bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photoperiodic mechanisms controlling scent marking: interactions of vasopressin and gonadal steroids
Authors: Caldwell Heather K. , Smith Debra A. , Albers H. Elliott
Published: February 2008

Microinjection of arginine vasopressin (Avp) into the rostral hypothalamus of Syrian hamsters induces a form of scent marking known as flank marking. The ability of Avp to stimulate flank marking is mediated by the vasopressin 1a receptor (Avpr1a). In hamsters housed in long ‘summer‐like’ photoperiods, the amount of flank marking and the number of Avpr1a receptors in the rostral hypothalamus are regulated by testosterone. However, hamsters housed in short ‘winter‐like’ photoperiods for 6–8 weeks continue to flank mark at high levels despite significant reductions in the circulating levels of testosterone. In the present study, we compared the effects of gonadal steroids on Avp‐induced flank marking and Avpr1a binding and affinity in hamsters housed in short photoperiods and those housed in long photoperiods. In long‐photoperiod‐housed hamsters, castration significantly reduced the amount of Avp‐induced flank marking; however, in short‐photoperiod‐housed hamsters there were no significant differences between gonadally regressed and castrated hamsters. Surprisingly, Avpr1a receptor binding, but not affinity, in the medial preoptic area and the medial preoptic nucleus was significantly reduced in long‐photoperiod‐housed castrates as well as short‐photoperiod‐housed gonadally regressed and castrated hamsters, compared with long‐photoperiod‐housed gonadally intact hamsters. These data demonstrate that in short photoperiods Avp‐induced flank marking is independent of gonadal hormones, despite gonadal steroid‐dependent reductions in Avpr1a binding.
The Home School Knowledge Exchange Project: linking home and school to improve children's literacy
Authors: FEILER ANTHONY , ANDREWS JANE , GREENHOUGH PAMELA , HUGHES MARTIN , JOHNSON DAVID , SCANLAN MARY , YEE WAN CHING
Published: February 2008

The Government is urging teachers to engage more closely with families and is promoting the concept of the ‘extended’ school. This article reports on the literacy strand of the Home School Knowledge Exchange (HSKE) project, directed by Professor Martin Hughes at the University of Bristol. A selection of literacy activities developed during this project is discussed – activities that enabled teachers and parents to share their knowledge about children in order to enhance their learning. These included ‘school‐to‐home’ activities where the direction of knowledge was primarily from teachers to families and ‘home‐to‐school’ activities where families' knowledge of children impacted on school learning. Practical aspects of planning and conducting home–school knowledge exchange activities are discussed, and challenges are explored. The approaches presented in this article provide examples that could be considered and adapted by schools interested in extending their provision for families. This article draws on the recently published Improving Primary Literacy: Linking Home and School (Feiler et al., 2007).
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY AND THEOLOGY: A MUTUALLY ILLUMINATIVE DIALOGUE
Authors: Schaab Gloria L.
Published: February 2008

Scientific perspectives often are perceived to challenge biblically based cosmologies and theologies. Arthur Peacocke, biochemist and theologian, recognized that this challenge actually represents an opportunity for Christian theology to reenvision and reinterpret its traditions in ways that take into account scientific theories of evolution. In the course of his career, Peacocke offered a new paradigm for the dialogue between theology and science. This paper explores his proposals, in particular his theories of language, the God‐world relation, and the nature of God, and exemplifies the impact these proposals had on his theological insights.
REMEMBERING ARTHUR PEACOCKE: A PERSONAL REFLECTION
Authors: Barbour Ian G.
Published: February 2008

I join others who have expressed profound gratitude for the life and thought of Arthur Peacocke. I recall some high points in my interaction with him during a period of forty years as an intellectual companion and personal friend. Some similarities in our thinking about evolution, emergence, top‐down causality, and continuing creation are indicated. Four points of difference are then discussed: (1) Emergent monism or two‐aspect process events? (2) Panentheism or process theism? (3) Creation ex nihilo and/or continuing creation? (4) Voluntary or necessary limitation of God's power? Even when we differed I have benefited immensely from our ongoing interaction.
IS A COMPLETE BIOCOGNITIVE ACCOUNT OF RELIGION FEASIBLE?
Authors: Oviedo Lluís
Published: February 2008

The biological and cognitive approach to religion has matured somewhat and reveals interesting results. Nevertheless, some questions arise about its foundation and development. The essay offers a review of current research in the cognitive field, focusing on its conclusions, the internal discussions, and the problems that need more study or correction. Emphasis is placed on a more intricate account of the factors involved in religious experience, discussing the proper use of the discoveries of biocognitive research and the limits that should be placed on said conclusions.
ENGAGING SCIENCE IN THE MODE OF TRUST: HANS KÜNG'S THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS
Authors: Tilling Chris
Published: February 2008

In 2006 Swiss theologian Hans Küng added his distinctive and important voice to the science/theology discussion in his work Der Anfang aller Dinge. I summarize here the general contours of Küng's argumentation and briefly evaluate his proposals, especially in relation to his earlier publications. English translations are provided for German citations. After summarizing Küng's response to the question of the search for a unified theory of everything, I present his answer to the question of how theology and science should be related. This leads to a summary of his extensive meditation on science and the question of God's existence from a theological‐philosophical perspective. After examining his thesis concerning creation and evolution, I discuss matters more anthropological and trace the final elements of Küng's argument as they relate to eschatology and science. Finally, I evaluate the general thrust of his argumentation with special reference to his previous publications.
A BIOLOGIST'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE FUTURE OF THE SCIENCE‐RELIGION DIALOGUE IN THE TWENTY‐FIRST CENTURY
Authors: Carvalho John J.
Published: February 2008

In recent issues of Zygon, numerous reflections have been published commenting on where the field of science‐and‐religion has been, where it presently stands, and where it should move in the future. These reflections touch on the importance of the dialogue and raise questions as to what audience the dialogue addresses and whom it should address. Some scholars see the dialogue as prospering, while others point out that much work needs to be done to make the dialogue more accessible to a larger audience and more successful at tackling the provocative questions before us. Other academics view the questions themselves as needing further consideration and focus before answers to them can even be explored. In this article I provide a general overview of these essays by outlining some general categories of thought that seem to emerge from the contributors. I then present some of my own opinions concerning the future of the science‐religion field and emphasize that the dialogue, in addition to its traditional roles, must further the philosophical framework that can aid humanity in resolving the most pressing global concerns of our time.
BEYOND BARBOUR OR BACK TO BASICS? THE FUTURE OF SCIENCE‐AND‐RELIGION AND THE QUEST FOR UNITY
Authors: Smedes Taede A.
Published: February 2008

Reflecting on the future of the field of science‐and‐religion, I focus on three aspects. First, I describe the history of the religion‐and‐science dialogue and argue that the emergence of the field was largely contingent on social‐cultural factors in Western theology, especially in the United States. Next, I focus on the enormous influence of science on Western society and on what I call cultural scientism, which influences discussions in science‐and‐religion, especially how theological notions are taken up. I illustrate by sketching the way divine action has been studied in science‐and‐religion. The divine‐action debates may seem irrelevant to theologians because the way divine action is dealt with in science‐and‐religion is theologically problematic. Finally, I analyze the quest for integration and unity of science and religion that underlies much of the contemporary field of science‐and‐religion and was stimulated particularly by the efforts of Ian Barbour. I argue that his quest echoes the logical positivist vision of unification and has a strong bias toward science as the sole source of rationality, which does not take theology fully seriously.
Modelling Price Paths in On-Line Auctions: Smoothing Sparse and Unevenly Sampled Curves by Using Semiparametric Mixed Models
Authors: Reithinger Florian , Jank Wolfgang , Tutz Gerhard , Shmueli Galit
Published: February 2008

On-line auctions pose many challenges for the empirical researcher, one of which is the effective and reliable modelling of price paths. We propose a novel way of modelling price paths in eBay's on-line auctions by using functional data analysis. One of the practical challenges is that the functional objects are sampled only very sparsely and unevenly. Most approaches rely on smoothing to recover the underlying functional object from the data, which can be difficult if the data are irregularly distributed. We present a new approach that can overcome this challenge. The approach is based on the ideas of mixed models. Specifically, we propose a semiparametric mixed model with boosting to recover the functional object. As well as being able to handle sparse and unevenly distributed data, the model also results in conceptually more meaningful functional objects. In particular, we motivate our method within the framework of eBay's on-line auctions. On-line auctions produce monotonic increasing price curves that are often correlated across auctions. The semiparametric mixed model accounts for this correlation in a parsimonious way. It also manages to capture the underlying monotonic trend in the data without imposing model constraints. Our application shows that the resulting functional objects are conceptually more appealing. Moreover, when used to forecast the outcome of an on-line auction, our approach also results in more accurate price predictions compared with standard approaches. We illustrate our model on a set of 183 closed auctions for Palm M515 personal digital assistants.
Generalized Monotonic Functional Mixed Models with Application to Modelling Normal Tissue Complications
Authors: Schipper Matthew , Taylor Jeremy M. G. , Lin Xihong
Published: February 2008

Normal tissue complications are a common side effect of radiation therapy. They are the consequence of the dose of radiation that is received by the normal tissue surrounding the site of the tumour. Within a specified organ each voxel receives a certain dose of radiation, leading to a distribution of doses over the organ. It is often not known what aspect of the dose distribution drives the presence and severity of the complications. A summary measure of the dose distribution can be obtained by integrating a weighting function of dose (w(d)) over the density of dose. For biological reasons the weight function should be monotonic. We propose a generalized monotonic functional mixed model to study the dose effect on a clinical outcome by estimating this weight function non-parametrically by using splines and subject to the monotonicity constraint, while allowing for overdispersion and correlation of multiple obervations within the same subject. We illustrate our method with data from a head and neck cancer study in which the irradiation of the parotid gland results in loss of saliva flow.
Measuring Firm Performance By Using Linear and Non-Parametric Quantile Regressions
Authors: Landajo Manuel , De Andrés Javier , Lorca Pedro
Published: February 2008

Quantile regression models are examined from the standpoint of their suitability to analyse company profitability. Some linear and non-linear (B-spline) structures are proposed. Linear conditional quantile models provide an intuitive framework which permits conventional statistical inference tools to be applied. Non-parametric spline-based quantile regression is a flexible approach, allowing a different grade of curvature for each conditional quantile, thus providing the possibility of capturing certain non-linear effects that are predicted by economic theory. The behaviour of these variants of the quantile framework is tested on a representative database, which was obtained from the Spanish book publishing industry. Our results confirm the usefulness of the quantile regression approach. Linear models seem to provide suitable descriptions for the behaviour of average performing firms, whereas non-parametric estimates provide the best fit for the extreme conditional quantiles (i.e. companies which exhibit the highest and the lowest performance in terms of profitability).
LEARNING TO WALK BEFORE WE CAN PRICE: THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF ROAD PRICING POLICIES
Authors: Bowerman Alex
Published: February 2008

The introduction of widespread road pricing is being considered in the UK and abroad as a means to allocate scarce road space. By looking at the economic costs and benefits of both national and local road pricing schemes, this paper seeks to examine how widely charging should be implemented.
Knowledge and Creative Destruction over the Industry Life Cycle: The Case of the German Automobile Industry
Authors: CANTNER UWE , KRÜGER JENS J. , VON RHEIN KRISTINA
Published: February 2008

The paper investigates how pre‐entry experience, post‐entry experience and innovative activity affected the survival of German automobile firms over the period 1886–1936. A statistical survival analysis is performed which links instrumental variable estimation with the Cox regression. The main results are that all three knowledge components exert an independent and significantly positive effect on firm survival. Moreover, innovative activity is able to compensate for post‐entry experience, in accord with Schumpeterian creative destruction.
Trusts for Religious Purposes and the Question of Public Benefit
Authors: Harding Matthew
Published: February 2008

It is a well‐established principle that no trust may be regarded as charitable in law unless carrying out its purposes will benefit the public. Trusts for religious purposes have traditionally been presumed by courts to be for the public benefit. However, the presumption of public benefit will be removed from the law in early 2008 when section 3(2) of the Charities Act 2006 comes into force. At that time, two questions are likely to attract interest. First, to what extent, and in what ways, has the application of a presumption of public benefit assisted courts up to now? Secondly, without the assistance of the presumption, how might courts go about ascertaining whether the public will benefit in future cases? The article takes up these two questions with respect to trusts for religious purposes.
The Sex Offender ‘Register’: A Case Study in Function Creep
Authors: THOMAS TERRY
Published: February 2008

Abstract: We now have ten years' experience of the sex offender ‘register’ and its requirements that offenders having committed designated offences notify the police every time their address and other details change. In those years the ‘register’ has been strengthened and added to in various ways to make notification an increasingly onerous business. The police have been given new powers to enable them to enter premises. Those on the ‘register’ have been denied early release from prison available to other offenders. This article asks questions about how far we can take the ‘register’ before it becomes less of a public protection measure and more of a punishment in its own right.
White Matter Lesions in Migraine and Right-to-Left Shunt: A Conventional and Diffusion MRI Study
Authors: Del Sette M , Dinia L , Bonzano L , Roccatagliata L , Finocchi C , Parodi RC , Sivori G , Gandolfo C
Published: February 2008

Subjects with migraine with aura (MA) have a high prevalence of white matter lesions (WMLs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Moreover, right-to-left shunt (RILES), mainly due to patent foramen ovale, is frequently associated with MA. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between RILES and WML in MA. We enrolled 87 consecutive subjects affected by MA. Patients were screened for migraine characteristics and cerebrovascular risk factors. Transcranial Doppler was used to diagnose RILES and MRI with T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to evaluate presence, number and volume of WMLs. RILES was present in 45% of patients. We did not detect any DWI hyperintense lesion; WMLs were present in 61% of patients on T2-weighted images. Presence of WMLs did not correlate with any migraine clinical feature, whereas the presence, number and volume of WMLs increased with subjects' age. There was no significant difference in the total volume and number of WMLs in the group with and without RILES. In conclusion, RILES does not increase the likelihood of finding WMLs in migraineurs.
Boycotting South Africa
Authors: SHAW WILLIAM H.
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT This essay explores the question of what sorts of relations morality permits, requires, or forbids nations, businesses, and individuals to have with South Africa and South Africans. After reflecting on the immorality of apartheid and rebutting several defences of it, the essay turns its attention to several questions that bear on the assessment of foreign policy toward South Africa. The final sections discuss how individuals ought to respond to South African apartheid, focusing on collective boycotts and personal abstentions. The essay critically assesses various proposed boycotts and weighs the significance of symbolic protests of apartheid.
Education and How Not to Corrupt the Young
Authors: THERON STEPHEN
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT The paper has three parts. The first specifies a, notion of philosophy as both a critical discipline and a process of theoria independent of utilitarian or ideological commitment. The second part shows how philosophical paradigms can be ideologically exploited, often unwittingly, by the teacher in a way that sacrifices truth and clarity to utility. Three examples are given, viz. over‐simplification in science‐teaching of the Lockean primary/secondary qualities distinction, misuse of Wittgenstein's nuanced theories to inculcate relativism in the social sciences, and use of the ethical fact/value paradigm to promote a simplistic liberalism in moral teaching. The third part distinguishes teaching a skill and communicating an insight. It is claimed that the theoretical capacities of the learner are routinely subordinated to the practical needs of the teacher.
Future Generations, Locke's Proviso and Libertarian Justice
Authors: ELLIOT ROBERT
Published: February 2008

Abstract  Libertarian justice arguably permits much that is harsh. It might plausibly be thought to generate only minimal obligations on the part of present people toward future generations. This turns out not to be so, at least on Nozick's version of libertarian justice, which is among the most thoroughly worked‐out versions. Nozickian justice generates extensive obligations to future people. This provides an indirect argument for environmentalist policies such as resource conservation and wilderness preservation. The basis for these obligations is Nozick's use of Locke's proviso, which is spelled out using the notion of the baseline. This paper explains how the extensive obligations are implied by the core ideas of Nozickian justice. There is also a discussion of some of the difficulties involved in understanding the notion of the baseline. However, these difficulties do not destroy the theoretical basis for obligations to future generations contained within Nozickian justice. Provided that libertarian justice involves some such device as Locke's proviso the enforcement of substantial environmentalist policies comes within the ambit of the libertarian minimal state.
The Rationality of the Arms Racers
Authors: FLEW ANTONY
Published: February 2008

Abstract  Against Peter Baehr's ‘The “irrationality” of the arms race’, published in Vol. 2 No. 2 of the Journal of Applied Philosophy, this paper argues that, at least directly and in the first instance, both rationality and irrationality characterise individual beliefs and individual behaviour. Furthermore it is fundamental to the understanding of persons that, before putting anyone down as in either respect irrational, we should first reconsider whether we were right, either in attributing to them beliefs which it would have been irrational for them to hold, or in assuming that their actual purposes and priorities were indeed such as to make their behaviour—by these standards—counterproductive. Once our present questions are approached in this way it becomes apparent that we have been given no sufficient reason for concluding that there is significantly more irrationality here than elsewhere. More than enough is too much.
Is Psychology a Cognitive Science?
Authors: RUST JOHN
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT Since the 1970s there has been a significant paradigm shift in psychology away from behaviourism and towards cognitive psychology. Indeed a recent survey discovered that by 1983 more than half American psychologists were describing their approaches as cognitive. However, while behaviourism has had an identifiable philosophical ‘line’ in positivism, reductionism and the hypothetico‐deductive model, such a framework has been noticeably lacking from cognitive psychology. A view of cognitive psychology based on functionalism and ideas from systems analysis is put forward.
A Flight of Fancy on The Tangled Wing or How Not to Argue for More Women in Positions of Power
Authors: SCHONSHECK JONATHAN
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT Numerous attempts have been made recently to argue from premises about ‘human nature’ to conclusions about social policy. This essay offers a critique of one such attempt, Melvin Konner's argument from the fact that women are more nurturing and less aggressive than men, to the claim that the world would be safer if women rather than men had control over the world's armaments, especially nuclear weapons (and thus they ought to occupy positions of power). I claim that the argument is badly flawed at several points, and that as such, it does not advance but impedes the movement towards equal access to governmental positions.
Defining Death
Authors: BROWNE ALISTER
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT Modern technology has made it uncertain as to when exactly death occurs, and this has put us in a quandary over when we can initiate behaviour traditionally deemed apt if and only if a patient is dead. In the light of this, there is general agreement that death should be redefined, but wide disagreement remains about how. I argue, against this, that it is a mistake to redefine death in any way: (1) redefining death will not help to settle the question of when traditional death‐behaviour becomes appropriate, (2) any attempt to redefine death is attended with significant disutilities and no compensating utilities, and (3) the practical problems generated by the indeterminacy can be better handled in other ways.
Nozick, Need and Charity
Authors: RUSSELL PAUL
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT My discussion in this paper proceeds in four stages. First, I provide a brief description of Nozick's entitlement theory and I raise some general questions about it. Secondly, I argue, contrary to Nozick, that we are justified in distributing some goods on the basis of need. More specifically, I argue that we must distinguish between the claim that goods ought to be distributed on the basis of need and the claim that goods which are essential needs ought to be distributed on the basis of need. In the third section I consider the objection that such distributions will inevitably lead to the violation of individuals’ property rights. I argue that individuals are obliged to be charitable and that this obligation places limits on what they are entitled to. What charity requires of us, I maintain, we have no rights over and we must relinquish. In the fourth and final section I point out the general significance of these arguments.
The Moral Status of Deprogramming
Authors: FLEMING PATRICIA ANN
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT  In this paper I examine some of the issues surrounding the moral status of the therapy known as ‘deprogramming’. I argue against the extreme view that all deprogrammings are morally impermissible. In certain instances deprogramming is morally justified because it is quite capable of restoring the conditions needed for the exercise of autonomy. The view of autonomy I am following is that constructed by Gerald Dworkin, wherein two conditions must be met in describing a person as autonomous—authenticity and procedural independence. Autonomy of another type, described by Dworkin as authenticity plus substantive independence, may be lost by persons involved in cults but in those instances deprogramming as reconstructed in this paper is not a morally justified measure.
Subject‐centred Versus Child‐centred Education—a false dualism [1]
Authors: PRING RICHARD
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT  Changing fashions in how the school curriculum is organised are sometimes seen as a regular shift from child‐centred to subject‐centred education, and back again. At the present moment, the British Government is enforcing ‘subject‐centredness’, partly as a reaction to criticism of declining standards attributed to less rigorous child‐centred approaches. On the other hand, other Government initiatives hark back to child‐centred principles. This apparent paradox is partly resolved through a closer analysis of one particular tradition of ‘child‐centred’ education, and of what is represented by ‘subjects’. Such analyses take us necessarily into ethics and epistemology.
Is Commercial Surrogacy Baby‐selling?
Authors: KORNEGAY R. JO
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT This essay considers a common objection to commercial surrogacy on the grounds that the child is treated as a commodity for sale by the surrogate and the commissioning couple. I analyse one prevalent argument for the view that commercial surrogacy is a kind of baby‐selling, not service‐selling. I conclude that this argument rests on an implausible interpretation of what the reproductive services are. I defend an alternative interpretation of typical surrogacy agreements. Furthermore, I argue that this interpretation fails to support the conclusion that the surrogate is primarily or exclusively selling a baby, rather than her reproductive services. My primary concern is to diagnose a conceptual error in an argument against surrogacy. However, the interpretation of surrogacy arrangements that is defended helps to shift the focus from the issue of whether or not the child is degraded to the issue of whether or not the surrogate degrades herself or is degraded by the commissioning couple.
Politics and Generosity
Authors: MACHAN TIBOR R.
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT This paper argues that generosity as a moral virtue is only consistently and fully possible to practise in the kind of polity that upholds natural individual human rights, including the basic negative right to private property. The paper sketches a characterisation of generosity and explains the sense in which it can be a moral virtue. Some of the assumptions underlying the concept of moral virtue are considered and it is argued that contrary to some recent claims, it is possible to conceptualise as well as to practise moral virtues in our age. Yet it is also shown that certain political prerequisites are necessary for practising generosity. Furthermore, it is shown that there cannot be any generosity involved in a polity in which one is forced to share one's wealth with those who might be the beneficiaries of generous conduct. Finally, it is argued that even in a polity with a very limited government some acts of official generosity are possible.
Secession: The Case of Quebec
Authors: NIELSEN KAI
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT I argue that people have a right to self‐determination when they are plainly predominant in a certain territory and do not violate the civil liberties of minorities. But there is no self‐determination without the preservation of self‐identity and the cultural preservation that goes with its secure existence. So to preserve autonomy and self‐determination people must preserve their cultural identity and this cannot be securely sustained in modern conditions without a nation‐state concerned to nourish that identity. Such considerations support a right to secession when certain conditions are met. The conditions are that the people in question have a cultural identity, live in a distinct territory which they have inhabited for a long time, form an extensive majority, and respect the civil liberties of the minorities living in that territory (as well as elsewhere). Where they are such a group they have a right to secede from a larger state to which they are historically attached. These conditions, I argue, are met in Quebec.
Liberal vs Radical Feminism Revisited
Authors: GRAHAM GORDON
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT This essay considers the movement away from a feminism based upon liberal political principles, such as John Stuart Mill espoused, and towards a radical feminism which seeks to build upon more recent explorations of psychology, biology and sexuality. It argues that some of these moves are philosophically suspect and that liberal feminism can accommodate the more substantial elements in these radical lines of thought.
Interfering with Nature
Authors: NORMAN RICHARD
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT Certain kinds of medical treatment are often held to be morally unacceptable because they are an ‘interference with nature’. I suggest a way in which we can make sense of such ideas. We can make significant choices only against a background of conditions which we regard as ‘natural’, and these will typically include such facts as those of birth and death, of youth and age, and of sexual relations. I argue, however, that such ideas, though intelligible, do not establish any valid moral objection to, for instance, the use of ovarian tissue for assisted conception.
Disruption of GM2/GD2 synthase gene resulted in overt expression of 9‐O‐acetyl GD3 irrespective of Tis211
Authors: Furukawa Keiko , Aixinjueluo Wei , Kasama Takeshi , Ohkawa Yuki , Yoshihara Michiko , Ohmi Yusuke , Tajima Orie , Suzumura Akio , Kittaka Daiji , Furukawa Koichi
Published: February 2008

GM2/GD2 synthase gene knockout mice lack all complex gangliosides, which are abundantly expressed in the nervous systems of vertebrates. In turn, they have increased precursor structures GM3 and GD3, probably replacing the roles of the depleted complex gangliosides. In this study, we found that 9‐O‐acetyl GD3 is also highly expressed as one of the major glycosphingolipids accumulating in the nervous tissues of the mutant mice. The identity of the novel component was confirmed by neuraminidase treatment, thin layer chromatography‐immunostaining, two‐dimensional thin layer chromatography with base treatment, and mass spectrometry. All candidate factors reported to be possible inducer of 9‐O‐ acetylation, such as bitamine D binding protein, acetyl CoA transporter, or O‐acetyl ganglioside synthase were not up‐regulated. Tis21 which had been reported to be a 9‐O‐acetylation inducer was partially down‐regulated in the null mutants, suggesting that Tis21 is not involved in the induction of 9‐O‐acetyl‐GD3 and that accumulated high amount of GD3 might be the main factor for the dramatic increase of 9‐O‐acetyl GD3. The ability to acetylate exogenously added GD3 in the normal mouse astrocytes was examined, showing that the wild‐type brain might be able to synthesize very low levels of 9‐O‐acetyl GD3. Increased 9‐O‐acetyl GD3, in addition to GM3 and GD3, may play an important role in the compensation for deleted complex gangliosides in the mutant mice.
Determinism within human–environment research and the rediscovery of environmental causation
Authors: JUDKINS GABRIEL , SMITH MARISSA , KEYS ERIC
Published: February 2008

The popularity of the work Guns, germs and steel (GGS) has served to bring the question of human–environment connections once again to the forefront of popular thought. We assert that the recent success of GGS represents both a persistence of environmental determinist logic and a contemporary trend that privileges the environment as the primary influence on human–environment relationships. The historical development of the human–environment field is reviewed from the cultural and political ecology (CAPE) perspective, with particular attention to illustrating the varying emphasis between humans and their environment. GGS is situated within this developing field through a critical analysis of the arguments and methods forwarded by Jared Diamond. The book is found to mirror earlier environmental determinism by failing to take into account many of the advances in human–environmental thought since the early twentieth century. Its popular success suggests the pitfalls of failures to acknowledge the complex, intertwined and indivisible relationship that exists among humans and their environment. Furthermore, there is evidence that the environmental determinism espoused in GGS has caught the attention of international development policymakers potentially influencing future outlays of aid and assistance to the developing world. These conclusions raise cautionary flags against repeating past theoretical mistakes by accepting simplistic, causal explanations based largely on a deterministic conception of the natural environment.
Effects of high‐yield thrombocytapheresis on the quality of platelet products
Authors: Julmy Friedgard , Ammann Roland A. , Mansouri Taleghani Behrouz , Fontana Stefano , Hirt Andreas , Leibundgut Kurt
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: The steadily increasing demands for single‐donor apheresis platelet (PLT) concentrates (APCs) are a challenge to the PLT supply system. Therefore, efforts to improve plateletpheresis yield, allowing apheresis products to be split into 2 or more units, are valuable strategies. No data to demonstrate in vivo transfusion efficacy of these high‐yield split‐APCs are currently available, however.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The transfusion efficacy of APCs produced by two apheresis methods involving different harvest and storing procedures and varying PLT yields was investigated. Efficacy measures were the 1‐hour percent PLT recovery (PPR1h) and the 1‐hour corrected count increment (CCI1h). In total, 400 APCs, produced with either an Amicus device (Baxter) and stored in PLT additive solution (T‐Sol; Amicus method [AM], n = 107) or a Trima device (Gambro) and stored in plasma (Trima method [TM], n = 293), were transfused to 55 children (31 girls; median age, 9.5 years; range, 0.2‐18.5 years) with thrombocytopenia due to chemotherapy or aplastic anemia (median, 4 APCs per child; range, 1‐68).

RESULTS: Transfusion efficacy was significantly lower for AM‐APCs than for TM‐APCs (median PPR1h, 17 and 33%; median CCI1h, 7.9 and 15.6, respectively; p < 0.001). Reduced transfusion efficacy correlated in a yield‐dependent manner with high apheresis PLT yields (≥6 × 1011) for AM‐APCs (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Although in vitro validation of AM‐ and TM‐APCs has been performed, only by evaluating transfusion efficacy in vivo did the AM turn out to be not suitable for high‐yield thrombocytapheresis. This study recommends the implementation of in vivo transfusion efficacy studies for high‐yield APC apheresis donations.
Vesicles generated during storage of red cells are rich in the lipid raft marker stomatin
Authors: Salzer Ulrich , Zhu Rong , Luten Marleen , Isobe Hirotaka , Pastushenko Vassili , Perkmann Thomas , Hinterdorfer Peter , Bosman Giel J.C.G.M.
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: The release of vesicles by red blood cells (RBCs) occurs in vivo and in vitro under various conditions. Vesiculation also takes place during RBC storage and results in the accumulation of vesicles in RBC units. The membrane protein composition of the storage‐associated vesicles has not been studied in detail. The characterization of the vesicular membrane might hint at the underlying mechanism of the storage‐associated changes in general and the vesiculation process in particular.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Vesicles from RBCs that had been stored for various periods were isolated and RBCs of the same RBC units were used to generate calcium‐induced microvesicles. These two vesicle types were compared with respect to their size with atomic force microscopy, their raft protein content with detergent‐resistant membrane (DRM) analysis, and their thrombogenic potential and activity with annexin V binding and thrombin generation, respectively.

RESULTS: The storage‐associated vesicles and the calcium‐induced microvesicles are similar in size, in thrombogenic activity, and in membrane protein composition. The major differences were the relative concentrations of the major integral DRM proteins. In storage‐associated vesicles, stomatin is twofold enriched and flotillin‐2 is threefold depleted.

CONCLUSION: These data indicate that a stomatin‐specific, raft‐based process is involved in storage‐associated vesiculation. A model of the vesiculation process in RBCs is proposed considering the raft‐stabilizing properties of stomatin, the low storage temperature favoring raft aggregation, and the previously reported storage‐associated changes in the cytoskeletal organization.
Blood group genotyping for Jka/Jkb, Fya/Fyb, S/s, K/k, Kpa/Kpb, Jsa/Jsb, Coa/Cob, and Lua/Lub with microarray beads
Authors: Karpasitou Katerina , Drago Francesca , Crespiatico Loretta , Paccapelo Cinzia , Truglio Francesca , Frison Sara , Scalamogna Mario , Poli Francesca
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, blood group typing has been performed with serologic techniques, the classical method being the hemagglutination test. Serotyping, however, may present important limitations such as scarce availability of rare antisera, typing of recently transfused patients, and those with a positive direct antiglobulin test. Consequently, serologic tests are being complemented with molecular methods. The aim of this study was to develop a low‐cost, high‐throughput method for large‐scale genotyping of red blood cells (RBCs).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Single‐nucleotide polymorphisms associated with some clinically important blood group antigens, as well as with certain rare blood antigens, were evaluated: Jka/Jkb, Fya/Fyb, S/s, K/k, Kpa/Kpb, Jsa/Jsb, Coa/Cob, and Lua/Lub. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐amplified targets were detected by direct hybridization to microspheres coupled to allele‐specific oligonucleotides. Cutoff values for each genotype were established with phenotyped and/or genotyped samples.

RESULTS: The method was validated with a blind panel of 92 blood donor samples. The results were fully concordant with those provided by hemagglutination assays and/or sequence‐specific primer (SSP)–PCR. The method was subsequently evaluated with approximately 800 blood donor and patient samples.

CONCLUSION: This study presents a flexible, quick, and economical method for complete genotyping of large donor cohorts for RBC alleles.
Evaluation of a new Trypanosoma cruzi antibody assay for blood donor screening
Authors: Gorlin Jed , Rossmann Susan , Robertson Gene , Stallone Fred , Hirschler Nora , Nguyen Kim‐Anh , Gilcher Ronald , Fernandes Helen , Alvey Stacey , Ajongwen Patience , Contestable Paul , Warren Harold
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: This multicenter prospective study was designed to evaluate the performance characteristics of a new commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi in blood donors, the ORTHO T. cruzi ELISA Test System (Ortho‐Clinical Diagnostics).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Assay specificity was evaluated among 40,665 serum and ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) plasma specimens from volunteer blood donors and 481 T. cruzi antibody–negative specimens from a high‐risk population. Sensitivity was evaluated among 106 T. cruzi‐infected subjects identified by parasite detection, among 93 radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA)‐positive specimens from high‐risk subjects, and 662 specimens presumed positive for the presence of T. cruzi antibodies by serologic methods. Also assessed were the equivalence of serum and plasma as specimen sources, performance equivalence of automated and semiautomated processing methods, nonspecific reactivity in specimens from other disease states or clinical conditions, and assay precision.

RESULTS: Assay specificity was 99.998 percent in volunteer blood donors and 99.4 percent among high‐risk subjects. Sensitivity was 100 percent among specimens positive by parasite detection, or by serologic methods, and 98.9 percent among RIPA‐positive specimens from high‐risk subjects. No differences were demonstrated between serum and plasma or between semiautomated and automated processing methods. Cross‐reactivity was observed with known positive leishmaniasis specimens. Total inter‐ and intraassay variability was less than 10 percent with both the automated and the semiautomated methods.

CONCLUSION: The ORTHO T. cruzi ELISA Test System is an effective, qualitative assay for screening blood donors for immunoglobulin G antibodies to T. cruzi. The assay was licensed for donor screening by the FDA in December 2006.
Viability does not necessarily reflect the hematopoietic progenitor cell potency of a cord blood unit: results of an interlaboratory exercise
Authors: Brand Anneke , Eichler Hermann , Szczepiorkowski Zbigniew M. , Hess John R. , Kekomaki Riitta , McKenna David H. , Pamphilon Derwood , Reems JoAnna , Sacher Ronald A. , Takahashi Tsuneo A. , Van De Watering Leo M.G. ,   Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: Clinical transplant outcome with umbilical cord blood (UCB) as source of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) is, among other factors, determined by the total number of viable nucleated cells and/or CD34+ cells in the unit. Quantitative and qualitative losses by processing and cryopreservation and by thawing and washing before transfusion may occur, however. Another reason for a discrepancy between the number of cells in the unit released by the cord blood bank and found in the transplant center may be technical differences in cell counting methods between the two sites.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: With the collaborative group for Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST), an interlaboratory exercise was conducted among nine sites for thawed UCB variables: total nucleated cells, CD34+ cells, viability, and HPC cultures. Three frozen UCB samples were shipped, with instructions for thawing, counting, and HPC plating.

RESULTS: Unexpectedly samples arrived at all nine receiving centers without detectable hematopoietic progenitor colony‐forming cells. Nevertheless, wide interlaboratory ranges for viability were obtained. The proportion of viable cells was found higher with manual methods, but all viability assays used in the study overestimated functional progenitor cells.

CONCLUSIONS: The results underscore the complexity of evaluation of frozen‐thawed cord blood cells and the need for standardization of assessment.
Persistence of allografts in the peritoneal cavity after prenatal transplantation in mice
Authors: Chen Jeng‐Chang , Chang Ming‐Ling , Muench Marcus O.
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: In utero transplantation (IUT) is usually performed by intraperitoneal injection, but there is little information regarding the fate of intraperitoneally transplanted cells in the first weeks after transplantation.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Fetal transplantation was performed in a B6D2F1 (C57BL/6 × DBA/2, H‐2b/d) into C57BL/6 (H‐2b) murine strain combination at the gestational age of 13 days by intraperitoneal injection of light‐density marrow cells. Adult C57BL/6 mice were used as the postnatal transplantation group. Donor cell levels in the peritoneum, peripheral blood, and various hematopoietic tissues were examined by flow cytometry.

RESULTS: After fetal transplantation, peritoneal chimerism could be detected for 4 weeks, ranging from 0.02 to 23.2 percent with the highest median chimerism at 2 weeks after transplantation. Donor cells in the peripheral blood, spleen, marrow, liver, and thymus were usually low (<0.2%) with a tendency for higher donor cell levels at 2 weeks after transplantation. Engraftment in fetal peritoneum was primarily by myeloid and B cells with few T cells. In contrast, adult mice transplanted with haplogeneic marrow cleared nearly all donor cells from the peritoneum within a week of transplant. There was no evidence showing that donor cells had ever migrated to any hematopoietic tissues after adult transplantation.

CONCLUSION: Despite limited engraftment in hematopoietic tissues, donor cells persisted in the peritoneum for 2 weeks or longer after fetal transplantation. The fetal peritoneum may serve as a sanctuary for foreign cells in the fetus, which may aid the development of novel cellular therapies for birth defects.
Estimated risk of Chikungunya viremic blood donation during an epidemic on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, 2005 to 2007
Authors: Brouard Cécile , Bernillon Pascale , Quatresous Isabelle , Pillonel Josiane , Assal Azzedine , De Valk Henriette , Desenclos Jean‐Claude
Published: February 2008

BACKGROUND: Between 2005 and 2007, Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) caused a massive epidemic on Reunion Island with a major peak in the number of cases in February 2006. Blood donation was interrupted on the island in January 2006.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Estimates of the mean risk of viremic blood donation on Reunion Island were computed for different phases of the epidemic. Calculations used CHIKV incidence estimates derived from sentinel surveillance, duration of viremia, and frequency of asymptomatic infection. Data on these two last parameters were initially based on hypotheses and subsequently obtained from studies carried out during the outbreak. The estimated risk was compared to the results of CHIKV nucleic acid testing (NAT) implemented for platelet (PLT) donations screening.

RESULTS: Over the course of the outbreak, the mean risk was estimated at 132 per 100,000 donations. The risk peaked at 1,500 per 100,000 donations at the height of the outbreak in February 2006. In total, 47 blood donations would have been potentially viremic if blood collection had not been interrupted. During this period, an estimated 312,500 of 757,000 inhabitants had been infected by mosquito‐borne transmission. From January to May 2006, the estimated mean risk (0.7%) and observed risk on PLT donations (0.4%) were of the same order of magnitude.

CONCLUSION: During this large outbreak, the estimated risk of viremic blood donation was high, but low compared to the risk of mosquito‐borne CHIKV transmission. The estimated risk was corroborated by the concordant results with the observed risk.