bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reactionary Modernism
Authors: Cooper David E.
Published: October 2010

‘Reactionary modernism’ is a term happily coined by the historian and sociologist Jeffrey Herf to refer to a current of German thought during the interwar years. It indicates the attempt to ‘reconcil[e] the antimodernist, romantic and irrationalist ideas present in German nationalism’ with that ‘most obvious manifestation of means–ends rationality … modern technology’. Herf's paradigm examples of this current of thought are two best-selling writers of the period: Oswald Spengler, author of the massive domesday scenario The Decline of the West in 1917 and, fifteen years later, of Man and Technics, and Ernst Jünger, the now centenarian chronicler of the war in which he was a much-decorated hero, whose main theoretical work was Der Arbeiter in 1932. The label is also applied by Herf to such intellectual luminaries as the legal theorist and apologist for the Third Reich, Carl Schmitt, and more contentiously Martin Heidegger. At a less elevated level, reactionary modernism also permeated the writings of countless, now forgotten engineers, who were inspired at once by the new technology, Nietzschean images of Promethean Übermenschen, and an ethos of völkisch nationalism
‘Even in the remotest corners of the world’: globalized piracy and international law, 1500–1900
Authors: Kempe Michael
Published: October 2010

As a phenomenon accompanying European expansion, piracy and privateering spread globally, beginning in the sixteenth century. These activities, and their handling within transnational relations, shed light on several issues of modern international law, then under formation. They reflect different basic problems that both challenged and structured central aspects of legal relations on an international level: the transformation of ocean spaces into areas of colliding legal strategies, the use of privateers (‘legalized’ pirates) as a tool for extraterritorial expansion, the involvement of non-state players in international legal relations, the fragmentation of maritime sovereignty, and the application of international law to criminalize political resistance as piracy. That said, the international management of piracy shows that international law had the potential to resist its abuse as a mere instrument of politics and special interests. By focusing on piracy and privateering in early modern times, this article suggests a tension within modern international law, between its instrumentalization by particular interests and its status as an independent normative authority to correct or regulate such interests.
Mobilizing labour in African agriculture: the role of the International Colonial Institute in the elaboration of a standard of colonial administration, 1895–1930
Authors: Daviron Benoit
Published: October 2010

How could labour be mobilized for the production of agricultural commodities in colonial lands? This question was discussed by European powers on many occasions between 1895 and 1930, within the International Colonial Institute (ICI). Three key phases and issues can be identified in these debates relating to Africa: the recruitment of Indian indentured labour (1895–1905); the recruitment and management of indigenous peoples as paid labourers (1905–1918); and the mobilization of indigenous smallholder agriculture (1918–1930). During the whole period under study, the use of constraint, and its legitimacy, appear as a permanent feature of ICI debates. Associated first with European plantations, the use of force became a means to mobilize native farmers in accordance with the conceptions of colonial administrations regarding good agricultural practices. In addition, the ICI’s vision of colonial realities evolved from an out-of-date position during the first and second phases to a forward-looking one during the third phase, albeit one quite unrealistic in the scope of its ambition.
Bountiful’s plural marriages
Authors: Campbell Angela
Published: October 2010

Bountiful, British Columbia is Canada’s only openly polygamous community. Public discussions about Bountiful suggest that the only form of marriage practised there is polygamous, and that this is usually harmful to women and children. This article suggests that this monolithic representation of marriage in Bountiful misses the conjugal pluralism that exists in this community. Part I sets out the typical portrayal of marriage in Bountiful offered by Canadian public and political discussions. Part II contrasts this portrayal with five stories about marriage in Bountiful that the author observed or was told about while conducting field research. These stories indicate that conjugal heterogeneity is both existent and accepted in Bountiful. They also suggest that, in becoming and being a wife in Bountiful, women can experience varying degrees of choice and agency. All of this is relevant to exploring how a fuller recognition of the conjugal diversity and choices that may exist in a place like Bountiful might affect formal juridical approaches to polygamy.
Status of Taiwan Photon Source front end in National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center
Authors: Sheng I. C. , Kuan C. K. , Cheng Y. T. , Yan Y. H. , Hsiung G. Y. , Chen J. R. , Chen C. L.
Published: October 2010

National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) in Taiwan has initialized the construction of Taiwan Photon Source (TPS) synchrotron accelerator project. This 3 GeV, 500 mA beam current third-generation synchrotron accelerator will have a total of seven insertion device beam lines at day 1 after commissioning. That is, there will be one 2 × EPU48, five IU22 and one U5 undulator beamline. Corresponding front end components such as fixed masks, photon beam position monitor, photon absorber, slits and heavy metal shutter have been designed; manufacturing of these subsystems are on the way. Several prototype assemblies are completed, tested and will be reported in this paper.
Gilles de la Tourette-Syndrom: Behandlung einer neuropsychiatrischen Störung
Authors: Kawohl
Published: November 2010

Das Gilles de la Tourette-Syndrom (GTS) ist eine Erkrankung, deren Hauptmerkmal das Auftreten motorischer und vokaler Tics ist. Ein Tic ist eine unwillkürliche, schnelle und plötzliche, stereotype Bewegung oder Lautäusserung. Die leitliniengerechte Therapie der Störung besteht in pharmakologischen, psychotherapeutischen und neurochirurgischen Ansätzen. Neuroleptika stellen die derzeit wirksamste Pharmakotherapie dar, psychotherapeutische Ansätze spielen eine eher nachgeordnete Rolle. Die tiefe Hirnstimulation kommt experimentell bei therapierefraktären Verläufen zur Anwendung.
Scaling of earthquake rupture growth in the Parkfield area: Self‐similar growth and suppression by the finite seismogenic layer
Authors: Uchide Takahiko , Ide Satoshi
Published: November 2010

We propose a new framework on the scaling of earthquake rupture growth time history, and we scale the moment rate and the cumulative moment functions of earthquakes over a wide magnitude range (Mw 1.7–6.0) in Parkfield, California. The moment rate and the cumulative moment functions of the small and medium earthquakes (Mw 1.7–4.6) are derived by slip inversion analyses with the empirical Green’s function technique. The moment rate functions of the investigated earthquakes, except the Mw 6.0 event, are similar to each other, increasing rapidly in the first half (growth stage) and decelerating in the latter half (decline stage). In the growth stage, the cumulative moment functions are approximated by Mo (t) [Nm] = 2 × 1017 (t [s])3 independent of the final size of the earthquakes. The proportionality of the cumulative moment to the cube of time implies self‐similarity during earthquake rupture growth. In the decline stage, the cumulative moment function veers off the common rupture curve. The Mw 6.0 event also grows along the same rupture curve until 1 s, after which the cumulative moment function is proportional to time from the onset itself. This is because the finite seismogenic layer limits the vertical extent of dynamic rupture. Our method and results contribute to our understanding of earthquake source physics, especially on earthquake rupture growth processes, which may help to improve earthquake early warning techniques.
Distinct hematite populations from simultaneous fitting of Mössbauer spectra from Meridiani Planum, Mars
Authors: Fleischer I. , Agresti D. G. , Klingelhöfer G. , Morris R. V.
Published: October 2010

At Meridiani Planum, Mars, hematite occurs as a lag of ∼5 mm diameter spherules and their fragments and within the matrix of the sulfate‐rich outcrop as <30 μm particles. Well crystalline and chemically pure bulk hematite undergoes a magnetic transition at ∼264 K (Morin transition) that can be detected by Mössbauer spectroscopy and is within the Martian diurnal temperature range. We analyzed outcrop and lag hematite Mössbauer spectra obtained by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity as a function of temperature using a simultaneous fitting procedure to determine the Morin temperature and the temperature interval over which it occurs. Mössbauer spectra for terrestrial hematite‐bearing samples were acquired for comparison at Martian temperatures using a MER‐like spectrometer. Both outcrop and spherule hematites are characterized by two populations of hematite whose Mössbauer sextets have different Morin transition behavior. Compared to pure bulk hematite, the Morin temperature for Martian hematite is lower or not present within the temperature measurement range (190–290 K) and occurs over a wider temperature interval, consistent with reduced crystallinity, reduced particle or crystallite size, and/or chemical impurities (e.g., Al3+, Ti4+, H2O, and OH−). If the Morin transition behavior for outcrop hematite results solely from particle size effects and the nonjarosite ferric doublet is interpreted as superparamagnetic hematite as a working hypothesis, outcrop hematite is characterized by a size distribution of hematite particles ranging from superparamagnetic to possibly ∼30 μm.
I research, therefore I am?
Authors: Hunter Philip
Published: October 2010

The exploration of consciousness—the most elusive characteristic of human nature—has long been left to philosophers and artists. Using modern research tools, scientists have finally begun to subject the human mind to empirical analysis.
The puzzle of sympatry
Authors: Wolinsky Howard
Published: October 2010

Sympatric speciation—the rise of new species in the absence of geographical barriers—remains a puzzle for evolutionary biologists. Though the evidence for sympatric speciation itself is mounting, an underlying genetic explanation remains elusive.
Our daily bread
Authors: Breithaupt Holger
Published: October 2010

The introduction to the ‘food and science’ series highlights the role of the natural and social sciences in analysing and understanding our vital relationship with food.
MIRIAM Resources: next steps
Authors: Laibe Camille
Published: October 2010

This presentation gives a short introduction of MIRIAM Resources ("http://www.ebi.ac.uk/miriam/":http://www.ebi.ac.uk/miriam/), a robust annotation and cross referencing framework, based on URNs.The presentation also explains some potential issues with the current system and presents a possible solution.Finally, the presentation introduces some forthcoming and suggested updates and extensions to the current infrastructure.
OpenCell - Status and plans
Authors: Garny Alan
Published: October 2010

Update on the current status of OpenCell ("www.opencell.org":http://www.opencell.org) and discussion of our plans for a new version of OpenCell.
The river-refuge hypothesis and other contributions of Marcio Ayres to conservation science
Authors: Dávalos Liliana , Pinedo-Vasquez Miguel
Published: October 2010

For more than a century, biogeographers have sought to explain the large number of species found in Amazonian forests. The role of rivers as barriers to dispersal was recognized early on and this was the first evolutionary hypothesis to explain Amazonian diversity. Most of the recent debate on speciation in the Amazon has focused on the role of Pleistocene refugia. The methods of refuge biogeography helped shape early conservation priorities in Amazonia, although actual plans did not directly depend on the conceptual strengths or weaknesses of refugia biogeography. These approaches viewed people mostly as threats, though not always explicitly. Based on his work on primate distribution Marcio Ayres formulated a synthetic speciation theory, the river-refuge hypothesis. The river-refuge model successfully resolved some of the historical and technical challenges of the earlier hypotheses. His work in varzea conservation, informed by this conceptual brealthrough, recognized that the maintenance of processes is at least as important as species numbers in prioritizing action. The work of Marcio Ayres broadened the scope of conservation in Amazonia by moving beyond the model of people-as-threats, and this as great a conceptual contribution to conservation as anyone could make.
Biochemical and structural characterization of mouse mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase, a newly identified kynurenine aminotransferase-IV
Authors: Han Qian , Robinson Howard , Cai Tao , Tagle Danilo A. , Li Jianyong
Published: October 2010

Mammalian mAspAT (mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase) is recently reported to have KAT (kynurenine aminotransferase) activity and plays a role in the biosynthesis of KYNA (kynurenic acid) in rat, mouse and human brains. This study concerns the biochemical and structural characterization of mouse mAspAT. In this study, mouse mAspAT cDNA was amplified from mouse brain first stand cDNA and its recombinant protein was expressed in an Escherichia coli expression system. Sixteen oxo acids were tested for the co-substrate specificity of mouse mAspAT and 14 of them were shown to be capable of serving as co-substrates for the enzyme. Structural analysis of mAspAT by macromolecular crystallography revealed that the cofactor-binding residues of mAspAT are similar to those of other KATs. The substrate-binding residues of mAspAT are slightly different from those of other KATs. Our results provide a biochemical and structural basis towards understanding the overall physiological role of mAspAT in vivo and insight into controlling the levels of endogenous KYNA through modulation of the enzyme in the mouse brain.
What limits the distribution and abundance of the native conifer Callitris glaucophylla (Cupressaceae) in the West MacDonnell Ranges, central Australia?
Authors: Prior Lynda D. , Lee Zoe , Brock Chris , Williamson Grant J. , Bowman David M. J. S.
Published: October 2010

The conifer Callitris glaucophylla J.Thompson & L.A.S.Johnson (Cupressaceae) is a fire-sensitive obligate seeder with a heavily fragmented distribution across the Australian continent. We undertook a broad-scale biophysical survey and analysed the population structure of 21 populations in the West MacDonnell Ranges of central Australia. C. glaucophylla had a patchy distribution associated with steep, rocky metamorphic areas with limited evidence of fire. Variation in population structures was clearly related to recent fire history. Nearly half of ‘adult’ C. glaucophylla trees (>5-cm stem diameter) from the sampled stands were dead, with the proportion at individual sites related to evidence of fire. Fire scars were evident on 48% of all live trees we measured. The overall density of live adult trees conformed to a negative exponential size-class distribution, consistent with a regionally stable population structure. However, we found higher sapling densities and lower seedlings densities than expected by this distribution. This regional peak in the sapling size class reflects a pulse of recruitment, possibly associated with a wet period in the 1970s. Low seedling densities are probably due to subsequent drought. We conclude that fire controls the distribution of Callitris on the West MacDonnell Ranges, and the timing of recruitment depends on rainfall patterns.
Regreening of involucral leaves of female Leucadendron (Proteaceae) after flowering
Authors: Schmeisser M. , Steyn W. J. , Jacobs G.
Published: October 2010

Involucral leaves of Leucadendron have the remarkable ability to turn yellow upon flowering and regreen naturally as the florets of the inflorescence wilt. This colour change results from degradation of chlorophyll and to a lesser degree carotenoids, resulting in the unmasking of yellow colour. Chlorophyll levels were restored upon regreening. Degreening coincided with the complete dismantling of the thylakoid system, while keeping the outer plastid envelope intact. Regreening resulted from the complete redifferentiation of these gerontoplast-like plastids into functional chloroplasts. The colour change was directly linked to the development of the inflorescence. Complete removal of the inflorescence before flowering prevented the colour change while removal at full bloom, when involucral leaves were yellow, resulted in significantly faster regreening. This designates the inflorescence or florets as the possible origin of the colour change trigger and suggests that the colour change is involved with attraction of pollinators. Degreening and regreening also took place in a growth chamber under continuous high light intensity. Therefore neither pollination nor the presence of roots is required for regreening. It appears that colour change in Leucadendron results from a well-regulated degradation and subsequent synthesis of photosynthetic pigments.
Phyllochron and tillering of wheat in response to soil aluminum toxicity and phosphorus deficiency
Authors: Valle Susana R. , Calderini Daniel F.
Published: November 2010

Soil constraints affect potential grain yield of wheat. Among these constraints acidic soils are especially important due to their combined effect on aluminum (Al) toxicity and phosphorus (P) fixation. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the response of final leaf number (FLN), phyllochron and tillering dynamic of wheat in response to different Al and P concentrations in the soil under field conditions. Two field experiments were conducted in an Andisol in Valdivia (39°47′S, 73°14′W), Chile, during the 2006–07 (Expt 1) and 2007–08 (Expt 2) growing seasons. Treatments in Expt 1 consisted of a factorial arrangement of: (i) two spring wheat cultivars with different sensitivities to Al toxicity (the sensitive cultivar: Domo.INIA and the tolerant cultivar: Dalcahue.INIA) and (ii) five exchangeable soil Al levels (from 0 to 2.7 cmolc kg–1). In Expt 2 treatments consisted of a control, two levels of Al toxicity and two P treatments with three replicates in both experiments. Leaf appearance was measured from seedling emergence to anthesis; their dynamics were recorded according to the scale developed by Haun. FLN and tiller appearance were recorded in the same plants at the same time. Exchangeable Al affected FLN in Expt 1 showing a linear association in both cultivars (r = 0.99). In Expt 2 FLN was unaffected by both Al and P levels because there was a lower soil Al concentration in this experiment. Leaf appearance rate (LAR) was adjusted to bilinear equations, differentiating among early and later leaves. In Expt 1 soil Al concentration affected phyllochron of early leaves, increasing this trait by 14 and 33 degree-days in the Al-sensitive and Al-tolerant cultivars, respectively. Similarly, phyllocron of later leaves was also increased but at a higher extent in the same cultivars (62 and 38 degree-days). Both Al toxicity and P shortage decreased the maximum (MNT) and final number of tillers (FNT). Leaf area index at anthesis was positively associated with FLN (r = 0.77) and MNT (r = 0.95 and 0.99 in the Al-sensitive and Al-tolerant cultivars, respectively), with no regard to Al or P constraints.
Who finds neutral pictures pleasant and relaxing?
Authors: Moè Angelica , Sarlo Michela
Published: October 2010

Valence and arousal are independent dimensions of consciously experienced affect. The former refers to pleasantness; the latter to the degree of excitement or stimulation. The present research explores some of the predictors of these dimensions through the hypothesis that valence relates to positive affect and lack of negative affect, while arousal is tied to negative affect, and that both are predicted by personal wellbeing, considered as a way of achieving happiness. The occurrence of depressive symptoms is also considered within the hypothesis: as a facet of negative affect, as lack of wellbeing, or as an independent dimension placed at the same level as wellbeing, and which relates to both positive and negative affect (considered as mediators). Sixty‐one participants were asked to view on a computer screen a series of 20 neutral pictures, having medium valence and low arousal, and complete self‐report questionnaires to assess affect, personal wellbeing, and the occurrence of depressive symptoms. After picture viewing, valence and arousal judgments were requested. In the analysis, three competing models with latent variables were tested, to assess at best the role depressive symptoms have. They confirmed that valence is predicted by high positive and low negative affect, arousal by negative affect and even directly by the occurrence of depressive symptoms, and that personal wellbeing and depressive symptoms are the starting point. They are negatively correlated and predict positive (both) and negative affect (just the occurrence of depressive symptoms). The discussion focuses on both theoretical and practical implications. Suggestions for future research are given.
Guiltless Gluttony: The Asymmetric Effect of Size Labels on Size Perceptions and Consumption
Authors: Aydinoğlu Nİlüfer Z. , Krishna Aradhna
Published: October 2010

Size labels adopted by food vendors can have a major impact on size judgments and consumption. In forming size judgments, consumers integrate the actual size information from the stimuli with the semantic cue from the size label. Size labels influence not only size perception and actual consumption, they also affect perceived consumption. Size labels can also result in relative perceived size reversals, so that consumers deem a smaller package to be bigger than a larger one. Further, consumers are more likely to believe a label that professes an item to be smaller (vs. larger) in the size range associated with that item. This asymmetric effect of size labels can result in larger consumption without the consumer even being aware of it (“guiltless gluttony”).
Comparison by Sequence-Based and Electron Microscopic Analyses of Fig mosaic virus Isolates Obtained from Field and Experimentally Inoculated Fig Plants
Authors: Çağlayan Kadriye , Serçe Çiğdem Ulubaş , Barutçu Eminur , Kaya Kamuran , Medina Vicente , Gazel Mona , Soylu Soner , Çalışkan Oğuzhan
Published: November 2010

Fig mosaic disease (FMD) and the fig mite, Aceria ficus, are widespread in different fig growing provinces of Turkey. Fig trees (Ficus carica) cv. Bursa siyahı (D1) and an unknown seedling (D2) that showed typical FMD symptoms and was heavily infested by fig mites were used as donor plants for attempted mite transmissions to healthy fig seedlings. Transmission electron microscopy observations of donor plant samples prior to the transmission tests were performed and showed the presence of double membrane bodies (DMBs) in the palisade mesophyll cells. Electron microscopy of all experimentally inoculated fig seedlings showed the same bodies. This result reinforced the suggestion that an agent that elicits the production of DMBs in infected cells is involved in the etiology of FMD. Double-stranded (ds)RNA analyses were also performed from experimentally inoculated plants, and dsRNAs with sizes approximately 1.30 and 1.96 kb were obtained. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products of 468 and 298 bp specific to Fig mosaic virus (FMV) were amplified from both donor and experimentally inoculated plants. BLAST analyses of nucleotide sequences of these fragments showed 90% identity with FMV for the donor plant and 94 to 96% for experimentally inoculated plants. According to these results, FMV is present in both donor and experimentally inoculated plants in Turkey, and this virus is transmissible by A. ficus from fig plant to fig plant.
The shape of the spatial kernel and its implications for biological invasions in patchy environments
Authors: Lindström Tom , Håkansson Nina , Wennergren Uno
Published: November 2010

Ecological and epidemiological invasions occur in a spatial context. We investigated how these processes correlate to the distance dependence of spread or dispersal between spatial entities such as habitat patches or epidemiological units. Distance dependence is described by a spatial kernel, characterized by its shape (kurtosis) and width (variance). We also developed a novel method to analyse and generate point-pattern landscapes based on spectral representation. This involves two measures: continuity, which is related to autocorrelation and contrast, which refers to variation in patch density. We also analysed some empirical data where our results are expected to have implications, namely distributions of trees (QuercusandUlmus) and farms in Sweden. Through a simulation study, we found that kernel shape was not important for predicting the invasion speed in randomly distributed patches. However, the shape may be essential when the distribution of patches deviates from randomness, particularly when the contrast is high. We conclude that the speed of invasions depends on the spatial context and the effect of the spatial kernel is intertwined with the spatial structure. This implies substantial demands on the empirical data, because it requires knowledge of shape and width of the spatial kernel, and spatial structure.
Population and geographic range dynamics: implications for conservation planning
Authors: Mace Georgina M. , Collen Ben , Fuller Richard A. , Boakes Elizabeth H.
Published: October 2010

Continuing downward trends in the population sizes of many species, in the conservation status of threatened species, and in the quality, extent and connectedness of habitats are of increasing concern. Identifying the attributes of declining populations will help predict how biodiversity will be impacted and guide conservation actions. However, the drivers of biodiversity declines have changed over time and average trends in abundance or distributional change hide significant variation among species. While some populations are declining rapidly, the majority remain relatively stable and others are increasing. Here we dissect out some of the changing drivers of population and geographic range change, and identify biological and geographical correlates of winners and losers in two large datasets covering local population sizes of vertebrates since 1970 and the distributions of Galliform birds over the last two centuries. We find weak evidence for ecological and biological traits being predictors of local decline in range or abundance, but stronger evidence for the role of local anthropogenic threats and environmental change. An improved understanding of the dynamics of threat processes and how they may affect different species will help to guide better conservation planning in a continuously changing world.
Phylogenetic diversity measures based on Hill numbers
Authors: Chao Anne , Chiu Chun-Huo , Jost Lou
Published: October 2010

We propose a parametric class of phylogenetic diversity (PD) measures that are sensitive to both species abundance and species taxonomic or phylogenetic distances. This work extends the conventional parametric species-neutral approach (based on ‘effective number of species’ or Hill numbers) to take into account species relatedness, and also generalizes the traditional phylogenetic approach (based on ‘total phylogenetic length’) to incorporate species abundances. The proposed measure quantifies ‘the mean effective number of species’ over any time interval of interest, or the ‘effective number of maximally distinct lineages’ over that time interval. The product of the measure and the interval length quantifies the ‘branch diversity’ of the phylogenetic tree during that interval. The new measures generalize and unify many existing measures and lead to a natural definition of taxonomic diversity as a special case. The replication principle (or doubling property), an important requirement for species-neutral diversity, is generalized to PD. The widely used Rao's quadratic entropy and the phylogenetic entropy do not satisfy this essential property, but a simple transformation converts each to our measures, which do satisfy the property. The proposed approach is applied to forest data for interpreting the effects of thinning.
Anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity: a network structure and ecosystem functioning perspective
Authors: Morris Rebecca J.
Published: October 2010

Huge areas of diverse tropical forest are lost or degraded every year with dramatic consequences for biodiversity. Deforestation and fragmentation, over-exploitation, invasive species and climate change are the main drivers of tropical forest biodiversity loss. Most studies investigating these threats have focused on changes in species richness or species diversity. However, if we are to understand the absolute and long-term effects of anthropogenic impacts on tropical forests, we should also consider the interactions between species, how those species are organized in networks, and the function that those species perform. I discuss our current knowledge of network structure and ecosystem functioning, highlighting empirical examples of their response to anthropogenic impacts. I consider the future prospects for tropical forest biodiversity, focusing on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in secondary forest. Finally, I propose directions for future research to help us better understand the effects of anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity.
Coevolution within a transcriptional network by compensatory trans and cis mutations
Authors: Kuo Dwight , Licon Katherine , Bandyopadhyay Sourav , Chuang Ryan , Luo Colin , Catalana Justin , Ravasi Timothy , Tan Kai , Ideker Trey
Published: October 2010

Transcriptional networks have been shown to evolve very rapidly, prompting questions as to how such changes arise and are tolerated. Recent comparisons of transcriptional networks across species have implicated variations in the cis-acting DNA sequences near genes as the main cause of divergence. What is less clear is how these changes interact with trans-acting changes occurring elsewhere in the genetic circuit. Here, we report the discovery of a system of compensatory trans and cis mutations in the yeast AP-1 transcriptional network that allows for conserved transcriptional regulation despite continued genetic change. We pinpoint a single species, the fungal pathogen Candida glabrata, in which a trans mutation has occurred very recently in a single AP-1 family member, distinguishing it from its Saccharomyces ortholog. Comparison of chromatin immunoprecipitation profiles between Candida and Saccharomyces shows that, despite their different DNA-binding domains, the AP-1 orthologs regulate a conserved block of genes. This conservation is enabled by concomitant changes in the cis-regulatory motifs upstream of each gene. Thus, both trans and cis mutations have perturbed the yeast AP-1 regulatory system in such a way as to compensate for one another. This demonstrates an example of “coevolution” between a DNA-binding transcription factor and its cis-regulatory site, reminiscent of the coevolution of protein binding partners.
Accuracy of heartbeat perception is reflected in the amplitude of the heartbeat‐evoked brain potential
Authors: Pollatos Olga , Schandry Rainer
Published: October 2010

Neurotransmission from the heart to the brain results in a heartbeat‐evoked potential (HEP). In this study, the influence of the ability to detect one's heartbeats based on the HEP was examined. According to their results in a heartbeat perception task, subjects were classified as good (n=18) or poor (n=26) heartbeat perceivers. EEG, EOG, and ECG were recorded while participants attended to their heartbeats. The R‐wave of the ECG served as a trigger for EEG averaging. In the latency range of 250–350 ms after the ECG R‐wave, the HEP amplitude at the right central location was significantly higher in good heartbeat perceivers. A significantly positive correlation was observed between the heartbeat perception score and the mean HEP amplitude. Our results confirm that the accuracy of heartbeat perception is reflected in the amplitude of the HEP. Thus, the HEP may be a suitable research tool for the study of brain processes related to visceral perception.
Validating and corroborating the deposition of two annual growth zones in asteriscus otoliths of common carp Cyprinus carpio from South Africa's largest impoundment
Authors: Winker H. , Weyl O. L. F. , Booth A. J. , Ellender B. R.
Published: November 2010

A total of 816 common carp Cyprinus carpio asteriscus otolith pairs were collected from Lake Gariep, South Africa. Otoliths were interpreted whole, submerged in methyl salicylate and viewed under transmitted light. The precision of growth zone counts of the primary reader was estimated at 5·54 and 7·03% using the average per cent error method and the coefficient of variation, respectively. Age‐bias plots indicated no systematic bias between the primary reader and the three secondary readers for up to nine growth zones (95% of the sample). Growth zone deposition rate was validated using a mark–recapture experiment of chemically tagged C. carpio (n = 21) conducted in a large earthen pond under ambient conditions in the vicinity of Lake Gariep. The validation results were corroborated for the wild population by edge analysis and a length‐based age‐structured model. All three methods suggest that growth zone formation occurred biannually, exemplifying the importance of age validation as a prerequisite for understanding the life history of C. carpio.
‘I am the face of success’: peer mentors in child welfare
Authors: Berrick Jill D. , Young Elizabeth W. , Cohen Ed , Anthony Elizabeth
Published: October 2010

Child welfare systems have struggled to create innovative, culturally sensitive programmes to address the multiple and pervasive barriers that exist in engaging child welfare parent clients in their service plans. Peer mentor programmes—those in which parents who have successfully navigated the child welfare system and reunified with their children, mentor parents newly entering the system—are designed to address some of these barriers, to improve reunification outcomes. Focus groups with parent clients (n = 25) and interviews with peer mentors (n = 6) were conducted to identify the characteristics of peer mentoring programmes that are critically helpful to parent clients, as well as the mechanisms that allow peer mentors to be effective in their work. The qualitative analysis uncovered three general themes to which both parents and peer mentors frequently referred in interviews—the value of shared experiences, communication and support. Additionally, the study found that peer mentorship has positive effects not only on parent clients but also on the mentors themselves. The inclusion of peer mentors in child welfare practice suggests an important paradigm shift within child welfare that could lead to culture change for the field.
Attention to social stimuli and facial identity recognition skills in autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Wilson C. E. , Brock J. , Palermo R.
Published: October 2010

Background  Previous research suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a reduced preference for viewing social stimuli in the environment and impaired facial identity recognition.

Methods  Here, we directly tested a link between these two phenomena in 13 ASD children and 13 age‐matched typically developing (TD) controls. Eye movements were recorded while participants passively viewed visual scenes containing people and objects. Participants also completed independent matching tasks for faces and objects.

Results and Conclusions  Behavioural data showed that participants with ASD were impaired on both face‐ and object‐matching tasks relative to TD controls. Eye‐tracking data revealed that both groups showed a strong bias to orient towards people. TD children spent proportionally more time looking at people than objects; however, there was no difference in viewing times between people and objects in the ASD group. In the ASD group, an individual's preference for looking first at the people in scenes was associated with level of face recognition ability. Further research is required to determine whether a causal relationship exists between these factors.
Sexual dimorphism in intra‐ and interspecific competitive ability of the dioecious herb Mercurialis annua
Authors: Sánchez‐Vilas J. , Turner A. , Pannell J. R.
Published: November 2010

Males and females of dioecious plant species often show different responses to competition with individuals of the same or opposite gender, but almost no data are available on the outcome of competition with members of other species. Here, we show that male and female individuals of the wind‐pollinated herb Mercurialis annua are sexually dimorphic in both their intraspecific and interspecific competitive abilities. In a controlled experiment, we found that both sexes of M. annua were negatively affected by interspecific competition, but the sensitivity of males and females depended on the identity of their competitor species, with females tending to suppress the aboveground growth of competitor species more than males. Further, we found that intrasexual and intersexual competition affected the aboveground growth of males but not that of females: only males showed a significant reduction in growth when growing with conspecific competitors (male or female). We discuss our results with reference to related studies that suggest that males and females of M. annua have different resource requirements for reproduction, which in turn affect their competitive abilities.
Effect of Ovine Granulocyte‐Macrophage Colony‐stimulating Factor on Bovine In Vitro Embryo Development and Blastocyst Interferon‐τ Secretion
Authors: Hickman CF , Ainslie A , Ealy AD , Ashworth CJ , Rooke JA
Published: October 2010

Contents

This experiment examined the effects of including recombinant ovine granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GMCSF) in in vitro culture on secretion of interferon‐τ (IFNT) by bovine blastocysts. At 32 h post‐insemination (p.i.), cleaved bovine zygotes were selected and incubated with or without GMCSF for either 48 h only (between 32 and 80 h p.i., Early) or until day 9 p.i. (Throughout). Concentrations of GMCSF (ng/ml) examined were as follows: Experiment 1: 2, 5, 10 and 50 (Early only); Experiment 2: 50 (Early and Throughout); Experiment 3: 2 and 10 (Early and Throughout). In none of the experiments did GMCSF have an effect (p > 0.05) on the numbers of blastocysts formed or blastocyst characteristics as assessed by cell number, proportion of apoptotic cells or oxidation of pyruvate. When GMCSF was included in culture medium between 32 and 80 h p.i. (Early), IFNT concentrations were lower (in media drops recovered after culture of groups of embryos for 48 h between days 7 and 9 p.i. and normalized by the numbers of blastocysts developing within each drop) compared to no inclusion of GMCSF or GMCSF present Throughout culture (Experiment 2, p > 0.05; Experiment 3, p = 0.038). IFNT was present in media drops in which groups of embryos had been incubated between days 7 and 9 p.i. but in which no blastocysts had developed. Experimental treatment did not influence (p > 0.05) IFNT secretion by blastocysts incubated individually for 24 h. However, during the 24‐h individual culture, blastocysts recovered on day 7 secreted less IFNT than blastocysts recovered on day 8 (mean ± SE; 15 ± 1.3 v 30 ± 3.6 pg/ml; p < 0.001). In conclusion, in contrast to previous studies in the ovine, GMCSF did not increase IFNT secretion but in agreement with the ovine did not affect bovine blastocyst development.
Diseases of the Understanding and the Need for Philosophical Therapy
Authors: Fischer Eugen
Published: October 2010

The paper develops and addresses a major challenge for therapeutic conceptions of philosophy of the sort increasingly attributed to Wittgenstein. To be substantive and relevant, such conceptions have to identify “diseases of the understanding” from which philosophers suffer, and to explain why these “diseases” need to be cured in order to resolve or overcome important philosophical problems. The paper addresses this challenge in three steps: With the help of findings and concepts from cognitive linguistics and cognitive psychology, it redevelops the Wittgensteinian notion of “philosophical pictures.” Through a case study on seminal versions of familiar mind‐body problems, it examines how such pictures shape philosophical reflection and generate ill‐motivated but captivating problems. Third, it shows that philosophical pictures are constitutive of “diseases of the understanding,” in a quite strict sense of the term. On this basis, the paper explains when and why philosophical therapy is required.
The EU: Standing Aside from the Changing Global Balance of Power?
Authors: Whitman Richard
Published: November 2010

The EU has developed its global role in recent years. This has taken place by developing procedures for foreign policy and in the deployment of civilian and military missions internationally. However, the EU suffers from weaknesses that limit its ability to exercise significant global influence and that are apparent in the EU's relationship with the rising powers. The article analyses these limitations which encompass the EU's ‘hardware’ — its capacity to deploy fully the capabilities of all its constituent Member States – and failings in its ‘software’ — incoherence and inconsistency in the definition and application of its ideas guiding the EU's global role.
Does It Matter if Preschool Children and Mothers Discuss Positive vs. Negative Events During Reminiscing? Links with Mother‐reported Attachment, Family Emotional Climate, and Socioemotional Development
Authors: Laible Deborah
Published: October 2010

The purpose of the study was to examine the differential relations between mother–child reminiscing about a positive emotional event vs. a negative emotional event and attachment security, family climate, and young children's socioemotional development. Fifty preschool children (M age = 50.69 months, SD = 4.64) and their mothers completed two reminiscing conversations at the laboratory, which were coded for emotion‐laden discourse, affect, and elaboration, and children completed measures of emotional understanding and representations of relationships. At their homes, mothers completed the attachment Q‐sort and the self‐report family inventory. Both attachment security and family climate were related to the quality of mother–child affect and maternal elaboration during both positive and negative reminiscing conversations. Attachment security and family climate, however, were principally related to discussion of emotion during the negative event discussions. In addition, it was mother–child reminiscing about the negative emotional event that was associated with high levels of children's socioemotional development.
Tutoring an American autistic college student in Japanese and its challenges
Authors: ODA TOMOKO
Published: November 2010

This article discusses the relationship between autism and teaching a foreign language (TFL) and explores how specific teaching styles may strengthen learners' motivation. Autism is simply considered to be a social disorder of development. Autistic people are often seen as having difficulty in learning a language other than their first language. This assumption has prevented autistic people as well as those who have difficulties with mental and physical development from accessing opportunities to learn a foreign language. Therefore, this article focuses on teaching Japanese to an autistic American university student in the United States. The purpose of the article is to examine how autistic learners are motivated in reaction to specific teaching styles. Based on my tutoring experiences with an autistic American university student and an interview with the student's mother, this study explores an effective method of TFL to autistic learners.
Communities and pacta in early medieval Italy: jurisdiction, regulatory authority and dispute avoidance
Authors: West G.V.B.
Published: October 2010

This paper considers in turn the pacta between the Carolingians and the Venetians, the Carolingians and the papacy, and between Benevento and Naples. It compares and contrasts these documents (or series of documents) which in effect deal with the relationships between entire communities in early medieval Italy. By putting the agreements relating to the papacy and Venice into their local political contexts, it argues that these agreements tended to aim at regulating the relationship between these communities and establishing stable, peaceful and politically acceptable relationships rather than at establishing political dominance of one over the other.
Law and the peasant: rural society and justice in Carolingian Italy
Authors: Albertoni Giuseppe
Published: October 2010

Comparative analysis of the most important Carolingian‐period Italian placiti dealing with the defence of freedom allows us to reconstruct the approach taken by various large monasteries as they attempted to transform their landholding into coercive power over people, by converting dependent freemen into slaves. Similarly, it reveals the strenuous defence mounted by the freemen who were thus threatened, who were clearly perfectly aware that a downgrading of their legal status would be far more serious for them than an economic downgrading. It also permits an analysis of placiti as sites for the representation of public power, in which the ideological model of the king as ‘protector of the weak’ was often scuppered by the ability of many potentes to use for their own advantage either the presence of royal officials, or those very legal processes which were supposed to guarantee protection of the pauperes.