ottoman protégés of Western embassies and consulates who claimed to have been maltreated abound. These reports strengthened the common notion in Europe that Ottoman government officials were rapacious and corrupt. The article challenges these views by analyzing two incidents from 18th-century Aleppo, which shed light not only on the dynamics of Ottoman-European relations on the ground, but also on the status of non-Muslim elites in the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Ruling Group and the Religions of its Subjects in the Early Modern Age: a Survey of Current Research
Authors: Faroqhi Suraiya
Published: May 2010

Throughout the early modern period, the Ottoman ruling group perpetuated a social order based on clear-cut hierarchies; this emphasis on hierarchy governed relationships between Muslim and non-Muslim subjects, and between the ruling group and the tax-paying population, regardless of religion. Within this system—where everybody was supposed to know his or her place and, ideally, remain in it—there was room for ad hoc agreements. While flexible arrangements were often made by lower-level office-holders and but tacitly condoned by the central administration, a widespread sense of hierarchy ensured that improvisation remained within the limits set by a framework fixed by Islamic law and sultanic commands. This paper reviews the work dealing with the manner in which the Ottoman ruling group regarded the religions of its subjects, mainly Islam and Orthodox Christianity, focusing on the manner in which the Ottoman establishment conceptualized its own relationship to Islamic traditions of rule.
Al-Fārābī on the Method of Astronomy
Authors: Janos Damien
Published: May 2010

This article analyzes al-Fārābī's (d. 950) conception of the astronomical method by examining rarely studied texts such as the K. al-mūsīqā and K. al-burhān and by addressing key issues such as the subject matter of astronomy, the techniques used to derive the first principles of this science, the relation between astrology, astronomy, physics, and metaphysics, and the place of al-Fārābī in the Arabic astronomical tradition. The analysis indicates that al-Fārābī's theories combine material from the Greek astronomical tradition, especially Geminus, as well as from the logical works of Aristotle, particularly the Posterior Analytics. Moreover, it enables us to view al-Fārābī as a link between the Greek astronomers on the one hand and Ibn Sīnā and Naşīr al-Dīn al-Tūsī on the other.
Julius Caesar Scaliger on Plant Generation and the Question of Species Constancy
Authors: Blank Andreas
Published: May 2010

The sixteenth-century physician and philosopher Julius Caesar Scaliger combines the view that living beings are individuated by a single substantial form with the view that the constituents of the organic body retain their identity due to the continued existence and operation of their own substantial forms. This essay investigates the implications of Scaliger's account of subordinate and dominant substantial forms for the question of the constancy of biological species. According to Scaliger, biological mutability involves not only change on the ontological level of accidents but, in some cases, also change on the level of substantial forms. While he shares the received view that substantial forms themselves cannot undergo change, he maintains that relations of domination and subordination between substantial forms can undergo change. He uses his theory of how such changes can occur to explain cases of revertible plant degeneration. Moreover, in his view plants that belong to previously unknown biological species can emerge from changes in the relations between the many forms contained in plant seeds.
‘Physicalisation’: A Pedagogy of Body-Mind Cultivation for Liberation in Modern Yoga and Meditation Methods
Authors: Leledaki Aspasia , Brown David
Published: May 2010

This paper explores the transformation of a dualistic mind-body relationship as reported by participants in a recent qualitative study involving modern yoga and meditation practitioners. The stories of the practitioners focused strongly on transforming a body-self that was configured as a result of living a life in Western cultural contexts where philosophies of mind-body dualisms were taken to underpin daily practices. The practitioners described a well-trodden somatic pedagogical pathway towards liberation from domination that they called ‘physicalisation’. The paper illustrates physicalisation as cultivation of body-mind unity and de-identification before exploring the three dimensions of the practitioners' embodied spatiotemporal transformations that we have termed: empowerment, mustery and negating domination.
Folk Medicine among the Mongols in Inner Mongolia
Authors: Saijirahu Buyanchuglagin
Published: May 2010

Twenty-first-century Inner Mongolia is characterised by medical pluralism: biomedicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and the Tibetan-derived tradition of Mongolian medicine have parallel roles in the health care system. There is, however, another form of medical practice that has existed in the Mongol society alongside these institutional medicines. In this article, I refer to it as folk medicine. The indigenous tradition of folk medicine has originated from both nomadism and shamanism, and some elements of these old traditions still survive that do not appear to have been influenced by other medical systems. I discuss how nomadic culture produced folk medical practices such as koumiss treatment, immersion therapy and herbal medicine and how shamanic healing practices such as bonesetting and andai therapy are key parts of Mongolian folk medicine, which is related to treating both bodily suffering and illness of the soul. Healing is an important function of Mongolian shamanism, an old religious complex that remains alive within modern society. Folk medicine as a cultural phenomenon has existed from ancient times to our present era. When we attempt to reconstruct the history of Mongolian medicine, we must accept that indigenous knowledge continues to play a role within the medical pluralism of twenty-first-century Inner Mongolia.
The Limits of Illustration: Animalia and Pharmacopeia from Guo Pu to Bencao Gangmu
Authors: Sterckx Roel
Published: May 2010

This paper examines the relationship between text and illustration in Chinese pharmacopeia in the bencao tradition by focusing on depictions of animals. It explores to what extent such illustrations served a practical—read medical or pharmaceutical—purpose. The first part of the paper discusses the contexts in which animal species have been depicted in traditional China leading up to the emergence of bencao literature. The second part analyses the use of illustrations in Bencao Gangmu. The author questions whether such illustrations were aimed to reflect zoological, botanical, or pharmaceutical information not already present in the text and argues that, instead, their composition is best understood within the context of Ming visual culture, the print economy, and naturalist collectanea produced at the time.
Herbs of Our Own Kingdom: Layers of the ‘Local’ in the Materia Medica of Early Chosn Korea
Authors: Suh Soyoung
Published: May 2010

Previous scholarship takes increasing Korean interest in ‘local botanicals’ () in its dynamic with Chinese counterparts as a gauge to measure the degree of independence and the extent of indigenisation of Korean medicine during the Chosn Dynasty (1392‐1910). Questioning this fundamental assumption about the development of Korean medicine, my article aims to scrutinise evocation of ‘the local’ in changing medical strategies concerned with Korean identity. While analysing major texts on local botanicals published during the early Chosn Dynasty, I claim that the classificatory arrangement used to map the local on botanicals often overlapped, and was not organised into a clear set of categories. Considering the traffic of herbal medicine across political and geographical boundaries, and the extreme diversity of botanical names, shapes and attributes, texts on local botanicals cannot be said to show clearly what belongs to a local ‘us’ or a foreign ‘them’. Instead, adjusting the names of botanicals, textualising the folk names of certain species, and publishing a series of books focusing on local botanicals reflected the socio-cultural need of scholars during the Chosn Dynasty to imprint motifs of the ‘local’ on Materia Medica simultaneously making a display of a separate Korean cultural identity. It was an accommodation of what was regarded as universal knowledge to a locale where the body of Chinese medicine had to be interpreted and mediated by the socio-cultural conditions of Chosn Korea.
Seekership, Spirituality and Self-Discovery: Ayurveda Trainees in Britain
Authors: Warrier Maya
Published: May 2010

This paper examines the backgrounds and motivations of persons trained or training as Ayurvedic practitioners at two London-based institutions offering Ayurveda programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It draws upon in-depth interviews with individuals at various stages of their training and practice in order to examine the paths that bring them to Ayurveda, their motivations for undergoing training, and the ways in which they apply their knowledge of Ayurveda during and after their training period. The findings here corroborate what other scholars have demonstrated in the case of Asian traditions like Yoga and Ayurveda in the West. These traditions have inevitably undergone shifts in meaning by virtue of their assimilation into the Western, in this case British, holistic health milieu. Most significant in Ayurveda’s case is the shift away from a preoccupation with remedial medicine (the bedrock of mainstream Ayurveda in modern South Asia), to a focus on self-knowledge and self-empowerment as a path to ‘holistic healing’ (understood to address mental and spiritual, not just physical, well-being). Even though the Ayurvedic curriculum transmitted at the educational institutions in London is based largely on that taught at Ayurveda colleges in India, the completely different orientations and dispositions of students in Britain (as compared to their South Asian counterparts) ensures that the Ayurveda they go on to apply and practise is radically different—this is ‘spiritualised’ Ayurveda, in radical contrast to the ‘biomedicalised’ version obtaining in modern mainstream South Asian contexts.
The Gendered Medical Iconography of the Golden Mirror (Yuzuan yizong jinjian , 1742)
Authors: Wu Yi-Li
Published: May 2010

How have gender norms historically influenced the visual depiction of the human body in Chinese medicine? I address this question by analysing 484 images of the body published in the Imperially-Commissioned Golden Mirror of Medical Learning (Yuzuan yizong jinjian) of 1742. The Golden Mirror used male figures to depict the standard human body, a pattern that I call visual androcentrism, and I discuss three factors that helped to foster this pattern. First, the Golden Mirror borrowed images from non-medical sources and thereby reiterated a broader cultural tendency to use male figures as normative, with female figures used only in special circumstances. Second, there was a strong association in Chinese visual culture between the semi-exposed male body and ideals of spiritual enlightenment and longevity. This made male figures particularly appropriate for a text on healing that needed to reveal the features and disorders of different body parts. Finally, male medical figures provided a ready vehicle for conveying positive messages about the ability of male physicians. The Golden Mirror enhanced its male figures with auspicious imagery and Daoist symbols, thereby transforming them into visual metaphors for the male doctor’s scholarly mastery of cosmological principles, a mastery that allowed him to be an effective and superior healer.
The Body of Laozi and the Course of a Taoist Journey through the Heavens
Authors: Fava Patrice , Lo Vivienne
Published: May 2010

At the border of Hunan and Jiangxi, where Taoist rituals and the Nuo tradition of masked theatre have undergone a large scale revival in recent decades, a Taoist master of the Orthodox Zhengyi sect, Master Yi Songyao , has preserved a number of rare ancient paintings and manuscripts that have been transmitted to him as the liturgical texts of his lineage; these include a map of the body of Laozi and a chart of the course of a Taoist journey through the Heavens. The following brief introduction to these two documents serves mainly as an example of how an intimate knowledge of Taoist ritual can provide a key to the performative nature of the charts and indicates the rich scope for future research.
Secrets of the beehive: Performance management in university research organizations
Authors: Sousa Célio AA , de Nijs Willem F , Hendriks Paul HJ
Published: May 2010

This article explores how universities have implemented research performance systems. It considers how researchers working as managers assume the responsibility for research groups, and how they deal with managerial pressures from higher levels of management and outside forces. Drawing on in-depth interviews with research managers, we discuss how this particular responsibility is shaping up in their practices and perceptions. This article shows how role ambivalence enables research managers to view stricter performance requirements as being both problematic and challenging. These managers engage in alternative ways of moulding and legitimizing their activity by negotiating its terms and conditions with the universities and researchers alike. The notion of resilient compliance is put forward to convey the idea that research managers’ ambivalence regarding prevalent pressures is subsequently reconciled by introducing new organizing elements into the workplace. We argue that because a focus on agency appears lacking in analyses of performance management in universities, academics’ power to deal with potentially adverse situations imposed by managerialism has been largely underestimated.
Multicultural and Diversity Considerations in the New Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors
Authors: Cartwright Brenda Y. , Fleming Christine L.
Published: May 2010

As the demographic transformation of the U.S. population continues, the challenges of multicultural and diversity-based considerations remain a central focus, as does the need to incorporate cultural competencies into the practice of rehabilitation. The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification’s 2010 Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors offers guidance for the practice of professional conduct and ethical decision making when one is working with individuals from culturally diverse groups and backgrounds. The revised code sets the expectation that the culturally competent rehabilitation counselor will develop interventions and services that are congruent with the client’s values and cultural context.
Roles and Relationships With Clients in Rehabilitation Counseling: Beyond the Concept of Dual Relationships
Authors: Rocco Cottone R.
Published: May 2010

This article describes the recent revision of the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors , specifically addressing the Roles and Relationships With Clients ethical standard. A brief historical overview is provided of the terminology and the debate surrounding the outdated dual-relationship ethical rule in rehabilitation counseling. The term exploitation is also delimited. The revised ethical standards are addressed, with attention given to the standard allowing for “potentially beneficial” interactions. Implications for rehabilitation counseling practice are outlined.
Ethical Dilemmas of Rehabilitation Counselors: Results of an International Qualitative Study
Authors: Tarvydas Vilia , Barros-Bailey Mary
Published: May 2010

This study reports the results of an international qualitative study conducted to inform the process of revising the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification’s Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors. The online survey gathered information regarding ethical dilemmas from a sample of certified rehabilitation counselors and Canadian certified rehabilitation counselors. In sum, 240 participants responded to an open-ended survey regarding current or recent ethical dilemmas and anticipated ethical dilemmas in the near future. Because of the functional purpose of the data set, a qualitative content analysis was performed with open coding guided by the structure of the standards outlined in the 2001 Code. Implications for Code revision and ethics governance are discussed.
Empirical Influences on the 2010 Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors
Authors: Saunders Jodi L. , Leahy Michael J.
Published: May 2010

This article provides an overview of the selected literature that informed the themes and areas of concentration for the revision of the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors. It offers a review of the most recent research conducted on the core knowledge and competencies reported by practicing certified rehabilitation counselors, given that such research is one of the foundations of the revised code.
Ethical Issues in Rehabilitation Counselor Supervision and the New 2010 Code of Ethics
Authors: Glosoff Harriet L. , Matrone Kathe F.
Published: May 2010

The 2010 revision of the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors addresses changes in ethical standards related to rehabilitation counselor supervision. In an effort to promote awareness of these changes, this article offers a brief overview of the revisions and implications for practice including the responsibility of supervisors to actively engage in and support professional development activities.
Preliminary Studies of Non-Aqueous Volatiles in Lint Cotton Moisture Tests by Thermal Methods
Authors: Montalvo J. , Von Hoven T. , Cheuk S. , Schindler A.
Published: May 2010

The standard test methods for moisture in lint cotton are based on oven drying at 105—110°C. All of the loss in weight is attributable to moisture. The U.S. cotton industry questions the reliability of the oven-drying method due to the concern that non-aqueous volatiles released during drying may be of an amount sufficient to bias the results. Our approach in these initial studies was to conduct a series of probing experiments to help understand the nature of the non-aqueous volatiles. Cottons were assayed for moisture content by standard oven drying and Karl Fischer Titration. The titration results were significantly lower. We oven-dried cottons of varying mass, changed the gaseous atmosphere during heating from air to nitrogen and attempted to “fingerprint” the non-aqueous volatiles by thermogravimetric analysis and thermogravimetric analysis—quadrupole mass spectrometry. The results demonstrate that complicated side reactions occur during oven-drying. However, no specific volatile organics were detected at standard oven-drying conditions.
An Investigation of UV Protection of Swimwear Fabrics
Authors: Kursun Senem , Ozcan Gulay
Published: May 2010

The increased incidence of skin cancer in recent years has resulted in a repeated call for the prevention of UV radiation damage and so investigation on the effects of UV radiation has become more and more important for researchers. In an effort to reduce solar UV radiation exposure, one important method is to use UV-protective textiles. Swimwear fabrics are mostly exposed to sunlight during the summer days, so that it is expected that they provide more UV protection than other textiles. In this study, swimwear fabrics with the same knitting construction and different fiber composition (80% PET+20% /Elastane, 80% PA+20% Elastane) were treated with suitable dyestuffs and UV absorber agents at different concentrations. Then, all the treated swimwear fabrics were tested for UV absorbance (AS/NZS 4399), color fastness to rubbing (EN ISO 105X12), light fastness (TS 1008 EN ISO 105-B02), color fastness to perspiration (acidic and basic-TS EN ISO 105 E04), color fastness to sea water (EN ISO 105 E02), and color fastness to chlorinated water (EN ISO 105 E03) to evaluate the effect of their treatment parameters (such as UV absorber agent, dye concentration) on the UV protection characteristics of the swimwear fabrics.
Urban/rural and gender differences among Canadian emerging adults
Authors: Cheah Charissa S.L. , Trinder Krista M. , Gokavi Tara N.
Published: May 2010

Although cultural and subcultural differences during the transition to adulthood have been examined, important factors like rural/urban upbringing and gender differences among Canadian emerging adults have been neglected. The present study explored developmentally significant tasks including criteria for adulthood, beliefs about religiosity, and risk-taking behaviors among 287 male and female Canadian emerging adults from rural and urban backgrounds. Results revealed that compared to their urban counterparts, rural emerging adults were more likely to place importance on role and biological transitions as criteria for achieving adulthood, and engaged in more risk-taking behaviors (excluding smoking). Female emerging adults were more likely to believe in the importance of role transition, norm compliance, and family capacities compared to males, and were more likely to smoke. In contrast, males were more likely than females to espouse the importance of biological transitions and engage in non-smoking risk behaviors. These findings were interpreted in light of sociocultural and gender socialization differences among emerging adults from rural and urban upbringings.
Toddler Teachers’ Use of Teaching Pyramid Practices
Authors: Branson Diane , Demchak MaryAnn
Published: May 2010

Effective strategies to promote social-emotional development and prevent occurrence of challenging behaviors in young children is critical. The Teaching Pyramid, a framework for supporting social-emotional development and preventing and addressing challenging behaviors, was developed for preschool children. This mixed methods study investigated toddler teachers’ use of Teaching Pyramid practices and the relationship between these practices and classroom quality. Results indicated that toddler teachers used practices associated with the universal level of the Pyramid (e.g., positive relationships with children and parents). At this level, however, it was also evident that some preventive practices were missing (e.g., posted visual schedules and rules). Missing across classrooms was evidence of practices associated with the secondary level (e.g., explicitly teaching behavior expectations) and tertiary level (e.g., participating in developing behavior support plans). Implementation of Pyramid practices appeared to be associated with classrooms rated as being high quality.
Using a Constant Time Delay Procedure to Teach Foundational Swimming Skills to Children With Autism
Authors: Rogers Laura , Hemmeter Mary Louise , Wolery Mark
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a constant time delay procedure to teach foundational swimming skills to three children with autism. The skills included flutter kick, front-crawl arm strokes, and head turns to the side. A multiple-probe design across behaviors and replicated across participants was used. Results of the study indicated that the constant time delay procedure was effective in teaching foundational swimming skills to the three children. Implications for future research and practice are presented.
A Profile of Injuries in Athletes Seeking Treatment during a Triathlon Race Series
Authors: Gosling Cameron M. , Forbes Andrew B. , McGivern Jeanne , Gabbe Belinda J.
Published: May 2010

Background

Triathlon combines swimming, cycling, and running into a single event. With increasing popularity of this sport, there has been a rise in the number of participants, particularly in shorter distance races. However, the risks of participating in short-distance races have not been reported.

Purpose

To describe the rate and profile of injuries seen for medical assistance during a triathlon race series.

Study Design

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods

A standardized injury reporting form was used to collect information from race entrants seeking medical aid at each of the races comprising a combination of Sprint, Olympic, and Fun race distances in a triathlon series in Victoria, Australia over the 2006-2007 race season. Injury rates and risk factors were assessed via regression analysis.

Results

There were 10 197 individual starters who took part. There were 235 presentations for medical assistance (n = 322 injuries) over the series. The presentation rate was 20.1 per 1000 hours of competition (2.3% of total race starts). Injuries were predominantly sustained during the run (38.4%) and cycle (14.3%) legs. Lower limb injuries (59.5%) and abrasions (28.6%) were the most common site and nature of injury, respectively. There were 9 severe injuries: 5 fractures, 3 probable heat stroke cases, and 1 deep laceration. Elite/Junior Elite, Olympic distance, and 12- to 19-year-old competitors were at higher risk of injury, especially during running and cycling.

Conclusion

The level and age of triathlon competitors, and the race distance, influenced the risk of injury over a race series. These results provide timely information for triathlon race event organizers and could be incorporated into a review of practices for the provision of medical services to triathlon events, especially the common sprint distance competitions.

Clinical Relevance

Shorter distance triathlons have lower injury rates and relatively minor injuries, but medical teams and race organizers should be prepared for serious injuries.