bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Granulocytapheresis and plasma exchange for severe alcoholic hepatitis
Authors: Horie Yoshinori
Published: February 2012

Background and Aim:  Severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) is an inflammatory response with multiple morbidity factors like leucocytosis, hepatomegaly, renal failure, hepatic encephalopathy, endotoxemia, and a high mortality rate. Identifying therapeutic interventions that can improve prognosis is the goal of research.

Methods:  Questionnaires were sent to 1234 medical institutions asking for information on patients with SAH during 2004 to 2008, including patients' demography, disease profile and the therapeutic interventions patients had received during hospitalization.

Results:  Forty‐five hospitals had treated SAH patients, and provided full demographic data on 98 patients. Forty‐eight patients had received no treatment, 12 patients had received granulocytes/monocytes apheresis (GMA) to deplete elevated myeloid lineage leucocytes, the rest had received one or more of the following treatments, corticosteroids, plasma exchange (PE) and hemodialysis (HD). Further, 38 patients had died and 60 had survived within 100 days of hospitalization. Serum creatinine (Cr) was higher in patients who had died versus patients who had survived (P = 0.001). Likewise, patients with white blood cells (WBC) ≥ 104/µL had higher mortality rate versus patients with WBC < 104/µL (P = 0.018). GMA in patients with WBC ≥ 104/µL showed improved prognosis versus in patients with WBC ≥ 104/µL who did not receive GMA (P = 0.0006). Corticosteroids, plasma exchange and HD did not significantly impact prognosis of SAH patients.

Conclusions:  Our perception is that, patients with elevated myeloid leucocytes benefit most from GMA, while plasma exchange appears to support patients with coagulation deficiency or high plasma bilirubin and HD has indication in patients with high Cr.
Novel anti‐fibrotic modalities for liver fibrosis: Molecular targeting and regenerative medicine in fibrosis therapy
Authors: Inagaki Yutaka , Higashiyama Reiichi , Higashi Kiyoshi
Published: February 2012

Based on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying hepatic fibrogenesis, several kinds of approaches have been proposed to treat liver fibrosis. Among a number of growth factors and cytokines that regulate collagen metabolism, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β is the most potent factor to accelerate liver fibrosis by activating hepatic stellate cells, stimulating collagen gene transcription, and suppressing matrix metalloproteinases expression. Thus, TGF‐β as well as its intracellular mediators, Smad proteins, can be potential therapeutic targets for liver fibrosis. Constitutive phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of Smad3 is the common feature of activated stellate cells. We have synthesized a novel small compound that inhibits Smad3‐dependent collagen gene transcription by promoting nuclear import of a transcriptional repressor, YB‐1. Another insight into anti‐fibrotic strategies is the contribution of bone marrow‐derived cells to the regression of liver fibrosis. Administration of granulocyte‐colony stimulating factor enhanced the migration of bone marrow‐derived cells into fibrotic liver tissue and accelerated the regression of experimental liver fibrosis. We have recently identified novel unknown factors expressed by bone marrow‐derived cells that not only ameliorate liver fibrosis but also accelerate regeneration of fibrotic liver.
Obesity, autophagy and the pathogenesis of liver and pancreatic cancers
Authors: Aghajan Mariam , Li Ning , Karin Michael
Published: February 2012

Liver and pancreatic cancers are both highly lethal diseases with limited to no therapeutic options for patients. Recent studies suggest that deregulated autophagy plays a role in the pathogenesis of these diseases by perturbing cellular homeostasis and laying the foundation for disease development. While accumulation of p62 upon impaired autophagy has been implicated in hepatocellular carcinoma, its role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains less clear. This review will focus on recent studies illustrating the role of autophagy in liver and pancreatic cancers. The relationships between autophagy, nuclear factor‐κB signaling and obesity in hepatocellular carcinoma will be discussed, as well as the dual role of autophagy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Cancer stem cells generated by alcohol, diabetes, and hepatitis C virus
Authors: Machida Keigo , Chen Chia‐Lin , Liu Jian‐Chang , Kashiwabara Claudine , Feldman Douglas , French Samuel W , Sher Linda , Hyeongnam Jeong Joseph , Tsukamoto Hidekazu
Published: February 2012

Cancer stem cells (tumor‐initiating stem‐like cells: TISCs) are resistant to chemotherapy and are associated with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is commonly observed in hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐infected patients with obesity or alcohol abuse. However, it is unknown whether the TLR4‐NANOG pathway serves as a universal oncogenic signaling in the genesis of TISCs and HCC. We aimed to determine whether Tlr4 is a putative proto‐oncogene for TISCs in liver oncogenesis due to different etiologies and how Tlr4 is regulated at the transcriptional and epigenetic levels. CD133+/CD49f+ TISCs were isolated using FACS from HCC developed in HCV Core Tg mice fed alcohol, diethylnitrosamine‐treated mice, and alcoholic patients with or without HCV infection. CD133+/CD49f+ cells isolated from the animal models and patients are tumorigenic both in vitro and in a xenograft model, and Tlr4 or Nanog silencing with shRNA attenuates their tumor initiating property. Functional oncogene screening of a cDNA library identified the organ size control pathway targets Yap1 and AKT activator Igf2bp3 as NANOG‐dependent genes that inhibit transforming growth factor‐β signaling in TISCs. Tlr4 expression is higher in TISCs compared with CD133‐/CD49f+ cells. Taken together, Tlr4 may be a universal proto‐oncogene responsible for the genesis of TLR4‐NANOG dependent TISCs, and this pathway serves as a novel therapeutic target for HCC.
Bone marrow‐derived proangiogenic cells in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Mizukami Yusuke
Published: February 2012

Tumor‐derived signals systemically induce an angiogenic switch that allows cancer cells to survive and grow. However, the vascular network in tumors is not well organized and fails to meet metabolic needs to maintain tissue homeostasis, resulting in significant hypoxia. Among various tumors, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) typically develops in an unusually disordered microenvironment, which contributes to its highly aggressive behavior. Since anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (Avastin) has failed to demonstrate a survival benefit in PDAC, we need to re‐visit the basic biology of this disease and understand what makes it so refractory to the anti‐angiogenic approaches that are clinically effective in other neoplasms. To address this issue, we specifically focused on the process of neovascularization where bone marrow‐derived cells (BMDCs) play a role during pancreatic tumorigenesis. We have identified subsets of BMDCs that regulate key processes during development of the neovessels through paracrine Hedgehog signaling. Considering the importance of systemic responses occurring in tumor bearing hosts, we are currently using genetically engineered mice, which spontaneously develop PDAC, Pdx1‐Cre;LSL‐KrasG12D;p53lox/+ strain, to clarify critical events that can trigger aberrant angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer. These studies allow us to provide insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of pancreatic tumorigenesis and have an implication for the design of therapies against this difficult disease.
Iron and steatohepatitis
Authors: Corradini Elena , Pietrangelo Antonello
Published: February 2012

As the main iron storage site in the body and the main source of the iron‐regulatory hormone, hepcidin, the liver plays a pivotal role in iron homeostasis. A variable degree of hepatic iron accumulation has long been recognized in a number of chronic liver diseases. Both alcoholic and non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis display increased iron deposits in the liver, with an hepatocellular, mesenchymal, or mixed pattern, and recent reports have documented a concomitant aberrant hepcidin expression that could be linked to different coincidental pathogenic events (e.g. the etiological agent itself, necroinflammation, metabolic derangements, genetic predisposition). The present study reviews the pathogenic mechanisms of iron accumulation in steatohepatitis during alcoholic and non‐alcoholic liver disease and the role of excess iron in chronic disease progression.
Morphogens and hepatic stellate cell fate regulation in chronic liver disease
Authors: Tsukamoto Hidekazu , Zhu Nian‐Ling , Wang Jiaohong , Asahina Kinji , Machida Keigo
Published: February 2012

Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are the liver mesenchymal cell type which responds to hepatocellular damage and participates in wound healing. Although HSC myofibroblastic trans‐differentiation (activation) is implicated in excessive extracellular matrix deposition, molecular understanding of this phenotypic switch from the viewpoint of cell fate regulation is limited. Recent studies demonstrate the roles of anti‐adipogenic morphogens (Wnt, Necdin, Shh) in epigenetic repression of the HSC differentiation gene Pparγ as a causal event in HSC activation. These morphogens have positive cross‐interactions which converge to epigenetic repression of Pparγ involving the methyl‐CpG binding protein MeCP2. However, these morphogens expressed by activated HSC may also participate in cross‐talk between HSC and hepatoblasts/hepatocytes to support liver regeneration, and their aberrant regulation may contribute to liver tumorigenesis. Implications of HSC‐derived morphogens in these possibilities are discussed.
Alcohol, insulin resistance and the liver–brain axis
Authors: de la Monte Suzanne , Derdak Zoltan , Wands Jack R
Published: February 2012

Chronic alcohol exposure inhibits insulin and insulin‐like growth factor signaling in the liver and brain by impairing the signaling cascade at multiple levels. These alterations produced by alcohol cause severe hepatic and central nervous system insulin resistance as the cells fail to adequately transmit signals downstream through Erk/mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), which is needed for DNA synthesis and liver regeneration, and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K), which promotes growth, survival, cell motility, glucose utilization, plasticity, and energy metabolism. The robust inhibition of insulin signaling in liver and brain is augmented by additional factors involving the activation of phosphatases such as phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN), which further impairs insulin signaling through PI3K/Akt. Thus, intact insulin signaling is important for neuronal survival. Chronic alcohol consumption produces steatohepatitis, which also promotes hepatic insulin resistance, oxidative stress and injury, with the attendant increased generation of “toxic lipids” such as ceramides that increase insulin resistance. The PI3K/Akt signaling cascade is altered by direct interaction with ceramides as well as through PTEN upregulation as a downstream target gene of enhanced p53 transcriptional activity. Cytotoxic ceramides transferred from the liver to the blood can enter the brain due to their lipid‐soluble nature, and thereby exert neurodegenerative effects via a liver–brain axis. We postulate that the neurotoxic and neurodegenerative effects of liver‐derived ceramides activate pro‐inflammatory cytokines and increase lipid adducts and insulin resistance in the brain to impair cognitive and motor function. These observations are discussed in the context of insulin sensitizers as potential cytoprotective agents against liver and brain injury induced by alcohol.
Interactions of alcohol and tobacco in gastrointestinal cancer
Authors: Salaspuro Mikko
Published: February 2012

Cancer prevention is based on the identification of specific etiologic factors. Acetaldehyde derived from the alcoholic beverage itself and formed from ethanol endogenously has recently been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization as a group 1 carcinogen to humans. This is based on the uniform epidemiological and biochemical evidence derived from individuals carrying alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase gene mutations. After drinking alcohol, these mutations are associated with increased exposure of the upper digestive tract to acetaldehyde and as well with a remarkably increased risk for upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancers. Acetaldehyde is the key intermediate in alcoholic fermentation and ethanol oxidation. Therefore, it is widely present in our environment. Furthermore, it is the most abundant carcinogenic compound of tobacco smoke. Most of the known risk factors for upper digestive tract cancer appear to be associated with an enhanced exposure of GI mucosa to locally formed acetaldehyde. In these process microbes, salivary glands and even mucosal cells appear to play an essential role. Consequently, in the presence of ethanol mutagenic acetaldehyde concentrations are found in the saliva, achlorhydric stomach and colon. Equal acetaldehyde concentrations are seen in saliva also during active smoking. ALDH2‐deficiency and high active ADH1C result in two‐ to threefold salivary acetaldehyde concentrations after a dose of alcohol and this prevails for as long as ethanol is present in the blood and saliva. Regarding cancer prevention, the good news is that acetaldehyde exposure can be markedly reduced. This can be achieved by giving high priority for regulatory measures and consumer guidance.
Sleep and academic performance in Indigenous Australian children from a remote community: An exploratory study
Authors: Cooper Patrick , Kohler Mark , Blunden Sarah
Published: February 2012

Aim:  Disruptions to sleep in childhood are associated with poor behaviour and deficits in academic performance and executive function. Although academic performance of indigenous children from remote communities in Australia is documented as well below that of non‐indigenous children, the extent of sleep disruption and its contribution to academic performance among this population has not been assessed. This pilot study aimed to objectively assess the sleep of remote indigenous children and the association between sleep disruption and both academic performance and executive function.

Method:  Twenty‐one children from a remote Australian indigenous community aged 6–13 years wore actigraphy for two consecutive nights, reported subjective sleepiness, and were objectively assessed for academic performance (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, 2nd Edition) and executive function (NEuroloPSYcological Assessment‐II).

Results:  Results show marked reduction in sleep time, sleep fragmentation, academic performance and auditory attention compared with non‐indigenous norms. Sleep duration was not associated with performance, possibly because of reduced sleep and performance observed across the entire group. Sleep fragmentation was associated with reduced reading and numerical skills (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:  The sleep of indigenous children in remote communities is an important area of future inquiry, and our initial findings of poor sleep and an association between sleep disruption and academic performance may have important implications for intervention strategies aimed at ‘closing the gap’. Further studies should assess a broader range of demographic, social and economic factors to better understand the associations reported here and guide future intervention.
Chromosome microarray in Australia: A guide for paediatricians
Authors: Palmer Elizabeth E , Peters Greg B , Mowat David
Published: February 2012

Chromosomal microarray or molecular karyotype has become the first‐line genetic investigation for children with intellectual disability, autistic spectrum disorder or multiple congenital anomalies. Chromosomal microarray increases the detection rate of pathogenic chromosome imbalances including submicroscopic deletions or duplications in patients with undiagnosed intellectual disability to approximately 15% compared with 3% with conventional cytogenetics. This review article summarises the diagnostic technique and highlights the advantages and limitations of chromosomal microarray. Our aim is to assist clinicians in providing pretest counselling and with interpretation of the result.
Isolation of functional dendritic cells from murine kidneys for immunological characterization
Authors: TETERIS SIMON ALEXANDER , HOCHHEISER KATHARINA , KURTS CHRISTIAN
Published: February 2012

Aim:  The kidney is a complex organ, requiring the contributions of multiple cell types to perform its various functions. Within this system the dendritic cell has been demonstrated to play a key role in maintaining the immunological balance of the kidney. In this methods paper we aim to identify the best method for isolating murine renal dendritic cells.

Methods:  The efficiency of isolating dendritic cells from enzymatically digested renal parenchyma by density centrifugation, MACS and FACS was compared.

Results:  Density centrifugation enriched dendritic cells by only approximately two fold. However, MACS and FACS resulted in a much higher purity (80% versus 95% respectively).

Conclusions:  Although FACS gave the highest purity, MACS is the optimal method for isolating dendritic cells given cost and time factors. Isolation of a homogeneous population of renal dendritic cells will enable the molecular and functional dissection of these cells in both homeostasis and disease models.
Maternal childrearing anxiety reflects childrearing burden and quality of life
Authors: Mishina Hiroki , Takayama John Ichiro , Aizawa Shiyu , Tsuchida Nao , Sugama Seiichi
Published: February 2012

Background:  The government of Japan has recently initiated public programs to allay maternal childrearing anxiety. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of childrearing anxiety and describe its relationships with perceived childrearing burden and maternal quality of life (QOL).

Methods:  A secondary analysis was done of survey data from 1229 mothers enrolled in the Seiiku Birth Cohort Study at the National Center for Child Health and Development between November 2003 and December 2006. Childrearing anxiety was determined by asking mothers, at infant age 3 months, ‘Regarding childrearing, do you have any anxiety or worry?’. Childrearing burden was assessed in specific categories such as physical fatigue, household expenses, and personal time. The validated Japanese translation of the WHOQOL‐BREF instrument was used to measure Maternal QOL.

Results:  Sixty‐four percent of mothers reported some and 9% much childrearing anxiety. In total, 73% percent of mothers reported any childrearing anxiety. As childrearing anxiety increased from ‘none’ to ‘some’ and ‘much’, the proportion of mothers who reported any childrearing burden increased from 75% to 99% (P < 0.001). QOL scores in each of four domains (physical, psychological, social relationships, and environment) decreased with increasing level of anxiety (P < 0.001). Primiparity, pregnant with more than a singleton and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit were associated with greater anxiety.

Conclusions:  The strong associations between childrearing anxiety and childrearing burden, and between childrearing anxiety and maternal QOL, suggest that childrearing anxiety is an empirically credible and measurable phenomenon.
Reconstructing normality: Characteristics of staff interactions with forensic mental health inpatients
Authors: Gildberg Frederik A. , Bradley Stephen K. , Fristed Peter , Hounsgaard Lise
Published: February 2012

Forensic psychiatry is an area of priority for the Danish Government. As the field expands, this calls for increased knowledge about mental health nursing practice, as this is part of the forensic psychiatry treatment offered. However, only sparse research exists in this area. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of forensic mental health nursing staff interaction with forensic mental health inpatients and to explore how staff give meaning to these interactions. The project included 32 forensic mental health staff members, with over 307 hours of participant observations, 48 informal interviews, and seven semistructured interviews. The findings show that staff interaction is typified by the use of trust and relationship‐enabling care, which is characterized by the establishment and maintenance of an informal, trusting relationship through a repeated reconstruction of normality. The intention is to establish a trusting relationship to form behaviour and perceptual‐corrective care, which is characterized by staff's endeavours to change, halt, or support the patient's behaviour or perception in relation to staff's perception of normality. The intention is to support and teach the patient normal behaviour by correcting their behaviour, and at the same time, maintaining control and security by staying abreast of potential conflicts.
Language performance and auditory evoked fields in 2‐ to 5‐year‐old children
Authors: Yoshimura Yuko , Kikuchi Mitsuru , Shitamichi Kiyomi , Ueno Sanae , Remijn Gerard B. , Haruta Yasuhiro , Oi Manabu , Munesue Toshio , Tsubokawa Tsunehisa , Higashida Haruhiro , Minabe Yoshio
Published: February 2012

Language development progresses at a dramatic rate in preschool children. As rapid temporal processing of speech signals is important in daily colloquial environments, we performed magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate the linkage between speech‐evoked responses during rapid‐rate stimulus presentation (interstimulus interval < 1 s) and language performance in 2‐ to 5‐year‐old children (n = 59). Our results indicated that syllables with this short stimulus interval evoked detectable P50m, but not N100m, in most participants, indicating a marked influence of longer neuronal refractory period for stimulation. The results of equivalent dipole estimation showed that the intensity of the P50m component in the left hemisphere was positively correlated with language performance (conceptual inference ability). The observed positive correlations were suggested to reflect the maturation of synaptic organisation or axonal maturation and myelination underlying the acquisition of linguistic abilities. The present study is among the first to use MEG to study brain maturation pertaining to language abilities in preschool children.
Ocean acidification reduces coral recruitment by disrupting intimate larval‐algal settlement interactions
Authors: Doropoulos Christopher , Ward Selina , Diaz‐Pulido Guillermo , Hoegh‐Guldberg Ove , Mumby Peter J.
Published: February 2012

Ecology Letters (2012) 15: 338–346

Successful recruitment in shallow reef ecosystems often involves specific cues that connect planktonic invertebrate larvae with particular crustose coralline algae (CCA) during settlement. While ocean acidification (OA) can reduce larval settlement and the abundance of CCA, the impact of OA on the interactions between planktonic larvae and their preferred settlement substrate are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that CO2 concentrations (800 and 1300 μatm) predicted to occur by the end of this century significantly reduce coral (Acropora millepora) settlement and CCA cover by ≥ 45%. The CCA important for inducing coral settlement (Titanoderma spp., Hydrolithon spp.) were the most deleteriously affected by OA. Surprisingly, the only preferred settlement substrate (Titanoderma) in the experimental controls was avoided by coral larvae as pCO2 increased, and other substrata selected. Our results suggest OA may reduce coral population recovery by reducing coral settlement rates, disrupting larval settlement behaviour, and reducing the availability of the most desirable coralline algal species for successful coral recruitment.
Thrombo‐prophylaxis in colorectal surgery: a National Questionnaire Survey of the members of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland
Authors: Srinivasaiah N. , Arsalani‐Zadeh R. , Monson J. R.
Published: February 2012

Aim  Available guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) recommend combined (medical + mechanical) thrombo‐ prophylaxis. A Cochrane Library review recommends self‐administered low‐molecular‐weight heparin (LMWH) for 2–3 weeks following surgery. In the light of the recent guidelines from the ACPGBI and NICE, we undertook a National Questionnaire Survey to assess current thrombo‐prophylaxis practice among colorectal surgeons in the UK.

Method  A 10‐item questionnaire was designed to enquire into the current management strategy of postoperative thrombo‐prophylaxis. The postal questionnaire survey was sent to all 490 active consultant members of the ACPGBI.

Results  Of the 490 questionnaires sent, 259 (52.8%) were returned fully completed. Among these, all (100%) respondents reported the routine use of thrombo‐prophylaxis, with 243 (93.8%) following departmental guidelines. Combined medical and mechanical prophylaxis was used by 247 (95.40%) respondents. A small number – 12 (4.6%) – used medical prophylaxis only. LMWH was the preferred medical‐prophylactic agent of 243 (93.8%) repondents. The majority, 176 (68%), started thrombo‐prophylaxis on admission and stopped it at discharge. Seventy‐one (27.4%) respondents recommended thrombo‐prophylaxis after hospital discharge for an average duration of 4–6 weeks, preferring graduated compression stockings followed by LMWH.

Conclusion  The National Questionnaire Survey on thrombo‐prophylaxis demonstrated a high degree of concordance with the available guidelines, except for thrombo‐prophylaxis to be continued postoperatively for a period of 28 days/4 weeks.
Risk adjusted benchmarking of clinical anastomotic leakage rate after total mesorectal excision in the context of an improvement project
Authors: Penninckx F. , Beirens K. , Fieuws S. , Ceelen W. , Demetter P. , Haustermans K. , Van de Stadt J. , Vindevoghel K. ,   on behalf of PROCARE
Published: February 2012

Aim  Anastomotic leakage (AL) after total mesorectal excision (TME) is a major adverse event. This study evaluates variability in AL between centres participating on a voluntary basis in PROCARE, a Belgian improvement project, and how further improvement of the AL rate might be achieved.

Method  Between January 2006 and March 2011, detailed data on 1815 patients (mean age 65.5 years, 63% male) who underwent elective TME with colo‐anal reconstruction for rectal cancer were registered by 48 centres. Variability in early clinical AL rate was analysed before and after adjustment for gender, age > 60 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 3 or more and body mass index > 25 kg/m2.

Results  The overall AL rate was 6.7% (95% CI 5.6%–7.9%). Early AL required reoperation in 86.8% of patients. It increased length of hospital stay from 14.7 days to 32.4 days and in‐hospital mortality from 1.1% to 4.8%. Statistically significant variability in AL rate between centres was not observed, either before or after risk adjustment. Nonetheless, further improvement may be achievable in some centres by targeting the adjusted performance of better performing centres. These centres used neoadjuvant treatment, rectal irrigation, mobilization of the splenic flexure, resection of the sigmoid colon, side‐to‐end colo‐anastomosis with or without pouch and defunctioning stoma at primary surgery in a significantly higher proportion of patients than less well performing centres.

Conclusion  The overall AL rate was low but needs to be interpreted with caution because of incomplete registration. Further improvement might be achieved by adopting the approach of better performing centres.
Northern genetic richness and southern purity, but just one species in the Chelonoidis chilensis complex
Authors: Fritz Uwe , Alcalde Leandro , Vargas‐Ramírez Mario , Goode Eric V. , Fabius‐Turoblin David Uri , Praschag Peter
Published: February 2012

Fritz, U., Alcalde, L., Vargas‐Ramírez, M., Goode, E.V., Fabius‐Turoblin, D.U. & Praschag, P. (2012). Northern genetic richness and southern purity, but just one species in the Chelonoidis chilensis complex. —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 220–232.

The Chelonoidis chilensis complex, the sister group of the famous Galápagos tortoises, is a widely distributed group of South American land tortoises, ranging from the dry Chaco of Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina to northern Patagonia. Within this complex, up to three distinct species have been recognized. Using sequence data of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and length polymorphisms of 10 microsatellite loci, we investigate genetic differentiation among all three nominal species. We find only negligible differentiation, with decreasing genetic diversity from north to south. We conclude that only one species, Chelonoidis chilensis (Gray, 1870), is valid, with C. donosobarrosi (Freiberg, 1973) and C. petersi (Freiberg, 1973) as its junior synonyms. Morphological variation within C. chilensis sensu lato is in accord with the observation that size variation in chelonians follows Bergmann’s rule, with body size increasing with latitude. The observed phylogeographic differentiation inverses the well‐known pattern of southern genetic richness and northern purity from the northern hemisphere, resulting from dispersal from glacial refugia. This implies that in higher latitudes of both hemispheres genetic diversity may decrease with increasing distance from the refugium. For C. chilensis sensu lato, it seems likely that long‐distance dispersal via rafting on the Desaguadero River led to the foundation of the southernmost populations in northern Patagonia during the Holocene.
The mitochondrial genomes of Cambaroides similis and Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Astacidea: Cambaridae): the phylogenetic implications for Reptantia
Authors: Kim Sanghee , Park Mi‐Hyun , Jung Jae‐Ho , Ahn Dong‐Ha , Sultana Tahera , Kim Sejoo , Park Joong‐Ki , Choi Han‐Gu , Min Gi‐Sik
Published: February 2012

Kim, S., Park, M.‐H., Jung, J.‐H., Ahn, D.‐H., Sultana, T., Kim, S., Park, J.‐K., Choi, H.‐G. & Min, G.‐S. (2012). The mitochondrial genomes of Cambaroides similis and Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Astacidea: Cambaridae): the phylogenetic implications for Reptantia. —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 281–292.

We determined the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome sequences of two northern hemisphere freshwater crayfish species, Cambaroides similis and Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Astacidea: Cambaridae). These species have an identical gene order with typical metazoan mt genome compositions. However, their gene arrangement was very distinctive compared with the pan‐crustacean ground pattern because of the presence of a long inverted block, which included 19 coding genes and a control region (CR). Because the CR was inverted, their nucleotide frequencies showed a reversed strand‐specific bias compared with the other decapods. Based on a comparative analysis of mt genome arrangements between southern and northern hemisphere crayfish and their putative close marine relative (Homarus americanus, a true clawed lobster), we postulated that the ancestor of freshwater crayfish had a typical pan‐crustacean mtDNA gene order, similar to its marine relatives. Based on this assumption, we traced the most parsimonious gene rearrangement scenario of the northern hemisphere crayfish. In a phylogenetic study on the infraordinal relationships in reptan decapods, the lineage Lineata [Thalassinidea (Brachyura, Anomura)] was well supported, while the infraorder positions of Achelata and Astacidea remained unidentified.
Engineering starch accumulation by manipulation of phosphate metabolism of starch
Authors: Weise Sean E. , Aung Kimberly , Jarou Zach J. , Mehrshahi Payam , Li Ziru , Hardy Anna C. , Carr David J. , Sharkey Thomas D.
Published: February 2012

A new understanding of leaf starch degradation has emerged in the last 10 years. It has been shown that starch phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are critical components of this process. Glucan, water dikinase (GWD) (and phosphoglucan, water dikinase) adds phosphate to starch, and phosphoglucan phosphatase (SEX4) removes these phosphates. To explore the use of this metabolism to manipulate starch accumulation, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants were engineered by introducing RNAi constructs designed to reduce expression of AtGWD and AtSEX4. The timing of starch build‐up was altered with ethanol‐inducible and senescence‐induced gene promoters. Ethanol induction of RNAi lines reduced transcript for AtGWD and AtSEX4 by 50%. The transgenic lines had seven times more starch than wild type at the end of the dark period but similar growth rates and total biomass. Elevated leaf starch content in maize leaves was engineered by making an RNAi construct against a gene in maize that appeared to be homologous to AtGWD. The RNAi construct was expressed using the constitutive ubiquitin promoter. Leaf starch content at the end of a night period in engineered maize plants was 20‐fold higher than in untransformed plants with no impact on total plant biomass. We conclude that plants can be engineered to accumulate starch in the leaves with little impact on vegetative biomass.
A Contingency Model of Boards of Directors and Firm Innovation: The Moderating Role of Firm Size
Authors: Zona Fabio , Zattoni Alessandro , Minichilli Alessandro
Published: February 2012

This study asserts that the effects of board characteristics on firm innovation need to be evaluated with reference to contingency variables. A literature review suggests that relatively few studies adopt a contingency view when examining the outcomes of boards of directors. This study examines the influence on firm innovation of characteristics such as board size, outsider ratio and board diversity, and suggests that their influence is contingent upon firm size. The model is tested on a sample of Italian companies and finds support for the contingency hypothesis. This study advances research on boards of directors by emphasizing the importance of context.
Do Human Resource Practices Enhance Organizational Commitment in SMEs with Low Employee Satisfaction?
Authors: Saridakis George , Muñoz Torres Rebeca , Johnstone Stewart
Published: February 2012

This paper considers a large matched employee–employer data set to estimate a model of organizational commitment. In particular, it focuses on the role of firm size and management formality to explain organizational commitment in British small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) with high and low levels of employee satisfaction. It is shown that size ‘in itself’ can explain differences in organizational commitment, and that organizational commitment tends to be higher in organizations with high employee satisfaction compared with organizations of similar size with low employee satisfaction. Crucially, the results suggest that formal human resource (HR) practices can be used as important tools to increase commitment and thus, potentially, effort and performance within underperforming SMEs with low employee satisfaction. However, formal HR practices commonly used by large firms may be unnecessary in SMEs which benefit from high employee satisfaction and positive employment relations within a context of informality.
History, networks, and the quest for power: ancient political competition in the Lower Motagua Valley, Guatemala
Authors: SCHORTMAN EDWARD M. , ASHMORE WENDY
Published: February 2012

Capturing the fluid, dynamic interactions that constitute political form and change is best accomplished by adopting a network perspective. This approach calls attention to how power contests are waged close to the ground by self‐reflexive agents who co‐operate within wider webs to mobilize material and conceptual resources in support of common political projects. Political contests are, thus, waged within networks of networks in which decisions are made and across which the consequences of those choices are felt. This framework is used to disentangle the outcomes of a dramatic event in Mesoamerican prehistory: the beheading of one lowland Maya monarch by his erstwhile subordinate. The case study illustrates how political processes are best grasped as the results of initiatives instigated by variably well‐informed agents of all ranks, living in diverse locales, who co‐operate with some and compete with others to take advantage of new opportunities to define and meet their goals.

Pour saisir les interactions fluides et dynamiques qui constituent la forme et le changement en politique, la meilleure approche pourrait être une analyse de réseaux. L’accent est alors placé sur la façon dont les luttes de pouvoir sont menées au ras du sol par des agents réflexifs coopérant au sein de réseaux plus larges en vue de mobiliser des ressources matérielles et conceptuelles à l’appui de projets politiques communs. Les compétitions politiques s’inscrivent donc dans des réseaux de réseaux, où les décisions sont prises et dans lesquels leurs conséquences sont ressenties. Ce cadre est utilisé pour démêler les tenants et les aboutissants d’un événement dramatique de la préhistoire d’Amérique Centrale : la décapitation d’un monarque maya des plaines par un ancien subordonné. Cette étude de cas montre l’intérêt d’appréhender les processus politiques comme les résultats d’initiatives prises par des agents de tous rangs, plus ou moins bien informés et vivant dans des lieux divers, qui coopèrent avec certains et sont en concurrence avec d’autres pour profiter des nouvelles occasions de définir et d’atteindre leurs buts.
The pastor and the prophetess: an analysis of gender and Christianity in Vanuatu
Authors: ERIKSEN ANNELIN
Published: February 2012

The focus of this article is the proliferation of new charismatic Pentecostal churches in the South Pacific nation Vanuatu. The established Presbyterian Church on the island of Ambrym is compared to a new Pentecostal church in the capital Port Vila in terms of gender. The idea of a vanishing form of masculinity and the development of a form of ‘gender nostalgia’ is emphasized in the comparison. By looking at gender relations, new perspectives on the difference between the new churches and more established churches emerge, and these perspectives, I argue, might also give us an understanding of why fission seem to be inevitable for the new Pentecostal churches in Vanuatu.

Le présent article s’intéresse à la prolifération des nouvelles Églises pentecôtistes charismatiques au Vanuatu, une nation du Pacifique Sud. Il propose un comparaison du point de vue des rapports de genre entre l’Église presbytérienne établie dans l’île d’Ambrym et une nouvelle assemblée pentecôtiste de la capitale, Port Vila. Cette comparaison met l’accent sur l’idée d’une forme de masculinité en voie de disparition et sur le développement d’une certaine « nostalgie de genre ». L’examen des rapports sociaux de sexes fait apparaître de nouveaux angles d’approche de la différence entre les nouvelles Églises et les plus établies. L’auteure affirme que ces approches peuvent permettre de comprendre pourquoi le schisme semble inévitable pour les nouvelles Églises pentecôtistes du Vanuatu.
Pentecostalism and the morality of money: prosperity, inequality, and religious sociality on the Zambian Copperbelt
Authors: HAYNES NAOMI
Published: February 2012

As part of a growing body of work focused on the social implications of Pentecostal Christianity, this article explores one of the ways that this religion is shaping relational life on the Zambian Copperbelt. Through a discussion of the changing nature of the prosperity gospel, I show how Pentecostalism embeds believers in social relationships that often extend beyond their religious cohort. In the absence of the lavish wealth promised by prosperity gospel preachers, Pentecostals have had to alter their understanding of divinely authored economic success. Specifically, local definitions of prosperity are characterized not by uniform, individualized wealth, but rather by progress along a gradient of material achievement through relationships that span differences in economic status. This retooled version of the prosperity gospel serves to integrate believers into the wider social world by emphasizing material inequality and promoting displays of wealth. Each of these aspects of Copperbelt Pentecostalism embeds its adherents in networks of exchange that are a central component of urban Zambian sociality. This analysis of Pentecostalism expands on studies of this religion that focus only on formal ritual life, while at the same time challenging interpretations of Pentecostalism that have given its social potential short shrift.

Le présent article s’inscrit dans un corpus de plus en plus important de travaux consacrés aux implications sociales du christianisme pentecôtiste. Il explore l’une des manières dont cette religion façonne la vie relationnelle dans la province du Copperbelt, en Zambie. Par la discussion de la nature changeante de la théologie de la prospérité, l’auteure montre comment le pentecôtisme intègre ses fidèles dans des relations sociales qui s’étendent souvent au‐delà des limites de leur communauté religieuse. Ne voyant pas venir l’abondance promise par les prédicateurs de la doctrine de la prospérité, les pentecôtistes ont dû revoir leur interprétation d’une réussite économique sanctionnée par Dieu. Plus précisément, les définitions locales de la prospérité sont caractérisées non pas par une possession de biens uniforme et individualisée mais plutôt par une progression suivant un gradient de réussite matérielle, par le biais de relations franchissant les différences de situation économique. Cette version remaniée de la théologie de la prospérité sert à intégrer les croyants dans le monde social qui les entoure, en mettant l’accent sur les inégalités matérielles et en encourageant les signes extérieurs de richesse. Chacun de ces aspects du pentecôtisme dans le Copperbelt intègre les fidèles dans des réseaux d’échange qui sont une composante essentielle de la société zambienne urbaine. L’analyse du pentecôtisme réalisée ici commente les études de cette religion axées uniquement sur le rituel, tout en remettant en question les interprétations faisant peu de cas du potentiel social du pentecôtisme.
Demonic trade: debt, materiality, and agency in Amazonia
Authors: WALKER HARRY
Published: February 2012

This article examines Amazonian Urarina engagements with the system of debt peonage in light of the conceptual and ontological premises of the traditional subsistence economy. It argues that to view debt as a mechanism for harnessing indigenous labour is inadequate for comprehending the wilfulness with which Urarina indebt themselves to outsiders today, which should instead be considered in terms of local theories of agency and an aversion to immediate, market‐style exchange. This relational and hierarchically distributed view of agency is further implicated in ideas surrounding industrial goods, which are ascribed to the Devil as their putative maker and owner, and who is seen as the source of their power over people in this life and the next. If this brand of commodity ‘fetishism’ expresses moral ambivalence towards capitalism, it also mediates otherwise contradictory forms of production and exchange, repudiating the possibility of total rupture between persons and things.

L’auteur examine ici l’engagement des Unarina d’Amazonie dans un système de servage pour dettes, à la lumière des prémisses conceptuelles et ontologiques de l’économie de subsistance traditionnelle. Il avance que la vision de l’endettement comme d’un mécanisme visant à capturer la main‐d’œuvre indigène ne convient pas pour comprendre la bonne volonté avec laquelle les Unarina s’endettent aujourd’hui vis‐à‐vis de parfaits inconnus. Au lieu de cela, l’approche doit s’appuyer sur les théories locales de l’agent et sur l’aversion des Unarina envers les transactions non différées, de type marchand. Cette notion d’agencyrelationnelle, distribuée de façon hiérarchique, se retrouve dans les idées liées aux marchandises industrielles, dont le fabricant et le propriétaire supposé serait le Diable, considéré comme la source de leur pouvoir sur les gens dans cette vie et la vie future. Quoique ce mode de « fétichisme » des marchandises exprime une ambivalence morale à l’égard du capitalisme, il médie par ailleurs des formes de production et d’échange qui seraient sinon contradictoires, réfutant la possibilité d’une rupture totale entre les gens et les choses.
What's up, Doctor Goffman? Tell us where the action is!
Authors: HANDLER RICHARD
Published: February 2012

Erving Goffman was a master of the long essay, a genre comparatively rare in contemporary sociological and anthropological writing. While there is a steadily expanding secondary literature on Goffman, few of his commentators have provided close readings of individual essays. This article offers close readings of ‘Where the action is’ and ‘Normal appearances’ to demonstrate the potential of this approach to the analysis of Goffman's oeuvre.

Erving Goffman était un maître de l’essai long, genre relativement peu répandu dans l’écriture sociologique et anthropologique contemporaine. Bien que de nouvelles publications lui soient régulièrement consacrées, rares sont, parmi ses commentateurs, ceux qui ont donné une lecture détaillée de ses différents essais. L’auteur propose ici une lecture attentive de Where the action is et Normal appearances, dans le but de démontrer l’intérêt potentiel de cette approche dans l’analyse de l’œuvre de Goffman.
Institutional Change in Europe: Co‐decision and Comitology Transformed*
Authors: HÉRITIER ADRIENNE
Published: February 2012

This article explains how institutional rules changeafterthey have been established in two important areas of European decision‐making: co‐decision and comitology. It shows how legislation under co‐decision was transformed into fast‐track legislation and why the Parliament gradually – between treaty reforms – gained more institutional power in comitology. The rational choice institutionalist explanation applied here focuses on the efficiency increasing/transaction cost saving aspects of interstitial institutional change, but also on the question of who gains and who loses in power under specific rules and how power may subsequently be shifted. The hypotheses derived from the theoretical considerations are subject to empirical (dis)confirmation on the basis of quantitative and qualitative empirical data collected on co‐decision and delegation over time. The conclusion summarizes the argument and explores the applicability of the explanations to two other polities of regional integration: North Atlantic Free Trade Association (Nafta) and Mercosur (the Common Southern Market).
European Monetary Integration with Benefit of Hindsight
Authors: EICHENGREEN BARRY
Published: February 2012

The year 2009 saw a series of events celebrating the first decade of Europe's monetary union. Within a year, however, the eurozone descended into the most serious crisis in its short history. The question posed in this article is whether scholarly analysis of European monetary integration was deficient in ways that led observers to miss impending problems. The answer given here is that the standard analysis was broadly on the mark, although it missed the need for effective oversight of banking and financial systems at the level of the monetary union and underemphasized political economy considerations.
Manipulation of Dhaka cheese curd and effects on cheese quality
Authors: HABIB RAIHAN , WILBEY RODNEY ANDREW , GRANDISON ALISTAIR STEVEN
Published: February 2012

Dhaka cheese is a semihard artisanal variety originating from Bangladesh where manual curd kneading is a normal stage in its manufacture. Dhaka cheeses were produced with different degrees of curd kneading to quantify the curd manipulation process in terms of pressure and to standardise the length of operation. The effect of manipulation on the composition, rheology, texture and microstructure of fresh cheese was also studied. Manipulation had significant effects (P < 0.05–0.001) on most of the parameters studied. One minute of curd manipulation was found to be sufficient for Dhaka cheesemaking.