bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of lactate infusion on hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogenosis
Authors: Haesler E. , Schneiter P. , Temler E. , Jéquier E. , Tappy L.
Published: April 2008

Summary. Endogenous glucose production rate (EGPR) remains constant when lactate is infused in healthy humans. A decrease of glycogenosis or of gluconeogenesis from endogenous precursors or a stimulation of glycogen synthesis, may all be involved; This autoregulation does not depend on changes in glucoregulatory hormones. It may be speculated that alterations in basal sympathetic tone may be involved.

To gain insights into the mechanisms responsible for autoregulation of EGPR, glycogenosis and gluconeogenesis were measured, with a novel method (based on the prelabelling of endogenous glycogen with 13C glucose, and determination of hepatic 13C glycogen enrichment from breath 13CO2 and respiratory gas exchanges) in healthy humans infused with lactate or saline. These measurements were performed with or without β‐adrenergic receptor blockade (propranolol).

Infusion of lactate increased energy expenditure, but did not increase EGPR; the relative contributions of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis to EGPR were also unaltered. This indicates that autoregulation is attained, at least in part, by inhibition of gluconeogenesis from endogenous precursors.

3‐adrenergic receptor blockade alone (with propranolol) did not alter EGPR, glycogenolysis or gluconeogenesis. During infusion of lactate, propranolol decreased the thermic effect of lactate but EGPR remained constant. This indicates that alterations of (3‐adrenergic activity is not required for autoregulation of EGPR.
A role for adenosine in coronary vasoregulation in man. Effects of theophylline and enprofylline
Authors: Edlund A. , Conradsson T. , Sollevi A.
Published: April 2008

Summary. Adenosine has been suggested to have a role in regulation of the tone of the cardiac resistance vessels. To elucidate the coronary vasoregulatory role of endogenous adenosine in man, we studied the effects of adenosine receptor antagonism by theophylline on coronary blood flow at rest and during light exercise. However, theophylline may also exert pharmacological effects not related to adenosine antagonism. To clarify the contribution of endogenous adenosine in coronary hyperaemia, the effect of theophylline was compared to that of enprofylline, a xanthine which exerts similar pharmacological effects as theophylline while lacking antagonistic action at adenosine receptors.

Twenty healthy subjects (10 males) aged 22–39 years were examined. Coronary sinus (CS) blood flow and blood oxygen content were determined at rest and during supine bicycle exercise, at a load of 50 watts, for 10 min. Thereafter, stepwise infusion of adenosine (30 to 60 μg/kg/min into the subclavian vein) was performed. Theophylline or enprofylline treatment was instituted randomly and double‐blind (10 in each group), and the procedures (i.e. determinations at rest, during exercise and during infusion of adenosine) were repeated.

In all 20 subjects, basal CS flow was 70±6 ml/min and the cardiac oxygen extraction ((A‐CS)O2D) was 123±3 ml/l. During exercise, CS flow and (A‐CS)O2D increased to 135±17 ml/min and 132±3 ml/1, respectively. Adenosine increased CS flow dose dependently to 161 ±27 ml/min, while (A‐CS)O2D decreased to 66±7 ml/1.

The vasodilatory effect of adenosine was readily counteracted by theophylline, the increase in CS flow being 33% vs. 133% in the control situation. Enprofylline, on the other hand, enhanced the response to exogenous adenosine.

Theophylline, at a dose lacking effect on heart rate and blood pressure, decreased CS flow at rest by 14% (P<0.05) and during exercise by 18% (P<0.05). ((A‐CS)O2D increased by 14% at rest and during exercise (P<0.001). Enprofylline, on the other hand, was without effect. The differences in responses between theophylline and enprofylline with respect to coronary flow and oxygen extraction were significant both at rest and during exercise.

It is concluded that theophylline increases coronary vascular resistance, while enpro‐fylline, lacking adenosine antagonistic properties, was without such effect. This indicates a physiological role of adenosine in regulation of coronary flow.
Ankle to arm index response to exercise and heat stress in healthy subjects
Authors: Desvaux B. , Abraham P. , Colin D. , Leftheriotis G. , Saumet J. L.
Published: April 2008

Summary. Ankle to arm index (AAI) defined as the ratio of ankle systolic blood pressure (ASBP), to brachial systolic blood pressure is largely used in the study of lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD). To study the hypothesis of the shunt of blood away from the skin as the explanation of AAI decrease in exercise, we studied the AAI and ASBP responses to an increase in cardiac output originating from an increase either in muscle blood flow (exercise) or in cutaneous blood flow (thermal stress Brachial systolic pressure, ankle systolic pressure and heart rate (HR) were measured in 9 healthy subjects at rest, during heat thermal stress and following maximal exercise on a cycle ergometer. Compared to resting values, AAI decreased in all subjects from 1.05 ± 0.07 to 0.75 ± 0.07 (P < 0.05) 1 min following exercise and from 1.08 ± 0.07 to 0.94 ± 0.05 (P < 0.05) during heat stress. On the other hand, HR increased from 72.8 ± 12.2 to 112.4±19.6 (P < 0.05) min following exercise and from 75.5 ± 13.6 to 96.8 ± 15.3 (P < 0.05) during heat stress. Since a comparable relation exists between. AAI and HR in thermal stress and exercise, we suggest that the decrease in AAI in normal subjects following exercise is due to turbulences at high flow levels, rather than the shunting of blood to active muscles in exercise.
The transport of phosphate between the plasma and dialysate compartments in peritoneal dialysis is influenced by an electric potential difference
Authors: Graff J. , Fugleberg S. , Brahm J. , Fogh‐Andersen N.
Published: April 2008

Summary. Six kinetic models of transperitoneal phosphate transport were formulated and validated on the basis of experimental results obtained from 22 non‐diabetic patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. The models were designed to elucidate the presence or absence of diffusive, non‐lymphatic convective, and lymphatic convective phosphate transport. Calculations allowed for a 20% protein binding of phosphate. The validation procedure demonstrated that only diffusive and non‐lymphatic convective phosphate transport mechanisms were identifiable. A lymphatic convective phosphate transport mechanism was not identifiable. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the electrochemical gradient between plasma water and dialysate favours the diffusive phosphate transport, and both electric and chemical potentials must be taken into account in calculations of the transperitoneal phosphate transport.
Dissociation of body‐temperature and melatonin secretion circadian rhythms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
Authors: Williams G. , Pirmohamed J. , Minors D. , Waterhouse J. , Buchan I. , Arendt J. , Edwards R. H. T.
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. Many patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) display features of hypothalamic dysfunction. We have investigated aspects of circadian rhythmicity, an important hypothalamic function, in 20 CFS patients and in 17 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy control subjects. There were no differences between the two groups in the amplitude, mesor (mean value) or timing of the peak (acrophase) of the circardian rhythm of core temperature, or in the timing of the onset of melatonin secretion. However, the CFS patients showed no significant correlation between the timing of the temperature acrophase and the melatonin onset (P< 0.5), whereas the normal significant correlation was observed in the controls (P< 0.05). Dissociation of circadian rhythms could be due to the sleep deprivation and social disruption, and/or the reduction in physical activity which typically accompany CFS. By analogy with jet‐lag and shift‐working, circadian dysrhythmia could be an important factor in initiating and perpetuating the cardinal symptoms of CFS, notably tiredness, impaired concentration and intellectual impairment.
Repeatability of a rapid dosimetric method for methacholine challenge using a pocket turbine spirometer for FEV measurements1
Authors: Hedman J. , Alanko K. , Nieminen M. M.
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. The repeatability of a rapid dosimetric method for methacholine challenge was evaluated with 11 asthmatic patients. A Spira Elektro 2 dosimeter was used for methacholine delivery and a pocket turbine spirometer (Micro Spirometer©) for FEVj measurements. Methacholine was delivered in four successive, increasing doses ranging from 80 μg up to a cumulative dose of 6900 μg. The single determination standard deviation was low (12.5%), corresponding to a 95% confidence interval of ±0.925 doubling doses. The mean difference (±SE) between measurements of log PD20 FEV1 was ‐0.015 (0.056), and the absolute value of the difference in log PD20 FEV1 was not significantly related to the average log PD20 FEV1 (r = ‐0.155, P = 0.65). The rapid dosimetric methacholine challenge test, performed with a pocket turbine spirometer, proved to be as reproducible as previous methods. Furthermore, this methacholine challenge is clearly less time consuming than conventional provocations, including bronchodilator aerosol (given to resolve post‐challenge bronchoconstriction); the whole test can be performed in 20 min. This is especially valuable in epidemiologic studies, as well as in clinical practice.
Ventricular repolarization is correlated with metabolic control in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes
Authors: Vanninen Esko , Uusitupa Matti I.J. , Lansimies Esko
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. Good metabolic control may improve cardiac function in diabetic patients. It is not known, however, whether this functional improvement is associated with concomitant electrocardiographic changes. The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate the quantitative electrocardiographic and vectorcardiographic correlates of metabolic control, left ventricular function and dimensions, and autonomic nervous function in patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. We studied 35 patients (20 men, 15 women; age 52±6 years (mean±SD) with normal electrocardiograms at 1. 5 and 15 months after the diagnosis of Type 2 (non‐insulin‐dependent) diabetes. During the follow‐up, body weight decreased, and significant improvement was observed in metabolic control, cardiac function and autonomic nervous function. Concomitantly, maximal spatial vector of T wave increased from 238±122 to 284± 141 μV (P < 0.01), and this increase was correlated with a decrease in glycosylated haemoglobin Alc (r =‐0.45, P < 0.01) and plasma insulin (r = ‐0.46, P < 0.01). In addition, duration of QRS complex shortened from 94 ± 9 to 92 ± 8 ms (P < 0.05), and this shortening was correlated with an increase in heart rate variability (r = ‐0.34; P < 0.05) and a decrease in peak early to late left ventricular filling flow velocity (r = 0.35, P < 0.05). These changes were most prominent in patients with co‐existing hypertension and coronary artery disease. In conclusion, improving metabolic control of diabetes is associated with changes in ventricular repolarization and shortening of QRS complex duration.
Adiponectin: an intriguing hormone for paediatricians
Authors: Savino F , Petrucci E , Nanni GE
Published: April 2008

Adiponectin, a protein hormone produced by adipocytes, is also found in breast milk, which in turn is implicated in childhood obesity prevention. Although a biological role for adiponectin has not been firmly established, clinical and experimental research indicates that it regulates lipid and glucose metabolism, affects foetal development, and exerts anti‐inflammatory and antiatherogenic effects.

Conclusion: This review demonstrates an emerging interest of paediatric research on adiponectin. A better understanding of adiponectin's bioactivity might clarify whether breast milk indeed prevents childhood obesity.
Catalytic activation of human glucokinase by substrate binding – residue contacts involved in the binding of D‐glucose to the super‐open form and conformational transitions
Authors: Molnes Janne , Bjørkhaug Lise , Søvik Oddmund , Njølstad Pål R. , Flatmark Torgeir
Published: April 2008

α‐d‐Glucose activates glucokinase (EC 2.7.1.1) on its binding to the active site by inducing a global hysteretic conformational change. Using intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence as a probe on the α‐d‐glucose induced conformational changes in the pancreatic isoform 1 of human glucokinase, key residues involved in the process were identified by site‐directed mutagenesis. Single‐site W→F mutations enabled the assignment of the fluorescence enhancement (ΔF/F0) mainly to W99 and W167 in flexible loop structures, but the biphasic time course of ΔF/F0 is variably influenced by all tryptophan residues. The human glucokinase–α‐d‐glucose association (Kd = 4.8 ± 0.1 mm at 25 °C) is driven by a favourable entropy change (ΔS = 150 ± 10 J·mol−1·K−1). Although X‐ray crystallographic studies have revealed the α‐d‐glucose binding residues in the closed state, the contact residues that make essential contributions to its binding to the super‐open conformation remain unidentified. In the present study, we combined functional mutagenesis with structural dynamic analyses to identify residue contacts involved in the initial binding of α‐d‐glucose and conformational transitions. The mutations N204A, D205A or E256A/K in the L‐domain resulted in enzyme forms that did not bind α‐d‐glucose at 200 mm and were essentially catalytically inactive. Our data support a molecular dynamic model in which a concerted binding of α‐d‐glucose to N204, N231 and E256 in the super‐open conformation induces local torsional stresses at N204/D205 propagating towards a closed conformation, involving structural changes in the highly flexible interdomain connecting region II (R192‐N204), helix 5 (V181‐R191), helix 6 (D205‐Y215) and the C‐terminal helix 17 (R447‐K460).
DEMINERALIZATION BY ION EXCHANGE OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE PORCINE BLOOD PLASMA
Authors: MOURE F. , DEL HOYO P. , RENDUELES M. , DÍAZ M.
Published: April 2008

The blood from slaughterhouses constitutes an important waste from the meat industry because of its high pollutant power. The techniques used to recover blood components, such as proteins for human food, require pretreatments to remove inorganic salts. Cationic and anionic ion exchange resins were used to carry out the demineralization process. Capacity experiments were first conducted in batch to study the performance of the resin, and then the operation was carried out in a fixed bed to simulate an industrial operation. Breakthrough curves for the main cations and anions contained in the plasma were obtained, which showed the good applicability of this operation for demineralizing blood plasma. The loss of protein is always below 9%, being slightly higher in the cationic column, while the variation in pH is also greater in the cationic column, although the changes are not important enough to cause substantial denaturalization of the plasma proteins.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Ion exchange processes are used in food industries in many applications, for instance in sugar production. In this work, the application of ion exchange for the demineralization of blood plasma as a preparative step to the fractionation of the main protein fractions has been demostrated. The results show the potential applicability of the technique, which could be potentially used at the industrial level. The loss of protein in the process is not elevated, and the variation of the pH of the final products is more important in the case of cationic exchange. Ion exchange could be used industrially in the demineralization of other liquid effluents of the food industry containing proteins or other compounds as an operation prior to the preparation of the effluent to separate its components as a first purification step.
The captive audience: the educative influence of zoos on their visitors in India
Authors: MALLAPUR A. , WARAN N. , SINHA A.
Published: April 2008

A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the educative influence of zoo visits on their visitors at three Indian zoos. Although 300 questionnaires were completed at each site, 150 questionnaires each for ‘zoo visitors’ and the ‘general public’, only 863 (96%) were used in the analysis because the others were incomplete. A significantly higher number of ‘zoo visitors’ (n=111/150, 74%) were found to be aware of the appearance and biology of the Lion‐tailed macaque Macaca silenus in comparison with the ‘general public’ (n=67/150, 45%) at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo (TZ). When asked about the goals of a zoo, a relatively greater percentage of the ‘zoo visitors’ at Arignar Anna Zoological Park (20%) and TZ (29%) stated that the goal of the zoo was to protect endangered species, while 69% of the ‘zoo visitors’ at Shri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden said they did not know. As high as 64% of the ‘zoo visitors’ across the three zoos said that a zoo could definitely help protect wild animals. Overall, the ‘zoo visitors’ correctly answered a greater number of questions on the biology, behaviour and habitat of Lion‐tailed macaques in comparison with the ‘general public’. Our study suggests that zoos are an excellent learning environment to convey the ‘conservation and education’ messages but currently they are an underutilized resource. Zoos could initiate the process of educating their public by providing them with ‘pocket’ guides and brochures on wildlife at the entrance and also by conducting 15 minute‐long talks at the animal exhibits about crucial conservation and wildlife issues.
Spatial variation in fishing intensity and its effect on yield
Authors: Ralston Stephen , O’Farrell Michael R
Published: April 2008

Fishing mortality is rarely, if ever, evenly distributed over space, yet this is a common assumption of many fisheries models. To evaluate the effect of spatial heterogeneity in fishing mortality on yield, we constructed age-structured models that allowed for differing levels of fishing in three regions within the boundaries of a stock and explored alternative assumptions about the life stage in which density-dependent compensation operates. If the fishing mortality rate (F) is not excessive (i.e., F ≤ FMSY defined for the spatially homogeneous case; MSY, maximum sustainable yield), simulations demonstrated that minor to moderate spatial variation in fishing intensity does not impact sustainable yield. However, if fishing mortality is excessive (F > FMSY), spatial variation in fishing intensity often improves yield and can actually produce yields in excess of MSY when compensation occurs after dispersal, and the density-dependent recruitment rate is a function of the local density of adults. The yield premium generated in these simulations by postdispersal density dependence is due to a low level of compensatory mortality in heavily fished areas coupled with dispersal of propagules into these areas from lightly fished adjacent regions.
Trait patterns of aquatic insects across gradients of flow-related factors: a multivariate analysis of Canadian national data
Authors: Horrigan Nelli , Baird Donald J
Published: April 2008

Large-scale comparisons of aquatic bioassessment metrics based on taxonomic composition are currently constrained by the biogeographic limitations of taxon occurrence. The use of species trait patterns offers a possibility to overcome this constraint. We examine the assertion that the trait composition of aquatic insect communities changes in a consistent manner along similar environmental disturbance gradients by evaluating relationships between traits and three flow-related variables (velocity, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen) in 13 independently collected Canadian data sets. Certain trait states such as low crawling rate, common occurrence in drift, short adult life span, erosional rheophily, medium size at maturity, and cold or cool thermal preference were consistently sensitive to all three flow-related factors, velocity in particular, despite biogeographic differences in faunal composition. Trait modalities exhibiting the highest mean correlation with velocity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were identified, and the potential confounding effect of trait “syndromes” was addressed by restricting the selection of flow-sensitive traits to those with high evolutionary lability. The results of the study provide a basis for the future development of flow bioassessment metrics at the national Canadian scale and potentially at the international scale.
OPTIMAL TREATMENT PLANNING IN RADIOTHERAPY BASED ON BOLTZMANN TRANSPORT CALCULATIONS
Authors: FRANK MARTIN , HERTY MICHAEL , SCHÄFER MATTHIAS
Published: April 2008

A Boltzmann transport model for dose calculation in radiation therapy is considered. We formulate an optimal control problem for the desired dose. We prove existence and uniqueness of a minimizer. Based on this model, we derive optimality conditions. The PN discretization in angle of the full model is considered. We show that the PN approximation of the optimality system is in fact the optimality system of the PN approximation, provided that, instead of the usually used Marshak boundary conditions, Mark's boundary conditions are used. Numerical results in one and two dimensions are presented.
Sugar Absorption in the Intestine: The Role of GLUT2
Authors: Kellett George L. , Brot-Laroche Edith , Mace Oliver J. , Leturque Armelle
Published: April 2008

Intestinal glucose absorption comprises two components. One is classical active absorption mediated by the Na+/glucose cotransporter. The other is a diffusive component, formerly attributed to paracellular flow. Recent evidence, however, indicates that the diffusive component is mediated by the transient insertion of glucose transporter type 2 (GLUT2) into the apical membrane. This apical GLUT2 pathway of intestinal sugar absorption is present in species from insect to human, providing a major route at high sugar concentrations. The pathway is regulated by rapid trafficking of GLUT2 to the apical membrane induced by glucose during assimilation of a meal. Apical GLUT2 is therefore a target for multiple short-term and long-term nutrient-sensing mechanisms. These include regulation by a newly recognized pathway of calcium absorption through the nonclassical neuroendocrine l-type channel Cav1.3 operating during digestion, activation of intestinal sweet taste receptors by natural sugars and artificial sweeteners, paracrine and endocrine hormones, especially insulin and GLP-2, and stress. Permanent apical GLUT2, resulting in increased sugar absorption, is a characteristic of experimental diabetes and of insulin-resistant states induced by fructose and fat. The nutritional consequences of apical and basolateral GLUT2 regulation are discussed in the context of Western diet, processed foods containing artificial sweeteners, obesity, and diabetes.
Dendritic Excitability and Synaptic Plasticity
Authors: Sjöström P. Jesper , Rancz Ede A. , Roth Arnd , Häusser Michael
Published: April 2008

Most synaptic inputs are made onto the dendritic tree. Recent work has shown that dendrites play an active role in transforming synaptic input into neuronal output and in defining the relationships between active synapses. In this review, we discuss how these dendritic properties influence the rules governing the induction of synaptic plasticity. We argue that the location of synapses in the dendritic tree, and the type of dendritic excitability associated with each synapse, play decisive roles in determining the plastic properties of that synapse. Furthermore, since the electrical properties of the dendritic tree are not static, but can be altered by neuromodulators and by synaptic activity itself, we discuss how learning rules may be dynamically shaped by tuning dendritic function. We conclude by describing how this reciprocal relationship between plasticity of dendritic excitability and synaptic plasticity has changed our view of information processing and memory storage in neuronal networks.
Transcriptional Paradigms in Mammalian Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Function
Authors: Scarpulla Richard C.
Published: April 2008

Mitochondria contain their own genetic system and undergo a unique mode of cytoplasmic inheritance. Each organelle has multiple copies of a covalently closed circular DNA genome (mtDNA). The entire protein coding capacity of mtDNA is devoted to the synthesis of 13 essential subunits of the inner membrane complexes of the respiratory apparatus. Thus the majority of respiratory proteins and all of the other gene products necessary for the myriad mitochondrial functions are derived from nuclear genes. Transcription of mtDNA requires a small number of nucleus-encoded proteins including a single RNA polymerase (POLRMT), auxiliary factors necessary for promoter recognition (TFB1M, TFB2M) and activation (Tfam), and a termination factor (mTERF). This relatively simple system can account for the bidirectional transcription of mtDNA from divergent promoters and key termination events controlling the rRNA/mRNA ratio. Nucleomitochondrial interactions depend on the interplay between transcription factors (NRF-1, NRF-2, PPARα, ERRα, Sp1, and others) and members of the PGC-1 family of regulated coactivators (PGC-1α, PGC-1β, and PRC). The transcription factors target genes that specify the respiratory chain, the mitochondrial transcription, translation and replication machinery, and protein import and assembly apparatus among others. These factors are in turn activated directly or indirectly by PGC-1 family coactivators whose differential expression is controlled by an array of environmental signals including temperature, energy deprivation, and availability of nutrients and growth factors. These transcriptional paradigms provide a basic framework for understanding the integration of mitochondrial biogenesis and function with signaling events that dictate cell- and tissue-specific energetic properties.
Role of β-Adrenoceptor Signaling in Skeletal Muscle: Implications for Muscle Wasting and Disease
Authors: Lynch Gordon S. , Ryall James G.
Published: April 2008

The importance of β-adrenergic signaling in the heart has been well documented, but it is only more recently that we have begun to understand the importance of this signaling pathway in skeletal muscle. There is considerable evidence regarding the stimulation of the β-adrenergic system with β-adrenoceptor agonists (β-agonists). Although traditionally used for treating bronchospasm, it became apparent that some β-agonists could increase skeletal muscle mass and decrease body fat. These so-called “repartitioning effects” proved desirable for the livestock industry trying to improve feed efficiency and meat quality. Studying β-agonist effects on skeletal muscle has identified potential therapeutic applications for muscle wasting conditions such as sarcopenia, cancer cachexia, denervation, and neuromuscular diseases, aiming to attenuate (or potentially reverse) the muscle wasting and associated muscle weakness, and to enhance muscle growth and repair after injury. Some undesirable cardiovascular side effects of β-agonists have so far limited their therapeutic potential. This review describes the physiological significance of β-adrenergic signaling in skeletal muscle and examines the effects of β-agonists on skeletal muscle structure and function. In addition, we examine the proposed beneficial effects of β-agonist administration on skeletal muscle along with some of the less desirable cardiovascular effects. Understanding β-adrenergic signaling in skeletal muscle is important for identifying new therapeutic targets and identifying novel approaches to attenuate the muscle wasting concomitant with many diseases.
Intellectual Ability of Mandarin-Speaking Children Using Cochlear Implants
Authors: Wu Che-Ming , Lee Hsiao-Long , Hwang Juen-Haur , Sun Yu-Sheng , Liu Tien-Chen
Published: April 2008

The aim of this study was to assess the verbal and performance intelligence of young Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant users with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). We also analyzed whether related factors helped develop verbal and performance IQs. We studied 60 children implanted with Nucleus 24 devices; the children represented a consecutive sample of every implantee aged 6 or older from 2002 to 2006. All subjects had 1 year to 8 years and 7 months of implant experience. Five children with known neurological, developmental delay and multiple handicaps were excluded. Intellectual functions were evaluated using the Mandarin version of the WISC-III, which includes 5 subsets for verbal IQ (information, comprehension, similarities, arithmetic and vocabulary) and 5 subsets for performance IQ (picture completion, picture arrangement, block design, object assembly and coding). After conversion, we found that the mean verbal IQ was 85.1 ± 19.9 (range 56–133), and the mean performance IQ was 99.2 ± 15.9 (range 61–131). The distribution of verbal IQ was significantly different from that of the hearing population. A much larger proportion (32%) falls into the category of ‘intellectual deficiency’ and a relatively smaller proportion in the ‘average’ and ‘above average’ level. As for performance IQ, the distribution was not significantly different from the norms. Regarding the possibly related factors, univariate and multivariate linear regression showed that the verbal IQ was significantly affected by gender (female > male, p = 0.004), side of implantation (bilateral > left > right, p = 0.017) and two speech test scores (PB score, p = 0.036; sentence, p = 0.002), but not by age at implantation (p = 0.621) or length of implant usage (p = 0.480). Only a moderate correlation (r = 0. 49) was found between verbal and performance IQ. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the performance IQ for the cochlear implant users is not different from their counterparts with normal hearing. However, the distribution of verbal IQ significantly shifts to the left. Our findings suggest that the verbal IQ test may just be another measurement of spoken language outcomes or learning skills and therefore may not represent the ‘true intelligence’ of these cochlear implant users.
A Thermo-Sensitive Transmitter for Radio Tracking Small Animals
Authors: Olders J.H.J. , Krammer J. , Van Gelder J.J.
Published: April 2008

A small, light-weight (3 g), thermo-sensitive transmitter is described, which is easy to built. The transmitter has an effective range of 40 m in the field and a lifetime of 9 months. By means of surgical implantation it has been used in studying the thermal ecology of the common toad, Bufo bufo bufo L., but its applicability is universal.
Constructions of Islamic Identities in a Suburban Community in Malaysia
Authors:   Sharifah Zaleha Syed Hassan
Published: April 2008

Rapid economic development since the mid-1970s has caused some segments of the Malay intelligentsia in Malaysia to rework aspects of their cultural heritage, in particular, Islamic teachings and philosophy, to create new cultures and new identities. In Sungai Pencala, a suburban Malay community that had undergone considerable social transformation and been exposed to Islamic resurgence, two such tendencies were discernible. The first was associated with the banned Al Arqam movement and the second, with state-sponsored agencies. Proceeding from a conviction that existing identities based on the family, kin groups and locality had to be deconstructed, the Al Arqam movement engaged in a project aimed at forging a group-centred identity through a commune-based living pattern and linking that identity firmly with that of the Middle East. The state's agents, on the other hand, merely sought to modify the existing loyalties so as to produce Malays who would continue to regard the family, community, locality and the nation as important contexts within which they could acquire their ethnic and religious identities. The paper argues that the contrasting tendencies in identity reformulation in Sungai Pencala have much to do with the differences in the way Islam has been used to promote the religiously-expressed interests of certain groups as with the fate of the increasingly differentiated urban-based Malays.
Unpacking the Labels "Hindu" and "Hinduism" in Singapore
Authors: Sinha Vineeta
Published: April 2008

This paper problematizes the taken-for-granted use of the labels "Hindu" and "Hinduism" in accounts of Indian religion and culture, on the premise that these descriptions have histories and are themselves constructions. A term like "Hindu" and its various derivatives (including "Hinduism") have been transformed from their original regional and possibly ethnic meanings to carrying religious substance. More importantly, specific meanings are attributed to these categories, particularly through orientalist and Indological writings, and have structured definitions and empirical interpretations of Indian religiosity. These writings have tended to produce homogeneous, monolithic and essentialist conceptualizations of Hinduism. Relying on ethnography, this paper provides empirical evidence to deconstruct the labels "Hindu" and "Hinduism" and to demonstrate how a complex of meanings can be attached to these labels only by attending to the socio-cultural and political specificities of their context of practice.
The Evolution of Technology Research Management Systems in Japan: Government Laboratories, Private Industry and Universities
Authors: Lapid Koty
Published: April 2008

In this paper, I describe the development process of "overlapping development models for basic research project management" in Japan during the years 1970-95. I found that Japanese basic research project management models co-evolved through the joint learning of companies, government laboratories and universities. Finally, I present my conclusions and the implications of these management systems for the future development of Japan's technology policy, which includes not just critical technologies, but also the management of the research process.
Urban Developments and Mobility Inequality of the Disadvantaged
Authors: Cho-Yam Lau
Published: April 2008

This paper investigates how the mobility inequality of the disadvantaged is negatively influenced by urban socio-economic and land-use development in Hong Kong. The first part reviews the concepts of equality, mobility and the influence of socio-economic and land-use development on the mobility of the disadvantaged. The latter part investigates mobility provisions of the Mass Transit Railway and bus services by means of route tests. The findings of the route tests show that mobility inequality existed among the disadvantaged and the better-off in Hong Kong. This paper concludes that mobility inequality of the disadvantaged is due to the negative influences of socio-economic and land-use policies and developments.
Challenges to Comparative Research on Intergenerational Transfers
Authors: Hermalin Albert I.
Published: April 2008

Intergenerational transfers are complex processes involving a potentially large number of participants and a range of content, often subsumed as space, time, or money. Identifying the matrix of providers and recipients associated with each "currency" and distinguishing past from current flows and direct from indirect transfers, pose considerable challenge to any survey instrument. This paper proposes an organizational framework for this multidimensionality and then reviews some of the strategies that have been employed by several surveys in East and Southeast Asia to measure key elements of the process.
Reforming the Old-Age Security System in Vietnam
Authors: Goodkind Daniel ,   Truong Si Anh,   Bui The Cuong
Published: April 2008

Our paper examines changing systems of state support to the elderly in Vietnam, based primarily on two recent surveys in northern and southern subregions. We focus on the pension system, the most generous source of such support. Prior to 1995, pensions were primarily available to workers in the state sector. The funding system was ostensibly pay-as-you-go, yet heavily reliant on government subsidies. Our surveys reveal distinct regional patterns in the prevalence and size of pensions (as well as age at retirement), patterns we relate to Vietnam's partition and reunification. We then describe recent policy changes enacted as part of Vietnam's transition to a more market-oriented economy. A new Social Security Administration is attempting to extend old age security to employees of non-state enterprises based on enhanced employer contributions and new payroll deductions. We identify ideological, financial and demographic rationales for these reforms as well a variety of challenges to the new system.
"Centrality" and "Balance" in Southeast Asia: Official Ideologies and Regional Crisis
Authors: Douglas Stephen A.
Published: April 2008

In this paper, it is argued that the concepts of "centre" and "balance" have a conspicuous presence in the universe of Southeast Asian political thought and that political practice also displays a strain toward the centre. However, the difference between the two concepts is not merely a matter of semantic interest. During what may come to be recalled as the era of ASEAN's prosperity, most countries' political centres flourished; but in the early phase of the region's "monetary crisis" (a shorthand expression for a convergence of destabilizing events), it is already apparent that "balance" is being trumped by attempts to hold the "centre(s)". These attempts are not encouraging. Just when it was becoming possible to imagine a regional political centre, the region has embarked upon a complex, extensive unravelling, a de-centring of unknown proportions.
ASEAN 10: The Political and Cultural Dimensions of Southeast Asian Unity
Authors: Vatikiotis Michael R. J.
Published: April 2008

In this essay, it is argued that the roots of regional cohesion in Southeast Asia have always been rather shallow, and driven primarily by pragmatic security concerns. The primary function of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been to strengthen and preserve the sovereignty of individual states, and not dissolve boundaries or fashion a supra-national identity. ASEAN's very success has nevertheless fostered more idealistic notions of regional identity, expressed as a form of collective nationalism. As ASEAN expands, this imagined Southeast Asian identity must compete with internal and external factors forcing the region apart as fast as it is coming together. And thus, while the world as a whole increasingly accepts the new habits of global civilization, another contradictory process is taking place: ancient traditions are reviving, different religions and cultures are awakening to new ways of being, seeking new room to exist and struggling with growing fervour to realize what is unique to them and makes them different from others (Vaclav Havel, 1995).
Unveiling Masculinity
Authors: Glancy Jennifer A.
Published: April 2008

Mark's account of the execution of John the Baptist offers an occasion to raise questions about understandings of gender both in the ancient world and today. Whether or not Mark demonizes women and their capacity for power may be an undecidable question; we can more certainly establish that modern readers have offered interpretations molded by their own fears about female subjectivity. These assumptions have equally infected scholarly and popular interpretations, obscuring the boundary between the two. This paper pursues two major lines of inquiry. First, it explores assumptions about gender, especially masculinity, that shape Mark 6:17-29. Second, it highlights tendencies in late nineteenth and twentieth century thinking about gender to show how these tendencies overdetermine readings of the Markan text.
Neue Und Alte Wege Der Psalmenexegese Antworten Auf Die Fragen Von M. Millard Und R. Rendtorff
Authors: Zenger Erich , Hossfeld Frank-Lothar
Published: April 2008

Das Psalmenbuch ist eine Komposition sui generis. Einerseits präsentiert es sich als eine Zusammenstellung von 150 Einzelpsalmen, die als solche entstanden sind und gelesen werden wollen. Andererseits gibt es zahlreiche Indizien dafür, daß diese 150 Einzeltexte in kleineren und/oder größeren kompositionellen Zusammenhängen stehen. Um diese von Redaktionen intendierten Zusammenhänge textgemäβ zu erfassen, müssen synchrone und diachrone Analysemethoden kombiniert werden. Der formgeschichtliche Ansatz kann dabei nur eine sekundäre Funktion übernehmen, da die meisten Psalmen nachkultische Dichtungen sind und weil der Psalter nicht als "Kultbuch" entstanden ist. Von besonderer Bedeutung für die Rekonstruktion der Entstehungsgeschichte der Teilsammlungen und des Gesamtpsalters sind sozialgeschichtliche und intertextuelle Fragestellungen.
The Quest of the New Historicist Jesus
Authors: Moore Stephen D. , Graham Susan Lochrie
Published: April 2008

Our ambition in this article is to use the New Historicism as a spade with which to open up the grave where John Dominic Crossan's historical Jesus was unceremoniously dumped, exhuming certain asumptions buried there in the process. As we dig and sieve the contents of this burial site ("Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here"), we uncover a rock-hewn tomb from which to summon a shadowy protean figure shrouded in contingencya New Historicist Jesus.
Blanks and Gaps in the Markan Parable of the Sower
Authors: Marcus Joel
Published: April 2008

David Stern has helpfully applied to rabbinic parables Meir Sternberg's distinction between a "blank," an accidental transmission of confusing narrative signals, and a "gap," a deliberate ambiguity in a narrative. This distinction may also be applied to Mark. The confusing stage directions of chapter 4, for example, are a blank, whereas the failure to explain why Jesus forbids publicity about himself is a gap. The Parable of the Sower provides an example of both types of ambiguity. The identity of the seed is a blank; 4:14 explicitly identifies it as the word, but 4:15-20 implies that it is the people who hear the word, a confusion which may partly reflect different history-of-religions backgrounds. The failure to identify the sower, on the other hand, is a gap. Various narrative signals suggest that he is God, Christ, or the Christian preacher. It would help, in trying to decide between these possibilities, if one knew whether his sowing technique was logical or illogical, but that is another blank or gap. Mark probably wants the reader to conclude that the sower is all three of the figures suggested; "the word" is at one and the same time the word of God, the word of Jesus, and the word of the Christians. This sort of composite identity corresponds to apocalyptic thinking: speech is not a simple, autonomous human action, but a complex event in which human and supernatural factors are inextricably mixed up together.
Rethinking Historical Criticism
Authors: Dobbs-Allsopp F.W.
Published: April 2008

The present paper seeks to provide a programmatic introduction to some of the major themes of historicist literary study and to explore how this body of work may help biblical scholars rethink historical criticism as a specifically literary method of study and reading. It advocates a program of literary study in which biblical historical criticism, with its strong insistence on the need to historicize and with the various philological practices which it uses to accomplish this feat of historicization, continues to play a central and essential role, but recognizes, as well, the pressing need to rethink and to retheorize the objectivist and foundationalist assumptions which have informed and motivated historical-critical practices in the past, and to facilitate the integration of the full panoply of literary methods, theories, and strategies of reading currently employed by literary scholars.
The Gift That Stops Giving: HÉLÈNe Cixous's "Gift" and the Shunammite Woman
Authors: Plate S. Brent , RODRIGUEZ MANGUAL Edna M.
Published: April 2008

2 Kgs 4:8-37 tells of a relationship between a nameless "Shunammite woman" and the prophet Elisha. This relationship revolves around a series of gift exchanges between these two figures-most notably they are exchanges centered around the sexually-charged space of a bed. However, the two figures "give" out of different economies. French writer Hélène Cixous has discussed the sexual difference involved with economies of giving and has coined the two interlapping and interfering spaces of the feminine Realm of the Gift and the masculine Realm of the Proper. This essay reads the biblical text through Cixous's economies and results in an interpretation that displays power differentials which have gone almost entirely unnoticed by biblical commentators. By reading the feminine Realm of the Gift alongside the masculine Realm of the Proper, a conflict of power is revealed between the Shunammite woman and the prophet, with the inevitable overtaking of the feminine Realm by the masculine Realm. Yet, by going further with Cixous's thought, this essay demonstrates that the story may be read in a way that escapes such a takeover.
Islamic Law and Muslim Minorities: the Juristic Discourse On Muslim Minorities From the Second/Eighth To the Eleventh/Seventeenth Centuries
Authors:   Khaled Abou El Fadl
Published: April 2008

This essay examines the juristic discourse on Muslim minorities from the second/eighth century to the eleventh/seventeenth century with regard to (1) whether or not Muslims may reside in non-Muslim territory and under what circumstances; (2) the relationship of these Muslims to dār al-Islām; and (3) the ethical and legal duties that these Muslims owe to the Sharī'a and to their host non-Muslim polity. The juristic discussions on legality of residence in non-Muslim territory in the first Islamic centuries were cryptic and ambiguous. Systematic juristic positions developed only after the sixth/twelfth century as a response to historical challenges. The various positions adopted by the jurists were a function of historical specificity and reflected a dynamic process of legal development. In theory, the position of Muslim minorities residing in non-Muslim territory is problematic because of the traditional dichotomy between dār al-Islām and dār al-harb. In practice, the persistent existence of Muslim minorities residing outside dār al-Islām challenged this dichotomous view. The linguistic dichotomy between dār al-Islām and dār al-harb obscures a much more complex historical reality. The juristic discourse on the issue was not dogmatic and does not lend itself to essentialist positions.